Chapter 171: Have Some Food

Noah woke with a groan, the pounding in his skull loud enough to drown out every sound around him.

His body felt heavy, sluggish, like every joint had been stuffed with hot sand.

He shifted, grit scratching against his cheek, and only then realized he was still lying in the training hall, sprawled in the same patch of sand he’d collapsed on.

But he wasn’t alone.

Across from him, sitting cross-legged like she had been waiting for hours, was Princess Ines. Her golden eyes were steady, fixed on him in silence.

Noah blinked, groaned again, and sat up.

His head throbbed with the effort, and he pressed a palm to his temple. “Why the hell are you here?”

“You missed class,” Ines said simply.

Her voice carried no malice, no pride, only a calm matter-of-fact tone.

“It’s the fourth day of the week. I heard you no longer attend Alchemy class, but you missed the afternoon Practical Magic class.”

“I hadn’t seen you, so I went looking. I found you here.”

Noah frowned, suspicion flickering in his orange eyes. “And how exactly did you get in?”

A faint smirk appeared on her face. “I have my ways.”

She didn’t elaborate, and Noah didn’t press, at least not yet.

Instead, she reached to her side, pulling out a small cloth bundle. “You looked like you hadn’t eaten. So here.”

She tossed it lightly toward him. It landed in his lap with a soft thud. It was a packed lunch, wrapped neatly, with a waterskin tied alongside it.

Noah stared at it for a second, then looked up at her. “What’s this supposed to be?”

“Food,” she answered, deadpan. “You do eat, don’t you?”

With a sigh, he untied it and began to eat slowly.

The bread was soft, the meat salty, and the water cool. His body drank it up greedily, even as his pride resisted the gesture.

“What made you pass out?” she asked suddenly, her gaze intense.

Noah didn’t even blink. “None of your business.”

She tilted her head, feigning thought. “I could always use my authority as princess of Camelot to make you tell me.”

His lips curved in a dry smirk. “Your authority’s useless against me.”

Her laugh was soft, and genuine. “I figured as much.”

For a moment, there was silence between them, save for the sound of Noah’s chewing.

Then, Ines spoke again. “Since you missed Practical Magic, let me catch you up. We were going over certain ritual types.”

That made Noah pause. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing, only chewing slower, listening.

She went on, unaware, or perhaps perfectly aware, of his attention.

“The basics are the summoning rituals, sacrificial rituals, ascension rituals, and binding rituals.”

“Each one has countless variations, of course, but those are the four pillars.”

“Summoning calls something into this world. Sacrificial demands something be given up for power. Ascension helps someone rise in rank, and binding, as the name implies, ties an entity or force to a person.”

Noah’s thoughts spun at every word, his mind drifting back to that day in the classroom, when the circle had dragged him and his classmates from Earth into this world.

He said nothing, just listened, filing it all away. He needed to know more about rituals if he needed to figure out what was going on.

She rambled for minutes, and he listened as he ate.

At last, he finished the food, brushing crumbs from his hands.

He tied the empty cloth back up and set it aside. “Thanks,” he said flatly, rising to his feet.

She raised a brow, amused. “That’s it? No grand speech? No insult?”

He glanced down at her with the faintest hint of a smirk. “Not today.”

And with that, he turned, striding toward the exit.

He made his way across the academy grounds, before reaching his dorm building.

He entered, took the lift up, and was before his door. He unlocked it, pushed it open and entered, letting it click shut behind him.

He felt like a corpse dragging itself across the floor, his limbs heavy, his eyes burning from the exhaustion of pushing himself past the edge.

The faint headache still pulsed at the back of his skull, dull but steady, like a hammer striking in rhythm with his heartbeat.

He stripped off his sweat stained clothes, tossing them into a heap near the bathroom door.

The shower hissed to life, steam rising as hot water spilled over his shoulders.

He leaned into it, bracing one hand against the tiled wall, letting the heat seep deep into his muscles.

The pounding in his skull slowly faded away, washed down the drain along with the sweat and grit of the training hall.

Exhaling, he closed his eyes. For a moment, the world was nothing but steam, water, and silence.

When he stepped out, the mirror was fogged over, and his skin glowed faintly red from the heat.

He dried himself with brisk movements, toweling his hair into submission before pulling on fresh clothes.

Now feeling like a clean man, he paused at the door, running a hand down his face. Then he left the room behind.

The evening air was cool against his skin as he made his way across campus.

His footsteps carried him unhurriedly toward Professor Cecilia’s office.

A few minutes later, he took the lift up to her floor.

As he neared the office, voices drifted through the wooden door. He froze, recognizing them immediately.

Professor Oliver. And Cecilia.

He leaned closer without meaning to.

“Why are you risking so much for him?” Oliver’s voice was low, but with the faint edge of curiosity, and maybe concern.

Noah frowned. ’Him?’

Inside, Cecilia’s voice followed, softer at first. “Honestly… I don’t know.”

She paused, as if searching for the right words.

“But he does remind me of my younger self. A student pulled around by forces beyond his control, expected to bear weight no one else could carry.”

Noah blinked, surprised at her words.

Oliver exhaled, and Noah could hear the chair creak under his weight.

“I can see it,” he admitted. “His potential is… no, that’s the wrong word. To call it ’potential’ is a disservice. He’s already halfway there.”

Silence hung for a beat, broken only by Cecilia’s voice again, firmer now. “I’m proud of him.”

Noah’s chest tightened at that, an odd, uncomfortable sensation he didn’t know what to make of.

But then, Cecilia’s voice rose, carrying a sterner tone. “But if Noah continues eavesdropping at my door, I might have to find a punishment for him.”

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