SSS Talent: From Trash to Tyrant Chapter 537: Selara’s Help

Trafalgar shut the door after himself.

"I do, actually. Wasn't even certain I'd locate you here. With the year ended, I figured you might have departed the Academy already."

Selara shot him a glance mixing offense and amusement, her hands continuing their steady work. A vial rotated gradually in her grasp, its contents swirling into thick green coils as she blended today's intriguing experiment.

"A vacation would've been pleasant," she remarked. "I truly deserve one. A lengthy one. Sadly, the world says otherwise." The vial kept spinning in her fingers, goggles perched atop her forehead. "Preparations for next year are underway, paperwork gets sorted, we act like the Academy operates smoothly, and we brace for the flood of new students who'll wreck the corridors with their skills, lack thereof, and failure to follow basic directions."

A faint smile curved her lips.

"You got fortunate, at least. Second year awaits you."

"Right," Trafalgar responded. "I need your assistance. This isn't about forging another artifact, so don't refuse yet. I want you to examine a sample from something baffling me."

That grabbed her attention.

Selara halted the vial's rotation and gazed at him, curiosity plain on her face.

"A sample?" she asked. "What kind?"

Trafalgar got straight to it.

"I won't deceive you."

He placed the leather case on a rare empty spot in the cluttered room, flipped it open, and retrieved a sealed vial. Inside, a heavy yellowish fluid stuck to the sides, dense and viscous, with dark flecks floating like undissolved particles.

Selara pulled her goggles over her eyes.

It didn't strike her at first sight. Still, she approached, arm outstretched halfway, and Trafalgar handed it over.

She lifted the vial level with her gaze.

Her face stayed neutral at once. Behind the lenses, her eyes squinted as she tilted the container to capture the light. Moments ticked by. Trafalgar focused on her expression rather than the contents, spotting the change there. Connections formed in her mind. Ingredients, leftovers, patterns separated. The revelation grew stronger with each passing second.

The typical spark in her features faded away.

Trafalgar picked up his words from the interruption.

"During the war my family fought in, between Sylvanel and Thal’zar, various events unfolded. You're clearly intrigued by this substance, so investigate freely. But discretion is essential."

Selara dipped the vial just a bit. Crossing to her chair, she sat with it clutched tight, her tone now stripped of its habitual lighthearted banter.

"Trafalgar du Morgain, this matter is grave. Grave enough that an Academy director of our stature ought to steer clear entirely."

"Hence my plea for discretion," Trafalgar countered. "Nobody suspects I'd seek your aid."

He halted, allowing the tension to settle.

"I can even leave the sample here. Yours to keep. Do with it as you please."

The offer landed perfectly.

A sharper gleam ignited in Selara's eyes, more perilous than her prior jests. Her stare fixed on the vial like it murmured secrets just for her.

"First, state your request," she demanded. "I'll choose if I assist afterward."

"Discretion comes before all."

"Got it," Selara agreed. "But you'll owe me big time. Huge. Gourmet meals after months stuck here."

Trafalgar agreed instantly. "Deal."

She appeared content.

"Excellent," he continued. "Help me identify who might craft this. Names, at minimum. Anyone skilled enough for such a creation."

Selara crossed her legs, vial secure in her grip.

"That's insufficient. Describe the full context. Thoroughly."

Trafalgar fell silent.

He hated revealing excess. Hated unlocking paths hard to seal later. Yet for genuine support, no use facing Selara while feigning this as a minor find from training.

Thus, he shared sufficient details.

"As an Academy director," he noted. "I'm no fool to believe neutrality means ignorance here. You're aware of the void creature event in the war."

Selara nodded faintly.

"Hard to overlook," she replied. "I know your role in it too."

Trafalgar dismissed the comment.

"The least important thing right now is what I did there. You know one of the void creatures stood apart from the others. Stronger and smarter. It ripped open Rifts across the entire battlefield." He observed her intently. "That creature spoke our language."

Selara clenched her fingers tighter around the vial.

"And that," Trafalgar continued, "is what made it possible."

The atmosphere in the room shifted abruptly. Much like that bizarre instant when shocking news hits far beyond expectations, forcing the mind to pause before processing.

Selara's eyes widened in shock.

The vial tumbled from her grasp.

Trafalgar lunged forward instantly.

[Severance Step].

His figure streaked through the room in a brief, arcing flash, snatching the vial neatly before it smashed against the floor. As the final whispers of motion died away, he stood right by her chair, the container firmly held in his palm.

"Please be careful with this."

Selara gawked at him, then at the vial, before her stern face shattered completely.

"Yeah, sorry!" she exclaimed, her voice snapping back to its lively pitch. "And deal. I’ll help you. Obviously. How could I not? Now give me the little monster."

Trafalgar passed the vial back to her, but with greater hesitation this time.

"Before that," he stated, flipping open the case once more, "I also have notes related to it."

He withdrew a stack of papers, most crammed with equations, markings, bits of procedures, and thick scribbles that baffled him yet would overwhelm someone like her.

Selara snatched them up.

And changed utterly.

Her expression ignited with pure joy, nearly making Trafalgar wish he hadn't revealed them. She began jiggling excitedly in her seat, boots thumping the ground, tresses dancing over her shoulders while she devoured page after page with the awe typically saved for sacred scrolls or immense riches.

Trafalgar lingered there, case still ajar, eyeing her as though she'd turned far more hazardous in the past few moments.

He opted against mentioning the bouncing.

"How long will it take?" he inquired.

Selara barely glanced up at first.

"One day," she replied. "Come back tomorrow morning."

That speed bordered on irritating.

"Understood," Trafalgar acknowledged. "And please, I mean it. I want discretion."

Selara finally met his gaze squarely this time, her whimsy fading once again.

"Trafalgar, this is serious. If anyone found out I was involved in something like this, I would be in danger. I’m obviously not going to speak." Her voice hardened. "So I expect the same from you."

"You’ll have it."

"Good."

That settled everything.

Trafalgar departed, abandoning her with the vial, the documents, and the tempests brewing in that lab after the door clicked shut. He held no sympathy for the fragile equipment inside.

Selara was sorted for the time being.

Bartholomew awaited as the following move.

He tightened his hold on the case and strode toward the Academy's dormitory structure.