Chapter 137: Rowan: I Get It Now!

As for the frustrated look on Camula's face, Rowan had to admit he genuinely enjoyed it.

That expression of hers, clearly unwilling to accept her situation yet forced to swallow it and stay quiet, was exactly the kind of look he liked.

Knock knock knock!

Just as Rowan continued studying the map of the ruins behind the academy on his communicator, he suddenly heard a knock at the door.

"Who'd be coming by at this hour... could it be Alexis?"

Rowan raised an eyebrow, muttering to himself as he glanced toward the door.

Jaden, that hotblooded idiot, was still lying in the infirmary, so it obviously couldn't be him.

Atticus and Chumley, being Jaden's self-appointed underlings, naturally wouldn't be heading back to the Slifer Red dorm early either.

Among everyone else, the only ones on decent enough terms with him to come find him were Alexis, Bastion, and that goofball Chazz.

Or possibly Alexis's two friends as well.

The moment he opened the door, Rowan immediately spotted the familiar figure of a blonde, elegant young lady standing there.

It was, unmistakably, Alexis.

"Alexis, did something happen?" Rowan asked casually at the sight of her, stepping aside to let her in.

"No... I just noticed you didn't show up at the infirmary today, so I came to check whether another Seven Stars Shadow Duelist had shown up or something."

Alexis explained, sounding a little embarrassed. In truth, she'd spent quite a while at the infirmary with Jasmine and Mindy, checking whether her brother had woken up yet.

After a good half-day there without any sign of Rowan, she'd found herself feeling strangely unsettled, and had come to check whether he'd run into another Seven Stars Shadow Duelist or something similar.

Of course, there was also another matter weighing on her mind, one she was still hesitating over whether to bring up with Rowan at all.

But before Alexis could say much more, the moment she stepped into the living room, she froze, spotting a familiar figure by the sofa that was entirely unexpected.

"Camula?!" Alexis couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

The dark green hair, the red dress, her whole appearance completely unchanged.

Except now she stood there holding a glass of juice, looking distinctly uncomfortable and unwilling, like some kind of maid.

Confused, Alexis turned to Rowan and asked, "How is this possible? Shouldn't she still be sealed inside that dark card?"

"Ahem... well, that's because Camula and I made a deal." Rowan cleared his throat, his face reddening slightly.

After Rowan gave her a quick rundown of what had happened, and explained that he'd wanted someone to keep the place tidy on a daily basis, Alexis gradually came to understand the situation.

"So you're saying Camula's your maid now?"

"Given the size of this place, and the fact that you live here all alone, it really does make sense that you'd need some help keeping it in order."

Alexis said, nodding in agreement as she considered it.

She'd already toured Rowan's luxurious little cabin before, so she knew exactly how spacious it was, easily bigger than even the high-end single rooms in their own Obelisk Blue girls' dormitory, which even came with things like an indoor hot spring bath.

The difference was that in their dormitory, the shared common areas got cleaned in rotation by various students, so nobody had to worry about falling behind on the work.

Rowan, on the other hand, lived here entirely alone. If he had to handle everything himself, it really would wear him down.

Knowing how lazy he tended to be, there was no way he'd actually want to do it all on his own.

Having an extra maid around genuinely solved a lot of potential headaches, letting a certain someone keep enjoying his easy, comfortable lifestyle without lifting a finger...

Still, after another glance at Camula's slit red dress and her rather scandalous figure, an odd, heavy look crossed Alexis's face.

It wasn't clear exactly what she was thinking about.

Finally, seeming to have made up her mind about something, she turned to Rowan and said, "Rowan, even though two of the Seven Stars Shadow Duelists have already been defeated..."

"This whole conflict over the Spirit Keys, and breaking the seal on the Sacred Beasts, has really only just gotten started."

"There are bound to be more Seven Stars Shadow Duelists showing up after this, targeting anyone else who still holds a Spirit Key for attacks and Shadow Duels...!"

Seeing the serious look on Alexis's face, clearly hesitant to say what came next, Rowan quickly seemed to catch on, striking his right fist into his open left palm.

"I get it. So you're asking me to hold onto your Spirit Key for safekeeping, right?"

The moment he said it, Camula, standing not far away, felt her expression turn grim.

If that were really the case, it wouldn't be good news for her at all.

At this point, Camula's only remaining hope of ever getting free rested entirely on whether the other Seven Stars Shadow Duelists, and whoever was pulling the strings behind them, could manage to defeat Rowan, break the seal on the Sacred Beasts, and rescue her from his clutches.

If this girl handed her own Spirit Key over to Rowan for safekeeping too, then breaking the seal on the remaining Sacred Beast cards would clearly become that much harder for the Seven Stars Shadow Duelists.

"No... what I mean is, to avoid the kind of hostage situation that happened before, I think it might be better if I stayed as a temporary guest in your spare room here, if that's alright with you."

Alexis said, rubbing her temples in resignation before finally getting the words out herself.

"That way, it won't put the Obelisk Blue girls' dormitory, Jasmine, Mindy, or even Nurse Fontaine, at risk of getting caught up in a Shadow Duel because of me."