012 Hide and Keep Your Cool!

Facing the dilemma before him, Roland let out a long sigh. He poured himself a glass of water and walked over to the window. He intended first to appreciate the moonlight outside, to clear his mind. Then, he planned to take a hot bath to relax. He wasn’t sure if this sequence would spark both of the inspirations he needed.

Lost in these thoughts, Roland sipped his water and gazed out the window. Suddenly, something outside caught his eye, and his expression changed drastically. Whatever he saw terrified him so deeply that, without even undressing, he plunged straight into the large tub of warm water his mentor had used.

Moments later, a faint sound came from the cabin door.

Creak…

The wooden door cautiously opened just a crack, revealing a fist-sized eye peeking through. The eye was stunning, crystal-clear like amber, but on closer look, its pupil was unnaturally narrow, like a blade of wheat. The owner of this eye seemed to be in an abnormal state.

Creak, creak…

The door was carefully pushed open wider, and then a massive figure darted past the doorway. Soon after, a huge form settled upon the ceiling beam.

Thankfully, Catherine had reinforced the cabin with magic; otherwise, the house might have collapsed. For Anna Bernard was even more terrifying, weighing between half a ton to a full ton—heavier than most bears.

Yet, her physique was remarkably proportioned. She resembled a gigantic kitten crouched on the beam, or perhaps a dark elf towering over three meters tall.

Her face was unlike Narl’s—no menacing fangs or broad nose—rather delicate and beautiful. But her forehead bore clusters of grotesque little flesh tumors.

These malformed growths seemed to be the root of her illness.

This affliction had impaired her intellect, leaving her childlike most of the time.

But during outbreaks, she became bloodthirsty and frenzied.

Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth, as though she were chewing something. The blood-stained feathers clinging to her lips revealed she had swallowed an unfortunate owl.

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Earlier, when Roland stood at the window, he had witnessed Anna’s hunting: she leapt from the ground and with a single clap of her hands caught an owl as tall as an eight to ten-story building, snatching it into her mouth!

The entire scene was as effortless as a cat catching a butterfly.

Now, this giant “kitten” chewing on her “little butterfly” crouched on the beam, her dangerous eyes searching the room for prey.

Roland was holding his breath underwater in the tub, fully convinced he was that prey.

A deep-seated fear gripped him.

This fear had always driven Roland, urging him to leave his mentor as soon as possible and never return.

He had long believed this dread stemmed from Catherine, his mentor. But today, he realized he had been wrong.

His fear came from the “Cat Sorcerer”—the one who, three months ago, climbed the castle walls and broke into his room, carrying him off.

Just now, seeing the figure catching the owl outside, Roland recalled the fear that had once dominated him.

The Cat Sorcerer—that was what Roland feared most.

He had always assumed it was his mentor’s transformed form.

But in truth, he was mistaken.

The townsfolk were mistaken.

The Cat Sorcerer had never been Catherine; it was Anna!

The mentor kept two “trolls” in captivity—Narl was Narl, Anna was Anna.

But she deliberately confused people, making them believe she only had one troll.

During the day, Roland had already witnessed Narl’s terror.

But Anna—the real Anna—evoked an even deeper horror in him than Narl ever did.

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Facing Narl, Roland’s heart pounded.

Facing Anna… Roland trembled all over.

Fortunately, he had dived into the tub in time. Otherwise, Anna would have sneaked into the cabin today, perched on the beam, and launched a face-to-face attack on him.

As a high-ranking swordsman, Roland felt utterly powerless before Anna, not even able to flee—a mouse caught by a cat.

Roland, submerged in water, was utterly baffled. In his heart, he muttered, “Catherine must be only a senior apprentice. There’s no doubt about that! But… how could a senior apprentice keep two such terrifying creatures? It makes no sense!”

“If only I had known earlier… no, this was her hidden trump card. How could I have guessed!”

“Fate is against me!”

Roland believed that if the little cat on the beam discovered him hiding in the tub, she would fish him out like a mouse and then toy with him beneath her paws like a playful feline.

But on the other hand, if he could cast the right spell…

Physically, Roland was no match for Anna. But with the right magic, he might seize a glimmer of hope.

So, if he could just find the right moment, he might break this dead end and defeat Anna—who was irrational, a big cat, a beast! A psychic shock would be especially effective against her!

But he needed the perfect opportunity.

Roland waited for that moment, stewing in anguish as he awaited his chance.

There was one piece of good news: hiding in the warm water really worked! Anna had not detected him yet!

And given her current mental state, she wouldn’t notice anything strange about the tub anytime soon. As long as he could keep calm, he could wait for his chance.

Calm… Roland was always able to keep his composure.

But the crucial problem was that he was running out of breath!