ã€ŠReincarnated as the Villainess&#x27;s attendantã€‹


 Chapter 1 - Prolog - How It All Began (part 1)

    Main Hero POV:

    Hi, my name is Kuro Aku.

    I was standing before the shelves packed to the brim with games and was looking for something new, without much interest I was pulling out the boxes just enough to have a nce at the covers.

    |I yed it, I yed it, I yed it, this one''s apparently a shitty one, I yed it...|

    The chain continued for some time, one could say I y way too much but how else I could rx after the stressful day? I want to y games! And don''t get me started about how high school boys spend too much time ying video games!

    |Oh? What do we have here?|

    I pulled out a game with the anime art style, and it instantly picked my interest.

    |This girl looks really cute!|

    The cover had a busty blond girl with blue eyes being courted by six men with various hair colors all wearing the same school uniform - but the one person I was looking at was the girl in the background. She had short ck hair and ck eyes and was frowning and squinting her eyes at the group in front of her while crossing her arms. She was also wearing the same kind of uniform as them, so this probably was some school setting jRPG if I had to guess.

    |...I like her design! I''ll buy this game!|

    One may say that buying the game just because of one character is a bit much but hey, I have watched shows over a hundred episodes long just because I saw one five-second scene on the inte!

    I took the game with me and brought it to the shop clerk. For some reason, she was looking at me a bit weirdly once I handed her the box.

    "Is there a problem?"

    I frowned and asked the clerk with a challenging look.

    "Ah...! No, of course not!"

    She hurriedly shook her head and sold me the game.

    |What''s with her?|

    I was wondering as I walked back home as soon as I could.

    Back in my room I inserted the game into the console and was greeted with a cutesy flowery main menu with the title: Kampf um die Liebe.

    |Wait a moment... This isn''t right...|

    I turned the box around and read the description on the back.

    "Otome game? Huh!? I bought a reverse harem game!?"

    I raised my voice in surprise.

    That was an unexpected development! I''ve never been really interested in that genre of games but I did hear about them...

    Thoughts of returning it to the store crossed my mind, but then I looked at the character I liked.

    |Hell, ying through it once won''t kill me...|

    I thought not knowing what I was getting myself into...

    ...

    One weekter I could clearly say how addicted to it I have be.

    The world was way more interesting than I ever could expect. The world of Kampf um die Liebe was that of an alternate reality ¨C its setting was was simr to European middle-ages with the ss division but was at the same time very fairytale-like because of the addition of magic.

    Magic was divided into six elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Light, And Darkness. As far as I''ve learned it was a standard-setting for otome games ¨C though that was the case for a lot of games, period.

    The main heroine, who was sadly the blond girl and not the cute ck-haired one, was amoner who enrolled into the school for nobility in the country of Bellcephora because she awakened for the gift of unique healing magic ¨C hence she was a special existence known as a variant magician. Normally magic was something only avable for the elites asmoners had too little mana coursing through their bodies to go through the awakening.

    Therefore the yer experiencing the world through the heroines'' eyes had caused a stir in the hierarchical society.

    Then there were the capture targets. Six attractive young men of high status.

    First was the prince of the kingdom, Horeo Marets Bellcephora, a gold-haired confident youth who wielded the light attributemonly recognized as the strongest.

    Then there was his younger brother, second prince blue-haired Surou Delche Bellcephora who wielded a water attribute, a rtively mediocre attribute on the scale, Surou had an inferiorityplex towards his magically superior older brother.

    The third was a son of the general of the kingdom a red-haired Grazio Mera Victureo who wielded fire attribute, one only second to the light in terms of power. He was serious and upright but was hiding a ming personality and hot temper.

    The fourth one was the son of the country treasurer - a green-haired Reo Serentii Moyena, at first nce he had a very twisted personality and often used his wind attribute magic to cause many mischiefs and stir troubles just for fun.

    The fifth one was the son of a duke, brown-haired Xeonith Zarble Derizno, as you may already see a pattern here, he wielded the earth attribute that''s supposed to be rtively weak on the chart but that wasn''t the case in his case because of his unprecedented amount of mana necessary for casting magic, he was very proud and often shed with the prince Horeo.

    People who had more mana than average, like him, were known as transcended magicians.

    And the final capture target of the story was the son of the royal magician - Arisu Karde Lazaram. White-haired youngster of stoic personality, for some reason the creators decided that he should be a variant magician and wield special attribute allowing him to use almost any spell from any attributes as long as he had enough mana to cast it.

    Personally, I thought that having characters have color-coded hair and eyes ¨C oh, by the way, the colors of the eyes had matched the colors of their hair ¨C was a bit peculiar, but that actually had an exnation in-game.

    Mana of each attribute was greatly influencing the pigmentation of hair and yes ¨C that''s why the only ones with mismatched hair and eyes weremoners.

    Anyway.

    There was a rather ring representation missing from the capture target list.

    For some reason, the darkness attribute was not represented at all.

    But once again ¨C there was an in-game exnation for it too.

    Darkness attribute was thought of as a disgraced magic attribute only good for the perverts or assassins ¨C that''s why there were no NPCs with ck hair and eyes in the game as none attended the school where the bulk of the story was taking ce.

    But back to the story.

    The heroine could get close to a single capture target or choose to conquer all six of them at the same time and achieve a harem ending.

    There were many masterfully crafted events with breathtaking illustrations that helped the yer stay immersed in the story....

 Chapter 2 - Prolog - How It All Began (part 2)

    But...

    What about the ck-haired girl?

    Well...

    ...as it should be obvious ¨C in that sort of game there''s a need for some obstacles - in Kampf um die Liebe it was just one person.

    Yeah, guess who!

    The cute girl with short ck hair!

    And no, surprisingly, she did not possess the darkness attribute!

    She wielded wind just like Reo!

    She was the daughter of a very powerful duke, and her name was Miriette Lisea Espine.

    She was the viiness.

    You can''t even imagine how disappointed I was...!

    And she wasn''t just the obstacle messing with the yer for one or two of the capture targets - oh, no!

    She was the viiness in every single route!

    Miriette was the fianc¨¦ of prince Horeo and loved him very much.

    Why did the heroine decide to hit on an engaged man?

    Beats me.

    I can''t understand it, but when Miriette was using various methods to discourage her it was even misunderstood as her bullying the heroine!

    In the good ending, the heroine became the queen and Miriette was stripped of the title of the nobility and exiled.

    In the bad end, Miriette stabbed the heroine and was sentenced to death.

    In the route of the second prince, Miriette wasn''t a love rival per se but as a daughter of the duke she was against the second prince of the kingdom marrying amoner and was piling up obstacles for the heroine.

    ...again, it looked like bullying for the outsiders...

    Good ending, heroine marries the second prince, Miriette''s engagement with the prince Horeo is broken and she is sent to the monastery.

    Bad ending, the second prince can''t bear being the inferior one and attacks his older brother and Miriette takes the fatal blow for Horeo, the second prince is sentenced to life in prison while Miriette dies!

    I''m not exactly sure but the other routes seem to be simr...

    I tried to avoid the spoilers as much as I could but I just couldn''t help myself to look at the fanart made by various talented fans.

    And I identally saw ament under the extremely good artwork of Miriette looking prideful.

    /Why the hell Miriette end in miserable ways in every route!? The frick is wrong with the creators to not include her get happily married even once!?\\\\

    I felt my stomach squeezing in pain when I saw it. What''s more, thement had a lot of dislikes and angry responses like:

    /Fuck that bitch she deserves that!\\\\

    /You just got a shit taste, Slutiette deserves everything for trying to slut away every boy!\\\\

    But it seemed that Miriette also had some fans who weren''t going to let her be abused.

    /Fuck the creators, they have some fetish or something, every final artwork includes a detailed depiction of punished Miriette!\\\\

    After reading that I started ying the game religiously hoping for finding some hidden ending or route that would save the ck-haired girl that everyone else had missed.

    But after finishing five routes in both good and bad ways I was only presented with the artwork thement mentioned.

    Broken-hearted Miriette in rags in another country.

    A sword aiming at the neck of kneeling and crying Miriette.

    Lonely Miriette in the cell-like room in the monastery.

    Miriette''s chest pierced by the water spear.

    Miriette getting stabbed.

    Miriette getting strangled.

    Miriette getting sold off as a ve.

    Kidnapped and married to an old ugly and fat duke of the neighboring kingdom.

    Expelled from school and confined in the castle''s prison...

    |That random on the forum was right! Those fuckers just MUST have some weird fetish!|

    My heart ached every time I saw the horrible ending that awaited the character I became unusually attached to.

    I wouldn''t say that I have an obsessive personality but...

    ...there was something different about this girl...

    The things that happened to her were all so unfair!

    In the route of the royal magician son, Arisu, it was so bad that they expelled her from school because her magic went haywire in the room next to the room the heroine was in and hurt herpletely by ident.

    And, and, AND!

    Mind you!

    That was in the magic tower MADE for experiments with magic!

    Even so, I still had some hope.

    There still was the route of the fire-wielding Grazio. Maybe, just maybe, the person who left thement about Miriette''s exclusive bad endings hadn''t yed his route yet or they did something wrong!

    With the tiniest inkling of hope in my heart, I went to the convenience store to buy some energy drinks to pull me through one more sleepless night of gaming.

    That game was taking over my life in a big way, but the only thing on my mind was saving Miriette.

    |I will protect her! I will make her happy no matter what!|

    There wasn''t much traffic at all, and few guys on motorbikes were ying around doing wheelies and recording their stunts.

    "Whoa, that''s so cool!|

    I thought to myself as I passed them before entering the store.

    I grabbed and paid for an eight pack of energy drinks and some snacks and exited the store in a hurry.

    ...or at least I was supposed to...

    As the automatic door opened before me I saw an unmanned motorbike flying right at me.

    I had no time to react!

    Zero, null, nada!

    The front tire mmed into my neck and both me and the motorbike crashed into the shelves full of various pastries.

    While feeling an unbelievable amount of pain I tried to move but my body didn''t even budge.

    My throat was feeling like it was crushed ¨C probably because it was, duh - and I couldn''t breathe at all!

    The people in the shop were screaming in terror and I tried my damn hardest to breathe whileying between the crushed bread loaves and chocte-filled buns.

    |Oh god...! It hurts! It hurts so much..!|

    Each time I tried to suck some air I could only feel some sort of warm liquid pouring into my lungs.

    |Oh god, no..! Please no..!|

    My eyes must have been bulging but I couldn''t even see properly, everything was getting out of focus and my field of vision was gradually swallowed by the darkness.

    |I need to save her! I can''t fail again..! I must make her smile!|

    And then...

    The pain stopped.

 Chapter 3 - Prolog - The Plan Set Into Motion

    Before Aku realized it, he was already suspended in the world of light.

    The gentle golden light was wrapping around him as if in an embrace, enveloping him gently and was warm and felt somewhat fuzzy... or maybe it was him who was soft and fuzzy now, and the warmth wasing from somewhere else...?

    Surely not, but anyway ¨C oddly enough he felt at peace as if he was supposed to be there all along.

    |Where am I...?|

    Although he couldn''t see his body and he didn''t even try to talk taught by the extremely painfulst moments of his life. Not to mention that it really didn''t even feel as if he had any mouth...

    Wait...

    Surrounded by light.

    Checked.

    Feeling at home.

    Checked.

    ¡­

    |Oh crap, I am dead, ain''t I...?|

    He realized and began looking around, expecting some other signs that this was an afterlife... but it seemed that he was alone.

    "...it''s really you, finally..."

    |...?|

    For a split second, Aku thought that he has heard someone whisper, so happy that they were on the verge of crying, but it must have been a mistake because suddenly an enormous presence entered the space.

    Although nothing changed visually with everything being just bright golden light the atmosphere changed and even in whatever state he was in, Aku felt the pressure of something much grander than himself moving around very close to him.

    A presence that was the light itself... if not for the crushing suffocating pressure Aku wouldn''t be able to notice any changes.

    "Who do we have here ¡­ only a single soul this time?"

    The voice filled with unmatchable might and dignity came from the light.

    |I-I''m sorry...?|

    Aku didn''t know what he could do aside from apologizing, the voice sounded a bit disappointed after all ¨C so even though he did not expect to be heard, he thought apologetically.

    "Don''t fret over it."

    |...!|

    Aku could swear that the presence shrugged its shoulders while RESPONDING TO HIS THOUGHTS!

    |Umm... oh dear... umm... G-god...?|

    Panicked Aku decided to ask the most pressing question that seemed the most important at the moment.

    He really hoped that the presence was a god, any of the gods in that regard, none of the ones from the ancient mythology or some forbidden scrolls...

    He wasn''t really a devout believer of any faith but in his current situation, he just really hoped it wasn''t any of the creatures from the other side of the spectrum...

    ...or the tentacled ones with hard-to-spell names...

    "That''s unexpected though,st time only a single person died in the particr part of the eternity it was someone special. But you''re leagues apart him, he was a theoretical physicist or something..."

    The presence ignored the question and rumbled on its own, both curious and concerned.

    |Y-you know and are okay with human science...?|

    Aku couldn''t help himself and ask in shock.

    "Of course I am! What a question!"

    Aku instantly regretted speaking out of order, the presence sounded offended!

    "Not knowing about human science! Since I identally met that guy I was able to enjoy the most joyous intellectual conversations! He even praised me, I''ll have you know!|

    |Wow... A god is boasting over being praised by a human...!|

    After thatment, the presence went silent but certainly didn''t leave since Aku still felt the pressure as if slightly embarrassed and in need of some time to collect itself.

    |God, sir... um... madam...? I have a question...|

    He started thinking shyly, trying to gouge in what mood the being near him was, to not mess anything up...

    Since the presence didn''t rebut him he tried thinking a bit more.

    |What''s going to happen now?|

    He was worried about himself after all something exists after death! Aku was cursing himself for not being a pious believer of any faith ¨C though the presence didn''t seem to particrly mind it, or at least didn''t mention anything about that.

    "..."

    |...|

    A moment of prolonged awkward silencemence, but thankfully the voice decided to respond.

    "We are just waiting for this fragment of eternity to end."

    The presence exined.

    |...the what...?|

    Aku couldn''t understand what the voice meant ¨C like, how long was a fragment of eternity was supposed to be...?

    "Sigh..."

    |It sighed! The presence just sighed!|

    Though it didn''t really seem to understand how sighing works because it literally just said the word ''sigh''.

    "When intelligent beings die the exact fragment of eternity when their soul is leaving the body is stretched out to allow for the trial of the soul, to ensure heaven, hell, or reincarnation. Usually, it stretches enough to amodate even millions of souls, but you just won the lottery and came alone. That''s unusual... Such a stroke of luck for someone so rude."

    That was a lot of information Aku never expected to learn, but, hey, it''s apparently a special asion, why not ask some questions?

    ...though he realized that he needs to be careful with his thoughts because there was a bit of embarrassment mixed with anger in the voice of the presence by the end of their sentence...

    |Hey, um... god?|

    "I''m listening."

    Alright, it wasn''t too annoying as of yet!

    |Can I have a request?|

    The pressure changed just for a fraction of a second and Aku shuddered.

    "...fine... what is it...?"

    It answered, trying to make itself sound angry, though there was a sliver of anticipation sipping through the mighty tone of its voice...

    |Could you please make it so the Miriette Lisea Espine from Kampf um die Liebe has a happy ending?|

    The boy asked ¨C and if he was in his human body, he would be shaking with anticipation for sure!

    "Aha~! Ack..focus...! Ekhm... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

    Once it hear the question the being let out an odd sound before the pressure in the space started fluctuating as augh sounded like millions of giant bells rung all at the same time.

    "You are asking me to change the story in a video game?"

    |...I wonder how many people made godugh so hard?|

    Aku felt uplifted but still extremely scared, he really hoped it was a joyousugh and not a foreboding one.

    "No, I won''t do that."

    |...!|

    Even without the being increasing the pressure in the space, the boy felt crushed.

    |Even god won''t help her...? What kind of bullshit is this?!|

    If Aku could use his hands, he would be clenching his fists in anger.

    The furious thoughts that he had slipped out by ident, honestly - he was angry, not stupid.

    "I thought of something more fun instead."

    Luckily the being was not only tolerant but wasn''t done answering in the first ce.

    |Huh!?|

    Aku gasped at the presence''s words.

    "There are countless versions of the universe and so there indeed exists one that is exactly like the game you were talking about, if you wish so, I could reincarnate you into that game-like world and give you a chance to make the difference you wish for. But whether or not you will change anything will be up to you. How does that sound to you...?"

    |No way?! You- you mean it?!|

    "Of course."

    Aku was too excited to notice the quite odd tone of the presence''s voice... it sounded way too excited for whatever reason...

    |I know almost all the events, I''m certain I''ll be able to ensure that Miriette will have a happy life with Reo! He turned out to be really nice and even admired her! Or maybe Grazio? I never finished his route but he was supposed to be Miriette''s childhood friend! Or.. or maybe if I''ll really try, I could even change the story so that Miriette would stay with her beloved prince and be the queen?|

    Even though he didn''t have a physical body at the moment, Aku could almost feel his heart beating faster and if given a chance ¨C he would be bouncing all over the ce from the overflowing excitement.

    |By any means! Oh, kind god! Please, reincarnate me into such a world!|

    He agreed as fast as he could, barely able to contain his excitement.

    "...my toy~..."

    The presence whispered something that escaped the hyped-up boy.

    Its whisper was filled with relief but also sounded quite concerned...

    Seriously... not asking for heaven but for the fictional character to be happy!

    Unbeknownst to the boy, he had fallen right into the presence''s n...

    The toy had been found.

    The presence felt as excited as the cute little toy in front of it.

    "Perfect. It is decided then. Let the story begin."

    Said the presence and everything went dark before Aku could react.

 Chapter 4 - 1 - Nameless Child In The Slums (part 1)

    Kuro Aku reincarnated into the world of Kampf um die Liebe.

    His first few years of childhood passed in an instant and left behind only scraps of memories.

    He remembered his mother, her long straight ck hair, the warmth of her voice...

    He also remembered their home in the slums, a windy ruin that wasn''t fitting for a stray mutt and much less for a tiny family of two.

    He also remembered the freezing-cold morning when his mother died from horrible fever in the middle of the winter... and that he was left all alone in the cruel world.

    ...that was when the little child began to think that all the things he seemed to remember ¨C the other world, the game, him talking with a god and agreeing to be sent into this hellhole ¨C it must have been all a dream...

    And the little boy cried in despair - furious at himself for remembering the name of someone he dreamt to be while forgetting the one his own mother gave him ¨C as he was just a four years old boy dying from cold and hunger.

    And yet, he did not die.

    When he had already lost all hope and was ready to sumb to the horrible faith, he was taken in by two men who gathered many orphans from the slums.

    Unfortunately, those weren''t good people.

    Those two were giving food only to the kids who stole something and brought it to them.

    The boy didn''t want to steal and so he was often beaten up by the men, kept constantly on the verge of starvation.

    He was extremely skinny and small dirty rags that were once the clothes his mother sewn for him, hung on him like on a very tiny, pitiful scarecrow.

    His skin was so pale that he could be easily mistaken for a ghost, his hair was ck and his eyes were like two ck marbles that did not reflect any light.

    If only he wasn''t so neglected, he would be a beautiful child...

    Every day was the same for him and the only difference in seasons that he could notice was when the mud on the road was sometimes covered with white frost in the morning.

    He didn''t know when his birthday, and simrly he didn''t learn about the calendar by the time his mother passed away, so he couldn''t know that it has been he had already spent over two years tormented by the pair of thugs, serving as an example for the other children.

    |...God has duped me...|

    The nameless child was thinking to himself while slowly chewing on a dirty molded chunk of bread he found dropped in the back of the bakery.

    He tried really hard to remember the name that his mother gave him ¨C he remembered it being a pretty one, at least that what she told him, but the only thing he could remember, were the details of the dream.

    |...I only hope that if Miriette exists, she is safe...|

    He sniffled forcing himself not to throw up the precious food ¨C although no one else in their sane mind would call the molded bread he had as food.

    The boy wasn''t sure whether he would want the dream to be true or not ¨C but he really wished for the safety of the ck-haired girl he could remember so clearly ¨C much more clearly than anything else, including his name.

    Though it wasn''t so weird for him to forget it since he was only referred to as ''the useless shit'' by the people who keep him for a long time already.

    |There''s no way this is the world of Kampf um die Liebe! That thing in the dream surely wasn''t the god but the devil!|

    He crushed the molded bread he was eating and waved his hand as if he wanted to throw the mushy pieces away...

    ...but he didn''t, he just opened his hand and with tears in his eyes, he greedily ate what has be of the bread...

    It tasted awful but he had to eat something.

    Kids who brought good stuff to Edung and Boren, the two men who forced them to steal, were getting good food, but since the nameless boy firmly refused to do the same he was left to search through the garbage.

    *creak*

    "...!"

    Suddenly the backdoor of the bakery opened and a fat wife of the baker walked out and red at the boy.

    Scared that he would be shouted at or even beaten up, he stood up and started backing away cautiously.

    "...I-I''m sorry for hiding here..."

    He whimpered in a scared voice. If this was either one of the people that kept him he would already be at least mercilessly kicked.

    "I-I was just looking for something to eat..."

    The boy felt the need to exin what he was doing there - even though he wasn''t doing anything particrly wrong.

    "You''re one of the Edung and Boren''s kids, aren''t you?"

    The obese woman frowned and reached for something inside.

    |Is she getting the broom...!?|

    The scrawny boy became terrified - he certainly didn''t want to get beaten with a broom! His body was already ck and blue from the ''lessons'' that he received, and he clearly remembered that broomstick feels particrly painful as he got hit by it already when a butcher chased him away from his shopfront.

    "..."

    But even as fearful as he was, there was something in that woman''s word that he couldn''t tolerate.

    "I''m not one of them!"

    He managed to force out a shout - although it was a very weak shout, he was hungry so he couldn''t help it.

    "Stealing i-is bad! I won''t steal no matter what!"

    If either Edung, Boren, or even one of the kids working for them heard him, he would be ruthlessly beaten up and thrown out of the house to spend the night outside in the mud.

    "Eh?"

    As if to confirm the little boy''s greatest fear the woman pulled out a broom, a sturdy one, one that looked like getting hit by it would be very painful...!

    "...!"

    He subconsciously shuddered but did not back down, ring at the plump woman for mixing him up with the people who tormented him - focused on that to such extent that hepletely missed the plump woman flinching and letting out a soft gasp of surprise.

 Chapter 5 - 1 - Nameless Child In The Slums (part 2)

    "Ah, so it''s you!"

    The baker''s wife suddenly nodded and put away her broom...!

    "I see, I see..."

    She kept on nodding her head and went back inside.

    The nameless boy wanted to use this chance to escape but he was too slow.

    The baker''s wife returned but what shocked the boy the most was that she was holding a loaf of bread in her hand.

    The boy couldn''t hold back the saliva from flowing out of his mouth at the sight of proper food.

    |What does she want...? Is she going to start eating it in front of me to spite me?|

    He could feel tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

    |I knew it! It''s definitely not the world of Kampf um die Liebe! This is just a...!|

    But then...

    "Here, it''s yesterday''s, it won''t sell anyway."

    The baker''s wife stretched her arm holding the bread towards him.

    "...?"

    At first, he couldn''t believe what was happening.

    Was... was it really possible...? Surely this was just a mean trick...!

    The boy cowered cautiously as if expecting the woman to throw the bread away andugh at him, but the woman hasn''t taken back the bread and was waiting for him to receive it.

    "..."

    The boy trembled, but in the end, hunger won over fear and so he slowly, very slowly, walked up to her and grabbed the bread.

    The baker''s wife let go of it and nodded her head as she turned away.

    "...seriously, what a shame - you poor little thing..."

    She sighed while walking back inside the bakery.

    The nameless boy gulped down his saliva, staring at the loaf in his arms.

    His body shook uncontrobly as he hugged the bread.

    "Aunty, are you an angel...?"

    He raised his head and asked the back of the baker''s wife in a tearful voice.

    "!!!!"

    The woman froze and looked back at the heart-wrenching sight of the neglected child with pity in her eyes.

    "No, far from it..."

    She couldn''t watch the crushing view any longer so she turned away.

    "You can stay here until you finish eating."

    She added and closed the door behind her.

    The ck-haired boy made sure that no one would see him from the street and sat down.

    After the first bite, he couldn''t control himself andid down on his back.

    "It''s so delicious...!"

    It was the most delicious thing that the nameless boy tasted in his life, and because he was either starving or stuffing himself with waste the boy thought that even in his dream ¨C in the previous life of his ¨C he never tasted anything as delicious.

    He was honestly dreading the moment when he finishes eating it.

    The thought of hiding some of it forter didn''t even cross his mind, even if he did, it could be found and taken away by the stronger kids.

    And basically, everyone was stronger than him - even younger children ¨C after all, everyone else was getting fed while he was left starving.

    But that day, for the first time in forever, his stomach was full.

    He never felt happier.

    He stood up and decided to return to the house - Edung and Boren would go out each morning to sell the stolen goods and spend the money on cheap alcohol and in even cheaper brothers, only then they would return with some food for the kids who stole the most, there was no chance for them to be there, and if he was lucky all the other kids would also be out searching for targets and fishing through their pockets.

    That was what was supposed to happen, but for whatever reason as soon as the scrawny ck-haired boy got to the street where the house was, he saw both Edung and Boren walking inside the house!

    No, wait! That wasn''t the shocking part!

    The taller and bald one, Boren, was holding an unconscious ck-haired girl in a green dress under his arm, like a sack of flour, and the fat one with brown hair, Edung, was looking around checking if no one saw them.

    The small boy easily hid behind a leaking barrel with the rainwater on the corner of another ruined shack as soon as he saw them, and he even covered his mouth with both hands to bepletely sure that he wasn''t seen

    |They''ve kidnapped someone!|

    He realized and got terrified.

    |What are they going to do to that girl!?|

    It was an even more terrifying thought.

    One time, after a particrly severe beating, the nameless boy woke up in the middle of the night, and in the dim light of the moonlight, he saw Edung vigorously moving around under the nket belonging to one of the oldest girls from the group of kids...

    ...while the girl was under the nket...

    |I can''t let that girl get hurt!|

    But the chances of him saving the girl by himself could be shown only as negative numbers. It would be far better to find someone else to help!

    Anyone would do!

    Having decided what to do the ck-haired boy started running as fast as he could, which still was considerably slow, while he was desperately looking for someone whom he could ask for help.

    |Maybe the angel aunty...? No! She would get hurt!|

    For a second he thought about the nice aunty from the bakery but discarded the idea instantly.

    As he was starting to panic, he spotted two knights in full armor and swords at their waists looking like they were searching around.

    |They! They could help!|

    The boy almost tripped as he ran towards them and started tugging on the closer knight''s sword''s scabbard.

    "Sir knight...! Sir knight...!"

    He was gasping for air so he had trouble with speaking properly.

    "Hmm...? Oh, dear heavens..."

    The pale-blue-haired knight looked down at him with aplicated expression and reached towards his purse in an almost instinctive move, he took out a few copper coins and tried to give them to the boy.

    "Here kid, I''m sorry, but go away now, we''re very busy."

    "...n-noo...!"

    But the child only shook his head and kept on tugging on the scabbard of the blue-haired knight''s weapon.

    "Then what do you want, little one?"

    The knight''s voice even though dyed with worry was surprisingly gentle.

    "Are you lost? We need to find someone so you''ll have to wait, alright?"

    He kneeled down and patted the boy''s head.

    "Sir Knight! I saw a girl in a pretty green dress! Edung and Boren were taking her inside the house but she wasn''t moving! You have to help her!"

    But that was the moment when the scrawny boy had finally managed to calm his breath and cried out, looking up at the blue-haired knight with urgency.

 Chapter 6 - 1 - Nameless Child In The Slums (part 3)

    "What!?"

    Pale-blue-haired knight''s eyes widened, and he firmly grasped the boy''s shoulder.

    "You''re not lying!?"

    He asked.

    "No! Sir knight, Edung and Boren are bad people, very bad! We need to help the girl! They will hurt her!"

    The ck-haired boy vigorously shook his head and tried his best to exin.

    "I understand."

    Knight nodded and stood up.

    "Take me to them!"

    He stated firmly.

    "Mizoe! Are you stupid!? This could be a trap! The kidnapper may have sent this kid here to fool us and lead us away!"

    But then the other knight, one with brown hair grabbed his arm and called out ring down at the scrawny boy.

    "Maybe."

    But the pale-blue-haired knight called Mioze shook off his hand.

    "But what if this boy IS telling the truth!?"

    He waved his hand angrily.

    "If you''re so worried then stay here and continue searching, I''ll check if the boy is being honest."

    "Tsk...! Whatever!"

    Mizoe dered and the brown-haired knight only shook his head in disbelieve and turn away from hisrade and the child.

    "Lead the way!"

    Mizoe called out and the boy started leading him as fast as he could without wasting time to say anything else.

    The two of them circled through countless back alleys and Mizoe started to think that his friend was right after all and the child was either leading him away from the kidnapped girl or into a trap. But then the boy stopped and pointed at the ruined down house that looked like it was burned at least once before and rebuilt just so it wouldn''t copse.

    ¡­ a perfect ce for a bunch of thugs to gather and take a fully armored knight by surprise...

    "Sir knight it''s there!"

    The child was showing Mizoe the exact ce but the knight was hesitant and the boy grew restless.

    |The longer we''re doing nothing the greater the chance that something happens to the girl!|

    Seeing the hesitant knight, the scrawny boy thought in horror.

    But at the same time, he realized that now there actually is a chance for him to rescue the girl.

    After all, if he''ll only take her outside and get her to run towards Mizoe or even scream for help to convince the knight to move she''ll be fine!

    And himself?

    Well... the boy was already used to being beaten - sometimes even half to death - he was ready for the consequences if it meant saving someone from his something horrible.

    There was no more time to waste!

    "...right...!"

    The boy whispered to himself and stopped trying to convince the knight to go with him - and instead ran straight into the house.

    *SLAM*

    "!!!!"

    "!!!!"

    He busted through the door so hard it creaked in its hinges and crashed into the wall startling everyone inside.

    And by everyone, it means Edung, Boren, and apletely terrified girl in a green dress against the wall.

    "Huh? It''s just you, you little shit!?"

    Boren grimaced angrily and swung his fist at the child.

    "...!"

    *whack*

    But he never expected that the boy would dive under his fist and smashed punch him in the groin with all his power, which still was not very strong, but the area was sensitive so it was fine.

    "Augh! You useless shit! You''re dead!"

    Boren had tears in his eyes and was hunching down and grabbing the area between his legs with both hands.

    Edung was shocked by the scrawny boy''s behavior, that kid always silently got hit and never retaliated up until now!

    *thwack*

    "Urgh...!"

    But his confusion cost him a punch to the balls and he sunk to his knees.

    The ck-haired boy, without even stopping, grabbed the hand of the shocked and scared girl and pulled her with him.

    "A knight is waiting outside! Just run to the right as fast as you can once you''re outside!"

    The boy shouted to the ck-haired girl in a green dress while pulling her outside.

    Thank goodness for the shabby construction - the door was still open!

    Without hesitation, the ck-haired boy pulled the girl from behind to all the way in front of himself so she would be the first one to exit.

    As soon as he did that he felt a hand grabbing his leg and he fell to the floor face first.

    "!!!!!"

    "Run! Just run..! There''s a knight outside!"

    The girl stopped and looked at him scared but the boy just waved at her and shouted.

    |If she''ll stop here she''ll get caught again!|

    As he was starting to panic, the boy, waved his hand again.

    "Just go!"

    He screamed, and the girl finally took a step outside.

    "Young Lady!"

    A shocked shout of Mizoe could be heard from outside.

    "Stop pouncing like an idiot and get her! We can''t let her go!"

    The ck-haired boy heard the voice of Edung behind him and looked back.

    The fat brown-haired man was on the floor and was pulling him closer.

    "I''ll take care of this little shit!"

    Edung was furious, his eyes were showing a clear murderous intent, the scrawny boy turned to again shout at the girl to run but thankfully she already wasn''t inside the house.

    ..but Boren was already about to pass the boy, going after the running girl...

    "No...!"

    *SLAM*

    The ck-haired boy not caring about the pain in his leg threw himself under Boren''s feet and a tall bald man tripped on him and fell outside head-first.

    "...hah...!"

    The scrawny boy sprawled on the dirty floor smiled in satisfaction - the girl was surely already safe with the knight, he gave her enough time!

    "...urgh..!"

    But then he has brutally turned around and he saw the murderous re of infuriated Edung.

    "You think it''s funny!? Huh!?"

    *WHAM*

    He shouted and punched the child in the stomach.

    The boy couldn''t even scream because the hit pushed out all of the air from his lungs.

    "Is it funny now!? Huh!?"

    *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*

    Edung looked like he lost his mind and started punching the skinny child repeatedly.

    "If that little bitch gets away, you''re dead! You hear me?! Dead!"

    *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*

    |He''s so stupid, isn''t he already trying to kill me without checking...?|

    The ck-haired boy smirked weakly, clearly feeling how each and every punch was shortening his lifespan.

    *WHAM*

    "...hurgh...!"

    After another punch, he threw up all of the content of his stomach.

    |Ah! The bread that nice aunty gave me got wasted!|

    This was the only thing that was worrying the child at that horrible moment.

    ...and it was also thest thing that he thought before losing consciousness in the pool of his own vomit....

 Chapter 7 - 1.5 - The True Hero (part 1)

    Pale-blue-haired knight POV:

    My name is Mizoe Auequas, I am one of the knights serving under the great duke Espine.

    As you may have noticed I have a surname so I''m a noble but no middle name, meaning that my family isn''t very important - it never had a strong position in the country, hence none of my rtives, even the distant ones, have a middle name.

    I am the fourth son of the Auequas family and I never had a chance for inheriting the title of the family head because even though I wield water attribute magic, because of mycking mana pool every spell that I produce isughably weak.

    ...not that I am in a particrly good rtionship with any of those rtives, honestly...

    The thing is, even since a young age the only thing I was any good at was my physical prowess ¨C I dare say that I even have a tiny bit of talent for the sword - so that became the focus of my studies, many of my schoolmates secretlyughed at me behind my back, thinking I can''t hear them but that never really bothered me.

    There was no use for me to make any connections as I was never going to get into politics anyway. Thanks to my extensive training after graduating from the Aspakeony Academy I managed to be a knight under a highly respected instructor and it just so happened that duke Espine was searching for new knights because his family was going to grow bigger.

    I enlisted without an ounce of hesitation and to my overwhelming delight, I was epted. After the official ceremony at which I pledged my life to duke Espine''s family, I became one of their official knights.

    My colleagues turned out to be amazing people and I was very proud to hew such excellent seniors. I cannot stay silent about the duke Espine himself either! Even though his position was much higher than my own he always treated me kindly and never discriminated orughed at me, on contrary, it seemed that he was content with having a lower noble such as myself as a knight and he would always tell me to hold my head high!

    Four months after I became employed the first child of the duke Espine was born. It was a healthy baby girl.

    At first, the duke was worried because his child''s hair and eyes were ck, which was usually an indication of darkness attribute.

    That was an overbearingly worrisome matter because darkness magic is the most troublesome, it has the greatest consequences if used incorrectly and is the least convenient. Some even dare to say that it''s an attribute good only for perverts or assassins who are both unbing of a noble while reaching back to the tragedy that happened around three hundred years ago when a group of darkness magicians assassinated all but a single member of the royal family of that time.

    Because of that, the royal magician was called over to perform the magic check on the toddler. And after doing so, to the great surprise of everyone, including himself, he dered that the duke''s daughter doesn''t possess the darkness attribute, on the contrary, she will be able to wield a wind attribute of unprecedented strength, she won''t have any troubles inpeting against the nobles with the light attribute, her hair and eyes weren''t indeed ck, they were just of such deep shade of green that for the human eye they seemedpletely ck.

    Do I even have to say how much everyone rejoiced hearing that sort of news?

    Duke threw a great party and announce the joyous news to everyone.

    Now, when over five years have already passed, I couldn''t even imagine my life outside of serving Espines.

    These days both duke Espine and the duchess,dy Misena, often tease me about staying single.

    But I devoted all my love towards the Espine family and I don''t feel the need to search for a wife, especially not at such an important time.

    It has been decided by king Rozulius Rezulius Bellcephora and duke Espine that the first prince and the duke''s daughter will be engaged to each other and I was one of the knights who were chosen to escort the littledy Espine for the first meeting with the first prince in the royal castle.

    ...

    ...and to my eternal shame, we were attacked on the way to the castle by arge group of ruffians... We all fought them back will all we had and the bandits dispersed, but...

    As we opened the door of the carriage the littledy should be we only found the corpse of her female attendant with a dagger sticking out of her chest.

    Curse us for choosing the shortest route through the slums! Curse us for being overconfident in our strength!

    Without a moment to spare we sent the youngest amongst us to deliver the message to the king, the rest of us split up and started searching everywhere for any traces of the littledy.

    I couldn''t forgive myself for allowing such a thing to happen...!

    The only child of Espine family got kidnapped!

    I cannot atone for such things with even with my life if by any chance harm will befall the littledy...!

    I shudder at the thought.

    If I allow it to happen even a thousand death won''t be enough of a punishment!

    As I and my junior Holke were checking the shacks that were passing for houses in this ce and interrogating the inhabitants I was approached by a child.

    It was a boy around five maybe six years old but one look at him almost broke my heart.

    This ck-haired child hasn''t even had proper clothes and was covering his body with rags.

    As rags don''t give much of a cover I could see his ribs sticking out, and his limbs looking like dried twigs.

    How could anyone drive a child to such a state?

    There was not even a trace of baby fat on his sunken cheeks and his eyes ck, lifeless eyes were looking at me pleadingly.

    He was pulling on the scabbard of my sword so weakly that I barely felt it, he tried to say something but he was having trouble breathing.

    I felt my eyes stinging.

    I was a battle-hardened knight by that point but I almost cried at the sight of this poor little thing. Without hesitation I took out my purse, I intended to give this child everything I had on me, so I opened my purse and barely held back a curse...

    Five copper coins, is this a joke?

    On this trip I haven''t taken money, everything was provided so there was just no need, I only carried this purse with a few copper coins so they would make a sound so that people wouldn''t say that the duke''s knight was poor.

    But... Five coins...?

    My throat was dry, one could buy two cheapest loaves of already stale bread and maybe a ss of milk for that if the shopkeeper was generous, but that child doesn''t need a damn single meal! He needs proper care!

    But it''s not something I can provide him with.

    Not in this situation.

    Felling like the filthiest piece of garbage I offered him the coins and told him I don''t have time.

    The emaciated boy didn''t even nce at the offered money and pulled the scabbard of my sword with greater urgency.

    And he said that he knows where is the girl who looked exactly like littledy Espine!

    I dropped to my knees and held the painfully skinny shoulders.

    Dear god, this child was practically a skeleton covered in skin...!

    I asked him if what he said was true and he confirmed, he looked genuinely terrified and worried about the girl he didn''t even know.

    I decided to go with him but Holke tried to stop me saying it could be a trap. But my heart was already wavering and I said some stern words to him.

    And so I followed the child, alone.

 Chapter 8 - 1.5 - The True Hero (part 2)

    As we were passing through more and more alleys where the air was filled with the smell of rotting garbage, I started to regret my decision.

    Logically speaking, the bandits who came up with a n of kidnapping the littledy Espine could surely think out a n to get a deal with her escorts!

    Who knows if at this exact moment all my colleagues were led to some shady ces by children just as pitiful as this one?

    Dreading such things I almost walked into the boy who suddenly stopped and pointed towards a ruined house and dered that this was the ce.

    |Even a shabby ce like that could hold up five bandits all with their daggers ready to find gaps in my armor and kill me before I''ll be able to retaliate...!.|

    I thought and I felt cold sweat emerging on my neck.

    The boy wanted to get my attention but I just couldn''t move.

    Seeing my miserable state that boy made a determined expression and run into the house.

    |But, isn''t this just a trap?|

    The bandits were clever after all...

    I could hear the sounds of a struggle inside but I haven''t moved.

    |It could be just an act...|

    I could hear the voice of the boy calling out to the girl to run faster.

    |It could still be a trap, I can''t hear the voice of the littledy, it could all be just an act...|

    I chanted to myself like some coward...!

    And then to the apaniment of shouts of the boy urging someone to leave I saw... I... I saw...!

    "Littledy!"

    I shouted shocked to the core I rushed towards her and grabbed her. And then...

    "No...!"

    The boy shouted, something tumbled on the wooden floor and a man fell out through the door.

    |Th-that boy is ensuring littledy''s escape...?|

    There were more shouts from the inside but it was only one male voice.

    "Mizoe! You must help him!"

    The littledy started crying and drumming her tiny hands against my armor in despair.

    I made sure she is safely behind my back and I rushed at the man on the ground.

    I punched him in the face with my armor-d fist and I used a third of my magical power to freeze his joints ensuring he won''t escape even if he regains his consciousness.

    Funnily enough, even though ice is much harder to control than water, ice spells always came to me a bit easier than to an average water magician...

    After securing the bandit, I turned towards the ruined house.

    |Now this child will surely call for help right? He could be so brave because he knew there is someone who will help him!|

    But the call for help didn''te.

    I entered the house as soon as I could and I froze for a moment.

    A fat browned haired man was mercilessly punching the ck-haired boy.

    But even so, there was no anguish on that child''s face.

    The boy didn''t cry nor beg for help or forgiveness.

    He had a smile of a man who aplished all his goals perfectly and wasn''t afraid to face the repercussions.

    But after one more hit, he suddenly started vomiting and the mass that was exiting his mouth was mixed with blood, and then the boy''s eyes closed and his head fell limply onto the floor...

    |Aaaa...|

    |Aaaaaaa... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!|

    I don''t even know when, but my magic power gathered in my hand empowering it several times beyond the normal human capabilities and I swung at the repugnant man who was smiling with satisfaction over the unmoving body of a tiny child.

    He was smiling only until my empowered fist did cleanly scooping his head off of his shoulders busting it into an explosion of skin, blood, bones, and gray matter.

    "...please, please...!"

    I kneeled by the boy and with shaking hands, I checked if he still breathes.

    |Oh god...! Oh god...! Thank you...! He''s still alive!|

    I couldn''t muster any strength as my magic reserves werepletely empty after the attack that honestly speaking I shouldn''t have been able to pull off, and the effects of mana depletion were already kicking in... good thing that my symptoms make me more capable of a person...

    "Littledy..."

    I took off my pendant, a simple-looking white crystal on the leather string, and gave it to the littledy Espine.

    "Littledy, do not go outside, just get to the window and aim the crystal at the sky and pour your mana into it as if you were trying to use a spell without releasing it. The crystal will create a signal that will get every knight in the vicinity toe for us."

    "O-okay..."

    The littledy nodded and did exactly as I instructed her.

    She was such a prodigy, being able to use magic at such a young age...

    And the pendant itself wasn''t ordinary. It was a magical artifact created by the royal magician, once the mana was poured into it would always shoot out an orb which size and color would depend on how strong and of what attribute mana got poured into it.

    Before the other knights and I split up we decided on a signal, usually shooting out an orb with our distinct color and size would mean a call for help but if by any chance one of us would find the littledy we would give her the crystal and since none of us or even all of us put together could evenpare to the amount of the magic power that littledy possesses, it would be a clear indicator.

    And that clearly wasn''t a wrong choice...

    When the littledy returned and sat timidly by my side, the outside was dyed in an intense green light of the magic ob that could easily be mistaken for a green sun that was about to destroy the slums.

    "..."

    Feeling extremely exhausted I pulled the unconscious boy and ced him against my breastte. The wooden floor was probably morefortable than my metal armor but I just couldn''t let him lie on the floor like some broken toy.

    "...whew..."

    I was leaning against the wall and weakly patting the child''s head.

    "..."

    Littledy Espine was sitting next to me and silently observing the boy in my arms.

    Only a few minutes after the first knight arrived.

    "Mizoe, please tell me it''s you who found our littledy, and this is not some borate trick!"

    I''ve heard the voice of my junior which whom I parted not too long ago.

    "Yeah, it''s me! I''m in the shack with an unconscious baldy in front of it. The littledy is safe and sound but I used up all my magic so I could use some help!"

    "Littledy"

    Helke walked in and the first thing he did was to greet the littledy Espine. Then he looked at the dead fatty and a mess that I made with him.

    "Uwaa... You went at him with everything you got, didn''t you?"

    He chuckled and finally turned to me and nced at the child in my arms.

    "So that means that this kid was telling the truth?"

    I didn''t like the tone he was speaking in.

    "Helke."

    I said in a threatening tone.

    "This child is not some random kid. He is a god damn hero!"

    I scoffed, ring at myrade.

 Chapter 9 - 1.5 - The True Hero (part 3)

    |Having a lower amount of mana than others has its benefits too ¨C for example, I was regenerating it faster than average, so after I recovered a bit and more knights gathered we transported the littledy safely to the pce.|

    We also took care of the man who I knocked out and escorted him to the dungeon where we would learn a lot of useful information from him when he will regain his consciousness.

    Even the dead one was useful because he had a note on him, a note that provided us with a clue of who was the mastermind behind the kidnapping...

    But even so, none of that was something that I was caring about at the moment.

    After hearing my story the king himself granted a room for the ck-haired boy to recuperate in and he also called for the best medics in the kingdom.

    And yet, the boy wasn''t waking up and the fear of him dying was eating me alive from the inside.

    The littledy visited him a few times together with her betrothed, the first prince.

    Even though he was a child, prince Horeo showed a great deal of gratitude towards a boy who rescued his fiance.

    But the fear of this child''s life wasn''t the only thing that was bothering me.

    After duke Espion hurriedly came to the castle to check on his daughter I begged for a bit of his time and even though I was one of the knights who allowed the littledy to be abducted he still granted me the honor.

    As I was kneeling in front of my master I could barely contain the storm of emotions that wasying waste to my very soul.

    "I''ve heard that you were the one to find and rescue my daughter."

    The gentle voice of the duke only made the storm inside of me worse.

    "What do you wish for achieving such a feat, you don''t need to hold yourself back."

    I couldn''t bear it any longer and bent my back forwards and smacked my forehead on the stone floor of the room.

    "It''s not like that at all, my master!"

    I cried out.

    "This lowly servant of yours doesn''t deserve a reward, nay! My deeds are calling for severe punishment instead!"

    Duke looked at me with confusion and asked.

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "I should have been more careful if I haven''t lost myself into the pleasure of fighting I would be able to notice that the littledy was being snatched away!"

    "No, don''t be so hard on yourself because of that, you were trying to protect her with all your might, and you did find her in the end, unharmed at that!"

    Tears started flowing from my eyes and I dropped onto the stone floor and slowly shook my head.

    "What you have said is wrong, master."

    "And what does that supposed to mean?"

    "It wasn''t I who found the littledy and it neither was I who saved her unharmed. Master, believe me when I say that it was all thanks to the boy who is lying unconscious in the other room. He found me on his own and begged for help. His desperately pleading for me to go with him and help the girl he saw kidnapped led me to the right spot! He had no idea that she was the littledy of Espine! He begged me to help the girl in trouble! I went with him but halfway there I started doubting him and his pure intentions! I suspected him of conniving with the kidnappers! And when I was consumed by fear and idly standing by him, a mere child not even high enough to reach my waist rushed inside the house and with his own life on the line stood against two grown men and rescued the littledy!"

    My shoulders shook from the uncontroble sobbing and I raised my head a bit to look in the eyes of my master.

    "And even at that moment he didn''t stop, he used his frail body to stop the man chasing after the littledy, and only thanks to that I was able to pull her away safely. My lord, I am so disgusted in myself, at that time, at the time when that brave child was being beaten by the other bandit I just stood there, in my worthless pride I dared to just stand there and wait for him to call for help because I doubted his courage! I was doubting his courage, his good intentions, and his devotion! How can I just take your generous words?! Your kindness is wasted on me! I am a coward! A useless piece of shit who thinks he is better than others! I am not worthy of serving you, my lord!"

    I couldn''t live with myself and I smashed my head into the stone floor once more.

    "Mizoe, that''s enough."

    I suddenly felt my master''s hand on my shoulders.

    "Raise your head."

    I obediently straightened my back and looked at duke Espine.

    "Hear me out, the things I will now say are not meant to make you feel even worse. It''s just that you need to hear them."

    "Ma... Master...?"

    I became confused but the duke didn''t wait for me to ask questions and continued.

    "I made sure to learn a few things about this young hero of yours. It appears that he doesn''t have a name, his mother died from sickness two winters ago and he was taken in by the same two who ended up abducting my daughter. Those people were gathering orphans in the slums and forcing them to steal for them, but this child refused to do their biddings. Some of my men asked other children who lived with him and everyone said the same. That no matter how much he was beaten, how much they starved him or humiliated him, this nameless child spirit was never broken, not once. The worst thing he did was search through the garbage in search of food but not even once he reached towards fresh product on the stalls and aimed only at the things that others threw."

    |Even if duke told me that he wasn''t trying to make me feel worse how couldn''t I feel worse! This child is a true knight! Howe I''m calling myself a knight! My will is like a fleeting me of the candle in front of a mountain that is this child''s conviction!|

    "Mizoe, it seemed that this horrible event brought us something amazing."

    "M-master...?"

    I stuttered not knowing what my lord meant.

    "I wish for that child to be one of my knights in the future, don''t you think that someone like him would be perfect for the role?"

    As expected from my master! Duke Espine sees the true value of the child.

    I nodded my head.

    "That''s why I want you to take in that boy and raise him as your son."

    "My lord! I am not worthy! A coward such as myself would only pollute him!"

    But at my words, duke Espine only slowly shakes his head.

    "It''s because you now know your faults you can grow and better yourself since clearly, that child made such an impression on you, if you are to take care of him you willmit your whole being to be the example for him and by doing that, you will better yourself and maybe even forgive yourself."

    "...ah...!"

    I bowed at the feet of duke Espine and his wisdom.

    |He is right...!|

    "Master, your subject can''t put into words the amount of respect he has for you!"

    I dered.

    "I swear to you that I will be the best father for that child!"

    "Good."

    Duke Espineughed and stroked his beard.

    "Then I guess that you should pick a name for your new son... and if you don''t mind, my Miriette already has a few ideas she can''t wait to present you."

    He spoke with benevolently.

    And I...

    I couldn''t help myself from smiling.

    "Indeed, master, when he''ll wake up I wish to greet him by a proper name!"

 Chapter 10 - 2 - A Name And A Beginning

    The nameless ck-haired boy woke up in a room he did not fell asleep in ¨C not only that - he was sure that he has never seen it ever before - with all the high-ss furniture and the sheer size of the bed he wasying on and so on...

    Someone has washed him and changed his rags into actual clothes too...!

    Was... was that another amazing dream like the one about a different world...?!

    "...!"

    The confused boy was slowly looking around and he finally noticed a pale-blue-haired knight sitting next to his bed, dozing off on the chair.

    The knight didn''t have the armor and instead was wearing simple white pants and a blue tunic, but he didn''t part with the sword. Now that the boy had time to look at him, that knight''s hair was in a very pretty light shade of blue.

    "...hmmm..."

    The ck-haired boy thought that it may be rude to wake up resting knight but he had a very important question to ask him.

    "Sir Mizoe...! Sir Mizoe...!"

    He whispered and grabbed the fabric of the knight''s pants near his knee and started tugging on it.

    "Sir Mizoe, I have a question...!"

    "...nnn...? H-huh...?!"

    The knight''s eyelids trembled slightly and he opened his eyes.

    With a surprised face, he looked at his knee and then at the boy who was trying to get his attention. Suddenly he shouted and startled the boy.

    "You''re awake!"

    Mizoe kneeled by the boy''s bed and smiled.

    "Sir Mizoe, what about the girl. Did you save her?"

    The nameless boy didn''t know what to do so he just asked the question.

    "!!!!"

    Hearing him Mizoe body shook heavily and he shook his head ¨C seeing such a reaction made the ck-haired boy feel as if Edung punched him in the stomach one more time.

    "Something happened to her!?"

    The poor boy was terrified.

    |I should have done more!|

    He thought to himself feeling tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

    If even the knight looks so down, that means that.. he failed...

    "No! No! That''s not what I meant!"

    Seeing the boy''s misery Mizoe realized that his action had caused a misunderstanding, so he hurriedly corrected it.

    "I didn''t save her, you did. The littledy Espine is safe and sound, all thanks to you."

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy froze and stared at the knight, his jaw dropped.

    "Did... sir, did you just say, littledy Espine...?"

    He repeated after Mizoe in a doubtful voice.

    "Ah, right, of course, you wouldn''t know..."

    Mizoe smiled warmly and gently grabbed the boy''s hands.

    "Young man, a few days ago you saved Miriette Lisea Espine, a daughter of the great duke Espine. A very, very important person in the kingdom. And that littledy is also the fianc¨¦ of the first prince of our kingdom, Horeo Marets Bellcephora. Ah! Prince is a..."

    As Mizoe kept on exining to him various things that a child brought up in the slums wouldn''t know the ck-haired boy felt an indescribable feeling gathering inside himself.

    |That... that wasn''t a dream,...! After all, this really is the world of Kampf um die Liebe! And...! And..! I-I just helped to save Miriette...!|

    The presence didn''t lie to him after all!

    The nameless boy suddenly felt immensely grateful that he didn''t forget any of the dreams of another world he had ¨C as they turned out to not be mere dreams, but rather memories!

    "...ah...!"

    Then, as if something clicked inside the child''s head, his brain got filled with all the nitty-gritty info that Kuro Aku learned about the game.

    And thanks to the nameless boy using that knowledge, he realized the giant hurdle he might never be able to surpass...

    The world of Kampf um die Liebe was a hierarchical society.

    Even if he helped the nobility, the ck-haired boy was just a namelessmoner in that world. He would just be given somepensation and chased away from the castle back onto the streets. He even met the one girl he wanted to make happy at all cost, he was so close, but so far!

    The scrawny boy didn''t know what he should do, but he felt that he can''t just leave things like that and give up!

    "Are you feeling unwell?"

    The ck-haired boy was awakened from his deep thoughts by the worried voice of Mizoe.

    The pale-blue-haired knight became restless thinking that the child in front of him felt worse, but the nameless boy just shook his head and Mizoe breath out a sigh of relief.

    Then his face became serious and he looked into the child''s jet-ck eyes.

    "Young man, I am Mizoe Auequas, and I am a knight serving the house of Espine. Will you allow me to be your father?"

    |W-what is he saying...!?|

    "My position is not very high but I have a steady ie and I will make sure that you will never go hungry and, and I can provide you with education and, and also..."

    Mizoe became restless and began using a tone of voice that was more fit to be used while proposing to a girl and not offering an adoption, but the knight just wanted the boy to ept him as his father no matter what.

    |I... I can have a family?|

    "Th-there''s also the surname, if you be my son you''ll be an official noble of the kingdom, though my house is not grand and they might not ept that, no, that does not matter, the most important thing is..."

    Mizoe was starting to mumble under his nose so the ck-haired boy interrupted him by throwing himself at his neck and hugging him.

    Well, more like he coiled his stick-like arms around Mizoe''s neck.

    "Sir... you''re not lying, are you...?"

    Mizoe heard the shaky and hoarse voice below his ear and he gently patted the child''s head.

    "I swear on my honor."

    The scrawny boy''s body shook from the uncontroble sobbing.

    "Fa... ther...?"

    He stuttered when saying the new word.

    ording to his dreams, he had parents in his previous life but in this world, he only ever had a mother and only for an extremely short time, so the word ''father'' sounded alien in his mouth.

    "Yes, son?"

    The ck-haired boy clung closer to the Mizoe''s torso.

    "F-father...?"

    "I''m here, son."

    "Father...?"

    "I''m here, my son."

    "Father!"

    Waves of happiness so great that it was hard to put into words crashed against the nameless boy''s heart and he hugged his new father with all his might, tears of joy were streaming down the child''s face... and the knight wasn''t different.

    "As a first gift, I want to give you a name. I hope you''ll like it, the littledy helped mee up with it."

    "A name...? "

    The nameless boy raised his head and looked at his new father.

    |A name, not only a family but even a name...!|

    How is such happiness even possible?

    Seeing his new son''s tear-stained face made Mizoe''s fatherly instincts awaken.

    "From today onwards you are my son and a member of the Auequas family. You are Zoemi Auequas."

    Mizoe was hesitant at first with this name, after all, it''s just a change of the order of sybles of his own name, but littledy Espine was adamant about it and the knight just had to give in.

    Now he was a bit worried about the boy''s reaction.

    |My name... Zoemi...?|

    Until now nameless boy felt a certain emotion building up in his heart.

    "I have a simr name to father!"

    He shouted with tion and once more clung to his new father - he looked a bit like a ko bear now.

    Mizoe could feel that his new son is overjoyed but the exact reason eluded him.

    He just thought that the boy was happy because he got a name, but there was more to it.

    It wasn''t just a name, it was derived from his father''s name and for the nameless boy, it meant true eptance, something way more important than a surname that came attached with the title of the nobility.

    The child''s happiness was pure and honest.

    But could the same be said about the intentions of presence, watching over her toy?

    For presence, that day marked the moment when its toy stopped being a nameless background character and could start to interact with the story directly ¨C after all, his father even serves the Espine family!

    Just as it was supposed to be...

    Just as it had to be...

    This was bound to work out ording to the n conceived by the mysterious being watching over the world...

    Still, when ite to little Zoemi, as soon as he calmed down and had a chance to think things through, he flinched and clenched his hands from excitement.

    The pieces of the puzzle finally started creating a picture.

    Since his dream wasn''t a dream ¨C his mission was clear!

    |I will ensure that Miriette will have a happy ending!|

    Zoemi thought making a determined expression and nodding to himself while Mizoe went out of the room in order to bring the boy something to eat.

 Chapter 11 - 3 - The First Step (part 1)

    After a few days, it was time for the littledy Espine and her escort to return to their own territory, as only duke Espine would stay behind to discuss some important matters.

    This time, to prevent any possibility of an ambush, a toon of the elite King''s Guards was delegated to protect her on the way back.

    With that in mind, Zoemi was getting ready for the travel as well...

    Though, when it came to the six-year-old boy, it was more like the maids ordered by the king were washing and cleaning him up - they also prepared his food too.

    This service, together with beautiful clothes, was a reward given to him by the monarch.

    Zoemi didn''t know what he should do, he got really embarrassed when unknowndies were washing him, but it was a reward from the king ¨C the knowledge from the other world that he gained from the dream-like memories was telling him that things could end up badly if he rejected the service as it would be rude to refuse the king''s goof will - so he had no choice but to bashfully ept and blush with his head down.

    The clothes looked amazing although he was unable to... for theck of better term... fill them in properly.

    There''s a saying that beautiful people look good no matter what they wore ¨C and there was truth in it, but when it came to the young ck-haired boy, even though he was given proper meals it was still too soon for him to gain some much-needed weight, bringing down the overall effect.

    "Well, it just looks like somebody dressed up a beggar in fine clothes.|

    When the maids left, Zoemi urately described what he was seeing in the mirror.

    Suddenly there was a knock on the door and a boy around six years old entered the room.

    "...!"

    Zoemi needed only a single nce to instantly fall to his knees before him.

    "Prince Horeo!"

    He gasped. Even though in the game there were no pictures of the young first prince he couldn''t be mistaken for anyone else. Golden hair and eyes, even as a child Horeo''s gaze was full of confidence and pride.

    "You may raise."

    Horeo was pleasantly surprised that a child from the streets knew how to act around him even though the maids warned him that the ck-haired boy might be wild and rude.

    The golden-haired boy smiled benevolently and nodded his head.

    "My prince, I don''t deserve such honor! Your presence here..."

    Zoemi was panicking. Bad. What was the prince doing even there?!

    |He''s the one who will condemn Miriette!|

    Zoemi didn''t even try to stand up - he only clenched his teeth and was staring at the floor not daring to raise his head, while the memories from his previous life were making him angrier and angrier.

    "I''m here to personally thank you for rescuing my fianc¨¦, of course! So stand up. I''m the one thanking you and it makes me feel weird."

    Zoemi was shocked to hear the prince''s words.

    He could easily recall a memory about the capture target, Horeo Marets Belcehora ¨C that guy was the asshole who was the main cause of the bulk of Miriette''s bad endings!

    But even so, after being asked twice, Zoemi couldn''t refuse toply with his words, after all, Horeo was a prince, so Zoemie stood up to not seem rude and looked at the prince''s face.

    "...!"

    Young prince Horeo was smiling at him, and even looked genuinely grateful while he was at it!

    "...ah...!"

    And then Zoemi realized.

    Horeo hasn''t even met the heroine yet!

    In the game, it was implied that in childhood he had feelings for Miriette but things changed shortly after, even before they started attending the Aspakeony Academy together!

    In those few days, Zoemi was only eating and sleeping he tried to recall all the information about the game that he could remember and was carefully considering which one of the capture targets had the greatest chance of making Miriette happy.

    While doing so, he came up with the idea to support the only capture target whose route he hadn''tplete - Miriette''s childhood friend and son of the Bellcephora''s kingdom general, Grazio Mera Victureo, even though that had the possibility of ending up as a failure, it was still his best bet.

    But now Zoemi realized his mistake.

    There''s no reason to make Miriette fall in love with any other the capture targets except her fianc¨¦! If he, Zoemi, will just make sure that Horeo treasures Miriette as much as possible there''s no way that he will let any harme her way! Moreover, it would be super easy, after all, Miriette is utterly adorable!

    "My Prince, your words are wasted on someone like me!"

    His attitude towards Horeo changedpletely in a sh and instead of ring, the ck-haired boy was smiling even brighter than the gold-haired prince.

    "Nonsense! I''ve heard from Miriette herself! You were very brave even though you also are not able to use magic yet!

    |Yet...? No, wait... also...?!|

    Truth to be told Zoemi never pictured himself having the aptitude, but clearly, the prince didn''t have any doubts about it and was already grouping the two of them together.

    Horeo reached his hand toward him for a handshake.

    "I also haven''t awakened yet, but I don''t think I would be able to help in that situation."

    The gold-haired prince looked slightly embarrassed while saying that making the ck-haired boy a little bit confused.

    Zoemi didn''t know because it wasn''t stated in the game, and he was born and raised in the slums when no one could use magic, but usually, children of the nobility would awaken their aptitude rtively early.

    Miriette was one of the examples, she began wielding wind magic when she was three years old. But the prince was already six and still couldn''t awaken his potential, he was actually relieved after meeting someone simr in age to him without magic.

    There were cases when noble children never awaken despite having the aptitude and the right color of hair and eyes, after all.

    Zoemi took the prince''s hand without hesitation.

    "I disagree, my prince."

    He said and shook his head.

    "If you, my prince, would be the one in that situation instead of me, you would do a much better job than I did, I''m sure of it."

    His certainty came mostly from the fact that the prince would have many guards with him without a doubt, but there was no reason to sour the mood by clearing that up.

    "You... do you really think so...?"

    The conviction in his words made the first prince extremely happy.

    "Of course, my prince!"

 Chapter 12 - 3 - The First Step (part 2)

    After the handshake, it looked like the prince was going to leave but before he was gone, Zoemi came up with a great idea.

    "My prince, this time it wasdy Espine who visited you, how about you wille to visit her next?"

    "Huh? Um... V-visiting her?"

    Just as Zoemi thought, the first prince was surprised and a little bit embarrassed at the suggestion. Zoemi''s knowledge of the game came into y here.

    In one of the scripted events, in which Miriette would do something nasty and lose in the prince''s eyes, tragic viiness would cry out in anger that Horeo visited heroine during the holiday period but he never once came to see her on his own ord even while they were children.

    When Zoemi past self had read that sentence, his certainty of the injustice of the viness fate solidified.

    But now, the ck-haired boy could change everything!

    "That..."

    The prince looked away.

    "She can already use very strong magic and I..."

    Horeo fidgeted, looking away shame.

    |Ah! So that''s the reason!|

    Who would have known! The prince just didn''t want to look uncool!

    "But my prince! Even someone like me can see that your magic will be super powerful!"

    Normally no one could say such a thing with absolute certainty, but Zoemi had the knowledge of the game stored in his young mind.

    Prince Horeo specialty was a long-ranged light beam attack.

    It was terrifying and almost impossible to block, even on the TV screen it looked awesome so Zoemi decided to butter him up with ttery.

    "And my prince, don''t forget thatdy Espine was abducted even though she had magic at her disposal! If you''ll visit her she will be overjoyed that she has someone so reliable protecting her!"

    Was Zoemi blowing everything he said out of proportion?

    Yes, of course!

    But the first prince was still a naive six-year-old and his eyes became round as if the words of another six-year-old opened a new world for him.

    Well, he was a prince, the bedtime stories that his maids read him would always be those of a chivalrous knight fearlessly protecting thedy of their heart.

    For him, it sounded like Zoemi said that the prince could be like the hero from one of such stories.

    "I... I will ask father!"

    The gold-haired prince blushed from excitement and exited the room.

    "Goodbye, my prince! It was an honor!"

    Zoemi called at his disappearing back, the ck-haired boy was satisfied - could it be that helping Miriette would actually go that smoothly?

    He smiled and rxed throwing himself on the fluffy bed onest time before the departure.

    ...but half an hourter, he waspletely stiff from nervousness once again...

    On the way back to the Espinces territory, Miriette for some reason demanded that Zoemi would ride in the carriage together with her!

    The ck-haired boy did not foresee such a turn of events and waspletely unprepared for it!

    After all, he was going to oversee Miriette having a happily ever after from a distance, he never nned - or prepared - to be so close!

    |Wh-what if she''ll hate me!?|

    Zoemi could feel the cold sweat drenching the expensive clothes given to him by the king.

    "..."

    And littledy Espine was sitting with her maid exactly in front of him and was watching ck-haired boy attentively.

    |Should I say something? Am I even allowed to speak!?|

    Time was passing in awkward silence and Zoemi could only stare at his fists firmly clenched on his knees.

    The stress was killing him...

    Soon, he found his throatpletely dried and didn''t even have any spit to swallow but was far too nervous to reach or even ask for the drink that was in the basket that the maid brought with her especially for such a turn of events.

    A ride that was rtively short and should take only a couple of hours, for Zoemi extended into eternity.

    "!!!!!!!!!"

    He dared to look at the sky since he could swear that the sun hadpletely stopped in its way towards the west, but instead he met Miriette''s eyes and he looked back down as fast as he could. His face was burning.

    To tell the truth, even in his previous life he was rather poor atmunicating with others and woulde off as rude even if he didn''t mean to - and he honestly felt better about dying than to act in such a way towards the girl he wanted to save.

    They were halfway there when the carriage stopped and the door opened.

    "...?!"

    And surprised Zoemi saw his salvation.

    "Is something wrong?"

    The worried maid asked when the pale-blue-knight Mizoe opened the carriage''s door and peeked on the inside, checking on the passenger.

    "No, it''s nothing ¨C everything is fine. I just wanted to ask how''s the littledy was feeling. Do you wish for some refreshments, littledy?"

    Zoemi''s father asked with a serious face.

    "Mm-mm!"

    "Lady Miriette! A duke''s daughter should speak clearly!"

    "...!"

    Miriette shook her head and let out a noise of refusal, but was reprimanded by the maid and pouted grumpily.

    "Then we will continue our ride. Son, would you like to try riding on a horse with me?"

    Only after confirming that everything was fine, Mizoe turn to Zoemi like it was just an afterthought and not his main objective...

    Truly a move of a seasoned guard.

    "..."

    Zoemi was so scared of messing up and making Miriette hate him that he barely held back the tears from bursting from his eyes.

    "Un!"

    He didn''t even trust his voice so he just nodded and while his lower lip was trembling uncontrobly he reached towards his father with both hands, asking to be picked up.

    "..."

    Miriette fidgeted in her seat but didn''t say anything.

    "Now, now. It''s okay."

    It took a lot from Mizoe to not melt over his son''s cuteness and he took him in his arms and after closing the carriage''s door he put him up on his horse''s saddle then he himself mounted the horse.

    "Onwards!"

    He made sure that his son is sitting safely and only then did he give amand to reassume the journey.

    "Do you want some water?"

    Mizoe offered his son a sk with water.

    "Yes, please..."

    Zoemi''s voice was only a barely audible whisper - his throat dried up way too much!

 Chapter 13 - 4 - Laying A Foundation (part 1)

    Zoemi''s life in the duke Espine''s castle had officially begun.

    The first problem that the boy and his father faced, was theck of space for the boy in Mizoe''s quarter ¨C mainly because the pale-blue-haired knight had been living the single''s life in the single tiny room in the barracks...

    Therefore, so that the ck-haired boy could live together with his father, it was arranged for them to move from barracks to the inner castle after only a few hours of Mizoe reporting the problem to the duke.

    Both father and son were happy with such a turn of events.

    As Zoemi got used to the new surroundings, Mizoe started teaching him sword-fighting and basic knowledge.

    The boy was giving his all to all of those activities and his hard work made his adoptive father proud.

    The ck-haired boy was slowly getting used to this new, safe world, where he was never hungry - now was facing the opposite ''problem''.

    In the Espine''s castle, he could eat as much as he wanted, even to the point that his stomach would burst!

    Then, after a month had passed, Zoemi''s appearance finally changed from a scarecrow into a healthy young boy.

    His hair which was never properly trimmed or cut, grew longer and his father arranged them for him in a ponytail.

    Zoemi had to agree that this hairstyle looked surprisingly good on him while Mizoe could feel his heart melting over how cute his son looked.

    One day, when the two of them were returning from morning training and going to the dining hall inside, they saw a group of soldiers surrounding a gold-encrusted carriage entering through the gate.

    "Royal escorts? But why...?"

    Mizoe mumbled in surprise ¨C after all, there were no messengers had arrived beforehand and an unexpected visit from someone from the royal family could mean there was something bad going on and there''s a need for someone from the royal family to discuss the matter with a duke as soon as possible.

    Yet, while the pale-blue-haired knight was worried, Zoemi face brightened as he realized that it wasn''t anything dangerous ¨C something exactly opposite actually ¨C the sudden visit could only mean one thing - his n worked!

    And the young ck-haired boy was correct.

    As soon as the carriage door was opened the person who came out was none other than the first prince Horeo.

    The gold-haired boy looked around and once he spotted Zoemi he started waving at him with a bright proud smile.

    "The prince!"

    Mizoe kneeled instantly at the sight of the approaching Horeo.

    "Zoemi, I came to visit Miriette!"

    The prince ran towards Zoemi, grabbed his hands, and started to shake them vigorously, too excited to even notice the kneeling knight.

    "My prince! W-wee it''s a grea..."

    Surprised Zoemi stuttered and tried to kneel down just like his father but the prince didn''t allow him to do so.

    "What are you doing? You are my friend, you don''t have to kneel when you see me!"

    "?!??!"

    At the prince''s word Zoemi became even more confused, he, of course, nned for supporting Horeo and Miriette but once again, he nned to do it from the shadows.

    "Come with me! You know your way around this castle, right? It''s time for breakfast so duke Espine should be eating together with his family - lead me to them!"

    The first prince who was in an especially good mood wasn''t bothered by Zoemi''s awkwardness and started pulling him towards the front entrance.

    The gold-haired prince had learned about the duke eating meals together with his family from one of his attendants on the way to the castle ¨C and was very excited about it for whatever reason.

    "Well, who would have known...?"

    Mizoe looked between the leaving children and the prince''s escort, but the knights and attendants looked just as surprised as he was.

    After entering the castle it was Zoemi''s turn to lead the prince.

    At first, he was afraid that the way to the dining room where the duke was would be just as awkwardly silent as the ride in a carriage together with Miriette - but that assumption turned out to bepletely wrong.

    "Zoemi! My father praised me for asking him to visit my fianc¨¦ on my own! He said that I was behaving like a true man!"

    Horeo was absolutely ted and boasted to Zoemi in high spirits.

    "Father was getting worried that I still haven''t awakened to magic, but he looked very happy when I asked him for permission toe here! And it''s all thanks to you!"

    The young prince''s golden eyes were sparkling and Zoemi blushed a little from being thanked so honestly.

    "No, my prince, I haven''t done anything special, it''s you who has done everything... Ah, we''re here."

    Two boys were already standing in front of the right door and Zoemi wanted to just go back to his father but was once again stopped by Horeo.

    The first prince had a firm grip on his arm and the thought of letting the ck-haired boy go didn''t even cross his mind.

    "Umm... my prince...?"

    Before Zoemi could protest two maids came running and opened the door for them.

    Children entered the magnificent dining room...

    Duke Doregon Flemes Espine, his wife Misena Rissa Espine, and his daughter Miriette Lisea Espine, were all waiting for them in front of the table full of food.

    It may have been a sudden visit but such a thing couldn''t surprise powerful fire attribute wielder like duke Espine, after all, he had the help of his wife whose wind attribute was as strong as the fire attribute.

    Anyone who knew of this couple''s power was not at all surprised how powerful their daughter turned up to be.

    "Duke Espine, Lady Espine, Miriette."

    The first prince bowed his head and greeted his hosts while showing a great familiarity with his fianc¨¦ by calling out to her by using her first name.

    "...!"

    Meanwhile, Zoemi was scared out of his mind.

    He couldn''t get to his knees since before entering the dining room, the young prince changed his grip from Zoemi''s wrist to Zoemi''s arm which meant that if the ck-haired boy tried to kneel down, he would pull the prince down together with him and if he would make the prince fall, it would be very bad...!

    ...but at the same time, even though Horeo was fine with Zoemi not kneeling down in his presence, the ck-haired boy could not act like that towards the duke!

    Zoemi''s father, after all, was employed by the duke and Zoemi not kneeling as a greeting would be considered more than just rude ¨C yet with the precarious position he has found himself into because of Horeo''s grip ¨C as causing the young prince to fall down would be even greater offense than not bowing to the duke ¨C the ck-haired boy chose the hopefully best option avable and just bow down as much as he was able to ¨C without inconveniencing the prince - and prayed for the duke to be in a good enough mood to not mind thatck of proper greetings towards him.

 Chapter 14 - 4 - Laying A Foundation (part 2)

    "Prince Horeo."

    Duke and Duchess nodded back and Miriette grabbed the hem of her dress and bowed cutely.

    "We are very much pleased with your presence, my prince."

    "...whew..."

    Duke Espine had a deep and soothing voice, he didn''t sound annoyed so Zoemi sighed with relief without straightening his back.

    "Since prince Horeo arrived so early in the morning, my prince, I would guess that you probably haven''t eaten yet. I would be d if you joined us, but..."

    "...!"

    Zoemi could feel that the duke was looking at him and his exposed neck felt like it was burning that ''but was definitely directed at him...!

    |My lord! I swear I did mean no disrespect!|

    The ck-haired child wanted to cry out but didn''t dare to raise his voice in the presence of such important and powerful figures.

    The duke nced at the ck-haired boy and he was barely able to contain a smile. He turned to the maids waiting in the corner of the room showcasing how a noble is supposed to control his expression at any time and...

    "Bring a chair and a set of tableware for Zoemi too."

    He ordered in a magnanimous voice and the maids rushed to fulfill it without a word.

    "..."

    And so the boy who a little bit over a month ago was digging through garbage in search of food was now sitting at the duke''s table!

    The first prince Horeo was sitting in front of the duke Espine and had Miriette at his left and Zoemi at his right and was beaming with happiness, and even Miriette was blushing.

    ...but on the other side of the spectrum was Zoemi - who was sweating bullets, not quite able to stop himself from trembling.

    |Huh...? Father taught me some table manners but will it be enough...!? What if I''ll do something rude or inappropriate!? Oh, god, I should have practiced it more instead of practicing swordsmanship!|

    If by any chance the ck-haired boy would offend anyone seating by that very table, he would be instantly thrown out of the castle no questions asked - and that would be the case only in the best possible oue...!

    Even thinking about any of the worse options was sending chills down the boy''s back.

    The worst part for him was that such an unlucky turn of events wouldn''t just threaten his wellbeing - it would foil every n that he had made for the happiness of Miriette - and that was something he could not allow no matter what!

    It took all Zoemi''s self-control to prevent the cutlery that he was holding from chattering against the te and even though the food was exquisite - he could taste nothing.

    "Here."

    Then, all of a sudden, prince Horeo reached towards the jug of juice and began pouring it for Miriette.

    "Thank, you, my prince."

    She blushed and started sipping on it sending short nces towards the blond boy.

    Zoemi was too focused on behaving absolutely properly to notice that, but if he did, it would make him shout out in joy.

    It was still a bit soon to be sure, but things seemed to be good between those two.

    "!!!!!"

    What Zoemi did not expect next, was a jug of juice near his head and he flinched and hurriedly swallow the bite he was chewing on before looking up wide-eyed at the blond prince.

    "Do you want some, Zoemi?"

    "!!!!!!!!"

    Horeo was smiling and waiting for the ck-haired boy to offer his ss, but Zoemi panicked.

    "M-my prince, I-I''m not worthy, I-I should be the one to pour it for you instead!"

    He thought that refiling one''s drink was something that the servant should do.

    It was okay for the prince to do that for his fianc¨¦ but to someone of lower status!?

    Unthinkable!

    The ck-haired boy tried to grab the jug from the prince''s hand but Horeo didn''t let that happen and filled Zoemi''s ss anyway.

    "Thank you, my p-prince!"

    Zoemi hurriedly drank the juice so that he wouldn''t offend the future king.

    Prince''s eyes sparkled for some reason and he grinned showing perfect white teeth.

    "Now you can pour it for me if you want."

    The blond boy didn''t hesitate and moved his ss towards Zoemi.

    "Yes, of course!"

    Zoemi nodded vigorously, silently praying to not spill a single drop.

    What would have happened if he dirtied the fine white tablecloth, or, god forbid, prince''s clothes!? He shuddered at the mere thought!

    "..."

    "?!?!??!??!?!?!?!"

    But when he finished filling Horeo''s ss none other than duchess Misena slowly slid her ss forward.

    It was tantly obvious that she also wanted it to be filled.

    "M-mydy...!"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and with shaking hands he poured the juice for her also.

    "Boy, my cup is also empty."

    After that shockingly nerve-wracking experience, he was going to sit back down when suddenly duke Espine frowned and grumbled.

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Poor child, he felt that his soul was leaving his body!

    Did he offend the duke by not offering to pour him a drink earlier!?

    "A-at once, my lord, it will be the greatest honor!"

    Zoemi cried out almost taken over by panic, and couldn''t even control his hands and the juice in the half-full jug was sshing around like crazy.

    The ck-haired boy honestly just wanted to leave the room before his heart would not be able to take any more stress and stop, or preferably in a case when he would mess up more than he already did.

    He hoped that he did not mess up ¨C but he honestly wasn''t sure about that, the rules of the Bellcephora kingdom''s nobility were still shrouded in mystery for the ck-haired boy, after all.

    "...?!"

    After somehow managing to fill another ss he couldn''t help but notice Miriette...

    She was frowning and crossing her arms, making a pose just like on the cover of the game...!

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    If earlier he felt like his soul was being sucked out of his body, now he felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach with the power of a hundred Ednugs!

    He should have known better!

    In the game, it was made abundantly obvious that Miriette was extremely prideful ever since her early childhood.

    If her father didn''t like that the ck-haired boy of lower status didn''t offer to pour him a drink - then she would be absolutely furious about being the only one not served!

    Zoemi looked at the table before her and...

    ...indeed... the youngdy''s ss was already empty and was even moved slightly forward!

    It Zoemi suddenly realized that the ck-haired girl must have done the same thing as her mother - but he was so scared of her father that he hasn''t noticed her action at all!

    |If she''ll think that I''m ignoring her then she''ll hate me for sure!|

    It wasn''t impossible for Zoemi to protect Miriette from all the bad endings even if she did detest him - but it would be a lot easier to do if she didn''t mind him being near her...

    And let''s be honest, Zoemi''s heart wouldn''t be able to bear being hated by her - he was a sensitive boy after all.

 Chapter 15 - 4 - Laying A Foundation (part 3)

    "M-mydy, if I may...?"

    Zoemi''s bashful voice somehow didn''t show the full extent of the desperation that was filling him while trying to correct his mistake.

    "..."

    Miriette red at him with squinted eyes for a few seconds during which Zoemi could feel cold sweat emerging on his neck.

    ...could it be that he was already hated...?

    ...so soon...?!

    "Of course."

    But then Miriette smiled and nodded her head with a magnanimous smile, she was clearly trying to act like her father now.

    "!!!!"

    The relief that Zoemi felt almost swiped him off his feet.

    The rest of the breakfast passed in a friendly atmosphere...

    ...for everyone except the utterly terrified Zoemi...

    On a side note, in the Bellcephora kingdom, there were many nuances, and one of them was a particr table-manner that Zoemi wasn''t aware of since Mizoe hadn''t expected his son to eat with high nobility ¨C or any nobility beside him for the matter - so soon and hadn''t taught him about it yet.

    If it''s done by servants - pouring a drink is just that, an act of refilling the ss and nothing more. But the situation changes when a noble offers to pour a drink for another noble.

    Done to one''s spouse or fianc¨¦ meant the pledge of love, epting, and drinking it would mean the returning of the feelings while refusing it was equal to dering the end of the rtionship.

    When the noble of a higher position offered it to the noble of lower position - it meant that he or she favors them greatly.

    epting it was a sign of loyalty, and refusing equaled a revolt.

    If the act of pouring the drink was done between the nobles of the same rank it meant friendship and support - epting was a sign of true friendship but refusing it was like pping the face of one who offered to pour the drink.

    And if it was done by a noble of lower position to a noble of higher status - it meant the utmost respect and the pledge of loyalty.

    If epted, it meant the goodwill towards the one who poured the drink - and refusing meant irreversible hostility.

    Zoemi might have been young and might have not been aware of those rules since he might have only been adopted into the noble family - but nheless - he was a noble now, and all the rules applied to him whether he was aware of them or not.

    As it is often the case, children finished eating early and were allowed to go y in the gardens under the watchful eyes of the knights and maids, but before the duke and the duchess were left alone...

    "I can''t properly describe how grateful I am for the honor of eating together, I''ll be returning to my father..."

    Zoemi bowed deeply towards the duke, his family, and the prince and wanted nothing more than to return to his father - but to his great shock, his right hand was grabbed by Horeo and his left by Miriette.

    "What are you talking about? We''re going to y! All three of us!"

    "Yes, that''s right!"

    "?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!"

    The prince eximed excitedly and Miriette apanied him.

    ---

    Once the children left, duke Espine took a jug and filled his wife''s ss.

    "Mizoe mentioned that this child has been trying his best and isn''t particrly bad with the sword, he''s also surprisingly smart and quick-witted."

    The man with ming-red hair, whose mana pool was said to be equal to the amount of mana that light attribute magicians would usually have, stroked his chin deep in thought.

    "I can''t help but notice his shy suggestion that that boy could be Miriette''s attendant."

    He added.

    "He seems to have good character, but isn''t it too soon for such a decision to be made?"

    Duchess Misena calmly responded and took a sip of the juice.

    "But aside from that... I never expected that a boy could look so adorable in a ponytail!"

    "I know, right? Zoemi is such a cute child!"

    ---

    Zoemi spent the rest of the day ying tag, hide and seek, and many, many more normal children games that he never expected the noble children to indulge in.

    The three of them would only stop for meals and sleep, and that sort of activity continued for a whole week until it was time for the first prince to return home.

    "I don''t want to go back..."

    The blond prince was sulking in front of the royal carriage, the official send-off was over but Miriette and Zoemi were still apanying him.

    "I would like for you to stay, too."

    Miriette was looking down, sulking just a little bit.

    But Zoemi, on the other hand, couldn''t be happier.

    Not because of the prince leaving, of course ¨C mind you.

    The ck-haired boy barely contained himself from pumping his fist from wild joy.

    Those two hit it off great!

    What else could he wish for?!

    Everything seemed like Miriette of this world would not have just a normal happy ending ¨C what awaited her would be a royal happy ending!

    "My prince, don''t worry, maybe you will find some time to visit again - and if not, thendy Miriette can go and visit you in the pce! There''s no reason to be sad!"

    "I see..."

    Horeo looked adorable when his expression became serious and he solemnly nodded at Zoemi''s words.

    "That''s right! Miriette and you can visit me anytime you want!"

    |...huh...?|

    Somehow Zoemi''s attempt to give those two some alone time resulted in an invitation for both Mirette and him...

    ...but anyway, the most important part was for the first prince and the littledy Espine to see each other as much as possible to build a strong foundation for their future love was apparently proceeding smoothly, so the ck-haired boy didn''t mind.

    "I''ll write you a letter."

    "!!!!"

    Miriette blushed and looked away, hearing her words Zoemi almost started apuding!

    |Good job, mydy!|

    He cheered in his mind.

    Horeo cheeks reddened a little as he nodded, giving his consent, but then he became serious again and turned to Zoemi.

    "Zoemi, keep Miriette safe for me."

    "...!"

    Zoemi barely containedughter ¨C the young prince was making such a straight face that it would be extremely rude tough at him.

    "You can count on me, my prince, I''ll protect her no matter what, so the two of you can be together."

    The ck-haired boy took a deep breath to calm himself and said his honest feelings out loud.

    After all, in his mind being with the first prince, was the best option to give Miriette all the happiness that she deserved.

    And in such a way Zoemi became a ypanion of both the main capture target and the viiness of the Kampf um die Liebe.

 Chapter 16 - 5 - The Accident (part 1)

    It happened a year after the first prince''s first visit...

    Miriette and Horeo would often see each other and Zoemi would be apanying them without question.

    There was hardly a month when the three children weren''t ying together ¨C and during all the time in-between visits, Zoemi was being pulled around by Miriette and ying with her as a representative stand-in selected by the young prince.

    At first, it was a very much anxiety-inducing nightmare for Zoemi but soon, the ck-haired boy got used to talking to the most important person in his life without the crippling fear of being hated for every little action that he did.

    Was there even a need to say how he was feeling about his life?

    Zoemi was honestly happy.

    Miriette liked the prince and, thankfully, Horeo favored Miriette just as much.

    But no matter what, Espine''s castle wasn''t only a ce for Zoemi, Miriette, and Horeo ¨C it was the house of the great duke after all ¨C and going with that logic, it was obvious that other nobles besides the young prince woulde with a visit from time to time.

    Therefore, one day a general of the Bellcephora Kingdom''s army Telorius Graxul Victureo, who wielded rare variant magic - a lightning attribute which attack spells were faster than those of the fire magic but still weaker than the pure light attribute ones - came to the duke''s estate to discuss some important matters.

    And he brought his son with him.

    The young red-haired Grazio Mera Victureo ¨C the first capture target after the first prince Horeo, whom Zoemi met in that world, and the only capture target whose route Zoemi was never able to finish ¨C since, well, he died before he was able to.

    Grazio... the one who was hiding his ming personality under the mask of seriousness.

    As the red-haired boy and Miriette were of the same age, Telorius thought that his son could be Miriette''s friend and therefore an alliance between the houses of Espine and Victureo could be formed.

    When the father and son arrived with an escort - and duke''s servants gathered to wee them and guided them to the dining hall where the duke and his family were waiting.

    The official greeting was going without any hitch.

    Everyone was calm and presented themselves with great dignity...

    Only Zoemi was jittering in his seat.

    Yes.

    The ck-haired boy who was originally amoner was attending an official meal with the kingdom''s general and the great duke!

    It was different than eating with the first prince since the prince was still young and he invited him on his own, but this situation?

    After the greeting Zoemi couldn''t even properly raise his head in fear that it would offend the important man.

    Miriette sneaked a peek at the ck-haired boy to her right and sulked a bit seeing him with his head down like that.

    It was her idea to have Zoemi there, she eloquently exined to her father that Zoemi was the friend of her fianc¨¦, the first prince, and the first prince himself ordered Zoemi to protect her - therefore, it was only natural that Zoemi would be apanying her at any and all times!

    There were some holes in her logic but she looked so cute pouting with her arms crossed, that duke Espine benevolently agreed.

    But now Miriette felt bad because it looked like Zoemi was hating it there and that was the opposite of what she intended!

    Both children were so preupied with their own thoughts that they missed a contemptuous re that third child...

    Grazio was ring at them from behind his father''s back the whole time.

    After the meal, children were allowed to y in the gardens.

    "What do you want to y?"

    Miriette spoke to Grazio while holding a colorful ball was tilting her head like a puppy.

    Zoemi was standing a bit farther away and, deep in thoughts as he observed the two.

    |Things look great for Miriette and Horeo, but having a backup n is never a bad idea.|

    He thought to himself as he still had some hopes for the unfinished Grazio route...

    When the time of condemnation of the viiness woulde - it would be better to have as many allies as possible, than not have them at all.

    "Hmph! Why would I want to y with someone who has wielded a mere wind attribute!"

    "!!!!!!"

    But Zoemi''s train of thoughts derailed and crashed when Grazio opened his mouth and spoke in an arrogant tone.

    "...!"

    Miriette was lost for words and had no idea how to act but Zoemi''s blood was boiling.

    "Sir Grazio! Lady Miriette''s has at least as much mana as a magician with the light attribute! Even Lord Lazaram himself had confirmed that! How dare you try to make it sound as if she was some weakling?!"

    This time he definitely sounded rude, but he couldn''t care less!

    What was wrong with this Grazio guy!?

    He was supposed to be calm on the surface but passionate on the inside - and not be aplete asshole!

    "Hmph!"

    But Grazio didn''t even spare him a nce and looked away with his head held high.

    "Why would I believe the words of magicless trash like you?"

    "...!"

    "You...!"

    Zoemi went silent but Miriette clenched her fists and trembled in anger.

    Completely unaffected Grazio just started to stroll around the garden.

    "Hey! Where do you think you are going!?"

    Miriette stomped her foot and called after him but the red-haired boy did not bother to answer her call.

    "Zoemi, we need to go after him!"

    Miriette grabbed the ck-haired boy''s hand and pulled him with her after Grazio.

    Zoemi blushed slightly and obediently went with her.

    ---

    Littledy Espine was so daring!

    Zoemi was sure that she picked it up from Horeo, the first prince would always grab their hands and pull them like that whenever he wanted all of them to y together, after all.

    "...!"

    The red-haired Grazio stopped only after reaching the training grounds of the castle''s guards. Since the morning practice finished long ago the ce was now empty.

    "Hmmmm..."

    Grazio was carefully observing the stone shed that was locked away by a big lock.

    "What do you think you are doing? Do you even know where you are?!"

    Miriette asked angrily.

    "Silence, weak wind. There are training swords inside, right? We have a simr thing behind our house."

    But Grazio wasn''t listening to her at all, and even offended the girl again by calling her weak!

    |This bastard...!|

    By this point, Zoemi was seriously doubting the information he learned from the game.

    |Do you call THIS a childhood friend?|

    He couldn''t understand how it could be possible for any warm feeling to bloom between those two!

    Grazio was just a bully!

    Zoemi decided to scrap that whole backup n of his regarding the red-haired boy without giving the other boy a second chance.

    Zoemi was unaware about it since that part of the backstory was revealed only in the Grazio''s route that he did not finish, but the thing about Grazio and Miriette being childhood friends actually had a pretty simple in-game exnation.

    In the storyline where there was no Zoemi, Miriette would be alone without any ymates her age, and the first prince wouldn''t visit her at all, she was lonely and clung to the first chance ofpanionship, even though it was the self-centered, rude, and vain Grazio.

    Good for her that now things were different thanks to a certain ck-haired boy''s meddling.

    "Hey! You there!"

    "What now...?!"

    Out of nowhere, Grazio started calling all the maids and knights that were watching them and started sending them to bring various things, causing Miriette to scoff in annoyance.

    Soon enough children were alone and the red-haired boy reached towards the lock of the shed.

    "What are you...?"

    "Ignite."

    Miriette became confused but her question was answered outstandingly fast as bright fire lit up in Grazio''s hand and a stream of me slowly melted off the sturdy metal lock off of the storage shed!

 Chapter 17 - 5 - The Accident (part 2)

    "Wha...!? You can''t do that! I''m going to tell my parents about this!"

    Miriette called out, fuming with anger, but Grazio wasn''t listening and entered the newly unlocked shed.

    When he came out he was holding two wooden swords meant for training.

    "...!"

    Then, he threw one towards Zoemi and the ck-haired boy caught it reflexively.

    "Magicless, fight me!"

    "Huh...?"

    Zoemi became dumbfounded.

    This bully not onlypletely ignored Miriette - he straight up behaved like he owned the ce!

    "What do you think you''re doing!?"

    Miriette was losing her temper with each second.

    "You have magic! Why would Zoemi want to fight you!?"

    She pointed out scowling.

    "As if I would need magic to beat up this trash! HIYAH!"

    Grazio snorted and attacked Zoemi without any warning.

    "..."

    But Zoemi was expecting just that and parried the first clumsy strike effortlessly.

    "Hmph...! HAH!"

    "..."

    Grazio frowned and attacked again, this time Zoemi dodged the wooden sword and lightly hit Grazio''s side using the opening.

    "ACK...!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi was worried that if he would seriously hit the general''s son he would bring troubles to the duke''s household.

    "You...! You...! RAARGH!"

    Of course, Grazio couldn''t understand Zoemi''s position - not that he even tried in the first ce ¨C so instead of admitting one lose as it was the right thing to do in a practice duel after receiving a dead-on strike, the red-haired boy got angry and shouted at Zoemi.

    "You trash dare to dodge my attacks!? You even hit me! I''m going to kill you!"

    Though it was doubtful that a seven-year-old bully who lived his life in safety andfort, actually understood the meaning and burden of taking one''s life - he still threatened Zoemi and charged him with fury.

    "HAAH! HIAAAH! HUAH!"

    He was strong for his age but his technique wasn''t very good...

    Back in the Victureo''s household, Grazio was ceaselessly ttered by the servants as his father''s knights would lose to him on purpose.

    The adults knew that, but the young boy haven''t noticed anything and his ego inted to the high-heavens.

    "..."

    On the other hand, there was Zoemi - tirelessly practicing with his father each morning and attending the same lessons under the best and strictest teachers as the first prince when the ck-haired boy would apany Miriette while she would visit the king''s castle to see her fiance.

    Horeo and Zoemi training together was the first prince''s whim but Zoemi was extremely grateful because it provided him with an opportunity to start learning the much-needed abilities required to assure Miriette''s happiness in the future.

    "..."

    That''s why Zoemi could deflect or dodge every strike that Grazio threw at him ¨C and even more ¨C he made the red-haired boy look pathetically unskilled inparison.

    "Stop fighting immediately, both of you! It''s an order!"

    "...!"

    Furious Miriette was stomping her feet in a fit of anger, and Zoemi honestly wanted toply but if he stopped defending himself he would be beaten up by the furious Grazio without a doubt!

    "Shut up, ugly!"

    "WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL HER?!"

    Zoemi thought that he was being calm...

    Honestly...

    But when he heard the insult aimed at Miriette, his mind went nk for just a second, and when he realized what he was doing, he had already dodged the wild swing of the red-haired boy''s sword, finish closing the distance between them - and his fist was already burying itself in Grazio''s stomach, forcing all the air out of his lungs.

    "GUHUUAAAH...!"

    Grazio fell to his knees, as his eyes were bulging out of his eye-sockets as he was desperately gasping for air...

    |Oh no! What have I done?!|

    Zoemi panicked.

    It was a disaster!

    Kingdom general''s son was crawling on the well-groomed grass of the duke Espine''s garden, sounding as if he was unable to inhale even a bit of air, under stunned Miriette''s feet while Zoemi was looking at his own fist in terror.

    "Lord Grazio, a-are you alright?"

    Nervous Zoemi threw his sword away and hurried towards Grazio.

    "Zoemi, leave him! He deserved that! Let''s go back to the castle and tell my parents!"

    "Ah, mydy..."

    Hearing the littledy Espine voice Zoemi turned to her showing his back to Grazio and...

    ".. mes...!"

    "AAARGH...!"

    A cone of fire erupted from the hand of the defeated red-haired boy - who could never forgive such a disgrace as being defeated by some low-born magicless nobody - and his spell hit Zoemi in the back, setting his clothes on fire.

    "No! What are you doing!?"

    Miriette was screaming in panic while Zoemi cried out in pain and started rolling on the ground. Grazio was smirking with satisfaction, the red-haired boy stood up and enjoyed Zoemi''s anguish.

    "I-I''ll help you!"

    Miriette trembled and focused her magic.

    "Airstream!"

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

    The magic wind started blowing from her hand but instead of extinguishing the mes it only made them stronger. The smell of burning hair and skin raised into the air.

    "N-no...! I''m sorry! I... I...!"

    When her help brought up the exact opposite result, something broke in the Miriette and she started crying uncontrobly.

    "Pfffft! Ahahahahaha!"

    "Mommy! Daddy! Heeelp...!"

    Instead of stopping, Grazio startedughing cruelly at desperately struggling Zoemi and sobbing Miriette.

    "You still look a bit cold. Here, I''ll warm you up. Fireball!"

    Freshly conjured mes coiled around in the palm of Grazio''s hand forming a sphere which he aimed at the suffering Zoemi.

    "NOO!"

    Miriette, with tears still streaming down her face, stood up between the two boys and blocked Zoemi from Grazio''s view with her own body.

    But the incantation was alreadyplete and the spell couldn''t be stopped!

    "Nnn...!"

    The fireball left Grazio''s hand and Miriette closed her eyes bracing for the impact - the panicked little girlpletely forgot that she could be using magic to protect herself at this point.

    "!!!!!"

    Meanwhile, Zoemi was being burnt alive as rolling around had no effect on the magic mes, and out of option, the ck-haired boy tried to take off his clothes...

    "?!?!"

    But exactly at that moment, for some reason, Miriette moved in front of him, closing Zoemi''s utter confusion pierce through the pain that the boy was suffering through.

    "!!!!!!"

    ...and then Zoemi saw the fireball flying straight at the girl...

    |NO! NOOO! NOT HER, NOT MIRIETTE!|

    The adrenaline-filled up his body to such an extent that he couldn''t even feel the pain anymore and he could swear that the world around him has slowed down to a crawl.

    "!!!!!!!"

    The ck-haired boy got up on his feet and pushed Miriette away from the iing attack.

    "AAAURGH...!"

    ...and then the right side of his face exploded in unbelievable pain...!

    Zoemi could feel the scorching mes melting his right cheek and climb up to his ear.

    When he fell on the ground - with what''s left of his consciousness he looked at Miriette, she was crying and the snot wasing out of her nose - but she wasn''t injured in any way.

    |Oh, thank god... she''s alright...|

    The relieved thought broke through the wall of pain and finally, he lost consciousness, momentarily freeing himself from the excruciating sizzling mes.

 Chapter 18 - 5.5 - The Consequences Of Messing With Espines (part 1)

    The duke and duchess Espine together with the general Victureo were discussing a rather pressing and important matter, well, at least for the general that is.

    "...and hence the alliance between our two families would..."

    "...?"

    Suddenly, in the middle of the talk, duchess Misena turned her head towards the window furrowing her brows with

    "Mydy, was there something in my wording that you found disagreeable?"

    General asked politely while looking between the duke and the duchess with concern.

    Neither Espines nor Victureos were ever openly hostile towards each other but s, the public, as well as other houses, considered the two houses to have directly opposite political beliefs - but that didn''t mean that a mere mention of the alliance would cause the most distinguished and respecteddy of the kingdom, known to give lessons in manners even to the royal family members, to break her character and straight-up turn away from the speaker!

    "Please, excuse that rudeness, dear general - it''s nothing concerning your offer. It''s just that the children are using magic in the garden..."

    She shook her head and returned to the conversation.

    "Ah! I see! I''m sure it is nothing then, probably just my Grazio trying to impress your lovely daughter - that boy has real talent. He''s already quite proficient with the basic spells, so I assure you that he had been taught by the best teachers that I could find. He knows all the safety measures to take with his element."

    The head of the Victureo family looked so proud that it was hard to tell whether his original intention was to reassure the worried noblewoman or to boast about his own son.

    "I''m d to hear that, however..."

    Lady Misena nodded and smiled benevolently, but then again she turned to the window with concern almost instantly.

    "My Grazio a very well behaved..."

    "Excuse me, gentlemen, I want to check what the children are up to."

    The green-haired woman ended up interrupting him mid-sentence and excused herself, leaving the two men looking at each other in confusion.

    "Mydy...?"

    "Not now."

    As soon as the door closed Lady Misena invoked the wind enchantment and sprinted towards the gardens causing Mizoe who was standing guard by the door to shudder from the sheer amount of released mana that caused the air in the corridor to tremble as if in a heatwave.

    Thanks to her magic Misena was so fast that she left afterimages.

    If Miriette will work hard - she''ll one day achieve an even greater degree of mastery over the wind element, but for now, the position of the strongest wind magician belonged to Misena alone.

    Since her magic was powerful it had some umon qualities that any other run-of-the mile wind magician could not recreate.

    Normally wind magic was best suited for increasing the speed of the caster as well as sending long-distance messages - but duchess Misena was able to develop a spell that allowed her to detect and identify magic in her vicinity.

    That ability was strong enough to detect anyone using magic anywhere on the castle grounds.

    She was in such a hurry exactly because she felt the unnatural fluctuations of her daughter''s magic.

    Miriette was scared and wasn''t properly controlling her magic power making her spell unstable.

    "!!!!"

    Misena reached the gardens just in time to witness Zoemi pushing Miriette to the side and taking a fireball for her.

    |Where are all the maids and guards...!?|

    The green-haired woman thought to herself while already raising her hand towards the ck-haired boy screaming in pain from his flesh being cooked alive.

    "..."

    The first thing that she did was to silently invoke a spell that created a reverse cyclone around the ck-haired boy - who lost consciousness due to the severe pain ¨C to suck out both the air and mana that were fueling the fire that took a liking to the poor child''s body.

    The reverse cyclone spell worked exactly as intended ¨C unlike the previous spells of young, terrified, Miriette, and the magic fire died out instantly.

    "...what a mess..."

    Misena released the spell so the boy inside wouldn''t suffocate and breathed out seeing that he is still alive.

    "!!!!"

    "Mommy!"

    When the wind spell erupted between them, Mariette and Grazio could only look at it in shock. Miriette immediately recognizes her mother''s magic and cried out with relief once she saw her approaching.

    "Sweetie...!"

    Misena''s enchantment was still active so she arrived at her daughter''s side in the blink of an eye.

    "I... I haven''t done anything wrong!"

    Seeing the duchess arrive, Grazio hid his arms behind his back and looked away trying to act innocent.

    |This shameless brat...!|

    Misena thought but said something else.

    "Go to your father. Now."

    She gave an order and the red-haired boy wasn''t stupid enough to question her and run to the castle as soon as he could.

    "Mommy, you must help Zoemi!"

    Miriette clung to her mother''s leg and started drenching her dress with her tears.

    "That awful boy was bullying me and he was bullying Zoemi too! And he wanted to fight Zoemi and didn''t even ask him, and Zoemi won and then...! And then he hit him with fire and.. and...!"

    "It''s alright sweetie, everything will be okay now, mommy is here."

    Misena patted her daughter''s head to calm her down and used her magic to lift up the unconscious ck-haired boy.

    "Everything will be fine,e with me, sweetie."

    Then she took Miriette''s hand and walked back to the castle.

    Misena had also sent a message to her husband to take the general ande down to the main hall.

    As the two women were walking, and Zoemi was levitating by Misena''s side as maids and knights who left their posts to fulfill the wish of the general''s son was returning, carrying all the things that he wanted.

    "!!!"

    They all froze when they saw the duchess with the children.

    "All of you, follow me."

    They weren''t sure what had happened but one look from the duchess Espine made them drenched with cold sweat.

    "Sweetie, try to remember everything that happened, alright? In order and with details. You will have to tell daddy about it."

    "...ye-yes...!"

    Misena smiled at her daughter and the little girl made a determined expression and nodded, her eyes were still red from crying.

 Chapter 19 - 5.5 - The Consequences Of Messing With Espines (part 2)

    Soon enough everyone gathered has gathered in the main hall just asdy Misena wished for.

    "NOOO!"

    Seeing his son wounded and unconscious, Mizoe has forgotten about his position and dashed towards the ck-haired boy.

    "Zoemi...! Who did this!?"

    The pale-blue-knight cried out bitting his lips so hard that he had drawn blood.

    "Mizoe, I send a message already - a medic will be here soon. Take your son and cool his burns with your magic. I will personally make sure that you will learn about everythingter."

    Misena patted the knight on the shoulder.

    "I... yes. Thank you, mydy.|

    Mizoe didn''t have to be told twice, he took his son in his arms and stormed out of the main hall.

    "..."

    "Now that the most pressing matter is done with..."

    Even though general Victureo looked like he wanted to say something the duchess didn''t bother to stop talking.

    "Sweetie, please tell everyone what happened."

    She only gave her daughter a gentle push on the back on the back.

    "We... after we finished breakfast we went to the garden..."

    And Miriette recounted everything that happened without missing even a single detail ¨C not even hiding the fact that her own spell had made the initial fire much worse - even though she started sobbing tight by the end.

    "My son would never do such a thing!"

    When she finished general Victureo showed an angry face, ring at the little girl crying at her mother''s side.

    "That''s right! She''s lying! That magicless boy had provoked me!"

    Like father, like son - young Grazio stubbornly refused to acknowledge his mistakes and doubled down in an attempt to relinquish any and all responsibility.

    "SILENCE!"

    "...hup...!"

    "!!!!!!"

    But then the father and son felt an overwhelming presence behind their backs once they turned around they saw the imposing duke Espine''s face twisted with fury.

    "So, you''reing to my house... your son offends my daughter...! he gravely injured the son of my most trusted knight...! the same boy who the first prince himself calls a friend...! All while he was protecting my daughter from your son''s cowardly attack, no less...! And now the same shameless son of yours has the cheek to call my daughter a liar...! And instead of scolding him, you are encouraging such repugnant behavior?"

    "N-no! I...!"

    The man tried to take back his words, realizing his mistake ¨C but it was already toote.

    A wave of hot air swiped through the room and the duke''s body emitted a crimson light before an imposing fiery armor appeared on his body thanks to his own original spell.

    "Who do you think you are? Have you forgotten why you even got to your current position?"

    "URGH...!"

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    General cowered under the pressure the duke was emitting as if he received an actual physical hit, and Grazio almost pissed himself.

    The thing was, the duke''s words were honest and not a result of him losing his temper.

    Current lord Victureo became the general only because duke Espine refused the position that was as good as his.

    Before that, Telorius Graxul Victureo wasn''t even considered as an option as the general as the difference in power was made obvious the moment when during a friendly duel Telorus''s lightning speels didn''t manage to pierce through Doregon''s fiery armor.

    The two men were simr in age but the difference in either power and charisma was simply too great.

    "..."

    Right then and there, Telorius wanted to bite his tongue off - if only he swallowed his words and smacked his stupid son instead of backing him up while it was clear that he had done what he was used of and was simply ying the fool ¨C while being ipetent with it too...!

    "But first... all of you."

    "...!?"

    Without revoking his magic. duke turned towards the servants and knights that the duchess lead there.

    "You have ten minutes to pack your belongings and get out of my castle. If after that time my wife will detect your presence, I will personally kill you on the spot."

    He dered, raising his hand, and a fireball at least ten timesrger than the one that hit Zoemi appeared above his palm.

    "N-noo!"

    "My lord, please forgive me...!"

    "B-but my lord, that''s not fair...!"

    Servants panicked and some fool even tried toin.

    "Fine then, five minutes it is."

    Duke was merciless ¨C as he dered and nodded with understanding.

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Freshlyid-off people started running with all their might.

    They realized that the duke was serious and because of some idiot, their time got cut in half!

    "My d-duke, I-I''m so terribly sorry...!"

    Telorious fell on his knees and tried to save as little of their good rtionship as there was left...

    ...but the problem was, there was already nothing to save...

    "You wanted to convince my wife and me to officially change our stance against your family - so we will be doing just that, sir Telorius. And here is that change"

    Duke Epsine scoffed and raised his head imposingly.

    "You and your son are no longer weed in my territory and I will speak to you only under the direct order from our king. Oh, and don''t you worry ¨C while we''re at it - the king will hear about this without a doubt. Now leave before I''ll do what I''m thinking of doing."

    "!!!!"

    Telorious got up and started rushing to the door after grabbing his son''s arm.

    "B-but father...!"

    The red-haired boy - who singlehandedly soured the rtionship between his house and the most powerful noble house after the royal family - still had the nerve to speak with reproach.

    "Telorious, please tell Senear that I don''t wish to see her ever again."

    "...!"

    When they were approaching the door duchess said out loud without even looking in their direction.

    She wasn''t as benevolent as her husband and severed the rtionship with the general''s wife - who she had known since childhood - with a single cold sentence.

    "Also, please tell her that I''m deeply disappointed in how she is raising her son. It looks like I do not have nowhere near as good eye for people''s character as I thought."

    She spoke towards the window as the father and son fled the castle chased by the heat of the fiery armor brought to them by an equally furious wind.

    This was Espine''s household, friends would be cherished and those foolish enough to offend them would surely regret their actions.

 Chapter 20 - 6 - Awakening And Awakening (part 1)

    "..."

    Zoemi woke up at dawn two whole days after the ident.

    His whole body was hurting but arguably the worst pain was concentrated in the right side of his face extending from his chin, through just under his right eye, and reaching all the way to his ear.

    "...uuugh..."

    The boy shifted under the covers, sniffled, and carefully checked his body.

    He was covered in thick bandages basically from head to toe making him look like a short mummy.

    "...ugh... what... happened...?"

    The ck-haired boy''s head felt heavy and he wasn''t really able to recall either what happened or why.

    "...ah...!"

    When he turned his head to the side he saw Miriette in a deep-green dress sitting by his bed and engrossed in a book to such a degree that she didn''t hear his whispers and shifting around at all.

    "Mydy!? Are you alright! Did the fire reach you!?"

    Not caring about his wounds Zoemi lifted his body from the bed and asked her in an urgent voice right on the verge of panicking.

    "Ah!"

    *thump*

    The sudden action spooked Miriette and she dropped the book.

    "Zoemi! You''re awake!"

    She raised her voice and tears show up in the corners of her eyes forgetting about her book, but Zoemi''s hazy mind misunderstood her expression and the boy''s heart filled up with crippling fear and guilt.

    |So she got hurt after all!? No, no, no! Everything but that! How could I let that happen!?|

    Zoemi had almost lost it, witnessing the girl''s tears welling up in her eyes.

    He threw the cover aside and while trying to get out of bed to kneel down before her, but both his hands and legs gave out and he fell crashing onto the floor.

    "...uu-ughuuu...!"

    "Zoemi! Stop! You''ll hurt yourself"

    Miriette panicked hearing the pitiful sob escaping the boy''s mouth even though he was trying his best to not let that happen.

    "..."

    "..."

    Coincidentally, the duke Espine and Mizoe were just about going to enter the room that Zoemi was. Mizoe was returning from the morning practice and wanted to check up on his son and duke Espine wanted to talk to his daughter who spent her every waking moment of thest two days by the ck-haired boy''s bed as if guarding him.

    When they''ve heard Miriette''s panicked voice they stormed into the room just to stop in at the doorstep seeing flustered Miriette''s back as the girl was standing over kneeling Zoemi trying to get him up.

    But the ck-haired boy had a different idea...

    "Mydy, I''m so very sorry! Please forgive this lowly servant that he wasn''t strong enough to protect you!"

    The boy''s shoulders were shaking as big tears of honest sorrow fell from his eyes.

    "I should have been stronger...!"

    Zoemi was in such deep grief over allowing harm to happen to Miriette - even though it was just his own misunderstanding - that he failed to notice two grownups entering the room.

    Though, to his defense, Miriette missed the two as well.

    "No, it''s not like that! And your wounds! Please don''t move so much and return to bed...!"

    Miriette didn''t know how to deal with this situation.

    Her words seemed to have no effect on Zoemi so she tried to pull him up from the floor.

    But as she was afraid of using her enchantments to boost her strength in fear of hurting the boy even more than he already was, Zoemi managed to free himself and crawled back - away from the Mireiette''s hands - and pressed his forehead to the floor.

    "I''m sorry...! I''m so sorry I failed to protect you!"

    The ck-haired boy apologized wholeheartedly, too ashamed of himself to even look up at the flustered girl.

    "But...!"

    Miriette felt like crying - she wanted to thank Zoemi but the boy just kept on begging for her forgiveness and she could not understand what was she supposed to forgive him since he did nothing wrong.

    If she had to point fingers at the people that had to apologize it would be herself and that awful Grazio, but definitely not Zoemi!

    "...now, now... it''s okay now."

    "Wh-what..?! Ah...! Father...! I...! I failed to protectdy Mirieeetteeee...!"

    After witnessing the whole thing Mizoe walked up to his son and gently picked him up from the floor - at first, the boy flinched but when he recognized his father he clung to him and started wailing with his hand on Mizoe''s chest.

    "Shh... Don''t cry Zoemi, you''re a good boy."

    Mizoe started lulling the boy while caressing his head.

    "But... But even though I tried so hard, and it hurt so bad,dy Miriette got hurt anyway!"

    "Eh...!?"

    Miriette eximed in shock.

    Since when was she hurt?!

    She hasn''t even scraped her knee when Zoemi pushed her away from the danger!

    "Silly boy, the littledy wasn''t hurt. You did a good job. You protected her."

    Mizoe exined in a soft voice.

    "!!!!"

    The boy pulled away from his father''s chest and looked him in the eyes, still with big tears gathered in the corners of his obsidian eyes..

    "Really? I protected her...?"

    Zoemi asked in disbelief and twisted his body to look at Miriette.

    "Mydy, so you''re...?"

    He asked in a trembling voice.

    "Yes! I''mpletely fine so don''t try to ask for forgiveness ever again!"

    Miriette shouted and stomped her foot showing the glimpse of the character she had in the game, and she ran out of the room.

    Mizoe put his son back in bed at patted his head.

    "Try not to get up from the bed if you do not need to. The wounds you suffered were very serious for someone your age so you shouldn''t strain yourself and rest."

    This time it was duke Espine, he stood by Zoemi''s bed and smiled at him.

    "M-my lord, duke...! I-I''m not...!"

    Zoemi gasped only then realizing the red-haired mans'' presence and immediately tried to get out of the bed to kneel down ¨C but was stopped both by his father and the duke.

    "There''s no need to do that, boy. You did a good job, and besides, how could I demand something as trivial as the traditional greeting from someone who risked his life to protect my daughter?"

    He smiled at the child.

    "T-thank you for protecting me!"

    "!!!!"

    "...?"

    Everyone in the room turned towards the door and saw blushing Miriette shouting out words of gratitude.

    "Ah...!"

    When she realized everyone was looking at her, her face turnedpletely red from embarrassment and she ran off - this time for real.

 Chapter 21 - 6 - Awakening And Awakening (part 2)

    With Miriette''s great escape, only Zoemi''s father and her father stayed in the ck-haired boy''s room.

    "Son, I''ll bring you something to eat soon. Why don''t you try to get some more rest, for now, your body surely needs to rest after all that..."

    "Okay..."

    Mizoe smiled weakly while tucking his confused son in and Zoemi nodded before obediently closing his eyes.

    "Well... I was here to get my daughter anyway... Mizoe, let''s not bother your boy,e with me.

    "Thank you for your concern, my lord. At once."

    When both men agreed and left the room, the duke reached out his hand - stopping the surprised knight - and tilted his head towards him in a conspicuous way.

    "That thing about your son being the attendant of my daughter..."

    Lord Epsine spoke up, looking at the pale-blue-haired knight with a serious yet warm expression.

    "My lord...?"

    Mizoe straightened his back in preparation for whatever the duke would say.

    "I like his character. Send him to the head-butler as soon as his wounds heal. All students of the Aspakeony Academy can only take one servant with them and I want him to be able to cater to my daughter''s every need when the timees."

    "M-my lord...!

    Mizoe gasped in awe and hurriedly kneeled on one knee.

    "Treasure that boy, Mizoe, people with conviction like his are far and few between."

    The red-haired duke nodded benevolently and began walking, leaving the knight behind.

    "Thank you, master!"

    Mizoe called out after him and did not stand up until he heard the sound of the duke''s footsteps fade.

    ---

    Three weeks have passed and Zoemi''s wounds are healedpletely.

    Well, almost.

    With theck of healing magic in the world, even the light wounds could leave a scar ¨C and it was a certainty for the severe ones...

    The mes left almost no scars except for a change in pigmentation on the ck-haired boy''s body ¨C the ces where the me scalded his flesh through his clothes before he could take them off were now darkish pink spots all over his torso and legs.

    Unfortunately ¨C those weren''t the spots with the most serious damage...

    By far the worst wound, the one on his face, was a bit a different thing altogether.

    Someone with an extremely optimistic outlook on the world could say that nearly one-third of the boy''s face had healed but it looked way worse than the other two-thirds...

    Zoemi''s right side of the face ¨C right below his eye - has melted into a peculiar spiral pattern that was bumpy and uneven to touch and the ear that got hit wasn''t any better.

    It became a lot smaller than originally and was now a bit pointy.

    If a mythical fairy or elf got its ear horribly scalded it would look just like the ck-haired boy''s right ear.

    Zoemi was never a vain person who cared about his looks over anything else, but each time he was forced to face the mirror after the bandages were taken off, he would touch his face andpare the smooth left side to the rough right side and sigh clenching his fists.

    |Will I be hated now? What noble would want a hideous servant like me around them...? Will father cast me aside....? Will Miriette be too disgusted to look at me...?|

    The scarred boy would think to himself and dread the interaction with others.

    But soon enough, he learned how wrong that dark thought was!

    If anything - everyone in the duke''s household started treating him far better than ever before!

    Evendy Miriette would often visit him and she seemed to not mind his scar at all!

    He certainly didn''t have to fear being cast aside either, as the healthier he got, the more responsibilities were entrusted to him.

    One day after finishing helping out with theundry, Zoemi was told that he''ll be the attendant of the littledy Miriette and would go with her to the Aspakeony Academy.

    Things couldn''t have been better!

    Zoemi was worried about how would he be able to interfere with the scripted events taking ce in the Academy where the vast majority of the story was taking ce and where the events that would lead Miriette to her tragic end would happen.

    Normally he wouldn''t be able to attend that school, even though he got adopted into a noble family because he couldn''t use magic.

    A qualified person was even called to check on Zoemi''s magical potential and found out that the boy''s mana reserves are below even themoners!

    There was no reason to check for the affinity with the six attributes, someone with such low mana would simply never awaken.... though the person checkingmented that maybe it was for the better since the jet-ck hair and dark eyes that sometimes seemed dead and didn''t properly reflect light did not leave much to the imagination in terms of which attribute would it be.

    But!

    As an attendant, the ck-haired boy could get inside the Academy and watch over Miriette and Horeo rtionship without causing anymotion!

    Therefore, the ck-haired boy would continue the sword practice with his father in the morning, eat breakfast, then Miriette often dragged him with her to eat it with her parents, after which he would go to the main butler and learn how to do all the household chores like cleaning, cooking, doing the dishes, washing clothes - even the duke''s family undergarments - learning how to assist in dressing up for a special asion, and many more ¨C all the way until dinner.

    Then all the way up until supper he would be allowed to y with Miriette in the gardens, and then, before sleep - he would be learning the basic knowledge so he wouldn''t bring shame to Miriette with his manners when they would leave to the Academy at the age of fifteen.

    ---

    One day, worried Zoemi realized that the prince hasn''t been visiting Miriette all that much... It''s been some time already since hisst visit...

    That made the ck-haired boy anxious...

    Could it be that the prince had stopped liking his fianc¨¦ for some reason...?!

    Although that might have been an option ¨C as much as Zoemi dreaded it ¨C there was another possibility ¨C thankfully.

    The thing was, young Miriette fell ill a week before and was in no condition to have any guest ¨C even Zoemi was told to keep away from her.

    The ck-haired boy was worried about her even more than about theck of interest from the prince but he couldn''t do anything about it.

    The duke had already called the best medics and the littledy herself forbade Zoemi from entering her room.

    Hence - the same was most likely said to the young first prince.

 Chapter 22 - 6 - Awakening And Awakening (part 3)

    Zoemi was walking back to his room after early supper he ate in the barracks.

    He was using the time that would usually be taken by the Miriette to train under the watchful eye of his father and other knights working for the duke.

    "...?"

    And just when he was passing by the main gate, a royal courier''s carriage entered through it and stopped under the staircase leading into the castle.

    "..hup...!"

    The courier dropped the reins and jumped from his seat, letting out a small sound whilending.

    "...almost, almost... Ah, there you are!"

    Then he opened the carriage and pulled out the biggest bouquet of flowers that Zoemi has seen in his life!

    "Now then... Oh...?"

    The courier looked a bit distressed but then he spotted the boy.

    "Ah! Young man, can I ask you for a helpful hand?"

    He smiled and beckoned the ck-haired boy towards him.

    "..."

    Zoemi obediently came closer without saying a word ofint...

    "Oh, dear heavens...!

    ...but when the courier saw the child''s face, his expression twisted as if he saw something unpleasant.

    "Um... well, never mind that."

    As it was expected of anyone taking their job seriously, the courier soon regained hisposure and smiled returned to his face.

    "Could you hold this up for me for a moment?"

    He asked, handing the ck-haired boy the enormous bouquet before dived into the carriage once more.

    Once he got out again, he was carrying a giant basket full of sweets together with two letters.

    "Do you know where the duke might currently be, by any chance? I am to deliver those to him."

    "Yes, sir."

    The courier asked Zoemi and the boy nodded to him from behind the flowers.

    "I''ll lead you to him right away!"

    The ck-haired boy eximed, barely able to contain his happiness from showing in his voice - he could already guess from and for who all those presents were.

    "...whew..."

    He allowed himself a sigh of relief ¨C after all his nervousness and worries - everything was still going fine between the blond-prince and the ck-haired girl.

    With that, the ck-haired boy lead the courier right into the castle and took him to the dining room as the duke and his wife should be still enjoying the supper ¨C where he knocked on the door and called out, asking for permission to enter.

    "The door''s unlocked, boy, there''s no need to be shy."

    The voice of the duke was calm as always, maybe only a little bit more curious than usual.

    "My lord ¨C there''s a courier with flowers!"

    Zoemi opened the door and eximed while sticking the bouquet through the door.

    "My lord, it''s a pleasure to find you in good health. The first prince Horeo Merets Bellcephora sends gifts to his fiance."

    The courier used the chance and slid inside, cautiously sliding past the scarred boy.

    Just as Zoemi thought - all those flowers and sweets were indeed meant for the Miriette and gifted by none other than the first prince!

    "I also have letters."

    Courier bowed deeply before the duke and duchess Espince, Zoemi stayed behind the door and continue to peak at them using the bouquet to mask his presence ¨C which was a really cute, butpletely inefficient way of hiding.

    "One is for your esteemed daughter, the fianc¨¦ of the first prince,dy Miritte Lisea Espine."

    The courier spoke with courtesy while handing the letter to the duchess since her daughter was known to be feeling unwell.

    "And the other is for..."

    Courier nced at the envelope.

    "Zoemi Auequas. "

    He read out, furrowing his brow at the name he did not recognize despite all the studying about the noble families and their members he had to do in order to not make a blunder while doing his work.

    "Th-that would me, sir..."

    Zoemi shyly raised his hand and leaned out from behind the door.

    "Boy, there''s no need to act shy. Take your letter."

    Even though the duke Espine grumbled at the ck-haired boy, his expression didn''t suggest that he was angry.

    "At once!"

    Nheless, Zoemi hurried to the courier and took his letter.

    "Thank you, sir."

    The boy nodded and the courier nodded back.

    |Such a well-mannered child, such a shame that his face is like this...|

    The courier thought to himself and turned back towards the duke and duchess.

    "Is there something else...?"

    Duke Espine raised his brow seeing that even afterpleting the delivery, the courier doesn''t even try to walk away/

    "I''m terribly sorry but I have been instructed to wait for the answer, my lord."

    The man bowed deeply and apologized.

    "I see. Renear."

    with duke nodding, duchess called for and instructed one of the maids to give the letter to her daughter together with some ink and paper all while Zoemi broke the wax seal and started reading the content of the letter.

    [Dear Zoemi,

    Recently I have been very busy with studying and all that prince-rted things that are too boring to write about, and could not visit both Miriette and you. My father learned that Miriette fell sick and he forbade me from going to the Espines castle now when I finally have some free time. As it would be unreasonable to ask Miriette toe when she is unwell, I would be happy if at least you coulde to see me.

    There is also one thing, that I would prefer not to write about, that I would like to discuss with you.

    If it''s not a problem, pleasee to my castle together with the courier once he will receive the reply to the letter I have sent to Miriette.

    Your friend,

    Horeo Marets Bellcephora]

    |I guess the prince is feeling lonely, being the next in line to the throne sure must be stressful.|

    Zoemi thought to himself before speaking about the content of the letter to the duke and then excusing himself to run off to see his father.

    After asking Mizoe for permission, it was decided that the boy will indeed go to see the prince, but since it was alreadyte the journey was postponed until the early morning of the next day.

 Chapter 23 - 6 - Awakening And Awakening (part 4)

    The next day the travel passed quickly, the courier was a nice person and would often talk to Zoemi about various topics.

    It was alreadyte in the morning, almost noon basically, when they arrived at the royal pce.

    They were weed by a stiff-looking maid and after getting the letter from the courier she led Zoemi to the first prince''s chambers.

    Horeo was awaiting him with a big smile but raised his brows when he saw Zoemi''s face.

    At the break of dawn, long before boarding the carriage on the way to the royal castle, Zoemi asked his father to bandage his face so the prince wouldn''t be exposed to the unsightly sight of his nasty burns.

    Zoemi was afraid that after seeing how he looked, Horeo would feel disgusted by him and he wouldn''t want to visit Miriette anymore on ount of the scarred ck-haired boy being there.

    "My prince!"

    "...again, seriously...?"

    Zoemi kneeled in front of the blond boy and the first prince seeing that rolled his eyes and let out a groan.

    "And you''re still on about this, when will you give it up, Zoemi? I swear you don''t have to act like we''re strangers!"

    Horeoughed and helped Zoemi stand up.

    "...?"

    "My prince?"

    On the ount of offering his hand to the ck-haired boy, Horeo met with Zoemi''s bandaged face and furrowed his brows in concern.

    "What happened to your face? It looks like it''s something painful. Did you got hurt during training...?"

    "...huh...? My prince, you don''t kno... never mind!"

    Now Zoemi raised his brow - it seemed that Horeo wasn''t informed of what had urred at the Espinces castle during Victureos visit ¨C and if that was the case it must have been a decision of the king, therefore the ck-haired boy made a decision that it would be better not talk about it, so he abruptly stopped cut off his own answer.

    "It''s nothing, honestly ¨C it''s just as you suspect, my prince - I tripped and fell in an unfortunate way during training. But most importantly, my prince, what''s the thing that you wanted to discuss with me?"

    He decided it would be best tough it off and smoothly change the subject so that the prince would get distracted and not pursue the matter.

    "...! Ah! Right, that thing..."

    Horeo blushed and looked to the side.

    "...you see..."

    He scratched his head and started fidgeting, trying to find a proper way to start the subject of interest.

    "The thing is, I''m almost seven and I still haven''t awakened... Every other noble child my age is already wielding magic, even my younger brother! But for some reason, I just can''t! And since you are in the same situation I wanted to ask what do you think about it."

    "Huh? Only that?"

    The ck-haired boy blinked a few times and gasped once the answer sank in - it was only a tiny detail like that!

    It was something mentioned in the game and Zoemi did have memories regarding that matter - the prince was ate bloomer, at least in terms of magic, and was worried even though there was no reason to do that.

    "My prince, you can rx, I assure you."

    Zoemi smiled and shook his head.

    "There is no reason for you to worry."

    He dered, nodding solemnly to the blind first prince.

    "You have royal blood flowing through you! Just wait a bit longer, I promise you everything will be fine!"

    "...how can you be so sure..."

    The prince didn''t look convinced and made aplicated expression.

    "Well, alright, but still what about you? Aren''t you concerned about yourself?"

    Horeo changed his approach and asked looking just as worried as when he was talking about himself.

    "My mana has been measured and it turns out I have less of it than amoner."

    |Probably because I am amoner and a reincarnated person from a world that had no magic.|

    He wanted to add but stopped himself in time and only thought about it.

    "Ah! I''m sorry I didn''t know!"

    The first prince gasp, bing agitated while worrying about offending Zoemi.

    It felt weird for the ck-haired boy to see someone else having a freak-out over a mistake ¨C usually, it was his deal after all...

    "My prince, please, don''t you think that is for the better? Just have a look at my eyes and hair."

    He lifted a strand of his ck hair with his fingers to demonstrate their void-like shade of darkness.

    "What attribute would I have except darkness?"

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and smiled awhile looking back at the gold-haired boy.

    "But even if it was the darkness attribute a magic is still magic o matter what ¨C if you had it you would be able to go to the Academy with Miriette and I..."

    "!!!"

    The prince sulked and Zoemi felt his heart getting warmer.

    "Don''t worry about it, my prince!"

    Zoemiughed and grabbed both of Horeo''s hands.

    "It was decided that I''ll bedy Miriette''s attendant! That means I''ll be apanying her in school!"

    He dered all proud and excited, sharing his happiness with the first prince.

    "Ah! Ah..."

    Horeo''s face brightened but then darkened almost instantly.

    "It''s not the same..."

    Prince started sulking again and looked down.

    "...!"

    "...?"

    And then he flinched ¨C making Zoemi tilt his head in confusion.

    "Zoemi..."

    His voice suddenly became cold.

    "What are those spots on your hands...?"

    "Spots...? AH...!"

    Zoemi realized that his burn-marks are perfectly visible and tried to let go of the prince, but Horeo didn''t let him.

    "Is this connected with all those bandages and the reason why your hair is now so short? I don''t want to pry in something that isn''t my business, but haven''t you told me before that you liked your long hair because your father helps you wash and brush them?"

    The first prince was smart, even though Zoemi wanted toe up with some fake exnation on the spot, he was wlessly connecting the dots.

    Finally, Horeo''s eyes locked onto the bandage covering the right side of Zoemi''s face and the blond boy clenched his hands a bit stronger.

    "It''s not something that happened during training, is it?"

    "..."

    Now it was Zoemi''s turn to look down. He closed his lisp so tight that they became a thin line and wouldn''t even budge.

    "Zoemi, we''re friends, right? You can tell me, can you not?"

    "..I.. it... it''s... nothing..."

    Zoemi could feel his eyes sting and he looked at the first prince while blinking repeatedly.

    "I can clearly see that it was something. What happened to you...?"

    The blond prince asked, genuinely worried.

    "Well, it was...."

 Chapter 24 - 6 - Awakening And Awakening (part 5)

    Zoemi was treasuring Miriette above all else but at the same time, he cherished the friendship he and Horeo had. He did not want for the gold-haired boy to start treating him like the kids back in the slums were...

    So he told the prince everything that he remembered about that day.

    ---

    After Zoemi finished talking Horeo was shaking with fury and was clenching his fist so hard that his fingernails almost punctured the skin.

    "Take off those bandages, please."

    His voice was trembling from rage.

    "No, my prince, it''s nothing, really! No harm befelldy Miriette so everything ended up just fine...!"

    Zoemi was trying his best to calm Horeo but the golden-haired boy only raised his hand and Zoemi froze.

    "Zoemi, I''m asking you as your friend. Show me what that cumberworld has done to you."

    "...!"

    Horeo''s words made Zoemi flustered - if the ck-haired boy knew such a situation would ur he wouldn''t havee at all!

    Horeo was even using insults that Zoemi did not understand!

    If Zoemi knew that the first prince be furious, he would have literally broken his own leg just to have an excuse not toe!

    It was nice to think about the what-ifs but in his current situation there was no turning back ¨C Horeo has asked him to show his scars out of concern...

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy sighed with a heavy heart and slowly removed the bandages.

    "!!!!!!"

    The first prince''s eyes narrowed and he partially opened his mouth, staring at the burnt cheek and right ear of his friend...

    "Is this what would have happened to Miriette if she was hit...?"

    Horeo asked, clenching his trembling fists.

    "Most likely, my prince, but as I said! Don''t worry! I''m keeping our promise! Your fianc¨¦ is safe! See? Only I got hurt!"

    Zoemi tried his best, but instead of extinguishing the mes of anger, he added more fuel to them by ident.

    "...''only'' you...?"

    Horeo gritted his teeth so hard that they made an unpleasant sound and...

    ...something unlocked inside the golden-haired prince...

    "I WILL MAKE HIM PAY!"

    The first prince roared and a pir of blinding golden light erupted from his body, flooding the room with such powerful magic that the air quaked from the unbelievable amount of released mana, that made Zoemi fall on his butt and stare at him in shock.

    "My prince, we must evacu...! DEAR HEAVENS!"

    The knight guarding the door felt the terrifying disturbance and rushed through the door.

    "Wha...?! AHA!"

    Not knowing what was going on - he assumed that the prince was being harmed and the perpetrator was the boy on the floor in front of him.

    "You! What have you done to the first prince!?"

    The knight screamed and pulled out his sword at the back-haired child.

    ...which turned out to be the worst mistake of his life...

    "YOU DARE TO TRY AND HURT MY FRIEND RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!?"

    Horeo''s voice augmented with magic could be heard in the whole city surrounding the castle.

    "BEGONE!"

    The golden first prince pointed his hand towards the knight and a beam of blinding golden light shoot out of his open palm.

    ---

    It was the epitome of the light attribute, near-instantaneous attack of an overwhelming might!

    When the light collided with the knight, the poor man flew through the room and out the door so fast that it looked like he teleported and ended up embedded into the wall in a bothical, and utterly horrifying way.

    Of course, such a situation couldn''t just pass unnoticed.

    Within two minutes the royal magician himself together with the king and the King''s Guard gathered in front of the room, cautiously peeking through the door to the prince''s room.

    "Lazaram, what does this mean? What''s happening to my son!?"

    The king was furious but seeing what has happened to one of the knights who was currently being extracted from the wall with not a single bone unbroken in his body - he didn''t risk entering the chamber himself.

    "This is amazing, my king!

    Yet instead of panicking, the royal magician, Lazaram, was overjoyed.

    "Don''t you see, my king!? It''s the awakening! Prince Horeo awakened to the light attribute, and an unbelievably strong one at that!"

    The royal magician cheered out in excitement.

    "Are you serious!?"

    The king''s worried expression changed into a smile.

    "Of course, my king. I have told you that prince Horeo''s awakening could happen at any time, right? It may be the most violent awakening I have ever seen, but the first prince will soon return to his senses and be able to use magic, I assure you!"

    Lord Lazaram dered while poking his head through the door, observing everything that was happening in the room flooded by the golden light.

    "Then, just in case, maybe we should try to take that child from there?"

    The king spoke with worry, seeing the ck-haired child so near the powerful magic eruption his son was causing.

    "If I remember correctly it''s the boy that helped to save Miriette, Horeo became friends with him, if he hurt him by ident then it could..."

    "My king, that boy!"

    A thrilled royal magician grabbed the king''s shoulder and shook him, interrupting his words.

    "What? Did Horeo hurt him after all!?"

    The king gasped in worry.

    "No, look at the boy''s shadow! He is also going through awakening!"

    ---

    Zoemi could see only the golden brightness of Horeo''s magic.

    This light reminded him about the one he remembered from that dream.. that memory, but was a lot more gentle and far moreforting than the one he was surrounded by back then.

    It was almost...

    Soothing.

    But even so, Zoemi was carefully observing Horeo with anxiety - even though he couldn''t possibly do much if something bad would start happening the ck-haired boy was ready to at least run for help.

    Thankfully, after a few minutes, the golden-haired prince looked like he was beginning to calm down.

    Horeo was still emitting the pir of light and his body was glowing gold with the light magic enchantment, but the boy''s expression was bing gentler with each passing second.

    |Huh, who would have known, I ended up triggering the first prince''s awakening!|

    Zoemi thought to himself in awe - in the game it was never stated when and how the prince''s power first surfaced, only that he was ate bloomer.

    |Now that I think about it, my body feels kind of weird...|

    Once the fear about the prince''s wellbeing subsided as it seemed like everything will be fine, Zoemi furrowed his brows and touched his chest.

    One uneasy feeling got reced by another.

    |What is going on...?|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself and looked down...

    "What the...?!"

    He gasped out loud once he realized that as he is sitting down, his body had been casting the darkest shadow he had ever seen.

    Usually having a shadow would be normal, of course, but not the one as dark as his, not to mention that the prince''s magic-filled every square inch of the room with no exception, and every other shadow except for Zoemi''s had disappeared.

    Not only that...

    Zoemi''s shadow was so dark that it looked like there was an empty space underneath the ck-haired boy ¨C eerily simr to a void of some sort.

    "!!!!"

    And very shadow erged and spread until it grew a few timesrger than Zoemi himself!

    At the same time in the ck-haired boy''s body, something has changed...

    Zoemi''s insides started feeling weird... as if they were shifting and making space for a brand new organ that suddenly sprouted out of nowhere, and started pumping something other than blood through the ck-haired boy''s veins.

    "Uuugh...! Aaaaughhh...!

    The boy cried out in pain and clenched his torso,ying on the floor in pain while his shadow trembled and started growing even more - devouring the light emitted from the prince...!

    At the same time, the weird new organ started erging more and more and Zoemi felt like it was slowly crushing his other internal organs that had no more ce to go...!

    "N- noo...!"

    He groaned, sucking up the light-element-mana-filled air, wing at his torso in agony.

    "Too much! That''s too much! It''s cru-crushing meee...!"

    The pain was too much and the boy cried out clenching his teeth as his body arched on the floor.

    "...ah...!"

    Finally, when Zoemi thought that everything was over, his shadow disappeared and light once more enveloped the room.

    |Oh, thank god...!|

    The ck-haired boy didn''t faint through all that suffering, but he couldn''t move his body at all.

    "Zoemi...!"

    Seeing his friend in such a state Horeo finally regained his control over his body and forced his mana to stop leaking outside freely.

    "Zoemi, are you alright!?"

    The gold-haired prince kneeled by the ck-haired boy and grabbed his hand.

    "I''m not sure... I''m just so... Full..."

    Zoemi breathed out, having trouble speaking.

    "Y-you''re full? Of what?"

    The prince furrowed his brows and looked at his friend, sick with worry.

    "I-I don''t know, it just feels so weird..."

    ---

    "It''s should be safe to enter now, let''s go."

    Seeing that the situation resolved itself just like the royal magician waved his hand and the grownups entered the room and started helping the children.

    On that day the first prince Horeo awakened to the light attribute and Zoemi had his first encounter with the darkness attribute.

 Chapter 25 - 6.5 - A Word About Magic - Magic Tutor POV (part 1)

    My name is Vatlo Jora Erest and I''m a magic tutor working directly under king Rozulius Rezulius Bellcephora.

    As soon as his firstborn son awakened to magic I was ordered to teach him, which was - of course - a great honor!

    I don''t want to brag but even though my attribute is water my mana reservoir is even more vast than someone''s with the fire attribute!

    Well... truth be told my disposition makes my magic more useful in the field of research thanbat... But on the bright side, thanks to that I became a royal tutor while still in my twenties, which is an amazing achievement none of my peers can stand up to!

    Once the young Horeo grew up enough for the teaching to have any sense, it was decided that I will tutor him and his fianc¨¦ at least twice a week - sometimes it would be done in the royal castle and sometimes in the duke''s Espine manor.

    I''ve honestly struck gold!

    If I leave a good impression it wouldn''t be impossible to gain the favor of a future royal couple!

    It is honestly more than worth the trouble of traveling between the ces in these circumstances!

    And also, teaching someone with light attribute was already a huge deal, but the possibility of observing someone with wind attribute skipping three whole ranks and being as powerful as light attribute!?

    Unprecedented!

    Though, it wasn''t all gold and glitter...

    I wasn''t teaching only the children with a bright future in the world of magic...

    Together with the future royal couple came attached a ck-haired boy with part of his face disfigured.

    The bad experience from my childhood reared their ugly heads and made me, let''s say, full of prejudice towards that child.

    Because of his burns, it was hard to look at him if I''m honest, and the worst part was of course his darkness attribute!

    When I first heard about him I was stunned!

    He was supposedly already undergoing training to be the attendant of the youngdy Espine!

    Someone with a darkness attribute!

    Darkness was not only the weakest attribute of them all ¨C if that was the only problem with it, being a darkness magician wouldn''t carry the stigma that it did in the current world!

    Since almost everyone who wielded that kind of magic would stray from the righteous path, most nobles would straight up dere that their children are magicless if they awakened to darkness - to save them and themselves from shame attached to that foul magic!

    But the king''s order was the king''s order, and apparently, the first prince himself has dered that he won''t be learning anything - no spells nor manners - if it''s not together with the ck-haired boy... And there was that thing that the royal magician kept on nagging me about - something about that the prince''s awakening to light attribute caused an unprecedented forceful awakening of the ck-haired boy.

    |One of a kind or not, the darkness attribute wielded by the worst traitors in the history of the kingdom of Bellcephora... that just spells trouble...|

    I sighed inwardly when I entered the room when my three new students awaited.

    After a short introduction, I have begun to exin the basics to the children, though for some reason the name of the boy with the darkness attribute reminded me of something...

    But what could it be...? I had a feeling that it has something to do with the tragedy from three hundred years in the past ¨C it wasn''t the name of either of the perpetrators, but...

    Unfortunately, the answer had eluded me and I had a lesson to teach, so I focused on that instead.

    "As you may know, magic is divided into six attributes. Namely darkness, earth, wind, water, fire, and light. Thanks to the discovery of magic crystals and the development of ways of processing them, we were able to properly measure the average mana capacity that arge group of wielders of each attribute had and the ranks of mana capacity were formed. It is often called the divide of power and since most people refer to it in such a way I will be calling it like that too. I would like to point out that even if the ''strength'' of each attribute may be different each of them has things that it excels in or is at least better suited for than others."

    Learned from my childhood spent in thewless province that my father was supposed to govern taught me that I should expect bad behavior from the boy with the darkness attribute - but to my surprise, he was the one most focused on listening to my words and was meticulously taking notes of each word I spoke.

    |Well, it''s still too soon to judge, he has the darkness attribute after all...|

    I thought to myself even though the less reasonable part of my mind was telling me that such a studious boy can''t really be bad, and then and continued the lecture.

    "We will cover it in greater detailter but for now I''ll quickly summarize what are the strong and weak points of each attribute:

    Going from the strongest to the weakest.

    Most powerful is the light attribute.

    It is considered the purest form of magic, its specialty is long-ranged attacks but is also useful in closebat.

    It''s also capable of the area of effect attacks and ¨C at the highest level of master - teleportation, the level of body enchants used for augmenting the physical capabilities is: strong.

    Next, is the fire attribute.

    It is considered the most aggressive and offensively oriented attribute.

    It shines the most in ranged attacks because of the explosive nature of the vast majority of its spells and because of that it is not suited for closebat and it has almost no defensive capabilities.

    Still, it can provide a barrage of powerful attacksying waste to the enemies from a safe distance, physical augmentation enchants are: weak.

    Then we have the water attribute.

    It is much gentler than the previous two, although it''s possible for the water-based attacks to reach the middle range, they are much more effective at the short and medium distance.

    It is possible for a water magician to create a bubble that will defend them against their opponent''s magic ¨C but the durability of the bubble is directly linked to the magician''s mana reservoir.

    Water is best suited for magic defense and can provide some degree of detoxification which is the closest thing to the ancient healing magic.

    Physical augmentation enchants level is: average.

    Then there is the wind attribute.

    Dangerous only at the short distance but very weak at the long and medium distance and difficult to use in closebat.

    But it truly shines in utility spells - the ability to send long-distance messages is invaluable on any battlefield simr to their physical augmentation enchantments mostly focused around speed and in their niche are ranked as: very strong but inparison with light and earth ones they fall down to only strong.

    The fifth one in terms of power is the earth attribute.

    Good short-range attacks with moderate magic defense.

    They are treasured for their utility spells of terrain maniption which is an indispensable ability when preparing a major defense or offense.

    Useful in, or rather before, battle and construction alike.

    Their physical augmentation enchantments, except maybe for the speed one, are: very strong.

    As you can see, the stronger the magic the fewer weak points it has.

    By no means any of the magic is worse than the other, they all just fit in a different niche, but as you have heard, there is mostly only a good side to those attributes since the side-effectse mostly from the incorrect use and their only limit is how much mana you have. After you deplete your mana you will experience the state of mana depletion that is slightly different for every person, in the worst-case scenario you will lose your consciousness but you certainly won''t die just because you use too many spells."

    "...?"

    The children looked confused because of my choice of words, so I took a deep breath and exined what I meant.

 Chapter 26 - 6.5 - A Word About Magic - Magic Tutor POV (part 2)

    "And that is when the darkness attribute is sticking out from the rest.

    Magic is well fitted for spies, assassins, robbers, and other people of... questionable interests.

    Basic spells consist of entering the shadow and instantly traveling to the other ce that is connected by another spell called shadow connect - it''s simr to teleportation.

    Another one is muffle ¨C the name is self-exnatory ¨C it muffles the sound of objects and people touched by the caster.

    Andstly, there''s the darkness de - a spell that creates a short de of condensed darkness capable of piercing through both physical and magical defenses of all kinds.

    Physical augmentations enchantment: do not exist.

    Some of it may sound useful, and it is, to a certain degree.

    Aside from the darkness de, there are no other attacks in this school of magic.

    The first spell, which only sounds amazing, is extremely dangerous for the caster.

    Darkness attributes is a corrosive magic ¨C it is believed that darkness attribute mana itself is corrosive and gnaws at the body of the wielder ¨C but that was never confirmed and might just be a superstition used to keep the darkness magician from mastering their magic.

    But back to the traveling through the shadows - when the caster enters the shadow of their choosing, only his own mana is protecting his body from dissolving while being constantly drained.

    Simr to entering and traveling through the darkness, mana is also needed to exit from the shadow.

    It''s not like with teleportation at all.

    If a light magician doesn''t have enough mana for a teleportation spell to reach their desired destination - they will not teleport at all.

    But when a darkness magician miscalctes the amount of his mana and the distance they have to travel - they will be stuck in the shadow, unable to leave, and their only chance for survival would be if another darkness magician would dive into the exact same shadow and save them, in any other case, they will die slowly and painfully."

    I finished the exnation and pushed myself away from my desk which caused the wheels to creak and the sound had snapped the children back to reality.

    "Teacher! How is it possible that the darkness magician entering shadow might die? Isn''t it just shadow?"

    The blond prince raised his hand and immediately asked with a confused face.

    "There is a lot of things that we don''t know about magic ¨C it might be that the darkness magicians are merely using the shadows as a medium to travel to some other world vaguely connected with our own, and that''s why they can get trapped inside, but it''s all unconfirmed theories that had not been explored since three hundred years."

    I answered to the best of my ability ¨C I wasn''t lying, no one even touched the subject of darkness magic since the day of the heinous crime three centuries ago.

    "B-but it''s still magic, you can just be careful with it and everything will be fine! Why do people dislike it?"

    To my surprise, the young prince wasn''t finished with the matter and was the one to speak in defense of the darkness attribute.

    |Sigh...|

    It felt bad talking about it but it''s better they''ll learn this as soon as possible, I guess ¨C especially when ites to the studious boy with the burn scar...

    "You may or may not be aware that the darkness attribute magicians are often despised and ridiculed... But theughter hides fear, and the reason for contempt is rooted in our kingdom''s history."

    I spoke up and propelled myself away from the dest and towards my students.

    "Because you see, if the darkness magician wants to, they can store things in their shadow as long as they have enough mana to do so ¨C which more often than not they do not... Either way, if said things or people have been secured with the protectiveyer of darkness mana they willst for a while but when the barrier depletes, they will be dissolved by the surrounding darkness - without exception."

    I was beating around the bush too much ¨C I saw the frowns of confusion on their faces...

    Maybe I shouldn''t tell them after all...?

    |I''m their tutor now - they will have to learn it sooner orter anyway...|

    I took another deep breath and started exining.

    "Think about it for a moment. It is perfectly possible for the darkness magician to pull a living creature inside against their will - and only the darkness magician can pull them out. The shadows are sealed spaces with no way out for anyone except for the darkness magicians."

    Even after I made the decision of bringing up the tragedy of that dark day, it still took me a while to get to the point, but there I was...

    "Three hundred years ago, in times before mana crystals, when all magic was treated the same way - Bellcephora kingdom had a special military unit formed of only the transcended magicians wielding the darkness attribute.

    They were the pride of the king of that time, Kasorius Reterne Bellcephora, and caused both fear and respect from the other countries.

    The members of that unit were known as the Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    Thanks to them wars would end with only themanders of the enemies being taken hostage with no way to stop them.

    They were the country''s heroes!

    ...until one day they have betrayed everyone that trusted them and turned their spells against their ruler...

    King Kasorius was traveling with his family to the neighboring country for peace talks.

    In the middle of the travel, the king''s horse''s shadow turned deeper and the members of the Ghosts emerged around his family.

    King''s escorts seeing the king''s most trusted troops arrive, took up their arms as they were sure that if the special unit arrived then the king was in danger.

    So they surrounded the king and the Ghosts, their swords pointed outside the protective ring, and they waited.

    And listened.

    Then a scream could be heard, but not a warcry from some enemy lying in ambush, but from the center of their defensive position!

    When the king''s guards turned around, they saw almost the entire royal family pierced by multiple des of darkness ¨C the king and queen and even the first prince who was riding together with his father and the first princess raiding besides her mother all died on the spot from the ruthless and vicious attack.

    The only survivors of the initial attack were the second princess and the second prince, but even they were in grave danger - two of the Ghost caught the children and were escaping into the shadows together with them.

    Guards couldn''t react in time - they couldn''t believe that the country''s heroes wouldmit such atrocity and if not for the quick-witted squire who thanks to his wind magic''s wind de spell managed to cut off the arm of one of the Ghosts, the traitors would have all escaped after eradicating the royal familypletely.

    But thanks to the squire the second prince managed to escape from the one-armed Ghost.

    Thankfully he managed to survive... but he was the only survivor.

    All Ghosts escaped into shadows and disappeared taking the struggling second princess together with them.

    At first, it was thought that the traitors would use the young second princess as a hostage, but the truth turned out to be much more gruesome.

    Once the king''s guards returned to the kingdom with the surviving second prince, what awaited them was the mountain of corpses of every official that had said behind in the castle and the mutted remains of the kidnapped nine-year-old second princess corroded by the darkness and seated on the throne as some sort of grim warning or deration...

    The entire kingdom of Bellcephora has fallen into chaos.

    After the chaos, ruin and famine followed.

    It took over a hundred years to rebuild what was lost that during that single day."

    I sighed, massaging my forehead, and looked back at my young students.

    "So, my prince, I hope that this story answers your question why the darkness attribute is disliked by everyone."

    I added with a weak smile.

    "..."

    "..."

    The children looked terrified - especially the boy with the darkness attribute was looking at his hands in horror.

    |Well, better to learn now, he will need to grow a thick skin if he seriously is going to be the attendant of the future queen...|

    I thought to myself and moved back to the desk.

    "But back to the original subject."

    Even though the atmosphere was fit to end the lesson I continued the lesson.

 Chapter 27 - 6.5 - A Word About Magic - Magic Tutor POV (part 3)

    "Sometimes, very rarely humans can awaken to something called a variant attribute. A variant attribute is a kind of attribute that cannot be ssified as one of the basic six ¨C although very often is derived from it. For example, general Telorius Graxul Victureo possesses the lightning attribute, which is a hybrid of fire and light. But on the other hand, we have the royal magician, lord Lazaram, who doesn''t wield an attribute that we understand as an attribute at all - he can''t use normal magic but can manipte the pure mana itself! It also happens that lord''s Lazaram''s son wields a variant attribute allowing him to use spells belonging to all of the six main attributes."

    "...!"

    It looks like I''ve boosted the heavy mood a little...

    The story of the Ghosts might have been too heavy for the kids after all...

    "..."

    While I pondered, youngdy Miriette raised her hand and waited for me to notice her.

    "Yes,dy Espine?"

    I asked curiously.

    "Teacher, but my daddy can make a very strong armor out of his fire, so his closebat and close range spells are really powerful - and my mommy can even create a tornado very far away!"

    She asked in a confused voice.

    "Doesn''t that mean that what you''ve said is inurate...?"

    She added furrowing her brows.

    "That''s a brilliant point!"

    I eximed satisfied, ah, it was nice to teach perceptive students!

    "The things I described are urate for the average amount of mana that the users of particr attribute possess. But every human is different therefore everyone posses a different amount of mana. Some are so weak that they cannot even use the full potential of their attributes and simrly there are some who possess enough mana that they transcend their rank. And when thetter thing happens a hidden potential of that magician and their attribute unlocks. For example,dy Miriette, your father''s mana is as strong as someone with a light attribute. Thanks to that he can do much more than someone with the level of mana of an average fire magician. That means he has transcended one level and to make up for the most pressing weakness of the fire attribute he developed the magic that increases his defenses by many-fold. And also your mother - she transcended two levels and she reforged the spell to send messages into the ability to detect the presence of magic in her surroundings. And as you''ve already pointed at with the mention of her being able to create a tornado - her attack power got amplified allowing her to achieve far greater feats than any other wind magician before her!"

    After that exining all that, I finished the lesson.

    As soon as I did that, both the first prince anddy Miriette stood up from their desks and surrounded the darkness attribute boy.

    "..."

    I wanted to step in and stop the unpleasant situation that might ur, but honestly, I was just the magic tutor and nothing else... also, the whole stepping part was impossible for me anyway.

    Therefore, as it was none of my business I acted as I didn''t see anything and pushed myself to the exit.

    It''s not my problem if the darkness attribute child will get bullied by the two children that honestly will probably wield more power than I could ever imagine -both in a political sense and the magic power one.

    "Zoemi, you don''t have to worry about that! You''re not like those Ghost!"

    "...!"

    But I froze before closing the door when I''ve overheard the first prince''s words.

    "Yes! It''s just like my daddy has said! It doesn''t matter what attribute it is, everything depends on the person who uses it! Those Ghosts were scums and made a bad name for everyone else ¨C but that doesn''t have anything to do with you!"

    Evendy Miriette was encouraging him!

    That''s unthinkable! Even after learning about the story of the tragedy... How much do they like that ck-haired boy, and is he really worth that kind of affection...?

    "Bu-but...!"

    I''ve heard the darkness attribute boy''s voice for the first time after the introduction.

    "If people will see us spending time together, they will start speaking badly about you too!"

    He cried out.

    "!!!"

    I hide behind the door and leaned against the wall.

    |So he doesn''t want to make his friends look bad, huh?|

    I kept on listening to the childrens talk.

    "Who cares what people say! You are still my friend, right!?"

    Prince Horeo spoke in a serious voice.

    "Y-yes...! Of course, my prince!"

    The ck-haired boy straightened his back and hurriedly bowed his head down to the prince.

    "And you still want to be my attendant...?"

    Lady Miriette asked in a concerned voice ¨C and it looked like she almost give the poor ck-haired boy a heart attack.

    "O-of course, mydy!"

    He hurriedly dered as if even a mention about him not bing her servant would make his world crumble into ruin.

    "Then what''s the problem? Now, let''s go y!"

    "That''s right, there''s no reason for you to be moping around!"

    "Thank you, my prince, mydy."

    The children stormed out of the room passing by me without a word.

    The first prince anddy Miriette were holding hands of the darkness attribute boy and pulling him with them.

    "Funny kids..."

    I smirked to myself and pushed myself forward while bncing the books I brought with me just in case my students will have some difficult questions, but it was a rather annoying task ¨C still, nothing new...

    "Ack...!"

    But then a sudden ice-cold bolt of pain pierced through my useless legs and I jolted so hard that the books ell all over the hallway.

    "...at least the kids did not see that..."

    I muttered to myself while clenching my teeth and pushing the wheels of my wheelchair in order to get to all those damn books.

    My condition was rather... special...

    I was a water magician whose mana was stuck between the water attribute and the variant ice attribute.

    During my youth, I experimented too much with it and ended up damaging my spine, lost power in my legs, and chained myself to a wheelchair for the rest of my life.

    Honestly, for a researcher like me that wouldn''t even be so bad, if not for the asional spasm and piercing pain as if my lower body was stabbed with countless icicles...

    Then, as I was about to pick the final book back up...

    "Teacher Valto..."

    "...?"

    I heard a voice and small hands with burn marks all over them picked it up and offered it to me.

    It was the darkness attribute boy.

    He was looking at me with his odd, slightly disturbing eyes that sometimes didn''t reflect light...

    Did he have problems with his vision or did it has something to do with his attribute?

    "What it is, student Auequas? Weren''t you going to y together with the prince and youngdy Espine?"

    I asked forcing myself to remain calm.

    I honestly preferred hostility over pity, so I waited for the boy''s next move.

    "Teacher, I''m sorry to bother you but I didn''t manage to write down everything that you said... and if you have time will it be okay if I asked you some questions...? There are some things I didn''t quite get... If that''s not a problem...!"

    The boy asked timidly, raising his hands and hiding the scarred side of his face behind a notebook.

    "Ah, of course, there''s no problem. What do you want to know?"

    I smiled, pleasantly surprised.

    We talked for a bit, I helped him with the few parts that he had trouble with understanding ¨C he was living in the slums until he was seven and he thought he will not awaken to magic until just a few weeks ago, there were some things that were obvious for others but for him seemed odd.

    After I helped him out, he walked behind me and started pushing my wheelchair while we talked a little bit about magic and the use of spells ¨C he seemed to have a knack for figuring out the small details that others would miss.

    After that, he helped me all the way to the carriage that the royal family prepared for me and waved me goodbye before running off to the young Horeo and Miriette waiting for him n the pce garden.

    |Huh...? When was thest time I allowed anyone to push my wheelchair for me...?|

    I realized watching the back-haired boy disappear behind a hedge.

 Chapter 28 - 6.5 - A Word About Magic - Magic Tutor POV (part 4)

    Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years as the time went by as I was teaching the trio while bing honestly impressed with all three of my dear students.

    Prince Horeo was overwhelmingly powerful ¨C to such a degree that I had no doubt that he himself was a transcended magician, but as there was nothing above the light magic at the moment, his true strength would not be recognized for a while - and his aim and control over the power of his light beams were some of the best I have seen in my life. He stillcked the proper level of concentration to be using teleportation but if he managed to do that before the age of twenty he would be named the greatest prodigy in the history of the kingdom ¨C is what I would be saying if I did not see through his little deception...

    Honestly... As the subordinate of the royal family, I can''t wait for the day when he will ascend the throne...

    Though... I must say that he didn''t really put his heart into learning the physical augmentation enchantments, the young first prince would usually only talk about the beam attacks being the man''s romance ¨C which was a phrase that had always confused me, and would always cause fits ofughter from Zoemi each time Horeo said it.

