Chapter 288: Get Me Out Of There
"Urgh!"
A sharp, pulsing ache throbbed right behind my eyes, making me groan as consciousness slowly fought its way back.
My mouth tasted like iron.
Before I could even blink the crust from my eyes, the familiar translucent blue interface of the system flickered to life in my field of vision, displaying my current vitals.
---
System Status
Name: Jin Raith
Age: 17
Class: Debugger
Level: 30 (EXP: 890/7,400)
Rank: B
MC (Mana Capacity): 46/700
Affinity: Dark Lightning
HP: 3,100/3,100
MP: 1,650/1,650 (660 + 990)
STR: 60
VIT: 60
AGI: 99
INT: 120
WIS: 65
LUK: 39
Allocation Points: 0
Skills:
-Active: Light Orb, Alchemy (Intermediate), Debug Vision, Rolling Thunder, Void Thunder
-Passive: Poison Resistance (100%), Social Engineering, Iron Will, Mana Reservoir, Combat Analysis
-Combat: Orthodox Fang (Mastered), Lightning Fang (Proficiency: Mastered)
-Administrator Mode: [Locked!] (2d 12hr remaining!)
I let out a long, ragged sigh, rubbing my face.
"Two and a half days locked out..." I muttered, my voice sounding rough and gravelly. "Just how long was I passed out?"
I pushed the heavy, incredibly soft fur sheets off my chest and sat up, swinging my legs over the edge of the mattress. But the moment my eyes adjusted to the surroundings, I froze entirely, my hand locking onto the fabric of the blanket.
This wasn’t my room.
The walls were lined with pristine, white-painted wood and elegant frost-warded silver engravings. The air carried a faint, crisp scent of winter mint and expensive ozone, and the scale of the plush velvet furnishings screamed luxury.
It only explained one thing.
Cassandra’s room?
My mind immediately fired into overdrive, sorting through my final memories. I had successfully cleared the lower archives, taken the items, locked the door, and then my body had given out from the backlash.
I remembered stumbling into the residential wing, colliding with someone, and looking up to see Aldric’s furious, suspicious face before everything went black.
How the hell did I end up in my sister’s bed instead of a dungeon cell or my Aldric’s interrogation room? Did she intervene? Why?
I rubbed my temples in sheer annoyance. The unpredictable shifts in Cassandra’s behavior were completely throwing off. She threatened to kill me in the coach, handed me the key to the family’s forbidden history on the dais, and now this? It made absolutely no sense.
Before I could ponder any further, the faint click of the heavy door handle broke the silence.
I snapped my head toward the entrance.
Cassandra walked into the room. She was wearing a loose, elegant morning gown of soft white silk, her long, metallic silver hair cascading loosely down her back without its usual rigid pins. She stopped at the doormat, smoothly sliding her feet out of her indoor slippers, and walked entirely barefoot across the thick, plush carpet.
She completely ignored my presence, walking straight past the bed toward a velvet couch positioned near the floor-to-ceiling windows. She sat down gracefully, crossing one smooth leg over the other, and rested her chin in her hand, staring blankly out at the sunlit estate grounds.
"If you’re done occupying my space, you can leave," Cassandra said, her voice cool, level, and entirely devoid of any morning warmth.
I let out a sharp, frustrated sigh, pushing myself off the edge of the mattress. My feet hit the plush carpet, and I stood tall, looking directly across the room at her.
"Why are you doing this, Cassandra?" I asked, my voice cutting cleanly through the quiet room. "Why the hell am I in your room?"
She didn’t answer right away. She kept her gaze fixed on the window, the absolute silence stretching out between us until my jaw set in pure frustration. Just as I was about to demand a straight answer, she slowly turned her head, her icy grey eyes locking onto mine with an unreadable, flat expression.
"You are my brother," Cassandra said smoothly, her voice cool and entirely matter-of-fact. "Isn’t it normal for a sister to look after her family?"
I didn’t buy a single word of it. I glared right back at her, my eyes narrowing.
Normal? In the House of Raith, nothing was normal, least of all her sudden, uncharacteristic charity.
Deciding it wasn’t worth the trouble or the risk of staying in her personal space any longer, I took a step back.
"How long was I out?" I demanded.
"The entire night," she replied, her gaze already drifting back toward the sunlit gardens outside the glass.
I didn’t waste another second. I turned on my heel, grabbed my coat from the chair, and walked out of her chambers, the door clicking shut behind me.
I marched straight down the corridor to my own room, my mind working fast. I still had two full days left on my official academy leave of absence before the lectures started.
The martial arts tome, the dark legacy eye, and the ancient potion recipe were all securely tucked away inside my spatial ring. There was absolutely nothing left for me to do in this den of vipers, and staying here only invited father’s suspicion or another trap.
I tossed my few personal belongings into my small travel bag, zipped it shut, and slung it over my shoulder.
Navigating the service corridors to avoid running into father, Cedric, or any prying eyes, I swiftly made my way out of the manor’s rear exit. The morning air was crisp and biting as I cut across the courtyard toward the private transit pavilion.
I bypassed the estate’s main staff and walked straight up to the standby coach line, throwing my bag into the compartment before stepping inside. The heavy door shut with a solid, echoing thud, completely sealing me away from the Raith estate.
"Get me out of here," I ordered the driver through the partition grid.
As the carriage smoothly lurched forward and the gates of the manor began to shrink in the background, I leaned my head against the headrest, staring down at my hands.