<h4>Chapter 38: No funny business</h4>


    Complicated thoughts clouded Rocky''s mind after he caught a glimpse of Sophia''s tattoo.


    He wondered if kidnapping Sophia to barter with her patron god for the release of Riva was a sensible idea?


    He wondered if kidnapping a fellow student from the University was possible or not?


    He wondered if she had any involvement with the disappearance of his sister at all, or was he hating on someone innocent?


    "Damn it, damn it, damn it-" Rocky cursed as he paced around his dorm room with no control over his emotions as somehow the presence of Sophia itself riled Rocky to a point which Rocky could never have expected.


    Usually, Rocky was a calm andposed individual, however, at this moment he felt anxious as he could sense that something was amiss.


    Could her presence in the university at the same time as Rocky be coincidental?


    Was this some sort of a high level game being yed between gods?


    Rocky had no idea as to what the answer to these questions was, however, his guts told him that the champion of Olympian gods being at the same university as him could not be a coincidence.


    " Puny human! What happened? Why did you be so upset?" Asked Buhara as he and Erin also reached their dorm room, chasing after Rocky who left them in the dust.


    " Sir Rocky? Are you okay? You don''t seem like a gentleman who would be riled up easily, would you perhaps like to share what happened? Orc Buhara seems like a good listener" said Erin as he calmly gestured Rocky to take a seat, as the presence of others around him prompted Rocky to regain hisposure as he let out a deep sigh and smiled once again.


    " I''m okay! I just felt nauseous from the crowd. Felt like returning to the dorm fast" Rocky lied, as Erin picked up on his lie immediately but chose to remain silent.


    " Puny human became nauseous? Puny human truly puny. Orcs like Buhara never be nauseous, Orcs strong" Buhara said, as Rocky''s lie wentpletely over his head as he believed it to be true.


    " It''s okay sir Rocky, it happens to the best of us" Erin said,forting Rocky as he did not press for answers that Rocky did not wish to share.


    Nodding affirmatively towards Erin, Rocky thanked him silently for letting the matter go, as he returned to his normal state of mind.


    His gut told him that the Champion of Poseidon being here could not be a coincidence and that he needed to beware of her, which was why Rocky decided to take a cautious approach while interacting with her in the future.


    ************


    Sophia had already seen a photo of Rocky beforeing to the university for nourishment of young talents, so she already knew who he was.


    As Rocky made his way from amidst the crowd, Sophia recognised him in an instant, as she noticed his facial expressions in extreme detail as he gazed upon her.


    His expression changed from one of awe at being mesmerized by her beauty to that of disgust as he observed her tattoo as he immediately pushed back and left the crowd once he realized the patron god supporting her.


    ''What a cutie'' thought Sophia as judging by his reactions she could already make out that Rocky would not be amiable to conversing with her directly.


    Should he be mesmerized by her beauty, being influenced by the charm artifact that she wore, Sophia would have tried a more proactive approach to entering his good books, but after judging his reaction today, she realized that a direct approach would fail miserably.


    Rocky was wary of her and to break into his good books under these circumstances needed more nuanced ''coincidences''.


    ''Hmmm, this should be fun-'' she thought, as with a soft smile she plotted her future n of action.


    ************


    ( Meanwhile, somewhere on the academy grounds )


    A humble man with curly hair, a long entangled beard and a monocle walked through the academy grounds with his hands behind his back and a slight hunch forward.


    *mamsbxjsmss*


    He seemed to be mumbling something imperceptible under his breath as by his cadence and demeanor, it seemed like he was extremely angry.


    " Revealing her identity so soon? How narcissistic does one have to be to do this..... this is not good, not good" he mumbled to himself as he clutched his hands and grit his teeth.


    " I don''t care about gods. I don''t care about your internal fights. This university is MY domain and I am it''s sole operator" he murmured to the heavens, seemingly taunting the gods to test his wrath if they dared.


    " Gigolo, Pigolo" he said, as two ghosts materialized themselves beside the man, awaiting his instructions.


    "Keep an eye on the two champions. Knock them out unconscious the second they try something funny.


    I will not tolerate any funny business in my university" he said as gigolo and pigolo vanished from his sight, fading into the air as if they never existed.


    While the students were yet to meet him, the man ordering the ghosts was none other than the principal of the university and the madman who was feared throughout the first fifty floors of the tower.


    The Ghost Whisperer, Liam Hartley