    But while the prince was consciouslyying low and hiding his true potential,dy Miriette was far too prideful to follow his example...

    She mastered the spell for sending messages and every augmentation enchantment ¨C and with her overbearing amount of mana they were the strongest enchantments I ever heard about.

    I did try to convince her to try and develop a detection ability like her mother at some point, but she refused after dering that she was working very hard to develop her own original magic that would allow her to fly!

    And she did not mean a measly levitation spell that most of the wind magicians could use after a few years of training, where they get to hoover a few feet above the ground - she wanted to actually sore through the sky, free like a bird.

    This was such a grand dream even I was moved by it and secretly cheered for her when she was slouching and clenching her fist while trying her hardest to raise her body above the height that was the limit of the levitation spell.

    But for the time being, she looked like a struggling baby bird, and the waves of her mana were stirring up the air like a pair of desperately pping wings ¨C powerful, but still uncoordinated and ultimately useless... but as the side effect, she did create an interesting wind barrier spell that was quite proficient n deflecting both magic and physical attacks.

    Lastly, there was Zoemi.

    The smartest, most hardworking, and the cutest child I have ever met...

    ...but also the weakest one of my students, by far...

    He had to be very careful while practicing with his magic because of his limited mana that made his attribute that more dangerous than it already was.

    I was extremely shocked once he told me that he had less magical power than the averagemoner - but whoever did that measurement must have been very sloppy since when I measured everyone''s power to show them how the mana crystal device works andpared the results with the notes about the trio that I was given beforehand, I shook my head seeing the inconsistency with Zoemi''s data.

    It was obvious that there has been a mistake in the ck-haired boy''s measurements.

    |Sigh... What kind ofzy bum made such a mistake? Zoemi was obviously weaker than the average darkness magician but far above anymoner! I''ll have to report such negligence in documentation! Tsk... who am I kidding, this has been most likely done out of spite, to bring Zoemi down...!|

    But again ¨C the amount of mana he possessed was really holding him back.

    Zoemi could hide in his shadow only for a minute, and as far as I know, that was a rather terrible result.

    Normally it should have been at least half an hour if not more.

    Not to mention that the dreaded Ghosts were said to be able to stay hidden inside for literal hours depending on the difficulty of their mission.

    The ck-haired boy also never used the instantaneous travel part of that spell when I was around. He kept on iming that he doesn''t have enough mana for that, but I did some research on my own - and a lot of calcting based on said research ¨C and found out that my favorite student should be able to travel at least three hundred feet without worry.

    ...but that would be only a one-way journey as he wouldck mana for the ay back ¨C though, it wasn''t a distance that he should be worried about...

    Aside from that, he kepting up with interesting ideas of how prince Horeo anddy Miriette could use their amazing powers more efficiently.

    There was also a certain odd thing.

    Zoemi once told me that since his awakening, he kept having odd dreams.

    But still, with everything that happened to him up until this point, I would be more surprised if he didn''t had at least one or two nightmares.

    ---

    As I announced the end of another lesson, both the prince and thedy ran towards the ck-haired boy.

    ""Let''s go, Zoemi!""

    They shouted and grabbed his hands at the same time.

    "Miriette, there''s only a year until we go to the Aspakeony Academy and Zoemi still has to practice defending against long-ranged attacks!"

    The first prince pulled Zoemi towards himself.

    "No! Zoemi and I are going shopping, he''s my attendant, so he needs to carry my bags!"

    Lady Miriette didn''t even consider letting Zoemi go and pulled him towards herself.

    "Exactly, he is your attendant, you are together with him every day! Just give him some free time already! We need to practice! Defense is super important!"

    The young prince dered with a serious expression.

    "As if you want to practice! You just want to give him that fancy shield you bought for him and show off!"

    "Miriette! How could you! That was supposed to be a surprise!"

    Miriette shouted angrily and Horeo gasped in shock.

    "Serves you right! Blee!"

    Miriette stuck out her tongue at him in response.

    "My prince, mydy...! We can do both of those things, all three of us. We''ll just go shopping and after we''ll return we will practice the defense all toge..."

    ""That''s not the same!""

    Zoemi tried to defuse the situation but got shouted at by both of his friends instead, ad lowered his head apologetically.

    "Don''t listen to her, she''s talking nonsense! And besides! Don''t let her fool you, Zoemi! She says that she wants to go shopping but then she will- oh so identally - enter the smithy and will -pletely by ident - pick up a sword that she had secretly had order-made for you!"

    The golden-haired prince scoffed and revealed, ring at the ck-haired girl.

    "You...! You''re awful! You''ve ruined everything! Zoemi, juste with me!"

    Lady Miriette got red from anger and pulled on Zoemi''s hand with all her strength.

    "Meaner! Stupid-face!"

    She shouted at her fiance while doing her best to free her attendant from his clutches without using andy strengthening enchantments to not harm the ck-haired boy.

    "Oh! Because it was okay when you have done the same thing, huh!?"

    Prince''s face also became red, he was every inch just as stubborn as the girl, and instead of letting go of Zoemi, he put his back into pulling him away from his fiance ¨C also not using any enchants so that no harm would be brought upon the ck-haired boy looking between the two unsure about how he should act.

    |Oh, that''s right! It''s Zoemi''s birthday!|

    I nodded and kept organizing my notes while the bickering continued.

    It''s been over six years since I started teaching those kids. Soon our lessons will finish. I believe that all three of them will be the top students at the Aspakeony academy, haha...

    The academy...

    It''s so nostalgic...

    Or I''m just getting old...

    |Still, will Zoemi be alright around those two? Their rivalry over him gets worse with each passing year!|

    I took another look at the fierce battle over Zoemi''spanionship and chuckled.

    |It actually looks like Zoemi is the girl and the other two are the desperate suitors!|

 Chapter 29 - 7 - Part 1 - Night Of The Preparation

    The night has already embraced the world with its starless darkness.

    In the room lit with candles, Zoemi was preparing all the necessary things that his master,dy Miriette, will need in the Academy, and only after he checked every single thing at least three times over did he start packing up all of his own things.

    At first, he was going to enter the Academy asdy Miriette''s attendant and nothing else, but when he awakened to magic - even though it was the dreaded darkness attribute - it was decided that he will attend it as a student.

    Although both the first prince Horeo and their magic tutor, sir Vatlo Jora Erest, had denied having anything to do with that, Zoemi actually suspected that at least one of them had something to do with his admission and eptance into the prestigious institution where the kingdom''s elites gathered...

    Despite his initial shock and fear over the possibility of bringing shame to his master, the prospect of bing a student wasn''t bad at all!

    Zoemi was even relieved to a certain extent, because as Miriette and Horeo''s ssmate he would have far more chances to interfere with the future scripted events, and with far greater efficiency at that ¨C after all, a mere attendant is not allowed to apany their master at all time during sses and certain after school activities ¨C which was a problem that gets instantly resolved with how the things were going.

    But on the other hand, the ck-haired boy was terribly bothered by the slim chance that he will bring shame to his master.

    Not in terms of intelligence, manners, or practice, mind you ¨C the ck-haired boy could hold his own in terms of knowledge and physical prowess, sure, but his magic was weak ¨C not to mention that it was the dreaded darkness attribute that most of the magicians abhorred more than anything ¨C and...

    ...then was the case of his appearance...

    "..."

    With a heavy heart, Zoemi caressed the specially prepared iron mask that would hide the disfigured part of his face.

    He picked it up and put it on.

    "Tsk...!"

    He clicked his tongue as the cold metal felt alien and ufortable once it came in contact with the sensitive skin of the burn scar.

    "...haaaa..."

    Zoemi looked at his reflection in the mirror and sighed.

    The mask wasn''t pretty for sure, but it was still a step up from his usual look ¨C for whatever reason, it made him look like a rejected viin character ¨C which was quite fitting when considering who Miriette was in the game ¨C but unfortunately, that did not boost his spirit when he looked at the healthy part of his face and saw how he could look like...

    "I don''t like it."

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy flinched when he heard a voice behind his back and as he turned around he saw his master standing at his doorstep in her nightgown, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe of his room and ring at him with a strict expression.

    "Mydy?"

    Zoemi gasped and got down on one knee before calling out to her in a surprised tone.

    "That mask. I don''t like it."

    Miriette repeated in a stern voice.

    "Umm..."

    Zoemi tried to reason with her.

    "But mydy, without it people will see my ugly face? Please, consider what would happen if they will think less of you because you allow such a repulsive man to be your attendant? I cannot allow such a thing to happen! I''d rather die than bring you any trouble!"

    He dered not daring to raise his head and look at the ck-haired girl.

    "...Zoemi..."

    Miriette put her arms down and her re softened as she whispered her attendant''s name.

    "Still, can you at least take it off for now, please?"

    "At once, mydy."

    She asked and Zoemi fulfilled her wish without hesitation.

    He took off the mask, though he kept it in his hand as if dering that he will put it back onter.

    "..."

    Miriette moved - she slowly walked towards the kneeling Zoemi and reached her hand towards him.

    "..."

    The young man didn''t budge and Miriette''s hand touched the misshapen part of his face.

    She traced every unnatural bump and crevice of the burn-mark with her fingers, observing her motionless attendant.

    "Zoemi..."

    The girl whispered, barely able to hide her real emotions.

    "Are you... Are you ashamed of the wound you''ve suffered while protecting me...? Do you regret jumping in the way of that fireball?"

    She asked, looking down as her shoulders trembled from guilt.

    "What...!?"

    Zoemi flinched and raised his head to look into his master''s eyes.

    "Mydy, there''s no way for that to be true!"

    He dered while tears gathered in the corners of his eye.

    "Protecting you is my life''s purpose, your happiness is my deepest wish! There''s no such thing as a shameful wound if me suffering it has spared you from harm!"

    He dered feverishly and trembled from the burning need to exin himself to the girl so that she would not me herself.

    "...Zoemi..."

    Miriette smiled weakly and wiped his tears with her thumb.

    "Then... if you''re proud of protecting me you don''t have to hide your scars, do you?"

    She asked with a soft smile.

    "But the people will talk behind your...!"

    "Shh...!"

    The ck-haired boy tried to argue with her, but Miriette silenced him by pressing the same thumb that she used to wipe his tears to his lips without removing her hand from the disfigured part of his face.

    "So what if the people talk? If they are foolish enough to not see past the superficial looks and see your true worth, that will only show how blind they are! Why would I even have to care for such people!?"

    "...! Mydy...!"

    Zoemi felt theforting warmth spreading through his chest that Miriette''s words brought.

    His master was a truly outstanding person and he would do everything in his power to protect her happiness.

    To show her his resolve, Zoemi threw the mask in a corner of the room.

    When the clunking of metal stopped Miriette''s smile widened and Zoemi had to look down or his heart wouldn''t take it.

    "Well then, now that it''s settled, goodnight Zoemi."

    The girl spoke and let go of the boy''s face with hesitation as if she did not want to stop touching him.

    "Goodnight, mydy."

    The ck-haired boy bowed down even deeper than before and spoke in a grateful tone.

    And so Miriette returned to her room and Zoemi continued the preparation.

    But after entering her room andying down in her bed Miriette didn''t immediately go to sleep... Instead, she was greatly focused on the hand she was touching Zoemi''s scar with.

    Slowly...

    ...very slowly...

    ...she put up that hand to her cheek and longingly nuzzled her face against it.

    "...my Zoemi..."

    She curled up into a ball and whispered into her pillow.

 Chapter 30 - 7 - Part 2 - On The Way To The Academy (part 1)

    The gold-encrusted carriage entered the duke Espine''s estate and stopped before the stairs to the castle.

    The coachman jumped down from his seat and opened the door for the passenger - and from the inside came a youth with flowy golden hair wearing an elegant white uniform with ck lining, on his chest right above his heart shone a silver badge in the shape of a closed flower bud - a mark of a first-year student of the Aspakeony Academy.

    The youngster straightened his back, stretching after the long journey ¨C and in preparation for its continuation - next to the carriage and crossed his arms.

    At first, he appeared calm, but not even a minute had passed and the fingers of his right hand has already started tapping nervously against his forearm.

    Five minutester, the door to the castle opened and two youths showed themselves.

    A beautiful proud girl with short almostpletely ck hair with a green luster, and a boy with a burn scar on his right cheek, with longish jet-ck hair.

    Both of them were wearing the uniforms that matched the one that the golden-haired boy had, and both of them had the same silver flower bud badges too.

    "Zo... Ekhm!"

    The first prince Horeo opened his mouth but quickly closed it and cleared his throat.

    "So good to see you, Miriette, my love, you look stunning."

    He smiled at his fianc¨¦ and she nodded back with an almost straight face.

    Almost.

    The left corner of her mouth was slightly upturned betraying her true feelings as she did not miss who the golden-haired prince was going to call for first and who did he wanted to see more.

    She grabbed the sides of her skirt and curtsy while slightly lifting them up.

    "Prince Horeo, it''s good to see you too. This look suits you very much."

    She spoke up with courtesy.

    "I hope you have not waited for long, the farewells with my parents took a bit longer than expected."

    Miriette apologized though not very honestly...

    ...the truth was known that the golden-haired prince was waiting for wor them so she called out for Zoemi to help her out with her uniform to spent more time with him...

    "Not at all."

    Horeo shook his head lightly, knowing full well that Miriette''s actions weren''t idental.

    The exchange of pleasantries continued for a little bit as the three of them were not alone and the eyes of the coachman and the servants of the Epsince''s household were keenly observing them fishing for any material for gossips.

    "It''s also good to see you in good health, Zoemi."

    After the appropriate amount of small talk with his fianc¨¦ has been over with, Horeo turned to the ck-haired boy - or rather already a young man - who was bowing down with his right hand pressed to his chest.

    "It''s an honor to see you again, my prince."

    The ck-haired attendant greeted the golden-haired prince in perfect mannerism.

    All of their voices changed from when they were children.

    Horeo''s voice became manlier and was brimming with authority and confidence.

    Miriette sounded proud and confident, but she would often unintentionally add a slightly lower, more yful tone to her voice, making her sound mysterious and seductive.

    And Zoemi''s voice became deep and melodic... it had a pleasant ring to it that made others want to listen to him... as long as they did not notice his face and turned away in shock.

    When the three of them entered the carriage after the exchange of pleasantries, the coachman climbed back up on his seat and shook the reins at the horses who obediently began moving.

    ---

    Horeo and Miriette were casually talking sitting next to each other but the nervous Zoemi on the seat opposite to them wouldn''t join in on their conversation no matter what subject they have tried to speak about.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy was clenching his hands together and was nervously ncing through the window the whole time as if dreading something.

    "Maybe he''s worried about your luggage? He may be anxious since every other attendant went to the academy two days earlier and unpacked everything..."

    The golden-haired prince leaned in and whispered to his fiance.

    "But it was your idea to leave it all to your attendant!"

    Miriette furrowed her brows and scowled at him.

    "Hey! Don''t give me that now! You have also wanted to travel together!"

    Horeo frowned and red back at her without an ounce of the gantry he showed off before they boarded the carriage.

    The engaged couple continued whispering to each other trying to figure out the cause of Zoemi''s peculiar behavior.

    They have no idea that Zoemi had stomach cramps from worrying over the first scripted event of the game...

    The heroine would be traveling to the Academy on foot with a ridiculously big backpack.

    She would encounter an olddy who hurt her leg, and while she would stop to heal her with her magic, the backpack would rupture and all her things would erupt and sprawl on the road blocking the way right before the first prince''s carriage.

    The coachman would try to chase the heroine away but would be stopped by the intrigued prince, who after learning that the girl has extremely rare variant magic would invite the girl into his carriage to travel the rest of the way together...

    Zoemi for whom Kampf um die Liebe was his first otome game, didn''t know but it was a rather clich¨¦ opening event.

    In-game it was just an introduction of the main capture target so it wasn''t that important ¨C really - most people ying the game who just wanted to go to the meat and bone of the story, would just furiously click ''next'' when the not-important dialogue would show up on the screen.

    But in Zoemi''s mind that unimportant opening event had already posed a threat.

    After all, in the game, the first prince Horeo had been traveling in his carriage alone.

    How will the situation y out now that both Miriette and he, Zoemi, were in the carriage with Horeo?

    What will be the reaction of the golden-haired prince seeing the heroine?

    And if the story will y ut just like the event in the game...

    Will Miriette get angry that her fianc¨¦ picks up random girls from the street and invites them to his carriage?

    How he, Zoemi, should behave when the time wille!?

    The ck-haired boy''s heart was pounding and he couldn''t calm down at all.

    |No, not yet, it is supposed to happen after dinner so there''s still time...|

    "Hey, Zoemi, Miriette."

    The ck-haired boy was thinking to himself when suddenly Horeo reached under the seat and pulled out a basket full of food.

    "It''s about time for dinner, don''t you think? We won''t arrive at the Academy until the evening so I had our servants back in the castle prepare something we could enjoy while traveling."

    He dered, putting the basket between him and Miriette.

    "Oh! That''s a great idea! Don''t you agree, Zoemi?"

    The dark-haired girl brightened up and smiled at her attendant.

    "Eh? What!? It''s already thatte!?"

    Zoemi panicked and grabbed his stomach.

    |It''s almost time!|

    He bit his lips and clenched his fists in anticipation.

 Chapter 31 - 7 - Part 2 - On The Way To The Academy (part 2)

    "Zoemi, what''s wrong? If you''re feeling unwell just tell us, we can take a short rest if you need to!"

    "No, it''s nothing, my prince, let''s eat!"

    The worried Horeo patted Zoemi reassuringly on the shoulder but the ck-haired boy only shook his head and smiled at him ¨C through the smile did not reach his worried dark eyes.

    "I''m starving, what do we have?"

    ""...""

    He tried to act energetic but his forced smile looked a lot more like a grimace of pain - Horeo and Miriette looked at each other very concerned but didn''t want to pressure the attendant so they didn''t say anything about it, and the prince showed off the prepared food.

    In the basket, there were sandwiches, muffins, as well as bottles of fruit juice ¨C all looking incredibly appetizing - but Zoemi couldn''t force even one bite down his throat clenched with worry.

    The atmosphere in the carriage became rather stiff and Horeo and Miriette only asionally nced at each other and then turn back towards the pitiful-looking Zoemi.

    The food that was supposed to be great, tasted like cardboard.

    "...!"

    Suddenly that carriage stopped and Zoemi face became deathly pale.

    |It''s time!|

    The ck-haired boy put down the sandwich that he only took one bite from and began staring at his knees in preparation for the worst.

    "Huh? What''s going on? Why did we stop?"

    "There''s something going on in the front."

    Miriette and Horeo were looking through the window, their bodies were touching when they were trying to see what was happening.

    In any other scenario Zoemi would be throwing his arms up in victory but as things were now, seeds of doubt sprouted in his heart.

    |What if I won''t be able to help them? How long will Miriette and Horeo stay close like this? Am I really strong enough to change the scripted endings and protect Miriette...?|

    Then he clenched his fist and an angry grimace twisted his face.

    |Of course, I will! Miriette will be happy, there is no other option! Heroine or whatever, juste and try to mess with my master!|

    His doubt changed into a conviction and he calmed down at least a little bit.

    He took a deep breath and his expression became solemn.

    "That''s my younger brother''s carriage! What''s going on? Why did he stop in the middle of the road?"

    "!!!!!"

    But then the shocked voice of the confused Horeo made Zoemi jump and the ck-haired boy joined the two by the window.

    "Prince Surou? But didn''t he leave earlier than us?"

    Miriette asked stealthily inching closer to her attendant until their shoulders touched.

    "He was supposed to... maybe something happened? Hey, Zoemi, do you think we should check if he needs help?"

    The gold-haired prince responded while ring at the girl who stole the first move, but he wasn''t going to just let her win so he grabbed onto Zoemi''s shoulder ¨C moving him only enough for Miriette to lose contact with her attendant, and asked.

    "Huh? What?"

    Zoemi''s expression crumbled from the unexpected information and he also stuck to the window and had to do a double-take on the situation...

    Indeed, another royal carriage was blocking the road and some people were moving around it.

    "...!"

    Zoemi spotted the blue-haired second prince, Surou, then some olddy, and...

    Long-haired blond girl!

    |It''s her!|

    He gasped internally, tensing up at the mere sight of the face which he saw so many times in cutscenes.

    It was the heroine without a doubt!

    But why was she talking with the second prince?

    This was the spot of the first prince ¨C the first event that would start his route which was the main and the most cannon route of the entire game ¨C Horeo''s younger brother would be introduced on the next day when the heroine would be in a hurry for morning lessons but she would lose her way and bump into him by ident!

    "Oh? Who''s that girl? Do you know her, Horeo?"

    Miriette pumped into the prince''s hand, causing him to let go of Zoemi''s shoulder, and curiously turned her head towards him.

    "Never seen her in my life."

    Horeo squinted his eyes at her, taking back his hand, and shook his head in response.

    "Hey! Why is she getting in the carriage with my brother!?"

    Suddenly, he saw something that seemed to shake him to the core ¨C or at least enough to stop fighting with Miriette over Zoemi.

    "Ohohoho! It looks like the second prince keeps some secrets from his dear brother!"

    The ck-haired girlughed triumphantly in a typical ojou-sama way with the back of her hand near her mouth and teased Horeo.

    "..."

    But Zoemi forced himself to not stare at how adorable she was at that moment and concentrated on the carriage in front of theirs.

    Indeed the heroine entered the carriage together with the second prince and their carriage started to move again.

    "What was that about?"

    Horeo tilted his head in confusion and sat back in his ce.

    "...!"

    ""...?""

    At that moment Zoemi''s body started shaking uncontrobly and both Miriette and Horeo reached their arms towards him to show their support, but just before they managed to do so, Zoemi intercepted their hands'' mid-air and busted out intoughter stunning hispanions.

    "Ahahaha! It changed so easily!? It was really that simple!"

    He cackled and pressed his friends'' hands to his forehead.

    Truth be told, he only wanted to grab his master''s hand but the prince''s hand was just too close and ended up getting grabbed too, still, Zoemi was too happy to care about that detail at the moment.

    "Everything will be fine! I really can protect you!"

    "...!

    Both Miriette and Horeo blushed and looked away.

    "O-of course you c-can, y-you''re m-my attendant...!"

    "I-I don''t need y-your protection, but I a-appreciate your th-thoughts...!"

    Zoemi was so relieved because of how the first event didn''t even properly happen, that he hadn''t noticed the peculiar behavior of the pair in front of him.

    *gurururururururu*

    "!!!"

    His rxed stomach grumbled demanding food and he reached towards the basket.

    "So, care to exin why were you so flustered through half of the journey?"

    Out of nowhere Horeo changed his seat and sat next to Zoemi, while casually asking a question.

    "Hwa?"

    Zoemi was halfway through stuffing the third sandwich in his mouth and couldn''t speak properly.

    He tried to swallow it all at once to answer the prince as fast as possible but the food turned up to be too dry and he started choking on it.

    "Now look what you''ve done!"

    Frowning Miriette handed suffering Zoemi her half-drunk bottle of juice and sat beside him on the only free spot left.

    "Quick, Zoemi, drink this, you''ll get better."

    "Mpfha Hffedy...!"

    Thankful Zoemi took the bottle and gulped almost everything and, able to breathe again, he wanted to put the bottle in the basket but Miriette took it away from him.

    "I still haven''t finished it!"

    She pressed the bottle to her chest defensively.

    "But, mydy, it''s nearly empty, here, just have another one."

    Zoemi tried to reason with her and reached to the basket for another juice.

    "NO!"

    Miriette raised her voice a bit too much and she blushed.

    "I-I mean, no, there''s no reason to, there''s still a bit left in there, a noble shouldn''t be wasteful! Besides, I''m not that thirsty anyway."

    "Ah...! I see! As expected of you, mydy!"

    She dered proudly and Zoemi felt admiration for his master - she was such a well-behaved youngdy!

    "Pfft! Yeah, right..."

    But Horeo had a different opinion and snorted mockingly towards his fiance.

    "Hmph! You''re just jealous!"

    Still, Miriette was unaffected and took an elegant sip from the bottle taken from her attendant, and literally, the threest drops of juice flowed into her mouth.

    "Cunning fox... Hey, Zoemi, I''m already full and can''t finish this muffin, since the noble shouldn''t be wasteful could you help me with it?"

    "Heeey!"

    |Aww, they are so cute when they''re teasing each other!|

    While listening to the exchange, delighted Zoemi took the unfinished muffin off the prince''s hand.

    The rest of the travel passed by in a joyous atmosphere.

 Chapter 32 - 8 - Part 1 - Grand Entrance (part 1)

    Most of the student''s body was already present when two carriages marked with the crests of the royal family entered the Aspakeony Academy and stopped before the Academy''s Dormitory.

    "It''s the first and second princes!"

    "Eh? Why didn''t they just arrive in the same carriage...?"

    "Don''t be stupid! They might be brothers but they are political opponents!"

    "Eeeeeehhhhhh?!"

    Everyone''s eyes focused on them and the crowd was bustling with the excited whispers, waiting for the appearance of the two candidates for the future king.

    The coachman of the first carriage came down and opened the door while bowing deeply.

    From the inside came a handsome blue-hairedd, he squinted his eyes as if in dissatisfaction and stepped down.

    "The second prince! It''s him!"

    Students started whispering to each other ¨C the blue-haired boy was of course the second prince of the Bellcephora Kingdom - Surou Delche Bellcephora.

    He and his older brother were born in the same year just ten months apart, therefore, they''ll both start their education at the same time.

    "Wha...?! Who is that...!"

    "That''s outrageous!"

    "Who is this bimbo...?!"

    Prince Surou wasn''t engaged so when a female student followed him out of the same carriage it caused quite the stir amongst the entire student''s body.

    No one knew from which noble family this unknown blond girl was or what was her name though each of the present younglings had been meticulously taught about various noble houses and the hierarchy of the kingdom...

    "...here, if you may..."

    "!!!!!!!!!!"

    To the even greater surprise of everyone, prince Surou offered his hand to the girl to help her step out of the carriage!

    More than just a few high-borndies clenched their fists in jealousy.

    "Just look at this fool!"

    ---

    In the second carriage, the first prince Horeo was biting his fingers from anger, barely able to contain himself from jumping out and pping some sense into his younger brother''s stupid head.

    "unting himself with some unknown girl in front of the whole academy...! What will people say! She''s neither his attendant nor his fianc¨¦! This could ruin his opinion not to mention the opinion of the entire royal family! That fool!"

    Horeo growled, shaking with fury.

    "...my prince...?"

    Zoemi was stunned after hearing that - in the game, it was Horeo who arrived together and then unted himself with the very same unknown girl... and Horeo in the game had a fianc¨¦ at that time!

    It was never stated in the game but apparently doing something like that was very bad for the image of the royalty... Which Zoemi had to admit was true after a brief consideration.

    "I honestly expected better of him! The two of us are the faces of the royal family in this academy, and this buffoon just...! Argh...! And I thought that he was better than this!"

    Horeo breathed out through his nose furiously.

    "Maybe she''s a foreign nobility?"

    "As if!"

    Miriette tried to guess the blond girls'' identity - but Horeo shook his head andughed bitterly at her first guess.

    "Father would have informed me if that was the case, besides you saw it yourself earlier today as we had to stop because of them - he picked her up off the street!"

    The gold-haired prince nearly spat to the side, but since Zoemi was in his way, he hurriedly gulped down his saliva.

    "But her traveling on foot could mean that she''s amoner ¨C and since the academy would not ept just anyone, that means that she is someone with either strong or unique magic - back in the castle I''ve heard some kitchendies talk about amoner girl with healing magic... I bet that''s her."

    Zoemi decided to tell the two the truth about the girl while tip-toeing about the source of the information.

    "Healing magic!?"

    Miriette gasped in awe.

    "Commoner!?"

    Horeo covered his face with both hands, showcasing an exactly opposite reaction to that of his fiance.

    "I-is that bad, my prince?"

    Zoemi was more than just confused...

    If riding in a carriage together with amoner was so bad then why did Horeo in the game do that?

    "If she is themoner you''ve heard about, then it may not be that bad... BUT...!"

    "...?"

    Something was clearly bugging the first prince but Zoemi couldn''t understand what it was exactly.

    "Since she is of low birth and basically no one here recognizes her, then even if her magic power is something outstanding, then her apanying the second prince - who is yet to be engaged, mind you - is equal to the second prince spitting in the faces of every noble family that proposed a marriage candidate to him!"

    Horeo exined trembling with righteous anger.

    "O-oh..."

    Zoemi covered his mouth in shock.

    |But doesn''t that mean that Horeo in the game was borderline suicidal for doing the exact same thing while being engaged to the daughter of THE Espine family?|

    It seemed that by making sure that the first prince will get as close as possible to the Miriette, Zoemi did a great favor not only to her but to the gold-haired prince and every single rtive and subject of his too.

    Because of the deration the prince himself just made, the ck-haired boy had a fairly good feeling that right after the end credits of the game scrolled down and the yer turned off the game, the duke and duchess Espine annihted the entirety of the Bellcephora Kingdom in revenge for what happened to their daughter.

    "That sted fool needs to be stopped...!"

    "That''s right...!"

    The gold-haired prince cursed ¨C which Zoemi that it wasn''t the time to have such thoughts!

    The ck-haired boy shook his head to clear his mind.

    "Then we have to do something to turn the attention away from them!"

    He eximed and Miriette and Horeo looked at each other.

    "Ah...! Of course...!"

    "...?"

    The gold-haired prince straightened his back and smirked looking at the slightly surprised ck-haired boy.

    "You''re thinking about the same thing that I do?"

    The dark-haired girl''s face bloomed with a simr unnerving smile, before she shook her head, using all of her willpower to look innocently and...

    "Zoemi."

    She turned to her attendant and asked in a serious voice.

    "What is the scariest-looking darkness magic that you can use?"

 Chapter 33 - 8 - Part 1 - Grand Entrance (part 2)

    "If I may."

    "Thank you, my prince..."

    As the mysterious girl took the second prince''s hand and was stepping down the carriage steps, all eyes were glued to them.

    In any other situation, the blue-haired second prince would be n cloud nine because of finally getting more attention than his older brother whose carriage arrived right behind his, but he was far too preupied with the blond girl by his side.

    ..until...

    "The other carriage!"

    Someone from the crowd suddenly shouted and everyone''s attention changed focus...

    The first prince''s carriage''s shadow suddenly grew dark as the starless night and expanded looing extremely threateningly...

    Then, through the cracks of the still closed door, heavy half-liquid-half-gas-like darkness started pouring disturbingly as if the carriage was bleeding.

    "!!!!"

    With no warning, the door opened soundlessly and everyone flinched but no one dared to disturb the overwhelming silence.

    ...the inside of the carriage waspletely ck...

    Instead of the pompous highss, the threatening jet-ck rectangle of the door looked like the entrance to the void itself or a maw of the king of nightmares....!

    "...!"

    Then, something emerged from that space.

    A ck-haired youth in the Academy''s white and ck uniform.

    "Ah...!"

    Few weaker-hearted students started shaking at the mere sight of him.

    The left side of his face was handsome enough to charm many of the presentdies while the right half was covered in hideous burn-scars that could make children cry.

    "..."

    The youth scouted the area around the carriage with his fearsome ck eyes - many students have turned away in terror - and stepped down on the ground

    Even though everyone saw him move no one heard him make even the smallest sound, even though the whole crowd was staying so silent that each of the students could hear their neighbors'' heartbeat.

    In the midst of that, the scarred youth seemed as if he wasn''t a creature of this world.

    "...hmph..."

    Then as if having confirmed something the youth scoffed dismissively and turned back towards the carriage before kneeling on one knee.

    "My prince, mydy, it is safe, no one here is capable of causing you any harm."

    "...!"

    The terrifying youth''s voice turned out to be unexpectedly pleasant for the ears.

    "Ahhhhh!"

    When he finished speaking the veil of darkness fell from the carriage and was reced by the golden light causing the crowd to erupt in gasps of awe.

    From the light emerged - hand in hand - the first prince of the Bellcephora Kingdom Horeo Marets Bellcephora and his fianc¨¦,dy Miriette Lisea Espine.

    The pair looked so dashing that people started blushing just from being allowed to stay in their presence.

    By this point, no one even remembered that the second prince was even there, let alone that he brought some unknown girl of an unknown origin together with him.

    The diversion was a rousing sess and all three of the conspirators could breath out in relief.

    Miriette and Horeo were smiling for the crowd while Zoemi was staying down, waiting for their next move.

    As the future royal couple walked past the kneeling darkness magician, the first prince nced at him and turned to his fianc¨¦.

    "You were right, my love, this attendant of yours has indeed gained my approval. Zoemi Auequas, raise from your knees, we shall enter the Academy together."

    "Thank you for the honor, my prince."

    The stunned spectators observed with held breath as the terrifying youth bows to the first prince and started following the couple inside the building without changing the strict and cautious expression clearly ready to strike down anyone foolish enough to threaten the pair.

    "The first prince anddy Espine! They came together!"

    "The return of Ghosts! That guy is the sessor of the Ghosts of Bellcephora!"

    "Lady Miriette has a Ghost as her attendant!?"

    "Prince has gifted his fianc¨¦ a Ghost of Bellcephora as a bodyguard!"

    "They were SO cool!"

    Those were only a few voices that raised in themotion thatmenced the moment when the outstanding trio disappeared inside of the dormitory building.

    In the chaos that urred the long-haired blond girl coiled a strand of hair around her finger deep in thoughts.

    |The creators did announce a secret DLC character, but I never expected him to show up...! I need to watch out for him for sure... The new character was supposed to have a dangerous route... I better just stick with what I know that will work...|

    She furrowed her brows before turning towards the furious second prince and clenching his arm reassuringly.

    ---

    "I don''t want to be rude but..."

    Zoemi peeked through the window at the excited bunch and winced.

    "Didn''t we fall from the frying pan straight into the fire? I''ve heard at least a dozen people calling me the Ghost of Bellcephora''s sessor - and just a reminder - they are the most hated traitors in the history of the kingdom!"

    He turned around swaying on his feet.

    "We... Probably should have thought about this a little more before we acted..."

    Horeo was scratching his head with concern.

    And there also was Miriette sobbing, slumped in the corner...

    "I''m soooorry! It''s all my fault...!"

    She sniffled.

    "No, no. I agreed to this n, it''s my fault too."

    Horeo grabbed Miriette''s hand and helped her stand up.

    "Don''t cry, mydy, I overdid it too... waaaaaaay too much..."

    Zoemi stumbled towards them with unfocused eyes.

    "No, Zoemi, don''t even try to shoulder all the responsibility by yourself! You''ve done your best to do what Miriette and I asked you to and it is our fault. End of discussion. How is your mana, by the way?"

    The gold-haired prince dered before breathing out and asking in a concerted manner.

    "I''m lightheaded from the depletion...!"

    Zoemi saluted towards Horeo with a dumb smile.

    "Huh. So that''s why you talk so weird. I knew I recognized your symptoms of the mana depletion."

    "I''m sooorryy!"

    Horeo nodded in realization while Miriette cried out loudly, overwhelmed by the embarrassment.

    "Oh, shush already!"

    Horeo scoffed at her, shaking his head.

    If not for level-headed first-prince, the three of them would be seen in this unbing state and everything they did so far would end up in a catastrophic embarrassment.

    It was okay to make a scene to take the attention off of the scandalous behavior of the second prince, but definitely not at the cost of the first prince''s reputation!

    The golden-haired boy grabbed his friends and hastily evacuated deeper inside the building.

    When he was approaching the room that he knew was his, his two attendants had finally found him.

    Yes ¨C attendants not the attendant.

    Even though the students of the Aspakeony Academy should be allowed only one servant to apany them, Horeo was a prince and could bend that rule a little.

    Actually, he make sure that two attendants apanied him just in case a situation exactly like this would ur.

    "Here. Veo, take Miriette to her room, give her a rxing bath, brush her hair, tuck her in... I don''t know - just help her rx, she can''t stay a mess like this. It''s embarrassing to watch."

    Horeo said and pushed Miriette towards his female attendant - a short twenty-something brown-haired girl in a maid''s outfit.

    "Teo. Take Zoemi to his room and throw him into a tub - just make sure he doesn''t drown! After that just put him to bed, make sure he won''t hurt himself. And watch out - he''s an idiot right now, he may do something stupid that he would never have done normally ¨C he get can get quite grabby while he''s going through mana depletion. Just... Just be careful."

    He exined and pushed Zoemi towards his female attendant - a short twenty-something brown-haired girl in a butler''s outfit.

    ""As you wish, my prince!""

    The twins bowed their heads towards their master at the same time in perfect sync.

    "But what about you, my prince? You are quite helpless without us~!"

    Asked Veo helping out the crestfallen Miriette suffering through the immense regret and embarrassment.

    "Oh, ha ha, very funny. I''m going to find the headmaster and try to exin to him why have we performed such stupid stunts in front of everyone."

    The first prince rolled his eyes ¨C clearly used to this type of teasinging from that particr twin, and exined.

    "Good luck with that, my prince."

    Said Teo while putting the dizzy Zoemi''s arm over her shoulders, using the earth enchantments to prop the ck-haired boy upright.

    "Yeah, I''m going to need that. I''m counting on you, girls."

    Horeo sighed and turned away from his attendants.

 Chapter 34 - 8 - Part 2 - The Night After

    Zoemi suddenly realized that he is lying in bed and hugging something warm andfortable.

    |Oh, thank god! It was all just a dream!|

    He sighed out in relief and opened his eyes to check what time it was.

    "...huh...?"

    And what he saw thanks to the pale light emitted by the magic crystalmp by the bed, was a pair of brown eyes staring at him intensely.

    "Uu... Umm... Hi...?"

    The ck-haired boy was so surprised that he spoke up awkwardly to the brown-haired girl lying motionless in his embrace before he could fullyprehend what was happening.

    "Hello, sir Zoemi."

    The girl answered in a monotone voice.

    |O-oh, so she''s not just a cute hallucination, huh...|

    "Why are we here...?"

    He thought to himself and asked the girl after blinking a few ties, still half-execting her to disappear...

    "After you got along with mistress Miriette and master Horeo''s n your mana gotpletely drained, causing you to enter the state of mana depletion and I carried you to your room under my master''s order.."

    The girl answered and waited, overall looking quitefortable if not pleased.

    Zoemi closed his eyes in defeat.

    "Oh... oh no...! So it wasn''t a dream?"

    The ck-haired boy closed his eyes and breathed out.

    "Indeed."

    The brown-haired girl confirmed.

    "The fancy show and people calling me the sessor of the Ghosts of Bellcephora also...?

    He asked bracing for the bad news...

    "Indeed."

    "..."

    ...that came in form of an indifferent single-word confirmation.

    "So we missed the inauguration ceremony and the official supper?"

    "Indeed."

    Another question got a straight-up answer.

    Then Zoemi jolted in realization.

    "Mydy! I must go and check on her!"

    He gasped but for some reason, he couldn''t let go of the unknown girl...!

    "Sir Zoemi, you don''t have to worry about a thing. My sister is by the mistress''s side right now so she is safe. Besides, it''s the middle of the night already - even as her attendant it would be rude to barge into her room."

    |Ah! She''s right!|

    After hearing the calm exnation, Zoemi stopped struggling.

    "But won''t there be any repercussions for missing the ceremonies?"

    He asked worriedly.

    "Everything will be fine, master Horeo took care of everything already."

    The girl assured him.

    "Whew... all well that ends well..."

    Zoemi calmed down thanks to the girl''s words.

    Horeo was a prince, what could go wrong?

    |But... now that I think about it...|

    "Who - may I ask - are you exactly?"

    Zoemi carefully, blinking repeatedly feeling increasingly embarrassed over his position.

    "My name is Teo, I''m seventeen and work as an attendant of the first prince Horeo, and so is my older sister, Veo."

    The girl exined in a t voice as their position clearly did not bother her in the slightest.

    "Well then... nice to meet you, miss Teo... What are we doing here...?"

    The ck-haired boy nodded while constantly ncing to the side awkwardly.

    "As I''ve said, sir Zoemi, after you got along with mistress and master Horeo''s..."

    "No, no, no. Umm, I''m asking, why are we in the same bed... Together..."

    Teo started to repeat the same thing she has already said and Zoemi stopped her.

    "After you took a bath and changed into a pajama I put you to bed but then you''ve said that I''m such a good girl and as such, I should have some rest too - and you''ve pulled me in your arms."

    "...I did...?!

    Zoemi felt like he could die from shame at any moment.

    "I''m so terribly sorry!"

    He bowed his head apologetically.

    "I wasn''t thinking straight! I''m sorry for making you feel ufortable!"

    "I''m the earth mage, if I''ve felt ufortable I could have beat you up at any moment. Also, master Horeo warned me that you might do something weird."

    But the brown-haired girl shrugged her shoulders.

    "Once again, I''m so sorry!"

    "You don''t have to worry ...unfortunately... you haven''t touched anywhere inappropriate."

    That was a good thing because if he did - his master would have most likely abandoned him and he wouldn''t be able to help her, so it was a blessing in a cursed situation...!

    ...Zoemi was so agitated that he missed the single word that Teo muttered under her breath.

    "But, don''t you feel kind of awkward right now...? Umm...? Huh...?"

    The ck-haired boy realized that he cannot release Teo from his embrace because she is holding his arms in the soft but absolutely inescapable grip.

    She was so strong that Zoemi had no doubts that she could stop him from doing anything, including living...

    "Now that you mention, I got a bit sweaty..."

    Teo nodded and looked down at her butler''s uniform.

    "I''d better go..."

    She released the ck-haired boy and he could finally let go of her.

    "...whew..."

    Zoemi breathed out in relief.

    "Well then, see you soon, miss Teo."

    He bid the brown-haired girl farewell, thinking that if she''s Horeo''s attendant they''ll see each other in the morning while preparing meals for their respective masters.

    "Alright, thank you."

    Teo nodded once more and left the room after the door closed behind her - Zoemi turned off the magic crystalmp with a click and closed his eyes.

    The situation that yed out was shocking and unexpected, but he needed to get up early to cater to his master''s needs, so he had to get some sleep to be in top shape.

    After closing his eyes and rxing his muscles, Zoemi was already dozing off when his mind registered the sound of the door closing and a click of a magic crystalmp - but he only fully awoke when he felt someone sneaking inside his bed!

    "WHAT IN THE...?!"

    Zoemi wide opened his eyes and saw a pair of brown eyes staring back at him basking in the light of the magic crystalmp.

    Teo wasying on the bed right next to him, this time wearing only an oversized white shirt...!

    Her body was releasing soft clouds of steam, her brown hair was still slightly wet, and was leaning towards one side of her face showing off her forehead.

    "Wh-what...!?"

    Zoemi''s brain short-circuited and he almost jumped out of his own bed.

    "What are you still doing here!? You just left!"

    He eximed trying to wrap his head around this new situation.

    "I went to the bathroom to wash up, I told you I got a bit sweaty."

    The girl exined keeping up a straight face.

    "But...! But, why didn''t you return to your own room and do that there...?"

    The ck-haired boy gasped in exasperation.

    "I didn''t expect that helping you would take so long so I didn''t take the key to my room... Also, my sister is by mistress Miriette so I would have to spend the night in the hallway otherwise, also you''ve allowed me to stay."

    She exined with a light shrug that made the oversized shirt slide off of one of her shoulders.

    "That was a very loose interpretation of ''see you soon!"

    Zoemi couldn''t help retorting to her.

    "Argh! No matter! But what about this get-up...?! Urgh...! You know what? Never mind! You''ve helped me. You can take the bed. I''ll sleep on the floor!"

    Zoemi decided there was no use arguing with the indifferent brown-haired girl.

    He instinctively felt that he''ll just be swept into Teo''s logic anyway.

    "...!?"

    He was getting out of the bed toy on the floor when suddenly an iron grip locked on his wrist.

    "Sir Zoemi, as a fellow attendant you should know how important a good rest is for us. For your master''s sake, you should always be in your top condition. Also, I didn''t have any spare clothes with me so I took one of your shirts."

    "Thanks for the exnation but... umm.. please let me go...?

    Zoemi pulled his hand in an attempt to free himself but it just felt like if his arm got encased by solid rock.

    "Denied"

    Teo shook her head with no intention of letting him go.

    "So you''re saying you want us to sleep together...?"

    Zoemi wanted to confirm that just in case.

    "Indeed."

    The response came in the usual emotionless voice.

    "Could you at least turn off the light?"

    "Can I not do that? I''m a bit afraid of the darkness."

    |You should be scared of me then, shouldn''t you!? Hello?! Darkness magician here!|

    Zoemi felt like screaming but he gave up, this girl was like a mountain, a tiny stubborn mountain - his arguments would just bounce off of her.

    "Yeah, sure, alright... Goodnight."

    Zoemi sighed and closed his eyes.

    "You have pretty eyshes, you know?"

    The girl spoke up to him softly.

    "Miss Teo...! Good...! Night...!

    He responded gritting his teeth, doing his best to stay calm...

    "I''m not wearing any underwear right now."

    "I SAID, GOODNIGHT!"

 Chapter 35 - 8.5 - In The Kitchen (part 1)

    Even though Zoemi thought he wouldn''t be able to fall asleep in that rather scandalous situation, he soon got drowsy and drifted off into the dreand.

    When he woke up again, he was alone and the magic crystalmp was turned off, leaving the roompletely dark.

    "...whew..."

    The ck-haired boy let out a heavy sigh, got up from the bed, and looked out of the window.

    On the horizon, a pinkish and golden glow was already announcing theing daybreak.

    Zoemi looked around and found the pocket watch he got from the head-butler after finishing his training, sitting safely on the bedside cab.

    He picked it up and checked the time.

    It was still a bit early to be up and about for a student, but an attendant like him could ¨C and should - already start his day.

    Thanks to Teo he already knew where the bathroom was so he washed his face andbed his hair.

    After making sure he looks presentable enough, he got out of his room.

    To be of use for his master, beforeing to the Aspakeony Academy Zoemi memorized the ns of every facility in theplex.

    Thanks to that he soon found his way to the dormitory''s kitchen with little to no trouble.

    Even though it was early enough for the chickens to still be asleep in their coops, the kitchen was already full of hustle and bustle of tens of cooks and kitchen hands.

    The facility was divided into two main parts - therge one where the cooks prepared the meals for the students who didn''t bring attendants with them or whose attendants couldn''t cook - and a smaller part where the trained attendants were personally preparing the food for their respective masters.

    Of course, if they wished to do so, the attendants could use some food prepared by the general cooks ¨C and they would but that shortcut was used mainly for bread and pastries.

    "...!"

    "...that''s him...!"

    "Have you seen his face...?!"

    When Zoemi entered, all the small talks died down, everyone seemed to suddenly focus on their work as if their life depended on it and no one dared to look in Zoemi''s direction ¨C but even so, a few rather rude whispers did reach the ck-haired boy.

    Not that it bothered him or anything.

    Well... it did, actually...

    Zoemi felt really embarrassed over the previous day and the whole grand entrance.

    To take his mind off of it, he quickly picked up a few ingredients for a bnced breakfast and began preparing it.

    |Bite-sized tartines for breakfast and proper sandwiches for the lunch break... for the evening meal - maybe a vegetable soup and...?|

    Zoemi wasn''t putting together a menu only for today - he was thinking about a whole week in advance.

    It was important to take into consideration which products were in season keeping in mind thebinations that wouldn''t be too nd or boring.

    "Hmm~ hmm~ hmm~"

    While humming with his hands full, the ck-haired attendant took a free spot right next to a short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform.

    Ah he did, the girl turned to him and bowed her head politely.

    "Hello, sir Zoemi, it''s nice to see you again."

    She said with an expressionless face.

    Zoemi nced at her and raised his brow.

    "And who might you be?"

    He asked in a suspicious voice, looking both at her face and somewhere slightly above her, as if on something standing right behind her.

    "...?"

    The brown-haired girl tilted her head.

    "Sir Zoemi, have you already forgotten about me? I''m heartbroken...! Bu-huu!"

    It might have been a sad scene if the girl didn''t deliver her lines in a mostly t voice...

    "Thrown-away after one night...! It''s me Te..."

    "Oh! I see! You must be Teo''s sister!"

    Zoemi gasped in realization and nodded, interrupting her right before she could finish her sentence.

    "Veo, right? I''m sorry, we must have met yesterday when I was high from the mana depletion."

    "!!!"

    The scarred boy was slicing off small parts of bread loaves and tasting each of them so he missed the look ofplete disbelieve on the face of the previously expressionless brown-haired girl.

    "How did you kn-uh..."

    She whispered but stopped herself from finishing that sentence.

    Zoemi was the first person who didn''t even hesitate while recognizing the twins - and Veo even wore Teo''s clothes to fool their master about which one of them was on cooking duty that day!

    "Oh? Surprised that I know about you? Mhmm, no that one doesn''t make the cut either..."

    Zoemi was dividing his attention between talking to Veo and sampling the bread which resulted in a rather silly chain of sentences.

    "You''re not very simr but I could at least tell that you were sisters. Hmm, still not it..."

    He added after ncing at the girl lowering her head, before returning to the bread.

    "..."

    Veo was speechless.

    Not very simr!?

    She and her sisters werepletely identical!

    There was a slight difference with how they acted, not to mention a certain problem that Veo had, but other than that Veo and Teo were identical twins for goodness''s sake!

    "Ah! Now, this is it!"

    After trying a piece of white bread Zoemi smiled satisfied with finally finding the bread that would suit his master''s pte!

    "Here, you try it!"

    He cut out another small piece from the loaf and put it in the half-open mouth of the speechless brown-haired Veo.

    "And? What do you think? Is it tasty?"

    The ck-haired boy asked her with a smile, making sure that only the pretty side of his face is showing- which was how he usually acted near other people.

    "...!"

    Veo shook off the shock and started chewing ¨C his eyes widened as in fact the bread given to her by the scarred boy tasted exquisite even without any topping.

    "Indeed..."

    She mumbled not looking Zoemi directly in the eyes.

    "Right~?"

    Satisfied Zoemi smiled at her and raised the tastiest loaf above his head after turning around to face everyone else in the kitchen.

    "Who made this bread?"

    "!!!!!"

    He called and everyone in the kitchen stopped moving.

    |...Are they really that scared of my looks or is it because of yesterday''s entrance...?|

    He wondered, slightly unnerved about the dead silence that ensued, but he still wanted to know the identity of the baker.

 Chapter 36 - 8.5 - In The Kitchen (part 2)

    "I wish to learn the identity of the maker of this particr loaf of bread ¨C that''s it."

    Suspecting that something might have been wrong with his phrasing he asked again.

    "!!!"

    No one moved ¨C some of the present people straight-up looked as if they stopped breathing.

    "...seriously...?"

    It was getting ridiculous and Zoemi wanted to start preparing the food fordy Miriette ¨C this whole cold shoulder treatment felt unpleasant andpletely undeserved, were they bullying him? Was that the case?

    They wanted to kick the guy sticking out back into the line?

    He was not only the attendant of the daughter of the esteemed Espine family ¨C but also a student ¨C the academy''s staff bullying a single student was straight up ridiculous!

    "I politely ask for the one who made this bread to speak out. Now, if you may."

    Zoemi''s expression grew darker and put his hands together ¨C away from any dangerous objects ¨C to show that he does not have any evil intentions...

    ...but what signals he wanted to send, and what signals he was sending out were two different things.

    "It was him, the washer kid! He wasted good ingredients to make that and snuck it into the stove we had the proper loaves bake!"

    "Uwagh!"

    ...as proven within the next five seconds, as somebody shouted and pushed a brown-haired youngster to the front so roughly that the boy fell down.

    |Geez, what an awful attempt to undermine a talented baker!|

    Zoemi frowned and walked toward the youngster ¨C who under closer inspection seemed to be around the ck-haired attendant''s age, but it was difficult to say for sure because of how skinny the brown-haired baker was.

    "I see..."

    |Either thirteen or fourteen years old... Probably only works and sends all money to his family...|

    Zomei nodded, kneeling by the boy and reaching out to him.

    After all, to say that the light-brown-haired boy was skinny was an understatement ¨C the young baker looked like he would snap in half in Zoemi even breathed slightly stronger towards him...

    |...wasn''t the kitchen staff supposed to be well fed at least, or was that a thing only in the Espines castle?"

    Zoemi thought to himself while reaching out for the white bread and showing it off to the light-brown-haired boy who looked as if he was going to burst into tears at any given moment.

    "Did you make this?"

    He asked lightly shaking the leaf in front of the boy''s face.

    "Y-yes, your lordship...!"

    "Oh~?"

    Hearing the boy himself confirm it Zoemi face stretched in a smile - though because of his burns it looked more scary than reassuring - and started patting the kid''s head...!

    "Good boy! It''s delicious! Every morning I want you to make sure to prepare at least one loaf of that bread for my master,dy Espine."

    "!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Everyone in the kitchen - except for Zoemi and Veo ¨C let out a collective gasp ¨C including the young baker himself.

    "I think my master would also appreciate the taste ¨C can I have you make an additional one for the first prince Bellcephora?"

    Veo peeked at the boy from over the scarred attendant and said in an emotionless voice as she clearly collected herself already.

    "You hear that... umm... what''s your name?"

    Zoemi cheered before suddenly realizing that the young baker never introduced himself, so he decided to allow him to make up for the mistake.

    "I-I''m Patishi, sir!"

    The light-brown-haired boy spoke up in exasperation fidgetting nervously.

    "You hear that, Patishi? Each morning you have to prepare at least two loaves of that bread for my master,dy Miriette and for her master, the first prince Horeo! Congrattions on your promotion!"

    The ck-haired attendant put his other hand on Patishi''s shoulder and nodded.

    "HAH!?"

    Hearing the terrifying-looking youth''s words Patishi squeaked like a dog toy.

    "B-but, kind sir, he''s only a washer boy, not even a kitchen hand...!"

    Someone, probably the same person who has pushed Patishi before, eximed in anger.

    "Hmmm...?"

    Zoemi straightened his back and red at all the gathered people with contempt.

    "Excuse me, I''m talking to the new official baker of the future royal couple - show some god-damn respect you uncultured brute!"

    "!!!!!!"

    After scoffing at all the members of the annoying staff, the ck-haired attendant turned back to the light-brown-haired boy who looked as if he was slightly dizzy and it wouldn''t be odd for him to think that it was all a dream from which he was dreading to wake up...

    "Now, return to your quarter - you start tomorrow and you better be rested. Don''t worry about a thing."

    The scarred attendant had propped him up and dered with no hesitation.

    "Y-yes, sir! Thank you!"

    The boy got up and run from the kitchen with tears in his eyes, as he could not believe his luck.

    "Hmmm~ Hmm~ Hmmmm~|

    Zoemi returned to his spot, humming, and leaned towards Veo.

    "Hey, miss Veo, when you will give the prince his breakfast, could you talk to him about the situation we just had on our hands?"

    He asked in a hushed voice making sure that no one would overhear him and realize that he alone does not have enough power to grand godhood to a single mortal.

    "Should I ask him to make that boy an official baker?"

    The short girl looked up at him and asked.

    "Yes.Exactly. Also, tell him I''m calling for a favor for - that time."

    "...?"

    Hearing him be so vague Veo looked at Zoemi furrowing her brows, expecting an exnation.

    "No, seriously ¨C just tell him that I want him to do it as the return of a favor for that time - he will get it."

    After that deration, in equal measures mysterious and disturbing, Zoemis started to skillfully chop the vegetables and slice the bread and fry the egg.

    "..."

    *WHAM*

    "...!"

    Meanwhile, Veo took a knife, then took a beetroot, she put the beetroot on the chopping board and chopped at it with far too much power.

    "Hey, miss Veo, what even was tha...?!"

    rmed by the noise Zoemi took his eyes from the frying pan and almost had a heart attack.

    Veo''s hand red flesh was exposed and the dark blood-red liquid was dripping from the de she was holding.

    " Oh, no! Veo!"

    Zoemi panicked took away Veo''s knife and grabbed her hand.

 Chapter 37 - 8.5 - In The Kitchen (part 3)

    "Quick we have to bandage the wound ¨C no, wait - we should clean it first!"

    Zoemi would never expect such a serious ident to happen in the kitchen, it looked like the brown-haired girl had managed to rip off both her skin and flesh in one swift motion!

    "Sir Zoemi..."

    "Shh! Don''t say anything! I know it hurts, just, just don''t look at it, alright? Everything will be fine, we''re going to patch you right up!"

    Veo said weakly, but Zoemi wouldn''t let her speak.

    "Sir Zoemi...!"

    The girl tried again, this time a little bit louder and she was losing herposure because of the ck-haired boy''s concern.

    "It''s okay, everything will be fine...!"

    "SIR ZOEMI!"

    The expressionless until that point Veo blushed and screamed, interrupting the panicking Zoemi mid-sentence and forcing him to shut up.

    "Sir Zoemi, I''m fine! This is not a wound - it''s just a crushed beetroot! Look!"

    She put her hand under the sink and activated the magic crystal to start pouring water on the supposed exposed flesh.

    The clumps of red meaty matter fell off and a healthy clean hand emerged from underneath it.

    "But then, the knife... The blood...? But the sound! It was clearly a de cutting the flesh!"

    Although the scarred attendant felt a bit relieved once he realized that Veo wasn''t seriously harmed, he still was worried that the brown-haired girl was just using the beetroot as an excuse while hiding some other, minor wound.

    "It was just a beetroot juice and besides..."

    The brown-haired girl shamefully picked up the knife and show it to Zoemi.

    "The knife is clearly the one in the worst condition."

    She dered pointing at the shining de.

    "...oh...!"

    Zoemi stared in shock at the knife, the edge that was supposed to be straight and sharp now looked dull with four indentations in the shape of the fingers roughly in the middle of its length marking the spot where the innocent tool met with the girl''s hand

    "I was using the earth''s physical augmentation enchantmet and overshoot it by a lot..."

    Veo admitted with guilt.

    "Why would you use spells while preparing food!?"

    Zoemi tilted his head in confusion - he never thought of using the darkness de to chop vegetables, so the idea that someone else might use their magic while doing so seemed outrageous to him!

    "Because how else was I supposed to... I mean... I didn''t want to get hurt... Because I can''t cook... and the knives are scary...?"

    For some reason, Veo changed her initial answer but clearly had no clue what she wanted to say because she ended up sounding very much lost.

    "But then why are you in the kitchen then?"

    Zoemi gasped in disbelief, as he realized that dealing with Veo was every bit just as vexing as trying to make Teo leave his room the other night.

    "Because Teo wanted to change ces even though she is the one usually responsible for cooking. She said she was too tired because she could not sleep..."

    |The hell was she doing at night then!? Watching me the whole time or something!?|

    Zoemi thought angrily but had no idea how close he was to the truth...

    Nheless, he sighed out in relief and put his hands on Veo''s shoulder.

    "From now on you are officially forbidden from using the knives."

    The ck-haired boy said looking the brown-haired girl in the eyes.

    "But I have to make the breakfast for my prince...! My master, I mean!"

    Veo bounced up and eximed momentarily losing her expressionless mask when she mentioned Horeo ¨C and the way she called him the first time, although it did not seem odd to Zoemi, made her embarrassed enough to change it.

    "No, you have to bring him breakfast. Stand right here and don''t touch anything."

    The scarred boy shook his head and ¨C with his hands on Veo''s shoulders ¨C he moved her next to himself, but far back enough for her to be unable to reach any kitchen equipment ¨C before he returned to the cooking.

    ---

    Zoemi soon learned that having a taste-tester wasn''t bad at all.

    "Why are you spreading the yolk on the fried egg? Isn''t the point of the sunny-side-up to have the yolk still partially liquid?"

    Veo asked curiously, leaning past the boy''s torso as she was far too small to peek over his shoulder.

    "Wait."

    Zoemi took the fried eggs from the frying pan, cut them into equal pieces, put them on the tiny pieces of bread that were already garnished with ham, lettuce, and a few slices of fresh radish, then he sprinkled some fresh chive on top.

    "Say ''aaa''."

    Zoemi grabbed one of the tartines and fed it to Veo.

    "Aaam!"

    The girl obediently listened ¨C and ended up with her face stuffed.

    "Mm? Mmm!"

    Her eyes sparkled as soon as she started chewing on the tartine.

    "See, that''s why."

    The scarred attendant tilted his head, to show only the left side of his face as he smiled, and turned back to continue doing his magic.

    "Here, those are for my master and those are for yours."

    Zoemi said, pointing at two tes with tartines lined up like tiny delicious ships in the harbor.

    "The first prince doesn''t particrly like radishes so his have spring onion instead."

    He said in a matter-of-fact tone, even though Veo should be the one to know more about the first prince''s tastes.

    Then he pointed at the big meaty sandwiches that looked almost like the hamburgers from themercials just with crispy bacon and yellow cheese instead of a patty.

    "Those are for lunch, I''ll be taking them, if the weather is nice we have to convince our masters to have a pic under the oak tree in the back of the academy, understand?"

    "Indeed!"

    Zoemi turned to Veo and she nodded vigorously.

    It was Zoemi''s n to not only interfere with the scripted events that could bring down the affection level between Horeo and Miriette, but also create brand new events that would raise it instead!

    He smiled satisfied and returned to the present.

    "That''s also what the sd from the imported fruit is for, here, tell me what you think about it."

    The ck-haired boy scooped a spoonful out of a bowl and fed it to the brown-haired girl who already had her mouth open like a baby-chick bird waiting for its parent.

    "Mmm! Mawwy mwe!"

    She mumbled with a delighted expression.

    "I''m sorry, I didn''t catch that..."

    "I said I love it!"

    Veo gulped down and cheered.

    "Good! Here is freshly squeezed juice, try not to spill it when you''ll be carrying it."

    Zoemi prepared a tray and put on it two big tes full of tartines, a jug of juice, and three sses.

    Then he prepared a second tray and put on one big te of tartines, one small te with two sandwiches and a jug of juice and two sses, then he took out a basket and packed the hamburger-like sandwiches, the sealed bowl with the fruit sd, arge bottle of juice and few tes, spoons, and sses.

    "Looking good~"

    "...?"

    Nodding with satisfaction he pushed the tray with two big tes towards Veo.

    She stared at it and tilted her head in confusion.

    "Sir Zoemi, it seems you misjudged the amount, the first prince won''t be able to eat that much, also... why are the three sses for...?"

    |And here I was beginning to think that her behavior is kind of cute...|

    "Isn''t it obvious? The two of the sses and one te are for you and Teo."

    He boop Veo''s nose and shook his head in disappointment.

    "Eh...?"

    She gasped in confusion looking between him and the food that he prepared.

    "Don''t forget to tell the prince about making Patishi the official baker! And remember, if it''s sunny, bring the prince under the oak tree behind the academy on the lunch break, even if you''ll have to drag him!"

    Zoemi took the things he prepared for himself and his master and left the kitchen.

    Veo was watching him go. She pressed both her hands to herpletely red face.

    "Wow... Teo wasn''t kidding, he is way more amazing than we thought...!"

    She muttered to herself before picking up the tes in an iron grip.

    "Still... my prince definitely isn''t losing to him in any way..."

    She added looking to the side, thinking about the golden-haired boy waiting back in his room.

 Chapter 38 - 9 - Can A New Event Be Created? (part 1)

    Zoemi lightly knocked on the door of his master''s room and waited.

    "I appreciate your concern, but I have told you I do not need your help! You need to learn when to back off!"

    "...huh...?"

    Miriette''s angry voice came from inside and confused Zoemi.

    "Mydy...? Did someonee here and harass you before I arrived? Why do you sound so..."

    He asked concerned, but before he could finish another sentence the door opened slightly.

    "Oh, thank goodness, It''s you, Zoemi,e inside, quick!"

    "...did something happen...?"

    Miriette was talking to Zoemi without showing herself and that already made the ck-haired boy infinitely more anxious.

    "...!"

    The sses jingled against each other when he clenched his hands on the tray. He braced himself and went inside through the provided space, the door mmed shut behind him.

    "Mydy, wh-OW...!"

    He began the sentence with worry but ended in surprise, he even took a step back.

    "Zoemi, help...!"

    Miriette cried out, she was sitting on the edge of her bed in her uniform shirt and skirt and was hiding her face with her both of her hands.

    "I cannot go out when my hair is like this...!"

    Describing the catastrophe on her head as mere ''like this'' was an understatement of the year ¨C if not a decade.

    ...it was a rtively calm decade after all...

    Miriette''s short hair looked like she dipped it in water and then took part in a head-bangingpetition in the middle of the winter and it froze halfway through the motion of swinging back and forth ¨C the only difference was that it wasn''t iced, just... just...

    Stood up on its own ¨C any other normal hair would require a copious amount of various cosmetics to achieve such effect, but not Miriette''s - for her it was simply a natural urrence that happened surprisingly often.

    "How did it turn up like that this time?"

    Zoemi breathed out to calm himself down, put the tray away from the desk next to the bed, and kneeled in front of his crestfallen master ¨C whose hair had wavered all on its own without her moving her head at all.

    "I... I forgot to properly dry my hair before going to bed..."

    Miriette was devastated and she sounded utterly ashamed because of her own negligence ¨C and it was rather easy to see why...

    ...it would be far harder to just ignore it...

    "Mydy... are you worried about something...?"

    Zoemi asked cautiously, leaning down to have a look at the girl''s face - it wasn''t like the current state of Miriette''s hair waspletely her own fault ¨C at least notpletely...

    As unbelievable as it may have sound, the way her hair behaved had a lot to do with the mana that also turned them so green that they looked green.

    That story requires a bit of an exnation.

    Everyone in the Espine household knew about Miriette''s ''condition''.

    The dark-haired girl didn''t keep her hair short because she liked the style - she actually yearned for long smooth hair just like her mother''s, but such luxury wasn''t essible to her.

    Many of the servants held the opinion that a littledy''s unprecedently strong magic affected her hair in more way it did a normal person''s.

    Usually magic would just mess with the pigmentation in the human''s body, that''s why magicians'' hair and eyes color would be the same as the hue of their attribute - and if in Miriette''s case both the amount of mana and the magic power that she had at her disposal was at least a couple hundred times more prominent, some people thought that her hair became augmented with the wind enchants all on its own as a result and start acting rather wild... almost as if it was alive.

    If her hair would exceed a certain length it would start moving on its own, and extremely wildly while at it, acting out on every thought and emotion ¨C conscious or not ¨C that the girl would have or feel at the exact moment.

    Such hair would be a nightmare for anyone ¨C hence it was kept at the optimal length at all times.

    But still, not even keeping it short would resolve the problempletely ¨C after all Miriette''s magic was that strong.

    Each day the proper care was essential, but when Miriette was bothered by some especially strong feelings even her short hair woulde alive, resulting in a situation just like the current one.

    ...and the show that Miriette took part in the day before was rather.. well... troublesome to say the least as they achieved the initial goal of taking the attention away from the dangerous situation caused by the second prince, but also set up an unbelievably high bar of expectations towards themselves ¨C even higher one they already had as the future royal couple.

    "N-no...! I am a woman of the esteemed Espine family ¨C having the attention of everyone around focused on me is nothing new...!"

    Miriette eximed, proudly raising her head ¨C but her fists that she clenched on herp and the hair moving like a field of tall grass smacked by the gusts of violent wind were telling apletely different story.

    "Mydy, please... You do not need to put all the burden onto yourself. Sometimes people tend to overthink many problems that are rather simple to resolve. As you said, mydy, you are a woman of the Espine family ¨C the only thing you need to do is just act like yourself, nothing more ¨C please, believe me when I say that the way you are right now is already far above any and all expectations that a bunch of kids from lesser noble houses could possibly have."

    The ck-haired boy assured her with a soft smile that did not stretch his scars before reaching out to her and his eyes were filled with warmth.

    "If I may..."

    "Zoemi...!"

    Miriette gasped as Zoemi gently grabbed her hand and helped her stand up.

    Then he led her towards the desk where the tray with food awaited.

    "Have a breakfast, mydy. It just so happens that I made something that can be eaten with ease so there should be no problem with you enjoying it while I will brush your hair in the meantime."

    The ck-haired attendant said while rolling up his sleeves.

    "Yes... You are right, Zoemi. Thank you for bearing with me."

    Miriette sniffled and meekly picked up one of the tartines while Zoemi dual-wielded ab and a hairbrush.

    "Mydy, there is nothing else in this world that I would like more than staying by your side."

    "...!"

    Zoemi spoke with a soft smile, without giving much thought about how he sounded like ¨C and while concentrating on the task in front of him, the ck haired-boy did not notice the bright blush that covered Miriette''s cheeks.

    |...Ah, perfect! Her hair already looks meeker ¨C the food must have worked like a charm! Still... there is still a lot to do... I only hope we won''t bete for our first lesson...!|

    The scarred attendant thought to himself and the battle against the wind-powered hair has begun!

 Chapter 39 - 9 - Can A New Event Be Created? (part 2)

    Short hair is easy to take care of?

    Wrong!

    It maybe be a bit easiER to take care of than the long hair, but it is definitely not EASY.

    And once you add something as ridiculous as the hair reflecting the strong emotions of the person, the task of working with it became a true war against the element!

    With that in mind, Zoemi had his path cut out for him ¨C all alone, armed in ab and a brush against a raging hurricane...!

    After nearly full forty-five minutes of constant brushing, Zoemi dealt with the worst tangles and from then on he could finally spare enough brainpower and attention to coordinate the n for the day while stylizing the soft fluffy hair.

    ...though whether it had anything to do with Zoemi''s talent as a hairdresser or if that was how much time was needed for Miriette to rx under his gentle care, was a different matter altogether, and certainly did not upy his thoughts at the moment...

    Putting away theb, he was left with just the brush and while running it through the deep green hair of the young nobledy, the scarred attendant smoothly continued the casual small talk, intertwining it with the elements of his duties as an attendant as well as his own ns that he came up in order to ensure Miriette''s safety and happiness.

    The ck-haired boy listed what lesson hisdy will be attending together with him on that day and even snuck in a bold attempt to bait the dark-haired girl into the event that he wished to create by saying that during the meal preparation he overheard two attendants of older students discussing about a certain spot.

    Supposedly the spot under the giant old tree behind the academy is lovely ¨C easily the most picturesque spot in the area.

    ...well, it was less of bait and more like a forceful suggestion - since Miriette saw him cing the pic basket in the corner right after he entered the room...

    Still, after that rather obvious and loaded suggestion, Miriette perked up and her hair became much more fluffy and easy to brush.

    |...aha...! Her hair betrays her emotionspletely ¨C it''s like a puppy''s tail! So adorable! Ah! I can never say that out loud or she would surely get angry at me....|

    Zoemi smiled softly looking over Miriette, looking at the effect of his hard work as he finished the styling.

    Thanks to waking up and arriving at Miriette''s doorstep early, the ck-haired boy had enough time to eat the meal he prepared for himself even with how long it took him to help out the girl to prepare...

    "Mydy, I shall return the dishes. If you''ll leave for the ssroom no,w you will have plenty of time to talk with the first prince before the lesson starts."

    Zoemi bowed down as he was walking out of the room, taking the tray back with him.

    "No. I''ll wait for you to return..."

    The dark-haired girl shook her head and eagerly looked up at her attendant.

    |After yesterday, some people had clearly misunderstood who you belong to! It should be made clear that you are mine and mine alone! Horeo can just wait in the ssroom alone!|

    Miriette finished cut her sentence short and finished it in her thoughts - and Zoemi who has already turned around had no possible way of noticing the hair on the back of his master''s head bristling dangerously as she got agitated.

    On the way to the kitchen, Zoemi met the brown-haired girl in a maid uniform going in the opposite direction as she was returning to the boys'' part of the dormitory.

    "Sir Zoemi."

    She bowed her head politely while her face didn''t express any emotion.

    Zoemi raised his brow and looked at her curiously.

    "I see you have changed your clothes, Veo... Did you get found out by the first prince? And more importantly, did you tell that master of yours about my request?"

    He asked perked up and asked, wishing for a favorable answer from the gold-haired prince.

    "Eh!? You really can tell it''s me?"

    Veo''s expressionless mask crumbled and she blushed in surprise.

    "Why shouldn''t I? So, the request?"

    Zoemi didn''t bother with her games and shrugged off her question after ncing at something that only he could see behind the girl just in case.

    "Indeed. Patishi got promoted to the baker already."

    The brown-haired girl nodded and dered, puffing out her chest seemingly so proud as if she was the one to assign the kitchen boy a new position.

    "Really? That was quick!"

    Zoemi raised his brows and gasped.

    "It''s because I delivered his orders to the head-cook and the headmaster!"

    Veo boasted even more, and the ck-haired attendant couldn''t help but think that if she will try to puff up her chest even more she would have to start levitating.

    "Ah I see, I see."

    Even though it was clear thanks to her master, Veo''s acting as if thepletion of Zoemi''s request was her own merit was surprisingly adorable and endearing.

    It was so amusing for Zoemi that the ck-haired attendant bnced his tray with empty on one hand and patted the head of the short brown-haired girl with the other one while smiling by turning his head and only showing the left side of his face.

    "Good girl, good girl. You did a very good job."

    "...!"

    Zoemi nodded with satisfaction while caressing the older but shorter girl''s head and only when Veo blushed and started fidgeting did the fifteen-year-old ck-haired boy realize that he''s treating a seventeen-year-old girl as if she was his junior.

    "Ah, sorry!"

    He hurriedly retracted his hand and apologized.

    "Wha...? N-no...! Don''t be!"

    Surprised Veo gasped and shook her head.

    "Feel free to do that anytime you want!"

    She eximed and lowered her head toward him as if to provide him with the perfect head-patting angle possible.

    "Just remember that if I fail to bait my master into inviting your master for a pic during lunch you must step in and bring him under the old oak tree behind the academy anyway, alright?"

    Zoemi raised his index finger at the ceiling and wiggled it a bit as if to make the brown-haired girl focus her attention on it.

    Which caused Veo to stare at him with a sour expression.

    "I feel like you repeat that a bit too much..."

    She sighed shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders.

    "It''s because it''s important."

    |For Miriette''s future.|

    The ck-haired boy dered out loud and then finished in his thoughts.

    The thing that he wanted to do wasn''t just the creation of the new even ¨C but aplete overwrite of the original game''s event in which the heroine has her second encounter with the first prince!

    ¡­.though the order of things was already thrown into disarray the day before when the second prince was the one to pick up the heroine of the roadside making it so there was no propper first meeting at all...

    Still, because that happened, Zoemi came up with the idea of creating a brand new event.

    "Indeed, I understand. No more head-pats until I fulfill this mission!"

    Veo looked into the distance and added some unnecessary conditions all on her own.

    "Huh? No, I mean, if it makes you happy I can pat your head anyway ¨C as long as you are my ally that is.''

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head and said after a bit of consideration ¨C and his words made Veo''s eyes light up.

    "Acknowledge! See you!"

    Sheughed and ran away before he could say anything else ¨C but maybe it was for the better since he already started worrying about what he said.

    ---

    After leaving the dishes Zoemi returned to his master''s room and they went to the ssroom where their first lesson in the Aspaceony Academy was going to start.

    ...by that point, Zoemi had long forgotten to ask Miriette who was bothering her before he arrived in front of her room with the breakfast....

 Chapter 40 - 9 - Can A New Event Be Created? (part 3)

    Zoemi couldn''t pay attention to the ss at all! Because of what he was about to try to do, he was nervously tapping his fingers on his thigh and ncing at the window time after time, ring evilly at the sky that didn''t seem to want to cooperate with his ns...

    |Come on...! Why is it so cloudy?!|

    The ck-haired attendant''s n was simple and sweet ¨C instead of letting the heroine activate the Horeo''s event, he would create an event just for Miriette and Horeo so the affection level of the two would increase or at least remain the same.

    It may have sounded easy but as far as Zoemi''s leftover memories about the game told him, the original script did not provide even a single event beneficial for Miriette ¨C they all were meant to bring down the first prince''s affection towards his fiancee down.

    Simply said - if the heroine was there and the viiness was there - things will y out in such a way that the viiness will be shown in the worst light possible.

    Therefore, the conclusion was easy - for everything to y out as Zoemi has nned, the heroine must be kept away from the pair!

    ...or at least from Miriette...

    That''s why that very day was perfect for making things work!

    Regardless of which route the yer would choose toplete, on the first day of school the heroine would encounter the scripted event in the cafeteria with two sophomore capture targets! She - together with a bunch of other students including the son of a duke, brown-haired Xeonith Zarble Derizno - will be pulled into a prank of the son of the country treasurer, the green-haired Reo Serentii Moyena.

    Xeonith being an overwhelmingly prideful person wouldn''t take kindly to being showered in oatmeal blown all over the cafeteria with the use of stealthily ced wind bomb spell, which would result in a confrontation between the two.

    In the game, that would be the spot where the yer could make their first real choice.

    Pick the option to try to calm down the furious Xeonith by reminding him that an honorable man such as himself doesn''t have to lower himself to the level of some cheap prankster, or go with the opposite choice and pick to defend Reo by saying that the wind bomb could be nted in the pot of oatmeal by any wind magician.

    Although originally, Mireitte was not involved with that event whatsoever, Zoemi had no intention to run the risk of any possible suspicion falling on his master either way - so he wanted her as far as possible from that ce.

    ...preferably the back of the academy building...

    "Next person, please."

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy was so preupied with thinking about preventing the possible threat for the dark-haired girl''s safety, that he missed that the students'' introduction was taking ce and it was already his turn.

    "Excuse me, can the next person introduce themselves?"

    "..."

    The teacher, a red-haired middle-aged mage clicked his tongue ring in Zoemi direction, but the ck-haired boy with the scarred face was looking out of the window andpletely ignored any and all attempts on getting his attention.

    |Hmph! Rude brat! But what else could anyone expect out of a darkness magician?!|

    The teacher thought to himself and...

    "Boy, you are keeping your friends waiting....!"

    ...frowned, raising his voice brimming with dissatisfaction.

    "Zoemi...!"

    "!!!!"

    Miriette leaned towards her attendant and whispered ¨C and towards her, the reaction was instantaneous.

    "What''s the matter, mydy?"

    As soon as he has heard his master''s whispering from behind, Zoemi stood up from his seat and turned to her, as if everyone else in the ssroom weren''t even there.

    "Is there something I could aid you with?"

    "...!"

    He asked bowing down, not paying attention to the startled students nor the teacher who already popped a vein from anger.

    "...oh dear..."

    Horeo sitting next to Miriette facepalmed and sighed, shaking his head while looking away.

    "What are you doing!?"

    Miriette put her hand to the side of her face to shield herself from some of the looks of other students and the increasingly agitated red-haired teacher.

    "Zoemi ¨C it is your turn to introduce yourself!"

    "Ah! So we''re going through the introductions!"

    The ck-haired boy gasped and turned back towards the rest of the ss as if nothing happened.

    "Hello everyone, my name is Zoemi Auequas, I wield darkness attribute magic, but I''m not a scary person. Instead, I am the attendant of the amazingdy Miriette Lisea Espine. Everyone, please, get along with my master!"

    He put his right hand to his heart and bowed while smiling friendly.

    "Uwa...! His face is scary!"

    "You''ve heard him? If we''ll mess withdy Espine he''ll kill us!"

    "Why must I be in the same ss with a darkness attribute mage!?"

    "..."

    Zoemi - who sat right back down and started worrying over the future of his precious master again - didn''t register the scared whispers of his ssmates.

    And neither did he see the exchange of worried looks between Miriette and Horeo - nor did he notice the sour face of Grazio...

    ...or the anxious, fearful nces of the blond-haired heroine, who tried to keep her distance from him even more than average students...

    The scarred attendant was only worried if the magic he infused the pic basket with would be enough to stop the darkness from dissolving the food hidden inside his shadow.

    Using the shadow as a storagepartment was a convenient trick that the ck-haired boy figured out together with the first prince Horeo and the youngdy Miriette.

    After a few months of trial and error, he could safely store various things in his shadow if only those things were encased in a protectiveyer of mana ¨C but that would only work if they werepletely covered in it, which was honestly pretty difficult to aplish.

    ...

    After the first period was over, Zoemi turned to his master.

    "Mydy, don''t you think it would be nice to have lunch outside?"

    He asked doing his best to appear innocent ¨C so he showed off the left side of his face and smiled warmly.

    "Are you talking about that spot behind the academy, you mentioned this morning?"

    Miriette smiled back, leaning towards him while coiling a strand of her short hair around her index finger while adorably tilting her head, clearly interested.

    |As expected of my master! She catches on fast!|

    Zoemi held back the excited shout that was forcing itself out of his throat and instead continued in a calm andposed voice.

    "Exactly, mydy, it is a very beautiful ce."

    He slid back together with his chair, making their talk more intimate and discreet.

    |Or at least it was rather nice in the morning when I checked it out before my morning routine...|

    The ck-haired attendant thought to himself but decided that it wasn''t something worth saying out loud because it could have soured the mood.

    "Oh? Is it romantic...?"

    Miriette leaned even closer to Zoemi and her voice lowered seductively...

    ...which might have even been unintentional, but probably not...

    |That was how a huntress about to catch her prey sounds like!|

    Zoemi clenched his fists from excitement as he could already see in his imagination how the affection level between the Miriette and Horeo skyrocket after the intimate pic!

    "Of course... It is near the pond and is surrounded by blooming spring flowers, giving it an almost magical atmosphere..."

    "...~!"

    After hearing his words Miriette trembled in anticipation and leaned back in her seat with a slightly blushed face.

    "Perfect. We shall go there after the morning sses are over."

    She dered proudly and nodded her head benevolently.

 Chapter 41 - 9 - Can A New Event Be Created? (part 4)

    The next lesson started and Zoemi turned towards the teacher, slightly less worried than during the previous one.

    He could hear Miriette whispering with Horeo which made him certain that the dark-haired girl asked out the first prince to have lunch together in the romantic spot he rmended her!

    But then, his anxiety returned as around halfway through the lesson, a massive amount of clouds in dark showed up and covered the sky, pushing out the few that were there before, all fluffy and harmless ¨C not to mention that the new cloud formation was growing more menacing by the minute and Zoemi could only grit his teeth and squint his eyes at the sky that seemed to be set on ruining the n that he came up with for the sake of his master.

    By the end of the lesson, it looked like the rain was imminent...

    "...mydy..."

    With a heavy heart, Zoemi turned to Miriette and Horeo with the intention of asking them if they are okay with changing the location of the nned lunch to somewhere inside the academy ¨C anywhere with the exception of the cafeteria - but then Miriette suddenly stood up from her seat and looked at Zoemi with a serious face.

    "It''s a bit stuffy in here, I''m going to refresh myself."

    She dered with a stern, decisive look.

    "Should I apany you, mydy?"

    The ck-haired attendant stood up from his chair ready to follow her any time.

    "There''s no need to, you may stay."

    The dark-haired girl''s stern re softened, but either way, she shook her head and magnanimously

    stopped him with a wave of her hand and left.

    "..."

    Horeo observed her until she disappeared behind the door, and turned to Zoemi.

    "She definitely went to take a dump."

    He dered with a straight face while looking into Zoemi''s eyes.

    "Pffft...!"

    Zoemi had to cover his mouth with both hands to stop the outburst ofughter.

    "Must be a huge one..."

    "PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTH...!"

    The first prince was merciless, and nodded making a face of an ancient philosopher pondering the meaning of life - and Zoemi started to hit his leg just to keep quiet.

    "Pfuahaha... My... My prince... haa... haa... Don''t say that...!"

    The ck-haired boy gasped for air, wiping the tears ofughter from the corners of his eyes.

    "Ah, I see your mood has improved~"

    Horeo smiled back at Zoemi.

    "What was bothering you? If you don''t mind me asking."

    The blond prince asked, tilting his head curiously.

    The scarred attendantposed himself and straightened his back...

    "The bad weather..."

    ...before sighing and slumping down in his chair.

    "The weather you say...?"

    The first prince peeked through the window behind Zoemi''s back and pointed at the sky with his finger.

    "Then it''s nothing serious, look, someone just took care of the source of your problem."

    "Huh?"

    Confused Zoemi gasped in shock, following the prince''s finger and his jaw dropped...

    Heavy rainclouds that were about to burst open with the outpour of water, were being chased away by some powerful force and moved so fast that it could be onlypared with a recording that someone had sped up at least eight times.

    ---

    While the ck-haired attendant and the golden-haired prince were talking, Miriette lightlynded on the academy''s roof, straightened her uniform, and smoothed her wild hair, which was easy to manage thanks to her improved mood.

    "No stupid clouds will mess up my date with Zoemi!"

    The dark-haired girl snorted imperiously and marched towards the staircase.

    ---

    Zoemi was holding back his smile when Miriette returned to her seat and sat back down with an innocent face.

    |Ah! Good job, mydy, now you and the first prince can have a perfect pic date!|

    The scarred attendant was so proud of his master''s determination, he could barely keep a straight face.

    For the time being, the most pressing problem was gone just like that - allowing Zoemi to put his mind towards another part of his n...

    He must determine whose route the heroine was on or could be on.

    It was important to stay on top of things, different routes meant different scripted events and that meant different countermeasures the ck-haired attendant would need to implement.

    Luckily, to learn such crucial information the ck-haired boy had to take a look at a certain situation that would unfold on that very day.

    One important indicator would be the iing event in the cafeteria ¨C the confrontation between Xeonith and Reo.

    If the heroine would pick the option to calm down Xeonith ¨C she would be able to ess the storylines of either Xeonith himself, Horeo, or Arisu.

    While siding with Reo would unlock Reo''s route, Surou''s, and Grazio''s.

    For a short blissful moment, the scarred attendant thought that he would be able to learn about the heroine''s decision by simply asking around... but then he remembered that he wasn''t well-liked and also that it would be weird if he suddenly started asking about the onlymoner girl in the school.

    That would definitely pull more attention towards him and consequently to his master ¨C and when the bullying would start, the people might make a mistaken, but very dangerous, connection...

    |No, I should confirm her choice with my own eyes.|

    Zoemi finally decided.

    The third period ended and the lunch break started, as it was a school for royalty at least one and a half-hour break was provided for them to enjoy their meal.

    The prince left first anddy Miriette waited for her attendant to pick her up and then they left towards the entrance of the academy.

    There were, of course, plenty of shortcuts to shorten the walk but this was the more scenic route ¨C it also served the additional purpose of letting Miriette prepare herself mentally for the pic date.

    When they were already outside Zoemi spotted the first prince talking with his attendants Teo and Veo - Veo also spotted Zoemi following after his master, and she showed him a thumbs up - carefully- so that neither master would notice her gesture.

    "..."

    Zoemi nodded and returned the thumbs up ¨C now he was sure that the n was a go.

    The ck-haired attendant, of course, could have askeddy Miriette or Horeo directly to go for a pic and all that, but he firmly believed that it would be better if he would stay in the background while the future royal couple does all the heavy lifting by themselves.

    "Here mydy. All the necessary things are inside. Take it and join the first prince."

    "....?"

 Chapter 42 - 9 - Can A New Event Be Created? (part 5)

    Satisfied with the course of action, the ck-haired boy summoned the pic basket from the shadows and handed it to the confused Miriette.

    "I have a minor inconvenience to take care of, so I might not be able to join you at the pic- but please, enjoy it to your heart content!"

    He bowed apologetically and turned away.

    "Huh? B-but... You... I... Horeo...? But the pic...?"

    Miriette was bbergasted and was mumbling under her breath, her eyes bobbed between Zoemi and the pic basket in her hands as she was confronting her what was happening with what she THOUGHT was going to happen.

    |Whoops! That''s right, she hadn''t told me that she invited the prince!|

    The scarred attendant thought to himself as hepletely misunderstood the reaction of his master.

    "Mydy, it''s my duty to care for your happiness. It''s only natural for me to notice your ns."

    He dered, bowing to the dark-haired girl as a goodbye, and dashed away.

    "Ha! That was perfect! Sooner orter she''ll realize that I was the one to initiate the pic, that was obvious after all, but her pride will not let her admit that! If I phrase it like that she can be at ease!|

    Zoemi congratted himself while towards the cafeteria - he didn''t want to miss the scripted event after all.

    It was as important for his master''s future as the new event that he had just pushed Mireitte and Horeo into, after all!

    ---

    "..."

    As the ck-haired boy was entering the building, Miriette looked down on the basket in her hands, then after her attendant, then back at the basket again.

    In the end, she opened her mouth and...

    "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH!?"

    "...?"

    Hearing his fianc¨¦, Horeo turned around and saw the dark-haired girl with a pic basket in her hands, ring in the direction of the academy.

    "...yeah, now it''s up to me to diffuse her, huh..."

    He breathed out before strolling towards her ¨C and then he grinned.

    "Hey! So, how''s that date with Zoemi - that you''ve been boasting about through the entire third period ¨C going?"

    He asked clearly choosing to add the fuel to the fire instead of extinguishing it...

    "..."

    Miriette clenched her fists on the basket and slouched.

    "Did you know...?"

    She asked threateningly in an ice-cold voice - the hair on the back of her head bristled like a forest of needles, matching the extreme anger that she was experiencing right at the moment.

    "Nope. And I honestly envied you."

    Horeo raised both of his hands as if trying to prove that he had nothing to do with the situation before stepping back.

    |Ah, I see. So that''s why Veo was so persistent about going to the back of the academy! She must have been a part of Zoemi''s n from the start... I''d better not tell Miriette that she had anything to do with it though...|

    The first prince, as someone who was learning about politics and negotiation since infancy should, choose the best line for the situation, after careful consideration.

    "So, what are you going to do now...?"

    "Isn''t it obvious...!?"

    Miriette gritted her teeth.

    "He has already prepared everything, so we''re going to have the damn pic that he wanted us to have!"

    She dered furiously.

    "Whohoo! Food made by Zoemi, I can''t wait!"

    The blond prince cheered up, punching the air above his head.

    "At least keep the appearances when we''re in public, will you?"

    "Yeah, yeah ¨C your mother taught me all about that."

    After Miriette said that, Horeo blew away a strand of golden hair off of his forehead and offered her his arm.

    "Shall we go then, my love?"

    The first prince asked with a charming smile.

    "..."

    Miriette straightened her back and leaned against his arm, forcing herself to make a love-struck expression.

    "It will be a pleasure, my prince."

    She responded softly right before they started walking - and everyone who saw them together gasped at how perfectly matched the future royal couple looked.

    "Scary. Nobles are scary."

    Whispered Veo following the two.

    "Indeed."

    Confirmed Teo,gging a bit behind, ncing over her shoulder to peek whether Zoemi really wasn''t going toe with them...

    ---

    As the Academy narrowly dodged having its defenses tested against a tornado created by the outburst of anger of a certain dark-haired girl, the ck-haired attendant inside the building was nimbly passing by and through various groups of students.

    "UWAAH...!"

    "KYAAAH!"

    A good few of them straight up screamed or stepped back at the sight of him, but since the scarred attendant tried to move close to the right side of the hallway so that his burns would be at least a bit harder to notice, it wasn''t asmon urrence as he initially feared.

    Zoemi considered hiding in his shadow and traveling from shadow to shadow like that - but he scrapped the idea almost immediately ¨C shadow travel consumed a lot of mana and if anyone would notice him using it so willy-nilly, it could have caused quite the stir...

    After all, when his shadow was moving with him inside, he could see everything that was happening on the outside ¨C which meant directly above too - and in a habitat where almost half of the poption was wearing skirts, it wasn''t hard to realize howe such spell could be considered more than just distasteful and straight-up perverted.

    This very spell was one of the reasons for the darkness attribute''s bad opinion.

    The boy''s choices were limited ¨C or rather, they were straight-up not feasible - as for example - his other spell, shadow jump was a spell simr to the light attribute''s teleportation and was only a bit more mana-hungry but was way more convenient than shadow travel ¨C but was just as problematic as shadow travel.

    Therefore, what was left was just the traditional means of transport ¨C his own legs.

    The ck-haired attendant reached the cafeteria and scanned it for the important figures.

    Xeonith was actually surprisingly close to him - by the entrance, waiting in line - while Reo was sitting at the table in the middle of the cafeteria.

    From Zoemi''s position, it was easy to notice that Reo picked that spot because it was just far enough to be outside the ssh zone but close enough for it to be considered a first row for the spectacle about to unfold.

    Even the blond-haired heroine was bashfully looking for a ce to sit ¨C although she was remarkably farther away than the illustration from the game - that the scarred attendant remembered - indicated.

    Yet, other than that, everything was just like it should be.

    |The scripted event should start any moment now...!|

    Zoemi clung to the side of the entrance just like a jealous woman stalking her lover.. His heart was actually beating faster in anticipation.

 Chapter 43 - 9 - Can A New Event Be Created? (part 6)

    |Reo''s route bad endings would be difficult to prevent from happening, but I actually want the heroine to choose him...|

    Zoemi''s thought surprised even himself.

    He should be thinking of his master first, right?

    Well, yes...

    ...and he was already ready to sacrifice everything to make the dark-haired girl happy...

    ...but that even though he liked Horeo as a friend, there was no guarantee that the blond prince won''t turn his back on his current fiancee, and as such, the backup n had to be set up ¨C just like he wanted to do with Grazio when he was younger.

    Although that failure pushed him away from the idea for a while, now after witnessing that the heroine was indeed there, it became a necessity.

    And with that in mind, the ck-haired boy didn''t feel particrly guilty about ying favorites.

    Because - you see - when the scarred attendant''s world was still just a game named Kampf um die Liebe, and the human named Kuro Aku, that would be Zoemi, yed it - he had a ranking of characters that he liked.

    Of course, Miriette was at the top, while the heroine was scraping the bottom in search for the new low together a better half of the capture targets who threw the viiness under the bus.

    And yet, there was a single male character that Kuro Aku genuinely liked.

    Reo Serentii Moyena, the wind attribute wielding prankster.

    The reen-haired youth was the fourth son of the kingdom''s treasurer that developed the twisted personality because as the youngest child of the mother who died after giving birth to him, he never got any kind of attention from his father who seemed to be ming him for the untimely death of his wife.

    To make things worse for Reo, any chance for the fatherly love was always stolen from him by his smarter and more powerful siblings - so young Reo started causing trouble just so his father wouldn''t forget about his existence.

    The green-haired boy preferred being shouted over being treated as still air ¨C so he became a destructive gale to remain seen.

    If only someone would just properly look at Reo, they would see a very lonely person who just wanted someone to love him.

    Well...

    To be absolutely honest, the deciding factor of Kuro Aku''s favorable opinion of the green-haired capture target was that Reo admired Miriette, and Miriette''s bad endings in his route weren''t caused by the prankster boy... but it was still a feeling that remained in the heart and mind of the Zoemi as he was today.

    ---

    A couple of minutes passed, the heroine seemed to be anxious and Zoemi caught her ncing with worry at the pot in which the wind bomb was set up, which caused the ck-haired attendant to start suspecting that she somehow has caught the wind of the prank and he started to worry whether the event will paly out correctly, while Xeonith was just about to get his lunch...

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    *SPLASH*

    "WH- WHAT THE...?!"

    "KYAAAAAH!"

    ...when the timed spell finally activated and a metal pot wasunched spinning towards the ceiling while sshing the content everywhere around, causing the shocked students to start running away while screaming in shock.

    *CLANG*

    Before the pot fell down on the ground with a loud noise ¨C but away from anyone so it did not cause any harm with its weight - the sticky grayish oatmeal had been sshed on one-fourth of the cafeteria.

    "...pfft... pfff...! Pffft...!"

    Zoemi started chewing on the inside of his cheek just to stop himself from bursting intoughter, but even so, he could barely hold back.

    "...ugh...! Khe...! Khe...!"

    Even though at the beginning it looked like the heroine was going to sit in the back, she ended up taking a spot rtively close to the pot - which resulted in her getting gooped all over her face and was coughing while wiping the oatmeal off...

    ...and the brown-haired Xeonith ended up in a much worse state than she...

    "PFFFHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! "

    Zoemi managed to hold himself back - but Reo wasughing his socks off.

    The green-haired second-year was holding his stomach and even had tears ofughter shining in his eyes...

    "...!"

    In a short, Reo was way too obvious...

    "...you...!"

    Xeonith heard theugh and pinpointed the location of the one making the noise.

    When he saw the green-haired youth, he squinted his eyes and his arms shook when he clenched his fists as the thick oatmeal was slowly dripping down his hair and clothes.

    "Moyena!"

    *RUMBLE*

    "!!!!"

    The brown-haired youth shouted and stomped his foot and made the whole building tremble from the impact - making everyone in the cafeteria go silent...

    ...except for Reo, of course...

    "Aw, what''s the long face for, Xeoni? Did the baby make a mess while trying to eat? Do you need a napkin?"

    Reo asked a very rude question in apletely innocent voice and offered Xeonith his handkerchief.

    "I''ve had enough of you when we were freshmen, I''m not going to deal with your shit from now on. This ends now! Since words can''t seem to pierce through that thick skull of yours, I let the pain be your teacher, fool! Rock barrage, ready!"

    "!!!"

    "Wh-wha...?! They''re going to fight?! Here?!"

    "RUN!"

    "Idiot, move!"

    Xeonith gritted his teeth and pointed his left-hand palm-first towards Reo and more than a few people screamed in fear when the stone tiles of the floor underneath their feet broke down and what remained of them flew towards Xeonith to form a wall of tens of fist-sized orbs between him and the green-haired prankster.

    "Whoa, there...! Xeoni, aren''t you being too hasty in pointing out whose guilty?! Why are you so sure it was even my fault!?"

    Seeing the attack that he wouldn''t ever be able to defend against considering the difference in the amount of mana, Reo stopped smiling and backed off, trying to hide behind his chair.

    "You will not deploy that spell with so many innocent people around, that would be far too reckless, right? You''re trying to scare me, right...?"

    The green-haired capture target gulped down his saliva nervously while his face became pale as a ghost''s.

    "Ha!"

    Seeing that brown-haired second year smirked coldly.

    "What people? You''re alone, like always."

    "!!!!"

    Xeonith snorted while Reo flinched and looked around.

    What the brown-haired capture target said was true - everyone around Reo evacuated to either side of the cafeteria and he was the only one standing in the way of the volley of rock projectiles ready to be fired...

    "It''s time for you to learn manners the hard way."

    Xeonith scoffed, squinting his eyes coldly.

    |Now''s the time! Who will she choose?|

    Zoemi shook with anticipation - looking at the picture on the screen and watching the event unfold before him in real life were twopletely different things.

    After all, in his current situation, the oue would determine the hardships that he would have to protect his master from!

    |Now even the trashy heroine will be able to be useful!|

    Zoemi thought to himself, peeking from behind the doorway.

    No matter who the girl chooses - she''ll stand up bravely between two sophomores and...!

    "You poor thing, how could this happen to you... Please, let me assist you to your room."

    "N-no...! My prince, thank you for your care but, please wait...! I need to..."

    Second prince Surou protectively but prudently grasped the heroine''s hand and was leading her out of the cafeteria even though the blond heroine was fidgeting in unease, looking back at the two capture targets.

    "No, no. Let those two settle their difference on their own... you see... it''s far too dangerous to mess with sir Xeonith..."

    The blue-haired capture target leaned a little bit closer to the heroine and revealed in a hushed tone...

    ...if the two of them weren''t passing by the scarred attendant at that moment, the ck-haired boy would not have heard it...

    |...huh...?|

    Zoemi opened his mouth in shock. What was going on? That''s not how this even was supposed to y out!

    The second prince shouldn''t even be in the cafeteria at that time!

 Chapter 44 - 9 - Can A New Event Be Created? (part 7)

    |...wait a second...!|

    And then Zoemi remembered something...

    A smaller event that was supposed to happen not only muchter in the route of the second prince but also in apletely different ce...!

    That small-scale event was supposed to y out in the evening - after a heated talk about the hierarchy of the society the furious Miriette would smack the heroine''s books from her hands and they would fall in a puddle of mud, then, Miriette would leave the scene agitated, leaving the heroine alone, mourning the destroyed books.

    That would be the moment that the second prince would identally stumble into the crestfallen heroine picking up the dirty books while sobbing, and after a short conversation, he would offer to escort her back to her room.

    Using the exact same words he did just now!

    Zoemi trembled.

    |Could it be that because of his actions to protect Miriette until now the route of the second prince got artificially elerated and the scripted events are being forcefully distorted to fit the situation!?|

    He thought in horror.

    Would this affect the dark-haired girl immediately?

    |No, she cannot be linked to anything that urred here at all...|

    The ck-haired attendant shook his head dismissing the initial thought.

    Even the future event that somehow triggered and got molded in response to the second prince''s abnormally high affection level was still only one-third through the route...

    Even though it was worrisome, that still wasn''t so bad for his master...

    The route of the second prince became bad for Miriette only at its very end, after all.

    Zoemi''s master still hasn''t done anything bad to the heroine so she was safe.

    Yes, Miriette was safe for the moment, but then...

    |Who''s going to help Reo...?|

    Zoemi turned back towards the scripted event that was proceeding without the heroine, taken away by the second prince...!

    |Wait... she didn''t want to leave, but Surou took her away anyway... what if he is the same as m...|

    "Hey, Xeonith, I will apologize, okay? I''m sorry for pranking you!"

    A sudden revtion suddenly struck the ck-haired attendant ¨C but his thought process was interrupted by Reo''s nervous voice ¨C the green-haired capture target was terrified...

    ...as he should be, each and every one of the rock projectiles hovering in front of Xeonith was looking dangerous and painful...

    "As I said, I''ll teach you to not stick your useless attribute everywhere ¨C and I will do it the hard way, to make sure that you remember it."

    Even though Reo sounded sincere Xeonith just wouldn''t listen.

    Maybe he was just done with dealing with the green-haired boy''s pranks through the prior year, or maybe the exploding oatmeal was the straw that broke the camel''s back...

    Either way, he did not mince his words.

    ¡­but he certainly ¨C and unknowingly ¨C chose the wrong words, considering who was listening...

    |Did he just say that the wind attribute is useless...?|

    Zoemi''s eyes stopped reflecting light and turned cold and dead as his reasoning was overtaken by fury...

    "Shadow connect."

    The attendant with dead eyes whispered, and a hair-thin ck thread shoot out from his murky ck shadow and slithered through the broken floor, weaving and dodging between the countless feet of other students until it reached the shadow directly under the chair that Reo was cowering behind.

    |Useless? That annoying, stick-in-the-mud capture target with no after story, called Miriette''s attribute ''useless''...?|

    Thought Zoemi before suddenly disappearing into his own shadow as if a bottomless void suddenly opened underneath his feet and swallowed him whole.

    "Deploy barrage!"

    "...!"

    Xeonith called out in a stern, cold voice ¨C with no hesitation whatsoever.

    "Wh...! WHAT IS THAT...?!"

    At the exact same time, someone from the crowd of students observing the whole situation called out in an absolutely panicked voice - pointing out at the human hand that suddenly emerged right from below the chair in front of the green-haired fourth son of the Bellcephora kingdom''s treasurer.

    "Shadow expansion!"

    Growled Zoemi as soon as his head reached over the shadow ¨C following his hand back to the surface of the outside world.

    The fist-sized rock missiles shoot towards the green-haired prankster as if they were bullets shot from a machine gun.

    Even with the sudden appearance of the ck-haired boy, Reo could only activate the single defensive spell that the normal wind magician had at their disposal ¨C wind wall ¨C and put his hands up defensively, praying for the first hit to knock him out to save him from the pain.

    "KYAAAAAH! IT''S THE GHOSTS...!"

    But before any projectiles could reach the green-haired capture target, an unnaturally deep shadow surged like a tidal wave out from the spot where the ck-haired boy was climbing out - and engulfing every single one of the missiles...!

    Not a single trace remained!

    "What!? Who the hell are you?! How dare you interfere with the duel of the...! Ugh...!"

    Xeonith started shouting furiously and rushed at the ck-haired individual who managed to get out of the murky shadow under the chair right before it turned back to normal ¨C but stopped and even took a step back once the ck-haired boy raised his head and showed his face, or more specifically, the scarred right side of his face.

    "Geez, I don''t know, the shadow moved... who might have done it? Surely not the darkness magician standing in the way! That would be ridiculous! Ah! I know! It must have been the water magician''s work! Show yourself, you ruffian!"

    "HIIIIIII...!"

    Zoemi, stand up on his wobbly feet and almost fell down, but delivered a mocking speech regardless, and even turned to the panicked audience and pointed his finger at a random blue-haired student who screamed in a high-pitched voice and ran away crying.

    "Damn it! The culprit as ran away!"

    The scarred boy clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    ...both the shadow jump and shadow emerge that swallowed the barrage of the mana-filled projectiles hadpletely drained Zoemi''s mana reservoir, pushing him into a state of extreme mana depletion...

    Honestly, only because the amount of mana he had at his disposal was small, that severe mana depletion didn''t knock him out ¨C still, the sheer willpower that he showed up by speaking clearly without mumbling, was already praiseworthy.

    "You''re Espine''s attendant, aren''t you? Why are you helping this moron?"

    The brown-haired Xeonith pulled himself together, as it would be rather shameful if anyone realized that he got spooked by some burn scars, and called out the ck-haired boy.

    "And you are the esteemed lord Derizno! Why are you destroying the school''s property and bullying the weaker student?! That''s not what a noble should do! You big bully!"

    Zoemi frowned and scolded Xeonith, pointing at him with a shaking finger ¨C by the way, his eye''s still looked dead and on top of that they became unfocused because of the mana depletion...

    "Bullying? I am!? If anything he was the one doing the bullying of everyone else!"

    The brown-haired youth became agitated, waving his arm around ¨C showing off all the students covered with the oatmeal - but Zoemi''s sense of reason was already as dull as it could be, and he liked Reo more from the get-go ¨C if that was not clear enough already....

 Chapter 45 - 9 - Can A New Event Be Created? (part 8)

    "You''ve said that wind magic is useless...!"

    Zoemipletely disregarded Xeonith''s words and was usingly pointing his finger at the brown-haired son of a duke...

    He even started pouting ¨C which looked adorable for anyone looking at the left side of his face, and horrifying for the ones seeing the right side.

    As for the Xeonith seeing the scarred attendant from the front, his reaction was... mixed...

    "And he said sorry for what he''s done! Aren''t you supposed to pose as a benevolent guy? Just let the best boy go!"

    Zoemi nearly fumbled and fell down, but he somehow managed to keep himself upright while shrugging his shoulders dismissively at the brown-haired capture target.

    "Wha...?! What best boy, what are you talking about?! And let him go?! Do you know how many times has he pulled off something like that!? Look what he''s done to everyone''s clothes!"

    "Hmph...!"

    Xeonith wasn''t giving up on being agitated, but after hisst sentence, Zoemi got angry and frowned, which made his scars twist horribly.

    "Oh, boo-hoo! As if anyone in this room - except for me and the kitchen staff - washes their own clothes!"

    The scarred attendant crossed his arms under his chest and red at the much more powerful Xeonith with contempt - his voice was brimming with annoyance.

    "...a... I... Umm... What...?"

    Honestly, Xeonith had no idea how to react to that ¨C it certainly wasn''t the reaction that he has expected, that''s for certain...

    "Lord Xeonith is a transcended magician, so he thinks he can act as the peace-keeper in here, it seems... hi-umph...!"

    Zoemi shut his lips in time to stop the hup sound escaping his mouth, though his body still slightly jumped.

    "Since you want to get the respect you think you deserved, sure. Here! Lord Reo,e, give me your hand... Maybe if we apologize together the oh-so-great lord Derizno will forgive us!"

    Even though he said it as if he was giving Reo a choice, the ck-haired attendant went ahead and grabbed the green-haired second year''s hand and pulled him right next to himself, almost falling down again, but managing to keep his bnce by leaning on Reo''s shoulder.

    "Urgh...! Sorry, thank you... Here, lord Reo, I came off as rude towards lord Xeonith and the other students too, so I also have something to apologize for, okay? So we will do it together! Hear me out - we''re bowing down on the count of three and saying that we''re sorry for causing trouble, you feel me?"

    "Umm, who are yo-mpfh...?"

    "Shhhhh... We''re apologizing now."

    Reo wanted to say something but Zoemi was in a state that he would care only for his master''s words and just casually pressed his index finger onto the green-haired boy''s lips, silencing him.

    "I''m starting the countdown.. or countup...? ...is that even a word...? Ah, who cares... One... two... three...!"

    Zoemi''s grip on Reo''s hand was rather strong since the ck-haired boy was using the green-haired prankster as support, therefore whether he wanted it or not, Reo was pulled down together with a ck-haired attendant and made to perform the ny-degree bow.

    "We are sorry for causing you trouble!"

    "W-we are sorry for causing trouble...?"

    They weren''t perfectly in sync but still, both of them said it ¨C even though Reo stuttered a lot from embarrassment.

    "..."

    "...what is going on here...?"

    "...hey... correct me if I''m wrong, but the ugly guy is standing up for lord Moyena because lord Xeonith disrespected the wind attribute...?"

    "...yeah...! Why are they apologizing in the first ce ¨C pulling a prank is one thing ¨C but disrespecting someone''s attribute is something far worse...!

    "...!"

    Now everyone in the cafeteria was feeling awkward - because of thedy Miriette''s attendant the apology looked sincere and Reo''s ears were burning red so even if he wasn''t truly repenting he was at least feeling a bit humiliated ¨C and on top of that some of the green-haired students began talking amongst themselves and sending indignant res towards the brown-haired capture target who flinched and realized that in the eruption of anger, he might have messed up...

    Now he was looking like the bad guy, especially since Zoemi didn''t allow Reo to straighten his back for at least two minutes straight...

    "...Um... F-fine, I get it! You two just stand up already!"

    With no other choice ¨C and increased animosity from every single wind attribute wielding student - Xeonith backed off as he noticed that many students, even those who were hit by the oatmeal shrapnel, were giving him the disapproving looks, and he didn''t want to end up as the real bad guy in that situation.

    Unfortunately for him, it was fairly obvious which side of the conflict was stronger, and who caused the actual property damage ¨C the clothes could be washed, but the stones from the floor that Xeonith used for his spell all disappeared into the ck-haired attendant''s shadow, leaving the broken floor...

    "Moyena, just.. .! Just don''t do that again!"

    Xeonith turned around with an embarrassed expression and walked out of the cafeteria.

    The students who were affected by the oatmeal prank also hurriedly left to change, there was still well over an hour of the break left and the perpetrator humbled himself, so the whole situation wasn''t such a big deal in the end.

    Though - the broken flooring was a different thing...

    Zoemi could at least took out the debris from his shadow, but both storing and taking things out of it took mana, and since having the missiles stored took out the rest of his mana left after the shadow jump ¨C it was straight-up impossible for him to recover it at the moment.

    |...uuugh... I feel so nauseous...!|

    Zoemi finally stood up straight and let go of the Reo so he could do that too.

    |...Now that I think about it... it''s either that there''s something wrong with Surou''s route or... there is something wrong with Surou himself...! The heroine was acting just as she has been in the game ¨C but that blue-haired second prince on the other hand... So suspicious...!|

    The ck-haired boy dusted off his clothes deep in thoughts ¨C so deep in thoughts that after he made sure that his clothes were in perfect order, he subconsciously followed his training as the attendant and straightened Reo''s clothes too...

    "H-huh...?! What are you...?! I ¨C I mean... I''m... umm... Thank you..."

    Reo flinched but since Zoemi didn''t say a thing and just put his uniform in order, he blushed and nodded his head to the ck-haired attendant.

    |Huh...? Oh, he''s talking to me...!|

    Zoemi flinched and realized that Reo is lowering his head to him, looking apologetically.

    "Aww...! Look at you, I knew you were a good boy!"

    Even though the less mana a magician has, the faster it regenerates ¨C Zoemi''s regeneration speed wasn''t too good so the effects of spending all of his mana at once were very much still present ¨C which was the reason why the scarred attendant stretched his hand and started patting Reo''s head,pletely messing up the green hair of the upperssman all while smiling brightly ¨C so brightly that the light returned to his jet-ck eyes making them appear like eyes of a living creature again.

    "H-huh...!?"

    Surprised Reo took a step back, his face waspletely red...

    ...it wasn''t a good match with the shade of his hair...

    "Just go and say sorry to the kitchen staff too, alright? You''ve messed up with their hard work - but I''m sure that they will forgive you if you show some goodwill and promise not to do that again, okay?"

    Zoemi asked, tilting his head so that only the pretty side of his face would be visible, and smiled reassuringly.

    "...okay..."

    Reo nodded like an embarrassed child and obediently went towards the servants that were hurriedly cleaning the aftereffects of the prank and the magical attack.

    "...see, he is a good egg..."

    Zoemi watched after the green-haired upperssman with a smile.

    But as the minutes passed and at least one-tenth of his mana recovered, his smile slowly disappeared and his eyes were widened in a horrifying realization.

    |Show some goodwill...? Show good...? Show something good...?|

    "Oh, dear god, the second prince''s scripted event!"

    He gasped, sobering up in an instant, and madly dashed towards the entrance pushing aside the unfortunate students in his way.

    ---

    "..."

    Grazio, who was watching everything from the seat far in the back of the cafeteria, looked down on his meal and started prodding the food with the fork while his expression has be sour.

 Chapter 46 - 9 - Can A New Event Be Created? (part 9)

    In the game, the scripted event that happened out of order in this world didn''t actually end with Surou escorting the heroine back to her room - but with the blue-haired second prince helping her clean up with her with a few small useful spells and taking her to the back of the academy to showing her the beautiful spot by the pond to cheer her up...!

    The same exact beautiful spot under the old tree by the pond that Zoemi made the first prince and the viiness have a pic at...!

    |Damn it! Events where the heroine and the viiness are in together always put the viiness in a bad light! I can''t let this happen!|

    The ck-haired attendant knew, of course, that he might have been wrong.

    Even if a single event happened too soon it wasn''t certain that it will y out exactly as it did in the game - but something in Zoemi''s guts was telling him that the worst-case scenario will y out.

    The event he set up for his master''s benefit will cause the opposite effect!

    "Hey! What do you... HIII!"

    "Wha-AAH...!"

    "Ugh! Hey...!? I''M SORRY!"

    The first reaction of the students who got bumped into was anger, but as soon as they caught a glimpse of the terrifying face of the ck-haired youth, they would start to panic and run away in fear.

    ""Sir Zoemi!""

    "!!!!"

    When he was already outside he saw worried Teo and Veo running in his direction with flushed faces, he felt that his heart has sunk...

    "Thatmoner girl and the prince Surou showed up suddenly...!"

    "And the prince Suoru got angry that the master and the mistress took his spot and...!"

    The girls called out one after the other, finishing each other sentences as if they were one person split in half ¨C but that wasn''t the point that stood out the most for the scarred attendant...

    |HIS spot?! Damn it! In the game, Surou told the heroine that he stumbled upon it after the magic evaluation exam in a month...! Howe he knows about it already ¨C unless...!|

    Zoemi clenched his fists so hard that his shoulders trembled ¨C but the twin attendants were not finished with reporting the situation to him.

    "Themoner girl wanted to calm him down but she tripped..."

    "She fell on the pic basket...!"

    "And the mistress is...!"

    |She fell...?! Damn it! That clumsy girl is EXACTLY as she was in the game!|

    Zoemi didn''t have to wait for the rest of the exnation given by both of the twins, it was clear what has happened after the heroine''s fall...

    Miriette had quite the wild character, she was the epitome of wind - sometimes gentle and refreshing but when she got angry it was with the power of a destructive hurricane!

    |Her date with the prince got interrupted and their food was wasted, she must be overwhelmingly furious! Damn it!|

    "I understand! I''m going to them right away!"

    Zoemi didn''t wait for the twins to catch a breath and dashed at his top speed to the ce where his master was bing the victim of the event.

    Teo and Veo could use the earth enchant so it wasn''t hard for them to catch up with Zoemi - although quick for the magicless people standards, the ck-haired boy was a darkness magician and couldn''t use any enchants augmenting the speed...

    "...!?"

    "...?!"

    Or that''s how it was supposed to be and the two girls exchanged confused nces once they realized that they actually have to try to keep up with the sprinting attendant.

    After a few moments, the three of them managed to circle the academy and saw the main stage of the event.

    In the shade of an ancient oak tree, a conflict was ying out.

    On one side there was the first prince Horeo doing his best with holding back his fiancee,dy Miriette - just like a bouncer would try to hold back a bickering patron from participating in a brawl.

    Both of them were using enchants augmenting their bodies and as it wasmon for powerful enchants their bodies were glowing in the colors of their respective attributes.

    The gold-haired prince was emitting a golden light while the dark-haired Miriette was shining with brilliant green - eyes, even though Miriette''s eyes and hair were so dark green that they seemed ck, the color of her spells was green just like any other wind magician''s.

    On the other side was the second prince Surou - spreading his arms protectively in front of the blond-haired heroine ¨C crying and bowing her head apologetically as she desperately tried to salvage whatever food was still good from the toppled basket, looking terrified to her core.

    Both of them were surrounded by the semi-transparent water bubble - the anti-spell barrier - a standard defensive spell for water magicians which power depended solely on the vastness of the caster''s mana pool.

    "Let me go this instant, Horeo! I''m going to beat somemon sense into that uncultured little...!"

    Miriette was shouting, iling her arms, and kicking up her legs up - making it obvious that if Horeo wasn''t holding her back, she would already get to the pitiful blond girl in front of her and tear her limb from limb with her bare hands ¨C which considered her augmented strength wasn''t out of the realm of possibility...

    "N-no...! For goodness sake...! Miriette! Calm down! People are watching"

    Horeo was struggling with holding his fiancee back.

    In terms of pure quality of the augmentation, wind attribute allowed for stronger enchants than light but in a normal situation the light enchants would be more powerful because of the light magician''s superiority in the amount of mana at their disposal - but when it came to Miriette it wasn''t the case at all as she had at least as much mana as a light magician - so poor Horeo was sweating bullets with just holding her back, and with each passing second the dark-haired girl was getting closer to breaking free.

    "She hasn''t done it on purpose...!"

    The pale as a ghost Surou shouted trying to keep his voice steady - but his hands were shaking from actual fear.

    He knew full well that with the size of his mana reservoir - that was actually quite vast for a water magician, but not big enough to put him up as a transcended magician - he wouldn''t be able to take even three spells from the transcended magician with the mana equal to the light mage...

    ...especially not one as furious as the seething girl in front of him who was barely kept at bay by his older brother...

    The unfortunate thing about that assumption was that the blue-haired prince''s estimation was a generous overestimation on his part - the truth was Surou wouldn''t be able to withstand even one of Miriette''s spells...

    "Like I care! Look at what she has done...!"

    "I''m sorry...! I''m sorry...! I''m so, so sorry...!"

    Miriette roared, ring at the ground, and kicked towards the pic basked that the sobbing heroine really tried to get back in order, but no matter what, the blond-haired girl''s attempts were as desperate as they were useless...

    The hamburger-like sandwiches were spread on the grass, the bread, the sd, the tomatoes, the onion, the cheese, the bacon, everything was lying on the grass under the cover of the imported-fruit sd and doused with at least half a bottle of juice ¨C most of which got soggy and fell apart the moment it was touched by the shaking hands of the heroine.

    It was a certainly disheartening sight for the one who prepared it - Zoemi ¨C but the ck-haired boy was far more worried about his master''s terrible behavior.

    The dark-haired girl was showing a really petty and ugly side of herself to everyone present, and Zoemi was sure that at least a few students were peeking at them from the academy''s windows - thankfully only a few ssrooms had a good view on the spot...

    but even so...

    |This straight-up shows Miriette in the worst light possible!|

 Chapter 47 - 9 - Can A New Event Be Created? (part 10)

    Zoemi felt as if someone has punched him in the stomach ¨C a horrible experience that he was far too familiar with in the early childhood in the slums...

    This whole situation happened because of him!

    Even if his slow realization about the event ying out of order could be pushed on the mana depleted brain of his ¨C then the attempt of creating a brand new event with the use of the knowledge about the game was conceived with the full brainpower avable to him ¨C he should have realized that messing with the script might result in an unexpected urrence such as that!

    Not to mention that he wasted so much time away from Miriette''s side by injecting himself in the event between Reo and Xeonith...!

    No matter how much he liked the green-haired boy as a character - who was he supposed to protect? Reo? Or his master?

    The answer was obvious!

    "P-please, forgive me,dy Espine! I''m so sorry, so very sorry...!"

    The heroine yelped from behind Surou but that only made Miriette angrier.

    "You don''t get to be sorry! All of the hard work put into preparing that food was for nothing! All because of you! I don''t care anymore!"

    Miriette stopped struggling and instead just pointed her arm at the heroine ¨C not caring in the slightest that the blue-haired second prince was in the way of her spell.

    "Automatic wind sh!"

    *click*

    The dark-haired girl called and snapped her fingers.

    In the next second, a green orb the size of a basketball ball appeared hovering in front of her ¨C away from Horeo''s reach.

    The surface of the orb was constantly twitching and fluctuating as if something violent and unpredictable wanted to break free from it at all cost

    "Miriette, for all that is holy- think what you are doing!"

    Shouted terrified Horeo, pulling the girl away ¨C but even though Miriette was moved ¨C the green orb stayed in ce...

    |OH FOR F-!|

    "...what...?!"

    "How?!"

    Unbeknownst to the ck-haired boy, his body got enveloped by the thinnestyer of shadow as if he suddenly got under the shade of a gigantic tree ¨C even though he was still running in full sunlight ¨C and he charged forward leaving the bewildered Veo and Teo - WHO WERE USING EARTH ENCHANTS ¨C behind!

    *WHAM*

    Still ¨C the sudden burst of speed wasn''t that good ¨C as the unustomed to it scarred attendant ended up tripping and tumbled the rest of the way, as the shade left his body just as suddenly as it appeared...

    "?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

    "Mydy...! Stop...! I beg of you...!"

    "Zoemi...?!"

    The ck-haired attendant luckily ended up just when he wanted to stop if he didn''t trip ¨C exactly between the two pairs ¨C and gasped, standing up and ignoring the pain in his limbs.

    "Mydy ¨C it''s just some food! I will prepare more as many times as you wish ¨C so please ¨C cease your anger...!"

    Zoemi''s chest was quickly rising and falling in the rhythm of his heavy breaths.

    There was absolutely no mana left in Zoemi''s body and he squeezed out all of his physical abilities just to get there on time so his shirt was sticking to his body from sweat as his hair was really messy - but nheless - he was standing in front of his master with his arms spread out and a determined expression.

    The threatening green orb was pulsating mere inches in front of his face but he did not care at all, treating it as nothing but normal air ¨C though...

    ...that recklessness might have more to do with the mana depletion state...

    "Zoemi...!?"

    Miriette opened her mouth in shock, staring at her exhausted dusty attendant with green stains on his uniform caused by tumbling on the grass.

    "Mydy...! Please... Calm... Down..."

    Zoemi was slowly regaining his breath but had trouble with speaking properly.

    "B-but, look at what she did, the food you pre..."

    "Mydy..! Everything''s fine! Yo... Your servant will just prepare something else...! Please... Just let it go...!"

    Zoemi lowered his head and begged Miriette.

    "But...!"

    The dark-haired girl opened her mouth but after seeing her pleading attendant she bit her lip and closed her mouth, looking miserable, as if ashamed that she caused the ck-haired boy to push himself that far...

    *...haaaaa....*

    The green orb above her dissipated with a sound simr to a person loudly breathing out the air from their lungs and Miriette''s arm fell limply to her side.

    "..."

    Realizing that there was no reason to hold her back anymore, the gold-haired prince sighed with relief and gently put his fiancee down.

    "I''m sorry..."

    Miriette turned her head away and looked down so it wasn''t obvious who was she apologizing to ¨C Zoemi or the Surou and heroine pair ¨C either way, the dark-haired girl was blinking really fast and her eyes were bing slightly red.

    "Ah! No! That''s not it!"

    Zoemi got agitated because he thought that his master was apologizing for her unbing behavior ¨C and as he was convinced that it was all his fault ¨C the scarred attendant had no intentions of letting her bear the responsibility.

    He hurriedly turned around and kneeled before the second prince.

    "My prince! Please don''t hold it againstdy Miriette, my master is not a bad person! This whole situation is my fault! If I hadn''t told her about this ce she wouldn''te here!"

    Zoemi had no time ¨C and neither mind clear enough ¨C toe up with some clever ploy against the capture target whom he found suspicious ¨C so he went with the best apology he coulde up with at the moment.

    "If anyone is to me, it is I who you should despise!"

    He bowed his head deeply.

    -Please, don''t condemn my master-

    Was the very obvious message he was sending to the blue-haired second prince.

    The ck-haired attendant was so worried about Miriette''s future that he didn''t care that he was throwing himself under a speeding bus by telling an influential noble to hate him.

    "N-no. It''s okay... all well that ends well..."

    Surou trembled ncing at the dark-haired girl standing by his older brother, and looking back at the pleading scarred attendant.

    The blue-haired second prince might have been shaken, but he wasn''t stupid nor evil ¨C he had no trouble noticing when he was being saved ¨C and this time he was saved big time.

    "It''s okay, right...?"

    "Yes, my prince!"

    The heroine hurriedly turned away from the basket and nodded at the second prince before she turned to Zoemi without standing up, and bowed down to him.

    "Th-thank you for the help, my lord..."

    She mumbled in a shaken tone, sounding relieved but still slightly scared.

 Chapter 48 - 9 - Can A New Event Be Created? (part 11)

    With Zoemi around, the situation got under control.

    Miriette and Horeo canceled their enchants and Surou retracted his anti-magic bubble.

    "My prince, I''m so terribly sorry for causing you trouble...!"

    The heroine stood up and bowed down apologetically to the blue-haired second prince.

    "You don''t need to apologize, it was all an ident - in the end, nothing happened ¨C thanks to sir Zoemi."

    The second prince smiled at her and even turned and smiled at the scarred attendant.

    |Oh no ¨C no way...! They look like they want to stay and talk with me ¨C NO! I need to take Miriette and Horeo away from here before some other random event triggers...!|

    Seeing that Zoemi barely held himself back and wanted to immediately grab his master and the first prince and dash away, but out loud he only said:

    "Thank you, my prince, miss."

    And bowed back at them almost as deep as the heroine.

    Then ¨C before the pair could have initiated another topic - Zoemi turned towards Horeo and Miriette without getting up from his knees.

    "Mydy, my prince. Forgive me for allowing this mishap to ur. My prince, if I may be so bold, I''d like to advise changing the location. If, for example, you and mydy will go to the tearoom, Teo and I could use the kitchen and prepare a fine meal for the two of you while Veo would clean this ce so the prince Surou and hispanion could enjoy their time here."

    He dered hurriedly implementing his backup n for the date of the two.

    "I approve of that idea. Let''s go with that."

    Horeo took a few deep breaths and nodded.

    "Thank you, my prince!"

    Zoemi perked up and stood up, then he beckoned the twin in a butler''s uniform and grabbed her hand before leading towards the building.

    "...uuuu..."

    Miriette didn''t look in the attendant''s direction, she turned towards Horeo, rested her forehead on his shoulder, and started sniffling as soon as Zoemi and one of the first prince''s attendants were far enough so they wouldn''t hear her.

    "Now, now... you reckless idiot."

    Horeo gently took her hand and started leading her away while his other attendant started cleaning the remains of the pic food.

    "...sh-shut uuuup... you-u clown...!"

    Miriette cried back at him, letting him lead her like a lost child.

    They continued to walk in silence, but before they entered the academy, Horeo stopped and turned around.

    "Are you proud of yourself? For losing control like an angry toddler?"

    He shook his head, ring at the dark-haired girl with disapproval, knowing that he is out of sight for any prying eyes and ears.

    "...no... but Zoemi made this food for us... and she just destroyed it all...!"

    Miriette sobbed, wiping her eyes with both hands.

    "She tripped! Seriously ¨C you need to learn to control yourself more ¨C that girl is just amoner, but other nobles will see how you act towards someone of lower status and will judge you upon it! If your opinion will be bad - so will Zoemi''s ¨C do you want to make his life even harder?"

    "N-no..!"

    Horeo asked and Miriette shook her head so vigorously that her short hair pped around.

    ---

    Meanwhile, already inside the building, Zoemi was leading Teo to the kitchen.

    "Veo didn''t lie to me, right? Out of the two of you, you actually can cook, right?"

    He asked anxiously.

    "Indeed."

    She confirmed with an emotionless voice.

    Teo hasn''t stopped wondering how exactly Zoemi was able to distinguish between her and her sister but she didn''t allow herself to show it.

    While in the kitchen Zoemi was picking the ingredients without a shred of hesitation even though he was makingpletely different things than what he nned for and prepared that morning.

    "Wash and cut these into tiny pieces, but not too small, then take this, this, and this, and mix it together thoroughly. We''re going to make pancakes with fruits and whipped cream so let''s get started!"

    The ck-haired attendant gave short precise instruction and started working on his part of the task.

    "..."

    After a minute or two Zoemi nced at Teo to see how''s she doing but she hasn''t even started.

    "Don''t tell me you can''t prepare food after all!"

    He eximed feeling betrayed.

    "I can."

    Teo pouted.

    "Then why aren''t you doing anything?"

    The scarred attendant eximed in agitation.

    "Veo told me. You''ve patted her head because she did a good job ."

    The short brown-haired girl red at Zoemi with usation, causing him to tilt his head in confusion.

    "You haven''t given me head-pats after I did a good job yesterday!"

    "...oh, for the love of..."

    Teo was sulking and Zoemi rolled his eyes.

    They didn''t have time for this! Nearly half of the break was already over!

    "Listen, if you''ll do good now I''ll pat your head for as long as you want, deal?"

    He dered without putting much weight into his words, as he was feeling rather nauseous because his mana reservoir was filling up very slow.

    "Indeed!"

    The girl''s eyes shone with a vigorous light and she started working even faster than Zoemi!

    They stopped working once for a few seconds only for Zoemi to feed a piece of the pancake to Teo to check the taste.

    Thanks to that everything was done in no time and soon both attendants were carrying the tes full of mouth-watering pancakes and a whole tea-set.

    "Mydy, my prince."

    "Master, mistress."

    "Ah! Zoemi, Teo! Great,e,e."

    "..."

    When they arrived they were weed enthusiastically by Horeo, but Miriette was clearly in a bad mood.

    The delicious food lifted her mood momentarily but she spent the rest of that day''s lessons looking dispirited.

    Zoemi worked extra hard to fix the exquisite evening meal for her but she took only a few bites out of it, thanked him, and went to take a bath.

    Zoemi waited for his master toe out.

    After dozens of minutes, Miriette came out wearing a fluffy bathrobe and took a seat by her desk. Zoemi walked with a towel and started to dry her hair even though she had already done that herself.

    ...in Miriette''s case, it was better to be safe than sorry after all...

    When Zoemi decided that Miriette''s hair had enough he took a brush and started brushing them with a smile.

    "Did you start to hate me already...?"

    Miriette asked in a weak voice and she sniffled.

    "?!?!?!?!?!??!?!??"

    Zoemi was stunned!

    "M-mydy, how did youe up with such an outrageous idea ¨C me hating you...!?"

    He gasped so shaken that he almost dropped the brush.

    "Because you looked so horrified when you stood between me and that girl...! I''m such an awful person...!"

    Miriette turned her head around and looked up at Zoemi with tearful eyes.

    "Aww, my sillydy...! No, you are not!"

    Zoemi fell on his knees and grabbed Miriette''s hand with a gentle expression.

    "I wasn''t terrified of you! I was scared that if you hurt the second prince you will get in trouble! I couldn''t bear seeing you suffer in any way!"

    The ck-haired attendant covered Miriette''s hand with his other hand and looked her in the eyes with a soft smile.

    "There''s absolutely no chance that I could ever hate you."

    He said.

    "R-really...?"

    Miriette sniffled and her lips trembled.

    "I swear."

    Miriette needed a few minutes to calm down but after that, she finally returned to her normal self.

    Zoemi finished brushing her hair and she finished her meal.

    After that Zoemi took the empty dishes and left the room after wishing Miriette a goodnight.

    If she wanted something else, she would call him using the message spell.

    "Now then, time to train~ Those stone missiles have quite a lot of mana in them ¨C I clearly fell them in the shadow storage... Before they disintegrate I can practice that spell on them... hope it will work...!|

    He thought to himself while on the way to the kitchen.

    "..."

    Zoemi carefully looked around, making sure that no one else is around, and opened his mouth, closing his eyes and concentrating...

    "Mana conversion."

    He whispered.

 Chapter 49 - [Bonus ] 9.5 - Magicians In The Kitchen (part 1)

    Patishi - an orphan who never got adopted and ended up continuing to live in an orphanage - couldn''t believe their luck, they were working as a washer since they were eight years old and honestly thought that they will continue doing that through their whole life.

    It wasn''t an easy job considering that more often than not the Academy relied on students bringing their attendants with them and kept only the minimal amount of staff on hand, which often left them understaffed and overworked but at least the pay was worth it.

    With only the money that Patishi was sending back to the orphanage, the people running the ce didn''t have to rely on the often unreliable help from themunity.

    Patishi didn''t hate their job but only looking at the food being prepared and never making it themselves was almost torture!

    Oh, how they wanted to be able to cook as they did for everyone back in the orphanage...!

    And then,pletely out of nowhere ¨C that one specific wish got fulfilled thanks to the very-scary-but-actually-super-good person!

    Overnight, Patishi became a personal baker for the future royal couple!

    Just like that!

    Even entering the kitchen in the morning wearing a brand new chef''s uniform, Patishi still thought that this might be just a dream...

    ...after all, such dreams often happened to them in the past so they were walking on eggshells terrified that they might wake up to the grim reality where they can''t even touch the ingredients...

    ...even if it was a dream and they had to return to washing pots and pans burnt by older cooks with far less talent than Patishi had ¨C doing that was still putting food on the table for the kids back in the orphanage.

    Either way ¨C one thing should be exined about the particr youth who caught the attention of the attendant of the future queen.

    The thing with Patishi was not only that they could bake delicious bread... they actually absolutely loved baking and cooking altogether ¨C and were insanely good at it too!

    And all because of their little secret...

    The truth was that Patishi was actually a mage.

    They awaken when they were only three years old.

    But!

    They weren''t something normal like an earth magician, as the color of their hair and amount of mana would make others willing to check to assume.

    Patishi possessed a variant attribute that was peculiar even amongst the - oh so special, variant magicians.

    It was something absolutely useless offensively - but no cook could ever wish for better magic.

    This youth''s magic could bring out the vor of every ingredient in a way that wasn''t possible in a normal way.

    They could also modify certain taste attributes of various food - for example, Patishi could make fruits sweeter, wild game to have less of a smell, and clean the flour from various impurities that snuck their way in even if the sieve - and mind you, even the best quality flour wasn''tpletely free of them.

    Yes, Patishi was a unique chef magician!

    But until a day ago, they worked as a washer, even though they were rmended as a cook over six years prior.

    Unfortunately for them, no chef nor cook wanted to approve that a child was leagues better than them - and they ended up in the lowest position.

    Patishi tried to exin that they had special magic but everyone would justugh at the youth and call them delusional without giving them a chance to show off.

    ---

    Trying to not think about the negative past, Patishi was working very hard in their brand new snow white uniform, with their sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and was working their magic ¨C literally - on the dough.

    Patishi knew that their task was to bake two fresh delicious loaves of bread in the morning but they just couldn''t sit still and their fingers itched for some more experimental baking after so long.

    Now that they had permission from the very top, no one would even dare to stop them from cooking!

    Would any of the other orphans they cooked for before believe in Patishi''s story if they wrote them about it?

    Thinking about that, and smiling to themselves, Patishi was in the middle of creating a test batch of bunny-shaped sweet buns with apples baked in.

    If the bunny buns were a sess the youth decided to try and give them to the very scary but actually super-good person as a thank you gift - so they were using their unique spells to bnce out the taste.

    It''s important to mention that Patishi''s chef magic worked only on the raw ingredients, nothing already cooked could be influenced by them.

    But Patishi wasn''t just a random human born with special magic ¨C they were a naturally gifted cook that put their all into improving themself!

    When the buns were almost ready the delicious smell made even the most jealous of cooks in the kitchen breathe it in with pleasure.

    Patishi put on the baking gloves and took out the steaming aromatic bunny buns from the stove.

    |Maybe I should have made them more realistic?|

    "Niom...!"

    Thought the youth - but then a hand with a discolored spot of skin suddenly reached for one of the bunny-buns and snatched it away like some sneaky fox!

    "H-hey those are...!"

    Patishi wanted to protest but when they turned towards the bun-thief it turned out to be the very-scary-but-actually-super-good person!

    The very scary but actually super-good person was holding the apple bunny-bun with both hands right in front of his face and his jet ck eyes that did not reflect light widened in joy.

    "Oh my gosh...! It''s so cute! So chubby! I want to eat it! But it''s so cute! It''s smell so good too...!"

    "Eh...? Um... What...?"

    Patishi blinked a few times in confusion, the very scary but actually super-good person was acting a bit different than in the morning...

    "Ah! S-sir, this is just a trial product! I''m still perfecting the recipe!"

    Patishi didn''t want to feed their benefactor something that they weren''tpletely satisfied with!

    But the very scary but actually super-good person looked at them with an innocent smile, well as innocent as his burn-marks would allow him to look.

    "Aw, just look at you! Working so hard even though you don''t have to! Such a good girl."

    He grabbed the bunny-bun in one hand and started patting Patishi''s head with the other.

    "!!!!!!!!!"

    "..."

    "....again with that...?"

    Patishi flinched terribly, shocked to the core because of the scarred attendant''s words ¨C and they hurriedly looked away as a few of the cooks turned to them and started ring at the youth with reproach.

    "S-sir... yo-you are mistaken...! I-I''m clearly a boy...! Y-you''re the first year, right? That means that you are a year older than me...!"

    Patishi lowered their head, nervously rubbing their hands together ¨C desperate to change the subject.

    "...hmm...? Oh? But your..."

    The ck-haired boy nced at Patishi''s face before pointing at something above the youth''s head and furrowing his brows.

    "...never mind, my bad, kid..."

    "...!"

    Then he looked over his shoulder and red at the cooks who didn''t have anything better to do, making them jump in fear and get back to whatever they were doing before.

 Chapter 51 - 9.5 - Two Attendants, Mana Depletion, And Headpats (part 2) + Nightmare

    "Sir Zoemi!?"

    Teo gasped, raising her head up to look at the other person''s face.

    The short brown-haired attendant hasn''t seen the scarred attendant when she was preparing the evening meal so she thought that the two of them would not meet at least until the next day - and even then it was only a maybe.

    |It''s the perfect chance!|

    Teo was going to ask Zoemi to keep his end of the deal!

    "Sir Zoemi, wait here for a bit!"

    She demanded with a serious face.

    "Okay!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi agreed with absolutely no resistance ¨C not to mention with a wide smile that made Teo blush.

    The girl in the butler''s uniform hurriedly returned the dishes in the appropriate ce and on her way back to Zoemi she was thinking up a strategy.

    |He seems to be in a good mood, which means that the mistress is feeling better too, and that means he most likely will not be required to apany her today anymore...!|

    She was thinking fast.

    |He said that he''ll pat my head for as long as I want ¨C but there is no way that''s true... As soon as I tell him how long I want him to pat me he will start bargaining with me to shorten the time without a doubt. If that''s the case, my best option is to start up with an unreasonably long head-patting time so that everything else will seem alright inparison and the final result will be satisfactory for both of us! Yes ¨C that can work!|

    Teo congratted herself for making such a splendid n just as she stood before Zoemi.

    "You wanted to talk about something?"

    the scared attendant asked happily...

    ...oddly happily...

    "Sir Zoemi..."

    "Sir this and sir that..."

    Teo started but Zoemi interrupted her by waving his hand dismissively.

    "I''m calling you Teo, so you just call me Zoemi. I''m no sir, hmph!"

    He dered in a confident tone, puffing out his chest with pride.

    "Ah! Y-yes, as you wish, Z-Zoemi..."

    Teo blushed and clenched her fists hoping for the best.

    "T-then, Zoemi, do you remember what you promised me today?"

    "...promised you...?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and made a pensive expression.

    |Eh...? He doesn''t even remember...?|

    Teo was devastated and she hung her head down in defeat, but then Zoemi pped his hands.

    "Ah! Yes, I do! Head-pats for as long as you like! So, hit me with it. How long?"

    He dered, back to his oddly cheerful self.

    |Now''s my chance...! Now, with some ridiculous amount of time...!|

    Teo perked up and a fire light up in her eyes.

    It was the time she was preparing for!

    She will be satisfied even with one minute, but a woman needs to aim high!

    "I want you to pat my head through the whole night!"

    She dered in a voice that showed how determined she was to fight for every additional second!

    "No problem! Deal!"

    Zoemi agreed without even batting an eye and he put his hand on Teo''s head and started caressing her hair.

    "E-ee-eeeeeh...?"

    Teo was so baffled that she was almost scared...

    "I-I don''t know if you''ve heard me properly, si... Zoemi..."

    The short girl said in a shaky voice.

    "I told you that I want you to pat my head through the whole night..."

    She was sure that he had just misheard her, and that''s why he agreed so casually.

    "Yeah, I''ve heard you the first time. Through the whole night. So I already started ¨C it''s already basically night after all."

    "!!!!!!!!!!"

    But Zoemi''s answer only made Teo''s heart start beating as fast as if it wanted to burst through her chest and run a marathon on its own.

    "So where are we going for the night? Your room, my room?"

    The ck-haired attendant asked lightly, looking around in which direction they should go.

    "Your room!"

    Teo answered Zoemi''s question so violently that she made him jump a little.

    "S-sorry..."

    She blushed and apologized.

    The thing was, she was sharing a room with her older twin sister - and since Teo was already jealous of Veo, she certainly didn''t want to give her sister another chance to take Zoemi away from her ¨C after all, she didn''t even seem that interested in him!

    "It''s nothing. Let''s go then."

    As they were walking through the hallways and passing other people Zoemi''s hand never left the top of Teo''s head.

    "!!!!!!!"

    It was a bit much even for her, but instead of asking Zoemi to stop she just put her hands up to her burning-red face, in an attempt to hide her blush, and didn''t look at anyone.

    "Now...!"

    "...?"

    And yet, as soon as they entered Zoemi''s room she got a bit bolder.

    When the door closed she snuggled up to him and looked up at his face - even though she was older than him, she was tiny inparison.

    "Zoemi... When I was helping you with the lunch d-did I do a good job...?"

    She asked.

    "Of course! You were of great help!"

    The ck-haired boy confirmed vigorously and cheerfully.

    "Then... A-am I a... good girl...?"

    Teo felt the chills of anticipation as she asked timidly...

    "Yes, you are a good girl."

    "!!!!!!"

    Zoemi confirmed with no hesitation at all and Teo hugged him tighter.

    "A... A very... a very good girl...?"

    "Very good girl!"

    ---***---

    The room was dark, Zoemi was watching over his master''s peaceful sleep as always.

    The girl was breathing steadily as no nightmare had ess to her as long as he was there.

    The guardian.

    The protector.

    But then the darkness changed, it grew darker, deeper, like a silky jet-ck velvet cape that someone had thrown over the pompous bedroom.

    He was there...!

    The danger...!

    The vile filth that threatened his most treasured master!

    He snuck through the cracks in the door, making his way to the bed.

    Zoemi wanted to shout to want his master, but his mouth felt as if they were sewn shut.

    He wanted to charge the wretched intruder, but his body did not respond to him as he wanted

    The intruder was closer and closer, walking casually yet not making even a single noise - his concealment was perfect...

    No... it wasn''t like that...

    The intruder was not concealed - that bastard has separated the room from the rest of the building with his magic!

    The spell was so strong that Zoemi would not be able to oppose it even if he could move.

    |I MUST PROTECT HER! I MUST PROTECT HER! DON''T YOU DARE TO TOUCH HER! GET AWAY FROM HER YOU DISGRACEFUL TRAITOR!|

    Zoemi could not move, he could not speak, but with all his soul he was shouting at the intruder creeping his way towards the bed.

    ...but it was useless...

    Zoemi could feel the mattress of Miriette''s bed moving under the pressure of the intruder''s body.

    |NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!|

    Zoemi was crying tears of blood as the agonizing powerlessness of his was ripping his feeble soul apart.

    The intruder looked in his direction and their eyes meet.

    "Ugh... what are you looking at with those creepy eyes? Disgusting."

    The ck-haired intruder scoffed at Zoemi and pushed him to the floor with a single swing.

    |NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!|

    Zoemi roared - but before he could reach the floor...

    ...

    ...the grandiose throne in the throne room of the royal castle, countless corpses stacked underneath it...

    |Master... I''m sorry...! I was too weak...! I couldn''t save you...! It''s my fault...! it''s my fault...! It''s my fault...! It''s my fault...!|

    The guilt, the terror, the despair.

    |I must protect you...! I must protect you...! I must protect you...!|

    ---***---

 Chapter 52 - 9.5 - Two Attendants, Mana Depletion, And Headpats (part 3)

    "?!??!?!!?!?!?"

    The ck-haired attendant woke up with the start, drenched in sweat and with tears streaming down his face.

    He calmed down only after realizing that he was in his own bed in the Aspaceony Academy dormitory''s room, as well as that he can freely move his arms and legs - to an extent at least - and that his mouth is most certainly not sew shut as in the dream...

    And what a dream it was...!

    When he experienced it for the first time right after he awakened to magic, he got so scared and panicked so much that he gave his father the scare of his lifetime.

    Even now the scarred attendant remembered being rocked in his father''s arms until morning but not stopping sobbing until Miriette herself came to see him and assuring him that nothing happened to her during the night.

    As far as the medics were concerned - the exnation they had was rather simple - dreams are just dreams - and with how traumatic of an experience Zoemi''s early childhood - before arriving at the Espine''s castle - was, he had plenty of bad things to dream about.

    They all said that it will stop happening after some time.

    It never stopped.

    And it was always the same dream without fail.

    |Again with that nightmare...|

    Zoemi raised his head and peeked through the window - it was early in the morning - so early, in fact, that it was still basically nighttime - the ck-haired attendantid back in his bed and started staring at the ceiling.

    After waking up from the recurring nightmare - that he honestly already got used to by that point - he wiped off the tears burning his eyes and in the light of the lit magic crystalmp checked the time confirming that there was still over an hour left till the time he should begin preparing for the start of the day.

    "...uuuughhhh..."

    He breathed out a heavy sigh.

    Because of some of his actions the prior evening, there were a few concerns he had to figure out what to do about...

    "..."

    "...suuu..."

    One of those concerns was lying on top of him, breathing calmly while drooling a little on his chest.

    It was one of Horeo''s twin attendants, the younger one - Teo.

    Thank goodness, both she and Zoemi were still fully clothed...!

    Once again, the ck-haired attendant realized how dangerous the state of mana depletion is.

    He could remember things through the fog, but he could remember everything ¨C it wasn''t like he gotpletely braindead just because his mana reservoir ran dried up, but doing so had left him fully conscious jetpletely unable to control himself.

    ...

    The thing with Patishi waspletely fine, even weed ¨C he almost spoke up about the little secret of his at one point, but managed to keep his mouth shut, so everything was fine.

    ...everything but the head-patting through the night thing...!

    |I''m such an easy target when I''m like that ¨C still, I''m d that she''s so innocent...|

    Zoemi thought to himself, moving a stray strand of hair away from Teo''s face as it seemed to be tickling her nose.

    That short brown-haired girl wanted head-pats - and only that ¨C well, she also had that thing going on when she wanted to be called a good girl and a very good girl - but it was negligible, and Zoemi was boundlessly grateful to her for not trying anything else.

    ...because if she requested anything else from him, he would have done that with a smile...

    Kiss?

    No problem.

    Take off his clothes?

    Bring it on!

    Do some other things?

    Hell yes!

    Mana depletion was a very serious - dangerous state.

    The spell that Zoemi used and that got him to that state was a very special spell only the darkness magicians could use.

    Mana conversion.

    The boy figured it out by ident during training a few years back - it allowed to draining mana from the spell or the object in the caster''s shadow and converting it into the darkness attribute mana afterward.

    The best part that Zoemi already confirmed was that the mana he gained through that spell would be added to the overall mana pool of the caster, increasing it instead of just filling in the missing amount!

    The concept sounded great but it wasn''t without the demerits ¨C unfortunately.

    First of all after the conversion only a small percent, sometimes only a tenth of a percent or even a hundredth of the mana used for the spell or the mana filling and object was converted into the darkness attribute mana.

    The skill could also fail.

    And there was a limit on how long things and spells could stay in the shadow storage without being corroded by the surrounding darkness.

    When Zomei was younger - after discovering that spell - he began practicing it with Horeo''s help for a few years and his mana pool changed from below the amount normal for the averagemoner to the amount twice as much inparison to the averagemoner.

    As an example, the average darkness magician should possess a mana pool equal to five averagemoners.

    The second problem was the spell''s cost.

    No matter how minuscule the amount of overall mana it added, the spell would drain anywhere from half of his overall mana up to the whole thing.

    It was nowhere near as effective as the boy wished it to be ¨C but still - that didn''t stop him from using it every time he got the chance.

    Lying in bed with a cute girl on top of him has reminded the ck-haired boy of how important it is to only use that spell when he is alone or with someone he could trust.

    After all, it was a cute innocent girl now ¨C but who knows what might have happened to him if he encountered someone with evil intentions...?

    "...sheeesh..."

    Zoemi sighed again and started patting the brown-haired girl''s head.

    "....nnn.... ¡­.shoemi... I wuv uuu..."

    She mumbled something in her sleep, hugged him a bit tighter, and rubbed her cheek on his chest.

    Needless to say, the scarred boy hasn''t had even a wink of sleep that night.

    ---

    Ugh... It will be a tiring day today...

    And indeed that day was a tiring day.

    Nothing important happened, it was just exhausting.

 Chapter 53 - 10 - Before The Magic Examination (part 1)

    An entire month has passed without anything major happening - no scripted event that would lead to the downfall of Miriette, no unexpected events activating all on their own, nothing.

    It certainly looked like the unnaturally elerated route of the second prince has slowed down to more or less the proper speed too.

    Zoemi came to a conclusion that the heroine just like in the game - was a withheld person withmon sense just as her appearance would suggest, and had been spooked by the sudden flood of affectioning her way from the person she barely even knew.

    The blue-haired Surou on the other hand...

    He seemed mighty suspicious for sure and whenever it was possible, the ck-haired attendant would check up on what the second prince was up to ¨C but aside from trying to get closer to the blond-haired heroine, there was nothing suspicious.

    The peace and quiet were both a blessing and a curse...

    It was a good thing since, well, things between Miriette and Horeo, that Zoemi had set up for all these years, could slowly progress at their own pace.

    But ¨C the peace was a bad thing since without any events happening Zoemi had no idea whose route the heroine was actually following!

    Was she still on the second prince route?

    Because of the suspiciously elerated progress made with Surou, another condemnation event from his route could literally pop up at any time, so Zoemi was on pins and needles whenever he spotted the blue-haired second prince and the blond heroine anywhere near his dark-haired master.

    As an attendant, he wouldn''t dare to outright try and order Miriette to get away whenever Surou and the heroine were around because knowing her, could easily bring the exact opposite effect...

    Either way, without the proper knowledge, Zoemi couldn''t make a specific preparation to break the event and had to spread his efforts to take every bad option into consideration ¨C which was already exhausting on its own...

    ...but the ck-haired attendant had no intention of merely stopping at that ¨C oh, no!

    On the side, he was trying his best to show his master''s good points to everyone, manipting things from the shadows ¨C because obviously, it was good to improve Miriette''s public appearance ¨C the more people liked her, the less likely they would be to believe any bad rumors about her!

    ...is what the scarred attendant was thinking...

    |If she is liked, people wouldn''t ept bad things happening to her!|

    Zoemi would nod, congratting himself for an excellent idea.

    And so, whenever there was a chance, Zoemi would drop a hint about his master''s good heart.

    When he was in the kitchen he would thank the staff on the behalf of his master.

    When he would be praised for a good answer he would say that his master exined it to him beforehand ¨C even though more often than not it was the other way around.

    If it just so happened that he would help someone and was thanked for it ¨C which didn''t happen all that much because still most of the students would run away at the mere sight of his scarred face - he would say that helping others was something that his master told him to do.

    And everything looked like it was working!

    More and more students were smiling at Miriette when saying hello - some of both the male and female students asked her to help them with a subject they had a problem with...

    It looked like she was thought of as a reliable person.

    But without Zoemi''s knowledge, gossip had spread that Miriette was a very scary, cunning, and powerful person who even managed to force the terrifying darkness magician to do her biddings.

    So the smiles that Zoemi thought were the disy of affection were actually fake-smiles full of fear motivated by the fact that if Miriette wouldn''t like them, they would be dealt with by her terrifying attendant in the cover of the darkness.

    In a simr fashion, the female students that gathered around Miriette were more simr to a cult revering Miriette as a deity rather than treating her as a friend.

    Sadly, despite - or rather because of - Zoemi''s efforts, the majority of the student''s body was genuinely afraid of Miriette, but the ck-haired attendant was too busy being worried about the future events and preventing the possible bad endings threatening his master and couldn''t notice that.

    Horeo and Miriette - who were both brought up in the most powerful families in the kingdom and were taught how to see past the fake smiles and empty ttery - weren''t fooled at all.

    The only way the fake behavior affected them was that it was maybe slightly more annoying than they would want to, but seeing the genuine hard work of Zoemi neither of them did have the heart to tell the scarred boy that he was basically fearmongering other students.

    The most unfortunate part was that it was all going back to the ugly scar on the right side of Zoemi''s face...

    Without it, all of his efforts would pay out in the exact way that he intended them to.

    But sadly, the majority of people tend the look to affect their opinion about others and look at their actions through the lens of said looks...

    Zoemi became the symbol of fear in the Aspakeony Academy and Miriette started to regret that she stopped him from wearing the mask...

    She considered suggesting him to wear it, but if she told him something like that after the passionate speech she gave him before they got to the Academy and straight up say that he should wear the mask after all - wouldn''t it be equal to saying that she is ashamed of the wound he suffered for her? Wouldn''t he start hating her for that?

    ...with all that in mind, maybe a month in which all that has happened could not exactly be called peaceful and quiet after all...

    ...but nheless, such a month has passed since the school year started...

    That meant it was finally time for the first magical examination for the new students!

    Themon way of thinking was that determining the strength of the students should happen at the beginning of the year but the administration of the academy has decided that the most important thing was to make sure that the students all know at least the bare minimum of the safety measures. The teachers couldn''t allow any disaster to happen after all.

    Also, it took quite a while to construct the proper examination ground - everything was going to be destroyed in the process of testing anyway so the academy never bothered to construct a special building that would withstand the extreme disys of magic ¨C since, honestly, because of the existence of both variant and transcended magician, one could never be too sure how strong the next student might be.

    The whole process was always a bit of a chore and this year the teachers had an extra set of problems!

    Not only there was a student with a darkness attribute - which did not happen since more than three hundred years ago - since the betrayal of the Ghosts - and there was also a transcended student and a student with a variant attribute all in the same year!

    The academy administration sure had to rack their brains over how to prepare the tests so that no harm would be done to anyone.

 Chapter 54 - 10 - Before The Magic Examination (part 2)

    Zoemi woke up early and went to the kitchen to prepare a nutritious breakfast and lunch for the day. The previous day he already consulted Patishi over what he could prepare for him and now Zoemi was moving his hands dexterously and creating wonders for his master to enjoy on such an important day.

    As always, the short brown-haired female attendant of the first prince, Teo, was upying the spot beside the ck-haired boy and preparing the food for her master.

    Aside from that one time a month ago, Veo never showed up in the kitchen, which did not seem odd to the scarred attendant at all, considering that she couldn''t cook anyway.

    Zoemi wasn''t aware but Veo did attempt to change ce with Teo and spend some time with Zoemi, but her younger twin sister was defending her spot like a fearless lioness.

    "Here, what do you think about that? Is it any good?"

    Zoemi extended his hand with a sample of the food and feed it to Teo without even looking in her direction.

    "Aam...!"

    In a simr fashion, the girl just opened her mouth and started chewing while her hands never stopped moving.

    "Tasty, but ginger is too prominent, I would advise adding less of it, or getting rid of it whatsoever."

    She licked her lips and advised.

    "Yes, I think so too. But it has such beneficial effects on mana..."

    Zoemi nodded while stumped - he made a dish that was perfectly bnced but its taste wasn''t as good as he wished for - if he added something to mask the taste of ginger it would lessen the meal''s overall effectiveness...

    "Big brother Zoemi, is something wrong?"

    Seeing their benefactor looking worried Patishi decided to check what was going on and approached the scarred attendant from the side.

    "Well, you see, this ginger''s taste is just too strong."

    Zoemi pointed at the meaty root amongst the other ingredients.

    As he was preparing the dish for the first time, he didn''t make the mistake of making it all at once but only made a sample to try it out first.

    "If only it wasn''t so prominent, it would be perfect."

    Zoemi put his hand to his face deep in thoughts.

    Curious Patishi took one slice of the ginger and put it in their mouth.

    "Ah! If that''s the case!"

    Patishi''s eyes shone and they rushed towards the shelf where the ginger roots were stored.

    With their back turned towards the Zoemi and Teo they acted as if they were examining the different roots - while in truth they picked up the best looking one and used their magic on it.

    |Careful, careful, only make the taste a bit milder, don''t mess with anything else...|

    The brown-haired youth was concentrating very hard and carefully guiding their mana through the root.

    After they were done, they washed the ingredients thoroughly and brought the ginger to Zoemi, offering it to the ck-haired attendant with a huge smile.

    "Big brother Zoemi, this one should be good!"

    Patishi dered proudly.

    "You say...?"

    Surprised Zoemi took the offered root and with the it''s-worth-a-try look on his face, he sliced off a small piece and tasted it...

    "...!"

    And his eyes widen in shock.

    Zoemi put his hand on Patishi''s head and affectionately messed up their hair.

    "You''re amazing! Patishi, you have a gift!"

    He dered.

    "Te-he...!"

    Patishi giggled and blushed from the praise.

    They never told Zoemi about their magic yet, since the brown-haired youth was too afraid that their benefactor wouldn''t believe or evenugh at them like everyone else.

    Zoemi quickly made the next sample and fed it to Teo, who was sneaking envious nces at the ted youth next to them.

    "How is it now, delicious?"

    "Indeed."

    To Zoemi''s question the short brown-haired girl responded in a bit grumpy way, but what else could she do?

    Thanks to the ginger picked out by Patishi Zoemi''s dish became perfect.

    Teo disliked when Zoemi''s praise would go to anyone other than her, but she wouldn''t lie to Zoemi just to throw someone else under a bus ¨C she wasn''t a bad girl after all.

    Satisfied, Zoemi finished the preparation and set up the tray to take the meal to his master.

    "Thanks for the help, Patishi, Teo! I''ll be counting on you tow again!"

    As it has already be a habit, Zoemi thanked his two helpers and patted their heads before taking the tray and walking out.

