A black ENDX car came to a stop in front of the gates of La Berania University. Although it belonged to one of the cheaper series, it still managed to draw attention from the students nearby.After all, it was still an ENDX car. Even the most affordable model cost more than three hundred thousand. Anyone driving one was almost certainly from an upper-class family, or at least from a prominent middle-class family.The window on the driver’s side slowly rolled down, revealing a middle-aged man.It was none other than Joey Alanis.“Woah, it’s Mr. Alanis, the manager at Laurentshé Restaurant...” one student muttered under their breath in amazement as soon as they recognized him.The others could only stare, their mouths slightly open in surprise.“I’m here to pick someone up,” Joey said to the guard with a warm smile. “Would it be alright to let my car in?”The guard nodded after a brief pause, still visibly taken aback, just like the other students.Once the gate was opened, the guard in

Luke reluctantly turned around, not wanting to face her. Or perhaps he was simply hoping that the voice only resembled the woman who had first come to mind.But the moment he saw her, his expression stiffened even more.It really was her!Natalia McCollin.The shadowy figure who had slaughtered those armed men at his uncle Damian’s restaurant!What was she doing here?He was too stunned to speak, so he could only stare at her face in a daze. He did not even know how to begin talking to her.“M-Miss...”Luke finally forced himself to speak, only to be cut off.“I’m Athalia, nice to meet you,” she said with a bright smile, extending one hand toward him.Her voice was so warm and friendly that anyone would think she was nothing more than a kindhearted young woman.“I’m also one of the applicants,” she added.Luke stared at her hand, not even daring to touch it, not even the tip of her fingers. He would not dare.The image of her gripping a blood-soaked dagger flashed through his mind, al

When they entered the hall, Joey left Luke with the other applicants and headed toward his family to take his place among the judges.Luke stayed at the back of the crowd, his eyes instinctively searching for Natalia. He spotted her at the front row, but decided to leave her alone.“She seems like a reasonable woman...” he muttered.He trusted that she would not harm anyone unless she had a reason to, just like what happened to those men before. There was no need for him to keep watching her every move. Besides, even if he did, there was nothing he could do to stop her.What truly bothered him now was why she had come all the way here, pretending to be one of the applicants.‘What is she planning?’ he wondered, his brows knitting together.He had already dismissed the idea that she intended to harm Kina. If she wanted to, she could have done it anytime.If she was telling the truth, then she was genuinely here to become Kina’s personal bodyguard. But the real question was why.Luke sh

Natalia let out a quiet laugh before straightening up, making her dagger vanish once more with a simple flick of her hand.“Forget it,” she said, her expression turning serious. “Like I said, I came here for Kina. To become her bodyguard. That’s the only answer I can give you. If you’re wondering about anything else, you’d better set it aside for now. You’re not ready to know those answers yet.”Her voice was firm as she turned away and continued walking. “Just focus on getting close to her. You’ll find some of the answers you’re looking for on your own, eventually.”With that, she disappeared again in the blink of an eye, not caring at all that she had done it right in front of Luke.Luke, on the other hand, remained stunned after witnessing it once more. However, it was no longer as shocking as the first time he had seen her do it that night at his uncle’s restaurant.His gaze drifted back to where she had been standing earlier. And there she was again, calmly listening to Vincent a

Luke’s evaluation began. Just like in the earlier scenarios, the client would act as an ordinary shopper while he accompanied her. However, unlike Natalia, who seemed to possess a sixth sense, Luke did not focus solely on the client. His attention was divided between her and their surroundings.From time to time, he calmly observed the people nearby while sharpening his hearing for anything unusual. He listened closely to fragments of conversations, trying to determine their intentions and understand why they were doing whatever currently occupied them.Three years ago, he had spent a year in the military, and he had been thrown into war almost immediately after arriving. He adapted to the battlefield faster than most, and the memories of those brutal experiences remained vivid in his mind.Because of that, he could still instinctively sense danger. He could easily tell who posed a threat and who did not.While he was observing the people around them, the client occasionally asked him