"I figured..." Cater wore a small feeble smirk but didn't want to give in to his fears, "There's something we'd like to know though. Is there anywhere in other countries that would have the kirin?"
Lotus frowned when she heard him say this. Cater, in response, sighed, "Even if you tell us to keep away from it, the fact that someone planted a tarantula on me isn't a good sign, you know. I don't think we can back out already."
Lotus frowned deeper but remained silently thinking. Finally, she sighed, "You do realize that, if something happens to either one of you, they could trace everything back to me..."
"Can they use magic like we do?" Cater pointed out stubbornly.
Lotus shook her head with a grumble, "Just... don't blame me when you get too far into this."
"That's not a problem." Cater smirked having finally seen his destination in sight.
"Give me a few seconds." She said before going through the book in her hands quickly before passing it to Cater, "Here..."
"This?" Cater looked at the old blue paper book curiously.
"Riddle can read the language, right?" Lotus reminded him, "It's a book about plants and creatures like that spider. Fair warning, though. It instructs about poison as well..."
She got up and said, "I'm going to get another book from my room. Just don't tell anyone else I have these books. They're not forbidden, but it does get annoying when others start to find out..."
As she walked away she grumbled, "I really shouldn't have seen rather they could read my book in the beginning..."
As she left the room, Cater looked down on the spider on the table with a shudder when he saw the leg twitch.
"T-t-to think that was with me for the whole ride here..." Cater said nervously, "I don't know what would've happened if Lotus hadn't noticed it, but how did he know? Also, is this thing poisonous? How long has it been with me?"
After some thought, he frowned and pulled out his phone and began texting quickly and took a picture of the spider, "I'll need to have Trey take a look at this later..."
He began flipping through the book curiously when he noticed the numerous of strange creatures. The book looked rather old by the touch and everything was recorded from the plants to the creatures with images that wasn't very accurate. Cater grimaced, "Hah... This seems very dumb... Me looking up on stories of who knows what..."
He sighed before he noticed a familiar image, "Isn't this Riddle's little guy?"
Finally surprised by the sight of the horse features and the dragon tail. His eyes was drawn towards something else, "This guy can grow horns?!"
After returning to the room, Lotus saw that Cater was absorbed in book's picture reminding her of a child just looking at the pictures of a picture book rather than reading. She wore a small smile and shook her head as she came back to the sofa surprising Cater as she said, "You found what you're looking for? That's a surprise."
Seeing her raised brow, Cater bought that she was genuinely surprised and smiled, "Ah. If Riddle could read this, then that would be good too."
She took out a couple more books and sighed, "These are something that I copied from the original so the drawings aren't the best. Apologies."
Handing the books to him, Lotus took the barely-alive spider and said, "I'm gonna have Grim burn this with fire now."
"Actually." Cater called out, "Can I take that with me?"
His words surprised her as she held the spider with the needle, "This?"
"W-w-w-woah!!!" Cater nearly screamed at the top of his lungs, "Not alive! Not alive!!!"
Lotus sighed and nodded in understanding before she stabbed another needle into the brain of the spider taking away its life mercilessly, "Done."
The twitching had stopped by now as she placed the creature into a small box meant for small jewelry and tied it down with a string before handing it to Cater who shuddered, "Th-That was fast."
Lotus sighed, "I gave it a swift death. If it caused harm, but I might not be willing to let it die so easily."
Her words brought a shudder to the poor guy who had just had his life in danger as she gave him a box of potions as she added, "This is also the potions that can help ward off these bugs. Just spread it around the perimeter of the dorm once a month. It should also ward off a few other insects so make sure you're not bringing in any insects for experiments. They'll die right away."
"R-right." Cater glanced at the vials nervously.
"I've also added the recipe to these potions." Lotus told him firmly, "Since Dorm leader Riddle doesn't intend to back off, I'll give him a hand, but he has to be careful with his movements. Ah geez..."
She grumbled with a deep sigh, "And here I was hoping to stay away from people like those..."
"Haha..." Cater wore a small smile before he said gratefully, "Thank you."
"It's no problem." She waved off-handedly, "Now, I need to pour some of these potions around Ramshackle too... I'll have to protect Yuu and Grim too."
She turned to him, "But, you'll have a much harder time than me. Those freshmen..."
Cater nodded, "We'll try to keep an eye on them. We can't let this incident become the end of Night Raven College."
Lotus nodded and turned her head, "As long as you understand. If anything happens, let me know. Is there anything else?"
"Those people." Cater stated after placing the boxes down with a solemn frown, "You said they won't hesitate to kill. That'd be bad for Riddle."
"Him and the students he's involved with." Lotus responded.
Hearing this, Cater sighed in exasperation, "Then, I guess it's too late for me to back out too."
He turned to her and said, "Can you tell me what kind of people we're dealing with?"
Lotus thought for a bit before responded, "We're talking about a kirin and a professional in poison. People from where I came from are often involved in difficult and bothersome matters. Let's see, set up marriages, heirlooms, jealousy. We're talking about people who follow the worldwide rule of the survival of the fittest for their lives. There's many version of this, but the one we're talking about right now should be dangerous. They will silence you to maintain their secrecy no matter if the chances are very little or not. It's more of the unfortunate being at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Cater frowned, "So, that's why..."