    ---

    Teo also finished her preparation and took her tray, but before she left she stopped and turned towards Patishi.

    "..."

    "...?"

    With an emotionless expression, she red at them for a few seconds, causing the youth to look back at her in confusion.

    "Hmph~!"

    ...and then Teo suddenly smiled all smugly and turned her back, leaving the brown-haired youth with no answer whatsoever.

    ---

    Zoemi was anxious about the magic examination and was brushing Miriette''s hair absentmindedly. The examination was going to be the scripted event but it wasn''t a condemnation event for Miriette. It was just going to be an event to raise the general affection of the capture targets for the heroine by showing off her healing spells - so theoretically Zoemi shouldn''t have to do anything.

    After all, in terms of awesomeness, the overpowered transcended wind magic beats healing easily. Though there still was that annoyingly lingering ''what if'' kind of question.

    Zoemi was also anxious because obviously, the magic examination would test their magic ¨C and he would be tested too.

    That meant that he would have to - you know - use spells.

    A whole lot.

    Since he could not allow himself to just bail out get a terrible mark since that could affect Miriette''s opinion ¨C he would most likely end up with a severe mana depletion...

    and that was not a good prospect at all.

    In a worryingly high chance that the magic examination event would be distorted like the one on the first day of ss - it could be disastrous!

    If something unexpected happened and he was just standing there - smiling like an idiot - because of the mana depletion, he could never forgive himself!

 Chapter 55 - 10 - Before The Magic Examination (part 3)

    "..."

    Miriette nced at her flustered attendant and steeled her resolve.

    *thump*

    "...?"

    She opened the drawer of her desk and pulled out a small silver box and deliberately put it on the desk forcefully enough for it to make a sound loud enough to get her attendant''s attention.

    "Mydy...?"

    Zoemi shook his head to clear his mind and focused on the beautiful box.

    "Is this maybe a hair essory of some sort? Do you want me to style your hair around it?"

    The ck-haired boy asked politely with sparks of curiosity glistening in his eyes.

    "Mm-mm~"

    Miriette held back a smile and lightly shook her head.

    "No, this is not for me."

    She dered proudly.

    "Ah! Then it''s something for the first prince!"

    "..."

    The scarred attendant became excited and this time Miriette had to hold back a long sigh.

    "No, Horeo doesn''t need a thing such as this."

    "...?"

    That perplexed Zoemi...

    "Then is it something for your pare...?"

    "Oh, just get it right already! It''s for you!"

    Miriette got impatient and interrupted her confused attendant.

    "For me...? Mydy, I live to serve you, as long as I can do that I don''t need anything else!"

    "...!"

    Miriette was pleased with his words and she blushed slightly, nheless, she then opened the silver box and moved it so that the ck-haired boy could see its content.

    On the inside, there were three tiny crystal vials filled with deep-blue opaque liquid.

    "...?!"

    Zoemi never saw that before in this life nor did he see it while ying the Kampf um die Liebe.

    "Since today is the magic examination I got those for you, they are a brand-new product and are very hard to get, so you should be grateful."

    Miriette puffed up her chest and was speaking with pride since the item she got for her beloved attendant was being released in small batches and had a status of a raremodity from the get-go, it was also very expensive, therefore some nobles wanted to have it as proof of their status...

    Zoemi might not have seen it in his life, but it didn''t mean that the potion wasn''t known for Kuro Aku the gamer.

    Miriette picked up one vial and wiggled it above her head.

    "This is something called mana potion - a liquid that can replenish a certain amount of mana instantly."

    "!!!!!"

    The dark-haired girl dered, leaving the wide-eyed Zoemi speechless.

    A mana potion!

    They were never mentioned in the game so he thought that they didn''t exist in this world!

    "I have been told that this is not aplete product - a dose such as this can only replenish

    an amount that is equal to the amount of mana that an average magiclessmoner has. Until the potion''s effectiveness would rise, it will stay only as a gimmick for bored vain nobles wanting to show off their riches."

    The dark-haired girl was satisfied with his reaction and she continued the exnation.

    ---

    The standard for the mana amount went like this:

    Unit for measurement was amoner whose overall mana amount wouldn''t be enough to make them awaken to magic.

    Then there was a darkness magician whose mana should be five times the amount of themoner''s.

    Next was the earth magician, whose mana pool should be five timesrger than the darkness magician.

    The wind magician should ¨C simrly - have five times more mana than the earth magician.

    The water magician should have seven times more mana than the wind magician.

    The fire magician should have ten times more mana than the water magician.

    And finally - the average light magician should possess a mana reservoir equal to twenty average fire magiciansbined.

    ---

    In short - unless they were willing to drink gallons of it, those newly created mana potions were ineffective for anyone with a mana level above that of an average earth magician.

    But the ck-haired youth staring at the blue liquid in the bottle wasn''t a part of that privileged group!

    "This can instantly refill half of my mana!"

    The scarred attendant gasped in awe.

    "Exactly! And today is an important day and I want you to do your best. So don''t disappoint me!"

    Miriette was acting smug and after returning the vial to the box she pushed it towards her attendant but Zoemi didn''t reach for it immediately ¨C he was already carefully calcting the pros and cons...

    "Mydy, this thing is too valuable to use everything in one day... how about I''ll just take one with me and store the rest for the future, just in case..."

    He went on his knees and asked cautiously.

    "No."

    "N-no...?!"

    Miriette cut him out without hesitation.

    "You have to try your hardest in every test! I''m giving you an order to use one vial as soon as your mana will fall below half!"

    She dered without hesitation.

    "...!"

    At first, Zoemi felt bitter because of receiving an order to use the possibly Miriette''s-life-saving medicine on theparatively trivial thing which was getting a good score during magic examination - but then he realized the loophole in themand!

    "As you wish, mydy!"

    He bowed his head and dered.

    |Good! If he will follow my orders he won''t get into the state of mana depletion!|

    Miriette congratted herself.

    She managed to mask her true purpose with the ''don''t disappoint me'' attitude!

    If not for the appearances that she had to keep, she would be the first one to make Zoemi use up all his mana and then nurse him through the whole night - but as the official fiancee of the first prince and a daughter of a duke, she couldn''t allow herself to do such thing.

    It would cause a great deal of trouble - mainly for Zoemi - and Miriette would hate that more than anything.

    That''s why, if by any chance Zoemi got drunk on mana depletion - that little wench, one of the Horeo''s attendants - would be the one to care for him!

    Miriette just had to prevent that situation from happening at any cost!

    It just so happens that she was also aware of a situation when that girl and her Zoemi would spend the night in the same room happening at least four times already!

    Four times!

    What lustful, perverted, and lewd thing has that wench done to her Zoemi up until that point!?

    The jealousy was gnawing at Miriette from the inside.

    |If only I have been in that cunning wench''s ce I would have...!|

    "Mydy...?"

    "!!!!"

    Zoemi''s worried voice pulled Miriette from her delusions and she flinched after realizing that she must have been making an ugly expression.

    "...ahem..."

    Miriette coughed once and her face became dignified again.

    "Just remember, I want you to do good, but I don''t want to see you acting like a fool."

    |That wench won''t have the opportunity to have my Zoemi again!|

    "I''ll be sure to do just that, mydy!"

    |I''ll be sure to have as much mana potion left as possible so that I can be prepared for future condemnation events!|

    Both thedy and the attendant smiled to themselves thinking of their own ns.

 Chapter 56 - 11 - Magic Examination (Zoemi, Part 1)

    The magic exam was divided into three main parts,bat, defense, and utility.

    Each of them would divide even further., too.

    The possible evaluations were: very weak, weak, moderate, strong, very strong, and extreme.

    Combat exam consisted of checking the reach of the offensive spells and enchants: closebat - up to five feet away from the caster, short-range ¨C up to thirty feet from the caster, middle-range up to one hundred sixty feet from the caster, long-range ¨C three hundred twenty feet away from the caster.

    There was one more target practice for anyone aiming to that extreme evaluation - those with the mana level of the light magicians ¨C multiple dummies prepared for the extreme-long-range ¨C one mile and further from the caster.

    The examiners would pay attention to the uracy, destructive power, and piercing ability to make a fair evaluation of the capabilities of each student.

    For example, if someone''s spell could barely reach long range and was inurate then even with the strong destructive power, the student''s capability would be evaluated as long-range ¨C weak.

    In a simr way of thinking, if there was a risk of self-harm when using a spell the student''s evaluation would be lower and if the spell was covering a big area at a safe distance, the evaluation would raise.

    The defense exam would be divided into magic defense and physical defense.

    That exam was the main reason why the whole examination was dyed for so long.

    It was important for the students to not overestimate themselves - the examiners would be using non-lethal spells but it wasn''t apletely safe test.

    It was preferable if the students were able to use the spells and enchantments on something other than themselves but in many cases, it wasn''t possible ¨C and the danger came from that.

    The utility was probably the broadest subject and the one that students would usually score the best on.

    Students could show every other magical ability that wasn''t purely offensive or defensive.

    For example - long-rangemunication, terrain modification, detoxification - almost every magic had something that was useful in that regard, and in the worst-case scenario the physical augmentation enchants could also fit in there.

    That year the examiners had to deal with one student who possessed a variant attribute - the long-extinct healing magic, that had not been recorded in centuries - and after questioning and testing her abilities beforehand after confirming that her mana reservoir was quite vast - it was decided that her test would be consisting of healing students who tried to bite more than they could chew on the defense exam...

    ...talk about killing two birds with one stone...

    Students taking the exam would be divided into groups and each attribute would belong to their own group.

    The students were told an estimated time they should arrive at the examination ground for their group ¨C after all, they were - almost ¨C all children of the noble houses that more often than not would not enjoy waiting, therefore the timetable.

    It was normal to start with the weakest attribute and finish with the strongest.

    While the Academy didn''t force the students to arrive before their assigned time - it wasn''t banned toe and watch the examination of others so a lot of students woulde earlier or stay longer to cheer on their friends or just watch the spectacle.

    The spectacr part was mostly reserved for the fire and light attribute groups as they were always the most shy.

    The current year there were around a hundred students in the batch of freshmen so the evaluation would go rather quickly inparison to some prior years.

    ---

    A group of examiners was already waiting for the arrival of the supposed student with the weakest attribute.

    Indeed.

    This year the first one to be tested was the first student with the darkness attribute that was sent to attend the Aspakeony Academy in over three hundred years.

    "...pupupuuu..."

    Kros Rul Shuze an elderly teacher possessing the light attribute was looking at the documents in front of him and stroking his beard while putting his lips.

    |Of course, that old goat would push this troublesome case on me! Why must we be childhood friends!?|

    Kros cursed the headmaster and sighed.

    "Good morning, esteemed teachers, is it time already time for my exam?"

    "...?"

    Kros raised his head from above the documents and saw the ck-haired boy with an ugly burn-scar deforming the ear and the right side of his face.

    The elderly teacher saw a fair bit of conflicts in his lifetime and the scar marking the youth''s face certainly wasn''t even in his top ten most serious scars ¨C but nheless, he furrowed his brows.

    |That kid must not have an easy life with all those snobby fools around.|

    Kros thought to himself.

    "Yes, student Auequas, you''re right on time."

    The red-haired middle-aged teacher sitting to the right of Kros, checked his pocket watch and responded to the ck-haired boy in a rather arrogant tone.

    The elderly teacher frowned at his colleague who didn''t judge people on their looks but certainly was very much biased towards the more influential people.

    ...and since the ck-haired boy had been adopted by a member of the Auquas family ¨C who got banished exactly because he dared to adopt a child from the slums ¨C his attitude was... harsh...

    But nheless, the examination had to proceed if they wanted to keep with the schedule.

    First of all, the scarred student had to put his hand on the special device to have his mana pool checked.

    "...huh...?"

    "...eh...?"

    After seeing the result Kros, the red-haired middle-aged male teacher, and thest examiner, the blue-haired young female teacher all looked at each other with consternation.

    "Could you put your hand on it again?"

    "Of course, teacher Perserios."

    Asked the blue-haired woman and the student obediently did what he was told.

    The result didn''t change from the first reading.

    "..."

    "..."

    "...this is... odd..."

    "Is something wrong...?"

    Student Zoemi Auequas tilted his head when he saw the confused faces of his examiners.

    "It seems that this machine is broken."

    Said the red-haired teacher.

    "It shows that your mana pool is far below what it should be, it shows that it''s only three times the amount of the magiclessmoner, but it''s enough for the mana to start influencing the color of the person''s hair and eyes but nowhere near enough for the attribute to awaken... At least from the data that the royal magician haspiled... isn''t it, lord Shuze...?"

    The red-haired teacher looked at Kros for help.

    It was only the first student and the machinery is malfunctioning? It was terrible! And, not to mention, embarrassing!

 Chapter 57 - 11 - Magic Examination (Zoemi, Part 2)

    "Oh? Why would you think that the equipment is broken? The measurement''s result seems pretty much correct to me, though...?"

    Student Zoemi tilted his head even more with an innocent expression, well, as innocent as the scars were allowing him to make.

    "Eh?"

    "Huh!?"

    "Pardon...?"

    All three examiners eximed in shock and student Auequas started fidgeting from the embarrassment.

    "The truth is, that I actually shouldn''t have even awakened in the first ce. It just so happened that I was present when the first prince Horeo awakened and - in words of lord Lazaram ¨C that event forced my dormant magic ability to awaken because of the corrtion between the attributes of light and darkness."

    "Ah! I see I see! Very intriguing indeed!"

    The blue-haired teacher started writing something on the papers in front of her with incredible speed and with a flushed face.

    The red-haired teacher sighed and took only a short note ¨C at which, Kros nced over his shoulder.

    Extremely weak mana - the note said.

    |Well... as expected... only one three times the amount of amoner... Maybe this won''t be so bothersome as I thought. What could he possibly disy with only this much?|

    The elderly teacher nodded to himself.

    Although, something wasn''t sitting well with him about what the boy has said.

    The ck-haired student might have not realized it himself but the words of the royal magician weren''t as simple as he took them for.

    First of all, the darkness was the absence of light ¨C that''s the only corrtion, even with the element created by mana, the only thing those two attributes had inmon was that they were the opposites of each other in nature.

    Another example of that could be water and fire ¨C but there was no evidence of a fire magician''s awakening prompting the awakening of the water magician...

    "Let''s start with thebat exam."

    "...!"

    Kros flinched as his red-haired colleague who certainly did not share his curiosity waved his hand dismissively and hasten the boy.

    He clearly wanted to be over with that, unimportant student as ¨C just as Kross and the young Perserios - he was far more excited to see the transcended wind magician, and this weak boy was dampening his mood.

    "Before we start. Am I allowed to use something called mana potions?"

    The ck-haired student straightened his back and asked in a cautious voice.

    "Hmm...?"

    Kros raised his brow.

    Mana potion?

    Wasn''t that just the recent fad - a useless gimmick that could only replenish a minuscule speck of mana?

    |Ah... no, wait, for him even that would be a lot...|

    The elderly magician realized and leaned back on his seat.

    "There''s no rule forbidding them explicitly, hence they are allowed. Feel free to use as many as you want. Now start already."

    "Lord Shuze...!"

    The elderly light magician waved his hand dismissively, but his red-haired colleague seemed o mind that for some reason.

    "Oh, shut it. If this was someone from the important family you would have licked his boots already."

    "...!"

    "...pffft..."

    Kros scoffed and didn''t allow the red-haired teacher to reject the aid of a mana potion ¨C which left said red-haired teacher speechless while also getting a chuckle barely concealed chuckle of the blue-haired woman from the Perserios family.

    ...the red-haired teacher wasn''t particrly liked by either the elderly light magician or the water-magician...

    "..."

    Since it seemed that there was no problem, after all, student Auequas nodded to the trio of teachers and walked towards the closebat dummy d in enchanted armor.

    Since the tuition costs were high the academy hasn''t skimped on the equipment either.

    Every armor that will be used in today''s evaluation could withstand a moderate spell with only a scratch and would only dent when faced with a strong spell ¨C to make it even more urate, the damage that the person wearing such armor would be indicated by the light emitted by the mana crystal the equipment had installed on the inside.

    White light ¨C no damage.

    Yellow light ¨C a scratch or light-wound at most.

    Orange light ¨C a serious wound very much likely to distract or even incapacitate the target.

    Red light ¨C instant death.

    Thest one was expected to be seen only during the tests of the fire and light attribute students - and the transcended wind magician student too, of course.

    "..."

    Student Auequas breathed out and closed his eyes concentrating on the mental image of the spell he wanted to use.

    "Darkness de."

    The scarred boy muttered, barely loud enough for the examiners to understand him.

    "...this is the feared darkness de...? I expected more..."

    After the incantation, the ck-haired student''s attack spell activated and a pitiful four-inch de emerged from the base of his right palm ¨C prompting the rather unnecessaryment from the red-haired middle-aged teacher.

    "...?"

    The other two might have not noticed anything strange, but Kros had far more experience than both of thembined.

    As far as he could tell, student Auequas''s darkness de looked...

    ...defective...

    Kros Rul Shuze had encounters with the darkness magicians in his prime ¨C far more than he ever wished for ¨C and each time any of them would call forth that terrifying spell, it would leave a deep impression on the light magician.

    The pitch-ck darkness that looked like the most intense jet-ck silk.

    Anyone looking at it would inadvertently start fearing that their soul might get sucked out if they would not turn away.

    It was the very spell that the treacherous Ghosts used to massacre the royal family and all the important figures of the Bellcephora kingdom three centuries ago.

    That spell which was actually supposed to be a condensed darkness attribute mana pushed out of the body of the magician ¨Cpletely ignored any and all magic defenses of its target and well as most o the physical ones too - and the shape it would take could even be influenced by the magician themself - but that required a much greater amount of mana than an average darkness magician possessed.

    Kros Rul Shuze had seen with his own eyes as a much bigger darkness de cuts through the enchanted armor as if it was paper ¨C and it was a horrifying sight that he wished to forget since the live demonstration he unwillingly witnessed was not done to a test dummy like the one they had prepared for a test, but rather performed on an unexpected living human who happened a dear friend of Kros.

    ...and it was a ''demonstration'' that resulted in the death of that friend of his...

    "..."

    The elderly magician shook his head to get rid of the unpleasant vision of the past and focus back on the student in front of him.

    The ck-haired boy''s darkness de wasn''t anywhere near as dark as the one in Kros''s memories.

    Its color was murky and it seemed to fluctuate and it almost seemed that the de itself would wobble at times as if the mana had troubles staying condensed enough...

    |Is it because he has so little mana...? Will he even be able to deal any damage at all...?|

    The elderly teacher furrowed his brows, resting his chin on his fist.

    As far as Kros knew, the secret behind the destructive power of the darkness de was the corrosive nature of darkness attribute mana that was extremely hard - basically impossible - to counter at close range - but it had to be concentrated - and one created by student Auequas was imperfect in that regard....

 Chapter 58 - [Bonus ] 11 - Magic Examination (Zoemi, Part 3)

    "Hmph, so darkness magician''s only offensive spell that historically was used to murder the king Kasorius Reterne Bellcephora and his family as well as the officials in the pce, was just this?"

    The red-haired teacher went out of his way toin about the looks of the ck-haired student''s spell before it was used in action, and although Kros had kind of simr thoughts about the wimpy darkness de, he most definitely thought that his colleague was stepping over the boundary of good taste.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy flinched and lowered his head, clearly embarrassed.

    |A magician knows his own spells best...|

    Kros sighed internally.

    *poke*

    "...?"

    The elderly light magician frowned as he felt someone nudging him in the side.

    He turned and saw the young blue-haired teacher, so his frown lessened a bit.

    She pushed her notes towards him.

    Yellow...? - was written in the corner of the first page.

    "..."

    Kros made a concerned expression.

    At most. - he wrote on in his own notes and showed it back.

    "..."

    The two of them looked at each other and sighed...

    *SCREEEEEECH*

    "!!!!!!!!"

    A horrible drilling sound pierced the air making them flinch!

    When they looked around for the source of the sound they saw the student Zoemi with his right hand on the enchanted armor''s breastte, the ck murky de waspletely buried inside the armor, and the mana crystal inside was producing an intense red light.

    "What!?"

    Kros was the first one to stand up from his seat ande close to examine the armor, as the other two ¨C especially the red-haired man ¨C were too shocked to react.

    "W-was I not supposed to break it?!"

    *SCREEEEEECH*

    Student Zoemi gasped in panic and retracted his hand, causing the exact same noise again.

    "..."

    Kros himself inspected the armor.

    "Pierced right through the breastte... the entrance wound - straight through the heart... If a human was wearing that there''s no chance for them to survive..."

    The elderly teacher straightened his back and muttered more to himself than to other examiners or the ck-haired student.

    "Do that again, boy!"

    Kros demanded.

    "Yes, sir! B-but, if you don''t mind ¨C I will get rid of the sound, alright? Muffle."

    The boy nodded, but this time he whispered another spell name before he attacked the armor, aiming at the back of it.

    ..and that time, there was no shrilling noise ¨C or any noise whatsoever, even though the feeble de prated the armor just as it did for the first time.

    "!!!!"

    Kros''s eyes were bulging out of their sockets, the darkness de that looked as if it should disperse at once when it barely came in contact with the enchanted armor, actually turned out to be almost as deadly as the spells he witnessed in the past.

    The boy had to put more strength into the stabbing motion than the darkness magician the elderly teacher fought, but regardless, coupled with theck of sound, it was still a terrifying deadly spell!

    "Did you just use a spell that erased the sound?"

    Shocked Kros asked the student.

    "Ah, sorry, this time I used the silencing spell because my ears started hurting from the first time."

    Student Auequas looked down bashfully ¨C clearly misunderstanding what the elderly teacher meant.

    Kros wasn''t bothered that he used the silencing spell ¨C he was shocked that he was able to use it at all! That wasn''t supposed to be a spell that a kid his age should have mastered!

    As magicians grew, they learn to control and use their spells in better, more creative ways ¨C some spells required much longer to master than the others.

    Two of the most prominent examples of that were the teleportation spell of the light magician and ¨C you guessed it ¨C the muffle spell of the darkness magicians.

    The situation was a bit different with transcended magicians, but with the tiny amount of mana, the scarred boy obviously wasn''t one!

    "It wasn''t an offensive spell, but that won''t lower my score, will it?"

    Student Auequas added fearfully.

    "No, quite opposite actually... anyway... let''s continue with the test...."

    The shaken blue-haired woman gulped down her saliva and waved her hand encouragingly.

    "Hold on a bit. Boy, let me see that spell of yours up close."

    Kros raised his hand, stopping the blue-haired teacher, and beckoned the ck-haired student closer.

    "...? Oh, as you wish, sir."

    Zoemi nodded obediently and approached the elderly teacher, reaching his hand slightly to the side so that the de would not be pointed at him.

    "Hmmm..."

    The light magician furrowed his brows, he went ahead and grabbed the boy''s wrist and leaned so close to the darkness de that he was almost touching it with the tip of his nose.

    |...it really is acting differently than I remember...|

    Kros thought to himself before putting his hand up.

    The next moment, the tip of his index finger started glowing with a brilliant golden light, so powerful that either Zoemi or the two other teachers had trouble looking directly at it.

    "...!"

    But Kros didn''t care about them ¨C because he made an astounding discovery!

    It was something that he never expected!

    "Lord Shuze... if you may, can we continue with the examination? We''ve lost enough time already."

    The red-haired teacher called out respectfully ¨C but heavily hinting at not appreciating the dy."

    "Yes, yes, in a minute... Boy - how much mana does it take to continuously cast that spell...?"

    The light magician nodded, releasing his spell and putting down his hand ¨C but instead of walking back to his seat, he instead asked Zomei a question.

    "Continuously cast?"

    Zoemi raised his brow and tilted his head.

    "The mana required to keep it active."

    The elderly teacher exined hurriedly.

    "Ah, no, sir ¨C I know what you meant - it''s just that this spell is a single cast. It takes one-fifth of my mana to cast it, but it stays active until I recall it - doesn''t take any additional mana aside from that."

    "!!!!"

    The ck-haired student exined and the elderly magician shuddered.

    "Even if enter mana depletion state?!"

    "Y-yes... but that would be dangerous on a whole another level..."

    Kors asked and Zomei flinched and nodded, shuddering merely imagining what unintentional damages would be caused if he left his spell active when he was acting like an idiot.

    |Increadible ¨C that is NOT how the darkness de of that bastard worked ¨C once his mana ran out the de dissapeared|

    The elderly magician recalled hisst encounter with the enemy darkness magician and his hands trembled from excitement.

    "Ahem...!"

    But ¨C as it was signaled by the annoyed fake-cough of the red-haired teacher - the examination had to continue so Kros returned to his seat.

    "Now it''s the time for the short-range test."

    The red-haired teacher waved his hand dismissively, with a rather obvious nasty smirk.

    "Ah... Theoretically, I don''t have any ranged spells at all..."

    "Yes, yes. Do not worry about it.

    Hearing the student''s answer the blue-haired woman nodded and noted something in her papers.

    "Theoretically?"

    "...?"

    The other two didn''t pay much attention to it, but Kros instantly picked up the suggestion in Zoemi''s voice, causing the blue-haired teacher to perk up curiously.

    |Could it be that he can actually...!|

    The elderly teacher started holding his breath subconsciously.

    "Well, sir, you see, if I use my utility spells I can get close to the target and stab it so that technically should count as a ranged attack... right...?"

    |Ah, so it''s only that...|

    Kros was disappointed at the boy''s exnation.

 Chapter 59 - 11 - Magic Examination (Zoemi, Part 4)

    "Yes, two darkness attribute utility spells - shadow movement, and shadow jump, we are aware of those indecent spells. It would be still considered a closebat if you just travel there."

    The red-haired teacher shook his head and spoke in a tone strongly suggesting the ck-haired student to not even bother.

    "What if my feet still touch the ground here where I stand now...?"

    "...?"

    The boy asked and the examiners looked at each other.

    "Fine, show us."

    Said the blue-haired woman.

    "Teacher Perserios, I need to be clear about one thing first ¨C since I have so little mana after I''ll use the utility spell I have in mind I would have barely enough mana for the defense and utility exams... Can it be allowed for me to show off the spells I would have used in those two exams now, and be graded based on that...?"

    The ck-haired boy exined and looked at the examinators with hopeful eyes.

    The three teachers didn''t answer immediately, instead, they leaned towards each other and started whispering.

    "Technically that shouldn''t be allowed, don''t you think?"

    "Yes, of course, but technically we never had a student with a darkness attribute, aren''t you curious?"

    "Let''s just give him a chance, what''s the worst that could happen? If it won''t be any good we just give him very weak for the defense and utility."

    "No, the utility should be at least moderate ¨C no ¨C strong. That silencing spell is extremelyplicated and useful."

    "For who? Maybe an assassin or a pervert trying to sneak into a women''s bath..."

    "No... lord Shuze made a valid point. Making no sound could be the best spell ever for a spy ¨C Imagine having someone like that serving our kingdom. We should encourage him, I also think that his utility capacity should be marked strong with just the muffle spell he showed us already."

    "We don''t need to imagine how having a darkness magician serving our kingdom would end up like ¨C we had the example of that three centuries ago!"

    "That happened because a group of twenty transcended darkness magicians was basically let loose to do their own thing and got corrupted!"

    "Enough. Let''s see his other spells in action first ¨C if our colleague will not be impressed, we will settle for moderate in utility."

    "Fine. I agree with lord Shuze, he has the seniority after all."

    The examiners straightened their backs and nodded their heads.

    "Show it to us, if it''s good, we will evaluate other categories based on what we see here."

    "Thank you, sir!"

    Dered Kros and Zoemi bowed his head politely.

    The ck-haired boy stopped himself from showing off how happy he was as with how his face was, positive emotions didn''t look too good.

    ...anyway...

    If his calctions were correct, after disying his skills he would have exactly five-point-one-tenth of his mana remaining after drinking two vials of the mana potion.

    As long as there will be no unexpected twists, there will be one full vial left in his possession and he will fullyplete his master''smand!

    Without further ado, Zoemi prepared two vials,

    He opened the first one and put it in his mouth, holding it like a cigarette

    "Shadow connect."

    The scarred boy mumbled and a thread of darkness not thicker than a hair has shot out from his shadow and connected to the shadow of thebat dummy thirty feet away.

    "Shadow expansion."

    At hismand, his very own shadow came alive and rose up to stand beside him like a paper-sheet-thin semi-transparent dark wall.

    "Shadow gate."

    After the ck-haired boy muttered his next incantation, his shadow''s color deepened turning it into the murky ck,pletely nontransparent shade.

    |Not silky slick darkness that the ones I encountered used...|

    The elderly light magician stroked his chin and nodded his head, solidifying his theory about the ck-haired boy.

    Meanwhile, Zoemi leaned into the shadow, but didn''t pass through it at all - instead, the upper half of his body disappeared!

    Only his lower half and the hand of the left arm - in which he was holding the second mana potion - were still in ce.

    "!!!!"

    It looked extremely creepy no matter which side it was seen, and all the examiners ¨C even Kros Rul Shuze ¨C flinched when they saw it happen.

    While they were busy getting creeped out, the ck-haired student was giving his best.

    Without any dy between him entering the shadow by the examiners, the boy''s upper body emerged from the shadow of the short-ranged dummy and he stabbed the armor from below - since he couldn''t exactly reach the ce where the heart would be, he just brute force it and ripped through the lower back part of the armor.

    As the effect of the muffle spell had a certain period of activity and it did not run out since he used it while demonstrating his capability at short distance dummy - it all happened inplete silence.

    Truth to be told since he emerged from an awkward angle, the teachers only realized that he had already attacked the target only because they were rmed by the sudden burst of a vibrant red light from the dummy''s insides.

    "...wheeew..."

    Zoemi closed his eyes and breathed out - was already getting a little tipsy from using arge amount of mana, so before he dived back into the shadow, he gulped down the blue liquid and spew the empty vial back to the darkness from whence he emerged.

    "...!"

    The effects of the potion were indisputable ¨C the moment it passed through his throat he felt his getting mana replenishing in real-time as his body.

    With that he slipped back into the shadow, holding his back as he was traveling through the darkness.

    Still, although the mana potion''s effectiveness couldn''t be disputed ¨C at least for someone with as little mana as Zoemi had - it couldn''t be said that the sensation of his mana reservoir getting refilled at a much greater speed than his natural one, was a pleasant feeling.

    Probably the best way to describe how it felt like was ¨C the sensation of getting sshed with a bucket of ice-cold water and then hit with the bucket itself.

    On one hand, his dizziness disappeared just like that.

    But on the other, his head started throbbing so much as if he got a piece of red hot metal nailed through his forehead....

 Chapter 60 - 12 - Magic Examination (Zoemi, Part 5) / The Strongest Wind Magician

    "..."

    Even though the red light was perfectly visible, both the blue-haired and the gold-haired teachers stood up and went to check the dummy, confirming the damages caused by the ck-haired student.

    "Do you want to proceed to the middle-range test?"

    "I do."

    The blue-haired woman confirmed with Zoemi, and the boy nodded with a determined expression.

    And so, student Zoemi repeated the exact same actions just with thebat dummy ced at one hundred sixty feet away from the starting position.

    "...whew..."

    After he was done with that one, Zoemi discreetly breathed out with relief as all of his calctions ended up being urate.

    If he didn''t drink the second mana potion halfway he would end up with an exact one-hundredth of his mana and suffer from the mana depletion, but thankfully he now had exactly five-point- one-tenth of mana left!

    He was obeying the order of drinking the mana potion when his mana would fall under half of the overall amount and the sobering effects of the potion were keeping his mind clear.

    Though his head was hurting as if he had a migraine.

    Zoemi was suffering from a phenomenon that would beter named a mana hangover but also managed to save a single mana potion for the dreaded what-if scenario!

    "Student Auequas, you seem to be doing very well - do you want to try pushing yourself a bit harder and give the long-range test a try?"

    The blue-haired female teacher asked enthusiastically as this was her first real contact with the darkness attribute, and she wanted to learn about its capabilities.

    "No, I''m sorry teacher Perserios. In the best-case scenario, even if my mana would be enough to send me that far, the second it would run out, the two halves of my body would remain disconnected.... which would at least be a quick death..."

    "...!"

    Zoemi breathed out and started massaging his forehead, not really looking at the stunned teacher.

    "And in the worst-case scenario, I would get stuck inside my shadow and slowly melt by the acidic darkness mana, dying in agonizing pain."

    The ck-haired boy finished his exnation, turning his left side to the woman and smiling lightheartedly.

    "I... see... I apologize..."

    Teacher Perserios nodded and backed off, with an apologetic expression, clearly feeling very guilty about asking her student if he wants to ''push himself a bit'' while in fact, the consequences of doing that could be quite severe.

    "No, no. It''s okay. You see, shadow gate is basically just the shadow jump with a few more steps and is supposed to take only a little bit more mana than shadow jump by itself ¨C but that is the case if I wanted to just pass through it. As you could see, the gate can transport parts of my body without disconnecting them, but while doing so the mana is constantly drained to keep that connection. To tell the truth, I used exactly the same amount of mana I would if I have just shadow jumped back and forth four times over."

    Zoemi exined the details ¨C revealing probably more than he should if he was hoping for a really good grade - and waited for the decision of the examiners.

    ...meanwhile...

    High in the sky, Miriette was hovering hidden between the clouds right above the examination grounds and keenly watched her attendant''s performance.

    "Ohohoho!"

    |Be amazed at how cool my Zoemi is!|

    Miriette put up the back of her hand to her face andughed without being noticed.

    When her attendant was bowing down to the examiners she hurriedlynded a bit further away and straightened her clothes.

    After all, she needed to look good when she will go and praised him!

    Because there was not even a speck of doubt in her mind that he did well.

    ---

    Most of the morning had passed with no unexpected situations urring.

    Miriette was asked a few times toe and watch the performance of a few girls from her cult which she dly used as a way to spend some more time with her attendant while they stood together observing the examinations.

    Miriette was socent with being close that she did not realize that whenever tested student used their spells, Zoemi''s eyes would momentarily turn lifeless.

    But, truth to be told, Zoemi did not realize that either.

    ---

    Miriette''s turn came about an hour before the lunch break.

    Honestly, she wasn''t too excited about this whole magic examination.

    If it was another normal schoolday she could switch off thinking and instead be sitting in the ssroom and watching Zoemi''s serious expression when he was taking notes, and his broad back, and...

    "You can start the closebat test."

    "...tsk..."

    An elderly light magician disturbed Miriette''s daydreaming and the dark-haired girl got a little, tiny bit, annoyed ¨C and clicked his tongue at him as she faced the target.

    "Automatic wind sh!"

    Miriette called in an annoyed voice and a green orb the size of the basketball ball appeared in front of her chest - its surface was distorted as if something violent wanted to burst out from the inside.

    "Deploy."

    *click*

    Shemanded, snapping her fingers, and hundreds of wind des - that an average wind magician could use thirty at most before their mana was depleted - started pouring out of the orb and cut the enchanted armor into clean thin pieces...

    ...as well as as the stand it was ced on, and the ground below it...

    "!!!!!!"

    The examiners were stunned, to say the least ¨C the red-haired male teacher literally dropped his quill and stared at the pitiful remains of the armor still gloving with red light because of the few bits and pieces of the mana crystal still functioning properly.

    "Hmph!"

    The dark-haired girl scoffed and without waiting for the permission of the teachers frozen in ce - she turned towards the ranged targets.

    "Cumtive wind de."

    At the call of her incantation - the air in front of her quaked and started boiling over.

    The activating spell created a fifteen-foot wide diagonal de ofpressed wind to appear amidst the mana quake.

    "?!?!?!?!?!?"

    Kros Rule Shuze stood up from his seat and stared at the girl wide-eyed in disbelief.

    And Miriette...

    *THUMP*

    Cushioning the PHYSICAL RECOIL that her offensive spell had with a stealthy utility spell she unleashed the green crescent that shoot out with devastating force.

    The shockwave that was caused by it flying by has shaken the table the examiners were sitting at, sending their papers into the sky.

    But not even one amongst the three of thembined ¨C they were left speechless after all.

    Every target except the one prepared for the light magicians extreme-long range test dummy has got cut cleanly in half, emitting a vibrant red light as they fell to the ground.

    "TSK...!|"

    Miriette frowned and clicked her tongue especially loud - the wind de dispersed a few hundred feet before she expected it to.

    The dark-haired girl squinted her eyes at the only target left.

    "Free flight."

    "HUUUUH?!"

    She said and shoot up into the sky like a rocket, making the shocked teachers cry out in disbelief.

    Flight?

    Actual flight and not just levitation?!

    ...and while it was just levitation ¨C it was a very hard spell to master and only a few wind magicians ever bother with it ¨C but an actual flight...?!

    ---

    While Miriette was about the level of the clouds she reached her hand down at the ce she estimated that the target was supposed to be ¨C she had a rough estimation thanks to the glowing red points that her earlier targets created, as all were perfectly aligned.

    "Maelstrom."

    She spoke with cold indifference, reaching her hand and spreading her fingers open towards the ground.

    In an instant, the clouds that were nowhere to be seen before ¨C gathered, covering the sky, and created an eye-catching pattern that looked like tens of eggs ready to hatch.

    And one of them did hatch indeed.

    The air swept the cloud and swirled down extending a tentacle of wild winds.

    Once the tentacle reached the ground...

    *RUUUUUMMMBLLLLEEEEEE*

    The low bellowing sound resounded in the vicinity even before the winds began to whistle and a threatening hurricane formed, connecting the heavens to the earth.

    "...passable... I should have made more just in case..."

    Miriette furrowed her brows as she watched and waited for a few seconds before releasing her spell, forcing both the hurricane and the clouds to disperse into nothingness with a benevolent wave of her slender hand.

    "(Let''s get it over with this farce, teachers, please, start the defense test and try to hit me ¨C if you may.)"

    She has sent a polite message through themunication spell to the examiners beneath her.

    "Wind wall."

    "Wind wall."

    "Wind wall."

    "Wind wall."

    "Wind wall."

    "Wind wall."

    "Wind wall."

    "Wind wall."

    "Wind wall."

    And as she did, she instantly raised her defenses and began flying around dodging the spellsing at her from below.

    The few that managed to be urate were ground down by the nineyers of coiling winds around her.

    When shended the elderly light mage hurriedly walked up to her, greatly moved.

    "Lady Espine, do you mind telling me who was your teacher? Who helped you create those spells? Or did you do it by yourself?"

    "Pffft. Myself? Sir, you can''t even imagine how hard it was to construct a spell that wouldpensate for the sudden change in the pressure!"

    Miriette gave the man a taxing look and snorted.

    "No, I did not do that alone. First I was aided by sir Vatlo Jora Erest. My fiance, first prince Horeo also helped a bit.."

    The dark-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and exined with an indifferent expression ¨C but then her face lighted up with a bright smile.

    "But the one who spend months and years teaching me about the physic was my attendant - Zoemi Auequas, there isn''t a single spell in my arsenal that he didn''t help mee up with and test."

    She dered.

 Chapter 61 - 13 - Part 1 - Magic Examination - Lovely Lunch

    It was time for lunch and Zoemi led his master to the tearoom as Horeo was already waiting there with Teo and Veo at his side.

    "I''ve been watching your examination my love, and you were stunning as always."

    The first prince''s trained until perfection affectionate voice could make anyone''s heart throb ¨C and it did exactly what it was supposed to.

    "...you heard that...!"

    "...oh... I am so jealous...!"

    "Eh...? don''t you have a fiance...?"

    "I do, but he is still such a brat at heart..!"

    The other students present in the tearoom blushed without exception and started whispering amongst each other.

    "It was nothing, my dear prince, I know you will do even better."

    Miriette answered her fianc¨¦ with a curtsy.

    |They are so close~!|

    Seeing the heartwarming scene even Zoemi''s migraine lessened.

    With such a strong bond, what could the heroine possibly do to push herself between the two lovebirds?

    ...still, the charmingpliments and pleasant smiles were only for show...

    The future royal couple knew the true meaning behind their sweet words.

    |Show-off|.

    |Aww, the little prince is jealous? Show something better if you dare!|

    By the table reserved especially for the future royal couple, a tea set and tes with food were already waiting for them, prepared by Teo ahead of time.

    Since the day of the examination was a time during what something unexpected might suddenly happen, Zoemi wanted to be by his master''s side as much as possible and he agreed to the offer made by Teo and Patishi.

    The two of them promised that they would be the ones to prepare a meal for hisdy.

    Of course, Patishi and Teo made a portion for Zoemi too- and don''t tell anyone, but Patishi tried a bit harder when making the food for their big brother than they did while making the food for the first prince anddy Espine.

    "So, Zoemi, how well do you think you''ve scored?"

    After helping his fiance sit down and taking his own seat, the first prince asked the ck-haired attendant as if he wasn''t secretly watching his examination process from a safe distance using the light spell augmenting his sight...

    "I did my best, but some gaps just can''t be breached that easily."

    Zoemi responded humbly and returned to his meal by the other table together with Teo and Veo.

    |This is amazing! Maybe I should ask Patishi to make the meals for mydy instead of me? I could spend more time on training that way...!|

    The scarred attendant thought to himself taking another forkful of a delicious dish.

    "My prince, what about you, your exam starts soon after the lunch break, isn''t that right?"

    The silence between the first prince and his fiancee that followed seemed a bit heavy for some reason so the ck-haired attendant hurriedly gulped down the bite he had in his mouth and asked.

    "My turn wille around two hours after the lunch break."

    Horeo responded to Zoemi''s question with a benevolent smile and turned to Miriette ¨C who was ring, jealously, at Teo and Veo who had the privilege of sharing a table with her beloved attendant.

    "My love, will youe to watch me?"

    Worried about his attendants'' safety, Horeo leaned forward and spoke in a low voice to get Mireitte''s attention.

    "I''ll always have time for you, my prince."

    "...aaaahhhh...! They are soo dreamy together~!"

    "Shhhhh! Quiet! They''ll hear you...!"

    The weaker-hearted maidens present in the tearoom felt faint from the fluffiness of the romance in the air and had to fan their flushed faces with their hands.

    ---

    As they were walking through the hallway Miriette looked at her reflection while passing by the windows.

    "Zoemi, my hair looks terrible! Why haven''t you told me before!"

    The dark-haired girl gasped in disbelief.

    "Mydy...?"

    Zoemi tilted his head confused.

    "Just look at me! Completely disheveled! Oh! How could I have shown myself to the prince like that!?"

    |That bastard must haveughed his ass off seeing me like this!|

    She frowned and put her hands to her hair that in all actuality looked as if she was exposed to the strongest of winds - which couldn''t be a more urate description.

    "Ah! Forgive me, mydy!"

    Zoemi instantly kneeled before her on one knee and apologized.

    "I didn''t hold any ill will!"

    He bowed his head deeply, honestly scared that his master might send him off for the rest of the day. If some unexpected event would happen out of order when he was away...!

    Zoemi shuddered at the thought.

    No matter what, Miriette''s safety and happiness were in the first ce!

    "Forgive me, mydy, I didn''t say anything because you just look so lovely with your hair like... UMPF!"

    Because Zoemi was worried and nervous he spoke his true feelings and only when he said them out loud did he realize how inappropriate they were - so he hurriedly shut his stupid mouth with own his hand!

    |Damn it! So even though the mana is refilled, some of the symptoms of mana depletion are still present...!?|

    He cursed himself.

    Hisdy was in love with the prince, he might be her attendant but they are not that close!

    The ck-haired attendant felt as if somebody has punched him right in the guts!

    His master was very prideful, wouldn''t such an overly-friendly acting from her servant prodded her noble''s honor?

    "..."

    Meanwhile, Miriette''s body was shaking from the zing emotion.

    |D-did he say lovely...? I look lovely...? Lovely? L-love? Does this mean that he loves me!? He loves me!|

    Her heart was beating furiously and not only her face but also her ears and even her neck glowed red as if she was using the fire enchants!

    "I-I meant to say that... I th-thought that the prince... would... find it lovely...! Not me! I wouldn''t dare to...!"

    Her reaction ¨C that in all honesty looked like she was trembling from held back anger - prompted the scarred attendant to go on his knees and start kowtowing at his master feet while exining hurriedly.

    ...making a really awkward scene ¨C truly, the aftereffects of the mana depletion and mana hangover were as severe as they were unexplored....

 Chapter 62 - 13 - Part 2 - Magic Examination - Before The Princeâ€™s Turn

    Seeing her attendant overreact like that, Miriette returned from her own world of dreams and delusions and clench her fists, forcefully pressing her fingernails to the skin so the pain would clear her head and stop her from overthinking...

    |Calm down, stupid - if you do something rash you will just scare him off! Is that what you want?|

    The dark-haired girl thought to herself.

    |Dear god! She''s furious!|

    Zoemi sneaked a nce at his master and hurriedly looked back down.

    Miriette''s face waspletely red and her jaw was moving slightly, so it was obvious to Zoemi that his master was grinding her teeth in anger.

    |I''m so stupid! I selfishly decided that she looks good and because of that, she showed her fianc¨¦ the appearance that she thought of as disgraceful! What was I thinking!? I got too confident and haven''t considered her feelings! I''m just an attendant and nothing more for her|

    The ck-haired attendant cursed his mishap.

    "..."

    Miriette took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

    It was not the time to delude herself, she knew that the gap between the master and the servant couldn''t be breached so easily.

    If she just pounced on her attendant ¨C as she often felt the urge to do - it could have the exact opposite effect!

    The dark-haired girl was well aware of her bad personality.

    Since she was extremely small even her own maids didn''t like her because of her selfish behavior and tantrums.

    As a child, she thought that was normal to be disliked and never put any thought into it.

    But - only after one day when she ordered the boy who saved her from the kidnappers to ride together with her in the carriage, and the boy was shaking from fear because of her just looking at him and then even cried in relief when he could get out of the carriage and away from her, did she decided that she needed to change.

    |I don''t want him to be afraid of me! The others... Well, I don''t really care...|

    Miriette thought to herself and stopped thinking about the past since there were more important things to do...

    For example, she wanted to proceed with the n that she came up with right after finishing lunch.

    "What done is done, let''s return to my room and you will do something about this awful hair! We''re not leaving until I''ll be satisfied with the result!"

    Putting her rather petty n into action, the dark-haired girl dered in an arrogant voice - even though she felt bad that she said that the hairstyle that Zoemi called lovely was awful.

    "As you wish mydy! Please forgive this foolish servant!"

    Zoemi pressed his forehead to the floor again.

    "Enough of this already! Let''s just go!"

    "A you wish!"

    Miriette sounded grumpy so the ck-haired attendant didn''t dare to dy any longer.

    ---

    When they walked through the corridordy Espine looked angered and her attendant looked as apologetic as the ugly scars on his face allowed him to.

    Zoemi was worried that his master would start scolding him as soon as they entered the room but instead, she just toddled towards the chair by the desk and sat down.

    "We are not going anywhere until I''m satisfied!"

    She dered without turning around but her ears were still red so Zoemi understood that she was still very much angry at him.

    |But that hairstyle really makes her look so beautiful, if she wasn''t my master I would have fallen for her already...|

    He thought and picked up the hairbrush with a heavy heart.

    As always, the act of brushing Miriette''s hair was calming - not rxing - since it was always hard work with her reality-bending mane, but nheless, something about touching her would put the scarred boy''s heart at ease.

    From time to time Miriette would check her looks in the mirror but no matter how much time has passed, she wouldn''t be satisfied.

    "Not good enough, continue."

    She would say and put the mirror back on the desk.

    Of course, this was a part of Miriette''s ploy - but not just that - she also was very fond of the contact with Zoemi.

    ...most likely because, before she would find a way to be together with him, it was the closest that they were allowed to be.

    The time was slowly passing in a serene atmosphere.

    Zoemi stopped worrying and Miriette was enjoying herself.

    "...?"

    Then out of the habit, Zoemi pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time.

    "!!!"

    And his eyes widened from shock.

    "Mydy! The time!"

    He eximed and put down the hairbrush.

    "Wh-what? What do you mean?"

    Miriette didn''t ask in a strained voice and didn''t look him in the eyes.

    "It''s almost time for the prince Horeo''s examination! We''re going to bete! We must go now!"

    He grabbed the hand of his master and helped her stand up.

    Without looking back he pulled her with him and rushed towards the examination grounds.

    "Tsk...!"

    The ck-haired boy was so focused on leading his master that he didn''t hear the clicking sound she made with her tongue.

    |It didn''t work...!|

    Miriette thought bitterly.

    The first prince Horeo was standing around with his hands crossed and was tapping his fingers on his biceps.

    It was almost the time but the person he was waiting for wasn''t anywhere in sight, and he even checked the sky if Miriette decided to fly there together with Zoemi.

    |She would not make up something just to excuse herself from noting, would she...? Even she isn''t so petty... right...?|

    He squinted his eyes in suspicion ¨C unknowingly hitting the bullseye with his prediction.

    "And the final student. The first prince Horeo Marets Bellcephora, if you please."

    An elderly light attribute magician with a long beard called him, and Horeo had no other choice than to walk towards him.

    As a prince, he got to keep up the appearances, he can''t be just openly defying the teachers and all. No matter what he wanted, he wasn''t the king after all.

    Not yet ¨C at least.

 Chapter 63 - 14 - Magic Examination (Horeo, Part 1)

    Horeo Marets Bellcephora was walking as slow as he could to dy the start of the exam in a way that wouldn''t be considered rude or arrogant.

    The examiners and the students gathered there observed the prince''s every move.

    He was the one student that almost everyone else wanted to see in action, after all.

    As the first prince, he was going to be the next king ¨C he must have been someone special!

    "..."

    The gold-haired prince smiled and waved benevolently to the crowd surrounding the three avable sides of the examination grounds.

    Seeing his grand manners, the examiners nodded their heads with approval while the students gasped in awe.

    The first prince was so dignified and calm!

    As expected of the future king!

    For him, the exam was only a formality!

    "My prince..."

    The red-haired middle-aged teacher bowed his head to Horeo, making the golden-haired student squint his eyes momentarily at him.

    In the academy, every student was supposed to show respect to the teacher, while the teachers were not supposed to act biased towards the students.

    And yet the behavior and tone of voice of the red-haired man seemed to suggest clearly that he was on the first prince''s side.

    |Bastard, do you think I did not see how you treated Zoemi when it was his turn...?|

    Horeo thought to himself with disdain, but nothing from his outward appearance would suggest that he was disgusted by the teacher''s behavior.

    "Student Bellcephora. If you may."

    On the other hand, the young blue-haired female teacher showcased a proper way of how a teacher should act towards a student, showing Horeo to the device with a magic crystal on their table.

    The first prince had his mana measured and the elderly light magician asked him to proceed to the closebat dummy.

    Every pair of eyes was glued to him but Horeo wasn''t happy at all.

    The attention of easily influenced young nobles meant nothing to him as he knew that more than half of them will follow him as long as they will have something to gain ¨C be it protection or influence.

    The one person that he wanted to show how much he improved wasn''t there ¨C was there really even a point in showing off?

    He could just end this whole examination with two spells and still be ced at the top of the ranking.

    Nheless, he still waited, hoping that that person would show up.

    "..."

    "...is... is he not going to start...?"

    "...maybe he is shy...?"

    "...what if he is actually weak? Has anyone seen him using any spells...?"

    Still, regardless of his hopes, the people were starting to whisper amongst themselves and some of those whispers were quite bold and audacious, so the first prince just had to begin or it would look strange as if he was actually unsure if he couldplete the basic test.

    |Guess I''ll start with the strength augmentation...|

    He sighed internally.

    *thump*

    "...?"

    But then, he felt a little bump of earth raising beneath his feet...!

    Surprised, he looked at his attendants, Teo and Veo, with a questioning look.

    Having her master look at her, Veo smiled encouragingly and pointed at something behind him.

    "..."

    The first prince turned around and...

    "...!"

    His face brightened as he saw people moving around to make a way for his fianc¨¦ and her attendant!

    Horeo''s eyes shone with energy!

    Now he felt like trying a bit!

    He moved in front of the closebat dummy so that it would be in line with the short-range one. He put his arm up.

    "Light burst!"

    *BOOOOM*

    Horeo said with a soft but confident smile and a cone of blinding golden light erupted from his hand engulfing two dummies at the same time!

    "!!!!!!!!!!"

    Both the examiners and the students watching held their breaths as when the light dissipated, there was no trace of either dummy!

    Forget about the magic crystals letting out any sort of light, the cone of light had erased it all from existence!

    "WHOA...!"

    "Hey, you! Didn''t you say something about the first prince being weak?"

    "...huh...?! N-no! I just said that no one has seen him use spells... be-because he must always be holding back because he is so strong...!"

    The crowd watching him gasped and started apuding ¨C someone was even feverishly exining their previous doubts about Horeo''s abilities.

    Meanwhile, the gold-haired prince looked back and saw his fianc¨¦ pping her hands elegantly with a soft smile while her attendant''s hands were moving so fast that they were just a blur and his eyes were sparkling.

    |It''s cool, right?|

    Horeo grinned and the crowd went wild, it was as if he was some kind of an idol or a movie star.

    |Guess I''ll show off a bit more... Not too much though...|

    The first prince decided, ncing at the sun and smirking before reaching his hand towards the sky.

    "Light canons - Ready."

    Nine golden orbs - the size of a football each - appeared around the gold-haired youth like a halo and started slowly orbiting above his head.

    Horeo aimed his hand at the next target.

    "Fire!"

    Hemanded, and a light beam shoot out from the first orb ¨C then, immediately after, the orb moved, making room for another orb and that orb shot out the light beam too.

    The barraged did not stop until every orb shot once and the middle-ranged target was annihted up down to thest speck.

    After that the prince aimed at the next target.

    "...hmmm..."

    The gold-haired first prince furrowed his brows and hummed while deep in thoughts.

    What he should use now...?

    He could use the light cannons as their effective range was almost twice as far as the long-range target, but doing the same attacks twice in a row seemed boring.

    Something like that could pass in the defense and utility tests as at his age a normal light magician wasn''t supposed to master anything more difficult than the body augmenting enchants, but it certainly wasn''t the same for the offense.

    "...hmmmmmm..."

    Horeo tilted his head, reaching his hand forward, thinking that maybe destroying both the long and the extreme-long distance targets would do the work, but before actually firing the spell he had in mind, he nced back towards Miriette and Zoemi.

    "...!"

    ...and he ended up raising his brows when he saw the cheering ck-haired boy waving his hand as if was throwing a ball.

    |Ah....! That''s right! Thest time we trained together I was still figuring out how that spell worked ¨C of course, he would like to see it in action!|

 Chapter 64 - 14 - Magic Examination (Horeo, Part 2)

    The first prince smiled brightly ¨C causing an eruption of cheers from the female part of the audience ¨C and snapped his fingers instead of saying an incantation out loud.

    *BZZZZ*

    At his signal, a single orb of light the size of his fist appeared right above his shoulder.

    "Hey, there little one. I have a job for you. Do you see that armor over there?"

    "...?"

    He asked the orb of light, causing more than a few raised brows amongst the students and the examiners.

    *BZZZZZZ*

    The orb above his shoulders bounced in the air happily letting out the same buzzing sound, but a little more cheerful.

    "Good. Now. Destroy it, light fairy."

    Horeo smirked and winked at the orb ¨C that instantly zoomed over to the long-ranged target, and as soon as it reached it...

    *BOOOOOOOOM*

    "!!!!!!!!"

    ¡­.exploded, erging itself tens of times and engulfing not only the armor itself but even creating a crater in the ce where the dummy was propped up.

    *BZZZZZ*

    The next second, before the audience could trulyprehend what happened, the light orb returned to the prince''s side and began bouncing around his head, buzzing cheerfully.

    "Good job, little one. Now, go back until I call for youter."

    The gold-haired boy winked at the orb and snapped his finger ¨C making it fade into thin air just as suddenly as it appeared.

    "...that... that was INCREDIBLE!"

    "What kind of spell was that?!"

    "Hey, can you do that too?"

    "Wha...? Me?! No ¨C impossible ¨C How do I even begin constructing a spell like that?"

    The crowd cheered and some of the students wielding light attributes began talking amongst themselves.

    Horeo smiled with satisfaction, ncing at the apuding ck-haired attendant, before turning back to thest target.

    |I would like to use the wrath of light but for thest target, it is way too close... not to mention way too small... The shockwave could harm other students... Overall it''s not worth using it on anything smaller than an enemy city... yeah... rejected|

    The first prince sighed internally - it was so bothersome to be thoughtful...

    He also nced at the cheering ck-haired attendant again.

    |...not to mention that Zoemi would get angry at me if he would found out that I activated that spell even though I promised him to never do that...|

    The golden-haired prince nodded to himself and recalled the light cannons, still waiting for hismand.

    "Enhance eyes."

    He whispered and his already golden eyes started sparkling, enhancing their beauty by at least five times and making many female students fawn over the gold-haired boy.

    Horeo steadied his arm and spread his fingers.

    The spell he was going to use now and the light burst were the only ones he actually had to point at his target as light guns just shoot out wherever he looked at ¨C but that was achieved only by sacrificing a lot of firepower to implement that mechanic into the finished spell.

    The first prince used the space between his middle and ring fingers as a sight to aim at the extreme-long-range target, and when he was ready...

    "Light beam!"

    *##########*

    He called out and at hismand a pir of light thick as a grown man''s leg shoot out from the palm of his hand, causing the air quake as well as a low, unearthly hum.

    *BOOOOOOOOM*

    The beam of light reached the target without fail and blew it up in a shy explosion, once again leaving nothing but specks of dust.

    "AMAZING!"

    "FIRST PRINCE IS THE BEST!"

    The crowd cheered.

    The examiners nodded their heads.

    |That''s enough. If I y all my cards here then I will get too much attention focused on me... I don''t want to get approached by some annoying types just yet.|

    The first prince nced at the red-haired teacher but his face did not betray his true feelings.

    He certainly didn''t want to have an army of bootlickers bothering him at every step but also didn''t want to overshadow his important person''s performance.

    And that''s why for the other two tests he would only be using the physical augmentation enchantments.

    ---

    After he was done Horeo, followed by his two attendants, walked towards his fianc¨¦ and gave her a smug look.

    |How did you like that?|

    His golden eyes told her.

    "My dear prince, you were as great as I have hoped for."

    Lady Espin curtsied and the clips curved into a soft smile as she said in an awestruck voice.

    |Seriously, that was it? I definitely scored better thanks to my flight spell.|

    Horeo knew Miriette well enough to decode the true meaning of her words.

    But then, the third person ¨C the ck-haired attendant at thedy Espine''s side kneeled down and bowed his head.

    "My prince, allow me to show my respect. You were amazing!"

    Zoemi eximed hiding his face to not disturb others with the sight of his scar getting twisted because of his wide smile.

    Horeo stopped the eye contact with Miriette and looked at her attendant.

    "Zoemi, I thought we had this figured out. We had a talk, remember? About you, and me, and kneeling...?"

    The first prince''s voice sounded tired and carried a hint ofughter.

    "...ah...! Yes, my prince. I''m sorry."

    Zoemi blushed and got right back up and then bashfully look into the prince''s eyes.

    "You were really cool, my prince."

    "Pffft...! Hahaha! Thank you, Zoemi."

    He said awkwardly and made the princeugh.

    "And what are we supposed to do when one of us does something cool...?"

    The prince was having great fun teasing his fiance''s attendant ¨C who was his best friend.

    "...!"

    Zoemi fidgeted and looked around.

    Everyone was looking at them!

    He couldn''t just refuse the prince in front of everyone, could he?

    "..."

    So he slowly raised his hand up.

    Horeo nodded his head benevolently, walked up to the ck-haired youth with an ugly burn-scar on his face - and they high-fived.

    Then the prince offered his arm to his fiance and the dark-haired girl leaned against his arm.

    "You were trying to make Zoemi miss my examination, didn''t you, my love?"

    The prince whispered lovingly intody Espine''s ear.

    |You cunning wench, I knew you will try to pull off something like that.|

    ..was what he meant...

    "I don''t know why are you talking about, my dearest prince."

    She responded with the most dazzling smile.

    |...yeah, I did. What are going to do about it, little princy...?|

    ...was what she responded...

    "Zoemi Auequas, I challenge you to a duel!"

    Shouted red-haired Grazio Mera Victureo who walked upon the trio from behind....!

 Chapter 65 - 15 - Grazioâ€™s Challenge (part 1)

    "..."

    The ck-haired attendant turned toward Grazio with a grim expression.

    One look at the red-haired youth was enough to make Zomei''s scars start to throb.

    |...and I was trying so hard to avoid him...!|

    The scarred boy clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, barely stopping himself from spitting scowling, and spiting to the side at a mere sight of his number one hated person in the world.

    The thing was, Zoemi was just avoiding Grazio - he always did his best to not even look at him or acknowledge the red boy''s existence whatsoever, even though they were in the same ss.

    That past month Zoemi was especially happy that the heroine never showed any interest in the red-haired guy - because thanks to that he could continue acting as if the person who left him with these horrible scars did not exist, with a clear conscience.

    Yes, the blond heroine was keeping herself away from every single capture target with the exception of the blue-haired Surou, cementing the ck-haired attendant''s conviction that she was firmly in the second prince''s route.

    But then...

    ...what the hell was she doing standing by Grazio''s side right at that moment!?

    And Zoemi wasn''t the only agitated person there...

    "...!"

    At the sound of Grazio''s voice, Miriette froze in ce and her hair bristled like an angry hedgehog ¨C then, without letting go of the Horeo''s arm, she turned around pulling the prince together with her. As the dark-haired girl had activated her enchants subconsciously, poor Horeo almost lost his bnce exposed to the centrifugal force.

    "You!"

    Miriette shouted, sounding every bit as furious as Zoemi was feeling.

    "I thought I have already EXPLICITLY exined what I will do to you if you ever try something like that again!"

    *RUMBLE*

    "...!"

    She stomped her feet and thanks to the power of her enchant she made the earth shake - and pale Grazio took a step back.

    It wasn''t a strange thing to do ¨C everyone brave enough could look into youngdy Espine''s eyes and be exposed to her pure bloodlusty re...

    "Lady Espine, I have a thing to settle with your attendant, and I assure you it doesn''t have anything to do with you or your fami..."

    "Sir Vuctureo. Are. You. Deaf? Or are my words tooplicated for you to understand?"

    Grazio bowed his head politely, but if he thought that would appease Miriette, well, he bet on the wrong horse...

    "...wha-what is going on...?"

    "...I don''t know..."

    "AH! I know! I heard about it, you see, lord Victureo has actually...!"

    The students who were already going back to the dorm all stopped in their tracks and gathered around the quarreling people ¨C some of them even seemed to know about the incident that Grazio caused and which resulted in Zoemi''s current appearance.

    "So you didn''t understand a thing after all! Then are you illiterate or just straight up stupid!? If my eyes do not deceive me, you even brought yourself a healer! That''s just perfect! Let''s test if thismoner girl''s magic can reattach a missing limb!"

    Miriette''s face twisted in fury when she frowned with a hint of madness, and the air in front of her started boiling.

    "!!!!!"

    "RUN!"

    People standing behind Grazio and the trembling blond heroine spread out just to get away from the terrifying spell.

    "..."

    Miriette was preparing a wind sh without a hint of hesitation - and more surprisingly ¨C without any incantation ¨C which was supposed to be possible for only the most experienced magicians.

    The ripples of mana emanating from the forming spell were a lot more threatening than the ones from the one she used at the examination, too...

    "Miriette! Don''t!"

    Horeo wanted to stop her but the short-haired girl only shook off his hands.

    "What''s going on here...? Oh, dear lord!"

    The elderly light magician who was the head examiner, moved through the crowd of students, identally walking in on the soon-to-be-bloodbath and he shuddered seeing and feeling the space in front of the dark-haired girl literally breaking apart because of the insanely high condensation of mana.

    "Miss Espine, whatever you''re doing, stop this instant!"

    |Dear god! How much mana is she pouring into that spell!?|

    Kros Rul Shuze felt a cold hand of fear getting a hold of his stomach.

    "..."

    But the girl didn''t react and the air in front of her started boiling even fiercer.

    The single spell of the wind attribute was emanating far denser and scarier mana than the most powerful spell that Kros could use!

    The elderly magician could feel cold sweat pouring on his back.

    Kros began thinking of a way to not allow such a fearsome spell to be released as the consequences might have been far more serious than any of the surrounding students could even imagine ¨C but at the same time, what was he supposed to do alone? Light magicians, although praised as the most powerful, were not defense-focused.

    This was the second time in Kros''s life, that he thought about running away before even trying to talk.

    Thankfully, the students that would stand in the way of the wind spell if it got released already got away and were watching from the sides, but that didn''t change the fact that the direction that the youngdy Espine was aiming at happened to be the same direction that the small town providing the basic necessity for the Academy was too...!

    |If she deploys that spell...!|

    "Mydy! No! Stop!"

    But the Kros''s fears didn''te to fruition ¨C not because of his own action, but rather because the dark-haired youth stepped in front of the enraged dark-haired girl.

    Zoemi was angry.

    Yes.

    Did he hate Grazio?

    Of course!

    But did he want his master to get into grave troubles because of the person he already hated?

    Hell no!

    "Mydy...! Mydy, hear me out...!"

    The ck-haired attendant called out to his master.

    "Get out of my way, Zoemi, this trash hasn''t learned his ce at all! And it''s a noble''s duty to educate a filthy, idiotic...!"

    "Mydy!"

    Zoemi stopped his master from shouting out more profanities and took a step closer towards her and the spell that she was casting.

    "Zoemi, move away...!"

    Miriette moved her head to look past Zoemi and lock on to Grazio, but her attendant not only didn''t follow her order, but he also got even closer to her.

    "Zoemi...!"

    Miriette stomped her feet.

    "Mydy, you need to stop!"

    Zoemi took another step forward. He was almost touching the boiling air in front of his master, he could feel the mana coiling around the shape that she imagined, ready to rip the scarred boy to shreds at the first opportunity.

    "...D-don''te any closer...!"

    This time it was Miriette who pleaded.

    Her rabid expression change into a desperate one.

    "He needs to be punished for what he did to you!"

    She screamed and shook her head.

    "Even if he does, it is not supposed to happen like this."

    Zoemi shook his head, denying his master''s words.

    "I''m not important here - first of all, sir Victureo deserves a punishment, but not for wounding me. He deserves punishment for almost wounding you, mydy."

    Zoemi said with a soft smile and took a step forward.

    Straight into the boiling air!

 Chapter 66 - 15 - Grazioâ€™s Challenge (part 2)

    "NOOOO!"

    Miriette wailed and released the spell without deploying it and flopped on the ground without any energy as the mana sizzled and dispersed before it could harm Zoemi.

    |I would have never believed that such an event would be generated!|

    Zoemi sighed out in relief and kneeled by his master.

    |Or maybe this one was scripted? I don''t understand... Is this because I haven''t yed Grazio''s route? I just can''t recognize his events at all... I must have missed the gs...!|

    The ck-haired boy was feeling like an idiot.

    What kind of attendant he was?

    He was going to protect Miriette?

    To ensure her safety and happiness?

    If he failed to stop her from attacking Grazio, his master would make a beeline straight to the tragic end!

    "..."

    Miriette was sitting on her butt like a lifeless doll.

    The mana she put into the failed spell didn''t return to her but dissipated into the atmosphere and she was suffering from the mana depletion.

    Zoemi thought that everyone reacted to the mana depletion in the same way, but it wasn''t true.

    The more mana someone had, the more severe were the consequences of suddenly using up a great amount of it.

    His master just wasted over three-fifths of her mana that was on the level of the light magician - and was now feeling as if her soul was being forcibly ripped from her body.

    Not quite intense to cause her to lose consciousness but strong enough to cause nausea and a splitting headache.

    "..."

    The dark-haired girl didn''t have enough energy to make a sound - not even mentioning standing up on her own!

    "Mydy, I''m so, so sorry..."

    Zoemi started apologizing to his master, biting his lips, furious at himself for letting this happen...

    How could be so careless!?

    "Mydy, please forgive this useless servant...!"

    He pressed his forehead to the ground, in hopes of appeasing the girl even a little bit.

    "...was she serious...?"

    "...Did you feel the mana fluctuating? That was a really dangerous spell, what she was thinking?!"

    "...was it all because that ugly darkness magician got himself burnt up when he was young?!"

    The gathered crowd was whispering amongst each other - some of the talks weren''t ttering towards thedy Espine and the attendant.

    "..."

    "!!!!!"

    After catching some of them, Horeo red at the crowd with strict eyes, and most of the whispers have ceased.

    "...?"

    Miriette couldn''t understand why Zoemi was the one apologizing.

    After all, it was all her own fault - her own personality''s fault.

    The dark-haired girl''s throat has dried up so instead of talking she forced herself to move her hand and rested it on the back of Zoemi''s head.

    "(It''s not your fault, stop apologizing...)"

    Even though she shouldn''t be using any more of her mana, she went and sent him a message and tried to smile.

    "...mydy...!"

    Zoemi raised his head a bit and looked at his master with reddened eyes.

    Then, as gently as he could, he took his master''s hand away from his head and rested it on his master''s knees.

    Her intentions were indeed conveyed properly but...

    "I''m not worthy of your kindness, mydy..."

    Zoemi was just too disappointed with himself.

    Even if he prevented the worst-case scenario from urring, his master''s opinion must have plummeted already, and even if she wasn''t hurt, she ended up in a definitely terrible condition. Seeing his master in such a state felt far worse than even his own death of which vague memory was rooted deeply in the back of his head.

    "...?"

    Zoemi flinched and looked around - someone was walking towards them, and since the steps were light and short so it couldn''t be the Grazio or the elderly light magician.

    The dark-haired attendant furrowed his brows and red at the person who approached them ¨C at least until he saw who it was!

    "I think I can help you..."

    A soft female voice said.

    Zoemi''s eyes widened when he saw the blond-haired girl standing behind him.

    The heroine.

    |Of course! Healing magic!|

    He might not be able to fix the tarnished reputation of his master, but with the heroine''s help, he may at least lessen his master''s suffering!

    "Yes! Please, heal my master! Mydy is suffering, I''m begging you, do something about it!"

    Without a shred of hesitation, he kneeled in front of the heroine and asked for her help.

    "Ah...! I-I didn''t mean your master... I''m terribly sorry - I can not regenerate mana, you see?"

    The blond girl bowed her head and spoke apologetically.

    "But I can assure you that she will be fine with just some sleep ¨C a good rest helps regenerate mana faster than walking around."

    She smiled weakly assured the restless attendant.

    "When I spoke about helping, I was talking about you, actually..."

    The heroine fidgeted awkwardly, biting her lips as if she was unsure whether or not engaging in contact with the ck-haired boy was a good idea or not.

    "Me...? What about me...?"

    Since even the magician with the healing attribute told him that the best thing to do was to let Miriette rest, Zoemi was going to escort his master straight to her room, so he barely paid attention to whatever it was that the girl was saying after that.

    "Thanks for the offer but I don''t really need help?"

    He furrowed his brows and tilted his head.

    "...Umm... y-you see..."

    The heroine cowered and made a puzzled expression.

    "I-I mean that I can heal your scars, wouldn''t that help your master appease her anger towards lord Victureo...?"

    While talking she was awkwardly ying with her hands showing how ufortable she was.

    "...!"

    Zoemi''s head perked up at their words.

    |That might actually work! Hey, she isn''t so bad after all, she''s got a point...! If I didn''t have scars to remind my master of that time, today''s ident wouldn''t happen in the first ce... Or it would be a little less intense at least...|

    Zoemi was thinking intensely in the heat of the moment.

    "...if I may..."

    The heroine took his silence as permission and reached her hand towards the boy''s scarred face.

    "...?!"

    *SMACK*

    At that moment Zoemi felt something pressing on his shoulder, and before he could react Miriette, supporting herself on the said shoulder, pped the hand of the heroine away.

    "Don''t... You... Dare... To... Touch... My... Attendant... Filthy... Commoner...!"

    Her voice was so hoarse that it hurt the ears of those who have heard it.

 Chapter 67 - 15 - Grazioâ€™s Challenge (part 3)

    Miriette gave the heroine one hateful look and she passed out.

    Thankfully Zoemi was there to catch her.

    "Mydy...? Mydy...!?"

    He cried and when there was no response he started trembling and his voice grew desperate.

    "Mydy!?"

    "Calm down boy! She has just passed out!"

    Kros, the elderly teacher who finally regained enoughposure to join in, called to Zoemi to stop his panic.

    "She''s not...?"

    Zoemi looked at Kros with tearful eyes while protectively holding Miriette close to his body.

    "Of course not! It''s just mana depletion, haven''t you heard of it by now? It''s not lethal! Your master just needs a good rest ¨C didn''t you hear her say it?"

    The elderly light magician scoffed and pointed at the pitiful heroine clenching her hands close to her body while trembling.

    Seeing her like this, she really looked like a very scared small animal that had no idea what she did wrong to deserve getting hit.

    "I-I see... Thank you, teacher Shuze ¨C I''m sorry for the trouble I''ve caused."

    Zoemi flinched and lowered his head, blushing from embarrassment, while taking all the me for the incident upon himself without any hesitation.

    "I will have to inform the principal about everything I saw here... though I doubt that the punishment you''ll get will be anything worse than a few lessons about proper magic discipline. Good job holding your master back."

    The old light magician shrugged his shoulders and dered before putting his hand on Zomei''s shoulder and giving the ck-haired boy a reassuring smile.

    "Thank you, teacher Shuze!"

    Zoemi''s face brightened up and he bowed to the old man ¨C who also breathed out with relief that this whole mess was over without causing any damages to anything or anyone.

    It looked like Kros wanted to leave, but he didn''t ¨C as a teacher, he had to make sure that nothing else will happen on the scene.

    "My prince... if you may..."

    The ck-haired attendant approached the gold-haired prince and - surprisingly enough - put the unconscious Miriette into his arm.

    "Huh?!"

    Horeo gasped, staring at the scarred attendant in disbelief.

    "Zoemi...? D-don''t you want to bring her back to her room? I thought that..."

    "Master, you can leave..."

    "...Mistress to us."

    Horeo said in an exasperated voice, clearly taken by surprise ¨C and he instantly got approached by his two attendants who helped him with the unconscious girl.

    "My prince, I trust you to take good care of her for a little bit."

    "...?"

    The ck-haired attendant looked at his master''s face before raising his head and looking into Horeo''s eyes.

    "What are you going to do in the meantime...?"

    The first prince shook his head in confusion.

    "...my prince, don''t you know...?"

    Zoemi smirked and turned around.

    "My father always told me to not back down from a challenge. And honestly, I feel the urge to break some sweat ¨C and my master being unconscious is a perfect opportunity to do something really dumb..."

    He exined, ring down at the back of the red-haired boy who was already leaving the scene followed by the disheartened heroine.

    "SIR VICTUREO!"

    "!!!!"

    Zoemi''s call made Grazio flinch and turn around in shock.

    "Where are you going? I never refused your challenge!"

    He dered, raising his head with pride.

    "...oh dear..."

    Kros Rul Shuze muttered and started massaging his forehead.

    |And that is why I should never drag behind... when will I learn...?|

    The old light magician''s problem was that the Aspakeony Academy did not outright ban the duels ¨C formal duels were almost an everyday urrence in the world of the nobility and hence an old tradition like that could not be missing from either the academic life or its curriculum.

    The only difference was that in the Academy, the duels were simply called challenges.

    Every student could challenge another one and as long as the other one agreed they wouldpete in an activity they agreed upon under the condition they agreed on ¨C of course, it was only eptable under the supervision of a teacher as secret challenges were very much frowned upon and severely punished if found out.

    Usually, the challenges were a friendlypetition between close friends actually wanting to improve ¨C otherwise the more influential students had it easy as no one dared to issue them a challenge because of the higher social status, and if they were the one challenging someone else, most times the other side would back off.

    ...but that clearly wasn''t the case at the moment...

    Kros only hope was that neither the ck-haired student nor the red-haired student would ask him to oversee their challenge, as he really didn''t want to...

    "Sir Victureo, you challenged me first ¨C what is thepetition you had in mind?"

    The ck-boy asked in a surprisingly calm tone and for a split-second, the elderly teacher thought that if the red-haired boy will challenge him to a duel of magic, the ck-haired one will be able to talk his way out of it using the argument about his mana being depleted after the magic examination.

    "I''ve heard you have been practicing with a training sword every morning ¨C I want to challenge you to a practice swordsmanship duel. No magic involved."

    "...no magic...? Where did I hear that one before...?"

    "!!!!!!"

    But the short exchange between the two made it clear that this would not be the case...

    Especially the ck-haired boy looked deadly serious, touching the sprial burn mark on his face as he lowered his head looking furious.

    |There''s still a chance for me to get away... young Perserios is far better prepared to watch over the magicless duel than...|

    Kros turned around and started leaving already nning to teleport away, when...

    "Teacher Shuze. Can I ask you to supervise us? The storage with the training equipment is right over there ¨C please, we will not take long."

    The ck-haired boy turned to him and bowed his head.

    |Damn it... That old goat said that he would cut my pay if I refused to supervise another duel... why there must be so many witnesses here...|

    Kros thought to himself bitterly.

    "...teacher...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked again.

    "Ah, sorry, sorry ¨C pardon this old man, boy ¨C I was merely reminiscing my old days when I was still strong enough to duel... Of course, I agree to your request ¨C lets us go..."

    "...you heard that?!"

    "...eh...?! Lord Grazio and the ugly attendant will duel, seriously?!"

    "...is that guy out of his mind? Lord Victureo is a son of a general!"

    "...he will get beat up so badly... Do you want to go watch it?"

    "...of course!"

    The old light magician didn''t even blink and smiled in a jovial manner as if he was a simple old man and nodded ¨C causing a whole new wave of excited whispers.

 Chapter 68 - 16 - The Duel (part 1)

    Since Zomei asked Horeo in person to take care of Miriette, the gold-haired prince and his two attendants were the only people who were present when the ck-haired attendant epted Grazio Mera Victureo''s challenge but didn''t follow the two to watch the duel.

    ...the prince wasn''t very happy about it but since Zoemi had said that he trusts him, the first prince had no intention of failing that trust...

    "I will interfere the moment that I determine that one of you will not be able to deflect or defend against the strike that would cause anything more serious than a light bruise or a scratch. The winner will be determined either if one of you admits defeat or I will be forced to interfere. Is that clear?"

    The elderly light magician standing between the two boys each holding a wooden sword said looking between the two contestants.

    "I trust teacher''s Shuze judgment."

    The ck-haired boy nodded his head lightly.

    "I agree."

    The red-haired student agreed with a serious expression, clenching his hands on the training sword''s grip.

    "Good."

    Kros Rul Shuze nodded his head and walked a few steps back to not block the possible initial strike from either opponent that would end the fight immediately ¨C as the old teacher hoped for as being the overseer of a duel was enough of a chore already - and turned back around facing the boys.

    "How long do you think the ugly guy willst...?"

    "How long? It will be over in one hit! Two if lord Victureo is feeling generous!"

    The audience present was clearly biased and didn''t even try to lower their voices while snickering at the scarred attendant.

    "Begin!"

    |Ah... I should have confirmed with them that they agree on not using magic, just as young Victureo requested... oh well.|

    Kros waved his hand and signaled, immediately remembering that he forgot about a few steps...

    The two opponents moved at the same time ¨C no hesitation whatsoever.

    "HIYAH!"

    "..."

    Grazio eximed while attacking while Zomei kept his mouth shut.

    The two wooden swords crashed against each other as both Zoemi and Grazio went for horizontal trikes!

    "...?!"

    The audience let out a unison gasp of shock when the one who faltered and was pushed back after the exchange was not the scarred attendant but the son of a general.

    Not only that, using the chance created by his opponent backing off, Zoemi didn''t try to stop his sword from twisting his body and instead used the motion to deliver a devastating kick at Grazio''s abdomen...!

    |...!|

    Krus was about to activate a light shield and end the fight right there but Grazio - clearly shocked by the attack - tripped which resulted in the kick barely grazing his stomach.

    "...gah...!"

    "Do you admit defeat?"

    Still, the red-haired bo ended up on his butt, while the ck-haired one pushed out his sword up to his face and asked, ring down at his opponent with lifeless eyes that did not look like they belonged to a living creature.

    "...what... what was that!?"

    "Cheater! This is a swordsmanship duel, why are you kicking?!''

    "Darkness magicians have no honor at all!"

    "Disqualified!"

    The crowd instantly burst out into angryints, buuing the scarred attendant.

    "..."

    Zoemi raised his brow and looked at them with only a little bit of disgust.

    |Those foolish kids... none of them was trained to fight. A swordsman who only uses his sword is a dead swordsman.|

    The old teacher frowned witnessing the ridiculous behavior of the more vocal Grazio''s supporters and didn''t stop the duel.

    "...I will not admit defeat here... URYA!"

    Grazio used that chance and rolled away, scrambling together and retaking his stance before charging at the ck-haired boy and going for an overhead vertical strike what -if it reached the target ¨C would definitely deal some serious damage.

    "URGH...!"

    But picking such a well-telegraphed attack wasn''t a smart option ¨C with a simple sidestep Zoemi dodged Grazio''s swing and pushed his sword''s pommel ¨C or the spot where the pommel would be ¨C into the red-haired boy''s side, which resulted in Grazio gasping in shock and losing his bnce.

    *smack*

    "...ugh-hwa...?!"

    And as the hit Grazio was falling down, Zoemi went ahead and gave him a friendly smack across the back, pushing him into the ground.

    |That kid... he held back on purpose...?|

    Kros furrowed his brows, easily recognizing that the ck-haired boy put nowhere near enough strength into the hit to cause anything besides a little bit of stinging pain to his opponent.

    "..."

    |!!!!|

    To make things more interesting and to confirm the old teacher''s suspicion, Zomei nced at the teacher with his dead eyes as if to confirm whether he will end the duel or not and when the elderly light magician didn''t make a move the scarred boy smiled in a rather sinister way...

    Honestly, Kros should end the fight then and there but at the same time...

    |Isn''t this the first somehow realistic fight that young Victureo takes part in? This might be a good lesson for him ¨C I''ll stop them before young Auequas will go too far.|

    He squinted his eyes and decided ¨C after those few moves it was tantly obvious for the old teacher which student was going to win.

    "HAAAH!"

    Grazio roared and swiped his sword at Zoemi''s feet, but the ck-haired boy merely jumped over it and kicked some dirt right into the red-haired boy''s face whilending.

    "UGH...! Y-you little...!"

    Grazio scuttled back away from Zoemi''s reach and swiped the dirt away from his eyes and spat out the pieces that got to his mouth.

    "BUUUU!"

    "Cheater!"

    "End the duel! The ugly guy lost!"

    The angry crowd changed, but since none of them actually tried to do anything the ck-haired boypletely ignored them.

    |...so that is the reason why Miriette''s condemnation events could take ce in the game, what a bunch of annoying idiots...|

    ...almostpletely ¨C he did spare a fleeting thought and a single annoyed re at the worthless bunch who wouldn''t dare to repeat the same words if they stood face to face with him.

    "Sir Victureo... why are you even worse than when you gave me this scar...? Do you think that I willy down and let be beaten up like the bootlickers sucking up to you on every step because of your social status?"

    "...!"

    "!!!!!"

    |Oh-ho...! So that''s the reason...|

    The ck-haired boy touched his burn scar and asked in an indifferent tone ¨C causing Grazio, the entire crowd, as well as the elderly magician to flinch.

    "If you want a training dummy, then go ahead - I''ll give you a chance - I swear on my master''s name that I will only deflect your attacks. Come."

    To make the situation even more outrageous, the ck-haired boy straightened his back and spread his arms open, inviting the red-haired boy.

 Chapter 69 - 16 - The Duel (part 2)

    "You...! Treat this duel seriously, damn it!"

    Grazio gritted his teeth and growled, clenching his fists around the training sword''s grip.

    "...sir Victureo... I am the only person here who treats it seriously..."

    Zoemi red at his opponent and when their eyes met the red-haired boy was the one to break the eye contact almost immediately.

    Those dead eyes could bring chills to people much braver than the red-haired son of a general.

    "This is your chance, sir Victureo. I promise not to touch anything besides the practice sword in your hands ¨C I will admit defeat immediately if I break my word."

    Zoemi dered again, taking a proper stance with the training sword in front of him.

    "...you...! HIAH!"

    Grazio''s shoulders trembled and he rushed at the ck-haired attendant in the fit of blind rage that frankly was unbing of someone of his status and made some of his supporters shut up as they realized that the red-haired boy isn''t as calm andposed as they thought that he was.

    *whack*

    The first wild swing was deflected with ease.

    "HUAH! HAAA!"

    *whack* *smack*

    Another two sings were swept to the sides without ever threatening the ck-haired boy.

    "GRRAH! HIAAA! HUAA!"

    *whack* *smack* *thump*

    "..."

    As the supposed duel progressed the more and more people from the audience were going silent watching the increasingly pathetic attempts of the red-haired boy to hit the scarred attendant.

    It wasn''t like Grazio''s swingsck power ¨C if even one of them reach the ck-haired attendant they could easily cause his skull to crack open like a hardboiled egg ¨C but the thing was that Zoemi wasn''t trying to defeat Grazio ¨C he was consciously trying to make him lose face, but the red-haired boy lost himself in anger and failed to realize that every attack takes away the support of the people watching.

    Of course ¨C revealing that it was Grazio who wounded the ck-haired boy leaving him with horrible scars at least doubled the speed of that.

    As Zoemi told Horeo before ¨C he was going to do something dumb.

    This whole challenge or duel, whatever someone may call it, was just as dumb as it was selfish.

    For just a little while the scarred attendant with dead eyes forgot about his master and indulged himself in the pleasure of revenge.

    Aside from the unknown person in his recurring nightmares, Grazio was one that Zoemi hated with all his heart.

    |Just one more... I''ll be satisfied after the next one...|

    Deflecting hit after hit, the attendant thought to himself as his sinister smile grew.

    |Ahh... isn''t this perfect...? If only I could burn him as he did to me~|

    The ck-haired attendant thought to himself imagining the sight of a fireball that young Grazio conjured and threw at Miriette all those years ago.

    The shape, the destructive power...

    Yes.

    If he could conjure one like that and smash it into Grazio''s face...!

    Ah!

    Zoemi could almost see the shadowy mes coiling around his fist about to form a dark semi-transparent fireball...

    "...?!"

    Actually ¨C scratch the almost part ¨C he could actually see that happening right at the very moment!

    He could feel his mana getting drained by the shadowy fireball forming around his hands still holding on to the training sword!

    "!!!!!!"

    Zoemi flinched and took a step back in shock, taken aback by the sight that he could notprehend the origin of.

    |Dear heaven''s ¨C I was right!|

    And the scarred attendant wasn''t the only one who saw the irregr spell appearing ¨C Kros Rul Shuze momentarily forgot about overseeing the duel and just stared in awe at the me-like shadows licking the ck-haired boy''s hands.

    "HAAAAAAA!"

    The one who did not realize what was happening was the red-haired Grazio ¨C who missed the strange urrence and went straight for Zomei''s head, swinging the sword with all of his might.

    "!!!!!!!"

    *WHAM!*

    "UGHAH...!"

    *thump*

    Warned by the shout that Grazio would make before every attack, Zoemi flinched and his instinctive reflex has kicked in ¨C forgetting about the shadow fireball, the ck-haired boy swung his sword with all his might ¨C which resulted in Grazio''s weapon bouncing back and hitting the red-haired boy with enough strength to knock him out instantly.

    "..."

    The silence that befallen the training grounds that the duel was taking ce was almost painful.

    No one dared to move ¨C not even breathe.

    Zoemi, Kros Rul Shuze, and every single student in the audience all stared at the drop of blood slowly making its way down Grazio''s face.

    ...the drop of blood that originated from a deep cut at the red-haired boy''s forehead.

    |...oh... oh no...|

    The elderly teacher closed his eyes and breathed out slowly.

    |That''s why I hate supervising duels...|

    He thought before opening his eyes and looking to the side.

    "Miss,e here! You didn''t really have the time to shine during the examination ¨C but thankfully student Victureo has agreed beforehand to be wounded for you to showcase your abilities! Such a benevolent person! As expected of a son of a general!"

    "??!???!"

    Kros pped his hands getting the attention of the students and beckoned the blond-haired heroine to approach him since thankfully she could use healing magic.

    "I hope that all of you appreciated the demonstration that student Victureo and student Auequas agreed to perform to showcase to you the dangers of reckless duels!"

    The elderly light magician was damage controlling to the best of his ability ¨C was it working... well...

    "...huh...? Wait.. a demonstration...?"

    "So.. this was all for show...?"

    ...surprisingly enough... yes, it did seem to work...

    "Now, miss, please start healing him."

    Kros urged the hesitant heroine and the blond girl had no other choice but to go ¨C and thankfully as soon as she used the first spell whatever it was, Grazio''s bleeding stopped and his wound close up even though he didn''t regain his consciousness.

    "In the meantime, I have a few words to say to those of you who seemed to get way too into cheering and shouted some insensitive things towards student Auequas!"

    The elderly magician grasped the confused Zoemi''s shoulder and pulled him towards himself before he began scolding the crowd using any way he could to convince them that the whole duel was just a performance ¨C which he of course try to do to save himself from the consequences of letting a student get hurt because of his mistake.

    |...I''m way too old for this...|

    Kros thought to himself while going on about the proper etiquette of a duel and whatnot.

    ---

    That evening the heroine was lying face down on her bed in her dormitory room, resting after the rather nerve-racking day.

    "I had my doubts before but after today I have a clear picture. That whole Zoemi Auequas is a capture target after all. There''s no way that the creators would bother to add a character with such backstory if he couldn''t be conquered!"

    She lifted her head and smirked - the cunning smile made her appearance change from the innocent and pitiful na?ve girl into a confident woman.

    "Even though it was rather unexpected, I already have my beloved Surou around my finger as a backup- though I don''t quite understand how did that happen so fast... meh, must be my natural charm! - and I don''t really like any other of the standard ones... This Zoemi is really scary with those scars but after getting rid of them he sure will be devilishly handsome..."

    She nodded to herself as the smile faded from her face reced by concern.

    "I think I recognize the trope... A male yandere who is weak at the beginning but after the right event triggers, he will suddenly get a boost in power - if I will not have a high enough affection level with him at that time, it will trigger a bad ending and he will most likely kill me..."

    She got up and dered to herself while hugging her pillow.

    "Fine! That leaves me with no choice! I refuse to keel over and die so I''ll make this brand-new capture target mine!"

    The heroine, both in her previous and current life, was a very headstrong girl - but she would never expect what did she get herself into this time.

 Chapter 70 - 17 - The Headmaster (part 1)

    "Here, you old goat, have my whole day of boredom and pain-in-the-ass sprinkled with the tiniest amount of shock on top."

    Kros Rul Shuze the elderly light magician with a beard mmed a stack of papers on the desk of his childhood friend, a tall and burly red-haired man with a tanned face, the current headmaster of the Aspakeony Academy, Burdoff Mekhior Vereq.

    Burdoff nced at the top of the stack, it was covered in Kros''s messy handwriting. Kros would always act annoyed and haughty but he also would always take his job very seriously, when Burdoff asked him to pay attention to the new students, Kros would take notes about everything even slightly unusual.

    "I always liked your... rather particr way of talking in a private conversation."

    Burdoff chuckled and poke fun at his friend.

    "Ey, you''re the only one who even remembers how I used to talk, everyone else is just like, oh! Great lord Shuze, it''s such an honor! Or, teacher, teacher, help me with that spell...! Honestly! Sometimes I just want to roll in tar then rip some pillows and roll in the feathers, then start to cluck like a chicken just to see how everyone would react! I know we''re both old already but even so like being the serious one!"

    Kros sulked and looked to the side.

    "Really, you would do the tar and feathers thing again? That one time when we were students here, wasn''t enough?"

    Burdoffughed at the old memories and Kros joined him.

    Two old serious men were giggling like schoolgirls for a few seconds.

    "Good times... How are you feeling these days?"

    Burdoff was the first one to stop and asked in a worried voice.

    "Arrr! The pain in my back is getting worse and my best friend is making me sit on my arse for days! Can you imagine that!? What an old goat!"

    "Kros, you know that''s not what I mean..."

    Since his friend sounded genuinely worried Kros sighed and waved his hand."

    "The throbbing in my chest is getting annoying, I wasn''t aware that my own heart can beat in such a weird way. But what can you do? No one can win with old age! But don''t you worry, I''m not nning on dying just yet!"

    Even though he started it seriously, Kros ended his speech with augh and turned to the door.

    "...Kros... are you sure that the magic examination is the only thing you want to tell me about?"

    "...!"

    But he got stopped by a well-aimed question that stopped him in his track.

    "Don''t you want to tell me about that... what was that again...? Oh, right. The demonstration of how a reckless duel could end up like? Staring young Victureo as well as the darkness magician...?"

    Burdoff asked with a jovial smile but his dear friend was sweating buckets, clearly thinking of a way to get himself out of the mess.

    "Surprisingly enough the students have all bought that story ¨C and even though you failed to stop a student from getting hurt it was all resolved without leaving anysting damage and in the end you didn''t run away from overseeing a duel."

    The principal nodded with satisfaction, causing the elderly light magician to breathe out in relief.

    "So... you will not cut my pay...?"

    He asked hopefully with a mischievous smile.

    "I will not. Just answer me this first..."

    Burdoff''s expression turned serious and he leaned forward.

    "Were you to werete to activate the light barrier because the pain in your chest became unbearable?"

    He asked, carefully observing his light-attribute-wielding friend.

    "Huh? What? No! I messed up but not because of my health, you know! If my health got so bad that it would allow me to get away with cking off, you would be the first one to hear about it!"

    Kros breathed out with relief and waved his hand dismissively.

    "That''s good to hear... still ¨C as for thepensating for your mistake..."

    Burdoff nodded and a cheeky smile returned to his face.

    "No cuts in pay!"

    Kros jumped back and raised his hands in aical attempt of emting magicless self-defense.

    "Pffft...! No. I will not decrease your pay, you greedy bastard. I simply want you to supervise the disciplinary lessons for the darkness attribute boy ¨C although it should be young Espine who would attend them, as her attendant he has full right to take her punishment upon himself. Still, as everyone saw with the duel, he isn''t without a fault either. To impart some of your life-knowledge upon him, one trouble maker to the other."

    The principal leaned back in his armchair and spread his arms, making a cheerful expression as if he wasn''t pushing a work that no one else wanted to do onto his dear friend.

    "DEAL!"

    "!!!!"

    The elderly light magician cheered out so enthusiastically that the red-haired principal''s eyes widened.

    "Ehem...! I mean, sure. Alright. I wanted to look into him anyway."

    Kros cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders trying to y it cool.

    "You know my schedule ¨C send the boy whenever I''m free. And stop worrying about my health so much! I bet ten gold coins that I will outlive you, you old goat!"

    Kros evacuated before he could be asked any more questions and giggled before closing the door.

    ---

    After the elderly light magician left, the magical lock appeared on the doorpletely sealing off the room.

    "Curious, I haven''t seen you like that for a while... not to mention that...I owe you ten gold..."

    Burdoff smirked and let out a sigh.

    A really long sigh.

    A sigh long enough to push out all the air from his lungs...

    ...and the acting headmaster of the Aspakeony Academy, Burdoff Mekhior Vereq, leaned back in thefortable armchair and his body suddenly got limp as if he was a puppet and somebody has cut off its strings.

    The dark red eyes of the corpse were reflecting the fire crackling in the firece but didn''t register anything.

    *thump*

    At the same time, a big drawer under the massive wardrobe opened on its own. From within it a sleepy girl - too mature-looking to be called a child and too childish-looking to be called an adult woman, simply speaking someone who looked like she should be a second year in the academy - raised her head and yawned.

    Her eyes and shoulder-length unevenly cut hair were gray.

    Not shiny silver but murky grey.

    To make her stand out even more amongst everyone else in the building, her skin had the color of chocte milk.

    "...mmmm..."

    The girl scratched her cheek while looking aroundzily.

    Finally, after around five minutes or so, her eyes ended up on the stack of papers on the desk next to Burdoff''s dead body.

    "I better get some work done I guess..."

    She sighed without any enthusiasm and got up.

    She was wearing only a skimpy nightgown...

    ...and nothing else...

    When she left thefortable drawer - that actually had the mattress cushioning it on the inside and was filled with various pillows and stuffed toys - her bare feet pped against the mahogany floor.

    The gray-haired girl got to the desk and seated herselffortably on the deceased Burnoff''sp before sliding the stack of papers close to her.

 Chapter 71 - 17 - The Headmaster (part 2)

    The chocte-skinned gray-haired girl picked the first sheet and started reading everything...

    ¡­and then the next one, and the next one...

    That unassuming girl with a liking for skimpy clothing was called Aspakeony.

    Aspakeony as in the Aspakeony Academy.

    The name was not a coincidence in the slightest, as she was in fact the true headmaster of the Aspakeony Academy.

    She possessed a unique variant attribute ¨C necromancy.

    It allowed her to control dead bodies as well as take their remaining mana and life force for herself which allowed her to stay forever young.

    She was the strongest and longest-living variant magician in the Kingdom of Bellcephora, and she actually helped create the kingdom itself.

    Her presence in the Academy was the fiercest guarded secret in the whole Bellcephora and only the current royal magician and the current king would be allowed to know of her existence...

    "..."

    While going through the documents, Aspakeony started to think about Kros.

    She could feel that the elderly light magician was dying - be it fate or a curse, Kros has actually contracted the same illness that killed his best-friend Burdoff...

    Whom Aspakeony was currently using as an additional cushioning...

    |I guess it''s time to change the figurehead...|

    Aspakeony furrowed her brows looking back at Burdoff''s pale face ¨C she was using him as the headmaster for almost twenty years and he was dead through the entirety of that time.

    With Aspakeony''s power, it was possible to preserve the body and even make it look progressively older by slowly sucking out the remaining mana and life energy remaining in the body.

    Truly, her spells were very convenient forying low.

    The time was passing slowly and Aspakeony started bobbing her head in the rhythm of the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner of the office.

    She plowed through almost the entire pile - only the four documents remained.

    |In his current state, little Kros won''t make it past the next week, I''ll just arrange something in that window... It would be a shame to just let go of him that easily.|

    Aspakeony was actually very fond of Kros, through the previous figurehead-headmasters, Burdoff, she knew him since he was an adolescent boy.

    She liked his character.

    |Though, it''s always sad when the good ones are passing on...|

    Aspakeony also liked Kros''s way of doing the reports.

    He would always start with the most boring stuff at the beginning and build up to the grand finale.

    That''s why the stack of papers wasn''t in the order of the strength of magic but how interesting the student was - with the four remaining documents she hoped to find something interesting.

    "The first prince, huh?"

    Aspakeony started reading through the documents aloud just because she felt it would make it seem more exciting.

    "Close through extreme-long-range extremely strong - nice. Before attacking thest target he checked his surrounding so he probably has a massive area of effect spell - very nice."

    She nodded to herself in satisfaction.

    "The strong king is the best king! Defense - strong, utility - strong. Huh... Kros suspects that the prince actually has at least a very strong defensive spell and is possibly already able to use the teleportation spell? That''s brilliant! We didn''t have a genius like that as a king since five hundred years ago!"

    The gray-haired girl smiled satisfied and picked up another document.

    "The first prince''s fiance, huh? Ah! The youngest one! Aww, I forgot that she''s am Espine ¨C Oh, Doregon and Misena - the academy was much livelier with them around!"

    She giggled, looking up from the desk with a dreamy expression.

    "Let''s see? Ah, the transcendent wind attribute! Of course, as expected...! Let''s see... all ranges extreme!? Whoa! Nice! Ah, the extra-long-range is extreme because it''s an area of effect spell? That''s even better! Huh!? Extreme defense!? Wind attribute!? Ah! Multiple wind shields and...!? What!?"

    Aspakeony stood up from the excitement.

    "Flight!? Free flight!? Seriously!? She''s totally like Rassahy! Oh, how I would love to fly with that cheeky boy again!"

    The strongest variant magician of Bellcephora pressed the sheet of paper to her chest and sighed in a dreamy voice and reminiscent the memory of a thousand years ago.

    "What could be next? What could be better than free flight?"

    Her sleepiness was nowhere to be seen now, and since Kros would make the documents be progressively more interesting thest two should be mindblowing!

    "Tsk...! Healing...!"

    She clicked her tongue - all excitement gone.

    The description of the healing capabilities of the female student''s spells made Aspakeony remember another memory.

    Sadly this one wasn''t a pleasant one.

    It reminded her of great wars that shook the continent millennia ago...

    The battles that would make the rivers run with blood instead of water when no one could sleep without fear...

    Aspakeony and her undead army were one of the forces in those wars - and since it was a war, some of her undead soldiers would perish and she needed new ones.

    Since she didn''t want to pull the attention of literally everyone and instantly be the number one threat for the other powers, she couldn''t just massacre some cities and be done with it - she wanted the quality ingredients that wouldst a while.

    She needed volunteers.

    But during that time magic wasn''t separated into only six attributes ¨C there were seven.

    The seventh one was the healing attribute.

    Yes.

    Healing wasn''t a variant attribute - it was so widespread that it was considered as its own thing.

    But the thing was that because of those pesky healers keeping everyone in a tip-top shape there would be barely any volunteers for her army.

    That got Aspakeony a little angry...

    ...so one day she made them all go extinct...

    "I was so stupid back then... So short-sighted..."

    The millennia-old necromancer face-palmed just thinking about how she acted during the war...

    But she was so young back then...

    ...blinded by the quick gains...

    What could she do about it now?

    "Sigh..."

    Aspakeony shook her head with disgust.

    She put the paper away.

    Maybe thest one will lift her mood?

    "Oh, dear..."

    No, of course, it would not.

    "Darkness attribute..."

    This brought up a lot fresher and maybe even worse memories than making a whole attribute of magic go extinct.

    "Extremely weak mana, ugh, for now, that is... Long-range none, well, obviously. Huh...? Middle-range extreme!? What!? Huh!?"

    She shouted and mmed her hands against the desk - if not for the magic sealing the room Aspakeony would already have a few dozens of shocked people at her door.

    "Kros, what the hell do you mean he can use a shadow gate already!? That''s awful! Why does it looks like you''re impressed!? We should be praying that this child doesn''t know about the spell to erge his mana pool! Ah...!"

    Only then did she notice the note left in the corner of the page.

    Light doesn''t create Drakness, it creates Shadow.

    "...Eh...? What does that suppose to mean? What else is light supposed to do?"

    She furrowed her brows, turning the page around to check if there wasn''t any secret meaning in the odd scribbled message, but ended up with nothing.

    "The recent generations just don''t remember the terrors of those times...!"

    Aspakeony gave up on the note and sighed, hiding her face in her hands.

    It was true that she was the longest living - and strongest - VARIANT magician in the kingdom.

    But that didn''t mean that she was the STRONGEST LIVING MAGICIAN in the kingdom.

    Depending on how someone wanted to look at it, Aspakeony was in the top two, or she didn''t even cut it to the top twenty of the overall strongest magicians.

    "Ugh... Kros, boy, don''t sound so amazed, please..."

    The darkness magicians were scary - they had only one attack but it was terrifyingly strong, not to mention that with enough mana and time it could be molded into whatever form the caster had imagined.

    Besides that, the darkness magicians didn''t have ANY defensive spells but if they properly used their utility spells they could never be touched.

    "...ugh...!"

    Aspakeony shuddered at the thought of the time when she lost her army and had to actually escape the kingdom to save her life!

    "I will have to have a talk with this child, I need to warn him about the threat of the Ghosts..."

    The gray-haired girl muttered to herself, not aware that the note left by Kros on Zoemi''s report would clear up her misunderstanding if only she had more context.

 Chapter 72 - 18 - In The Anticipation Of The Future (part 1)

    A few days has passed and Zoemi felt like he was walking through a minefield with each passing hour.

    A scripted event should happen soon - he was sure of it - no matter the route, the bullying of the heroine would always start after the results of the exam would be revealed.

    In the game, no matter the route, the results would always be the same.

    The first prince would be on the very top of the chart with his powerful spells and vast mana pool. Miriette would be ced third and the heroine would be above her ¨C stealing the second ce right under her nose because of the uniqueness and usefulness of her healing magic.

    In-game Miriette ¨C head over heels in love with her fiance ¨C would not mind having him over her, but could not stand anyone else beating her score. Her pride was too high to swallow that disgrace, so getting both outdone and separated from her beloved fiance by one and the same person would spark the ill will ofdy Espine towards that person...

    ...who happened to also be amoner girl...

    And since the Miriette that Zoemi grow up with was even more prideful than the one he remembered from a game, well...

    Let''s just say that the ck-haired attendant dreaded the day that the results would be revealed.

    He was getting almost sick with worry and could barely focus on the lessons ¨C not to mention the disciplinary ss that he had to take under the watchful eye of the elderly light magician, Kros Rul Shuze ¨C although those turned out to be way more productive than the scarred boy initially thought they would be, as, surprisingly, Kros didn''t want him to write down some apologies or study the good-manners book but rather train magic and experiment with it to a degree that Zoemi did not think were possible with the darkness attribute.

    The most shocking part was when Kros told him that he doesn''t need to show up for theirst scheduled disciplinary lesson, and instead, find him if he will ever manage to recreate the shadow fireball that he identally conjured during the duel with Grazio.

    ...needless to say, Zoemi didn''t have time to try it out at all as he was attempting to figure out which event of which route will trigger.

    ...but with basically nothing new happening he had no choice but to try and prepare for all of the possible oues...

    The scarred attendant was racking his brain over how to deal with the worst possible scenario which would be an immediate bad ending for Miriette.

    His mana was still very limited after all.

    Shadow emerge, and therefore, shadow storage, was convenient - but it wasn''t like he could store everything he wanted there - and not even just because of the corrosive qualities of the darkness attribute!

    What he could store inside his shadow was greatly influenced by the mana that particr thing possessed.

    For example, the spell that Xeonith wanted to use against Reo, the rock barrage, was actually Xeonith''s second weakest spell and wasn''t containing a lot of mana as it mainly used the eleration of the rock to cause damage and didn''t change the properties of the rocks themselves.

    And yet event that considerably weak spell took half of Zoemi''s mana just to be stored.

    Yes, it was that problematic - Zoemi couldn''t, for example, grab Miriette and hide her in his shadow and neither let her use shadow gate.

    The ck-haired boy''s master had a few hundred thousand times more mana than him after all...

    Simrly, defending Miriette from the attacks could be troublesome because of the exact same reason.

    Mana, mana, mana.

    Everything came down to how much mana he had.

    A short rest was enough to recover whatever miserable amount of it he had, but that didn''t change the fact that he was in deep trouble the moment he would be a forced to use too many spells in rapid session.

    That problem could be resolved by the use of mana potions, just like the one Zoemi received from Miriette and managed to save up for ¨C but considering how much a single vile cost to purchase ¨C since it was a rarity after all - the ck-haired boy wasn''t nearly financially secure to purchase them in bulk...

    ...not with the side experiment that he had going on in the background that would be important for securing Miriette''s safety in the long run...

    Just as the scarred boy was losing his spirit - an unexpected help has arrived!

    Since the day after the examination, someone had been leaving a bottle of the mana potion under his door each morning!

    At first, Zoemi thought that his master or the first prince were the ones responsible, but when he thanked them for it and said that though he is extremely grateful, it is unnecessary to spend so much money on him ¨C again - but the confused faces and surprising words of the two deny that they had anything to do with it.

    ...that left Zoemi in a bit of a slump ¨C who might be giving him the ridiculously expensive gifts besides those two...?

    There was a group of students with considerably weak magic who after witnessing Zoemi and Grazio dueling approached the scarred attendant asking if they could train together in the mornings ¨C on which Zoemi agreed rather enthusiastically thinking that he could make allies like that ¨C but let''s be honest, all of those students were thinking of their own benefits first so it was highly improbable that they were the ones funding the mana potions for the ck-haired boy.

    Still, there was another option that although slightly worrisome and confusing seemed usible...

    It just so happened that the heroine started to stop by Zoemi''s seat in the ssroom to have a conversation and she was getting more and more friendly with each day.

    Which wouldn''t be so bad in itself, if not for the fact thatdy Espine sitting behind Zoemi would grind her teeth - loudly enough to be confused with a grindstone sharpening a de - each time that the blond girl approached their seats.

    At first, Zoemi was confused at why she would do that, but soon he would notice that while talking to him, the heroine would often sneak peeks at Horeo and Miriette.

    That made him realize the heroine''s reason!

    ...in his opinion that is...

    |Since the game has been altered because of me, the script may be adapting to build around my character and using it to create a bridge for the heroine towards Horeo!|

    He misunderstood the heroine''s actions as he figured out ¨C once again, mistakenly - that he became that one character in the game who is only important to get close to the real capture target....

 Chapter 73 - 18 - In The Anticipation Of The Future (part 2)

    |Those potions must be the heroine''s doing!|

    Zoemi figured out.

    Although it was questionable where amoner girl would get the money for the expensive potions from - but, truth be told the ck-haired boy just shrugged it off as a case of a w in the game logic ¨C or simply a plothole.

    Zoemi would not find it all that surprising if the heroine simply conveniently stumbled upon a whole crate of such potions on the side of the road.

    Or maybe she got them from the second prince since his route was so elerated that it became all jumbled and unclear what will he do next...

    But hey - mana potions that could help Zoemi with protecting his master were the exact same mana potions no matter how or from who did the ck-haired attendant attained them from!

    Therefore, Zoemi happily epted the gift ¨C whomever it might havee from - and pocketed it just in case something happen, and thanks to the constant supply he started to always - at any given time - carry two vials of the blue liquid on him, just in case.

    ..and then, just like that, the day of the examination results have finallye...

    ---

    Since Zoemi couldn''t fall asleep at all because of the anxiety he ended up waking up a whole hourter than usual.

    He started panicking and hurriedly washed his face and, with his clothes only half on, he opened the door...

    The vial filled with the blue mana potion was waiting for him already.

    Zoemi looked around and saw the back of his most disliked person in the academy, the red-haired Grazio.

    "Ugh...!"

    The ck-haired attendant flinched and backed off with a disgusted face before he could stop himself, getting the capture''s target attention.

    Grazio as the son of the general of the kingdom would take pride in his magical skills and after suffering a humiliating defeat in a duel against the scarred attendant he started frantically training to get his physical prowess up to speed too and began training his body in the morning.

    The risk of running into him was the reason why Zoemi changed his whole training routine from the morning to the evening one ¨C which met withints from the students he was practicing together with ¨C but seeing the red-haired boy returning from the practice session solidified the ck-haired attendant''s conviction that he made the right choice.

    |But... maybe he saw who left the potion here?|

    Zoemi thought as the curiosity momentarily outweighed the animosity he felt towards the young Victureo.

    "Sir Grazio...!"

    Zoemi called out to the red-haired youth before he could disappear behind the hallway''s corner.

    "Ha...?"

    Grazio stopped and turned his head - and was already emanating hostility.

    His face was red after the training and made him look furious.

    Or maybe he just was furious...

    He red at the vial in Zoemi''s hand and squinted his eyes.

    "I''m not interested in anything you want to sell me, Espine''s servant."

    Grazio dered proudly and started walking off, back to his room.

    "That''s not it...!"

    Zoemi got angry because of the belittling tone in Grazio''s voice and hurriedly put the vial in his pocket.

    "I just wanted to ask you if you saw the blondmoner girl around here!"

    He gritted his teeth and asked, forcing himself to sound remotely polite even though it was thest thing he wanted to do.

    "..moner girl...?

    Grazio turned around and crossed his arms irritated.

    "Yes, I did see her. What about it? What''s your business with her?"

    "Tsk..!"

    Zoemi clicked his tongue in annoyance ¨C in his mind he confirmed that it was the heroine who has been leaving the potions for him, but he also learned that she might be advancing Grazio''s route - judging from Grazio''s reaction, at least.

    "Nothing, it''s just thatdy Espine is feeling a bit under the weather and I wanted to ask themoner girl if her magic could help."

    The scarred attendant shrugged his shoulders and came up with a random excuse.

    "..."

    Grazio frowned and stared at the Zoemi as if he was judging whether his words were true or not.

    "Don''t talk to me without an actual reason again, Espine''s attendant. Hmph!"

    Then he scoffed and went on his way.

    "Well, screw you too, asshole...!"

    Zoemi made a vulgar gesture with his fingers and waved it at Grazio''s back.

    That appeased his anger just a little bit and he hastened to the kitchen.

    "Big brother Zoemi! You werete, so I...! What happened to you...!?"

    Patishi ran towards the scared attendant like a puppy that saw their owner after a long separation, but stopped in ce and eximed in terror when they saw Zoemi''s disheveled clothes.

    Since Zoemi was in a hurry - he didn''t button up his shirt so the differently colored spots of skin on his torso that eere csused by to the mes during the ident staring Grazio, were exposed - sparking the youth''s shocked reaction.

    "Those? Don''t worry, old stuff - it''s nothing. As for my looks... well... I overslept and didn''t have time to dress up properly."

    The attendant shrugged his shoulders and started fixing the sleeves of his shirt.

    "But your body..!"

    Patishi clenched their hands and gasped with a worried voice.

    "Those? Nah, like I said, those are just some old burn-marks, it''s nothing new, I''ve got them when this happened."

    Zoemi waved his hand dismissively and poked his right cheek disfigured by the ugly scar.

    "Kyaah~!"

    Hearing the voices of Patishi and Zoemi, Teo also showed up from behind the brown-haired youth - but her reaction to Zoemi''s looks was quite a bit different than Patishi''s.

    At first the short brown-haired girl covered her eyes with her hands, but almost instantly she spread her fingers so she could see through them, eximing in a rather happy tone while her eyes were darting back and forth from the carried youth''s chest muscles to his abs.

    "Hello there, Teo. How are you?"

    Zoemi smirked at the girl''s reaction and turn to her while continuing to fix his clothes.

    "Whoa...!"

    Teo then removed her hands from her eyes and ¨C since the ck-haired boy didn''t back away - she put one hand to her mouth, and with sparkling eyes, she reached her other hand towards the exposed chest of the scarred youth.

    "No!"

    "...?"

    Zoemi who was already in the middle of buttoning up his shirt raised his brow when Patishi stepped in front of him, spreading their hands, protecting their big brother from the attempted groping.

    "Naww...!"

    "...pervert...!"

    Teo groaned in disappointment, lowering her hand while Patishi was ring at her with reproach.

    "Big brother Zoemi, you were a bitte so I started preparing the food without you!"

    After confirming that their big brother was indeed safe and properly clothed, Patishi led him towards the spot that was reserved for them and proudly showed the effects of their works ¨C making sure to stay between the brown-haired girl in the butler''s uniform and the scarred boy separating them from each other.

    "Good job, Patishi! You''re a great help!"

    Well, what to say, the meal was a properly bnced breakfast and there was nothing to critique so Zoemi put his hand on Patishi''s head and affectionately tousled their hair.

    "Ehehe~!"

    Patishi blushed from the praise and fidgeted all happily.

    "I helped to make those too, you know...?"

    Teo, trying to keep an expressionless face, pointed at one dish amongst the set and started leaning towards Zoemi, presenting her head, prime for patting.

    "...pfft... sure, sure. You are a good girl too~"

    Zoemi couldn''t hold down hisughter and snort, but nheless, he did give some head-pats to the needy girl.

    Thanks to those two he wouldn''t run behind the schedule so the ck-haired attendant with the ugly burn-scar on his cheek breathed a sigh of relief.

    After putting some finishing touches on the meal, Zoemi waved to Patishi and Teo before picking up the tray and leaving the kitchen.

    |I hope that my n to lift Miriette''s mood after she sees the list will work!|

    He gulped down his saliva and went to his master''s room with breakfast.

 Chapter 74 - [Bonus ] 18.5 - The Dream And Waking Up

    ---***---

    It was a few months before Miriette, Horeo, and Zoemi went to the Aspakeony Academy.

    On a rainy day, the first prince couldn''t visit or be visited because he was sick anddy Espine was in an awful mood.

    She was being very picky with her food that day and even shouted at the maid who dropped the basket with dirtyundry when she was bowing to her.

    Even Miriette''s hair was more prickly than normal.

    Zoemi tried talking with her but even his most gentle and considerate efforts were met with a cold shoulder.

    "Mydy, your servant is sorry for being so inconsiderate and unattentive, but could you tell me what is happening?"

    "..."

    Zoemi looked like a sad puppy and Miriette didn''t want to shout at him even though she felt very agitated.

    "You will see for yourself when you''ll be helping with theundry!"

    She scoffed at him anyway and walked away.

    This continued for the whole day.

    |Today is just the worst!|

    Miriette sniffled, rolled inside the nket on her bed, and was massaging her stomach very much in pain.

    Suddenly someone knocked on her door.

    "Go away...!"

    Miriette didn''t feel like seeing anyone so she just grumbled and rolled on the other side.

    Someone knocked on the door again.

    "I said go away!"

    Miriette lifted her upper body and yelled.

    All rolled up in a nket she looked like a very angry caterpir.

    But the knock repeated for the third time!

    |That''s it! I''m going to scold whoever stand there so damn much their ears going to rot...!|

    Enraged Miriette stood up from her bed and walked to the door dragging the nket behind her. She unlocked the door and opened it with spite.

    "...!"

    And she saw her own attendant standing there innocently as if he wasn''t disturbing her at all!

    "Zoemi! What do you think you''re doing here!?"

    Just as she promised herself, she started scolding him.

    "Well, mydy, I just did theundry."

    |So he knows AND still bothers me!?|

    Miriette frowned terribly and was opening her mouth to chase him out.

    "Don''t worry, I managed to clean up your favorite ones, there''s no need to throw them out."

    "...!"

    |How can a boy say something like that without being embarrassed!?|

    Miriette blushed and closed her mouth - she didn''t feel like screaming anymore.

    "That doesn''t matter. If you know, why are you troubling me!?"

    She stomped her feet and asked with usation.

    But instead of backing off, Zoemi reached for something that he left on a cupboard near the door to Miriette''s room.

    "...?!"

    He was holding a tray with three things.

    A mug, a te full of sweets, and a book.

    "I made you some hot cocoa, snatched some choctes from your father''s secret stash, and stealthily took one of your mother''s romance novels from her special bookshelf. I can read it to you if you want..."

    ---

    An hourter Miriette once again rolledfortably in the nket was leaning on Zoemi''s arm. The ck-haired boy was sitting on the chair right by the bed since it wouldn''t be appropriate to sit together with his master on the mattress.

    Not that what they were doing waspletely appropriate, but well, it could pass.

    The mug was already empty and half of the choctes were eaten, the story was also getting to the good part.

    "Then the knight fell to his knees and kissed the foot of the princess..."

    Miriette fidgeted in her nket and her face became flushed.

    "That''s so romantic!"

    She whispered in excitement.

    "Mydy, if I may, why is the knight kissing the princess''s foot and not her hand...?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and looked at his master with confusion.

    Miriette returned the look and sighed.

    "I often forget that you weren''t brought up as a noble. I bet Mizoe doesn''t know anything about romance so it''s not surprising that he wouldn''t teach you."

    She shook her head in disappointment and continued.

    "The kiss on the hand can be just a greeting or the sign of respect, depending on the situation, but when a knight kisses the foot of thedy of his heart, he pledges his everything to her! It''s an unbreakable promise that bonds the two forever! It doesn''t get more romantic than that!"

    She dered with a blush.

    "It''s as you say, mydy!"

    The ck-haired boy nodded and smiled but his confused eyes betrayed his real feelings.

    |Sigh... You''re saying that but you don''t get it at all... Boys...|

    Miriette shook her head in disappointment once again.

    For just a moment she felt the urge to ask Zoemi to kiss her on the foot, but as soon as she thought about that her face and ears became deep red, and shook her head even more violently.

    |No...! He will think that I''m an indecent woman and hate me...!|

    She thought to herself.

    "Mydy, is everything alright?"

    Zoemi tilted his head again and made a worried expression.

    "Ye-yes...! I''m fine! Completely fine! Proceed with reading, but first, give me another chocte!"

    She calmed herself and parted her lips.

    Zoemi chuckled, he let go of the romance novel and picked up a piece of chocte from the te then put it into his master''s mouth...

    ---***---

    A loud knocking woke up Miriette from a pleasant dream of the past that she had.

    |Who might it be so early...?|

    Her head felt heavy, she fell asleep veryte because she was...

    ...busy...

    |Ugh... I did it again...! I''m such an indecent woman...! Zoemi would hate me if he knew...!|

    Miriette thought to herself, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

    "Mydy...? Are you alright?"

    A worried voice of Zoemi himself came out from outside.

    "Eh...?"

    Miriette froze.

    |Oh my god...! D-did he realized what I was doing...!?|

    She thought and paled.

    "Mydy? Are you there!? I''m going to use my spells to get inside!"

    Zomei''s voice grew restless and he called out.

    "What!? No! Zoemi Stop! I forbid you from entering my room! No way! You absolutely cannot enter now!"

    Miriette panicked while looking around her room - it was in an unbing state for a room of a nobledy...

    "Oh, thank god! Mydy, are feeling unwell, maybe? I brought you breakfast."

    |It''s already thiste...!?|

    Miriette panicked and checked the time...

    She overslept...!

    Miriette hurriedly got up and made the bed, covering the ruffled bedsheet together with one loose piece of clothing, then she hurriedly walked toward the wardrobe.

    "Kyaah!"

    *thump*

    And she slipped on her nightgown abandoned on the floor by the bed and fell on her butt.

    |Oww!|

    She bit her lips holding back the pained groan.

    "Mydy, what happened!?"

    rmed by the noise Zoemi became alerted again.

    "I''m fine...! I just hit my b... Stubbed my toe against the bed...! Just wait... I... I need to get dressed...!"

    Miriette swallowed the cry and stood up slowly, pressing her aching bum, and came up with an excuse.

 Chapter 75 - 19 - Different Points Of View (part 1)

    Zoemi knocked on the door to his master''s room and tried opening it, but it turned out to be locked.

    "Huh...?"

    Zoemi pressed on the handle once more but the door still wouldn''t budge.

    |What''s going on? Miriette would normally be already up and waiting for breakfast...|

    He thought to himself furrowing his brows.

    After all, he was the one who overslept ¨C did something happen when he wasn''t by Miriette''s side?!

    "Mydy...? Are you alright?"

    He asked ab bit louder, knocking on the door with a little more haste.

    "..."

    There was no response and Zoemi''s face became pale as snow.

    |Something must have happened!|

    He tensed up as his brain began rapidly producing the images of the worst-case scenarios that could have led to this situation.

    Arguably, the most dangerous ones amongst those possibilities would be:

    Frist - the assassin from another kingdom who shows up in Arisu''s route, who for whatever reason would arrive attacking nine months ahead of time.

    Second - the serial killer from Xeonith''s route going on the rampage long before the heroine and the brown-haired transcended capture target got locked up in the academy dungeon by ident.

    Those two and many mote horrible options just keep on popping up inside Zoemi''s head although he really did try to hold himself back.

    "Mydy?! Are you there!? I''m going to use my spells to get inside!"

    The ck-haired attendant shouted and already started gathering his mana.

    "What!? No! Zoemi Stop! I forbid you from entering my room! No way! You absolutely cannot enter now!"

    "Ah...!

    But then from the inside came the voice of panicked but very much alive Miriette.

    She was flustered but didn''t sound like she was in any danger.

    |Whew... She must have been in the toilet and I freaked out... So embarrassing...|

    Zoemi felt such relief that his legs almost gave out, but at the same time, he scolded himself for the unnecessary freakout.

    "Oh, thank god! Mydy, are feeling unwell, maybe? I brought you breakfast."

    He pressed his head against the door and smiled.

    Rustling sounds came from the inside of the room.

    |Oh...? Maybe she wasn''t in the toilet after all? By any chance, has my cutedy also overslept? Ah! She must have been worried about the results and couldn''t fall asleep too...! This is bad...|

    Zoemi bit his lips ¨C for him, it seemed that Miriette was holding the grades from the exam in even higher regard than he remembered her character doing in a game.

    Still, he also prepared a n for that exact situation.

    Zoemi was someone who could learn from his mistakes, after all...

    ...or so he thought...

    *thump*

    Then suddenly a loud noise came from the inside and other noises stopped.

    "Mydy, what happened!?"

    The scarred attendant got startled - was there an assassin or a murderer in Mireitte''s room after all!?

    "I''m fine...! I just hit my b... Stubbed my toe against the bed... Just wait... I need to get dressed...!"

    Though clearly in pain his master responded.

    "Ah! I see. I hope you are alright, mydy..."

    Calmed Zoemi murmured, nodding his head.

    Well, even a nobledy can be a clutz from time to time. - it only added to her charm points

    |Though that''s weird... it was such an oddly satisfying sound. It sounded almost as if something nice and plump got pped... Well, whatever, as long as mydy is safe!|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself waiting patiently for a couple of minutes until his master was ready to let him in.

    "Mydy."

    As always, the ck-haired attendant put the tray with food on the desk and he picked up a hairbrush.

    That day Miriette''s hair was also more messy than usual ¨C a clear sign of her agitation and nervousness - and if Zeomi didn''t have the help of Patishi and Teo then he and his master would bete for ss for sure.

    "Mydy, today the results of the tests will be revealed. How do you feel about that? I, for example, was so nervous that I couldn''t sleep at all! And it''s a bit embarrassing but this morning I wasn''t even able to find the vest from my uniform! I had to take the spare one!"

    Zoemi chuckled, he was making small-talk while also trying to figure out how his master feels about the exam.

    Though, it wasn''t like he was talking some random nonsense that he came up with on the spot - he did misce his vest somewhere and had to get the spare one instead.

    That was an odd situation since he always put his dirty clothes in the basket he kept by the door, and clearly remember putting the vest on the very top the day before, just before he went for the evening training.

    "..."

    The back of Zoemi''s hand was touching Miriette''s neck so the attendant could feel his master tensing up.

    "...oh... ah...! yes, that happens to everyone. Haha... I''m sure you will find it soon...!"

    Even her voice was showing how nervous she was.

    |Tsk...! It must be the worst-case scenario, those results must be super important to her! I''ve seen her so worked up only twice ever before...|

    Thought Zoemi biting his lip.

    |Must...! Not...! Look...! At...! The...! Bed...!|

    Thought Miriette while pinching her arm very hard, to keep herself in check, sitting perfectly still resisting the need to check whether she properly covered the evidence.

    Having confirmed the current state of his master Zoemi decided to put his n into action.

    "Mydy, what do you think about setting up a date with the first prince by the pond at night?"

    He kneeled down behind Miriette seemingly only to have a better angle at brushing her hair and ''coincidentally'' ended up whispering into her ear, making her fidget.

    "There''s a full moon in two days and it would be breathtakingly beautiful - just you and prince Horeo, hand in hand, bathing in the silver light..."

    He smiled softly, making sure that only the left side of his face is reflected in the mirror that the dark-haired girl was looking into.

    "Such a date would be nice indeed..."

    Miriette nodded but seemed hesitant.

    "But isn''t leaving the dorm at night prohibited?"

    She asked in a cautious tone.

    "Ah! That is true - but only if you will get caught!"

    Zoemi cheered out enthusiastically, recognizing that his master is at least partially interested ¨C the bait he cast must have caught her attention, now, to lure her into biting it...

    "I asked around and it turns out that if you won''t use any magic, the teachers won''t be rmed! Are you interested?"

 Chapter 76 - 19 - Different Points Of View (part 2)

    Zoemi really did check everything out ¨C not only did he extensively question the students who trained with him about the sneaking out at night part - he even made sure that none of the capture targets have any ns that would lead them to that pond during midnight, and, first and foremost, he learned from teacher Kros that the heroine would be helping him out with his health issues, so she would be not only in thepletely different part of the Academy but she would also be under the supervision of the teacher the entire time, leaving her no chance to sneak out!

    It was perfect ¨C this time the scarred attendant didn''t leave anything up to chance and made sure that nothing would disturb his master''s date!

    The little thing about sneaking out ¨C he learned to form his training buddies.

    Same with the schedules and ns of the other capture targets, as he wasn''t training with first years but with a few second-year students too.

    But, the heroine who was surprising ¨C for Zoemi who remembered that her character was moderately popr in the game because of her humility and general doormat-like behavior ¨C wasn''t very much shunned aside ¨C not bullied as of yet like she was in the game, but at least left out form the conversations and whatnot.

    Then, considering that the students that the ck-haired attendant trained weren''t interested in the heroine, how did he learn about the blond girl''s ns?

    From the girl herself, of course!

    The heroine wasing to talk to the ck-haired attendant almost every break, after all!

    And since she ¨C this was only Zoemi''s conviction that he had no actual proof of yet, but he just ran with it - was leaving the mana potions for him every morning then, of course, he wouldn''t just p away her friendship.

    Though, he would mercilessly cut off any and all attempts to hit on the first prince...

    As well as feed her the incorrect information about some of the subjects she was curious about, just to bepletely safe...

    "Well... I guess we could do that..."

    Miriette furrowed her brows, making a cloudy expression, and didn''t look particrly convinced just yet.

    But Zoemi wasn''t going to give up!

    "Mydy, just imagine. You and man you love walking side by side, only the moon, the stars, and the water would bear witness to what will happen..."

    He leaned in moving so that their heads would be on a simr level, and while continuing to brush her hair he started speaking in a low alluring voice.

    "Just close your eyes and imagine the atmosphere - the face of the moon reflecting in the pond, your fingers intertwined with his, you whisper into each other''s ears to not break the silent magic of the moment... His breath on your skin. Who knows...? Maybe he''ll even get so bold to steal a kiss from you...? A soft, sweet kiss, a promise of the future..."

    "!!!!!"

    He said and stood up with a soft, mysterious smile while Miriette shuddered and blushed so hard that even her ears and neck got red.

    "With the man I love...?"

    She asked, timidly looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

    "Indeed, with the man you love the most - your fiance, the first prince Horeo."

    Zoemi confirmed nodding his head with a profound expression.

    "...eh...? Wi-with Horeo?! You...! HMPH!"

    Then Miriette shook her head shaking off the daze and suddenly started pping her attendant''s arm, adorably furious.

    Adorably - since she was fully magic-oriented her physical strength was rather weak and since she wasn''t using any enchants her ps carried no power whatsoever and certainly didn''t hurt at all.

    Seriously, for the trained boy it basically felt like she was attempting to give him a massage.

    But Zoemi, as a good attendant should always do, didn''t startughing at the tickling hits and started protecting his face with his arms, so that it would look like her attack is meaningful.

    ...but, once again, it was straight-up cute funny how she got so worked up...

    "Ah, mydy, I''m sorry! Your servant was too forward!"

    Zoemi apologized ¨C barely holding back theughter - but he also knew his master very well.

    The dark-haired girl loved exactly the kind of scenarios that he described to her.

    She might be agitated from the inappropriate insinuation but she already swallowed the hook...!

    ---

    Soon, his master was out of breath so she stopped with the pping, honestly, Zoemi''s arm never felt better, it was like receiving a refreshing massage!

    "You cunning attendant, you...!"

    Miriette was squinting her eyes at him.

    "You''ve been reading too many romance novelstely!"

    She scoffed at him biting her lip angrily.

    "Well, it was you, mydy, who made me pick them up in the first ce~"

    Zoemi didn''t deny his master''s words and smiled softly.

    "...!"

    Most other people in Miriette''s ce would look away because honestly, Zoemi''s face wasn''t so nice to look at.

    Of course, it was because of the burn-scar deforming his right cheek, but Miriette saw past the looks and was seeing the person who never failed to protect her and who stood by her no matter how haughty or annoying she got.

    "Fine... I''ll consider it, just because you seem to work hard to get the information on this..."

    The dark-haired girl couldn''t refuse her attendant when he looked at her like that...

    "I''ll set it up with the first prince then!"

    Zoemi smile changed into a grin and he put the hairbrush away and grabbed the tray with empty dishes, already on his way back.

    When the door closed behind him Miriette leaned on the chair making a tired expression.

    "A romantic walk with the man I love... That would be nice... Sure..."

    She sighed and then frowned.

    "It would be much nicer, though, if that man wouldn''t so readily set me up on a date with someone other than him!"

    She felt a need to throw something, so she picked up the stocking without a pair that somehow made its way under the desk, folded it into a ball, and threw it against the door.

    "You dummy! I''m never returning your vest, hmph!"

    She scoffed, walking to the bed and carefully hiding the... borrowed.... vest, and stuck her tongue after the ck-haired attendant who had already left.

 Chapter 77 - 20 - The Ranking (part 1)

    A few minutester, thedy and her attendant were walking through the hallway, going for the noticeboard in the entrance hall of the Academy building.

    There was a great group of students gathered around it already, so it was obvious that the results were already announced.

    As soon as the students noticed the dark-haired duo they fearfully made wade for them without a word.

    |Convenient.|

    Thought Miriette.

    |Oh, dear, they hate us so much...|

    Zoemi wasn''t bothered by the negative feelings towards him, but he needed the opinion of his master to be the best possible to prevent at least some of the condemnation events!

    |Ah...!|

    Though just as he was having rather grim thoughts, he noticed two students who trained with him in the evening discreetly waving to him as a greeting, which made him feel a lot better.

    And even though the majority seem to fear him, it indeed was convenient to not have to push his way through the crowd.

    ...as the two of them were approaching the noticeboard, Zoemi flinched, and as he noticed some tinum-haired child that looked like she wore her older-sister uniform, that honestly didn''t look like she belong in the Academy...

    ...the odd young girl was very obviously staring at the scarred attendant from the other side of the corridor ¨C normally, seeing someone standing out from the crowd like her would bother Zoemi greatly, but for some unknown reason instead of getting worried and anxious, he felt a lot calmer...

    "...?"

    When he furrowed his brows, looking down trying to recall whether there was some tinum-haired character in the game ¨C but could not remember anyone like her ¨C and looked back up, the girl was already gone.

    "...huh...?"

    The ck-haired boy muttered to himself in confusion, but then shook his head immediately ¨C he had more important things to worry about than strange children!

    "..."

    As both Miriette and Zoemi got to the noticeboard and looked at the list with the names of the all the students, the ck-haired attendant realized something very important that he never paid attention to...

    |What was the heroine''s name?|

    He blinked a few times realizing that he never once heard anyone calling out to the blond girl by name as everyone would always address her as amoner, student, or just miss.

    It may seem awkward but he never bothered to ask for the name of the blond girl...

    ...because it most definitely was awkward...

    In the game, the yer would always input their own chosen name ¨C but, Zoemi was sure that the girl had a canon name...

    ...it was just that he didn''t like her at all, so he never looked it up in his former world...

    Mostly, because after his initial ythrough he started inserting rather unbing and mean names as her name, so the other characters would basically badmouth her whenever it showed up.

    Doormat, annoying woman, Fugly ¨C just to name a few.

    In hisst ythrough right before he died, he even went and got a little bit creative to get around the censor that the game apparently had.

    |Pffft... Oh dear, imagine how funny it would be if the heroine in this world was actually called...|

    He giggled to himself while looking up at the names ¨C or rather, he wasughing until he got to the top three spots...

    1. Miriette Lisea Espine; Horeo Marets Bellcephora

    2. Burushiitto

    3. Zoemi Auequas

    "...huh...?"

    Zoemi was so shocked that he could only let out a shocked gasp, staring dumbfounded at the very name that he had chosen for the heroine back in his previous life.

    "...hmph...!"

    "!!!"

    But then his shock was pushed aside by the wild joy ¨C his maser ¨C despite letting out a clearly displeased scoff ¨C wasn''t bested by the blond heroine!

    She was in the first ce! Together with prince no less!

    |Wait... If two people are in the first ce then shouldn''t there be no one in the second and just one in the third...?|

    The ck-haired boy wondered, but a passing thought about a minor detail was nothing inparison to the euphory that he felt.

    |If Miriette is first, she doesn''t have a reason to start bullying the heroine!|

    He felt like dancing! So amazing!

    "Mydy! Congrattions!"

    Zoemi turned to his master and almost hugged her but thankfully ¨C or not, depending on the point of view - he stopped himself in time.

    "...!"

    Miriette whose eyes shone with anticipation for just a fraction of a second sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

    "Well, what did you expect? How long did we all sat together figuring out the best spells we could create back in teacher Valto''s ss? I''m actually surprised that you haven''t scored higher than some healer."

    The dark-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and waved her hand dismissively.

    "Eh? Zoemi is only third? That is so not fair!"

    "...!"

    Suddenly Horeo appeared out of nowhere with Teo and Veo by his side ¨C making his fiancee flinch.

    "If they would take the mana cost of the spell to its power ratio into consideration, you should easily be first!"

    Without any shame, the first prince rested his arm on his best friend''s shoulders and dered pointing at the list..

    "What did you do to lose points? Don''t tell me! You revealed what would happen if your mana ran out while you were using shadow gate, did you!?"

    Horeo acted like he had such an amazing intuition even though he simply personally witnessed everything.

    "How did you know, my prince!? No, wait! If the amount of mana had anything to do with the grade then I should be deadst!"

    But Zoemi didn''t know that and gasped in shock at the first prince''s insight.

    "..."

    "..."

    Horeo and Miriette exchanged tired looks and sighed at the same time.

    In their opinion, Zoemi just constantly underestimated himself.

    Zoemi was positively surprised by the situation but his ns didn''t change too much - the event that he nned to be something to make Miriette forget about losing to themoner girl would just turn into a celebration and would still serve to raise hers and Horeo''s affection towards each other!

    "My prince, congrattions on taking the first ce together with your fiance! You''re truly a magnificent couple!"

    Zoemi shyly raised his hand and Horeo high-fived him without hesitation.

    "My prince, the thing that we talked about before..."

    Zoemi whispered to Horeo stealthily.

    "Huh? Oh..! The date thingy...?"

    Horeo asked to confirm and Zoemi nodded.

    "I talked with her about it this morning - if you ask her now, my master will agree for sure!"

    The ck-haired attendant dered happily.

    |I wonder if he realizes that if he asked Miriette to jump off a cliff, she would have asked him which one exactly?|

    Horeo sighed internally but it looked like Zoemi already confirmed everything, and if so, Miriette will follow his instruction no matter what.

    |I bet she will spend that whole date boasting about what she did together with Zoemi, the lucky cunning fox. If only Zoemi was my attendant..!|

    Was what the gold-haired prince thought but what he said was slightly different.

    "Alright, wish me luck!"

    Horeo dered with a bright smile and let go of Zoemi before walking towards Miriette.

    "Huh...?!"

    Zoemi wanted to go and talk with Teo and Veo about the date of their masters in two days'' time since he wanted everything to go perfect, but someone got in his way andpletely out of nowhere grabbed his hands!

    "Sir Zoemi! Congrattions on taking third ce! You must have worked so hard!"

    It was the blond heroine cheering out with a flushed face.

 Chapter 78 - 20 - The Ranking (part 2)

    "...!"

    Zoemi barely stopped himself from taking a step back ¨C it wasn''t as if he outright disliked the blond girl, but he certainly didn''t like her either...

    No matter what, she was exactly like her character in the game ¨C at least from what Zoemi knew about her.

    By that point, Zoemi still firmly believed that he could work around the heroine''s actions and decisions which she would make, solely based on his knowledge from the game ¨C even though there already were multiple instances of the events melting together and happeningpletely out of order, and those were only the ones he knew about

    How many more could have already happened while the heroine was out of the ck-haired attendant''s sight?

    The sudden thought was like a punch to Zoemi''s stomach and the scarred oy instantly felt nauseous ¨C but he couldn''t just excuse himself like that ¨C he didn''t want to allow the heroine and the viiness to be in close proximity for too long, or who might know what could have happened?

    "Hello, B... Burushitto, congrattions on taking the second ce!"

    On the other hand, the heroine''s name was so out of ce that it actually alleviate some of Zoemi''s symptoms ¨C for example, the feeling that he had to fight with himself to not show was joy - it sounded so stupid while spoken out loud after all - so he smiled weakly ¨C careful so that his scars wouldn''t twist too much, and stuttered on the name that he still couldn''t believe was true.

    He did it ¨C he didn''tugh in her face!

    The scarred attendant triumphed ¨C but...

    "...!"

    "...?

    And for just a split second it looked like the heroine wasn''t happy to be called by the name from the list...

    Far from it.

    Just for a short moment that would be missed if Zomei blinked at the wrong time - she seemed to frown and her stare became sharp and full of anger - but then instantly, just as fast as it turned sour - her expression changed back to the cheerful one.

    "Sir Zoemi...!"

    The blond girl gasped in an ted voice while pressing the ck-haired boy''s hands to her chest...

    *boing*

    ...which simply said, meant that she stuffed his hands between her massive breasts.

    |Hnnng..!|

    Zoemi flinched on the inside but didn''t even blink on the outside remaining perfectly calm despite the soft, springy sensation enveloping his hands.

    "You finally called me by my name, sir Zoemi! Does that mean we are friends!?"

    The heroine made the innocent expression that Zoemi remembered from all the cutscenes that he disliked about her character the most.

    Thanks to that he managed to tear his eyes... mind!

    To tear away from his mind away from the distraction that presented itself before him.

    |Ugh... I can''t believe it... She''s just so... nd and boring...! Her personality is extremely barebone to make for an easier self-insertion for the yer... God! Everything she does seems so at least five times more disingenuous than what I remember seeing ying out on the screen...! And that look on her face! So dumb and innocent in the worst possible meaning of the word!|

    Zoemi looked the heroine in the eyes and his eyes lost the light, making it seem cold and dead.

    The problem was that she wasn''t easygoing or an airhead ¨C those were genuine traits of personality that the blond girl clearlycked...

    No, she was straight up insufferable!

    The heroine, with a funny name or not, was the living example of why that type of personality has no right to exist in real life.

    It was only passable in the game, and even there it was only barely passable ¨C and now that Zoemi was thinking about it, it also must have been the reason why the blond girl wasn''t liked y other students...

    Only someone with extremely low self-esteem and absolutely zero confidence would want to...

    |Ooooohhhh.... that may be why Surou is so close with her...! Everyonepares him to his perfect brother while he is mediocre in magic and has only as much interest in politics as his supporters want him to. Being around the heroine as she is now must be a st for him, the first time he feels special or something.|

    The ck-haired boy realized and almost started nodding to himself but thankfully he remembered where he was in time, before making himself look like some creep.

    "Sir Zoemi...?"

    Heroine asked in a worried voice tilting her head like a confused puppy and looking up at him withpassionate eyes.

    "..."

    Honestly, Zoemi wanted nothing more than to shake her off, but once again the thought of the increasing stock of the mana potions made him keep up with Burushitto''s bullshit...

    ...as ironic as that may have sounded...

    ...and it''s not like his hands felt particrly bad either...

    |Aha! He is blushing! Good! I knew those puppies will make the approach much easier! Boobs aren''t everything? Yeah, right! I would love to all to see me now, who''s a cutting board now?!|

    The heroine smiled internally but managed to keep the innocent expression on the outside while remembering a certain situation from her previous life.

    |Innocence and naivety are what all capture targets in the game eat up about the heroine. That''s why that bitchy Miriette always gets the short end of the stick! She''s too bossy and proud even with that t ches...|

    Burushitto smirked remembering the pitifully modest chest of the viiness.

    Two reincarnated people, who didn''t know about each other''s real identities, exchanged fake smiles.

    |...Ah...! Oh crap...!|

    Burushitto flinched and lowered her head to hide her face from the ck-haired attendant and nced at the dark-haired girl, realizing the nasty feeling creeping on her back.

    Her intuition didn''t fail her ¨C Miriette was ring at her, not only that...

    Lady Espine has noticed where Zoemi''s hands were and were giving Burushitto the most murderous and bloodthirsty death stare possible.

    |Hah! Bring it on Slutiette - I''m ready for your childish weak-ass bullying. I am not going to let him kill me anytime soon, even if it means messing you up in the process! Sorry, but I will not be a martyr for someone else!|

    The blond heroine thought to herself with a determined expression - but released the ck-haired boy''s hands and stepped away, lowering her head in a trained embarrassed motion.

 Chapter 79 - 21 - Nothing Can Be Easy (part 1)

    Zoemi was in such a good mood!

    Why wouldn''t he?

    His master didn''t have any reason to start bullying the heroine and she would even go on a date with the prince the next day!

    "Hmm hm hmmm~!"

    The ck-haired attendant with an ugly burn-scar deforming his right cheek was humming and bobbing his head to the rhythm.

    He decided to add some special dessert to the breakfast, to sweeten the wait for the much-anticipated date.

    After Miriette had a talk with Horeo the day before, she was all nervous and pouty from embarrassment ¨C in his opinion - his master was so adorable!

    With that in mind, Zoemi woke up extra early and gave his all to preparing a custard pudding and spend at least half an hour shaping it into an adorable shape of a cat''s head and drawing all the other details with fresh caramel on it.

    "I definitely need to create some molds, carving a pudding is surprisingly not easy..."

    Zoemi wiped the sweat off his forehead and nodded with satisfaction.

    "Though, if worsees to worst, I can always pursue a career as a sculptor!"

    He smirked admiring his work.

    "Ah! Big brother Zoemi! You''re here already?"

    A brown-haired puppy...Err... that is... Patishi, ran towards Zoemi with a huge smile on their face and pped their hands in delight, all excited for the ck-haired boy''s presence.

    "Are you here so early because you came up with some new recipe!? Can I help you!?"

    If this youth had a tail, said tail would be wagging so fast that it would cause a windstorm - there was so much anticipation in Patishi''s eyes that it almost melted Zoemi''s heart.

    "Well, more or less. Take a look - I was working on this~!"

    Zoemi puffed out his chest and proudly presented the dessert to the youth.

    "A kitty! Big brother Zoemi, how did you make this?! It''s so adorable! "

    Patishi''s eyes widened and they gasped, blushing from the excitement.

    "Right!?"

    Zoemi nodded with a satisfied expression.

    |If even she likes it, then Miriete should be happy too!|

    The scarred boy smiled seeing Patishi''s reaction, he already knows that the youth has the eyes for adorable things back when they made the apple bunny-buns!

    "Aww! So cute..! Hello, little one~"

    Patishi crouched by the kitchen counter and moved their hand like a cat paw waving it at the dessert.

    "...ah...!"

    But suddenly Patishi flinched and looked up at Zoemi with a pitiful look in their eyes.

    "Big brother... since you already finished it, does that mean that you are already done with cooking...?"

    They asked sadly and their shoulders slumped dejectedly, as it was clear they were excited to cook together with the ck-haired boy.

    "What...? No, no, I still have to prepare the proper meal!"

    Zoemiughed and affectionately tousled Patishi''s head.

    "Let''s cook something good together, alright?"

    He asked, showing only the left side of his head and winking.

    "Ah! Yes, big brother!"

    The brown-haired youth cheered out and stood up with back to full energy mode - and the two started to move around the kitchen busily.

    "Greetings, you two."

    Not too long after, Teo came to the kitchen and politely greeted her friends.

    "You are early today - not that I''m the one to talk."

    Laughed Zoemi waving at the short brown-haired girl.

    "Veo was tossing all over the mattress in her sleep a lot and she kicked me out of the bed - by ident, of course ¨C hopefully... I deemed it too dangerous to return to bed so I changed and came here."

    The girl shrugged her shoulders and exined in a dismissive voice.

    "Oh? You two are sleeping in the same bed?"

    Zoemi tilted his head in surprise.

    "Horeo wasn''t joking that you two are treated as one single attendant, didn''t he... But seriously, one bed?"

    He frowned in confusion, shaking his head in disbelief.

    "Oh, no, no. Nothing like that. Our toom has two beds but sleeping together is a habit from where we were young. You see, being alone in the darkness is dangerous and we learned the hard way to prioritize our safety no matter where we are."

    The girl shrugged her shoulders dismissively while grabbing some ingredients.

    "O-oh. I see. Makes sense."

    "Indeed."

    Zoemi exchanged confused looks with Patishi, while nodding almost out of habit ¨C but Teo seemed satisfied with his words as she nodded back and went on her own preparations.

    Still, Teo''s statement most likely had something to do with the fear of the darkness that she had mentioned to the ck-haired boy while they spent the night together...

    The short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform didn''t look particrly interested in continuing the subject and simply took the spot next to Zoemi and started preparing food for her master with the ingredients she chose before.

    "!!!!"

    But then she flinched and her hands stopped halfway as if something she suddenly remembered something.

    "...?"

    Intrigued Zoemi nced at her and then turned in the direction she was facing - the short brown-haired girl was staring at the dessert that the ck-haired boy has put so much hard work into.

    "...whoa..."

    Teo muttered in awe, licking her lips, and gulped down her saliva.

    The brown-haired girl''s eyes show a great desire.

    "Looks amazing, right? It tastes great too!"

    Zoemi boasted puffing up his chest with pride.

    "I-indeed... I imagine it does..."

    Teo flinched again and responded in a shaken voice, before lowering her head in disappointment.

    "Th-that means, you don''t need a taste-tester for today...?"

    Just as Patishi did before, Teo''s shoulders slumped down in dejection.

    No, it was even more severe in her case. She looked up straight heartbroken!

    Those two were so easy to read, that they put the scarred boy at ease.

    |Oh my, I did not expect her to be so sad...|

    Zoemi could bear it anymore, he checked the time on his pocket watch.

    |There''s enough time...|

    He thought to himself and put away what he was preparing.

    "Patishi, Teo,e here for a moment."

    He thought to himself and put away what he was preparing.

    "Patishi, Teo,e here for a moment."

    "...?"

    "Yes, big brother!"

    He called out and the two obediently approached him.

    "I was going to leave it forter but..."

    Zoemi said mysteriously, and opened the wooden chest that had a magic crystal that was lowering the temperature on the inside, and took out three small tes.

 Chapter 80 - 21 - Nothing Can Be Easy (part 2)

    There was a custard pudding rabbit on each of them.

    One was a rabbit with one ear dropping - it had serious eyes but it was smiling smugly, sneering at something.

    The second one was a rugged rabbit with two ears perked up - it had half of its face all jagged up.

    The third andst one was a rabbit that had both of its ears dropping, and was adorably fuzzy.

    Zoemi offered the smug bunny to Teo, happy bunny to Patishi, and he left the rugged bunny for himself.

    "A-a...!! Ah! B-big brother...! Thank you, big brother, Zoemi! You didn''t have to!"

    Patishi jumped with joy and took the te offered to them.

    But Teo held back and only starred at the smug rabbit on her te in hesitation.

    "Did you make one for my sister and the prince...?"

    She asked the ck-haired boy, without looking up at him.

    "No. Those three and the one for my master are the only ones I made."

    Zoemi did only a limited amount of the custard pudding and the three rabbits were the experiments he did before attempting to finish up the cat.

    He honestly didn''t have the time or patience to do even one more.

    ...on a side note, his rabbit wasn''t all rugged up because he originally intended for it to resemble himself - it was just that he made it with all the pieces leftover from shaping the other desserts, giving it a jagged right side of his face.

    "...I see..."

    "...?"

    Teo muttered and slowly took the offered te but she immediately put it on the counter behind her.

    "Are you feeling bad about it? Don''t worry - you are the one who always cooks for the others so you deserve to spoil yourself from time to time."

    Zoemi also put back his te and with a gentle smile on his face reached his hand towards Teo''s head.

    *pomf*

    "...?!"

    But suddenly Teo jumped at the ck-haired boy and hugged him with such force that his bones creaked dangerously under her iron embrace.

    "...thank you..."

    The short brown-haired girl hugged Zoemi even harder and started nuzzling her face against his chest.

    "...ghhhh...!

    Zoemi instantly became blue from theck of oxygen ¨C it wasn''t as if he was embarrassed -he actually could not breathe because of the power of the brown-haired girl WHO DIDN''T REALIZE SHE HAD ACTIVATED HER EARTH ENCHANTMENTS AND WAS LITERALLY SQUEEZING THE LIFE OUT OF HIM!

    |Master... I''m so sorry... Your servant won''t be able to protect you anymore...|

    Zoemi''s vision started going dark...

    Everything was fading...

    Ah, what a tragic fate...! To die not from the attack but from the show of the affection!

    |...?|

    But the darkness that started enveloping the scarred boy revealed the entire world full of shadows ¨C everything had its own unique shadows, humans, animals, even spells ¨C the murky dark kaleidoscope was swirling around as they all were moving around in a ceaseless dance.

    Barely conscious Zoemi reached out his thought to the one shadow that seemed the most appropriate - even though it belonged to a spell that was currently was trying to wring out his bones out of his flesh...

    "Mis Teo, stop! Your hurting big bro...! E-eh?!"

    Patishi grabbed onto Teo''s and tried to pull her away but before their action had any effect, the ck-haired boy''s body turned dark as if he suddenly walked under a shadow of a grand old tree...

    "Teo... do you know you are using... physical augmentation enchantments?"

    Zoemi pried the girl''s arms away from his body just enough so that he could freely breathe, and asked.

    "...! Ah! S-sir Zoemi...! I am so sorry!"

    The short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform flinched and gasped in realization.

    "I-I am so sorry, sir Zoemi...! A-are you alright...?!"

    Teo released him and stepped aside with an extremely guilty expression and face bright red from shame.

    "..."

    The ck-haired girl didn''t answer right away, looking at his own hands just as theyer of shadow disappeared from his body.

    "S-sir Zoemi...?"

    Teo asked in a pitiful voice, clenching her hands together, afraid to look up and see whether the scarred boy is furious at her or not ¨C of which she was sure that he was.

    "You have to be more careful, you know? The earth magicians are the strongest in closebat ¨C being clumsy is cute, but you don''t need to go that far."

    Zoemi approached the girl, smiling softly, and started patting her head.

    "B-big brother...?"

    "...shhh..."

    Patishi spoke up voicing their concern, clearly wanting to ask about the shadow, but the ck-haired boy only put his finger to his mouth and winked at them.

    ---

    Sometimeter, Zoemi arrived at his master''s room and politely knocked on the door.

    His body was still aching all over.

    |That shadow thing... I... is that what teacher Kros was talking about...? I most certainly reached out and used the shadow of Teo''s spell... I need to look into it... how does that even work exactly...|

    He thought to himself with concern, looking to the side.

    But, in the end, he was about to see his master - he had to keep up the proper cheerful appearance!

    "...whew..."

    So, the ck-haired boy took a few deep breaths topose himself and entered the room after knocking.

    "...hmmmm..."

    Miriette wasn''t waiting sitting by the desk as usual ¨C instead, she was standing up in the middle of the room and carefully inspecting the school uniform that she was wearing in the mirror.

    "Mydy...?"

    Zoemi asked curiously.

    "Is something wrong with your clothes?"

    There, of course, shouldn''t be anything wrong with it since each day Zoemi was carefully preparing his master''s clothes - but still - something seemed to be bothering Miriette.

    "Zoemi. Be honest with me. Do you think it''s fine for me to go to that night walk with Horeo just like that?"

    She asked with hesitation, lifting her skirt just a little bit.

    "Mydy...? Haven''t you decided to go in the green one-piece withce around the shoulders...?"

    Zoemi tilted his head, not quite sure what was this about.

    He was sure that everything was already decided on the day before when the two of them had a talk about Miriette''s date and everything!

    "But I won''t be able to wear stockings with that dress! It will look weird!"

    |Really? No, it will not! Or... is my taste just bad...? Would it seriously look bad? Or maybe it''s a cultural thing...?|

    The ck-haired attendant froze in ce, furrowing his brows while looking at the girl''s shapely legs.

 Chapter 81 - 21 - Nothing Can Be Easy (part 3)

    To tell the truth, Zoemi didn''t understand fashion in general, to him hisdy always looked beautiful no matter what she was wearing.

    But since she was clearly distressed about her current getup...

    In the first ce, in the kingdom of Bellcephora there was that whole thing where apparently the stockings were the proof of status amongst the nobledies.

    Zoemi knew about it but still couldn''t really understand the exact reasoning behind it ever since he learned about it at the attendant training.

    "Mydy, I know that you might want to show off your status - but is that really necessary when the two of you are alone?"

    Zoemi was thinking fast and building his answer as he talked.

    "...? borate, please."

    Miriette raised her brows and waved her hand so he would continue talking ¨C basing it all on the premise that he needs to convince Mireitte to not go with the uniform and stocking looks since the night date was supposed to be special.

    "Mydy, your beauty radiates no matter what you are wearing. But you need to keep in mind that a human will get used to even the greatest feasts if they attend them day after day."

    He started up and since he wasn''t immediately interrupted, he continued with a little bit more confidence.

    |If I may be so bold, I think that it would please the first prince greatly if he could catch the glimpse of your legs without the stockings."

    "Oh?"

    Now Miriette tilted her head intrigued.

    "Then.. you are saying that I should change things up to make him realize how lucky he is...?"

    She tilted her head and squinted her eyes as if considering something.

    "You''re exactly right, mydy!"

    The ck-haired attendant vigorously nodded his head and the nobledy suddenly smirked as if she came up with a clever idea.

    "Zoemi, since you and the first prince are both boys, then tell me - as his fellow man, would you be excited to see my bare legs?"

    |HNNG...!|

    She asked carefully observing the scarred boy who suddenly felt that he entered a minefield.

    "M-me...?"

    Zoemi asked, feeling like a young deer on a road, suddenly blinded by the headlights of the oing truck.

    "I-I''m not impudent enough to even imagine myself in such a situation! I''m not worthy - I... I wouldn''t dare...!"

    He backed off until he felt the door pressing against his back.

    "As your attendant, I can not...!"

    "Now, now, Zoemi, there''s no need to be so official with me. I asked you a very simple question."

    Miriette said teasingly.

    "You know... it''s an important question... What if my looks entice the prince too much, for example? I''m not an indecent woman and I treasure my body, you know? What will happen if the prince will get too excited? After all, my father always says that all men are wolves."

    Miriette continued to walk towards the ck-haired boy who had no ce to run.

    "Well then... what is your answer - would my bare legs excite you...?"

    "I..."

    Zoemi was conflicted - there obviously were things that attendants can and cannot do or say, and he knew all of them,

    He also understood ¨C or thought that he understood - that his master was teasing him only because she had faith in him.

    |She does not doubt that I will behave as a proper attendant should, and not cross the line!|

    ...was what Zoemi thought to himself, in order to keep his inner wolf caged...

    ...and the ck-haired boy suddenly realized that the wall he raised around his heart might not be as sturdy as he originally thought...

    "Shall we test it?"

    Miriette giggled and one of her fangs shone as the corners of her mouth lifted up.

    "P-pardon...?"

    Zoemi raised his brows and blinked repeatedly, pinching himself in the back just to keep himself in check.

    "Hmm~ You will see~"

    The dark-haired girl giggled and then rolled up her skirt a little bit higher ¨C then she bent forward and put her hands up her skirt....!

    She put her thumbs between the stockings and her skin...

    "If I will take down my stockings now - and if even you - my most trusted servant, will push me down in an attempt to ravish my pure body... then there''s no way I can show myself to the prince like that! Can I...?"

