Chapter 132: Ch 132: The truth behind the Academy

Daniel’s expression immediately hardened, and for a moment, he looked like he was considering whether he should refuse outright.

"Noah and I just came back to our rooms, and we would like to rest for a while."

Erin raised an eyebrow at his words but did not seem particularly surprised.

"I did not say that I was taking him somewhere dangerous. We simply need his help with some information that only he can provide."

"And how long is this going to take?"

Daniel asked, his hand still firmly gripping the edge of the door. He distrusted even Erin, which was a little surprising.

Erin let out a tired sigh and rubbed his forehead.

"I honestly have no idea. There are too many reports to go through, and some of the information is contradictory. That is why we need Noah to identify what he remembers."

Noah finally stepped forward, realising that Daniel was not going to make this conversation any easier.

"It’s fine, Daniel. I can go with Professor Erin."

Daniel turned toward him immediately, his expression filled with concern and betrayal. Noah quickly diverted his eyes, but it was of no use.

He could still feel Daniel’s gaze on him.

"Are you sure? You were already exhausted earlier."

"I am fine now. Besides, I can always come back if it becomes too much."

Noah gave him a reassuring smile, hoping that would be enough to calm him down.

Daniel clearly did not like the answer, but he eventually stepped aside and allowed Erin to enter.

Erin walked past him and stopped beside Noah, giving him a quick glance.

"You look better than you did when I last saw you."

It was hard to tell if Erin was serious or joking around. But Noah could hear the hint of worry in his tone, which made him feel sorry for worrying others.

Erin stared at him for a few seconds before sighing.

"We should head out now. There is a lot of work, and you look exhausted. The sooner we get this done, the better."

Noah nodded and followed Erin out. The reason he did so was because he had a few things he wanted to ask Erin as well. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

But doing that in front of Daniel was not an option.

Daniel kept looking at them until they disappeared around the corner, and he let out a sigh only once they were in the clear.

"That roommate of yours sure is something. Are you sure he’s a guide? His presence almost made me shiver."

Erin pointed out while faking a full-body shiver.

This made Noah let out a giggle, and it soon became laughter that he could not contain.

Being with Erin like this made it feel like all his stress was being washed away from his body, and he felt light-stepped once more.

"I think Daniel might not like you too much because you are a teacher. Our experience with our teachers has not been the best until now. Ah, did you eat well while I was not here? You did not skip meals or anything, right?"

"I should be the one to ask you that. Somehow, it feels like you have lost kilos of weight even though it has only been a few days since we last saw each other. Just what did you do at Ethan’s home?"

That drained all happiness and amusement from Noah’s face, and he let out a sigh.

"I will tell you about it once we reach your room. I don’t think it is a topic we should be discussing openly like this."

Noah told Erin, who nodded and quickly led Noah back to his room to discuss things further.

...

Erin’s room had not changed in the few days he had not been able to visit, but Noah could sense a tense air.

He quickly sat down, and Erin put a cup of coffee in front of him, which was made extra sweet. It was just how Noah liked his coffee, and he took a sip of the sugary-sweet liquid.

Once he felt stable enough, he put the cup down and decided to ask his first question.

"You knew Ethan’s parents were involved with the labs. Why did you not tell me?"

Noah tried not to sound too betrayed, but it was a little hard not to sound accusatory. He looked at Erin to see what kind of reaction he was giving, but the esper’s face was rather blank.

Erin did sigh after a while and looked at Noah with a sorry expression.

"I did not say anything because I thought you knew that everyone associated with this academy was associated with the labs as well. Do you think it’s a coincidence that they only accept around 10 students each year? It’s because they vetted the backgrounds of everyone who is here before accepting them."

It felt like a bomb had been dropped on top of Noah with this information. But it also made so much sense in his mind.

It was clear why the teachers were so careless and could not even go against the stronger students. It was because they were specifically ordered to create such an environment.

"Erin, is this academy an experiment as well? What about these kids? No, they were not the test subjects I helped run away. What about Daniel and Alan? Does the lab know who they are?"

Noah’s sinking feeling was getting worse and worse. It was to the point where he was starting to hyperventilate, and he tried his hardest not to let his panic attack get worse.

Warm fingers clutched his face and forced Noah to look at a familiar but beautiful face.

"Noah, calm down! I don’t think the labs know who Daniel and Alan are. Do you think the labs would have left them alone if they knew? You can calm down now."

Erin assured Noah, who blinked and slowly started to come back to himself. He blinked up and let out a sigh.

"You are right. I panicked for no reason. I am sorry."