My Cell Prison - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Chapter 53 – A Standpoint Issue

“Mr. Black and White… I don’t understand. Why did you ‘reproduce’ my past assessment experience?”

Mr. Black and White casually waved his hand in the air, and two intersecting star lines were drawn in mid-air.

“Intersecting Fate Lines… When I was stargazing last night, I happened to catch your Fate Lines intersecting. Furthermore, I am completely unable to make sense as to what the future of this intersection would bring, which was why I had intentionally set everything up. So, are you satisfied with the result of this test, Instructor Pasha?”

A complete reproduction.

It was unknown just how Mr. Black and White was able to reproduce her past. While Pasha did not reveal much change in her facial expression, she felt quite a bit of fluctuation in her heart.

Indeed, that was what she had experienced.

Because she had not been proficient in any combat techniques back in the day, she had wanted to group up with a fellow Trainee Knight and she ended up losing her mobility during their journey through the Darkmoon Forest as a result of the slash to her ankle.

Her teammate did not even hesitate for a moment and abandoned her right away.

Facing the attack of the Monster alone, she had originally thought that her fate was sealed, only to find herself waking up in the infirmary inside the spire… She had failed her test, but because the Department of Mysticism was in a dire need of manpower, they had allowed her to stay.

However, no tutor was willing to take her given her results. Without access to any sort of resources, Pasha held on despite being relegated to the ‘darkest’ place through her unique talent and perseverance.

Ultimately, she managed to earn Mr. Black and White’s approval, who proceeded to make her a member of the Plague Knights Corps while also keeping her around in the Academy as a tutor.

Even though this sounded like a very inspirational story, few people actually knew about the amount of pain and the countless disappointment that Pasha had to undergo before she climbed out from this lowest rung.

The thought of suicide had run across her mind no less than ten times.

Mr Black and White had intentionally deleted Han Dong’s final answer from the images in the crystal ball, making it look like Han Dong had willingly stayed to protect Pasha and cleared the test together.

“Hmm…” Pasha maintained that stern expression as a tutor, returning the crystal ball back to Mr. Black and White.

“Mr. Black and White, do you mean for me to take this Trainee Knight who received an ‘Outstanding’ grade?”

“Indeed. You shall be Lead Tutor and I’ll be the second—”

“What?! Have you gotten the order in reverse, sir?”

Pasha could not believe her ears.

If they were to be doing a double tutelage model, she should be the second tutor… How could Mr. Black and White be placed behind her like this?

“I’m merely putting my name there, only occasionally tutoring the minutiae. Pasha, you’ll be the lead tutor to Nicholas, and will be in charge of his path toward a deeper understanding of Mysticism. You and Nicholas are both proficient in ‘Plague’ and with the issue of your intersecting Fate Lines, you would be perfectly suited to take him under your wing for his early days… Nicholas, are you fine with this arrangement?”

Mr. Black and White’s mask turned over to face Han Dong, who quickly answered, “I am.”

Mr. Black and White then continued to ask, “Are you currently only versed in the Plague class?”

This question left Han Dong’s heart beating in trepidation, especially when he looked right at the black mask, giving him a feeling like the man had an insight into his inner thoughts… Han Dong was very worried that his secret would be revealed in front of someone of Mr. Black and White’s rank.

“Yes…” Han Dong nodded his head as he composed himself.

“That’s not a problem. With regards to the Plague class, there are several professors who are very good at it here in the Department of Mysticism, but Instructor Pasha here is definitely the most suitable to coach you. As for resources, as long as you perform well, I’ll be in charge of directly allocating resources for you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Black and White.”

Han Dong was well aware of the weight behind those words; The head of the department would be directly allocating the resources to him. That meant that as long as Han Dong met their expectations, the Department would be able to provide him with whatever he wanted.

“Pasha, do you have any questions? If not, I’ll have a private chat with Nicholas first. I’ll send him to your office to fill in the relevant information later.”

“No questions here.”

Just as Pasha got up to leave, she turned to glance at the frail freshman Nicholas as she wrestled with the rather complicated thoughts inside her.

——————————————————

When the door closed, it was just Han Dong and Mr Black and White.

“Do you mind if I do a close examination of your right arm?”

How could Han Dong refuse in such a situation? All he could do was hold out his right arm.

“Hmm… A 100% ghoul’s arm, with no traces of any suturing done… It looks like it has naturally grown out of your body. Even the professor of surgical suture in my department wouldn’t be able to make such flawless stitches.”

Mr. Black and White’s words caused sweat to begin accumulating in the back of Han Dong’s neck.

“The secret that is contained within your body is far more ‘troublesome’ than any Trainee Knight I’ve met… Even I have difficulties divining or even looking into anything in your future. However, since I’m unable to see through your disguise, that would mean that no one else in the entire Holy City would be able to do so either. You’re not Nicholas Valen, are you?”

“No… Though I am originally a human too.”

Han Dong’s reply was very resolute.

In front of some like Mr. Black and White, trying to conceal the truth would only make matters worse… Han Dong made sure to emphasize the word ‘human’, making his position clear.

“That’s a very smart answer, but there’s no need for you to be overly worried… No matter what you are, as long as you have the right standpoint, I will treat you like a normal Trainee Knight. That said, I do need to ask you, what is your standpoint?”

“My position aligns with my very nature.”

“I see…”

Mr. Black and White then continued, “Congratulations on becoming a member of my Department of Mysticism. Do you need me to publish your results across the various bulletin boards across all tiers?”

“If it is possible, please avoid publishing it publicly; simply announcing that I’ve passed the test will do. It is just as with the concern that Mr. Black and White had raised, I feel it is best if I avoid being too conspicuous and draw the attention of others.”

“Yes… To be able to fool the interviewers and investigators shows how capable you are. Now that you’re considered my apprentice, if you have any resource requirement, as long as you attain the ‘objective’, I will gladly provide them to you… Speaking of which, I have to inform you of an important short-term objective for you.”

“I’m all ears,” Han Dong very earnestly listened.

“After becoming a Trainee Knight, you would still be required to regularly venture into the Space of Destiny. Every department has a certain quota, and if we are unable to reach it, the department’s allocation of resources would be similarly reduced… Though the quota for our Department of Mysticism isn’t much, due to how few freshmen we have compared to the other departments, we lack the manpower for the next foray into the Space of Destiny, so you will have to make due preparations in the short term.”

“How short are we talking about?”

“About two weeks.”

Two weeks. Han Dong had planned to spend half of his semester to seriously learn some of the more basic abilities and techniques offered in ‘Mysticism’, learning enough to explain and cover the ability to ‘summon’ creatures and beings before heading into the Space of Destiny, so he would be able to call out Miss Chenli to help.

Han Dong was in quite a pickle in the current situation.

“That’s not a lot of time…”

“Time is indeed scarce here. But if you agree, I will grant you a wish, as long as it does not exceed a certain limit.”

“Mr. Black and White, could I give you an answer after a week?” Han Dong wanted to see his progress learning in a week’s time before making the decision.

“Nope. I need you to decide right now.”

“Then I have just one condition.”

“Speak.”

“Within these two weeks, aside from following Instructor Pasha to delve into Plague studies, I would also like to learn abilities pertaining to ‘Summoning’ techniques.”