    Miriette bit her lips and looked up at the ck-haired boy.

    "Mydy...!"

    Zoemi turned to stone, taken by surprise...

    |Dude, don''t! Don''t betray her trust...! You are better than this! She isn''t serious, don''t fall for it like an idiot!|

    Zoemi was steeling his resolve, gritting his teeth so hard he almost crushed them - no matter what he couldn''t break here!

    |Come on! Do it...! Jump at me! I will not stop you ¨C on the contrary ¨C I will wee it!|

    Miriette was biting her lips and praying for the exact opposite oue to happen.

    "..."

    "...ah...!"

    Then Zoemi moved and Miriette''s body shook in anticipation - she let go of her stockings and spread her arms open, ready to embrace the ck-haired youth!

    "...?"

    But instead of falling for her charms and into her arms, Zoemi fell to his knees and bowed his head.

    "Mydy, your servant''s heart skips a beat on the mere thought of your beauty, please don''t trouble yourself with such trivial thoughts. The first prince is a man of great honor and he would never do anything to tarnish yours! An attendant shouldn''t speak about his master''s body in a casual manner, but I can assure you that the prince would be most pleased if he saw you in a new outfit!"

    Zoemi broke - just not in a way that Miriette has hoped for.

    As for Mirierre''s hesitation about clothing - she honestly just didn''t want to be bothered with getting pretty for the pissy prince who always tried to take Zoemi''s attention away from her, not something so far out there as him suddenly assaulting her like a beast.

    As for the temptation part...

    Miriette truly wanted Zoemi to think about her as a proper pure girl so she wanted him to take the first step on the road of the forbidden romance between the master and the attendant - so that it wouldn''t seem like she was taking advantage of him using her position.

    But it seems that she was too impatient and tried to rush things too much, and this was the result...

    |Stupid, you need to slowly take down his defenses brick by brick! Hitting the wall around his heart with a battering ram will only make him hate you! Correct your mistake, now!|

    Miriette wanted to punch herself for forgetting herself in a moment.

    "...ghhh..."

    She breathed out through her teeth and walked up to her kneeling attendant.

    "Zoemi, stand up. I''m sorry for teasing you so much."

    The dar-haired girl said and tugged on the scarred attendant''s vest to make him rise from his knees.

    "I know that theck of stockings is not such a big deal, but I wanted to pull a prank on you. Don''t be angry..."

    |Oh...! She was joking...! Dear heavens... That was so close...! If I had used up even a sliver more mana before and entered mana depletion I would have been all over her already and would get fired on the spot! I wish she would understand her own appeal a little more...!|

    Zoemi''s heart just wouldn''t calm down.

    Miriette''s action made him feel things that no attendant should feel towards their master.

    With just a little innocent prank she made him uncover the feelings he promised to keep sealed away forever for her good...

    |...but... that only confirms that she doesn''t think about me as a possible romantic interest...|

    The ck-haired attendant thought to himself, holding back a bitter expression.

 Chapter 82 - 21 - Nothing Can Be Easy (part 4)

    "Ah! What a cute cat! It''s too adorable to be eaten!"

    "Thank you, mydy ¨C I am surprised myself how nice it turned out."

    A few minutester, Miriette was eating her breakfast and Zoemi was brushing her hair as if nothing happened.

    ---

    Later on, after Zoemi returned the empty tes to the kitchen and went back to his master''s room, he and Miriette went to the ss together as always ¨C after all, ady of her status should not be walking without an escort, no matter what.

    As they entered their ssroom - they were faced with an unexpected group of people.

    Well... not exactly faced with, to be specific.

    It was just that their ssmates were gathered around the desks in the very front and were whispering to each other.

    The atmosphere was grave.

    "What''s going on? Did something happen?"

    Surprised Zoemi raised a question and addressed it to everyone.

    "..."

    Every student looked at him but no one answered, instead they moved around and made a way for him and Miriette so they could go and check for themselves.

    "...?"

    "..."

    Zoemi looked back at his master and she responded with a confused look in her eyes.

    Still, there was no better way than to check for themselves.

    When they moved past the other students, they were faced with the horrified heroine staring at her desk in utter disbelief.

    Or rather ¨C she was staring at what was left of her desk, that is.

    The piece of furniture looked like someone had punched right through it, ripping through everything that was stored in it - the notebooks, spare quills, and ink bottles all got smashed into pieces resulting in a big almost gruesome mess.

    But, that wasn''t the most worrisome part...

    On top of the destroyed desk, right above the hole, a sentence was written:

    \\\\DON''T GET TOO COCKY, COMMONER - OR YOUR HEAD WILL BE NEXT!/

    The letters were drawn in threatening strokes as if the person writing them was absolutely furious and filled with malicious intent.

    "...!"

    Zoemi froze when he saw that.

    |What the hell is this!? It''s nothing like in the game! This is so much worse! That''s an actual death threat!|

    This wasn''t a polite note expressing the discontent written by a prideful sheltered girl, or some gossip about the heroine being poor or questioning her magic''s importance!

    |Something has changed again...!|

    Zoemi was sure of it.

    It was like with the eleration of the second prince''s route.

    The ck-haired attendant with the ugly scar deforming his right cheek connected the facts.

    He realized that it must have been the game script correcting itself, and in ce of Miriette who didn''t have a reason to do so, someone else has started bullying the heroine.

    And that someone pulled no punches from the start!

    "...u...umm..."

    The heroine gulped her saliva and move her eyes from the desk to the Zoemi and Miriette, she opened her mouth, but she closed it without saying anything.

    Only after a few moments of awkward silence, she put her hand to her chest and tears appeared in her eyes.

    As if she did that after a lot of thinking.

    "...miss Burushi...?"

    The scarred boy asked, not even wanting to finish uttering the stupid name.

    "S-sir Zoemi...!"

    But it looked like the heroine had taken that as a sign ofpassion as she ran up to the ck-haired boy and threw herself into his arms.

    "!!!!"

    Surprised Zoemi didn''t dodge her and even patted her back when she was soaking his shoulder with her tears.

    |What the hell is going on...? Who did it? Can it be connected to Miriette by any chance? How to prevent Miriette from getting involved?|

    The first thought that appeared in Zomei''s head was about figuring out a way to prevent any suspicion from falling on his master.

    If Miriette was safe, then Zoemi wished the heroine all best, she could go on to seducing whichever capture target she ever wished for and then some ¨C but as long as the dark-haired girl was in danger - the heroine could even drop off from the Aspakeony Academy for all he cared...

    Still... if the heroine being in trouble might have a negative impact on the girl he wished to protect, it was obvious that he should do something to solve it.

    "Somebody get the teacher."

    Since the threat to his master''s happiness did not go away but instead returned many times stronger than in the original game, the scarred boy''s voice became menacing as he called to the rest of the students, who seemed too shocked and confused to figure out what to do by themselves.

    "Please."

    "...alright..."

    The ck-haired boy added and the surrounding students shook off the initial scare ¨C surprisingly enough ¨C or maybe not ¨C the red-haired Grazio was the one who left the ssroom.

    It looked like his affection towards the heroine was high enough to make him tolerate listening to the ck-haired boy''smands.

    "...whew..."

    Hearing Zoemi''s voice Burushitto sighed out in relief.

    |It''s a lot more intense than other routes, but it really looks like it''s the event for him! Those sted creators sure did crank up the excitement level with this DLC... what have I ever done to deserve a death threat?!|

    She was giving her best to act shaken up - which actually wasn''t too difficult since she WAS shaken up, and tried extra hard to behave in a way that would make this new capture target want to protect her... because she really wanted someone to protect her at the moment.

    |...was it her...?|

    Burushiitto stealthily nced at the dark-haired viiness, but could not say for sure...

    "..."

    Miriette was ring at her, but it seemed almost as if she was allowing her attendant to hug the heroine out of...passion...?

    Pity...?

    The dark-haired girl nced at the destroyed desk and seemed actually disturbed by the damages and the message.

    |What idiot would do something so obvious? Destroying the Academy''s property is bound to get the attention of the faculty, amateur...|

    Miriette thought to herself and looked back at the ck-haired boy and the blond girl - she really wanted to tell themoner girl to back off from her attendant, but she knew that everyone would start thinking that she was the one who destroyed that clingy wench''s desk!

    |Making a scene would put Zoemi, as my attendant, in a bad light too...|

    Miriette thought to herself and put her all into hiding her true feelings.

    "Everyone! Did anyone see who did that? Maybe someone saw anything suspicious?"

    She took a deep breath and asked the ss in the most genuinely worried voice she could muster.

    |E-eh...? Slutiette is trying to help me...? Like, actually?!|

    "...?"

    Miriette''s behavior shook up the heroine enough to make her flinch, and that made Zoemi raise his brow too....

 Chapter 83 - 22 (part 1) - The Reason For Being Nice...

    At least six teachers arrived on the crime scene, led by the red-haired Grazio, to check up on what was going on - soon the destroyed desk was reced and the puddle of ink that dripped on the floor cleaned.

    Even after that, the heroine was sticking by the ck-haired boy like a small animal seeking shelter.

    Despite Zoemi''s honest intent to help her out, he could not ignore the increasingly hostile pressure that was oozing out of Mireitte ring at the clingy blond-haired girl from behind.

    |Come one... you even have Grazio here... he''s a capture target, go and cry in his arms and leave a background character like me alone...!|

    Zoemi wanted toin out loud, worried sick that at any given moment Miriette would lose her temper and blow up because the heroine was so dangerously close to her fiance.

    Funnily enough, despite being reborn in the world that had magic, the heroine felt safest by the side of someone strong ¨C physically strong ¨C and after witnessing how Zoemi wiped the floor with the red-haired capture target in a magicless duel, the ck-haired boy jumped in Burushiitto''s strength rating by quite a lot.

    The blond heroine just didn''t want to go away, and Zoemi didn''t really want to chase her away either - there was that thing with the mana potions going on, after all.

    ...it definitely didn''t have anything to do with the blond girl pressing his arm in between her breasts...!

    |Definitely not...!|

    "..."

    Just as Zoemi was thinking that to himself, he felt the increase of the hostile auraing out from the dark-haired girl.

    ...maybe the number of potions he already got was enough...?

    He already had more than enough that he could safely use at once without the unbearable headache incapacitating him, and was even starting to feel bad for hoarding them all.

    After all in his previous life, he was raised in an environment where not using a resource was considered wasting it.

    It also wasn''t like the heroine would stop leaving them at his doorstep if he told her to let go...

    ...and, he had no actual proof whether she was leaving him the vials in the first ce...

    "Miss Burushi... I cannot write when..."

    "Ah...! I-I''m sorry!"

    Mustering a calm andposed expression, the ck-haired boy nced meaningfully at the heroine''s chest, making the girl flinch and pull away from him ¨C which also resulted in an almost immediate decrease in the hostile auraing from the back.

    "...huh..."

    Zoemi flinched in confusion, wondering why Miriette got calmer despite the heroine still being so near to the first prince, but he wasn''t going to question a stroke of luck like that and could safely focus on the lesson.

    He spent the rest of the day thinking about the identity of the possible bully as well as a way to counter the possible usations that may or may not be targetting his master.

    First of all, the act of vandalism was done using a strength enchantment, looking at the hole punched through the desk was enough to get that, the wood was practically cut into a shape of a human fist.

    The enchantment had to be strong.

    But not just brutally strong ¨C someone without a proper mastery over their spells would just smash the entire desk, but this was a focused and precise strike... the hole was ratherrge too...

    Miriette''s enchantments were extremely strong but also her hand was much smaller than the hole - so that usation would be easily refuted.

    After all the dark-haired girl''s hands - and therefore fists - were really tiny and delicate, not used to doing any type of work...

    Second of all ¨C the ink was still dripping down when he and Mireitte arrived at the scene ¨C meaning it must have been done a little bit earlier ¨C Zoemi was with Mitiette almost the entire morning, with the exception of returning the dishes, so he could swear that she didn''t do it.

    He evene up with a counter for an argument that the dark-haired girl could use her overpowered enchantments or spells and destroy the desk in the short window of time while he wasn''t there.

    And that was:

    Although Mireitte''s skills are strong, they are not stealthy ¨C someone would either hear the gusts of wind or see the girls flying around ¨C also, there was no trace of ink anywhere on the Mireitte''s clothing prior to the time of the crime.

    Still ¨C even if the initial case would go cold, it definitely wasn''t the end - the thing was, there''s no way that the bullying would stop.

    This was just the beginning.

    |...It must have been done by someone with the water attribute or the earth attribute.|

    Zoemi was looking at every student in the ss, after deciding that it would be best to figure out who the culprit was and be done with it.

    No matter if they were indifferent or even friendly towards the heroine before, no one could be ruled out.

    Whoever you are, just stay away from my master...!|

    Zoemi clicked his tongue and turn towards the teacher.

    |She might have got away with him with those indecent balloons but why can''t she just go back to her seat, why the teacher isn''t telling her to stay away from him?!|

    Since the big-breasted blond girl thought that she will be safest with Zoemi and she kept close to him as much as possible ¨C Miriette was getting drivenpletely nuts from jealousy in the process.

    And it wasn''t just a fit of jealousy caused by her being close to Zoemi.

    There was a whole list of things that the dark-haired girl found enviable in themoner girl.

    For example - Miriette was jealous of the heroine''s long flowy hair.

    Miriette always wanted long hair but because of her condition, if she let her hair reach anywhere even slightly beneath her shoulders, it would just look like thousands of snakes ceaselessly coiling around her.

    Second of all, and interestingly enough, what was driving the tragic viiness mad the most, was that the heroine was amoner.

    It had nothing to do with something as low as hating on the people of the lower status though ¨C everything was about the responsibilities ¨C or rather theck of responsibilities that the blond girl could enjoy.

    Commoners could be wed to lower-ss nobles without any trouble.

    Zoemi was a lower-ss noble - he didn''t even have a middle name and was even adopted!

    If by any chance Zoemi fell for that cow''s udders there won''t be anything to stop him from leaving with her!

    ---

    |That wench has it so much easier!|

    Miriette was stabbing her supper with a fork and looking at her modest chest with a frown.

    She was on the small side and couldn''t bepared to the heroine!

    As if the dark-haired girl needed any more reasons to resent the blond bimbo!

    Miriette was beginning to regret trying to help out Burshitto - enviable people like her deserve to be bullied!

    |...ugh... I''m such a piece of shit for thinking something so awful... Zoemi would hate me if he could read my mind... No, I need to be bigger than this. I will help out the bond whor... my dear ssmate, by putting an end to the bullying and show off my good points to Zoemi!|

    Miriette''s shoulders slumped as she was brooding over her difficult character before she suddenly straightened her back with a determined expression.

 Chapter 84 - 22 (part 2) - Sickness...?

    "Mydy? By any chance, is the food not to your liking?"

    Zoemi kneeled by his master''s side and made a worried expression.

    "Have I prepared something wrong? Or have I messed up the presentation?"

    Since Patishi helped the ck-haired boy choose the ingredients, there was no doubt that they were good - after all, Zoemi firmly believed in that youth''s talent for cooking, and therefore didn''t even consider trying to push the me on them.

    "Eh?"

    Miriette flinched and realized what mess has she done on the te.

    |Ack..!|

    "N-no, no! It is really delicious! it''s just that... I don''t really feel like eating anything..."

    The dark-haired girl blushed and looked away.

    "Mydy, are you, sick? Or maybe tired? Do you want toy down? Please, bear with my forwardness for a moment...!"

    "!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Zoemi caringly put his hand on his master''s forehead and his other one on his own ¨C causing his master to almost have a heart attack from the sudden contact.

    "Thank goodness... You don''t have a fever, but maybe you shouldy down just in case... Seeing something so worrisome like the scene from this morning probably took a toll on you."

    He said with a soft smile, as there was no doubt in his heart that his master was a delicate person deep down...

    And well... it wasn''t like she was a heartless monster, but Zoemi might have been holding the dark-haired girl on a bit too high of a pedestal...

    "No, I''m fine! E-eeeeehhhhh?!"

    "Mydy, please, allow me..."

    Miriette protested but swallowed her words as soon as Zoemi effortlessly lifted her up in a princess carry.

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Suddenly all the anger and jealousy disappeared from Miriette''s loudly thumping heart, just like that.

    "Mydy, tomorrow is an important day for you, it would pain me greatly if you couldn''t meet with the first prince because you fell ill. Please forgive this servant''s forwardness."

    The ck-haired boy nced down at her face, showing only his left profile, and smiled reassuringly, causing the already fluttering heart of the dark-haired girl to start beating so hard as if it wanted to burst out of her chest and run away.

    "M-mhmm..."

    Miriette closed her mouth and nodded making a small sound, as she put her hands close to her chest to resist the urge of embracing her attendant''s neck.

    She was so close that she could feel the heat of his body and the sound of his heart beating.

    "Here you go, mydy."

    |Why my bed has to be so close...!?|

    The dark-haired girlmented when Zoemi was putting her on the mattress.

    |Wait... My bed...?|

    Miriette suddenly froze when Zoemi grabbed the nket from the bed to cover her.

    |He will notice his vest!|

    Miriette almost had a heart attack when she realized that if Zoemi would move one of her pillows while moving the nket, he will notice the stolen piece of clothing that became the essential element of her bedding...

    "Zoemi!"

    "!!!"

    She shouted and surprised him.

    The shocked attendant froze and looked at his master with round eyes.

    "My... mydy...?"

    He stuttered in confusion.

    "Y-you are right... I should get some rest..."

    Miriette said slowly trying her best toe up with something ¨C anything - just to take Zoemi''s attention from her bed!

    "It might be best if you prepare some porridge for me. I think I might be able to eat some of that... So... I would be... really grateful... if you would prepare it... for me..., I will change into my nightgown and wait right here...!"

    She managed toe up with a somewhatpelling argument through the way she presented it was far more suspicious than she ever intended to.

    "As you wish mydy, don''t bother about the clothes, just leave them on the bed and I take care of them when I return!"

    Zoemi, delighted by his master''s cooperation, bowed to her and left the room.

    "...wheeew..."

    Miriette let out a huge sigh and pulled out the main culprit of her nervousness from under the pillow.

    "Well, that was close."

    She said holding Zoemi''s vest in front of her.

    To not get in the exact same situation, she folded it neatly and hid it below the bedsheet, and covered it with the biggest pillow.

    "That should do the trick for now..."

    The dark-haired girl nodded to herself and changed into the nightgown.

    Despite what Zoemi has told her, she at least left her clothes on the chair next to the bed and nested herself on the pillow, before pulling the nket right under her chin.

    A couple of minutester her attendant was back, with the bowl of steaming porridge.

    "Mydy, I have returned."

    "Wee~"

    Miriette sat up on the bed, ready to eat and Zoemi smiled at her.

    First of all, he put away the porridge and folded Miriettes clothes that were loosely spread all over the chair.

    When he was putting together her stockings Miriette fidgeted remembering the morning.

    She was so bold then...!

    "...nnn...!"

    The dark-haired girl blushed and hid her face behind the nket.

    "Mydy? Is something wrong?"

    "N-nothing...!"

    She heard Zoemi''s question and she hurriedly put down the nket to respond to him.

    But as soon as she did that, it turned out that the ck-haired boy''s face was right in front of her own!

    "!!!!!!"

    Looking into his obsidian eyes, from the distance shorter than ever before, the dark-haired girl forgot to even breathe.

    "Mydy...? Are you ready to eat some porridge?"

    "!!!!!"

    Zoemi asked as if being so close wasn''t anything strange and his breath tickled the girl''s skin.

    |Eh...? EEEHHH?! Wh-why is he so forward all of the sudden...!?|

    Miriette was surprised ¨C that''s for sure ¨C but she definitely wasn''tining about such splendid fanservice!

    "Y-yes, please."

    She nodded her head and let out a cute yelp that had fully revealed her nervousness, but she was already too busy being infatuated with her attendant to care.

    "It''s okay, mydy."

    Zoemi smiled gently and took the porridge.

    "...eh...?"

    Miriette reached her arms towards the meal but Zoemi onlyughed and shook his head.

    He took the chair from the desk and put it next to the bed, and seated himself.

    "Let me take care of everything."

    When he saw confusion in Miriette''s eyes he only chuckled and took a spoonful of the porridge and blew on it to cool it down.

    "Mydy, I can see that your face is getting red - you might try to act tough, but when you''re sick you shouldy down in bed and rest. Just leave everything to your attendant."

    The ck-haired boy''s smile was so dazzling that Miriette felt really bad for lying to him about her health.

    Well... it all started from his own misunderstanding - but still...!

    "Mydy, please, say aaa~."

    Zoemi caringly put the spoon to her mouth.

    "A... Aaa-om...?"

    The dark-haired girl said in a daze and Zoemi put the spoon right into her mouth.

    "Is it tasty?"

    He asked softly and took another spoonful.

    "Mmm!"

    She confirmed before even swallowing.

    "You can be at ease, mydy. After a good night''s sleep, you will feel better. Now, say aaa."

    Miriette got chills - the good ones - from his low gentle voice and obediently opened her mouth.

    |Next time I should really get sick and have him care for me...!|

    She thought to herself with a flushed face.

 Chapter 85 - 23 - The Only One Who Matters (part 1)

    Finally, the big day of the date between the first prince Horeo and the daughter of the duke Espine. Zoemi woke up just in time and prepared himself before leaving to the kitchen - he was already feeling nervous, worrying over whether everything would go as he nned?

    Or will some other unexpected event just pop out, out of nowhere?

    But still, first things first - the n would be a bust if Miriette''s health worsened since the day before. The dark-haired girl has said that she was alright but it could have been just a front!

    Zoemi wasn''t going to risk his master''s health just for a few quick affection points.

    |And if she developed a fever, we can always change the night-walk date into a care-for-the-sick date-like event, which could turn out to be even more efficient with Miriette seeing the carrying side of Horeo, while he would catch a glimpse of how adorable Mireitte is while she isn''t purring out a front...|

    The ck-haired boy nodded to himself - it still would be good because it would show to the first prince the defenseless side of his fiance, but for some reason, Zoemi felt ufortable at the thought of his master alone with the first prince when she''s a little dizzy and all weak and meek.

    "It''s just because I don''t like the idea of my master being sick and suffering."

    The scarred attendant furrowed his brows and said looking at his reflection in the mirror while styling his hair.

    The ck-haired boy checked the time on his pocket watch ¨C he still had more than enough time to spare...

    "Why not practice a little bit...:

    Zoemi muttered to himself with a determined expression and walked towards his desk before pulling out a drawer.

    It was almost empty - only a few chunks of semi-transparent milky crystal rolled forward from the back.

    "..."

    Zoemi picked up the biggest chunk that he spent almost the entire month''s worth of his earnings as an attendant and weighed it in his hand carefully, before raising it up and examining it.

    The fragment of a magic crystal looked just like any old piece of broken crystal should look with the exception of the barely visible fine engravings marking its surface indicating its use.

    "Hmph...!"

    Zoemi frowned and squeezed it in his hand as hard as he could.

    The crystal was incredibly hard, instead of crushing it, he almost hurt his hand in the end.

    "...good..."

    The ck-haired youth nodded with satisfaction, and then he lightly grabbed the crystal between his index finger and his thumb as if he was picking something frail and delicate.

    "...now, just like with the darkness de..."

    Zoemi whispered while concentrating ¨C the thing was he wasn''t really trying to create the dark dagger-like de but instead focused on merely pushing out as much of the corrosive mana as he could, injecting it straight into the milky crystal.

    "..."

    Nothing seemed t change but the ck-haired boy has opened his eyes as if he had aplished something.

    The crystal still bot looked and felt just a sturdy as before.

    "Muffle."

    *pshaaa*

    Zoemi activated his silencing spell and right as he did so, the shard of the milky crystal in his hand crumbled into the powdery dust.

    "...!"

    Zoemi felt the euphoria filling up his body.

    "This will take care of at least half of the bad endings~"

    He breathed out in relief and then blew off the remainings of the magic crystal from his hand, satisfied that at least one part of his long-term n is going well.

    |But how to get my hands on those damned bracelets...

    Zoemi was thinking about the future and opened the door leading to the hallway.

    He looked down to check if the mana potion would be there again - and he became surprised.

    There was not just one vial in front of his door - there were two!

    Waiting for him neatly in line, with a bit of a distance between the two.

    The ck-haired boy picked both of them up and looked at them closely.

    |Could it be that the heroine is buying my protection?|

    It wasn''t so difficult to understand that after the bullying started, the heroine wanted to get someone trustworthy to back her.

    Although he wouldn''t go out of his way to help her, since it would be helping the person without whom his master would have a perfectly happy life ¨C still, as long as he''ll manage to keep Miriette safe, nothing was stopping him from nudging the blond heroine in the right direction while under the pretense of worrying about her...

    |Thanks for the potions, though.|

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and put the vials into his pocket before venturing to make his master''s breakfast.

    ---

    Since the scarred attendant used muffle on himself to test out something before, he had appeared especially creepy, walking through the dark hallway without making single a sound.

    Because of a simr reason, he entered the kitchen without being noticed by the younger brown-haired youth and the short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform, who were apparently having a quarrel.

    "Miss Teo, I have no idea what got into you today, but I refuse to allow you to get anywhere near those ingredients!"

    Patishi dered while doing their best to keep the short attendant away from the counter.

    "Your words are unreasonable, Patishi. I am responsible for preparing a meal for my master and that is what I will do. Please, move aside."

    The brown-haired attendant shook her head and dered.

    "No! The ingredients are afraid of you today! I''m not letting you waste them!"

    Patishi was adamant, spreading their arms and blocking the short attendant.

    "Well, tell them that I am not dangerous, then. I''m just going to use them to prepare a meal."

    The girl in the butler''s uniform shrugged her shoulders and dered with an indifferent expression

    "No, you won''t! You''re holding that knife as if you were ready to murder someone!"

    Patishi furrowed their brows and motioned at the tool in the girl''s hand that she was holding up rather menacingly, to tell the truth...

    "Just let me..."

    "I refuse!"

    The attendant opened her mouth but Patishi interrupted her, not backing even an inch.

    "J-JUST LET ME MAKE A MEAL FOR MY PRINCE, ALRIGHT!?"

    "!!!!!"

    The constant interruption seemed to be enough even for the usually calm girl and she ended up shouting at the brown-haired youth, as her voice cracked from the embarrassment.

    "...uh-huh..."

    Zoemi let out a sigh and approached the two.

    Then he grabbed the short brown-haired girl''s head and pulled it backward making her face the ceiling.

    "S-sir Zoemi...?!"

    She gasped in shock, staring at the scarred boy with her widened, tearful eyes.

    As Zoemi was looking down straight at the short brown-haired girl''s face, the effect of his muffle spell has conveniently ended.

    "Veo. Is there a reason for you to be in the kitchen instead of Teo? And why are you bothering my younger sis... sibling."

    Zoemi asked in a tired voice and bit his tongue, remembering not to use a form that could get the brown-haired youth in trouble.

    "Eh? Veo? Big brother Zoemi, are you telling me that this girl is not Teo?"

    Patishi asked in a confused voice, looking between the two, blinking repeatedly.

    "...indeed...."

    Veo pouted and gave an affirmative answer to Zoemi''s question while looking away.

    "And the reason is...?"

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head and inquired while leaning in.

 Chapter 86 - 23 - The Only One Who Matters (part 2)

    "Teo said that she will not do anything - for whatever reason ¨C and I don''t want to make my prince... ugh... our master, wake up early to go to the cafeteria."

    Veo flinched and hurriedly changed the way she addressed the gold-haired Horeo ¨C getting away from the ck-haired boy - while slightly blushing.

    "Because...?"

    Thankfully Zoemi had a lot of patience, otherwise, that conversation would be infuriating.

    "...because he looks cute when he sleeps..."

    Veo lowered her head, now blushing bright red, and answered the question in a barely audible voice.

    "No. Not the first prince, Veo... I''m asking you about the reason why Teo suddenly went on a strike."

    The ck-haired boy sighed and massaged his forehead in mild annoyance.

    "Oh...! Ah.. o-of course...! Sh-she was sulking and repeating that she was a bad girl over and over again. But she wouldn''t tell me why. Did you scold her?"

    Veo wasn''t uncooperative because of her personality, she was uncooperative because she was just a little bit angry at Zoemi.

    Her younger sister must have been sad because of Zoemi - there was no other exnation considering how upset she was!

    "Huh...?"

    Zoemi tilted his head in surprise and Veo sighed.

    "Sir Zoemi, Teo is always very stressed because she always has to do all the chores since from the two of us I''m the one responsible for protecting our master - part of being the attendant - and can''t do anything else. Even if she made some kind of mistake you shouldn''t get mad at her!"

    "Scolded? Mad at her? I did something? When?!"

    Zoemi crossed his arms and red at the short-brown-haired girl, daring her to answer.

    "I''ll have you know that yesterday Teo almost crushed me! If not for Patishi here I would have been bisected by her arms! But even so, I didn''t scold her at all!"

    "...eh...? I-I mean ¨C yes! Big brother Zoemi didn''t scold Teo!"

    Patishi flinched, confused about the part when they were supposed to be the one helping out the ck-haired boy when in fact he managed to save himself just fine ¨C but then instantly nodded in agreement when they heard the part about Zoemi letting Teo off without reprimanding her.

    "Not only that! I even patted her head and said it wasn''t her fault - so don''t give me that you-are-guilty look!"

    Zoemi was actually suspecting that one of his ribs might have cracked while receiving the affection of the earth magician the day before - so he was actually kind of pissed off and not just ying it off.

    "Eh...? She would never...!"

    Veo''s face showed her astonishment.

    "Oh yeah?! Then exin this!"

    Zoemi snorted and pulled up his shirt.

    "!!!!!!"

    "!!!!!!"

    Aside from the old burn-marks, there was an almost two-inch dark-blue bruise going around his muscr, chiseled torso - a little below his chest, creating a perfect circle.

    "Even if I yelled at her - which I didn''t - I would have all the rights to do so!"

    And because his nerves weren''t in the best shape since he was getting more and more nervous worrying about the future, he blew up on the slightest provocation.

    "Patishi!"

    "Y-yes, big brother Zoemi...?"

    The youth flinched ¨C snapping out of the awestruck look they had on their face while looking at the perfectly defined muscles of the ck-haired boy - and looked up at Zoemi with an anxious look in their eyes...

    "The two of us will be preparing food for my master and for the first prince."

    The scarred attendantmanded, pulling down his shirt and tucking it back in, so it wouldn''t stick out from underneath the vest.

    ...and then he turned towards Veo and pointed his finger at her face.

    "And you stay right here and don''t touch anything!"

    He dered before turning his back to the girl - so he missed the big brown eyes tearing up.

    Zoemi took a deep breath and patted Patishi''s head.

    "Sorry for the trouble but you are the only one I can count on."

    He smiled apologetically and messed up the youth''s hair.

    "Don''t worry, big brother Zoemi!"

    Patishi felt as if they could burst from pride at any moment ¨C even so, they nced at the short brown-haired girl who was trembling a little and felt bad for her, looking as if they wanted to call out and cheer her up - but their big brother was counting on them!

    Patishi couldn''t allow themselves to disappoint Zoemi no matter what!

    So the brown-haired youth turned away from the girl who was trying her best not to cry and started the preparation.

    Everyone has his limits...

    Zoemi was under the constant pressure of having his master''s safety depend fully on him.

    And since a new problem - in the form of bullying way more aggressive than in the game - started, Zoemi''s built-up frustration had to find an outlet or he would explode.

    And so, Zoemi and Patishi finished preparing the breakfast, the ck-haired attendant with the ugly burn-scar deforming his right cheek walked towards Veo and handed her the tray with food.

    "Here, for you."

    He didn''t try to be mean but at the same time, he did not try to make up for shouting at the short girl either.

    "¡­"

    Veo took the tray without a word...

    |No thank you, and not even an indeed, huh? I see how it is...|

    The ck-haired boy scoffed internally as Veo not only hasn''t said showed any sign of gratitude but she hasn''t even looked Zoemi in the eyes - she just took the tray with food and turned towards the door.

    And that might have been a straw that broke the camel''s back...

    "I don''t want to hear that bullshit about being in charge of only protecting ever again! Attendants do both! We serve AND protect - that''s why we are not just butlers or maids - or bodyguards - but attendants! Seriously!"

    The ck boy called out getting the attention of everyone in the kitchen ¨C both the kitchen staff and the attendants of other students.

    "And tell your sister to start acting as a real attendant should, too - and not mop around all day! Who the hell do you both think that you are!? Don''t take the duties of attendants lightly!"

    "..."

    Zoemi called after Veo but she didn''t react and just walked out.

    "Tsk...!"

    Zoemi clicked his tongue and shook his head in disbelief.

    It wasn''t that he disliked the twins - he actually really liked those two girls who would always try so hard to keep the expressionless faces...

    It was just that - the like he felt for them, and the absolute loyalty towards his master and the unmeasurable desire to protect her happiness at all cost - weren''t in the same dimensions and couldn''t be put up toparison.

    The ck-haired boy didn''t even feel bad for what he shouted at the older twin''s back ¨C instead - he went straight back to worrying about this night''s date of his master and the first prince.

    ---

    Standing in front of his master''s room Zoemi took a deep breath and knocked, as always there was no response - if there was that would mean that his master doesn''t want him in - so he tried opening the door.

    And, as It turned out, it wasn''t locked.

    Zoemi entered the room and was greeted by the sight of his master sitting by the desk waiting for him.

    Miriette looked perfectly healthy, but just in case, after putting the tray with the food in front of her, he asked.

    "Mydy, do you feel better?"

    "Yes. All thanks to your care yesterday."

    Miriette bowed her head magnanimously.

    "Thank goodness..."

    Zoemi breathed out in relief and smiled.

    "I''m unworthy of your gratitude, mydy, it''s the greatest honor to be of use to you."

    The ck-haired attendant said and grabbed the hairbrush.

 Chapter 87 - [Bonus ] 23 - The Only One Who Matters (part 3)

    There was still some time before the start of the first lesson.

    Miriette was talking with Horeo, and Zoemi was preparing for taking notes, as that day''s first lecture was going to be about an in-depth look into the utility spells and creative ways to use them - so he didn''t want to miss a single word.

    After all, it might give him some ideas about his own spells!

    More and more students were walking in and greeting each other and a few minutester the teacher herself shoved up - it was the blue-haired young woman who was one of the examiners on the test.

    "Good morning, everyone."

    "GOOD MORNING!"

    She weed the ss and the students responded in unison.

    "As promised, today we will talk about the utility spells."

    She nodded her head while tapping on the rapier at her waist.

    "I doubt that anyone of you thinks that - but I''ll say it anyway - battles and wars are not won or lost only thanks to the power of offensive and defensive spells! If you don''t know the location of the enemy then even the strongest attack is useless!"

    "...!"

    To demonstrate her point a water bubble appeared around her.

    It was a standard defensive spell of a water magician, but then the blue-haired woman waved her hand and disappeared causing every single student to straighten their back with attention!

    "If the enemy knows your location and attacks you while you rest then what''s the reason to even know any defensive spells?"

    The teacher''s voice came from apletely different part of the ssroom and a water spear appeared out of the thin air and started dancing in the air above the students'' heads.

    "Although it''s never bad to be stronger than your opponent, it''s not the strongest but the smartest and the most adaptable who survive."

    The water spear stopped after returning next to the ckboard and melted into a puddle.

    The young teacher suddenly reappeared behind the students'' back and returned to her desk - instead of stepping on the puddle, she created an ice bridge and walked over.

    "Therefore, I hope that no one is against today''s topic?"

    She asked in a voice that couldn''t be further from a question.

    No one dared to disagree with her ¨C and it wasn''t as if anyone actually thought that she was wrong either.

    Even though she was still considerably young - especially amongst the other faculty members of the Aspakeony Academy - the territory of her family - the house of Perserios - was located at the north border of the kingdom and always had troubles with the barbarian tribes.

    While she never was in arge-scale war, she took part in a plethora of smaller skirmishes.

    The barbarians could use magic too and were very cunning - so as the one who managed to survive through every battlefield since she was eleven years old, at the age of twenty-eight she was the most suited person to talk about the importance of the utility spells.

    Well, aside from the Aspakeony herself - but well, the chocte-skinned necromancer that basically no one knew about, wouldn''t just show herself to the students.

    "Good. I want to make this more of a discussion, I will be telling you the setting of the situation and we will talk about the possible solutions. I will not tolerateughing at others'' answers, only constructive criticism. Is that...?"

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    Sudden knocking on the door made the teacher stop talking.

    She raised her brow and made an annoyed expression.

    "Yes? Who''s there?"

    At the teacher''s word the door opened and the heroine entered the ssroom...

    And she looked just straight out miserable...

    Her blond hair was a mess with des of grass sticking out here and there, her face was clean but her eyes and nose were red from crying, her uniform was all rugged up, covered with smudges of dirt and green stains - and there were simr green stains on her knees and shoes - there was even a single de of grass stuck to her left sock.

    "I-I''m sorry for beingte..."

    The heroine said in a small voice and walked to her desk with her head down.

    "Miss Burushitto, what is the meaning of your appearance...!?"

    But the teacher wouldn''t just let her sit down.

    "I-I tripped... "

    Responded the heroine.

    "Just tripped?"

    Teacher Perserios raised her brow and asked.

    "I was already getting close to runningte because I overslept and woke up muchter than usual, but I didn''t want to actually bete so I was taking a shortcut through thewn... the grass was freshly cut and... I just tripped and fell into it..."

    "But since you were alreadyte why not change your clothes?"

    The blue-haired teacher raised her brows looking at the almost outrageously slovenly appearance of the blond girl.

    "There was an ident with theundry and a lot of students''undry got smeared with mud while it was set out to dry... And my clothes were one of those that got dirty... And it just so happens that I... Umm... In the end, those were the only clean clothes I had..."

    The heroine lifted one side of her skirt with two fingers.

    "I-I mean, they were clean before I tripped...!"

    She dered blushing red from embarrassment and shame.

    It looked like this time it wasn''t bullying but just pure bad luck that made the heroine end up in such a way...

    Or was it...?

    "I see..."

    The blue-haired female teacher sighed and massaged her forehead with one hand.

    "Burushitto, you may sit down..."

    "Y-yes, teacher, thank you."

    The heroine, red as a tomato, sat at her desk and started staring at it keeping her head low.

    "That''s what I had in mind when I talked about the most adaptable ones..."

    The blue-haired teacher whispered under her breath so that the students wouldn''t hear it and covered her eyes with her hand.

    "So the first situation is..."

    After a moment she resumed the lesson.

    |As long as this doesn''t involve my master, I don''t care what''s happening to her. What am I supposed to do now anyway? Offer her my clothes? That would only cause gossips.|

    Zoemi thought to himself looking at the heroine.

    The vials of the mana potions jingled against each other in his pocket but he simply turned his head away from the troubled blond girl and paid attention to the teacher.

 Chapter 88 - 24 - The Date Under The Moonlight (part 1)

    After the lesson ended, the heroine tried to talk with Zoemi, but after he shrugged her off with only a few words she has left the ssroom for almost the entirety of the break, and when she returned she was all clean.

    Since she had the second prince Surou wrapped around her little finger it would be weirder if she would choose to walk around in the messy get-up for the rest of the day instead of going to him for help.

    The rest of the lessons passed without any problems urring but still, Zoemi was worrying about the night-date of his master.

    All while the blond heroine was racking her brain whether the ident from the morning was a scripted event or not and if it was then did she mess it up because of Zoemi''s weak response to her misfortune - or was that getting probably the most unlucky streak of idents that year was a random p from thedy luck.

    After all, her luck had to run out sooner rather thanter as she must have spent at least a lifetime worth of it to be reincarnated into the world of a game she knew by heart...

    ...except for the DLC that she died the day before it got released, and messed everything up for her...

    Just in case, she tried to keep herself in the general vicinity of the burn-scar boy - maybe he would suddenly send her some sign of affection or show herpassion over what happened if she kept looking as pitiful as she could...?

    And so Burushiitto tried it out, but nope ¨C no reaction.

    Zoemi''s scary face didn''t even budge when he looked at her with indifference.

    |Maybe it''s a setup for tomorrow...?|

    The heroine wondered trying to look at the bright side even though she could feel the danger looming over her because of the possible event she had no idea how to deal with...

    ---

    A few hourster when the sun was setting, Zoemi was in his master''s room helping her prepare for the date.

    "Turn around."

    "At once."

    Demanded Miriette and Zoemi faced the door, showing her his back.

    "D-don''t peek...!"

    Miriette blushed and Zoemi obediently closed his eyes.

    |...Oh,e on...! You could at least show SOME interest...!|

    Seeing her attendant obey her without a moment of hesitation made the dark-haired girl sulk a bit. She took off her bathrobe and stood naked in the middle of her room ¨C carefully observing the ck-haired boy, waiting for even the slightest movement caused by the rustling of her bathrobe falling on the floor...

    ...but there was absolutely no reaction, just as if the scarred attendant became one with the wall...

    |He won''t even flinch...? He doesn''t care about his master''s body...? But I''m a girl first and his masterter! Is he really not interested at all...?|

    Miriette was having a little crisis on her side, with the boy she liked showing apleteck of interest towards her in this kind of situation.

    |It''s because my chest is too small for his liking?! Is that it?! He must like those big breasts like those of thatmoner wench! Mother, why our magic skills are extremely strong but our chests are so pitifully modest...?!|

    Miriette sighed and mourned, looking down at her slender body.

    Then, she stood on her toes and started bouncing up and down a little bit.

    |They are small but they are there! See?! They jiggle when I do that!|

    Even though she was only saying that in her head, Miriette looked at the person to who her words were directed too.

    "..."

    But, as expected, there was no reaction...

    |...enough of this... I''ll just dress up already...|

    Miriette''s head hung down in defeat and she took the green one-piece dress from the bed.

    ---

    Meanwhile...

    ---

    |She is my master - she trusts me, I can''t do anything that would betray that trust! She is my master - she trusts me, I can''t do anything that would betray that trust! She is my master - she trusts me, I can''t do anything that would betray that trust! SHE IS MY MASTER...|

    While turned away from his master, Zoemi was chanting this mantra trying to reach enlightenment or at least enter the state of deep meditation.

    But it was all in vain when the sound of the bathrobe hitting the floor reached the boy''s ears, he could feel his resolve cracking extremely fast in real-time.

    |Burry those feelings. Miriette deserves someone better...! DAMN IT! Why she can''t see me as a love interest?!|

    The chink in his armor that appeared the day before go mercilessly attacked by puberty.

    Zoemi being so motionless and seemingly calm wasn''t because he had o interest in Miriette ¨C it was actually the opposite.

    The ck-haired boy couldn''t flinch because every muscle fiber in his body was already as hard as tempered steel and no further movement was possible.

    The scarred boy would show some visible movement only if he rxed - which wasn''t on the menu for as long as the girl was parading naked behind him.

    Each second extended into eternity, at one point Zoemi started wondering if the god-like presence that he met after death didn''t show up and stretched out his particr fragment of eternity just to watch him suffer.

    Before he even realized it, he reached deep inside himself to where the shadows roamed and his body got enveloped in a deep shadow as if he stood under arge tree blocking the source of light.

    In any other case the boy would be ecstatic, but with the sudden increase of power came the unfortunate ¨C for his current situation only ¨C discovery...

    Zoemi''s senses became so heightened that he could tell what was happening behind him just by hearing the sound of Miriette''s body, the subtle vibration of the floor underneath her feet, and even the soft smell of the soap she used in the bath...

    Without even knowing it, the dark-haired boy crossed his hands and dug his fingers into his forearm in an attempt to stop himself from just turning around and pouncing at the girl.

    |Th-this sound...! What is she...? Could she be jumping? Huh?! Why?! Seriously, I am right here, please don''t test me like that!|

    He wondered for a moment and then he imagined what was happening and forgot that he should be breathing.

    |Wait... Jumping...? If she''s jumping then her...!|

    Now, this was proper torture.

    The urge to turn around was just too much.

    He wanted to peek!

    No.. he must peek!

    What!?

    No! He mustn''t - that''s his master over there!

    |She''s my master first, and a girlter!|

    Zoemi tried to calm himself, he took a few deep breaths...

    *Sniff...*

    *Sniff* *sniff...*

    |Oh my god, why does she has to smell so good...?!|

    The attendant almost coughed up blood.

    Just one nce!

    One nce wouldn''t hurt anyone, would it?

    |Argh...! If I''ll use shadow connect then I can see through the shadow...! I don''t even need to turn around or open my eyes...!|

    A sudden idea came up to his mind.

    |No! I can''t do that! She trusts me! That''s why she just told me to turn around and not to leave the room! I can''t betray her trust now...!|

    He felt like punching himself for being so weak-willed.

    He wasn''t a pervert like those other darkness magicians he heard about ¨C he would never stoop so low...!

    ...or would he...?

    |...SCREW THIS! I AM A MAN AFTER ALL...!|

    "You can turn back around."

    Zoemi broke ¨C but he was fighting with himself for too long and turned around only to see fully clothed Miriette, who even called for him...

    |FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!|

 Chapter 89 - 24 - The Date Under The Moonlight (part 2)

    Zoemi lost the opportunity and he was not at all happy or relieved that it passed right by him ¨C but he was also a trained attendant, so he did not scowl in bitter disappointment and just took a few... a lot of deep breathes before his shadow enchantment faded and he could approach Miriette in a casual manner.

    As for the girl unaware about how close her dreams were about toe true...

    She looked stunning.

    The dress was adding charm to her slender figure and soft green slippers were finishing the attire.

    Then came the hairstyle - after the long debate it was decided that Miriette''s short hair will bebed to one side of the head and a green bow will be attached to the other.

    "Don''t you think it''s an overkill?"

    Miriette looked at her reflection in the mirror, very much unconvinced.

    "Mydy, you look stunning!"

    "...! I... I see. Good."

    Though the look was Zoemi''s personal preference, hispliment was the greatest prize for Miriette.

    After all, if Zoemi liked it, the dark-haired girl didn''t care about the opinion of others.

    Soon Miriette was all ready to go and the operation sneak-out could finally start.

    Neither the master nor the attendant could use magic for their aid to not be found out by the teachers, so Zoemi snuck out of the dormitory and came under the window of his master''s room.

    After he knocked on it, Miriette opened the window and sat on the windowsill ¨C even though it wasn''t high or anything, the dark-haired girl was careful about the dress so she didn''t jump right off and made sure that the fabric didn''t hook on anything before going down.

    In the middle of that motion, one of her slippers, well, slipped off, and fell next to Zoemi.

    "Zoemi can you see my shoe...?"

    Miriette whispered worried and Zoemi was reminded that she couldn''t see in the darkness.

    Well, to tell the truth, he never met any other magician who could see in the darkness without using an enchantment, but what was a spell for others has always been possible for the ck-haired boy, funnily enough, it was like that even before he awakened to magic.

    The ck-haired boy always connected it with his attribute but had no actual proof to back it up as he never met any other darkness magician.

    ---

    At the moment of their daring breakout, the moon was hidden behind a passing cloud and the night was dark ¨C not to mention seeing her shoe, Miriette could barely even see Zoemi or the ground beneath her.

    The ck-haired boy kneeled and picked up the shoe.

    "I''ve got it, mydy."

    He announced in a hushed voice.

    "Then put it back on!"

    Miriette was feeling ufortable - the windowsill was actually cold even though the night was pleasantly warm ¨C so she just wanted to get off of it as soon as possible.

    She started waving her leg impatiently too.

    "Hurry up, please!"

    She was moving her leg so much that she almost kicked Zoemi in the head.

    "M-mydy, could you stop moving your leg?"

    The ck-haired leaned to the side, dodging another unintentional kick, and asked.

    "Just put that stupid slipper back on my foot!"

    |Of course... This is the moment when her personality irs up...|

    Zoemi sighed and caught Miriette''s foot when it was passing inches from his face.

    "Ah...!"

    Miriette gasped from the unexpected touch and looked down.

    That moment the moon chose to peek through the clouds and bask in the world in its silvery light.

    "...ah...!"

    And this time Miriette gasped, not from the sudden contact but what view she had.

    Beneath Miriette, Zoemi was kneeling on one knee and holding her feet, his face close as if he was ready too...

    |It''s exactly like in those romance novels...!|

    Miriette held her breath.

    Meanwhile, Zoemi tried to put the slipper back on Miriette''s foot, and since she finally stopped moving, it was much easier.

    But before he could do it...

    "Wait...!"

    His master stopped him.

    "Mydy...?"

    He looked up and just like Miriette before he became stunned from the sight.

    In the moonlight, Miriette''s skin was shining mysteriously and her beautiful eyes were glistening.

    She looked like a fairy.

    Words got stuck in Zoemi''s throat.

    The master and the attendant looked at each other inplete silence.

    "Z-Zoemi..."

    Miriette was the first to break the stillness of the night with her voice.

    "K-kiss it... Like in the novels..."

    She blushed beautifully and moved her foot in Zoemi''s grasp.

    |Ah! The oath of eternal loyalty...!|

    Zoemi remembered well the first time he read about it, it was when he was reading the novel to his master when she was unwell.

    He gulped down his saliva and looked at the foot he was already holding.

    A small shapely foot still gave off the smell of the soap after the bath.

    The ck-haired boy felt it tremble into his grasp.

    |I-it''s nothing perverted! In this world, it''s a real oath like a knight pledging to protect thedy of his heart! Nothing else!|

    He tried to calm down his heart but it was beating like mad anyway.

    "..."

    After a few seconds of hesitation, he moved.

    Zoemi''s lips touched the top of Miriette''s foot.

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Miriette felt the lips of the man she loved on her skin and her body started burning up.

    |H-he''s mine... He''s mine...! Even if he doesn''t love me yet, he promised to be loyal to me forever... He is mine...!|

    The dark-haired girl thought to herself ecstatic.

    This was also the moment in which Zoemi looked up... and Miriette saw his eyes climb up from her foot, her shin, knee and higher and higher...!

    |Wait... I''m wearing a skirt... Oh god! Do I even have panties on!?|

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Miriette''s excitement changed into an embarrassment and she pushed her hand between her legs - sealing the possible view from the eyes of the boy beneath her.

    Zoemi looked up at his master and saw her embarrassed face.

    "...!"

    He himself blushed and hurriedly put the slipper on the foot he just kissed.

    |...No, wait... Of course, I am wearing them...! The white ones with the tiny ribbon...!|

    The panicked Miriette realized and rxed, breathing out a sigh of relief.

    As she cooled down her head, she made a dignified expression and reached her arms towards her attendant.

 Chapter 90 - 24 - The Date Under The Moonlight (part 3)

    "Zoemi, help me down."

    Miriette said calmly.

    "At once, mydy."

    The ck-haired boy with the ugly burn-scar disfiguring his right cheekplied and took lifted her from the cold windowsill.

    "...!"

    Just for a second, Miriette thought that Zoemi will hug her.

    It was only just a second, though.

    "Mydy, we should go, the prince must be waiting."

    "...ah... right..."

    Yes, for Zoemi, his master was always in the first ce.

    He realized that any feelings that he could harbor towards her might hinder her future happiness with the prince so he pushed them aside.

    Though when he was helping Miriette down, just for a second he really wanted to hug her.

    But he didn''t.

    His master happiness was in the first ce.

    Always.

    The two of them walked through the night and after a few minutes they reach the meeting ce. The first prince was already waiting for them.

    "My love."

    The prince smiled towards his fiance.

    "Zoemi."

    He waved his hand towards her attendant.

    ""My prince.""

    Miriette curtsied and Zoemi bowed his head since Horeo finally managed to convince him not to kneel down every time they saw each other.

    "Before we start, my love, can I have a quick talk with Zoemi?"

    |Since we must do this anyway, just give him to me for a moment, you cunning fox.|

    The gold-haired prince said but Miriette knew exactly what he really meant.

    "But of course."

    |Since we''re doing this anyway, here, know my greatness and kindheartedness, little prince.|

    It was the same for Horeo ¨C he also knew what the dark-haired girl truly meant behind herpliant words.

    As always, those twomunicated in their own way.

    With that, Horeo and Zoemi took a few steps back.

    "Zoemi, I have a favor to ask of you."

    The gold-haired boy asked.

    "My prince?"

    The ck-haired attendant raised his brow in confusion.

    "I need you to go somewhere for me."

    The prince''s expression was very serious.

    "But my prince, I can''t leave the two of you alone...! The protection...! And someone has to watch out for the teachers...!"

    Zoemi was flustered - his master''s happiness was the most important, but Horeo was a very important part of that exact happiness!

    As an attendant, Zoemie couldn''t just blow him off with a in old ''no''.

    "Zoemi, seriously. I got permission for this date from the headmaster! The teachers are actually watching us, so there''s no reason to be worried."

    "Huh...!?"

    Zoemi''s jaw dropped.

    The first prince... He came prepared better than Zoemi imagined!

    "Don''t worry, it will be romantic, h h h, and if you don''t tell her, she will think it''s all secretive while it''s totally safe. So about that favor..."

    Horeo waved his hand dismissively and faced with that Zoemi had no reason to refuse.

    If Miriette is safe and will be happy then the ck-haired boy felt that he can spare some time for Horeo who will keep making Miriette happy...

    A perfect circle.

    "I''ll help you to the best of my ability, my prince."

    The scarred attendant assured.

    "Perfect. First of all, I want you to answer a question."

    "I''m listening."

    Horeo became very serious and Zoemi nodded.

    "Do you think I''m a bad master for my attendants...?"

    "...huh...?"

    And Zoemi tripped even though he and the prince were standing in ce.

    "Excuse me?"

    The ck-haired boy asked in confusion.

    "Do you think I''m a bad master for my attendants?"

    Horeo repeated the question.

    "Of course, you are a great master, my prince! Where is that question evening from!?"

    The more Horeo talked, the fewer things Zoemi understood.

    "Well, Teo and Veo are acting a bit... Peculiar..."

    "...ohhh..."

    The first prince dered and Zoemi sighed - what those twins were doing? - and he even told them to keep their act together!

    "If I may, my prince, where did you even get those two from?"

    Zoemi asked in a tired voice but that made Horeo raise his brow.

    "Do you remember that one time when we were exploring the castle and we met the robbers in the pantry and you stopped me from punishing them?"

    The prince asked indifferently.

    "You wanted to shoot them with your light beam! Those poor girls were so skinny it made me remember how I was before... Oh, crap... those two... It''s them...? Teo and Veo are the two thieves from back then?"

    "Yeah, it''s them."

    Zoemi was shaken by the revtion and Horeo confirmed indifferently.

    "So you see, the thing is something must have happened, but I don''t know what I did! And before you think something stupid - no I never asked them to do anything perverted or derogatory."

    Hore exined and raised his hand, pointing his index finger at the ck-haired boy before he could say anything back.

    "I don''t know my prince... there was that one time when you ordered me to dry your body after the bath..."

    ...but Zoemi smirked and said something unnecessary anyway...

    "I was still seven years old back then and I honestly believed that was a normal thing to do! I would never ask a girl to do something so shameless now! And don''t bring up that story ever again!"

    Horeo got red from embarrassment and started talking very fast.

    "...whew..."

    Then he took a deep breath and continued.

    "So, I haven''t done anything stupid, I haven''t even thrown my clothes around or something simr. I don''t know what to do, so I want you to talk to them. As their fellow attendant maybe you can figure out what is bothering them. Please?"

    Horeo asked with a bothered expression ¨C and it was very clear that he cares about the girls very much.

    "Alright, my prince, first tell me what''s that peculiar behavior of theirs is."

    Zoemi nodded.

    "In the morning my breakfast was waiting for me outside my door and when I went to check on them the door to their room was closed and I heard them crying inside."

    "Oh..."

    The gold-haired prince exined and made Zoemi flinch.

    "I went to check on them a few times already and it''s still the same - only the crying isn''t so loud, as far as I know, they haven''t eaten anything either. Can you check up on them, I think they will talk to you since you''re their hero and all."

    Horeo dropped a bomb out of nowhere.

    "I''m their what!?"

    Zoemi asked, shaken to the core.

    "Their hero. They wanted to be attendants because of you and all. Please, Zoemi, to make up for doing something stupid I must first know what exactly have I done. You''re the only one I can count on in this situation...!"

    The prince even bowed his head to him and Zoemi felt terrible.

    |But I''m the reason they''re like that...|

    The back-haired boy reflected on what he said to Veo in the morning and a few things became clear.

    He hurt the twins.

    And taking it from Horeo''s words, the two girls were devastated.

    |I messed up... And those girls are my allies who, in the worst-case scenario, could help my master if just I wasn''t enough!|

    "My prince, if by any chance I''m not back before your date finishes..."

    "I''ll escort Miriette back to her room safe and sound. Don''t you worry, besides - the teachers are watching over the future royal couple, remember?"

    Horeo rxed now that he knew that Zoemi will help him.

    "Then I''ll be going, my prince. Have fun."

    "Good luck."

    Zoemi rushed to the dormitory and Horeo walked towards the Miriette.

    Lady Espine was looking down on him with a smug smile.

    How did she manage to look down on someone higher than her? It''s hard to tell. But she did.

    "..."

    Horeo looked at her and understood that he will be forced to listen to something great that happened between Miriette and Zoemi.

    "I''ll be jealous, won''t I?"

    He asked in a dispirited voice.

    "Oh, you''ll be SO jealous!"

    The dark-haired girl trembled from excitement and smiled mischievously.

 Chapter 91 - 25 - The Buried Memories Of The Twins (part 1)

    [Hello, now my name is Veo, I''m the older twin sister, I don''t remember the name our parents have originally given me.]

    {Hello, now my name is Teo, I''m the younger twin sister, I also don''t remember the name that our have given me }

    [Our first memories are of our house - a normal warm house - we had parents that loved us and we lived in a nice cozy vige far from therge cities of any of the kingdoms ¨C everyone there lived good, peaceful lives.]

    {But then something happened.}

    [Yes, something bad.]

    {Very bad.}

    [I remember the screamsing from the outside and mother''s scared face.]

    {I remember the stench of the nasty smoke, the loud sounds of explosions, and the hands of our father grabbing me.}

    {Father was very worried but he tried to look calm to not make us cry, didn''t he?}

    [Indeed, before he hid us in the cer under the floor and covered the entrance with the rug he said that everything will be alright and asked us to promise him not to cry until either he or mother wille back to get us out.]

    {They never did.}

    [No, they didn''t.]

    {They died.}

    [They were murdered.]

    {I don''t know how much time has passed but after onest terrifying explosion happened, there were no more sounds of battle, but everything was shaking.}

    [That was the moment when our house must have copsed.]

    {Indeed.}

    [The cer was so dark.]

    {Darkness is scary.}

    [Too scary.]

    {I don''t want to be locked up in the darkness ever again.}

    [After everything has calmed down, we broke our promise with father - we started crying... a lot...]

    {We huddled into each other arms and cried.}

    [I remember that something was dripping from the cer''s ceiling. At first, we thought that it was rain and the cer will fill up and will drown but that wasn''t it. It wasn''t raining. It wasn''t water. It had a metallic smell.]

    {It was blood.}

    [...]

    {It was blood from our parents'' crushed bodies.}

    [...]

    {We don''t know how much time has passed, but we were so weak by that point...}

    [...I hated that cer, I wanted to get out! But the only exit was blocked. I hated the earth that was surrounding us! Why won''t it move and let us out!]

    {Indeed. I felt the same.}

    [So. in the burst desperation, we ordered the earth that was trapping us to move away.]

    {And it listened to us.}

    [On the verge of death, we awaken to magic.]

    {We got out but...}

    [The vige where we lived was destroyed - everything was burned down to the ground or destroyed in many other ways. There were ice spears, asrge as trees, slowly melting down. And boulders the size of horsesying around where they should not be... No one except the two of us was left alive...]

    {We searched for food but before we could find anything we heard the voices of a group of people - they were talking in anguage we did not understand, so we got scared and ran to cover.}

    [But there was nowhere to hide.]

    {So we used magic again and started digging a tunnel.}

    [We went deep. Deeper and deeper into the earth.]

    {And it was dark.}

    [And we were hungry.]

    {Before long, we were dying of thirst.}

    [We lost our way, we weren''t even sure about which way was up and which way was down - we confused left with right... We must have had to dig around in circles many, many times.]

    {Once we found a water source, and we were spared from dying just for another awfully short period of time.}

    [Mmm... I can still remember it... That water was tasty...]

    {Indeed.}

    [But we were still hungry.]

    {We were so hungry that when we found some worms burrowing through the earth - we ate them without hesitations.}

    [They wriggled in my mouth, I almost puked.]

    {But you ate them in the end, and so did I. But they were so gross...}

    [Indeed.]

    {And we ate that mole that entered our tunnel too.}

    [The raw meat felt disgusting, the bones almost broke my teeth... it felt so disgusting...]

    {But it was food.}

    [Sustenance.]

    {We had to do eat it to survive.}

    [And so we did.]

    {And we did survive, so it didn''t go to waste.}

    [Remember? There was that one time when we found our way out from inside the earth.]

    {I remember. We dug ourselves from the soil but when we came out, it was so horribly cold... everything was white and blinding.}

    [It was freezing.]

    {The first time we experienced winter and ice, besides seeing the ice spears in our vige.}

    [Indeed, a horrible first impression.]

    {So we came back to earth where it was warmer and safer. And we continued to live there.}

    [After some more time has passed we came outside again.]

    {That time it was pleasantly warm.}

    [And we even saw some other people.]

    {I tried calling out to them, but where they saw us they started screaming.}

    [They threw stones at us.]

    {It hurt, one of them hit my head.}

    [I got angry and ordered the earth to hit them too.]

    {Their screams became just like the screams we''ve heard back in our vige, so we got scared, and run back inside the earth.}

    [We circled through the ground, finding food and water... we havepletely lost track of time by that point. It was just an endless circle of darkness and digging.]

    {Then it happened.}

    [...it did...]

    {We were digging through some soft earth when our tunnel copsed.}

    [The earth fell on my arms and crushed them, my bones broke like dry twigs. It hurt... It hurt so much... I haven''t even thought about using my magic - I was just screaming and yelling in pain like a mindless animal.]

    {I had to save you, I used all the magic I had to free your hands and made a safe cave for us to rest. But then my mana has run dry and I copsed.}

    [My mana was drained out of me, so I copsed too.]

    {Your screams woke me up.}

    [I remember only pain.]

    {I wanted to be a good little sister so I searched for water and food and cared for you.}

    [I remember only pain.]

    {Your arms were twisted and bent in weird directions, so I tried to fix them the best I could.}

    [I remember only pain.]

    {That time felt longer than anything before.}

 Chapter 92 - 25 - The Buried Memories Of The Twins (part 2)

    [One day, I finally came to my senses and realized that I can''t move my arms... at all... I could barely feel with them and could make them swing if I moved my torso, but nothing more than that. I was scared. I cried. I felt so helpless in the darkness. But I had you to help me.]

    {Indeed}.

    [By that point magic has saved us many times already, so I tried to make my hands move with magic. I focused my mind and let the mana fill my useless broken limbs.]

    {And you seeded.}

    [Almost. Not exactly though... Not the way I wished for. I could move my arms but they felt alien. As if they didn''t fully belong to me, I couldn''t move my fingers the same way as before either.]

    {But after you managed to make your arms move with magic, your control over mana and power of the spells became a lot better than mine.}

    [Indeed.]

    {I still am jealous of how good you are with it.}

    [And I am jealous that you are able to do all those detailed motions with your fingers, and that you can hug someone without killing them ¨C although, you almost did seriously harm sir Zoemi before, while hugging him.]

    {...Apologies... sorry for saying something stupid.}

    [¡­]

    {I really am sorry, can we go back to our story?}

    [¡­]

    {¡­}

    [...fine... Then, three years ago - when we decided to check the outside world once again, we have ended up in paradise!]

    {There was food - real food ¨C everywhere around us!}

    [Forgetting ourselves in this heaven above the earth, we started stuffing our mouth with every possible delicacy in our reach.]

    {Then the door opened and two boys entered, they must have been rmed by the noise that we were making.}

    [One with gold hair and the other with ck hair. Both looking at us with shock.]

    {The ck-haired one had a swirly burn-mark on one side of his face and was looking very scary.}

    [The gold one shouted something at us, he seemed to be very upset, and he pointed his hand at us.]

    {We understood his words.}

    [It was thenguage of our parents.]

    {He called us robbers}.

    [And that he was going to dispose of dirty scoundrels like us.]

    {Kill us.}

    [Were we supposed to die there?]

    {Just like our parents, back in our vige?}

    [I wasn''t going to back down and chose to fight back.]

    {And I chose to run...}

    [But in the end, there was no need for either of us to do anything.]

    {The scary-looking boy grabbed the gold boy''s hand and stood in front of him, blocking the two of us with his own body.}

    [And the things he was saying.... were... good ¨C for the two of us.]

    {He was scolding the prince.}

    [He was protecting us.]

    {He wasn''t scared of us.}

    [He wanted to help us.]

    {After he offered his helping hand to us, things started happening so fast that we barely remember half of it.}

    [We were fed, bathed, and fed again. We were put to bed that was so soft it felt like we were sinking.]

    {Our scary-looking savior visited us a few times. He told us that everything will be fine now ¨C he told us that we don''t have to be scared.}

    [He understood us.]

    {We asked him about who he was.}

    [And he said that he was Zoemi Auequas the attendant ofdy Miriette Lisea Espine.]

    {after that, we have asked him many other questions and he answered all of them with a smile.}

    [But Zoemi had to return to his master and couldn''t stay with us forever.]

    {But we wanted to be with him!}

    [He was simr to us! We wanted to be near him!]

    {And he protected us!}

    [We wanted to be just like him.]

    {And so, when some people we didn''t know came to us and asked us what we would want to do from now on, we said that we wanted to be attendants!}

    [We thought that if we be attendants then we will be able to be together with our savior!]

    {Then the gold boy, who Zoemi called a prince, returned and after hearing our wish, he dered that he wants us to be his attendants, and everyone in the room bowed to him.}

    [The gold-haired boy really was the prince.]

    {He would be our master, even though I was very scared of him at the beginning.}

    [He did try to kill us.]

    {But that didn''t stop you from starting to like him.}

    [...noment...]

    {Fine. And so, our training began.}

    [I couldn''t move my hands very well, so I could only do a bare minimum of the housework and often destroyed the thing that I was currently holding because I misjudged the amount of strength I was using because of the power of my enchantments - that allowed me to use my hands ¨C was greater than average earth magician''s.

    {I could do all the chores perfectly, but I was very crude with my magic.}

    [I could use magic so well that our teacher became surprised, he even called for someone smarter to check up on us.]

    {It was someone important - a man called Lazaram. He tested us with some crystals and he was surprised.}

    [Wery surprised - it turned out that the two of us share a singr mana pool - and the two of us have the strength of an average water magician ¨C we were transcended magicians.]

    {The shared mana reservoir exined why when I used all of my magic you''ve also passed out from the mana depletion back when our tunnel copsed.}

    [Indeed.]

    {Apparently, the shared mana pool was something that never happened before, and even someone called the headmaster of the Aspaceony Academy came to take a look at us.}

    [The person from the Academy had this creepy feeling around him.]

    {There was something wrong with him as if he was merely a puppet steered by somebody else from the inside.}

    [But he was nice. He said that if we want to, we could enroll in his academy and learn to control our magic there.]

    {The Lazaram person used another crystal to check our age and said we were fourteen, almost perfect age for enrolling.}

    [That also surprised him.]

    {He said we look younger.}

    [Our savior and the gold boy were twelve, they were younger.]

    {We refused. We wanted to be attendants, to meet with our savior again.}

    [My prince overheard that and promised that he will get us the best teachers to learn everything we need, and assured us that when we be his attendants ¨C we would be able to often meet with our savior!]

    {Your prince...?}

    [...noment...]

    {Anyway - he wasn''t lying.}

    [But first, we had toplete the training. until then. we could only watch the gold-haired prince, our ck-haired savior, and the dark-haired girl, from the window of the room we had our lessons.

    {And then, after the long wait, we finally got to be with him!}

    [He called me a good girl and patted my head!]

    {Me too!}

    [...]

    {...}

    [But... But now...]

    {Sir Zoemi is mad at us...!}

    [I''ve failed him! I''m not a real attendant! I can''t do any chores because of my hands! I''m not a good girl at all!]

    {I''ve hurt him! I''m a bad attendant that can''t hold back her emotions! And I did other mean things to someone else too...! I''m not a good girl at all!}

    [...wait, what...? What did you do?!]

    {It''s not important now ¨C our problem is that sir Zoemi...}

    [Indeed...]

    The tears of the twins just wouldn''t stop flowing...

    "We failed sir Zoemi, Veo..."

    Cried the younger twin.

    "He hates us now, Teo..."

    The older twin teared up.

    Two short brown-haired girls were lying on a bed in a well-lit room sealed from the outside world.

    They were holding each other hands and sobbing.

 Chapter 93 - 26 - The Good News, The Bad News, Also, A Few Mistakes (part 1)

    Zoemi was walking through the dormitory with a worried expression.

    This situation wasn''t something he wasfortable with.

    After all, with how his character was, he would alwayse out as rude to people other than his master, unless he was extremely cautious around them.

    So the thing that happened with the twins wasn''t that unexpected...

    But it was extremely unweed.

    |I only hope that everything goes well for Miriette.|

    He thought to himself, worried that the first prince Horeo will not be as invested in his date with Mireitte as he should be because he would be worried about his two attendants.

    "Tsk..."

    He clicked his tongue while passing by the doors of students'' rooms lined up on both sides of the hallway.

    "No, I have nothing to do with that!"

    "..."

    One of the rooms was not closed - there was a crack left open by the door and an annoyed voice wasing out of it.

    "That''s why you called for me, Su? Seriously?"

    "?!?!!?"

    If this was any other conversation involving any normal student, Zoemi would just pass right by while looking away and doing his best to not overhear anything he wasn''t supposed to - but this time it was different ¨C mainly because of who the two people having a conversation were.

    So, the scarred attendant stopped and stood by the door in silence...

    "...muffle..."

    No, Zoemi did even more than that - he pointed his index finger at himself and cast the silencing spell so that he would not be able to produce a sound that could rm the people inside about his presence...

    "I thought that we were friends!"

    It was definitely the voice of the green-haired capture target, the rowdy prankster and the son of a country''s treasurer, Reo - but what was more important, he was talking to someone about whom Zoemi had a sneaking suspicion was rather a reincarnation just like him, or at least a very suspicious individual.

    "Is it so weird? You are pulling shit like that every day, and you are still surprised that I question you when someone causes trouble left and right?"

    It was the blue-haired second prince, Surou, the younger brother of Horeo, and the capture target whose rout has been elerated to an outrageous degree.

    "Every day? Give me a break!

    Reo scoffed angrily.

    "First of all, I''m not strong enough to punch through a desk like that! Remember? I''m an average wind magician, not the overpowered transcended one likedy Espine! Second of all, why would I even bother going pranking a girl that I barely even seen since the beginning of the year?"

    Reo added.

    "And third of all ¨C I do pranks, the most that ever happened was there''s moreundry to do ¨C I never did and never will threaten death upon anyone else!"

    The green-haired capture target ended his countdown sounding absolutely furious that such a thing as suggesting him threatening others was directed towards his person.

    "...!"

    As for the final reason for what Zoemi decided to eavesdrop - his master''s name was mentioned in that heated conversation ¨C Reo mentioned her in the heat of the moment but now Zoemi had to make sure that it will not be taken out of context by Surou.

    "...shadow connect..."

    Since the visuals would be nice too, Zoemi whispered the incantation, and a thin hair-like shadow shoot from his foot, right under the door and inside the well-lit room where it connected with the shadow under the bed, causing the said shadow to be his own

    With that, Zoemi could see what was happening on the inside.

    The green-haired Reo was standing up in the center of the room and the blue-haired second prince Surou was sitting on a chair with his legs leaning against the desk.

    Even though it was Reo''s room the second prince was clearly the one in charge there.

    "Rks, I was just making sure. So you aren''t the one to bully my Buru, right?"

    Surou asked moving his hand to the side.

    "Of course not!"

    The green-haired second year scoffed and crossed his arms, ring angrily at the second prince.

    "Then what about today? The whole dirt and mud spread all over half of the academy''s dryingundry? It wasn''t one of your pranks hitting her as coteral? It sounds right up your alley."

    The blue-haired boy shrugged waving his hand dismissively before raising his brow and leaning towards the green-haired youth.

    "Nope, I eased up on therge-scale jokes -st time I did something involving a crowd, I almost got messed up by that asshole Xeonith! Imagine that! Heunched the stone barrage at me! Me! His childhood friend! Gosh! How he changed since we entered the academy - we barely became the second years and all of a sudden he thinks he is such a big shot... "

    Reo frowned and shook his head while making a bitter expression.

    "Anyway, I''m keeping a low profile..."

    "...huh..."

    He added with a scoff and Surou breathed out...

    The scene looked like one of the low-level workers was reporting to his superior.

    Both Reo and Surou seemed to be equally flustered although for very different reasons.

    "Xeonith you say...? I haven''t thought about him..."

    Surou raised his brows in realization, nodding to himself ¨C before he suddenly chuckled and nced at the green-hair sophomore.

    "But besides that, did your daddy issue get better?"

    He asked mockingly.

    "That''s none of your business, prince!"

    Surou hit him in the sore spot and Reo snapped.

    "Pffft...! Hahaha!"

    But the second prince onlyughed and waved his hand.

    "Don''t mind me, I''m just joking with you."

    He still sounded jeering, but then his expression got serious.

    "Tell me, as someone with experience of pranking and setting up traps, do you think that what happened today to my girl was an ident, or not?"

    The blue-haired second prince leaned forward and rested his chin on his fist while staring at the green-haired boy.

    "..."

    Reo was keeping silent and squinting his eyes at the second prince for a few seconds but soon he gave up with a sigh.

    "In my opinion... based on what you told me earlier, that is - That''s not a coincidence at all unless that girl is the unluckiest person in the world."

    "...!"

    "...!"

    Both Surou and Zoemi flinched at Reo''s words.

    "Exin why exactly ¨C or is that just a hunch?."

    Surou hurried the green-haired sophomore.

 Chapter 94 - 26 - The Good News, The Bad News, Also, A Few Mistakes (part 2)

    "It doesn''t take a genius to figure that out. First of all, her rm clock broke and she almost overslept because of that. Right?"

    The green-haired Surou shrugged his shoulders and pointed out.

    "Wait, that''s your reason? A broken rm clock?"

    The blue-haired second prince scoffed rolling his eyes.

    "My prince, you do know that the magic crystal rm clocks should technically be faultless, right?"

    Reo shook his head at Surou''s weak reaction.

    "What? But they break all the time! I had at least four of them that have simply broken out of nowhere!"

    Surou waved his hands dismissively,pletely unconvinced.

    "No, no, no, my prince."

    Reo wagged his finger at him.

    "You or one of your servants have broken all of them, by ident of course."

    He dered with a cunning smile.

    "Huh?"

    Surou frowned and leaned back, furrowing his brows in confusion.

    "You see the magic crystal rm clocks have amon issue, as the appliances that are meant for the use in the households and not in the battlefields - they break when there is an offensively charged mana within four feet radius."

    Reo straightened his back and revealed with a big old smile on his face.

    "Huh...? So they break if someone uses an attack spell near them?"

    Surou asked, looking for a confirmation.

    "Or enchantment that raises strength. Yes."

    ...and a confirmation he received...

    But with that information is thrown into the mix, one thing became clear.

    Burushiitto''s rm clock shouldn''t break, ever. Period. As a variant magician with the healing attribute, she didn''t have any offensive spells. And the one-meter radius thing...

    "But that means that someone would have to either enter her room...|

    Surou''s expression darkened at the thought...

    "Or someone would have to use the attack spell right by the outside wall of the dormitory!"

    The blue-haired boy raised his brows and nodded to himself,ing to the same conclusion as Zoemi standing outside the room.

    "You get it now? I learned that info by ident and used that trick when I was a freshman to break the rm clocks of Xeonith and Arisu ¨C and, like one-fourth of the students in my year. Good times... I was caught though because I was walking wobbly from the mana depletion."

    Reo nodded with a satisfied smile and giggled at the apparently good memory he had.

    "Alright, then let''s assume that the rm clock breaking on Buru was a diversion - what about the rest?"

    Surou didn''t allow for the subject-changing trip down the memoryne.

    "Messing up theundry is a ssic. I have done it myself at least seven or eight times and no one even knew it was me."

    Reo waved his hand dismissively.

    "But it is possible to pinpoint whoseundry is it?"

    The blue-haired second prince inquired, raising his brow.

    "And do you think that every girl in the school has exactly the same set of underwear? Or that everything is washed together without actually separating the clothes of every single person? The staff at the academy isn''t irvoyant, they do not magically remember every single shirt or pair of pants and know whose are whose."

    The green-haired Reo scoffed, shaking his head over the second prince.

    "...Forget that I asked..."

    Surou blushed a little, thinking about Burushitto''s underwear.

    "And for the tripping part - before you say anything else - yes, it is actually easy to foresee that someone will cut through thewn if they''rete. Literally, everyone does that, hell, I once saw the principal beelining it right across the grass without any shame!"

    The green-haired prankster dered decisively in a confident voice.

    "So, who could be responsible for messing with my Buru... in your opinion?"

    Surou''s question caused a pause in Reo''s rant.

    "...hmm..."

    The green-haired sophomore covered his mouth with one hand deep in thoughts.

    "Honestly? It could be anyone. Even fire magicians could pull off tripping someone without actually burning them as long as they had enough control over their spells. But most likely it was an earth magician or someone trying to pose as an earth magician."

    In the end, the green-haired boy looked up at Surou and answered.

    "Their physical augmentation enchants are both strong and stealthy enough to not get anyone''s attention while they are standing by the wall of the dormitory ¨C with the only indicator of them doing something being the light of the enchantment and nothing else. Throwing mud on theundry couldn''t be easier if you literally control earth with yours spells. And the easiest way of tripping someone is making a pebble suddenly get in their way causing their fall. Yeah, earth magician for sure."

    Reo exined, counting down on his fingers while looking the blue-haired second prince in the eyes.

    "..."

    "...?"

    ...an increasingly visibly furious blue-haired second prince...

    "I knew that Xeonith was looking strangely at my Buru! That transcended bastad!"

    Suddenly, Surou shouted and smashed his fist against the desk!

    "What...? Where did you get Xeonith into the mix? I mean, I told you that he''s been a major stick in the mud recently ¨C but that something that speaks in his favor... You know that he is, like, super upright, right? He cares for his opinion way too much."

    Reo was taken aback by the second prince''s behavior, and hurriedly waved both of his arms in denial

    "No you don''t get it - that''s exactly the reason! He can''t stand that I''m together with amoner girl so he bullies her! Or he is jealous that she isn''t interested in him!"

    The blue-haired second prince dered with an angry scowl.

    "...Seriously, Surou...?"

    Reo just looked at him with his brows raised in confusion and muttered.

    "Then, if it''s not him - it must be that darkness attribute brat! The darkness magicians are all perverts anyway - he might be bullying my poor Buru just to get off to her suffering! Or maybe it''s his master''s idea! That Miriette is just like my brother, selfish and...!"

    "Alright, that''s enough!"

    Surou was getting heated up but Reo suddenly stepped in and cut him off.

    "This is my room and in my room, we don''t insult or nder the pride and idol of every freaking wind magician in the kingdom! Nor her trusted attendant who is a very nice guy who helped me out when I was in trouble ¨C which cannot be said about you! My prince, it''s been a pleasure, but it''s alreadyte and I don''t want to waste your precious time! Goodnight!"

    The green-thread boy got actually angry and was chasing the second prince away...!

    "The hell do you mean!?"

    Surou was bbergasted at Reo''s sudden outburst.

    "I mean for you to leave my room because I want to go to sleep, my prince!"

    "..."

    Zoemi used that moment to retract his shadow connect and get away from the room as fast as he could.

    |The second prince is already head over heels for the heroine and I need to watch out for him... still, it doesn''t actually look like he knows about the events and the storyline, but he might be just ying around, he might be a problem anyway...|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself while turning the corner.

    |Sitll, surprisingly, Reo might turn out to be an ally!|

    Zoemi thought with delight - from the game, he knew that the green-haired capture target respected the dark-haired viiness ¨C because the transcended magicians were treated like celebrities amongst the mages of the same attribute - but in his case, it seemed almost like a revere.

    |A pride and idol, huh... And he called me a good guy too... I knew he was the best boy all along!|

    The ck-haired attendant thought to himself and chuckled.

    Thankfully, the overheard conversation wasn''t consisting of bad news only.

 Chapter 95 - 26 - The Good News, The Bad News, Also, A Few Mistakes (part 3)

    Thanks to the overheard situation, Zoemi''s mood was lifted momentarily...

    ...right until he reached the twin''s room...

    At first, nothing seemed to be out of the norm, but when the ck-haired boy knocked on the door and there was absolutely no answer he furrowed his brows.

    |Are they asleep...?|

    Zoemi thought furrowing his brows ¨C if so it was better to return there the next day, but since he promised the prince to look into it as soon as possible, that option didn''t seem that great to him.

    So, just to make sure they aren''t simply ignoring him ¨C or need help because for example they sealed themselves with earth spells and have run out of air to breathe...

    "...sssssssss..."

    The ck-haired attendant exhaled in concentration, for the first time trying to consciously use the odd shadow enchantment that to his knowledge he had pulled off at least twice already in a situation dangerous situation.

    His eyes stopped turned lifeless and he let his mind sink into the morbid darkness...

    |Just like before... the sea of shadows dancing around in an endless spectacle...|

    The scarred boy thought to himself, staying perfectly still in the absolute silence that truly didn''t fit any living organism...

    And then...

    Even in the hallway light up by sparse magic crystalmps giving out a dim light so as to not disturb the student''s rest, Zoemi''s body suddenly a thinyer of murky shadow appeared on the body of the ck-haired boy, and he felt his senses heightening to an almost ridiculous degree...

    "We failed sir Zoemi, Veo..."

    "He hates us now, Teo..."

    "...!"

    There really was the sound of sobbinging from the inside!

    The muffled voices of the twins were, silent but Zoemi could hear their weak whispers!

    |...Crap... Horeo wasn''t overreacting...|

    Zoemi''s hand froze with his palm against the door, and his expression soured.

    How should he go about the situation? How to make them talk with him... Will they even respond this time?

    In the end, the ck-haired boy nodded to himself with a serious expression - there really was no need for any roundabout tricks.

    Zoemi''s name was mentioned, so it was rather obvious to conclude that the twins were worried about failing him...

    ...why did they act like that was very confusing for the oblivious ck-haired boy...

    BUT!

    The answer for that was simple, right?

    He should just tell them that he doesn''t hate them, and everything should return to normal!

    That should do the trick...

    Or not...

    In the first ce, he didn''t say anything that would...

    "..."

    No, no, -wait - yes, he did say something that could upset them both to that degree...

    |What am I supposed to do now...?|

    He shook his head, the only person who never experienced his cold personality was Miriette around whom Zoemi was trying his best to appear as the perfect attendant ¨C with everyone else, the limit of his kindness varied with how close he felt he was with the other person.

    People around him seeing his behavior towards his dark-haired master often misunderstood that he was a straight-up meek and kindhearted person, which couldn''t be farther away from the truth...

    People who thought like that would sooner orter meet with Zoemi''s real personality hidden beneath theyer of loyalty and devotion.

    ...just how it was with the twin attendants of the first prince Horeo...

    |No, I have to at least try! If Horeo''s heart will be disturbed by the behavior of those girls, the heroine might find a crack and slip her way in, pushing out Miriette!|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows in a rather one-sided realization and gritted his teeth, steeling himself for what was toe and knock at the door.

    "...!"

    "...!"

    The crying stopped ¨C and that meant that the girls were hearing him ¨C and must have heard his nocking the first time...

    "It''s me, Zoemi."

    The ck-haired boy breathed out to try and stay calm while sounding friendly and approachable.

    "Hey, listen... I''m sorry that I was mean to you both, alright? I don''t hate you or anything ¨C so... you know... return to doing your damn jobs, maybe?"

    ...Sigh...

    ...Rember the limit for the kindness that Zoemi had?

    Just keep in mind that he also often sounded rude even when he didn''t mean to...

    Not realizing his coarse words, the ck-haired boy continued...

    "After all, an attendant should always serve their master, something that you suddenly stopped doing ¨C clearly without informing the first prince since he came to me to ask what was wrong with the two of you..."

    ...Zeomi had to pause because he felt the anger building up inside of him, thinking about the date he had set up for his master and which might be ruined because Horeo''s mind might be bothered by the twins instead of his fiancee...!

    "So... Tsk... Maybe you let me in and we will talk about what''s bothering you or something? Your master is worried about you, you, know, as an attendant its ba... EKHM!"

    He realized that his speech started sounding like scolding so he stopped himself.

    "You know what I mean...!"

    On the other side of the door, Teo and Veo were looking at each other with despair.

    "W-we disappointed sir Zoemi...!"

    Teo was sobbing with her head stuffed in a pillow to silence herself.

    "Sir Zoemi, we are so, so sorry...!"

    Veo was the one to respond to Zoemi''s words.

    "You don''t have to be sorry, just do your job!"

    Zoemi exined in the calmest manner he could, intending to convince the girls to cheer up... but that didn''t exactly work out as the sudden loud wail and continuous crying showed him, that he has failed the negotiations...

    "Hey...! What happened!? Are you alright in there? Should Ie in?"

    Now, on top of his own worries, Zoemi became worried about the girls too - maybe the twins were hurt and couldn''t leave on their own!?

    "Hey! Respond!"

    The ck-haired boy knocked on the door a lot harder than the first time.

    "You alright in there!?"

    He called out, but only illegible crying responded to him.

    "Say something!"

    He shouted and mmed his fist against the door leaving a dent in the wood, but that only caused the crying to get muffled instead.

    |Screw this!|

    He thought to himself, gritting his teeth.

    If those two idiots did something dumb and are in need of help he must do something!

    "Shadow connect!"

    He said and a hair-like shadow shot out from below his foot.

    "...?"

    But his shadow suddenly bounced off of the door...!

    "Huh....?"

 Chapter 96 - 26 - The Good News, The Bad News, Also, A Few Mistakes (part 4)

    Zoemi concentrated and the thin thread of shadow tried to slide under the door again, But it simply couldn''t find a way in...!

    "What the hell...?"

    The confused Zoemi got on all fours and looked under the door, to check how was that even possible...

    "!!!"

    But the space between the door and the floor that should be free to allow the smooth movement of the door waspletely blocked off by something!

    The ck-haired boy reached out and dragged his finger along the barrier''s surface and dropped his index finger and thumbs together...

    ...the barrier was made out of the soil...

    "Sealed with earth magic!?"

    Zoemi eximed and gritted his teeth.

    Was this supposed to be some kind of joke?!

    "..."

    The scarred attendant, scowling furiously, rose to his feet and put his hand to the keyhole, aiming to guide his shadow that way but as soon as his finger covered the space that should be empty to allow for the key to enter, Zoemi felt the same soil crumbling down under his touch...

    The keyhole was also sealed!

    "What''s the meaning of this!? Teo! Veo! Are you two alright in there!? Did someone hurt you!?"

    In Zoemi''s mind, the behavior of the twins was too much for just sulking about him implying that they are useless.

    Zoemi didn''t know the twin''s story and wasn''t aware of how important he was to them, after all ¨C since neither of them ever told him the entire thing to him.

    "Hey!"

    The ck-haired boy mmed at the door, now actually pale, imagining the scenario where the twins sealed themselves offpletely and were slowly suffocating in the space with the constantly decreased amount of oxygen.

    "Respond, you idiots!"

    In his mind, Zoemi was picturing two short brown-haired girls in terrible condition - incapacitated or badly hurt by some unknown threat and sealed in the room with no means of getting help.

    |If there is no space to let my shadow slip in, I just have to create it...!|

    He squinted his lifeless eyes and raised his hand.

    "Darkness de."

    He murmured and a murky and somewhat unstable de of dirty-looking darkness grew out from the base of his palm.

    Without any hesitation he leaned down and stabbed into, cutting through the blockade without the slightest difficulty.

    ¡­ but the earth barrier was too thick and his spell didn''t manage to pierce through it...

    "...damn it...! You fucking Morons! I swear, you better leave some air vents or if I will find you both dead then I will...! Ah...! The window!"

    Zoemi growled, mming against the twins'' door once more before his eyes widened with realization that the door wasn''t the only possible way of entering the room...!

    He instantly rushed to the closest exit...

    "Would you shut up I''m trying to... AH!"

    But then a door to one of the rooms he was passing suddenly opened and a blue-haired girl in a pink nigh-gown came out with an angry expression, right in front of the running ck-haired boy...!

    "...!"

    Zoemi flinched and almost fell down trying to decelerate while hurriedly releasing the darkness de spell so that the girl wouldn''t find him as some suspicious threat...

    Her name was Sifra Ralia, she scratched her head and clicked her tongue, and looked up at the noisy person, breathing heavily after stopping maybe one or two feet before her.

    "...nnn...? Eh...? EEEEHHHH?!"

    And then she realized to whom she wasining...

    "...good evening..."

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    A very angry-looking ck-haired ssmate of hers - the one with a terrifying scar deforming his face.

    Just like her, he was a lower noble without a middle name, but since he was an attendant to thedy Espine who was the first prince''s fiancee, it was clear who was in the higher position.

    And it was worth mentioning how absolutely horrifying the ck-haired boy was looking at the moment, even without any visible spells active?

    |Ah...! Wait, her room is right by the twins'', maybe she knows something?|

    Zoemi thought to himself and did his best topose himself and straightened his back.

    "Excuse me, but, do you know did something happen to the girls who live there...?"

    The scarred attendant asked in a rather hoarse voice while having trouble staying calm considering that he thought that Teo and Veo''s lives might be in danger...

    "...!"

    But in response, the girl wanted to take a step back and shut her door and hide under her nket as soon as possible, but that super scary ssmate of her was right in front of her and she realized that her legs turned into jelly and she was unable to move at all, frozen by fear.

    "...ummm... sorry if I scared you... It''s okay if you don''t know, sorry to bother you."

    "N-no...! Don''t hurt me, please...!"

    Zoemi raised his hand apologetically but Sifra mistook it for an aggressive gesture and cried in terror before slumping down to the floor in tears.

    And her nightgown slipped a bit off of her shoulders...

    "Hurt you...? Miss, are you feeling alright...?!"

    Zoemi flinched, shocked by the girl suddenly falling down on her butt and saying something very confusing, so in the end, he offered her a helping hand so she could get up and he could be on his way... but that wasn''t how it looked for the panicked girl...

    "No...!"

    Sifra cried out while covering her breasts protectively before she crawled back to her room on all fours.

    *WHAM*

    "...huh...?"

    Zoemi blinked repeatedly staring dumbfounded at the door that the girl has mmed in his face, followed by the sound of the key turning in the lock sounding especially loud in the dark night.

    |Oh, crap...! I must have freaked her out...!|

    After spending over half of his mana on the shadow enchantment and the darkness de, Zoemi''s brain was rather fuzzy making him connect the dots a bit slower than normal, but even with that he felt bad about giving a scare to the innocent bystander, he was quite sure was his ssmate too...

    Still... he never really talked to her, making her basically a stranger - and Teo and Veo might have needed his help...!

    ...though that misunderstanding was resolved very fast...

    "Sir Zoemi...! W-we are fine... We''re just too ashamed to meet you... Please... We''re sorry, you don''t have to worry about us...!"

    "....!"

 Chapter 97 - 26 - The Good News, The Bad News, Also, A Few Mistakes (part 5)

    The door to the twin''s room opened and Veo with her eyes red from tears leaned out and bowed her head to the stunned Zoemi.

    "I-indeed...!"

    Teo was clinging to her older sister''s back but ended up ncing at the ck-haired boy and nodded in confirmation...

    The very girls he was worried sick told him they just don''t want to see him.

    Zoemi wanted to hide his face in his hands.

    |Then why didn''t you say so sooner!|

    He wanted to scream but... He already caused way too much of a mess already ¨C now was the time for damage control.

    "Don''t close that stupid door yet!"

    "...!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi raised his hand pointing at the twins which made them flinch but they actually didn''t back off and stayed in ce - with very guilty expressions on their faces.

    Then, the ck-haired boy came over and red down at them.

    "I want to let you know that I am furious at both of you!"

    "!!!"

    He announced, watching the two girls tremble and lower their heads with tearful eyes.

    "I am furious, but I don''t hate you, and you definitely didn''t fail me or anything, alright?"

    Zoemi scoffed and reached out, touching both of their heads and tousling their short brown hair.

    "!!!!!!!"

    They trembled but say nothing too confused about what was happening.

    "I am not some sort of a holy person, alright? I am actually quite bad. Don''t put me on a pedestal that I do not deserve, because you will get disappointed. I tend to lose my temper rather easily, but as long as you don''t hurt my master or anyone else close to me, I will never hate you for real. So calm down. Take a day or two off topose yourselves and rest, and after that, I want to see both of you back in business, alright?"

    The ck-haired boy exined, looking expectantly at the twins, and judging by the color of their ears and necks, the two of them were blushing, which was ¨C probably ¨C a good sigh.

    "Now, go back to sleep and in case you want to seal yourselves off from the world again, at least leave some air vents so that I will not have to worry myself to death."

    He added, moving his hands from the girl''s heads to their shoulders, spinning them around, and giving them a gentle push on the back, back into their room.

    "Goodnight, my fellow idiots."

    He waved at them and smirked.

    "...goodnight..."

    "...night... thank you..."

    The girls responded timidly before he closed the door, which made them actually feel a lot better.

    When he walked down the hallway he nced at Sifra''s door...

    Zoemi knew that he will have to say sorry to that girl tomorrow in the ssroom...

    "...hmm..."

    Maybe he should ask Patishi to help him bake some cookies for her as an apology for scaring her so much for nothing...?

    That should work, after all, Patishi''s cooking was the best!

    "Oh well... I''ll have to wake up so much earlier..."

    He smiled to himself with satisfaction ¨C the first prince''s request waspleted and his master''s safety was assured...

    Since he got quite lightheaded because of using a lot of his mana, he decided to call it a day as he was afraid that he would say something rude even to his master.

    And that wasn''t something that he could allow himself to do.

    The ck-haired boy walked through the corridor with a spring in his step and a good feeling in his heart.

    The night started very sweet, then there was a troublesome moment, but in the end, everything was on a good path~!

    ...or so he naively thought...

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Meanwhile, back in her room, Sifra Ralia was trembling, hiding in her bed.

    "...uuu..."

    She cried ou, nervously lowering her nket to see whether the scary ssmate of her didn''t break into her room, and breathed out in relief once she made sure that he wasn''t there ¨C the blue-haired girl considered for a second whether she should go back and check whether went away or not, but she didn''t dare to leave the safety of her bed.

    "(Knock-knock~ Sifra, are you awake?)"

    "KYAAAH!"

    The the-blue-haired girl suddenly heard a voice inside her head and let out a panicked scream before she recognized themunication spell of the wind magician ¨C in this case, one of her friend''s Senria Parrats.

    "(S-Sifra? Are you alright?)"

    The wind mage sounded very worried as she established a connection.

    "...N-noo...!"

    Sifra shook her head even though her friend couldn''t see her and cried out in a pitiful voice.

    "(What happened?)"

    Senria inquired.

    "Uuu... You remember that ugly guy who''s an attendant ofdy Espine?"

    Sifra sobbed pitifully.

    "(Yeah, the creepy darkness magician with a messed up face who dared to mess with lord Grazio ¨C Keriul and I just had a conversation about how to get rid of him, so that he wouldn''t be able to bother lord Grazio anymore. What about him?)"

    The wind magician exined in a careful tone.

    "Somebody was going annoying and shouting in the hallway, and when I got out and wanted toin, he was there! He almost grabbed me but I ran away...!"

    The blue-haired Sifra exined, furrowing her brows ¨C now that she calmed down a little bit, she was more angry than scared.

    "Can you believe the audacity?! He was the one making a ruckus in the hallway after the curfew! Why did it end in me getting threatened and scared!?"

    The blue-haired girlined rolling herself in a nket and fuming from anger, exaggerating her experience more than just a bit to not sound too cowardly, since, in the end, she didn''t even use any spells to chase the scarred attendant away, and instead she was the one who ran with her tail between her legs while he only waved his hand at her while ring at her with his extremely scary and creepy eyes that didn''t even look like they belonged to a living creature.

    "(...I see... odd... he might be ugly but since he was the attendant ofdy Epsine, I thought that he might be okay... Don''t tell Kierul that I said that!)|

    Senria wondered, and hurriedly added.

    "As if! I bet when no one is looking he is a huge pervert and a creep too - to his master too!"

    Sifra hurriedly coined a baseless usation just to keep her friend - who was a wind magician and idolizeddy Miriette Lisea Espine.

    "(..huh... maybe... I thought that he was bringing down her prestige anyway... Alright! Wait a moment ¨C I''ll connect my spell to Kierul too ¨C this might be big...!)"

    "Eh...? How...?"

    Senria thought for a bit before she gasped with excitement which made Sifra furrow her brows and gasped in confusion, getting a bad feeling in her stomach.

    "[Hello...? Sifra? Was Senria serious just now ¨C you seriously got info that might help us get that ugly darkness magician expelled?!]"

    Only a momentter another voice resounded in Sifra''s head ¨C this one belonged to her other friend, the fire magician Kierul Berra Helterose.

    "E-eh...? I... don''t know... it was just..."

    Sifra hesitated, but ended up telling the story again ¨C this time she added a few details to not sound too cowardly.

    "[Hmm... I see... That won''t be enough ¨C we need to add some spice...]"

    "(Yeah, I literally thought about the same thing!)"

    "Wh-what do you mean...? I can''t be involved in any scandal ¨C you both know that I am engaged, right? My father would kill me if I messed it up!"

    Kierul and Senria agreed with a giggle but Sifra was hesitant.

    "[Oh,e on, please? You already have a fiance and thats'' why my n can work! Come one! Help your girl out! If I''ll help to get that ugly darkness magician expelled my chances with lord Grazio will skyrocket for sure!]"

    The fire magician Kierul asked with excitement and honesty...

    "(Yeah! Come on, Sifra, we are friends after all, right?)"

    Pressured the wind magician Senria.

    "...fine... as long as we won''t go too overboard with it..."

    The blue-haired Sifra folded up and agreed.

    "[Great! I love you so much, bestie! Alright, so the n will go like that, first of all, Senria has to contact all....]"

 Chapter 98 - 27 - The Silence Before... (part 1)

    Zoemi woke up early just as he nned to and when he went out of his room he was greeted by a vial of mana potion waiting for him without as always.

    |I''ll have to give it to her... she ismitted for sure... I seriously start feeling more and more obliged to help her... Am I actually an easy guy...?|

    Zoemi thought to himself picking up the vial and looking at the blue liquid inside before he hid it in his pocket.

    He went to the kitchen and started preparing the products necessary for both breakfast and the apology cookies for Sifra whom he scarred during the night...

    Not too long after the ck-haired boy began gathering all the ingredients, Patishi arrived at the kitchen too, as happy to see their older brother as always - Zoemi asked them for help with cooking, and of course, the youth dly assisted him while smiling brightly, happy to cook together.

    ---

    Just as Zoemi have expected neither Teo nor Veo since as they didn''t leave their room for a whole previous day, they must have been feeling rather weak - so he made a portion for them and of course, for the first prince.

    After all, since he was the one who one-sidedly decided that the twins can get the same off days, he had to stand in for them, and he wasn''t going to get back on his word!

    When making the apology cookies for the blue-haired girl, Zoemi has putplete faith in Patishi''s eye for cuteness to choose what kind would be best.

    In the end, they decided to make checkered ck and white cookies and as expected from the culinarily gifted youth - they indeed came out amazing.

    They smelled absolutely delicious and tasted even better!

    "You think this will be enough...? She looked seriously terrified ¨C I mean ¨C I know why, so you know..."

    Zoemi weighted the cute pink wrapping with the cookies inside in his hand and nced sideways at Patishi, with a bitter expression, waving his other hand in the general direction of the burn scar on the right side of his face.

    "...big brother, you aren''t scary...!"

    "Aww, thank you. But seriously, you don''t have to lie, I do own a mirror."

    Patishi fidgeted bashfully but Zoemi only snickered and waved his hand dismissively.

    "...sorry... when your eyes turn dark, you really do look scary ¨C but only then!"

    Patishi lowered their head hurriedly added, clenching her fists as if they were scared that the ck-haired boy will get angry at them

    "She must have been very scared if she just walked up into you after dark... But since you didn''t even touch her, and didn''t shout at her or use any spells, she will definitely realize that it was just a misunderstanding! I''m sure of it!"

    The brown-haired youth cheered out with a confident expression.

    "Big brother, you are a super nice person! I know that everything will be alright if you just go to her, apologize and exin why you were there!"

    Patishi clenched their fists even harder and looked up at their big brother with sparkling eyes full of faith.

    For the brown-haired youngling, their big brother was the best person in the world- so of course, there was no doubt in their heart that the girl Zoemi talked about would forgive him!

    Zoemi chuckled and affectionately tousled Patishi''s hair.

    "Oh, that''s right... Say, are you free right now?"

    The ck-haired boy asked with a smile.

    "I am! Do you need me to do something, big brother? I will! I want to help you!"

    Patishi bounced up and instantly agreed without even knowing what Zoemi was going to say.

    "That''s the spirit! Then. Will you help me with the trays?"

    It was still too early to bring breakfast to his master but with the greater amount of meals to deliver, Zoemi decided to enlist the help of Patishi for something other than cooking.

    "Of course, big brother Zoemi! What should I do?"

    Patishi reacted like a puppy that was about to go for a walk, it was surprisingly easy to imagine them having a wagging tail.

    "You know where the first prince''s room is, right? Could you take this to him?"

    "Eh...? EEEEEEHHHHH?!"

    But the youth''s mood changed instantly when their big brother handed them the tray meant for none other than the first prince of the Bellcephora kingdom, with a bright smile on his face...!

    "B-but, big brother Zoemi... I-I can''t! It''s the prince and I''m only a...!"

    Patishi panicked looking between the tray in their arms and their big brother.

    "Now, now, now..."

    Zoemi patted the youth on the shoulders and looked them in the eyes.

    "It will be fine, prince Horeo is a good guy - just tell him that I sent you and don''t forget to kneel when you meet him ¨C although he doesn''t really care about the rules, making a good first impression is important."

    The ck-haired boy exined and patted the brown-haired youth''s head.

    "...But..."

    Patishi''s lips started to quiver dangerously - they were so scared at the thought of actually facing someone from the high nobility ¨C no, from royalty even!

    After all - it was the prince and Patishi was never taught the proper way of dealing with royalty!

    "Please, Patishi... I want to get give the breakfast to Veo and Teo and apologize to that girl before the lessons start. Without you, I will bete to help my master prepare for the day... Will you help your big brother?"

    Zoemi used a dirty trick and yed the big brother card.

    Now the terrified Patishi couldn''t back out anymore.

    -------------------------

    After leaving the kitchen Zoemi and Patishi went in two different directions.

    Patishi with their heart beating wildly went towards the first prince''s room and Zoemi went towards the twin''s room.

    The ck-haired attendant with an ugly scar deforming the right side of his face took a deep breath and knocked on the right door.

    "Teo? Veo? It''s me, Zoemi. I have brought you breakfast!"

    He called out and waited.

    "S-sir Zoemi?!"

    He heard the panicked voice of the embarrassed Teo...

    "Wait a bit, sir Zoemi! I open the door right up!"

    ...which was followed by a calm calling to form Veo.

    "...noo...! What are you doing...?! I look like a mess! I can''t show myself to him like that...!"

    "Then stay in bed and don''t show yourself, I can carry a tray, you know?"

    "..."

    Zoemi looked to the side and acted as if he didn''t hear the hushed voices of the twins who clearly undone the blockade they had on the door the previous night.

    Just a few secondster the door opened and Veo popped up looking as if she woke up mere minutes before, while Zoemi noticed Teo hiding in the bed behind her.

    "Here, together with Patishi, we have made some delicious food to make you two feel better. And I really don''t hate you or anything, alright? I was angry and I snapped at you, I''m sorry. I don''t think you are bad attendants or bad girls. So eat and cheer up."

    Zoemi smiled softly and dered while passing the tray to the short brown-haired girl.

    With Patishi''s help, he actually revised his yesterday''s words and now delivered the overhauled version.

    |That didn''t sound half bad!|

    The ck-haired boy congratted himself looking at the tiny smile blooming on the previously indifferent face of the short brown-haired girl in front of him.

 Chapter 99 - 27 - The Silence Before... (part 2)

    "Ehehe...! Thank you, sir Zoemi! As things are now, I would love to say that we will be up and running tomorrow, but honestly, I imagine that we will be fully operational only the day after that. Sorry to impose on you, but could you watch over my dear helpless prin... our master, until that point?"

    Veo gratefully took the tray off of his hands and asked, lowering her head ¨C although she did stutter while mentioning Horeo.

    "Oh? Look at you, acting like a proper attendant already! Of course, you can count on me with the first prince!"

    Zoemi couldn''t help but smile and even though Veo was older than him, he felt like an older brother seeing her younger sister finally bing responsible, so he ended up reaching out and patting her head affectionately.

    "AH...!"

    "...!"

    "...?"

    A sudden call from inside the room made both Zoemi and Veo turn around, just to see messy-haired Teo staring at them from the bed.

    "AH!"

    The younger twin gasped and got bright red from the embarrassment and hurriedly hid under the nket.

    "Sorry for her, sir Zoemi, and once again. Thank you."

    Veo turned back to the ck-haired boy and bowed her head again before stepping back into the room.

    "No, no. It was my fault from the beginning. Get well soon don''t worry about a thing ¨C oh, I''ll close it for you ¨C oh, and make sure to have a taste of those cookies! Patishi made them so you two would cheer up!"

    Zoemi waved his hand dismissively before he reached out and closed the door for Veo, so that the girl didn''t have to worry about it while carrying the tray ¨C only to gasp and add before Veo could walk away from the door.

    "Indeed. If you an, please pass Patishi our thanks!"

    Veoughed and bowed her hand before Zoemi closed the door

    |Oh, hey, that went surprisingly well! Patishi might have a talent for mediation, her advice worked out perfectly!|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself happily, before picking up the small package he put on the ground before handing the tray to Veo.

    |Now the other one.|

    Zoemi weighed the small bag in his hand before walking a few steps and turning to the door of the blue-haired girl he scared the previous night.

    "...whew..."

    Zoemi stared at the cute wrapping and took a deep breath.

    Will it work?

    He didn''t think that the girl will suddenly be his ally or anything, but as long as her opinion will return to neutral, things will work out somehow!

    He thought to himself and lightly knocked on the door.

    "¡­"

    He knocked again...

    "¡­?"

    There was no still no response.

    "Miss? Are you there? I came to apologize for being noisy yesterday - and for scaring you. That honestly wasn''t my intention and I am genuinely sorry."

    The ck-haired boy said after knocking again.

    "..."

    But the answer still didn''te.

    |Maybe she is still sleeping or already left her room...?|

    Zoemi thought after taking out his pocket watch and checking the time.

    It was early, sure, but there were plenty of things students could be doing at such an hour.

    For example, training or meeting up with their friends ¨C or - if they didn''t have an attendant, going to the cafeteria in order to grab themselves an early breakfast before the facility will fill out with other noisy students.

    |Ah! That makes sense ¨C she doesn''t have a middle name and I never seen anyone who looked like an attendant around her... I should check out the cafeteria!|

    Zoemi decided to check thest option.

    He wanted to resolve the problem as soon as possible, after all, and he was ready to check every ce that woulde to his mind.

    Therefore, with some time to spare on his hands, he went on a blue-haired Sifra''s search.

    "..."

    He walked inside and scouted the facility while frowning slightly, trying to remember how the girl actually looked like...

    But, unfortunately, that ce turned out to be a miss.

    Although there was a couple of blue-haired girls in the cafeteria enjoying the early breakfast in peace just as the ck-haired boy predicted, neither of them was the blue-haired girl he was looking for.

    The few students in the cafeteria red at him with rather annoyed or even angry res, but the ck-haired boy shrugged it off as them being grumpy because of hunger or because someone was interrupting their peaceful meal they got up early to enjoy.

    "Hmmm..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows deep in thoughts before checking the time on his pocket-watch and sighed.

    He still had some time but not that much.

    Who knows when did Mireitte returned to her room and if she properly dried up her hair after taking a bath before she went to sleep ¨C if she even remembered to take a bath in the first ce.

    Yes, dealing with her hair might pose an additional challenge, he definitely can''t spare more than just a few minutes on the search...

    Either way, the ck-haired boy grabbed the cookies securely and rushed to training ground ¨C the second most likely spot for a student to be ¨C in his opinion that is.

    "Ah, Zoemi! Hello!"

    "Did youe here to get some early exercise? Do you think you could help me out a bit ¨C I keep losing bnce when I go for a stab."

    Two students ¨C a light-brown-haired one and a pale-red-haired one - whom he recognized from their joined training waved and greeted him cheerfully.

    "Hello! I love to train together, but I am very busy ¨C how about in the evening? A for the poor bnce ¨C the best I can say without seeing anything is you are overextending ¨C try taking a shorter step and you should be fine ¨C if not,e to my evening training and we''ll figure something out!"

    Zoemi responded with a smile while looking around, but unfortunately, there was not a single blue-haired girl on the raining ground ¨C there were a few green-haired ones though, and each one of them has red at the ck-haired boy as if he was a pile of filth.

    "Sorry to leave you, but my duty call ¨C like actual duty, not the toilet. See you!"

    The ck-haired boy was too busy checking the time to actually look at the expressions of the girls who weren''t the ones who he was looking for, so he only waved goodbye to his acquaintances and went back to the dormitory.

    It was almost time to get his master breakfast so she could start preparing for the day.

    |I''ll just have to try and catch Sifra before the ss starts.|

    Zoemi thought and shrugged his shoulders.

    The cookies would be the most delicious while still warm but if that girl will eat them with a cup of warm milk they will still be superb.

    ---------

    "Hey, you two ¨C you shouldn''t hang out with that guy."

    As Zoemi disappeared in the dormitory building, one of the green-haired girls approached the two boy''s that talked with the scarred attendant before and dered.

    "Why...?"

    They both lowered their training swords and nced at each other in confusion, after all, they both knew that the ck-haired boy wasn''t nearly as bad as his looks suggested.

 Chapter 100 - 27 - The Silence Before... (part 3)

    Once Zoemi and Patishi split up, each of them carried a tray with food in a different direction.

    Zoemi went for the twins, Veo and Teo, while the brown-haired youth was tasked with delivering the food to the first prince...!

    Forget about jumping into the depths to learn how to swim - Paishi''s situation felt like he was told to learn how to win with a giant boulder tied up to their neck!

    Was it really necessary to add that Patishi started getting more and more nervous with each step they took?

    But after all, it wasn''t the way there that was the worst, honestly, the brown-haired youth would prefer to just walk forever and never arrive at their destination ¨C the door to the first prince''s room ¨C but unfortunately, that wasn''t really going to happen, was it?

    Before Patishi even realized it, they were already standing in front of the door to the first prince''s room and their hands and knees were shaking uncontrobly - enough for the tes and cutlery to start making rming noises on the tray.

    "You can do it, Patishi...! Big brother Zoemi is counting on you...!"

    Patishi murmured to themselves trying to umte some courage.

    "...no... nope... no, I can''t do it...!"

    After a full minute of attempting to mentally prepare, they ended up putting down the tray with the food and knocked on the door!

    After which they instantly turned away to escape!

    "Veo..?! Ah..."

    But the door opened right when Patishi was already showing it their back, and the first prince with a face full of hope popped up... and his expression turned very sad once he realized that it wasn''t any of his attendants...

    "...kyaah...!"

    Patishi tripped and fell but then managed topose themselves and change their position into kneeling.

    "Y-y-yo-your h-h-hi-highness! I-I-It''s an h-ho-honor...!"

    The brown-haired youth stuttered, abashed out of their mind.

    "...? Umm... Good morning. Are you alright? What brings you here...?"

    Horeo furrowed his brows, blinking at Patishi in confusion, and tilted his head before he noticed the tray with the prepared food waiting for him in front of the door...

    "...oh..."

    Then he made a disappointed expression.

    "Even Zoemi couldn''t do anything...?"

    The gold-haired prince asked in a crestfallen voice.

    "N-no, yo-your highness! Big brother Zoemi said that he actually talked with miss Teo and miss Veo ¨C they simply got sick and didn''t want to pass it onto you ¨C they will be back in a day or two!"

    Patishi hurriedly exined, waving their hands to stop the first prince from assuming the worst, and the gold-haired boy''s face lighted up instantly.

    "Ah! So that was it! Hah! Dear goodness! I never expected to be the type who overreacts like that! So, they are sick, I see... If they are sick then maybe they should take the rest of the week off too! Although..."

    The prince breathed out with relief but then he made an awkward expression.

    "Hmm..."

    The golden-haired prince made a sour expression, scratched the back of his head, and nced behind his shoulder.

    He looked very concerned about something.

    |Eh...? EH?! Was it me? Why is the prince looking so worried? Did I mess something up?!|

    Patishi started fidgetting in unease, biting their lips from the anxiety looking at the concerned first prince.

    |No... if they are sick they should rest, but then, what should I do about this...? Should I leave it and make them work on this whole pile while they are still weakened? That sounds like something that this old hag of another of mine would do, so I definitely don''t want to act the same way.|

    Horeo thought while subconsciously looking over his shoulder again.

    Something inside his room was just pulling his eyes to it as if had its own gravitational pull.

    "Big brother Zoemi is doing his best, my prince...! He went to check up on them so I''m sure they will be fine in no time!"

    Patishi voice broke but they didn''t stutter this time, the first prince looked at them and his eyes lit up in realization.

    "Wait a moment, I''ve heard about you. You are Patishi, right? The girl who Zoemi asked me to make my personal cook, right?"

    "...! Ah! Y-yes...that''s me... Y-your hi-highness, y-you even k-know my n-name...!"

    Patishi flinched staring at the gold-haired prince with wide eyes before blushing deeply and nodding, feeling their heart beating faster.

    "Umm Patishi... say ¨C are you busy right now? Do you have some duties or ns for today....?"

    The first prince Horeo asked and unwillingly looked back for the third time.

    "N-no, your highness. I was thinking of trying out some new recipes but I can do that at any other time... I-is there something I could do for you...?"

    The brown-haired youth fidgetted and asked, encouraged by the way the gold-haired prince addressed them.

    "...alright... say... how do you feel about foldingundry..."

    Hore''s face brightened and asked ncing nervously ncing back at the huge pile of unfolded cleanundry that was tormenting him in his attendantless state.

    "F-folding clothes...?"

    Patishi responded, tilting their head with confusion.

    "I always do it for myself and when I was younger I used to help the other children in the orpha..."

    "You are experienced then? Perfect! I''m going to need your help!"

    "KYAAAAH!"

    Before Patishi finished their sentence he felt Horeo''s hands grabbing their shoulders like a bird of prey and the gold-haired prince has pulled the shocked youth inside of his room - shutting the door before any passerby could have a chance to peek inside and witness the unfolded pile of shame stacked in the prince''s room.

    -------------------

    Meanwhile, in Miriette''s room, Zoemi picked up the hairbrush and started brushing his master''s hair.

    "Mydy, you''re staying silent, didn''t the walk with the prince go as you hoped for?"

    The cked-haired attendant asked his master carefully weighing his words.

    Miriette was looking rather grumpy, or maybe she was sulking a bit...?

    Either way, she looked like someone has ruffled her feathers the wrong way.

    "No, my time with my fiance went just as good as I wanted it."

    She responded pridefully and took another bite of what Zoemi has prepared for her.

    "Ah, I see... That''s amazing...! Do you want to talk about it?"

    "No."

    "..."

    Zoemi tried to make some small talk but today Miriette wasn''t very cooperative in that regard.

    It wasn''t the first time something like this has happened, so he decided to do the thing that usually worked.

    He just stayed quiet and brush the grumpy girl''s hair until it stopped being prickly like a forest of needles, signaling her calming down...

    Only that... Miriette''s hair was extra prickly that morning...

    ------

    Miriette was pouting and sneaking sneaky nces at Zoemi.

    Of course, her walk with Horeo went well - she boasted about spending time with Zoemi and about Zoemi pledging his loyalty to her, and Zoemi kissing her.

    Thest one might have been only on the foot, and it''s the same thing as the topic before but in Miriette''s head, she divided that one action into two separate ones.

    But then...

    BUT THEN!

    When the dark-haired girl wanted to return to her room together with her attendant, andpletely by ident - wink, wink - take her time and walk with him in the romantic atmosphere...

    It turned out that he won''t being back and it was Horeo who took her back to her room!

    It was outrageous!

    |He didn''te back for me...! And I thought we had something going on between us at that time!|

    Miriette was furious at Horeo for sending Zoemi away with some stupid task and she was angry at Zoemi forplying with Horeo''s stupid wishes.

    |He''s mine, why should he even care about anyone else!?|

    She frowned and her hair on the back of her head bristled even more than before.

    |...oh, well...|

    Zoemi, who thought he just finished with brushing that part, sighed internally and put the hairbrush back to the spot.

 Chapter 101 - 28 - ...the Storm (part 1)

    When thedy and her attendant left her room, they were already almostte.

    At first, Zoemi thought that the hair crisis would be averted but...

    ...well...

    Something unfortunate although quite expected happened.

    The youngdy Espine spotted a cute wrapping on a little package that her attendant put to the side while brushing her hair, and she instantly thought that it was meant for her as an apology for not returning for her once her date with the first prince Horeo was over.

    Instantly, her hair became meek and all seemed good.

    But then the ck-haired attendant dered that it''s time to go to ss and casually put down theb and a hairbrush.

    At that time, Miriette thought that Zoemi had simply forgotten about the package that she fully expected to be present for her, so she asked him about it...

    ...and once the surprised attendant responded that it was for someone else...

    Yeah...

    That was the final nail in the coffin of Miriette''s usual hairstyle.

    And so, Zoemi had to improvise to the best of his ability - thankfully the hair on the sides of Miriette''s head was a bit more manageable than the hair on top and back ¨C which gave Zoemi the leeway to stylize the hairdo at least a little bit.

    An, honestly, truth be told...

    The experimental hairstyle suited the dark-haired girl quite well.

    ...but also...

    |Mydy became a punk...!|

    Zoemi could barely contain a chuckle since there was no such thing as a punk culture in his current world yet, but for him, the simrities were jarringly obvious.

    It was quite the sight to behold...

    As the two of them were walking through the hallway, other students were keeping their distance and whispering to each other looking at the two.

    Zoemi felt ufortable, he actually thought that his master''s hairstyle looked good but maybe it was too ahead of its time for this world...?

    Miriette also looked around and frowned.

    |Why are they staring at Zoemi so much? Have they realized how amazing he is...? No... that''s not it...|

    "Mydy..."

    "...Y-yes...?!"

    The dark-haired girl wondered when suddenly her attendant gently grabbed her shoulder and leaned towards her.

    |Ah! How bold! He''s showing that he is mine! Yes, yes, that''s how you should have acted from the beginning!|

    Miriette blushed to her imagination, she was ready to instantly forgive her ck-haired attendant for leaving her the previous night, as well as preparing a present for someone who wasn''t her while he should care only for her.

    "Mydy, maybe we should go back and work on your hair a bit more..."

    But Zoemi said in a worried voice, ncing nervously at her head.

    "...!"

    Hepletely missed which one of them the others were looking at and managed to piss off the girl even more

    |That''s why he grabbed my arm!? To tell me this?!|

    Miriette pouted and her hair bristled aggressively.

    "No! I like this style!"

    The dark-haired girl scoffed at Zoemi and after shaking off his hand she marched forward without looking back at him.

    "...great..."

    Zoemi rolled his eyes and rushed after her.

    ---------

    In the ssroom, the atmosphere wasn''t really any different than in the hallway.

    "...?"

    |Huh...?|

    Everyone was ncing at Zoemi and now that he wasn''t so close to the Miriette he realized that everyone was in fact has been looking at him.

    "What''s with the overconfident rabble today? Why are they all staring at Zoemi?"

    Horeo tilted his head and asked Miriette, momentarily forgetting to keep up a benevolent act, and straight-up spoke in a way that he usually allowed himself to use only around Miriette and his two attendants.

    "I don''t know, and I don''t care. Who knows? Maybe burn-scars became popr all of a sudden."

    Miriette shrugged her shoulders dismissively before looking away with a grumpy expression, definitely not in a mood for a chit-chat.

    The lesson started even when thetr were a few students missing.

    First of all, the blond heroine was nowhere to be found - and that was definitively a bad sign for Zoemi - if Burushiitto wasn''t there she might have been participating in some scripted event and messing up Miriette''s perfectly nned happy life while out of Zoemi''s sight andpletely out of his control.

    Another person missing was the blue-haired girl, Sifra Ralia ¨C the one to who Zoemi wanted to apologize.

    The third one was the red-haired capture target responsible for Zoemi''s scars ¨C Grazio - who posed as an honor student...

    That was more surprising than Burushiitto''s absence, although not as rming...

    ...although the two of them might have been skipping lessons together...

    Or it might have been that Grazio approached the heroine and offered her help or something...

    |Tsk...! It''s always so annoying with that bastard since I didn''t get to y through his route...!|

    The ck-haired attendant gritted his teeth ring at the empty seat of his red-haired nemesis.

    Aside from the most important trio, a few other seats were empty too ¨C but that actually might have meant that there was an influenza outbreak at the Academy or something...

    ...though it definitely wasn''t a season for cold or anything of the sort...

    At the same time, while sitting right in front of Horeo, Zoemi was feeling more and more guilty.

    After all, he was the one who allowed the twins to take a few days off, causing problems to the gold-haired boy.

    What if the heroine will use that opportunity to get closer to him!?

    Like- for example - if she''ll say that she will help him do the chores around his room since she''s surprisingly good at those...?

    And then she''ll show him all her good sides...

    ...like theck of temperament and personality that apparently all the capture targets can''t get enough of...!

    Zoemi''s master was just so much better, but since Horeo would be in the time of need he would probably wee the helping hand.

    "My prince, I will go check up on the twins to assure that they will be back to full health as soon as possible! Mydy, I''ll try to return as fast as possible."

    "Huh...? Ah! Alright ¨C I''m counting on you, Zoemi."

    As soon as the first lesson finished, the ck-haired boy stood up from his seat and bowed to the first prince, and excused himself to hisdy before rushing out of the ssroom and going straight for the dormitory to check up on Veo and Teo.

    "..."

    "Breathe."

    Miriette clenched her fists and gritted her teeth so hard that they made a dangerous sound, at which Horeo casually patted her shoulder and advised in a calm manner.

 Chapter 102 - [Bonus ] 28.5 - The Twins Room

    Zoemi was standing n fornt of th door to Veo and Teo''s room.

    He expected the tray with empty dishes to be waiting for him outside to pick up and return to the kitchen, but there was nothing there.

    Whether it was because the girls simply didn''t finish eating, they left the tray inside their room, or maybe ¨C in the best option ¨C they returned the tray themselves and will be returning to their duties, it still had to be confirmed.

    "Hello again, Veo, Teo, you''re in there?"

    Therefore the ck-haired boy went and knocked on the door, waiting for an answer.

    "Sir Zoemi?!"

    Which came almost instantly in form of a shocked gasp of most likely Teo.

    "Calm down, and don''t wave your arms around while you''re holding food."

    Yes, the first voice must have belonged to Teo since the next one was most definitely Veo''s.

    "Ah, sorry, I didn''t want to interrupt your meal ¨C I just wanted to check up on how you feel ¨C I''ll return during the next break!"

    The ck-haired boy listened to a piece of advice that young Patishi gave him in the morning and didn''t push the girls even though he wanted them to go back to helping the first prince so that the blond heroine would have no chance of approaching him.

    But before he could as much as turn around...

    "Sir Zoemi! Come with me!"

    "WHOA...!"

    The door opened and Teo, wearing only an oversized shirt grabbed his arm and pulled him inside, shutting the door.

    "Teo! What do you think you''re doing?!

    Veo gasped, putting down a fork and staring in disbelief at her younger sister who pulled the ck-haired boy into their room.

    "Oh shut it! You got headpats and was praised by sir Zoemi yesterday while I was left with nothing!"

    But instead of showing remorse and releasing the scarred attendant, the short brown-haired girl scoffed at her older sister and clung to the ck-haired boy ¨C this time very mindful to not activate her enchantments so that the boy would not be harmed.

    "I''m happy to see you so lively ¨C you didn''t look that great yesterday."

    "...!"

    Zoemi breathed out and smiled, looking down at the short girl, and even though his words referred to health and nothing else, Teo blushed and cowered from embarrassment remembering how slovenly she must have appeared the previous night when Zoemi saw her while talking with Veo.

    "Sir Zoemi, that was quite a rude thing to say to a girl."

    The older twin pointed out from her seat and continued eating.

    "Huh?! I was?! When?!"

    zoemi flinched and looked at him in confusion...

    "...whoa..."

    He also had the first actual look at what the twins did with their room, and it made him gasp.

    Basically all of the furniture ¨C the two beds put together, the closet, and two desks ¨C were put up against the wall almost as an afterthought or things meant to be thrown away, while two-thirds of the room itself was taken over by...

    ...a vegetable garden...

    An actual vegetable garden where some of the nts were already ripe and ready to be harvested while others were merely budding, all under the light provided multiple magic stones set in equal intervals through the room so that each nt would get the right level of instion.

    "Do you have permission for having that here? No, in the first ce, what is this doing here!?"

    Zoemi eximed in consternation while waving his hand at the vegetable garden.

    "Master said it was okay as long as we will be able to hide it during the room inspection if such a thing will even happen..."

    Veo, who was sitting on the bed keeping a te with food prepared by the ck-haired boy on her crossed legs, muttered while looking away and ended up straight up turning away and facing the wall.

    "...guh...?!"

    "Sir Zoemi...! Please, pay attention to me...! Veo already had he moment!"

    Teo ¨C unintentionally ¨C rammed her head into Zoemi''s sr plexus, making him gasp in shock, as he waspletely unprepared for the attack ¨C and cried out aint.

    "Teo... I came here only to check up on the two of you, I still got lessons, alright?"

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows in an awkward expression.

    "Please...! If you will pamper me I will definitely get better sooner!"

    Teo dered rather shamelessly.

    So shamelessly in fact that it sounded actually funny, and the scarred boy smiled, shaking his head.

    "Fine ¨C but only for a few minutes ¨C I really have sses to return to, I am a student after all. You needy girl."

    He chuckled and put his hand on Teo''s head and started tousling her hair.

    "Sir Zoemi... do... do you dislike needy girls...?"

    Encouraged by the sess, Teo raised her head just a bit and nced upwards at the ck-haired boy.

    "..."

    Considering who was the boy''s master, it might have been considered a loaded question, so the te scared boy didn''t answer straight away.

    "I guess I got used o dealing with them."

    He said after a moment of consideration.

    "Whether I like them or not though, isn''t as subject that a lowly attendant like myself should disclose while on duty."

    Zoemi added while reaching down to Teo''s face and pinching her cheek.

    "Which is also something that you should have remembered too since youpleted the same kind of training that I did."

    He said while yfully pulling on her cheek.

    "Sh-shorry..."

    The brown-haired girl''s face became bright red and she lowered her head once again while apologizing.

    "Sir Zoemi... since you said that you are used to dealing with needy girls... can I have a request...?"

    But even though she was embarrassed, Teo was also very focused so she recovered almost immediately and asked.

    "As long as it will not take longer than..."

    The ck-haired boy reached to his pocket and pulled out a watch, checking the time...

    "...ten... no, let''s make it twelve minutes. Since this is supposed to help you recover faster ¨C I''m all ears."

    He shrugged his shoulders and agreed.

    ¡­

    ¡­...

    After spending the whole time Zoemi allocated to the task of feeding the girl the breakfast he made and brought for both twins in the morning while constantly patting Teo''s hair as she cuddled up to him, the ck-haired boy was slightly tired ¨C more so mentally than physically.

    "Sir Zoemi..."

    The silent until that moment Veo asked.

    "Sorry, Veo, but I don''t even have time to take the empty dishes back to the kitchen, if you want to be pampered too you need to wait."

    The ck-haired attendant raised his hand apologetically, stopping the girl from approaching ¨C which she actually didn''t even try.

    "No, no. wanted to ask about my pri... our master. Is everything alright, is he mad at us...?"

    The older twin asked with a concerned expression, making Zeomi breathe out with relief.

    "Don''t worry ¨C I got that covered ¨C and no, he isn''t angry ¨C you know how he is, he thought that your absence was actually his fault and was worried. Focus on resting while you can and everything will be fine. Now I really must go, so bye-bye!"

    Zoemi assured her and waved her and Teo farewell, leaving their room before he could be stopped again.

 Chapter 103 - 28 - ...the Storm (part 2)

    Zoemi closed the door, smiling to himself ¨C it really looked like there will be no problem with getting twins back into action as soon as possible, and as long as they will follow on their conviction of acting like proper attendants, they might prove to be closer and much more useful allies than what Zoemi originally considered.

    After all, just one look at their self-grown vegetable garden ¨C inside their own room ¨C proved that they were more than familiar with survival skills.

    Something very useful if, for example, worse came to worst and a need arose for Mireitte to escape and hide away for a few weeks or months until her pursuers will give up...

    Not that Zoemi wanted to let his master leave thefortable lifestyle she was living at the moment, but still ¨C better safe than sorry.

    With that thought, the ck-haired boy nodded to himself and turned around to return to the ssroom for the next lesson...

    "HUH...!?"

    Just to face the veryst person he wanted to see ¨C ever.

    And coincidentally it was also a person whom the scarred attendant least expected to see walking around the female section of the dormitory.

    "And what are you doing here, sir Victureo?"

    Managing to hold back his disgust, Zoemi forced himself to speak politely to the red-haired capture target that not only failed his expectation when they first met but also gave the ck-haired boy the scars which made his job many times more difficult.

    ..the same scars that just so happened to start itching and pulsating the moment Zoemi faced Grazio...

    "I should be asking you the same thing, Espine''s attendant. What were you doing during the break inside a room of the female section of the dormitory?"

    Grazio, as always in the academy, had a stoic expression and was looking at Zoemi with scorn.

    To be honest, thest time they faced each other like that ¨C with the exception of calling out to each other in the hallway ¨C was when Grazio challenged Zoemi to a duel, and the ck-haired attendant wiped the floor with him.

    And honestly, the switch inside of the scarred boy''s head and he wished for nothing else than for a chance to do the same thing again right there and there...

    ...if only he had two training swords at hand to make things seem fair...!

    |No, you imbecile, think of Miriette! You can''t make a scene here! Her opinion will plummet if her attendant would attack the son of a general!|

    Thankfully, the ck-haired boy''s head wasn''t just full of anger and thoughts about revenge, so he bit himself on the inside of his cheek to calm down.

    "..."

    And, surprisingly, that helped.

    ...a bit...

    He had to bite himself hard enough to draw blood to get the effect that he wanted.

    "I wanted to instruct my fellow attendants on how to properly do their job since they seemed a bit misguidedtely ¨C but turns out that they were just unwell. Thank you for your concern."

    Zoemi straightened his back and raised his head before he responded through his teeth while the metallic taste was filling his mouth.

    "I was just returning to the ssroom... and speaking about feeling unwell - since you look fine, sir Victureo, as an attendant ofdy Espine I am obliged to ask you to follow my example. It''s such a waste to be losing your perfect attendance score without a proper reason. I just need to ask you to not use my back as target practice as you did in the past with my face."

    "...!"

    Since the ck-haired boy already rejected the physical violence option, the only thing that he wanted then and there was to be as rude as possible without sounding too obvious about it ¨C though, being subtle in front of the person he hated with his whole heart wasn''t as easy as he originally thought and he might have gone too far ¨C especially considering how pale Grazio''s face had be and how hard did he clench his teeth.

    Even so...

    Zoemi''s scars twisted with a triumphant smile ¨C that was the reaction he wanted to see, nothing would make him happier than ripping off the calm fa?ade of this red-haired buffoon.

    |Stop acting so calm andposed, you are the bastard who almost hurt Miriette and broke the rules that you have set up yourself - you trying to act with honor now is a disgrace for every noble in the kingdom!|

    Zoemi chewed on these words and swallowed them without voicing even one as even in his current state he knew that they would be too much.

    But, damn... It would feel so good to be able to say them...!

    Even so, he couldn''t.

    With the figure of his master in his mind, the ck-haired attendant calmed his breath and even smiled a bit.

    "I actually got called here because of you, Espine''s attendant."

    To Zoemi''s dissatisfaction, Grazio also seemed to have regained hisposure as he straightened his back and looked down at the ck-haired attendant with his trademark stare of superiority.

    "...?"

    Zoemi raised his brow confused but not intimidated.

    "What do you mean by that, sir Victureo?"

    He asked slowly, trying to figure out the red-haired capture target''s n.

    "One of the girls here is the daughter of a close aide of my father. She came to me in tears iming that you attempted to vite her friend."

    "V-vite...?! What!? When...? Wait, what...!?"

    At that moment Zoemi''s brain short-circuited at the outrageous usation he never expected to hear.

    "Who?! Me? I tried to do what?"

    He gasped, honestly shocked so much that he was barely able to speak ¨C and only then he realize something that should be obvious from the start, but he missed it because he was too focused on the red-haired boy.

    Grazio wasn''t alone.

    There were three girls standing behind him, all ring at him with just as much enmity as Grazio was.

    One with red hair, one with green hair, and one with blue hair.

    ...and the blue-haired one was the girl that Zoemi wanted to apologize to for scaring her the night before, Sifra Ralia.

    "Miss Helterose here came to me since our fathers are close friends, she was frightened and she told me you assaulted her friend. You were caught red-handed."

    Grazio spoke in a serious, stepping aside and moving his hand while introducing the red-haired girl in a polite voice, but Zoemi saw right through his lies and deceit.

    |Bullshit! He just made up some lies and wants to use this ridiculous usation to get back at me for what happened after the exam! That shameless bastard!|

    It must have been because Grazio couldn''t live through losing so miserably in a duel!

    |Shameless brat with no honor...!|

    Zoemi clenched his fists and red at the red-haired capture target.

 Chapter 104 - 28 - ...the Storm (part 3)

    |What I''ll say won''t matter to him, but I must save as much honor as possible!|

    His anger had to be pushed aside, this was a threat that could directly affect his master!

    It was already a big problem to have a darkness magician as an attendant even if he never did anything wrong - but to keep one around when there was an usation about him being a rapist?

    That damage would be unrepairable!

    "I never vited nor attempted to vite anyone."

    Now it was Zoemi''s turn to act all high-and-mighty and speak with confidence.

    "Although I did give miss Ralia a scare yesterday, I didn''t even touch her - she fell down on her own... probably scared by my visage, and I do not me her, obviously."

    The ck-haired boy sighed while motioning at the right side of his face - which was also a moment when his re became sharp as he red right into Grazio''s eyes.

    "I apologized and offered her my hand to get up ¨C but she seemed to be genuinely afraid and returned to her room. That''s it."

    Zoemi told the story exactly how it went without stuttering or looking away, in a cold matter-of-fact voice.

    Without changing his expression, Grazio turned towards the girls behind him.

    "N-no, he didn''t ¨C he attacked me!"

    "Yes! I saw him rip off Sifra''s nightgown!"

    "Yes!"

    The three girls started talking over each other as soon as Zoemi closed his mouth.

    With them trying so hard to shout over him, it looked just like a...

    |Setup...|

    Zoemi had no doubts that this was exactly what this situation was and that it was all nned by Grazio.

    |Guess he hates me even more than I hate him. Damn... it must have hurt him so much when he tried to hurt Miriette and was burning me alive...! THIS DAMNED FUCKER!|

    As unexpected as it may sound as if - at the moment - Zoemi''s mind was crystal clear and the only thought he had was - no matter what you do, do not let Miriette suffer...

    ...and to punch Grazio in his stupid face so hard that he would regret ever messing with him in the first ce...

    ...but, mostly about Miriette.

    "Miss Ralia."

    Zoemi turned to the blue-haired girl and looked at her with calm eyes.

    "..!"

    Sifra Ralia took a step back even though the ck-haired boy didn''t make any sudden moves.

    "Oh no, you don''t! You won''t get away with this, darkness magician! I saw everything too!"

    The red-haired girl ¨C who was obviously the Helterose girl that Grazio partially introduced a moment ago as the daughter of a friend of his father - stepped between them and red at Zoemi with a challenge.

    "...?"

    Zoemi raised his brow sparing only a single nce at the red-haired girl...

    ...and then he moved a bit to the side so that he could see Sifra again and he bowed his towards her, ignoring the Helterose girl.

    It was a full ny-degree bow, he didn''t bend his knees before her since he was of higher status because of his job, but with that, he was showing Sifra Ralia the greatest amount of respect he could.

    "Miss Ralia, there has been a terrible mistake. I never attempted to attack you and if you focus and try to remember things how they were, you will surely recall that I didn''t tear or rip off anything. How could I when I didn''t even touch you, to begin with? I must have scared you because of my disfigured face, but please, do not confuse nightmares with reality."

    He said without raising his head.

    "Oh, no, no, no! You won''t get away that easily! You might try to lie your way out, but - actually - both of us saw what really happened!"

    It was the red-headed girl again, she looked down at Zoemi''s head with disdain, like he was something filthy while pointing at herself and the green-haired girl standing on the side.

    "That''s what you get for allowing a filthy darkness magician to the school! You are all the same, perverts and liars!"

    The red-haired girl scoffed and shook her head with disgust.

    "Miss Ralia, since it was a misunderstanding and I''m very sorry for giving you such a fright I have a gift."

    |You must have been very busy nning this whole show with your bitch friends and Grazio...|

    The ck-haired boy stopped himself from saying thest part while hepletely ignored the red-headed girl, and without raising his head he reached his hand with the checkered cookies in cute wrapping towards the blue-haired Sifra.

    "I wanted to give it to you this morning but we must have missed each other."

    Zoemi said offering the apology gift.

    "How dare you ignore me, you ugly rapist!?"

    But the red-headed girl growled furiously and smacked the gift out of the boy''s hand - the wrapping smashed against the wall and flopped on the floor causing one crumbled cookie to fall out.

    "You raped her and you will be expelled for that!"

    With the face as red as her hair, the girl shouted at Zoemi.

    |Oh, so I suddenly raped her? Not just ripped her nightgown or whatever? It''s no longer an attempted vition?|

    "Wh-wha...?! Keriul, what are you...?!"

    Even the blue-haired Sifra - who was supposedly raped - stared at her friend in bewilderment, lost for words.

    And then...

    "What is the meaning of this...?"

    A young blue-haired teacher suddenly appeared from behind the group and moved her eyes between the five of them.

    "Ah! Teacher Perserios!"

    The red-haired girl brightened up and her eyes shone with triumph.

    "There has been a ****! This man assaulted poor Sifra! Please, you must help us get justice!"

    The red-haired girl suddenly changed into a trembling teary-eyed damsel in distress and begged the teacher in a broken-hearted voice.

    "K-Keriul, are you mad, don''t you know that I...?!"

    "Shush, I will take care of this."

    Sifra panicked and muttered while grabbing onto her friend''s vest but her hand was shaken off.

    "..."

    |...fuck...|

    Zoemi felt a wave of rage building up inside of him.

    That was it.

    Grazio, with the help of three background characters whose names were never mentioned in the game, created a condemnation event just for Zoemi - who originally wasn''t even in the game.

    "Student Auequas..."

    The blue-haired teacher, the same one who was one of the examiners on the magic test and the one who was the one to teach her student about the importance of the utility spells, turned towards Zoemi and opened her mouth.

 Chapter 105 - 29 - Confrontation (part 1)

    "Did you hear that - student Auequas? You have been used of ****. What do you have to say about that?"

    The blue-haired female teacher, Rokiana Grea Perserios, asked in a cold voice.

    Zoemi stood up straight and exined exactly what happened and why this is a misunderstanding.

    "...That is why I wanted to apologize but somewhat it became this misunderstanding."

    Zoemi wrapped up his exnation under the watchful eye of the blue-haired woman.

    "That''s all lies, teacher! This darkness magician is lying! I saw everything! He pushed poor Sifra down and vited her!"

    But the red-haired girl who was biting her lips all the time while the ck-haired boy was exining his side of things, instantly stepped forward and started talking in a tearful voice of a shaken, brokenhearted maiden.

    "...is that so...?"

    Teacher Perserios raised her brow and looked between Zoemi and the red-haired girl, then she turned to Sifra who was hiding her face in her hands.

    "N-no! No, no, no! I-I mean, yes ¨C but no...!"

    "...?"

    The ghastly pale Sifra began shaking her head and cried out in panic, causing even Zoemi to furrow his brows and look at her in confusion.

    "So, your friend is saying that you were vited yesterday but that''s all you have to say, Sifra? No, no, no, I mean yeas but no...? What is that supposed to mean?"

    Teacher Perserios squinted her eyes, ring down at the blue-haired girl.

    "That is such a big deal though, and yourment on that is - No, no, no, I mean yeas but no? Don''t you know? Hasn''t your father worked oh so very hard to push for your engagement to my little brother? If I remember correctly, sir Ralia swore on his honor that you would be an untouched virgin until the marriage."

    |Huh...? Why does it sound like teacher Perserios doesn''t actually believe in the usation at all?|

    Zoemi''s eyes became round from watching their interaction.

    From the tone of Perserios''s voice, one could feel hostility towards the blue-haired girl.

    "N-no, I...!"

    Sifra started trembling.

    "I was scared and h-he was too s-strong and...!"

    She cried in a terrified voice.

    "...so you picked your choice... I hope you are ready for the consequences..."

    "...?!"

    The blue-haired teacher''s eyes became ice-cold and she muttered under her breath quietly enough for only the ck-haired attendant to hear her.

    "Student Auequas,e here."

    Perserios beckoned at him toe even closer.

    "Yes."

    Zoemi obediently took a step forward.

    "Closer."

    Teacher Rokiana pointed at the spot right in front of her.

    "..."

    Zoemi didn''t dare to disobey and moved.

    He was closer to her than it was deemed appropriate and he felt a bit ufortable.

    "Grab me and don''t let go. Use magic and everything you can think of ¨C you can threaten me with your darkness de too ¨C I won''t hold it against youter."

    She assured him and made him grab her shoulder.

    "B-but teacher...!?"

    Zoemi called out in confusion ¨C he had no idea whether the blue-haired woman wanted to help him out or not, so he wasn''t too keen on cooperating...

    "I advise you toply with this request or your expulsion will be certain."

    His objection was instantly shot down before even properly voiced it.

    Rokiana knew his capabilities from the magical examination so she knew what she could expect so the ck-haired boy had no way of half-assing it just in case.

    But she also didn''t know about Zoemi''s newfound ability to use the shadows of the spells...

    "..."

    Zoemi closed his eyes and reached deep inside of himself where the shadow danced.

    Something good for the attack but defense too...

    What could he use?

    Teo''s earth enchantment?

    That actually might have been his best shot...

    The boy focused and the right shadow emerged from the ocean of hundreds of others...

    |!!!!!!|

    Until another one passed by as if trying to get his attention.

    This one suited the situation even more ¨C but could he actually aplish using it...?

    Even in the grave situation that he has found himself ¨C or maybe because of that situation ¨C the ck-haired boy couldn''t help himself and picked the more uncertain option.

    "...shadow theater... armor..."

    Zoemi already had one hand on Rokiana''s shoulder, and now he also grabbed her wrist with his other hand as he activated the brand new spell.

    The shadow copy of duke Espine''s me armor.

    Zoemi''s shadow grew darker and started to climb his body, soon he looked like some sort of shadow monster ¨C as his copy took the shape of mes but remained murky ck giving it a demonic aura.

    And there was... a super-close-range physical defense equivalent of water magicians'' bubble.

    "...what in the...?!"

    Grazio and three girls flinched in shock when they saw that.

    "Hmph, not bad ¨C still..."

    But the blue-haired only smiled, her arms shone with blue light and kneed Zoemi in the side, forcing him to stumble back freeing her hand, and then she proceed with taking a step forward and punching at the boy''s stomach.

    "GUH-UGH...!"

    Rokiana''s fist lost a bit of momentum once it met with the shadow armor, but in the next second Zoemi''s mana gotpletely depleted, the shadow armor dispersed and he was flung across the hallway.

    A spell based on the water magician''s bubble spell had the bubble spell''s weakness ¨C it fully depended on the user''s mana to stop the damage ¨C and the size of the mana reservoir in Zoemi''s case wasn''t his strong point - resulting in such oue.

    "UGH...!"

    The effects of mana depletion appeared instantly so the ck-haired boy couldn''t even properlynd and he ended up hitting the hard floor with his back and all air left his lungs in one go.

    "T-teacher...!"

    He cried in a miserable voice.

    "You''re so mean! First, those bulliese at me with a horrible usation - and now even you are beating me up! That''s not fair!"

    When the ck-haired boy managed to stand up, he could barely keep himself straight, and even though he soundedpletely drunk he ended up properly voicing hisints...

    ...although he did sound close to bursting into tears...

    "*Sniffle* Why do all of you have to be like this...!? I just want to protect my master - I don''t care about any of you...! Just leave me alone!"

    And, as it turns out, Zoemi was the kind of person that would be very emotional when drunk...

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    The three girls and the red-haired boy stared at the ck-haired attendant lost for words.

 Chapter 106 - 29 - Confrontation (part 2)

    "Do you see this? I used the weakest water enchantment and that was his second strongest spell. Student Auequas''s mana is only two times stronger than that of an averagemoner. He doesn''t have the strength to overpower even another darkness magician, let alone a water magician."

    After shaking off the shock that Zoemi''s behavior caused, teacher Perserion pointed at the pitiful attendant on the verge of tears and said to the group that used him.

    "Now, Sifra, are you telling me that you let yourself be vited by someone so weak? You aren''t hurt anywhere, so he clearly didn''t actually use his strongest spell on you. With how the evidence is, it is obvious you didn''t struggle."

    The blue-haired teacher scoffed and she shook her head in disgust.

    "Are you telling me that you just allow yourself to be deflowered by another man when you are engaged to my little brother? With no struggle whatsoever? Is my family a joke to you...?"

    Teacher Perserios''s voice was bing colder and colder.

    "T-teacher...! Sifra was scared! You can''t me her, j-just look at him!"

    The red-haired girl became agitated and dropped the broken-hearted attitude.

    "You are mean to me just because I''m ugly! But it''s not my fault...! It''s his fault! HE MADE ME LIKE THIS!"

    With big fat tears dropping from his lifeless eyes, Zoemi pointed at Grazio before showing off the disfigured right side of his face.

    "...!"

    "...ugh...!"

    The red-haired youth looked away with a troubled expression and the red-haired girl flinched again.

    "...is what he said..."

    Roakina reached out her hand towards Zoemi while ring at the blue-haired Sifra and the red-haired Keriul.

    "But I saw it! He attacked her! He tore her nightgown...!"

    "K-Keriul, n-no..! Stop! Shut up!"

    Even after that, Keriul wasn''t going to let go of her story at that point - and was pushing through even though Sifra next to her was shaking her head to the sides so violently that her hair was making a whistling noise.

    "Oohh... I see..."

    Teacher Perserios''s eyes became so fearsome that the red-haired girl instantly shut up.

    "So, student Helterose, you are saying, that you saw your friend here, getting vited - and haven''t even lifted a finger to help her...? You just let that happen? You? The fourth strongest fire magician of your year?"

    She furrowed her brows and asked the red-haired girl.

    "I-I...!"

    That was the moment that Keriul realized the jarring hole in her n.

    "I-I mean, Si-Sifra has told me ¨C I didn''t actually see..."

    The red-haired girl''s eyes ran to the side as she couldn''t meet the blue-haired teacher''s eyes.

    "Teacher, these girls are shaken from the traumatic experience, why are you...?"

    Suddenly, Grazio stepped in front of the girls and opened his mouth to defend them.

    "Oh? I assure you that the only person going through the traumatic experience here is student Auequas - I just wanted to see how much manure those girls wanted to jump into before I punish them."

    "!!!!!!"

    Rokiana shrugged her shoulders and Grazio nked out, not knowing how to respond to that deration.

    "Because - you see, student Victureo - my family is the most important for me and my younger brother isn''t an exception to that. So, of course, I would check up if his future wife stays safe and - in the first ce - is she is worthy of him."

    She exined in a calm voice, watching the confusion on Grazio''s face.

    "That is also why I check up on her almost every night. And yesterday wasn''t any different. I saw everything that happened ¨C from the beginning of their encounter to the end."

    The blue-haired teacher scoffed and looked at the three girls with disgust.

    "And things yed out exactly as student Zoemi has said ¨C every other usation except scaring student Ralia was false."

    "!!!"

    "!!!"

    "!!!"

    Rokiana revealed and the three girls huddled together, their faces pale as ghosts'', twisted in the caught-in-the-act expressions.

    "Huh...? No way...! But I didn''t you anywhere, teacher...?"

    At that moment, the wobbling Zoemi stumbled forward and asked in a na?ve voice.

    "If my spells were easy enough for even a student to see through, I would be long dead."

    The blue-haired teacher smirked at him and waved her hand dismissively.

    "Student Auequas, don''t you have any of that mana potion left?"

    She added looking at the ck-haired boy with just a tiny amount of pity.

    "Yes... I do! Teacher, do you want some?"

    Zoemi, with a big dumb smile, stered all over his face, reached to his pocket and took out one vial of the blue liquid, and started walking towards the blue-haired woman with his hand extended.

    "No, thank you. But you should drink it for sure."

    Rokiana stopped him with a gesture and advised.

    "...hmmm... should I...?"

    Zoemi tilted his head in confusion but then he suddenly smiled.

    "Okay!"

    It was such an innocent smile that even with his scars he seemedpletely harmless at the moment.

    Then, Zoemi slowly raised the vial up to his face and frowned while struggling to open it.

    The cork soon gave up and the ck-haired attendant managed to drink the vial''s content in one go.

    "..."

    His body shook as if he was sshed with a bucket of cold water - and then hit with the bucket itself too!

    "...huh...!?"

    With terrified eyes, he looked at the blue-haired teacher, then at the three trembling girls, and finally at Grazio.

    Everyone was looking at him weirdly.

    He looked at the vial in his hand and then realized his face was wet, so he touched it to identify the source.

    |I was crying...!? Why?!|

    Zoemi became stunned and embarrassed at the discovery.

    "W-what did I do!? I-I haven''t disrespected anyone, have I!?"

    "No, don''t worry, we just exined this whole misunderstanding. There''s no doubt that you''re innocent so just return to your ss, I need to have a word with your ssmates though - inform your teacher that they are with me, please."

    The ck-haired boy became horrified by the thought of all the possible things that he could have done and say, but the blue-haired teacher just waved her hand and shooed him away.

    |It''s good then... I guess...?|

    Whatever may have happened while he was out of it but everything worked out fine somehow...

    "Yes, teacher Perserios, thank you."

    Zoemi bowed to Rokiana and quickly evacuated.

    The blue-haired teacher looked at his back until he disappeared behind the corner and turned to the red-haired Grazio next.

    "Student Victureo, I think I understand your situation, you are a good student but don''t be so easy to manipte by women''s tears. You can go as well."

    The woman didn''t share Zoemi''s experience and she had a different opinion about Grazio than the ck-haired boy did, so he let the red-haired boy off with just a light warning.

    "I understand."

    Grazio nodded and hurriedly left the scene.

    "Sifra..."

    It was the turn of the blue-haired girl - she tried to hide behind her friends but it was useless since all three of them tried to hide behind each other at the same time resulting in a rather miserable scene.

    "I had doubts about you since the very beginning and thanks to today I can say that you aren''t suited for my little brother. He is the next head of the Perserios family, he needs a strong-willed and honest woman, whom he can trust, by his side. And you are not that kind of woman.. Everyone can get scared, but what did today was just shameless. You showed me a maniptive side of yours - do you think we of Perserios need someone who uses others out of spite?"

 Chapter 107 - 29 - Confrontation (part 3)

    "No! It''s not like that! I would n-never do something like that! It-it''s them! It''s because of Keriul and Senria! I told them what happened and Keriul said I should go to sir Grazio! She said we need to get that darkness magician expelled! I was tricked! I would never do such a thing on my own! Miss Rokiana, I beg you, don''t...!"

    Sifra exploded in a desperate cry and started pointing at the red-haired girl.

    "Tsk... So you''re not the one being maniptive, but the one who is easy to manipte. That''s honestly even worse."

    But the blue-haired teacher wasn''t moved by her cries and tantrums, she only clicked her tongue and shook her head in disappointment.

    "I will notify my father about this, it may take a day or two, but I can promise you one thing already - you may consider your engagement to my younger brother annulled."

    Rokiana Grea Perserios announce without a shred of hesitation in her voice.

    "Also, for a starter, the three of you are suspended for a week, I''ll talk to the principal about your real punishmentter. Oh, and of course, I will notify your parents about how you three are spending your free time plotting against other students instead of studying, I''m sure that they will be thrilled to learn about that."

    "....no...! NOOOOOOOOOOO....!"

    After Rokiana has closed her mouth, Sifra fell on her knees and started wailing as if she suffered a fatal wound while the other two kept their mouth shut to not worsen their situation even more.

    ----------

    Meanwhile, Zoemi was returning to the ssroom and was dealing with the mana hangover, since he had a lot of mana potions in stock he decided to drink another one topletely clear the mana depletion.

    But it was a mistake.

    He had to deal with a splitting headache now and he felt some of his anger returning.

    |This whole situation must have been Grazio''s n! He and those girls must have spread rumors about me and that''s why everyone was staring at me the whole morning!|

    The ck-haired boy gritted his teeth and pressed his hand to his head.

    |I wasn''t paying attention to him and now I''m paying for that! What am I supposed to do about the rumor now?!"

    His own feelings got in a way of his master''s happiness.

    Zoemi couldn''t forgive himself for that.

    Though since the blue-haired teacher herself said that everything was fine then maybe there wasn''t too much to worry about...

    "Zoemi!"

    "...!"

    The ck-haired attendant with the ugly burn-scar deforming his right cheek flinched at the sound of his name.

    For some reason, none other than his own master, Miriette, was running towards him with a worried expression!

    "Mydy...?"

    Zoemi eximed in surprise.

    "What are you doing here?"

    "Zoemi! Do you know what kind of rumors about you are circting through the academy!?"

    The dark-haired girl was red from anger as she asked him - but she didn''t even wait for the answer.

    "People are saying that you raped a girl from our ss! What''s that supposed to mean!?"

    |You could have me anytime you wanted and you have actually forced yourself on another woman!?|

    Miriette was heartbroken and absolutely, utterly furious!

    Zoemi felt a sharp pain in his chest.

    "Mydy, that''s just a false usation fabricated by sir Victureo and some girls from our ss, I swear!"

    His face twisted in desperation and he put his right hand over his heart pleading innocence.

    "Your servant would never disgrace you like that! Just now sir Victureo and the responsible girls confronted me about that rumor in an attempt to ruin my reputation but then a teacher came and everything has been cleared out!"

    He dered.

    "Misunderstanding...?"

    Frowning Miriette red at Zoemi distrustfully.

    "Indeed! Everything is the work of sir Victureo, he couldn''t bear the humiliation he suffered at the end of the magic examination and did it as an act of revenge...!"

    "I''m sure of it ¨C wait...! Oh no!"

    The ck-haired boy thought but then bit his tongue as soon as he realized what he was saying.

    It wasn''t the facts!

    It was only his spections!

    And since Miriette hated Grazio almost as much as Zoemi did - then because of her personality she would...

    "GRAZIO!"

    Miriette straightened her back and shouted as a vengeful fire lit in her eyes.

    "I am going to kill him this time for sure!"

    "Mydy...!"

    Her hair bristled like a forest of needles and she tried to walk past Zoemi but her attendant blocked her path.

    "Zoemi, move! This world doesn''t need that red-headed filth!"

    "Mydy, no you can''t, he may deserve that but you cannot do that!"

    Miriette froze and looked at Zoemi with shocked eyes.

    |He said that Grazio deserves to die...? What has that trash done to my Zoemi now!?|

    She thought to herself, more shaken than ever before.

    "Zoemi, you don''t have to worry, I''m going to shred him to pieces, I will not let him harm you anymore...!"

    The dark-haired girl announced with conviction.

    "Mydy?! No! You can''t! If you harm him you''ll get in trouble!"

    The ck-haired boy gasped and shook his head.

    "I don''t care!"

    The dark-haired girl scoffed and shook her head.

    "No, mydy! I beg of you! Everything''s cleared out, someone from the faculty is already dealing with the problem, so it''s fine, right? We can return to the ssroom, right?"

    Zoemi desperately tried to stop his master from destroying her future, but she wasn''t listening at all...!

    "No need to bother the faculty - I''m going to crush him! I''ve been tolerating his presence for so long and that''s how he pays me back for my mercy!?"

    Miriette was boiling with blind fury and she wasn''t listening to her attendant.

    "Mydy, you can''t! If you would hurt another high-born noble, then even you will get in serious trouble!"

    |Your happiness will be at risk! No, it won''t be achievable anymore!|

    "I don''t care!"

    Miriette shrugged him off and tried to pass him without looking sparing him a nce.

    |...no...! NO!|

    Even Miriette herself was a threat to her own happiness.

    Normally he would think about a different way to stop her but because of the headache caused by the mana hangover he simply lost his patience.

    "Miriette, listen to me!"

    Zoemi''s expression became strict - he grabbed his master''s shoulder and pulled her back forcing her to face him.

    "What are yo...!?"

    She asked with a frow but she couldn''t finish because Zoemi grabbed her face and forced her to look at him, squishing her cheeks a bit in the process.

    "No! You are not killing anyone! I''m not going to allow you to just destroy your own happiness because of me, Grazio, or anyone else! You are the most important person in my life and you will not ruin your future over some idiotic anger! Is that clear!?"

    Zoemi demanded in an ice-cold voice, staring at Miriette''s with his lifeless eyes.

    "Y-yesh."

    Since he was squishing her cheeks, Miriette''s lips were shaped like a duck-face and her voice came out a bit distorted.

    "Exactly. Now, we are returning to the ssroom now and I don''t want to hear a word about hurting Grazio!"

    "Ochay."

    Only after he got that confirmation did Zoemi release Mieirette''s face and grab her hand instead, leading her back to the ssroom.

    "..."

    As they walked, the ck-haired boy managed to calm down...

    "...!

    And halfway to the ssroom, Zoemi realized what the hell did he had just done and said to his master.

    "M-master, I''m so so...! Huh?"

    He turned around, shaking in fear at the thought of how furious the dark-haired girl must have be - but he closed his mouth when he actually saw her.

    "..."

    Miriette was toddling behind him with her head shyly down, just like an obedient child.

