Chapter 62: Master and Servant
Walking inside the facilities that should only be for the use of authorized personnel, there was a couple who seemed to be lost.
- You know, walking around aimlessly reminds me of what happened last time. - Melissa said somewhat paranoid.
" ... It seems that the trauma is slowly appearing; however, like Emily, she also possesses a strong mentality ... although she was the first to faint. Still, it is admirable to see that she did not panic when she woke up ... rather it seems as if ... " thought Aren.
- Hey, are you listening to me? Remember that because of me you got here and they let you in. - commented Melissa somewhat frustrated.
True, but real; if it wasn't for the help of that young woman, it would have been difficult to get in.
- What happened to the one who was going to escort us? - Aren asked.
- ... Well, he told me he was going to check what errand my father had requested, since he couldn't let us in without an appointment ... since I lied to him about that, I told him we would wait for him ... obviously after that, we ran away. - confessed the young woman of her crime matter-of-factly.
- Oh, I see.
Without stopping from his walk, the young man spoke again.
- Mnm?
- What's the matter? - asked Melissa.
- Now that I remember... When we were in that abandoned village, didn't you say you came with two other people in a car?
- Yes, why do you ask?
- Well... I was wondering do you know what happened to them?
- What? Of course I know, after... Of course I know, after...
Before that question that the young woman tried to answer without thinking, she realized that she didn't really know what had happened with that pair of servants, nor about the car after the incident.
"... Wait a minute, it's true. I came with those two, but what happened to them in the end ... I haven't heard any news about them from my father ... no one in the house asked about them ... They're okay, aren't they ... Or didn't they want to tell me? ... Wait a second ... it's only been a day since I left the hospital ... no, that's more than enough time to tell me ... Please, someone tell me they're alive! Paul, Alfonso!"
In the sky, the image of the faces of those two unknown servants could be glimpsed smiling.
As Melissa came to her senses, she realized something: Aren was no longer beside her.
- Huh? ... Huh? ...
A few seconds later, several footsteps could be heard running towards her.
- It's her, sir! It's the daughter of Count Beltran who lied to us saying that she had come on her father's orders!
Melissa began to run by instinct.
- Catch her!
- Where is the other one?! Look for him too!
A group of security officers went after the young woman.
Running like that time when the strange creature from the uninhabited town was after her, Melissa began to mutter.
- Areeennnnn ... I won't let you off that easy, you hear me?!
In front of a door that had a small picture that said Technology Research Administrative Office 1, a man entered.
As he opened the door, a male spoke.
- Oh, are those last month's reports? - said a brown-haired man in a long beige coat.
- Yes, sir. I also have some extra last-minute reports from the government. - replied the young man who had entered.
- All right... leave them on the desk, please.
As the young man withdrew, the elegant-looking man sipped a cup of tea while reading the files.
- They found a strange creature in the canyon where the train accident occurred near Rivas? ... A reformed man was in charge of the eradication?
Out of nowhere, the young man who had entered for the first time entered again.
- Chief, be careful... I've been warned that there are some intruders, but the security personnel are already looking for them.
- Oh, really? ... Thank you for informing me.
As he withdrew again, the seated male stood up and walked to the window behind him as he surveyed the scene.
- CECE-0171? ... Was it necessary to send Luc?
Hearing the door open again, the assistant came in with some freshly brewed cups of coffee.
- It seems that you have already seen the photograph of that kind of monster, isn't that right, boss?
- Yes ... A creature of humanoid form of more than 2 meters high ... a tail and no face ... deformations in what seems to be its arms ... according to the photo, it seems that ... its head was a kind of whirlpool covered by several folds of skin ... - muttered that man.
- Oh, it looks like that, doesn't it? - commented the assistant.
- Yes ... and, when it opens those folds, it comes out as a kind of deformed tongue with several thorns covering it. - Aren commented.
- Is that so? I hope I never come across that.
- Yes, me too. - replied the long-haired young man.
- What? - was what the boss muttered when he heard the other voice.
Slowly, turning around, she could see him. Yes, with great elegance and naturalness, that solemn young man with black hair was drinking a cup of coffee.
Sitting down in the comfortable reclining chair at his desk, the office manager leaned over the table with his two arms.
- Counselor, are you all right?
