"Theodore, Hol!"

Gladys turned to the right upon hearing the voices and saw Theodore and Hol. She quickened her pace towards them, "Why are you here?"

Luo Wei also turned her head, spotting the two young men standing not far from the stairs, and slowly stopped in her tracks.

Theodore noticed her too, his expression darkening slightly, "Gladys, why are you with her?"

Only then did Gladys realize Luo Wei hadn't followed her. She stepped back to stand by her side, "Theodore, don't be like that. Luo Wei saved my life."

"What?" Theodore was stunned.

Gladys pulled Luo Wei forward and quietly explained, "A Paladin gave me a drink made with holy water and blood. After drinking it, I revealed my true form. If it weren't for Luo Wei, my head would have been chopped off by the holy sword."

Both Theodore and Hol widened their eyes, not expecting Gladys to have such a dangerous experience today.

"I told you that wolf pelt of yours didn't have enough scent. You should have listened to me and soaked it in dog blood," Theodore muttered.

"It has nothing to do with the scent," Gladys sighed, "They called me over because of my white hair."

White hair is a mark of the Northerners, who are referred to as "barbarians" by the Westerners. They are known for their fierce temperament and wild customs, with most living near Exile City.

Exile City is a place for banishing criminals, filled with all sorts of villains. The barbarians do not worship the Sun and Moon Deities but have their own totem beliefs, making them seem utterly irredeemable in the eyes of the Church.

To the Church, they are also the most likely to worship Dark Gods or be tempted by demons. It was normal for the Paladins to test her; it wasn't because the wolf pelt lacked scent. Unless she changed her hair color.

"By the way, are you guys alright? Did you encounter any Paladins on your way here?" Gladys asked, looking around.

"We're fine. I came over after seeing them leave the academy," Theodore replied. "I heard you were called away by the Paladins and hadn't seen you come out, so Hol and I decided to look for you."

"Yes, we were just about to go upstairs when we saw you coming down with this young lady," Hol glanced at Luo Wei.

Gladys immediately turned to Luo Wei, apologetically saying, "Luo Wei, I'm sorry for driving you away last time. Thank you for saving me today. Even after how I treated you, you still helped me."

"No need to thank me. I just think judging someone solely based on their race is absurd. I would have saved anyone in the same situation."

She pulled her hand out of Gladys's grasp after speaking, "You all probably have things to discuss. I won't disturb you. Goodbye."

"Luo Wei..." Gladys looked at her helplessly.

"Miss Luo Wei, please wait," Theodore suddenly spoke, his dark face showing a hint of respect. "I apologize for my rude behavior last time. Please forgive me."

"Miss Luo Wei, I'm sorry," Hol scratched the back of his head, also apologizing.

"Luo Wei," Gladys brightened, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her, "Stay with us. Let's hang out together."

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"No," Luo Wei shook her head.

Gladys became anxious, grabbing her hand, "Didn't you want to touch my ears? If you stay, I'll let you touch them."

Luo Wei's expression suddenly became serious.

Oh no, her hand itched a little.

"Touching ears isn't important. I mainly want to be friends with you all," Luo Wei said earnestly, straightening her back.

Gladys thought she really didn't want to touch them, and her eyes dimmed slightly.

Theodore and Hol exchanged glances, coughed, and lowered their heads.

"But this isn't the place to talk, and I need to go back to the dorm to change," Luo Wei said to the three of them, "Let's meet somewhere. I'll find you after I change."

"Okay!" Gladys responded quickly, as if an invisible tail was wagging behind her.

Since learning Gladys was a werewolf, Luo Wei couldn't see any world-weariness on her often frowning face, only finding her adorable.

"Alright," Theodore and Hol agreed.

The four agreed to meet under the third willow tree by the lake in half an hour.

It's less crowded there because of the smell.

After saying goodbye to Theodore and Hol, Luo Wei and Gladys stepped out of the dining hall. Breathing in the fresh air outside felt like coming back to life.

Winnie's description was spot on without any bias. It really stank, almost suffocating her!

And Hol, he had a strong smell of mud and a stench of excrement and urine. She didn't initially want to stay not out of pettiness, but because it was too smelly!

Back at the dormitory, Luo Wei changed into clean clothes, fetched a basin of water to wash her face and hands, and scrubbed off the smell of alcohol. Estimating it was about time, she grabbed her magic wand and turtle shell before heading out.

Gladys had been waiting in the second-floor corridor. She lived on the third floor and changed faster than Luo Wei, having waited five or six minutes.

"Luo Wei!"

Seeing Luo Wei exit, Gladys waved at her, "I'm here."

Luo Wei walked over to join her, and the two headed towards the third willow tree by the lake.

"Gladys, who were those two people sitting next to you at lunch today? I don't think I've seen them before," Luo Wei asked on the way.

"Oh, one is a senior from the intermediate division named Hessel Kalansis, from the Magic Beast Mountains; the other is a senior from the advanced division named Xibastin Noel, like me, from Exile City."

One from the Magic Beast Mountains, another from Exile City, plus Gladys from Exile City, and the uniquely scented Axina. Four people, either inherently special or with special backgrounds.

And she, Luo Wei, shouldn't have been involved in this mess, if not for Kael's meddling dragging her in.

Lost in thought, the two arrived at the lakeside.

Theodore and Hol had arrived even earlier, sprawled unceremoniously on the grass by the lake, chewing on grass stalks and chatting idly.

What suffocated Luo Wei was that Theodore still had salted fish hanging on him, and Hol hadn't changed his clothes either.

The Paladins had left; was such caution necessary?

Gladys also found it unbearable. Werewolves have keen senses of smell, and the odor turned her face green, "Theodore, Hol, why didn't you change?"

Theodore got up and brushed the grass off himself, "Hey, why change? What if the Paladins make a surprise return? Their noses are sharper than a dog's."

Hol agreed, "Yeah, it wasn't easy soaking these clothes to this state!"

Luo Wei and Gladys retreated three steps in unison, looking at the two young men with difficulty.

Finally, they pinched their noses and approached. Gladys muffledly said, "Just for today. Tomorrow you must change."

"Alright, alright, we'll change tomorrow." Theodore, when not targeting someone, had a straightforward and likable personality.

The four sat on the grass, discussing the day's events.

After a few exchanges, the two young men turned to Luo Wei, wearing gambler-like expressions, "Miss Luo Wei, would you like to guess what our identities are?"

"I bet you can't guess," Theodore said confidently, "If I win, Hol owes me ten copper coins!"

Hol chuckled, "I bet Miss Luo Wei can guess."