Chapter 39: Swallowing Bloodthorn Grass Whole

"That's Bloodthorn Grass. Stop her," Chloe shouted.

But Elara moved incredibly fast. She didn't even chew—she just swallowed the Bloodthorn Grass whole.

"Don't... don't make me..." Elara's eyes turned bloodshot, and painful groans came from her throat. Blood-red veins crawled up her neck, gradually covering her entire face.

The moment she swallowed the Bloodthorn Grass, my mind was hit with a violent shock. My head spun.

A bloody taste surged up my throat. I swallowed it back, enduring the sharp pain in my head, and shouted, "Everyone scatter. Elara's losing control."

The water element, once gentle, turned violently aggressive. It transformed into overwhelming rain arrows shooting toward the controlled ordinary people at the entrance.

A thick, bloody smell filled the entire small cave.

The man in black looked shocked. "Are you crazy? I told you to deal with those students. What are you doing?"

"Shut up. My business is none of your concern."

In the last second before losing consciousness, all I saw was Elara launching her magic, rain arrows shooting toward the man in black's chest, and... those deep blue figures belonging to Aethergate College of Magic at the entrance.

"Vanessa." Darius quickly caught me, calling my name urgently.

The professors from Aethergate College of Magic who came to support quickly subdued the out-of-control Elara. A healing professor tried to take me from Darius's arms, but Darius held me tight, his eyes red, like a cornered young beast.

The professor sighed helplessly. "Darius, I can't treat her if you hold her like this."

Only then did Darius carefully put me down, but he still held my hand tightly.

On the way back to Aethergate College of Magic, I slept in the carriage. Darius stayed by my side the whole time, not even changing his clothes.

Chloe came into the carriage halfway. "Darius, you should go rest. I'll take care of Vanessa. I'll notify you immediately if anything happens."

Darius's gray eyes stared at my face, not moving away. His voice was very soft, as soft as moonlight, impossible to grasp. "I'll stay here and watch over her. Until she wakes up."

Chloe said worriedly, "But your body won't be able to take this. When Vanessa wakes up and sees you so haggard, she'll definitely feel bad."

"She'll be sad if she doesn't see me when she wakes up." Darius's tone was absolutely certain.

After saying that, no matter what else Chloe said, Darius didn't respond anymore, like an exquisite statue. Chloe had no choice but to sigh and leave the carriage. Later, many people and even professors came to persuade Darius, but he refused them all.

Chloe told me all this later.

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was the familiar room 719. My magic power had mostly recovered, but my head was still spinning in waves—the aftereffect of mental exhaustion.

I turned my head and saw Darius sitting by the bed, looking exhausted. He was sleeping with his head resting on the edge of the bed. The dark circles under his eyes were so heavy they looked like they couldn't be washed away, making him especially haggard.

I carefully reached out my hand, wanting to gently touch his face.

Before I could touch him, Darius opened his eyes alertly. His gray eyes met mine, instantly bursting with joy that was impossible to look away from.

He gripped my hand tightly, looking at me again and again in disbelief.

I found it funny and teased, "What's wrong? You look like you don't recognize me. Should I introduce myself again?"

Darius ignored my joke. His gray eyes stared at me steadily, the tenderness surging in them almost drowning me.

"You were unconscious for four days. The professor said you overexerted your mind. If she hadn't assured me you would definitely wake up, I would have thought I'd be keeping watch by your bed for the rest of my life."

Darius suddenly hugged me tightly. His body was trembling. "Vanessa, promise me you won't push yourself like this again, okay? I'll protect you. I never want to watch you lying weakly in bed again, feeling so powerless."

I hugged him tightly too. "I want to protect you too. Darius, you can trust what I'm saying. I'll do everything I can to protect you. You're a very important person to me."

Darius's body stiffened for a moment, then he held me even tighter.

Moonlight streamed through the window onto us, overlapping our shadows together. We held each other for a long while before the relief of having survived gradually sank in.

I drank the calming tea Darius had made. "What's the situation now? Did they find any clues at the Bloodthorn Grass factory?"

Darius first nodded, then shook his head.

I looked at him in surprise. "What does that mean? Nodding and shaking your head."

"The Bloodthorn Grass factory has been cleaned up by the academy. Those controlled ordinary people have been sent for treatment, but we don't know their condition yet. Apparently most of them were controlled for a long time and have suffered permanent mental damage. Even if they're cured, they'll probably become simpletons."

My heart sank. "These people are worse than animals. How could they do something so evil."

Darius touched my hand, soothing my emotions. "The people the academy sent to search the factory's core research lab encountered a violent explosion. All the data and evidence inside were destroyed."

"Such a coincidence? They went to search and the research lab just exploded?" I frowned, and a thought flashed through my mind. "Darius, do you think there could be a mole? Earlier the man in black let something slip—among the people involved in the Bloodthorn Grass incident, there are high-ranking members of Aethergate College of Magic."

Darius looked thoughtful and said softly, "There are no other leads on this matter right now. We can't solve it."

I nodded in agreement, then asked, "What about the Sullivan family?"

"Everyone from the Sullivan family has been arrested. Their crimes will be judged by the Magic Judge."

After hearing this, I tilted my head back and drank the last sip of calming tea. This meant the Bloodthorn Grass matter wasn't something I, a freshman, could continue investigating.

But this time wasn't without gains. I had unlocked my magic affinity—

Soul Reading.

...Wait.

What about Elara? The man in black had said that if the Sullivan family fell, the Thorne family couldn't escape either.

"Darius. Where is Ms. Moore? We need to find her quickly." I jumped out of bed urgently.