Vale couldn't help but turn his head in the direction where he sensed the presence of another person.
Alchemist Sherah didn't miss this action and raised her brows.
"Can you see her?" She asked softly.
Vale froze on his spot as he realized that this person wasn't an intruder but perhaps, Alchemist Sherah's student aside from Maya.
However, it seems that Maya is unaware of the other person's presence as she looks confused at their conversation.
Vale thought for a moment as he decided to be cautious.
"Well, my senses were heightened after drinking that potion. I just noticed some movement a while ago, but I'm unsure if it's just the wind or I was imagining things." Vale replied.
Sherah didn't seem to doubt his words since the potion indeed had that kind of side effect.
She just didn't expect that it would be so strong that it could detect her finest disciple.
"Cressida, come out here. You've already been found. You have to practice the Stealth Spell in Advanced Realm… I can't believe that a first-year student sensed your presence." Alchemist Sherah spoke with a gentle voice.
Although it seems that she was reprimanding Cressida, she actually seemed satisfied with her achievement.
In the meantime, Vale's eyes widened after hearing her name.
'Cressida?'
Vale repeated in his mind. This name is quite unique so Vale can easily recall where he heard this name.
He's sure that Denise White's sister was called Cressida!
According to Denise, Cressida disappeared during a mission after offending numerous nobles and some professors in the Academy!
'Do they simply have the same name? Is Cressida a common name in this kingdom?' Vale mused as his attention focused on the figure that was getting closer to them.
"She's my Senior Disciple?" Maya asked curiously. She seems to know that she's not Sherah's only disciple, but she has never seen other disciples until today.
She observed the mysterious lady and realized how unfathomable she was. Her Phantasm State wasn't reacting to her so even if she's seeing her, her Dark Spells may not necessarily find her!
"It's good to see you, Maya. Master Sherah was supposed to give you a mission in order to meet me. However, the little guy here unexpectedly sensed my presence." Cressida calmly said as she approached them.
Vale tried to observe her, but unfortunately, she was wearing a veil aside from her dark clothes as if she had just attended a funeral.
Vale wanted to ask her if her last name was White or if she had a little sister but decided to keep his mouth shut for now.
"So she's one of your disciples." Vale muttered as he tried to act normal.
Alchemist Sherah smiled proudly at this as she added.
"Mhmm… Her physique may not be as good as Lesley's or Maya but she wouldn't lose it in terms of talent. Anyway, how long does it take before you can enter your Phantasm State again?"
"I just need three more minutes, Ma'am Sherah." Vale replied.
"Very well. Don't use your Ghost Hand without my instruction. For now, tell me how you felt the changes in your body…"
Soon, Vale explained his experience to the Alchemist.
After that, Cressida also asked him a few questions about how he detected her presence.
Vale can only lie at this as he can't reveal his Divine Sense. Then, Sherah instructed Cressida to return to her training room to practice her Stealth Techniques…
'Is she training her to be an assassin?' Vale mused. He was really curious about Cressida's presence in the Academy but decided not to pry too much.
Perhaps, she's simply hiding here after she offended several important people in the Dark Arts Faction.
But there is also a problem with this line of thought.
'Why did she not change her name then?' Vale can only shake his head at this thought.
It didn't take that long until Sherah urged him to display his strengthened spell.
Vale summoned his Ghost Hand and confirmed that his already powerful Ghost Hand had become even stronger and faster. The hands had also turned bulkier and could easily lift a weight of about 80 kg!
With this version of Ghost Hand, the Slender Zombie would probably be easily destroyed by this spell.
Unfortunately, the potion's consumption requirement was too high!
He would experience some corruption in his body to the point that his Incorruptible Body leveled up!
Perhaps, if he wasn't the one who accepted this task, they would need a month or even more just to recover from the potion's side effects.
"Alright, you can leave now."
After Master Sherah felt satisfied, she gave Vale some healing liquid before allowing him to leave.
He can actually rest for a few days since he has a month to drink all the six potions she had prepared.
Maya looked at him with a complicated gaze as she couldn't help but admire Vale's toughness.
She accompanied her outside and as they left the Laboratory, she softly asked.
"Vale, are you tempering your physique? Is that the reason why your Spirit Strands weren't progressing?" Maya stopped walking as she looked at Vale curiously.
Vale saw her mesmerizing eyes and he couldn't help but look away. It feels as if he is being dragged into an illusion as he stares at her. It might be his imagination or just an attraction he couldn't explain.
"Not really. I just need some more contribution points." Vale replied with a smile.
"Didn't you earn enough after defeating Larkin's Zombie?"
"Ahem, it wouldn't hurt to have more. I'm considering obtaining a decent Artifact before becoming a fourth-year student." He answered truthfully.
"That's true. I won't waste your time then... Make sure to rest for at least three days before attempting to drink the potion again. Your body may seem alright, but there could be a problem we can't see at the moment."
Maya reminded with her soft voice as she turned her back and left hastily.
Vale didn't even have the time to reply as he could only shake his head and return to his dorm.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