The unexpectedly tired man spoke.
- J-Jerry, tell me... Do you also see the man next to you?
- ... Uh, yes. J-Chief Russel, is something wrong? - asked the assistant.
- No, nothing ... could you leave us alone for a moment? - Russel said with an eerily pleasant attitude.
- Ah, yes...
Closing the door, Russel came out of his chair and stood in front of Aren who was sitting quietly enjoying his cup of coffee.
Russel knelt down.
- M-Master ... welcome.
- It's only been a few months since we've seen each other, Russell.
Meanwhile, Melissa was in the maid's room hiding from the officers.
- A-Aren ... W-Where the hell have you been? - murmured the young woman.
The whole group of more than 30 people was walking behind that unaligned-looking guide; they seemed to be already complete, when this group was separated from the rest. It could be noticed how the other groups had noticed them and were talking among themselves because of that reduced group.
- Well, being all of you, the 41 new members, I welcome you to the Royal Academy. I welcome you to the Royal Academy of Technological Evolution. Surely you have already been given an introduction before, but while we are walking around I will tell you some facts about this place. - said the guide.
Both groups, the 23 students who passed the exam along with the other 18 young people wearing the same uniform with a badge mentioning the word PARET, walked behind the instructor listening to his words. It could clearly be seen that these groups were separated and with a certain hostility between them.
- Ah, but before I say more, we must begin with a general presentation about you ... tomorrow when you have your first class, you can make a personal presentation. Then ...
As if he were giving the floor to the new students, it could be observed that no one wished to speak; whether it was because of shyness, disinterest or because it was not the right time, the instructor spoke.
- First of all, as you know, this year we have the admission of certain 'special' students as well as the group of special students prepared by ARET... 23 students from the first group passed the second stage exam and 18 from the other group passed the exam out of term.
- Excuse me, I have a doubt, what happened to the others who failed the exam, did they not show signs of having skills? - asked a lady with reddish hair.
- Oh, thank you for the question. As you know, the exam was intended to show their skills, ingenuity, attitude to pressure and decision making; according to the Duchess of Saragossa, those who failed were indebted to ARET. An absurd amount, but I think it would not be bad to tell them ... Certainly ARET has as its premise quality over quantity, but obviously we will not lose the opportunity to train a future student who possesses the essential requirements; therefore, the Preparatory of the Royal Academy of Technological Evolution (PARET) was created in order to give another chance to those who did not pass the exam and other types of potential students so that they are prepared for the next year's exam and forgive the debt assigned.
- I see... so being like this, they, who are with us. - mentioned the young woman referring to the uniformed students.
- It's just as you think, they are students who took the entrance exam last year for the most part. In reality, there were a total of 46 PARET students who were hunting them on the last night of the test.
The latter puzzled all 23 students.
- What? - the murmur was unanimous.
- Huh? ... Hadn't they been mentioned yet? The test for PARET students is known as the out-of-term exam, the only chance they have to get in. Their goal was to get each of them at least one token from the participants, otherwise they would fail a second time. Well, the rest is history...
As they all turned to look at each other, the hostility became reciprocal.
- Well, guys ... let's leave this topic for another day and go to the first place we have to visit. - said the guide with a certain brittle voice as he understood that he had added fuel to the fire.
As they walked, the instructor spoke again.
- On this occasion, the workshop will be about visiting the five essential places that every student should know. I'm sure you have noticed that the campus is somewhat uninhabited and that's because the senior students are on vacation until the official start of classes tomorrow. Precisely because of that, we have the space and time for us to check out the academy areas.
Walking along the lanes and sidewalks, ARET seemed to be like a mini-city with restaurants, dining halls, sports areas, vast green areas, luxurious stores, recreation centers and more besides the study halls and other buildings.
The wonder in the students' eyes was not unnoticed as they took in the panorama.
- We will be visiting six main places: the apartments or dormitories where you will live during your stay, the R pavilion where you will receive most of your theoretical classes, the three main libraries, the large multi-sports unit, the central auditorium which you already know, and the Academic Training Complex (ATC) which will be the place of greatest interest to you. - explained the guide with a somewhat grim smile.
Having moved completely away from the other groups, the students followed the instructor in silence.