    She wasn''t angry or didn''t run off to beat up Grazio, instead of letting herself be led wherever Zoemi was going.

    |That''s... Unexpected...|

    Thought the ck-haired boy - but he wasn''t someone who would question such a good oue so he turned back and led his master back to their ssroom in peace.

    ---------

    At the same time in Miriette''s head...

    |I''m the most important person in his life!? That means he loves me! He wants my happiness! AAAHHH! I love him so much! And he was so assertive! Uh! He''s so manly! I thought my heart would stop! His face was soo close! He''s so handsome! He even touched my face! Oh my god! His hands were so warm! I don''t want to wash my face ever again! No wait, he''ll think I''m gross... Will he touch my face again if I ask him!? I''m his most important person after all! I should try that!|

    A pink-colored hurricane of love was swiping every other thought or emotion in its wake to the side.

 Chapter 108 - 30 - Revenge (part 1)

    Back in the ssroom everyone was still staring at Zoemi and whispering to each other, it couldn''t be helped, the rumor has already spread and there''s no way that something could be done about it that fast.

    It was already the third period and the next break would be the long lunch break, but the moods in the ssroom were as bad as one might expect.

    "..."

    Mirette was pissed off so much that her lovey-dovey mood broke during the previous break when Zoemi excused himself from talking with her and Horeo pushing it off on stomachache, but the dark-haired girl had already realized that he was distancing himself from her to protect her from the bad rumors surrounding him.

    |They all are looking at him like he''s a criminal even though they don''t know the truth!|

    Miriette who already knew the truth clenched her fists and her hair bristled again.

    |That trash will pay...|

    The dark-haired girl was staring holes in the back of Grazio''s head and the red-haired youth who returned to the ssroom right after she and Zoemi did, was fidgeting ufortably under the weight of her re.

    |No... I need to stay calm. Zoemi told me to not harm that trash...|

    Miriette took a deep breath topose herself, usually, she would just act on her wild temperament but since Zoemi was so serious about making her happy...

    |Ufufu... Ohohoho...!|

    Miriette fell all fluffy inside when she thought about that and smiled to herself.

    ... then she won''t do anything that could cause him trouble.

    |Count yourself lucky, trash!|

    Miriette snorted and turned towards the teacher.

    When the long break started, Zoemi went to check on the twins again and Miriette turned to the first prince to start a polite conversation before the meal, to keep up the appearances.

    "My love... so it was all Grazio and some girls from our ss? How stupid can one get?"

    The conversation only looked polite, the actual content was kind of scary.

    "Can you imagine that, my dear prince? If Zoemi didn''t stop me I would have made that trash into a blood-mist already."

    The first prince and his fiance were discussing the most pressing matter for both of them...

    ¡­ that meant Zoemi''s public opinion...

    "Should I arrange an execution for that cumberworld after all, my love?"

    The gold-haired prince asked with a charming smile while discreetly motioning at the red-haired Grazio.

    "Ah, my dear prince, that would be truly lovely."

    The dark-haired girl gasped and put her hand over the prince''s hand.

    "I''ll be sure to look into that. Now, how are we supposed to restrain ourselves from the urge to kill him before that...?"

    Horeo asked with an evil smirk that suited his inner thought much more than a benevolent smile he usually had stered all over his face.

    "Ohohoho!"

    Miriette raised her hand to her mouth andughed.

    "I don''t have too much trouble with that - after all, Zoemi held my face like that and told me I''m the most important person in his life! Of course, I''llply with his request with all my heart!"

    "..."

    She demonstrated a lot more romantic version of what has happened and Horeo''s expression grew dark.

    "...Lucky wench..."

    He muttered under his breath.

    "Huh? What was that, my dear prince?"

    Miriette heard him but instead of getting angry, she gloated over the insult ¨C basking in the glory of victory.

    "I couldn''t hear you over all that jealousy about Zoemi liking me way more than he likes you."

    "Tsk...!"

    She dered and Horeo clicked his tongue and turned his head away to not look at his boasting fiance.

    |Why I wasn''t born a girl... No, wait, if I was a girl and he still chose Miriette that would hurt, even more, now I at least have some excuse...|

    "...huh...?"

    The gold-haired prince sunk into his own dark thoughts but then someone entered his field of vision...

    It was one of the girls who were absent since morning - the blue-haired Sifra.

    Sifra was looking like a mess, her clothes and hair were fine, but she was trembling as if she had some disease.

    The girl was deathly pale except for the swollen eyes, red from crying and just as the red nose - she was sniffling constantly with.

    She was holding her arms below her chest like she was cold too.

    "Tsk... Just look at that! If she''s so sick then she shouldn''te to the ssroom at all, what if she will infect others or something?"

    The first prince shook his head with repugnance.

    "You at least can apud her dedication, if I was sick I would just let Zoemi pamper me all day!"

    Miriette announced without a speck of shame.

    "You would want Zoemi to see you like THAT...?"

    Horeo asked pointing at the girl in a terrible state.

    "I''m his most important person! He wouldn''t mind at all!"

    The dark-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and dered proudly.

    "Oh really? Well, he needs to see your morning face every day so there''s probably not any difference really."

    The gold-haired prince raised his brows but then scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.

    "Hmm? What was that? I couldn''t hear you over the butt-hurt pissy prince''s whining."

    Horeo and Miriette were conversing with each other as they always would when Zoemi was not around.

    Meanwhile, Sifra became surrounded by her friends, everyone asked her what happened and if she''s sick but the blue-haired girl didn''t respond at all and just walked past them all while staring at her own feet.

    The extremely sick-looking girl slowly walked towards the seat, but not her own seat, she walked to Zoemi''s seat.

    Only then did she raise her head.

    "S-sir Zoemi, I...! O-oh..."

    She realized that Zoemi was not there and she started staring at her feet again.

    "Miss Ralia, what business do you have with my attendant?"

    Miriette rolled her eyes before she gracefully called out to the girl.

    "Ldy M-Miriette..."

    Sifra started shaking even more and she hugged herself tighter.

    "I... I came here to... to... to...!"

    She tried to say her reason but she loudly breathed in and started sobbing after only a few words.

    "Hey, pissy prince, why could she want from Zoemi...?"

    Miriette leaned towards Horeo and whispered.

    "How am I supposed to know? I just hope she doesn''t infect him with whatever she''s sick!"

    The first prince shrugged his shoulders.

    "Ah! If he would get sick then I would take care of him! Ah! I wonder if he gets clingy when he''s sick!"

    "You? Take care of? Don''t make meugh, my love!"

    "Haa!? My dear prince, let me remind you I''m still better than you when ites to the house chores!"

    "No you''re not, even I can make my own bed now!"

    The two werepletely ignoring the sobbing girl ¨C which honestly was a good thing ¨C if any of them cared about their ssmates enough to realize that this was the girl who used Zoemi of viting her, they wouldn''t let her off with just a scoff...

    That was the time when Zoemi returned to the ssroom.

    He was in a good mood since when he checked on the twins they told him about the detention that the three girls received after sabotaging his opinion.

    Having Grazio get away scot-free was a bit annoying, but he was already happy that at least some of the guilty people were getting properly pointed out as that would make clearing out his name that much easier!

    "...huh...?!"

    But then he saw the crying girl by his desk and his smile was no more.

 Chapter 109 - 30 - Revenge (part 2)

    |The audacity of some people...|

    Zoemi thought as his expression turned ice-cold at the sight of Sifra Ralia, the girl who used him of raping her fully knowing what devastating oue would her lie bring him.

    "Miss Ralia. Do you need something from me?"

    The ck-haired boy approached the pitiful-looking blue-haired girl and asked in an unfriendly manner - which wasn''t too unreasonable taking into consideration what she attempted to do to him.

    "...!"

    At the sound of his deep voice Sifra turned around and once she confirmed that it was him - she kneeled in front of the scarred attendant without an ounce of hesitation...!

    She even pressed her head to the floor!

    "S-sir Zoemi... I-I am so, so sorry...!"

    Sifra cried and her words resounded very loud and clear in the silence that her sudden action caused.

    All eyes were literally glued to her.

    "I am so sorry for falsely using you of attempting to vite me... for raping me... I was so stupid...! That should have never happened...!"

    The blue-haired girl was bawling her eyes out and her tears and snot were creating a puddle on the floor beneath her.

    "Falsely using...?"

    Someone gasped in shock, looking between the standing boy and the prostrating girl.

    "So he didn''t do it?"

    Asked someone else.

    "Of course, he didn''t! He''sdy Espine''s attendant! Do you think she would keep some criminal with her!"

    Someone scoffed, shaking their head with annoyance.

    "But you yourself said..."

    ...but they were called out immediately...

    "No, I didn''t! Shut up!"

    They gasped and backed off to not expose themselves too much.

    Just like that, the students started whispering to each other even more than before, a few of them were loud enough to reach Zoemi''s ears.

    |Even someone with a messed-up face can get some justice, huh? So there is a silver lining.|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself while deciding to not walk past the crying girl and instead stop and listen to her.

    Yet that was a somewhat double-edged sword.

    He was focused on the girl so he couldn''t see Mireiette and Horeo.

    "Miriette! Calm down! Think about Zoemi!"

    The first prince was trying his best to hold back his fiance from ripping the blue-haired girl to shreds, piece by piece, he even had to activate his enchants just to keep the dark-haired girl down!

    "S-sir Zoemi, I am truly sorry, I am such a horrible person, my actions are inexcusable but... but could you please go and talk with teacher Perserios to not break off my engagement with her younger brother...? If she will really do that I won''t be able to return home...! My father will disinherit me! Please, I bego for you yo help me!"

    Sifra wailed out causing consternation amongst all of her ssmates, whether they were on her side before or not.

    "Wait... Am I getting it right? She falsely used him of actually raping her, and now she wants him to help her out!? Is she serious?!"

    "What a shameless woman..."

    "Shameless doesn''t even cut it...!"

    "...!"

    When the blue-haired girl in shambles heard the whispers of her friends, she got raised her head in a hurry and shook it violently from left to right in denial.

    "I-it wasn''t my fault! It was Keriul and Senria! Keriul convinced me to tell a lie so that the ugly dar... so that sir Zoemi would get expelled, and Senria used her message spell to start the rumor! I didn''t n any of it! I am a victim in this situation too...!"

    Sifra wailed in despair but after admitting her faults she lost all support...

    "..."

    Even the red-haired Grazio didn''t look in her direction.

    It was Aspakeony Academy, a ce of learning for the children of the nobles where your opinion was way more important than your grades.

    After all, after graduating, the students would inherit their parents'' fortune or be given important jobs, and the opinions from the schooldays would stick to them forever.

    So who those students were afraid of and hated more?

    The scary-looking boy with an ugly scar who although wasn''t too pleasant to look at was a very diligent student and the very picture of a perfect attendant who always puts his master in the first ce...?

    ...or a girl who just straight-up admitted that she tried to nder him?

    The answer was obvious from the very start!

    The nderer of course!

    The damned nderer together with her aplices!

    Both the situation and the atmosphere in the ssroom turned around one hundred and ny degrees from how it was in the morning.

    "I feel so filthy now! I actually believed what that gossip girl, Senria, said!"

    One of the students was very close to spitting to the side from disgust.

    "What does Keriul think she is? She wanted to get someone expelled!? Who the hell does she think she is!?"

    Another one scoffed in disbelief, ring at the seat of the absent red-haired girl.

    "I never liked any of them! I knew they were up to no good!"

    A different person called out.

    "Yeah! What if they would seed with framing Zoemi? Who would they nder next!?"

    "Those bitches!"

    ...and was followed by a choir of angry voices in agreement.

    If Sifra thought that the apology and pushing her fault on others would work in her favor ¨C well... - she was wrong.

    Dead wrong.

    No one looked at her with warm feelings, instead, everyone was ring at her with scorn and contempt.

    "Ohohoho...!"

    With the exception of Miriette.

    The dark-haired girl was smiling and nodding her head with a content expression.

    "...huh...?"

    Even Horeo was surprised when he saw that reaction.

    "Miriette? What''s going on?"

    The gold-haired boy leaned towards the dark-haired girl and asked in concern.

    "Oh, my prince!"

    She covered her mouth and giggled so that others wouldn''t notice.

    "Can''t you see? Nothing that I could do would evene close to what this imbecile did to herself!"

    Miriette had to use all of her strong wills to stop herself from going continuing tough on top of her lungs.

    The miserable scene of the nderer digging her own grave would y out longer but then a teacher rmed by the cries and murmurs came in to check up on what was happening inside...

    ...and it just so happened that this very teacher was...

    "What is going on here, what''s with those cries and...?"

    Rokiana Grea Perserios raised her eyebrow and asked the students gathered at the back of the ssroom and step further inside.

    "...no. No way..."

    But then she stopped looking at their faces and checked what they were ring at.

    And she frowned.

    "Sifra, I thought I was clear that you are suspended. Get out of the ssr.oom."

    Rokiana''s voice was as cold as ice.

    "..."

    Sifra trembled but didn''t move.

    "S-sir Zoemi, please..."

    She begged to look up pleadingly at the ck-haired boy.

    "...seriously...?"

    Teacher Perserios nced at Zoemi and then she rolled her eyes.

    "No. No! You can''t be serious...! Everyone, did - by any chance - that girl came here to ask student Zoemi to talk to me on her behalf...? That''s not the reason she is here, is it?"

    The blue-haired teacher shook her head in disbelief, looking at the other students surrounding the girl.

    "Teacher, she did! She admitted that she ndered him and tried to get him expelled, and still asked him to help her!"

    One of the female students eximed furiously - and she was one of the first ones to talk ask Sifra if she was okay when the blue-haired girl first came to ss.

    "Sifra, I already notified my father, your parents, and the headmaster about the situation. It''s useless to try doing something now."

    "N-no...! Noooooo...!"

    Just as Rokiana finished talking, Sifra slumped on the floor and became a sobbing mess curled up in a fetal position.

 Chapter 110 - 30 - Revenge (part 3)

    "Does anyone want to take that girl back to her room? I''ll even excuse the volunteer from today''s whole lecture."

    "..."

    The blue-haired teacher asked, but even with the benefit of having essentially a longer break no one volunteered at first.

    Not even the people who were so worried about her just a moment before.

    Not a single person wanted to have anything to do with Sifra anymore.

    "No one?"

    Roksana asked, thinking it will be a chore to call someone from the faculty office to take care of the troublesome girl, but then...

    "Teacher, I will take her."

    ...a calm and proud voice dered the readiness...

    "Mydy! No, you don''t need to... I will do that instead...!"

    Miriette was the one who volunteers and, obviously, Zoemi was trying to stop her immediately.

    "No. You will stay here - I want you to take notes for me, besides I don''t want you to be exposed to this nderer any longer than necessary - who knows what lies she will think of this time!?"

    Miriette rejected Zoemi''s proposition with a light shrug.

    "But, mydy...!"

    "Zoemi, I will go with her, then it won''t be a problem, will it?"

    Now even the gold-haired first prince joined the conversation.

    "Teacher, would that be okay? My fiance and I will escort miss Ralia to her room."

    "Aha! I see how it is..."

    Horeo asked with a polite smile and Perseriosughed with a nod.

    "And use the long break to go on a date? Ha! Fine - but only this once!"

    |AH...! Isn''t that even better?!"

    With the blue-haired teacher giving her permission, Zoemi didn''t oppose anymore, on the contrary, now it was perfect!

    It actually looked that the first prince was bing more forward with his feelings for Miriette!

    Therefore Zoemi took his seat withoutining...

    ...but with a certain heaviness in his chest...

    "Levitation!"

    Miriette pointed his slender finger at the broken sobbing mess on the blue-haired girl and made her body raise three feet above the floor.

    The dark-haired girl wasn''t going to touch Sifre at all.

    "...hey..."

    Before the couple went out of the ssroom Horeo leaned towards Zoemi.

    "...do you know where is this girl''s room...?"

    "It''s the door three rooms before Veo and Teo''s room - it''s the same side of the corridor."

    "Alright., thanks."

    Horeo nodded and felt bad because immediately figured out that this whole nder thing became a thing only because he made Zoemi go talk to his attendants.

    "Ah, my prince, I almost forgot!"

    "Yes...?"

    Horeo was about to go but Zoemi stopped him.

    "Your attendants are just sick, as I told you before, but I think that they would feel much better if you checked up on them too ¨C especially Veo. She is really worried about you, so a word from you would go a long way for her."

    The ck-haired boy turned his head so that most of his scars weren''t visible for the gold-haired price and asked.

    "Oh...! Of course ¨C I''ll do that."

    Horeo raised his brow but then nodded with a content smile.

    ------

    "So, what are you nning?"

    After cing the broken girl on her bed and closing the door Horeo asked his fiance.

    "What am I ning? Whatever could you mean, my prince?"

    Miriette tilted her head in faked confusion and asked.

    "Don''t y with me. What are you plotting, you cunning fox?"

    "Ohohoho...!"

    Horeo asked, but at his words, Miriette only smiled andughed smugly.

    "While you were wasting your time on pointlessly trying to sweet-talk my Zoemi - I actually made some preparations."

    The dark-haired girl exined with a triumphant expression.

    "What sort of preparations...?"

    The blond prince inquired, raising his brow suspiciously.

    "For example - I asked all the students with wind attribute that I can share messages with to not be too mean to the girl who spread the false rumor about my attendant ¨C Senria Parrats from our ss.|

    Miriette exined with a malicious smile.

    "Oooohhhhh...!"

    Horeo gasped and snorted right after.

    "Oh god, they won''t leave her alone at all...!"

    The first prince put his hand to his mouth to hide a wicked, satisfied smile.

    "Oh, for sure - I actually expect that they will be taking turns to make sure she won''t be able to sleep. Sometimes it pays off to be idolized by all themon rabble ¨C as you call our ssmates."

    Miriette revealed her secrets lightly shrugging her shoulders.

    "I also learned in which room that Keriul -the red-haired bitch who came up with the idea - lives."

    She added lightheartedly.

    "We''re paying her a visit?"

    The gold-haired prince snickered.

    "One that she will never forget."

    The dark-haired girl nodded in confirmation.

    ----

    Not even a minuteter Miriette knocked on the right door.

    "Who''s there?"

    "It''s me Horeo."

    Just as the pair has nned ¨C as soon as Keriul answered the knocking, Horeo was the one to speak.

    "Y-your Highness!?"

    The red-haired girl inside panicked and hurriedly opened the door.

    "Your highness wh...!?"

    She probably wanted to ask him why did hee to see her, but Miriette, with her hand gloving green, covered her mouth and pushed her back inside.

    "Just remember, don''t take it too far."

    Horeo warned Miriette and closed the door after her, he himself stayed in the hallway.

    He didn''t really want to see what would happen, he would never admit that to either Mireitte or Zoemi, but actually, he had a slight fear of heights...

    Miriette had a hard time dragging the struggling girl towards the window, so she rolled her eyes in annoyance and pointed her index finger at Kierul''s face.

    "Stop."

    "..."

    The dark-haired girl simply said and the red-haired girl froze in ce with her eyes bulging out of her eyesockets.

    With that, pushing the stiff like a statue girl all the way up to the window was no longer a problem.

    |Good, it''s really is in the opposite direction to the faculty office.|

    Miriette thought with satisfaction before she nced at the frozen girl and snapped her fingers.

    "Resume."

    She simply said and the red-haired girl flinched and blinked her eyes repeatedly in confusion before she focused on Miriette in front of her.

    "What do you think you''re doing!?"

    Keriul shouted, but Miriette was already grabbing the front of her school uniform, and even though the red-headed girl tried to break free, it was for naught.

    The average wind enchantments were stronger than the average fire enchantments, to begin with - not to mention the overpowered enchantments that Miriette had at her disposal thanks to being the transcended magician.

    Keriul could only struggle.

    "Let me go!"

    She screamed.

    "Pffft! No. Free flight."

    Laughed Miriette.

    "GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    And the most powerful wind magician in the worldunched through the open window straight into the sky together with the screaming Keriul.

    The two of them were getting higher and higher, and at one point Keriul stopped shouting and her nose started bleeding so Miriette decided to stop there.

    She didn''t want the girl to pass out and escape the most important part of her punishment, after all.

    "..."

    Miriette looked down, the Academyplex was looking like children''s toys left on the floor after the ytime was over.

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Keriul wasn''t struggling anymore, she was clinging to Miriette''s hand as if her life depended on it. Well...

    ...probably because it did...

    "I came here to thank you for taking care of my attendant~ "

    Miriette smiled adorably and exined to the fire magician in her grasp.

    "Y-y-you c-can''t d-do that...!"

    Keriul was barely able to speak but for whatever reason, she still thought she say something that would influence Miriette''s decision...

    "Just a reminder - you do know who I came to your room with, right? Wench, I got permission to do this."

    "N-no...!"

    The red-haired girl gasped in disbelief.

    "Yes."

    Miriette shrugged her shoulders and...

    ...threw Keriul off like a piece of garbage...

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    The red-haired girl started screaming her lungs out on the way down back to the rapidly approaching ground...

    Meanwhile, Miriette...

    "Ohohohohohoho!"

    Wasughing with her hand close to her mouth in the most ojou-sama way possible.

    "Ohohohohohohohohohohoho!"

    She took a deep breath.

    "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!"

    The dark-haired girl looked down - Keriul was around halfway to the ground.

    "Fine, this should be enough..."

    Miriette sighed and elerated towards the ground.

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    She used enough power to break through the sound barrier and the sonic boom she caused ripped a hole in the surrounding clouds.

    Lady Espine caught up to the red-headed girl in no time, and then just like before, she grabbed the front of her clothes.

    The two of them slowed down and deceleratedpletely only right above the ground - around three feet at most.

    "...gh...ghhh...ghhhh...!"

    Keriul was foaming from her mouth and yellow stains were spreading down her white stockings.

    "Hmph~"

    Miriette nodded satisfied. and casually flew through the window back into Keriul''s room, and left the girl on her bed then closed the window.

    "How it went... Eww...!"

    The gold-haired boy became grossed out at the sight of Keriul''s current state.

    "You went a bit too far, don''t you think, my love?"

    He smirked, shaking his head.

    "Of course not, my dear prince, she''s still alive after all."

    The dark-haired girl shrugged her shoulders.

    Horeo left first and Miriette followed after him.

    "...!"

    But just as she passed the mirror on Keriul''s desk, the girl froze and leaned forward to check something...

    "...that won''t do, he will notice it..."

    ...she muttered, grabbing two fairly-colored strands of hair and pulled them out without a second of hesitation...

    "My love? You aren''t nning to do anything else to her, right?"

    "...!"

    Horeo''s voiceing from the hallway made Miriette flinch and drop the two hair that glistened on the way to the floor.

    "Of course not, my prince ¨C I''m going."

    The dark-haired girl responded and left the room too.

 Chapter 111 - 31 - Attendantâ€™s Attending (part 1) [main]

    "What the...?!"

    The next morning Zoemi found a whopping ten bottles of the mana potion all lined up under his door and he couldn''t hide his shock.

    |This must have cost a fortune! Is that why the heroine was absent yesterday? She was getting this? Is this her way of showing me support...?|

    The ck-haired attendant thought to himself in confusion while pocketing all the vials.

    |No, wait, since she was absent, did she even know about what was going on...? Hmm... oh well, maybe someone told her...|

    Zoemi thought to himself shrugging his shoulders...

    "No... wait...!"

    He suddenly straightened his back and stiffened in realization.

    "Tsk..."

    The ck-haired boy clicked his tongue ¨C he came up with a rather dangerous reason why the heroine might have gone out of her way to supply him with arge quantity of the expensive mana potions right after something bad happened to him...

    The blond girl must have set her eyes on the gold-haired first prince and was trying to use the ck-haired boy as a stepping stone to achieving that!

    ...was a baseless assumption that Zoemi made...

    |But with this amount... Does she think that I''m down because of the already dead rumor, and gave me all of that to cheer me up? Does she think that I can be bought that easily...?! Hah! She would have to get me at least a whole crate of those! Or two!|

    The ck-haired scoffed to himself while standing up with his pockets bursting from the vials with the blue liquid.

    In truth - if the heroine wasn''t the archnemesis of his master, then even Zoemi would be moved by the gesture and start thinking kindly about the blond girl.

    But!

    The heroine was the greatest danger to Miriette after all and Zoemi knew about it all too well.

    "Hmph...!"

    So, he shook his head with a sigh and got back into his room.

    With this amount, he could start using mana conversion even more frequently than he already was during the evening training with the usual group of students less proficient with magic.

    Yes - he was using that spell every day with their help ¨C sometimes even getting Horeo to help him out too.

    Around the sunset, the first prince would cast his absolutely weakest spell, light spark, and Zoemi would store it in his shadow, then Zoemi would let his mana slowly regenerate and he would use the mana conversion at the stored spell right before falling asleep.

    It was more beneficial than the spells of the group he was training with as his mana conversion seemed to work best with light attribute spells, but Horeo wasn''t always avable after all, so the ck-haired boy wasn''t going toin.

    Zoemi wasn''t sure how much his mana increased ¨C but it was easier and easier to hold spells in his shadow, so his reservoir must have increased quite a lot.

    He didn''t try to fool himself that it was nearly enough to be actually useful, but at the same time, he was sure that he could pull off the entrance stunt from the beginning of the school without actually suffering from mana depletion!

    "Hm hm hmmm~"

    The ck-haired boy hummed to himself while finishing making breakfast.

    "Patishi, will you take this to the first prince today too? And by the way, how was it yesterday?"

    Zoemi asked the brown-haired youth by his side with a smile.

    Patishi nodded their head and blushed a little.

    "Yes, big brother Zoemi! And the prince even asked me to help him with the chores!"

    They boasted excitedly.

    "Oh? He did?"

    Zoemi raised his brows.

    "So that''s what he meant when he said that I don''t need to worry... Then you must be doing a good job! I''m proud of you!"

    The ck-haired boy said and affectionately messed up Patishi''s head.

    "Ehehe!"

    Patishi fidgeted under Zoemi''s hand and giggled embarrassed but proud at the same time.

    "The prince isn''t making things hard for you, right? If you don''t want to help him you can just tell me, I will help him out after ss."

    Still, Zoemi was a bit worried - Patishi was always working hard in the kitchen perfecting their skills, and the ck-haired attendant didn''t want his little sibling to cut short their own time for the prince.

    "N-no! The first prince is very cool! I like helping him!"

    Patishi shook their head vigorously and eximed with sparkling eyes.

    "Oh? The first prince is cool?"

    Zoemiraised his brows and asked with a soft smile, ncing at the youth.

    "Yes! He''s super cool and really really nice, and handsome and...! Ah...!"

    Patishi gasped and blushed, covering their mouth with both hands, all while making an embarrassed expression.

    "But you are cool too, big brother Zoemi!"

    The youth added hurriedly to assure their big brother.

    "...I see, I see. It makes me happy to hear that."

    Zoemi tried his best not to burst out intoughter.

    Seriously, Patishi looked too much like a puppy!

    ...and a love-struck maiden ¨C but mostly a puppy...

    After the preparations werepleted, just like the day before, Zoemi and Patishi left the kitchen and went in two different directions.

    Zoemi went to the twin''s room and this time Teo opened the door for him before he even managed to raise his hand to knock ¨C the short brown-haired girl must have been waiting for him since way earlier.

    "S-sir Zoemi...! Are you really, really sure you don''t hate m... us...?"

    Teo asked all fidgety, bashfully looking up at the boy''s face.

    |And she''s back to it again... How important am I for her?|

    Zoemi, as an excellent pot didn''t have any hesitation in calling the kettle ck.

    "I told you two that I don''t hate you, I''m actually very fond of you!"

    |As fellow attendants.|

    Although thest part should be said too, to clear things out, the ck-haired boy merely thought it while smiling at the awestruck brown-haired girl.

    "I still have time so if you want I can go and feed you again if that will make your recovery faster."

    "Ah...! AH....! Wou-would do that?! Yes please!"

    Teo gasped in disbelief at Zoemi''s words but it didn''t take long for her to grab the bait and the girl hurriedly moved away, making ce for the ck-haired boy to enter.

    Their room was still as special as before, it was brightly lit by many magic crystalmps illuminating the literal vegetable garden under the window, while all the furnitureprising of the desks, wardrobe, and beds was stuffed in the corner as an afterthought.

    "I am still worried that you two will get in trouble for this... aren''t you worried that a passing teacher will catch a glimpse of your miniature field and ask for exnation even without an inspection?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, thinking about a certain blue-teacher who could go invisible and would patrol the hallways at night...

    ...although thinking about it, Rokiana had no more reason for doing that since her connection with Sifra Ralia has been broken...

    "No problem - we are careful about entering and exiting our room - it''s only different when you visit us.

    Responded Veo - although for a moment Zoemi couldn''t localize her.

    "Oh? I see. then, back to the breakfast - how about you Veo? Do you want me to feed you too?''

    Zoemi asked the older twin - who turned out to be in the middle of tending the vegetables.

    "She doesn''t!"

    "Thank you for your offer but I''m good."

    "...?"

    Both twins spoke at the same time, and Zoemi nced at Teo who blushed in embarrassment.

 Chapter 112 - 31 - Attendantâ€™s Attending (part 2) [side]

    At the same time as Zoemi was dealing with the troublesome one of the twins, the gold-haired prince opened the door for the brown-haired youth and let them in with a grateful smile.

    "Thank you again for helping me, Patishi!"

    After the boy put the tray on the desk - the first prince grabbed their shoulders and bowed his head to them.

    "N-no, your highness! It''s an honor to help you!"

    Patishi became agitated and lifted their hands but at the same time, they weren''t sure if they were allowed to touch the prince so their arms ended up just awkwardly hanging mid-air.

    "There is another batch ofundry to fold, this time it''s my attendants but since they are sick I asked to leave it in my room so they would be able to rest in peace without worrying."

    The prince looked at an even bigger pile of freshundry than the day before and trembled.

    "Please, can you take care of that too? The girls will be back tomorrow, that''s what Zoemi said, so I won''t bother you anymore after that! I''m also going to reward you for your help too of course!"

    The first prince was actually truly gentle towards his servants, because of his friendship with Zoemi, Horeo learned how arduous tasks are the house-chores and he had a lot of warm feelings and respect towards the people who were doing them for him every day.

    "N-no! Y-your highness! It''s really nothing! It''s an honor! A-and if you like I wouldn''t mind helping you again... I-if you''d like me... to..."

    Patishi responded to the prince hurriedly but halfway they started blushing and in the end, they whispered thest words with their head lowered bashfully to hide the bright blush covering their face.

    "Are you sure?! Great! Ah! And don''t worry - if I''ll ever call for your help I will be sure to reward you!"

    Horeo smiled widely, and Patishi who was sneaking a peek at him blushed even harder and hastily looked away.

    "Alright! I did some light training after waking up and I really shouldn''t go to ss all sweaty, so I''m going to take a quick shower - you can start with theundry whenever you''re ready!"

    The first prince patted Ptaishi''s shoulder and left them alone in the room.

    Soon, the sound of the running water was audible from behind the bathroom door confirming that the gold prince was serious.

    For a few seconds, Patishi stared at the door as if they were imagining something, all blushy.

    "...ah...!"

    After about three whole minutes have passed, the brown-haired youth finally flinched and shook their head - and with a red face, they marched towards the pile of clothes and began folding them.

    "...!"

    Ah! Those are cute.

    Thought Patishi from time to time while going through the twin''sundry.

    "..."

    ...and then their hands stopped...

    Patishi gasped and lifted up Veo''s maid dress.

    |I''ve seen a few female attendants and maids wear those around the academy!|

    Patishi''s eyes sparkled.

    The frilly design was just adorable and the youth always had a thing for cute things.

    "...?"

    Patishi gulped loudly and looked towards the bathroom door.

    The continuous sound of running water was still loud and from time to time a humming voice of the first prince was audible too!

    ...it meant that there was time...

    "..."

    Patishi looked back at the dress and then at the first prince''s wardrobe that just so happened to have a full-sized mirror on one door...

    J-just for a little bit...!

    The brown-haired youth thought and walked towards the wardrobe with the maid dress in hand.

    Making sure that they will not make too much noise, Patishi took off their clothes down to the underwear and looked in the mirror.

    The youth was skinny and didn''t like their body very much.

    ...no...

    ...that was taking it too lightly...

    They hated their body.

    Because...

    Patishi was a girl.

    But their body was not.

    Basically, no one from Patishi''s surroundings understood it, and treated her as a boy ¨C and if she dared to speak out and say that they were wrong, and she was actually a girl, she would get ridiculed and sometimes straight-up bullied for daring to state such a thing ¨C it was far worse than with her unique magic.

    So to heave at least have some peace of mind, Patishi bent down and didn''t speak out when others were talking to her as if she was a boy.

    It was easier.

    It was painful, she hated it, but she had to hide and endure to survive.

    But then Zoemi arrived and didn''t even hesitate when calling her a girl ¨C she felt so happy, but so terrified at that moment too ¨C what if the others will start bulling the kind big brother because of her?

    So she lied to him and asked to be called by what her body was.

    But even then, the ck-haired boy simply change the way of addressing her to a neutral form ¨C and it was enough to both not cause others to bother Patishi, and give her peace of mind.

    At least one person knew that she was a girl all along...

    ...and then she met the prince. He must have heard about Patishi from Zoemi, and called her a girl on their first meeting...

    ...and Patishi''s heart started beating faster...

    But that also led to a new fear being born...

    ...how would the handsome and kind boy react after seeing Patishi''s body...

    ...would he still treat her the same...?

    ...would he hate her just like everyone else besides Zoemi...?

    "...why are you like this...?"

    Patishi''s lips shook as she looked at her reflection.

    She was so skinny because she hated her body that didn''t match who she was and she starved herself...

    "..."

    But that wasn''t the time to be sulking!

    Patishi shook her head put on the cute maid dress.

    And gasped.

    Since the beginning, Veo wasn''t much taller than Patishi so her dress fitted the three-years-younger girl quite well.

    Patishi couldn''t believe what the mirror was showing.

    "I look so pretty...!"

    For whatever reason, the design fitted Patishi like it was custom-tailored for her!

    It made her look like any other girl...!

    "Ehehe~!"

    Patishi grabbed the sides of the dress and did a twirl - the dress fluttered beautifully and Patishi''s face beamed with a smile.

    "Whoa, that looks really nice on you, miss!"

    Horeo, with only a towel around his waist, walked out of the bathroom, and after the initial shock, heplimented the girl with a smile.

 Chapter 113 - 31 - Attendantâ€™s Attending (part 3) [side]

    "Eh...? KYAAAAH!"

    At first, Patishi gasped - surprised by the prince''s voice but once she actually saw him - she wentpletely red, covered her eyes, and turned away while squatting down from actual fear and embarrassment.

    "What''s going on?"

    Horeo asked in bewilderment.

    "Oh, no ¨C don''t tell me I...?!"

    The gold-haired boy quickly nced down to check if he by any chance forgot to cover himself properly, but no, the towel was there, covering all of his glorious princehood.

    "Ah! Are you ashamed about wearing the maid-dress? Don''t be! You are a cute girl and a frilly dress like this suits you very much!"

    Horeo waved his hand dismissively and dered to calm down the shaken girl.

    "I-I''m sorry, I''ll take it off right away!"

    Patishi panicked and removed the dress without thinking.

    "Oh...? Oh no...!"

    Horeo raised his brow and let out a small voice before gasping in terror.

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Patishi froze in ce, realizing what she did.

    |Oh no...! Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...!|

    She trembled, frozen in ce, waiting for the follow-up reaction of the boy in front of her ¨C she even closed her eyes, fully expecting to be berated and maybe even hit, though she hoped that at least the kind prince wouldn''t turn out like most of the people in her life...

    "I have just realized that you aren''t a trained attendant and you might not be used to having half-naked nobles walking around without shame...! Noooo...! Zoemi and Miriette will make so much fun of me if they will ever learn about this...!"

    "...?"

    But instead of shouting, Horeo sounded panicked ¨C but for an entirely different reason than Patishi assumed he would be.

    The gold-haired prince grabbed the clothes that he had prepared for himself before going to the bathroom - and hurriedly started putting them on.

    "Miss! Please wait a bit and don''t look this way ¨C that''s not a sight that a young, unmarried girl should be forced to witness..! I''m sorry, okay?! I swear I am not a creep ¨C I was just brought up in the environment where my every need was catered to by others!"

    "...eh...?"

    Patishi flinched and nced fearfully at the first prince who was done with putting on underwear and pants in a sh and was now hastily buttoning up a shirt.

    |...did... did he didn''t properly see my body...?|

    The brown fidgetted girl gulped down her saliva.

    If the first prince was just confused ¨C or unobservant enough - she didn''t really want to correct him ¨C but at the same time, wouldn''t his wrath be far scarierter if he would learn about her body...?

    ...Patishi had already lived through an experience simr to that one, once ¨C and it resulted in her being beaten up half to death as a result ¨C and it wouldn''t end up in just that if not for the intervention of a kind passerby.

    She didn''t want a repeat of that experience ¨C it was far better to rip off that bandaid now before it will stick too close to the wound...

    "My Prince... I... look..."

    Patishi put away the maid-dress and spread her arms, standing in the middle of the room only in her underwear.

    "Patishi ¨C if you want to stay around me, you need to learn one very important thing."

    "?!?!?"

    And again, instead of bursting out in an outage, the gold-haired prince spoke calmly ¨C only that this time he picked up the dress that the girl left to the side and dropped it on her head, causing a flinch of confusion out of her.

    "M-my prince...?!"

    Patishi moved the dress aside and looked up at the cold expression of the first prince.

    "The truth is, I am quite the tyrant. I only ever acknowledged two other people as being equal to me, four if you count my adorable little servants, Teo and Veo, though I honestly do not treat them on the same level as my two best friends ¨C still far better than themon rabble."

    Horeo spoke without changing his expression ¨C and although Patishi thought that she should feel scared, she wasn''t ¨C the coldness of the first prince for whatever reason felt reassuring.

    Maybe it was because the girl instinctively felt that it wasn''t directed at her.

    "This whole academy is only a formality ¨C I am merely killing time before ascending the throne that is rightfully mine ¨C and also, I do not care about the opinion of others as long as it doesn''t affect my friends."

    The first prince continued talking and Patishi listened to him, entranced.

    "Zoemi told me about you before, actually."

    "...!"

    Horeo revealed and smirked, looking at the shocked youth.

    "I will only ask you this once ¨C and remember, you are answering to a tyrannical future king ¨C Patishi, are you a girl?"

    His question resounded in the room as if both of them were in a cathedral.

    "...I..."

    Patishi lowered their head, clenching their hands, not looking at the gold-haired prince.

    "...I..."

    But then, Patishi raised her head, her lips were trembling as she was doing her best to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes...

    "...yes... yes... I am a girl... but...!"

    "That is enough."

    She cried out and nodded, but Horeo raised his hand and silenced her.

    "There is no ''but''. I''m a tyrant, remember? And - borrowing the words of my dear friend ¨C you are a good girl."

    "!!!!"

    Horeo patted Patishi''s head once before turning around and walking towards the east-facing window.

    "You know what? You should be my attendant."

    The gold-haired prince dered while looking outside and smiling towards the horizon.

    "B-but, my prince...! Wasn''t there a rule about students only having one...?"

    "One attendant with them in the Academy?"

    Patishi gasped and asked in a confused voice, but Horeo scoffed and turned around to face her.

    "The academy has already bent their rules because I told them to do so ¨C what are they going to do now? Refuse? When they already showed that they can be flexible with their rulebook?"

    The gold-haired princeughed mockingly, as the bright morning sun illuminated his silhouette... and then Horeo grinned, his eyes momentarily shone with golden light and...

    ...the sun flickered as if responding to his will, ready to strike down anyone foolish enough to be his opponent....

 Chapter 114 - 31 - Attendantâ€™s Attending (part 4) [main]

    Zoemi picked up the hairbrush and started brushing his Miriette''s hair, they were surprisingly easy to work with that day.

    The dark-haired girl was eating her breakfast silently, as her attendant made her favorite food so she hasn''t even had time to speak.

    Zoemi really needed this calming activity as feeding Teo wore him down far more than he expected, and also in more way''s than one... the brown-haired girl was clinging to him very closely ater all... The ck-ahired boy''s mind was in turmoil but nothing could bring more peace to his weary soul then the act of brushing Miriette''s hair.

    *sniff* *sniff*

    "...?"

    Suddenly the dark-haired girl froze in ce and loudly sniffed the air...

    "...hmm...?"

    *sniff*

    She tilted her head and sniffed again.

    Miriette even put down the cutlery and started sniffing around for the source of the smell ¨C very much confusing the scarred attendnat in the process...

    In the end, she even turned to Zoemi and sniffed around him...

    "!!!!!"

    And that''s when her hair suddenly bristled and she made an angry frown.

    "Zoemi! Why do I smell another woman''s scent on you!?"

    She gasped, squinting her eyes in usation.

    "M-mydy...? What do you mean you smelled it on me? What scent?"

    Zoemi took a step back ¨C literally taken aback ¨C and asked in confusion.

    "It is a bit earthy scent but I am sure that I smell another woman on you! Exin yoerself! Now!"

    Miriette''s hair became simr to an angry porcupine and Zoemi had to take another step back under the pressure she was giving off.

    "Mydy, I was visiting the attendants of the first prince - they are sick, and the first prince asked me to take care of them, remember?"

    The ck-haired boy raised his hands and was calming the dark-haired girl down as if she was some wild animal constantly backing him into a corner.

    "So? What did you do to get their smell all over you!?"

    She pointed her finger at him with usation and her whole body started glowing green.

    Miriette subconsciously activated her enchants without the incantation ¨C which was quiate an adavnced thing to plish!

    "Mydy...! Calm down...! I-it must have been when I sat down on their bed and feed Teo breakfast, nothing more...!"

    "Mouth to mouth!?"

    Zoemi tried to exin but then Miriette shouted and the air around her started boiling!

    "What the fu---!? I-I mean, excurse me?! No! Of course not! What in the world gave you that idea!?"

    The dark-haired girl''sstment was too much even for Zoemi to handle - and he snapped.

    "Mydy! Do you think I''m a pervert or something!? Even you!?"

    "Ah...!"

    Seeing Zoemi''s hurt face Miriette realized how silly her words were and she lowered her head, looking away in embarassment.

    She sat back down on her chair and started prodding the food with a fork while sulking.

    |...ah, she calmed down, good...|

    "Mydy, I''m sorry."

    Zoemi breathed out in relief, no matter the reason, he did agitate his master so to keep her happy, he kneeled down and apologized.

    "If you''re truly sorry then you will feed me too..."

    Miriette said while not looking straight at Zoemi and her face became slightly redder.

    "Mydy...?"

    Zoemi became shaken at how simr the words of the younger twin and his own master were.

    "I said that if you are truly sorry you will feed me too! Hmph!"

    Miriette repeated her demand and turned her head away crossing her arm under her chest to add the urgency to her action.

    "..."

    What was he supposed to do?

    Ignore her?

    If he wouldn''tply Miriette''s demands, she would be in a terrible mood for the rest of the day! And it wouldst only that short only if he was lucky!

    So Zoemi put away the hairbrush and picked up the fork instead, mentally preparing for what he was about to do.

    "M-mydy... Say aaa..."

    Thest time he did that was when he was sure that his master was sick - so it wasn''t embarrassing then - but now he knew she was fully aware and his voice was really small.

    "Ohohoho!"

    Mirietteughed with content and opened her mouth.

    ------

    After a couple of minutes, the master and attendant duo were walking to the ssroom.

    As always Zoemi was checking the surroundings as well as his master appearance.

    It was as important for her to be safe and to look like a properdy.

    Usually, theter part was the easiest to uphold - his master was very picky about her appearance, but today, most likely because he was feeding her, there was a tiny piece of yolk in the corner of her mouth.

    "Mydy, there''s something in the corner of your mouth..."

    Zoemi obligingly told her about the yolk.

    "Oh? Here?"

    Miriette put his hand to the opposite corner of her mouth than she should.

    "No, mydy, on the other side."

    "Here?"

    She aimed too low.

    "No, mydy, a bit higher."

    "Here?"

    Now she went too high.

    "No, mydy, right here...!"

    Zoemi was getting agitated because this whole situation was justughable!

    "Here?"

    When Miriette missed the spot again Zoemi couldn''t take it anymore.

    "Mydy, allow me."

    He said and lifted her chin, then he put his middle finger to her face and wiped the tiny piece of yolk from the corner of her mouth touching her lips in the process.

    "Done! It is gone, mydy."

    He said and licked the yolk off his finger with a satisfied expression.

    "Next time just do that from the beginning, you are my attendant after all. We''re almostte"

    Miriette shrugged her shoulders and turned started walking fast leaving his attendant behind.

    Well, it wasn''t that she was worried about beingte - she just didn''t want Zoemi to see her face.

    |He lifted my chin with such confidence! And he felt my lips, that was definitely on purpose! I kind of wanted to lick his finger but him licking it afterwards was even better! It was an indirect kiss! A kiss! Our first kiss!|

    She was just too happy to keep her face straight.

    The two of them got to the ssroom just in time for the lecture to start...

    ...the heroine was still absent and the other three girls were also gone, but it was obvious since they were suspended ¨C things weren''t so clear when it came to Burushiitto though...

    Zoemi and Miriette took their respective seats and started listening to the teacher.

    When the break came, Zoemi turned to Miriette and Horeo with a worried expression.

    "Themoner girl is absent again..."

    The ck-haired boy was worried - the absence of the heroine could always mean that she waspleting some scripted events that he wasn''t aware of, ahead of the game script''s schedule.

    "Oh? Does that bothers you? Pay it no mind - she''s actually sick and my foolish brother is taking care of her."

    Horeo shrugged his shoulders and exined, waving his hand dissmisively.

    "A healing magician is down with the sickness? Isn''t that ironic...?"

    Miriette giggled after hearing the reason.

    "It''s not even the season for cold or anything!"

    She added shaking her head.

    "You''re right my..."

    Zoemi wanted to confirm his master''s words but he suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

    |The heroine is sick and the second prince is taking care of her...? Why does it sound so familiar...? And the season for cold...|

    Zoemi fell into deep thoughts and put a hand to his cheek, covering his scar.

    |The heroine and the second prince... Not a season for cold...|

    There was something, wasn''t there...?

    But it was in the season for cold, it was the...

    |The scripted event that allowed for switching between the routes of the first and second princes!|

    A wave of dreadful realization engulfed Zoemi.

    One of the most dangerous events was upon them!

    It could literally make or break Miriette future with the first prince and was supposed to beprised of few smaller scale events ¨C and if he, Zoemi, will let it all y out ording to the game script, Miriette will end up losing Horeo to the heroine!

    "Zoemi... you became so pale all of a sudden... don''t tell me, are you sick too?!"

    Miriette asked in a worried tone but Zoemi didn''t respond, it wasn''t the time to talk!

    He had to figure out a way how to stop an event that started more than half a year ahead of time!

 Chapter 115 - 32 - The Thing About Cookies (part 1)

    |The heroine will be absent for one more day - I have to use that time to make Horeo and Miriette even closer before it is toote!|

    Despite the frankly horrible situation that he found himself - and Mmiriette ¨C in, Zoemi was actually nning to use one of the small-scale events to Miriette''s advantage.

    ording to his memories, the heroine would make cookies for the second prince as a thank you gift, but she would be intercepted by the viiness along the way.

    Miriette would p the cookies out of the heroine''s hands and they will fall to the ground and crumble into pieces.

    The viiness would then start her spiel about the roles in the society and the difference between themoners and the high-nobles ¨C and that would be the time when the gold-haired first prince would enter the scene.

    Horeo would be all shocked about the cruel and unjust behavior of his fiance ¨C which was already something that barely passed in the game, since in the times that they lived a ss difference was actually a major thing and it wasn''t morally or socially eptable for a close rtionship between someone like the heroine and the first prince, honestly when ying the game, Zoemi''s previous incarnation thought that the dark-haired girl was doing the heroine a favor, and trying to save her from possible trouble ¨C real, actual out-of-school consequences...

    But back to how the event was supposed to y out in the game...

    Horeo would send the obedient viiness back to her room, before bending down and picking up one cookie to try it.

    As expected, he would say that it was delicious.

    That event would worsen the prince''s opinion about his fiancee by a lot - and allow the heroine to get recognized in his mind instead.

    It was the starter for the series of the events that would allow jumping from the second prince route straight to the first prince route ¨C and was patched into the original game after an avnche ofints about extremely hard events in the second prince''s route.

    ...but that extremely difficult event didn''t have the right to happen as of yet because it required the second prince and the heroine to leave together during a spring break...!

    |I thought I have a bit more time than this...!|

    Zoemi cursed himself for his foolish optimism.

    And yet there was hope!

    Since the cookies would be the beginning of the viiness''s downfall - then cookies could also be the beginning of her happy future!

    Yes!

    After realizing what was going on, Zoemi decided to convince Miriette to make cookies and offer them to Horeo before the heroine could do that!

    |It should improve their rtionship even more! With that even if I won''t be able to do anything and the event with the heroine will happen, the first prince would be reminded of Miriette''s cooking! That should work!|

    ...at least that was what the ck-haired boy has told to himself while clenching his fists...

    ----------

    After the school day finished Zoemi returned with Miriette to her room ¨C he even risked identally meeting with Grazio andpleted his training in the morning just to be absolutely sure that he will have enough time to help out the dark-haired girl create the ultimate cookies that would steal the gold-haired prince''s heart!

    "Mydy, what do you think about baking for someone...?"

    The ck-haired boy didn''t have much of a n for convincing his master - if Miriette was in a bad mood she would straight up refuse any idea no matter how good.

    It all depended on her mood really.

    "Oh? What do you mean by that?"

    "...!"

    The initial response was promising ¨C the dark-haired girl tilted her head and looked at her attendant with clear, curious eyes.

    "Baking. I''m talking about baking, mydy. I''m sure that prince Horeo would love to eat cookies made by you."

    Zoemi dered with a bright smile making sure that only the left side of his face is showing.

    "Ah... oh... I see..."

    |It''s about Horeo again...|

    Miriette flinched and rolled her eyes with resignation.

    "Don''t worry mydy! You might not be bothering yourself with making food, but I''m sure that your fiance will be ecstatic about something prepared by you ¨C I''m sure that I would be! Also, I will be with you to help you prepare everything and I will be more than grateful to be given the honor of taste testing so that your cookies would be assured to catch his heart!"

    Zoemi tried his best to make it as appealing as possible to the young nobledy who to the kitchen wandered only once or twice - and purely by ident at that.

    The ck-haired boy thought that his master sighed because she believed that if she messed up and the cookies ended up a failure, her fiance would hate her.

    "...eh...? EH...?!"

    Miriette flinched and stared at Zoemi with sparkling eyes.

    |Ah! She took the bait!|

    Zoemi stealthily clenched his hand in triumph seeing the immediate change in Miriette''s act.

    |Did I hear it right?! He will be ecstatic over receiving something prepared by me AND he volunteered to be a taste tester...?! But, that means that he wants to eat the cookies that I made...! Ah! I see! He wants to eat my cookies but as my attendant, he can''t just ask for something forward like that! Aww! He is trying his best to keep his love for me at bay because of the difference in status! My Zoemi~! I cannot disappoint him! Oh, and I have to keep up the act too, right...?|

    ...but the truth was that Miriette had a... slightly different approach to the situation...

    "Fine ¨C I guess. We can go now, moving around in the kitchen will be a good thing for building up an appetite before the supper."

    The dark-haired nobledy benevolently nodded her head, making it clear that she was simply going along with her attendant''s whims because she found it a good way to pass some time.

    |She''s so cute when she tries her best to act arrogantly.|

    |He''s so cute when he acts all official.|

    And so the master and the attendant went to the kitchen.

 Chapter 116 - 32 - The Thing About Cookies (part 2)

    In the kitchen, as it was normal, Patishi was working very hard on her new recipe, which coincidentally turned out to be for cookies.

    "Big brother! You will not guess but...! Eh?! EEEHHHHH?! Y-your Highness...!"

    Patishi smiled at the sight of her big brother but then became ghastly pale at the sight of the Miriette and the poor girl even took a step to the side to cover the tray with the steaming batch of cookies as if feeling guilty over making them.

    "You are the girl who makes my bread, right?"

    Miriette asked ring at the shaken girl in a cute apron.

    |If the cooking might say a man''s heart, then wouldn''t she be the most dangerous one of all the potential ones...?|

    The dark-haired girl thought to herself, squinting her eyes in suspicion.

    "That''s right, mydy ¨C this is my little sister, Patishi!"

    Zoemi wanted to apud his master for remembering about that detail - back in the Espine''s household she always had trouble with remembering the maids'' names...

    ...though in truth that was because of the dark-haired girl''s reluctance to do that and not because of her memory...

    "I see, Patishi, eh? Keep up the good work."

    Mireitte frowned even harder, seeing the closeness between the two, but at the same time felt relieved once Zoemi actually introduced the younger girl as a sister ¨C the ck-haired attendant had only his father but he treasured the familiar bonds very much and always wanted a big family.

    ...that also meant that if he put Patishi into a little sister zone, she wouldn''t be crawling out of there for a long, long time ¨C no matter how much ¨C at all ¨C she wanted to get out of it.

    "Ah! Th-thank you...?"

    Patishi didn''t really know how to react so she bowed her head and curtsied awkwardly.

    "...!"

    But as she did that, Miriette saw the tray of cookies that the young cook was trying to hide.

    "How adorable!"

    Mireitte gasped while blushing, and ran towards the tray with sparkling eyes.

    "O-oh, y-yes, I was just... making them... as a... Test... Yes, a test!"

    Patishi had some trouble with finding correct words but she ended up stumbling upon a satisfactory excuse.

    But, a test or not, the cookies were shaped like hearts and the chocte pieces were shaped like many smaller hearts on top of them...

    If there was something that was screaming ¨C girl''s first love ¨C more than that, Zoemi couldn''t really imagine it at the moment.

    "Patitishi, teach me how to make those too!"

    "E-eh...? Teach you? Y-yo-your highness!"

    Without asking for permission Miriette took one of the lovely cookies and took a bite as the girl next to her gasped, staring at her wide-eyed.

    "What the?!"

    Mireitte''s eyes widened in shock and she put a hand to her mouth, eximing in shock.

    "Zoemi! Come here right now!"

    "!!!"

    "?!"

    She demanded causing Patishi and Zoemi to look at each other confused.

    Could it be that the cookies were actually bad...?

    No... it didn''t make sense - Patishi was basically unable to make something that tasted bad!

    Zoemi got to his master''s side instantly trying to figure out what was the problem.

    "Open your mouth!"

    "..."

    Miriette demanded and the dark-haired attendant obedientlyplied with hermand.

    "GUHHH..!"

    And Miriette showed the rest of her cookie into his mouth.

    "Delicious, right!?"

    The dark-haired girl asked when poor Zoemi was choking on the cookie that Miriette basically pushed through his throat halfway to his stomach.

    "Big brother - here...!"

    Patishi panicked and hastily gave the ck-haired boy a ss of water and Zoemi somehow managed to survive this spontaneous assassination attempt.

    "Ohohohoho! Amazing right?!"

    But his master wasn''t bothered at all - she was already imagining how Zoemi will react when she will make cookies like this for him, and she wasughing out loud while putting one hand up to her mouth.

    "Y-yes... mydy... very delicious. And... thank you, Patishi... You saved me there..."

    Zoemi confirmed his master''s words and nodded towards Patishi for the timely reaction.

    "Um... Big brother Zoemi, what''s going on...?"

    The brown-haired girl fidgeted nervously.

    "Nothing much. My master wants to make some cookies for her fiance, are you willing to help her?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and exined casually after managing to calm his breath.

    "For the first prince!?"

    Patishi voice peaked and she nced at the cookies she baked and blushed.

    "Yes, those would be perfect!"

    Zoemi nodded enthusiastically and pated the fidgetting girl''s head.

    "Don''t worry, my master is very talented."

    The ck-haired boy grinned and put his thumb up to reassure Patishi ¨C since he misunderstood the reason for her nervousness and theck of confidence and not something entirely else.

    ------

    About one hourter Zoemi was forced to eat those words together with barely edible clumps of hardened, burnt-up dough that couldn''t be called cookies no matter how optimistic he got.

    "I''m sorry, big brother Zoemi, I have no idea what went wrong his time either!"

    Patishi was bowing her head to him repeatedly, the brown-haired girl even used her magic on the ingredients, so the current effects werepletely iprehensible for her.

    "N-no, the-they are... G-good...?"

    Zoemi tried to smile but he just grimaced and his scars twisted horribly.

    "Zoemi... you can go back to your room now."

    The grumpy Miriette motioned at the door with her chin while she was sitting on a chair by the kitchen counter.

    "No, mydy, I will take you to your room..."

    "No! I want to talk with Patishi so you can go on ahead! I can find my own room!"

    Zoemi insisted but was shot down without mercy by a single scoff.

    With the pledge to work on his acting in the future, so that Mireitte won''t be able to find out how bad her cooking was ever again, Zoemi left the kitchen.

    "...!"

    Patishi was shaking in fear, will thedy Espine unleash her fury on her for not teaching her correctly!?

    Patishi wanted to cry!

    "..."

    But Miriette only checked if Zoemi was actually gone and she hurriedly pushed the failed cookies into a trashcan making a space for something else and picked up a bowl from the back of the counter.

    "EEEEEEHHHHHH?!"

    When Patishi saw the content- she ended up gasping in shock absolutely stunned!

    It was the cookie dough they have made before!

    "Eh...? But how? Why...?"

    "Hmph~!"

    Patishi was confused but Miriette only smirked smugly.

    "Listen Patishi, if you want to charm a man you can''t just give him all the best stuff from the get-go~!"

    The dark-haired girl giggled and started preparing the batch of cookies for real.

    "But the ones before...!"

    Patishi was still confounded by the unexpected reveal, but Miriette only shrugged her shoulders.

    "Your teaching was fine ¨C I was able to make things perfectly from the start ¨C for the three failed attempts before, I just threw some random things to the bowl and mixed them together ¨C that''s why they ended up so awful."

    "...!"

    Miriette exined winking at the bbergasted girl.

    "Think about it, kid - if I would make perfect cookies on the first try would my efforts truly be recognized? I don''t think so ¨C having a weakness is a charm point in and of itself!"

    The dark-haired girl dered, proudly puffing out her modest chest to not much of an effect whatsoever, except boosting her own morale.

    "So, make sure to remember it right!"

    "!!!!!"

    Miriette put her index finger in front of Patishi''s nose, making her flinch and tremble in fear.

    "We were working on those cookies for two more hours, is that clear?"

    The nobledy asked in a deadly serious voice.

    "Y-your Highness...?"

    Patishi muttered in confusion, lowering her head with tearful eyes.

    "Two more hours! Now, you say it!"

    Even so, the dark-haired girl was relentless and wasn''t going to let her go withoutplying with her wishes.

    "Yes! After big brother Zoemi left, we were working on the cookies for two more hours!"

    Patishi straightened her back too as Miriette sessfully terrorized her into obedience.

 Chapter 117 - 32 - The Thing About Cookies (part 3)

    "Ohohoho! When I give Zoemi my cookies he will be stunned how much I have improved and he will fall for me even more, without a doubt!"

    Miriette boasted triumphantly, raising her fist in a preemptive victorious pose.

    "Eh!? Those are not for the first prince?!"

    "Pffft!"

    Patishi became stunned and Miriette snorted at her reaction.

    "For Horeo? Yeah, no. No way. My cookies are only for my Zoemi! But I would feel bad for leaving that guy with nothing, he is my friend and all... so!"

    Miriette scoffed but then ended up looking to the side, scratching her cheek deep in thoughts before her eyes lighted up when she came up with an idea.

    "I would like to give him some of yours, can I?"

    "!!!!!"

    Miriette actually asked someone for permission ¨C and someone of a lower status than her to boot!

    If Zoemi saw ¨C or at least heard ¨C about that, he would shed tears of happiness!

    ...or not, probably not really...

    "I-I am allowed to give my cookies to my prince?! With your permission, your highness?!"

    Patishi perked up and blushed from happiness, letting her inner feelings slip out in a rather obvious way.

    "Yeah, sure whatever."

    Miriette didn''t even spare her a nce and waved her hand dismissively while fully focused on the oven.

    "Just stay quiet for a moment I don''t want to ACTUALLY mess them up by ident."

    She said in a focused voice.

    ------

    And her cookies dide out perfectly.

    Zoemi was actually right all along.

    His master was very talented.

    ------

    Patishi helped Miriette pack the cookies into cute wrappings.

    The one for the first prince was, of course, a lot shier and with pink ribbons - all lovely and all ¨C while the one for the Zoemi was suitably iner and it had a small green ribbon looking a bit scruffier than the one on the other wrapping.

    It was actually because Miriette did that one herself. Even though she was talented in many fields, it was her first time creating the handmade decorations herself so she couldn''tpare to the brown-haired girl in that regard.

    Miriette left the kitchen but didn''t return to her room or go to any of the boys'' rooms, instead, she went outside the dormitory to think calmly think about her n.

    Usually, she would use her spell and fly around, since she couldpose herself better when she was looking down upon everything else in the world, but today she didn''t want to be seen so she settled on walking instead to at least move around a bit.

    "Should I really give those to him...?"

    When she was deep in thoughts, Miriette would speak her mind out loud - it helped her figure out whether the idea was good or not.

    The dark-haired girl was strolling in the sunset, the hand in which she was holding the cookies for her fiance was hanging loosely by her side and the one with the ones for her attendant was raised ¨C and it was also the one at which the girl was staring at intently.

    "Wouldn''t it be too forward on my side? I''m his master, wouldn''t it be just forcing myself on him...?"

    Lady Espine was faced with a moral dilemma.

    "It would be just like in that indecent novel that mother didn''t want me to read! The vulgardy forced her attendant into an indecent rtionship and the attendant hated her for that!"

    Miriette bit her lips and her fingers tightened around the in wrapping.

    "What if Zoemi will hate me too just like that...? Oh, no! Why did I have to make them heart-shaped?!"

    The dark-haired girl''s heart started beating fast from the sudden fear she felt.

    She wanted a rtionship with Zoemi but because of her high birth, anything she would do would be considered an abuse of power.

    Miriette chest started aching.

    "No, wait...! But he suggested that I should make the cookies because he wanted to try them, right?! He said that I''m his most important person, so of course, he would want that... Right? Right...?"

    The more Miriette thought about that the more doubtful she was bing.

    "If I give him those heart-shaped cookies won''t it be like ordering him to love me?"

    Miriette turned and started to walk in another direction without watching where she was actually going while she continued to overthink everything.

    "But he loves me already, right? So wouldn''t that be like giving him permission?"

    She lifted her head - thatst one sounded right!

    "Wait, no..."

    But then the dark-haired girl hung her head back down.

    "But what if I''m too hasty? He didn''t even budge when I was naked behind him, he must be ate bloomer or something... Or maybe he somehow inherited Mizoe''s denseness! No, wait, it doesn''t work like this, does it...?"

    Miriette furrowed her brows and shook her head.

    "If I pressure him too much, it will only scare him off!"

    The dark-haired girl clenched her fists and started walking faster.

    "No...! I don''t want him to hate me...!"

    Miriette whispered sadly and changed the direction of her stroll ¨C that was already almost a run - again.

    The visions of Zoemi''s confused, scared, and angered faces filled the dark-haired girl''s mind and she felt her eyes stinging and her nose getting itchy.

    "I don''t want him to look at me like that...!"

    Miriette was a strong-willed girl but the thought of Zoemi hating her was the one thing that could bring her to the verge of tears with ease.

    Just like she was the most important person for Zoemi, Zoemi was the most important person for her.

    If he dered his love for her she was ready to abandon her family name and riches at any given moment, but the problem was if she did that then the consequences would fall on him first.

    Zoemi was a darkness magician, that alone would make it seem like he was the one who deprived the noblewoman and swindled her into his ways.

    Being with Zoemi would also mean breaking the engagement with the first prince and even though Horeo was just Horeo and he thought of both Mireitte and Horeo as his best friends, their marriage was decided by their parents.

    In the end, even if they decided on the daring lover''s escape, Miriette and her love would be imprisoned - well, she would be imprisoned - Zoemi would be executed without a doubt.

    "If only those bracelets didn''t exist...!"

    Miriette muttered under her breath and gritted her teeth.

    The kingdom of Bellcephore was in possession of a certain relict of ancient times - a terrifying pair of bracelets that disabled the magicians'' ability to cast spells.

    That artifact was made of a special crystal ore that couldn''t be found anymore.

    Those bracelets were truly terrifying not because of the spellcasting-sealing properties but because after being charged with the mana of the light attribute and exposed to the remnant of another magician''s mana, they would teleport on the arms of that magician and seal their powers no matter where their target would be hiding.

    Well ¨C to tell the truth - there were a few pieces of the mysterious ore still around, but all of them were in the hands of the collectors and although they still held the power of sealing magic, they were basically harmless for Mireitte since those fragments didn''t possess the ability to teleport.

    "Even if I cast free flight and took Zoemi with me if those bracelets would have been used at that time....!"

 Chapter 118 - 32 - The Thing About Cookies (part 4)

    Miriette shuddered at the thought.

    There was no doubt that if Miriette would disgrace the royal family by running off with another man, a darkness magician no less, those bracelets would be used on her.

    "...haa..."

    Miriette sighed and sniffled.

    |If only I wouldn''t try to be all clever, Zoemi would try my good cookies and praise me! Right at the beginning!|

    The dark-haired girl wanted to p herself.

    Seeing her like that, Horeo would have a goodugh - a cunning fox was so cunning that she tricked herself.

    |I''m so awful, I even shoved that first cookie into his mouth so he wouldn''t be able to taste it properly because there was no way that my cookies were as good as Patishi''s...!|

    Her shoulders were trembling and she stopped talking to herself.

    Miriette didn''t want to cry and she knew that if she opened her mouth now she would definitely start, so she kept silent.

    "..."

    Then, she straightened her back and nodded to herself.

    |I will just take them and say they are the rejects that I left for myself, I''ll give him one to try and that''s it!|

    She decided and immediately turned back to return.

    *THUMP*

    "Urgh...!"

    And since she still had the hand with the cookies for Zoemi risen, she smacked it against the person who was walking behind her and the cookies fell on the ground.

    "Ah...!"

    "Buru, are you alright!? You! What do you think you''re doing!?"

    Miriette took a step back surprised after being shouted at.

    The person she smacked was none other than the blondmoner girl, Burushiitto, and she was walking together with the second prince Surou.

    The blond girl was biting her lips and massaging the arm that got hit and Surou was ring at Miriette.

    "!!!!"

    But Miriette wasn''t even looking at them - her eyes were focused on the in wrapping on the ground.

    The scruffy ribbon untied and the crushed cookies fell out.

    |...That... resolves my problem...!|

    Miriette''s shoulders trembled violently and she loudly inhaled the air through her mouth, barely able to hold back the tears that suddenly welled up in her eyes with the force of a waterfall.

    Miriette didn''t try to pick up the cookies - since that would mean that she would have to lower her head in the front of themoner - so instead, the dark-haired girl proudly raised her head and walked past the pair not even gracing them a single nce.

    "Hey! I''m talking to you! Say sorry to Burushiitto! That''s an order!"

    "My prince, there''s no need to!"

    The second prince was furious and shouted at Miriette back while the blond girl tried to calm him down in visible panic.

    "..."

    Miriette stopped and only slightly turned her head towards the pair so they wouldn''t notice her reddened eyes.

    "Prince Surou, I think you are forgetting who you are talking to."

    Miriette said through her teeth.

    "Take a closer look. I am your older brother''s fiance, Miriette Lisea Espine, the only daughter of grand duke Espine - and the strongest wind magician in the kingdom. I will never apologize to a meremoner and it should be obvious that you have no rights to order me around, not even in a million years."

    "!!!!"

    Surou''s face first paled, then became red as a beetroot, but after all, he merely clenched his teeth and shut up.

    Miriette was right.

    Her status waspletely equal to the first prince''s - and he, Surou, the second prince and only an average water magician - couldn''tpare.

    "Lady Espine! That was unnecessary...!"

    The blond girl gasped in panic and pulled on the blue-haired boy''s arm physically trying to get him away from the dark-haired girl as if she was terrified of the possible oue.

    "..."

    Miriette moved her eyes just a bit so that Burushiitto silhouette would barely enter her field of vision.

    She felt so jealous of her right now that she could barely contain herself.

    Burushiitto''s situation was the exact opposite of her own in every aspect.

    She was so lucky that Miriette just wanted to strangle her with her bare hands right then and there.

    "...!"

    Sensing the dread and bloodlusting from the noblewoman - not to mention seeing her hair bing countless spikes - Burushiitto closed her mouth and hurriedly picked up the wrapping that Miriette dropped when she identally hit her.

    "Ldy Espine, please, here, I''m sure that they are still good...!"

    The blond girl tried to smile as she desperately tried to salvage the situation to the best of her ability...

    |Is this an event? But this shouldn''t happen like this! She looks so mad! There''s no way that Surou will be safe if she snaps...!|

    The heroine gulped her saliva barely able to force herself to stay and not run away immediately.

    After the magic examination, Burushiitto didn''t try to get in the way of Miriette simply because she was afraid of her.

    The game never truly portrayed how horrifying the dark-haired girl''s magic was.

    Burushiitto was too scared to personally confront her and decided to dodge and miss every single event in which Miriette took part.

    Probably that''s why the heroine was twice as shaken at the moment since the dark-haired girl popped up in front of her and the second prince from behind the hedge of a garden area.

    |This must be one of the events for the burn-scar guy! They really are way too violent! The creators went too far! I would review-bomb the game like crazy if I could!|

    Burushiitto cried internally reaching her hand towards the ticking-bomb-looking girl praying that returning her the cookies so that the noble girl wouldn''t have to lower her head in front of amoner would do the trick.

    "..."

    Miriette nced at the crushed cookies inside the opened wrapping and felt a sharp pain stabbing through her chest.

    "You two can keep it, you suit each other well, nothing but failures!"

    Miriette turned her back to the blond heroine and the blue-haired second prince and walked away with as much pride as she could - her chin was shaking uncontrobly and her eyes were full of tears prime to stream down her face.

    "...!"

    Burushiitto gulped and looked at the second prince.

    Surou looked so furious that he could suffer a heart attack at any moment...

    |What was that event for!? That guy is nowhere to be found and we never even mentioned him!|

    Burushiitto looked at Miriette''s back with confusion mixed with fear.

    The scripted events changed and the script itself twisted to amodate the elerated timeline... Zoemi, who was about to go to prepare his master''s supper, wasn''t aware that the first of the events that he was so afraid of, just happened.

    ...only in such a way, that even the heroine wasn''t able to properly recognize it....

 Chapter 119 - 32 - The Thing About Cookies (part 5)

    "...mydy..."

    Zoemi knocked on the door of his master''s room and entered.

    Since Patishi informed him that Miriette was working hard on the cookies for two more hours after he left, the ck-haired boy made a lot of dishes that she liked as a reward.

    |Mydy is so hardworking!|

    The scarred attendant smiled to himself when entering.

    But the room was empty.

    "Mydy...?"

    Zoemi called out surprised as there was no trace of the dark-haired girl in her room at all.

    "...hmmm..."

    The ck-haired boy put the tray away and walked towards the bathroom door and knocked on it.

    "Mydy, are you in there?"

    He asked politely and waited.

    "...excuse me for my forwardness..."

    After hearing no response Zoemi tried opening the bathroom door.

    But Miriette wasn''t there either...

    "Where could...?"

    Zoemi wondered out loud, furrowing his brows ¨C the dark-haired girl didn''t like moving around too much so it was very unlikely for her to be out at that time...

    "...ah...!"

    The ck-haired boy was worried but then he realized!

    |Of course! She must have gone to give the cookies to Horeo right away!|

    Zoemi nodded his head - yes, that''s right - his master was truly a hardworking andmitted girl!

    "..."

    For just a second, when the scarred boy imagined Miriette giving Horeo cookies with a lovely smile - his heart ached, but the ck-haired attendant with the ugly burn-scar deforming his right cheek shook his head to disperse the image immediately.

    |No, no, no, I can''t be jealous! I am just a lowly attendant with a messed-up face. Miriette will be happiest with the first prince! She will be the queen and have a perfect life!|

    He clenched his fists while reminding himself and was about to leave but...

    "Ah...!"

    ...the door to the room opened and Miriette entered.

    "...? Zoemi...?"

    She still had a cute wrapping with pink ribbons in her hand and she looked depressed and dispirited, she raised her head and looked at Zoemi with a crestfallen expression

    "Oh, is it time for supper?"

    She asked in a slightly hoarse voice and took a seat by her desk looking straight up exhausted.

    Zoemi hurriedly grabbed the tray and put it in front of her.

    "...?"

    Then he unexpectedly felt some pressure on his side - when he looked down he saw Miriette leaning against him instead of the backrest of her chair.

    "Mydy...? Did something happen? Did by any chance prince Horeo didn''t want your cookies...?"

    Worried Zoemi decided to ask seeing the dark-haired girl in such low spirit.

    "Nn-nnn"

    But Miriette''s response was only a low, dismissive sound as she shook her head from side to side which tickled Zoemi a little bit.

    "Then, what happened?"

    The ck-haired boy asked in a concerned voice.

    "...haa...:

    Miriette sighed.

    "Nothing, Horeo wasn''t there - I must have missed him or something. I didn''t want to just leave it under his door in case somebody else would take it."

    She merely shrugged her shoulders and her voice was full of resignation while she kept on leaning against Zoemi.

    "Do you want me to take the cookies to him? I''ve heard you have put a lot of effort into making them."

    The ck-haired boy offered in a soft voice, watching the girl''s reaction.

    "Sure, you can do that - but just give those to his attendants tomorrow morning or whatever. Horeo will be able to enjoy them after his breakfast, let''s be honest, they might be a bit too heavy for an evening snack..."

    "I... see..."

    Zoemi offered help but was partially rejected with another sigh.

    "Zoemi...?"

    "?!"

    Suddenly Miriette sniffled and asked without looking up at her attendant.

    Her eyes were glossy from the held-back tears so she didn''t want him to see them.

    "Will you always be by my side...?"

    "!!!!!"

    Zoemi tensed up hearing her weak voice.

    "Mydy... Did something happen...?"

    He asked again, this time far more carefully.

    Zoemi knew that his master wouldn''t suddenly act like that without any reason.

    There was only one person that came to his mind that could make Miriette cry.

    The heroine.

    Something must have happened...!

    "No, nothing happened. I just... Want to know..."

    Miriette denied but Zoemi wasn''t convinced.

    "Mydy..."

    The ck-haired boy turned towards Miriette - she didn''t move and now her forehead was pressing against Zoemi''s stomach, the attendant hesitated a bit but since his master didn''t react he also tried to stay calm.

    "Mydy, of course, I will stay with you."

    He assured her.

    "Always?"

    She asked in a weak voice.

    "Always."

    The ck-haired boy confirmed...

    "Even after I marry Horeo and be the queen...?"

    "...!"

    Miriette couldn''t resist any longer, raised her head, and looked Zoemi in the eyes.

    "!!!!!"

    After hearing her words, the ck-haired boy felt as if a cold de has stabbed right into his heart and swung down ripping through his stomach, freezing everything in its wake.

    His master...

    Yes, he could imagine his master getting married and living a happy life by Horeo''s side as the queen of the Bellcephora kingdom...

    ...his master...

    But ¨C could he say the same thing with a clear conscience about Miriette...?

    ...that...

    ...felt like an entirely separate thing to consider...

    "..."

    Looking into the dark eyes of the dark-haired girl the scarred attendant lost the track of time locked in an internal battle.

    Kuro Aku was screaming bout protecting Miriette, demanding following the script of the game that he knew so well.

    The bright-eyed Zoemi wanted a chance for creating an even for himself so that he could protect and make Miriette happy by himself, not relying on the scripts, events, and games.

    ...but then there was the third one...

    The amalgamation of darkness barely resembled any shape whatsoever with the only recognizable feature being the dead ck eyes that did not reflect any light whatsoever that was always in the back of Zoemi''s head for as long as he remembered - in both of his lives - that always slumbered but got stirred up together with the ck-haired boy''s magic awakening.

    |Protect master.|

    |Destroy whoever and whatever stands in the way to her safety.|

    |Never fail her again.|

    Once its thoughts emerged, there was no ce for discussion for anyone else.

    Back in the outside world Zoemi''s obsidian eyes lost their luster and stopped taking in the light of the outside world just like the lifeless eyes of a lifeless toy who knew only loyalty and rage.

    "Zoemi...?"

    Miriette asked in a worried voice and leaned away from the ck-haired boy with an empty expression.

 Chapter 120 - 32 - The Thing About Cookies (part 6)

    Zoemi''s smiled sadly and kneeled before his master and closed his eyes to not disturb her with how they looked at the moment.

    "Mydy."

    He gently took Miriette''s hands and put them to his forehead.

    "No matter what, I will never truly leave you. Even if you will hate me and I will be forced to keep my distance, I will assure your happiness. So yes, even after you will marry the first prince and be the queen, and after you will be a mother or even a grandmother. As long as you will want me, I will stay by your side. Protecting you, always and forever."

    The ck-haired boy dered in a calm voice, without even a little bit of hesitation.

    "Z-Zoemi...!"

    Miriette sniffled loudly.

    "If you''re lying I will shred you with my wind walls."

    She sobbed openly with tears streaming down her face.

    "Oh my... I shouldn''t have helped youe up with that particr use for that spell, then, should have I?"

    Zoemi giggled and let go of Miriettes hands to stand up by her side once more.

    "Zoemi... My hair became a mess, I''ll take a bath and you can brush it."

    Miriette sniffled a few more times and stood up herself.

    "And the supper?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, pointing out at the tray with food.

    "It has to wait until I''m done."

    Miriette smiled weakly and went to the bathroom.

    "...wheew..."

    As soon as the door closed behind her, Zoemi breathed out and awkwardly scratched his head.

    |I already knew that, but Miriette is a lot cuter in person than on the screen.|

    He thought to himself while blushing.

    |But there is a part of me who just wants her to love me back, isn''t there... Can I really be able to protect her as I am now...?|

    He gritted his teeth staring down at his feet in empty anger.

    ------

    A few minutester Miriette came out of the bathroom - fresh, clean, and with her attitude back.

    Wearing a fluffy bathrobe she sat down by the desk and pulled the tray with food closer.

    "Oh? Didn''t a certain someone has said that the sweets weren''t advised for the evening meal...?"

    She smirked looking up from her supper right at the reflection of her dark-haired attendant.

    "Maybe~ but, every once in a while, my amazingdy deserves a cheat day. Especially after hard work."

    Zoemi smiled back as he already started brushing the girl''s hair and the light returned to his eyes.

    "..."

    Miriette lowered her head and nced at the cute wrapping on her desk and she sulked for a bit - but only for a moment.

    Soon she raised her head proudly and picked up the cutlery.

    -----

    The next day the number of mana potions returned to a single one but Zoemi didn''t mind - no matter one or ten, a free mana potion is a free mana potion.

    The ck-haired boy went to the kitchen and was pleasantly surprised by the sight of the short brown-haired girl already preparing food for her master.

    "So this means that you girls are back in business?"

    Zoemi grinned at the girl.

    "Ah! Sir Zoemi!"

    The short brown-haired girl smiled back and then bowed.

    "Indeed, once again I am so grateful for you spending your time with me and I''m terribly sorry for making you angry in the first ce!"

    The girl apologized profusely, bowing her head so low that Zoemi could only feel respect over how flexible she was.

    "Come on, Teo, I told you I''m not mad."

    He ended up shrugging his shoulders and rolling his eyes.

    "Big brother Zoemi!"

    "...?"

    Surprisingly, it was Patishi who camest - as soon as she saw his big brother she ran to him like a puppy, but then stopped abruptly once she saw Teo.

    "O-oh...! Miss... Teo...?"

    She asked slowly, ncing at Zoemi for confirmation ¨C and the ck-haired boy nodded to her encouragingly.

    "Miss Teo, it''s good to see you back."

    Patishi finished her sentence though she didn''t look all that happy.

    "Indeed, I''m back."

    Confirmed Teo and the three of them started preparing the breakfast.

    When everything was ready Zoemi ced a cute wrapping on the Teo''s tray.

    "...?"

    The brown-haired girl looked at it and tilted her head, then she looked at Zoemi with a question.

    "A present for me?"

    "..."

    She asked with hopeful eyes which made Zoemi sigh.

    "It is a present, but it''s from my master to your''s"

    Zoemi exined.

    "!!!"

    Patishi blushed and looked away as soon as she noticed the wrapping.

    It was time to take the trays and deliver the food but Teo, instead of taking her tray and going, turned towards Patishi.

    "Patishi, my master asks for your presence."

    "Eh!?"

    The young girl was shocked and didn''t know what to do!

    "Oh? Did something happen?"

    Zoemi became intrigued and asked.

    "N-no...! Nothing...!"

    Eximed Patishi, with her face burning up from embarrassment.

    "Indeed, sir Zoemi, yesterday my master saw how skinny Patishi was and he decided to fatten her up."

    "Fatten me up!? What for!?"

    "Pffft!"

    Patishi was confused and hid behind her big brother but Zoemi onlyughed.

    "So the first prince is at it again?"

    He asked with a cheerful smirk.

    "Indeed, master feels the need to make a world a better ce one hungry person at a time."

    Teo and Zoemi exchange was made Patishi even more bbergasted.

    "I-I''m not hungry..!"

    *Grururururu*

    "!!!!"

    Patishi spoke up in embarrassment but the loud growl that her stomach made caused her to blush even more and hurriedly lower her head.

    "Do not worry, he isn''t doing it maliciously ¨C truth be told I might be responsible for that quirk of his - he saw me once without my shirt when we were kids, and got actually terrified that a human can be so skinny, so from that point on he would give me half of his portion of every meal we had together. He is just that kind ofpassionate soul."

    Zoemi exined tousling Patishi''s head.

    "Indeed, I and my sister were the same - master would always make sure that we were eating a lot."

    Teo confirmed reminiscing the first year of her attendant''s training.

    "So don''t worry, he doesn''t have any bad intentions ¨C if you will feel sick or actually don''t want to eat, he will not force you, so calm down and go eat a meal with him."

    The ck-haired boy added and gave Patishi a little push on the back

    "Eh!?"

    She called out, but the Teo bumped her forward with her butt and the girl had no other choice but to move forward.

    And that''s how Patishi started eating her meals with Horeo, and she even got to see how Horeo eats and praises the cookies that she made especially for him!

 Chapter 121 - 33 - The Countermeasures (part 1)

    The blond heroine, Burushiitto was in the ssroom even though she should have been absent for one more day ¨C on top of that she kept on ncing over at Miriette...

    ...which made Zoemi be unnerved...

    |Did the event already happen...? But the first prince isn''t acting any different, it''s only her...|

    The dark-haired boy was observing his master and her fiance but literally, nothing was out of the ordinary - the two of them were carefully listening in to the teachers during sses and casually talking and flirting from time to time during breaks.

    "Uh-oh...! No, no way...! You have seriously done that, truly and actually?"

    Horeo mocked Miriette with a sleazy smile.

    "What? It was in the heat of the moment!"

    Miriette frowned at him but ended up blushing so she looked away to not give the gold-haired prince the satisfaction of seeing her embarrassed.

    "It''s not like I asked him to elope with me ¨C yet!"

    The dark-haired scoffed, shrugging her shoulders dismissively, acting as if she didn''t just say something very dangerous just to make Horeo envy her a little bit more.

    "Well, you didn''t ¨C mostly because you know how that would end up like - but seriously? ''Will you always be by my side? Cliche much? You read too many romance novels!"

    The gold-haired prince waved his head dismissively with a mocking smile andughed right in her face.

    "Ugh! Why you little...!"

    What Zoemi thought was flirting was, in fact, the exchange of information and juicy topics that was normal for those two supposed lovers.

    "Alright, now. All jokes aside..."

    The first prince breathed out and his expression turned serious...

    "Eh? You were joking?!"

    "...seriously...?"

    Miriette raised her brows and gasped genuinely shocked which made Horeo sigh and roll his eyes.

    "As I was saying. You should watch out for Surou - my little brother has been acting a bit too suspicious when I saw himst time. And I mean more than usual, this seems to be something more personal for him this time."

    The gold-haired prince leaned towards the dark-haired girl and dered in a conspicuous whisper.

    "Oh? And what he would be able to do to me?"

    Miriette smirked smugly but Horeo shook his head.

    "Personally - he can do nothing. But don''t forget that this is the Aspakeony Academy and if there''s one thing my little brother is good at, it''s plotting and being a little shit."

    "...oh..."

    Horeo was serious so Miriette sighed and nodded.

    "Fine, I''ll try to keep my temper in check around him..."

    She promised with a mixed expression.

    "Oh? And since when are you able to do that?"

    "Hey!"

    Horeo smirked, making Mireitte blush and smack him in the arm ¨C but since she wasn''t using any enchantments, it felt like getting smacked with cotton candy and made the first princeugh.

    ------

    During the first recess, the second prince Surou came to their ssroom and started talking with the heroinepletely ignoring everyone else, including his older brother and especially ignoring Miriette.

    "Why does the second prince bothers with a meremoner, her magic isn''t even that impressive..."

    one of the students murmured, ring at the two in disbelief.

    "Who does she think she is!?"

    Another person scoffed, staring daggers at the back of the blond heroine.

    In short - if Surou wanted to show up just to make a statement that the blondmoner girl was under his protection in hopes of stopping the ongoing bullying ¨C well... he failed and only added more fuel to that fire.

    "..."

    The second prince didn''t care for the whispers and the attention he was getting and started talking with the heroine in a hushed voice.

    "..."

    Zoemi became very anxious but couldn''t do anything without getting the attention of everyone else closely observing the pair, so he could only clench his fists under his desk...

    ...or could he...?

    The ck-haired boy closed his eyes and focused, the next moment his body became enveloped by a deep shadow, and all of his senses sharpened.

    "...my prince..."

    Form all the other vices the ck-haired boy finally managed to focus on the ones he wanted to hear from.

    "...don''t worry ¨C I have a good helper advising me... the n is foolproof... This will pull out the root of the problem, and everything will be fine..."

    Surou suddenly grabbed the heroine''s hand and caressed it with his fingers, the onlookers boiled with indignation and the heroine blushed and bashfully nodded while blushing.

    "...I...I see... just, don''t do anything reckless, my prince..."

    After her response, Surou grinned widely, and just for a fraction of a second, his eyes darted towards Miriette.

    Zoemi immediately felt cold sweat emerging on his neck.

    What the hell is that n of his and what does it have to do with Mireitte..!? She isn''t taking part in the bullying at all!|

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva.

    It was clear to him that the second prince is actively plotting against Miriette - the day before the ck-haired boy focused too much on the heroine andpletely forgot about the suspicious behavior of the blue-haired second prince, and now that suspicion came right back with twice the force...!

    If everything was alright with Surou, active plotting against the viiness shouldn''t happen until almost the end of the school year, two months after the route-switching event!

    Even if his route elerated shouldn''t the events happen in chronological order and not interfere with one another!?

    "...see you after ss...?"

    "...I would love to, my prince..."

    The blue-haired prince asked, leaning down towards the heroine who honestly looked very worried over the whispers and res surrounding her from every direction ¨C and then...

    "...nnngh...!"

    "See you then, Buru."

    The second prince then kissed the heroine''s hand and left the ssroom, leaving Burushitto stunning right in the middle of a hos'' nest.

    "...that bitch...!"

    "...You''ve seen that...?!"

    "I am definitely sending a message to my mother the moment the sses are over ¨C I will make sure that she gets what she deserves!"

    "...I heard that she is being bullied- I hope that whoever is doing that will not hold back!"

    Needless to say, basically everyone was enraged by the second prince''s behavior ¨C after all, some of the students'' families made a marriage proposal to the royal family aimed especially at the second prince ¨C so it wasn''t even surprising that they would get furious over him publicly kissing a COMMONER.

    Still, since in the first ce in the Bellcephora kingdom the nobles that reached fifteen years old could get engaged - although not married, since that would have to wait until they graduate the Aspakeony Academy ¨C the Academy itself didn''t have any rules banning the disys of affection like that so nothing could be done through the official means...

    But since even through the unofficial means, nothing could be done to the second prince himself in fear of the royal family''s reaction - everyone''s anger focused on the blond heroine who had no actual connections to anyone important and was the easiest target to vent out at.

    "Maybe she''s ckmailing the second prince?"

    "She probably seduced him with her indecent body! What a shameless wench!"

    "...Surou you dummy..."

    The heroine was hated - to say the least - and she didn''t lookfortable with that at all - which was further confirmed by her pitiful sigh that only Zoemi have picked up on thanks to his shadow enchantment.

    In the game, everyone liked her character - with exception of the viiness and maybe two or three girls from her posse.

    But now?

    There was no one who would even look at the blond-haired girl with good intentions.

    At the sight of the heroine, slouching above her desk with a red face, Zoemi fell deep into thoughts.

    |Out of the two of them, it''s the heroine who acts just like she was in the game... that means that the problem mayy with Surou ¨C I need to get closer to her and find out what''s wrong with the second prince, or at least learn what is he nning...!|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself, clenching his fists with conviction.

 Chapter 122 - 33 - The Countermeasures (part 2)

    Zoemi could barely keep himself on his chair through the ss, the anxiety and horrible feeling in his guts were telling him that something very dangerous was merely a single step away from actually happening and he merely had a handful of clues to figure out how to stop whatever it was from happening ¨C he needed more information ¨C and to gather those, he stood up from his seat as soon as the lesson finished.

    "Zoemi...? Where are you going...?"

    Miriette reacted immediately as soon as the ck-haired boy left his spot - as if she was afraid that her attendant will just disappear on her...

    ...which made Zoemi bow his head towards her with an apologetic smile...

    "Excuse me, mydy, but I need to deal with a small personal matter."

    "Ah, oh... I see. Of course, bute back as soon as you will be done."

    He apologized and gave a vague reason and judging by the dark-haired girl''s expression, she misunderstood what he actually meant ¨C but even that wasn''t bad at all.

    With a free reign over his time, the ck-haired boy turned away and walked towards the door.

    "...ek-hem..."

    When Zoemi was going past the heroine he ''identally'' bumped into her desk while clearing his throat.

    "...?!"

    The heroine looked up at him with frightful eyes, Zoemi didn''t change his indifferent expression but he motioned at the door with his eyes and walked away acting as if nothing happened.

    "...eh...?"

    "..."

    The blond heroine tilted her head in confusion but then Zoemi nced back at her and stared at the door.

    |Wait up...! Is that an event?! Now?! No way...! Is this whole terrible situation just one big event for him?!|

    Burushiitto clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

    She honestly didn''t wasn''t to follow after the ck-haired boy ¨C his all of his events ¨C or what she thought of as events ¨C was dangerous and way darker than anything she knew from the game.

    In her previous life, she would be all over that broody and gritty atmosphere as it added the thrill and dangerous charm to the scenario while painting the capture target in a more desirable light even with the scars and whatnots ¨C but now it was different ¨C it wasn''t a game, she wasn''t merely controlling the actions of the character on the screen ¨C she was the character!

    And honestly, even in this game-like word, there was no way that she would be willing to check whether checkpoints are a real thing or not ¨C and only a fool would risk their live to make sure about something like that.

    ¡­

    But since there might be no checkpoints and the events that had something to do with the ck-haired yandere boy, did she even have an actual choice in the matter?

    She knew characters like him from other games ¨C she was absolutely sure that if she neglects him too much he would kill her off in a vengeful rampage without a moment of hesitation ¨C and since the magic examination Burushiitto knew that the ck-haired boy would have no problem with killing her, even with all the healing magic she knew ¨C after all for a spell to work she had to cast it ¨C and it was impossible to cast anything if she was already dead...

    Therefore...

    ...she stood up and left the ssroom after the ck-haired attendant with an ugly burn-scar disfiguring his right side of the face...

    "...that big-titted wench...!"

    Miriette clenched her fists and grumbled furiously, staring daggers after the leaving blond-haired girl.

    "My love, what''s with thatmoner girl following the Zo...? Oh...!"

    Horeo raised his brow at the sight of Burushiitto leaving right after Zoemi, and turned towards Miriette with a question but then he changed his mind after seeing the dark-haired girl''s reaction.

    Miriette''s hair was standing on its ends and gave off the air of sharpness, her face was frozen into an expression best described as ''a personification of wrath'' and she was breathing heavily as if she was an angry bull.

    |Uh-oh, yeah... she also noticed that girl leaving after Zoemi...|

    The first prince thought to himself and decided to not pick the clearly dangerous subject.

    "Never mind..."

    Horeo quickly turned back and ignored the newly born goddess of fury that took the form of the dark-haired girl who also happened to be his fiancee.

    God only knows what would happen if he irked her now - and the first prince wasn''t stupid enough to partake in that outrageous gamble with such low odds of winning.

    ------

    Zoemi was leaning against the wall next to the ssroom waiting for the heroine to arrive ¨C it definitely took her longer than he expected, but she end up showing up ¨C thankfully.

    "S-sir Zoemi...?"

    The blond girl nodded her head timidly in a bashful greeting and Zoemi nodded back at her.

    "Miss Burushi, let us talk outside."

    The ck-haired boy suggested and started walking without waiting for the answer.

    "...I''m only doing that to not get killed though..."

    The blond heroine followed him with a pitiful expression as she was sighingpletely dispirited.

    At that point, Burushiitto was convinced that it was the time when Zoemi''s route was properly starting to get the momentum going- from her perspective and with the information at their disposal, it looked like Surou''s affection had to be on a certain level to open this new capture target''s route properly ¨C and the sudden kiss she received from the blue-haired second prince must have been just the right trigger.

    |In the end - all the weird and scary things happening as well as the reversed event from the day before must have been the starting point of his storyline kicking in... I only hope that I will not get locked into his route... I seriously only want Surou and graduate the academy in peace...! The Slutiette can go and be the queen of whatever as long as I will be able to live a long fulfilling life in peace...!|

    The heroine thought to herself taking a deep breath, bracing herself for whatever might result from following the ck-haired boy...

    ...what if she actually messed something up already and he was leading her away to kill her off...?!

    "...!"

    A new and very unpleasant thought appeared in Burushiitto''s mind and almost paralyzed the girl with fear.

    But could she really stop now ¨C if she started running, she might not be able to reach Surou before the ck-haired bo would riddle her back with holes poked in by the scary darkness de he used during the magic examination ¨C which she certainly watched just in case.

    When they finally got out of the building out in the open, Zoemi looked at the heroine with an indifferent expression that slowly melted into something that looked almost like concern...!

    "How are you dealing with all this stuff?"

    The ck-haired boy asked rather awkwardly but the heroine understood that he must be talking about the bullying and the general disdain towards her ¨C which she half expected but it was still a little bit surprising as the capture targets weren''t all that bright when it came to situations like that ¨C taking Surou for example who was sure that kissing Burushitto n front of her entire ss, he would put a stop to the bullying....

 Chapter 123 - 33 - The Countermeasures (part 3)

    "Ah, you know..."

    The blond heroine tried her best to sound positive and innocent like the heroine in the game, but that honestly was a really difficult thing for her, since after receiving more hate through two months than the actual in-game heroine after a full one-hundred percent ythrough which was supposed to epass five capture targets and all endings...

    "It''s been... a bit disheartening, but thanks to prince Surou''s kindness I somehow managed to push through... I...! I mean..!"

    Burushitto bit his tongue, but she was toote.

    |I''m such an idiot! Why am I mentioning another man in front of a yandere capture target!? Do I actually have a deathwish?!|

    The blond girl scolded herself.

    "Personally, I would say that lord Reo would be able to lift your mood a little better but... It is good to hear that you have someone like the second prince to support you. I''ve heard about the bullying and it made me worry that this state of things may be too hard on you - but I couldn''t help because of my master."

    |Because I care more about her than I could ever care about you... my apologies...|

    Zoemi tried very hard to act like he was regretting hisck of reaction to all the wrongdoings that happened to the heroine in recent days as more and more people seemed to think that messing with the blond girl was their mandatory activity for each day...

    |Wait...! He ispassionate in the end!? But that means that his route is progressing smoothly! Maybe Surou IS an important factor in his route...! But then when do I stop so that I won''t actually finish it and stay on Surou''s route...?|

    Burushito flinched and faked fidgeting so that she could look down so that the ck-haired boy wouldn''t see her face as she was furrowing her brows trying to figure out the best way out of her current situation.

    |...when in doubt I should tter his master, right? Unless he hates her ¨C which I kind of doubt ¨C that should be the best ways to make him stay neutral... yes... let''s make him stick with Slutiette and assure my survival...!|

    "Sir Zoemi, you don''t have to feel bad about it, you''re an attendant, of course, you should put your master first over someone like me!"

    The heroine straightened her back and dered after picking her option while keeping a respectful distance from the scarred attendant.

    |Oh? Maybe she isn''t so bad in the end...|

    Zoemi raised his brows for the first time thinking that the heroine might not be so bad in the end if she at least was able to consider his position.

    "Thank you for understanding ¨C as long as it will not harm my master or her opinion, I will try to help you out to the best of my ability."

    The ck-haired boy managed to say and he wasn''t even forced to lie this time.

    It was the truth, if his master''s happiness was secured and her well-being set in stone, Zoemi might have decided to help the heroine in that twisting script since she didn''t seem to try to consciously mess up with the dark-haired viiness.

    Only if Miriette was safe ¨C that is.

    "Thank you...!"

    Burushiitto gasped and bowed her head to the ck-haired boy, genuinely relieved ¨C not because of the promise itself, but rather because it sounded like the scarred attendant didn''t have any thoughts suggesting leaving his master ¨C which for the heroine meant that his yandere mode hadn''t been triggered with her as the target.

    "..."

    "...?"

    The blond girl seemed to suddenly realize something because she went quiet with a concerned expression making Zoemi furrow his brows and look at her in concern ¨C the heroine showing the signs of actual intelligence and thinking things through was never portrayed in the game so it was the first thing for him.

    "...Sir Zoemi... what if there is something that might concern your master that might require your attention...?"

    "!!!!!"

    Burushiitto asked cautiously ¨C which made the ck-haired boy immediately straighten his back and focus only on her.

    |That was all that I had to do...?! She will tell me about Surou''s n just like that?!|

    Zoemi gasped internally, clenching his fists to stop himself from rushing the girl since that could have the reverse effect and cause her to run away.

    "..."

    The blond-haired girl carefully looked around making sure that no one is trying to eavesdrop on their conversation and leaned forward conspicuously, which the ck-haired attendant immediately mirrored.

    "The second prince didn''t share the details with me, but he seemed to have a n that would help me out ¨C but there''s something wrong about it..."

    Burushiitto whispered cautiously, making the ck-haired attendant furrow his brows.

    ...she certainly didn''t sound like the nd heroine that he knew from the game...

    "My prince keeps talking about some powerful helper advising him on how to do with the situation ¨C which should definitely not be the case...!"

    The heroine dered, looking Zoemi in the eyes.

    "The problem is that no matter what I say, my prince seems to be convinced that your master is the one responsible for my bullying..."

    "Impossible!"

    She revealed what instantly caused the ck-haired boy to call out in anger.

    "I know that ¨C but that mysterious helper, who I tried to catch but never actually managed to even see, is feeding my prince some false information and putting strange ideas into his head... I am not one hundred percent sure yet but from what I could figure out..."

    Burushiittoraised her hand to calm the boy down and continued talking until she looked around once more to assure that no one is listening to them...

    "...with that mysterious helper''s advice, my prince has already made preparation to block your master''s magic power...!"

    "!!!!!"

    At her words, Zoemi froze with his eyes wide open from shock.

    The ck-haired boy could feel the cold sweat drenching his back...

    "Block...?"

    He uttered.

    "You don''t mean... The bracelets...?"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and asked in a low voice.

    "..."

    Burushitto leaned back to check the surroundings if no one is eavesdropping for the third time and then - with a serious expression - she nodded.

    |No...! No, no, no, no...! It''s seriously happening all too fast...|

    The worst-case scenario was ying out right in front of the ck-haired attendant and was making him panic.

    Thest scripted event for the Surou route mixed together with the switching route events!

    In the game, Miriette would lose control and verbally abuse and then even p the heroine in the presence of the second prince and some of the teachers.

    She would get suspended and confined to her room for a week but the agitated second prince would go a step further and get the spellcasting-blocking bracelets from the kingdom''s treasury and seal of Miriette''s powers.

    The viiness would end up unable to see or even contact the first prince in any way and her mind would weaken...

    Depending on the yer''s previous choices that situation could follow two different routes.

    Good ending for the heroine - Miriette''s wrongdoings to the heroine are brought up to the light and the weakened viiness has a mental breakdown. Her engagement is canceled and she is sent to a monastery to live out her life behind its walls.

    Or the bad ending for the heroine - the second prince Surou would lose to his inferiorityplex and would attempt to assassinate his brother, Miriette after experiencing a week being unable to use her magic, instead of casting a protective spell would throw herself in front of her beloved prince to protect him and dies skewered by the water spear...

    "It''s already the end game for Surou!? How is that even possible?!|

    Zoemi couldn''t understand how could that happen.

    |What about all the side events!? They can just be omitted like that!?|

    "Sir Zoemi...? Sir Zoemi...!"

    The heroine was trying to get his attention but the ck-haired youth ignored herpletely.

    He had already made some preparation, but his counter-n was still in the baby stages ¨C it was all a countermeasure for the veryst event after all!

    Thest events are supposed to happen at the end of the school year!

    "Sir Zoemi, we should get back to the ssroom now, the lecture is about to start..."

    Burushitto pulled Zoemi''s hand.

    "R-right... The lecture..."

    Zoemi was in a daze.

    "We must return to the ssroom, please watch over your master."

    Burushiitto dered squeezing his hand once before releasing it and walking back into the ssroom.

    "...damn it..."

    No matter if he was ready or not, he entered thest stretch for the Surou route.

    There was something that he could do, and if his barely sprouting n would work, most of the future bad endings wouldn''t be a problem for his master anymore...!

    But that would be a thing only if he would make sure to assure Mireitte''s safety in theing days!

    "..."

    Zoemi clenched his fists and his eyes dimmed and lost any sign of life because of his resolve.

    He must return to his master''s side to interfere with the event.

    |I must keep Miriette in my sight, at any cost!|

 Chapter 124 - 34 - Toilet Break (part 1)

    "..."

    Zoemi and Burushitto returned to the ssroom, Miriette who was about to lose her mind from jealousy red at them while trembling from holding back the anger.

    |What were they doing together!? Why is Zoemi looking so nervous!? Do you have something to hide!? Huh!? Do you!? Are you cheating on me!?|

    "...!"

    Her eyes became bloodshot and Horeo inched back from her just in case she wentpletely nuts.

    But Zoemi who returned to his desk was too concerned with the future to correctly read the obvious signs of fury and interpreted them as anxiety...

    The ck-haired boy turned towards his master and grabbed her hand without any warning.

    "Mydy, be at ease."

    He said in a serious voice.

    "I will protect you no matter what."

    He promised with conviction.

    "...eh...?"

    Miriette''s negative emotionspletely disappeared after the sudden contact.

    She blushed deeply and lowered her head.

    "I... I see... o-okay..."

    |We''re holding hands! He initiated it in front of the whole ss! He''s showing that I''m his!|

    Miriette''s heart fluttered and her imagination went into overdrive, and all the bad emotions were pushed out of her head as if they were never there in the first ce.

    Fearsome Miriette became subdued just like that!

    "...whoa...!"

    Horeo looked at Zoemi with admiration.

    Meanwhile, the attendant let go of his master''s hand and turned towards the teacher who just entered the ssroom.

    "Hmph~!"

    Mirietteposed herself after a couple of minutes, straightened her back, and looked down at Horeo with a smug smile.

    "Psh..."

    The first prince only rolled his eyes and shook his head.

    |Seriously, it would be so much better if Zoemi was my attendant...|

    The gold-haired prince sighed internally.

    -------

    Zoemi was at his wit''s end.

    He couldn''t allow himself to make any mistakes - even one slip-up could pull Miriette into the spiral of destruction.

    That''s why the ck-haired attendant with the ugly burn-scar disfiguring his right cheek was following his master''s every step...

    The ck-haired boy didn''t even bother with the usual proper five-steps-behind rule that he was taught - he was walking right beside the dark-haired girl, ring at everyone else like an angry guard-dog on edge.

    Miriette was too drunk on the happiness and excitement of her beloved''s behavior to notice the possible negative effects that this sudden closeness could cause - mainly gossip and bad rumors - so the first prince had to step in and offer his arm to his fiance.

    That way it was still ''clear'' for everyone present who was the couple.

    Still, the lovestruck expression, that would appear on Miriette''s face when she was peeking at Zoemi, certainly wasn''t making this cover-up job any easier...

    Miriette was pleased with the attention of her attendant, she thought it was him finally breaking and deciding to pursue the forbidden rtionship on his own.

    She was content...

    "Gentlemen, pardon me for a moment."

    The dark-haired girl smiled at the gold-haired prince and the ck-haired attendant and tried to leave their side...

    "Mydy, I shall apany you."

    Zoemi instantly was at her side, stepping in front of her and keenly observing the hallway for any potential threats...

    "No, there''s no need to."

    Miriette flinched and shook her head, trying to calm him down.

    "Mydy, it''s my duty to be at your disposal at any time."

    The ck-haired boy easily refused her refusal, adamant about following her no matter what.

    Yes. Miriete was very content with Zoemi not leaving her side...

    ...up until after lunch she wanted to go to the toilet and Zoemi insisted on following her.

    "..."

    Miriette blushed, she was in a good mood, she didn''t want to mess things up and chase the boy she liked away BUT at the same time certainly didn''t want to admit she''s going to the loo.

    "Zoemi, you should just stay here and entertain the prince while I''m gone."

    Lady Espine was embarrassed at the thought of her attendant going with her even there.

    "No, he is right, you know? The attendant''s ce is by his master. Zoemi, I allow you to go with my fiance."

    "!!!!"

    Horeo lips twisted into an evil grin and nced at Miriette mockingly.

    "You...!"

    Miriette gasped, leftpletely speechless by the unexpected backstab.

    "As you wish, my prince!"

    The dark-haired girl was bbergasted, but her attendant bowed to the first prince grateful for timely assist and Miriette could only squint her eyes at her fiance.

    |And you are calling me the cunning fox - you two-faced traitor!?|

    |It''s good to have a taste of your own medicine from time to time~|

    The future royal couplemunicated to each other with their eyes only, even without the use of the message spell.

    "..."

    What else she could do?

    Miriette gave up and with apletely red face, ears, and neck, she went to thedies'' room with Zoemi tailing her.

    She was too ashamed to enjoy the situation when she could walk together with Zoemi and was just marching on ahead with her head low and the sound of her attendant steps right behind her.

    "...?"

    The dark-haired girl entered the toilet, but then she suddenly turned back.

    "...!"

    The sound of the ck-haired boy''s footsteps didn''t stop by the door and Miriette faced her attendant who was already one step inside of the girls'' toilet and didn''t look as if he was going to stop with that one either.

    "NO! Zoemi - seriously, do not even think about that! You can''t enter here with me!"

    The dark-haired girl with a bright red face crossed her arms at first, but then she started straight up pushing the ck-haired youth out.

    "But mydy, what if you''ll need my help?"

    He asked in a genuinely worried voice.

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Zoemi was actually afraid that his master would meet the heroine in the toilet and a sink or the toilet itself would spontaneously blow up or something, damaging the heroine and leading straight to the second prince going forward with his fabricated evidence against Miriete that would then cause a fight that would kick-start the tragic ending of the innocent viiness...!

    ...as convoluted and improbable that turn of events sounded - the worst part about it was that it couldn''t bepletely excluded out of the realm of possibility...

    "No, no, no, no way!"

    Miriette face was burning from shame, she was doing her best to push her attendant out of the toilet which proved to be quite challenging since she didn''t activate her enchants in fear of harming him.

    "Mydy, at least let me check if it''s safe inside!"

    Zoemi looked at his master with pleading eyes, but let''s be honest, there was no chance for that to work.

    "No! Just get out and wait for me!"

    Miriette was continuously trying to push him away but as someone who left basically everything to someone else or to her magic - her physical abilities wereughable at best and pitiful at worst.

    Her slender arms started shaking and she pushed herself backward before she managed to make Zoemi budge even an inch.

    "HMPH!"

    Miriette frowned and, since Zoemi was still trying to convince her to let him apany her, changed the approach and now bumped into him with her shoulder.

    |...I... might like teasing her...|

    Even when he was so full of worries, Zoemi couldn''t miss how adorable his master was.

    She didn''t want to harm him by using her overpowered magic so she was giving her best to move him with only her body- strength.

    Even though they were the same age the results were simr to those of a primary schooler attempting to push back a high schooler - there was no chance without using some underhanded methods.

 Chapter 125 - 34 - Toilet Break (part 2)

    |I want to praise her for her efforts but she would probably be offended by that.|

    Zoemi awwed at Miriette''s cuteness and smiled looking at her head prime for the patting.

    Nheless, it really was inappropriate for a male attendant to follow his master to the toilet and thankfully even Zoemi realized that after a while and gave up, allowing himself to be pushed out since he couldn''t stop himself from looking at the adorably struggling dark-haired girl.

    "Haa... haa... haa...!"

    Miriette was gasping for air by that point.

    "Couldn''t you do... that from... haa... the beginning...?!"

    She scoffed at him and entered the toilet shaking her head in disbelief.

    "..."

    Zoemi waited for his master but soon he became anxious again.

    "Mydy? Is everything alright? I can''t hear anything..."

    He leaned inside thedies'' room and called out.

    "!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

    Meanwhile, Miriette, seated in one of the cabins and already having a problem with relieving herself while someone was waiting for her - almost got a heart attack after hearing those words...

    |Can''t h-hear anything...!? Eh?! EEEHHHH?!|

    "Oh my god - you are listening!?"

    She cried out almost exploding from embarrassment.

    "Noooo! Stop! Close your ears! Don''t listen!"

    Miriette cried while burying her face in her hands and shaking he head.

    "Mydy, it''s my duty to..."

    "WHY ARE YOU RESPONDING?! I TOLD YOU TO STOP LISTENING!"

    She shouted angrily and Zoemi closed his mouth.

    |Well, it seems that the heroine isn''t there at least...|

    The attendant shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the wall.

    |Uuuu... I don''t want him to hear me...!|

    Miriette was close to actually crying as she was already tearing up from the shame, with how things were - there was no way for her to relieve herself under those circumstances.

    It would be far too embarrassing with Zoemi listening!

    |Ah!|

    Then Miriette thought of an idea - if the ck-haired boy was listening, then she should just make some noise to overshadow her sound!

    The dark-haired girl pointed her hand to the corner of the cabin and uttered the incantation.

    "Air swirl!"

    *whowhowhowhowhowhowhowhowhowho*

    A miniature green hurricane appeared and the spinning air started whistling.

    The created noise was loud enough to even block a conversation no to mention the visit to the toilet!

    "...whew~!"

    Miriette congratted herself and smiled with relief.

    ------

    *whowhowhowhowhowhowhowhowhowho*

    "Hmmm...?

    The moment Zoemi heard the noiseing from the girls'' toilet he became rmed and his senses screamed.

    |Mydy is using magic! Something must have happened!|

    He became pale as a ghost.

    "Mydy? Can you hear me? What''s happening!?"

    "..."

    He called but there was no response.

    "!!!"

    Zoemi''s insides tied into a knot - he had such a bad feeling about this!

    |Miriette seemed to be agitated ¨C if by any chance she et the heroine who clumsily did something to her and made her use magic...!|

    This could lead straight to the bad ending!

    "..."

    There was no more time to hesitate - Zoemi entered the toilet and went straight to the source of the noise and mmed his hand against the cabin door.

    "Mydy!? Are you there!?"

    He shouted over the whistling noise of the spell.

    "Z-ZOEMI!?"

    Miriette who was already putting her underwear back became startled.

    "Mydy, why are you using a spell in the toilet!? Did something happen!?"

    "What the hell are you doing here!? I told you to wait outside!"

    Miriette opened the cabin, her face waspletely red from shame.

    "You wanted to listen that much!? Or did you want to peek at me!?"

    She canceled her spell and hurried towards the sink where she washed her hands and then immediately started pping Zoemi''s arm with one hand.

    Like before, it didn''t hurt since she wasn''t using the enchants, but she was really upset nheless.

    "I told you to wait outside!"

    "But, mydy... I...!"

    "No buts!"

    She stomped her feet in anger,pletely ignoring her attendant.

    "You wanted to peek at me, didn''t you!? If you want to see my body that much then just ask, you bully! Peeking at me while I''m on the toilet ispletely forbidden!"

    She kept pping his arm in the fit of anger and ended up saying a bit too much...

    "Mydy, I... Wait, what...!?"

    Zoemi tried to exin himself but then he realized that his master said something a bit surprising.

    "Mydy...?"

    "Ah!"

    Miriette also realized what did she just said and her face changed from tomato red to dark red and tears showed up in her eyes.

    "I didn''t say anything! Shut up! Get out!"

    the dark-haired girl sniffled and then shouted.

    This time Zoemi obediently walked out and Miriette followed after him sulking.

    "...!"

    She stopped and nced at the bathroom mirror ¨C which caused her to hide her face in her hands.

    |What have I said to him!? He''ll think I''m an indecent woman and will hate me for sure!|

    The dark-haired girl shook her head pitifully ¨C allowing herself a few more seconds of feeling sorry for herself before pulling herself together...

    "How am I supposed to face him now..?"

    She peeked at her reflection through her fingers, asking out loud in a trembling voice.

    "Oh god... what if he will really hate me now...? He likes chaste women, right? Did my indecency ruin everything...?!"

    Her voice trembled.

    "...!"

    Suddenly her eyes twinkled with sudden realization.

    "Oh god... What if I got it wrong and he will ask me to show him my body...!? He is a growing boy after all... boys are supposed to like stuff like that right...?"

    She covered her mouth and her body shook with a sudden hope filling her chest before she turned and struck an innocently seductive pose.

    "M-maybe this will actually turn out to be my chance to get him to make the first move...!?"

    She whispered to herself suddenly forgetting about being ashamed.

    Miriette looked at herself in the mirror, she straightened her back, adjusted her hair, and cleared her throat, making sure that she looks presentable and confident.

    Then she smiled to herself and left the toilet ¨C after going through the door she turned and bumped into Zoemi''s back...

    "Kyaah! Uuuh..."

    She squeaked like a toy and started massaging her nose.

    "What''s going on Zoemi...?"

    She asked and leaned to the side to check what was in front of her tensed-up attendant.

    "Eh? And what the two of you want here?"

    Miriette raised her brow and asked the second prince Surou and themoner girl, Burushiitto.

 Chapter 126 - 35 - Interfering With The Event (part 1)

    "..."

    "...?"

    Zoemi reached his hand to the side to assure that Miriette would not get in front of him, and especially not anywhere near the heroine or the suspicious blue-haired second prince.

    The situation that they got themselves into was so ridiculous that it was impossible to me it on anything other than the will of the world that tried to make their life follow the game rules.

    The script wanted the event to start...

    Zoemi understood it and was a bit relieved that he insisted on going with his master ¨C but that was only for a little a bit ¨C after all, that was the moment where he had to stop the event form following its proper path and break or at least derail it as much as possible.

    "...?"

    Seeing the ck-haired boy act, Miriette was cautiously peeking at the Surou and Burushiitto from behind his back - if possible, Zoemi would prefer her to stay there until the pair would leave.

    In the game, the whole event would truly begin with the viiness pping the heroine ¨C though, thankfully, the blond girl herself was keeping herself behind the blue-haired Surou.

    "...!"

    "...?

    Burushitto wasn''t looking too good and her eyes keep darting to Surou by her side ¨C as if she wanted to warn the attendant about something - so Zoemi focused his attention on the second prince too.

    The blue-haired boy looked awfully proud of himself - even though he didn''t do anything yet...

    But Zoemi realized what could be the reason for that...

    "That bastard must have got his hands on the bracelets, just like in the game...!|

    There could be no other reason for that shit-eating grin....!

    But why and when did he manage to do that in the first ce?!

    In the game, it at least had an actual exnation!

    Miriette was bullying the heroine for a whole year and the prince prepared the bracelets as part of the due punishment AND only after consulting it with the teacher who was made aware of it and witnessed the pping.

    But now Miriette wasn''t even responsible for the bullying and the heroine also seem to know that!

    Not to mention there was no teacher around to witness anything.

    But, even so, Burushiitto herself was sure that the second prince will use the bracelets, she should be the one closest to him so she should know best...

    ...though, there was that mysterious supporter ¨C that did not appear in the game - too...

    Anyway...

    Why did the second prince was so sure that Miriette is the perpetrator even though almost all of the interactions between the two girls happened with Zoemi around ¨C and to the ck-haired boy''s knowledge Miriette was actually nice to themoner girl!

    It wasn''t even a full three months into the school year, the bullying barely started!

    It was more intensive, yes, but was that a justifiable reason to take the ancient treasure and use it on an innocent person?

    Surou was supposed to be clever and calctive, not reckless and stupid!"

    |Did the world twist so much because of me...?|

    Zoemi wondered gritting his teeth, but the situation at hand demanded him to put all those thoughts aside - for the moment at least...

    He had to act fast, how to appease the second prince living in the shadow of his smarter and more powerful brother?

    The answer was obvious.

    "..."

    "...!"

    Zoemi kneeled down, bowing his head as if Surou was about to be crowned for a king!

    "Good morning, my prince. Your lowly subject greets you."

    He weed the blue-haired boy actually sounding as if seeing him was bringing him joy.

    "!?!?"

    Which caused Miriette to furrow her brows and shake her head in disbelief.

    "Auequas, hello. Buru..."

    "...!"

    Surou nodded his head with a barely noticeable smile of satisfaction after getting the proper royal treatment ¨C and he gently helped the shocked heroine to his side so she could talk too.

    "Hello, sir Zo... Ldy Miriette! It''s an honor!"

    The heroine was pressured into calling out too ¨C and thankfully she realized that as someone of lower status, she needs to properly greet the dark-haired first ¨C Miriette was of the highest status after all, and only then she could address the ck-haired boy.

    |...whew...|

    Zoemi breathed out ¨C at least it looked like the heroine wasn''t his enemy in this particr event...

    "Now, now ¨C Buru, you are with me ¨C there''s no reason for you to kneel."

    "!!!!!!!"

    ...but then the blond heroine got stopped just as she was lowering herself in front of the silent viiness...

    Zoemi tensed up.

    Surou was overusing his authority!

    Amoner has to keel in front of the high noble and the only person who can stop them is the person they are kneeling to themselves - or the royal couple - but those were the three exceptions!

    Not to mention that the second prince should greet Miriette first!

    The blue-haired boy just easily erased the sign of goodwill from the heroine ¨C all while ignoring Zoemi''s master!

    "It must be hard babysitting my brother''s fiance all the time. How are you keeping up?"

    Surou asked nonchntly as if Miriette was air.

    "..."

    Zoemi felt the anger boiling inside of him ¨C with how the things were, it really looked like Surou was a reincarnation too ¨C even though Burushiitto was doing her best, he was the one setting up the quest''s start...!

    And that realization was bothering the ck-haired boy far more than theck of manners from the second prince - but as someone of the lower status, he couldn''t do anything about it, if he pointed out the improper conduct, he would bring troubles to himself and his master especially if his guess about Surou was correct.

    "Not at all, my prince. Serving such a great person is an honor - I''m more and more thankful with each passing day."

    Zoemi responded smoothly doing his best to damage control as much as possible.

    "It''s just as I have heard... you''re a perfect attendant. I''ve even heard that your scars were suffered in the line of duty..."

    "...?"

    The sudden change in Surou''s voice caused Zoemi to furrow his brows ¨C why was the second prince so nice to him...?

    "If you want I can free you from that cumbersome task - you could just work for me. I am in need of a trustworthy attendant."

    The blue-haired boy added, leaving Zoemi speechless ¨C until the ck-haired boy felt the increasingly hostile pressureing from behind him...!

    The second prince was clearly trying to agitate Miriette!

    "My prince, I don''t have the audacity to even think about something like that!"

    |Though you have guts pushing out yourmon sense if you think it is alright for you to spout all this shit from your mouth!|

    Zoemi lightly shook his head, lowering his head even more so that the blue-haired second prince would not see the furious frown twisting his face.

    "Indeed... as I''ve said, a perfect attendant... Loyal to his master, no matter who he is forced to serve..."

    Saying that Sourou wasn''t looking at Zoemi - he was looking straight at the agitated Miriette.

    "Ah, my prince, your jokes are too much of grace for someone like me."

    Zoemi bowed his head.

    "Jokes...?"

    Surou raised his brows.

    "What my attendant means by that is that he hopes you aren''t so stupid to say all that seriously. But, I guess you aren''t smart enough to even catch that. Tough luck, Zoemi, you''re too nice for the slow second prince."

    "...!"

    Zoemi closed his eyes and held back a sigh...

    It was obvious that Miriette won''t just let herself be ignored or insulted.. - and surely not both at the same time.

 Chapter 127 - 35 - Interfering With The Event (part 2)

    Lady Espine stepped in front of her attendant with her arms crossed and her head held high.

    "And while we are intruding on the sense of humor and the poor manners territory..."

    She squinted her eyes and looked at the heroine.

    "How long do you intend to make student Burushiitto stand up in the presence of two high nobles when even the lower noble is kneeling with his head down? What is the meaning of that? Is shemitting lese-majeste? Does that mean that I can execute her? Do you want me to execute her, is that it?"

    "!!!!"

    At Miriette''s words, Burushitto flinched and tried to kneel down immediately but Surou protectively shielded her with one arm while holding her up with the other.

    "My Buru doesn''t have to kneel in front of the likes of you."

    He dered without an ounce of shame.

    "...oh...?"

    Miriette only raised her brow and shrugged her shoulders.

    "Zoemi, stand up. We are making the first prince wait. You know, the really important one."

    "...!"

    After a snarkyment that made the second prince face twist as if he licked a raw lemon, Zoemi hurriedly decided that it was best for him toply with the girl''smand and leave the spot as soon as possible...!

    If only this event could be dealt with that easily...

    "No, you won''t go anywhere, we''re not done talking."

    Surou walked in front of Miriette, blocking her path.

    "And since when do you have the right to order me around?"

    Miriette started tapping her foot with discontent and red at the second prince with a challenge.

    "Funny thing you say that."

    Instead of backing down at the sight of Miriette''s hair slowly bristling as hr agitation grew, Surou smiled.

    ''Since when do I have the power to order a student like you around ¨C well - since yesterday, to tell you the truth. The previous student supervisor for the freshmen suddenly resigned and I was asked to take over his duty. Funny how it works, don''t you think?"

    He dered.

    "Hmph!"

    "!!!!!"

    Miriette only frowned but Zoemi froze.

    That didn''t happen in the game...!

    Student supervisors in the AspakeonyAcademy could punish the misbehaving students even with a suspension.

    That''s why the role was given only to the most trustworthy student from each year.

    In the game, it was simply a role given to a faceless NPC that showed up once and was mentioned less than five times in all of the ythroughs!

    Not only Sourou didn''t match the description, but he was also already abusing his position first day on the job!

    "Lady Miriette, sir Zoemi... you two must be busy, isn''t that right? My prince, please, let''s leave them...!"

    Showing quick wits of which the ck-haired boy would never suspect her, the heroine pulled on the second prince''s arm that he used to prevent her from kneeling in front of Miriette and asked in a coquettish voice.

    "No, as if student Espine had anything productive to do."

    But Surou merely scoffed, shaking his head and patting the blond girl''s hand, not even looking at her face ¨C unluckily enough since Burushiitto was biting her lips clearly wanting nothing more than leaving as far from the bathroom''s entrance as possible.

    ...but maybe that was the reason why did she messed up...

    "S-sir Zoemi... remember what we talked about before? It was a meaningful conversation...!"

    The blond heroine tried to make Zoemi realize that Surou''s act was a part of his act ¨C but doing so she got the attention of the dark-haired girl who literally trembled from fury after being reminded that not so long ago her attendant left the ssroom together with the big-chested girl...

    "Of course, miss Burushiitto, I understand."

    Zoemi really understand what was going on ¨C but what could he do about it?!

    Ran away from the student supervisor?

    That''s not how things worked ¨C merely running away didn''t solve anything...

    ...and that made Zoemi realize that he cannot stop the event, but he can at least try to alter it in favor of his master...

    Surou was obviously trying to piss Miriette off while Burushiitto didn''t, but unfortunately, it was the blond girl who ended up aplishing the second prince''s goal...

    "I see... I see... Missmoner thinks that she can do whatever she wants because she got chummy with the noble, huh?"

    Lady Espine''s frown became fiercer as she started nodding and thumping her foot with twice the speed...

    "Student supervisor Surou, why are you holding back my attendant and me? If you have nothing important to say ¨C leave my sight, or else."

    The dark-haired girl dered, raising her head with pride as she red down at the blue-haired boy.

    "A reason? Oh, but I have the reason, student Espine."

    The second prince showed a nasty smirk and chuckled.

    "There has been some obvious bullying done to my Buru... and you are the main suspect."

    Surou dered without batting an eye staring straight at the dark-haired viiness.

    "Haaaah...?"

    Miriette''s hair bristled as if she was a furious porcupine about to attack.

    "Excuse me? Is that supposed to be a joke?"

    Lady Espine was looking at the second Prince as if he was something she had stepped in on the road when she wasn''t looking where she was going.

    "You aren''t funny, at all."

    She added coldly ¨C and honestly, Zoemi couldn''t believe that someone like Surou was able to withstand Miriette''s deadly re...

    ...the blue-haired boy must have felt overwhelmingly confident...

    "The bullying has been done by a strong magician, and both your personality and magic power are strong... to say the least."

    Surou revealed, shrugging his shoulders as if the case was already cracked and solved with only the punishment left to be decided.

    "Oh? If that''s the main reason then except for you, and maybe Zoemi, everyone in the school should be the main suspect."

    Miriette was furious but was holding back, getting in a magic fight with the student supervisor was never a good idea no matter on whose side the fault was.

    "...!"

    Surou clenched his fists but also managed to keep his cool, though Miriette hit him right where it hurt the most ¨C straight into his inferiorityplex.

    "You''re not wrong about your attendant... that''s why my Buru is keeping himpany when I''m interrogating you, he is the only trustworthy person in this situation."

    The blue-haired second prince dered, shaking his hand dismissively at the fuming girl.

    "Oh, so you are interrogating me now, are you?"

    Miriette smirked and slowly nodded his head, barely able to hold herself back from utterly destroying the overconfident boy in front of her...

    ...but the problem was she also kept ncing at the blond girl standing back with her ck-haired attendant.

    "Sir Zoemi ¨C I know that will sound unbelievable, ridiculous even ¨C but you must believe me! The truth is that this whole world is an...!"

    "...?!"

    All of a sudden the blond girl made an expression as if she decided on something and grabbed onto Zoemi''s hand and climbed on her tiptoes to urgently whisper into his ear...

    *SMACK*

    *CRACK*

    Unfortunately, that was also the moment when Miriette stepped in between them and pped their hands apart.

    "Aurgh...! Ughhh!"

    Burushiitto stumbled back holding her shaking hand ¨C Miriette has used her enchantment and the heroine''s index and middle fingers ended up broken like dry twigs.

    "Buru! Are you alright!?"

    The second prince gasped and held her protectively.

    "You...!"

    Once he saw the state of Burushiitto''s hand, he wheezed and red at the dark-haired girl with pure hatred.

    "What do you think you''re doing attacking another student in the presence of the student supervisor!?"

    Surou shouted at Miriette.

    "N-no, my prince..! It-ti''s nothing...! M-major heal...!"

    The heroine shook her head, but it was very obvious that she was in actual pain, but even so, she did her best and immediately used one of her spells...

    *crack*

    With a soft noise, both of her fingers returned to their proper position and there was no trace of them being broken ¨C not even the slightest swelling.

    "See...? It''s like nothing happened!"

    Burushiitto dered, swallowing the remains of her tears and showing off her healthy hand.

    "No, there is a huge problem. Such a thing cannot go unpunished!"

    The second prince called out in anger.

    But if he thought that Miriette would bother with him, he surely overestimated himself.

    In her eyes, there was only Burushitto now - and those eyes were full of bloodlust.

    "Surou, you can do whatever you want with that wench."

    Miriette pointed her finger threateningly.

    "But don''t let her get so close to my attendant ever again or her head will fall - is that clear?"

    "Y-you can''t decide for him with who he can and cannot be around!"

    Surou must have been tired of living because he called out, expectantly looking at the ck-haired attendant as if he expected him to agree and join his side at any given moment.

 Chapter 128 - 35 - Interfering With The Event (part 3)

    "Student Auquas, you don''t need to listen to her!"

    "...?"

    "...?"

    "..."

    The second prince called out as if he was sure that the ck-haired boy was waiting for the opportunity to jump the ship ¨C which honestly caused both Zoemi and Burushiitto to stare dumbfounded at the obviously delusional guy while Miriette was just ring at him with an ice-cold expression.

    "...!"

    The cold reaction of the others worked like a bucket of cold water dumped onto the blue-haired boy''s head and made him clear his throat andpose himself.

    "Or, if you prefer serving woman, you can be my Buru''s attendant too ¨C you see we are going to..."

    "...I will rip that filthy tongue right out of your foul mouth if you don''t shut up right now, brat..."

    Surou tried to restart his speech but was interrupted by the enormous pressure that the dark-haired girl started to give off ¨C her voice was low and thankfully it seemed like only her ck-haired attendant was able to catch her threatening the second prince, but it was enough to send cold shivers down his back.

    The only good part about this situation besides Miriette growing more and more quiet the angrier she became was that she didn''t activate any spells as of yet ¨C which really was a blessing considering her record so far.

    "I am terribly sorrydy Espine...!"

    "...!"

    And then the heroine stapped forward bowing her head deeply with a seemingly honest apology ¨C she honestly made Zoemi breathe out in relief as it seemed that she came in the clutch ¨C as long as the blond girl stayed in her boundaries, staying down and showing her respect would work fine in that situation...

    ...but unfortunately, the blond heroine wasn''t as knowledgeable about Miriette as the scarred attendant was and made a mistake...

    "Sir Zoemi ¨C I am sorry to you too! Please, don''t take this conversation as the statement about our rtion...!"

    |Please, mister yandere, do not target me ¨C I don''t even want you ¨C that moron behind me is all that I want out of this world, I swear...!|

    ...Burushiitto clenched her hands and raised up ¨C making her voluptuous chest bounce in the process ¨C and bowed down to the ck-haired boy, too focused on dodging being killed by the attendant to realize that it was his master who should be worried about more...

    "...what...?"

    The blond girl''s heartfelt speech caused a vein to pop on Miriette''s neck.

    "...you seriously just..."

    Lady Espine closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

    Then she opened her eyes.

    "Commoner, you are forbidden from talking to my attendant first - ever, and under any circumstances."

    Miriette spoke through her teeth and it was clear that she was about to blow up.

    "Since you are amoner and he is a noble, you are obliged to answer to him with due respect, but from now on you are strictly forbidden from starting the conversation."

    The dark-haired girl closed her eyes and took another deep breath.

    "Zoemi, we are going back to the first prince."

    "At once, mydy!"

    He didn''t have to hear it twice ¨C as soon as the blessedmand to leave had been spoken, without the slightest dy, Zoemi rushed to Miriette''s side.

    The attendant positioned himself between his master and the pair to at least act as a buffer in case a fight, would suddenly erupt.

    "Zoemi... sorry to impose that onto you, but please, be ready to hold me back..."

    "Of course, mydy."

    Miriette stealthily tugged onto her attendant''s shirt and whispered to him showing a great deal of self-control with that request - Zoemi never felt more proud of his master as in that moment!

    She was at least trying to behave like a responsible person and not the spoiled nobledy - well - at least when looking at it from the position of someone who knew Miriette''s character.

    But...

    "No, we are not done here! I dema...!"

    Surou tried to stop them again but he froze at the sight of the air boiling above the head ofdy Espine.

    "Mydy ¨C as per your request I am stopping you."

    "...yes..."

    Zoemi put his arm out and stepped in front of Miriette''s before lowering his head and smiling at his master, making the girl crack a little smile.

    "No, we are done."

    After calming down thanks to her dose of Zoemi''s closeness, Miriette dered and released the mana into the thin air.

    "Surou. Your foolish usations are based on your short-sighted feelings and not facts ¨C do not worry ¨C I am going to submit an officialint to the academy''s faculty about this event. Even if you buy or are gifted the position you do not deserve by the fools putting their hopes in a future marite like you, the principal won''t tolerate such behavior from the so-called most trusted student."

    "...!"

    Surou took a step back even though the spell above Miriette''s head has already dissipated ¨C but in the first ce, it was her words that pushed him back not the magic.

    "No guts."

    Miriette peeking from over Zoemi''s side spared the blue-haired boy just one single nce before she snorted mockingly.

    After that, she turned around and started walking as if nothing happened.

    Her attendant hurriedly followed her and in his heart, a seed of hope sprouted that maybe the script has backed itself into a corner because of the event eleration, and therefore they dodged the bullet.

    At the same time, he felt annoyed ¨C the ancient bracelets blocking the spell''s usage weren''t something that someone like him could put his hands on easily...

    Still, as long as events will fail to activate properly, there was a chance that the bracelets would never pose a threat.

    Zoemi''s preparations for dealing with them would all go to waste, but he was alright with it as long as Miriette was safe and happy.

    The master and the attendant managed to take but a few steps away from the blond heroine and the blue-haired capture target before all of that wishful thinking was shattered in five seconds.

    "Sir Zoemi! If that''s okay with you, can we meet up and talkter ¨C I want to tell you more about the...!"

    Burushiitto with her head still full of assuring that she won''t be a victim of the murderous ¨C in her opinion ¨C ck-haired attendant, followed them and called out timidly after the ck-haired boy...

    "...!"

    The next things yed out in slow motion for Zoemi.

    The dark-haired girl by his side flinched and her jaw moved slightly forward - her body started turning and her hand was readying itself for delivering a hit ¨C and to make everything far worse, Miriette''s body began glowing ¨C the hit wasn''t going to be one of the yful soft taps that Zoemi and Horeo received form time to time when she was flustered ¨C that''s for sure...!

    "MIRIETTE, NO...!"

    With only a few tens of a second of a dy, Zoemi reached to Miriette and grabbed her waist to pull her back, but he couldn''t hold the dark-haired girl back and Miriette took a firm step forward and attacked the heroine who got definitely too close for her own good.

    "!!!!"

    Burushiitto eyes widened at the sight of the hand flying towards her - but her shocked reaction ended up dyed - Miriette''s hand was sure to take off the heroine''s head...!

    |AS IF I LET YOU!|

    Zoemi growled in his mind and his body got enveloped by the darkness of the shadow enchantment!

    Feeling his mana drain like water from a broken barrel, the ck-haired boy gritted his teeth and managed to get Miriette far enough to make her miss!

    ..or so he thought...

    *BOOOM*

    "UGHUAAAGH....!"

 Chapter 129 - 35 - Interfering With The Event (part 4)

    As a testament of the ridiculously overpowered strength that the enchantments of a transcended magician truly were thanks to just the difference in the mana quantity at their disposal, even though the p missed ¨C Miriette''s hand created a shockwave that threw the blond heroine back head-first.

    "..."

    Zoemi froze in ce ¨C he sessfully prevented his master from killing Burushiitto but failed to prevent the p happen.

    "Ugh...! Uugh...! Uuughuu..."

    Burushiitto crawled herself up to a half-sitting position and sniffled,pletely unable to hold back her tears.

    It was clear that the damage concentrated on her nose, crushing it into a tomato-like pulp, but it may have been so that her teeth weren''tpletely fine either.

    "...wh... whyy...?"

    The blond girl sobbed pitifully, trying to stop the bleeding with both hands ¨C and failing as the literal stram of blood was siping through her fingers, staining her clothes, and spreading on the floor.

    "I warned you to not talk to my Zoemi, you wench, haven''t I!?"

    Miriette was furiously struggling in Zoemi''s arms.

    She tried to free herself, she iled her arms and legs, just to jump at the blond girl to finish the job ¨C but once Zoemi managed to tear her off the ground he wasn''t going to just let her back and be utterly stupid anymore.

    "Buru!"

    Surou managed to shake off the initial shock of witnessing the scene of violence and panicked. He hurriedly kneeled by the heroine and once he saw the wound that definitely couldn''t be shrugged as just a scratch - he became furious.

    "...you bitch..."

    He red at Miriette with hostility, baring his teeth like a rabid dog.

    "You dare to harm another student in the presence of the student supervisor!?"

    He raised his voice in cold fury ¨C but somehow managed to not start shouting.

    "Harm her?"

    Miriette stopped struggling andughed off the usation.

    "Oh, I will show you harm when I will end up sttering this wench''s brain on the wall behind you!"

    "Miriette... please, just shut up..!"

    "...!"

    The dark-haired girl chuckled mockingly, still rearing to fight but froze once she heard Zoemi''s whisper who was about to lose control himself.

    |That idiot ¨C that unbelievable idiot...!|

    Zoemi thought to himself while ring down at the spiky hair of the girl in his arms.

    "That''s it!"

    Surou shook his head.

    "Buru, can you stand up? Here..."

    The blue-haired second prince turned back to the blond girl and pulled out a handkerchief before using a spell to gather water into his hand and then another one to turn it into ice.

    He wrapped the ice with the handkerchief and put it up to the girl''s wound.

    "You can heal it up with your magic, right...? Do you think you can stand up? Go to the toilet and sit down, I will get you a set of clothes to change into... But first..."

    His hostility disappeared momentarily when he spoke to the blond girl but then he looked back at Miriette and all of his anger returned.

    "I have to deliver a just punishment as the student''s supervisor..."

    He added staring daggers at the Miriette who calmed down considerably but didn''t change her ughter-ready expression.

    "Mhy...! My phince... nho... it hwas my phault...!"

    "...!"

    "Now, now ¨C it''s alright. You need to heal up as soon as possible, this looks really bad..."

    Burushitto clearly tried to take the me upon herself and certainly earned some goodwill points in Zoemi''s book ¨C but the blue-haired prince merely shook his head and helped her out to the toilet that was mere few steps away.

    "That does it! If I could I would expel you immediately!"

    Once he got back, Surou growled at Miriette, pointing his finger at her.

    "Suspension for a week with a ban on using magic! And don''t you worry, the headmaster will hear about this and decide your actual punishment! Causing serious physical harm to another student ¨C twice! Such outrageous behavior will not be tolerated in the Aspakeony Academy!"

    He dered gritting his teeth settling on the highest form of punishment that the student''s supervisor could bestow upon a student from the high-nobility.

    The Academy was treating all of their students equally ¨C the high noble rule was created to protect the student''s supervisor from the wrath of the families of the punished high noble.

    When it came to any other student, the student supervisor had to submit a proper paper exining the guilty student''s faults and why they decided upon a certain punishment ¨C with the exception of expelling them ¨C but in the end, just like with the high noble-born students, the final verdict was up to the headmaster ¨C who was known to never hold back with anyone.

    "Fine! Just let me hit her some more and let''s make it a whole month!"

    Miriette didn''t give a damn about the punishment and red at the toilet''s entrance where the heroine disappeared just a moment before.

    She didn''t care because she wasn''t aware that the ban on using magic meant the bracelets.

    But Zoemi did know.

    And has already created a n for this very situation...

    The ck-haired attendant with an ugly burn-scar disfiguring his right cheek let go of his master, went on his knees, and put his forehead to the floor.

    "My prince! I beg of you, don''t punish my master! It all happened because of me as I was unable to hold her back! It is only I who should suffer the consequences!"

    "Zoemi!?"

    Miriette was so surprised by Zoemi''s sudden action that she forgot that she was angry.

    "My prince, please! As an attendant, I cannot let my master be punished for my misconduct!"

    Zoemi didn''t react to his master and kept pleading to the second prince ¨C making sure to get all attention away from the dark-haired girl no matter what.

    "...!"

    Surou was no less surprised than Miriette.

    Burushiitto has told him that the ugly attendant was loyal and he could be a great servant for him but he didn''t expect that level of loyalty.

    That was a borderline obsession ¨C which, honestly, someone with low self-esteem like the second prince dreamed about his servants to have.

    Also, there was that thing about Burushitto showing too much interest towards the Espine''s attendant which earned her getting hit...

    If Zoemi really was that great of a person there existed a possibility of Burushitto falling for him.

    In short, Surou was both intimidated and jealous.

    |No one can be that loyal...! I''ll make him show his real face and once Buru will return she will realize that I''m better...!|

    The blue-haired second prince thought and decided to scare Zoemi off....

 Chapter 130 - 35 - Interfering With The Event (part 5)

    "Oh? But you do understand that the punishment would be much worse for you than for your master ¨C you aren''t protected by the high noble rule."

    Surou scoffed, looking down at the ck-haired attendant expecting him to back off.

    "Zoemi, stop it! It''s just a week in my room, what''s so bad about it?"

    Miriette lowered her back and put her hand on Zoemi''s shoulder.

    "My prince, if you will forgive my master then I fear no punishment."

    The ck-haired boy dered without raising his head.

    "Zoemi! I told you to stop it!"

    Miriette gasped and shook his shoulder ¨C but received no reaction.

    |Showoff!|

    Surou cringed at the words of the attendant.

    For him, it was obvious that the ugly ck-haired youth was just faking it.

    |Now you''ve done it! I want to see you back out with your tail between your legs!|

    Surou gritted his teeth and squinted his eyes.

    "Whipping, a hundred whips on the academy courtyard right after afternoon lectures."

    The second prince dered, raising his head up high and smiling with a challenge.

    |Now, beg for forgiveness!|

    Surou thought triumphantly.

    "What!? No! Zoemi, stand up! I''m going to just stay in my room, it will be like a vacation! You can take notes for me and... and...!"

    Miriette tried to force Zoemi to get up from his knees but her attendant didn''t budge.

    |Miriette... you''re saying that because you don''t know the script!|

    Zoemi gritted his teeth and continued to ignore his master.

    "..."

    "...?"

    Then he raised his head and looked at Surou, making the second prince flinch.

    "My prince, thank you for being so merciful. This lowly servant is grateful for your bonhomie!"

    Zoemi agreed to the punishment with a thankful smile and not even a speck of hesitation in his voice.

    "!!!!!!!!"

    "...wha...?!"

    Hearing the attendant''s response Miriette became petrified with shock and Surou took a step back.

    "W-wait, that''s not what..."

    Surou was trying to call out Zoemi''s bluff so he never expected this turn of the events andpletely lost hisposure!

    "Surou, take back that punishment, or I''m going to kill you right here and now!"

    Miriettepletely lost control, her hair bristled like a forest of needles and her body shone in green, the wind mana started crystallizing around her body anddy Espine raised a foot above the floor.

    "!!!"

    Surou who already wanted to take back his words as soon as possible took another step back.

    "I-I...!"

    He stuttered.

    But this time Zoemi wasn''t toote. He got up from his knees and turned towards his master.

    "Mydy, calm down. Everything will be fine. I promise."

    He said.

    "..."

    Thanks to the Miriette levitating they were on the same height so they were looking each other in the eyes.

    Zoemi smiled gently and Miriette shook from anger.

    "What will be fine, you idiot!? You are just agreeing on a whipping! What''s wrong with you!?"

    The dark-haired girl shook her head in disbelief and eximed.

    "Mydy, I will protect you no matter what."

    Zoemi raised his hand and touched his master''s cheek.

    "Protect me from what? A suspension!? I''ve been telling you that''s nothing!"

    Miriette shouted and tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.

    "Hmm~"

    Zoemi smiled even warmer and wiped her tears with his hand.

    "Just trust me on this, mydy - Miriette."

    "...! That''s not fair...!"

    Hearing her name from his mouth Miriette trembled and the green light around her disappeared.

    She slumped on the ground and her head hung down, Zoemi was still touching her face.

    "My prince, I wille to find you to discuss the details about my punishment as soon as today''s lectures will finish. Once again thank you for your grace."

    "...I...! A... wha...?"

    Zoemi turned to the speechless Surou and bowed his head.

    "Mydy, let''s return to the first prince now, shall we?"

    "You are an idiot! Stupid big dummy!"

    Miriette cried but allowed her attendant to take her by the hand and lead her away from the second prince.

    A few minutester the heroine exited the toilet and tilted her head looking at the motionless Surou.

    "Prince Surou...? Why are you doing in the middle of the corridor...?"

    She asked in confusion.

    "Did you forgivedy Espine? You did, right...?"

    Burushiitto asked, slowly approaching the blue-haired second prince.

    In response to the heroine, Surou, pale as a ghost, turned his head towards her.

    "I... May have made a terrible mistake..."

    He uttered with fear in his eyes.

    -------

    "How can you be so stupid!? Haven''t you''ve heard him properly or something? Whipping! One hundred whips! People can die from far less than that!"

    Miriette wasn''t walking in front of Zoemi ¨C instead, she was right beside the ck-haired boy and was holding on to the sleeve of his shirt and shaking it vigorously while hissing furiously at him.

    "Mydy, it is very important that both your studies and rtionship with the first prince won''t be in danger. You two are engaged after all"

    Zoemi tried to convince her but he couldn''t really tell her that he knows what will happen because this world is just like the world of a game he yed in his previous life without soundingpletely insane.

    And aside from that, the ck-haired boy couldn''t really think about any other good excuse.

    It was preferable to be seen as sane and not lose Miriette''s trust.

    Still, he wasn''t nearly as foolish as the dark-haired girl suspected him off ¨C he know full well that his n wasn''t even that good.

    Honestly, it was reckless and stupid.

    But also it was the scarred attendant''s best shot at getting rid of the damned bracelets that allowed over half of the bad endings to happen to the viiness.

    |If only everything will go as I n...!|

    What would happen next was a gamble that Zoemi was willing to try ¨C after all, the samples he was testing his theory on weren''t the original ¨C whether the bracelet would behave the same way as the crystal shards in his drawer...

    "You aren''t even listening to me, are you!?"

    Miriette became enraged.

    "The suspension would prevent you from attending sses..."

    Zoemi pointed out hoping that a miracle would happen and the dark-haired girl would give up...

    "That stupid suspension would be nothing! If you just took notes for me and tutor me in the evenings, everything would be just fine! I don''t even like sitting in the ssroom all that much!"

 Chapter 131 - 36 - Trust

    Miriette shot down every single one of Zoemi''s lousy excuses with a clear-minded argument each time the ck-haired attendant opened his mouth - but her defense was getting weaker as it didn''t feel right for her to refuse the boy''s request.

    Of course, not all of her counterarguments werepletely clear-minded if we are being honest here...

    In the first ce, the dark-haired girl had her own opinion, and the first thing that her lovestruck brain told her when she heard the word ''suspension'' was...

    More time with Zoemi.

    That''s it ¨C she couldn''t see it as anything besides that.

    Miriette was incredibly happy at the sole thought but, at least in her eyes, Zoemi preferred to be exposed to terrible suffering instead!

    It was like the first time they traveled together and the ck-haired boy cried with relief when his adoptive father took him away from her!

    Could it be that she was actually hated this whole time?!

    Miriette was so hurt that she got angry.

    "But the suspension could hinder your rtionship with Horeo ¨C the two of you wouldn''t be able to see each other all that much..."

    The ck-haired attendant tried to tackle the same subject from the slightly different anger and ended up ¨C which resulted only in unleashing the dark-haired girl''s fury.

    "And what''s the problem with my rtionship with Horeo!? If you are so worried about that you could have just arranged that he woulde and see me, right!?"

    Anddy Espine sank another lousy argument.

    "...!"

    Zoemi couldn''t think about anything, his arrangement could prove to be the most useful so he wanted to push through with it.

    But what could he do to convince Miriette without soundingpletely insane?

    "I understand that you want the best for me but why are you putting yourself in harm''s way for me!? And this is not the first time! Why don''t you treasure yourself more!?"

    Mirietteined in a loud voice shaking her head with annoyance.

    Zoemi looked down for a moment and took a deep breath, then he gazed right into Miriette''s eyes.

    "Because you are just that much more important than my life."

    "...!"

    He confessed and Miriette literally forgot how to breathe.

    "Eh...?"

    Was the only sound that the dark-haired girl managed to make before her face, ears, and neck all became crimson red.

    She let go of her attendant and stared at the floor.

    "...I..."

    After a few moments, she raised her head and open her mouth to say something but Zoemi was still looking at her with the same expression so she got even redder and looked right back down.

    Zoemi was patiently waiting for his master, there was no way that he could leave her now, at such a crucial time for the event - who knows if another event would not suddenly start?

    "I-I am going to tell on you to Horeo."

    After a couple of minutes, Miriette managed to mutter bashfully under her breath without looking at her attendant.

    "I can''t win with you so I will leave it to him to discourage you from this n-nonsense!"

    She added looking away in an attempt to hide her embarrassment

    "Mydy, can''t you just trust me on this?"

    Zoemi asked in a pitiful voice.

    |That would seriously make it easier for me.|

    He added in his thoughts, smiling mischievously but only on the inside while his face held on to the pleading expression.

    Once again, it wasn''t that he wanted to get hurt, but it was just that the oue would be the most beneficial for the future?

    The bracelets needed to be destroyed ¨C that artifact was the greatest obstacle for Miriette''s future.

    If it weren''t for that sted artifact, how else would anyone manage to force Miriette to marry some old guy she didn''t know or stay locked up in a monastery?

    "Why are you doing this to me...?"

    Miriette weakly grabbed the edge of Zoemi''s vest and cried quietly.

    It was a bit too much for her, Zoemi in his attempt to convince her, unknowingly used the most underhanded tactic he could.

    He asked her to trust him.

    Zoemi saved Miriette when she was abducted as a child, he became her ymate, when she wanted to protect him, he actually got hurt while saving her - and he continued and still continues to do everything in his might everything for her sake each day form that time.

    It wouldn''t be an overestimation to say that there was no one in the world that Miriette trusted more than Zoemi.

    And now the dark-haired girl''s most trusted person just wanted her to be okay with him getting hurt for her sake again!

    "Mydy, please don''t worry, I have a n."

    Seeing her like that pushed the ck-haired boy to use a slightly underhanded method of saying half-truths and twisting the details so it would seem that he was going to be fine.

    "A n...?"

    Miriette sniffled and asked softly.

    "Yes, please look at this... shadow theater ¨C body augmentation."

    Zoemi smiled and uttered an incantation that Miriette never heard him use before.

    Within an instant, the ck-haired boy''s body darkened as if enveloped by a deep shadow of a massive tree ¨C no, a whole mountain.

    "Wha... what is that...?!"

    The wide-eyed Miriette gasped, staring at her attendant in disbelief.

    "A little something I have mastered recently."

    Zoemi smiled softly and revealed resorting to half-truths again.

    "Eh....?"

    Miriette stared at Zoemi with reddened eyes.

    "You know that I pulled you back from themoner girl even though you were using your enchantments ¨C that''s how I did it."

    He added weaving actual truths into his web.

    "With that, I can take the hits from the whip without ever fling anything ¨C after all, this shadow enchantment is far more conspicuous than the normal elemental enchantments, right? "

    He boasted telling aplete lie with the first part and speaking the truth with the second part of his sentence.

    "Wait... what...? Wait! Okay, so you maybe can make the whip feel like nothing..."

    Miriette raised one hand before shaking his head and starting to massage her forehead with the other.

    "...but even so, why do you insist on going with the punishment at all?!"

    The dark-haired girl breathed out andined, still unable to understand Zoemi''s motives.

    "I''m doing this so that you can live your life in peace and happiness, of course~!"

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Zoemi was mostly truthful in thatst statement which left his masterpletely speechless.

    Miriette couldn''t really get any redder so she just lowered her head and walked together with Zoemi.

    But when they were back where they left the prince the person present was...

    "Patishi? What are you doing here?"

    Zoemi tilted his head.

    "Big brother Zoemi!"

    Patishi became happy like a puppy at the sight of her owner but then she noticed Miriette and she instantly went on her knees.

    "Y-your Highness, i-it''s an honor...!"

    "Hello, Patishi."

    "...!"

    Miriette''s mellow voice surprised the girl made her blink repeatably in confusion.

    "What are you doing here? And where''s the first prince?"

    "Ah! That''s right!

    Zoemi repeated his question and Patishi jumped up.

    "The first prince got an urgent summon from the castle, he took Teo and Veo with him and immediately left the academy."

    "Was it something that serious?"

    Miriette became interested but Patishi shook her head nervously.

    "I-I don''t know... I''m sorry, your highness, the prince didn''t tell me why he had to go."

    The girl apologized while trembling.

    Well, Miriette did give her quite the scarest time they''ve met so her behavior wasn''t something unthinkable.

    "I should send him a message..."

    "Mydy ¨C a moment...!"

    Miriette sighed but Zoemi couldn''t allow this chance to pass!

    If neither the prince nor the twins were present, the ck-haired boy didn''t have to bother with making up the exnation for them too!

    After all, he knew Horeo pretty well ¨C he would easily counter the weak ''please trust me'' line with coldhearted logic and instantly came up with a whole list of arguments for why that''s not how trust works.

    ...but Horeo wasn''t in the academy...

    Zoemi put his hand on his master''s shoulder.

    "Mydy, please. Nothing will happen to me in the end, so why even bother?"

    He asked in a charming voice.

    "But...!"

    "Miriette fidgetted, clenching her fists trying to argue back but her face betrayed that her resolve as crumbling down like a house of cards in the hurricane.

    "Please, mydy, can you bear with my selfishness?"

    "...you''re bullying me... a-alright... do as you wish..."

    Miriette made an unhappy expression but in the end, she did as her attendant has asked.

    Horeo was right with his opinion about his fiancee.

    If Zoemi asked her, she would blindly follow his lead no matter what.

 Chapter 132 - 36.5 - Meeting With The Supporter...

    It was alreadyte at night and most of the students of the Aspakeony Academy were sleeping soundly in theirfortable beds, bothered only by the thoughts of homework and social interactions with their peers.

    But a peaceful sleep wasn''t a privilege bestowed upon everyone.

    "Why the hell got into me? How could I be so stupid!?"

    In particr, the blue-haired second prince, Surou, was walking back and forth through his room muttering to himself in distress while still in his uniform.

    Zoemi, the ck-haired attendant of the youngdy Espine arrived at his doorstep right after the lectures and to Surou''s despair, he wasn''t going to act for mercy or to lighten the punishment at all.

    ~My prince, about my punishment?~

    ~Ah! Tomorrow after sses are over ¨C I understand, thank you for the efficiency. And, once again, thank you for showing your grace.~

    Theposed and almost lighthearted words were stuck in Surou''s mind and didn''t want to leave, hunting the blue-haired boy as if they were grudgeful spirits.

    "Maybe I should call everything back? No... impossible... the arrangements have been made already ¨C I will lose my face if I back down now...!"

    The second prince talked to himself while biting on his fingernails.

    "Still... Whipping? Why did I go with whipping? No... he said that it was alright... that my decision was correct...!"

    Surou grabbed his hair as if he wanted to pull them out ¨C it didn''t seem as if he was talking about the ck-haired attendant though...

    "It will be alright, everything will be as I have nned! He said so! My n is correct ¨C I am in the right here...!"

    He grinned and let go of his hair.

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    At that moment somebody knocked on his door and the second prince flinched.

    "Who''s there!?"

    The blue-haired boy asked in a panicked voice.

    "It''s me, my prince."

    A calm male voice responded and Surou hurried to the door.

    "How did it go? What was the teachers'' reaction to the paper you''ve prepared for me about the punishment?!"

    Surou asked hurriedly, without even letting in the person he was talking to ¨C and something in his desperate voice was suggesting that he actually didn''t want to receive the teacher''s approval at all...

    "Everything went perfectly ¨C as per your request I made sure to make it clear that it is supposed to be an act only meant to scare the potential bullies. I also personally send for someone who will be able to make it looks like the whipping looks very seriously while it will be as painless as possible."

    The mysterious boy exined sounding as if he was reporting while bowing towards the door.

    "Ah...! You did that? Good, good... Yes, right... You are trustworthy.."

    Surou breathed out nodding to himself while doing his best to calm his breath.

    "But, still, one hundred whips - that''s not something anyone could just shrug off..."

    The blue-haired boy let one of his inner thoughts slip while biting on his lip.

    "Not at all, my prince ¨C the arrangements you called for are perfect just as your n. You are the one in the right ¨C and if anything this will be killing two birds with one spell."

    "What do you mean...?"

    The voice dered, sounding almost disgustingly servile, and made Surou flinch in confusion.

    "My prince ¨C only a great person such as yourself could havee up with such a splendid n. You want to scare off the horrible people threatening your lover ¨C one hundred whips is capable of scarring even the valiant knights. But you also want to get that attendant on your side too, right? Then, what would be better for showing him that you mean no ill will towards him than letting him experience one hundred whips that will not hurt him at all?"

    "Ah...!"

    Surou''s supporter boasted over the benefits of such a splendid decision ¨C and the second prince gasped, falling for the sweet words.

    "With mere ten whips, the attendant might think that you just hired someone incapable ¨C but one hundred whips of which none of wouldnd properly? He will realize your greatness and will gratefully join your side in no time!"

    "Yes... yes, that''s right ¨C that''s how it will be!"

    The mysterious boy dered with enthusiasm and Surou''s face lighted up with a relieved smile.

    "Of course, it will be like that ¨C after all, it''s the n you came up with yourself, my prince!"

    The supporter assured,ying thepliments disgustingly thick.

    "Not to mention that watching over executing such punishment would make you look impartial and send a great message to your peers! No matter who will break the rules you will punish them justly and adequately ¨C which will solidify your position as the student supervisor!"

    And the supporter talking through the door wasn''t even done yet...

    "Oh, ah... yeah... yes... that''s right... That''s right. I will gain the recognition that I deserve!"

    Surou giggled nervously ¨C it all sounded so good that he ignored the bad feeling in his guts and decided to not think further about the matter...

    "My prince ¨C why not go even further? You already know about that attendant''s devotion, why not make him indebted to you AND your lover while you''re at it...? Just ask your lover to use her spells on him after the punishment will be over."

    ¡­yes, the supporter definitely wasn''t done yet...

    "What do you mean...? Why would he need Buru''s help if the person I asked you to arrange is as good as you said...?"

    Surou flinched and took a step back ¨C he wasn''tpletely charmed by his supporter''s words after all...

    "Not ¨C there will be no wound... but he has scars, doesn''t he ¨C scars that disfigure his face. Your lover will fix his face and he will have the debt of gratitude towards her ¨C and by extension ¨C to you."

    "Ooohhh...! That''s an amazing idea...!"

    "No, no ¨C your lowly supporter merely learned to think quick because you always bless me with your magnificent ideas ¨C it''s all thanks to you, my prince."

