Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening-Chapter 102: A Word (1)

A prompt from the system caught Caleb’s attention. His reward for helping the king and princess was granted, putting a smile on his face.

"I’ll be outside with the others." Caleb suddenly said to the others. Turning to look at the priestess, he added. "Go ahead and perform your healing spells on them. They should be waking up in a few hours."

"Mm." The priestess nodded while Caleb turned to leave.

Daphne looked over her shoulders, staring at the mysterious man with abilities and knowledge unlike anything she had ever seen.

’Caleb Zane, huh.’ She thought silently. ’What a mysterious man...’ The commander was already making plans of learning more about this stranger and the origins of his abilities.

...

While the knight commanders had their mana and some minor injuries healed with Caleb’s mana potion, they still needed treatment.

A few healers and servants in the castle were tasked with treating the commanders and taking care of their needs.

Jess hanged around the commanders, specifically around Commander Fred, as he was the only person she was familiar with.

The group were in one of the many receiving rooms in the palace, waiting for the king to be treated. They still had their own territories and assignments to take care of.

With pretty much the mess coming to an end, there wasn’t much to be done, and they didn’t expect thanks either. They stayed around to see the king before they returned.

While they sat around waiting, every single one of them had one thing on their mind – the mysterious man known as Caleb.

The man had presented too many surprises to remain unnoticed. From his lack of energy signature and the purity of his mana to the strength he wielded, he left them in awe. They were curious to learn more about this person.

A few would glance in Commander Fred and Jess’s direction, hoping they would shed some light on the stranger. However, those two were just as preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Jess, in particular, couldn’t get the image of his domineering figure out of her head. The first time she encountered Caleb, he was like any other man who showed interest in her, and while Caleb saved her from her predicament, it wasn’t enough to leave a lasting impression.

Who would have thought the man would go into a sealed dungeon alone, clear it, and come back stronger and more impressive? The more she thought about Caleb, the more her heartbeat increased.

"Hey." A familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She lifted her head to see Caleb approaching her with his confident strides and signature cheeky grin.

"Did you miss me?" Caleb came to stand before the catwoman, completely ignoring the commanders. "I wasn’t even gone that long." He didn’t fail to notice the gentle sway of her tail the moment he appeared.

It was a dead giveaway of her thoughts.

"Don’t be full of yourself, Caleb." Jess pressed a hand on his chest to push him back. He was too close. "Also, pay attention to your surroundings. You keep forgetting that."

The commanders immediately looked anywhere else that was not Caleb and Jess, pretending to find the floors and ceilings more interesting than what was happening before them.

"Why would I want to pay attention to muscly old dudes?" Caleb questioned with raised brows, not seeing the point in that. "I like paying attention to those who catch my eyes."

His smirk returned full force, making the catwoman roll her eyes. More than his strength, it seemed he got cocky as well. But then something crossed her mind.

"And that priestess?" Jess questioned with a glare, but Caleb saw only adorable cuteness. "I bet there are a lot more people who ’catch’ your eyes."

"Looks like someone is getting feisty." Caleb chuckled, grabbing the woman’s cheeks and giving them a good pinch. "Don’t worry, you’ll always be the first."

At this point, the two were just straight-up flirting with each other. The commanders were both shocked and impressed with the balls on the guy.

"Ahem!"

Commander Fred suddenly cleared his throat, loud enough to break the rising room temperature. Jess quickly distanced herself from Caleb, finally growing the courage to snap out of whatever charm Caleb put on her.

Caleb raised a brow at the commander, clearly not pleased with his actions. His eyes flared with a bit of mana, sending a shiver down the commander’s spine.

"Sorry to ruin the mood, but we’re curious to know if His Majesty would be alright." He was smart enough to ask something neutral while stepping back. "We’re all worried about his condition."

For a moment, Caleb just stared at the commander, still annoyed at him for interrupting his moment. The gaze made the commander self-conscious.

"He will be fine." Caleb finally replied with a sigh. "He and the princess are both okay and will be up in a few hours."

The commanders sighed and murmured a silent thanks to the Goddess for her mercy. This had been a hectic day. So much had occurred in such a small timeframe.

"That’s good." Fred nodded. "If you don’t mind, I want to have a word with you. It’s about what we talked about before coming here."

"I thought I said I would see her once I returned." Caleb was confused as to why the commander brought back the same issue.

"You did. But there is something else you need to know, and it can’t wait." The commander didn’t want Caleb to talk to the king first.

They were in the same kingdom, but Fred himself was a nobleman who had a distant blood relation with the duchess. She had his absolute loyalty and would do anything to make sure her authority was solid.

"Fine." Caleb agreed. "Lead the way..."

Fred flashed a small smile and turned to lead Caleb out of the hall. The other commanders observed silently, cursing the commander and themselves in their hearts.

If only they had paid more attention to this fella when his issue popped up or even had the incident happen in their domain, this would have been them.

They could only swallow their bitterness and hope the man was not easily convinced. However, from what they just saw of his behaviour, there was a high likelihood he would fall for the duchess.

Jess could feel the unwelcoming atmosphere and wondered what this was all about. Unfortunately for her, she knew no one and the commanders weren’t obliged to answer any of her questions.

She was only here because of Caleb – nothing more, nothing less.

’Whatever...’