By the time Lucius woke up the next morning, Skull had already returned with a set of clothes in his size. After washing up and having the excess hair that had grown during his Devour transformation trimmed down, Lucius finally exited the house dressed in a red shirt beneath a black jacket, a pair of jeans, and a pair of black boots.
Skull personally drove him through the academy grounds, and Lucius quietly observed the diverse structures scattered across the enormous campus. There were modern glass buildings standing beside older stone structures, training facilities, dormitories, gardens, plazas, and several enormous buildings that looked more like military installations than classrooms.
Lucius watched them through the window for a while before Skull finally broke the silence.
"Is it a Dreg thing or are you just not a breakfast person?" Skull asked, glancing at him briefly before returning his attention to the road.
Lucius blinked in surprise. Skull’s bravery never ceased to amaze him. He had known the man for barely a day, yet Skull spoke to him with a casualness that would have been unthinkable coming from almost anyone else.
"You are a very brave man. I can see why you are a sergeant," Lucius said, causing Skull’s expression to twitch.
"Second Lieutenant," Skull corrected him in an awkward voice, and Lucius chuckled silently.
For some reason, he had already grown accustomed to having Skull around. It was strange considering that this was the same man who had ordered his execution only a day ago. Yet Skull had gone from an enemy pointing a weapon at him to someone casually driving him around the city and talking to him as though they had known each other for years.
"I’m curious... When you found me in the mines, why did you order my execution?" Lucius asked, his gaze remaining on the scenery outside the window.
Skull’s expression immediately became more serious. He frowned and hesitated for a moment, seemingly deciding how much he should actually tell him before finally speaking.
"There is a current wave of Dreg rights movements on a global scale aimed at improving the life and security of Dregs all over the world. If news of the Gates family failing to protect their workers got out, it’s bound to be a big issue, especially since the Gates are one of the Big Four Duke families of America and not lesser nobility. So we were ordered to kill everyone aware of the incident, including the soldiers meant to defend the mines who fled," Skull explained.
Lucius slowly nodded, his expression becoming contemplative as he absorbed the information. His silence bothered Skull more than an angry outburst would have. In fact, it wasn’t just his silence on this matter. You are reading on NovelPing, the official source.
Lucius’s silence on several matters had always bothered him. While Lucius had shown some discontent with the Dreg system America operated under, he had never displayed the deep resentment that any Dreg would fairly consider justified.
Even Skull still carried some lingering resentment toward the state after being brought to New York by Bruce Ainsworth.
"You are a bit too calm about all of this. It’s giving me goosebumps. Aren’t you considering revenge or something?" Skull asked, stealing another glance at him.
"Of course I’m plotting my revenge on the country. I just see no reason to be loud about it or throw a tantrum. You will see it when you see it," Lucius replied with an indifferent shrug.
There had been a time when he would cry and rage about anything and everything. However, after watching his father get publicly executed for Aether Sclerosis, a disease he contracted because of the poor quality protective gear provided by the Gates family, and then watching his mother throw herself from the fourth floor of one of the many dilapidated buildings, leaving him all alone with Lia, Lucius had grown beyond throwing tantrums over spilled milk.
He had learned the hard way that many things in life would always remain beyond his power. He could not control the system, the people who created it, or the circumstances that had ruined his family. The only thing he truly possessed was control over how he responded to those circumstances. That realization had not made him forgiving. It had simply made him patient.
Skull shuddered as his gaze remained fixed on Lucius’s dead eyes. There was something unsettling about the way the young Guardian spoke about revenge. He did not sound angry. He did not sound emotional. He sounded like someone who had already made a decision and simply had no reason to explain it.
Twenty minutes later, the car finally rolled to a halt in front of a simple yet beautiful building decorated with flowers and surrounded by carefully maintained greenery. Unlike the massive structures Lucius had seen throughout the academy grounds, this building looked almost peaceful.
Skull turned off the engine and looked over at Lucius.
"I’m not sure of the academy schedule and you don’t have a cellphone yet, so I’ll just stick around and wait till you are done," Skull informed him.
"Sure," Lucius replied with a shrug before opening the door and stepping out.
Standing near the grand facade, beneath the bold letters spelling Center Of Excellence, was a woman dressed in a tight fitting suit that placed considerable emphasis on her curves. She wore glasses and held a black file against her chest. The moment she spotted Lucius, she hurried toward him with quick, practiced steps, her expression becoming increasingly eager as she approached. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
"Young Master Lucius... I have been asked to guide you to the classroom, please follow me," she said politely.
Lucius simply nodded and followed her through the glass doors at the entrance. They passed the receptionist’s office, which Lucius assumed was probably the woman’s station, before entering another set of glass doors. Beyond them was a massive open garden surrounded by trees, flowers, carefully maintained paths, and several smaller structures hidden among the greenery.
"This is it," the woman said.
Lucius’s left eye twitched as he stared at the enormous garden in front of him. He looked back at the woman with a blank expression. "Was this the grand tour that required guidance?"
The lady immediately choked on her saliva and began coughing hard, her face turning red as she struggled to recover. Lucius rolled his eyes and continued along the clear path without waiting for her. He walked through the garden, experiencing something he had rarely encountered during his life in the mines. The natural scent of the plants mixed with the cool morning breeze, and the sensation was surprisingly relaxing. It did not merely soothe his body. Somehow, it seemed to quiet his mind as well.
Barely a minute later, Lucius arrived at a massive clearing situated deeper within the garden. At the center stood a single podium, and an Asian woman dressed in a white gown stood behind it.
Surrounding the podium were eighteen luxurious couches arranged in a wide circle. Several people were already seated, while only one couch remained empty, and it was obviously reserved for him.
The moment Lucius appeared, the entire room fell silent and every eye turned toward him. Lucius did not feel nervous. He had endured public baths with other miners while women watched them from a distance and security guards kept their guns pointed at them at all times. After growing up under those conditions, a few dozen people staring at him were hardly enough to make him uncomfortable.
He calmly stared at everyone one by one, moving from face to face as he studied the people seated around the clearing. It was then that he realized something unusual. There was no age requirement for this class. There were several middle aged people among the students, but there were also some who looked barely older than him. The academy apparently cared less about age than it did about potential.
"You are Lucius?" the Asian woman on the podium asked.
Lucius nodded.
Her eyes widened in surprise, as though seeing him in person had confirmed something she had only heard about through reports. She immediately turned toward the entire classroom, her expression brightening with excitement.
"Everyone, this is the newest addition to our class, the first Dual Talented Guardian in America and an S+ potential rated Guardian. Lucius!" she exclaimed excitedly.