    The boy behind the door sounded as if he was smiling and bowing his head.

    "That makes me relieved, you know... I always thought that you hated sir Auequas... And about that... why do you even despise him...?"

    Surou breathed out and asked.

    "Forgive me, my prince, but this is a private matter."

    The voice responded calmly.

    "Always acting soposed, huh? Fine, you arranged what I asked you to, you are useful and you will be rewarded."

    Surou smirked and nodded.

    "My prince ¨C being useful to you is my greatest pleasure and desire ¨C I only wish to serve you now and forever ¨C even after you ascend the throne that''s rightfully yours. I shall take my leave now, my prince."

    "Sure, take care."

    The owner of the voice left and the prince returned to circling around the room.

    "Having someone as loyal as that guy and Auequas on my side will aid me greatly..."

    Surou''s eyes were darting around the room, it was clear that the calctive and cunning second prince was no more.

    "With Buru and both of them on my side, I will be able to take my brother''s position! I will be the next king! I will!"

    The second prince giggled to himself and resumed biting on his fingernails.

    -------

    The elerated events weren''t only messing with the script timeline ¨C or rather, someone else was actively interfering with them...

    ------

    "Mhmhmhm...!"

    In the corridor shrouded by the darkness of the night, the youth who was responsible for messing with the second prince''s mind changed his stoic expression and smirked satisfied.

    "Power-hungry fools are so easy to manipte~"

    He chuckled before clearing his throat andposing himself.

    "No, no. Act calm. Remember your father''s training... Don''t show your emotions until it''s time to strike."

    He said to himself and made an indifferent expression before turning the corner.

    "Zoemi... It''s always that ursed Zoemi...! oh... How I will enjoy watching you wriggle in pain~!"

    The only trace left after the boy was the echo of his delighted voice....

 Chapter 133 - 37 - One Hundered Whips (part 1)

    All the lectures for the day have already ended and the time hase for Zoemi to go to the spot where he will receive the punishment.

    At first, Miriette wanted to go with him, but in the end, the pleading of her attendant has won her over.

    The ck-haired attendant asked his master to return to her room and wait for him there ¨C the dark-haired girl didn''t want toply at first, but in the end, she really couldn''t refuse her attendant''s request.

    Zoemi promised her a delicious dinner to appease her a little bit - after all, with saying that he was basically dering that he will not be harmed at all ¨C or even less than that - he won''t even break a sweat!

    Miriette tried to act as if agreed reluctantly ¨C in the end, she believed that the shadow enchantment that her attendant showed her the day before could protect him from suffering any damage.

    "If anything happens to you I will hate you forever!"

    Miriette waved Zoemi goodbye holding back her tears.

    The ck-haired attendant waved her goodbye and casually walked over to the assigned spot.

    The blue-haired second prince was already waiting for him together with the extremely anxious-looking heroine.

    "You really dide..."

    Surou looked surprised at which Zoemi only smiled and kneeled before him.

    "My prince, I would never disregard your order."

    "...!"

    At his words, Surou muscles stiffened and a shadow of doubt passed through his face.

    |I want him on my side...! I want him on my side! I must get him to join me! He will realize that the whipping isn''t doing him any harm and he will understand my intention surely ¨C it will be just as I nned!|

    The second prince thought and even reached his hand towards the kneeling attendant but then he felt Burushiitto squeezing his other arm.

    Surou turned to her and met her worried eyes.

    |Ah - that''s right ¨C she still doesn''t know my supporter so she doesn''t trust him as I do... She will be so surprised after she learned about his identity! Same with Zoemi once he will join me.|

    Surou retracted his arm and smiled reassuringly.

    "Everything will be alright ¨C just follow my n."

    He leaned down and whispered into the blond girl''s ear.

    |Will this really be okay? It should be, right? This world has magic so it''s not impossible for someone to actually be able to hit someone with a whip without causing any damage ¨C right? And then I will heal his scars ¨C with that his affection towards me should be enough to assure that he won''t kill me, but not high enough so that he would start aiming for me... yes... this must be his event... uuuuu... it''s still way too scary...!"

    The blond heroine thought to herself staring at the second prince and pressing hugging his arm to give herself more courage and confidence.

    "Student Auequas, stand up, we don''t have all day."

    Surou dered in a prideful voice and turned his back towards Zoemi.

    "As you wish, my prince."

    The ck-haired boy started obediently following after the two.

    He was trying to ignore the heroine who was ncing at him time and time again.

    Soon the three of them arrived at the academy''s courtyard where the newly erected wooden pole was gathering the attention of students passing by.

    "What do you think this is for?"

    "I don''t know... I think I saw this somewhere, but I don''t quite remember where... It gives me a bad feeling though..."

    "Bad feeling? It''s just a big wooden pole, it''s probably for the target practice or..."

    "Hey, who''s that?"

    A bunch of students was talking to each other near the pole when they spotted a very tall and burly pale-blue-haired man walking slowly towards them with something rope-like in his hand.

    "...!"

    "Hey Armes, why did you be so pale all of a sudden?"

    "...This... Somebody will be whipped..."

    ""What!?""

    The face of one of the students became white as freshly fallen snow and then turned green immediately after.

    The boy then hurriedly ran away covering his mouth with both hands and left his friends looking after him in bewilderment.

    "Armes was just messing with us, right...? Th-there is no way that someone would actually be getting whipped, right...?"

    "...I''m not sure... I''ve heard that his father is very strict to his subjects, so maybe he witnessed someone being whipped before so maybe he knows more than we do..."

    "What!? But there''s no way that they will whip somebody from our academy, right? That''s ridiculous ¨C we are all nobles here... He must be mistaken! Or... or trying to prank us!"

    "Shhh...!"

    The other student smiled nervously and asked but was shushed by their friends...

    "..."

    The pale-blue-haired burly man with a whip coiled around his left arm passed their group and stopped only next to the pole.

    He looked around with a bored expression and took out an old pocket watch to check the time ¨C then put it back into his pocket and continued waiting motionlessly.

    "Hmmm...?"

    Only a few minutester when he saw three people heading his way his eyes glowed.

    "...!"

    The blue-haired second prince Surou looked at the man who was supposed to do the whipping and he gulped down his saliva, intimidated by the aura surrounding the burly man who wasn''t even using any spells.

    |He doesn''t look like he can hold back...! No... wait...! But that will make it all more believable!|

    "Student Auequass, go."

    The second prince shook off his doubt and pushed Zoemi towards the man.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy didn''t say anything about getting showed and instead he bowed his head towards the man with the whip.

    "Good afternoon, sir."

    "Oh...?! Ah... Yes, hello."

    The pale-blue-haired man was clearly surprised with the politeness, usually, the response to others seeing him would be rather different...

    Zoemi took off his vest and his shirt and then folded them neatly before putting them a bit behind the pole.

    "Huh...?"

    "The hell ¨C so it''s not just his face?!"

    "No... no way...!"

    A few students who gathered around gasped at the sight of his trained body with many discolored spots, the remnants of the burns, then the ck-haired boy turned towards the second prince and put his wrists together.

    "My prince."

    He said with an indifferent expression.

    "Wha... what do you...?!

    Surou fidgeted ufortably and nced at him with confusion.

    "The bracelets, my prince. You would definitely use them on my master, so I should have them too, right?"

    "How did you...?"

    The second prince took a step back but quicklyposed himself. He indeed had prepared the ancient treasure and took them with him in case of trouble...

    "You are truly too good of an attendant for that girl..."

    "My prince...?"

    Surou muttered under his breath and Zoemi tilted his head since he didn''t hear him properly.

    "I said that you''re right."

    The second prince cleared his throat and took out a pair of bracelets - that honestly looked rather flimsy at the first nce.

    They didn''t look like an ancient artifact at all, they were rather wide and made of a semi-transparent milky crystal and covered in various engravings.

    But even though they didn''t look like much they were indeed one of the most feared artifacts left in the entire world...

    "Hold still."

    "As you wish, my prince."

    With skillful moves the second prince opened the bracelets and locked them on Zoemi''s wrists, it was obvious that they weren''t filled with the light attribute mana because they didn''t teleport.

    Zoemi looked at his arms and nodded.

 Chapter 134 - 37 - One Hundred Whips (part 2)

    "Shadow theater ¨C body augmentation."

    The ck-haired boy said and felt his mana moving through his body - then suddenly it was all sucked out by the bracelets and was forcefully dissipated into the air after passing through the milky crystal without actually forming into a proper spell.

    "You did not expect me to have the real ones?"

    Surou asked in a cold tone suspecting that Zoemi was doubting him.

    "No, my prince, if anything I was doubting the artifact itself ¨C you must admit that the ability of those bracelets sounds like straight out of a cautionary fairytale - I would never doubt you."

    |You inferiorityplex-filled bastard...|

    Thest part Zoemi added only in his mind and clenched his fists satisfied with making sure that those bracelets weren''t fake.

    Then, the shirtless ck-haired attendant with the ugly burn-scar disfiguring his right cheek and many burns covering his torso walked toward the torturer with a smile and put his hands up to the pole so they could be tied to it.

    "It''s like this, right, sir?"

    "...a... um..."

    He asked politely and the man awkwardly scratched his cheek.

    "Well... yes..."

    The pale-blue-haired man nodded dumbfounded...

    Was that child unaware of what was going to happen to him...?

    "I''ll be in your care then, sir. Oh, I almost forgot, can I drink something beforehand?"

    Zoemi bowed his head to the torturer but then suddenly straightened his back and looked between the second prince and the pale-blue-haired man.

    "Well... um... I... don''t think there''s anything ¡­ wrong with... that... so... yes...?"

    The torturer seemed almost flustered with the politeness that the ck-haired boy was showing him.

    "I allow it."

    The blue-haired second prince nodded his head benevolently.

    "Thank you, my prince, sir."

    After getting the confirmation Zoemi pulled up a non-transparent bottle and poured the content inside his mouth.

    He loudly gulped down and once more assumed the position.

    The torturer took a piece of rope and tied Zoemi''s hand to the pole, after checking the knot he changed the grip on the whip and looked at the second prince waiting for the signal to start...

    "..."

    Surou took a deep breath - he nced at the anxious Burushiitto by his side and she grabbed his hand tighter.

    "Begin."

    And the blue-haired boy nodded ¨C even though the teacher who should be at the scene was not present yet.

    "..."

    The torturer stepped back and took a massive swing.

    And then the whip''s song drilled through the air.

    *SNAP*

    "!!!!!!!!!!"

    When the whip hit him Zoemi almost spat out the magic potion he stored in his mouth beforehand ¨C after faking swallowing it.

    The ck-haired boy realized that he severely underestimated the pain that he will have to endure..!

    His back burned as if it caught on fire and one of his knees bent from the impact...!

    "...!"

    But even so, Zoemi didn''t kneel down.

    He fixed his stance and gritted his teeth stronger, preparing for what wasing next.

    |Just as I did while practicing on the crystals... Focus on the mana flow, not the spell itself...|

    He breathed through his nose and concentrated.

    The mana in his body obediently moved and started flowing to the hungry bracelets.

    It was almost like creating the destructive darkness de but without actually giving mana the shape.

    *SNAP*

    "!!!!!!!!!!"

    Then came the second hit, cracking through the air and Zoemi has bent his back from the impact.

    It was only the second hit and felt like his skin was already peeling off from his muscles...!

    The ck-haired boy''s mind wavered and he had to focus again in order to continue feeding the corrosive mana to the hungry bracelets.

    *SNAP*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!"

    The third hit made Zoemi ckout for a second - but the ck-haired attendant managed to regain his consciousness by gulping down a portion of the mana potion stored in his mouth.

    |This looks terrifyingly real and painful, he really did call a skilled person...Still... was Zoemi made aware of that beforehand...? His follow up is extremely realistic...|

    Surou thought to himself looking at the bleeding wounds appearing on the ck-haired attendant''s body.

    |This kid is really tough, I''m using my full strength and he won''t even groan!|

    Thought the best torture master in the entire Kingdom of Bellcephora, while taking another swing at the ck-haired attendant.

    |He must have really pissed someone off to get himself in this situation...|

    *SNAP*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Another hit made Zoemi wriggle in pain.

    |What was it again...? Taking a punishment for his master... It almost makes me want to go easy on him...|

    The pale-blue-haired torturer sighed internally - but a contract was a contract - he was paid in full to make the scarred ck-haired attendant suffer as much as possible, and the man''s reputation was at stake there.

    |What is this guilt...? I am getting too old for this job...|

    *SNAP*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    The torturer frowned and his whip whistled again.

    ------

    It was only twenty hits in and Zoemi discovered that the bracelets started refusing even the tiniest speck of his mana!

    |GHAHAHAHA! Screw you, script...!|

    Zoemi thought to himself with wild satisfaction ¨C and relief ¨C he had already downed the remains of the mana potion...

    It was a good thing that he kept the contents of seven vials in one bottle - if he just took one or two vials he wouldn''t be able to muster anywhere near enough mana to make his n work.

    Now he only had to worry about the splitting headache from the mana hangover...

    ...or not...

    *SNAP*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Just as he was in the middle of triumphing, another hit came and Zoemi almost vomited.

    The pain was getting worse and worse and worse, making the ck-haired attendant realize with horror that now when he wasn''t concentrating on the movement of the darkness mana in his body, the suffering caused by the whip was unbearable...

    *SNAP*

    "...gu-huaaah...!

    Another hit made him gasp for air like a drowning person.

    Well... and he was drowning...

    In agony.

    "..."

    Zoemi gritted his teeth so hard that they started creaking and when his eyes were wandering around he identally saw the heroine.

    ...and she saw her smiling at him as if nothing was wrong...

    "...!"

    |You...!|

    Zoemi felt a wave of pure aggression submerging him in the ocean of hate.

    |It''s all your fault! If you didn''t exist mydy wouldn''t be in trouble at all! She would have a happy li...!

    *SNAP*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    His thoughts were abruptly cut off by another hit and his mind shed white.

    |I-is it really working as Surou wanted...? No... it should, right...? Zoemi''s back looks horrible, but he didn''t even groan or anything so it must be an act... right...? it must be...!|

    The heroine''s smile fade away as soon as the ck-haired boy lowered his head from another hit, and she bit her lips from anxiety...

    After the pure-show-no-substance punishment will be over, she would approach the ck-haired attendant, acting as if she is unable to bear to watch his suffering and heal him ¨C which wouldn''t be hard because the wounds on his back looked EXTREMELY convincing and were making the blond girl slightly nauseous ¨C she will make sure to properly heal his scars so that he will be grateful to her, and everything will be fine right...?

    Right...?

    RIGHT?!

    It must have been ¨C after all Surou promised her that he called for the best, most capable person for pulling off a stunt of fooling everyone into believing that the punishment was real ¨C and the blue-haired boy would never lie to her, at least that she was sure of...

    But then again... what kind of wound only looks bad and doesn''t hurt...?

    Certainly not a bloody mess that Zoemi''s back has be by now.

    Not even talking about his cut skin, even his muscles started to peel off of his bones...

    Is there actually a spell from any attribute that can make something like that happen....?

 Chapter 135 - 37 - One Hundred Whips (part 3)

    Zoemi didn''t scream once out loud, but in his heart, he was wailing.

    If he had to choose between this pain and the pain he felt right before his previous life ended - the one that his throat was crushed by a motorbike''s tire - he would choose the crushed throat any time.

    This agony was just too much.

    And he was only thirty hits in...

    --------

    *SNAP*

    "!!!!!!!!"

    Up until forty hits, the ck-haired boy managed to keep standing up by concentrating on the shadows dancing deep within his mind.

    -------

    *SNAP*

    "!!!!!!!!"

    After fifty hits, Zoemi leaned against the wooden pole with all his weight and his eyes were full of tears.

    |I want to see Miriette...|

    He sobbed in his mind and gritted his teeth bracing for another hit.

    *SNAP*

    "!!!!!!!!!"

    Each hit hurt so much that Zoemi felt like the pain would make his skull explode ¨C the ck-haired boy prayed that he could lose consciousness but the technique of the torturer didn''t allow for that.

    ---------

    *SNAP*

    "GHUGH...! Ughe...! Ugh...!|

    After sixty hits Zoemi made a sound that wasn''t just a gasp for the first time - he started coughing and spat out a mouthful of blood and stomach acid.

    *SNAP*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    After seventy hits Zoemi wasn''t able to think straight and was trembling uncontrobly.

    Mydy, I want to see you so much...! Mydy...!

    On one hand, he was happy that she couldn''t see him in such a state ¨C in the first ce that was the reason why he forced himself to not scream ¨C the dark-haired girl was definitely keeping her window open and listening if there''s anything wrong with him.

    If the ck-haired boy would scream in pain she would get to him instantly.

    ...but the thing she would do then would definitely put her right on the one-way road towards the bad end...

    Even in that situation, Miriette''s safety and happiness were at the top of Zoemi''s priorities list.

    But on the other hand...

    Even her presence would be enough for him to prevail through this torment...

    Just a glimpse of his beloved master... of her tinum hair...!

    ¡­

    ¡­?

    tinum hair...?

    "...?"

    The ck-haired boy flinched even before the whip reached his back.

    Why did he just think about tinum hair...?

    Zoemi tried to focus and furrowed his brows ¨C did he think about that color because the strange young girl was in the crowd of students watching his punishment in terror...?

    The ck-haired boy tried to look at the horrified audience but couldn''t hold his head up for long enough to confirm his guess...

    ... but it must have been the case...

    Feeling his thought beingplete blur the ck-haired attendant tried topose himself...

    He would be a failure of an attendant if he mistook his master for another person ¨C was the ridiculous thought that the boy''s brain produced to escape from the agony of whipping.

    | Miriette''s hair is soo green that it looks ck... I love her... I love brushing her dark hair...|

    Zoemi managed topose a sensible thought.

    |Yes. That was correct...|

    He congratted himself, trying to swallow the blood filling his mouth because he was gritting his teeth too hard.

    |Exactly ¨C Miriette''s hair is dark... yes... so, therefore, it''s obvious that my beloved master''s hair is ti...|

    *SNAP*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    The next hit chased away any semnce of rity that the ck-haired boy managed to gather...

    --------

    *SNAP*

    "..."

    After eighty hits Zoemi slumped down against the polepletely and was silently crying with his face pressed against his arms and the wooden pole - if not for the rope binding his hands up, the ck-haired boy would be curled up on the ground in the fetal position.

    The amount of the tears he cried out was only beaten by the amount of blood that was spilling from his back.

    "..."

    The pale-blue-haired torturer wasn''t the best torture-master in the kingdom for no reason - he knew his job very well and he knew exactly how to whip someone properly so they wouldn''t die from something as boring as the loss of blood.

    After all, he was the transcended water magician ¨C no, even more ¨C he was the ice magician and was using his ice enchants that were considered the absolute peak of power out of every known attribute ¨C variant or not - that not even the extremely powerful transcended magicians of other attributes couldpare to by a long shot, to keep the bleeding of his victims to the minimum while maximalizing the pain.

    ------

    *SNAP*

    "..."

    After ny hits only one longing remained in Zoemi''s tattered body.

    |Miriette... I miss you... Miriette... I want to see you... Miriette...|

    It wasn''t the longing for his master ¨C it was the honest call of his heart to see the dark-haired girl at least one more time...

    For everyone else gathered in front of the academy it was just a couple dozen minutes - it didn''t take even an hour for the punishment to end...

    ...but by the time the whip hit his body for the one-hundredth time, Zoemi''s tearspletely dried up and except for the longing to see Miriette, his mind wentpletely nk.

    "...hey... um... kid... it''s over..."

    "..."

    At first, the ck-haired boy didn''t even react when the tortured walked up to him and muttered quietly before releasing the attendant''s hands.

    "..."

    "...whoa there... I got you..."

    The pale-blue-haired man helped Zoemi keep his bnce as the ck-haired boy immediately fell forward as soon as his body wasn''t being supported.

    |I... I think this might have been myst job...|

    The torturer was a middle-aged man but he caused more suffering than he ever wanted - he punished criminals and unjustly sentenced innocent people alike.

    He never enjoyed causing pain, it was just a part of his job.

    "Now, now... it''s okay... you did fine... now... you can curse me out... it will make you feel better... I think..."

    The pale-blue-haired man helped the ck-haired attendant to stand up just so that the boy could pour all his hatred out on him. It was the least a torturer could do for his victim...

    "...huh...? It... it''s over... sir...?"

    "?!?!?!"

    But then the scarred ck-haired boy looked up at him and smiled weakly.

    "Thank... thank you... for helping me... protect my master.... sir..."

    Zoemi said and bowed his head to the torturer.

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    The pale-blue-haired man trembled.

    In his whole career, no one ever thanked him for tortures - not even the people who were paying him to torture others.

    That was a stigma of the job.

    But this boy just thanked him.

    The ck-haired boy took the punishment meant for his master on himself and thanked the torturer for fulfilling his duty...!

    The torturer gulped down his saliva.

    "Listen, I''m so..."

    For the first time in his life, the torturer wanted to apologize to the person he tortured.

    ...but it was unnecessary...

    Zoemi already managed to hold himself up without his help and started stumbling his way to his clothes and wasn''t even looking at the troubled man.

    The attendant simply didn''t hold any ill will towards the blue-haired man with the whip stained by his blood.

    |I''m going to see Miriette...!|

    At the moment it was the only thought fueling Zoemi to keep moving.

    Hepleted both of his objectives.

    Now he must only return to Miriette,- now, most of her bad endings won''t be able to trigger - she was so much closer to being safe and happy...!

    "...I told Miriette that I will bring her meal..."

    Zoemi muttered under his breath...

    That''s right - he couldn''t just fall there - ha had a promise to keep after all....

 Chapter 136 - [Bonus ] 37 - One Hundred Whips (part 4)

    "...nnngh...!"

    Zoemi''s legs were shaking when he bent down for his shirt and vest, he knew that if he sat down he wouldn''t be able to stand back up so he supported himself against the wooden pole.

    When he grabbed his clothes a few drops of blood ran down his outstretched hand and dropped from his back staining the white fabric.

    |...I''ll have to wash themter... blood stains are... hard to... clean...|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself and put everything on - he couldn''t button up his shirt at all so he left it like that.

    "..."

    Zoemi looked at his useless hands and realized that he still had the bracelets on.

    If he left like this, the second prince might use him of attempting to steal the precious artifact...

    "..."

    The boy barely holding on to his life turned around and slowly walked towards Surou.

    "..."

    "!!!!"

    Standing before the blue-haired prince the attendant bowed his head and extended his arms.

    "My prince..."

    He spoke weakly.

    "...I... ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ou... ¡­ ..."

    Surou opened his mouth and said something but Zoemi could only hear unrecognizable babble.

    "I''m terribly sorry... my prince... but my ears seem to... Not work properly right now..."

    The ck-haired attendant apologized and bowed even deeper - he almost fell down but thankfully he managed to keep his bnce.

    "... ¡­. ¡­ ¡­ orrible... . ¡­ ¡­ "

    "...ow could ...y...! ¡­ ¡­ ster¡­!"

    Zoemi started hearing a lot more of the unrecognizable babble.

    He understood that it must have been other people talking, but honestly, he could barely see a few feet in front of him so he didn''t know exactly how many people were watching, but judging from the babble, it was a lot ¨C actually ¨C it still must have been the exact same amount as before... right...?

    Yes... that must have been it...

    "My prince...? The bracelets..."

    Zoemi''s whole body was hurting so much that he just wanted toy down and lose consciousness but instead, he extended his arms even more and his voice broke into a pitiful cry.

    "... ¡­ ¡­ - ight?! ¡­ ¡­ ¡­or!"

    ------

    "Student Auuequas ¨C are you alright?! You are an incredible actor!"

    Surou ¨C stiff from anxiety ¨C breathed out and tried to smile, expecting the feeble act to be just a performance ¨C but at the same time, he knew something wasn''t right when the ck-haired attendant told him that he can''t hear him...

    The surrounding students'', easily three-quarters of the student body, were gathered around and shouting abuse at the second prince for ordering this atrocity ¨C some of them even calling him a monster - and honestly, seeing the state that Zoemi was in, Surou couldn''t say anything in his own defense.

    |No way... that shouldn''t be right...! This was just an act, right?! It''s impossible that Zoemi actually got hurt! My n was perfect ¨C no ¨C it is perfect...!|

    Surou trembled trying to convince himself that what he saw was just a trick...

    "...my prince... the bracelets..."

    "!!!!!"

    The second prince couldn''t wait any longer - Zoemi''s hands were shaking so much that it was obvious he won''t be able to keep them up for too long, so the blue-haired boy took off the precious artifact.

    "...?"

    For some reason, they felt a bit heavier, or maybe Surou imagined them to be because of his guilty conscience.

    "Thank you... my prince..."

    Zoemi smiled at him turned away and started heading towards the dormitory.

    "...!"

    Surou covered his mouth with his hand in horror when he saw the back of the attendant.

    The blood was sipping even through his vest in a grotesque manner.

    "S-sir Zoemi...!"

    Burushiitto at his side moved and rushed after the leaving ck-haired attendant.

    |Ah! That''s right! My Buru will heal him!|

    Surou breathed out in relief.

    But when Burushiitto got close to Zoemi, he turned around and his eyes becamepletely lifeless...

    "..."

    Zoemi opened his mouth and his lips moved but no sound came out...

    "...!"

    And yet, even though no incantation was spoken the attendant''s body got enveloped in a mass of murky ck shadow that formed the figure of a massive shadow creature with bear-like features.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH...!"

    The towering shadow figure''s hollow eyes focused on the blond girl causing her to scream in terror and stumble back, which resulted in her falling on her back.

    "Don''t... You... Dare... Touch... Me...! You... ursed... Heroine...!"

    "!!!!!!!!!!"

    The mass of shadows was facing the girl but although the spot where the mouth should be didn''t even budge, Zoemi''s weak whisper reached the blond heroine trying to scuttle away ¨C making her freeze in ce.

    "...wait...!"

    Burushiitto gasped and turned around wide-eyed.

    "What did you just call me...?! Ah...!"

    She asked staring in disbelief at the thing speaking with Zoemi''s voice.

    "..."

    But at that moment the shadows blew away revealing the pitiful ck-haired boy pale as a ghost and trembling as if he was already one leg in the grave, and the blond girl couldn''t utter another word.

    "...just leave me alone..."

    After releasing his spell Zoemi turned away from the heroine and stumbled to the dormitory.

    "..."

    No one from the gathered people tried to stop him, everyone just made way for him in silence.

    Even after the ck-haired boy disappeared no one moved...

    Even though they were all of the noble birth most of them had never seen anyone getting whipped - and certainly no one saw a whipping so bloodcurdling like this one...

    "I once told my maid I''ll ask father to whip her if she spills my tea once more... I... I need to apologize to her...!"

    Some random gold-haired senior year female student started sobbing and ran to the dormitory...

    -------

    "Huh? And what''s with all those people here?"

    "!!!"

    Suddenly a grouchy voice called out, getting the crowd''s attention.

    Everyone got surprised and looked around for the owner of the voice.

    He wasn''t hard to find.

    The voice belonged to the elderly light magician Kros Rul Shuze.

    The head examiner of the magic examination.

    He held a sheet of paper in his hand and was walking nonchntly while scratching the left side of his chest as if it was itchy.

    "It will be just some smacking around with a rope - no one of you youngsters even know how to properly hold a whip! Without me, you will hurt yourself more than the target! Seriously... "

    Krosughed to himself.

    "Back in my days we..."

    The elderly magician''s jokes stopped abruptly when he saw the wooden pole and the blood on the grass...

    "...wh-what...? But... this paper said that..."

    Kros gasped ncing at the written application for the student''s punishment...

    And then the elderly teacher''s eyes finally found the pale-blue-haired man with the bloodstained whip in his hand and...

    "Zorus..."

    Kros red at the torturer and his body started glowing gold releasing the terrifying pressure full of nothing but pure hate.

    "...impossible..."

    The elderly magician gritted his teeth and hurriedly took out thick sses from the inside pocket of his clothes and put them on.

    Then he raised the paper in front of his face and started reading it while looking more and more furious with each passing second of unbelievably heavy silence.

    "HAVE ALL OF YOU BRATS LOST YOUR GOD DAMNED MINDS?!"

    "!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Then the elderly light magician roared, crumpling the paper and throwing it to the ground with enough force that the earth trembled and the feeble document embedded deep into the soil...

    "Student Surou Delche Bellcephora, follow me to the headmaster - IMMEDIATELY!"

    The red-faced Kros barely able to contain his furymanded and turned around.

    "And you, Zorus, get the hell out of the academy grounds before the principal will notice you... or I will do what I am thinking of doing!"

    Kros added without even looking at the silent torturer.

 Chapter 137 - 38 - Iâ€™m Back

    "...stupid Zoemi ¨C I will make him brush my hair until his arms will fall off...!"

    Miriette was grumbling to herself staring at her spiky-haired reflection and asionally ncing towards the wide opened window.

    She really wanted to go check up on the ck-haired boy, but she promised him that she will wait in her room ¨C and the dark-haired girl would rather die than break the promise given to her beloved.

    So she had to satisfy herself in listening in to the soundsing from the outside ¨C the sound of the whip''s cracking through the air was unnerving, but at the same time, it was counting down to the time when this whole farce will be over and Zoemi would return to her side.

    "...what if something went wrong...?"

    Miriette flinched and looked towards the window with worry.

    "...he said that he will be acting wounded, that probably will be exhausting..."

    She murmured to herself ncing at her reflection and picking up a brush on her own.

    "...I will start on my own so he won''t have a hard time..."

    The dark-haired girl fidgetted and raised the brush.

    "...? Hmm...?"

    Suddenly, Miriette realized that the outside world became quiet all of a sudden...

    ...too quiet...

    "Don''t freak out ¨C it had to happen."

    "WHAT THE...?! WHO?!"

    Suddenly she heard a voice and she jumped out of her chair, dropping the brush...

    ...that didn''t actually drop to the floor and instead froze mid-air right where she let go of it...

    "...yeah, we are happy to see you too~!"

    "!!!"

    The voice repeated, and Miriette managed to localize it.

    A tinum-haired young girl wearing the Aspakeony Academy''s uniform that looked like she secretly borrowed it from her older sister was standing in Miriette''s window, peeking inside with a mischievous smile.

    "How dare you try to get into my ro...!"

    "Chill out ¨C we are in full control."

    The dark-haired girl raised her head and puffed out her chest in prideful anger, but the tinum-haired girl scoffed and waved her hand dismissively.

    ...but if she thought that someone like Miriette would just settle for the half-assed exnation like that...!

    "Pshhhhhhhh... You seriously scared me..."

    ...she would bepletely right...

    Miriette let out a long sigh and flopped back on her chair with a slightly annoyed expression.

    "Jumpy, aren''t we?"

    "Well, why wouldn''t I be? You know what''s going on in front of the Academy, right?"

    The tinum-haired girl smirked, making Miriette scoff and pout.

    "Yeah, we know ¨C that''s why we decided to show up and give you a little advice for the future."

    The tinum-haired girl shrugged her shoulder and dered.

    "...you show up out of nowhere while I am losing my mind over Zoemi''s wellbeing and you of all people want to give me advice...?"

    Miriette raised her brow and asked in disbelief.

    "Yes, we do."

    The tinum-haired girl nodded her head vigorously.

    "...ugh... alright ¨C what is it?"

    Miriette groaned and asked while massaging her forehead.

    "Don''t freak out ¨C it had to happen."

    The tinum-haired girl dered.

    "Eh...? That''s it...?"

    Miriette furrowed her brows and red at the little intruder in disbelief.

    "Yeah."

    The tinum-haired girl nodded cheerfully.

    "You...!"

    Miriette breathed in and got red from anger...

    *thump*

    ...but the very next moment the brush that was just frozen mid-air fell to the ground, and there was no trace of the tinum-haired girl anywhere anymore.

    "...that little...!"

    Mirriette gritted her teeth in annoyance and she rushed to the open window.

    "Don''t bother me if that''s the only thing you have to say ¨C dumbass!"

    The dark-haired girl shouted outside and shut the window with anger.

    "...seriously..."

    Miriette grumbled to herself returning to her seat.

    She red towards the window but decided to not open it again ¨C the stupid punishment was surely about to be over anyway, and since nothing happened up until then, that meant nothing would happen, period!

    Miriette nodded to herself and straightened her back against the backrest, prepared to greet her beloved attendant with a high and mighty expression.

    -----------

    Back in the dormitory, Zoemi ¨C unaware of what was going on on the outside with the elderly light magician showing up and all - didn''t head straight to Miriette''s room.

    He went to the kitchen instead.

    |Supper... I must prepare the supper...|

    He thought and ignoring the pain he forced his body to move.

    The kitchen as always was full of hustle and bustle.

    The cooks and attendants were too busy to bother with the limping ck-haired attendant.

    "Big brother Zoemi!"

    Still, Patishi spotted the ck-haired boy immediately and ran up to him like an overjoyed puppy.

    "Big brother Zoemi, I...! B-big brother...!?"

    Her smilepletely disappeared once she saw the state Zoemi was in.

    "Big brother Zoemi! You need help!"

    Patishi shouted horrified, and a few of the cooks red at her with scorn - but then they looked at Zoemi and they stopped working...

    ...and then other cooks got concerned about why are they not working and also looked at Zoemi and also stopped working...

    Soon the whole kitchen was dead silent.

    Seeing Patishi, Zoemi tried to smile but he only managed a pained grimace.

    "Patishi, sweetie, could you help me fix my clothes, please...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked weakly, pointing at his unbuttoned shirt.

    "But big brother Zoemi, you...!"

    "Patishi, my master is waiting for a meal, I can''t disappoint her..."

    "But..!"

    "Patishi, please..."

    Patishi wanted to help her big brother ¨C but her big brother wouldn''t lend her an ear at all...!

    "O-okay...!"

    So Patishi helped Zoemi even though her hands were trembling almost as much as Zoemi''s.

    "Big brother Zoemi, are you sure...?"

    Patishi tried asking again.

    "Little sis, could you bring me a few ingredients, please...? I don''t think I will be able to maneuver the kitchen..."

    But she waspletely ignored by Zoemi who was washing his hands over the sink, dying the water pink with his blood.

    "...!"

    Patishi''s chin would start shaking as soon as she would look at her big brother, but still, the thin girl helped him prepare the meal.

    "...B-big brother...! You...! You...!"

    Though somewhere in the middle of the preparation Patishi stared straight up crying.

    When everything was done Zoemi nodded satisfied and affectionately messed up Patishi''s hair.

    "Thank''s again, little sis..."

    "Big brother Zoemi, we need to get you help!"

    Patishi was crying and wiping off her tears in an endless loop.

    "No. I need to get my master the supper."

    "I-I can do that for you! Like ¨C as I did for the first prince...!"

    Patishi sobbed and tried to take the tray but Zoemi was already holding it securely.

    "No. This and that are... different... I am Miriette''s attendant and I will bring this to her. I made a promise..."

    Dered Zoemi and slowly walked out of the kitchen.

    "A-at least let me help you...!"

    Patishi ran after him but she stopped at the sight of Zoemi shaking his head.

    "No, Patishi, I have my work, you have yours."

    "B-but...!"

    "See you again, Patishi."

    Zoemipletely ignored his little sister and left very slowly.

    --------

    The ck-haired boy had to focus really hard to not drop the tray.

    The way to Miriette''s room never felt that long before.

    A few times Zoemi had to stop and rest leaning against the wall.

    Each time he resumed the journey he would leave a bloody stain at the spot he was leaning against.

    Nheless, he was getting closer and closer with each step and his heart grew bigger and bigger.

    After what seemed an eternity he arrived at his master''s door and knocked.

    As always there was no response so Zoemi entered the room.

    And she waited for him right there.

    Miriette was sitting upright by the desk with her back turned to the door and with a hairbrush already prepared on the desk to her right.

    "...!"

    Zoemi thought that he didn''t have any more tears, but it turns out there still were some left because he felt his eyes sting and hot liquid run down his face.

    "Zoemi, I want to make one thing clear!"

    Miriette spoke up in a grumpy voice without even turning around.

    "I am really mad at you, you know!? Even if nothing happened to you because of that shadow enchantment it was a very stupid decision anyway!"

    The dark-haired girl scoffed and proudly raised her head, still not turning around.

    "I hope that you are prepared to brush my hair for a very long time today since because of all this stress you put me through they got extra bristly!"

    "..."

    Zoemi almostughed at thatst one.

    Brushing Miriette''s hair was always his favorite thing to do.

    He was as close to her as an attendant like him could be, and he loved every second of that calming activity.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy forced his numb legs to move and walked towards his master.

    "...? E-eh...?"

    Suddenly Miriette flinched and started sniffing the air.

    "Zoemi? What did you make for supper...? Why does it smell like rust...?"

    She asked exactly when he put the tray in front of her.

    "...nnn...? ...eh...?!"

    Miriette looked at him and her eyes widened from panic.

    "ZOEMI, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?

    She screamed and raised her arms, just in time, because Zoemi couldn''t stand up anymore.

    "...Miriette..."

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired attendant fell in the opened arms of his master and his chin ended up on her right shoulder.

    "...I''m back..."

    Zoemi was too weak to hug her so instead he snuggled against her soft cheek.

    "...I seded..."

    He whispered with satisfaction.

    ...and then he fainted...

    "Zoemi...?"

    Miriette embraced him instinctively, she could barely support him without falling, but she managed. At first, she couldn''tprehend what was going on, but then she felt a strange wet and sticky sensation with her palms...

    "...?"

    She raised one of her hands that she was pressing against Zoemi''s back and saw that it gotpletely covered with crimson blood.

    "Zoemi!?"

    Miriette screamed and her body trembled, struck by a sudden panic attack.

    "ZOEMI!?"

 Chapter 138 - 39 - First Aid (part 1)

    [Our brother in darkness, join us...]

    A chorus of voices called out in unison

    [You are just like we were in the past, weak but you seek strength...]

    The chorus sang a song of temptation as the mass of darkness entered the consciousness of the fallen ck-haired attendant.

    [As you are now, you will not achieve your goal...]

    [But we can grant you power that exceeds everything in this world...]

    [Little brother, join us...]

    The amalgamation called out sweetly freely floating through the loose thoughts and memories.

    [Our might will be yours, your mind will connect with us...]

    [It''s been so long since a worthy sibling appeared...]

    [We are lonely...]

    The darkness sung, passing the fragment of a memory of a small ck-haired child helplessly crying next to a horribly skinny ck-haired woman tossing around on the old bed in uncontroble seizures ¨C the woman was wing at her chest as the silky darkness was slowly corroding her body, devouring her from the inside...

    ...until she literally crumbled into pieces like a hollow husk, leaving the wailing child behind...

    [No one was able to join us in decades...]

    [Others are too weak and die the moment we try to reach out to them...]

    [...just like your mother... she died because she couldn''t handle our gift... but you are different than her...]

    The darkness spoke directly responding to the memory it passed...

    [Different than anyone...]

    [You are strong...]

    [Your will was tested and proved strong...]

    [You will survive...]

    [Join us, little brother...]

    The amalgamation of concentrated perfect darkness called out to the very core of the wounded Zoemi and reached out to it in excitement.

    Finally... a new member who would be able to join their rank after so long...!

    ...but the moment that the darkness was about to wrap its countless appendages around the core of Zoemi''s being...

    |GHOSTS OF BELLCEPHORA...!|

    [!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

    A horrifying bloodcurdling roar shook the concentrated darkness and a pure almost physical manifestation of rage and loyalty repelled the perfect silky-ck darkness away with its murky repugnant shadow.

    |I RECOGNIZE YOU ALL...! YOUR FAULT...! YOUR FAULT...! ALL YOUR FAULT...!|

    Zoemi''s core became enveloped in the mass of shadows that formed into a towering shape with bear-like features that red right at the mass of darkness with its lifeless eyes while the boy''s consciousness trebled from the hateful bloodthirsty roar.

    "Elsby ¨C that must be a shadow beast ¨C do something about it!"

    "Does that thing look like one of my shadow beasts to you?! Do you think I''m an idiot, you old pervert?! If I try to reach out to it I will be the one getting devoured! You do something about it!"

    The pristine darkness stopped being uniform and a few panicked voices broke out from the chorus to talk to each other.

    "If it''s not a shadow beast, what it is then?"

    Another voice, this one moremanding than the others, spoke up with tension.

    "He is the direct result of your own actions."

    [!!!!!!!!!]

    The mass of concentrated silky darkness wavered and clumped together again when the boy''s consciousness filled with humongous pressure and a clear voice spoke up to the darkness with its radiant glory.

    [Bright presence... It''s your fault...! What have you done to our sibling...?!]

    [You are sullying our darkness with your light...!]

    [Stay away from him...!]

    The chorus of voices resounded once more in perfect unison.

    "He is no sibling of yours and never was ¨C he is my toy!"

    The light dered with might.

    [Presence... You don''t want to fight us... You feared us then, and there is still fear in your voice now...!]

    [This child is one with the darkness, he has the potential...]

    [And he wants strength... the strength that we can offer him...!]

    [We want him...!]

    "Go on and try then! Don''t you remember what happenedst time when one of yours tried ying with somebody elses toy...? This child was mine from the very beginning and he will stay mine! No bunch of filthy traitors will change that!"

    The lightughed and pointed at the darkness at the overbearing shadow creatures that formed around Zoemi''s core.

    [¡­]

    ...and the darkness hesitated...

    [..st time...? You...! How dare you mention that...?!]

    ...only a momentter a choir of voices howled in fury...

    "Enough of this! BEGONE! LEAVE MY TOY ALONE! HE MUST REST NOW!"

    Presence shouted like a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum and Zoemi''s consciousness was left in peace with no trace of light or darkness ¨C only filled with the murky shadow...

    |...ma... ...ster...|

    ------

    "(ZOEMI...! ZOEMI NO! HELP! SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP! HELP, I BEG YOU!)"

    Miriette became so hysterical that she called for help from everyone she knew using the message spell. And that means EVERYONE she ever knew - not only her parents and the school staff and student, but also the king, the queen, the ministers, the royal magician - as well as every maid, knight, and servant in the Espines'' household.

    The dark-haired girl even reached out with her spell to the shopkeepers of the shops she fancied and any passerby that she remembered...

    And it wasn''t a normal distress call either.

    The pressure it caused was so strong that if the receiver had even slightly less mana than an average water magician they would start bleeding from the ears, nose, and eyes ¨C and - in more severe cases, even lose consciousness.

    Not to mention the severe headache for basically everyone involved regardless of the amount of mana at their disposal.

    Miriette didn''t know what damages she was doing to citizens of the kingdom, and the panic that followed the sudden copse of hundreds of people - she just kept calling again and again.

    Miriette kept holding Zoemi''s body and rocking it back and forth while crying and breathing so heavily as if she had an asthma attack.

    "...god damn it...! What the hell?!"

    Only after a few seconds did the first person to react arrive - in a sh of blinding light, the first prince Horeo appeared in the middle of his fiancee''s room and cursed.

    He was holding his head with both hands with a grimace of terrible pain on his face.

    "Miriette! Where are you?! What are you doing this?! Stop!"

    The golden-haired boy shouted and turned around in search of his fiance.

    "!!!"

    And then he saw Miriette holding onto her attendant - and he became so pale that his lips almost turned blue.

    "ZOEMI!"

    Horeo screamed, and in a sh, he was by his friends.

    "...oh thank the heavens..."

    The first thing he did was to check if Zoemi was still breathing, and after confirming it, he let out a quick sigh of relief when he felt a warm although weak breath on his hand.

    Zoemi was still alive.

    Horeo regained some color to his face so he turned to Miriette.

    The dark-haired girl was in such a state that she hasn''t even registered the presence of the first prince in the same room.

    "Cunning fox ¨C shut up already!"

    Horeo shouted at the girl but that brought no results so he grabbed her head and forced her to look at him.

    "Miriette, I''m here! We will get Zoemi help! Stop with this damn spell!"

    "(HELP! SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP! HELP, I BEG YOU!)"

    But Miriette was too far-gone to even notice him. For her, only Zoemi existed and she was crying for anyone to help him.

    "...you give me no choice here..."

    Horeo gritted his teeth and released her.

    *SMACK*

    And then he pped her across the face.

    |Zoemi would kill me if he saw that...!|

    The first prince thought to himself as even his own hand stung from the perfectlynded hit.

    It might have been crude - but it worked.

    "...wh-what...?"

    Miriette shook her head like a dog shaking off the water and blinked a few times.

    The pressure of her overwhelming strength disappeared and so did Horeo''s headache...

    "Ah! Horeo...!"

    Miriette eximed in a pleading voice.

    "Zoemi...! Zoemi got hurt because of me again...! Help! Help him...!"

    And she started crying again.

    "I understand - I''ll get thatmoner girl here!"

    Dered Horeo picking the best option in the situation.

    "NO!"

    Miriette shrill hurt Horeo''s ears.

    "What?! Why?!"

    The first prince gasped in confusion and he stared at the dark-haired girl in disbelief.

    "It''s her fault! It''s because of her and Surou that Zoemi got hurt!"

    Miriette screamed while hugging Zoemi protectively and her hair bristled angrily.

    "IT''S THEIR WHAT!?"

    A thick vein popped out on Horeo''s neck and forehead.

    "I won''t allow either one of them to get close to Zoemi! No! They will hurt him more!"

    Miriette dered while shaking her head.

    "..."

    Horeo clenched his fists and trembled with pure fury.

    But he was a future king brought up to suppress this kind of emotions for the greater purpose so he managed to calm down, even though he was dangerously close to breaking, and he took a few deep breaths.

    "Then I''ll get the medics. Wait here and do not allow anyone else in!

    The first prince chose the second-best option and he disappeared in a sh.

    "..."

    Miriette nodded and waited - but the blood loss might have been too much after all...

    Fearing the consequences, the dark-haired girl closed her eyes concentrated...

    ...suddenly, one of her hair turned almost white, and the horrible wound...

    ...just... stopped bleeding as if the time froze...

    "Only for a moment... only until the medics arrive..."

    Miriette sobbed to herself, as another single strand of hair was gradually losing its color.

 Chapter 139 - 39 - First Aid (part 2)

    "...don''t die... you cannot die... that''s not how this whole story was supposed to happen... that''s not what she told me..."

    Miriette always wanted to hold Zoemi in her arms but the current situation turned her dream into a nightmare.

    When she was looking at Zoemi''s blood-soaked clothes her heart ached as if she was the one who suffered the wounds.

    "[Miri! My baby, are you hurt!? What happened!?]"

    "!!!!!"

    Suddenly a worried voice rang in Miriette''s head, making the dark-haired girl jump up in shock.

    "(M-mom! It''s Zoemi! He got hurt again because of me...! Horeo went to get him help but, mom! Zoemi is all covered in blood and he''s not moving...!)"

    Even whilemunicating through the message spell Miriette was sniffling constantly.

    Her mother became relieved that her daughter wasn''t hurt, but also wasn''t someone who would get satisfied with just that...

    "[Sweetie, tell me what happened? Were you attacked and Zoemi got wounded protecting you? Are you not in the Academy?]"

    Misena asked her daughter, Miriette may not be hurt, but was she safe?

    "(N-no ¨C you get it wrong, mom ¨C the thing is...!)"

    -------

    In Espine''s household, Misena was listening to her daughter''s exnation and her husband, the duke, was by her side shaking from the impatience.

    Their whole castle was in disarray - most of the servants and three-quarters of the knights suddenly started bleeding from basically every single orifice and fainted while everyone else who heard the distress signal from the littledy got a splitting headache.

    Therefore duke Espine became terribly worried over his daughter since she wasn''t someone who would ever attempt such an outrageously cruel prank.

    |What could cause such a reaction? Is she hurt? Where is she and how do we send help to her without a light magician who can use a teleport spell!?|

    Duke Espine clenched his fists in worry.

    But then his wife grabbed his hand reassuringly.

    "Miriette is safe."

    She said to her husband but then turned to the knight kneeling in front of them.

    "But Zoemi..."

    "!!!"

    At her words, the knight in front of her trembled.

    The man had light blue hair and his armor was drenched in red because of the recent bleeding.

    It was Mizoe Auequas, Zoemi''s adopted father.

    Even though his mana was terribly weak, basically on the level of the slightly stronger darkness magician, he hasn''t lost consciousness and was the only person to arrive before the duke and the duchess Espine to check on them.

    One reason was that he was a knight and his first thought was to go to his master to protect him.

    The other was the gut-wrenching feeling that if the littledy is calling for help that means his son tried to protect her and in the best-case scenario, he got wounded...

    ¡­but in the worst one, Zoemi could be even...!

    There was no doubt in Mizoe''s mind that his son would sacrifice himself without batting an eye - the ck-haired boy did that twice already after all - and the poor knight was on the verge of a heart attack.

    It didn''t matter that Zoemi was his adopted son or that he was originally amoner.

    Mizoe loved that boy as his only child and was going half-mad from worry.

    And that''s why duchess Espine''s words almost made him faint...

    "I-is my son alive...?"

    Mizoe managed to squeeze the words through his dry throat, he was too afraid to raise his head, he didn''t want to see the duchess shaking her head...!

    "Yes. But he is badly hurt. Right now both Miriette and Zoemi are in the Academy and little Horeo is getting help for your son."

    "What, that happened while they were in the Academy ¨C how is that possible!?"

    Duke Espine asked his wife but then suddenly Mizoe stood up and started walking to the door.

    "H-huh? Mizoe? What are you doing?"

    The duke called after the knight.

    "Master, please forgive me this rudeness but I must immediately go to see my son!"

    Mizoe turned his head and bowed back to the duke and the duchess without even considering stopping.

    "But you can''t go looking like that!"

    The duke eximed pointing out the state of Mizoe''s face and armor.

    The light-blue-haired knight looked as if he killed someone and ate that person''s heart - he was smeared in blood all over.

    If he went outside looking like this it would cause panic.

    "You can take my horse, she''s a smart girl so don''t hit her and just tell her that you are in a hurry ¨C she will understand.."

    "Misena!"

    But the duchess gave Mizoe permission and even allowed him to use her beloved mare - her husband, however, was surprised by her decision, to say the least.

    "Thank you, mydy."

    Mizoe clenched his fists and offered his heartfelt thanks before leaving the room.

    After the door closed behind him the duke looked at his wife with a frown.

    "Why did you do that? You have seen him, he was barely able to stand! How is he supposed tost all the way to the Academy?"

    Heined grumpily.

    "If Miriette got hurt, would you bother with changing or resting before checking up on her?"

    Misena responded with a shrug.

    "I...!"

    The duke opened his mouth but then he only sighed.

    "Yes, you are right..."

    "Of course I am, dear."

    ------

    Horeo was back in Miriette''s room in just a few minutes - he kept on teleporting back and forth and bringing more and more people and medical equipment.

    A few of the teleported mages were very confused but thankfully not all of them.

    One green-haired man who still had traces of blood around his eyes and nose walked towards the Miriette and reached his hand towards the boy in her arms.

    "No...!"

    Miriette sobbed and hugged Zoemi protectively.

    "Lady Espine, please, you have to let go of this boy so we could help him."

    The green-hair man didn''t flinch or get impatient, he only exined to Miriette in a gentle voice.

    "We need to take off his clothes and clean the wounds. Can you please exin what happened to him?"

    As the green-haired medic was speaking he was slowly and delicately prying Miriette''s hands off of Zoemi''s back.

    "He... He was whipped... I was going to be punished for pping a girl but he took the punishment for himself and since he is of lower status than me the punishment would be more severe..."

    Miriette trembled and exined, lowering her head in shame.

    "I understand, he is a very good servant... we will be sure to help him, so calm down."

    The green-haired medic nodded his head and kept releasing Zoemi''s body from Miriette''s grip so they could start treating him.

    "Have you seen everything? This servant of yours, how many times was he whipped?"

    "He... He is my attendant..."

    Miriette corrected the green-haired man and sniffled.

    "He told me to go back to my room, he told me that he had a way to protect himself... I... I opened the window just in case he was lying, and if he screamed I was going to go save him...! But he never screamed! And when he returned he was like this!"

    Miriette exined and started crying again.

    The green-haired man managed to take the unconscious boy away from her hands by that point and put him on the bed with his back up.

    "I understand, of course, you would help him if you knew."

    The green-haired man nodded with understanding.

    "But do you know how many times was he hit?"

    "I-it was supposed to be a hundred whips..."

    "...! I see..."

    The green-haired man''s face froze and he motioned to the others with his eyes.

 Chapter 140 - 40 - First Aid (part 3) + In The Castle [side]

    "Hold on a second...! Are we not going to acknowledge the fact that a barely sixteen years old first prince is able to use a teleport spell multiple times in a row!? Am I the only person who knows how much mana is needed for that?!"

    A young gold-haired woman asked in agitation, but she waspletely ignored by the others.

    The rest of the medics had already surrounded the patient.

    When they cut open his vest and shirt with a wind spell and managed to peel it off by using a water spell to soften the coagting blood, one of them, an elderly blue-haired woman, clicked her tongue...

    "Ugh, it''s as if they hired that bastard Zorus to torment this child! I still remember those poor people from the southern border..."

    The old woman shivered and focused back on the treatment - as the most experienced one she was responsible for the most crucial part of the treatment...

    "Really? Really?! Are we ignoring the most talented light magician in the history of the kingdom!?"

    "...shut up already, will you, we have a job to do..."

    The golden-haired woman still couldn''t get over the teleporting first prince and a few of her colleagues red at her with scorn.

    "Mistral, why don''t you make yourself useful and take awaydy Miriette, the first prince will be back soon so we don''t need a deadweight distracting us."

    The green-haired medic who first spoke to Miriette red at the gold-haired woman and motioned at the trembling dark-haired girl with his chin...

    "No! I''m not going anywhere!"

    But in response to that, Miriette threw a tantrum.

    "Wind wall!"

    "Wind wall!"

    "Wind wall!"

    "Wind wall!"

    "Wind wall!"

    "Wind wall!"

    "Wind wall!"

    "Wind wall!"

    "Wind wall!"

    "Wind wall!"

    She pointed at the door and the window and cast ten consecutive spells.

    "No one is going out unless my Zoemi is safe! Not I nor any of you!"

    The dark-haired girl stood up and stomped her foot with a desperate expression.

    "And if my Zoemi will die so will all of you!"

    She pointed at every single person in the room, her hair bristled and her body started emitting a powerful green light.

    Miriette was back from the depths of despair.

    But now she was really angry which was way worse for everyone within her sight...

    "..."

    The medics looked at each other.

    They all thought the same about the same thing.

    |The first prince told us exactly the same thing anyway...|

    Well, it wasn''t like they were going to let the boy in front of them die anyway, so Miriette''s deration changed nothing.

    A few of them just shrugged their shoulders and everyone got back to treating their patient.

    --------

    After Horeo made sure that Zoemi is in the capable hands of the best medics that he knew, he teleported back to his parent''s castle and went to check up on his attendants.

    Those two had amon mana pool as big as an average water magician but it didn''t change the fact that there were two of them who shared it...

    Before, Horeo has left them after putting the unconscious girls on the bed in his room, making sure that they are safe.

    Now that he returned the twins were sitting upright on the bloodstained bed while looking around with expressionless faces.

    "My dear sister, it looks like the prince has finally given up to his lust and deflowered us...!"

    Veo noticed Horeo entering and started speaking in a dramatic voice, covering her face with both arms as if she was holding back maiden tears.

    "Eh...?"

    "...Horeo...~!"

    Teo was a bit slower and Veo nudged her in the side and nced at the first prince.

    "Ah! Ahem...!"

    Teo noticed their master too and cleared her throat.

    "Indeed my dear sister! That''s so sad and here I wanted to offer my first time to sir Zoemi! Bu-hu-hu...!"

    She wiped the nonexistent tears from the corner of her eye.

    "Don''t cry, Teo, it is but a small thing to make such sacrifice for our master, as good attendants, it is nothing...!"

    Said Veo embracing her sister with overexaggerated moves and raising her face towards the ceiling ¨C mostly to hide the blush that covered her cheeks once she thought about her beloved prince and herself in a steamy situation...

    "Indeed, but I would have never expected that our master would turn lustful the moment he saw our unconscious bodies!"

    Teo shook her head, dramatically hugging her older sister.

    "Indeed, to be so beautiful, it''s almost a sin as an attendant...!"

    Veo nodded, ncing curiously towards Horeo from under her half-closed eyelids.

    "Are you girls finished with this improvedy you have going on?"

    Unfortunately for the twins, instead of appreciating the skit Horeo became angry and scolded the two of them

    "Zoemi is fighting for his life and you are making fun of the aftereffects of Miriette calling for help! I know you still have some beef with me for almost killing you when we first met but could you please give it a rest at least in a serious situation like this!?"

    The gold-haired boy clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    "And here I was so worried about the two of you!"

    He added and suddenly started sulking.

    ""Eh...!?""

    Both girls froze in shock at the prince''s words.

    "Something happened to sir Zoemi!?"

    "Master, you are joking right!? Our joke was stupid but yours is way worse!"

    Teo and Veo stood up from the bed and grabbed Horeo''s arms and started shaking him.

    "Fine, fine! Just let go of me already! In the first ce, why haven''t you properly cleaned yourselves yet!? Did you just spend the whole time waiting for me to show up?"

    Horeo tried to shake them off, it worked with Teo but it waspletely impossible with Veo.

    "It was too good of a set-up to just pass by..."

    The older twin lowered her head but didn''t seem keen on letting go of Horeo''s arm.

    "Master, what happened to sir Zoemi!?"

    Teo was more persistent and straightforward and asked, clenching her hands anxiously.

    "Whipping. That moron of a brother of mine was the perpetrator and that moron of amoner girl helped him too."

    "Whipping? What do you mean whipping, master!?"

    Horeo expression turned cold and he revealed ¨C causing Teo to jump up on her feet in agitation.

    "Whipping as in getting hit with the whip on the back. A hundred times. I went to check how the treatment is going and I can say that Zoemi''s whole back is looking like mincemeat. The treatment wasn''t going that well at first ¨C the medics areining that it feels as if their mana is getting drained when they touch him, most likely because the torturer who performed the punishment was an ice magician ¨C but now everything''s fine."

    Horeo breathed out and exined.

    "Noo! Master! We must go to him right now!"

    "!!!"

    Teo''s emotionless expression broke and she showed how worried she was, there were even real tears in her eyes ¨C while Veo huddled up to Horeo''s arm and trembled.

    "..."

    The gold-haired boy nced at the older twin clinging to his arm and ended up raising his other hand and patting the brown-haired girl''s head to calm her down.

    "We will go, but not yet."

    The first prince looked at Teo and decided.

    "But...!"

    The short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform gasped in a pitiful voice.

 Chapter 141 - 40.5 - A Bad End Unknowingly Shot Down By An Orbital Strike

    "I told you that now everything is fine ¨C Zoemi''s condition is stable, but honestly, the problemys with Miriette ¨C she needs time to calm down as right now she is guarding him like a rabid dog."

    Horeo shook his head and sighed.

    "Ah...! The mistress is..."

    Only then did the younger twin realize why their master didn''t take them and returned to the academy immediately ¨C it wasn''t as if he wasn''t worried but rather because the dark-haired girl chased away even him...

    "I''m d you understand. Still... to think that something like that would happen right when I was away...! I think I was too lenient on Surou..."

    The gold-haired prince scoffed angrily but didn''t stop patting Veo''s head even for a second, and the short attendant was keeping as still and quiet as she could so that Horeo wouldn''t stop doing that. "Still, I have dealt with that stupid fatass who thought he could demand whatever he wanted from my kingdom just because his tiny city-state was easy to defend ¨C so we will return to the Academy as soon as that cunning fox will calm down. So rest easy."

    The first prince breathed out and smirked at Teo who nodded with understanding and sat back on the bed.

    "That''s right, master, you never told us how that talk went!"

    The younger twin noticed what her sister was doing and she also realized that Horeo''s hand was slowing down with the pats as if the prince was realizing that he was overdoing it with kindness so she decided to help her older sister out, and asked.

    "Ah, you know, the usual diplomatic stuff. The fatso has heard that Miriette was the strongest wind magician and kept spouting crap on and on about how his country ¨C oh, he had the audacity to call that city-state of his a country, imagine that - had the wind magic legacy and demanded ¨C DEMANDED - that Miriette would be wed to him."

    "And what did you do then, master?"

    |Thanks, Teo...!|

    Horeo''s expression brightened as if he recalled something incredibly funny and he continued talking, while Veo nodded at her sister for the amazing assist.

    "I politely told him to eat shit and die."

    The gold-haired prince dered with a cheeky smile.

    "Master, how do you politely tell someone to do that...?"

    Hearing that even Veo raised her head and looked at Horeo face, but then hurriedly looked down to hold the blush once she realized how close they were.

    "Oh, it''s easy, really. It goes like this."

    Horeo just shrugged his shoulders, more than happy to reveal the secret to his attendants.

    "You just have to look the person in the eyes - then you smile politely - and then you calmly say to them: ''eat shit and die''. Simple, right?"

    "Pffft...! Ahaha! Master! You are such a bully!"

    Even worried Teo couldn''t help but snort at her master''s exnation.

    "Hey, I don''t take kindly to fools who think they can mess with my friends."

    Horeo smiled lightheartedly.

    "In the first ce, that fatso had no right to make ANY demands since we have proof that his stupid city-state was responsible for destroying one of our outposts at the border together with a couple of adjacents... viges... a couple of years... back... huh...?"

    The gold-haired prince spoke but then he flinched and looked at Teo and Veo, and his eyes widened in realization.

    "Master? What happened- did mistress send you a message spell about sir Zoemi?!"

    Teo flinched and stood up again, filled to the brim with a new wave of anxiety.

    "No... that''s not it..."

    "My prince...?"

    Horeo shook his head and stood up, making Veo flinch and look up at him worried that his mood changed because of her trying to get too close.

    The first prince walked towards the window and put his hand on the ss looking outside.

    His eyes shone with a golden light as he used the spell that enhanced his vision to an unimaginable degree.

    "...Teo... Veo..."

    He spoke slowly without turning around.

    "Yes, master?"

    "My prince...?"

    Both girls looked at each other in confusion ad slowly walked up to him.

    "...remember the story you told me? About your past?"

    Horeo asked in a tense voice.

    "Y-yes... what about it...?"

    Teo nodded and tilted her head in confusion.

    "...would you hate me if I wanted to avenge your vige bypletely annihting the perpetrators and everything they hold dear...?"

    The first prince asked, straightening his back.

    "..."

    "..."

    The two girls went silent.

    Then, after a few seconds, they looked at each other and nodded at the same time.

    "My prince, allow me to ask something else first."

    Veo spoke up, reaching out and grabbing onto Horeo''s vest.

    "Yes?"

    The gold-haired boy asked curiously, still not looking away from the scenery outside.

    "...would you hate us if we told you that we want you to take revenge for us...?"

    "...!"

    The short brown-haired girl in a maid''s uniform asked in a guilty voice, basically repeating her master''s question.

    "...everyone in our vige was a good person, and I''m sure that they wouldn''t want us harming others for revenge but... I''m sorry if that disappoints you, my prince, but neither my sister nor I are like them... we aren''t good... So, please... If you ever get a chance to turn everyone responsible into dust... do it."

    Veo dered and Horeo could feel her hand holding onto his vest tremble.

    "...!"

    ...the next second, his entire body shone with a pristine golden light, causing the shocked girls to take a step back.

    "You two don''t have to worry about anything."

    The gold-haired prince turned around and dered with a refreshing smile.

    "In the first ce, I am the tyrant future king who forces others to bend to his will ¨C feel free to just me everything on me!"

    Heughed, tapping his chest with pride.

    "Pffft! Master, you seriously are... eh?!"

    *pomf*

    "!!!!!!!"

    Teo snorted and shook her head at the unbelievably cheeky first prince, but the next second she froze when her older sister suddenly stepped forward and hugged their master in a very intimate ¨C andpletely inappropriate for an attendant way ¨C which caused the gold-haired boy to freeze in ce wide-eyed.

    "Wha...?! WHAT THE?!"

    Funnily enough, even though Veo was the one who lovingly embraced the prince, she was also the one to suddenly let out a shocked voice and step away with her face redder than a ripe tomato.

    "I...! I...!"

    She opened her mouth a few times trying toe up with some excuse for her action but ended up nking out ¨C and escaped by literally running out of the room burrowing her face in her arms.

    "...wh-what was that about...?"

    Horeo blushed slightly and looked to the side, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

    "Master... Sir Zoemi is dense so he can get away with acting like that, but it won''t pass with you. You are smart, and no one knows that better than Veo. She adores you way too much."

    Teo sighed heavily and rubbed her temple with one hand.

    "..."

    Horeo closed his mouth and stubbornly kept quiet.

    "Fine, you are the tyrant future king, after all, ~ oh! that''s right, master, while we are on the subject of your so-called tyranny - what about disrespecting that guy you talked about, is it alright to make enemies just like that?"

    Teo shook her head and changed the subject.

    "Pfft...!"

    "...?"

    And to her great surprise, Horeo barely held back hisughter!

    "Ekhem, sorry for that... Country? What country?"

    He cleared his throat and with apletely serious expression, he looked at Teo.

    "Eh...?"

    Teo jaw dropped at the revtion.

    "And on the unrted note... have you ever heard me mention the name Wrath of Light?"

    "...um... negative... I do not recall such urrence..."

    Horeo asked suddenly and Teo shook her head in denial and made an even more confused face.

    "Good."

    The first prince nodded with satisfaction at her response and then immediately left the room after confirming the sessful distraction of his dangerously perceptive attendnat.

    "Eh...!?"

    Teo looked around as if in search of someone who could exin her master''s words to her, but she was the only person left.

    "EEEEEEHHHHHH!?"

    She let out a confused voice and didn''t even feel the tiny rumbling caused by the humongous explosion thousands of miles away.

 Chapter 142 - 41 - Donâ€™t Mess With The Father (part 1)

    Mizoe, in bloodless armor, jumped on the ground and turned back for a moment to pat the mare''s neck.

    "Good girl, thank you."

    He thanked the animal in a soft voice and the animal raised her head proudly ¨C very clearly responding to thepliment.

    The light-blue-haired man knew it would be foolish to just march inside the Academy with dried up blood all over him so he cleaned himself with his magic right at the beginning of the journey and now his mana was full again and he waspletely dry too ¨C with that in mind he was ready to enter the Aspakeony Academy.

    "Now, stay a good girl and wait for me here."

    Mizoe patted the mare''s neck again with a smile and then ran to the dormitory.

    "...?!"

    The mare hit the ground with her right front hoof a few times and shook her head as if showing her dissatisfaction and toin about the light-blue-haired man just leaving her unattended and not even grooming her after such a good run...!

    But Mizoe had his head full of concern over his son''s health - it was alreadyte at night, the moon was shining brightly and the light-blue-haired man couldn''t wait any longer to see Zoemi.

    "..."

    He was hurrying towards the main entrance when he spotted it opening and breathed out in relief seeing it not being closed...

    "...?"

    To his great surprise, Mizoe realized that the person walking out was none other than the littledy Espine herself who must have been waiting for him by the entrance to the dormitory this whole time.

    "Mydy."

    No matter how worried Mizoe was, there was no way that a knight like him would forget the courtesy towards his master''s daughter ¨C so he kneeled the moment that she was in the hearing distance.

    Plus if she was here Zoemi was most likely safe, so the worried father calmed down just a little bit.

    Honestly, everyone in the Espines'' household knew that Miriette liked Zoemi - though no one really knew how strong her feelings truly were.

    "My mother told me you woulde... Mizoe, I''m so sorry..."

    The dark-haired girl''s shoulders shook and she lowered her head, apologizing...!

    "You are sorry...?!"

    At her words, Mizoe almost fainted.

    "D-does that mean...?"

    He stuttered and raised his head fearing that the worst has happened.

    Miriette sobbed and buried her face in her hands.

    "I''m so sorry, Mizoe, because of me Zoemi got hurt again...!"

    "...whew...!"

    She cried and Mizoe sighed out in relief.

    |Just hurt - so he hasn''t died...!|

    For a second poor Mizoe thought that his son has left this world but thankfully it was just him overthinking Mirirette''s opening words.

    "Mydy, don''t worry, Zoemi is a strong-willed boy, he did what he thought was right."

    Mizoe smiled warmly towards Miriette.

    "Can I ask you to lead me to him, littledy?"

    The light-blue0haired man asked while standing up.

    "Of course."

    Miriette nodded and guided Mizoe to her room.

    "Almost all medics are already sleeping. They patched Zoemi up the best they could and said that everything looks good. But even so, they are taking turns watching over him just in case."

    Miriette exined before entering the room without knocking or anything.

    "...!"

    A red-haired middle-aged man raised his brows at the Miriette and Mizoe who showed up unannounced.

    "Lady Espine, we told you that young Zoemi is unconscious, there''s no reason to bring anyone else here until he wakes up."

    The medic exined calmly probably thinking that Mizoe is a teacher wanting to question the boy.

    "I''m his father."

    Mizoe exined and the red-haired man opened his mouth and nodded.

    "Oh, I see... Sorry..."

    The red-haired man looked to the side slightly embarrassed.

    "Will my son be alright? And what even happened to him to push him to such a state?"

    Mizoe asked the important questions, staring with horror at the bandages covering the entire torso of his son.

    "We''ve used very strong concoctions so he should be able to move in around a week or so, but for the next month, at least, he shouldn''t strain himself too much. I''ve heard he is an attendant, the basic chores should be alright but for things like carrying heavier things, even the tray with the food or aundry basket, it would be best to have someone else do that for him."

    The red-haired medic leaned back on his chair and exined in a calm voice.

    "So his life isn''t...?"

    Mizoe asked and his voice trembled.

    "In danger? No. There was a moment that we could feel the knife on our throats..."

    The red-haired man finished the sentence for him, shaking his head in denial as he stealthily nced at Miriette.

    "But everything ended up fine. Now he just needs a lot of rest."

    The man added looking back at the light-blue-haired man.

    "...thank the heavens...|

    Calmed down by the medic''s words Mizoe walked towards the bed and looked at his sonying on his stomach and his head resting on a pillow.

    The ck-haired boy was ced in such a way that the left side of his face, the pretty one, was visible, but whether it was a position that didn''t bother the wounds or was it merely an aesthetic choice was unknown.

    Zoemi''s whole torso and upper arms were covered in thick bandages suggesting the severity of the wounds, but thankfully there was no pain visible on the boy''s face and his breathing was firm and steady.

    "So there will be no problems? When he will wake up?"

    Mizoe asked, looking back at the man on the chair.

    "In about three to five days."

    "...!?"

    The red-haired medic dered calmly and Mizoe flinched.

    "It will take that long? Is it really fine?"

    The light-blue-haired man gasped looking back at his son and clenching his fists from worrying too much.

    "Well... we had to give him strong painkillers or he wouldn''t be able to have a wink of sleep - the wounds caused by a whip filled with ice enchants are dreadfully painful, you see."

    "A what? Whip? Did you just say that my boy''s wounds were caused by a whip?! My son was whipped!? WHY?! BY WHO?!"

    "URGHHH...!"

    Mizoe who was leaning over to his son suddenly straightened his back and lifted up the unsuspecting red-haired medic by the cor of his shirt and shook him in anger.

    "MIZOE!"

    "...ah...!"

    Miriette cried out in shock, causing the light-blue-haired man to gasp and hurriedly release the medic.

    "I apologize ¨C that was uncalled for..."

    Mizoe bowed his head, embarrassed by his sudden outburst and leashing out at the innocent man, who was one of the people who saved the boy''s life.

    "...ugh... ekhe...!"

    The medic coughed, massaging his throat but there was no anger on his face.

    "No, it''s alright ¨C I would react the same way if something like that happened to any of my kids."

    The red-haired man waved his hand dismissively and patted Mizoe''s arm.

    "Thank you... and still ¨C why has this happened in the first ce?"

    Mizoe nodded gratefully to the medic before straightening his back and looking questioningly at the dark-haired girl.

    "It was because..."

    Miriette''s chin started trembling - and she told Mizoe everything that she already told her mother.

    When she finished her story Mizoe could barely control himself.

    "And the teachers allowed that...!?"

    The light-blue-haired man uttered through his teeth and clenched his fists so hard that his fingers made cracking sounds.

 Chapter 143 - 41 - Donâ€™t Mess With The Father (part 2)

    "Well... since the second prince was the one to give the order, I guess they had to go with the punishment..."

    It was the red-haired medic who answered his question with an awkward, apologetic-looking shrug.

    "...the academy allowed their student to be harmed because of the status of another person..."

    The light-blue-haired man took a loud breath and nodded to himself before he turned towards the door with a cold expression.

    "Mizoe, where are you going...?"

    Miriette asked, looking at his wide back in confusion.

    "Mydy, I will go have a talk with the teachers about their outrageous misconduct. I still remember where the faculty office is so you don''t have to show me the way."

    The man turned his head to the side and spoke as the faint cloud of steam escaped his mouth as he spoke...

    "But, Mizoe, it''s alreadyte, there won''t be anyone - ack...!"

    Miriette spoke but closed her mouth and took a step back once she caught a glimpse of Mizoe''s eyes, glowing with a pale blue light.

    "Oh, no, littledy.... for their own good they better be right there discussing how monstrously did they messed up... or I will visit them all and cut them down one by one in their sleep..."

    It wasn''t just Mizoe''s appearance that looked cold - the temperature around him literally dropped below the freezing point.

    It got to the point where Miriette and the red-haired medic started shivering as their breaths became visible before Mizoe left the room and closed the door silently after him.

    "...oh dear... I felt that this would be my end... Ice mages are unbelievably scary..."

    "...eh...?"

    The red-haired magician shuddered leaned back on his chair, wiping the nervous sweat from his forehead - and Miriette looked at him surprised.

    "But aren''t you a fire magician - isn''t fire still stronger than ice?"

    "...it all depends on your point of view, really..."

    The dark-haired girl asked but the red-haired medic shook his head.

    "In nature, yes - but the ice magic is the absolute apex of the water magic, which already has very strong magic-defense spells. The ice magic isn''t just cold physically, it can literally freeze the flow of mana in the target''s body, cutting off the power source of the spell. If you count in that the ones who manage to transform their water mana into the ice variant are almost always extremely strong or even transcendent magicians with a huge amount of mana at their disposal - and that always spells trouble..."

    The red-haired medic stopped talking and shuddered once more.

    "But Mizoe isn''t strong at all..."

    Miriette spoke, tilting her head in confusion.

    "What? There''s no way..."

    The red-haired medic was no less confused than her.

    "No, I''m serious. His mana level is simr to a very weak earth magician''s - Mizoe often jokes that he is the reverse transcendent magician"

    Miriette exined, rubbing her hands together to warm up.

    "Then... he can''t use ice magic?"

    The medic raised his brow and asked for confirmation.

    "Oh, he definitely can, I saw him using the ice enchantment before and he turned a human skull into a paste with a single hit."

    "...!"

    The dark-haired girl revealed rather casually, making the red-haired medic fo wide-eyed.

    "But how? Ice magic takes a lot of mana to use!"

    He called out in disbelief, standing up from his chair.

    "I don''t know."

    Miriette just shrugged her shoulders and looked at the door where Mizoe disappeared.

    "He is just that type of guy who shows his real worth in the face of danger."

    --------

    "...whipping... they sentenced my son to a whipping...!"

    Without any hesitation, Mizoe went straight to the faculty office, clenching his trembling fists.

    "...!"

    "..."

    The mare neighed at the light-blue-haired man when he was walking from one building to another but received no reaction whatsoever and kicked the ground, lowering her head in annoyance.

    Meanwhile, Mizoe was focusing on the ice mana coiling around his arm, forcing it to stay active.

    Soon the furious father was standing in front of the faculty office.

    Just as he expected, voices could be heard from the inside.

    Mizoe gritted his teeth and raised his fist, winding up for an empowered punch...!

    ----------

    Rokiana Grea Perserios, the blue-haired young female teacher, was sitting by the long table in the faculty office and was staring angrily at the red-haired middle-aged teacher sitting across her.

    "We are not going through this again, miss Rokiana!"

    "..."

    Another teacher spoke up and Rokiana red at him too.

    "But of course! Why would we!? Such an abuse of power is amon thing after all!"

    She crossed her arms and mocked him in a disgusted voice.

    "I thought that the Aspakeony Academy is impartial towards all of the students, and when a student breaks the rules they will be punished! And correct me if I''m wrong, but hiring a bloody damn torture-master to harm another student sounds exactly like that! NO ¨C it''s even worse! That disgrace of a water magician of a brat hasn''t just broken the rules! He has vandalized them and then pissed all over their remains!"

    Rokiana shouted, mming her fist against the table, making a few teachers flinch and look away in shame.

    "But he is a second prince, you are too inexperienced to properly look at the situation..."

    The red-haired middle-aged teacher shook his head impatiently and dered.

    "Excuse me!?"

    Rokiana made a surprised expression and put both of her hands on the table.

    "I''ll have you know that in my contract there''s a clear statement that I am hired as a teacher because of my knowledge and EXPERIENCE that I am supposed to impart on and share with the students! I can bring it right now if you want to check!"

    She stated while standing up and pointing at the door.

    "You have thebat experience, but this is politics! It''s apletely different battlefield and you know it!"

    The red-haired teacher shook his head in annoyance.

    "No, it is not! If this was a battlefield I would already have that stinking excuse of a water magician...!"

    The discussion was getting heated, the red-haired middle-aged teacher and teacher Rokiana stood up and were ring at each other room across the table.

    But suddenly something happened and made the temperature in the faculty office drop...

    Literally.

    *BOOOOOOOM*

    Just as Rokiana was about to say what kind of punishment would she pick when the door to the office broke.

    And it wasn''t just broken down...

    The door was smashed to pieces and thrown across the room, somerge splinters and even whole fragments of the wood got embedded into the opposite wall!

    It''s worth mentioning that that door wasn''t just any old door either.

    It was magically enhanced to survive even the very strong spells!

    But they just got obliterated in a single punch.

    "!!!!!!"

    Everyone froze up at the sight and their breaths became visible...

    Then, through the door came a tall knight in full armor without a helmet and a short-sword at his waist - his eyes and hair were pale blue and his expression was fearsomely strict and grim, while the powerful ice enchantment on his hand pulsated with a cold light resulting in an overwhelmingly threatening picture...

    "Hello."

    The knight nodded his head to the petrified teachers.

    "My name is Mizoe Auequas, father of Zoemi Auequas, and I wish to inquire why did you allow my son to be tortured to the brink of death - and how are you going to punish the ones responsible for causing harm to my child."

    He said in a voice even colder than his magic.

 Chapter 144 - 41 - Donâ€™t Mess With The Father (part 3)

    "...!"

    Even though the newly arrived knight wasn''t taking any hostile actions besides standing in front of them with his enchantments active, all the teachers called upon their defensive spells instinctively.

    Everyone felt that their spells activated slower ¨C and it wasn''t just an illusion either - the flow of their mana really did slow down even though they weren''t directly in contact with the ice enchantment.

    The effect of the ice magic was especially visible when it came to the water magicians.

    Their spells were distorted and their mana was almost refusing to flow as if it didn''t want to work against the ice.

    |All water mana ultimately wants to be the ice mana...|

    The blue-haired teacher, Rokiana, recalled the words of herte grandfather as her water bubble wavered as if she was facing a hurricane and couldn''t keep a proper shape even for a second.

    "I-I remember you! You''re the fourth son of the Auequas! Didn''t you get disinherited? How dare you bust in here and threaten the teachers of the Aspakeony Academy!?"

    The red-haired middle-aged teacher recognized the knight and frowned.

    With his body glowing red from the enchants, he walked up to the light-blue-haired knight with his head held high.

    "If you don''t want trouble, you will leave the faculty office immediately!"

    Since the red-haired teacher knew that he was of higher status than the knight, he started acting as if he could order the knight around and waved his hand glowing with the weak fire enchantments in front of Mizoe''s face...

    "Who allowed you to speak to me about anything else than what I asked?"

    "!!???!?!?!?!?!?!!"

    Mizoe''s re hardened and he grabbed the red-haired teacher''s hand - the red glow of the enchantment instantly disappeared as the ice magicpletely stopped the red-haired teacher mana within a single second.

    "H-How dare you! U-unhand me!"

    The teacher squealed terrified as his hand started bing stung with the ice so cold that it was burning his skin.

    The red-haired man''s face twisted in pain and he opened his mouth in a silent scream.

    "S-stop! P-p-please...!"

    The teacher slumped down on his knees and his tone changed to the one of a horrified plea of mercy.

    "..."

    But Mizoe didn''t let go.

    He kept ring at the powerless teacher with the same strict and grim expression, indifferent to his suffering.

    "Sir Auequas!"

    Rokiana didn''t like the red-haired teacher but she couldn''t just let the situation stay like this either. She recalled her magic since the closer she would get the more useless it would be. and took a step forward.

    "...?"

    Mizoe nced at her and raised his brow - his eyes darted down for a moment.

    "...!"

    At first, Rokiana became irritated that she was being checked out in this sort of situation - but then she realized that the knight wasn''t looking at her body ¨C but straight at the rapier on her waist...

    |He acts just like my grandfather...! Always vignt no matter if the opponent can use magic or not...!|

    Rokiana shook her head to get rid of the unnecessary thoughts - for some reason, she kept on recalling herte grandfather, and that always meant that she would get emotional, so she had to keep herself in check.

    "Sir Auequas, could you please let this man go?"

    She asked calmly and walk closer towards the light-blue-haired man.

    "...hmph..."

    "Ughuhuhgghghghgh...!"

    Mizoe sighed and freed the red-haired teacher - who was mumbling something ineligible while shivering from the cold - and even released his ice enchantment spell.

    Well... Rokiana thought that Mizoe released the spell, while in fact, Mizoe''s mana just ranpletely dry, leaving him in a state of severe mana depletion.

    That also meant that the light-blue-haired man would suffer all the side effects that came with that state...

    The symptoms for Mizoe were very simr to the ones Zoemi suffered from since the difference in mana quantity wasn''t all that much - that meant the light-blue-haired man became drunk,

    But - as it goes with being drunk, everyone is a bit different.

    In Zoemi''s case, he would be wobbly and very emotional...

    ...while Mizoe...

    "I asked a question and as the proper nobles, you should be well-behaved enough to answer. I also told you my name so it would be only proper to introduce yourselves too. Youngdy, no matter how beautiful you are, a bit ofmon courtesy won''t hamper your honor."

    Mizoe would always turn authoritative and domineering.

    "Ah! I am sorry...!"

    Rokiana blushed nervously and bowed her head apologetically.

    "Don''t be sorry, beautifuldy, just act with honor and pride as everyone should."

    Mizoe spoke in a cold, indifferent voice.

    "Yes! I am sorry, sir!"

    Rokiana left herself be scolded as if she was once again a little girl.

    "Still not giving me your name? You must like that I''m calling you beautiful."

    "...!"

    Mizoe sounded very strict and Rokiana blushed even more.

    "Then, beautifuldy? Why did you and other teachers allow something as outrageous as whipping to happen to my son, and what are you going to do about the perpetrators?"

    Mizoe asked, every single bit as imposing as he was with the ice enchantments active.

    "Sir! We have no excuses for ourselves, we were informed about what will happen but we didn''t think the situation would be so serious..."

    Rokiana flinched and exined feeling extremely embarrassed over the failure.

    "You thought that whipping won''t be a serious thing? Beautifuldy, is that weapon by your waist not a sign that you are a knight? Have they changed the curriculum as did they change the type of weapon they would grant a graduate?"

    Mizoe tilted his head and pointed at Rokiana''s rapier and then at his own short-sword.

    "I-I doubt it, sir!"

    The blue-haired woman shook her head.

    "Don''t stutter. Speak clearly."

    Mizoe raised his brow and dered.

    "Sir, yes, sir!"

    Rokiana straightened her back and saluted since the tone used by the light-blue-haired knight reminded her of her time on the battlefield back at the borders of her territory.

    The thing about bing a knight was an influence of her grandfather too...

    Curiously enough, Rokiana was the only teacher who wasn''t aware of the nned punishment and learned about it only after the fact, unlike most of the faculty - but since she was the one to speak up to Mizoe, she was the one being scolded in everyone else''s stead.

    "What''s done cannot be undone ¨C then? What about the punishment for the responsible ones?"

    Mizoe shook his head with disappointment and asked furrowing his brows.

    "That''s..."

    "...!"

    Rokiana nced at the other teachers who were busy helping out the red-haired teacher.

    "Since the main culprit is the second prince of the kingdom, most of the faculty have opted to not take any action against him..."

    She clenched her fists and looked away in shame.

    "To think the teachers would go against the Academy''s policy so openly! Is sir Vereq not a headmaster anymore?"

    Mizoe shook his head and asked in disbelief.

    "He is, sir! Our decision was just sent to him before you came in, sir!"

    Rokiana dered, straightening her back again.

    "Then everything should end up as it should - I guess I leave it to him to deal with this insubordination."

    Mizoe shrugged his shoulders, then he nodded towards the Rokiana and turned towards the exit.

    "I will leave it at that then. I hope you will correct your way. It''s a shame when a good knight is making such doubtful decisions."

    The light-blue-haired knight called out to the blue-haired teacher making her flinch and blush at the same time.

    "I''m sorry, sir!"

    Rokiana hurriedly lowered her head and apologized.

    "You can stop with the sir too, I''m your senior, not instructor, beautifuldy."

    Mizoe scoffed and hook his hand dismissively.

    "Yes, sir... I-I mean, Yes, senior!"

    Rokiana stuttered and saluted again.

    "If anyone would want to see me, I''ll be by my son''s side. Goodnight."

    Mizoe dered with such pride as if he was at least a duke and walked outside leaving the stunned teachers behind.

    -------

    "W-wee back...?"

    He didn''t even stumble once and returned to Miriette''s room - Miriette herself was staying in Zoemi''s room for the moment, so only the medic watching over Zoemi greeted the knight nervously.

    "Hello."

    |The youngdy Espine said that he didn''t have a lot of mana but she must have been mistaken...!|

    The poor medic almost had a heart attack because of the overbearing pressure surrounding the returned knight...

    Even though Mizoe was dealing with the effects of the mana depletion so well ¨C at the first nce - it didn''t mean that he would actually remember anything that he did the next day though....

 Chapter 145 - 42 - A Matter Of Perspective (part 1)

    Patishi was feeling unbearably miserable.

    Everything started with that sudden nosebleed thatpletely messed up the batter she was preparing, and then she even fainted and messed up the cream she worked the whole day on perfecting!

    Then, after she regained her senses, things got even worse - she learned that this whole incident - because not only did the brown-haired girl start bleeding and lost consciousness - was caused becausedy Espine was calling for help because Patishi''s big brother got hurt!

    And not just any kind of hurt - he was seriously hurt!

    Zoemi got whipped in front of the Academy!

    When the ck-haired boy was in the kitchen before, he tried to make it seem as if he would be fine but in the end, the wounds must have been as bad as they looked!

    Patishi went to see her big brother as soon as she learned about what happened but there was no one in Zoemi''s room and when the skinny girl gathered enough courage to go to thedy Espine''s room, it was sealed off with some scary magic.

    Patishi knew that the first prince was absent so she didn''t go to check in his room...

    A night has passed and Patishi went to the kitchen as always.

    She didn''t know if her big brother was even in the Academy or was he transported elsewhere for the treatment but she decided to prepare breakfast anyway.

    The brown-haired girl was going for a normal breakfast for her big brother''s master and one that was easy to eat by someone sick, just in case, for Zoemi himself.

    But when she finished she only became more miserable by looking at the food...

    "Are you alright, big brother Zoemi...?"

    "No! Absolutely not!"

    "That is not up for discussion anymore..."

    She muttered to herself when two angry voices got her attention.

    Someone was arguing near the kitchen door.

    "Mistress Miriette, please make my sister return to the master''s side!"

    Someone was calling out in an angry voice ¨C not as much asking as demanding the action out of the other person.

    "Sister, master has allowed me to help mistress Miriette, why are you so stubborn?"

    The other person responded in an equally angry voice.

    "Veo, it''s like Teo has said, it was her own decision and Horeo agreed to it, he''s worried for Zoemi too."

    As it turned out, there was a third person taking part in the quarrel, but she was clearly taking one of the sides that was more convenient to her...

    "Mistress, don''t make it sound like I am not worried about sir Zoemi!"

    The first person clearly stomped her foot and gasped in disbelief.

    "...?"

    Patishi peeked from behind the kitchen door at the arguing parties and was surprised by the sight.

    There were three girls quarreling - Teo, probably, anddy Espine on one side and Veo, most likely, on the other.

    "See? You also want to help sir Zoemi, right, sister? But we both know that you are not that good at doing chores so..."

    Teo made a pouty expression and awkwardly looked away, dodging the re of her older twin sister

    "That''s the point! Don''t act as if you don''t understand!"

    Veo stomped her foot in anger, biting her lips in an attempt to keep her cool.

    "I''m useless because of these...!"

    The short brown-haired girl in a maid''s uniform waved her arms around and they just smack around her body like two oversized meaty noodles.

    "And you are leaving our master in my care! Don''t you remember how sir Zoemi scolded us before for not acting as attendants should!? Because you are not acting as an attendant should, right now!"

    "...!"

    Hearing Veo''s words, Teo took a step back and lowered her head in shame.

    "It''s different this time, sir Zoemi is the one who got hurt!"

    The younger twin said without looking at her older sister, not even considering going back on her n.

    "You...! You cannot be serious?!"

    Which caused Veo to call out and looked up before awkwardly covering her face with her numb arms.

    "No! It''s not different at all! Sir Zoemi is under the proper care of a group of medics! His life isn''t in any danger! You can just make meals for the mistress and everything will be fine! You don''t need to stay with the mistress and sir Zoemi all the time!"

    Veo called out pointing out the most proper solution for the situation.

    "But I want to stay with them!"

    Despite being reasonable, Veo was treated as if she was being a nuisance by her younger sister.

    "You little...!"

    Veo gritted her teeth and got red from anger at her younger sister''s selfishness.

    "You''ve learned nothing! Sir Zoemi will scold you as soon as he will wake up! You''ll see! Mistress!"

    "...!"

    She shouted furiously and turned towards the dark-haired girl who flinched and looked at them just a little bit ashamed.

    "Mistress Miriette, you must convince this stupid brat to return to her real duties!"

    The short brown-haired girl in the maid''s uniform called out pointing angrily at her sibling.

    "Hey! We are twins and I''m younger only by a few minutes!"

    Teo pouted and called out defensively.

    "Indeed ¨C we are - but apparently between the two of us only I got the fully functioning brain!"

    Veo scoffed furiously, trembling as if she was barely able to hold herself back from pping some sense into the short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform in front of her.

    "...! HMPH...!"

    Teo clenched her fists but instead of continuing shouting, she turned away from her sister.

    "Mistress...!"

    Veo looked for help in Miriette but if she thought that her master''s fiance will be on her side she miscalcted...

    "..."

    Lady Espine looked away with just as much awkwardness as Teo.

    "I think that the more help the better..."

    She said nervously.

    "Besides, Horeo agreed to it, right? What''s the problem?"

    "Wh-what''s the problem...?"

    ...and that was too much for Veo...

    "I''m using magic to move these lumps of flesh that look like arms! I can''t grab things properly! How am I supposed to properly do all the chores for my prince all by myself!? How am I supposed to cook If I can''t hold the knife properly!?"

    The desperate girl shouted and deactivated her enchants.

    Her hands slumped uselessly to her sides.

    "Master can just eat the cafeteria food, he said so himself..."

    "That''s right..."

    "...!"

    But her argument wasn''t acknowledged at all.

    "And you dare to call yourself an attendant...?! Sir Zoemi told us many times about the duties of the attendant - and that''s how you act...? Sir Zoemi will be disappointed in you! And mistress, you are no better than her!"

    "..."

    "..."

    The two girls knew they were in the wrong but they wouldn''t change their mind so they were just looking away from Veo on the verge of tears.

    "..."

    Patishi has heard enough too, she became relieved after hearing that her big brother was fine but still, she wanted to help him recover too - though she couldn''t agree with the behavior of thedy Espine and Teo.

    So, she took a deep breath and left her cover.

    "Y-your Highness..."

    The skinny girl properly greeted Miriette by kneeling in front of her.

    "I-I prepared the food for you and sir Zoemi, the tray is already waiting."

    She said nervously.

    "Oh! Patishi! That''s splendid, thank you!"

    Miriette smiled at her but she unintentionally nced at Veo and her smile shrunk.

 Chapter 146 - 42 - A Matter Of Perspective (part 2)

    "I''ll get it!"

    Teo quickly walked past Patishi and returned right away with the tray in her hands.

    "Do you want to go with us to Zoemi?"

    Miriette asked Patishi before leaving.

    "I would love to, your highness..."

    "..."

    Patishi responded, nodding her head ¨C which caused Veo to make a sorrowful expression ¨C no matter what, it seemed that no one was on her side.

    "Alright then, let''s go!"

    Miriette turned around but Patishi hasn''t finished talking.

    "...but even so, I want to help miss Veo serve the first prince. Am I allowed to do that?"

    """Eh?"""

    All three girls looked at her in surprise.

    Honestly, neither of them expected Patishi to pick anyone over her beloved big brother.

    But the confusion didn''tst long.

    "Suit yourself, you have my permission and even blessing if that''s your thing."

    Miriette shrugged her shoulders and started walking.

    "Let''s go, Teo."

    The dark-haired girl nodded at the brown-haired girl in the butler''s uniform.

    "Indeed, mistress."

    Teo bowed her head slightly, and the two walked away, leaving Patishi and Veo behind.

    "...whew..."

    Only then did Patishi stand up and breathe out, pale as a ghost.

    She needed a minute or two thepose herself before the she could walk towards Veo.

    "Patishi... I''m not in the wrong here, right? Or am I just cruel towards sir Zoemi...?"

    Veo, the older one of the twins, and also the one who stayed behind asked in a weak voice.

    "You aren''t wrong, miss Veo! Big brother Zoemi would get really angry at miss Teo for doing something like that and I''m also sure that he would try very hard to convince his master to do something about it!"

    The younger girl assured the girl in the maid''s outfit...

    "Let''s go make the breakfast for the first prince, shall we?"

    The skinny girl dered with a bright smile before grabbing Veo''s limp hand and pulling her to the kitchen.

    "Indeed."

    Veo nodded with a small smile and let herself be guided by the young skinny brown-haired girl.

    ------

    Somewhere in the middle of the preparations Patishi fidgeted and turned towards Veo.

    "Miss Veo, can I ask you about something?"

    She asked and even stopped moving her knife.

    "Indeed."

    Veo tilted her head curiously in anticipation of the question.

    "What happened to your arms in the first ce? Why can''t you move therm without using magic."

    The younger girl couldn''t help herself and asked, curiously peeking at the lifeless limbs swaying loosely on both sides of her body.

    "They got crushed in an ident when I was younger.

    "O-oh...! I''m sorry..."

    Veo responded rarhter crudely, and - after hearing the immediate answer, Patishi fidgeted anxiously.

    "I didn''t want to bring up bad memories..."

    She apologized, feeling overwhelmingly guilty and embarrassed over the fact that she stirred up some unpleasant memories...

    "It''s no big deal anymore, but you better not go back on your word! You will help me perform the duties of an attendant!"

    Veo answered clearly ¨C but - squinted her eyes at the younger girl - at the sight Patishi giggled and resumed the preparation.

    Before she was finished she turned to Veo once more.

    "Miss Veo, do you want to taste test it?"

    The skinny brown-haired girl pointed at the food lightheartedly.

    "Aaa...!"

    Veo opened her mouth in response and Patishi blushed embarrassed.

    "M-miss Veo...?"

    "Aaa...!"

    The short brown-haired girl was adamant and kept her mouth open despite the other girl blushing from the mere thought of publicly feeding another person.

    But, even with the initial shock, after a full minute of awkwardness, Patishi was the one to give in and she took a forkful of the dish that she was preparing and feed it right to the girl in the maid''s outfit.

    "Aaam! Mmmm!"

    Veo started chewing on it and her eyes sparkled.

    "You''re a way better cook than Teo!"

    She eximed and after reapplying her enchantments so that she could move her arms back up, she patted Patishi''s head.

    *WHAM*

    "A...augh....!"

    "Ugh! Miss Veo, please be a bit more gentle if you can...!"

    Patishi grabbed the older girl''s head after what was essentially a hard smack.

    "Sorry, We''re simr height so it''s hard to measure my strength for this...''

    She blushed and apologized.

    --------

    Veo was the one to carry the tray, it didn''t demand any precise movement so she could do it no problem but it was Patishi who knocked on the door and opened it.

    The prince was already dressed up and was in the middle of making his his bed.

    "Ah! Your Highness! I''ll do that!"

    While Veo left the tray on the desk Patishi hurried to Horeo.

    "Oh! Hello Patishi. Did youe to have breakfast? It''s okay - you don''t need to help me."

    The first prince smiled at the girl.

    "No, your highness! I will be helping miss Veo until Teo returns!"

    Patishi dered and the first prince raised his brows.

    "Oh?"

    He nced at his attendant and she nodded in confirmation.

    "Fine then, I see that you have decided upon bing my attendant in training."

    Horeoughed and patted Patishi''s head.

    "Yes, your highness!"

    The skinny girl responded all jittery.

    Horeo was finishing breakfast when he heard sobbing right next to him. At first, he looked at Veo but she shook her head and motioned to the other side. Horeo turned and saw that Patishi is crying while holding a fork.

    "What happened? You don''t actually have to eat if you don''t want to...!"

    Horeo became anxious and dere with a worried expression, reaching out to the crying girl...

    "Does your stomach hurts?"

    "...n-noo..."

    The gold-haired prince asked but the girl shook her head.

    "Then what it is about?"

    He asked with concern.

    "I''m worried for big brother Zoemi, after all...!"

    Patishi wiped her big tears with her sleeve.

    "You can go see him if you want! You don''t really have to act like my attendant all the time."

    Horeo smiled and patted Patishi''s head but the girl shook her head again.

    "No...!"

    She sniffled.

    "I will keep my word and I will serve you, your highness!"

    Patshi said bravely and wiped her tears once more.

    She looked so cute and sad that Horeo couldn''t help himself and hugged her.

    "Y-your Highness....!?"

    Patishi squeaked like a toy and blushed all the way to her hairline.

    "Don''t worry, Patishi! All three of us will go to see how Zoemi is, during the lunch break, alright?"

    Hero asked without letting go of the girl. He even started patting her head again.

    "Th-thank you, your highness!"

    Patishi was abashed but very, very happy.

    Although she would not say that out loud, Patishi felt super happy and safe in the first prince''s embrace.

    "..."

    From the side, Veo raised her hand but she stopped halfway to Patishi''s head, she didn''t want to hit the other girl by mistake again.

    "...hmm~"

    Hero noticed that and grabbed the girl''s hand and gently ced it on Patishi''s head and grinned at his attendant.

    "..."

    And his attendant blushed a bit and smiled back while slowly stroking the younger girl''s hair.

    ------

    When the lunch break arrived, the three of them really went to see Zoemi, Patishi and Veo even waited for Horeo in front of his ssroom.

    As they were walking past the faculty office they saw a few people installing the new door and Patishi even caught a nce of the inside of the room.

    Two brown-haired teachers were pulling out sharp pieces of wood from the wall with faces red from their efforts.

    "I wonder what happened?"

    Patishi asked out loud and Horeo checked out what she was looking at.

    "Oh? Haven''t you heard? Zoemi''s father visited the teachers."

    "Big brother''s father? Visited...?"

    Patishi tilted her head in confusion, struggling to find the connection between the two informations.

    "He got angry that they allowed Zoemi to be hurt."

    Veo exined.

    "Eh? Big brother''s father attacked the teachers? By himself!?"

    Patishi gasped in disbelief.

    "Oh, I''ve heard he beat up one of them and the rest was too scared to do anything!"

    Horeoughed in response both pleased and ever so slightly impressed.

    "Huh? So big brother''s father is super strong?"

    Patishi gasped in awe.

    "It''s hard to say, really... He has less mana than an average earth magician after all..."

    "...?!"

    Horeo scratched his chin pensively and Patishi''s stared at him speechless from the shock.

 Chapter 147 - 43 - Waking Up To Some Surprises...! (part 1)

    Zoemi slowly opened his eyes, his whole body hurt but not as much as he expected it to.

    The ck-haired boy was a bit ufortableying on his stomach but since he knew his back must have been in a terrible condition, he only wiggled a bit to shift his torso into a morefortable position.

    "..."

    Zoemi could feel the bandages tightly wrapped around his body, as well as the oily salves that must have been applied by the medics.

    |So Miriette didn''t ask the heroine to heal me... Well... as expected ¨C all in all, that might be for the best. The less interaction between those two, the better...|

    The boy thought to himself, trying to focus his dizzy mind on the important matters, but it was honestly near impossible because of certain distractions...

    |What is this smell...l? It''s so nice... It''s so familiar too...|

    Zoemi sniffed the bedding he wasying on and felt incredibly rxed, he was still all groggy from the sleep but he raised his head a bit to look around.

    His back stung when he strained his neck but, once again, it wasn''t such a big dealpared to the actual whipping.

    |Huh...? Hold on a moment... This is not my room...!|

    The ck-haired boy''s eyes widen in a sudden realization.

    The desk and the wardrobe were in different ces because the window and the door were on different walls - it was definitely still the Aspakeony Academy, but not the same chamber that the boy was used to wake up in.

    There was an empty chair right by his bed too and Zoemi stared at it for a bit.

    |I wonder if Miriette will check up on me... I want her to try to clumsily help me out... I might even tease her and ask her to feed me...|

    "Please,e in."

    "N-no...! Senior, I wouldn''t dare disturb a sick person''s rest...!"

    Zoemi pondered with a mischievous smile - but then voicesing from the other side of the room rmed him - so he cautiously turned his head to check out what was going on.

    "Lady Perserios, I''m honored by your presence and, once more, I''m terribly sorry for my behavior the other day. If I knew that you were the instructor Irius''s granddaughter I would never...!"

    |Dad...?!|

    To Zoemi''s great surprise, the first voice belonged to his adoptive father, Mizoe.

    The pale-blue-haired knight, with his back, turned to the bed, was talking with the blue-haired teacher, Rokiana Grea Perserios, who apparently came to visit ¨C but was refusing to enter all fidgety.

    "No! Senior, don''t bow your head, please!"

    Flustered Rokiana waved her hands and blushed, as apparently Mizoe was apologizing to her about something.

    "You never said anything disrespectful, senior! Actually, I think that my grandfather would be proud that one of his students would stand up to such injustice taking ce in the Aspakeony Academy of all ces!"

    The blue-haired woman clenched her fists under her chin and did a little bounce, speaking up all fired up.

    "I''m grateful for the praise but I doubt that instructor Perserios even remembered me ¨C and if he did, it was most definitely not in a positive light - I was an average aspiring knight."

    Mizoe was exining while awkwardly rubbing the back of his head, undoubtedly blushing at the praise he wasn''t sure he deserved.

    "Senior, you are too modest, you can use ice magic, after all!"

    |Ooohhhh.... that''s how it is... dad must have heard about what happened to me and showed off his magic ¨C he must have given the teachers a good scare! Still... is it just me or is teacher Perserios quite... restless...? Could it be...?|

    Rokiana waved her hand dismissively and eximed, Zoemi, observing from the side, found that abundant of gestiction quite peculiar - she was nowhere near as animated during the lectures.

    "Not at all."

    Mizoe shook his head.

    "As I exined to you before, I''m an anomaly, I became able to use the ice magic only after the kidnapping incident. And that only happened eleven or so years ago... with that in mind, and the instructors... you know..."

    The pale-blue-haired knight stopped talking and tilted his head awkwardly.

    "...ah... r-right... I see... yes, you are right, senior... then again...!"

    "Yes?"

    Rokiana''s shoulders slumped but she instantly recovered.

    "Um, wh-what about Zoemi?"

    She asked innocently.

    "Oh, the medics say that he should regain his conscience in a day or two, his wounds are healing properly and soon he should be all good."

    Mizoe answered with a smile.

    "That''s great! But I was wondering..."

    Rokiana nodded, looking down bashfully, and started ying with her hair too bashful to get inside but also unwilling to just leave so soon...

    "Senior, you are here but... Where is the... boy''s mother...?"

    The blue-haired woman asked timidly and nced at Mizoe''s face while she started coiling the strand of her hair around her finger with twice the previous speed, greatly interested in the answer ¨C but trying her best to y it cool.

    "Mother...? Whose...? AH! My Zoemi''s?!"

    Mizoe asked in surprise.

    "Ah! No, no. I don''t have a wife or a lover ¨C and never had one either - I adopted Zoemi after he rescued littledy Espine."

    The pale-blue-haired knight shrugged his shoulders and exined ¨C blushing in embarrassment when he mentioned his marital status as usually men his age were already long-married and settled.

    "Oh really!? That''s amazing! Ah! N-no...! I-I mean...!"

    Rokiana flinched and eximed happily but she realized that she was getting a bit too obvious so she crossed her arms and look to the side trying to y things cool.

    "In that case, senior... Would you mind, um... you know... meeting with me sometime... I-I... um, I personally would like to discuss the ice magic some more, you know... If I could be stronger and all... That would... be... useful... yes... useful..!"

    No matter how hard Rokiana tried to hide her embarrassment herpletely red face gave her away ¨C at least to the Zoemi matching everything from the side with great interest ¨C the blue-haired woman kept on ncing at Mizoe but was too bashful to keep the actual eye contact for longer than a second or two.

    "U-um... O-of course only after your son recovers...!"

    She added hurriedly.

    Rokiana''s behavior was obvious for Zoemi but his father was on the denser side.

    Mizoe smiled politely in response to the invitation.

    "Of course,dy Perserios, I will most definitely try to find the time for the granddaughter of the instructor Irius."

    "...!"

    He bowed his head politely and ten straightened his back and smiled at the slightly dispirited woman.

    ...Rokiana didn''t seem to like Mizoe referring to her as the granddaughter of his instructor...

    "That''s... good..."

    She lowered her head and nodded.

    "Senior... you... Won''t call me beautiful again...?"

    She muttered under her breath while looking away, embarrassed out of her mind because of her boldness.

    "...?"

    Mizoe tilted his head.

    "...I''m sorry,dy Perserios, I couldn''t quite hear you properly ¨C could you repeat thatst part...?"

    The pale-blue-haired man apologized and asked for a repeat.

    "!!!!!"

    Rokiana hid her face in her hands.

    "N-nothing! I-I-I-I said that I punched your son in the stomach a few days back!"

    Her voice peaked and she hastily turned away and evacuated.

    "Wait ¨C wha...?! What?!"

    The wide-eyed Mizoe gasped and called after the running woman in disbelief ¨C but she certainly didn''t intend to stop and exin herself.

    "...what was that supposed to mean...?"

    The knight furrowed his brows and tilted his head pondering over some secret meaning behind the blue-haired teacher''sst words....

 Chapter 148 - 43 - Waking Up To Some Surprises...! (part 2)

    When Mizoe turned around he saw his son staring at him with an excited expression.

    "Zoemi, you''re awake! How are you feeling?"

    The pale-blue-haired knight eximed and hurriedly sat beside the ck-haired boy.

    "I''m fine, just a bit sore and that''s all - but more importantly, dad! Teacher Rokiana was totallying on to you!"

    The scarred boy eximed excitedly.

    "What!? No...! No way! You''re imagining things...!"

    Mizoe blushed at his son''s words and waved his hand dismissively.

    "I''m serious, dad, she was flirting with you and she asked you on a date!"

    The ck-haired boy assured the man, sounding way more lively than he should be considering what he had been through.

    "Zoemi, you are still under the effects of the medicine and..."

    Mizoe waved his hand again - but then he froze for a moment and nced at the door before turning to his son with a bashful expression.

    "Did... Did it really look like she was interested in me...?"

    The knight asked timidly.

    Zoemi rolled his eyes.

    "Of course! She even asked if you are single and was all fidgety and she''s usually so serious! How did you seduce her!?"

    The boy gasped with sparkling eyes.

    "I didn''t...! Well... I don''t know if I did or not, actually... I used my magic to get inside the faculty office and I don''t remember what happened from there on... The next daydy Perserios just came here to talk to me and was calling me her senior, well, she''s also a knight so it''s not that weird to do so but, you know..."

    Mizoe exined all fidgety and nervous.

    "Oh! That exins everything!"

    Zoemi stopped his father''s nervous exnation.

    "It does...?"

    "Yes!"

    Mizoe tilted his head and Zoemi nodded.

    "Dad, you are usually cool but you be super cool when you have mana depletion. I guess teacher Perserios likes confident men."

    The ck-haired boy snickered with a big smile stered all over his face.

    "Ahem...! By the way, son, you have been unconscious for four days already."

    The pale-blue-haired knight coughed, clearing his throat, and did his best to change the subject.

    "Oh, that long?"

    "You sure did."

    Zoemi gasped ¨C and Mizoe breathed out in relief because he seeded in taking the boy''s attention off of himself and his possible rtionship.

    "What aboutdy Miriette!?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi became agitated and tried to get up ¨C which made Mizoe stand up and hold him down.

    "Son, she''spletely fine, she caught a light cold but..."

    "She''s sick!? I must go to her!"

    The pale-blue-haired knight made the mistake of mentioning the little information- which caused his son to skilfully slither away from his grasp, roll out of the bed and stand up without caring for the pain.

    "Zoemi, stop! What do you even think you are doing?! Do you want your wounds to get worse?! Get back to bed!"

    "Whoa...!"

    But despite being nimble and strong for his age, Zoemi was still a wounded boy and he was no match for a trained, veteran knight as Mizoe ¨C the pale-blue-haired knight caught him with ease and got him right back on the mattress despite the boy''sints.

    "But, dad...!"

    The ck-haired boy called out in a protest.

    "First, it''s only a light cold, nothing much - I checked on her myself. Littledy didn''t want you to be sick too, so she is staying away. You have to honor your master''s will, you know? Stay here and rest."

    Mizoe exined, patting the dispirited Zoemi''s head.

    "I know but..."

    The boy sighed.

    "And secondly, one of the first prince''s attendants is with her, so there''s no need for you to worry. The only thing you are obliged to do is focus on recovering as fast as you can."

    Mizoe said in a strict voice and Zoemi lowered his head.

    "I understand, father."

    He pouted but didn''t try to roll off the bed again.

    "Good boy."

    Mizoe smiled and affectionately tousled his son''s hair.

    "Oh, that''s right. In two days the principal will announce the punishment for the second prince for the abuse of power."

    The pale-blue-haired knight added in a casual tone as if it was something obvious and not shocking turn of events.

    "Excuse me...!?"

    Zoemi stared at his father in disbelief, thinking that he might have got injured on his way to the Academy and was making up nonsense.

    "Why do you sound so shocked, son? Even the king is disappointed by his second son''s petty action ¨C and let''s not forget what this ce is! In the Aspakeony Academy, every student is equal - even if the student is from a royal family as long as he breaks the rules he will be punished by the school!"

    Mizoe just shrugged his shoulder as if what he said waspletely natural, even though there were a lot of rules already in ce that put some students in a more advantageous position than the rest...

    ...especially the high noble ones...

    ------

    Zoemi was supposed to stay in bed for at least three more days but he managed toy still only for a single one - and not even a full-on at that!

    The ck-haired boy grew way too restless especially since he was staying in his master''s room!

    To not let certain unbing thoughts take over him, the ck-haired boy snuck out from the room as soon as the chance appeared.

    His father went outside to do some light training and medics stopped watching him all the time and just visited his room at certain hours.

    With that in mind, Zoemi had plenty of time to aplish the n that he came up with during long hours of resting.

    Before he got seriously wounded, a move like the one he had nned would never evene to his mind, but after everything that happened, and everything that was supposed to happen ¨C things couldn''t stay as they were.

    Therefore, using the opportunity provided by thete-ish hour of the day as it was close to sunset and many students went back to their rooms already, the ck-haired boy turned the corner and snuck past a few doors.

    And he wasn''t even going back to his own room to check up on his master either ¨C oh no!

    His target was someone else.

    Once the ck-haired boy reached the right door he took a deep breath to give himself more confidence and knocked on it twice.

    "Coming!"

    The female voice responded to his action and the sound of the footsteps resounded before the door opened and a certain girl showed up.

    "S-sir Zoemi?!"

    She gasped in disbelief and almost shut the door in front of the ck-haired boy''s face ¨C but thankfully she stopped herself at thest moment.

    "Wh-what do you need of me...?"

    |Please, don''t be revenge. Please, don''t be revenge...!|

    The blond-haired heroine, Burushiitto, gulped down her saliva and asked timidly, glued to the door, while chanting a prayer in her mind.

    "...miss Burushiitto, are you aware of the fact that the school is nning to punish the second prince for what happened...?"

    Zoemi aksed cautiously, observing the girl''s reaction.

    "...I do... but there is no way that they would actually do something rash - the worst thing that could happen is for him to lose the position of the student supervisor..."

    The heroine furrowed her brows and nodded, confused by the fact that it sounded like Zoemi despite being the yandere character - in her mind that is - isn''t boiling with anger over what happened.

    "Yes - but... you have to agree with me that the second price''s sense of pride is somewhat... problematic..."

    The ck-haired boy raised his brows and looked to the side with a meaningful expression.

    |...that sounds familiar... no, that sounds way too familiar...!|

    Burushiitto furrowed her brows and blinked repeatedly staring at the ck-haired boy''s face.

    "If I wasn''t hurt, then the punishment might get reconsidered or even recalled whatsoever - no matter what it was supposed to be... if you catch my drift..."

    Zoemi raised his head and looked at the hesitant heroine.

    "...you want me to heal the wounds you got from getting whipped...?"

    The blond girl asked in a cautious voice as if she expected it to be some second meaning behind the attendant''s words.

    .. and there indeed was but not the one she expected.

    "Not only the fresh ones - those too."

    Zombie nodded but then turned his head and sowed off the scars on the right side of his face.

    "!!!!!"

    Causing the heroine to flinch.

    "Mydy''s hatred towards lord Grazio grows each time they encounter each other and those scars remind her of it - If they disappear, so will the burden of the responsibility she feels towards me... also - without scars from the whipping, she will never develop simr animosity towards the second prince..."

    Zoemi exined, doing his best to sound as appealing as possible - though he wasn''t so sure that a simple-minded heroine from the game would understand what he meant.

    "..."

    ...but Burushiitto wasn''t the simple-minded heroine from the game - she was the living, breathing, reincarnated person, who first and foremost wanted to survive in that world.

    "...Sir Zoemi, please, allow with me..."

    She stepped to the side and opened her door, inviting the boy to her room.

    "...oh, and if you don''t mind - there is something I would like to discuss with you while the treatment will be in progress..."

    She added as the ck-haired boy was passing her on the way in.

    "Oh...? Of course - I am not expecting you to help me out for free, miss Burushiitto, whatever it is that bothers you, as long as it will not inconvenience my master, I will do everything in my power to help you solve!"

    "Good... because what I am about to discuss with you will surely blow your mind..."

    The ck-haired attendant dered and the blond heroine nodded her head while closing the door, making sure that no one is outside to eavesdrop on them....

 Chapter 149 - 44 - Healing (part 1)

    *click*

    "...!"

    The blond heroine caused the ck-haired boy to flinch and look back at her cautiously.

    "Don''t give me that look."

    Burushiitto blushed, taking her hand off of the lock ¨C leaving the key inside before timidly approaching the scarred attendant.

    "Now. Strip."

    "...!"

    The girl motioned at Zoemi with her chin andmanded in a professional tone... which caused the ck-haired boy to instinctively cover his body and take a step back.

    "Oh,e on! I''m a medic! Besides- we are NOT close enough for you to think that this is that kind of event!"

    Burushiittoined, with her face flushed from embarrassment caused by the overreaction.

    "Sorry. Still ¨C do I have to take off my clothes...?"

    Zoemi apologized and asked with an ufortable expression ¨C even though he was already in the middle of disrobing.

    "If you don''t want to have bandages getting healed up into your body, sure."

    The blond girl shrugged her shoulders and waved her hand dismissively while looking away.

    "...that''s why you closed the door..."

    The boy nodded, unbuttoning his shirt that he had such a hard time putting on before he ventured out of the room.

    "Yah."

    The heroine shrugged her shoulders and nodded at the same time.

    |Yah...? I don''t remember heroine speaking like that...?|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows but didn''t voice his confusion out loud.

    "Alright, please, sit here ¨C I will take a look at your newest wounds... also... I am sorry for that ¨C it feels like you aren''t really mad at my prince and me, but... It really wasn''t supposed to go like this..."

    With the ck-haired boy only in his underwear and bandages protecting his naked body form, the eyes of the blond heroine ended up sitting on the bed, right on the spot which the girl patted with her hand as she spoke with a sad expression.

    "You are correct in assuming that I am not angry at the second prince ¨C but if you don''t mind me asking ¨C what did you think was going to happen? You sound as if the torture master was supposed to tickle me with a wet noodle."

    Zoemi breathed out and sta still as the blond girl was carefully taking off his bandages to check up on the damages ¨C and making a bitter expression while doing so.

    "...sir Zoemi... do you remember what I told you before? About some mysterious supporter who is messing with my prince?"

    Burushiitto asked in a serious voice that honestly took Zoemi by surprise.

    "Of course, I remember, what about him?"

    The ck-haired boy asked in concern ¨C if even the empty-headed heroine noticed something had been off, it must have been really serious...!

    "That guy ¨C because that is the only fact I managed to learn about the supporter ¨C handled everything beginning from making up the content of the punishment paper all the way to hiring the person who would be responsible for delivering the punishment. He made it all look as if the person he hired would make the whipping only look realistic while in actuality it wouldn''t hurt you at all."

    "..."

    Burushiitto revealed ¨C leaving the ck-haired boy speechless.

    "...you... do know how stupid that makes you sound, right? The muscles on my back arent properly attached to my bones anymore ¨C who in their right mind would fall for ''it''s only a show'' argument?!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi called out in disbelief, making the heroine flinch.

    "H-hey, cut me some ck ¨C this world has magic, alright?! One of our teachers literally turned herself invisible in one of the lectures before! Was it that weird for me to think that someone has the magic that creates illusions?!"

    The blond girl cried out absolutely embarrassed and looked away in shame.

    "Sure, sure... you are amoner, miss Burushiitto so it''s not that weird for you to fall for such trick ¨C but the second prince on the other hand..."

    Zoemi raised his hand and waved it a few times showing off that he isn''t mad at her while voicing his doubts about the blue-haired Surou...

    "N-no! My prince is a good person ¨C the thing is... he has issues... It''s not like he foolishly believed every word that other guy said ¨C the problem was that he WANTED to believe him...living in the shadow of his smarter and stronger older brother really put a toll on him. Not to mention that you didn''t actually scream even once!"

    Burushiitto sighed with a bitter expression ncing at Zoemi''s face voicing her ownint.

    "The so-called supporter dered his unwavering loyalty to the second prince many times and gained enough goodwill that my prince wanted to give him a chance... I swear... My prince isn''t a bad person, please, believe me..."

    The blond girl lowered her head in front of the ck-haired boy ¨C although the proper term at the moment would be ¨C she bowed her head at Zoemi''s back ¨C since the scarred attendant was facing away from her so that she could have a better look at his wounds.

    "It''s alright ¨C if I had any ill will towards you or the second prince I wouldn''te to ask you for a favor anyway."

    Zoemi smiled reassuringly, feeling thest of his bandages being removed and his back instantly started stinging once the salve-covered wounds got exposed to the air.

    "...thank you..."

    Burushiitto breathed out with relief and closed her eyes topose herself...

    "Alright. No reason to drag it any longer! Sir Zoemi, get ready to be healed up and be indebted to me for the rest of your life! Anesthetic on! Mend! Regenerate! Strong Heal!"

    "Wh-wha...?! Now hold on here...!"

    The pumped-up heroine didn''t waste any time and cast four spells back to back ¨C even though the ck-haired boy flinched and gasped at her choice of words.

    But then the magic started working - After the first spell Zoemi couldn''t feel any pain - he merely felt a slight tingle as the foreign mana sipped into his body reacting with his own ¨C but that was on almost a spiritual level ¨C the thing that he actually felt was the effects of all the next spells,

    The boy felt his cracked bones bing one again, his muscles reattaching themselves in their rightful ce without exception ¨C his face muscles and skin were moving around, itching a little bit, but overall the ck-haired boy didn''t feel any actual difort at all, he was numb all over as if his body fell asleep while his mind remained conscious.

    |So that''s healing magic...! Ah...! I can see its shadow! Could I just...?|

    Zoemi gasped in awe and nced at Burushitto''s focused face, keenly observing the murky shape floating over her head.

    "..."

    The boy focused on it and reached out for the healing mana with his mind ¨C the murky darkness reached out and wrapped itself around the innocent spelltching onto it and going as far as sipping a portion of the mana itself besides just copying it...!

    "...!"

    This had never happened before ¨C Zoemi was shocked out of his mind ¨C did he undergo some sort of development while braving through the punishment?!

    "...?"

    Zoemi opened his eyes and nced at the heroine curiously ¨C it seemed like she was struggling with controlling her spells ¨C she was sweating and clenching her fists ¨C but didn''t voice aint out loud.

    Still ¨C the ck-haired boy decided it wasn''t a time and ce for experiments as the blond girl was already doing him a major favor, so he focused and the murky shadows retracted, leaving the healing mana alone.

    |I wonder how long it will take...?|

    Zoemi wondered to himself, ncing at his body seeing the discolored spots of skin disappearing from his hands and torso.

 Chapter 150 - 44 - Healing (part 2)

    The process of healing wasn''t instantaneous andsted for quite some time - Zoemi didn''t speak at all, not wanting to disturb the blond girl any more than he already did with his magic ¨C but he was getting all fidgety because it was almost the time for one of the medics to do the routine check up on him.

    ...Zoemi might have been getting healed, but since he never mentioned his n to anyone, the discovery of his empty bed could stir up some unnecessary trouble.

    Thankfully, just as the ck-haired boy was about to open his mouth and ask about how much longer the healing would take, the heroine let out a sigh of relief and opened her eyes.

    "Anesthetic off. Now, let''s have a look."

    Burushiitto breathed out and nodded to herself with satisfaction, leaning close towards the ck-haired boy''s pristine muscr torso.

    "..."

    She ended up blinking a few times before subconsciously reaching out her hand, mesmerized.

    "That''s amazing...! I feel great!"

    "!!!!"

    The painpletely disappeared and Zoemi feltpletely rejuvenated, so he ended up calling out in amazement ¨C causing Burushiitto to flinch and return to her senses... for a moment...

    "What about my face? Miss Burushi, what do you think?"

    The ck-haired boy gasped in excitement and turned around, facing the blond girl ¨C while barely clothed at all, andpletely healed up, with not even a trace of his horrible burn scar...

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    "...huh...?"

    ...and a single look was enough to physically repel the blond heroine, making her push herself away to the other end of the bed ¨C covering her face with both arms and making the ck-haired scarless boy utterly confused.

    |Oh no...! Did it not work...?|

    "Miss Burushi...?"

    The boy despaired internally and called out loud, sliding himself closer to the panicked girl.

    "Please don''t be afraid ¨C I already told you that I don''t have bad intentions."

    Zoemi dered, reaching out to the girl and gently grabbing her hands, and pulling them apart slowly revealing the crimson red face of the heavily breathing girl.

    "N-nyooo!"

    |Nyo?!|

    The girl cried out pitifully and bit her tongue while closing her eyes and looking away from the ck-haired boy.

    "M-miss Burushi? Is it that bad...?!"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva horrified at the thought that he had be so disgusting that others would be too scared to even look at him!

    That would be truly the worst possible oue of the situation ¨C but then...

    "S-s-s-sir... no... l-lord Zoemi...! P-pl-please... I-I-I-I already h-have someone I like...!

    "...what...?"

    ...the heroine cried out, biting her lips ¨C causing the ck-haired youth to tilt his head in confusion.

    "What does that have to do with anything...?"

    He asked in a clueless voice.

    "..."

    The heroine trembled, still looking away but with the silence from the bbergasted boy she ended up gritting her teeth and facing him ¨C still with firmly shut eyelids.

    "...nnn... nnnnn...!"

    Then, with a funny sound, she forced herself to open one eye and nced at the body of the boy holding her in a rather risque position...

    "...miss Burushi...?"

    "...nnnnn....!"

    Zoemi called out in a worried voice and the heroine dared to open both eyes and slowly raise her head so that she ended up gazing upon the ck-haired boy''s healed-up face...

    "...fuaaaaah...!"

    And as soon as she did that, her brain overheated and she yelped before she suddenly got a nosebleed and slumped limply onto the mattress as if her bones turned into jello.

    "Miss Burushi?! Are you alright?!"

    Zoemi gasped and hurriedly let go of the girl''s hand to reach out for the handkerchief back in his clothes and was right back, putting it up to the heroine''s bleeding nose.

    "Is it mana depletion? You must have overworked yourself for my sake! Please,y down and rest ¨C I will get you..."

    "...get out...!"

    Zoemi offered, but the heroine muttered while staring at him wide-eyed.

    "...pardon...?"

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head like a confused puppy and asked, causing the girl to tremble and blush even harder ¨C so hard in fact that it wouldn''t be out of ce for her head to release a cloud of steam.

    "Lord Zoemi...! Your face is f-fine...! P-pl-please get out of my room now ¨C or my heart might not take it...!"

    The heroine grabbed the handkerchief out of the boy''s hand and dered before performing an emergency roll and evacuating the baed ¨C only to then use the frame as a barrier dividing her from the ck-haired attendant.

    "Huh...? B-but... wasn''t there something that you wanted to discuss with me...? A favor or whatnot...?"

    Zoemi asked, taken aback by the girl''s reaction.

    She at least said that there wasn''t anything wrong with his face, but then why would she suddenly act so suspicious...

    "...ah..."

    The boy looked down and realized that the only piece of clothing he had on was his underwear ¨C it wasn''t hard for him to figure out that since the treatment was over that look must have been absolutely unbing ¨C and he even grabbed the girl''s hands while looking so shameless.

    |She''s the pure-hearted heroine, after all, seeing an almost naked man must bepletely out of herfort zone.|

    Zoemi figured out and backed off respectfully to hurriedly pick up his clothes and get dressed up ¨C he also took all the used bandages to not leave a mess in the heroine''s room.

    "Sorry for bothering you ¨C thank you for healing me, miss Burushi and about thepensation, please approach me whenever you will feelfortable."

    The ck-haired boy dered, bowing his head before unlocking the door with the key still in the lock and leaving the room quietly. - without waiting for the girl''s response just in case she was feeling too embarrassed.

    "...I should have checked how I look in the mirror..."

    Zoemi realized already in the hallway while walking back to the room he upied, folding up the bandages.

    *click*

    "...water... water..."

    The door he was about to pass suddenly open and a sleepy-looking green-haired girl wearing only the uniform''s skirt and a shirt that wasn''t even tucked in, came out muttering to herself while holding an empty jug in her hand.

    "Good evening."

    Zoemi nodded his head politely ¨C while keeping a proper distance, still having in mind the prior incident when a girl walked into him...

    "...nnn...? ah... evening~"

    The girl mumbled sleepily rubbing her eyes not even properly looking at the ck-haired boy.

    "...say... you''re a servant...? yeah... you should be.... why would there be a boy here at this hour..."

    The girl continued talking more to herself than to the confused boy while dozing off.

    "...hey... is it okay for you to go bring me some water from the kitchen, please...?"

    The green-haired girl asked reaching out the jug towards Zoemi.

    Honestly, the ck-haired boy could refuse her as he was both an attendant of someone else and a student of the academy, so he had no reason to go along with the request ¨C but at the same time he felt just the tiniest urge to go to the kitchen and look for Patishi ¨C the younger sister would most definitely not lie about his ''new'' look ¨C and seeing her would also calm her down as Zoemi was sure that the brown-haired cooking-loving girl wasn''t informed about his health and must have been worried.

    "Of course."

    Zoemi nodded with a friendly smile and reached out his hand to take the jug.

    "Ah~! Thank y...!"

    The girl smiled cheerfully and opened her eye, looking at the ck-haired boy for the first time...

    "!!!"

    ...and she froze speechless, staring at Zoemi with shocked green eyes.

    "Miss...?"

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head and asked in confusion ¨C the girl was still holding onto the jug and didn''t seem capable of reaching it out any further than she already was so Zoemi took a step forward to grab it ¨C but then...!

    "A...! Abababababababaabababa!"

    The green-haired girl''s face turned from white to pink, and from pink, to bright red as she started to make panicked sounds and took back the jug into a tight hug and looked around inplete shock as if she was looking for another person ¨C but there was only she and Zoemi in the hallway at the moment...

    "Miss? I will bring you the water."

    Zoemi offered, attempting to smile even friendlier withouting any closer to the girl.

    "I- I WOULDN''T DARE TO INCONVENIENCE YOU, MY LORD! P-PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR MISTAKING YOU FOR A SERVANT!"

    "!!!"

    The girl shouted in extreme embarrassment and backed off to her room, hugging the empty jug and bowing her head repeatedly ¨C making the ck-haired boy take a step back in bewilderment.

    |Time to run!|

    With bad prior experiences, Zoemi decided it was best to evacuate before other students wille looking for the source of the loud voice and create yet another rumor that Grazio would be able to use against him.

    ...and so he did ¨C he even used the shadow enchantment to get a boost in speed and disparaged from the hallway in record speed that even the speed-oriented wind magicians would have a hard time beating.

    ...at the same time, back in Burushiitto''s room...

    "...dear god...!"

    Even though a couple of minutes have already passed, the blond girl was only then able to stand up and stumble her way towards her desk where she looked into the small mirror and saw her flushed face.

    "...that face ¨C that should be illegal to be this hot...! He looked good even with the scar ¨C but damn...! That scar was a limiter! And he was holding my hand so gently...!"

    The heroine gasped, massaging her heart, barely able to keep her breathing steady.

    "...I unintentionally unleashed the hottest guy in the game... crap... he is dangerous...! Extremely dangerous...!"

    She told herself while imagining the devilish beauty of the ck-haired boy who turned her legs into jelly and set her heart aflutter with a single nce.

    "No! No, no, no! Buru ¨C focus!"

    The blond heroine smacked her cheeks and spoke to her reflection in a strict voice.

    "You have Surou. Don''t let that he-devil swept you away ¨C he is a yandere! A handsome... extremely handsome yandere..."

    Burushiitto ended up blushing and looked at the spot where Zoemi was sitting while getting healed.

    "...and that''s bad... so bad..."

    She added in an absentminded voice....

 Chapter 151 - 45 - Walking Around - Sneakily (?) (part 1)

    "...whew... well, that was unexpected..."

    The ck-haired attendant breathed out, releasing the shadow enchantment ¨C not realizing that even after keeping it active for more than any other time he didn''t feel as if his mana depleted in any significant amount...

    "Ah...!"

    Zoemi was right by the door to Miriette''s room ¨C so the same room that he was upying while healing ¨C and he got there just in time to see a young gold-haired woman whom he had certainly never seen before, reaching out for the doorknob.

    "Pardon me, miss ¨C are you perhaps one of the medics taking care of me?"

    The ck-haired boy called out and jumped towards the woman extending his hand.

    "Eh...? Wha... wha... wha...?!"

    The gold-haired medic turned towards the boy and instantly her eyes widened from shock and she took a step back while stuttering.

    "Sorry to be a bother to you ¨C but the thing is that there is a student in the Academy who can use healing magic ¨C I am and will be extremely grateful for all that you and your colleagues did for me ¨C but for now... well... I actually got the treatment from the healing attribute magician ¨C take a look."

    Zoemi dered cheerfully, using the chance of having the hallway empty he turned around and pulled up his clothes, showing off the spotless, scarless back ¨C and turned back pulling the shirt back down after a second or two.

    "..."

    The gold-haired magician who honestly looked as if she barely graduated the Aspakeony Academy herself, stood there staring at the boy''s stomach with open eyes, not even blinking.

    "...miss...?"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi asked with concern, making the young woman flinch, look back up at his face ¨C and blushing bright red as the result.

    "I-I-I see! Good! Good for you lord Auequas! I-I''ll go tell the others that there is nothing to worry about anymore!"

    The gold-haired medic suddenly dered and ran away, hiding her burning face in her hands.

    "...huh...? She didn''t even want to confirm whether my wounds are properly healed? Oh well..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and tilted his head.

    "...why is everyone calling me lord...?"

    He frowned to himself in confusion.

    But ¨C having dealt with the most pressing matter of preventing an unnecessary panic erupting ¨C the ck-haired boy decided to go to the kitchen after all ¨C poor Patishi must have been kept out of the loop and thest time she saw him was right after the whipping ¨C Zoemi vaguely remembered that the skinny girl was crying because of how he looked...

    |...huh... I should have left the heroine like that ¨C I didn''t even confirm whether she was truly the one leaving the mana potions under my door each day ¨C and this was a perfect opportunity...!|

    Zoemi thought to himself, making a concerned expression.

    |Oh well, I guess it''s the end of the route for Surou and she will just be with him ¨C I can ask her at ater date after everything settles up ¨C maybe she will hook me up with a supplier or something~!|

    He thought t himself nodding his head cheerfully.

    After all ¨C once either the medics or he himself will show off that he is even better than before the punishment that the second prince hade up with, there will be no reason for the rumored punishment ¨C which would surely mean that the route would end up in the heroine''s sess just like that ¨C and best of all, Miriette will not be threatened at all!

    Wasn''t that just perfect~?

    Of course, there was the possibility that the punishment would still happen ¨C after all even Zoemi''s father, Mizoe, already know it as a fact, but ¨C with no one receiving anysting damage why would it be anything dangerous? Besides what could the full one be anyway? A week of suspension? Two weeks? Surou was a prince! Second prince, but still a prince ¨C and he was the queen''s favorite too! Everything will be fine and the blue-haired boy will just pent the lovey-dovey time with the heroine in his room!

    Yes!

    Surely!

    Definitely!

    Anyway, Zoemi was ted.

    The route has finished and Miriette was all good, she had a cold but if this was the bad end in this version, well, Zoemi could deal with that.

    Not to mention that there was this little detail about his face getting fixed after so many years!

    Yes ¨C everything was going to be just perfect~!

    With that in mind, Zoemi arrived at the kitchen in a great mood, just in time to be surprised.

    Patishi was there, of course, but the person standing by her side was none other than Veo...!

    The two of them were immersed in a conversation ¨C which was a big step up from thest time Zoemi saw them interact.

    "Oh-ho...!"

    The skinny girl in a cue apron was preparing the food and the girl in the maid''s outfit was nodding her head as if she knew what was going on.

    Patishi was just about done and suddenly Veo closed her eyes and opened her mouth.

    ... and waited...

    "Aaa..."

    "Miss Veo... We both know that it will be good, do we really need this whole taste testing...?"

    Patishi fidgeted while ncing at the stone-faced attendant''s parted lips.

    "Indeed... but what if something went wrong?"

    Veo opened one of her eyes and teased the other girl with a soft smirk.

    "Are you sure everything went right...?"

    She asked, breaking her indifferent act and smiling cunningly.

    "Well... yes, I do."

    Patishi nervously nced to the side but ended up nodding her head/

    "Really...? Did you cook it enough? No doubt at all...? You said that you cannot influence the taste of the finished dish~"

    The short brown-haired girl in a maid''s uniform teased, leaning back and forth with an obviously fake concerned expression.

    "Well, I... Oh, fine, here!"

    Patishi gave up and fed Veo while blushing.

    "How is it...?"

    The younger girl asked anxiously.

    She knew that Veo was only teasing her - but she still became nervous, she was making the meal for the prince, after all!

    "Perfect, like always."

    Veo properly chewed the food and said in the most obvious voice after she swallowed the bit - she even shrugged her shoulders as if she didn''t understand why the other girl sounded so concerned.

    "You...!"

    Patishi gasped and pouted.

    "Hmph! You will see, one day I will be the one to tease you!"

    She dered and turned back to the food.

    "Indeed, indeed... I''m sure that you will~"

    Veo nodded her head with the face of a confident senior teaching her junior.

    "...eh...?!

    But then she saw Zoemi at the door and her confidence faded, she becamepletely red and turned her eyes widened in utter shock.

    "Hmm...?"

    Patishi nced at her with a questioning look and then turned to the door to see what caused such a reaction.

    "Eh!?"

    The skinny girl gasped and looked down while blushing heavily.

    She hurriedly wiped her hands in the apron and bowed her head deeply.

    "G-good evening, my lord ¨C wh-wh-what can we help you with...?!"

    Patishi gasped all fidgety, sounding as if she had never seen the ck-haired boy in her life.

    "...umm... Patishi...? What''s whit the formalnguage ¨C it''s me, Zoemi...?"

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows and nced at Veo, looking for support, but the short attendant was staring at him with utter disbelief clearly just as shocked as Patishi.

    "B-big brother Zoemi?!"

 Chapter 152 - 45 - Walking Around - Sneakily (?) (part 2)

    The younger girl gasped and straightened her back ¨C she ended up looking back up at the ck-haired attendant''s face ¨C even though her face ¨C and even though at first her face was getting redder and redder in the end the cogs in her brain clicked into ce and her eyes widened.

    "Big brother Zoemi! It is you!"

    Patishi eximed happily and ran up to her big brother like an overjoyed puppy.

    "Of course it''s me ¨C are there other ck-haired individuals in the academy currently...?"

    Zoemi raised his brow and answered slightly confused.

    "Ah...! There are not...! Big brother, I am so happy that you are feeling be...!"

    The younger brown-haired girl gasped, hugging the ck-haired boy ¨C but then she suddenly flinched and pulled back.

    "Big brother...! Wait...!"

    She frowned and tilted her head.

    "Big brother Zoemi! You are not supposed to move around yet!"

    Patishi dered with a serious expression ¨C not giving Zoemi a chance to speak.

    "You should return to bed! What if your wounds won''t heal properly!?"

    She eximed, grabbing onto the boy''s arm.

    "Pffft...! Patishi, it''s alright, don''t worry ¨C look ¨C don''t I look a bit different ¨C I got healed, and not just my face ¨C I am perfectly fine, no matter what wound you might have in mind!"

    Zoemi smirked confidently and started tousling the younger girl''s hair affectionately.

    "Thanks for your concern though~"

    He added.

    "EEEHHHH?! B-butdy Espine and miss Teo told us that you will take a long time to recover! Miss Teo even left the prince because she was supposed to help outdy Espine and you...!"

    "...excuse me, what...?!"

    Patishi gasped and called out, revealing detail that Zoemi wasn''t aware of before.

    "What do you mean, Teo left the prince? She is his attendant, that''s not a position that one can just leave!"

    The ck-haired boy asked, shocked.

    "Well..."

    Patishi looked over her shoulder back at the girl in a maid outfit.

    "As soon as we learned of your state my sister demanded that the prince would send her to care for you, sir Zoemi."

    Veo, who already stopped blushing, walked towards them and exined ¨C though she wasn''t looking straight at Zoemi''s face and instead was talking to his left shoulder.

    "Mistress Miriette agreed to it and the first prince also didn''t mind... But she clearly left her real duties, right!?"

    Veo tried to keep up the indifferent expression, but by the end of her report she ended up sulking andining, making a bitter expression.

    "At the time all the medics were constantly watching you and there was nothing to do but she still left master without looking back! And she left him with me! ME!"

    "I... I see...? My condolences...?"

    Zoemi didn''t know the reason why Veo was useless with housework, he only knew that she wasn''t any good at it - so he nodded kind of awkwardly not sure how to react to that self-deprecating statement...

    "If not for Patishi offering her help I wouldn''t be able to serve my prince at all!"

    Veo continued her rant and Patishi was vigorously nodding at her words in confirmation.

    "But... Well... Mistress did end up getting sick so Teo going to her turned out to be a good idea in the end..."

    The older girl''s shoulders dropped as she started moping around.

    "But in principle, wasn''t she wrong as an attendant? She was, right? For the attendant, their master should be the most important. And don''t get me wrong - my wonderful prince would definitely tell Teo to take care of the mistress by himself ¨C but - I mean, there is a difference between doing what a master asks their attendant and Teo doing whatever she wants and miraculously ending up lucking out and getting an excuse!"

    Veo was so agitated that she even stomped her foot to vent out her anger.

    "I''m not wrong, am I!? Sir Zo- ah...! I-I am not wrong, am I not...?"

    In the end, she was close to tears ¨C and looked up at the ck-haired boy''s face and instantly turned bright red and stuttered, just to lower her head again and repeat herself in a timid voice while.

    "Hmm~"

    Zoemi could only smile awkwardly and looked up tilting his head.

    In the end, he raised his hand and ced it on Veo''s head.

    "Someone has be very responsible while I was out of the loop."

    The ck-haired boy''s smile became warmer.

    "You know though - I''m not going to be mad at your sister since, in the end, she did help my master when I couldn''t do a thing...

    "..."

    Zoemi felt Veo flinching and deting under his hand but he wasn''t done talking just yet either.

    "But you are right, Veo. There is a difference between the two situations and how Teo acted was not how a good attendant should behave."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi caressed her head, then he also put his other hand on Patishi''s head and started messing up their hair affectionately.

    "And good job for helping Veo, Patishi. I am very proud of both of you."

    The praised pair blushed, Patishi was beaming with a smile and even Veo couldn''t hide happiness no matter how hard she tried.

    "You were almost done with the preparation before I interrupted you, were you not? Don''t let me dy you any further, go take the supper to the first prince."

    Zoemi retracted his hands and walked past the two girls, with the clear intention of just going about making the meal for his master as if nothing ever happened.

    He went straight for the ingredients but his distraction tactic didn''t work out.

    "Big brother Zoemi! No! You might have been healed but we can''t be sure! Your wounds were really serious! Please, just don''t strain yourself before it is certain that everything is fine!"

    Patishi - after gloating in the praise for a bit - turned towards her big brother and dered with a serious expression.

    "Indeed!"

    And then even Veo joined her, nodding her head vigorously.

    "No, no ¨C it is seriously okay ¨C miss Burushi''s magic is incredibly good! I will just make the supper and give it to my master - that''s it."

    Zoemi raised his hands and shook them, gesturing to the other two that they worry without a reason.

    "I''ll just carry it to my master''s room, say hello, and show that everything is fine with me and there is no reason to pursue the obviously guilty person ¨C and I will return straight to bed!"

    He assured, putting his right hand over his heart as if he was making an oath.

    "What if even if you are healed the spell needs time to properly attach everything back in ce and by carrying something heavy you will cause your wounds to reopen?!"

    Patishi clenched her fists and called out getting teary eyes.

    "That is not how the heroine''s magic works though..."

    Zoemi sighed and rolled his eyes...

    "Heroines...?"

    Patishi asked in confusion and looked at Veo but the short brown-haired girl shook her head, just as confused as the younger girl.

    "Nevermind that ¨C in the first ce - I won''t be carrying anything heavy - it will be a tray with an evening meal for a sick person! You know that those cannot be heavy!"

    The ck-haired boy hurriedly changed the subject.

    "But..."

    "No...! No buts!"

    Patishi pouted adorably, but Zoemi wasn''t going to give up on his decision.

 Chapter 153 - [Bonus ] 45 - Walking Around - Sneakily (?) (part 3)

    "I just want to check up on my master, she''s sick so I''m worried. Veo, as a fellow attendant you understand me, right?"

    Zoemi decided to y a bit dirty and asked, approaching the older girl, grabbing her hands, and lowering his head to look up at her face.

    "...a.... umm... a... I... a...I... umm... W-well, yes... I... I-I do know what you mean..."

    Veo''s resolve crumbled down like a grass tent hit with a hurricane, and the girl started stuttering overwhelmed by the boy''s ''new'' appearance.

    "B-but even so...!"

    "...tsk..."

    But just as Zoemi thought that he won the argument, Veo lowered her head so much that the ck-haired boy could not look up at her while still standing up, and spoke in a more confident voice.

    "Shouldn''t your health be the most important for the moment...? You know that mistress is safe and under proper care so as an attendant you should focus on recovering as fast as possible to go back to serving your master as soon as possible ¨C isn''t that correct?"

    Veo dered while staring at her own stomach, not daring to look into Zoemi''s healed face.

    |Gah! She got way more responsible than I thought. Damn it! I just want to see Miriette! And I ampletely fine too...!|

    Zoemi made a sour expression but he hurriedly shook his head recovered.

    "I''ll just take the supper to her, I won''t even take it back, I''ll ask Teo to help me with that and then return straight to my room and I''ll stay in bed until the medics tell me that everything is fine, alright?"

    "..."

    "..."

    Zoemi mumbled dispirited, looking at the other two, and Patishi and Veo looked at each other with a concerned expression.

    "Well, If you return to bed right after..."

    "Indeed... If that would be the case..."

    Both girls made the mistake of looking at Zoemi''s face and instantly gave in...!

    "I will!"

    Zoemi cheered out in a promise and barely held himself back from pumping his arm in guts pose.

    With that after assuring Patishi and Veo that he will really return right to bed after delivering the meal, the ck-haired boy prepared the food and left the kitchen while the two watched him with worried ¨C and slightly abashed ¨C looks.

    --------

    "...I didn''t ask them how I look..."

    Zoemi muttered to himself, looking down at the tray in his arms...

    He made nutritious, easy-to-eat food that he was sure that the dark-haired girl would be able to enjoy even if she''s feeling under the weather.

    The tray wasn''t heavy in the first ce ¨C but still, after both girls back in the kitchen had worried about him so much, he ended up slowly stretching to check if his body would be feeling weird.

    Thankfully, everything seemed to be in order.

    Zoemi smirked to himself and went to his room since that was where Miriette was staying.

    He felt a bit weird knocking on his own door but he entered as always ¨C after waiting a little bit in case the dark-haired girl might have denied him the ess.

    "...?"

    To his surprise, Miriette wasn''t waiting for the food by the desk even though it was most definitely the time for the evening meal.

    She was supposed to have only a slight cold So Zoemi expected her to be moving around as always but instead, his master was already in bed, sleeping soundly.

    "...hmm~"

    Zoemi left the tray on the desk and walked over to the girl.

    Miriette wasying on her side, the thin nket she was covered with up to her neck was slowly rising and falling in the rhythm of her breaths.

    Looking at her calm face Zoemi felt a warm feeling filling his insides.

    "Master~"

    He called out in a small voice ¨C but his master didn''t respond at all.

    "..."

    Zoemi took a deep breath and looked around as if checking the perimeter...

    ...and once he was sure that there is no one else in the room, he looked back at the girl defenseless...

    "Miriette..."

    He called his master''s first name without any honorifics...!

    "..."

    And yet the girl still didn''t respond.

    |So she really is deep asleep...|

    Zoemi thought and moved his hand close to Miriette''s face.

    He straightened his index finger and then he softly poked her cheek.

    "..."

    Her skin was soft and the poking it caused her to make an adorable expression ¨C and even with that, she still didn''t wake up.

    "You are the cutest girl I''ve ever seen, Miriette."

    Zoemi retracted his finger andughed quietly...

    Then he slowly leaned towards Miriette and delicately flicked away the wild flock of dark hair from her face.

    "..."

    And he lightly kissed her forehead...!

    "I will protect you... and I will make you happy."

    The ck-haired boy promised and hurriedly straightened his back.

    "Oh god, that was so inappropriate for an attendant to do...!"

    He scolded himself while hiding his blushing face in his hands.

    With that, Zoemi quickly left the room and closed the door silently...

    ...so he couldn''t see Miriette slowly putting her thin nket over her head - Zoemi was blushing but Miriette was straight-up burning but even so she didn''t open her eyes at all and she didn''t make any sounds either not to rm the boy...

    But what Zoemi saw instead was Teo.

    "S-sir...!?"

    The short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform eximed surprised staring at the devilishly handsome young man in front of her

    "S-s-sir, w-what were you doing in mistress''s room!?"

    The girl gasped, taking a step back ¨C looking away from Zoemi''s face as if it was blinding her.

    "I... I made her supper..."

    The ck-haired boy flinched, taken aback by Teo''s behavior, and exined while getting more and more embarrassed himself ¨C while reminiscing the bold action of kissing the girl''s forehead...

    "S-supper...?! B-but I am responsible for that... s-sir..."

    The short girl raised her shoulders defensively while lowering her head in embarrassment andined.

    "...you... you might have made a mistake, sir... this room is upied bydy Miriette Lisea Espine ¨C the fiancee of the first prince Horeo Ma...."

 Chapter 154 - 45 - Walking Around - Sneakily (?) (part 4)

    "Teo... I do know who my master is... you sound as if I could ever forget it - how badly do you think that I was wounded?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows looking at the short girl with a confused expression.

    "S-sir Zoemi!?"

    "Whoa ¨C there!"

    Teo gasped in shock and took a sept back so suddenly that she stumbled upon her own feet and fell down ¨C almost ¨C The ck-haired boy reached out and caught her hand and pulled her back on her feet instantly.

    "Hey ¨C you gotta be careful, you know?"

    "!!!!"

    Zoemi smirked but Teo could only cover her mouth with one and, staring at the ck-haired boy with trembling eyes full of disbelief.

    "Teo...?"

    "!!!"

    The boy asked and the girl shook her head as if someone dumped a bucket of cold water on her.

    "Sir Z-Zoemi?! B-but...! Mistress is holding herself back from visiting you so you won''t catch her cold! You can''t just visit her! I''ve heard that you shouldn''t even move around yet!"

    She called out and once the initial shock passed the words just keep flooding out of her mouth as if she was worried that if she didn''t say everything on her mind at once she wouldn''t be able to say it otherwise.

    "It''s fine, as you can see, I got healed ¨Cpletely! Besides, I''m already returning anyway...!"

    Zoemi let go of the girl and just waved his hand dismissively.

    "Thank you for caring for my master while I''m unable to..."

    "!!!"

    He added with a grateful smile that was so dazzling that Teo''s heart almost burst out of her chest.

    "A-ah! It''s nothing ¨C really...!"

    The girl in the butler''s uniform fidgeted at the praise - but Zoemi wasn''t done talking to her...

    "...I am thankful to you for helping my master - but as a fellow attendant, I am very disappointed by your behavior. Is it true that you willingly left your master to help me recover even though you knew that there''s no need to?"

    "...!"

    The boy''s voice grew cold and strict.

    "I-I wanted to help mistress, too...!"

    Teo flinched and looked away ashamed.

    "I kn-knew that mistress would need help since you were hurt and all..."

    She fidgetted and muttered under her breath.

    "But you are the personal attendant of the first prince and I''ve heard that you demanded to leave your duties."

    The ck-haired boy gave her a scornful re under which she cowered.

    "I did but... In the end, mistress got sick, right? I was right!"

    Sheined while sulking.

    "No ¨C not right. You were lucky."

    Zoemi scoffed, shaking his head from left to right.

    "The first prince would want to help his fiance, of course, but in case you were unsure about that, you could have - and should have - suggested to him what to do. An attendant can suggest, an attendant can even ask, plead, and beg, but no matter what, an attendant cannot demand anything from their master. That''s not in our job description as an attendant is always someone of lower social standing than the master. Veo understands that, but apparently, you still have problems with grasping the essentials."

    "..."

    Teo shrunk under Zoemi''s strict gaze even more.

    "I''m still extremely grateful to you because, in the end, you''ve helped my master. That''s why I won''t scold you anymore or get into more details about the dos and don''ts of an attendant ¨C but theck of punishment will have to do as your praise."

    The ck-haired boy dered, crossing his arms to hold back the urge to pat the head of the short girl.

    "I... I understand..."

    Teo signed and nodded dispiritedly.

    "Well then, see you around."

    |...I''m such a hypocrite...!|

    Zoemi nodded ?t the slouched Teo and went back to the Miriette''s room.

    ------

    After Zoemi left Teo sniffled a few times but after a couple of minutes, sheposed herself and entered the room.

    "Mistress, in the end, I wasn''t able to find out who leaves those potions..."

    She said and bowed her head apologetically.

    Teo heard weird rustling noises and she raised her head with suspicion.

    "Mistress...?"

    "Shush! Don''t talk to me! I have to engrave this moment into my memory forever!"

    Teo was staring at Miriette ¨C the dark-haired girl''s upper half was covered with the nket but her legs were uncovered since they were kicking around excitedly.

    "Engrave in your memory...?"

    Teo tilted her head in confusion and asked in a baffled voice.

    "I told you to shut up!"

    ------

    It was high time for Zoemi to return to the room he was supposed to be staying in as his father should return any minute.

    And in fact, he did...

    "Son!"

    Mizoe spotted Zoemi in the hallway ¨C while he was running out of the room undoubtedly to search for the missing boy.

    "H-hello, dad..."

    The ck-haired boy raised his hand and waved it timidly at the pale-blue-haired knight.

    "You foolish boy, do you know how worried I was?!"

    Completely opposite to everyone else, Mizoe didn''t even flinch at seeing Zoemi''s healed-up face and instead locked the boy in a fatherly hug.

    "Where did you even go?!"

    Mizoeined, although he certainly sounded relieved that his son was back so soon.

    "I... Do you know that there is a girl with a healing attribute in my ss? Her healing is really good ¨C we are friends too, so I asked her to heal me and ¨C here I am!"

    Zoemiughed awkwardly and tilted his head to the side while exining.

    "Ah! I just met Lord Kros and he mentioned that girl too ¨C I was actually going to talk to you about asking her for help!"

    Mizoe gasped stepping away from his son at his arms-length.

    "Zoemi, your face! She healed it too?!"

    The knight gasped smiling widely at the ck-haired boy.

    "Y-yeah... I asked her to do something about it too... does it look weird?"

    Zoemi fidgetted and finally managed to ask someone about his scarless appearance.

    "Very handsome! But, more importantly, how is your back? I''ve seen the medics changing your bandages and the wounds looked extremely serious!"

    Yet, Mizoe wasn''t as much concerned about the boy''s appearance as he was about his overall health ¨C but maybe because of that the ck-haired boy calmed down and could rx...

    "It''s all good! That girl''s magic is really good!"

    Zoemi smiled happily, showing his teeth in a full smile that he never allowed himself to show since it would twist his scars horribly - but with all the burns gone - that was no longer the case.

 Chapter 155 - 46 - Visit And News (part 1)

    The next day in the morning, Horeo and Miriette came to see Zoemi...

    "...!"

    As soon as the door to the room opened and the future royal couple have entered, the gold-haired prince froze in ce staring wide-eyed at the ck-haired attendant doing his best to fix his bedhair.

    Even though he was warned by both Veo and Patishi ¨C seeing the healed-up Zoemi in person was just too much!

    ...to think that the gold-haired prince was going to make fun of his fiancee''s reaction to the ck-haired boy''s ''new'' appearance just to be the first one to fall victim to it...!

    "What are you doing, my prince? Please, proceed!"

    "You little...!"

    Miriette still stuck outside furrowed her brows and prodded the prince''s side with her finger, making him jump and turn to her with apletely bright red face ¨C but it wasn''t red from anger, Horeo was blushing.

    "Eh...? Why are you...?"

    Miriette gasped in shock leaning back while weirded out ¨C the gold-haired prince was told about the fact that Zoemi was healed, but in turn, Teo didn''t speak a word about it to the dark-haired girl...

    Hearing the future royal couple bicker made the ck-haired boy feel this peculiar bitter-sweet feeling ¨C as an attendant, he was happy that his master''s rtionship was seemingly going well but as a man...

    ...there certainly was a part of his personality that has awakened after the ugly burn-scar stopped deforming his face ¨C and it was a part that considered himself as a worthy partner for the dark-haired girl...

    "My prince, mydy ¨C please, feel free to enter."

    But in the end, Zoemi quickly shoved these feelings in the back of his head - the first prince and youngdy Espine came to see him with a specific reason in mind after all ¨C and the ck-haired boy was aware of that.

    "My prince... is something the matter...?"

    |You are being such an annoying nuisance ¨C MOVE! I want to see my Zoemi!|

    Meanwhile, Miriette blocked by the gold-haired prince prodded the gold-haired boy''s side with a soft smile on her face ¨C but a murderous re in her eyes.

    "..."

    Horeo squinted his eyes at her and nced back at the slightly confused Zoemi before hurriedly looking away from him and smiling mockingly at the furious Miriette.

    "Sure ¨C please, my love."

    The gold-haired prince nodded to his fiancee and stepped aside making a way for her.

    "Thank you, my prince."

    "..."

    The dark-haired girl politely bowed her head and stepped on Horeo''s toes while gracefully passing by him with a bashfully lowered head.

    "Mydy ¨C I''ve heard that you''ve got a cold, how are you feeling?"

    Zoemi asked, feeling his heart beating slightly faster as he remembered his own bold and very inappropriate act from the other day.

    |Wait... She wasn''t awake yesterday... Was she...?|

    The sudden thought hit the ck-haired boy like a speeding truck ¨C or a certain flying motorbike ¨C and made his insides tie into a knot.

    |She would react or me calling her ¨C or at least at getting kissed... right? Oh no, what if she was simply frozen from shock from me being so outrageously inappropriate?! What if she hates me now?!|

    Since the dark-haired girl still didn''t raise her head ¨C too busy snickering at the gold-haired boy shaking off the dust from the shoe she stepped on ¨C Zoemi started fearing the worst possible oue.

    But then...

    "Do not worry about me, Zoemi ¨C it wasn''t even a real cold, I just stayed up a little toote and felt slightly..."

    Miriette finally responded, raising her head and gracing the distressed boy with a cheerful smile ¨C until she actually got a good look on his healed-up face and...

    "...faint... fuaah..."

    "M-mydy?!"

    "Wait ¨C seriously?!"

    ...got bright red as a tomato and ACTUALLY fainted ¨C causing the ck-haired boy to jump out of his bed to catch her hands while the shocked Gold-haired prince stepped forward and supported her back.

    "Mydy?! Mydy!"

    Zoemi gasped in panic, putting his hand to the girl''s face to check whether she was breathing or not, and lightly shook her shoulders.

    "Pf-pfffft...!"

    Meanwhile, Horeo was having a time of his life ¨C barely able to hold back a burst ofughter.

    "My prince- what is going on? Did mydy force herself toe here even though she was still unwell?!"

    Zoemi gasped, making a worried expression, and asked ¨C gently taking Miriette''s unconscious body away from Horeo and moving her to the bed that he himself had just left.

    "Well ¨C you could say that it''s because of a sickness ¨C but certainly not the one you have in mind ¨C she will be fine."

    The first prince managed to regain control over his expression and voice and assured the anxious attendant in a calm voice.

    "Not the one I have in mind...?"

    Zoemi caringly tucked the dark-haired girl in, making she doesn''t have a few, and looked at Horeo in confusion.

    |It''s love sickness, you thick-headed fool.|

    Horeo sighed to himself ¨C but certainly wasn''t going to say that out loud.

    "I think that she couldn''t handle your current appearance ¨C she''s just an... innocent maiden, you know?"

    ...was what the gold-haired boy said instead...