"That's why?" Lotus tilted her head in confusion.
Cater shock his head, "It's nothing. Continue."
Lotus nodded, "The people you're looking at are probably for is most likely sent here as assassins. I have no clue what they're here for, but just be careful when you leave the dorm. Right now, the safest place should be the school grounds and the dorms. As long as you act as per your own schedule, everything will be fine most of the time. Anyway unusual movements would be caught as suspicious by them."
Cater frowned, "However, Riddle has equestrian club to take part in."
"Equestrian club?" Lotus spoke up in surprise, "So, he's there too?"
"Eh?"
"I'm going to be joining the club tomorrow." Lotus responded, "That and gardening club on Friday too."
"Eh?" Cater looked to her in bewilderment, "You can ride horses?!"
Lotus nodded, "Yeah, my foster mother was busy while I was growing up so my siblings and friends brought me out with a harness in hand to ride wild horses."
"Wah..." Cater breathed in awe, "You certainly don't look like someone who'd ride wild horses..."
Lotus shrugged, "If you want, I can stay with Riddle. I believe Malleus's bodyguards are also there. So, it should be fine accompanying him to the hall of mirrors. I can't use magic, but I have knowledge with potions and pills, though I can't make pills I do have some on hand. Yuu and Grim often returns to the dorm shortly after spending the day with Deuce and Ace, so I'm not too concerned if he's with them."
"I see." Cater nodded with a wry smile, "You really have everything down. Why not be the dorm leader instead?"
Lotus laughed, "Me? Please. I dislike the responsibility that came with it. I don't have the time to manage the dorm. As long as I can focus on my work and watch after Yuu and Grim, I'm satisfied."
"Wah..." Cater shrugged, "So, that's how Yuu became the supervisor..."
"Yuu becoming supervisor has nothing to do with me." Lotus responded, "From the beginning to end, Yuu has put in more effort than I would like to. Him being the supervisor is something he earned for himself. Honestly, I think he'd fit the position better than me."
"Alright." Cater shrugged, "So, another thing..."
"Hm?"
"Why are you here?" Cater said with a raised brow, "You're obviously capable even without magic, yet you left your home."
Hearing this, Lotus couldn't help but think back to her past where she was killed and awoken in an orphanage amongst young children and was the only cultivator. With a cold feeling in her chest, she smirked, "Left my home. I believe there's some misunderstandings here..."
She continued as her smile deepened eerily, "I never 'left' home. I was 'kicked out' of my home for not having magic. Cater-senpai, society here still respects those who don't have magic and they can still live a good life, but, from where I came from, those who don't have the ability are called wastes and are disposed of or can only ride on the coattails of the more capable. Unless they have the knowledge, they are destined to rot away in alleys."
Seeing the sudden change in her demeanor, Cater instantly regretted bringing up the question as she sighed dissipating the tense atmosphere, "So, after my mom died, I ran away from home after stealing my family's texts. I took them, copied them by hand, and threw them astray after I escaped from the society there. An orphanage found me later but abandoned me shortly after when my foster mother found me. Since then, I've been making potions for a living before someone from Night Raven College found me working at a library and recommended me. That's how I'm here."
"That's impressive." Cater noted stupidly without much of a better idea response.
"So don't lose my textbooks." Lotus responded firmly, "It was difficult enough finishing up 35 textbooks, I'd rather not loose one of them forever. This is only lending."
"Yes, yes." Cater nodded with a sigh before he got up, "Thanks for helping us."
Lotus nodded, "Be careful, okay. Those guys are unrelenting. Only an idiot in their shoes would be willing to let anyone live when they are in the way intentionally or not."
Cater shuddered, "I-I understand."
Lotus sighed, "I'll accompany you back to the hall of mirrors. I'll leave Grim and Yuu with the ghosts. They can't harm ghosts as easily without a tool."
"Thanks..." Cater smiled in relief, "I'd much appreciate it."
After hearing her description, Cater could not help but feel agitated as he worry over the students of Heartslabyul and, after realizing that he was being stalked, couldn't help but feel even more nervous. He and lotus took a box as they left the dorm to the hall of mirrors surprising Riddle and Trey who had just walked out of the dorm.
"Um... What just happened?" Trey looked to them in bewilderment.
Lotus laughed, "I'm helping Cater carry some stuff back to the hall of mirrors. He got pranked by the ghosts at the dorms."
"I-I see..." Riddle responded after seeing the pale face of Cater.
Trey helped Cater with the boxes as they returned to the dorm. Lotus then turned around and left the place back to her dorm. She didn't make any detours as she feared the worst for leaving the two with the ghosts for long. Even if they can't harm the ghosts, the ghosts can't even do much harm back to them. That and she's not willing to risk her appearance to keep up a lie again.
After all that talking, her head hurts and her body feels very cold. She grimaced as she could feel the pain in her shoulder as she plopped in a purple pill into her mouth. Gradually regaining her warmth again, she hurried through the halls when she accidentally crashed into someone.
"Damn it..." She cursed under her breath as she looked up.
Her eyes widen in surprise when she was met with a pair of lucid emerald eyes.