Chapter 69: Hermione’s Remark

Derek was on his way back from an exclusive eatery with a few packages to carry back to the dormitory when he noticed three people behaving in a suspicious manner. Two of them appeared to be standing guard while the other was carrying something trapped and tightly bound by wrapped roots.

He would’ve simply left the scene alone since it wasn’t his business whatsoever, but then he saw the face of the captive and realized that it was someone familiar. It was Mark!

Jack and Victor noticed that the upperclassman was heading in their direction, and their smiles faltered when they saw the hard look on his face. Roman lowered Mark’s unconscious body with a huff from the strain of holding him in place after they had stopped moving.

Derek’s fists clenched as he stepped forward with a hard expression on his face. His presence caused all three boys to freeze and shudder with fear and uncertainty about what his intentions were. But for some reason, his intentions seemed obvious.

"Hello, mister," Victor blurted uncertainly, while Jack remained silent, prompting Victor to follow his lead. Roman grew increasingly uncertain about what to do with the unconscious body in his hold.

"Do you know the danger of what you’re doing? All of you should leave him behind, now. I’ll take it from here," Derek said as he came closer.

The three boys remained still for a moment before backing away. Roman left Mark on the floor before moving backward with the others.

Jack gritted his teeth as they walked away, but Victor tried to calm him down by patting his shoulder. Jack’s eyes flashed with frustration.

"Do you know that this could have been our only chance to get Mia back, and we blew it completely! This is crazy as hell!"

Victor nodded slowly. "But don’t you think Derek would probably make things worse for him because he’s been his longtime roommate and bully? That makes much more sense if you ask me. Maybe he already knows our intentions and he’s doing it his own way instead."

Roman shrugged slightly. "Well, at least he saved me from having to carry that dock for several more meters."

Jack flashed him a hard look.

---

In the clinical ward of the school hospital, Samantha stood with a worried expression, her clipboard in hand as she stood beside a bed where a patient with auburn hair lay with his eyes closed. It had been a couple of hours, yet there was still no sign of consciousness as he remained completely still.

"So you’re telling me that you weren’t behind any of this yourself?" she asked Derek, who stood on the other side of the bed, looking skeptical once more.

Derek blinked at her question. It wasn’t the first time she had asked, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

"Hell no, I didn’t do anything about this at all! He was already knocked unconscious." He raised both hands in the air to show his absolute innocence.

Right then, the door swung open as Hermione came in wearing pink fluffy pajamas. She strode toward the bed with an expression that showed she wasn’t joking around.

For a moment, Derek was caught off guard by her striking beauty and the radiant appearance of her skin. Her luminous auburn hair caught the light like a mirror reflecting its radiance, making her appearance even more captivating. But he quickly blinked, wondering what had brought her there.

Samantha blinked before lowering her clipboard. "Huh? What are you doing here? How did you even get here in the first place? You shouldn’t be here by this time."

Hermione’s eyes flashed. "It’s none of your fuckin’ business how I’m here! I’m here for him, and you can’t do anything about it," she snapped, making even Derek flinch slightly.

Derek scratched the back of his head as she moved toward Mark in the bed. In most cases, it would have been the charming prince coming for the unconscious princess, but this situation was completely different.

She felt Mark’s pulse with her fingers, her eyes closing for a moment before she exhaled briefly. Her gaze scanned the room, and when it landed on Derek, his body seemed to react on instinct as he kept flinching under her stare.

"Who did this to him?! Who was behind all this and left him in this state so he can’t participate tomorrow?" Her normally sweet voice boomed with restrained anger as she clenched her hands tightly beside her thighs.

Derek could feel his heartbeat growing faster. "Don’t look at me. It was some guys who must have been in the same class as him among the sophomores. There were three of them, for certain," he stated as he involuntarily stepped backward under Hermione’s fixed gaze.

She growled before turning to leave the ward with a stomp. But then Derek’s hand caught her wrist, making her pause before glancing back at the uncertain junior.

"It’s not really what you think. Just don’t go too far by taking matters into your own hands. It’s not a great idea," he said in a convincing voice, but Hermione’s eyes only sharpened.

"Said by the same person who always bullied him as his roommate throughout his years in the school. I bet it’s hard on your face now that he has gotten to be a strong summoner!"

She yanked her wrist free from his loose grip before stepping outside and slamming the door shut.

Derek stood there frozen while Samantha turned her stare toward him. Hermione’s remark had struck him like a truck, not because it was an insult, but because it was the truth. Yet he couldn’t understand how she had known all of this, almost as though she had been there the entire time.

It felt strange and unsettling to him. She had given him a judgmental impression that felt like a heavy weight pressing down on him, making him wonder if he truly regretted his past actions toward Mark.

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