CHAPTER 183: DON’T LOSE YOUR COOL

’Am I busted?’

Carlos’s gaze that seemed to see right through everything made Pergina squirm like crazy.

She started thinking about how to word things to explain that this wasn’t her mess—everything was just one big misunderstanding.

"Master Pergina, do you happen to have another apprentice?"

"Huh? Apprentice?"

Pergina looked like he’d just asked if she had a pet dragon. Did she have other apprentices?

"Master, didn’t you say I was your only apprentice?"

Demi suddenly felt like the rug had been pulled out from under her.

Master was keeping a new apprentice on the down-low!

No... it could totally be an old apprentice!

"No way, Demi is my one and only apprentice!"

Pergina shook her head hard.

She’d love to take on a bunch of apprentices—that way tuition wouldn’t be such a pain in the ass.

But not everyone was like little Demi, so easy to trick... uh no, that’s not right... had such crazy alchemical talent worth accepting!

Hearing her master’s rock-solid denial, Demi chilled out. She was still master’s only apprentice!

The one and only!!!

This was something she could totally brag about.

’No?’

Behind his mask, Carlos was turning this over in his head.

’Is she deliberately keeping mum about the Northern Hero, or is it just not time to take in the Northern Hero yet?’

Too bad he’d sent Red Spirit to tail the garrison troops and hunt down traces of Black Sinners.

But even if Red Spirit were here, he couldn’t have it get close enough to read this master’s soul waves.

Every alchemical master had a grip on their own spirituality that was just as tight as a Controller’s—they’d spot weird stuff in a heartbeat.

That would start a fight and create bad blood for no good reason, which would totally suck.

"Young Master Carlos, why are you asking? Is someone out there pretending to be Master’s apprentice!"

Demi’s brain went into overdrive, instantly ’figuring out’ the whole deal!

’What the hell! Someone’s pretending to be my apprentice?’

No, what’s their game?

Wait, when did I get famous enough that people would fake being me?

Pergina felt less worried and more weirdly pumped.

After all, nobody would pretend to be some nobody’s apprentice.

"..."

Carlos went quiet.

How was he supposed to answer this?

Drop the act? I already know about your apprentice, the Northern Hero?

Or, you’re gonna take in some young girl down the road who’ll kick the crap out of tons of powerful monsters and get called the ’Northern Hero’?

Telling the truth would definitely blow up in his face.

Making stuff up wouldn’t be cool either.

Just then,

"Uto! Uto!"

The big eyeball started floating around again, pointing in a direction.

"Huh? What’s Uto found now?"

Demi looked at her master.

"Let’s go check it out."

Today I wanna see what else you can sniff out.

Pergina nodded, giving the go-ahead to investigate.

Carlos gave Gauwo’s Eye major props. This distraction was perfectly timed.

So the three of them followed the big eyeball’s lead, slowly making their way into what looked like a regular room.

It had bookshelves, clothes racks, alchemical gear, and stuff like that.

Demi and Pergina’s hearts practically stopped.

’Oh crap!’

’We’re so screwed!’

"Uto! Uto! Uto!"

The big eyeball floated over to the bookshelf against the wall, making a racket and pointing out that something was behind there!

It even deliberately tried to ram into an alchemical book!

"Knock it off!"

Pergina moved fast.

"Smack!"

She stuck out her hand, blocking Gauwo’s Eye’s charge.

"Uto! Uto!"

Gauwo’s Eye wasn’t about to give up that easy, quickly switching directions and charging from another angle.

"No! Uto!"

Demi’s face went dead serious as she frantically blocked the big eyeball’s path with both hands.

The big eyeball looked all ’bummed out’ and turned back. Just when the two women thought they’d stopped Uto...

"Uto! Uto!"

The big eyeball suddenly hit the gas in a sneak attack!

"Don’t!"

"We’re totally screwed!"

To better pick out victory outfits, Demi had specifically pulled them all out of the red cabinet and arranged them in the secret room.

If... if the secret room got opened...

Everything would be out in the open!

If Young Master Carlos saw that stuff, he’d definitely think she was some kind of shameless hussy!

This was a disaster!

Worse yet, if everything got exposed now, how could she pull off her master plan later?

In that moment, Demi felt like her life was about to go completely to hell.

Everything she’d carefully set up would be toast!

Her reputation with Young Master Carlos would tank like a rock!

Compared to Demi, Pergina was already thinking about whether to explain later that this junk had nothing to do with her—it all belonged to some friend.

Or maybe just deny the whole thing!

She had no clue there was a secret room here either!

"Uto—"

Just as the big eyeball was about to smack into the mechanism,

"Stop!"

The master’s voice rang out.

"Uto?"

The big eyeball’s body stopped dead, rolling its eye back.

"Uto! Uto!"

Master, there’s seriously awesome stuff inside!!!

Carlos felt helpless.

Whether there was cool stuff inside, he had no idea.

But from their freaked-out reactions, Carlos didn’t doubt that if he actually opened it, he might discover some ’juicy’ secret.

That would be awkward as hell for everyone.

"Smack!"

When the big eyeball got Carlos’s order to stop, Demi pulled off a ’flash’ move that could only be used once in a lifetime.

She instantly appeared next to it, pinning it down hard with one hand!

"Uto! There’s nothing inside! Absolutely nothing! Stop trying to ram it! Please!!!"

Demi spoke each word carefully, her flushed face now filled with straight-up murder vibes.

Her other hand whipped out a sharp kitchen knife, waving it up and down.

"Uto... Uto..."

Don’t... don’t lose your cool!

The big eyeball frantically bobbed up and down, showing it totally got the message!

"Uto! Uto!"

Master! Master, help me out here!

Oh shit!

Demi suddenly remembered Young Master Carlos was still watching. The kitchen knife in her hand went slack as her fierce expression with bulging veins softened, her face instantly changing gears.

"Uto, sorry, I was just messing around with you. I didn’t think I’d actually freak you out."

Demi gently petted the big eyeball like everything that just happened was all in everyone’s head.

"Uto?"

The big eyeball was totally confused.

You weren’t like this a second ago!

"Young Master Carlos, Uto’s always this much trouble. Just now... I..."

Demi held Uto and walked nervously over to Carlos.

She felt like her image must have given Young Master Carlos one hell of a ’shock’ just now!

"Sorry, Miss Demi. I was just checking out this killer piece of art. What happened to Uto?"

Carlos held up a ’long-spouted pot’ he’d just grabbed from the table, looking it over.

"Nothing... nothing at all!"

Demi’s voice perked right up. Young Master Carlos hadn’t seen a thing!

’Definitely got that noble breeding. No wonder Demi can’t keep her hands off him.’

Pergina, watching the whole show, could tell Carlos had serious class just from this alone.