Races: Online (VR Smartphone App)

Chapter 178: The Missing Piece

Professor Owen Liddell opened the cork of the Speed Potion and took a quick sip before he took a swig of the Potion of Leaping and considered himself set. He then left the Academyhe headed towards one of the most popular places of the City Gloria, the clinic. He had told the Students that he would be quick, but he was sure that they would only end up appreciating him slacking off. As for the rebuke of the Headmaster, he couldn't care.

Within a few minutes, he arrived at his destination without any trouble.

He moved past the Receptionists and the Healer's Assistants as he walked to the room that he knew where his colleague stayed in. There were some faint sounds of conversation going on. He knocked briefly before opening it uphe came across one of the main Healers currently talking with her, and the man was knelt in front of the patient and holding her hand. He felt one of his eyes twitch, "Excuse me, can I visit the patient?"

The Healer was quick to draw back from the woman, almost guiltily so. "A-Ah, of course, I was only checking her condition for the day. A good day to you, Professor Liddell."

They were trying to make a move on her.

"How do you know my name?" He was well-known in the Academy and even in the city, but it didn't mean that everybody could recognize him on sight alone. Surely, the two of them weren't going to discuss it either.

Unless they were laughing about him.

A flash of a smile appeared on the Healer's face as they waved, "My younger brother, Roux Arcois speaks fondly of you." There was a hint of a grimace at the end. But then the Healer shook his head, "I believe my brother returned today?"

"I see." Owen shrugged, "Maybe? I would think that they would have contacted the family first." He was unhelpful, but it wasn't like he was required to wait hand and foot on the man simply because of their brother. 

"Professor Liddell," Jeanne Orleans sent him a look. It was a look that meant he wasn't going to get a proper conversation if he kept up with his attitude.

He kind of hated whenever she did that. He sighed and raised a hand, "I heard he returned safely after the mission. Honestly, it's no doubt a success, he's got a good party, so no worries at all, Mister?"

"Treuse Arcois, but Trey is fine." The Healer inclined their head before pulling up to his feet, the older man sighed in relief and actually clutched his chest. "I'll leave you and Miss Jeanne to converse." He soon left and shut the door to the room.

"Miss 'Jeanne', what a"

"Thank you for visiting, Owen." The Cleric rolled her eyes as she leaned back against her bed. "Aren't you supposed to be teaching a class today?"

"They won't mind itbesides, the old man did insist I take a break." He took one of the available seats and plopped down, "How are you feeling?"

"Physically? I'm fine. But I still feel mentally exhausted and something is nagging the back of my mind." She frowned and folded her hands together. "I still don't know how the two of us ended up outside"

"Well, some of us were stupid enough to think they could handle a Colossal Wyvern on their own and went out." Owen shrugged and averted his gaze for a moment. "According to what the others said, we were stunned the moment the creature let out its lightning but we had luckily survived. Must have been a Blessing of your divine entity Eemus? I also probably drank a Stone Skin potion back then."

"Eemis." The Cleric corrected him with another one of her frowns. But she rubbed her face, "Don't worry, I think today may be the last day I stay here."

"Unless the guy makes you stay for a week." He jabbed a thumb to the door behind him.

She didn't say anything to that and instead sighed. "I could use a break."

"Aw come on, think about the children."

"What children?" She rolled her eyes, "Most of the Students are in their teens with some of them in their early twenties, they can take care of themselves."

"Exactly why I left them." He chuckled and shrugged. "But you really can't stay here too long, the lunch break with the other Professors is going to kill meI can't stand them."

She gave him an unamused look.

He sounded like some jerk but he didn't care. "Talking with the Battlemage is them trying to recount all of their past glories in warwith Uriel doing the same thing but when he was adventuring. Seriously, we don't need to hear about your past exploits ramming your ice spear in the General, Carnus. The man is disgusting in the office."

"Wait, he said that. Ew." She scrunched up her face.

A chuckle escaped on his face, and he sighed. "And as for Lavelda, she's always going on about her research. Even I could only handle so much, but she devours books like she's a Book Worm in the Ember Lake Tower."

"As if you actually care, you can stare at those orbs all day long." She wiggled her eyebrows at him and gave him a smirk.

"What? I don't!" He crossed his arms, "I'm quite a decent person."

"Sure you are."

.. .

When Timothy finally arrived in the courtyard for the classhe noticed that some of the Students were leaving. There was also the fact that their Professor was nowhere to be seen. He raised a brow and focused on this instead of the words that the Wizard gave him before he left. He quickly found Han with Ellynn and made his way to them.

Because he wasn't exactly sure where he could gowell, Penelope maybe, but she was in the crowd with the other Nobles, and he wasn't going to have anything to do with them. He didn't like the fact that there were at least ten of them now, too many people.

Perhaps he was also resigned to the fact that Han made them part of the people to be avoided. But spending some time with the Half Elf wasn't as bad as he thought it would be... she was reliable. "Hey."

"Oh, hey, Timothy?" Han raised a brow at him while Ellynn gave him a quick nod.

He returned Han's look, "Were you expecting somebody else? Also, hello Miss Ellynn." He plopped down on the grass and sighed. "Is the Professor not arriving? I may have wasted my time coming here if that's the case."

"Well, I don't know where he went but that's fine with me." Han chuckled.

Timothy's face scrunched up, "Aren't you too lazy?"

"It's not my fault that the Professor is here, what do you expect me to do?" Han scratched the back of his head.

"Read a book."

"What?"

Timothy glanced around behind them to see if anyone was looking their way before he opened his bag slightly, "I was able to take some books from the first library, if you'd like to borrow Miss Ellynn, I can lend one to you." It was much better off talking with her than Han.

"You're really too nice to girls," Han coughed before glancing at Ellynn, "Not that I'm saying you shouldn't borrow, but Tim's really like this. Actually, forget what I said and er just take anything."

"Should I apologize for my attitude?" Timothy frowned at Han before looking back at Ellynn. He was waiting for the woman to pick her book up and then he could at least feel less guilty for dragging them into the library last night.

"I don't want to be rude, but wouldn't you guys need this more than me?" She asked.

"Well, yeah but"

Timothy rolled his eyes, "It's not like Han is reading them and I can't read all of them at once." He tried it and it only made his head spin.

"Hey! I do read!" Han pouted, before the man's lips curled into a grin. He smugly motioned to himself, "You can't just see me, but I'm really benefiting from the books, one way or another. You just have to have faith in me, Tim."

"Uhhh" The Half Elf was a bit taken aback by the man's statement. 

He clicked his tongue, "You're not going to learn anything by just holding them, idiot." There were times he could appreciate the man's weird way of thinking, but they still often just got on his nerves.

"Having it with me is enough to make me feel like I'm learning something." The man shrugged.

Timothy stared at Han before glancing back at the hooded figure, "You can take whatever you wanter, wait." He pulled the bag closer to him and checked its contents. The books were alright, but he didn't want them to see the tomeit was gone. His eyes widened. "Huh?"

"What's the matter?"

"Is there something wrong?"

Their voices melded into the background as he began to move the other books back and forth. Why hadn't he noticed it earlier? He should have felt its weightwait, Iola took it didn't she? Why didn't she ask permission?