    "Wha...?! My prince ¨C have I actually be so hideous that mydy fainted at mere sight...?!"

    "..."

    Zoemi gasped and Horeo barely stopped himself from hiding his face in his arms ¨C the ck-haired attendant could be so dense sometimes that it physically hurt...

    "...does this ce not have a mirror or something...?"

    Horeo ended up saying while shaking his head in disbelief ¨C making the ck-haired boy tilt his head like a confused puppy.

    "Of course, there''s a mirror, my prince ¨C her it is right he... Oh... OOOOHHHH...!"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and walked up to Miriette''s desk, pointing at the mirror set up on top of it ¨C before he briefly nced at his own reflection, and then promptly took a double-take, staring at himself in utter shock ¨C and realization.

    "You seriously haven''t even looked at yourself?"

    Horeo asked raising his brows and approaching the ck-haired boy from behind until he too showed up in the mirror.

    "I-I didn''t ¨C I usually avoid looking straight at my face..."

    Zoemi answered absentmindedly ¨C looking at himself with teary eyes and touching his healed-up face almost so gently as if he expected it to be a mask that could fall of at any time.

    "...nnn..."

    "!!!"

    "...?"

    Suddenly ¨C Miriette made a soft sound and twitched, which clearly indicated that she will regain her consciousness soon, which broke Zoemi from his trance and rush to her side so fast that Horeo had to step back or he would get shoved aside.

    "Mydy, are you okay?!"

    The ck-haired attendant gasped, crouching by the bed, grasping the sheet while nervously observing the dark-haired girl''s face.

    "...nnn...? Z-Zoemi...?"

    Miriette''s eyelids trembled and she made another cute noise before muttering her attendant''s name.

    "Yes, mydy ¨C I am here."

    Zoemi responded with a soft smile...

    "Zoe-MI?!"

    The dark-haired girl opened her eyes and suddenly gasped ¨C getting wide-eyed the moment she had a second look of the ck-haired boy''s face and then she...

    "...fua-fuaaaah...!"

    ...ended up fainting once again, falling softly right back on the bed...

    "MY LADY...?!"

    "Pfffft...!"

    ...which of course caused twopletely opposite reactions from the ck and gold-haired boys....

 Chapter 156 - 46 - Visit And News (part 2)

    "...my love, are you feeling better already...?"

    "..."

    Horeo asked with a wide mocking grin stered all over his face ¨C which instantly infuriated Mireitte wh was sitting up on the bed extremely embarrassed over fainting twice just because Zoemi turned out to be too handsome for her to handle.

    "...mydy ¨C is everything alright...?"

    "!!!"

    But when Zoemi asked basically the same question ¨C only sincerely- the dark-haired girl couldn''t stay quiet anymore.

    "...yes... I must have been just tired ¨C sorry for making you worry..."

    She fidgetted and apologized ¨C while looking away from him.

    With the drastic change in his appearance, for Miriette, Zoemi became like the sun ¨C he was far too captivating to keep looking at him without getting burnt ¨C it was on the ridiculous level of beauty that a person had to spend some time to get used to.

    "...mydy, are you angry that I asked miss Burushii to heal me...?"

    "!!!"

    But still, Zoemi''s next question made the dark-haired girl look straight back at him in shock.

    "O-of course not! Why would you even say that?"

    She gasped, vigorously shaking her head from left to right.

    "...well... you know..."

    Zoemi fidgetted awkwardly and looked away ¨C what he was supposed to say?

    Miriette pped away Burushiitto''s hand on two separate asions ¨C at least - while the blond girl was trying to offer to heal to Zoemi, so it wasn''t like the ck-haired boy had no arguments...

    Still, pointing that out didn''t feel right at the moment...

    "Oh, I don''t know ¨C maybe because you yourself were bawling your eyes out crying that themoner girl was one of the people responsible for Zoemi getting hurt? Hmm? How about that one?"

    But then, the gold-haired prince raised his brow and asked, looking down at the dark-haired girl in bed.

    "...!"

    Miriette flinched and her face became slightly pink.

    "...no... Zoemi, I am not angry ¨C on the contrary, I am happy that you are back to full health..."

    She ended up looking down at her legs and answered in a soft voice.

    "Then... you aren''t angry about me getting rid of the scars that were the proof of my loyalty towards you...?"

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy asked another timid question, once again leaving the dark-haired girl speechless for a moment ¨C although this time she coulde up with the answer reasonably fast.

    "Zoemi ¨C me being here healthy is the proof enough! After all, without you, I would be the one scarred ¨C or worse! Please ¨C do not worry about that for my sake!"

    She dered, reaching out with the intention of patting Zoemi''s shoulder, but ended up touching his face ¨C drawn to it by some mysterious force...

    "...!"

    "...!"

    The two of them looked at each other and...

    "Ah! My prince, littledy! Thank you very much for visiting my son!"

    Mizoe returned to the room and gasped, falling to his knees and greeting the future royal couple ¨C and unintentionally caused Miriette and Zoemi to pull away from each other.

    "Littledy ¨C what happened, why are you in the bed...?"

    The pale-blue-haired knight asked in confusion, looking up at the dark-haired girl.

    "Ah! N-nothing! Really, nothing at all!"

    Miriette hurriedly dered, jumping right out of the covers and straightening her uniform.

    "Alright ¨C now back to our original purpose then!"

    Horeo turned out to be the mold-breaker and pped his hands together getting the attention of everyone else in the room.

    "Zoemi, tell me ¨C are you feeling well enough toe with the two of us to see the punishment being announced?"

    The first prince asked with a soft smile.

    "P-punishment what punishment?"

    Zoemi asked in confusion, looking at the gold-haired boy before ncing at his father ¨C Mizoe was absent previously since he was supposed to visit the teachers and the principal and tell them that the ck-haired boy''s wounds have all been healed.

    "I told them ¨C but the headmaster still insisted on the punishment ¨C he even said that it was all decided together with the king already."

    Mizoe raised his hand and answered the question with a stern expression that clearly showed that he would riot if no punishment was given.

    "...n-no ¨C but ¨C there''s no need for that anymore ¨C right? Look ¨C I''m better than ever!"

    Zoemi paled ¨C he was fully aware of how prideful ¨C and spiteful ¨C nobles can be ¨C if the second prince will get punished because of him, he might try to get back at either Zoemi himself or Miriette because she was the ck-haired boy''s master...!

    Having an enemy in the royal family wasn''t a good idea for someone wishing for a peaceful future!

    "That basically answers my question... You might have been healed but it still sound''s like you''re out of it ¨C the second prince made a mistake that he has to get punished for or he will never learn and grow ¨C it''s also for his own good, you know?"

    But despite Zoemi''s words, Horeo sighed and shook his head in disappointment.

    "...huh... the second prince...?"

    Zoemi flinched and his eyes widened in surprise - Horeo didn''t call Surou his younger brother, which he always would do no matter how angry at him he was ever before...!

    "So ¨C my love ¨C get up and let Zoemi rest some more."

    The gold-haired prince shrugged his shoulders and sighed turning to the dark-haired girl staring longingly at the profile of her attendant.

    "N-no! I ampletely fine - I want to go!"

    Confused or not ¨C Zoemi couldn''t just stay in bed ¨C he had a bad feeling about the whole punishment and couldn''t just skip its announcement...

    "Zoemi, don''t strain yourself!"

    "Mydy, please..."

    Miriette said in a rather calm voice but she quickly looked away when her eyes met with Zoemi''s ¨C her face became crimson red but at least she didn''t lose consciousness for the third time.

    "F-fine... you cane with us..."

    The dark-haired girl lowered her head bashfully and agreed without even trying to argue.

    "Mydy, you are too kind to this lowly servant."

    Zoemi smiled brightly and lowered his head gratefully

    |Uwaaah...! He is too handsome now...! I wanted to show off to Horeo how close we got since Zoemi kissed me and all ¨C but I never expected him to get this beautiful ¨C that should be illegal! No one warned me about this!|

    "...?"

    "...!"

    Miriette cried out internally, doing her best to reach out and grab Zoemi''s hand but failed miserably the moment that the boy noticed her action and looked at her with an innocent expression ¨C which caused the girl to flinch, ashamed of her boldness!

    |Noo...! He is too pure now...! He will hate how shameless I am...! But then how could I... Ah...! Maybe...! Maybe if I could arrange for the two of us to go somewhere private...|

    The dark-haired girl thought to herself while hurriedly retracting her hand.

    "..."

    The first prince nced at his fiance ¨C and sighed.

    Honestly, he could understand exactly what Miriette was thinking at the moment...

    ~I''ll arrange that we would go to some romantic part of the kingdom, just the two of us, maybe the south where thekes are... Mom and dad went there on their honeymoon and mom always would always say that it was so beautiful and romantic... Oh no! I''m blushing again!~

    |...is what that cunning fox is thinking right now for sure...|

    Horeo needed only a quick nce to figure out his fiance''s thoughts as if they were words in a book opened in front of him.

    |That cunning fox... She definitely made some progress ¨C she is embarrassed because of Zoemi''s looks, but there is odd confidence in her eyes that wasn''t there before... Her only mistake is that she is acting too cautious ¨C it''s obvious that Zoemi would not refuse her advances if she just pressured him a little bit - if it was me in her ce... No, if just I was a girl, I would have already gone all out! Snuck into his bed on every possible asion... By now I would have at least three of his children!|

    The gold-haired first prince thought to himself looking between the blushing dark-haired girl and the confused but smiling dark-haired boy...

    |...not to mention be on the run, hiding from my furious family...|

    Hore suddenly looked up in realization.

    |...It actually might be better that I''m not a woman, now that I think about it...|

    He tilted his head and nodded to himself.

    "Anyway ¨C the punishment will be announced at the beginning of the lunch break, the teachers will put up a big announcement on the announcement board by the entrance - if you actually will feel up to it,e to enjoy the second prince''s face together with us at that time ¨C I can assure you it will be worth your time."

    Even though some of Horeo''s inner thoughts would cause a huge uproar if spoken out loud in the public space - his outer appearance didn''t show anything.

    No one could tell that the first prince was thinking about anything else than what he was talking about.

    "I will most definitely be there, my prince."

    Zoemi dered straightening his back proudly before nodding his head t the gold-haired boy.

    "Haven''t you heard what the prince has said? If you''re feeling well!"

    Mizoe chimed in into the conversation again.

    "Remember what you promised me after yesterday!"

    "...!

    The pale-blue-haired knight squinted his eyes at his son, and Zoemi blushed.

    "I know, father... I''m sorry I made you worry..."

    Zoemi apologized and Mizoe smiled and patted his head.

    "Thank you for worrying about my son so much, prince, littledy."

    Satisfied with his son''s words, Mizoe bowed to Horeo and Miriette.

    "Not at all, I''m really d to have him as a friend."

    "..."

    Horeoughed and Miriette only blushed and looked away.

    |They are all such good kids!|

    Thought Mizoe,pletely oblivious to the truth.

 Chapter 157 - 47 - The End Of Surouâ€™s Route (part 1)

    The second prince Surou was already together with the heroine ¨C which apparently they made official that very morning even before the sses started and in front of a rather shocked and taken aback audience - so Zoemi wasn''t worried about his route anymore.

    After all ¨C in the game an announcement like that would be made while the end credits would scroll through the screen, just before two final illustrations would show up ¨C the first one with Miriette chained with the ancient bracelets, locked in the monastery far away and the final one with the happy Surou and the blond heroine as a happy couple.

    Well ¨C since Miriette was most certainly still fine ¨C neither locked in a monastery nor dead as it would be in the heroine''s bad end ¨C that could only mean that the second prince''s route was officially finished while the dark-haired girl prevailed unharmed!

    Still... even with that there the possibility of an event from another route suddenly starting despite that, existed ¨C and that prevented the ck-haired boy from staying in bed just another day while enjoying the first break from the attendant''s duties he had since he took over the position.

    Even though Zoemi feltpletely fine thanks to the healing spell of the heroine, his father, Mizoe dered that he wanted to go with him ¨C just in case ¨C though the ck-haired boy half-expected that the blue-haired knight had a different purpose too ¨C and if Zoemi was right about it ¨C he certainly didn''t mind!

    ---------

    After the first lecture finished, Horeo went to his brother''s ssroom and asked him to meet him during the lunch break under the announcement board.

    "Why would I cut short my time with my lover...? Can''t you tell me what''s on your mind right now?"

    Surou looked at his brother while raising his brow in confusion.

    "And if it''s something secret - can''t it wait until the evening, dear brother?"

    The blue-haired second prince sighed, sounding slightly annoyed.

    "Oh, no, if you have other ns then don''t mind the little old me..."

    Horeo just shrugged his shoulders and leaned back with an indifferent expression.

    "I just thought that it would be better if you learn everything first hand and all, but what do I know..."

    He scoffed, shaking his head with a soft, slightly mocking smile.

    "Brother... what do you mean by that...?"

    Surou stared at Horeo attentively but there was no way that he could read anything from his older brother''sid-back expression ¨C besides the fact that the gold-haired boy was making fun of him.

    "Nah, don''t worry about it, you have other ns with your... lover... right?"

    Horeo just waved his hand dismissively while putting a lot of pressure on the word ''lover'' and turned away.

    "Brother, tell me what''s going on!"

    The second prince became agitated and called after Horeo, but the first prince has already gone out of the ssroom and ignored his callpletely.

    "What''s going on, he says..."

    Horeo muttered to himself with a grim smile walking past the students bowing down at the mere sight of him without even properly looking at his face.

    "That bastard dared to hurt Zoemi and he still has the guts to ask that...!"

    --------

    The recess arrived and Horeo stood up from his seat and offered his hand to his fiance beside him.

    "My love, care for a walk?"

    His lips formed the most pleasant smile that clearly showed how much will he enjoy whatever happens next ¨C which for all the surrounding students simply meant the walk with his fiancee -but for both the gold-haired boy and the dark-haired girl it meant witnessing the announcement of the person who dared to bring harm to their beloved Zoemi.

    "Of course, my prince."

    Miriette answered blushing bashfully from the excitement and grabbed the first prince''s arm.

    The lovely couple strolled side by side ¨C causing gasps of awe to erupt spontaneously from the groups of students that they passed on their way.

    "I''ve heard about the Marigotiee Kingdom ¨C you outdid yourself ¨C literally, that was too much ¨C but still. Thank you."

    Miriette said in a quiet voice while leaning on Horeos arm.

    "Still... don''t you think that using THAT spell was a bit too much? I''ve heard that there is only a pile of steaming stones left there now - Zoemi would get mad if he knew that you activated it even though you promised him to never do that..."

    She squeezed his arm and looked up at him meaningfully.

    "Oh, my love, don''t be like that!"

    The first princeughed it off as if his fiancee told him a delightful joke.

    "Your attendant doesn''t know that I had the spell active for years ¨C and as long as you don''t b about it to him, everything will be fine ¨C after all ¨C no one was left to tell the tale about what happened there ¨C the wrath of light is simply too strong for that~"

    Horeo shrugged his shoulders and responded in a cheerful tone.

    "...not to mention that those bastards had thating ¨C just so you know, you weren''t the only reason for me to wipe that pathetic city-state off the map."

    He added ¨C and although his lips never stopped smiling, his eyes turned serious.

    "I figured that out ¨C or rather Teo had told me everything ¨C honestly from my experience your next move would be to elope with the other twin ¨C feel free to do that at any time, my dear prince."

    Miriette softened her grip ¨C which wasn''t strong, to begin with ¨C and gently caressed Horeo''s arm while snickering mockingly while looking as if she whispered the loving words towards the gold-haired boy''s ear.

    "Pffft...! Your experience? Don''t make meugh! Show me the credentials you scamming fox!"

    The first prince scoffed mockingly ¨C but ended up blushing just so slightly which was already proof enough that at least one information from Miriette''s words hit the bullseye ¨C but once again for the onlookers it looked as if the first prince simply got happy about some mysteriouspliment that his fiancee whispered to him ¨C or maybe it was an affirmation of her undying love...?!

    The possible answers ¨C for the imagination of the onlookers ¨C were limitless!

    ...while the truth remained the same nheless...

    "Romance novels, of course! The steamy ones that my mother tried to hide from me."

    The dark-haired girl answered the question without the hint of embarrassment ¨C and even sounded a little bit proud.

    "...I am going to tell on you tody Misena..."

    Horeo sighed, discreetly rolling his eyes.

    "Eh?! F-fine then, if you do that then I will tell Zoemi that you activated the Wrath of light spell despite the promise you made with him when we were kids!"

    Miriette flinched and her eyes shone nastily while she counter-threatened the gold-haired prince.

    "No. You will not do that."

    Horeo shook his head a little bit and dered calmly.

    "And what gives you such confidence? My cheeky prince?"

    The dark-haired girl asked in a high-and-mighty tone.

    "Well, if the gratefulness for not allowing our parents to marry you off to some disgusting old fatass is not enough of a reason..."

    The first prince began...

    "Oh, we both know that you did that only because Zoemi would leave Bellcephora with me and you wouldn''t have a chance to meet with him anymore!"

    "...uuuugh...."

    Miriette interrupted him and Horeo just sighed.

    "Fair enough, you got a point.... BUT!"

 Chapter 158 - 47 - The End Of Surouâ€™s Route (part 2)

    Horeo shrugged his shoulders and looked away.

    "Go ahead, tell him - then I will tell him that you activated not even one but three Air Emperors."

    "!!!!!"

    The gold-haired first prince mentioned offhandedly causing Miriette to be slightly pale.

    "Teo told you!?"

    She gasped, staring daggers into her fiance.

    "Please, give more credit to my intelligence ¨C I don''t need to be told something so obvious."

    Horeoughed and patted Miriette''s head with a patronizing smirk stered all over his face.

    "You had a cold for three days straight right after Zoemi got hurt? You didn''t visit him at all? Idiots like you don''t catch colds! You being exhausted to that extent would only be possible if you were suffering from severe mana depletion and couldn''t move! Plus, you just confirmed my suspicion by getting angry, my love ¨C you are far too obvious."

    The gold-haired prince dered without even blinking,

    "...stupid... pissy prince...!"

    Miriette blushed and pouted.

    "I let my guard down because it''s only you!"

    She scoffed and dered in a defensive tone.

    "That''s not good then. You must work on your act or I will change your nickname from the cunning fox to the na?ve kitten. Or just straight-up steal Zoemi from you~"

    Horeo grinned at agitated Miriette.

    "Hmph! In your dreams!"

    But in response to that, the dark-haired girl proudly raised her head and looked straight ahead not even sparing the first prince a nce.

    "Does that mean that we will keep each other secrets?"

    The gold-haired prince leaned down and asked with a soft smile who everyone else saw as charming but for the dark-haired girl, it seemed just as mocking as it was annoying ¨C in short ¨C extremely.

    "...fine... stupid prince..."

    Miriette ended up giving up, pouting her lips while sulking.

    But even when they were arguing like that, for the average passerby they looked like a perfect couple, head over heels in love with each other.

    Soon the two of them arrived at the Academy''s entrance - there were students passing by just like always, no one was even looking at the noticeboard which could only mean that the announcement hasn''t been posted yet.

    "You made sure that this little scum will be dealt with properly, right, my prince? Zoemi almost died, if the punishment will turn out to be something like a month''s detention I will get mad."

    "I did my part."

    Miriette finally spoke again and Horeo nodded with a serious expression.

    "My love, don''t worry. It will be satisfactory..."

    He added with a grim smirk but then he suddenly perked up and his face lighted up with an actual smile.

    "Hey, look! It''s Zoemi!"

    Horeo motioned with his chin towards the entrance that the ck-haired attendant was going through apanied by his father.

    "Right on time."

    Miriette nced at Zoemi and turn away blushing ¨C moving with perfect timing to see the young blue-haired female teacher heading to the noticeboard.

    Teacher Perserios had a strict expression on her face and was marching ahead with some sort of document in her hand.

    "..."

    Without looking around she got to the board, created an ice staircase so that she wouldn''t have a need to climb on her tiptoes, and hung up the document.

    "Hmph!"

    She scoffed, making sure that she hung the paper straight, and took a step back ¨C with her feet back on the floor she looked up at the announcement to double-check if it was positioned correctly and nodded to herself satisfied.

    "..."

    Then she turned around to return and she noticed the father-son pair.

    "!!!!

    ...and her serious expression crumbled and she blushed the moment sheid her eyes on the pale-blue-haired knight.

    She instantly straightened her back even more and nervously fixed her hair, even though there was nothing wrong with it, and she walked towards the two without hesitation.

    "Eh...? Am... am I missing something? Does teacher Perserios like Zoemi too!?"

    "...huh, seriously...?"

    Miriette became jealous instantly but Horeo just sighed and patted her shoulder while shaking his head in disbelief.

    "That''s why you get forying in bed three days straight reading those perverted books and doing who knows what else ¨C your brain turned into mush - she''s not blushing for Zoemi."

    The first prince exined pointing out the obvious detail that the dark-haired girl missed.

    "Oh...? Ooooohhhhh!"

    At first, Miriette frowned but then she noticed it too ¨C although everyone else was staring at the healed-up Zoemi, teacher Rokiana didn''t even flinch because she was locked on onto the ck-haired boy''s father.

    "Well... good luck to her! A couple of maids in my house have tried to seduce Mizoe more than just a couple of times but he''s just too oblivious to any kind of romance ¨C he''s even worse than Zoemi!"

    She shrugged her shoulders, losing any interest ¨C and negative emotions ¨C that she had towards the blue-haired woman.

    "Wasn''t that because Zoemi didn''t like any of them and never tried to support their endeavors?"

    Horeo giggled and asked in amusement.

    "Can''t me him there - they are all dumb wenches only thinking about getting married rich, not worth anyone''s time - why are we even talking about that? It makes me remember that one time where I caught my stupid dad together with..."

    "Just look at them."

    The gold-haired prince stopped the dark-haired girl from finishing herint and pointed at the trio.

    ------

    "!!!"

    "...?"

    Zoemi was supported by his father even though he could walk by himself just fine, so he could feel Mizoe suddenly tensing up.

    The ck-haired attendant looked at his father and saw that the pale-blue-haired knight''s face is flushed and he keeps on ncing at something.

    So, the ck-haired boy followed his father''s line of sight and saw the teacher Rokiana beelining towards them right through the groups of students as if she was some miniature blushing icebreaker.

    |Even if the punishment for the Surou would end upme, it was so worthing here...!|

    Zoemi trembled from excitement looking between Mizoe and Rokiana.

    "H-hello, senior! Ah! And hello, student Zoemi! It''s so nice to see you both!"

    Rokiana greeted them smiling bashfully and hid her hands behind her back while only looking at the pale-blue-haired knight.

    "It''s good to see you in good health, student Zoemi ¨C I''ve heard that student Burushiitto has healed you and... oh...?"

    The woman realized that she was being too obvious while in public - surrounded by her students no less - so she turned to the ck-haired boy and spoke tilting her head innocently.

    "...!"

    Her eyes widened while she saw his healed-up face but her reaction was the tamest one yet besides Mizoe''s ¨C she merely raised her brows before ncing back at Mizoe.

    ...one could say that she was fullymitted and had her eyes on the prize...

    "Good morningdy Perserios. That''s right! Although he is still supposed to be resting for a day or two just so we arepletely sure that everything is in order - we just came here because the first prince asked my son to show up."

    "..."

    Mizoe responded without an ounce of hesitation and Zoemi barely held himself back from pping his father in the back of the head!

    His voicecked any emotion making it seem like he didn''t want to talk to the blue-haired woman even though he was all fidgety while looking for her before!

    "O-oh...! Um, yes, of course...! The punishment...! Yes, yes... How silly of me..."

    Rokiana was now red - but unfortunately, it was the I-am-going-to-die-from-the-embarrassment kind of red and not the happy blushing one - and she started nervously backing off thinking she just made a fool out of herself getting all happy on her own....

 Chapter 159 - 47 - The End Of Surouâ€™s Route (part 3)

    "But it''s really nice to see you too, thank you for being so considerate, teacher Perserios, right dad...!? Aren''t you happy because of this fortunate encounter!?"

    Zoemi just had to step in and salvage as much as possible.

    "But of course! It''s a pleasure to see you,dy Perserios. Still, please forgive me but I should go with my son to meet up with the first prince and littledy Espine..."

    "..."

    Mizoe just cranked his denseness switch to eleven and said with a smilepletely ignoring Rokiana was literally hanging her head down in defeat as if she was used to being rejected in such a way ¨C even though it wasn''t actually a rejection.

    "Dad, I''ll go to them by myself - I ampletely healthy after all, remember? You just don''t have anything to do so you are hanging out with me ¨C and speaking of which - teacher Rokiana doesn''t have any sses now, right? Why don''t the two of you just go and have a talk about the ice magic ¨C I''m pretty sure that I''ve overheard you both speaking about it before ¨C why not now...?"

    The ck-haired boy wasn''t going to let his father miss the chance!

    He even had a talk with the pale-blue-haired knight about this exact scenario before!

    Mizoe was interested in Rokiana, but as always - he was too dense to understand when somebody else was interested in him and he would just convince himself that it was something else...

    ~No, it''s summer, that''s why that maid is always showing off her cleavage, the temperature outside is honestly too hot, the way she dresses ispletely justifiable!~

    ~No, no, she was just being helpful, she spilled that drink on myp and she started cleaning it, she''s verymitted to her job!~

    ~What? No! She just entered the wrong bath by mistake, it was alreadyte, it could happen to anyone!~

    Back in the Espine''s household such situations were almost a daily urrence ¨C and Mizoe being so dense was fine but only because all the maids just wanted to get into his pants to secure themselves afortable life - but the current situation?

    It was straight-up infuriating!

    "Zoemi...!"

    Mizoe gasped and looked at his son who never before acted in such a forceful way.

    "Dad ¨C even if you are worried about me - it''s just a few steps, I''ll be fine - now go and take teacher Rokiana and have that whole talk, go walk alongside the pond or something, you know, you''re both water magician, you like water, right?"

    Zoemi dered and started literally pushing his father outside.

    "N-no, student Zoemi ¨C it''s alright... I don''t want to be a nuisance..."

    "!!!"

    Apparently, Rokiana took Mizoe''s denseness as ack of interest and was backing out while speaking awkwardly to the ck-haired boy doing his best.

    Zoemi couldn''t allow that either. With his father out the door, he leaned towards the blue-haired woman...

    "Teacher, I swear he is not doing that on purpose - he likes you, he has said that you''re beautiful! The problem is that he is just so dumb when ites to romance that it hurts. Please, if you are interested in him I will support you with all might!"

    He assured her in a strained murmur while looking around but thankfully other students were too busy gathering and pointing at the announcement at the noticeboard to pay them any attention.

    "Eh...!? Senior l-likes me!?"

    Rokiana gasped putting her hands to her burning cheeks - for a moment she stopped being the teacher and acted like a flustered teenage girl.

    "You''re telling the truth?"

    She asked with a flushed face and grabbed Zoemi''s arm.

    "Yes! Just go and thaw that icecap of denseness!"

    Zoemi acted very inappropriately for the student because he started pushing teacher Rokiana out the door too, just like he did with his father the moment earlier.

    "Zoemi I really think that... ah...!"

    "!!!!"

    Suddenly his father stuck his head back through the door and started talking but Zoemi just gritted his teeth, annoyed how someone could be THAT dense and pushed Rokiana right into the knight''s arms.

    "Father, don''t be rude to my teacher, just go! Go! Shoo!"

    He called out and...

    "...a-alright..."

    ...surprisingly his persuasion worked...!

    The teenage attendant made the two grown-ups leave - the thing that they were basically made to hug in public was a big help in convincing them to change the location too!.

    -----

    "...whew... now then..."

    After watching them leave Zoemi wiped his foreheadpletely exhausted but full of hope - he turned around and slowly walked towards the blushing Miriette, and Horeo who was chuckling his sides off.

    "Mydy, my prince."

    Zoemi greeted them politely.

    "Pffft...! No...! I can''t...!

    Horeo hid his face in his hands.

    "Zoemi! I will be rooting for them!"

    Miriette gasped as her eyes sparkled.

    "Honestly, Zoemi, you were so obvious that I''m surprised that you haven''t already bought the rings for them!"

    Horeo had to wipe off the tear from the corner of his eye, he was cracking up that hard.

    "..."

    Zoemi blushed and lowered his head.

    "With all due respect, my prince..."

    He sulked a bit and murmured.

    "It''s just that hanging around Patishi, who keeps calling me her big brother all the time, made me realize that I want a big family, is that so funny...?"

    "!!!!"

    "...!"

    The handsome ck-haired boy didn''t raise his head but both the gold-haired boy and the dark-haired girl froze.

    |He wants a big family? Big family! He wants to have many children! When I will be his wife I could bear his children! No, wait ¨C actually - we don''t even have to wait until the wedding! We can start right now! Screw the Surou''s punishment!|

    Miriette''s brain almost blew up over this.

    "If you want a big family we ca...UGH!"

    "...don''t you dare, idiot...!"

    She suddenly groaned when Horeo elbowed her in the side and scolded her in a hushed voice.

    "We are in public, remember!?"

    The first piece whispered into his fiancee''s ear.

    "Mydy...? "

    "Y-yes...?"

    Zoemi raised his head rmed by the sounds ofmotion but his master was smiling right back at him with a slight blush.

    "Is something the matter...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, tilting his head like an innocent puppy, and asked in a worried voice.

    "Ah, it''s nothing, I just thought that it''s nothing wrong with wanting a big family, don''t worry about the first prince''sughter."

    The elbow definitely sobered Miriette up and now she was burning from the embarrassment of her own indecent thoughts.

    "Still, weren''t you a bit too forceful? I mean, sir Mizoe can act on his own, right? "

    Horeo made sure that Mireitte will not suddenly try to do something problematic in public and then he suddenly remembered the funny scene of Zoemi''s forceful matchmaking and he trembled from holding back theughter.

    ""You''re just saying that because you don''t know his personality all that good.""

    "...!"

    The master and the attendant responded at the same time and it made Horeo stopughing.

    "Anyway, you two will want to check on the announcement."

    The first prince didn''t forget the original purpose of the gathering.

    "Ah! That''s right!"

    Miriette said and pulled Horeo towards the noticeboard that a bunch of other students was staring at with disbelief and shock on their faces.

    "Zoemi,e,e."

    She beckoned her attendant.

    Zoemi walked after them and read the announcement.

 Chapter 160 - 47 - The End Of Surouâ€™s Route (part 4)

    [The official decision regarding the student

    Surou Delche Bellcephora

    A breach of rules so shameless cannot go unpunished.

    Causing harm to another student in the name of upholding the academy''s policy is an act unbing of a student supervisor.

    Therefore it is hereby announced that the student Surou Delche Bellcephora is expelled from the Aspakeony Academy and is expected to leave the Academy grounds within twenty-four hours from the posting of this notice.

    This decision takes effect immediately and had been approved by the crown.

    The headmaster of Aspakeony Academy

    Burdoff Mekhior Vereq]

    "Wh-wha-what...?!"

    Zoemi starred at the announcement as if it was a dragon that magically appeared out of nowhere wearing a tutu.

    "This... is a joke, right...? There is no way that it can be serious...!"

    The ck-haired boy slowly turned towards his master and the first prince and muttered, pointing at the noticeboard with a shaking hand.

    Miriette looked every bit as shocked as the ck-haired attendant of hers ¨C only the gold-haired Horeo was grinning, extremely proud of himself.

    "M-my prince, this...!"

    Zoemi couldn''t even find the right words for the situation.

    Being expelled from the Aspakeony Academy was a humongous humiliation for any noble ¨C honestly, dropping out because of a political marriage or unnned pregnancy was far moremon than getting expelled!

    The Academy itself was made specifically for the young nobles to interact with each other so that they could cooperate better in the future when they''ll inherit their parents'' territories, this purpose came even before the honing of the magic skills! Being expelled was equal to removing the person from the future political scene!

    For something like this to happen to the second prince who was supposed to be in an open contest for the crown against the first prince...

    ...it was like straight up dering that Surou has no chance of ever bing the king...!

    "My father allowed for this kind of punishment. He agreed that the second prince should be reeducated, preferably homeschooled as his recent behavior is uneptable."

    Horeo exined with a benevolent ¨C and yet somehow cruel ¨C smile.

    "...hey..."

    Miriette leaned to the gold-haired boy and stealthily patted his shoulder so that Zoemi wouldn''t notice.

    "Good job!"

    She whispered conspicuously congratting him for assuring the proper punishment for the grave sin of hurting Zoemi.

    "B-but my prince... Isn''t that too cruel...? I got healed ¨C and even my scars disappeared! How will the second prince ept such revtion!?"

    |Surou willpletely flip out when he sees this!|

    Zoemi panicked - he thought that the second prince''s route was done and over but this was definitely another event! One that Zoemi thought was already closed and done ¨C things were taking a turn for the worst in a record speed right in front of his very eyes!

    "Don''t worry about that, two guards with light magic are already waiting to take him back home right after he sees this."

    Horeo just shrugged his shoulders like it was nothing special - and then he perked up.

    "Hey, look, speak of the devil!"

    The gold-haired boy grinned and pointed at something to the left of their small group.

    Zoemi and Miriette looked there and they saw the blue-haired second prince Surou walking with the heroine - they were holding hands not caring for the attention they were getting.

    They were heading their way and Zoemi suddenly realized something terrible.

    Very terrible.

    One could say ¨C extremely terrible!

    The y-haired boy started looking around frantically.

    |No...! This...! This setting...!|

    Zoemi looked at the noticeboard, the first prince and his fiancee standing together, the second prince and the blond-hairedmoner girl approaching them... and he felt all his blood draining from his face.

    |This is not just some random bonus event...!|

    He thought to himself, feeling cold sweat drenching his clothes.

    "Hello, my dear brother. I am here just as you wanted me to - why did you want me toe here anyway?"

    Surou asked not trying too hard to hide how annoyed he was about this whole summon ¨C it honestly felt like he was only some random subject and not a part of the royal family...!

    At his side, the heroine was behaving simrly to Zoemi - she also was looking around suspiciously, but unfortunately she was a bit slower to recognize the setting and didn''t realize the truth yet.

    |This is...!|

    Zoemi gasped, raking his brain how can he prevents the oing catastrophe from unfolding...! "Just go ahead and take a look for yourself."

    Horeo politely encouraged his younger brother with a gentle gesture pointing the blue-haired boy towards the noticeboard.

    "...?"

    Surou leaned back and squinted his eyes in suspicion ¨C he was partially used to his older brother''s entric behavior but still, usually, the gold-haired boy was holding back in front of the others...

    "Hmm...?"

    The blue-haired second prince nced at the noticeboard and then came a bit closer to read the announcement that Horeo was pointing at.

    Meanwhile Zoemi...

    |How could this be ¨CSurou already confessed and the heroine had clearly epted ¨C that should have been it!|

    ...was pulling out the vials with mana potions hysterically in preparation for the worst oue that was about to be unleashed...

    |WHY?! It will be a bad ending! Straight up bad ending for everyone! So the chronological order isn''t important after all?! How does that make any sense?!|

    The ck-haired boy gritted his teeth while clenching his hands already looking for the most suitable spell to use...

    The heroine was feeling ufortable for some reason, this whole situation was reminding her of something but she couldn''t quite put her hand on it...

    |The game has already finished, right ¨C Surou confessed ¨C that should be it...|

    She thought to herself checking if the engagement ring that the second prince gave her is still on her finger - or was receiving it just a dream.

    The beautiful golden ring with one big diamond in the middle and two smaller blue ones to its sides glistened marvelously proving that it was a reality.

    |Is it another event? No, that would not make sense... shouldn''t the game end when either route was fullypleted...? In the game setting, we are in the post-credit scene!|

    For Burushitto it was a big problem ¨C up until that point she used whatever knowledge she had about the game to get to that point in one piece.

    In her inexperienced eyes of a young girl who never dated anyone else across both of her lives, the blue-haired second prince Surou was a perfect man - not only handsome but he loved her with all his heart too.

    And was easy to manipte too.

    |...why is Zomei acting so weird ¨C I healed him and all, why does he look like he was about to faint?|

    Despite all that, the one person who got her attention the most turned out to be none other than the ck-haired boy...

    |Since Suoru''s route should be over, maybe it is just Zoemi''s route that is acting up...?

    The blond heroine thought to herself furrowing her brows...

    But unfortunately ¨C she waspletely wrong.

    |It''s just some after-credits scene and not a proper event... yes... for sure... nothing else makes sense... Nothing will happen...!|

    She thought to herself clenching her thumbs praying for the lucky oue.

    But then - something happened ¨C something that she did not expect...

    "...impossible..."

    Surou was staring at the announcement of his expulsion - he actually looked like a fish who suddenly found itself in a desert.

    |Th-this can''t be happening....!|

 Chapter 161 - 48 - The End Of Surouâ€™s Route (part 5)

    "This... this...!"

    Surou''s body started shaking.

    He turned his head and red at the gold-haired Horeo.

    ...his older brother...

    The perfect being who never made any mistakes was so outstandingly smart, so incredibly powerful, and so loved by their parents that no matter what Surou did, he could never even dream about being better than him...!

    And that very perfect brother was looking down on him with a smug, almost challenging look on the face that the second prince hated the most...

    Horeo merely stood there in silence with a triumphant look in his eyes - as if he couldn''t wait for Surou to snap...!

    "...!"

    The second prince gritted his teeth so hard that they creaked, and his hands clenched into fists.

    The blue-haired second prince could feel his hatred towards his brother - built up through all his life - raising over the threshold of his reasoning andmon sense.

    |It''s his fault! It''s all this bastard''s FAULT!|

    If Surou could only hurt that perfect older brother of his, how good would that feel?

    To make that annoying high-and-mighty smile disappear...!

    To wipe the smugness off of his face...!

    "...ghhhh...!"

    The blue-haired boy loudly inhaled the air and his re hardened.

    "You have caused this ¨C didn''t you?"

    While ring at his older brother, Surou pointed at the announcement.

    His voice was shaking with barely held-back fury.

    "Excuse me...?"

    Horeo tilted his head and straightened his back to re down at the shorter boy.

    "...!"

    Surou flinched and bit his lip to control himself even a little bit.

    "Don''t you dare act like that! You must have pressured the Academy to do this! Why else someone like me would get punished?!"

    *WHAM*

    "!!!"

    Surou shouted and smashed his fist against the noticeboard ¨C but only the blond heroine by his side flinched ¨C no one else was even remotely threatened by the childish outburst.

    "I''m a member of the royalty! I cannot be treated like that!"

    The second prince''s face twisted in anger as he continued getting the attention of every passing student.

    "...my prince...!"

    "...hmph..!"

    At that moment Surou felt someone grabbing his hand - he instantly turned to shake it off but the person didn''t let go.

    "My prince! Please, calm down! What is going on? Why are you so mad?"

    "...!"

    Surou heard the voice of the blond girl by his side and regained some reason, not much, but just enough not to throw himself at his brother.

    "Buru..."

    He turned and looked at the heroine''s face.

    The blond girl was terrified.

    Her beautiful eyes were full of worry...

    She pressed her body against Surou''s arm to constrain his movements even a little bit.

    "My prince, what is happening? What caused such anger? Everything will be alright, right?"

    She added looking past the first prince and his fiancee, right at the ck-haired attendant ¨C who clearly looked like he wanted to do something but was being held back by the dark-haired girl...

    "..."

    ...not to mention that the first prince himself noticed Burushiitto''s look and stepped to the side to block Zoemi from her eyes.

    "...I... you see... it''s...|

    The second prince lowered his gaze - he felt a red-hot shame burning his insides...

    He was going to be expelled from the Aspakeony Academy because of his older brother...!

    ...and... it had to happen right in front of his beloved girl...

    "This..."

    Surou motioned towards the announcement, not even able to tell her the news.

    "...?"

    Burushitto looked up and quickly read the document.

    "!!!"

    ...and her jaw dropped from the shock...

    "That''s not possible! Something must be wrong!"

    She eximed and clung to Surou side.

    "My prince, let''s go and ask the headmaster, there must have been a mistake, you have done nothing wrong! I-I mean, you have been the one getting misled! But in the end, sir Zoemi isn''t holding a grudge, is he?! I healed him already and all!"

    Burushiitto''s shoulders trembled and she gasped ¨C trying to make eye contact with the ck-haired attendant.

    |It''s wrong! All wrong! What is happening!? The final event for the route has already happened ¨C why did this scene trigger!?|

    She wasn''t just distressed on the outside, the heroine was also panicking on the inside.

    "That''s right! I don''t hold the second pri...!"

    "Zoemi ¨C this isn''t only about you."

    "!!!!"

    The ck-haired boy tried to move past Horeo while dragging Miriette with him, but he was forced to stop by the first prince''s outstretched hand and cold voice.

    "Although I can''t deny that the injustice done to you was the reason the idea of removing the second prince from the Academy was brought up ¨C it ended up not being the deciding factor."

    Horeo exined in a stern voice ¨C warning Zoemi with his eyes to stay quiet and not get involved.

    "Truth be told his behavior from the beginning of the studies here was... less than eptable..."

    He added turning around and ring down at the blond-haired heroine who flinched under the weight of that gaze.

    "How dare you...!?"

    Surou gasped, stepping in front of the terrified Burushiitto and shielding her from his older brother ¨C which was Horeo''s entire point ¨C after all, only one person was going to be punished...

    "This decision is clearly biased and unjust! Especially after what you''ve just said ¨C what was wrong with my conduct in the Aspakeony Academy?!"

    The blue-haired boy called out in anger, raising his head with a challenging look in his eyes.

    "The headmaster was the one to made the decision about the expulsion... suggesting that someone of his status is wrong isn''t the wisest choice to get out of trouble, second prince..."

    Horeo''s face lost every trace of mockings and became cold and indifferent like an iron mask.

    "Lies! You were definitely the one who threatened him or something! Just you wait ¨C we will see what mother will have to say about tha...!

    "But Surou is a prince! No one can just expel a prince of the Kingdom from the Aspakeony Academy!"

    Surou was about to snap but he was interrupted by the desperate heroine clinging to his side and calling out towards the gold-haired Horeo.

    "Second prince."

    Horeo corrected themoner girl without even sparing her a single nce.

    "You...!"

    "Whatever! Still, what about the high-noble rule?! Even the headmaster can''t make a decision about expelling a high noble decision without the consent of the king!"

    Once again Surou was going to say something but was interrupted by the heroine.

    "Yes, you are absolutely right about that ¨C what a fortunate coincidence."

    Horeo nodded and turned his head to the side.

    "Sir Karestas,dy Yarvestreg, if you may."

    "...!"

    "..."

    "..."

    He called out in a loud voice and two tall figures entered through the main entrance as if they were waiting for the summon...

    A man and a woman in matching shining golden armor sets - both of them had bright golden hair and eyes, glistening marvelously as they walked towards the noticeboard proudly with their white capes fluttering dramatically even though the pair didn''t move all that fast.

    ""My prince,dy Espine.""

    The pair of knights bowed their heads at the same time towards the future royal couple. Their position was high enough that they weren''t obliged to kneel in front of anyone except the current king.

    "Those...! Those are members of the King''s guard! I''ve seen them during parades!"

    "Wait ¨C no...! But that means...! The second prince is actually getting expelled?!|

    If before the students gathered around the noticeboard were observing the quarrel between two princes with curiosity and shock, now all their attention has been focused on the newly arrived guests.

 Chapter 162 - 48 - The End Of Surouâ€™s Route (part 6)

    |Wait...! If they are here then the bad end have no chance of happening the way it did in the game...!|

    Zoemi gasped internally in realization watching the two knights in all their glory.

    The ck-haired boy has always visited the royal castle together with his master so he met a lot of very important people - and those two were included.

    After all, the first prince and he evenpleted the training for the King''s guards members before they entered the academy, so of course two of the most known members of that elite group would show up there.

    Sir Karestas anddy Yarvestreg were the members of the king''s guards - a selected group of only the strongest light magicians - and they were particrly famous for how simr they looked and how much in sync they acted, even though they didna have even a speck of the same blood in them.

    ""...~!""

    "...!"

    After they raised their heads, they smiled softly in the exact same way and lightly waved to Zoemi, who panicked and got on his knees instantly.

    ""...pfft...""

    Karestas and Yarvestreg let out a shortugh and shook their heads at the sight.

    "Wh-what are you doing here...!?"

    Surou stuttered looking at the knights and took a step back, almost tripping n his own two feet.

    ""Second prince Surou, we have been ordered by your father, the king, to escort you back to the royal castle and ensure your safety on the way there.""

    "...!"

    The pair of knights calmly exined in unison and Surou paled.

    "No, it can''t be!"

    Burushiitto shook her head and tried to shield the blue-haired boy with her own body.

    ""...?""

    Karestas and Yarvestreg raised their brows and looked at each other.

    They had no reason to respond to or even acknowledge amoner.

    They shrugged their shoulders and took something out from their belts.

    Each of them was holding a milky white crystal bracelet withplicated engravings ¨C and they walked forward...

    "W-wait... what are you...?! KYAAAH!"

    The blond girl gasped, staring in disbelief at the ancient bracelets, but then got shoved to the side bydy Yarvestreg''s wave.

    "Buru...! You ¨C how dare you treat my...!"

    Surou gasped, gritting his teeth but the two knights extended their hands and grabbed the second prince''s arms faster than he could react and...

    ...locked the bracelets on his wrists...

    "Wh-what...!?"

    Surou could only stare at his hands as if he was struck by thunder.

    "How dare you do that to prince Surou!? Those are meant only for the criminals, aren''t they!?"

    Burushitto grabbed the armored arm of Karestas and tried to shake him off while screaming.

    "..."

    "...who allowed you to touch him...?"

    "KU-GHUAAGH...!"

    Both of the gold king''s guards frowned but it was Yarvestreg who scoffed and extended her arm before pushing the heroine away, making her tumble on the floor like a broken toy.

    "Buru!"

    "No."

    Seeing his lover getting treated like that, Surou tried to run to her but he was stopped by both Karestas and Yarvestreg.

    "How dare you act like that towards her!? Don''t you know who she is?! Help her up and apologize ¨C and take those off of me! My Buru is right! Those are only for criminals!"

    The second prince shouted and raised his arms to show off the ancient bracelets.

    "Oh! So you do know what those are for!"

    "...!"

    Suddenly Horeo eximed and hit himself on the forehead as if his younger brother''s words made him understand some divine mystery.

    "And I was so sure that you thought that those were just some toys that you can use however you want! You put them onpletely innocent Zoemi and you even had the guts to try and use them on my own fiance!"

    "..."

    The gold-haired first prince''s reaction was way over the top and both Miriette and Zoemi realized that Horeo was agitating Surou on purpose.

    "How did you...!?"

    Surou gasped before he could bite his tongue.

    "I see."

    Horeo smirked triumphantly.

    "So, it was like that after all..."

    He snorted.

    "Plotting against your own brother''s fiancee... That''s not an act worthy of someone from the royal family. If you have even an ounce of honor somewhere in your body, leave with sir Karestas anddy Yarvestreg, face your punishment like a proper noble and learn from this experience like our father wants you to."

    The first prince dered proudly, waving his hand in a domineering way.

    "You are telling me to act with pride when I have those on!?"

    Surou shouted as his whole body was shaking from fury = these bracelets were the symbol of fear and shame for all the nobles in the kingdom, but the second prince knew that he can''t do anything now...

    "N-no...! Mydy, my prince! The bracelets they are...!"

    With all that going on Zoemi was panicking in the back ¨C while he was getting whipped he managed toplete his n ¨C that meant that the bracelets were rendered useless ¨C he had to warn others about that...!

    "Zoemi, leave this to me ¨C I''m serious."

    "Let''s just stay back and watch."

    Horeo nced back at the ck-haired boy and murmured in a stern voice while Miriette grabbed Zoemi''s arms and was holding him back with trembling hands.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy could only powerlessly clench his fists and bite his lips paying that Karestas and Yarvestreg will not lose vignce...

    ||Oh god, please, don''t let Surou try to use any magic...!|

    Zoemi was sweating buckets, peeking over Horeo''s shoulder ¨C for a moment things looked promising...

    Surou has hung his head down in defeat and it honestly seemed like he would follow the two gold knights...

    "My prince! Please ¨C stay calm! This changes nothing! If you are leaving the Academy I''m not staying here either! I will go with you!"

    Burushitto who managed to stand up threw herself at the second prince and embraced him from behind dering bravely while hugging him with all her might.

    "Buru...!"

    Surou looked at the blond girl and smiled, feeling his chest fill up with warmth.

    "Miss Burushitto, please unhand the second price, it is highly inappropriate for amoner to touch the nobility so lightheartedly ¨C even if you just so happen to be a student of the Aspakeony Academy."

    "...!"

    "Wait -what ¨C hold on...!"

    Horeo squinted his eyes and reprimanded her ¨C causing Surou to flinch, and making Zoemi gasp and call out in shock before Miriette tugged on his arms and shook her head to make him keep quiet.

    "I am his fiance! There''s nothing wrong with me touching him!"

    Burushitto shouted angrily and shoved off her ring while ring at the fist prince from behind the second prince''s back.

    Not only did she not let go, but she also hugged Surou tighter as if to prove her words true.

    "..."

    Everyone watching became silent at the revtion.

    Of course, some of them have seen Burushitto''s ring but no one even dreamed about its true meaning ¨C after all, announcing that the two people are together and straight up dering engagement was...

    "What...?"

    "!!!"

    Hoero''s voice instantly became as cold as ice.

    His expression changed from seriousness to disgusting disdain.

    "Second prince... what is that supposed to mean...?"

    He moved his eyes from the heroine to his younger brother and asked.

    "Th-that''s right! I proposed to my Buru four days ago! She is my official fiance!"

    Surou stuttered but ended up dering with a pale yet proud expression.

 Chapter 163 - 48 - The End Of Surouâ€™s Route (part 7)

    "..."

    The silence of the surrounding changed.

    When the heroine dered that she and the second prince were engaged, it was a silence caused by shock and disbelief, now that the second prince has confirmed it so proudly, the silence became more... Dreadful...

    "...?"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and looked around ¨C that was not the atmosphere that was portrayed in the game when it came to announcing the engagement...

    But...

    The game was one thing and a real hierarchical society was somethingpletely different...

    A prince proposing to amoner...!?

    In the school for nobility, that sort of statement wasn''t even considered a joke.

    It was something straight-up insulting!

    "Pffft...! Ha.... Haha.... Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

    The serious expression that his younger brother was making while bravely staring up at him broke Horeo, and the gold-haired boy couldn''t contain himself any longer ¨C he burst out into a cruel, ridiculingughter.

    "!!!"

    The smile on Surou''s face slowly disappeared ¨C his older brother dropped his carefully crafted kindhearted persona and showed his true face...!

    That couldn''t end up good...!

    "Miriette...! Zoemi...! Did you hear those imbeciles...!? Ahahahahahahahahaah! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! My goodness! Oh, my sides! I can''t believe it...! They are so STUPID! AHAHAHAHAHA! You MORONS! To think IMBECILES like the two of you can actually exist and not identally get yourself killed by having your brains implode over the simplest tasks! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

    Horeo''s stomach started hurting from all theughing.

    "Oh! We are engaged! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

    "Pfft...! OHOHOHO...! Ekhm! No ¨C wait... ekhem! Indeed, my prince, that does seem funny."

    Miriette held herself together a bit better ¨C but only a little bit - and masked theughter by clearing her throat.

    "...?!"

    Zoemi blinked repeatedly looking between his master and the gold-haired prince.

    The ck-haired boy felt his insides tie up into a knot ¨C of course, he realized what the gold-haired prince was talking about ¨C after all, he attended the exact same lessons that Miriette and Horeo did ¨C the only problem was ¨C he was sure that since this world was perfectly mirroring that of the game he yed, the rules of the hierarchical society will be more lenient for the heroine ¨C since she was supposed to be a special existence...

    ¡­.but...

    ...in the game, nothing could happen to her because without her the yer could not interact with the world at all ¨C but since this world was real...

    ...the plot armor of the heroine simply didn''t exist...

    "What''s so funny about that!?"

    "Stopughing!"

    Surou and Burushitto both shouted back at the first prince in agitated voices ¨C unaware of Zoemi''s revtion.

    "Pfffft... Whew...! Oh, that was a goodugh... now... Me or you, my love? Who should enlighten them?"

    Horeo, still chuckling like crazy, leaned towards his fiance with a mischievous face

    "...Zoemi ¨C stay back ¨C it won''t look good for you or us if you will try to help them no matter how pitiful they might seem..."

    For just a second, the gold-haired boy''s face turned serious again and he warned the ck-haired boy.

    "My prince, you startedughing so it''s better if you do it."

    Miriette squeezed Zoemi''s hands reassuringly before letting him go and politely bowed her head towards her fiance, giving him a chance to show off.

    "What a treat ¨C as expected of my ACTUAL and OFFICIAL fiancee."

    Horeo shook his head and cleared his throat, then he turned back around and looked the heroine in the eyes.

    "You see miss Burushiitto. I startedughing because ¨C well ¨C your little y-pretend isughable."

    "You...!"

    Surou tried to break free but Karestas and Yarvestreg were holding him tightly.

    "What do you mean, your highness?"

    The heroine squinted her eyes and asked ¨C actually clueless.

    "The marriage in a royal family is not something so silly as giving the ring to someone you fancy. For example, I never even gave Miriette a ring. Do you know why?"

    "...?"

    Horeo asked and Burushitto shook her head - though she wanted to say something along the lines of ~because you don''t really love her~ but she managed to bite her tongue in time.

    "To be officially engaged both of you would have to gain the approval of the current king and the queen and believe me, weing themoner into the kingdom''s most important family when there are literally hundreds and thousands of way more worthy candidates, is not the even on my parents'' to-do list. To even dream that such a thing could happen, well, frankly, you would have to suffer from severe brain damage."

    The first prince shook his head while smiling- although his eyes were deadly serious.

    "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"

    "!!!"

    Surou shouted so loud that his throat became sore, unintentionally making the heroine jump in shock.

    "See?"

    Horeo snorted and pointed at the second prince.

    "Even he actually knows that''s the truth."

    The gold-haired boy added lightheartedly.

    "I told you to SHUT UP!"

    Surou trembled and tried to break free but it was as useless as before.

    "Hmph."

    To that, Horeo only snorted.

    "That ring on your finger, miss Burushitto, it''s just some shiny trash - it means nothing."

    He pointed out with a dismissive shrug.

    "YOU BASTARD!"

    Blinded by rage, the blue-haired second prince roared.

    Not caring that he is bound by the ancient spellcasting-blocking bracelets Surou made the mana in his body move.

    "WATER SPEAR!"

    He shouted in frenzy.

    "..."

    No one even budged, why would they? The second prince had the bracelets on, nothing could have happened - it would be illogical ¨C the ancient artifact''s power was well known and proven.

    ...Well, it was supposed to be...

    *CRACK*

    "...?"

    Because right at that moment, the crystal bracelets just...

    *crumble*

    Turned into dust and disappeared into nothingness.

    "!!!"

    And a water spear formed in front of the second prince and shoot without any dy.

    "SHADOW THEATER, SHADOW ARMOR!"

    There actually was one person who acted the second that Surou started screaming.

    It was Zoemi ¨C without even giving Miriette a chance to act as her character did in the game, the ck-haired boy grabbed her and Horeo and shoved them both behind him before roaring the incantation and charging the water spell head-on, d in the demonic murky-ck armor.

    The effects of that stunt were immediate.

    *SPLASH*

    Instead of piercing through the supposed weak boy''s defense, the water spear that honestly boasted the fourth-strongest piercing capabilities amongst the attack spells of all attributes crashed against the shadow armor and dispersed into thousands of droplets that shoot to the sides drenching the speechless bystanders bewildered by the sight.

    "Wha...!? ZOEMI!?"

    Surprised Miriette gasped, crawling back up from the floor where she was thrown to just a second ago and clung to the demonic-looking attendant of hers.

    "...m-mydy...?"

    The most confused about all that happened person in the entire entrance hall was definitely the ck-haired attendant himself, though.

    Honestly ¨C he fully intended on sacrificing himself if necessary, although he had a sight hope that his mana willst long enough for the most dangerous spear''s tip to be dispersed ¨C which would result in him only getting hit by a blunt, highly pressurized water spur ¨C but the current oue has...

    ...exceeded all of his wildest dreams...

    Not only did the water spear got shredded but it also felt like the mana keeping the droplets of water together into the shape of a spear got already added to the ck-haired boy''s own mana reservoir.

 Chapter 164 - 48 - The End Of Surouâ€™s Route (part 8)

    The gathered students started screaming and panicking.

    The ancient bracelets failed!

    The second prince just destroyed the bracelets and attacked the first prince!

    How could that NOT be a big deal?!

    ""...""

    Karestas and Yarvestreg were probably the most shocked but also the ones to act the fastest ¨C at least after Zoemi.

    *WHAM*

    *CRACK*

    Without any hesitation, they mmed the second prince to the ground so hard that he broke his nose on the stone floor.

    ""How dare you attack the prince! How did you destroy the bracelets!?""

    Even when they were agitated they still talked in perfect sync.

    "I don''t know! I DON''T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!"

    Surou was wailing in pain, the blood was gushing from his nose and the knights were twisting his arms so hard that they were about to snap right off.

    "LET GO OF ME! LET GO OF ME! I AM A PRINCE TOO!"

    Surou wailed like a dying animal giving a really bad image to the royalty he was iming to be...

    "WA-WATER BUBBLE!"

    "MY PRINCE ¨C NO! STOP!"

    The blue-haired boy seemed to lost his mind and used the worst possible spell to protect himself - despite the blond heroine crying out in a warning and throwing herself at the gold knights in a futile attempt to save her lover...

    "...Didn''t I tell you to NOT TOUCH HIM?!"

    ...unfortunately, the knight she grabbed first was once again lord Karestas ¨C which sprouteddy Yarvestreg''s anger...

    *WHOOSH*

    *SLAM*

    *plop*

    The next moment Burushiitto flew through the entrance hall and hit the opposite wall ¨C instantly losing consciousness and ending up slumping on the floor with a pitiful sound unable to even gasp in shock.

    ...as if that was not enough, something even more miserable happened...

    The water bubble that the second prince created was obviously dependent on the user''s mana, it blocked as much magic damage as much mana the caster had...

    ...and the two king''s guards were using light enchantments which meant that their touch counted as magic damage...

    "NOOOO! NOOOOOO! LET ME GO! LET ME GOOO!"

    ...and the blue-haired second prince had merely the average amount of mana at his disposal to begin with...

    Yes...

    "UWEEEEEEH UGNUEEEEH! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO!"

    Surou''s mana evaporated instantly and the effects of the mana drain hit him like a truck.

    Hard.

    "UGHUEEEEEEH! STOP! LET GO! STOP! BUHUEEEEEE...!"

    The blue-haired boy started crying like a toddler and his head mmed against the floor on its own causing him to cry even more.

    "It hurts! Mommy! It hurts! Bluegeeughughughugh...!"

    "..."

    He cried out and suddenly started vomiting ¨C but the knights holding him down didn''t even flinch.

    "Pathetic."

    Horeo scoffed shaking his head in disbelief over his younger brother.

    "...Zoemi ¨C don''t even think about going to help either of them..."

    Meanwhile, Mireitte clinging onto the still armored-up Zoemi murmured, tightening her enchantment-augmented grip even though she felt an odd sensation of her mana being forcefully drained by something else besides her own spells...

    "...Sir Karestas,dy Yarvestreg..."

    "..."

    Zoemi looked back at the dark-haired girl but he felt that even despite all that happened it wasn''t okay to shame Surou that much ¨C not when the punishment that was already decided for him was basically a public social execution and crossing him off the session line.

    "...he is right, isn''t he..."

    "...yes, yes... do you think that I will get in trouble for knocking out that girl...?"

    The two knights muttered consulted themselves in hushed voices before nodding at each other and standing up.

    The blue-haired second prince seemed to have lost consciousness as the result of either mana depletion or serious mental trauma ¨C or both ¨C which meant that he was essentially harmless at the moment, so Karestas and Yarvestreg raised him up like a toy, and Surou''s legs dangled in the air as his head dropped onto his chest, dripping with tears, snot, and vomit.

    ""My prince, we must change our ns, we will teleport with him right away, the ancient artifact has been destroyed and we need to report it so that the investigation couldmence as soon as possible!""

    "No ¨C wait a bit more."

    They dered but Horeo raised his hand and shook his head, stopping them from using the teleportation spell.

    "Zoemi! What ¨C how did you do this? What is this spell?!"

    Miriette didn''tpletely lose interest in the pitiful second prince and instead focused on the shadow armor-d attendant of hers while stopping her enchantments and stepping away so that their closeness wouldn''t be found suspicious by the public.

    "Ummm... Surprise...?"

    "!!!!!!"

    The ck-haired boy released the spell and smiled awkwardly ¨C which actually caused quite the stir amongst the gathered student.

    The thing was before not many people paid attention to the ck-haired boy as everyone was too preupied with the announcement and the confrontation between the second and the first prince ¨C but now, with everything basically settled ¨C the scarless attendant ended up in the center of attention especially considering that he took a water spear to the chest like it was nothing and didn''t even flinch!

    "...wha-wha-whaaaat?! Wh-who is this...?!"

    "No- seriously, is that some foreign royalty?!"

    "...isn''t that sir Zoemi though...?"

    "What?! Impossible! This definitely must be some sort of foreign royalty!"

    ...although it seemed that everyone''s attention was focused on the ck-haired boy''s devilishly beautiful appearance and not his much stronger than before magic...

    "What surprise you reckless idi...! Nnnn...!"

    Miriette honestly tried to get angry at the attendant but one look into his overwhelmingly handsome face made her blush and look away ¨C she felt like her heart would burst out of her chest if she gazed upon the ck-haired boy for too long.

    "Mydy! I am terribly sorry for pushing you and the first prince aside ¨C were you harmed in any way!"

    Zoemi shook his head and asked out loud ncing at the crowd slightly surprised by their reaction.

    "...wha...?"

    "....pffft...!"

    Miriette and Horeo looked at each other and snorted in disbelief.

    "Harmed? How so? You saved me and Miriette ¨C seriously... what was that reaction time ¨C I feel ashamed I would have been skewered if it weren''t for you, my friend."

    "!!!!"

    Horeo sighed with a grateful smile and proudly patted Zoemi''s shoulder ¨C also observing the reaction of the surrounding crowd.

 Chapter 165 - 48 - The End Of Surouâ€™s Route (part 9)

    "Wait, wait ¨C no, wait...! This IS the ugly attendant...?!"

    "Watch your stupid mouth! It''s sir Zoemi you''re talking about!"

    "Hmph~"

    ...the reaction of most of the students watching the entire scene ys out simply couldn''t have been more in favor of the ck-haired attendant ¨C which pleased the gold-haired first prince immensely, even to the point of him scoffing with satisfaction when some of the positivements had reached his ears.

    "My prince, it was obvious for me to do so..."

    "!!!"

    "You''ve heard that!"

    "So admirable!"

    Zoemi shook his head and tried to back off as if overwhelmed by the trust he received from Horeo ¨C which spurred even more awestruck voices from the bystanders.

    |Without you, Miriette won''t have a perfectly happy life...|

    Still - he finished in his mind without changing his expression.

    |...is what I used to think until a minute ago...|

    The ck-haired attendant lovered his head and stealthily nced at the unconscious heroine under the wall left there with no one even trying to approach her.

    |...she has no plot armor because this isn''t a game... wow... I feel kind of... stupid, now...|

    Zoemi smirked to himself before straightening his back and showing a calm andposed expression to Horeo, Miriette, and everyone else who was watching.

    ...

    ¡­....

    Karestas and Yarvestreg were still holding the unconscious Surou waiting for the first prince''s instructions ¨C it was more than obvious that both of them fully support the first prince and don''t care about the second prince ¨C or his opinion which was getting worse and worse the longer he was still present in the Academy in his unbing state - at all.

    "Take him to my father and report everything that happened!"

    The gold-haired princemanded, using the chance to rebuild the just and rule-abiding persona at the cost of his younger brother''s already ruined image.

    "Not only did he destroy the ancient artifact he also attempted to assassinate me, his own brother! It is obvious that he took the bracelets out of the royal treasury to figure out how to destroy them! He is nothing more than a traitor of the crown ¨C twice so!"

    Horeo dered coldly, carefully deepening the grave that Surou''s opinion has fallen into.

    "But it is also obvious that a n like that couldn''t be coined only by him... Oh...! I see now...!"

    The gold-haired boy made a whole show out of his speech and nodded his head as if he realized something profound although he was making things up as he went - and ended up dramatically turning towards the knocked-out blond girl slumped by the opposite wall.

    "The second prince must have been using his supposed rtionship with themoner girl as a distraction while getting in touch with the real perpetrator....! What a cruel man, using a young girl''s naive affection, even though it brought so much pain to her..."

    "...ah...!"

    "So that''s why...?!"

    "Yes...! I always knew that it was weird for them to be so close...!"

    "So themoner was being used as a pawn...? I kind of feel sorry for her now..."

    Horeo''s deration met with the shocked voices of the students who instantly believed every single word that left his mouth as if it was gospel.

    |...Here - a treat from me, for healing Zoemi...|

    ...the first prince scoffed internally, sparing onest nce on the heroine before going back to his speech.

    |...Zoemi looked like he wanted to help her, so this should stop him from doing something stupid...|

    He thought while the ck-haired attendant entered his field of vision.

    "Still - this must have been nned by someone far smarter than him, this should not be ignored! As far as we know this might be a part of arger plot - tell my father that I suggest Zorus for the job of getting the truth out of the second prince. After all, he and the torturer are clearly already acquaintances."

    ""Yes, my prince!""

    Karestas and Yarvestreg bowed their heads and disappeared into the sh of light together with Surou.

    "..."

    Zoemi who backed off and was waiting by Miriette''s side was looking between the two princes and furrowing his brows.

    |...Horeo is just saying that to burrow Surou''s chances of running for the throne ¨C all the students will undoubtedly report everything they saw and heard here to their parents... but...|

    The ck-haired attendant clenched his teeth and turned back to the unconscious heroine.

    |...this whole situation reeks... why does no one mention that whole mysterious supporter Burushiitto told me about... Damn it...! That shoulde up at some point, right...? What a bad time for her to be down...|

    Zoemi breathed out in disappointment.

    |With the bracelets gone Miriette might be safe from the bad events that happened in the game, but that doesn''t mean that she is guaranteed a happy life with some bastard plotting things in the background...!|

    He scoffed to himself while a nasty feeling was twisting his insides into a knot.

    "...!"

    Suddenly Zoemi felt an odd sensation on his back ¨C so he hurriedly looked around as if expecting to see someone standing there poking him for fun...

    "..."

    But behind him was only the hallway filled with other students ¨C the ck-haired boy easily spotted Grazio ¨C looking extremely shocked, maybe because of Zoemi''s healed-up appearance, as well as the green-haired Reo and the brown-haired Xeonith...

    It seemed that almost all capture targets were gathered there...

    No ¨C not almost ¨C they were all there ¨C it took a second for Zoemi to notice because thest person was standing the furthest away ¨C but the white-haired Arisu Karde Lazaram, the third-year student and the capture target who always stood out the most was there too.

    For a brief second, the ck-haired boy and the white-haired boy''s eyes meet and...

    |YOU...!|

    "...!"

    A bellowing voice somewhere deep within Zoemi''s consciousness roared out causing the ck-haired attendant to tremble ¨C the amount of hatred that flooded his mind easily dwarfed the one he felt towards Grazio ¨C but Zoemi had no idea where it came from!

    "Zoemi...? Is everything alright...?"

    "Mydy...! I..."

    Miriette noticed the odd behavior of her attendant and asked in a worried voice, causing Zoemi to flinch and smile in a reassuring manner, feeling the unreasonable hatred fade away.

    "It''s nothing... Sorry ¨C I might have used too much mana and my body acts funny."

    The ck-haired boy quickly came up with a reasonable excuse ¨C after all Miriette didn''t know about his rapidly erging mana reservoir.

    "Ah! I see!"

    The dark-haired girl blushed and inched closer to the boy as if encouraged by his words ¨C but Zoemi didn''t notice that.

    "...?"

    Instead, he looked over at the hallway in search of the white-haired Arisu ¨C but the third-year capture target was already gone and what he saw was Grazio ring right back at him instead.

 Chapter 166 - 49 - Intermission That Changed The Perception (part 1)

    Burushitto wasying in her bedpletely heartbroken. Not only her fiance was taken away from her, but also the bullying, which was already bad, has gotten even worse.

    She had no energy nor motivation whatsoever to get up ¨C but at the same time, she knew that she could not stay like that for much longer.

    "Think, Buru, think!"

    Burushiitto said out loud, biting her lips while rubbing her eyes reddened from crying past the few days.

    "What went wrong?"

    The blond-haired girl turned on themp on her nightstand and raised her hand to start counting on her fingers.

    "The second prince''s route was definitely abnormal, the events went way too fast and about half of them were entirely gone and the rest had wrong timing ¨C a few even molded together ¨C still, except for that damned supporter tricking him, my poor Surou was mostly as he was in the game ¨C I would even say he was even better because he was so shy and hopeful..."

    She straightened her pinky and her chin trembled as she thought about the blue-haired boy losing his calm.

    "His route was clearly intertwined with Zoemi''s route... It might be that I screwed everything over for my Surou because I healed that guy up... ugh...!|

    She straightened her ring finger and gritted her teeth.

    "The more I think about the more it seems like this world is just a game...!"

    Burushiitto cried out, kicking up her feet and covering her face with her hands.

    "I honestly wanted to treat it like the real world ¨C but how the hell could I after witnessing all that?! That was a stupid bad end event ying right out of the game! All the surrounding people acted like the NPCs and nothing else, no brain for their own...!"

    She dered furiously, blind to the difference between other students not being able to do anything and not doing anything because of their social status and the social status of their families.

    The blond heroine''s biggest problem is that although she was reborn into the new world, she still carried the rules and morals of her previous world in her heart.

    ...which is why she couldn''t understand why at the beginning of the year even before the bullying started some students ofter refused to respond to her greetings or did not even acknowledge her existence...

    She learned somemon sense after the first month but it was already when the bullying started ¨C and she was brutally put into her ce as amoner when Miriette smashed her nose because of the way she talked.

    ...but while she was thinking about the dark-haired girl, another thought came to her mind and she raised her hands back up.

    "Slutiette seems to have a great rtionship with the first prince ¨C though, honestly, they are worth each other for all care...!"

    Burushiitto scoffed to herself.

    "But if things are supposed to be just like in the game, then why does nothing connects her with the bullying! That''s bullshit! I cannot use any information I remember to protect myself!"

    She cursed and straightened her middle finger.

    "And how could I forget that this dumb viiness is just too OP!? What the hell!? She can fly! FLY! How is that fair!? That wasn''t stated in the game!"

    The heroine raised her head over the pillow and squinted her eyes.

    "Is that something that the DLC has changed? If this world is in fact not real and is only a game that ispletely different from what I remember because of the implementation of the new character and how the entire plot changed because of him... then... that would actually make sense..."

    The blond girl gulped down her saliva and sat up on her bed a little bit too fast and everything went dark for a second.

    "...no... could it really be...?"

    She muttered to herself, gripping the edge of the mattress.

    "Could this al not be real...? What if I can load a save or something...? Could I change the oue of what happened...?"

    Burushitto trembled, thinking about the possibilities.

    "No... wait... the game didn''t have autosave ¨C I clearly remember losing a ton of progress on my first ythrough when the power suddenly went off... If this is a game, then how do I save...?"

    She stood up and started walking around her room deep in thoughts.

    "...no..."

    But then she suddenly stopped, frozen in ce.

    "The more important question is ¨C how would I load the save... Back in the real world I just had to open the menu ¨C but now I don''t see the menu at all ¨C what if I have to close the game or something..."

    The blond girl muttered to herself ¨C not even realizing that she already started calling her old world the ''real'' one, separating herself from her current one.

    "...but... wouldn''t the equivalent of that to me dying..?"

    Burushiitto whispered in a trembling voice as her eyes met the sewing kit ¨C especially the scissors ¨C that she had toy out on the dresser ¨C and she gulped down her saliva as she subconsciously raised her hand to her throat.

    "...it... it would be best to not explore that yet... what should I do next is to try and get some others capture targets on my side so we could get Surou out of trouble! Maybe even Zoemi ¨C he owes me for healing him...!"

    The blond heroine clenched her fist and made a confident expression...

    "...right...?"

    ...that crumbled almost instantly leaving only uncertainty and fear...

    "The eleration happened only with the Surou''s route ¨C as far as I can tell all the other capture targets ¨C whose routes I know of ¨C have their events happen in with the proper timing... no that I botherpleting any of them since I only want Surou..."

    She sniffled to herself, looking pitifully to the side.

    "Since Zoemi seemed to want to help us but couldn''t really make a move with both Horeo and Slutiette right in front of him without getting in trouble ¨C maybe he will be most willing to help me out...?"

    Burushiitto furrowed her brows and tilted her head.

    "That''s a huge risk though since I don''t know anything about his route and events besides the fact that they are dangerous and messed up... Still ¨C he is a yandere ¨C so maybe if I will offer to help him out with getting together with his master, he will return the favor?"

    She considered carefully.

    "...still... that makes me worried that his route would include something horrible like assassinating the first prince ¨C in that case, any sort of involvement with him would turn against me really fast..."

    She shook her head rejecting the idea out of the bat ¨C when suddenly...

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "!!!"

    A sudden knocking made the blond girl jump up and cower in shock.

    Who might have it been at such ate hour...?

    "...?"

    Burushiitto nced at the window ¨C the moon and the stars were clearly visible on the jet ck sky without a single cloud out there to block them.

    |Should I pretend that I am asleep...?|

    The blond girl gulped down her saliva and hesitated, staring at the door while trembling, making the shadow she cast upon the wall danced in unease....

 Chapter 167 - 49 - Intermission That Changed The Perception (part 2)

    |Wait ¨C the light...!|

    She scoffed to herself and hurriedly turned off themp

    "Miss Buru ¨C it is within your best intention to not ignore me."

    "...!"

    But that only brought the exact opposite effect to what she wanted ¨C resulting in the sudden visitor immediately realizing that she was indeed inside, and he or she whispered in a serious voice.

    Although, even though it was only a whisper, it didn''t sound like it was a woman speaking on the other side of the door ¨C but that means that...!

    "Miss Buru ¨C I am the supporter of the second prince ¨C and Ie to you with an offer."

    "...!"

    The person outside decided to partially reveal his identity.

    The blond heroine''s eyes widened and she rushed towards the door...

    "Eh...?"

    ...but as she unlocked it and tried to open it ¨C neither the doorknob nor the door itself budged...

    "Oh ¨C no, no ¨C there''s no reason for the two of us to meet face to face ¨C I just came here to give you a little advice."

    The whispering supporter sounded as if he was shaking his head ¨C while he also must have been holding the door preventing the girl from leaving her room.

    |IS this the part of the event? Whose? Wait...! What if the DLC added a separate ending for Surou and this is a part of it?!|

    The blond girl was reaching but after everything that happened to her ¨C the exnation she came up with didn''t seem all that farfetched to her...

    "...what advice...?"

    She ended up asking, letting go of the doorknob.

    "If you wish for protection ¨C do not associate with the attendant anymore..."

    "EH?!"

    The mysterious supporter dered and the heroine gasped and put her ear to the door to hear him even a little bit better.

    "...I also wouldn''t put my trust in Reo, if I were you..."

    The mysterious supporter continued, not paying any attention to the noises that Burushiitto was making.

    "If things will turn bad ¨C go to Xeonith ¨C he should be easy enough to manipte with all your... advantages..."

    Thest part sounded as if the person in the hallway was holding back heartyughter ¨C which certainly didn''t sit well with the heroine.

    "You...! I am the fiancee of the second prince! How dare you to...!"

    "You THOUGHT that you were the fiancee."

    Burushiitto shouted angrily, smacking her fist against the door ¨C but then her own words were interpreted by the slightly louder whisper that somehow managed to overpower her outdoor voice...

    "If you want to have a chance with the second prince, you would have to bring him back ¨C and for that, you would need Xeonith''s help ¨C earth attribute is certainly the best defense against the wind attribute, right?"

    The mysterious supporter imed as his voice became calm again.

    "Why Xeonith? Why not Arisu or Grazio?"

    The blond girl scoffed and angrily waited for an answer.

    "~~It''s all Miriette''s fault.~~"

    "..."

    The response was sopletely out of nowhere that the heroine had to take a spet back in shock...

    Her eyes were unfocused and she actually didn''t seem to be aware of what was happening around her...

    "...?"

    After five full minutes, Burushiitto shook her head and blinked a few times.

    "Hey! Did you hear me?! I asked you why would I go to Xeonith and not Arisu or Grazio?"

    Burushiitto scoffed angrily, acting as if she didn''t hear the answer, and grabbed the doorknob to open the door ajar.

    "...!"

    She stepped outside to confront the whole mysterious supporter ¨C but the hallway waspletely empty, and judging by the perfect, slightly eerie silence ¨C Burushiitto''s person of interest had left ¨C which wasn''t all that surprising considering how long she was out of it...

    "...what the hell was that supposed to be?! Intermission?"

    Burushiitto scoffed to herself, closing the door and turning the key in the lock with no hesitation, not realizing that something was wrong...

    "He couldn''t be serious ¨C could he...?"

    She pondered to herself before she started circling her room too nervous to go back to bed.

    "Though ¨C if that guy is just a faceless NPC who just carries the information for me, obviously the abnormal one is Slutiette!"

    The heroine stomped her feet.

    "Even after I made an effort to not interfere with her! Yes... all of this happened because of the change in the script that the DLC has made - the same thing that happened with Surou route must have happened with her character!"

    Burushiitto''s dered to herself acting a little bit jittery ¨C oddly simr to how Surou was always after his talk with the mysterious supporter ¨C but since the blond heroine was the one affected, she didn''t realize a thing and simply continued falling down the path that someone had pushed her into...

    "That means I just have to deal with her, but how...?"

    The blond-haired heroine put her hand to her mouth and squinted her eyes carefully considering her options.

    Her foot started tapping on the wooden floor.

    "...that guy... now that I think about it... he was right about whom I should trust...."

    The heroine nodded to herself with a bitter expression.

    "Staying around Grazio would be like straight up telling Zoemi and Slutiette that I was going to go against them ¨C as long as he won''t change his attitude at least... And if I want to get rid of Slutiette through the bad ending ¨C then hise far toote into the story to be of any use without the eleration from Surou''s route..."

    She mumbled to herself.

    "Arisu? Well, he is strong, he could protect me for the moment, but Slutiete gets screwed only by chance in his route, seeing how strong she is thanks to the DLC, she would probably run away from the assassin or straight-up defeat them even in her sleep... and the marriage proposal from the different country... Tsk, that should have already happened, but she is so chummy with Horeo that there''s no way that will actuallye to fruition..."

    Burushiitto clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.

    "What''s left? Reo, ugh...! No! I hate his guts! Denied!"

    She shivered from disgust.

    "That really leaves Xeonith..."

    The heroine straightened her back and nodded her head.

    "He is strong, apparently as strong as the first prince and Miriette, though I have never seen that in person..."

    She looked to the side.

    "Though... if I remember correctly he was ced first on the magic examination ranking for the second year..."

    The blond girl tilted her head to the opposite side and pointed out.

    "And the bad endings for Slutiette include being strangled by the rampaging murderer in my good end and getting thrown into the castle''s prison on my bad end which of both can happen fairly early if I''ll y this game correctly..."

    She scratched her chin and squinted her eyes in consideration.

    "Yes, that sounds like the best option..."

    Burushiitto stopped in front of her wardrobe, full of clothes that Surou has bought her, and looked into the mirror attached to one of the doors.

    She grabbed her ample breasts, pushed them together, and made an innocent expression.

    "I do have all the assets necessary for winning Xeonith over, don''t I?"

    She smirked confidently looking at her reflection ¨C acting and nning something that would never even cross her mind ten minutes prior...

    "Just you wait, Slutiette. I''ll make you pay for what you did to me!"

    She dered and reached out to her left hand to remove the ring that Surou gave her...

    "...!"

    ...and stopped, touching it gently and putting her left hand to her heart, momentarily breaking away from the dangerous mindset she contracted while talking to the mysterious supporter...

    "...can''t really have that now, can we...?"

    Suddenly a voiceing from underneath the door to the heroine''s room whispered maliciously and...

    "..."

    The blond girl''s eyes lost focus and she removed the ring, put it back to the small box, and walked straight to the bed with apletely vacant expression, without even turning off the light.

    "Hmph... a far stronger will than that power-hungry kid, but still nothing too worrisome. I have be quite proficient with that spell after all~."

    The voice from underneath the door scoffed...

    "Still... what was all that crazy talk about games, events, and bad endings...? Was that one of the side effects of the spell? Most peculiar - I should do some reasearch and... Oh, who cares ¨C I guess that once this is all over I can push all the me on her and use that nonesense to convince everyone that she is insane~"

    The mysterious supporter ¨C who was most definitely mysterious, but was as far from supporting as it was physically possible ¨C giggled, minding the volume of his voice, and left the heroine alone ¨C this time for real.

 Chapter 168 - 50 - Angry Headmaster (part 1)

    Zoemi returned to his duties as if nothing happened ¨C simrly, the everyday life of an average student at the Aspakeony academy didn''t change at all even though the second prince Surou was expelled.

    Still, not everyone was the same ¨C the most prominent example of this was the heroine who became even more timid and closed off than ever ¨C which honestly wasn''t that odd considering what happened to her.

    Zoemi tried to talk with her on a few different asions and even convince Miriette to allow the girl to join their meal during recess, but the blond girl refused very politely, putting a great deal on showing the distance between all of them.

    That wasn''t all that good considering that Zoemi wanted to further prove that his master had nothing to do with the bullying, but in the end, forcing Burushiitto to do something she didn''t want to do would also be considered as bullying.

    Therefore, the handsome ck-haired attendant gave up ¨C momentarily ¨C on trying to make the heroine his friend, with a strong intention of keeping an eye on her just in case her coldness was a sign of a growing grudge against Miriette.

    Even with that, there were other people who most definitely changed their behavior during the few days after the second prince''s expulsion...

    Most notably, Veo, Teo, and Patishi.

    Although with the way how the things seemed to work out with them, it should be said that it was between Teo, and Patishi and Veo ¨C the twins seemed to literally split up and Patishi clearly sided with Veo.

    It wasn''t hard to notice that the twins literally didn''t want to stay in the same room together anymore ¨C as, after his evening training, Zoemi noticed them walking in two separate directions after their duties for the day were finished...

    ...and none of them wanted to even nce at one another, not to mention actually speak...

    |What to do with them... I kind of wanted to convince both Teo and Veo to keep an eye on Burushiitto... now that I realized that this world isn''t a game, her acting exactly like the heroine from the game seems awfully suspicious... Maybe I should try to ask her about it...? It might be just my imagination but I could swear she acted as if she knew about the game and events at least once or twice ¨C yes, I should confront her about it! Since nobody almost nobody else likes her, no one will pay attention to her words even if she will try telling others that I''m crazy.|

    The ck-haired attendant thought to himself while making his bed and sliding under the cover with his hair still slightly wet after the evening shower.

    "...wow... that was such a mean thought..."

    He suddenly flinched and scolded himself, furrowing his brows ¨C all in all, Burushiitto healed him, and he was extremely grateful towards her ¨C the biggest plus of the situation was undoubtedly the fact that he no longer felt the scars burning when Grazio entered his field of vision - most likely because they were no longer there - just as if the deep grudge the ck-haired boy harbored towards the red-haired boy healed up just like his scars...

    ...notpletely, but it was now more of a scratch than a full-on wound...

    "Still... even if Burushi will not believe me about the game, I need to at least warn her about some of the events ¨C without the plot armor, an event like being locked up with Xeonith in the Academy''s dungeon could end up in a scandal and a punishment... In the first ce was she even taught the rules of the hierarchical society...? She certainly doesn''t act as if she did - that will not pass... Should I start by lending her a book about manners...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and froze halfway on the mattress.

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "...? Huh...?"

    Suddenly a loud knocking interrupted the boy''s thought and he raised his head while also raising his brow ¨C although Mizoe stubbornly stayed in the academy to make sure that his son was definitely fine ¨C he was given a separate room to stay in, close to the teacher''s quarters.

    And, first of all, he was also supposed to be out to discuss the ice magic with the blue-haired teacher Rokiana, and although the sun had already set, it was still far too early for him to be back...

    ...or was he actually THAT dense that he gave Rokiana some sort of report and left her instead of realizing that it was actually supposed to be a date?!

    "Who''s there?"

    Zoemi asked, praying internally so that the voice that will respond to him would not belong to his father.

    "Young man, I am Burdoff Mekhior Vereq, the headmaster of the Aspakeony Academy and I wish to have a talk with you."

    "!!!!"

    A low calm voice exined and the ck-haired attendant became stunned.

    |Wait ¨C what? Did he say Vereq? So... The headmaster!?|

    Zoemi froze momentarily staring dumbfounded at the door.

    "...Young man...?"

    The voice called out slightly confused by thepleteck of response after he introduced himself.

    "Ah! A moment! Lord Vereq, a moment, please ¨C I was just preparing for bed ¨C I''ming!"

    Zoemi called out and hurried towards the door, trying to figure out why someone so important was at his doorstep at such an hour.

    After all, if the headmaster wanted to talk with him, he could have simply told one of the teachers of someone from the Academy''s staff to notify the boy, and Zoemi would have no choice but to go see him.

    |Why could it be about...?|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself in confusion while unlocking the door and opening them widely.

    "Good evening, my boy."

    The tall and burly red-haired man that showed up nodded his head with an attempted jovial smile ¨C attempted because he seemed to be really nervous for whatever reason so his smile looked more like an awkward grimace.

    "Lord Vereq ¨C it''s such an honor to see... you...?"

    Zoemi bowed his head deeply ¨C normally, a lower noble like him would be required to kneel down to someone of lord Vereq status, but since it would be rather ridiculous to have students kneel down to almost every single teacher, one of the Academy rules stated that while on the Academy grounds, kneeling as a greeting was unnecessary with the exception of the royal family.

    And Zoemi''s bow fully conveyed the proper amount of respect anyway.

    "..."

    |...this is bad ¨C I can already feel that he has a much greater amount of mana than what was stated in his report...! Am I toote ¨C did those damned traitors make contact with him...?!|

    Vereq ¨C or rather the person pulling Vereq''s strings thought to themselves nervously while keenly observing the ck-haired boy.

    "...My lo... lord...?"

    Zoemi raised his head and went-wide eyed only to then squint his eyes and stare at the headmaster with suspicion.

    "!!!"

    It was clear that he found something weird about the headmaster and the headmaster got even more nervous.

    |Oh no...! Those traitors must have told him about me...! What should I do...? I need to protect myself, but I cannot kill a student...!|

    Aspakeony ¨C because of course she was the person behind the corpse puppet - started sweating profusely in her closet''s drawer back in the headmaster''s office.

    "Y-young man do you mind answering a few questions...?"

    The headmaster suddenly started sounding as if he was carefully picking his words, unsure how to act around Zoemi...

    "?!?!?!?!?!?!"

    Which in turn made the ck-haired boy even more worried and suspicious about whatever was standing in front of him.

 Chapter 169 - 50 - Angry Headmaster (part 2)

    |What the hell is this thing supposed to be - a parasite - an oddly shaped growth...!?|

    Zoemi was looking up and down the headmaster''s body and tried to figure out what was going on ¨C at first nce, at least as the ck-haired boy could tell, there was nothing wrong with the body itself - but in the end, no matter what his eyes would always end up staring at something slightly behind therge man''s back...

    "Of course... lor...dy... lord...?"

    The ck-haired boy was doing his best but he literally couldn''t figure out what he was seeing ¨C he most definitely never encountered a being like that in his entire life and had a hard time adjusting to the situation on the spot...

    "..."

    "..."

    The atmosphere sure grew rather awkward between the ck-haired attendant and the red-haired headmaster and considering that neither of them wanted to be the one to speak first just in case the other one would turn hostile at the breath''s notice - they entered quite the standstill...

    |He knows - he definitely knows and is already thinking how to get stealthily get his hands on my corpse puppet and drain it of all of the mana that I injected in it through all those years to keep it fresh...!|

    Aspakeony kicked her feet against the padded drawer and bit her fingernail already considering her options ¨C of which the first and the most essible one was to escape the country as she already was forced to do in the past...

    ...though, of course, even though it was the most essible one, it was also the one she did not want to pick...

    |...should... should I try to check that thing with my shadow...? No... better not, what if it will attack me if try that...?!|

    Zoemi thought, staring at something above Vereq''srge shoulder...

    "..."

    In the end, as the silence between the two prolonged itself, the ck-haired boy ended up giving in to his curiosity and focused on the inner world where the shadows danced ¨C the headmaster''s shadow was most prominent as it ruined out that he was continuously using some spell ¨C or rather a ceratin spell was continuously being used on him ¨C Zoemi gulped down his saliva and let his own shadow shyly reached towards the peculiarly shaped growth attached to the headmaster''s shadow, and gave it a little tap to see what will happen...

    "!!!!"

    |Wha... whoa... what?!|

    The headmaster didn''t seem to notice a thing but the ck-haired boy flinched and his eyes widened in shock.

    |Ne-necormancy?! There is really a spell that allows a mage to control a dead body?!|

    The ck-haired boy gasped internally in excitement as the knowledge about the spell suddenly entered his mind.

    |Wait! Our headmaster is actually an undead?!|

    With another realization dawning upon him, he shook his head in absolute confusion ¨C and was about to ask it out loud ¨C but then something happened.

    ...as if someone yed out a movie - a vision of a gray-haired dark-skinned girl who looked far too young to have gray hair because of an aging process showed up in his mind.

    The girl was leaning down and patting his head with an affectionate smile that honestly made the ck-haired boy''s heart start beating faster ¨C then, she picked him up and hugged him...!

    |Wait, what...? She picked me up...? How big was she...? And when did this happen...?!|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and thought to himself, actually forgetting about the situation he was in...

    |Oh no...! Why is he looking like that?! Is he trying to contact the Ghosts?!|

    Aspakeony felt a cold chill running down her spine and she started sweating nervously.

    "Have you heard about the Marigotiee Kingdom?"

    "!!!"

    The headmaster asked suddenly and Zoemi flinched.

    |I knew it! I knew it! The ghosts are back and they chose this boy to be one of them! I am so screwed...!|

    Aspakeony started rolling inside her drawer while pulling on her hair as she dreaded the thought of being on the run for another two hundred years...

    ...although she couldn''t be farther away from the truth...

    |The Marigotiee Kingdom! One of Miriette''s bad endings was being married to the ruler of that city-state! And it was that ugly fat man! Is it time!? Crap! Crap! Crap! This world might not be a game but the event''s keep on happening!|

    Zoemi cursed internally, gritting his teeth at the mere memory of the certain endgame illustration...

    |No ¨C wait ¨C the bracelets are gone ¨C so no one can actually force Miriette to do anything...! HUH?! No, seriously, wait...! Is that why this corpse came here today?!|

    "...!"

    He flinched in realization and straightened his back, looking straight at the red-haired man, making him flinch nervously as if he expected the boy to charge at him at any moment.

    "Sir Vereq, do you, by any chance, want me to convince my master to agree on marrying the king of Marigotiee Kingdom?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and asked in a grim voice while clenching his fists, bracing for the possible affirmative answer that he certainly didn''t want to hear.

    "What?"

    The headmaster asked taken aback and blinked repeatedly in confusion.

    "What, what? That''s why you came here, right? The fat... the ruler of the Marigotee Kingdom offered a peace treaty to our kingdom under the condition that my master,dy Espine, will marry him since their city-state has a long tradition connecting them with the wind attribute. And since the ancient bracelets that could stop magic got ruined, the only way a condition so ridiculous could be met, you all need mydy to agree willingly ¨C hence, you want me to help you convince her to sacrifice herself for the good of the Bellcephora kingdom."

    Zoemi scoffed and pointed out angrily, raising his left hand and tapping his palm with his right hand.

    "Wait.. .what...? No! I mean, a ridiculous offer like that was indeed put forward but..."

    The headmaster gasped and shook his head ¨C and the necromancer controlling him did the exact same thing too.

    |...is he ying with me or...?|

    Aspakeony furrowed her brows and fidgetted, grabbing onto one of her pillows and hugging it closely forfort.

    "So... you don''t know what happened...?"

    Vereq asked raising his hand and putting it to his mouth...

    "What happened with what...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and looked around as if expecting someone to suddenly jump out and tell him that it was all just some really odd and unfunny prank...

    |What the hell!?|

    |What the hell!?|

    Both Zoemi and Aspakeony ended up literally stunned in confusion.

 Chapter 170 - 50 - Angry Headmaster (part 3)

    Aspakeony was horrified by the thought that Zoemi came in contact with the Ghosts of Bellcephora and he was already obsessed with getting stronger to the point of hunting down other mages just like the treacherous Ghost did three hundred years before, while Zoemi was confused why he sees a moving dead body with the shadow of a teenage girl stuck to it like some sort of leach or rather a half-slug parasite.

    Both of them were at a stalemate...

    "So you are trying to say that you don''t know that the Marigotiee Kingdom gotpletely destroyed...?"

    The headmaster asked carefully pronouncing every word while staring straight at the ck-haired boy waiting for him to break his innocent act...

    "It did!? Really!? That''s awe....hngh...! H-horrible! Just horrible! And no, I didn''t know at all ¨C when did that happen?!"

    Because of the pure weirdness of the situation, Zoemi basically showed his true feelings.

    |If there is no kingdom, no one will want to take away Miriette! Who did it?! Oh, I could kiss them!|

    The ck-haired boy''s reasoning was as simple as that ¨C and it was also rather inappropriate, like that...

    "Then what, you haven''t joined the Ghosts of Bellcephora either?"

    Aspakeony asked in shock through the mouth of her corpse puppet.

    "What?! When was that a possibility in the first ce?! No ¨C wait - Ghost of Bellcephora? Aren''t they all long dead in the first ce!?"

    Zoemi asked taken aback, looking at the corpse puppet headmaster as if he lost his mind together with his life.

    "But... You can use shadow gate, right? You must have heard the voices already! Almost every darkness magician does!"

    The corpse of lord Vereq shook his head and pointed out with usation.

    "What voices!? What do you mean, you weird necromancer girl!? UMPH!"

    "!!!"

    After Zoemi shouted thest part he hurriedly closed his mouth with both his hands - but it was already toote the headmaster - and therefore Aspakeony - has heard him loud and clear and became jumped up in horror.

    She instantly called over every dead light magician that she had in her army so she would be able to teleport as far as possible if the worse came to worst.

    "AHA! You know about me so you are together with them after all! What do you want now?! You all promised me that you will leave me alone even if you gain new members!"

    "...wha...?"

    The situation became super awkward since the headmaster''s bodynguage became that of a teenage girl and because of his ratherrge build, it looked really disturbing, leaving the ck-haired boypletely speechless...

    "How the hell did you make that connection?! I never even met another darkness magician ¨C probably... as far as I can remember, at least ¨C I think I would remember meeting a whole damn group of the worst traitors in the entire history of our kingdom!"

    ...and as soon as Zoemi regained his voice, he called out angrily the ridiculous and baseless usation.

    "But you know about me! So other Ghosts must have told you, or share their minds with you, or whatever you dark magicians do when you start using shadow gate and start melting together!!"

    Aspakeony and therefore the headmaster became agitated and stepped forward even though the corpse was backing off just a few seconds ago...

    "No! Not at all! It''s just that as a darkness magician I can see shadows of people and..."

    Zoemi started exining but...

    "What''s with that stupid excuse!? Everyone can see the shadows!"

    The headmaster stomped his foot in anger.

    "Not that ones! Darkness magicians can see the uniqueness of the shadows, every living thing has one. And here''s the problem! You are clearly a dead body with a shadow of a teenage girl sewn onto it! And you clearly control it with the necromancy spell!"

    The ck-haired boy called Aspakeony out also stepped forward and pointed his index finger right at the face of her corpse puppet.

    "Bullshit! That is NOT something a darkness magician can do! I know ¨C before any member of the Ghosts was even born I used to have darkness magicians in my army! You are so full of shit!"

    The necromancer scoffed in anger and took another step forward, making the corpse of lord Vereq to lean down and re down at the angry ck-haired boy.

    "...huh...?"

    Zoemi blinked a few timespletely bbergasted by the corpse puppet''s words.

    "Wh... what do you mean that''s not something that a darkness magician can do ¨C so what, teacher Kros was actually serious when he said that I''m a variant magician and not a darkness magician...?"

    "!!!!"

    The ck-haired boy''s shoulders slumped down and he looked up at the corpse puppet, with the expression just like a lost and scared puppy...

    |GAH...! Dear heavens, he is so cute...! No ¨C wait ¨C that''s not a time and ce for that...!|

    Aspakeony flinched and covered her face with both hands but since her mind was connected to her corpse puppet who didn''t repeat her motion, that gesture turned out to be useless as she could still clearly see the ck-haired boy''s face clearly.

    "...what do you mean... Kros told you that you might actually be a variant magician... when...? What was his reason...?"

    Getting assaulted by the overwhelmingly pretty face Aspakeony ended up dropping her guard just a little bit and asked in a much calmer manner.

    "...he asked me to show up at his office a few times after the magic examination and gave me tasks toplete while training... Like using a spell from a different attribute for example ¨C but during those sessions, I never actually managed to do that ¨C but teacher Kros still thought that my attribute isn''t darkness..."

    Zoemi exined, also n a much calmer, almost apologetic manner.

    |...Light doesn''t create Darkness, it creates Shadow.... wait... THAT''S WHAT LITTLE KROS MEANT?! THIS KID ISN''T A DARKNESS MAGICIAN, HE IS A SHADOW MAGICIAN?! SERIOUSLY?!|

    Aspakeony groaned internally, kicking her legs up in annoyance.

    "Then, you know about me because you can see those whole shadows, and not because you came in contact with the Ghosts of Bellcephora...?"

    The gray-haired necromancer sighed through the mouth of the puppet-headmaster while massaging her own forehead in the safety of the headmaster''s office.

 Chapter 171 - 50 - Angry Headmaster (part 4)

    |...Kros, you little prankster shit...! Seriously, he is considered old by the normal standards but he never grew up! - would it kill him if he just straight up told me about this stupidly handsome boy being a variant and not ying around acting all mysterious?! And that guy seriously dared to act as if he was annoyed about being treated as the serious one! HMPH! I shouldn''t have allowed the healer girl to treat his illness - being dead would teach him a lesson!|

    Aspakeony scoffed to herself, angrily kicking the bottom of the closet above her.

    "Of course, I never meet the Ghosts of Bellcephora! And, in the first ce... are you trying to say that the group of that name still exists or that the original ones are actually still alive?"

    The ck-haired boy rubbed his arms nervously and asked, lowering his head anxiously.

    "Yes."

    The corpse puppet gave a short answer since Aspakeony was still pissed off...

    "Yes to which option?"

    Zoemi raised his brow and asked for rification.

    "Obviously both ¨C since the second one is correct, so is the first one ¨C duh."

    Aspakeony scoffed, rolling her eyes, while her corpse puppet merely shrugged his shoulders.

    "Oh, don''t you get smart with me now you parasitic zombie shadow necromancer thing!"

    Since Zoemi knew that he wasn''t talking to an actual nobleman but to the necromancer controlling his corpse, he allowed himself to answer using exactly the words that came into his mind without any filter.

    "Hey! Who are you calling a parasitic zombie necromancer AND a thing?! Watch your mouth or even your cute face will not save you from getting in trouble!"

    To that, Aspakeony responded with even more sass, and this time her course puppet ended up actually making a sassy pose that certainly didn''t fit his body type.

    "Then stop asking stupid questions!"

    The ck-haired boy scoffed, throwing his hands up angrily.

    "My questions are not stupid, you''re stupid!"

    ...it looked like both of them were running out of arguments that were above the grade-school level of insults...

    "Then why are you even bothering with me, oh great necromancer?!"

    ...even so, the quarrel continued...

    "Because I don''t want to die ¨C obviously - you insensitive little unnecessarily attractive cheeky shit!"

    "And what? How am I supposed to threaten you!? Did you suck out your brain by mistake while draining the magic power from this corpse? I didn''t know you existed until five minutes ago when you get your corpse puppet in here ¨C ON! YOUR! OWN!"

    Aspakeony dered and Zoemi responded shaking his head in disbelief, sounding almost as if he was scolding the necromancer.

    "Oh, screw you too! Like if you were in my ce you wouldn''t try to check out if the worst oue possible happened or not!"

    Forget about the grade-school- level, the kindergarten-level fight between the reincarnated person and a millennia-old necromancer continued with no end in sight anytime soon...

    "Then you should have sent someone else and note here using your puppet! You attached yourself to the principal, so you can order people around ¨C why not use them instead, rotten brain!?"

    The ck-haired boy pointed out, spreading his arms as if his answer was the most obvious one in the world.

    "How was I supposed to know that you can discern whether or not I control someone''s body, you cocky infant!? I literally told you that no darkness magician can see those shadows that you are talking about! No one informed me that you were a variant!"

    Aspakeony frowned, making lord Vereq cross his arms and straighten his back imposingly ¨C while also hiding the little bit of information that in fact Kros did inform her but she simply didn''t realize it...

    ...there was no reason to give more ammunition to the cheeky boy in front of her, was there...?

    "Well, you just said that you thought that the worst oue happened, brain-dead! You don''t stick your head under the executioner''s axe when you expect it to fall down on your neck!"

    Yes, Zoemi was managing to point out all the ws in her ns without knowing all the facts anyway...

    "ARGH...! Go suck a di...UGH! As if this was my only corpse puppet ¨C or real body! Stupid, handsome, idiot!"

    The headmaster''s corpse trembled and pointed at Zoemi with his index finger but then he clenched his hand into a fist and shook it threateningly at the ck-haired boy.

    "Yeah?! You probably came here in this one because the original one is already a stinking rotting mess!"

    Zoemi crossed his arms andughed mockingly, shaking his head dismissively.

    "HAAAAAAAAAAH?!"

    The headmaster gasped as if that was the one insult that hurt Aspakeony the most.

    "You little... get over here!"

    The face of the corpse puppet becamepletely red and he rushed towards Zoemi and grabbed him by the neck.

    "Wh-what the hell!? What are you doing!?"

    Zoemi tried to break free but there was no escape.

    The headmaster has grabbed him as if he was a little kitten.

    "You went too far, brat! We''re going to my office right now!"

    The furious headmaster dered and went out of the room while holding Zoemi in front of him.

    "Zoemi...? Sir Vereq! What are...?"

    "Headmaster?!

    Mizoe was apanying Rokiana on her routine patrol through the dormitory and ended up seeing Zoemi being carried like a bag of trash by the headmaster himself.

    "...Auequas, Perserios... I have something to discuss with this little shh... This promising youth. It won''t take long. Don''t worry about a thing ¨C continue your date... and good luck with this thick-headed guy ¨C he is a good man."

    "Yes, sir!"

    "..ah... y-yes... thank you, headmaster...."

    "..."

    Lord Vereq''s corpse dered and Mizoe ended up straightening his back and saluting him without actually catching on to thest part ¨C while Rokiana certainly realized that her intentions were clearly seen through and apparently supported... even Zoemi who at first wanted to call out for help from the truth decided to close his mouth and let the corpse puppet carry him away...

    ...after all, could someone who seemed to be not only epting but kind of rooting for Mizoe and Rokiana be actually considered as a threat...?

    Well, the necromancer certainly earned herself the credit of trust from the ck-haired boy... at least for the moment....

 Chapter 172 - 51 - The Not So Angry Headmaster... (part 1)

    Burdoff Mekhior Vereq ¨C even as a corpse - could walk faster than some people could sprint so it didn''t take him long to arrive at the headmaster''s office.

    "Now, then ¨C let''s deal with you."

    "WHOA-UGH...!"

    The corpse puppet dered and threw Zoemi on the armchair before locking the door and activating the seal by using the magic crystal embedded into a wall.

    "Oh, shit ¨C and I thought I could trust you - you want to kill me now, don''t you!?"

    Zoemi had to twist his body around because hended on the armchair upside down - he made a furious expression and red at the headmaster already reaching towards the shadows to activate a shadow spell, but then the headmaster''s body just fell to the floor and the ck-haired boy clearly saw the shadow of the teenage girl detaching from it.

    "What the...?"

    Zoemi was taken aback and he started to look around the office when suddenly...

    "You!"

    "!!!"

    ...a drawer underneath a big closet opened and a furious chocte-skinned gray-eyed-and-haired girl in only her nightgown jumped out of it as if it was some oddly shaped birthday cake and pointed at him with fury.

    "Listen here, you unnecessarily handsome boy!"

    She lunged at the ck-haired attendant without even a second of hesitation and called out.

    "I! DO! NOT! STINK! I govern the dead bodies and my mana is that of the death attribute - but I most certainly do not share the smell with the dead!"

    "!!!!"

    She leaned over Zoemi who was backing into the armchair as far as it was possible in shock, not knowing where to look.

    "Wh-what!?"

    The ck-haired boy gasped in shock doing his best to focus on the girl''s face and face alone.

    "That''s why you brought me in here!?"

    He couldn''t believe what he just heard and gasped before his eyes darted down for a moment and his face became slightly pink.

    "Exactly! Now smell me, you overconfident toddler!"

    "!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!!"

    Out of nowhere, Aspakeony grabbed Zoemi''s head and pushed it between her breast.

    "What the FU...!"

    The ck-haired boy gasped in a muffled voice while his face became brightly red.

    "The hell is wrong with you!? Why aren''t you wearing a bra!?"

    He gasped in panic absolutely not knowing how to act in this most unusual situation...!

    "It''s a nightgown, you idiot, you are not supposed to wear a bra underneath it! Now stop wriggling and SMELL ME!"

    The angered necromancer demanded in a domineering voice.

    "N-no! It''s weird! I don''t want to! You''re creepy!"

    |Though I can''t say that it feels unpleasant... It feels, almost familiar...|

    Zoemi somehow managed to bite his tongue and stop himself in time to not b out his thoughts, suddenly remembering the odd vision of the gray-haired girl, very simr to the one inf front of him holding him just like she was doing it at the moment...

    "No! I don''t stink! I have a very nice smell because I take a bath at least twice a day ¨C and even if I didn''t, my natural smell is very pleasant too! And you will learn it right now! Breath through your nose, you mongrel!"

    Aspakeony scoffed at the ck-haired boy, rejecting all pleas for release as she changed her position and pulled Zoemi into a headlock.

    "ARGH...! Fine! Alright! Alright! Here! Sniff! Sniff...!"

    The ck-haired boy decided that the fastest option will be to follow the girlmands while overdoing it in the most disturbing way so that she would realize that whatever she is doing is most certainly inappropriate and far too forward for their first meeting ¨C and he inhaled the air through his nose obnoxiously loud so that the clearly insane but very pretty and erotic girl would leave him alone.

    "Huh...?"

    Then he gasped and inhaled again, trying to not think too much about what is the softness pressing against his face...

    "You know what, you are right ¨C you actually do smell really nice."

    He spoke in the mostposed tone that he could muster in an attempt to hide his embarrassment...

    "AHA! Serves you right!"

    Aspakeony raised her fist and basked in the victory.

    "?!?!?!?!?!??!"

    That was a bit too much for Zoemi...

    "WHAT?! Howe you''re not creeped out by my answer!? I trying so hard to be obnoxious! Just release me already you psycho!"

    The ck-haired attendant struggled ¨C but as soon as he grabbed the gray-haired girl, he realized that although she looks slightly older than him, she was on the quite petite side and felt shockingly fragile, so he automatically stopped himself from using any strength whatsoever since he didn''t want to actually hurt her ¨C which at that point in time felt like a disturbingly easy thing to do...

    "Hmm? Not picking up a fight again? What, did you feel so cozy thanks to my smell that you fell asleep?"

    Aspakeony smirked triumphantly, stirring up Zoemi''s embarrassment once again.

    "Screw you! I did what you wanted, I admitted that you smell nice ¨C now let me go already!"

    The ck-haired boy groaned in shame and demanded ¨C which actually kind of worked, as the gray-haired girl nodded with satisfaction and released his head ¨C only to then pushed him back onto the armchair.

    "Now that we got through the main point..."

    Aspakeony dered with a cheeky smile...

    "Hold on - that was ACTUALLY the main point...!?"

    Zoemi interrupted her, eximing in disbelief.

    "Yes ¨C it was ¨C but also it showed me that you really don''t want to kill me ¨C with that out of the way let me say this - I believe that you do not have anything to do with the Ghosts of Bellcephora."

    "!!!!"

    Aspakeony didn''t allow herself to be interrupted and she perched her butt right on Zoemi''sp, she fidgeted a bit to achieve the best position and smiled cheekily while putting her hands on Zoemi''s shoulders.

    "Okay - so you know that I am not dangerous... good... but, first things first. Get off of me, please."

    Zoemi sighed and put his hands on the dark-skinned girl''s waist as if he wanted to pick her up and...

    "AH~!"

    "!!!!!!!!!!"

    ...she let out a loud moan that caused the poor boy to instantly raise his hands up while his face was burning red from embarrassment.

    "Khahaha! My, you are so innocent and cute~!"

    The necromancer''s shoulders shook as she giggled watching the boy''s struggle and slightly shifted her position.

    "...!"

    Zoemi tried to push the girl off but she clung to him like a baby lemur.

    "Nnnnnn!"

    Aspakeony let out a cute sound of refusal and the ck-haired boy again couldn''t get himself to use strength against her.

    "...What the hell is wrong with you...?"

    He gave up and looked powerlessly at the girl smirking triumphantly once more.

    "What? That''s how I always sit! Humans are way morefortable than chairs!"

    She shrugged her shoulders as if she wasn''t the weird one there.

    "Fine... ugh... could you at least tell me your actual name miss...?"

    "Aspakeony."

    Zoemi asked and the gray-haired girl responded absentmindedly and shifted on Zoemi''sp again.

    "Just like this Academy? That''s a funny coincidence..."

    "It''s not a coincidence."

    The ck-haired boy nodded and tried to y it off cool, but the necromancer shrugged her shoulders and corrected him despite all of his efforts...

    "...I knew it..."

    Zoemi facepalmed and sighed deeply in resignation.

 Chapter 173 - 51 - The Not So Angry Headmaster... (part 2)

    |Of course, it''s not a coincidence, this world is simr to a game and there is MAGIC it''s only natural that there is a way to stay young forever, and OBVIOUSLY someone like that would be the headmaster of the Academy... Well... at least she looks older than me...|

    The ck-haired boy shook his head before turning his head to look at Aspakeony''s face.

    "Oh? What is it, pretty boy, you want a kiss?"

    "!!!"

    The gray-haired girl noticed his gaze and winked at him confidently, causing Zoemi to flinch and look away in embarrassment.

    "Alright ¨C we have that out of the way, now, you must promise me that you will tell me if the Ghosts will contact you ¨C just in case, alright?"

    Aspakeony furrowed her brows, making a serious expression, and looked the ck-haired boy in the eyes.

    "Yeah, sure, why not."

    Zoemi was in a kind of awkward position to refuse but at the same time, he didn''t really have a reason to refuse the gray-haired necromancer''s request.

    "Good, then I don''t have to go against my wishes and kill a student of mine ¨C I''m d~"

    "Oh gosh, thanks!"

    Aspakeony breathed out in relief and smiled but Zoemi just rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief...

    |This definititely wasn''t mentioned in the game... huh...? HUH?! Oh crap - I have to get her off of me...!|

    The ck-haired attendant sighed internally ¨C before realizing something rather embarrassing was happening and started panicking...

    "Alright - is there anything you want to ask me?"

    Aspakeony tilted her head and asked in a friendly manner ignoring the boy''s troubled face.

    "Yeah! Can I leave now?"

    Zoemi hurriedly nodded and asked, doing his best to appear calm.

    "Hey! You can''t even imagine how much of an honor it is to have a talk with me! Normally only the kings know about my existence!"

    "!!!"

    The dark-skinned necromancer dered, puffing out her chest with pride ¨C causing Zoemi to blush and hurriedly face the other way.

    "Yeah, - that may be the case, but not for me. Can I leave now?"

    "Hey, if you will be so mean then even your pretty face will not get you any girls, you know?"

    The girl on Zoemi''sp got grumpy, she adjusted her position a bit and red at him.

    "That is of no concern to you!"

    The ck-haired boy scoffed and turn back towards the necromancer just so he could re at her.

    "Ask me a question!"

    "!!!"

    Aspakeony demanded and started jumping on Zoemi''sp.

    "Fine! Jeez! Just stop moving!"

    The ck-haired boy gritted his teeth and reached out to grab Aspakeony''s shoulders in an attempt of stopping her before it was toote...

    "Good. Let''s hear it."

    And thankfullyplying with her wishes did the trick as the ashen-haired girl calmed down and nodded her head benevolently.

    "...whew... well, then, what happened to Marigotiee Kingdom?"

    Zoemi breathed out to calm himself and asked a question about something that was supposed to involve his master and which Aspakeony mentioned earlier.

    "It got destroyed."

    "..."

    An immediate and obvious answer made him frown.

    "Yes, you said it already using your flesh-puppet, but how did it got destroyed?"

    He really tried to stay calm.

    "By magic."

    But that damn girl was infuriating!

    "Oh, thank you for the enlightenment, you''re a true prodigy, and here I thought that somebody just farted on it too hard!"

    The ck-haired boy couldn''t help himself from retorting.

    "Hey! That''s really all we know! I had fifty puppets in that country, every single one of them was strong, and they all got wiped out in an instant! When I send others to check it out there was no trace of a kingdom at all, everything was leveled to the ground! That''s why I thought it had to do with the Ghosts, they pulled something like that two hundred years ago!"

    Aspakeony frowned and adjusted her position once more.

    "Oh, I see..."

    |Yeah... she did mention that she already had an army before the Ghosts were even born... she looks so cute for her age though...!|

    "Can you at least tell me why are you constantly fidgeting?"

    Zoemi was careful not to let his inner thoughts slip and asked in a calm manner trying to change the subject...

    "Well, there''s this big hard part that I can''t really get around, so..."

    "Alright, that does it!"

    The ck-haired boy couldn''t handle anymore - he didn''t care if the girl will fall over or whether she will end up attacking him with her corpse puppet, he just grabbed the chocte-skinned necromancer and removed her from hisp, putting her on the top of the desk...

    "Kyaah~! Hey, there ¨C aren''t you too forward~?"

    ...but that only made Aspakeony giggle and call him out teasingly ¨C and to make it worse when he looked at her from that position...

    |...I immediately regret my decision...!|

    Zoemi closed his eyes and hurriedly stood up from the armchair, grabbing the girl in a princess-carry, and walked over to therge closet.

    "Oh? What are you...?"

    "..."

    Aspakeony blinked a few times confused, but Zoemi didn''t answer that and just opened the cushioned drawer from where Aspakeony popped up at the start and put the girl back inside of it, tucking her in cozily together will all the cute fluffy cushions and plushies already in there as the intrigued necromancer let him do all that ¨C but then...

    *WHAM*

    "!!!!"

    Zoemi closed the drawer with a kick, startling the gray-haired girl.

    "Hey! What do you think that you''re do...!?"

    "That''s what you get for the tant sexual harassment to one of your students!"

    Aspakeony tried to open the drawer again but Zoemi was blocking it with his foot.

    His face was burning red from embarrassment about his own body reaction ¨C pointed out by the headmaster.

    "Hey! How am I responsible for that? You popped a bo..."

    "LA LA LA LA! I can''t hear you!"

    Zoemi covered his ears with his hands and started speaking loudly to block the rest of Apakeony''s words, but...

    "...NER all on your own!"

    ...the girl still finished the sentence although her voice was muffled because, well, she was in the closed cushioned drawer.

    "...!"

    Zoemi stopped the charade and looked around, he spotted a small stool that must have been a footrest and used it to actually block the drawer from the outside...

    "I''m leaving!"

    He dered and walked towards the door.

    "No, you''re not!"

    Aspakeony denied him the right to do that, sounding very confident.

    "Oh, yes, I am!"

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and announced.

    "Ha! Feel free to try!"

    Aspakeony was the Aspakeony ¨C an ancient necromancer whom the kings and queens of the Bellcephora kingdom begged for advice since its creation - she never expected someone to actually walk away from the chance to have a conversation with her - so she dared Zoemipletely confident that he will not leave her like that.

    But he did.

    He just opened the door and walked out.

    Just in case anyone is wondering how he dealt with the sealing spell, well, he didn''t have to.

    As someone who was ready to run at any time, Aspakeony wanted the spell to block the entrance to anyone that she didn''t recognize but at the same time to not prevent anyone from leaving just in case she had to evacuate immediately.

    So Zoemi really just walked out on Aspakeony like it was nothing.

    "Hey! Why did you stop talking?"

    Aspakeony wasn''t aware of that - she still couldn''t open her drawer so she thought that Zoemi must have been still there.

    "Let me go or I''ll get angry...!"

    She called but there was no reaction, well, the room was empty after all.

    "I''m serious! No matter how cute you are, you can''t be so mean to a girl! Teasing is fine but you have to know where''s the limit!"

    She called out angrily but once more, there was no response.

    "Hey! Are you even there...?"

    Aspakeony finally realized that something was wrong.

    She reactivated the control spell and the body of Burdoff Mekhior Vereq and made it raised from the floor and she gained a clear view of the empty office and her drawer blocked with a chair thanks to the corpse puppet''s eyes...

    "Wha...?! That cheeky brat!"

    Aspakeony blushed and clenched her fists.

    "He ignored me!? Me!?"

    -------

    Meanwhile, Zoemi was walking through the empty hallways returning to his room.

    His expression was rather... Embarrassed...

    "It''s a natural reaction, she was just rubbing against me so I reacted, nothing more to it!"

    He said to himself trying to calm down.

    "It''s not that I like her or anything!"

    It sounded suspiciously like he was trying to convince himself.

    "She is super pretty but that doesn''t..."

    "L-lord Xeonith, why did you...?"

    "For you, it''s master Xeonith."

    "...!?"

    Zoemi was walking past the half-open door to one of the ssrooms when he heard familiar voices, and he froze in ce.

    Without a doubt, it was the heroine and... Xeonith....?

 Chapter 174 - 52 - Walking In On A Secret Meeting (part 1)

    "Muffle."

    Without hesitation the ck-haired boy cast the silencing spell on himself and stuck to the wall, then he peeked inside the empty ssroom...

    Indeed, both the heroine and the brown-haired capture target, Xeonith Zarble Derizno were there ¨C but... why...?

    Even in-game a nighttime event like that didn''t happen ¨C and even thinking outside of the game script, the heroine never showed much interest in anyone except Surou ¨C especially not towards the proud and stoic Xeonith.

    But there they were...

    ...and, honestly, the heroine didn''t look particrly happy about her current position...

    |This... requires a little bit of an investigation...|

    "Shadow connect."

    Already knowing that the Burushiitto was avoiding him, Zoemi decided on the stealthy approach and whispered the spell he has used many times before when he still thought that he was just a darkness magician...

    As it was better to have some visuals without the danger of being seen while peeking through the door, the ck-haired boy decided to use that spell and connected his shadow with the shadow that the teacher''s desk cast thanks to the dim light of the magic crystalmps in night mode.

    Burushitto and Xeonith were standing in the back of the dark ssroom so that they couldn''t be noticed without actually walking inside, the brown-haired sophomore was standing a bit sideways so Zoemi couldn''t quite catch his face from his perspective but Burushitto''s expression was very much visible.

    She seemed to be terrified and kept on ncing at the door as if thinking only about escaping ¨C but the brown-haired second year was blocking her way ¨C that sure looked like this meeting wasn''t the girl''s idea...

    ...and that was exactly why it was so odd...

    |Was there even a single situation in the game where Xeonith approached the heroine first...? He was far too prideful to lower himself to that level until she helped him out after he lost a duel to the first prince... but that didn''t happen as of yet ¨C I know that this is not a game, but nobles are far more prideful then they were shown... then what is this situation?!|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and fidgeted nervously with a bad feeling...

    |...oh, she''s not wearing the ring anymore ¨C probably a good call ¨C she would get bullied even more if she kept it...|

    He nodded his head while absentmindedly making an observation...

    "M-master Xeonith... i-it''s alreadyte ¨C when I told you that I want to talk I didn''t mean..."

    "Shut up ¨C who allowed you to talk to me first,moner?"

    "...!"

    The heroine cried out in a miserable voice ¨C but the brown-haired boy scoffed at her causing her to close her mouth and lower her head apologetically.

    |Wait ¨C so she wanted to meet up first in the end? Not good. This is exactly the thing I wanted to warn her about...|

    Zoemi gritted his teeth and was about to enter the ssroom to get the blond heroine out of trouble when...

    "You are acting all timid now, but you were pretty forward before ¨C didn''t you whore yourself out to that disgrace of a second prince? Why acting up all prude now?"

    "!!!"

    Xeonith shrugged his shoulders and mocked the girl ¨C making Zoemi realize with that one sentence that he was nothing like the character from the game.

    After all, even though Xeonith from the game was the definition of a stick in the mud ¨C he would never speak in such a tone to another person...

    |Now that I think about it ¨C back at the beginning of the school year he was much more verbose and rash than his game equivalent ¨C I should have noticed it then...|

    The ck-haired boy sighed and decided to wait a bit more...

    "Don''t you dare to talk like that about my prince!"

    "...!"

    "...!"

    Both Xeonith and Zoemi flinched in shock at the intensity of Burushiitto''s response.

    "How dare you speak like that about him and me?! The second prince might have been led astray, but he is a good person and wouldn''t do anything to disgrace my honor...! Ah...!"

    "...?"

    It was unclear for Zoemi ¨C but judging by the heroine''s reaction Xeonith must have made quite the scary face as the blond girl''s words seem to get stuck in her throat the moment she looked the brown-haired boy in the eyes.

    "...so what you are saying is that he didn''t bed you and wanted to actually marry you first...? Amoner like you? Pffft...! That only proves that Surou is both weak and has no honor of a proper noble ¨C treating amoner like equal!"

    Xeonith let out a burst of uglyughter and ridiculed the blond girl who lowered her head and clenched her fists doing her best to hold back.

    |...what a piece of shit...|

    Zoemi couldn''t help but feel disgusted ¨C but at the same time he couldn''t stop watching the situation ¨C the heroine was safe ¨C for now ¨C and since she refused to talk with him on multiple asions, seeing her reaction could be essential to figuring out what was she nning to do.

    In the end, it sounded like she actually initiated the meeting ¨C although she didn''t have that exact time in mind.

    What was her reason...?

    "..."

    With a firm conviction to step in before something serious happened, the ck-haired attendant remained still, glued to the wall.

    "You...!"

    |!!!|

    Burushitto''s shoulders trembled with anger, as if hearing Xeonith insulting Surou was even a greater offense than him insulting her, and she actually raised her hand in a motion suggesting that she was going to p the brown-haired capture target...!

    "You were so eager to ask me for help saving that useless average water magician who dreamed about taking the throne ¨C and yet youck the intention of sacrificing yourself for that cause? Typicalmoner ¨C you want to get everything handed to you while you should be grateful to be left alive."

    "Wh...what...?"

    Burushiitto tried to back off but she was already pressing her back against the wall and Xeonith was towering over her ¨C so her escape routes were cut off.

    |...|

    Zoemi scowled angrily waiting for the next move of either one of the two while trying to remember more details about the brown-haired capture target to try and figure out whether there was anything that resembled the character from the game in the person mocking the girl in the dimly lit ssroom.

    As far as the ck-haired boy could remember - Xeonith always frustrated him the most, in the beginning, he was very distant because of his enormous amount of pride, and even by the end Xeonith always felt like he always stayed somewhat distant ¨C and had no after story whatsoever ¨C only thest illustration in which he and the heroine didn''t even kiss ¨C merely holding hands and that''s it.

    No another short episode, no text-based side story scrolling down after the end credits ¨C nothing.

    "You know what I mean? Or is your simple brain unable to make a connection? There is only one thing that I could possibly want from someone like you in exchange for my benevolent help. I''ll give you a hint ¨C I called you here just because I didn''t want to be seen walking out of your room."

    Xeonith leaned above the heroine and put his hand on the wall beside Burushiitto''s head ¨C and although Zoemi couldn''t see his face, he was sure that the brown-haired second-year student wasn''t making a reassuring expression....

 Chapter 175 - 52 - Walking In On A Secret Meeting (part 2)

    "I was going to be mess around with you and eventually toss you aside and refuse since I have no business doing anything in exchange for someone''s sloppy seconds, but if nothing happened between you and the second prince, then we can actually talk."

    Xeonith spoke confidently and his other hand started moving ¨C it raised until it was at the height of Burushiitto''s chest, and...

    ...the brown-haired boy reached out for the blond-girls breasts without a speck of hesitation.

    "Wh-what...?! N-nooo! What are you doing?! Stop!"

    Burushiitto cried out and hurriedly grabbed his wrist, trying to shove it away, but trying to push off an earth magician ¨C especially a transcended earth magician like Xeonith ¨C would require someone much stronger than a mere healer...

    "As I said ¨C you didn''t expect to gain my assistance without actually returning the favor ¨C I am going to merely check if that is worth it."

    The heroine''s struggle made no difference to the brown-haired capture target and his palm was about to grope her when...

    *THUMP*

    "Uwaaah...! What a training it was!"

    "!!!!"

    "!!!!"

    Zoemi burst through the door, stumbling into the ssroom swaying on his feet with an absentminded expression ¨C making both Xeonith and Burushiitto flinch and stare at him speechlessly, too shocked by his sudden appearance to let out a sound.

    "...uuuugghhh... Huuuh...? This isn''t the dormitory...? Where am I...?"

    The ck-haired attendant fell over and tumbled on the floor, furrowing his brows, and started climbing back up on his feet using the chairs and a student''s desk to prop himself up.

    "...hmmm...?"

    Zoemi looked around with a rather pitiful expression...

    "AH!"

    Until he spotted the pair staring at him wide-eyed.

    "Lord Derizno! By the heavens, it''s such an honor to meet you here!"

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy basically roared out, causing the brown-haired capture target to flinch and look towards the door rmed as if expecting the teacher to show up there at any point.

    "..."

    Whit an angry grimace he stepped away from the blond heroine and red down at the bowing attendant.

    "...you... You''re the attendant ofdy Espine, aren''t you? Why are you doing here at this hour and why are you acting like this?"

    Xeonith demanded answers in a strong, domineering voice while making sure that his body covers the blond-haired girl from the ck-haired attendant''s sight.

    "Me? I was training up until this hour and I think that I used just a tiny-tiny bit too much mana...!"

    Zoemi straightened his back ¨C but not fully, and raised his hand putting his index finger and thumb together.

    "...mana depletion, I see..."

    The brown-haired boy sighed in realization and proudly raised his head.

    "Scram ¨C this is the school building and not the dormitory. You are disturbing my evening."

    He called out, waving his hand dismissively trying to chase the ck-haired boy away ¨C but by doing that, he also ended up showing off the scared heroine...

    "Is that so... AH! Miss Burushi is here too?!"

    "...fucking...!"

    Zoemi acted as if he was about to listen to him but then he noticed the blond girl looking anxiously between him and Xeonith and called out as his face brightened up with a dashing smile.

    Before Xeonith could react, Zoemi approached them and reached out for Burushiitto.

    "Hey! What do you think you are...?!"

    That certainly wasn''t to the brown-haired boy''s liking and in turn, he reached out to push the ck-haired boy away...

    "..."

    "...doing... Huh...? What...?! How did you...?!"

    ...just for the ck-haired boy to sway on his feet again and dive under Xeonith''s outstretched arm and put his arm around the blond girl''s shoulders.

    "...I know you don''t want to talk to me, but let''s get you out of here first..."

    "!!!!!"

    Zoemi momentarily stop ying suffering the effects of the mana depletion and hurriedly whispered into Burushiitto''s ear, causing the girl to flinch and tremble, not daring to raise her head so Xeonith wouldn''t realize that the ck-haired boy was only acting.

    "Miss Burushi! Thank you soooo much for healing me up the other day! You are such a nice person...! Could you be so kind again as to help me return to my room...?"

    Zoemi called out, and the absentminded, and slightly dumb expression returned to his face ¨C and was the expression that the infuriated Xeonith saw.

    "Are you deaf?! I told you to leave! Alone! Get away from thismoner!"

    The brown-haired boy growled furiously and his body shone with the brown light of the earth enchantments as he swung his arms with the clear intention of knocking the ck-haired boy out ¨C or at least brutally shoving him away from the blond girl.

    "Whoaa there...!"

    "!!!!!"

    Zoemi activated his shadows enchantment ¨C which werepletely invisible in the already dimly lit ssroom ¨C and bent his body to the side, dodging the attack by the skin of his teeth all while pulling the terrified heroine together with him.

    "Oh dear, oh no... I am so sorry ¨C I cannot keep my bnce ¨C I must have used up more mana than I initially thought...!"

    "...you little...!"

    Zoemi shook his head and bowed down to the furious Xeonith while sounding very apologetic but keeping Burushiitto out of the brown-haired capture target''s reach.

    "Lord Derizno ¨C I wouldn''t dare to ask you to spare some of your precious time on helping me, so I will trouble miss Burushi..."

    Zoemi perfectly faked stumbling forward right in time to avoid Xeonith reaching his hand for him ¨C again ¨C and dragged his feet forward pulling the scared blond heroine with him despite Xeonith''s attempts at stopping them.

    "H-how are you...?"

    *WHOOOSH*

    "!!!"

    The continuous ¨C supposedly - miraculous dodges that followed were enough to make Burushitto let out a quiet gasp while staring at the ck-haired boy wobbled and fell to the side avoiding a straight-up punch empowered by the earth enchantment...

    ...the sound that it made piercing through the air was proof enough of how devastating it would be if it actuallynded.

    "...huh...? Lord Derizno...? Do you want to help me too?"

    Zoemi ended up awkwardly skulking forward before he looked over his shoulder with surprise and asked ncing at the brown light shining brightly in the dimly lit ssroom.

    "Thank you very much, but please don''t worry about some lower noble like myself ¨C using magic at this hour might get you in trouble with the teachers..."

    "...!"

    Zoemi pointed out the obvious glow that the physical augmentation was producing ¨C which caused the infuriated Xeonith to freeze in ce in a realization.

    "Goodnight, lord Derizno."

    Zoemi didn''t hesitate and barged out of the ssroom...

    "....pardon me for a moment..."

    "...eh...?"

    The moment that They disappeared from Xeonith''s side Zoemi muttered to Burushiitto and lifted her up merely by her shoulder before rushing through the hallway as fast as he could, aiming to get to the corner as fast as possible...

    "Hey! Stop right there!"

    "!!!!"

    Zoemi stopped the mad charge just as he heard Xeonith following them out of the ssroom ¨C the back-haired boy felt the blond heroine tremble, but his objective waspleted.

    He and Burushitto were about to turn the corner while Xeonith merely went through the door...

    With that in mind, Zoemi straightened his back, staring at the empty hallway, and reached out his hand.

    "Teacher Rokiana! Hello!"

    "?!?!"

    The ck-haired boy called out cheerfully, stunning the confused girl by his side ¨C who most certainly couldn''t follow on the boy''s n.

    "...!"

    But that was okay too ¨C after all the person who the trick was aimed for got fooled perfectly.

    "...fuck...!"

    Xeonith cursed under his breath and turned around and dashed the opposite way from themoner girl and the attendant boy, evacuating immediately.

    "...whew..."

    Zoemi looked back ¨C making sure that the brown-haired capture target was really gone, and once he did, he let go of the blond-haired girl and stepped aside before breathing out in relief while crouching down.

    "W-were you stalking me...?!"

    "...huh...?"

    The ck-haired attendant really wasn''t expecting words of gratitude as helping out in a situation like that was simply something he felt right to do ¨C but he most certainly did not expect the usatory words spoken in the terrified tone by Burushiitto.

    "What? No! I was returning from the headmaster''s office and... Huh...?"

    Zoemi raised his head and shook his head in disbelief ¨C but he realized that he was speaking to the heroine''s back as she started running away from him, ncing back a few times with a terrified expression as if she expected the ck-haired boy to start following her immediately.

    "...no, seriously, what...?"

    Zoemi blinked a few times in confusion and then looked around as if expecting someone toe up to him and exin the blond girl''s behavior....

 Chapter 176 - 52.5 - Two Reincarnations

    After helping the heroine and getting used of being a stalker instead of being thanked for helping her out, Zoemi returned to his room and went to sleep ¨C but even in the dreand, he couldn''t get a moment of peace...

    It was the same nightmare as always.

    The dark bedroom that looked so familiar butpletely foreign at the same time...

    ...the incrediblyrge bed...

    ...child version of Miriette sleeping peacefully while he was standing guard right next to her head...

    Zoemi was seeing it all but he couldn''t move nor speak ¨C his body felt alien and unresponsive to the point that it felt like he never could have made it move to begin with.

    Simrly, his mouth felt as if it was sewn shut, therefore when the sudden perfect and silky darkness entered the room, he had no way of warning the young girl about it.

    He was supposed to be defending her, he was supposed to be her protector ¨C but instead, he was forced to watch the danger approach her.

    Like always, from the darkness came a young man and he crawled on the bed making sure that the defenseless child will not wake up ¨C and nced at Zoemi boiling over in agonizing powerless anger.

    "Ugh... what are you looking at with those creepy eyes? Disgusting."

    The ck-haired intruder scoffed at Zoemi and pushed him to the floor with a single swing.

    |I WILL KILL YOU FOR GOOD THIS TIME...!|

    Zoemi roared in his mind and...!

    "!!!!"

    He woke up with a start, drenched in a cold sweat.

    It was still dark ¨C actually ¨C after the ck-haired boy managed to calm down his breath and reached out for the pocket watch he would always leave on the nightstand by his bed and checked the time, he learned that only five minutes have passed since heid down...

    "Damn it..."

    Zoemi breathed out and put the watch down before throwing himself back on the mattress.

    "I will kill you for good this time? What is that supposed to mean...? Why do I keep dreaming with such details about something that didn''t happen...?"

    He breathed out inint before resting his arm on his forehead and closing his eyes.

    Zoemi knew that normally people would forget about their dreams ¨C but he could clearly remember every detail.

    The perfect silky darkness smoothly entering the room like an innocent shadow.

    The calmly sleeping Miriette he watched over.

    Everything was so vivid and detailed that if he focused he could even easily count every single tinum hair on Miriette''s head...!

    "...?!"

    Zoemi flinched and opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling with an utterly confusing realization.

    Miriette in his dreams had tinum-colored hair...!

    The more he thought about it the more sure he became.

    In his dream, the room wasn''t brightly lit at all, but thanks to that her hair was standing out that much more...!

    "What is going on...?"

    Zoemi muttered to himself in confusion...

    ------

    At the same time, the heroine had trouble with sleeping too...

    She was in her bed lying in a fetal position, hidden under the nket.

    And she was both scared and furious.

    |He groped me ¨C he almost groped me, that bastard...!|

    Her body trembled.

    Not even in her wildest dreams would she imagine that a character depicted in the game as the proudest and calmest of all capture target ¨C to the point where holding hands with him was considered by fans to be more meaningful achievement than kissing and getting married to the other choices ¨C would turn out to be such a piece of shit!

    |What am I supposed to do now!? I never expected him to behave like that! It wasn''t like that in the game! His reaction waspletely out of character! I should have pped him!|

    She thought to herself but then she shuddered.

    |But those eyes...! How can a human have such eyes...?|

    Just the memory of how she was looked at makes Burushitto feel dread - never before was she looked at in such a way.

    It felt like Xeonith didn''t look at her as if she was a fellow human being!

    His eyes were full of animalistic lust.

    |Trying to get him to help me save Surou was such a mistake! And the way that bastard dared to speak about him...! It''s too dangerous to have Xeonith around... I-I must ignore him from now on! H-he won''t do anything to me while we''re in the academy, right...? He is concerned about his opinion, so he shouldn''t show up at my room ¨C he even said something along those lines himself! So, if I will hurry to my room the moment the lectures are over I should be fine, right? Right?!|

    Burushiitto thought to herself trying to calm down, but no matter how she tried to convince herself, her body wouldn''t stop shaking.

    |And what was that with Zoemi...?! How did he get in there in the first ce! That''s even more disturbing than Xeonith...! Wh-what if the entire thing was just a part of his event...!|

    She flinched and trembled.

    Ah...!"

    She suddenly gasped and raised up, letting the nket slide down from her head.

    "I get it...! It''s all because of the DLC...! The creators of the game must have folded in to the voices of people who liked Slutiette and made a route that would end up in her getting the good end ¨C but since they were sadists, to begin with, they must have made it so the yer character is the one getting screwed over...! Nooo...! Why?! It''s all her fault..! Because Slutiette is living carefree I am the one getting hated and shunned...!"

    The blond heroineined out loud and hid her face in her palms.

    "Screw this! I will mess up with Slutiette and keep away from Zoemi to escape this stupid DLC!"

    She suddenly straightened her back and dered making a determined expression while staring at the opposite wall.

    "...but... even if I do that what will happen to Surou...? Will I be able to save him...?"

    Burushito nced towards the door and hesitated.

    "...y-you wouldn''t happen to be there, mister supporter...?"

    She suddenly asked getting an odd feeling...

    "..."

    The heroine waited a bit but since the answer didn''t arrive she ended up breathing out and...

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "!!!!"

    Burushiitto barely stopped herself from screaming in fear once someone knocked on her door.

    "Miss Buru, apparently someone has seen you together with Xeonith ¨C how did it go?"

    "Mister supporter?!"

    The whisper called out and made the girl gasp in shock.

    "That''s right ¨C it''s me. How did it go? Did you win him over?"

    The mysterious voice asked and the heroine flinched and got out of the bed.

    "I... I don''t want to talk with him ¨C tell me, who else I could ask for help...?"

    She asked walking towards the door...

    "~You will get Xeonith on your side.~"

    The voice''s tone changed and Burushitto froze in ce and her eyes lost focus.

    "..I... will get Xeonith on my side..."

    She repeated mechanically and continued to stay still.

    "Good."

    The mysterious supporter smirked and left her alone...

    "...?"

    After a few minutes, the blond girl flinched and shook her head, looking around in confusion as if she forgot why she stood up from her bed in the first ce.

    Instead of calling out to the mysterious supporter once more, she turned around and walked to the desk...

    "...I will have to try and convince Xeonith to help me..."

    She nced at her mirror and her chin trembled.

    Then, she nced at the corner of her desk - there was a small blue box sitting there.

    Burushitto picked it up opened it, taking out a beautiful golden ring with one big diamond in the middle and two smaller ones to its sides.

    She grabbed it and returned to her bed leaving the empty box on the desk.

    The blond girl hid under the nket again while holding the ring securely in her hand she pressed it to her chest.

    "...I just want my Surou back...!"

    She got teary-eyed and whispered.

 Chapter 177 - 53 - Daily Life...? (part 1)

    The next day was the day when Zoemi''s father, Mizoe, would leave the academy and return to the Espines estate, as duke Espine called for him to return to his duties.

    Zoemi was standing in front of the dormitory watching his father prepare the horse for the journey. He felt a bit weird, he wasn''t a small child that would cling to his father on every possible asion but he didn''t really want him to leave...

    "S-senior...!"

    "...!"

    And as it turns out, he wasn''t the only one who didn''t want to part with the pale-blue-haired knight...!

    The blue-haired young female teacher came out of the Academy building and bashfully approached the father and son duo.

    "Teacher Perserios! Good morning!"

    Positively surprised Zoemi bowed toward his teacher.

    "Oh! Zoemi! H-hello!"

    She flinched as if she noticed him only then and there ¨C but that certainly didn''t upset the ck-haired boy ¨C opposite actually...!

    "Lady Perserios, it''s a pleasure to see you, what can I help you with?"

    Mizoe turned towards the woman with a warm smile and asked excessively politely ¨C like always, which made his son roll his eyes in disbelief.

    "Senior, I''ve heard that you are leaving so I wanted to see you off..."

    Rokiana lowered her head bashfully and started ying with her hair.

    "You''re too kind,dy Perserios."

    Mizoepletely missed her point and bowed his head.

    Zoemi felt like clicking his tongue over his father''s denseness but Rokiana wasn''t going to give up so easily ¨C she seemed to bepletely determined to push forward with her n!

    She pulled something from her pocket and extended her hand towards Mizoe offering it to him.

    "Senior, I have a present for you!"

    She dered with a flushed face.

    "Lady Perserios! There''s no need, too...! A-and I don''t have anything to gift you in return!"

    "Nonsense, here!"

    Mizoe became agitated and started backing off but Rokiana shorted the distance decisively.

    "Senior, you don''t have to give me anything in return... For now..."

    Thest part she mumbled under her breath and blushed harder ¨C but although her words weren''t picked up my Mizoe, Zoemi heard them clearly and straightened his back, making an excited expression.

    "I-I just want you to have this! So please bear with my selfishness!"

    The blue-haired woman spoke up clearly and made Zoemi - who was standing on the side - want to loudly apud his teacher.

    "..."

    But of course, the ck-haired boy stopped himself in time - his interruption could ruin the mood after all...

    "N-no! Lady Perserios, don''t talk like that about yourself, you aren''t selfish, it''s just that... That... I... Umm... Thank you."

    Mizoe couldn''t refuse when ady of a higher social position was putting so much heart into her words and actions.

    He took the gift and looked at it.

    It was a peculiarly shaped green magic crystal with various runes engraved into it - it was slowly pulsating with a calm, emerald glow.

    "...?"

    "Ah...!"

    Zoemi didn''t know what it was exactly but Mizoe clearly recognized it.

    "Ldy Perserios, I-I cannot take such an expensive present!"

    The pale-blue-haired knight started panicking and tried to return the gift after all, but Rokiana took a step back and put her hands up refusing to take it off of him.

    "You already took it, senior, don''t you think that it would be rude to return it?"

    "!!!"

    Rokiana smiled mischievously and Mizoe flinched and took back his hand.

    "B-but, Lady Perserios! That''s too much! It''s a too expensive gift for someone like me! It will be wasted on me!"

    Mizoe desperately tried to return the weird crystal after all, but Rokiana smile became even wider.

    "Oh? As expected of you, senior - of course, you do know what this is!"

    The blue-haired young womanughed and pulled out another peculiarly shaped green crystal, exactly the same as the one in Mizoe''s hand.

    "I already had a wind magician connect the two of them!"

    She sounded very proud of herself.

    "Senior, I want you to promise me that you will always answer my calls! Ah...!"

    Rokiana said smugly but then she realized how she sounded and she blushed and lowered her head again.

    "I-I mean... If it will be possible... Please..."

    She added bashfully.

    "I... Um... O-of course,dy Perserios..."

    Mizoe nervously scratched the back of his head and also blushed.

    "To answer you just have to pour a bit of your mana inside and make it stir up the..."

    "Yes, I have heard about his device before,dy Espine was really interested in it so she bought it and was kind enough to show it off to me."

    Rokiana said and Mizoe nodded with a timid expression.

    "...ldy Espine did...?"

    The Duke and the Duchess always liked Mizoe so it wasn''t anything unusual, really - still, Rokiana flinched.

    "O-oh, so you already know, I see..."

    Sheughed nervously and didn''t know where to look.

    "I-if you would want to contact me, themand is..."

    Her face becamepletely red and she went silent before she finished her sentence.

    "Lady Perserios?"

    Mizoe tilted his head.

    "Themand is... My... Name..."

    She muttered quietly.

    "Oh? So I just have to say ''Lady Perserios'' to contact you?"

    "...n-no..."

    Mizoe asked politely but Rokaina shook her head and hid her face in her hands.

    "No... I-it''s only my f-first name..."

    The blue-haired teacher sounded so embarrassed as if she was about to burn from shame.

    "So... Rokiana..."

    Now even Mizoe became embarrassed and blushed.

    "...!"

    Rokiana peeked at him from between the spaces of her fingers and got even redder.

    "Y-yes..."

    She nodded and put her hands down.

    And the two of them just stood there looking at each other and the atmosphere was bing a bit awkward...

    "I-I must go now..."

    Mizoe was the first one to break the silence.

    "Ah! R-right, o-of course...!"

    Rokianaughed nervously and started looking around awkwardly in embarrassment.

    "Bye, dad!"

    "Ah! Zoemi! Right! Take care!"

    Mizoe panicked when Zoemi spoke, it seems like he forgot about his son''s presence.

    Not that Zoemi minded that at all.

    "So, well. Goodbye."

    Mizoe got on the horse and waved to his son and teacher Rokiana.

    "See you, dad!"

    "Bye, senior...!"

    Rokiana waved back bashfully and Mizoe patted the mare to make her move.

    As soon as he disappeared from their line of sight Rokiana turned to Zoemi inplete panic.

    "Zoemi! Tell me! Was I not too direct!? You told me I have to be direct but wasn''t that too much?! Won''t senior think I''m too desperate!? Won''t he think I''m some kind of an easy woman!? Or worse ¨C the annoying one?!"

    She grabbed Zoemi''s shoulders and started shaking him in panic.

    "Teacher! Please! With my father, you have to be at least that direct, or he won''t get it at all! You have my full support! Go for it! I have never seen him so bashful, you definitely did a good job!"

    "Really?! I... I mean, really?"

    Zoemi assured her and she calmed down a bit.

    "By the way, teacher, what is that crystal?"

    Zoemi asked though he already did have a pretty good guess.

    "It''s the newest invention of the royal magician! You know that he can control pure mana, right? This is a crystal that works just like a message spell of a wind magician! It runs on the wind attribute mana so you need a wind magician to charge it, but as long as the mana remains you can contact other crystals as long as they are registered! It''s really convenient! But because it''s such a useful novelty, it is EXTREMELY expensive, I had to ask my father for a loan or I would never be able to affo... Never mind...!"

    The blue-haired teacher shut her mouth, stopped talking, and looked away making an ashamed expression.

    |Yep, she''s a keeper!

    Zoemi nodded to himself.

    "Do you think my father knows that it has to be charged with a wind attribute mana? He said thatdy Espine show it to him, but did that include the charging process?"

    The ck-haired boy pointed out.

    "Ah! Exactly! He might not know that and try to recharge it with his own mana! I''ll call him immediately!"

    Rokiana hurriedly took out her crystal and put it to her ear.

    "Future husband! ...ah...!"

    She called confidently and then suddenly she froze.

    "..."

    Zoemi tilted his head and observed Rokiana in silence as she very slowly turned away from him so embarrassed, that the ck-haired boy fully expected to see steam rising from her head...

    "I''ll be going now, future mom~!"

    Zoemi smiling brightly called out happily and went back to the dormitory, leaving the blue-haired teacher behind.

    "..."

    Rokiana didn''t answer - she wanted to p herself for choosing such a name for contact with Mizoe and bbing it out in front of his son before she even heard the pale blue-haired knight call her intimately!

    "That''s so embarrassing...!"

    She yelped.

    "Hello? Roki...? I-I mean,dy Perserios...!"

    The voice of Mizoe came from the green crystal and Rokiana instantly got over her embarrassment, Mizoe almost called her by her first name at the very start - she clearly heard it!

    "Hello, senior, you see I actually forgot to mention, but~!"

    The blue-haired woman started coiling a strand of hair around her finger and turned around, away from the Academy building while talking with an excited smile.

 Chapter 178 - 53 - Daily Life...? (part 2)

    Zoemi went to the kitchen in a perfect mood and along the way, he met Teo who was the exact opposite of that...

    "Hello, Teo. Busy right from the morning?"

    The ck-haired boy greeted the short girl dressed up in a butler''s uniform and tried making some small talk.

    "Negative."

    She shook her head and gave a short answer while looking away.

    "Oh?"

    Zoemi raised his brow but didn''t ask more about it since it was rather clear that the brown-haired girl didn''t want to talk about it.

    "Is it possible that you want to return to the first prince? I know that my master can be a handful ¨C if that''s the case you don''t have to hold back."

    "..."

    The handsome attendant asked but that apparently was also a bad thing to talk about since even though Teo was trying to keep the emotionless expression she started giving off the aura of sulking.

    "Negative."

    She gave another short answer and turned around so much that she had trouble walking in a straight line...

    "Mistress is a very nice person actually, I really changed my opinion of her ¨C for the better."

    "...!"

    Teo''s answer stunned Zoemi.

    "Wait... what do you mean by that? Did you dislike mydy before?!"

    He ended up gasping in disbelief as if he didn''t just admit that he knows that Miriette is hard to like...

    "..."

    The short girl went silent but this time Zoemi couldn''t stop himself and leaned over her and carefully observed her reaction.

    "Well? Did you?"

    The ck-haired attendant asked giving off the unyielding aura.

    "...m-maybe... What''s the point of talking about it now?! I changed my mind about her and I think she is a good person, alright?! I even think that we could be friends! What about it?!"

    Teo could not withstand the pressure and groaned in defeat while stepping away from the ck-haired attendant and red at him sulkily.

    "Whoa...! Mydy''s first female friend...!"

    Zoemi gasped and put his hands to his face in an exaggerated motion...

    "P-pfffft...! Sir Zoemi, stop it!"

    ...making Teo snort and let out a giggle before she stopped herself and waved her hand towards him as if she intended to smack his shoulder but stopped herself in time.

    "Then, is it final, you will stay as the second attendant of mydy?"

    Zoemi smirked and stopped fooling around before asking curiously.

    "What about the school regtions and whatnots? The one attendant per student one?"

    He added curiously.

    "Well, originally I was counted as half the attendant, making me a set with my sister, but when I discussed it with master and mistress, they said that there will be no problem with me getting transferred ¨C master mentioned something about the Academy bending the rules once making the precedence and he will deal with everything if I will make a decision."

    Teo exined ncing back at Zoemi ¨C who seemed to be deep in thoughts.

    "I remember that Veo said something about being unable to do chores... who will deal with the first prince''s chores with you gone...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, pointing out the potential problem.

    "¡­"

    The short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform closed her mouth and looked away ¨C again.

    "Teo, what about your master?"

    "..."

    Zoemi asked again but no matter how many times he asked Teo just kept her mouth shut stubbornly.

    "You want me to get angry at you, don''t you?"

    He asked in a cold voice, furrowing his brows.

    "N-no...!"

    Finally, a threat worked on the short girl and she turned right back and faced the ck-haired boy.

    "Master decided that Patishi will be his attendant-in-training, so everything will be fine! She can already do a good job ¨C or so I''ve heard."

    Teo hurriedly waved her hands and dered ¨C although her eyes were darting all over the ce as if she was unable to make eye contact with the ck-haired boy making him suspicious...

    "I see... well, I''m sure that Patishi can do a good job, and if Veo told you that she is confident in her abilities..."

    "Don''t involve Veo into this, sir Zoemi!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi leaned back and stared at Teo in shock ¨C her reaction because of the ck-haired attendant mentioning her older sister was very vicious ¨C and very out of character for the short girl...

    "What happened between the two of you...?"

    He leaned back and asked cautiously ¨C but he already knew that he will not hear an answer to that question just by looking at the sulking girl.

    "Sir Zoemi, we should go prepare breakfast for the mistress, or she and you will bete for your lectures."

    Teoined and hastened her peace.

    "..."

    Zoemi tilted his head in confusion, looking at her back, and shook his head before hastening his peace.

    ...in the end, Teo had a point...

    --------

    "Big brother Zoemi, hello! Did your father go back already?"

    When they got to the kitchen Patishi ran up toward the ck-haired boy like an overjoyed puppy.

    "That''s right, I''ve seen him off five minutes ago. How are you today? I''ve heard that you be an official attendant-in-training of the first prince!"

    Zoemi greeted her with a smile and affectionately tousled the younger girl''s hair.

    "That''s right! There''s a lot to do and I have a lot to learn ¨C but Veo and my prince both told me to just try my best and not worry! Oh! And now I can bring my food to his highness whenever I make something new! He said that he loves my food and he wanted to be my taste tester!"

    Patishi eximed bouncing up and down with joy.

    "And, big brother, will you need help with cooking? You said that you were fine, but maybe you need some help after all? I can makedy Epsine''s food or carry the tray for you if you want!"

    The petite girl looked more energetic than usual or maybe Zoemi just forgot how she usually acted in the kitchen...

    ...no, it definitely felt like Patishi was forcing herself to be that cheerful ¨C and she clearly was trying to not acknowledge the existence of the short brown-haired girl in the butler''s uniform beside Zoemi....

 Chapter 179 - 53 - Daily Life...? (part 3)

    "Thank you for the offer, but I''m sure you have your hands full with your new duties ¨C and thank you for worrying about me, but I am fine ¨C and even if I wasn''t, Teo is here to cover up for me. I''ll be fine."

    The ck-haired boy waved his hand dismissively and looked over at the girl by his side.

    "...is that so..."

    Patishi just tilted her head and didn''t look at Teo at all - instead, she grabbed Zoemi''s hand and pulled him deeper into the kitchen.

    "Veo! Big brother Zoemi is here!"

    "...!"

    That was another surprise ¨C at first, the ck-haired boy thought that Patishi spoke about the older twin casually because she wasn''t there, but as it turned out the younger girl was calling Veo without any honorifics!

    "Sir Zoemi! Did you rest well?"

    Veo wasn''t even trying to keep the emotionless expression and smiled cutely.

    "Of course ¨C thank you for your concern. And you?"

    "...! I...! I''m good too... thanks..."

    Zoemi responded with a warm smile that was so stunning that the short brown-haired girl in a maid''s uniform blushed and lowered her head, bare able to mutter a few words, overwhelmed by the sight ¨C out of the people around Zoemi, she was the one who had seen him the least and hence had the least amount of time to get used to his scarless appearance.

    "H-hello, Veo."

    "..."

    And then Teo greeted her ¨C and Veo''s smile dimmed.

    "..."

    The older twin acted as if she hasn''t heard a word.

    Despite trying her hardest, she wavered but even then she didn''t look at Teo at all.

    "..."

    Patishi reacted in a simr way though she was more animated than Veo - the younger girl clenched her fists and looked away with an angry frown, unable to keep a straight face.

    "...umm...?"

    Zoemi looked between the three of them confused and let out a confused sound but no one was keen on exining anything to him...

    |That is... not something that I expected to witness in the kitchen so early in the morning...|

    The ck-haired attendant thought to himself, looking around awkwardly ¨C he was made aware beforehand that Teo and Veo are no longer staying in the same room because they had a big quarrel, but hearing about something and witnessing something first-hand, were twopletely different things...

    How should he act?

    Should he try to patch up the sisterly rtionship or stay away and let the twins resolve their issues at their own peace....?

    |Decisions... decisions...|

    He sighed ¨C but even so, he chose to make the food first ¨C he had his duties as an attendant to think about first, after all.

    ----

    "Could you pass me that...?"

    "..."

    "Veo, can you help me with...?"

    "..."

    Teo tried to start a conversation with either her sister or Patishi multiple times but they both treated her like air ¨C the girl in the butler''s uniform even tried to block Patishi''s way but the younger girl just ghosted her without making any remark or even sparing her a single nce.

    |...alright ¨C I am clearly missing some important details... I was told that they were angry at each other but isn''t this way too over the top...? Straight up ignoring her existence...? Has Teo really done something so bad to deserve this treatment...?|

    Zoemi thought to himself after witnessing every single instance of Teo versus Patishi and Veo encounters.

    "Teo, do you want to...?"

    "Indeed!"

    The ck-haired attendant didn''t even finish asking the short girl whether she wanted to be the one to carry the tray or not when she just grabbed it and literally dashed out of the kitchen.

    "Hey! Wait! See you two around, bye!"

    Zoemi called after Teo and waved towards Veo and Patishi before leaving the kitchen, chasing after the girl.

    "..."

    Veo looked at the door they disappeared into and started sulking.

    "...it''s okay. Don''t mind her ¨C she acts like a victim even after all the awful things she said about you and refuses to apologize! She''s the one who is in the wrong AND unfair!"

    Patishi walked up to the other girl and grabbed her hand reassuringly.

    "...yeah... I''ll try..."

    The Veo smiled at her weakly and nodded.

    -------

    Zoemi ran out of the kitchen and saw Teo already turning the corner so he hurriedly followed her.

    He passed a few attendants and servants going either back or forth the kitchen a waved at them in a greeting ¨C but then, he was stopped by someone just as he was turning the corner that the short girl in the butler''s uniform turned at...

    ...the person that got in his way was the young-looking tinum-haired girl who he had already seen a few times before in the hallway ¨C just like before she was wearing the Academy''s uniform that was clearly too big for her and looked as if she secretly borrowed it form her older sister ¨C surprisingly enough, the pin attached to the vest ¨C a flower in full bloom ¨C most definitely belonged to a third-year student...

    The tinum-haired girl was sitting on the windowsill as if she was waiting for something and the moment she spotted the iing ck-haired attendant she jumped down and got in his way ¨C making use of the other people walking around and essentially blocking the boy''s way.

    "Good morning ¨C excuse me, mydy."

    Zoemi wanted to get to the other attendant so he simply bowed her head politely and tried to squeeze past the confident-looking young girl...

    "You have to keep an eye on the healer girl or things will go bad ¨C I am scared, you know? He is getting stronger and stronger."

    ...but despite Zoemi''s best effort, the girl blocked his way and spoke, looking up at him with such a serious expression as if she was sharing some profound knowledge with him.

    "...wait, what...? What are you talking about?"

    Zoemi took a step back and gazed down to have a better look at the girl''s face.

    She mentioned the healing girl, so she obviously meant the heroine ¨C which instantly made her sound suspicious as it was uncanny how well it fit the current situation ¨C but then what was it about her getting scared?

    And who was getting stronger?

    "..."

    Interestingly enough ¨C the more Zoemi was looking at her without saying a word trying to figure her out, the tinum-haired girl was looking up right back at him and her expression became much gentler as if she calmed down merely because of being near him.

    At the same time, there was something very familiar about her, that the ck-haired boy couldn''t quite put his hand on ¨C but his confusion and curiosity were also prolonging the silence.

    "...do... do we know each other, mydy...?"

    Zoemi finally managed to speak up,pletely forgetting about his original objective of just following Teo...

    "We do. But I don''t think that you can recognize me, can you?"

    "...!"

    The girl spoke up in a surprisingly mature and sensual-sounding voice that didn''t fit her tiny frame at all.

    "I-I don''t... Please, forgive me for that..."

    The ck-haired attendant didn''t even realize, but he was already kneeling down on one knee as he was answering.

    "It''s alright. You have your life now ¨C I don''t want to interfere in it without a reason.... I don''t think I could stop myself from ying with you again, Zoemi."

 Chapter 180 - 53 - Daily Life...? (part 4)

    |We yed together before...?!|

    The tinum-haired girl answered Zoemi''s question, softly shrugging her shoulders, and smiled at the attendant lowering his head ¨C while the ck-haired boy himself was trying his best to recall where the two of them have met and yed before...