- Maybe I am not a great connoisseur of aristocracy, but ... Why does it seem that now everyone is talking about the Marquis Gutierrez? - asked Fausto who was in a room watching TV next to a woman sitting at her desk who was checking some news on her laptop.
The elegant woman sighed.
- The Marquis Gutierrez ... is one of the great and silent families in its heyday. It has a considerable fortune with that of us dukes and a territory blessed with optimal conditions for planting vineyards. He owns shares in several important companies in the mining and wine sector; however, what represents him the most is that he is co-founder of A&G Corp. one of the largest investment, financial advisory and risk management companies in the world, being considered in fourth place at least in Europe and Asia in its sector.
- That means... they rot in silver? - Fausto asked interested.
- Exactly, if we were to consider the tax-free income from this company, it easily exceeds the wealth of the royal family by up to three times. For this very reason, the royal family holds them in high regard for the contributions made by the Gutierrezes ... from charity and charitable works to getting 'certain' important people out of trouble ... For these reasons, the disappearance of the late Marquis' only heiress came as an international shock. - Alison replied.
- I see ...
- Why do you ask about this, Faust?
- Oh, it is because I have heard rumors that the daughter of the Marquis Gutierrez has been seen here in the capital.
Not having understood this at first, the young duchess continued reading.
- What? - Alison reacted a few seconds later.
- Yes ... I heard it from a friend of mine who works in a notary's office.
- ... And when were you planning to tell me this?
- Well, now?
The young woman sighed.
- That's enough, it's time for my rehabilitation.
- Does your leg still hurt from the car crash? - asked the guardian.
- Just a little, but in a few more days I'll be fine, although I'm not complaining compared to Lisbeth.
- Yes... well, at least it was a slight fracture in her arm.
Inside one of the offices of the ITT department's facilities, two men were chatting until one of them dropped his coffee cup which broke on the carpet on the floor.
- That would be the summary of what I lived until I got here. - said Aren who was drinking from his coffee cup.
- I-I see...-So...Shall I proceed? - asked Russel.
- ... Proceed to what?
- To eliminate all those who put him through that hell. - Russel replied with a grim smile.
Aren sighed.
- Calm down, Russel. - these words held the man in sackcloth.
- My lord, aren't you angry? Will you forget what they did to you?
The young master did not answer, but, raising his right hand to his chest, a strange black aura was manifested around his hand.
The servant watched this event with great surprise and fear. The atmosphere seemed to darken.
- Th-That is...
As the dense aura dispersed like smoke, a black stone appeared with a white core moving inside it.
- W-Why ... why do you have that, master?!
- When I woke up, I had no notion that this was near me; I only realized it when Alicia told me about it ... then I went to look for it and it was certainly in that place.
- That girl found it?! And she said she's still alive ... she should have been consumed by that thing. - commented the astonished servant.
Out of nowhere, that stone disappeared in Aren's palm along with the gloomy atmosphere.
- Master ... hadn't you destroyed that thing before?
- Yes, I thought so too ... but it may have been created another one ...
- H-how many lives were taken to create that stone? - Russel murmured.
- This is why I came here ... do you know if 'they' survived? - Aren asked with a look of apparent disinterest.
- ... I would not know the answer to that, my lord. - replied the servant with complete sincerity and seriousness.
- ... How do you think this object stayed with me? Was it someone else or was it myself who hid this? ... I don't remember ...
- Master... it seems that... you suffer from severe amnesia?
- Amnesia... yes...
- Do you... do you remember what happened before you disappeared?
- No.
Russell's depressed expression revealed something he had already foreseen. For a few seconds, he looked thoughtful, but the moment he decided to speak, he was interrupted.
- But before I speak any further, I'd like you to do something for me. - Aren said.
- ¿?
- ... Could you bring the captured woman who came with me ... Her name is Melissa.
- Ah ... yes, sure ...
Making a quick call, the order was given.
- By the way, master. How did you know I was here?
Yes, until now both Melissa and Russel did not know how Aren knew the whereabouts of this person.
- Facebook ...
- What?
- I saw you in a Facebook photo...
Saying this, the young teacher raised with him a newly purchased phone yesterday.
- Oh, I see... Thinking about it now, I think we had to buy him a phone from the beginning.
The young man took the last sip of his cup of coffee.
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