Chapter 200 - The Mental Connection of Husband and Wife

Nathan Evenhart:

It was pouring rain, and our outdoor classes were canceled. I’ll admit, I may have gone overboard when I created the storm, but there wasn’t much I could do about it now—the clouds would follow their natural course until they cleared on their own.

With few options left, my classmates and I headed to the library to finish our assignments. Unlike many other students who preferred to do their homework over the weekend, we, who spent our weekends at our homes in the city, used our free hours during the week to get everything done when we didn’t have classes.

Thyra, however, doesn’t do her assignments, even though she stays at the academy every weekend...

Chloe and I discovered that the library was the best place to gather, all thanks to Kinue. She showed us some quieter spots on the upper floors with tables that were perfect for studying together and working on group assignments.

"Thyra already thinks assignments are boring, and you still bring her to the library?" the wolf girl’s voice sounded from a distance, approaching with the other students.

As soon as they reached our table, Syvis was the first to speak.

“What happened to you?”

“Are you okay?” Melina asked.

They both looked at my bandaged arms, and even my hand was wrapped. My skin hadn’t fully healed yet, so I’d requested to keep it covered. Martha had explained that the healing potion was prioritizing internal damage, so it would take a few more days for my skin to be completely restored.

“Just a spell accident,” I answered.

Thyra stared at me for a second before bursting into laughter, pointing at me with her finger.

“Hahaha!”

What could be so funny?

Chloe didn’t seem to understand either.

“Why are you laughing?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“You boys…” Thyra said, wiping away a tear from laughing so hard. “Bet you’re having trouble moving your arms, huh?”

“Of course… that’s why they’re wrapped,” I replied, still puzzled.

Thyra nudged me playfully, showing a mischievous grin.

“I don’t get it…”

“Let’s just say it’s going to be tough for you... to ‘relieve’ yourself at night,” she laughed again, slapping my back as she laughed uncontrollably.

This girl is insane… my back is still sore, and she’s slapping me.

Syvis sighed in exasperation.

“Enough, wolf girl…” Syvis said, grabbing Thyra by the collar and dragging her to sit at the table.

Chloe and I exchanged glances, then looked at the wolf girl, already familiar with her quirky humor. We pulled our books from our storage bracelets and started working on our assignments together. Coming from different races and kingdoms, we often exchanged knowledge. Whatever questions I had about elves, Syvis could clarify, and if she didn’t understand something about humans, I helped her. I learned that architecture in the elven kingdom was vastly different from the standard human style, which was why Syvis struggled with construction theory classes where teachers used human models. As for our wolf girl friend, we had to coax information out of her about the demi-human realm, but most of what she knew was related to battles.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

I really can’t believe she’s only been interested in training since she was little... she barely knows what the world outside is like.

A little while later, we saw Edmund approaching.

“You look awful,” he commented as he took a seat.

“You should see the other guy,” I joked back.

Each of us filled in the knowledge gaps for one another. Edmund was an expert in military matters and the history of wars the kingdom had fought against other realms on the continent and along the border—unsurprising, considering his father was a renowned military leader. Princess Melina added her knowledge of the royal family’s history, and Chloe and I shared what we knew about agriculture, land management, river behavior, climate, and other topics related to Builder Mages, especially focused on farming.

“My cousin Alice won’t be joining us; I forgot to mention it,” Melina said.

“Neither she nor that Viktor, it seems,” Syvis commented.

“Viktor expressed an interest in joining the kingdom’s military, so Sebastian recruited him to the Knights’ team. My cousin Alice is using her free time to try to communicate with her soul golem,” the princess explained.

The term “soul golem” brought some recent memories to mind as I looked down at my bandaged arms.

“That skinny girl has a soul golem? Interesting... when she awakens it, I’ll ask her to spar with it,” the wolf girl chimed in.

Sometimes she talks normally; other times, not so much.

Chloe, who didn’t openly share that she had an awakened soul golem, chose to stay silent.

We continued studying and working on our assignments. After a while, a familiar cat appeared.

“Meow,” she greeted everyone, though to me, it sounded like, “I’m well-rested.” Cylla stretched and jumped into my lap.

“Your kitty is so cute,” Melina commented.

The princess tried to pet her, but Cylla showed her claws and growled.

“Sorry… she doesn’t like strangers touching her,” I explained, trying to ease the situation.

Edmund observed Cylla.

“I’ve seen a cat like that somewhere before… is she a magical creature?” he asked.

“She’s a moon panth—” Before Thyra could finish, Chloe nudged her lightly under the table.

“She’s a magical cat,” I said to Edmund while stroking Cylla.

“I wish I had a familiar. My father has a wolfdog.”

“Is your dad’s pet just like Thyra?” I asked, teasing.

The wolf girl shot me a look.

“Hey!” she protested, annoyed, and we all burst into laughter.

***

After we finished studying, we went to attend our classes for the day. I felt a bit relieved that it was raining, and that some of our outdoor classes had been canceled; at least I’d get a bit of rest.

“Nate, let me know if you plan to go out. Don’t forget,” Chloe reminded me.

I was under strict orders not to leave the academy alone. With a third assassin still out there who wanted me dead, we had to take extra security measures. My mother, in fact, was cultivating golems—a special spell she had invented, something I’d seen her do since I was a baby. Golems are monsters that drain mana from the user who summons them, but my mother enchanted carnivorous plant seeds and modified them using her plant element. This made the plants grow large and monstrous. She basically invented a way to create golems artificially. They weren’t as intelligent as summoned golems, but they served their purpose.

These artificial golems stayed fixed in the ground, and my mother had to water them daily with mana-infused water to keep them alive, in addition to feeding them weekly with rats or slightly larger animals. After all, these golems were modified carnivorous plants. She surrounded the area around the castle with these golems to act as guards, which was essentially her job as a gardener. She had brought a few of them to our mansion in Apsalon, positioning them as an extra line of defense alongside the maids who patrolled as guards.

I agreed with what Chloe had said and returned to my room. I still had one more class before I was free for the day. Cylla was on the bed, either playing with my bedsheet or maybe sniffing it—I wasn’t exactly sure what she was doing.

Is she spreading her scent on the bed? Or smelling where I sleep?

‘One of these days, I’m definitely convincing Nate to cuddle with me.’

“What!?” I asked, startled.

“What?” she responded.

“Nothing…”

The cat happily continued rolling around on the bed.

Did she just say that in my thoughts? Or… did I somehow read her thoughts?