Chapter 264: [Freedom Dove] - Nerio’s part (16)
Nerio vanished again. Leonard noticed it when Ms. H appeared—like a flash of light, Nerio disappeared without a trace.
By then, the Nerio Leonard so desperately worried about had already arrived at the dormitory.
The boy’s face was blank as he walked toward a tree off the side, then... leaned over and started dry heaving.
[...]
[Hahaha, I knew it! Ms. H would be Nerio’s sworn enemy, no doubt about it!]
[Poor Nerio, how can you people still laugh at this?!]
[Hahahahahaha!]
[This is precisely why I love bullying Nerio—watching that arrogant face twist in disgust is the best part of my day, hahaha!]
Of course, Nerio was only pretending to gag. Even if he wanted to throw up, nothing came out.
He straightened up, the corners of his eyes slightly red, lips pressed tightly together, his whole face dark with displeasure.
"Not fun. Not fun at all!"
[See, Nerio? That’s why you shouldn’t show up in the first place. Why not vanish and come back as the final boss to scare those humans a bit? That’d be more entertaining.]
[Great idea. If only Nerio could read these comments.]
[Did Nerio really read these comments? With all the harassment here, I swear your third leg wouldn’t stay intact!]
[Oh please, fangirls are just as bad!]
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached—Ms. H was clearly leading the humans to the dormitory.
The student dormitory stood behind the athletic field; passing through the small forest surrounding the grounds brought them right to it. The group wasn’t moving slowly either.
Nerio frowned and raised his hand. Instantly, a glow enveloped his entire body, like a shield that cut him off from everything outside.
The group now had a clear view of the dormitory: five floors, three separate buildings. It didn’t look old—it seemed freshly built, brand-new even, a complete contrast to Ms. H’s revolting appearance.
The central building stood out as far more extravagant and luxurious. Each floor had only one or two rooms, though smaller than the other two buildings.
The moment Leonard spotted Nerio, he rushed forward, blurting out his familiar question:
"Are you alright?"
Just as he was about to touch him, Nerio immediately stepped back, face scrunching up, open disgust flickering in his eyes.
Leonard: "..."
[Hahaha, feels like Nerio’s about to pour a whole barrel of alcohol on Leonard to sterilize him!]
[Oh my god, you heartless people—I just heard Leonard’s heart shatter!]
[Hahaha, so what if you’re his number one believer? You’ll still be hated anyway!]
Leonard instinctively wanted to sniff his sleeve, but in the end, he held back. Head lowered, tail drooping in defeat, he shuffled off to the side.
From nearby, Ms. H rumbled in her deep voice: "Building C is the girls’ dorm. Building A is the boys’ dorm!"
She then tossed three sets of keys to the group, each holding two keys—one room for the girls, two for the boys.
However, there was still another set of keys in her hand, which she extended toward Nerio.
Nerio lowered his head slightly, lips pressed tight, his gaze locked on Ms. H without moving an inch.
Ms. H stood rooted to the spot, her dull, annoyed expression shifting into silence as though she didn’t know what to say.
The two stared at each other like that until the sun was nearly setting.
In the end, Leonard stepped forward to accept the keys from Ms. H, then approached Nerio, his manner as if he wished he could offer the keys with both hands in reverence.
One artificial esper nearby clicked his tongue: "Lapdog."
Right then, Nerio suddenly glanced his way. The esper’s eyes widened, but before he could react, his body was hurled across the air, slamming hard into a tree. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he collapsed, gasping on the ground, his life or death uncertain. The tree itself snapped in half from the impact, a testament to the force of the blow.
The fact that the esper was still alive could only be called a miracle.
Everything happened too fast—like the blink of an eye, the tree had toppled, and their companion lay sprawled, coughing up mouthfuls of fresh blood!
Thomas and the others jumped in shock. Nerio, however, didn’t even smile. He only stood there, staring at them.
Instinctively, they lowered their heads, not daring to step forward to help their companion. What if Nerio suddenly felt like burying them all together?
After all, no one had ever been able to predict what Nerio would do.
Like earlier, he hadn’t cared when Thomas’s group denied him at noon, even going along with their farce. Yet here he was, ruthlessly striking down someone who dared to call Leonard a lapdog at dusk.
Everything depended solely on his mood. And only now did they fully realize—before Nerio, they were nothing.
The only reason they could strut and bare their fangs... was because Nerio didn’t bother to care.
[...]
[Got it, he’s pissed—don’t touch him, hahaha.]
[Since Nerio’s not mad at me, he’s still adorable, like a cat!]
[Delusional fan...]
[Never seen a cat take people out when it’s angry.]
[Whatever the reason, Nerio just protected Leonard! Did you all see that favoritism toward the number one believer?!]
[You’re delusional, calling that favoritism, hahaha.]
[Sounds like someone’s jealous.]
Nerio narrowed his eyes at Leonard, then lifted a single finger. The keyring in Leonard’s hand instantly shot up into the air, floating above Nerio’s fingertip.
Someone couldn’t help but let out a shaky breath.
Right then, Ms. H spoke up in her rumbling voice:
"The dormitory gates close at 9:30 p.m. sharp. I won’t leave them open for anyone. Be back on time! Lights out at 10 p.m. After that, no opening doors, no noise, no running in the hallways!"
She never said the consequences of breaking those rules would be, but clearly, they wouldn’t be good.
With that, she left immediately. Her room was right by the main dorm gate, and the tall fence topped with spikes ensured no student could sneak out late at night—or slip back in illegally.
Nerio paid no attention to the others. He turned and walked toward Building B—the only one in the group granted a private room.
Once his figure disappeared, Thomas’s group hurried over to check on their fallen companion.
Fortunately, he was still breathing.
Susan looked on anxiously, her voice soft: "He’s still alive... maybe we can help somehow."
Thomas pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
A Gabriel’s Angelic Order believer stepped forward, light energy immediately enveloping the injured artificial esper. In no time, his external wounds were healed enough for him to stand—though just moments ago, he’d been clinging to life by a thread.
The artificial espers glanced at Susan, then finally nodded as if resigning themselves. "Thanks."
Thomas loomed nearby, silent. Dark smoke roiled in his eyes, fathomless, betraying thoughts no one could read.