Chapter 395 Secret Room
After visiting the library, Professor Whitaker continued to give the students a tour of the castle.
Even though this was a very time-consuming process, it was a tradition of sorts for a senior faculty member to show the graduate students around the castle, instead of them just exploring on their own.
The tour continued up the spiraling marble staircase. Adam leaned over the railing and raised his head to see just how high the countless number of stairways reached.
They really do seem to stretch on till infinity, he marveled.
"The castle is known for its enchanted architecture," said Professor Whitaker with a hint of smirk.
She guided the group of graduate students to ascend to the floor above, but when they finally reached the floor, they realized, much to their astonishment, that they had actually arrived two floors below.
"You will learn the nuances of navigating this castle in due time," the old professor chuckled, watching the looks of disbelief on the faces of the students.
Adam was slightly better than the rest, but still, he couldn't help but be dumbfounded by this feeling every time he experienced it.
In the past few days, Daneli had shown this peculiarity to him. Ultimately, Adam learned that there was no logic behind the strangeness of the magical staircases.
'How do the stairways operate?' Adam had asked at the time.
Daneli had given a simple answer, one that weirdly made sense and seemed unreasonable at the same time.
'Magic.'
"A small piece of advice," said Professor Whitaker with a faint smile. "Always follow your intuition when stepping on these magical steps. Reasoning won't lead you to your destination."
The group continued to the other parts of the castle. Every once in a while, the old professor would stop and explain the various amenities that could be found in certain areas.
A few hours later, Professor Whitaker stopped before an unassuming wall. The graduate students huddled behind her, wondering why she had brought them there.
"Hidden throughout this castle are several secret passageways and rooms," said Professor Whitaker as she pointed at the wall before her. "This here is an example."
The next moment, under the stupefied gazes of the students, she weaved a simple hand gesture, following which the wall started to rumble.
Then, a pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth appeared on the surface of the wall, causing the students to be astounded.
The pair of eyelids slowly opened, the stony pupils within gradually shining with a sentient light. The pupils darted around and then finally landed on Professor Whitaker.
"Oh... Matilda, it's… you," said the face on the wall with slight difficulty. It seemed that it hadn't spoken in a long time.
"Hello, old friend," Professor Whitaker smiled warmly.
The face's lips parted into a wide yawn, causing the entire wall to tremble and dust to fall from the ceiling. It then smacked its lips a few times before grumbling, "What is it this time? You better have a good reason to wake me up."
Professor Whitaker chuckled in amusement. She pointed at the Magi behind her and stated, "This is the new batch of graduate students. I thought I'd introduce you to them."
The wall sighed, its expression almost human-like, "You were such an innocent little girl when you found me all those years ago, but now…"
It paused for a moment before snorting in displeasure, "You don't even visit me often, hmph! You've changed, Matilda, you've changed."
Professor Whitaker's lips twitched. "No need to be so overdramatic. You know I've been busy."
Then, she conjured a large, shiny ore from her storage ring and waved it before the wall. "I even brought a little gift for you. But perhaps I've really changed like you mentioned. Maybe I should just leave—"
"Wait!" The wall screamed. "You know I haven't eaten in years. Give that to me!"
Professor Whitaker simply stared at the wall with a raised eyebrow.
"I mean to say," the wall corrected itself, "Please, give it to me, Mathilda dearest."
"Huhu, looks like you haven't forgotten your manners entirely," Professor Whitaker chuckled before tossing the large ore toward the wall.
The wall opened its mouth and chomped on the ore, savoring it with great delish. "Mm, this is good, very good. You should bring me snacks more often, my dear Matilda."
Witnessing the whole scene play out, Adam was dumbfounded. What… what the heck? Even the wall is alive? Just what in the world is this place?!
After eating the ore, the facial features on the wall slowly receded. Then, with a slight rumble, the wall parted from the middle and revealed a spacious and cozy room on the other side.
Professor Whitaker stood at the entrance of the secret passageway and stated, "I happened to find this secret room in my youth, and ever since then it has been bound to me. In this entire castle, only I can access it. Not even the Headmaster."
The students crowded before the entrance, intently looking at the room inside. Clearly, the old professor didn't want them to step in.
It appeared to be a simple yet cozy lounge that had a small library as well as a mini fireplace. The following moment, Professor Whitaker waved her hand, causing the passageway to close and the wall to return to normal.
She glanced at the students and smiled, "There are many such secret rooms that you will discover during your time here; some even containing inheritances left behind by our predecessors."
The students were visibly shocked. To be able to find a Magus' inheritance could be said to be a great stroke of fortune. Not to mention, several of these inheritances. They couldn't help but be thunderstruck that such fortuitous opportunities lay within these castle walls.
However, the next moment, Professor Whitaker's expression turned solemn and she spoke with a grim tone, "But you must be careful. Some secrets are better left undiscovered."
Sensing the unsettling tone of her voice, Adam thought to himself, Could it be that some of these secret rooms and passageways could lead to death?
At this point, I'm more inclined to believe that Saratoga is not an institution for arcane studies but an ancient ruin filled with opportunities and danger!
Professor Whitaker then led the students to the upper floors where the common rooms and dormitories were located.
East and West Wings had dormitories belonging to the men, while the North and South Wings belonged to the women.
Finally, just as the sun set, the orientation for the graduate students was finally over. The tour concluded at the entrance hall where Professor Whitaker faced the group of students once more.
"Remember, now that you're a student at Saratoga Castle, you are now part of one big family," she said with a gentle smile. "Uphold its honor and always support your fellow students. That will be all. You may now return to your dorms."
The students sincerely thanked her for taking the time out to show them around. Then, they started to depart one by one. Tomorrow would be their first day of class.
Just as Adam turned around to head to his dorm in East Wing, Professor Whitaker suddenly called out to him.
"Magus Constantine, might I speak to you for a moment?"
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