2 AM in the dead of night.
The sky was pitch black without stars, and even the moon was hidden behind thick clouds.
Luo Wei stood on the balcony, gazing at the almost completely dark night sky. The evenings in Saint Callen were always like this - the industrial-era smog made stargazing utterly uninteresting.
Of course, he wasn't in the mood to look at stars anyway. He was searching the darkness for any sign of Helena.
After looking for over ten minutes, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Helena had truly disappeared, having left the area around the old mansion.
Of course, she might still be lurking not too far away, hiding in some shadowy corner, secretly observing this old house that was still brightly lit in the middle of the night.
But there shouldn't be any more trouble tonight, because Helena's injuries were severe.
Even with her regenerative abilities, she wouldn't recover so quickly.
Thinking of this, Luo Wei clutched his faintly aching right arm and slumped down onto the floor.
The wound he had sawed into himself had stopped bleeding, but it was still a gruesome sight.
"Here you go," said Professor Evelyn, handing him a strip of bandage.
Luo Wei looked up at those dark green eyes that had returned to normal, and said with a smile, "Thank you."
Evelyn shook her head, glanced around, and also sat down on the cold floor.
The reason she sat on the floor was because...
The entire second floor of the old mansion looked as if it had been ransacked, with all the furniture and chairs long gone...
Looking at the disastrous state of the house, as if after an earthquake, Luo Wei and Evelyn exchanged a glance and both broke into wry smiles.
"I thought your family was supposed to be quite well-off?" Evelyn said with a chuckle. "You should renovate when you get the chance. Of course, don't ask me to pay for it - this teacher has no money."
Luo Wei shook his head. "Professor, you saved my life. How could I possibly ask you for money?"
"Also... I think you've misunderstood something, Professor. My family isn't rich at all, despite me living in such a large mansion..."
The game protagonist's parents had passed away long ago, leaving only this property and not a penny of other inheritance.
All Luo Wei had now was this old mansion that served as a shelter, and his alchemical materials.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Fallen on hard times, huh..." Evelyn mumbled to herself as she began tending to her own wounds.
Luo Wei observed her. Although Evelyn was covered in blood and looked quite frightening, she didn't have many actual wounds.
She was just wrapping a bandage around her right arm, trying to stabilize the dislocated joint.
"Professor, you still claim you can't use magic," Luo Wei said, pointing at her injuries. "If a normal person suffered so many fatal wounds, they'd have died several times over by now."
Yet Evelyn was still alive and kicking, even able to regrow internal organs. This recovery ability was simply miraculous.
"This teacher never lies," Evelyn glanced at him. "When I say I can't use magic, I can't use magic."
"Could it be a genetic talent then?" Luo Wei asked curiously.
If she wasn't a human who had mastered supernatural powers, then she could only be an entity similar to Helena - another supernatural being.
In this world, they were collectively referred to as "aberrants," viewed as "evil creatures" that threatened society, and were hunted down by the military, police, and the church.
Evelyn paused, smiling with narrowed eyes.
"It's a secret."
"Oh..."
Her response was essentially an admission, so Luo Wei decided not to pry further.
After such a fierce battle, both of them sat tiredly on the floor.
Evelyn looked at Luo Wei with amusement. "I never would have imagined..."
"In all my years, I've never experienced such an outrageous home visit. Little Wei, you've really broadened your teacher's horizons."
Luo Wei sighed wistfully, silently gazing out at the dark night.
What was once a dating game seemed to have transformed into some kind of "horror game" in a sense, with obsessive love turning bloody and suffocating.
His story with Helena was clearly far from over. Unless this problem was thoroughly resolved, events like today's would likely happen again...
Luo Wei forced a smile. "Professor, you always talk about how many years you've lived... Just how old are you exactly?"
He looked at her teasingly, extremely curious.
Evelyn's face instantly darkened.
"Why do you care how old your teacher is? I'm not that much older than you!"
Luo Wei blinked. "Really?"
"Of course." Evelyn leaned in closer, poking Luo Wei's chest with her finger.
"26 years old, remember that. Your teacher is 26 this year!"
She seemed to deliberately emphasize the "26," stressing it a bit more.
"Alright, if you say so," Luo Wei responded with a smile.
Evelyn snorted, and having finally finished bandaging her right arm, she stood up.
"Looks like your monster sister probably won't be coming back."
"If there's nothing else, your teacher will be leaving now. I still have to work tomorrow."
"You're going to work in this condition?" Luo Wei was shocked.
"What else can I do?" Evelyn sighed in frustration. "You students don't understand the hardships of working adults. Your teacher still needs to earn money..."
Luo Wei looked at her, feeling a surge of admiration.
So considerate to her students, helping fight during a home visit, insisting on going to work even with crushed internal organs - what kind of professional spirit was this?
"Then I won't see you off..." Luo Wei glanced towards the front door.
"There won't be any steam buses to the school at this hour, and it's several kilometers from West City to Callen University. You'd better start walking slowly, and try to reach the school before dawn when work starts..."
"Such a cheeky mouth!" Evelyn couldn't help but laugh, ruffling Luo Wei's hair.
"Will you be alright alone in the house? What if that monster sister of yours sneaks back?"
Evelyn looked at him worriedly. "Why don't you come stay at your teacher's place?"
She smiled enticingly, "There are good things at teacher's house~"
Luo Wei shook his head, declining his teacher's kind offer.
On one hand, he was certain Helena wouldn't launch a counterattack tonight. The old mansion was a shelter, a place the current Helena was quite wary of.
On the other hand, he had some things to deal with that he couldn't let Professor Evelyn see just yet.
"Oh, if you distrust your teacher so much, then forget it."
Evelyn pouted, making as if to leave.
"Wait a moment, Professor!"
"What else do you need?" Evelyn looked at him quizzically.
"Well..."
Luo Wei glanced back. The night was no longer so dark, the inky blackness turning to deep blue.
Dawn was approaching.
"Out with it!" Evelyn said impatiently.
Luo Wei smiled. "Professor Evelyn, I'd like to take a few more days off..."
"You see, I'm severely injured, and I can't recover as quickly as you can."
"Two days... no, make it three!"
So it was about taking time off. Evelyn massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
This student had just regained his student status, and now he was asking for leave one after another. Even though he had ample reasons, it would be difficult to explain to the academic affairs office.
But when she saw Luo Wei covered in blood, looking at her pitifully, Evelyn felt her heart soften.
"Alright, granted."
"Yay!" Luo Wei beamed. "Professor, you're the best!"