    Could it be that she was one of the children from the slums...?

    No... that was actually impossible ¨C she looked far too young for that ¨C not to mention that neither of those kids liked Zoemi and were using him as a punching back just as much as Edung and Boren were.

    That certainly couldn''t be counted for ying together as long as someone wasn''t a cruel and twisted person - which Zoemi had a feeling that the girl in front of him was not.

    ...then...

    Could it be that they met in the Epsine estate...?

    Or maybe the royal castle...?

    "Mydy ¨C if you be so kind ¨C I feel like I know you, but my mind is refusing to cooperate... where did we meet...?"

    Zoemi apologized profusely ¨C not caring about the confused and concerned looks of the other attendants and members of the Academy staff ¨C and asked daring to look up, hoping for a hint.

    "We met in the royal castle before... long ago... Do not worry about forgetting me ¨C my attribute might be the case of your confusion."

    The tinum-haired girl smiled and exined lightheartedly.

    "Your attribute, mydy...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, tilting his head in confusion ¨C which prompted the girl''s smile to be wider.

    "Sorry ¨C that''s enough for today ¨C any more than that and I will really want to never let go of you again. Just remember what I told you ¨C keep an eye on the healing girl. I believe in you."

    "...wha...?"

    The tinum-haired girl dered with a smile and before Zoemi could properly formte his sentence, she put her index finger to her chest and traced a clockwise circle without saying a word ¨C with that done she simply turned around and...

    "...!"

    Walked away at such an outstanding speed that even the wind magicians would have trouble keeping up with her while running full speed with their speed enchantments active...!

    And her movement was really that of a casual walk, merely so fast that she could as well leave afterimages...!

    "Why can''t I remember her...? Huh...! The breakfast..!"

    The ck-haired boy stood up and furrowed his brows in concern ¨C but then he nced at the passing attendant carrying the tray with empty dishes and gasped t himself in panic before he dashed away.

    He even activated his shadow enchantment to gain more speed...

    ----

    Before Zoemi caught up to Teo, she already entered Miriette''s room.

    "Mistress, I''m not feeling too well right now, can I return to my room? Please leave the tray on the desk and I will collect itter."

    ...was what Zoemi heard when he entered right after the short brown-haired girl.

    "..."

    Inside, Zoemi saw his master sitting at the desk - Miriette was looking at Teo with a worried expression.

    "It''s alright ¨C take care of yourself ¨C after all, Zoemi is here too~!"

    The dark-haired girl assured the female attendant and motioned at the ck-haired boy at the door.

    "Thank you, mistress."

    Teo bowed her head and walked towards Zoemi.

    "I''m sorry for not helping you out more, sir Zoemi."

    The girl bowed her head to the ck-haired boy and spoke up in a timid, apologetic voice.

    "No, no ¨C there''s no problem at all ¨C if you are feeling bad then I would even dare to say that it''s your duty to get better as fast as possible! Don''t worry about a thing and go rest."

    Zoemi shook his head and smiled reassuringly, stepping to the side to not block the girl''s way out.

    "Thank you."

    Teo bowed her head even more and walked out.

    "That girl is a verypetent attendant but it seems that her ability to socialize isn''t that good. Apparently, she had a big fight with her older sister and ended up saying something really, really hurtful. The older one doesn''t want to talk to her, and for whatever reason Teo refuses to apologize ¨C she is shockingly stubborn, wanting to be forgiven without actually saying that she regrets her behavior..."

    Miriette breathed out and shook her head with a concerned expression while looking at the already closed door.

    "..."

    Zoemi didn''t know how to respond to that ¨C honestly, most of what Miriette just said fitted her own personality quite well...

    |Ooohhh...! That must be why Teo started liking her ¨C she realized that she and Miriette thing alike...!|

    The ck-haired boy realized and nodded to himself.

    "Mydy, if you want, I can go and either talk to her about it ¨C to go and try to help patch things out with Veo on her behalf..."

    The ck-haired boy offered while Miriette was turning back towards the breakfast.

    "Ohohoho...! Are you really capable of doing that...? Teo told me that you have already made her cry before ¨C actually, both her and her older sister... You don''t seem to have a way with words around women.~"

    Miriette dered ¨C but she sure sounded a little bit too happy about her attendant not being adies'' man than one would expect...

    "...I didn''t say that I wanted to do it ¨C I merely suggested that I would do it if you requested me to..."

    Zoemi looked to the side, sounding just a little bit sulky ¨C which honestly only made Mireitte that much more satisfied.

    "It''s alright ¨C I already told her that she can talk with me about it whenever she feels like it ¨C suddenly throwing a handsome boy into the mi might not work out all that well."

    "...a handsome...?"

    The dark-haired girl giggled and shrugged her shoulders while ncing at the reflection of the embarrassed Zoemi in her mirror.

    "Here ¨C I still didn''t calm down after having you scare me half to deathing here on the verge of dying. Your punishment must continue!"

    She dered, putting her hand on a brush and ab and sliding them on the side of the desk for Zoemi to pick up.

    "You will have to continue brushing my hair until I forget all about it!"

    Miriette dered, proudly raising her head and ended up missing probably the most beautiful smile that Zoemi made up until that point.

 Chapter 181 - 54 - Daily Life...? (part 5)

    Zoemi did his best to observe and even interact with the heroine as much as he could through the day but she was rather cold towards him ¨C he already was going to stick around her from the start, but the words of the tinum-haired girl certainly had a big impact on the level of his cautiousness.

    The ck-haired boy wasn''t merely observing the girl herself ¨C but the people around her, how they interacted - or rather not interacted ¨C with her, as well as going out of his way to try to find out who was the perpetrator of the ongoing bullying.

    The problem with thest part was that the thing that happened with the expelled second prince Surou certainly spawned more than just a few independent bullies to start messing with Burushiitto, so actually getting to the bottom of things in a short amount of time was basically impossible.

    Still, Zoemi wasn''t going to give up.

    |I should have asked her what exactly should I keep my eye on...! Will the heroine be the one that will cause some trouble or get herself in trouble ¨C or am I supposed to prevent others from messing with her or from getting messed with...!|

    The ck-haired attendant scolded himself while furrowing his brows, unintentionally staring at the blond girl''s back.

    ...funnily enough, he didn''t even consider that the tinum-haired girl was messing with him ¨C no, for whatever reason the thought of doubting her never even entered his mind...

    But, while the ck-haired boy was busy worrying about other things, a certain someone behind him was getting rather...

    ...animated...

    "...what is this supposed to mean...?!"

    Miriette kept ncing between Zoemi and the heroine while gritting her teeth and clenching her fists under the desk...

    "My love, your hair is... Unusually sharp today... Why don''t you try to take a deep brea..."

    "What''s going on between that wench and Zoemi!? Why does he keep looking at her with that troubled expression!? I don''t understand why is he suddenly interested in her so much?!"

    Horeo tried to point out that Miriette was getting too obvious with her jealousy but Miriette, well, Miriette acted just like Miriette...

    The hair on the back of her head was standing on its end as if it wanted to stab someone - no doubt the target would be the big-breastedmoner girl - and it was looking wild enough to the point of getting the attention of some of their ssmates...

    "He probably doesn''t know how to deal with her, he got punished because of her and the second prince, remember? At the same time, she healed him, and he asked us to leave her alone ¨C but I can''t believe he doesn''t harbor just a tiny bit of animosity towards her."

    Horeo breathed out and exined, shrugging his shoulders lightheartedly all while trying to put himself in Zoemi''s shoes.

    "My Zoemi isn''t like that ¨C you know that he isn''t like the two of us, he actually forgave thatmoner girl ¨C and that''s the problem! What happened? Why does he pursue her? Is it because she is ignoring him, is that it? If that''s all it takes to get his attention then I will start ignoring him too!"

    The dark-haired girl only scoffed at the gold-haired prince and shook her head while making a furious expression.

    "Sure, whatever ¨C wait, hold on - ... can you actually ignore him...?"

    Horeo rolled his eyes, but then he furrowed his brows and tilted his head, looking at his fiancee with curiosity.

    "..."

    Miriette froze and her shoulders dropped before she looked to the side with an awkward expression.

    "...n-no... I don''t think I would be able to..."

    She admitted in an embarrassed voice.

    "Yeah, I thought so. But you do remember that he is only a little bit less dense than Mizoe, right? There is probably nothing to worry about."

    Horeo shrugged his shoulders and smirked ¨C but unfortunately, his words didn''t appease the dark-haired girl who got right back to being angry.

    "Of course, I remember! But that''s why it is so odd! Why does he tires to get her attention while I am right here!?"

    Miriette groaned, gritting her teeth drilling holes in the ck-haired attendant''s back with her eyes.

    "I really do think that you are reading too much into his behavior, you know? He is doing a good job not being overconfident and spiteful, showing off a good impression - that''s how a noble should act. In politics, it''s obvious that your yesterday enemy may be today or tomorrow''s friend so it''s best to not burn any bridges. I''m pretty sure we learned that together when we were eight, you know? And with the healing that girl had done on him, it was confirmed that her magic is a real deal which proved her usefulness."

    The gold-haired prince tried to slightly change his approach because honestly, Miriette was getting way too obvious and with her looking so angry could lead people to start some rumors about the two of them not getting along which would, in turn, spawn even more unwanted rumors...

    "I know all of that ¨C but then why that wench is giving him a cold shoulder!? She should be jumping with joy that he wants to waste his time on someone like her ¨C or better - crawling at his feet and beg for forgiveness for being the trigger of the whole punishment!"

    "...trigger...? Wasn''t that you...?"

    "!!!"

    The dark-haired girl barked furiously ¨C but then the surprisedment of the gold-haired boy made her flinch and she ended up biting her lips with a pale face.

    "...shut up... I know that I am awful ¨C but the other girl isn''t a saint either...!"

    Sheined while fidgetting awkwardly ¨C while leaning towards him to hide her face from the other students.

    After all, Miriette would only allow either Zoemi or Horeo to see her distressed like that ¨C her pride would not allow her to show weakness to anyone else.

    |There''s no helping her, is there? It''s bad if Zoemi is talking to another girl and it''s even worse if that girl dares to ignore him...|

    Horeo closed his mouth and shook his head ¨C ending up raising his hand and patting the dark-haired girl''s back reassuringly.

    "Listen, Miriette, you have to stay calm and everything will be fine ¨C I promise. Just don''t do anything that could bring troubles to Zoemi and yourself, alright?"

    Horeo lowered his head and whispered into the girl''s ear in a reassuring voice.

    "..."

    Miriette made a sulky expression and both her shoulders and her hair slumped down, dispirited.

    "I know... You told me before that you have a good ne and I trust you ¨C it''s just that... I just don''t want him to... You know..."

    The dark-haired girl sighed and leaned in, resting her forehead on Horeo''s shoulder...

    "Kyaaah~! Do you see this...!?"

    "They are so perfect for each other...!"

    "Lady Espine looked like she was feeling unwell and now the first prince isforting her...! Why don''t my fiance never does anything like that to me?!"

    ...which prompted hushed but extremely excited squeals from the excited students around them.

    "Now, that''s what I call a good acting~"

    Horeo hummed satisfied, moving his hand from Miriette''s back up to her head ¨C increasing the number of squeals and excited gasps at least two times over.

    "...is Zoemi looking at us too...?"

    Miriette murmured without changing her position to not ruin the perfect situation.

    "He is."

    Horeo nced over and confirmed in a quiet voice.

    "Good ¨C he kissed me and still dares to pursue another girl, so now I will be the one to make him jealous by cuddling up to you~!"

    "..."

    The dark-haired girl snickered and for a second, the blond prince didn''t realize what she said ¨C but then...

    "Wait! He did WHAT now?! When, where, and what did he kiss exactly?!"

    Horeo gasped as the aura around him became ice-cold and his gentle patting of Mireitte''s hair turned into an iron grip on her head so that she wouldn''t be able to escape.

    "Oww, oww, oww...! You are squeezing my head too hard, you dork! What, you''re the one jealous now?"

    Miriette groaned and tried to get away from Horeo ¨C but without using the enchantment and getting the attention of everyone around them, it was simply impossible so she... ended up mocking him with a satisfied grin that only he could see.

    "...you cunning fox...! Details! I want all the details! How far ahead did you get?!"

    Horeo gritted his teeth and squinted his eyes ¨C but at the same time, he rxed his grip and leaned down ¨C so that for everyone else it looked like the two of them started whispering sweet nothings into each other ears....

 Chapter 182 - 54 - Daily Life...? (part 6)

    "Hey, don''t you dare keep me in the dark here! Are you serious ¨C you and Zoemi kissed!? When? Don''t tell me...!"

    Horeo squinted his eyes in suspicion and clicked his tongue over Miriette''s rear.

    "Oh my, how your tone has changed~! Yes, yes ¨C be more jealous! Zoemi kissed me and he did so all on his own to this time!"

    There was not even a trace of her previous jealousy, now, Miriette was proudly puffing up her chest and ncing at Horeo triumphantly.

    "It should be clear that I''ve won~"

    The dark-haired girl dered, but if she wanted to boast to the gold-haired prince while hiding what actually happened for the greater effect, she should have closed her mouth a little bit earlier...

    "...this time...?"

    "...ah...!"

    The first prince furrowed his brows and leaned back in realization ¨C causing Miriette to gasp as she realized she messed up.

    Horeo was smart and he could easily put two and two together.

    "I see now ¨C it was the same thing like you asking him to kiss your feet, wasn''t it? So, where did he kiss you now? I will lose half of my respect to you if you will say something like your hand, you know? You cunning fox."

    The gold-haired prince breathed out in relief and smiled at the dark-haired girl.

    For everyone watching the scene, the whole thing looked the first prince got embarrassed by the confession of loveing from his fiancee and the smile he was giving her was the heartwarming response filled with love and affection...

    ...even though in truth it was a full-on mockery-filled smirk ridiculing Miriette''s blowing out facts way out of proportion just to get mess with him...

    "No! Even I wouldn''t get that excited over a normal kiss on the hand ¨C I am not that desperate for attention, you know?"

    Miriette scoffed, trying to salvage the situation ¨C while Horeo smiled to himself clearly seeing that his distraction was working out perfectly and the dark-haired girl stopped acting suspicious enough for the other people to starting up with annoying rumors.

    "Alright, alright ¨C then ¨C what did he do? Dozed off while brushing your hair and identally kissed the top of your head?"

    The gold-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and asked putting his elbow on the desk and resting his chin on his hand, raising his brow, and patiently waiting for the actual report of the situation...

    "...alright... First of all, it wasn''t an ident!"

    Miriette pouted and for a second it looked like she wasn''t willing to tell him anything, but then he faced him again and started speaking with a prideful expression.

    "Are you sure? Zoemi has a really strong work ethic and that paired with his natural denseness of a tinum b makes it hard to believe that he would be the one to make the first move EVEN IF he somehow was the one to make the first move."

    Horeo made a doubtful expression and dered in a calm voice.

    "Bur he did! He kissed my forehead!"

    Miriette furrowed her brows and dered, moving her hand and showing off her forehead as if there was supposed to be some sort of physical evidence of the supposed kiss ¨C which of course there wasn''t.

    "It was after he was healed ¨C he came to my room and I panicked and pretended to be asleep ¨C he called me just by my name and when I didn''t respond he walked over and kissed my forehead!"

    "..."

    The girl boasted, making the boy next to her squint his eyes as he tried to see through her words in an attempt to figure out whether she was being serious or just acting...

    ...but it really felt like she was being honest this time...

    "Pffft...!"

    "...eh...?!"

    Then, instead of getting annoyed by the progress that was achieved in the rtionship of the master and the attendant, the gold-haired prince snorted and caused the girl to let out a short gasp of surprise.

    "Wh-what''s so funny...?!"

    Miriette furrowed her brows and asked which prompted Horeo to reach out his hand towards her and...

    "Oww!"

    Flick her exposed forehead causing her to finally release her fringe and stop showing it off.

    "You outwitted yourself once again with that, my love."

    The prince dered waving his hand while the grumpy miriette was massaging her forehead.

    "He thought that you were sick ¨C wasn''t that just a get-well kiss? You know? Like the one parents give their children when they are feeling unwell? That wasn''t a step forward ¨C it was a step back ¨C it''s proof that he treats you like a child! Ahahaha!"

    Horeo cheered in a hushed voice and pped his hands in amusement.

    "N-no he did not! You are just jealous!"

    Miriette gasped, leaning forward with a sulky expression, and started pping Horeo''s arm ¨C of course without using her enchantments...

    "Noodle arms."

    "Shut up!"

    The gold-haired prince mocked her while not even trying to act like her hits were effective.

    |...I''m... kind of jealous that they can act like that in public... I want to tease Miriette like that too ¨C she looks so cute when she sulks like that...|

    Zoemi nced back at his master and her fiance and thought to himself absentmindedly.

    |Not good ¨C I need to focus ¨C before I even think about trying to win Miriette over, I need to assure that she will be safe and happy!|

    The dark-haired boy thought to himself as his eyes wandered back to the heroine.

    |And even if this world is not a game, I already have the proof that event-like situations can happen ¨C but they will be distorted and not exactly as I remember them... Really, the least dangerous option would be to have Burushi close to always know what was she was up to.|

    He added with an internal sigh.

    |But for that, she would have to stop avoiding me...|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and leaned back on his chair...

    "Kyaaah...! Look at him! Look at him!"

    "So handsome...!"

    "Hey- hey ¨C you are training with lord Zoemi in the evenings, right? Can I join?"

    "Me too! Me too!"

    ...which prompted just a little bit fewer awestruck gasps from his ssmates than the future royal couple being lovey-dovey did receive...

    |I need to convince her that I am not a stalker...|

    But the ck-haired, devilishly handsome attendant was so focused on the blond heroine that he had missed all themotion that he had caused with his looks.

 Chapter 183 - [Bonus ] 54 - Daily Life...? (part 7)

    The lecture was over so it was high time for him to make a move, wasting any more time would be more than just wasteful. Even a single day, no, a single hour could be crucial.

    ...the ck-haired attendant most definitely wasn''t restless because he was forced to watch Horeo and Miriette teasing each other in public...

    Definitely not!

    Definitely!

    ...

    Therefore, as soon as the red-haired middle-aged teacher dered the end of the final lecture for the day, Zoemi instantly left his seat and dashed towards the heroine before she even got the chance to stand up from her seat and walk out of the ssroom with her head down without speaking to anyone, as she always did.

    "Miss Burushi, can I have a moment of your time?"

    The ck-haired boy stopped by the heroine''s desk and asked while minding his distance, having in mind that the girl was scared of him thest time they saw each other.

    "Ah!"

    Yet even with that precaution, Burushitto jumped up and gasped, sounding utterly terrified, and looked up at him with fearful eyes as if expecting him to hurt her.

    "S-sir Zoemi...?"

    She asked cowering and backing into her chair, nervously ncing at the door after the teacher left...

    ...but the man was already gone and the other students leaving the ssroom were most definitely NOT going to help her ¨C if anything, the blond girl ended up receiving even more hateful res than before only because the handsome attendant was talking to her.

    "Miss Burushitto, with all that happened it must be really hard for you ¨C that''s why I want to apologize for scaring you the other day, while also exining why I happened to walk on you and... you know who..."

    "...!"

    Zoemi stepped a bit closer and leaned down, making the most innocent expression he could muster while lowering his voice so that the leaving students would have a harder time overhearing them ¨C making the girl flinch...

    "...the reason for that being...?"

    ¡­but at the same time, it seemed like his non-threatening appearance was working on the blond girl as well because she didn''t try to run away and instead furrowed her brows and asked cautiously ¨C still on edge but not enough to try and run away at the first opportunity.

    "You see..."

    After having the time to think things over, Zoemi decided it actually a good idea to try and tell her the truth ¨C I was grabbed by the headmaster and taken to the office from where I was returning after stuffing locking her in the closet''s drawer ¨C yeah... it sounded like a really lousy excuse no matter how much good faith the other person would have.

    In the first ce, Burushiitto had already thought that the ck-haired attendant was stalking her so why shouldn''t he y around with that misconception but give it a positive spin...?

    "The truth is ¨C I was following you."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi nced to the sides confirming that even Mireitte and Horeo had already left the ssroom, making him and the heroine the only ones there, and confessed, making the blond-haired girl be pale.

    "But you see - there is a rumor that my master is connected with your bullying. Which is why I want to find the culprits ¨C that is the people making life even harder for you - and clear out any suspicion that unjustly falls onto my master before it will start affecting her public image."

    "!!!"

    Just as if he used some magic spell affecting the heroine''s behavior, Zoemi''s words made Burushiitto''s expression changepletely.

    She was pale and fearful before but after hearing him, she gasped and straightened her back, clenching her hands on her desk with excitement.

    "Wait ¨C so ¨C you want to get rid of my bullies because they are in the way of your master?!"

    She called out far too loud for Zoemi''s liking...

    "Yes ¨C sorry for scaring you ¨C I didn''t tell you sooner because I was worried that if the perpetrators will see us working together they will back off into the shadows while the rumors continue spreading."

    ...but the ck-haired boy nodded in confirmation regardless ¨C Burushiitto''s reaction was much more positive than he initially expected - but that was a good thing in the end!

    "I am grateful to you for healing me and fixing my face, but honestly ¨C yes - helping out my master is the main reason I''m doing this..."

    Zoemi even lowered his head apologetically to make it more convincing.

    |Wait...? Could it be that I have actually entered the safe part of his route after all...?! Yes... Yes! That make''s sense!|

    Burushitto bit her lips and thought to herself feeling hope filling her heart for the first time since Surou''s expulsion.

    |That means that maybe I can convince him to ask Slutiette and Horeo to help me rescue Surou! No, wait... I shouldn''t, should I...? I shouldn''t ally with Zoemi and instead, get Xoenith to help me... No... wait... why...? If Zoemi in is his yandere safe mode, why shouldn''t I get his help?!|

    "I believe you! Sir Zoemi, if that''s the case then, a-actually, there is something that I would like to ask you...!"

    Burushiitto was the one to reach out and grab onto Zoemi with a flushed expression.

    "C-can we talk about itter today?"

    She whispered, nervously ncing behind Zoemi''s shoulder as the obviously furious Miriette and the first prince who was ring at her coldly while peeking back into the ssroom clearly waiting for the ck-haired attendant - so Burushitto quickly let go of him and bowed her head.

    "I have a lot of duties as an attendant but I should be able to take some time today''s evening, I will surely stop by your room if that is fine with you."

    Zoemi looked at the blond girl and smiled reassuringly, pleased that things seemed to be working out just fine.

    |Perfect! We will be able to talk in peace and the Slutiette, no, Miriette won''t get angry since she won''t see it! There''s a chance that I will see my Surou again without having to meet with Xeonith again!|

    The heroine thought, moved to tears...

    ...unfortunately for her, a certain person walking outside noticed both her and Zoemi interacting...

    "Dumbassmoner can''t even stay under the spell long enough to be useful... Although, maybe that''s not her fault? Maybe I am just cursed with having Zoemis mess up my ns..."

    ...and he certainly wasn''t thrilled about the heroine doing whatever she wanted despite him using the hypnosis spells that he had such a hard time obtaining - before he frowned and red at the ck-haired attendant....

 Chapter 184 - 55 - Preparations (part 1)

    Zoemi was preparing the evening meal for his master as always, although he kept on checking his pocket watch time and time again to make sure that he isn''t taking too long.

    There was nothing wrong with him going to visit the heroine at nighttime, but it sure would turn inconvenient if she fell asleep or worse ¨C get herself in trouble by trying to meet up with him herself after the curfew hours.

    Zoemi was well versed in stealth and he could use spells that aided him in saying hidden, but the same could not be said about the girl who wielded the healing attribute.

    So yeah ¨C that was already hanging over Zoemi''s head ¨C but it wasn''t his only worry either.

    Well... it wasn''t something that had something to do with him or his master, and not even the heroine either ¨C but it was something that was getting on his nerves for some time already...

    More specifically ¨C the feud between Veo and Patishi and Teo.

    Veo and Patishi were fine ¨C the only thing they did was ignore Teo ¨C but in turn, the ignored Teo was now Zoemi''s direct coworker who was so distressed by the situation, that she was more of a burden than actual help.

    Zoemi knew far too little to actually pick a side, but he sure knew that if the others didn''t want to let him in on how and why this whole thing started, he at least would like Teo to act like her older sister and the younger girl.

    Seriously ¨C being the passive witness of Teo trying to get their attention was just painful!

    And, that whole cold war wasn''t even thest worry on the ck-haired attendant''s mind!

    After going back to his room and picking up theundry that the Academy''s staff did for him while he was out cold, he noticed that quite a lot of his clothes went missing.

    Four shirts, his other vest, even two pairs of pants and underwear!

    That was just preposterous!

    Zoemi went toin about that to the responsible servants right after his talk with the heroine, but they only bowed apologetically and exined that such a thing sometimes happens!

    Apparently, there has been a lot of incidents withundry recently and lots of clothes got damaged so they had been deemed as beyond repair and they had to throw them all out.

    |I have more than enough underwear but I''ll seriously need to buy another set of uniforms... Ugh... The Academy doesn''t provide it for free and that stupid uniform is so expensive...! My money...! I wanted to save up for a present for Miriette''s birthday...|

    Zoemi raised his head, staring at the ceiling in annoyance, and sighed...

    "Haa..."

    *sniffle*

    ...and it just so happened that Teo sniffled at the same time...

    "..."

    "..."

    They looked at each other but none of them said anything.

    |And now she is crying... Would it kill her to tell me what is wrong? Seriously, she really acts like Miriette sometimes, but with her, I have no idea how to coax her into telling me the truth...!|

    He thought to himself ncing at the short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform with concern.

    "Alright. Teo. What happened between you all?"

    The ck-haired attendant breathed out and ended up asking out loud while turning towards the short girl.

    "..."

    Even so, Teo''s only response was to look down apologetically without saying a word.

    "It''s not another scolding, you know? Something happened between the three of you ¨C that much is obvious. You can just tell me and we could try to figure out how to make you reconcile with them, together."

    "..."

    Zoemi offered, but once again he was met with silence ¨C the brown-haired girl even went and looked away from him...!

    "Alright then... Can I at least know who started it - was it them...?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi asked and observed Teo''s reaction ¨C the short brown-haired girl in butler''s uniform flinched and lowered her head even more so he wouldn''t see her face ¨C but with her neck and tips of her ears got exposed, and they were red from shame...

    "I see. So, you are the one at fault here? What did you do?"

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy asked but the brown-haired girl has chosen to remain silent once again.

    "Is that so... Did you at least try to apologize? I can''t imagine Patishi being so ruthless as to not forgive you when you show that you are sorry... although I cannot speak for Veo..."

    Zoemi pointed out, tilting his head to the side, furrowing his brows while trying to offer at least some assistance without knowing the full story ¨C and he nced over at the brown-haired girl who...

    "..."

    Shook her head while keeping quiet.

    "No? No to what? You didn''t apologize or Patishi and Veo are actually mean bullies?"

    The ck-haired attendant asked in confusion, squinting his eyes trying to figure out the non-verbal response.

    "...I... I didn''t apologize..."

    Without looking at him, Teo answered in a weak voice as her shoulders shook while she clenched her fists.

    "You didn''t? And why is that? You are clearly trying to get them to talk to you but you don''t want to apologize for what you started? Is that it? How old are you? Like, five?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi rolled his eyes and sighed, shaking his head which made Teo''s ears be even redder.

    "B-but I''m not the one in the wrong...!"

    The short brown-haired girl in the butler''s uniform straightened her back and eximed with a pitiful expression.

    "Oh, there''s the progress - mind telling me more? So you started the fight but you aren''t the one at fault? Is that it? They started ignoring you because you don''t agree? That''s rather mean. Too mean if you ask me, at least when ites to Patishi."

    "..."

    Although it looked like Teo was going to talk, Zoemi''s question and his voice filled with doubt shut her mouth and look away in shame again while her shoulders slumped down.

    "I... I might have said a bit too much when I was arguing with my sister while you were being treated by the medics..."

    The girl bit her lips but in the end, she gave up and began exining...

    "Did you say something about Patishi too?"

    It was rather surprising for Zoemi - he always thought that Teo and Patishi were on rather friendly terms, if anything, he always thought that Patishi liked Teo way more than Veo!

    After all, the ck-haired attendant witnessed the younger girl trying to throw Veo out of the kitchen once before...

    ¡­which is why it seemed usible for Teo to say something hurtful to the younger girl earning herself the silent treatment.

    "N-no... I was only talking about my sister but... Patishi got really, really angry at me for that..."

    "She did...?"

    Teo started fidgeting as she exined, Zoemi raised his brow and nced at Patishi who was preparing the meal for the prince in a separate area because Teo bothered her and Veo far too much when they were at their usual spot right next to the ck-haired attendant, forcing them to move away to be able to do their work properly.

    The skinny brown-haired girl had Veo by her side and was frowning while chopping the vegetables so viciously as if they were mortal enemies of her family for generations.

    It was clear that despite moving away she still could hear Teo and Zoemi talking ¨C which wasn''t surprising considering that at one point Teo raised her voice so much that probably everyone in the kitchen heard hr whether they liked it or not - and was reminded of the unpleasant words that Teo said to Veo.

    "What the hell did you say?"

    Zoemi couldn''t help but wonder and Teo nced at him ashamed.

    "..."

    But in the end, she said nothing and Zoemi barely held back a loud sigh.

    |I''ll just ask Patishi tomorrow morning or something.|

    He decided.

    The ck-haired boy really was working on a fully packed schedule that day and certainly had no time to spare despite his best wishes...

    ...not to mention that no other person came even close to how important Miriette was to Zoemi so he would not bother with anyone else''s problem until she was absolutely safe ¨C and the talk with the heroine would be helpful in assuring that safety...

    Seriously.

    If everyone he knew suddenly caught on fire and he had three buckets of water which of just one could extinguish the fire and save a single person, he would pour all three buckets on Miriette just to be absolutely sure she is fine.

    Well... maybe that wasn''t a good example...

    His opinion might have been swayed because most of his acquaintances could extinguish a fire without breaking a sweat, after all...

    "If you want we can always talk about it some more ¨C if you decide to open up and let me in on the details ¨C but for now... I finished cooking ¨C let''s go."

    Zoemi decided to give up on the matter for the time being and picked up the tray, waved goodbye to Patishi and Veo, and left the kitchen together with Teo following him with her head still down.

 Chapter 185 - 55 - Preparations (part 2)

    Both Zoemi and Teo were about to enter Miriette''s room after knocking.

    "W-wait! Not yet!"

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired boy who was about to step inside froze without question - he did nce inside the room though.

    The dark-haired girl was in her bed, hiding under a nket not even sticking out her face - only showing her unruly hair curling around with embarrassment and... excitement,...?

    "Mydy, did something happen?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and asked in a confused voice.

    "We brought you a meal, are you not feeling well? Should I get some medicine?"

    He asked, with a concerned expression.

    "N-no! It''s fine, just...! Y-you can return to your room, for now, Zoemi! Leave everything to Teo!"

    "But... Mydy..."

    Zoemi''s voice trembled and he sulked like a puppy that got unjustly scolded ¨C he wanted to go to the heroine but not at the cost of the time that he could spend with Miriette...!

    "I''m your attendant, right...? Did I do something wrong...?"

    He ended up lowering his head and asked timidly.

    "No! That''s not it at all, it''s just...! A female problem, alright? Please understand...!"

    |Ah...! Oh no, I was being so inconsiderate! As a fellow female, Teo understands her better than me and can help her where I cant...!|

    Zoemi quickly shook off the sadness and retreated from the room.

    "I''m sorry for my rudeness, mydy. If I''ll be needed, please message me."

    He bowed his head while backing off/

    "Zoemi! Th-that''s just for today, alright? I still want you to continue serving me like always!"

    Miriette, without taking off the nket eximed in an anxious voice perfectly judging what her attendant was thinking.

    ...or that''s how it looked for Zoemi since, honestly, Miriette was just panicking and speaking whatever came to her mind.

    "Thank you."

    Zoemi smiled, honestly relieved by her words.

    |So, it is not that she suddenly hates me... whew... She still wants me to be near her.|

    He actually felt a bit bad for having such thoughts about his master but he couldn''t help it.

    There was no need to say anything else so he passed the tray to Teo and closed the door behind him before leaving.

    --------

    Teo looked back at the door behind which Zoemi had disappeared and walked to the desk, putting the tray on it.

    "I-is he gone already...?"

    A weak voice came from under the nket on the bed.

    "Indeed, mistress, I also locked the door so you can be at ease."

    Teo confirmed in an indiferent voice.

    "...whew..."

    At her words, Miriette breathed out in relief and threw the nket away.

    Lady Espine was wearing only an oversized male shirt, one that was definitely a part of the academy''s uniform, and nothing else.

    What''s more, the shirt itself was drenched in sweat and sticking close to her body.

    Not only that, in her left hand Miriette was holding a piece of cloth suspiciously simr to a pair of male underwear.

    "Mistress, I know that I am not the best person to tell you that, but you really should work on your self-control ¨C the sun hasn''t even set."

    Teo shook her head with disappointment and looked meaningfully at the window.

    "I couldn''t help it! It was a stressful day, alright?!"

    Miriette hid her face in her hands.

    And no, she didn''t let go of the piece of particrly suspicious piece of clothing.

    "Mistress, there''s a time and ce for everything, you should be well aware that sir Zoemi and I wille with the supper."

    "I-I just went a bit overboard, okay!? I lost the track of time...!"

    The brown-haired girlined while breathing heavily which instantly prompted the dark-haired girl''s defensive stance.

    "You lost a track of time and a few pieces of clothing while you were at it."

    Teo pointed out walking over to the side of her bed and picking up clearly hurriedly taken off uniform and underwear.

    "It was a REALLY stressful day, alright?!"

    Miriette frowned at thement and turned away fit a bright red face ¨C but then she suddenly realized something and turned right back at the brown-haired girl in the butler''s uniform.

    "As if I have to hear that from you! You have his shirt on right now, don''t you?! The one you have on is clearly too big for you and isn''t part of your normal set! You shameless attendant!"

    "..."

    Miriette dered, but if she thought that Teo would flinch after getting exposed, she was dead wrong...

    Instead, Teo kept an emotionless face...

    "Indeed."

    ...and simply confirmed without batting an eye.

    "And if you want to be even more specific ¨C the shirt isn''t the only piece of clothing that I... borrowed from sir Zoemi."

    Teo dered without a speck of shame as she patted her own butt and exuded an aura of satisfaction.

    "...!"

    Miriette looked at her, then she nced at the piece of cloth in her own hand and she blushed embarrassed.

    "You''re even worse than I am! How dare you even try to scold me?!"

    The dark-haired girl gasped in shock, squinting her eyes at the female attendant.

    "Indeed."

    But again, Teo merely responded to all the usations with the affirmative nod.

    "As per our agreement, I will be sir Zoemi''s second woman - I am giving my best to stay worse, Miriette, you know? And honestly, it sometimes is a shockingly difficult thing to do."

    Teo didn''t add any honorifics but Miriette didn''t admonish the female attendant at all ¨C even when she nced meaningfully at the clothes and the piece of clothing still in the dark-haired girl''s hand.

    "Hmph! It''s good that you know your ce... but seriously warn me next time ¨C like, go ahead of him and knock five times to make me know to get ready, or something... I would die from shame if he walked on me like this..."

    Miriette raised her head pridefully and nodded ¨C but then she lowered it and breathed out nervously ying with her hair.

    "I will do my best ¨C I can try being nice for a friend."

    Teo shrugged her shoulders but then she smiled and nodded back to Miriette.

    ...unknown to Zoemi, the two girls not only became friends but also created a dangerous alliance behind his back....

 Chapter 186 - 56 - Preparations (part 3)

    Zoemi didn''t return to his room, he made sure that he wasn''t seen and went straight to the heroine''s room.

    Or at least, he was supposed to.

    "Youngster! I was looking for you!"

    Zoemi thought he wasn''t noticed by anyone but out of nowhere a big hand grabbed his shoulder and when he turned around he saw the tanned face of the headmaster Burdoff Mekhior Vereq.

    |What the...!? Damn it ¨C I almost had a heart attack...!|

    The ck-haired boy gritted his teeth doing his best to not flinch at the rather disturbing sight of the shadow leeching onto a corpse ¨C and he did quite a good job of now freaking out.

    "What''s up, Aspi?"

    He said in a friendly tone and the headmaster let go of his shoulder and took a step back.

    "Aspi...!?"

    His tanned face became flushed.

    "S-since when are we so close that we are using nicknames...!? You locked me in the drawer and left my office!"

    It was truly bizarre to see a grown man, especially one of such size as Burdof, to act like a flustered teenage girl especially that the necromancer controlling that particr corpse puppet wasn''t exactly a teenage girl either ¨C she looked and could act as one, but she was actually far, far older.

    After all, ording to the talk they had before, Aspakeony was old enough to count her age not just in years but in millenniums ¨C and although that part wasn''t said ¨C it was the only way for her to still feel young.

    "Last time you demanded me to smell you and wiggled your bum all over myp ¨C which both can be regarded as sexual harassment ¨C why wouldn''t I leave your office?"

    Zoemi blushed at the memory of that exact situation, although it was hard for him to actually focus on that as he was talking with the corpse puppet ¨C a burly red-haired man ¨C and not the beautiful dark-skinned girl... which was actually better for keeping the clear mind.

    "Th-that''s not an entirely wrong way of thinking..."

    Again, it was creepy when a full-grown man, an older gentleman at that was fiddling with his fingers in embarrassment and mumbling to himself in a bashful voice.

    "...but you can''t deny that you enjoyed it just a little bit..."

    "...!"

    Aspakeony added through Burdoff''s mouth and made the ck-haired boy flinch and look away while blushing.

    "I... I am sorry, Aspi, but there are some things... I promised to meet up with someone - so if I may, can the thing you want to talk to me about wait until tomorrow?"

    Zoemi asked and only then Burdoff or rather Aspakeony regains someposure.

    The corpse puppet of the headmaster shook his head.

    "No ¨C sorry - you have toe with me!"

    ''Wha... what?! Why?!"

    Zoemi was grabbed and pulled away from the student dorm right to the headmaster''s office where he was seated into the chair and Aspakeony in person emerged from her drawer.

    "I have asked around a bit and it turns out that you are quite the outstanding student."

    The dark-skinned gray-haired girl said looking down at him.

    Well, she was looking down on him in the literal sense since she was standing up and he was sitting - and not the I-am-better-than-you kind of way, but still.

    For a moment it looked like she was about to sit in hisp but at thest moment, she actually blushed and only straightened her back.

    "I-is that so...? Thank you, but I am nothing special ¨Cdy Espine and the first prince on the other hand..."

    Zoemi blushed and really tried to not stare at the skimpily dressed necromancer, but even though the ck-haired boy really tried to keep up the eye contact, his won eyes were darting down almost against his will...!

    Still ¨C he could get himself to calm down a little bit by reminding himself that the heroine is waiting for him with some sort of request ¨C which if he will be able to fulfill it ¨C she may turn out to be an ally instead of someone he will have to watch out for.

    "...and that''s why I find it strange that the Ghosts haven''t contacted you yet! It''s nearly impossible that they would miss having such an interesting sibling!"

    Aspakeony smoothly continued her thought not affected by the ck-haired boy nearly as much as he was with her.

    "Sibling?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and asked curiously, actually interested all of a sudden.

    "Yes. Ghosts of Bellcephora consider every talented darkness magician as their sibling."

    "But we already agreed on the fact that I am not a darkness magician but some kind of a variant magician that just so happens to share some of the darkness magic... Or was that just my misconception after all...?"

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head looking to the side with concern ¨C he even raised his hand and focused ¨C the only spells he didn''t have to reach out for with were the darkness attribute ones ¨C shadows connect, shadow gate, darkness de, shadow emerge, shadow jump, shadow travel, and muffle.

    When he focused and dived into the world of shadow though...

    *whooo*

    He closed his eyes and a dark fireball ignited on top of his palm.

    "...now it looks like you are trying to impress me..."

    *tssss*

    Aspakeony smiled and leaned down, murmuring into the boy''s ear, making him blush bright red and clench his fist causing the murky fireball to disperse.

    "You know ¨C people nowadays call any attribute other than the basic six a variant ¨C but the truth is most of them are connected."

    The necromancer straightened her back smiling with satisfaction at the young attendant''s reaction.

    "Let''s take water and ice for example ¨C people might call the ice attribute a variant ¨C but in truth, it is simply a next step in for the water mana. All water mana wants to be ice mana. It''s very simr to another variant attribute ¨C lightning ¨C the truth is that lightning is merely the evolution of fire. As far as my research lead me to believe ¨C you are a shadow magician."

    "Shadow magician?"

    Aspakeony dered and Zoemi raised his brows and continued looking at her waiting for more information.

    "Yes ¨C but with the information at my disposal, the situation with darkness and shadow is reversed than those examples I mentioned ¨C shadow isn''t the next step towards the darkness ¨C darkness is the next step for the shadow. Simply said ¨C you are still at risk of getting targeted by the Ghosts of Bellcephora... Honestly, it is very shocking that you weren''t contacted already."

    "...!"

    The gray-haired necromancer dered with concern and ended up sitting down ¨C Zoemi managed to dodge her at thest moment, but still, two of them ended up sitting together at the cramped armchair.

    "Speaking of Ghosts... you said that they would want me as their sibling ¨C so basically arade ¨C why would they want that? I am still considerably weak - are they actually weak too or something?"

    The ck-haired boy fidgetted nervously not knowing where to look with the dark-skinned necromancer so close to him ¨C and after what she did thest time with forcing him to smell her, now her scent was that much more noticeable for the bashful attendant...

    "What? No! They are terrifyingly powerful! Even when they were still loyal subordinates of little Kasorius. Even though there were no mana measurement devices back in those times I can assure you that they were transcended magicians with the weakest one amongst them having as least as much mana as an average wind magician! And their leader managed to gain the strength equal to a water magician before developing a spell that pushed them all into the path of treason!"

    Apsakeony dered, shaking her head and leaning in closer to Zoemi while speaking with excitement.

    "Really? How did they manage that? Were they just born lucky? The mana conversion is so ineffective! If they were using just that spell they must have spent dozens of years to get to that point"

    Zoemi called out in an envious voice - getting stronger was always a good thing, thanks to that he would be able to better protect his master.

    "Don''t remind meabout that... Theirmander... ugh... that guy was a maniac and it took him over thirty years to... wait...! You know about mana conversion ALREADY!?"

    Aspakeony panicked, grabbed Zoemi''s shoulders, and started shaking him.

    "Since when!? Were you lying to me!? They did contact you, didn''t they!? Did they say anything about me!?"

    The gray-haired girl freaked out so much that Zoemi had to grab her hands and shake and squeeze them to snap her out of it.

    "Calm down! I discovered this spell by chance a couple of years back when I was practicing with the first prince! No one has told me about it or contacted me!"

    He dered looking straight into the scared gray eyes of the chocte-skinned girl.

    "R-really...?"

    She anxiously asked with her shoulders slumped down looking shockingly defenseless

    "Yes!"

    The ck-haired boy dered and smiled reassuringly.

    "So then..."

    *knock* *knock*

    "Lord Vereq? I have an important matter to discuss with you ¨C can Ie in?"

    "!!!!"

    "!!!!"

    Aspeakony spoke up but then she got interrupted by a sudden knocking followed by the voice of one of the teachers...!

    "To the drawer! Quick!"

    The necromancer panicked and immediately get out of the armchair and dived towards her hiding spot, pulling the surprised ck-haired boy together with her.

    Luckily, the drawer was enough to fit both of them ¨C although barely.

    As Aspakeony was using her spell linking her back to the corpse puppet principal and made it close the drawer, she ended up tightly embracing the ck-haired boy....

 Chapter 187 - 56 - Preparations (part 4)

    |...huh... medium is premium...|

    An unrted thought entered Zoemi''s mind as his face was stuffed between Aspakeony''s breasts while the two of them were hiding in thefortable drawer made to be the necromancer''s hiding spot and a rxing spot at the same time ¨C although at least for Zoemi, the position they were in was rather far from rxing.

    ...although it certainly wasn''t all that bad either...

    "Ugh... I hate when the other teachers are justing here toin ¨C young Rokiana and Kross can think for themselves but most of the teachers run to me at the first sight of trouble."

    Aspakeony snuggled up to already troubled Zoemi and whispered into his ear in annoyance as she was making her corpse puppet have the conversation with one of the teachers that the necromancer wasining about.

    "Aspi... why have you pulled me over here with you? I could have just stayed in your office and if the teacher asked why I am there, your puppet could say that it was giving me some guidance or something...!"

    In response, the ck-haired boy fidgetted and tried his best not to touch anything inappropriate while whispering bashfully.

    "...oh... I could have done that, couldn''t I..."

    "...?!"

    The awkward realization sounded so real that Zoemi had no reason to doubt her ¨C or any possible ulterior motives ¨C but that was more of a fault of the Aspakeony''s acting skill and not his denseness.

    ...at least this time...

    "Not important ¨C they are just about done anyway ¨C just enjoy the cuddling session, maybe it will remind you of something~"

    "...?"

    To Zoemi''s great surprise, Aspakeony went and hugged him even tighter, basically taking away his ability to speak without rubbing against her.

    ...at the same time, her words did resonate with him for whatever reason...

    Locked in a warm embrace, surrounded by the calm darkness ¨C not the perfect one from his nightmares, the ck-haired boy suddenly experiences the odd feeling...

    ...was he... ever locked in this very drawer before...?

    An odd thought like that crossed his mind, but he shook it off and instead closed his eyes trying to calm his mind... and not only his mind... so he focused and let his mind dive into the world of the dancing shadows...

    ...of course, the one closest to him was the shadow of Aspakeony herself ¨C and the boy didn''t even have to try and reach out for it as the half-slug half-young girl dark shape was already basically stuck to him...

    ...the only thing he had to do was lean into it ¨C and leech off some of the bountiful magic surrounding it ¨C maybe even copy the spell itself...

    -----

    "Pu-huaaah...! I never had guests in my drawer ¨C it sure isn''t fit for more than one person!"

    A few minutester, Aspakeony drenched in sweat, with the basically fully transparent nightgown sticking close to her body burst out of the closet''s drawer and took a deep breath of theparatively cold and refreshing ait filling the office after the other teacher had finally left.

    "...that was an... interesting experience..."

    Zoemi ¨C simrly sweaty and with his clothes ¨C which he had a lot more on than hen gray0haired necromancer ¨C sticking to his body also got out and straightened his back, taking off his vest to cool himself a little bit faster.

    "..."

    He also stretched and swiped his wet hair back with a tired expression ¨C causing Aspakeony to stop right in her track and just look at him in admiration forgetting what she was about to do ¨C which was already funny enough considering their situation.

    :...whew... I really should be going now... oh...! U-umm...!"

    The ck-haired boy breathed out and looked at the gray-haired girl and his eyes instantly slipped down from her face and his face turned bright red.

    "Go...? No! Not yet! Tell me about the spells you can use!"

    The necromancer clearly didn''t want to let him go just yet...

    -------

    "You figured out so many uses!?"

    Aspakeony eximed in surprise and Zoemi felt a bit pleased by her behavior.

    "Not just by myself - the first prince anddy Espine helped me a lot too. All three of us talked a lot and tried to find a way of making our spells as strong and efficient as possible."

    The ck-haired boy spoke up to clear out the possible misunderstanding.

    "For example?"

    The gray-haired girl asked curiously, leaning on the desk and blinking at him with big sparkly eyes.

    "Come again...?"

    Zoemi tilted his head at looked away slightly abashed.

    "What are the uses of spells that you came up with for little Miriette and little Horeo?"

    The necromancer asked a more precise question.

    "Oh, I cannot tell you, sorry, Aspi."

    The ck-haired attendant shook his head and put his arms forming a cross to show off how much he refuses to answer.

    "Oh,e on! Just a hint, please? I am not asking you to reveal their triumph cards or anything ¨C just a little hint~!"

    Aspakeony showed a lot of goodwill by not actually pressuring him and instead of asking while cutely peeking at him from above the desk - so he decided to let her in on a tiny bit.

    It certainly wasn''t because she looked cute when she was asking him!

    Nope!

    Not at all!

    "I will just say that there was a lot of talking about the umtive spells."

    Zoemi exined while lightly shrugging his shoulders.

    "Like the wind de?"

    The necromancer perked up and asked curiously, carefully observing the boy

    "Exactly ¨C although we were more interested in the ones that could stay active for a prolonged time and even get stronger the longer they stay active."

    "Is that so...? Sounds like something straight up from the ancient wars... still, that couldn''t really work out for you all, right? The amount of mana required to construct such aplicated spell far exceeds the mana capacity of an average light magician..."

    Aspakeony fell deep into thoughts and Zoemi observed her with a mischievous smirk.

    |She doesn''t seem o realize how strong Horeo and Miriette really are~|

    The ck-haired attendant thought to himself with satisfaction ¨C but then he nced at the clock in the corner of the room and...

    "Oh, shi...! Aspi, I really have to go now, okay? I promise you I wille and talk with you more tomorrow, alright? But now I really amte for that thing I was talking about before you kidnapped me here!"

    He gasped in panic and hurried towards the door.

    "Wha...? Oh, yes, alright ¨C I wouldn''t mind if the next time you woulde to me by yourself, you know."

    "...!"

    The necromancer straightened her back and leaned back in her armchair ¨C making the ck-haired boy blush once more before he left...

    "S-sure! Whatever! Bye-bye, everyone."

    Zoemi''s face became deeply red from the blush and he waved his hand to Aspakeony, before turning his head and calling out towards the drawer, not really paying attention to his own action...

    "...! S-see you....!"

    The necromancer waved her hand slightly stunned before she stood up from the armchair and walked over back to the opened drawer and looked at all the pillows and plushies she kept there forfort.

    "...he actually remembers it...? No... could it be that it is in his subconsciousness...?"

    The gray-haired girl furrowed her brows and muttered to herself before looking away from her drawer and observing the door closing after the leaving ck-haired attendant.

 Chapter 188 - 56 - Preparations (part 5)

    The sun had already set a while ago and Zoemi was walking through the dark courtyard, returning to the dormitory, when he unexpectedly spotted someone.

    "...?"

    The ck-haired boy was already runningte and he didn''t particrly have time to stop and chit-chat, but still ¨C taking into consideration who it was, he decided that it would be rude of him not to at least say hello...

    ...after all that very person was actively trying to win over Zoemi''s father and the young attendant was one hundred percent supporting the idea...

    "You can do it... stay calm... he told you that he will answer... it''s just like a battle ¨C a Perserios doesn''t run from a battle! Alright! Future husband!"

    "...!"

    Although Zoemi was already raising his hand and taking a breath for a greeting ¨C he instantly stopped and stepped back into the shadows ¨C the normal ones, not one of his spells ¨C and waited curiously after the person of interest had a whole pep talk to themselves before putting something to her ear and loudly calling out.

    Teacher Rokiana Grea Perserios ¨C because that was the person Zoemi spotted, of course - was walking circles by the fountain between the two main buildings of the Academy and was holding a glowing crystal waiting for something while biting her lips nervously.

    "Ah! Hello senior! I just finished my work for today and thought that it would be nice to talk with you to unwind. Can I? Or are you perhaps busy...?"

    She flinch when the person on the other side of the magical connection answered, and asked coquettishly while coiling a strand of her blue hair around her finger and swaying from side to side.

    "Me? No, no, I''m not tired at all, it''s just some talking nothing like the actual battle ¨C oh, and the kids are well behaved and so smart too, it''s nothing like the battlefield, why would I be tired? Eh...? Ah...!"

    Rokianaughed but then she flinched and her face became flushed with a rosy blush ¨C which Zoemi could tell because of his he already could see clearly in the darkness in the first ce ¨C although the light emitted by themunication crystal itself di help a bit too.

    "I-is that so...? Thank you very much... of course, I will rest properly... yes, yes..."

    The blue-haired woman fidgeted bashfully lowering her head even though Mizoe ¨C since it literally couldn''t be anyone else on the other side of the spell - couldn''t possibly see her at the moment.

    "Ah!? Y-you want to hear about my day? Really!?"

    |Dear heavens...! Dad is actually being proactive?!|

    Rokiana suddenly straightened her back and eximed in a high-pitched voice ¨C which also caused Zoemi to raise his brows and he barely managed to stop himself from gasping.

    His father was dense when ites to love but that also meant that he sometimes unintentionally asked just the right questions at the right time and this was certainly what has happened.

    Teacher Rokiana was clearly shocked but also extremely delighted that Mizoe showed an interest in her.

    "Oh, you see... I woke up early went for a morning run, then I did the standard knight''s training regime, oh? You want to know what exactly is it? Ah! That''s right! It might have changed since youpleted it, you''re right! But should I really tell you~?"

    She teased him and giggled like a schoolgirl.

    |I hope that it works well for them, teacher Rokiana seems like a really good person, but I need to go...|

    Zoemi thought to himself and stopped smiling, doing his best as if he just arrived at the spot, and walked toward the dormitory, passing the blue-haired teacher from behind.

    "Good evening teacher!"

    When he was so close that she must have heard him approaching already, Zoemi bowed his head and greeted Rokiana in a cheerful voice since he thought it would be rude to just ghost her without saying anything.

    "AH...!"

    But unfortunately, Rokiana had her full andplete attention on the call so when she heard someone calling at her from behind she panicked and flinched - the years on the battlefield showed up as the blue-haired woman activated the physical enchantments and reached for her sword without hesitation...

    *CRACK*

    But it just so happened that she reached for it with the hand that she was holding the crystal in, and the said crystal slipped from her grip and smashed against the ground...

    "NOOOOO...!"

    Rokiana realized that it was just Zoemi and not an actual enemy so she rxed her shoulders but then she saw hermunication crystal and she fell to her knees without any strength.

    The crystals were usually very sturdy so they didn''t shatterpletely - but due to the strength augmenting enchantment added to the power of the swing, arge crack appeared across the green surface and the bright light disappeared, leaving the magical device looking very dim.

    "No! No, no, no!"

    Rokiana picked up themunication crystal and put it up to her ear.

    "Se-senior...? Senior, can you hear me...? Senior...?"

    The woman asked but since the magic light was no more it was obvious that the connection was cut off as the crystal broke.

    "Oh, no! I-I''m so sorry teacher! I didn''t mean to surprise you!"

    Zoemi felt terrible! Because of him, Rokiana broke a very expensive magic device! And what was even worse she was in the middle of a conversation with the boy''s father!

    "What will I do...? What will I do...?! Senior will think that I stopped the spell! What if he thinks I hate him!? If he will try to call me and he will be unable to reach me, he will think that I blocked the connection and don''t want to talk to him and we will not be able to talk and he will hate me and we will not get married and I will die alone like mom always said...!"

    Rokiana wasn''t even listening to Zoemi and she stared at her brokenmunication crystal with eyes full of tears and started muttering to herself in actual panic.

    "Teacher, I am so terribly sorry...!"

    "...Eh? O-oh, Z-Zoemi... No... No... It''s my fault..."

    This time Rokiana reacted to Zoemi and looked at him with heartbroken eyes and tried to smile reassuringly but her chin was shaking so much that

    "But teacher..."

    "No, i-it''s fine..."

    The ck-haired boy tried to apologize but the blue-haired teacher stopped him.

    "I just have to buy another one, i-it''s okay. Don''t worry, just tell your father that I didn''t disconnect out of malice, okay? Please...!"

    She sounded desperate with thatst one...

    "O-of course!"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and nodded vigorously.

    "Thank you..."

    Rokinana sniffled and turned away from the students'' dormitory.

    "It''s alreadyte, you should go back to your room..."

    "Y-yes, of course, teacher."

    She sounded so miserable that Zoemi didn''t know what to do so he quickly agreed to her words.

    "Uuuu... Sniffle... Dad will scold me for sure if I ask him for more money... I haven''t even begun paying him back the first loan..."

    Zoemi was definitely not meant to hear that, but he did, and he felt ten times as awful.

    "..."

    He stopped in ce and looked at the back of the crestfallen ¨C clearly crying ¨C teacher, and then turned to the dormitory and...

    "Teacher...! Let''s go to my master ¨C she can connect you and my dad with the spell and you will be able to clear everything up all at once!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi just couldn''t leave her miserable like that ¨C he knew for a fact that his father was interested and he also already got his hopes up about actually having a mother ¨C so the ck-haired attendant approached the blue-haired woman and grabbed onto her sleeve making her flinch and looked at him with reddened eyes.

    "...will that be okay...?"

    Rokiana asked timidly, wiping her eyes with her other hand.

    "Of course ¨C don''t worry ¨C my master is a great person, she will definitely help you out!"

    Zoemi dered smiling at her reassuringly while deciding that the meeting with the heroine can wait just a little bit more...

    ...but while he was thinking that, somebody else had no intentions of letting the blond girl wait - not after she ended up annoyingly breaking out of his hypnosis spell time and time again - an annoying piece that didn''t want to move ording to his will had to be removed form the board...

    ...permanently....

 Chapter 190 - 58 Revelations (part 1)

    "...?"

    Zoemi shook his head and looked back at the short brown-haired girl in the butler''s uniform as if he saw her for the first time in his life...

    "...Teo...?"

    "Yes, sir Zoemi...?"

    The ck-haired boy opened his mouth and asked and the short girl nodded her head and asked back looking up at him...

    "No ¨C never mind ¨C jus... I am having the storngest d¨¦j¨¤ vu ever..."

    He ended up shaking his head again and waved his hand, smiling apologetically for unnecessarily getting her attention...

    ...although it wasn''t as if she was doing anything useful, to begin with ¨C after all she spent thest dozen minutes ncing over at Patishi and Veo...

    "...ah... I... I see..."

    *sniffle*

    Teo by his side twitched and lowered her head and sniffled, taking out a handkerchief and drying her eyes from the excess moisture.

    "..."

    Zoemi nced over at her and sighed internally...

    "Even if I ask you won''t tell me anything, will you?"

    He asked the sad Teo who sniffled once more and nodded her head.

    "Indeed - I would appreciate you not asking to begin with..."

    Even her voice was kind of hoarse.

    "...alright..."

    Zoemi sighed and patted her head.

    "You''re a good girl, stubborn, but I kind of like that."

    The words came out of his mouth on their own before Zoemi could close his mouth.

    "S-s-s-si-sirZ-Zoemi...?!"

    Teo raised her head, her face waspletely red from embarrassment and she looked at him with disbelief.

    "Ekhm! Let''s get back to work, shall we?"

    Zoemi fake-coughed awkwardly and returned to preparation.

    |I''ll just ask Patishi about their quarrel tomorrow...|

    He decided, feeling that this whole scene had already happened and he was merely reliving it...

    The food was ready and Teo looked a lot happier than before, she took the tray before Zoemi could make a move for it, and even though she tried to keep an emotionless expression and yet her eyes were smiling.

    "Hmm~"

    That also lifted Zoemi''s mood a bit.

    |Wait... a got a really weird feeling that Miriette will not want to have me in her room...|

    Still, as he was exiting the kitchen looking at Teo''s back.

    |Now that I think about it... since Teo is willing to help now and she is the second attendant too, maybe it''s okay for me to just skip serving Miriette supper and just go straight to Burushi and have that talk...? That should be okay, right...?|

    Something was telling the ck-haired attendant that he should be going to the blond heroine as soon as possible ¨C it was odd ¨C he really felt as if he was alreadyte for the meeting even though it was still before the curfew and all...

    ...but still...

    "Listen, Teo..."

    After much thought, Zoemi nudged the brown-haired girl and leaned towards her so he could whisper directly into her ear.

    "Y-yesh...?!"

    She flinched so hard that she bit her tongue and ended up blushing - thankfully she didn''t drop the tray or anything.

    "Listen... I''m not feeling too well ¨C I will apologize to my masterter, but could you be a doll and tell her that I''m returning to my room?"

    "Eh...?"

    "Please...? For me?"

    At his words, or rather his hot breath on her skin, the short brown-haired girl froze and blushed so much that her face looked like it caught on fire.

    "Y-y-y-y-y-yes...! O-o-of course...! I-I mean... Indeed...!"

    Teo felt as if her tongue-tied into a knot, her heart was beating so fast as if it wanted to bust out of her chest and her head was about to explode ¨C the extremely handsome face of the ck-haired attendant was dangerous for the health from such close proximity...!

    "Hmhm~!"

    Zoemi chuckled seeing her reaction, went ahead, and poked her cheek...

    "!!!"

    "See, you''re so much cuter when you don''t try to act cool all the time."

    He said and passed her on his way.

    "I''ll be in your debt!"

    The ck-haired boy smiled brightly and waved at her before leaving in a hurry...

    "...fuaaaah...!"

    Teo looked at his back until he disappeared around the corner and even when he already did she still just stood there and watched the spot where he disappeared before lowering her head and letting out an embarrassing noise.

    |M-maybe if I''ll be more assertive I won''t have to keep the promise with the mistress and Zoemi will be only mine...!?|

    She even ended up thinking to herself such an audacious thing, with her face so hot that she would be able to fry an egg on it.

    --------

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    Zoemi arrived at the door of the heroine''s room without any stops or interruptions and knocked on it.

    "Miss Burushi, are you there?"

    He asked in a friendly manner ¨C although he kept his voice rtively low as to not get the attention of the blond girl neighbors...

    "...?"

    But forget about answering him ¨C absolutely no sound could be heard from the inside that would suggest that anyone was in there in the first ce...

    |Didn''t she say that she would wait for me toe by...?|

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows blinking in confusion.

    This time he activated the shadow enchantments before reaching out towards the door...

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    ...and he knocked again, fully concentrating on even the slightest sound...

    "...?"

    ...but there really seemed like the room was empty ¨C and since he has been able to overhear the soft steps of someone tippytoeing their way towards the door right behind him, he was reasonably sure that his augmented hearing was now strong enough to pick up on the breath of the blond heroine in case that she simply fell asleep...

    |Maybe I am too early and she is having a meal at the cafeteria...?|

    Zoemi tilted his head and thought to himself with a concerned expression.

    *click*

    Then, all of a sudden the curious neighbor that has been caught sneaking in to listen on the reason for knocking seemed to just go all out and straight-up check it out, as the door behind Zoemi opened with a soft sound.

    "Zoemi... you arete - if you are looking for themoner girl, she went on a date with Xeonith."

    "!!!!"

    The ck-haired attendant flinched and instantly turned away as he recognized the voice without any trouble although he had heard it only once before...!

    "Mydy...!"

    Zoemi gasped and instantly kneeled down towards the tinum-haired girl who looked a little too young to be a student in the Aspakeony Academy.

    ...to make things even more confusing and suspicious, the girl wasn''t even wearing the oversized uniform with the flower-in-full-bloom pin signifying her being a third-year student, and instead was wearing an oversized crimson red pajama set, which made her look like a little girl...

    "We... I am very happy to see you ¨C but as I said, you are toote ¨C themoner went out of her room a bit earlier -I saw passed her when I was going back from the evening exercises, she looked very scared for some reason ¨C do you know anything about it...?"

    The tinum-haired girl''s smile seemed to be rather forced ¨C but it was her words that shocked the ck-haired bo the most.

    "Burushi did...? But... mydy, howe do you know that she went to see lord Derizno...?"

    Zoemi raised his head and gasped in shock.

    "I overheard her muttering something about following another route to doge the bad end, and then she mentioned Xeonith''s name and something about capture targets..."

    "!!!!"

    The tinum-haired girl''s words made Zoemi''s jaw drop.

    "You... you heard her use those specific words...?! Route, bad end, and capture targets?!"

    He called out staring at her intently.

 Chapter 191 - 58 Revelations (part 2)

    "She did ¨C is that something important?"

    "!!!!"

    The tinum-haired girl nodded her head and looked curiously at the ck-haired boy before she walked closer to him and moved his fringe out of the way to have a good look on his face ¨Cpletely stunning the boy in the process...

    "I like the way you look now."

    She smiled and said without reservation.

    "Th-thank you...? Not only does it looks better ¨C but my face no longer feels numb, it is really nice ¨C but speaking about miss Burushi ¨C did she...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and leaned away looking at the tinum-haired girl with suspicion ¨C but he was interrupted by the girl herself.

    "I wasn''t talking about that, but I can''t me you for misunderstanding."

    "Huh...?"

    She smiled and shrugged her shoulders throwing Zoemi for a loop with her answer.

    He knew that he should ask more about the heroine ¨C or better ¨C to just go and find her and ask about the details by himself, but at the same time, something deep inside of him was telling him to stay and listen to the girl in front of him.

    "Alright I know that you don''t remember me ¨C but are you sure you don''t know me? I should be quite famous in the Academy... or are you just teasing me...?!"

    All of a sudden, the tinum-haired girl furrowed her brows and asked in an almost challenging tone, spreading her arms to the sides as she pouted.

    "...I..."

    Zoemi honestly was lost for words ¨C first the deja vu, then this girl who despite her small frame seemed to bepletely overwhelming him with her presence.

    "I have seen you at least twice ¨C maybe some other times too ¨C but I don''t think we were ever introduced."

    The ck-haired attendant answered as politely as he could but...

    "Eh...? That''s not what I''ve been asking you about!"

    "You... you weren''t....?"

    The girl scoffed ¨C and shockingly enough her tinum hair and eyes became slightly pink as if something illuminated them from below ¨C the young-looking girl also dropped the noble act and pouted all while the enormous presence surrounding her disappeared.

    "What nerve! I am Ehmi Gamemi Victureo, you know? And I am a third-year student here! I''m a senior! And I know who you are! You''re the attendant ofdy Miriette, that my dumb brother wants to apologize to but is too proud to do that! What do you mean you have seen me twice!? We pass each other in the hallway all the time!"

    |Victureo?!|

    The small girl with tinum-colored hair with a pinkish hue to them suddenly got really angry and started scolding the ck-haired, wide-eyed boy who was at a loss what was going on to the point that he stood up and started staring at Ehmi from above.

    "I even waved to you to lift your spirit when everyone thought that you raped that stupid girl that got kicked out from the Academy!"

    "...and did you just say that Grazio ¨C GRAZIO wants to apologize to m... Huh? Wait...! Who left the academy!?"

    Zoemi gasped in disbelief and gasped in surprise only to then be surprised by another fact ¨C this one sounding eerily simr to one of Miriette''s bad endings from the game...

    "That blue-haired girl, Ralia-whatever ¨C what, you now you are going to say that you don''t remember her either? Wasn''t she from your year? Anyway, her family made her withdraw from the academy and then they banished her and she had to leave the country... You really didn''t know?"

    Ehmi crossed her arms and dered in a prideful voice while doing her best to look down on the ck-haired boy in front of her but only ended up looking adorable.

    "Well no, I did not..."

    "...!"

    Zemi lowered his head with an apologetic expression which made the pajama-d girl flinch and look away while blushing.

    "Enough about her! Me! Do you remember me now?"

    Ehmi scoffed, trying to mask the embarrassment with anger, and started tapping her foot on the floor impatiently and attempted to re at Zoemi ¨C but she was getting more and more timid the more she tried to look straight up at him.

    |That''s right... I do know of another Victureo character that''s supposed to be a student...|

    Before the ck-haired boy spoke out loud, he did his best to recall all the details that he could about that specific character which honestly wasn''t that easy...

    He remembered that Grazio had an older sister, but she never appeared in any of the scenes for the other capture targets routes and Zoemi never yed through Grazio''s route, dying in his past life right after he started that ythrough...

    Still ¨C even with that knowledge, he never expected her to look so... young...

    She was supposed to be a third-year student, being an OLDER sister and all...

    "I''m terribly sorry,dy Victureo. Somehow I missed you in the hallways on those asions..."

    Since the short girl was shoving the pattern of behavior very simr to Miriette on a bad day, Zoemi started acting the same way as he would in order to calm his own master down to reduce the risk of enraging the nobledy ¨C and bowed down apologetically.

    "...eh...? Y-you did...?

    "...!"

    ...since he already categorized her as Miriette-like, he waspletely unprepared for the sudden timidness and the look of embarrassment on Ehmi''s face as she realized that she wasn''t even acknowledged on her attempts of being friendly...!

    "N-no...! I, I mean, yes ¨C I didn''t notice you too many times in the hallways, mydy ¨C but that''s just because I was constantly busy with the schoolwork and my duties as the attendant! Also, with your height, it must be hard to spot you in a crowded space...!"

    "...my height...!?"

    Zoemi hurriedly exined, but the moment he spoke another sentence, he knew he had said too much as the face of the short girl became red ¨C and her tinum hair became slightly more pinkish, surprisingly ¨C but not because of embarrassment, but anger at the lousy excuse.

    ...almost instantly her hair returned to being only slightly pinkish, but her face most definitely did not...

    "It''s because I''m so short, right!? What, am I so tiny that the big handsome attendant never noticed me? Is that it!? You don''t care what happens below the height of your navel!?"

    Ehmi stepped closer to him and poked at the boy''s stomach despite the fact that she wasn''t that short, but it was rather obvious that she was exaggerating things to vent off her anger.

    |She''s a nobledy all right.|

    Zoemi found himself smiling to himself ¨C in the first ce, even though Ehmi was trying to act really angry, it was obvious that she is just putting up a front to hide her embarrassment and only ended up looking adorable in the boy''s eyes...

    BUT ¨C as someone who had literally grown up with someone far moodier he knew exactly how to deal with that without hurting her feelings and making him hate him ¨C so he bowed his head into an almost official-looking apology ¨C which unintentionally resulted in him getting his face close to the girl''s face.

    "Mydy, this servant is very sorry, I swear that this won''t happen again and I promise that I will make it up to you if you so wish."

 Chapter 192 - 58 Revelations (part 3)

    Zoemi had a problem with the younger of the Victureo siblings ¨C although Ehmi clearly said that Grazio wanted to apologize, but that simply had to be a misunderstanding on her part ¨C but Zoemi came up with a rather petty butpletely non-aggressive way to annoy the red-haired capture target.

    |...what if I be good friends with his sister...? Wouldn''t that piss Grazio off...? The only mention about her in the game, that I know about, was that Grazio was extremely protective of her... I wonder what kind of face will he make if he sees me talking with her with my face all healed up...!|

    Inflicting mental damage on his most hated person was such a great prospect that he started smiling to himself and surprisingly enough, his eyes lost the light in them...

    "...whoa..."

    ...but shockingly enough, that expression seemed to catch Ehmi''s attention and really captivate her while she was at it...

    "Hmph! Fine! I''m not a petty person!"

    "..."

    Zoemi felt a tiny hand touching his shoulder and shook his head to clear his mind of the petty revenge ns ¨C at least for a moment...

    "From now on just don''t forget to greet me when we pass each other! And since I''m so merciful, you don''t need to kneel in front of me or anything! And you can call me Ehmi, too!"

    What that girlcked in height she tried very hard to make up for with overbearingness and haughtiness ¨C to a varying degree ¨C still, if she wanted to be cute she did an amazing job.

    ...if she wanted to be treated seriously though...

    ...well...

    "As you wish,dy Ehmi."

    Zoemi nodded gratefully showing off a proper way to act and straightened his back.

    "No. Only Ehmi."

    The tinum-haired girl muttered and grabbed onto Zoemi''s sleeve.

    |HNGH...!|

    The ck-haired boy somehow stopped himself from loudly gasping at this sudden forwardness and took a deep breath before answering her.

    "As you wish, Ehmi."

    He agreed politely ¨C knowing that if high nobles had a single thing inmon, it would be getting their way and it was simply best to just y long.

    "Mhmhmhm~! Unya-aaaaa-ah...!"

    The short girl nodded with a cute smile of satisfaction and then she suddenly stepped away from the ck-haired boy, then yawned and stretched.

    "It was a nice talk but pardon me ¨C a maturedy needs her beauty sleep~!"

    "..."

    She waved her hand benevolently and returned to her room leaving Zoemi stunned at how much her mature voice didn''t fit her petite frame.

    "..."

    "...?!"

    But it seemed that Ehmi wasn''t quite done with him yet, as before she closed the door, her hair lost all the pink hue and the deceivingly young-looking girl turned around with a soft smile as the actual high and mighty aura suddenly returned to her, making Zoemi straighten hs back and want to kneel down in an instant.

    "Goodnight Zoemi."

    "...!"

    The tinum-haired girl smiled at him and closed the door

    "Goodnight, mydy."

    Zoemi couldn''t understand why, but as Ehmi spoke those words he was submerged in an unexinable nostalgia and ended up kneeling in front of the closed door for a full minute before he realized what was going on.

    "...huh...?"

    Finally, he flinched and shook his head like a dog exiting a bath.

    |Ah! What am I doing!? She said that Burushi used all the words from the game ¨C what if she is a reincarnated person too?!|

    The ck-haired boy realized and got up, running in the direction pointed out by the youngdy Victureol at the beginning of their conversation.

    |But why in the world would she go to Xeonith too?! Wasn''t he trying to grope her before?!|

    ...Zoemi thought to himself in confusion while running as silently as possible as he bit his lips...

    ----

    "...good luck..."

    The door to Ehmi''s room opened and the tinum-haired peeked at the rushing attendant with a loving gaze.

    "...my toy~"

    She muttered to herself and smiled.

    -------

    "Where could she be...?"

    Zoemi dashed out of the dormitory and started looking around but aside from teacher Rokiana standing by the fountain there was no one.

    Rokiana noticed the ck-haired attendant, smiled, and waved at him.

    She was holding the glowing greenmunication crystal up to her ear.

    "Zoemi! Ah, senior, Zoemi came by here - Zoemi, do you want to talk with your dad?"

    The blue-haired teacher smiled brightly while waving her free hand to the ck-haired boy and came over to him in order to offer him themunication crystal connected to Mizoe.

    "Good evening, teacher. I would love to, but I can''t I really am in a hurry - please tell him I said hi!"

    Zoemi took a step back and raised his hands while shaking his head refusing to take the crystal ¨C he couldn''t stop thinking that the green crystal would break because of him and he wasn''t going to risk destroying something so expensive that Rokiana had to take a loan to buy...

    "I have urgent business with young lord Derizno, you see... Oh...! Teacher, by any chance have you seen him somewhere around?"

    Since Ehmi told Zoemi that the heroine left on a day with Xeonith, he figured out that considering thete time it would be better and less suspicious to ask about the boy rather than a girl.

    After all, in case of suspicion, he could always say that he wanted to talk with him about closebat training that Xeonith was known for being a prodigy in.

    "Senior, Zoemi can''t talk right now, but he said hi!"

    "..."

    Rokiana conveyed his message instantly with a happy expression, kind of making it sound like she didn''t hear the ck-haired boy but as it turned out Rokiana did hear him very well just wanted to make sure that Mizoe was up to date with what was going on.

    "And, yes, I saw him, he was together with student Burushitto though, they went behind the school building ¨C If I remember correctly teacher Auequas is supposed to patrol there so watch out."

    She pressed the shining crystal to her shoulder so that Mizoe wouldn''t hear that.

    "Should I go with you just in case...? She... well... I don''t suppose that the two of you like each other very much, so it would be better to not give her a chance to mess with you..."

    "...huh...?

    The blue-haired woman asked with a worried expression, causing Zoemi to furrow his brows and look back at her cluelessly.

    "There''s a teacher with the same family name as me and she doesn''t like me...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked tilting his head.

 Chapter 193 - 58 Revelations (part 4)

    "...! Y-you didn''t know...?! Oh.. um... then, I guess then I spoke out of turn here ¨C just forget about what I said ¨C just don''t use magic and she won''t be able to mess with you."

    Rokiana flinched and straightened her back before waving her hand dismissively.

    "Why would she mess with me in the first ce...?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi asked, blinking repeatedly, making Rokiana bit her lips and nce to the side in an attempt toe up with some excuse on the spot.

    "Just forget everything I said, alright? Student Xeonith and Student Burushiitto went behind the school building ¨C sorry to chase you away but I''ve been holding your father on the line long enough ¨C oh, by the way ¨C I called him first again today... Am I not being too obvious ¨C or worse, annoying...? Should I try to call him less, or not call until he will call me first...?"

    The blue-haired woman shrugged her shoulders dismissively and instantly leaned forward in a masterful topic change that caught Zoemi by surprise so much that he actually fell for it.

    "Ah...! No, no! In fact, you should try calling him as many times as possible ¨C he might look intimidating, but in fact, he really likes chatting even without a concrete subject. At the same time, he is also quite shy and won''t start a conversation first because he thinks that others don''t want to talk to him."

    Zoemi smiled brightly and assured her with a gesture ¨C and then his eyes darted towards the device Rokiana kept holding to her shoulder.

    "Teacher, I''ll be going now ¨C have fun chatting with my dad, but don''t get too immersed ¨C it would be horrible if someone spooked you and you broke it while reaching for your sword."

    The ck-haired boy pointed out while feeling that a situation like that would most definitely happen if he tried to sneak up on the blue-haired teacher a little bit earlier.

    "Broke my crystal? Don''t even joke like that! I would cry!"

    The blue-haired teacher flinched and actually became pale thinking of such a horrible oue ¨C she even ended up clinching the green crystal with both hands to secure it even a little bit better.

    "...I-I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to be mean ¨C please don''t get angry."

    The ck-haired bout apologized with a bow and stepped back with a guilty expression.

    "Oh? No! Come on, I''m not mad!"

    Rokianaughed and waved her hand dismissively ¨C although she was still pale and kept on ncing on themunication crystal...

    "Now, you have some business with student Xeonith, right? Go then, or you won''t make it before the curfew and seriously might get in trouble ¨C although if things go well for me I might want to help you out~"

    The blue-haired teacher winked at him and raised the green crystal back to her ear before turning away.

    "Ah! Thank you, teacher! Goodnight and good luck!"

    Zoemi bowed his head and giggled before waving at her cheerfully before running off towards the back of the building...

    "Ah? Senior? Yes, he went straight back to his room, your son is such a good kid~ I wouldn''t mind bing his mother you know...?"

    Rokiana instantly got back on the talk with Mizoe and fidgeted timidly while being quite forward.

    "N-nothing! I only said that your Zoemi is a very good student! So you see about the training routine that I was taught - it goes like this. First I..."

    ...but then it turned out that Mizoe was having one of the denser episodes in his life and Rokiana chickened out instead of doubling down and hurriedly changed the subject while her face was dyed in the crimson blush.

    -------

    When he couldn''t be seen by the teacher anymore, Zoemi stopped running and pointed at himself.

    "Muffle. Shadow enchantment."

    He said and a spell activatedpletely erasing any sounds that he would make while also augmenting his own sense of hearing.

    He didn''t try to cast the shadow movement since if by any chance he was spotted, it would be obvious that the blob of eerie darkness on the ground was him since there were no other magicians able to use that spell on the campus ¨C at least not to Zoemi''s knowledge...

    Besides, there was a chance that he actually wants to be seen without causing a heart attack to the people he would want to show himself.

    With all that what-ifs in mind, the ck-haired attendant began sneaking forward, sticking closely to the building''s wall.

    As he turned the corner, he started hearing a conversation.

    "You should be grateful that I even agreed to follow you here at such time,moner. If it''s my help and protection that you want, then you know what should e thepensation."

    It was clearly Xeonith''s voice.

    The proud brown-haired youth sounded outrageously confident and ¨C at least in Zoemi''s opinion ¨C creepy as hell.

    |There''s no way that this guy doesn''t know how disgusting he sounds...|

    Zoemi scoffed to himself before leaning a bit and peeking from behind his cover.

    This time he had a clear view of the Xeonith''s face and the heroine was the one whose expression he didn''t see.

    "...!"

    The brown-haired capture target was smiling confidently at the heroine seemed to be cuddling up to him shamelessly.

    ¡­.if not for the fact that the blond girl was literally shivering ¨C and considering the temperature outside that wasn''t something caused by the non-existent cold...

    "..."

    Zoemi instantly got a bad feeling and clenched his fists ¨C was it the same thing as before?

    But, why would Burushi go ahead ande to that creep all by herself...?!

    ...unless...

    |Uless she is a reincarnated person too, but she still thinks that this world is just a game too...! Xeonith seemed awfully borning to me but he had a lot of fans ¨C what if she thinks that he is the same as his character is in-game and wants to conquer him...!|

    A sudden chill of realization made the ck-haired boy shiver ¨C but at the same time, as he wanted to move, the blond heroine twitched and started speaking...!

    "Master Xeonith, please, don''t leave me! I am powerless without you. I can''t stand it!"

    "...!"

    She sounded so powerless that Zoemi flinched and froze in ce.

    What was Burushi talking about?

    She was feeling powerless without Xeonith? Why?

    That wasn''t a dialogue option in the game so even if she was trying to conquer the brown-haired boy, she clearly wasn''t going by the script...

    ...but at the same time, she sounded so honest that Zoemi started feeling bad for her.

    "Hmph!"

    Even though the ck-haired boy was feeling sorry for the pitiful girl, Xeonith who was the person the heroine was talking to, smiled at her words and lifted her chin with his hand.

    "If you really need me that much, you are willing to prove it, right?"

    His smile widened and his eyes became somewhat creepy.

    No, scratch that ¨C they became EXTREMELY creepy.

    He wasn''t looking at the heroine as if he considered her a human.

    Those were the eyes of an obsessed man staring at his possession.

    "...Edung..."

    At the same time, Xeonith wasn''t the only person whose eyes changed ¨C Zoemi standing behind the corner of the building muttered a name of a long-dead thug who together with hisrade Boren gather the orphaned children from the slums and made them steal for them...

    ...Edung was the one who was interested in the girl amongst that group and he always had the same expression on his fat face when looking at them as Xeonith had while looking at Burushi...

    ...and that alone made Zoemi cancel out his muffle spell but double down on the other spells adding the shadow armor on top of the shadow enchantment.

    The brown-haired boy moved his hand aiming at the girl''s lower body and...

    ¡­.honestly, at that point it wasn''t even because of the trembling heroine ¨C who in truth had the most terrified expression and was on the verge of tears, hugging Xoenith harder and harder attempting to make it harder for him toy his hands on her first...

    ...no...

    At the moment, Zoemi was only thinking about his own hate towards repugnant filthy perverts like Xeonith and Edung.

    Wiping them off of the face of the earth was exactly what he wanted!

    "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER, YOU PIECE OF FILTH!"

    "!!!!!"

    Zoemi stepped forward, not realizing that his shadow armor was deforming into a shape of a monstrous beast, and growled, which resulted in his armor deforming even more resembling a shape of the monstrous maws spreading open to swallow the pair in front of it...

    "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

    "?!?!??!??!?"

    The high-pitched panicked sound left Xeonith''s mouth and the second-year student pushed the shocked blond girl away and just bolted away almost pissing himself from fear.

    "...!"

    "...!"

    ...it was honestly so shocking that it overpowered Zoemi''s shock and the ck-haired boy''s spell calmed down and mostly returned to its normal look that the heroine recognized.

    ...it honestly looked like Burushi would be the next one to scream and Zoemi definitely didn''t want to get caught in such a peculiar position ¨C especially not after getting warned about a teacher with the same surname as him that might not like him at all.

    "This world isn''t just a game! Don''t try to conquer a damn pervert, you idiot! Reo is a way better capture target to begin with! Shadow movement!"

    "...eh...?"

    Zoemi scoffed at the extremely shocked heroine and used one of his spells without activating the supposed essential shadow emerge ¨C he figured out that since he is already encased in shadows it would be redundant and...

    ...he was absolutely correct...

    ------

    "EEEHHH?!"

    The heroine gasped in disbelief watching the bear-like shadow figure suddenly liquefy and turn into a puddle that hurriedly slithered away.

    "Wha...? Why is he helping me now all of a sudden...?! And did... did that guy just say something about this world NOT being a game?! BUT I WAS LITERALLY KILLED BY YOU AND THE SAVEPOINT WAS LOADED! THAT''S WHY I AM STILL ALIVE!"

    The blond girl bit her lips and crumbled onto the ground, roaring out in a fury that overtaken her.

    "AND FUCK YOU! XEONITH IS A PIECE OF SHIT BUT REO IS JUST AN ANNOYING BRATTY...!"

    "WHO IS SHOUTING OUTSIDE RIGHT BEFORE THE CURFEW?''

    The plethora of emotions boiling over in the heroine''s heart spilled out and she ended up just shouting after the ck puddle ¨C ending up being so loud that a voice of an older woman called out from behind the other corner of the building ¨C making the blond girl flinch and start running away in the opposite direction.

    "...?"

    ...and as a result, once the elderly brown-haired woman showed up at the sight, there was no student that could be caught and punished, or even scolded anywhere in sight....

 Chapter 194 - 59 - The Kitchen Troubles (part 1)

    Zoemi woke up early and prepared for the day ¨C all while worrying about the potential problems that might ur because of his intervention the other day...

    ...there was a chance that neither Xeonith nor Burushiitto recognized him ¨C or realized that it was him afterward ¨C but it was a rather small one...

    "...whew... that said- I didn''t lose control like that since before I awakened to magic. I think that Miriette saw me freak out over a stable boy groping one of the kitchen hands... which probably made her think that I don''t like lewdness in general... Huh...?"

    He thought to himself while leaving the room and ended up looking down as a reflex - after the heroine started actively avoiding him the ck-haired boy wasn''t expecting a mana potion to appear at his doorstep again.

    That would be simply silly ¨C or would mean that it was someone else giving those away for free without any apparent reason...

    "..."

    But then Zoemi froze.

    "..."

    Because the vial with the blue liquid was right there, ready for him to be picked up and added to the already existing stockpile.

    "Huh...?"

    Zoemi was baffled.

    "Wait, what...!? So she doesn''t think I''m a threat after all?"

    He gasped to himself, picking up the vial and pocketing it before looking around in confusion.

    This really was surprising ¨C but also kind of reassuring ¨C for the ck-haired boy it seemed like the potion was a sign of the heroine showing that she is no longer scared of him.

    |She must have realized that we are both reincarnated people and we can work together!|

    Zoemi thought to himself with an enthusiastic smile and went to the kitchen with spring in his step.

    -----

    When he arrived, the kitchen was still mostly empty but that was what he was aiming for.

    Zoemi knew that Patishi would usuallye earlier than Teo and Veo and so he aimed for catching the girl right then and there.

    And, just as he wanted, the young brown-haired girl entered the kitchen alone a few minutester.

    "Hello, Patishi, do you have a moment?"

    "What do you want aga-?! Ah!"

    Zoemi approached her from the side and unintentionally made Patishi flinch and re at him with a frown but as soon as she realized the identity of the person calling out to her, the brown-haired girl beamed with happiness.

    "Big brother Zoemi it''s you!"

    She cheered out breathing out with relief.

    "...?"

    Her reaction to him was friendly, but Zoemi couldn''t just ignore the initial anger that was rather umon for the younger girl to show some openly, so he tilted his head and looked at her with concern.

    "Is someone bothering you?"

    The ck-haired boy asked curiously. Patishi was a rather cheerful girl, she wouldn''t usually show such an annoyed face to just anyone.

    "No, it''s just that..."

    At first, she wanted to deny it out of reflex, but in the end, Patishi''s smile disappeared and she lowered his head.

    "Yes... there is someone... It''s miss Teo..."

    The brown-haired girl murmured while nervously rubbing her forearms while looking to the side with a cold expression.

    "...?"

    Zoemi raised his brow but said nothing, Patishi clearly wasn''t done talking after all.

    "She''s a really awful person! Big brother, don''t let her deceive you!"

    "...oh...?"

    Suddenly Patishi straightened her back and looked Zoemi in the eyes with conviction and anger, making the older boy go wide-eye and let out a curious noise.

    "She is ying the victim while she is the one being awful to others! Not only did she leave all of her duties she was getting paid to do around the first prince to Veo - but she also ended up picking a fight with her many times! On her own, while Veo was just doing her best! It came to that they couldn''t even stay in the same room together! And when miss Teo was packing her stuff she had the audacity to call Veo a useless cripple! And even after she and I switched rooms, she had the audacity toe to our door and shout that she is right and we are the bad ones! I really, really dislike her! She is awful and mean and selfish and she made Veo cry! I will not forgive her, ever!"

    Patishi got bright red from anger and she called out while clenching her fists, really shocking Zoemi with her words ¨C most importantly, it definitely didn''t seem like she was lying or exaggerating, as far as the ck-haired boy knew her, Patishi wasn''t good at making things up as she was an honest one.

    "Wait ¨C sorry for interrupting you, but did you say that you two switched rooms?"

    Even so, Zoemi couldn''t help himself and interrupted the feverish rant.

    "Ah! Right, you don''t know!"

    Patishi raised her head and

    "I switched rooms with miss Teo, since she became the attendant ofdy Espine and I became the attendant of the first prince that arrangement was deemed eptable by the academy."

    She exined.

    "They did? That''s great! Before they made you stay in the male part of the staff quarters, didn''t they?"

    Zoemi smiled and patted the girl''s head while wondering out loud.

    "Ah! That''s because my prince talked directly with the headmaster! The previous arrangement was done by the head of the staff and he didn''t allow me in the female quarters..."

    Patishi flinched and exined, fidgetting while sounding slightly ashamed.

    |Ah, so when Horeo went straight to Aspakeony she did the right thing at once ¨C I knew I had a good feeling about her~!|

    "At least now everything is goo... wait ¨C does that mean that now Teo lives in the male quarters...?"

    Zoemi thought to himself with satisfaction but then spoke out loud in concern.

    "My prince looked into it and said that it''s fine because there is no one strong enough there to mess to Teo anyway."

    Patishi exined while pouting, grumpy over the fact that she had to say something positive about the younger one out of the twins.

    "I see..."

    Zoemi nodded, realizing that indeed, most of the staff didn''t even have magic, to begin with, and those who did were of the weaker sort ¨C Teo really wouldn''t have any trouble dealing with all of them at once actually...

    "Did you and Veo keep the arrangement of the beds in the sahred room?"

    The ck-haired attendant asked, trying to change the subject.

    "At first we did."

    Patishi nodded and even smiled a little bit.

    "Veo is really nice to me but in the end, we had to split the beds apart ¨C it turns out Veo is extremely clingy when she sleeps and she tends to subconsciously activates her enchantments too ¨C While she was sleeping together with Teo it was okay because they were both earth magicians and were tough ¨C but I''m a lot more squishy, and Veo almost crushed me during the second night ¨C of course by ident!"

    The younger girl exined hurriedly, waving her arms to assure there were no bad intentions from the older of the twins.

    |...she did ger more squishy ¨C Horeo must have been keeping an eye on her properly eating her meals...|

    Zoemi nodded in silence while looking at Patishi''s face, especially her cheeks that have be much fuller from thest time he had a good look at her.

    "Alright ¨C I think I get the picture now ¨C still, why would Teoe by and still bother you even after moving out?|

    The ck-haired boy asked curiously wanting to clear up onest mystery.

    "Hmph! That''s because for some reason miss Teo thinks that we''re friends!"

    Patishi pouted and crossed her arms.

    "She even keeps insisting that Veo stole me from her! She went so far as to trick me into thinking she was Veo a few times and I made a fool out of myself! I really don''t like her! She''s awful!"

    |Uwah... kids are harsh!|

    Zoemi raised his brows at Patishi''sment.

    |Wait, now that I think about it, I don''t remember either Teo or Veo interacting with other attendants or servants at all... Could it be that besides me and Patishi they don''t have any friends!?|

    Zoemi came to a surprising conclusion - and a correct one at that.

    |But still, useless cripple, huh? And they keep on fighting... No matter how I look at it, Teo''s is the one at fault. Did she actually hate working together with Veo for the first prince that much?|

    "I will certainly try to have a talk about that with her, alright? I will not try to talk you into reconciling with her without her at least trying to apologize first!"

    Zoemi spoke and hurriedly added, seeing the bitter expression on Patishi''s face.

    |It''s just that I wanted both of them to help me with keeping an eye on the potential threats that happened in the game and could show up here, like the serial killer and the assassin, and it might be a problem if they can''t work together...|

    The ck-haired boy added but only in his thoughts....

 Chapter 195 - 59 - The Kitchen Troubles (part 2)

    "Big brother, do you want to cook together?"

    Patishi tugged on the sleeve of Zoemi''s shirt and asked timidly ¨C she really liked making food together with her big brother but because of Teo constantly trying to talk to her, she wasn''t able to enjoy any of that recently.

    "Of course we can, did you have something in mind or are we going wild? Once in a while mydy and the first prince deserve to have a deliciously unbnced meal, don''t you think?"

    The ck-haired boy nodded and smirked mischievously while reaching out and affectionately tousling the younger girl''s hair.

    "I have been thinking the same thing! Still, we shouldn''t make anything too heavy, since it''s for breakfast and all ¨C but what about...?"

    Patishi and Zoemi got to work, busily moving around as they worked on the meanwhile exchanging ideas.

    Veo arrived in the kitchen just a few minutes after the two of them started and even though she wasn''t much of a help with preparation, Patishi became visibly relieved when she walked in and Zoemi confirmed that it was her and not Teo.

    On top of that confirmation, Veo seemed to have something else going on that would differentiate her from her younger sister.

    The short brown-haired girl in a maid''s uniform had an intricate earing on her left ear - it reflected the morning sun rays when she politely bowed towards Zoemi.

    ...and that most definitely wasn''t by chance either - Veo actually kept her head at the angle for a bit longer than necessary so Zoemi would notice the piece of jewelry andment on it...

    |Ah! That''s right, she saw me patting Teo yesterday!|

    Unfortunately ¨C or fortunately, depending on the context ¨C the ck-haired boy deduced that Veo was jealous and was standing like that because she wants to be patted...

    "...!"

    ...and so he delivered on the headpats...

    Zoemi ced his hand on Veo''s head and caressed her hair.

    "I''ve heard you''ve been through a lottely."

    He said with a sad smile, making the confused girl blush.

    "I-indeed. It appears that I didn''t know my sister at all."

    She responded and backed away even though it seems like she would dly stay close and beforted like that.

    "Is there anything I can help you two with...?"

    Veo breathed out and tried to keep an indifferent expression while looking between the other two.

    "U-umm..."

    Zoemi raised his brows and nced to the side awkwardly, at a loss to how to deter her from the idea ¨C after all he already experienced how dangerous the short girl could be in the kitchen...

    "Yes! Veo, here! I need a taste tester!"

    Thankfully, Zoemi wasn''t the only person there and Patishiseemed to have already figured out the older girl, as she called out and beckoned at her with a bright smile.

    ----

    Veo leaned towards Patishi and whispered something into her ear, the younger girl looked at her with wide-open eyes, but then her face became serious and she nodded...

    "...?"

    Making Zoemi raise his brow and feeling slightly left out...

    ----

    Teo walked in only when the three ¨C honestly, only two - were about three-garters done with the preparations.

    The short brown-haired girl in the butler''s uniform had rugged breath and her clothes were unusually messy.

    It was clear that she had to be running all the way to the kitchen.

    "I''m sorry, sir Zoemi! I''m sorry! I overslept!"

    Teo said instead of hello and kept bowing to the ck-haired boy apologetically.

    "Good morning to you too, Teo. And don''t worryingte isn''t the end of the world ¨C it can happen to anyone.

    "...thank you, and sorry..."

    Zoemi just shrugged it off and Teo blushed from shame.

    "If you can''t get used to waking up on your own I cane over each day to make sure youe early."

    The ck-haired boy smiled reassuringly and patted the girl''s shoulder...

    ...the shoulder of the very brightly blushing girl...

    "What''s the matter...?"

    Zoemi saw how red she was and asked in concern, making the girl flinch and shook her head and arms vigorously.

    "I... the mistress would have killed me if I made you do something so outrageous...!"

    She mumbled in embarrassment, taking a step back.

    "Hmm? Oh, no. You don''t have to worry about mydy that much ¨C she is much nicer than she seems at the first nce!"

    Zoemi only caught the part about getting killed and not the reason for it, so he responded just to that while waving his hand dismissively.

    "..."

    ...making the girl blush even more...

    -----

    "Hold on."

    "...?"

    Zoemi finished the preparation and Teo was about to pick up the tray again ¨C but the ck-haired boy stopped her.

    "It will only take a moment. Spread your arms."

    "I...indeed...?"

    He said and Teo tilted her head in confusion.

    "I''m not going to do anything weird to you, you can rx"

    Zoemi encouraged Teo so she finally did what he asked her for.

    "Now..."

    Then Zoemi reached his arms towards her and started fixing up her messy appearance.

    "Oh? You''re wearing a male shirt? You''re really going all-in for that butler''s look ¨C that''s what I call dedication~"

    "!!!!!!!!!!"

    Zoemi chuckled as he was tucking Teo''s shirt into her trousers.

    The brown-haired girl felt her heartbeat elerate - she was wearing Zoemi''s shirt after all...

    ...what if he recognized it...?!

    "But honestly, even if you arete you should care for your appearance, you know? If the attendant looks messy it affects the opinion of others about his or her master."

    Zoemi said while correctly buttoning Teo''s vest and fixing her crooked necktie.

    "Even if you oversleep you have me to cover up for you so take your time."

    "...y...yesh..."

    Teo''s head was about to explode, Zoemi was touching her so freely but at the same time, he clearly didn''t have any indecent thoughts and was only helping her out...

    ...but even though the ck-haired boy''s intentions and thoughts were pure, the same couldn''t be said about the girl in front of him...

    "S-sir Zoemi, I...!"

    "Veo, your earring is so pretty, it suits you!"

    Teo wanted to say something daring but all of a sudden Patishi and Veo passed them and the younger girl called out loudly, getting the attention of everyone around her.

    "Indeed. I decided to put it on so you won''t mistake me for anyone else -it''s a present from our prince, you know?

    Veo responded with a charming smile and puffed her chest proudly.

    "Do you like it? I think it would look good on you too."

    She added smiling happily at the younger girl.

    "You... you would?! A-and, can I?! Really?!"

    Patishi gasped in disbelief and then trembled from genuine excitement.

    "..."

    Teo instantly closed her mouth and her shoulders slumped down as the two passed them...

    "I''ve heard you''ve been bothering them. A lot. What''s going on?"

    Zoemi asked her feeling a strong d¨¦j¨¤ vu again

    |Why do I get the feeling that she won''t respond to me at all...?|

    "..."

    And just as he thought that Teo bit her lips and looked down.

    "From what I''ve learned, you try really hard to get them to talk to you but you don''t want to apologize at all. And apparently, you called your sister a ''useless cripple''. What did she do to make you say that? Did she insult you first or...?"

    Zoemi asked trying to see the other side of the argument.

    "...nothing..."

    Teo lowered her head and mumbled.

    Zoemi tilted his head and leaned towards her.

    "Could you repeat that, please? "

    "...!"

    His calm voice and worried expression made the short girl''s heart skip a bit but at the same time, she felt really bad...

    "...She did nothing wrong. Veo just kept repeating how a proper attendant should act and I couldn''t stand it anymore..."

    "..."

    Teo spoke more clearly but her answer didn''t make Zoemi feel better.

    "Oh, I see, but then why didn''t you freak out and call me a disfigured ugly bastard when I was telling you exactly the same thing before my scars got healed up...?"

    The ck-haired attendant actually got a bit angry and started tapping his finger on his thigh because of that response.

    "No! Sir Zoemi! You''re different! I would never...!"

    It looked like Teo was about to cry so Zoemi decided to give it a rest.

    He had more important things to worry about anyway...

    "Nevermind."

    He waved his hand dismissively and tried to smile softly ¨C which worked extremely well.

    "Let''s go, we shouldn''t make our master wait, alright?"

    "...Indeed...!"

    Teo agreed in an embarrassing voice....

 Chapter 196 - 60 - Dangerous Possibilities And How To Prevent Any Of Them From Happening (part 1)

    After the kitchen adventures, the rest of the morning continued without any other surprises. The therapeutic session of brushing Miriette''s hair certainly eased Zoemi''s worries about the constant deja vu that made him be wary and on edge since the previous evening...

    All said and done, the master-attendant duo went to ss after leaving Teo to carry the dishes back to the kitchen.

    "..."

    As the pair entered Zoemi instinctively searched for the heroine ¨C he thought that since she left him another mana potion, she would be more willing to talk than the other day ¨C maybe even willing to confront him and talk about all the reincarnation stuff.

    After all, Zoemi was very curious whether or not the other reincarnation also went through the process of talking with the mysterious being made out of light or not ¨C and if so, if it was her wish to be reincarnated into the world simr to a game or was that an ident.

    |She''s here...!|

    The ck-haired boy''s face lighted up as he spotted the blond-haired heroine ¨C but the problem was, she didn''t seem to be sharing his enthusiasm at all...

    "...!"

    Burushiitto was sitting at her usual ce, their eyes met for a moment but the heroine instantly looked down, pale as a ghost clearly on the verge of straight up running away.

    "...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and tilted his head in confusion.

    |She''s still giving me the mana potions, why does she look so terrified of me...? Could it be that she isn''t the person behind the vials appearing at my doorstep each morning...?|

    He thought to himself very much concerned.

    After all, the potions started appearing before his face was fixed and the heroine being the one responsible for giving the expensive gifts away was the only reasonable excuse that the ck-haired attendant could understand.

    If it wasn''t her, then who...?

    ------

    "!!!"

    At the same time, the heroine was drenched in a cold sweat and could barely stop her body from shaking.

    She wanted to get away from the same room as the ck-haired attendant but it would be suspicious enough to get her in trouble, no doubt.

    |It''s him...! Oh god, oh no...! Is he going to attack me...? He seems to know about the game ¨C is this a scripted thing? I''ve heard about the characters breaking the fourth wall but isn''t this too much ¨C and he clearly has his sight set on me...! He didn''t want Xeonith to bother me because he is a yandere and wants me for himself...! This sucks so much...! Am I going to end up in a dungeon chained up to the wall as a limbless torso...?! That happened in one of the games I was ying before...!|

    Burushi was full-on panicking without even being able to spare a moment to think things over and have a proper talk with the ck-haired boy...

    ...or so it seemed at the start, but when she fearfully nced at the handsome attendant, looking for a chance to escape the predicament of being in the same room as him - she saw Zoemi looking utterly clueless about her wariness.

    Like, he pure kind of cluelessness ¨C like a big puppy who suddenly walked in into a room where his humans are all dressed up in costumes and he can''t recognize any of them.

    |Wait... after the checkpoint loaded... H-he doesn''t remember...!? That means this confirms that the world is literally a game and his previous words are just some scripted lines!! I reached the bad end of his route and he killed me, so the world loaded thetest save file!|

    Burushitto gulped down her saliva and forced herself to smile at the ck-haired attendant and weakly waved her hand.

    "..."

    "~!"

    Zoemi saw her awkwardly wave and beamed right back with a dazzling smile himself.

    "..."

    Burushitto started staring holes in her desk and bit his lips so hard that the taste of blood filled her mouth.

    |But that means that to survive I must y the game until the end... I bet that if I didn''t run out of my room as soon as I came to, he would juste and kill me again...! But since I kickstarted Xeonith''s route, he is back to normal...|

    She shuddered at the memory of the disgusting pitch-ck de plunging into her chest, cutting through muscles and bones as if they were paper...

    |But that means I will have to bear with Xeonith...! That bastard was about to grope me again and who knows what else...?! I hate him! I hate him! I hate him! When Surou wille back he will send this guy to...!|

    Burushitto trembled.

    |What if staying near Xeonith is the only way to stop Zoemi from killing me...? Those aren''t the events I know of... what if during one Xeonith will manage to get his way with me...?! No...! No...! If that happens... Surou... Would he even want me back...?|

    The blond heroine clenched her fists under the desk so no one could see it and shut her eyes.

    She could feel the tears burning her eyes but she didn''t want to cry ¨C not in the ssroom, not before the lectures even started...

    If she wanted to survive, she had to be strong!

    ----

    |She... looks kind of back to normal...? I guess her first reaction must have been caused because I looked quite scary in the shadow armor and all, but I better talk with her about it too...|

    Zoemi kept observing the heroine for the rest of the day but she never looked anywhere near as scared as she was when he walked into the ssroom, which had to be a good sign,

    Right...?

    What was even better, was that Burushi didn''t actively seek Xeonith, and himself Xeonith never approached her either.

    Neither one of them approached the entrance to the Academy''s dungeon either...

    Why the dungeon entrance was so important you may ask?

    In-game having the brown-haired capture target and the heroine meet in the dungeon would automatically start a rather dark event that would trigger one of the bad ends for the viiness.

    One of the most dangerous ones too for sure ¨C the event in question was about a rampaging murderer who would end up killing Miriette.

    One could say that since the ancient bracelets blocking magic power were gone, then the dark-haired girl would bepletely safe as she was strong enough to protect herself ¨C right?

    WRONG!

    The murderer in question was a rogue transcended ice magician with a grudge against the nobility ¨C especially the high nobility!

    As a transcended ice magician he had the upper hand over most mages ¨C and the worst part ¨C he would always attack his victims by surprise.

    In case of an honorable confrontation where the opponents know about each other, Miriette would be able to defend herself without any issue whatsoever - to the point of straight-up overpowering the opponent from the ridiculous distance AND height - but the guy in question wasn''t going to y fair ¨C not after what happened to him and his family...

    As far as Zoemi could recall - the ice magician in question lost his reasoning after his family ¨C two sons, a daughter, and a pregnant wife - were murdered one by one by several assassins hired by the high-noble family from the territory adjacent to his because he refused to sell it to them.

    At first, the ice magician in question started his quest for revenge by only killing the responsible ones but his thirst for blood didn''t end there ¨C the families of the perpetrators were next, and not too long after that he started hunting even the friends of his enemies...

    That couldn''t end up good no matter what and sooner rather thanter the ice magician just began to find peace in the act of murder and stopped caring for excuses ¨C but still, whoever he killed, he at least made sure that only the people with middle names would end up as his victims.

    Still, that world wasn''t a game, so reasonably speaking a pair of students walking into the dungeon couldn''t possibly be enough to summon the vengeful murderer to the school full of children of the aristocrats...

    |...wait... Isn''t that so much worse then...? This guy hates nobles and wants to make them suffer just like he did ¨C the Aspakeony Academy is full of considerably easy targets so it should be his aim from the very start...!|

    Zoemi realized in horror during the final lecture for the day and instantly his back became drenched in a cold sweat.

    |I need to report this to Horeo and Aspakeony...! We have to raise the security levels of the academy no matter what or we will be in big trouble...!|

    The ck-haired boy thought, remembering how powerful his own father was even with the extremely limited mana at his disposal ¨C if someone wielding the same attribute, but with mana reservoir thousands of timesrger would show up...

    Would anyone actually be safe?!

    After all ¨C the murderer in the game wasn''t even captured ¨C he just showed up, killed, and ran away....!

 Chapter 197 - 60 - Dangerous Possibilities And How To Prevent Any Of Them From Happening (part 2)

    "My prince!"

    As soon as the lecture finished and the teacher left the ssroom the ck-haired attendant stood up and turned right around, bowing his head towards the future royal couple.

    "Yes, let''s go ba- wait, what...?"

    The dark-haired Miriette used to have Zoemi politely offer to escort her back to her room in case she didn''t have any ns with the first prince, responded by reflex while standing up from her seat and froze mid-air taken aback by the unexpected change in their daily routine.

    "I''m listening."

    Horeo''s response was much more calmer ¨C he also was surprised but he could deal with unexpected situations much better than his fiancee ¨C the gold-haired boy nced at the dumbfounded girl by his side and asked the ck-haired boy, while barely being able to contain his content smile.

    "My prince, there is an extremely important matter I have to discuss with you as soon as possible ¨C preferably with no bystanders who could have misunderstood and taken it out from the context."

    Zoemi exined while motioning his head back at the other students.

    Some of them already left or were leaving but more than just a few hung around the ssroom with nothing to better to do on their hands ¨C and despite their best efforts, at least half of them were staying because they wanted to be around the first prince, the youngdy Espine, and the devilishly handsome attendant.

    "I understand ¨C let''s go back t my room. My love, do you want toe with u...?"

    "HMPH! No, thank you! My attendant seems to have something more important on his mind than staying by my side ¨C so I will go back to my own room and study!"

    Horeo instantly realized that Zoemi wasn''t just ying around ¨C not with those lifeless eyes of his that didn''t reflect any light at all ¨C but Miritte...

    ...well, to put it simply ¨C Miriette got extremely salty as it looked like she was being ignored, and thought that the ck-haired boy will pick up on how upset she was and correct his mistake on his own...

    "That works out pretty well ¨C go back straight to your room then mydy. Thank you for your understanding."

    "?!?!?!"

    "..."

    ...and yet Zoemi''s answer was so unexpected that Horeo straight up took a step back in shock while Miriette even didn''t react at first, because simply said ¨C Zoemi not wanting to be around the dark-haired girl to be at her back and call was basically unheard of...!

    "Teo, you cane in ¨C ourdy is going back to her room ¨C escort her back and made sure that she will not be disturbed by others while she studies. I have to do some other things afterward so I will not return straight away."

    But instead of doing what he would usually do in this situation, the ck-haired attendant merely turned towards the ssroom door and called out, summoning the surprised short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform.

    "I''m counting on you, don''t leave her site and if anything happens, made sure that she is safe."

    "I-indeedsh...!"

    The aura around Zoemi made it basically impossible to oppose him being the perfect mixture of the stunning appearance of the dark-haired boy that made others want to listen to him, and the tone of voice that made others follow his instructions without questioning it ¨C which resulted in Teo nodding her head so fast that she ended up biting her tongue.

    "My prince, if you allow with me now."

    Having received the other attendant''s confirmation, the ck-haired boy turned back to the gold-haired prince and beckoned him to follow, leaving the ssroom together to the gasp of awe and excitement from the female part of the students staying behind ¨C from which most of them were gushing over the Zoemi going as fat as calling him lord Zoemi instead of the normal way of addressing a lower noble, which was proof enough of how much the boy''s opinion has changed...

    "...eh...?"

    But that left the absolutely stunned Miriette lost for words, looking behind the ck and gold-haired boys who left without taking her with them...!

    "Mistress, let''s go back to your room."

    Teo ¨C who managed to calm down after facing the brunt of Zoemi''s charms ¨C cleared her throat and spoke in a calm voice while bowing down her head.

    ...the short girl was still blushing, but she simply could not fail to meet the expectations of the ck-haired boy now, could she?

    Of course not!

    "No, wait ¨C I didn''t actually..."

    Miriette looked around and became flustered after her little attention-seeking stunt didn''t work at all and she reached out her hand towards the door as if she wanted to stop the attendant and the prince who were already gone.

    "It''s alright, mistress ¨C I will handle everything until sir Zoemi returns!"

    Still, it wasn''t going to work out ¨C Teo instantly grabbed Miriette''s hand and guided her out of the ssroom and then out of one building and into the dormitory.

    "B-but I wanted to go with them...!"

    Only after the two girls were into Miriette''s room, the dark-haired girl herself cry out in a shockingly cute and pitiful voice while making a devastated expression.

    "Eh?! But didn''t sir Zoemi say that you were going to study?!"

    The brown-haired girl gasped in shock, raising her brows.

    "No! Oh, one...! I don''t even know where they went now! Uuuugh...!"

    The dark-haired girl shook her hair who seemed as distraught as she was, and she stomped her foot.

    "Teo ¨C get out! I want to be alone!"

    Miriette ended up gritting her teeth and calling out while marching towards her bed.

    "Mistress ¨C but sir Zoemi told me to..."

    "Teo... I want to be ALONE ¨C alright?!"

    Teo raised her hands with a worried expression but Miriette rolled her eyes in annoyance and quickly pulled out a certain piece of clothing from underneath the mattress and waved it around in a rather obvious manner.

    "O-ooohhhh... Alone ¨C I understand..."

    The female attendant''s eyes widened and she started backing out slowly, just a little bit taken aback by Miriette''s sudden forwardness.

    "Thank you for your understanding ¨C you can take the rest of the day off too. Now go. I am really pissed off and don''t want to be mean to you."

    The nobledy dered while waving her hand to shoo the female attendant out of her room, which the brown-haired girl hurriedlyplied with.

    "What if sir Zoemi will walk in on you again...? Should I...?"

    Teo was about to leave but then ended up stopping with her hand n the doorknob and she turned back and asked.

    "I will LOCK the door ¨C AFTER. YOU. LEAVE."

    Miriette groaned furiously and started massaging her forehead...

    ...with the same hand, she held a certain piece of clothing in...

    "I-indeed...! See you tomorrow, mistress...!"

    That caused the brown-haired girl to gasp and she hurriedly bowed her head and exited the room.

    "...I told you it''s alright to call me Miriette ¨C we are friends, right...?"

    The dark-haired girl furrowed her brows while ncing at the closed door from behind the certain piece of clothing, as walked over and reached her free hand towards the key and locked the door.

    "...aahh... now then..."

    Miriette smiled to herself taking a deep satisfied breath and turning back towards her bed....

 Chapter 198 - 61 - Things That Should Not Be Known (part 1)

    *click*

    The first prince turned the key in his door, locking it before he turned around and faced the ck-haired attendant.

    "What do you want to talk about? Ah, could it be that you finally realized that Miriette lov...?"

    "My prince."

    Horeo straightened his back and smiled, happy that he could unveil his secret n he came up with a while ago that would allow for a happy life for all of them ¨C but one look at the ck-haired attendant was enough to tell him that it wasn''t the case as all.

    ...unless Zoemi came to a very stupid conclusion in which killing the heir to the throne of the kingdom was a reasonable method of securing himself and his love interest a happy life ¨C which, spoiler, it would not be...

    "My prince, we might have a big problem on our hands ¨C have you ever heard about Ludier Gmroze?"

    "..."

    Zoemi asked and this time it was his turn to witness the first prince''s expression turning serious.

    The gold-haired boy lost his cheerful smile and his expression turned serious ¨C thankfully not hostile, but definitely on the grim side.

    "I did ¨C the problem is where did you hear about him?"

    Horeo asked ring back at the ck-haired boy.

    "..."

    |Oh, crap... I ¨C I didn''t consider this oue... Does he know?! But in the game, the murderer''s identity was supposed to be unknown!|

    Honestly ¨C that made Zoemi panic a little bit ¨C in the n he hurriedly put together, he wanted to bring the prince''s attention to the series of deaths that gued the high nobility in recent years and wanted to push him into making others check out on the background of the Gmroze family.

    But as it turns out, the perfect crime could only happen in the game world...

    Now ¨C the ck-haired boy was in a pickle ¨C how should he exin his knowledge?

    Originally he wanted to say that he overheard some servants working in the kitchen talking about the tragedy of the Gmroze family but only as a starting point of the series of murders...

    But would the same excuse work out now?

    Horeo wasn''t stupid and Zoemi made the mistake of actually naming the murderer himself...

    "My prince, you see..."

    *click*

    "It''s because I told him about it."

    Zoemi was about to go with his original n either way ¨C but then unexpectedly the door to Horeo''s room unlocked without anyone touching the key and a small, young-looking tinum-haired girl peeked in and dered in a casual voicepletely stunning both the prince and the attendant.

    "..dy Victureo... it is quite rude to invite yourself into a room of another student without their consent..."

    Still ¨C Horeo wasn''t taught the proper control over his emotions in any situation just to be fazed by something like that for long.

    "This is a private conversation."

    The gold-haired prince added, grabbing the door to not allow the petite third-year student to slide in ¨C but with her size, as long as she could fit her head in, she could ess the ce without any trouble, so Horeo''s attempt to stop her ended up in a failure.

    "Mydy!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi had quite a different reaction though ¨C the tinum-haired girl had the overwhelming aura surrounding her and the ck0haired boy didn''t hesitate to kneel down in an instant, giving Horeo a little bit of a shock.

    "Zoemi, I told you that it''s okay to call me just by my name ¨C now stand up so we could all discuss the problem we will most likely have to deal with in one way or another."

    The tinum-haired girl, Ehmi Gamemi Victureo, breathed out and walked over to the ck-haired attendant and patted his shoulder reassuringly before she turned to the gold-haired prince with a serious look.

    "I was the one who told Zoemi about Ludier Gmroze, and considering that this man targets the aristocrats that knowledge should be avable to all the students ¨C especially since Ludier has been spotted around territories neighboring with this Academy."

    "...!"

    "...|

    Ehmi''s words were shocking for the ck-haired boy but they didn''t seem to be even remotely surprising for the gold-haired prince.

    "I was told that you are quite the troublemaker, but to think that it was to that point..."

    "...?!"

    Horeo furrowed his brows and shook his head in annoyance, leaving Zoemipletely stunned.

    The ck-haired attendant was both extremely confused over what was going on and grateful to Ehmi for saving him from the mess up he made himself in an equal measure...

    ...alright, maybe not equal ¨C Zoemi was far more confused about Ehmi''s motives and purpose...

    "Sorry to use you like this, Zoemi, but the royal family had been ignoring the problem for far too long."

    Ehmi patted the ck-haired boy''s shoulder again and smiled apologetically seeing his utterly bewildered expression.

    "They knew who was behind the murders of the high nobility this whole time but they refused to release it to the public because it would put the Derizno family into a very bad spot ¨C and without Derizno''s support the Bellcephora family would be in a tight spot ¨C as it turns out some noble families think that a surname isn''t enough anymore to justify them upying the throne."

    The tinum-haired girl casually dropped a piece of very dangerous-sounding information while ring at the gold-haired prince with a challenge.

    "Wait ¨C hold on ¨C Derizno family?! What the serial murderer has to do with the Derizno family?!"

    Zoemi was so shocked by what he heard that he pushed aside the doubts about Ehmi conveniently appearing with an excuse right as he was in trouble...

    "..this isn''t going the way I envisioned it... but, oh, well..."

    *click*

    Horeo breathed out with an annoyed expression and closed the door again.

    "Zoemi, please, use muffle on this room before we start."

    The gold-haired prince added looking over at the ck-haired attendant before he red back at the tinum-haired girl.

    "To exin things properly, I will have to let you in on some secret that cannot leave this room."

    He added staring daggers at the young-looking older girl.

 Chapter 199 - 61 - Things That Should Not Be Known (part 2)

    "Muffle."

    Zoemi really didn''t have much choice in the matter anymore ¨C even though he originally wanted to get Horeo to get the royal family to give the Aspakeony Academy more protection just in case the murderer would want to show up there looking for an easy target, it ended up being something much deeper and definitely political...

    "You put it on the entire room?"

    "Yes."

    The gold-haired prince asked the ck-haired attendant, and the boy confirmed with a decisive nod, then...

    "Ehmi for goodness sake, why are you using my friend for Victureo''s agenda?! Your brother already burnt his face, why are you trying to get him in trouble?!"

    "!!!"

    Horeo raised his voice in anger, taking a step towards the petite tinum-haired girl...

    ...who got instantly shielded by Zoemi stepping in without even thinking...

    "Huh...? Zoemi, weren''t you paying attention?"

    Horeo groaned, massaging his forehead seeing the reaction of his best friend.

    "My prince, I..."

    The ck-haired boy tried to exin himself, but honestly, he didn''t understand his own actions either.

    "Give it up, little Horeo ¨C Zoemi will always protect me, that''s just what he does. And don''t just start shouting at me without an actual reason ¨C Victureo family is on your family''s side... even despite the few recent decisions that your mother has influenced..."

    Still, the one person who definitely didn''t see anything wrong with the picture, was the tinum-haired Ehmi, leaning to the side from behind Zoemi''s back and looking at Horeo without the slightest intention of moving anywhere.

    "Ugh...! Fine! Just don''t get that old hag into this ¨C she never represented the Bellcephora family and never will."

    The gold-haired prince scoffed and waved his hand to the side in an annoyed manner.

    "...alright... A few things require exnation or Zoemi will never figure out what is going on... Let''s sit down and talk."

    "That was always my intention too."

    Horeo sighed and motioned towards his desk ad bed with his chin and Ehmi nodded and pulled Zoemi over, seating him on the bed and then sitting beside him.

    She turned out to be barely short enough for her legs to not reach the floor.

    "..."

    Horeo sent her a resentful re and then walked over towards the desk and sat down on a chair before putting his legs up.

    "Zoemi, the man you asked me about, Ludier Gmroze. I assume that you wanted to talk to me about raising the defenses of the academy by enlisting the help of the King''s Guard in order to protect Miriette from getting targetted by him, didn''t you?"

    "...! Y-yes...!"

    The gold-haired prince breathed out and asked, easily figuring out the ck-haired boy''s motivation.

    "To tell you the truth, the best way to assure her safety would be simply to stay away from Xeonith ¨C which she already does since there''s no reason for them to interact with each other."

    Horeo revealed, shrugging his shoulders dismissively.

    "Huh...?! B-but why...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and look between the gold-haired prince and the tinum-haired girl by his side.

    "The family which ordered the assassination of Gmroses was the branch of the Derizno family of course. Deriznos have been growing in power and influence as ofte ¨C especially because of the current queen''s recent decisions ¨C and they wanted to get their hands of the mines in the Gmrose''s territory ¨C which of course Ludier refused since he didn''t want to be a part of the political power struggle... which resulted in his family being the victims of the political power struggle."

    Ehmi leaned forward, getting Zoemi''s attention, and exined with a sour expression.

    "Recently, that old hag had been out of control and my father is simply going along with her every whim."

    Horeo nodded in confirmation and the disgust clearly showed on his face.

    "For whatever reason, she is obsessed with kissing up to the Deriznos ¨C and that includes hiding the inconvenient information that it''s their fault that a rampaging murderous transcended ice magician had been unleashed upon the other nobles."

    He added while crossing his arms.

    "Victureos and Deriznos rtions had been considered bad so you might see now why I chose to step up and interfere."

    Ehmi shrugged her shoulders and pointed out without much interest before she turned towards the first prince again.

    "Would it really be so bad to burrow Deriznos under the ground where they belong? In the first ce, the Bellcephoras have you, probably one of the strongest light magicians in history ¨C you don''t need their support. Just take the throne, blow up an enemy kingdom ¨C or two ¨C and have the overconfident nobles who don''t want to follow you piss themselves in fear."

    She motioned at him with her chin with the annoyed expression ¨C and Zoemi looked at Horeo with curiosity too, the ck-haired attendant knew about the prince''s strength so he was also kind of curious about his stance on the matter.

    "I m not against a strategic massacre when the opposite nation isn''t of any use to our kingdom, but murdering my own family is where I draw the line. I want to get my throne in a more natural way ¨C preferably after my father abdicates on his own free will."

    Horeo sighed and put his feet back down on the floor and shrugged his shoulders with a bitter expression.

    "That''s something that I can respect, little Horeo."

    Ehmi smiled and nodded to him with satisfaction.

    "But ¨C what about the security at the Academy?! Even if the serial killer''s identity is kept hidden on purpose, that shouldn''t change the fact that the Aspakeoy Academy is a likely target for him, right? It should be possible to get the royal family sent some additional forces for protection!"

    Zoemi got the rough picture of the situation going on - although it was obvious that both Ehmi and Horeo were still keeping a lot of details from him despite promising to exin everything ¨C but it was understandable.

    "No ¨C the Aspakeony Academy is built on neutral territory ¨C sending out any sizeable forces to here would be seen as trying to seize it. Think about it ¨C the same reason why a murderer might want toe here is why no one can send and station their troops here."

    Horeo''s expression turned bitter and he sighed.

    "Too many children of important families are gathered here ¨C attempt on gaining control over the Aspakeony Academy would be equal to kidnapping them all."

    Ehmi finished the sentence for him and looked back at the worried ck-haired boy.

 Chapter 200 - 61 - Things That Should Not Be Known (part 3)

    "I think you should go and talk about it with the headmaster."

    Ehmi grabbed and tugged on Zoemi''s sleeve and dered with a serious expression.

    "Lord Vereq? He is an influential man but I doubt that even he could just get the other nobles to change their stance on this matter."

    "Is that so...? Such a shame that this ce doesn''t have anyone better than him..."

    "...!"

    Horeo shook his head in denial and Ehmi frowned and kicked her legs up with an annoyed expression ¨C but not Zoemi ¨C after all, he knew that the headmaster that the two were talking about wasn''t the actual person pulling the strings... he was just a puppet ¨C a corpse puppet to be exact.

    |I should have gone to see Aspy since the beginning!|

    "Oh? Zoemi?"

    The ck-haired attendant stood up with a determined expression, making the tinum-haired girl tilt her head and look up at him curiously.

    "Mydy, my prince- I remembered that I have something very important to do. Thank you for clearing up so many questions I had."

    Zoemi bowed towards both Ehmi and Horeo and dered even though in actuality their so-called exnation made him start questioning so many more things than before.

    "Zoemi, I just want you to..."

    "My prince."

    Horeo straightened his back and started talking but Zoemi stopped him with a polite bow.

    "I promise to not do anything reckless."

    The attendant dered, because he really wasn''t going to do anything reckless as long as Aspakeony would listen to him and bring more of her corpse puppets to guard the academy.

    "Also, if that isn''t too personal a question for you to befortable to answer..."

    Zoemi raised his head and curiously looked between the first prince and the youngdy of the Victureo family.

    "The two of you seem very well acquainted, but I never heard about you two being close...?"

    He asked partially to try and take the attention off of himself and partially because he simply was curious about the reason.

    "Oh, that."

    Horeo nodded and shrugged his shoulders while exchanging smirks with Ehmi.

    "Simple ¨C before our first prince here got engaged with your current master, the Victureo family tried to present me as a candidate for the position of the fiancee ¨C we even met a few times while he was, like, four, or five, and I was around six or seven, I guess...?"

    The tinum-haired girl furrowed her brows trying to recall and both her hair and eyes started giving off a soft pinkish glow.

    "Those ns have fallen through tough for some reason ¨C but I am kind of d they did ¨C we are a horrible match for each other."

    Horeo nodded and grinned at the girl with the tinum hair with a pink tint to it.

    "We are simply too simr ¨C honestly - both in terms of personality and power."

    Ehmi agreed with a simr expression.

    "Ah! And speaking of which!"

    That made Zoemi realize something important he forgot to ask before.

    "What is your attribute, mydy?"

    The boy asked curiously, intently gazing at the girl''s short hair.

    "Oh, it''s obviously..."

    "It''s time. I wield a time attribute."

    Horeo smirked and waved his hand but Ehmi didn''t allow him to steal her moment and dered with pride as the pink glint disappeared from her hair and eyes.

    "We can talk about it moreter ¨C you said you had something important to do, right?"

    The tinum-haired girl shrugged and waved her hand benevolently, allowing the ck-haired attendant to leave, acting as if she owned the room even though Horeo was right next to her.

    "You are right, mydy ¨C thank you and goodbye, my prince."

    Zoemi flinched and nodded to her and then to the gold-haired prince and indeed hurriedly left the room.

    "..."

    After that Horeo furrowed his brows and looked at the tinum-haired girl who was also about to leave.

    "Huh... Ehmi, I just had the weirdest feeling ¨C could you believe that I was actually going to say that your attribute was fire? We really didn''t see each other a long time!"

    The first prince scoffed at himself and shook his head with an embarrassed expression.

    "Yeah, that''s wild ¨C anyway, bye-bye."

    Ehmi shrugged her shoulders without even the slightest bit of interest and walked out of the room.

    "So weird... wasn''t she always extremely talkative?"

    Horeo furrowed his brows and scratched his head ¨C he always thought that he had a great memory, but there definitely was more than just a few details about the tinum-haired girl that didn''t match...

    ------

    Zoemi was waiting in front of the door to the headmaster''s office ¨C but no matter how many times he knocked and called, no one answered him.

    It could mean that even Aspakeony herself wasn''t inside but it could also mean that she was sleeping ¨C with that in mind, the ck-haired boy decided to have a closer look at the door itself...

    After all, he already knew that the gray-haired necromancer had put a barrier around her office that prevented anyone froming in without her permission ¨C but then what was exactly making it work...?

    Zoemi closed his eyes and focused on the world of dancing shadows ¨C and just as he expected, the seal itself was casting a shadow too!

    He reached out to it, feeling its mana bing his own almost instantly ¨C but he hurriedly pulled away ¨C trying to open it was one thing, but straight up breaking it would definitely make the cooperation between him and Aspakeony a little bit more difficult.

    Not to mention that Zoemi simply didn''t want to break Aspakeony''s stuff...

    But then again... if it wasn''t breaking it...

    Thanks to leeching into it, Zoemi was able to learn what makes the seal work ¨C it was rather simple honestly ¨C but its simplicity was most likely the reason why it was actually working so well.

    The seal could have been opened only with the use of the death attribute mana.

    "..."

    Zoemi hesitated for a little bit and then quickly look around to check whether anyone was watching him ¨C but luckily for him the hallway was empty...

    ...so he closed his eyes and focused on the shadow of a spell he checked out when the necromancer was sitting in hisp...

    He reached out for it, simply focusing on constructing it without actually casting it ¨C since to cast it he would require to have a dead body as a target.

    It was worth a try ¨C after all his shadow mana was able to imitate mana of other attributes ¨C why wouldn''t it work in this situation...

    *click*

    "!!!"

    Even with that in mind, Zoemi was definitely taken by surprise when his theory turned out to be correct as the dry sound was followed by the office''s door opening...

    "Pardon the intrusion..."

    The ck-haired boy snuck inside with an apologetic whisper ¨C but only silence responded to him.

    "...Aspakeony...?"

    He called out a little bit louder and approached the closet.

    "..are you here...?"

    Zoemi spoke cautiously, reaching out for the drawer and opening it slowly...

    "..."

    But the drawer contained only the pillows and plushies of various shapes and sizes.

    "Yo, nice to see you all again~"

    Not even knowing why he had said it out loud, the ck-haired boy raised his hand and greeted the plushies.

    "So... Our cute necromancer is absent, huh... wonder where she went...?"

    Zoemi sighed, switching to speaking out loud.

    "None of you guys would happen to be connected with her or anything...?"

    He asked looking between all the clearly handmade plushies ¨C but none of them showed any reaction ¨C after a quick check-up, the ck-haired boy confirmed that none of it was magical in any way too ¨C after all, if they were, they would have their own shadows ¨C which they didn''t.

    "Oh well... I will just leave her a note and talk to her after she shows up again..."

    Zoemi sighed and walked towards the neat desk, reaching out for the paper, ink, and quill....

 Chapter 201 - 62 - The Peculiar Night (part 1)

    Teo was standing in front of the mirror looking doubtful and worried.

    She looked down at and tilted her head, in the palm of her hand was an earring with almost the exact same design as the one her older sister started wearing after she received it from the first prince as a gift...

    How did Teo get her hands on the piece of jewelry almost identical to what Veo received...?

    Well- that actually was quite a shady event in and of itself.

    After Miriette gave her the rest of the day off, the short brown-haired girl didn''t just return to her room and decided it wouldn''t be a bad thing to simply take a walk ¨C there was a small town very close to the academy and for a sturdy earth magician such as Teo, the trip would be a breeze.

    Still, even as she was already on her way back, she definitely didn''t feel anywhere near as refreshed as she hoped for...

    Maybe she should have gone with Miriette''s method of relieving stress after all...?

    Although, there should be a limit of how much one person can do that in a single day, right...?

    While thoughts just like that one were passing through the brown-haired girl''s head, a rather peculiar carriage passed her,

    It was very big and looked like part of it could open and transform into a merchant''s stand.

    Though, the peculiarity of it didn''te from that.

    The thing was, the horses pulling the carriage had actual armors on, and the windows seemed to be painted ck so it was impossible to take a look inside.

    The horses themselves also seemed eerie for whatever reason...

    ...they didn''t seem to move around as living animals should either, having this peculiar flowiness that made them seem almost otherworldly...

    It was eye-catching enough to make Teo stop and look at it in bewilderment from the side of the road.

    But then the carriage was stopped by its coachperson ¨C cheerful-looking young short-haired woman appearing to be only a couple of years older than Teo.

    The ck-haired young woman ¨C who called out to the brown-haired girl cheerfully and beckoned her to approach her.

    Apparently, she and her family were traveling merchants mostly selling jewelry ¨C they wanted to try their luck offering their goods at the Aspakeony Academy, but with the absence of the headmaster, the teachers didn''t allow them to set up their stand y the entrance so they were going to try their luck in the town from which Teo was returning.

    The two girls talked a little bit and Teo ended up admitting that she works at the Academy ¨C to which the young ck-haired woman responded that she doesn''t seem to faze about the color of her hair.

    It was a reasonable question, after all, being the traveling merchant the young woman must have received her fair share of discrimination towards the darkness magicians ¨C who she undoubtedly was.

    To that, Teo merely shrugged her shoulders revealing that a person she looked up to ¨C in more ways than one ¨C was a darkness magician too and that she isn''t really bothered about the opinion of others ¨C which seemed to make the ck-haired young woman very happy.

    So happy in fact that after a few more minutes spent on idle talk, she offered Teo to pick one of her wares for free.

    At first, the brown-haired girl wasn''t keen on the idea but when the other woman mentioned earrings, Teo was instantly reminded about the one her sister received...

    So she described it with all the details she could remember, thinking that she could use that as an excuse to not ept the kind but unnecessary gift ¨C after all, the jewelry wasn''t easy to make, and receiving something merely because of having a small talk seemed really unfair...

    Teo simply didn''t want to take advantage of the female darkness magician minutes after they talked about the difficult financial situation that she was in...

    That''s why the brown-haired attendant was extremely shocked when the ck-haired woman simply turned around, reaching inside the carriage through a small, jet-ck window, and pulled out the exact earring that she had described her...!

    bbergasted Teo received the beautiful earing and was lost for words ¨C she hurriedly tried to pay for it, reaching out for her purse, but the other woman didn''t even want to hear about it, and drove away, waving at her with a cheerful smile.

    ...and that us back to the Aspakeony Academy, where Teo was standing in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection with hesitation.

    The beautiful earring was glittering in the light of the magic crystalmp beckoning for her to wear it...

    The only problem was, Teo didn''t have either of her ears pierced.

    "..."

    the short brown-haired girl nervously pinched her earlobe and sighed miserably.

    Having one''s ear pierced is not that big of a deal, not normally, not for normal people.

    But it was a problem for Teo.

    She only acted tough and confident as a front to cover her shorings.

    The truth was the younger of the twin attendants was afraid of darkness, she disliked bell-peppers, she was surprisingly short-tempered and was awfully stubborn to the point that her name should rece the mule in the popr saying.

    And also... she was really, really afraid of pain, even the quick little prick with a needle.

    Her older sister was the one who somehow got most of the good qualities, well, the character-wise, at least.

    "Pffft...! ...ah..."

    Teoughed at the thought but then she felt disgusted by herself.

    Veo wasn''t able to do many things because her arms and especially hands weren''t working properly because of what happened in the past...

    If the rocks and dirt never crushed her arms...

    If she, Teo, was a bit quicker with clearing out the debris...

    Veo would probably be a much better attendant than her younger sister was...

    "...haaa..."

    Teo took a deep breath and picked up the thick needle that she borrowed from the servants'' resting room.

    The thin, sharp tool shone menacingly and the short brown-haired attendant felt her stomach cramping.

    "If I do that, we will be the same once more..."

    She said looking herself in the eyes.

    Honestly, Teo''s behavior was childish, she didn''t want to admit she was wrong and hated even the idea of apologizing for her behavior only trying to make everything go back to normal by acting as if nothing happened...

    "She will understand me if I do that, right? And Patishi will also realize that I''m not such a bad person after all...!"

    Teo dered in a pitiful voice trying to convince her own reflection.

    If Zoemi, or while we''re at it, anyone else would hear her, they would most certainly say that, no, getting your ear pierced does not equal repenting for anything at all.

    Definitely not in that situation ¨C not without even trying to apologize to the other person the normal way.

    But Teo wasn''t quite herself...

    The beautiful earring seemed to have upied her thoughts more and more until she got herself at the spot where she was now...

    And so...

    ...she pierced her ear...

    "Ughiii...!"

    Teo squeaked like a small animal and trembled gritting her teeth in pain as her eyes filled with tears.

    It really wasn''t anything that painful but for Teo who couldn''t even remember thest time she got hurt - it was enough to make her cry.

    "...!"

    Blood started dripping from the ce she pierced - the brown-haired girl was prepared for that and quickly blocked it with a piece of cloth.

    She waited a bit without removing the needle, her ear was feeling like it was on fire, and when the flow of blood almost stopped she reced the needle with the silver earring just as she was told when she asked another servant about the process.

    "...uuuu... uuugh..."

    Teo sniffled a few times and wiped out her tears.

    She looked at her reflection and made a disheartened expression.

    "It looked much better on Veo..."

    She murmured to herself lowering her head in shame.

    Well, the intricate earring indeed didn''t go well with her butler''s uniform, plus her left ear was nowpletely red and contrasted with her pale face ¨C sure, but for the most part, the girl''s disappointment had nothing to do with the actual looks of it...

    "Will they like me again now...?"

    Teo sniffled and asked her reflection but it didn''t look convinced at all.

    ... in the end, it was only her own reflection and nothing more...

    Only the beautiful earring changed a little bit - the empty pace suddenly filled with perfect silky darkness that definitely wasn''t there earlier - but unfortunately, Teo missed that detailpletely....

 Chapter 202 - 62 - The Peculiar Night (part 2)

    Zoemi woke up basically in the middle of the night and at first, he didn''t know why...

    Maybe it was the familiar pleasant scent that shouldn''t be in his room...?

    Or the familiar warmth pressing into his stomach...?

    Truly a mystery!

    "..."

    "..."

    ...though a pair of gray eyes of the hooded figure gazing at him merely a few inches above his face was a good starting point of figuring things out...

    |THE ASSASSIN FROM ARISU''S ROUTE?! IF I''M GOING DOWN, YOU ARE GOING DOWN WITH ME!|

    Zoemi''s brain instantly cleared out from the sleepiness and the ck-haired boy sprung into action, without any hesitation ¨C or incantation for the matter ¨C he activated the shadow enchantment in session with shadow emerge and reached out gabbing the attacker ¨C who already was far too close to get away with any other way.

    "KYAAAAH!"

    The attendant grabbed onto the unexpected guests and was going to dive right into the darkness where he had an absolute advantage ¨C up until he heard a familiar voice once a certain equally familiar softness pressed against him because of his maneuver.

    Instead of diving into the darkness, Zoemi bounced off of it and ended up sitting upright, firmly holding the unexpected guest in his arms.

    "For goodness sake, Aspy...! What would you do if I stabbed you with the darkness de?!"

    Zoemmi breathed out andined ring down at the dark-skinned girl whose hood ended up slipping revealing her face and short unevenly cut hair.

    "It''s not my fault that you woke up the moment I got on your bed! I was going to call out to you and wake you up normally ¨C but you just jumped up and hugged me! Kids these days are way too forward! At least confess first!"

    The necromancer squirmed in the boy''s embrace feeling her face burn with embarrassment ¨C but she discovered that getting away from the ck-haired attendant wasn''t as easy as she expected.

    Honestly ¨C his arms felt sturdy like metal bars ¨C warm,fortable metal bars that she didn''t actually feel like freeing herself from...

    But, no!

    She was the headmaster!

    At least she should keep a clear mind in this situation...!

    "...now let go of me... unless you do want to confess or something ¨C I don''t know..."

    ...Aspakeony ended up lowering her head and murmured bashfully too embarrassed to the tey and look Zoemi in the eyes...

    "Oh...! Right! Sorry for that..."

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy flinched and hesitantly let go of the gray-haired girl ¨C hesitantly enough to make her heart flutter even more than it already was.

    "Alright ¨C now, first thing first ¨C why are you in my room in..."

    Zoemi breathed out topose himself and reached out towards the nightstand to grab the pocket watch he would always leave there before going to bed, and checked the time.

    "...in the middle of the night ¨C geez, just look at it..."

    "...eh...?

    He added showing the face of the clock towards the necromancer ¨C but she didn''t seem fazed by his movement and only after a few seconds did the ck-haired attendant realize that she wasn''t able to see in the darkness like he was.

    ...so the boy''s next move was to turn on the magic crystalmp on the nightstand, illuminating the embarrassed face of the actual headmaster ¨C and the origin of the name - of the Aspakeony Academy...

    "I read your note and came to talk."

    Aspakeony shook off the shame and furrowed her brows, looking at the younger boy.

    "Ah, so you...!"

    Zoemi''s face brightened up and he gasped thinking that the girl''s objective must be informing him about the security measures that will be enacted ¨C or at least discuss what should and what could be done to make sure that the murderer wouldn''t be able to attack anyone ¨C namely Miriette ¨C on the campus.

    "How in the world were you able to ess my office?! That barrier was created during great wars ages ago! I am supposed to be the only person in existence capable of freely opening and closing it!"

    ...but as the dark-skinned girl became visibly agitated, it became obvious that he was very much wrong...

    "It just used death mana as a key ¨C what''s the big deal? I merely recreated it with my shadow mana ¨C I am quite sure that I wrote about it in my note too..."

    Zoemi exined slightly grumpy that things weren''t going as he hoped for.

    "No! You don''t understand!"

    But to his even greater surprise, Aspakeony shook her head vigorously and leaned towards him overly animated.

    "There are others necromancers in the world ¨C they are rare but they are living somewhere outside of the Bellcephora kingdom ¨C I took the precaution from them allying with my enemies or straight up trying to get me by putting up this barrier in ce ¨C that spell doesn''t react to any death attribute mana ¨C it reacts to only mine death''s attribute mana! It''s the fruit of the magic engineering lost to the world millennia ago!"

    She dered poking Zoemi''s chest with her index finger.

    "Well ¨C I just used your spells and mana as a sample so, of course, the result would be simr to your on mana ¨C where is the problem? Let''s better talk about the security of the Academy..."

    "NO! Why can''t you understand that''s not how the shadow attribute should work!"

    The ck-haired boy wanted to change the subject to the one he thought was far more important, but the gray-haired necromancer wasn''t going to allow that to happen.

    "What...? Hold on, you were the one who told me that my attribute must be the weaker version of the darkness attribute ¨C shadow attribute. It copies things and I copied your mana!"

    Zoemi shook his head and argued back.

    "Kid ¨C that''s the problem ¨C spells from the shadow attribute allow the user to use inferior versions of the spells from other attributes ¨C it doesn''t allow to make almost a perfect copy of apletely different MANA! Shadow attribute creates copies with shadow mana ¨C what you did with my barrier was using the death mana! Argh! Just follow me ¨C I show you what I mean!"

    Aspakeony couldn''t handle it anymore ad ended up jumping out of Zoemi''s bed ¨C she grabbed the boy''s hand and started pulling him towards the door.

    "..."

    At first, the ck-haired attendant wanted to refuse and shook her off, but then he came to the conclusion that after the girl will show him whatever she wanted to show him, she might be more willing to talk about the actual important and pressing matter of assuring the security of the Academy ¨C specifically Miriette''s safety!

    The necromancer pulled her hood back on before walking out of Zoemi''s room and led him through the dark dimly lit hallways.

    The ck-haired boy was wondering howe they never encountered even a single teacher on duty...

    "You came out in your original body, aren''t you worried that you will get spotted ¨C your existence is supposed to be a secret, isn''t it"

    ¡­that question bothered him to the point of voicing it out loud...

    "In your opinion who approves and schedules the night guard duty...?"

    "Ooohhhh... yeah ¨C that makes sense."

    The gray-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and shook her head in disbelief over the silly question, making the ck-haired boy gasp in realization.

    After a few minutes ¨C and a walk from one building into the other that clearly bothered the girl much more than walking through the hallways ¨C most likely because of the open space without many ces to hide and wait ¨C the two of them reached the headmaster''s office without any trouble.

    "What do you want to show me?"

    Zoemi asked in a serious voice, eager to just get over some trivialities and speak about the important matters.

    "Look."

    *click*

    Aspakeony dered, straightening her back and snapping her finger.

    "!!!"

    Within the next second, a tall gold-haired woman showed up next to them in a sh of golden light ¨C and she brought up a dark-haired man who honestly looked as if he had seen better days ¨C needless to say, the sudden appearance of the two put Zoemi in the alerted state.

    "Rx ¨C they both are my puppets ¨C sorry for the looks of the guy ¨C it was very hard to track a grave of a shadow magician. This one was considerably old so even after replenishing his mana, that''s the best I could do."

    The gray-haired girl waved her hand and then tilted her head looking critically at the dark-haired corpse puppet ¨C who actually looked like a corpse puppet.

    ...as for the gold-haired woman, Zoemi could tell that she was dead only because of the shadow of the necromancer stuck to her...

    "Wait ¨C shadow magician ¨C so you were gone today because you went outside to search for the shadow magician corpse? Why?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, furrowing his brows in confusion while looking over at the gray-haired girl.

    "...you already know about me ¨C I might want to stay in a friendly rtion so I thought it would be nice of me to get you a teacher that knows how to teach you..."

    The necromancer turned away with no intention of looking the ck-haired boy in the eyes ¨C mostly because she was far too embarrassed over what she just said.

    Seriously, such favoritism shouldn''t be allowed ¨C but she just couldn''t help herself....

 Chapter 203 - 62 - The Peculiar Night (part 3)

    "...thank you...?"

    Zoemi was slightly taken aback ¨C though that was mostly because of the appearance of the supposed teacher since for the most part he wanted to appreciate the gesture.

    "...but what''s the point of bringing me here...?"

    He added, assuming that it wasn''t just because Aspakeony couldn''t wait to show him the corpse puppet that she herself described as unfinished ¨C for the most part.

    "You''ll see in a moment ¨C stay there and watch carefully."

    The gray-haired necromancermanded, ncing at him with a grumpy expression, and turned towards the door to her office ¨C and the dark-haired corpse puppet did the exact same thing after it was released from the gold-haired corpse puppet''s grip.

    The man walked towards the door and grabbed the doorknob ¨C turning it and...

    *thump*

    ...pulling on the door making it let out a soft noise that indicated them still being very much locked...

    "They are sealed, alright? Now then..."

    Aspakeony pointed out ncing back at the unamused Zoemi and dered while her corpse puppet began using the spell ¨C and Zoemi could clearly see it because of his ability to see shadows cast by both the living humans and the magic spells.

    Then, the dark-haired corpse puppet turned the knob again and pulled on the door...

    *thump*

    "...huh...?"

    ...just to end up with the exact same result as before, making Zoemi frown and let out a surprised voice...

    "See? Tat''s what I''m talking about ¨C this guy is a shadow magician and my own mana was used as a basis to replenish his nearly gone shadow mana. If any shadow magician would be able to use their spells and open that seal, that would be him."

    Aspakeony pointed out and approached her corpse puppet, patting his back with a serious expression.

    "Now ¨C show me how you did it."

    The necromancer beckoned the ck-haired boy toe over ¨C which Zoemi did after a brief moment of hesitation.

    |Is she serious...?|

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows and reached towards the door as the dark-haired corpse puppet stepped away, making a ce for him.

    Zoemi didn''t have to confirm that the door was blocked off with the magic seal ¨C he could clearly see its shadow after all.

    Instead, he grabbed the doorknob and focused on the world of dancing shadow ¨C grasping the necromancy spell was much easier than the first time he did it since the source of the shadow was standing a few feet away from him...

    With that, he merely needed a few seconds of concentration and...

    *click*

    The seal unlocked and so did the lock in the door, allowing the ck-haired boy to open it ajar...

    "...this is getting ridiculous..."

    Aspakeony breathed out in defeat, swallowing her saliva nervously as she turned away in an attempt of hiding her shock.

    "What does this proves thought...?"

    Zoemi asked, raising his brow.

    "You aren''t a shadow magician ¨C that''s for sure ¨C you are a variant, but not one that I''ve ever encountered or heard about.... is it my fault...?"

    The necromancer shrugged her shoulders and sighed again ¨C letting her guard down and slipping a rather peculiarint at the end...

    "Your fault? How so?"

    Zoemi instantly picked up on it ¨C considering that he did have a feeling of meeting the gray-haired girl before he entered the Academy.

    "What...? No, just a slip of the tongue ¨C don''t mind me."

    The necromancer furrowed her brows and shrugged her shoulders indifferently, ying it off far better than before.

    "Let''s put the matter of your attribute to the side for the time being and talk about why do you think that the security of my academy is insufficient... although I guess after you just breached my own hideout''s defenses your worries might seem justified..."

    Aspakeony changed the subject, starting a new one in a rather cold voice but then nced at the wide-open door to her office and her tone changed by a lot...

    "But I can assure you that without the help from the outside, no rogue magician can enter the Academy without my knowledge ¨C and I definitely will not allow any of my students to die, alright?"

    ...still, she shook her head and recovered almost instantly, ending her deration with conviction.

    "Even a hostile transcended ice magician...?"

    Zoemi pointed out carefully observing the girl''s reaction.

    "Thepleteck of reaction caused by mana freezing over is a signal all on its own, don''t you think? The moment that happens I can bring several dozen light attribute corpse puppets of mine to check things out and subdue the danger from afar."

    Aspakeony boasted and puffed out her chest proudly.

    "...I see... so there will be an aplice..."

    Zoemi frowned and looked to the side, muttering to himself in grim realization.

    "...!"

    |Hold on! Surou''s mysterious supporter ¨C what happened to that guy?! He is a shady character from the get-go ¨C what if he is nning something else now...!|

    The ck-haired boy flinched and straightened his back in realization.

    Still, it was far toote to ran to the heroine''s room ¨C showing up at such ate hour would definitely scare her even more than she was already ¨C but talking with her was definitely the first thing on Zoemi''s to-do list for the morning.

    "...How many corpse puppets do you have in the first ce...?"

    Suddenly, the ck-haired boy turned ack towards the gray-haired girl and asked.

    "Around a thousand ¨C I had several hundred times that before but after the wars ¨C and the Ghosts of Bellcephora hunting me and my puppets down ¨C this is the number I have at my disposal."

    "..."

    The necromancer admitted in a casual tone without even a second of hesitation, leaving the ck-haired attendant speechless for a moment.

    "...I see... then as long as I find the potential aplice, you can promise me that you will deal with the murderer if he happens to show up?"

    Zoemi took a deep breath and asked in a serious voice, making Aspakeony furrow her brows.

    "Boy, besides you for whatever reason, the little prince, the little miss Victureo, and me ¨C no one knows that Ludier Gmroze is the murderer in question ¨C not even little Derizno since his father specifically contacted me ¨C that is Burdoff the headmaster ¨C about the matter and asked for increasing the security without notifying the boy."

    Aspakeony rolled her eyes and exined...

    ...but even though she thought that she was right that wasn''t true...

    Not entirely.

    |If Burushi is the reincarnated person like me and she knows about the game, she most likely knows about Ludier too... Now I literally must talk to her as soon as possible without turning her hostile...|

    Zoemi thought to himself.

    Honestly, now he wanted nothing more than to go and wait under the heroine''s room until she will wake up in order to talk to her and make sure she isn''t involved in any of this ¨C but that wasn''t really feasible...

    "...Aspy, say since you have this guy now, could you make him keep an eye on a certain student from the shadows...?"

    "...I want to say no because I do my best to respect my students'' privacy ¨C but if you have an actual viable reason..."

    Aspakeony raised her brows, intrigued by the sudden change in the boy''s behavior, and walked inside her office, beckoning Zoemi to follow her.

    --------

    Almost an hourter the ck-haired boy was returning to his room with a satisfied smile on his face.

    He managed to convince Aspakeony to put the shadow attribute corpse puppet on Burushiitto''s tail ¨C it was difficult toe up with convincing arguments, but it worked out somehow in the end.

    On one hand that could make talking about the heroine about the reincarnation a bit difficult considering that Aspakeony would end up listening in on that conversation ¨C but in Zoemi''s opinion that was a far better option than ignoring the blond girlpletely.

    ...also, it was high time that the bullies messing with the heroine were outed out already...

    Honestly, Aspakeony''s policy of not intervening with the student''s life unless it was absolutely necessary was far too lenient...

    Zoemi was thinking about that while sneaking through the dimly lit hallways back to the dormitory ¨C Aspakeony tipped him how to sneak past the patroling teachers so the ck-haired boy only needed to check his watch and not use his spells at all.

    Everything was going on fine ¨C until he picked the slightly different route to return to the dormitory building ¨C one that would ensure that no one spots him identally.

    ...his path included him walking past the entrance to the academy''s dungeon, which should definitely not be in use ¨C especially not at that time of night...

    "...!"

    So Zoemi was in for a great surprise when he almost walked in on the middle-aged red-haired teacher ¨C the very same one who was amongst the three examinators during the magic examination...!

    |Wha...? Huh? What is he doing here?|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows backing himself behind the corner of the hallway and ncing at the man carefully looking around after exiting the dungeon...

    After confirming that he was alone ¨C even though he actually wasn''t ¨C the red-haired teacher carefully locked the door and left the area trying to be sneaky...

    "...I''ll have to check it outter... I think there was something about this dungeon beside Xeonith''s event..."

    Zoemi murmured to himself, ring at the disappearing teacher''s back and stopping the urge to instantly barge into the underground.

    "Tomorrow... Aspy promised me to watch out for anything suspicious.... ugh... why does this sound like a g...?"

    The ck-haired boy whispered to himself trying to convince himself it was alright to return to his room and go back to sleep for whatever was left from the night ¨C but identally ended up making himself feel worse and far more anxious.

 Chapter 204 - 63 - Morning Full Of Surprises (part 1)

    "..."

    Zoemi wasying on his back, staring at the ceiling in silence as a medium-sized dark water spear was sizzling with acidic darkness mana and a dark fireball crackling with the mana-freezing coldness of the ice attribute were hovering above his raised palms

    Since he was far too anxious to actually get back to sleep, the ck-haired boy thought that ying around with his mysterious magic attribute ¨C which apparently wasn''t either the darkness or shadow ¨C and test a few things out wasn''t a bad idea ¨C and it most definitely wasn''t.

    As it turned out, a mind and the limitations that humans put onto themselves were a fearsome thing.

    When Zoemi thought he was a darkness magician, he used only the darkness attribute spells because that was supposed to be the only thing possible.

    When he discovered that he could copy the spells of other magicians and was told that he was a shadow magician, he went ahead and copied the spells just like a shadow magician would without trying to change them out in any way ¨C because a shadow attribute only copies things.

    But then, with his attribute being an unknown variant, the ck-haired boy decided to experiment without holding back ¨C which lead him to this point.

    A water spear conjured with the acidic darkness mana.

    A fireball made out of the ice mana.

    Two spells that should be impossible to exist...

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows and the water spear solidified ¨C not into ice, but rather a rock drill slowly spinning around.

    Simrly, the fireball changed into a tiny twister while still releasing a threatening chilling aura of ice mana.

    "This is ridiculous... I need to test it out...!"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva, staring at the spells ready to beunched at any time...

    *rustle*

    "...?!"

    *haaaaaaaa*

    Suddenly ¨C a small noiseing from outside his room rmed the ck-haired boy and made him release the spells without targeting anything, making the mana constructing it disperse into the air with a sound simr to a person''s sigh.

    |Could it be...?|

    Zoemi get off of his bed and nced at the pocket watch on his nightstand ¨C it was early, far earlier than he would usually be up and about ¨C but that made him realize that the noise outside could be the person leaving him the mana potions!

    |Burushi might not talk to me normally, but she still leaves me those potions! This is perfect!|

    The ck-haired boy''s face brightened as he hurried towards the door.

    To think that his concern about meeting the heroine as fast as possible without scaring her even more than she already was, would be solved so easily!

    *click*

    "Miss Buru...!"

    Zoemi made to make the most innocent smile he could muster and fully opened the door startling the person bending their back in front of him...

    "!!!"

    "...shi...?"

    Zoemi blinked a few times staring not at the blond hair of the heroine but instead on the red hair of one of the capture targets, Grazio Mera Victureo...!

    "E-Espine''s attendant...!"

    Grazio jumped away with his face burning brightly from shame over getting caught red-handed...

    ...leaving the mana potion at the doorstep of Zoemi''s room...

    "...wha...? What...? It was you...?!"

    Zoemi nced down at the vial of the blue liquid and then back up at the red-haired boy who was supposed to despise him...

    "I-I was just returning to my room after exercising a bit! I merely noticed some odd vial and wanted to check it out - I definitely didn''t leave you that mana potion!"

    Grazio straightened his back and turned away attempting to flee the scene but...

    "I didn''t say anything about leaving it here ¨C and how do you know it''s a mana potion? I mean ¨C it is but..."

    ...Zoemi''s denseness reared its head again ¨C although in this case, it wasn''t more of him not wanting to acknowledge the idea of Grazio of all people leaving him such expensive gifts.

    "I have nothing else to say to you, Espine''s attendant! Stop bothering me!"

    The red-haired boy scoffed and walked away as fast as he could without outright breaking into a sprint getting away from the scene without answering the ck-haired boy''s question.

    "...what in the world...?"

    Zoemi picked up the mana potion while looking after the evacating capture target and muttered in confusion...

    ...at the same time, Ehmi''s words resounded in his brain...

    ~You''re the attendant ofdy Miriette, that my dumb brother wants to apologize to but is too proud to do that!~

    "No way..."

    He shook his head in disbelief and returned to his room.

    ...there was no way that the ck-haired boy could focus on his spells, so instead, he decided to dress up and check up on the heroine ¨C now he had another question he had to ask her...

    ----

    After he spent over ten minutes in front of the door to Burushiitto''s room and the girl spent the entire time shaking UNDER her bed, staying quiet and even attempting to hold her breath so she wouldn''t be spotted, Zoemi came to a conclusion that it would be better to try and talk to her at ater date.

    ...Zoemi came to that conclusion thanks to focusing on the world of shadows - he saw that the shadow corpse puppet was already keeping an eye on her and hence decided it was okay to give the blond girl more time...

    With nothing better to do, the ck-haired attendant went to the kitchen to start his duties a bit earlier than usual.

    -----

    "...?"

    As Zoemi was nearing the kitchen he witnessed an unexpected sight, Teo was shyly peeking into the kitchen while nervously tugging on her left ear.

    "Hello, Teo."

    "Eeeek...!"

    The ck-haired boy casually walked up to the brown-haired girl and greeted her but Teo reacted as if he just jumped her out of nowhere, and shrieked in panic.

    "Ah! S-sir Zoemi...!"

    The short girl in a maid''s uniform regained her senses and bowed down apologetically.

    "Y-you surprised me..."

    She looked down and blushed.

    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to."

    Zoemi who got surprised himselfughed awkwardly.

    Teo raised her hand and started tugging on her left ear once again which of course made Zoemi curious.

    |Oh! She got herself an earring!|

    He realized.

    |...something feels wrong about this thing...|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows experiencing a really bad feeling and he reached his hand out to grab the girl''s hand in order to have a better look at the piece of the jewelry without her covering it.

    "Eh...!?"

    Teo yelped surprised and stared at Zoemi in shock but also a little bit of happiness.

    The ck-haired boy didn''t react to that, focusing on the earring instead.

    ...it had a shadow...

    "...!"

    But as soon as the ck-haired boy reached out for it, he was flooded by a wave of hatred so strong that he barely stopped himself from ripping the damn thing right off of Teo''s ear and smashing it against the wall ¨C to the point of having to step away and clench his hand into a fist.

    "Sir Zoemi...?

    Teo tilted her head in confusion and instantly started rubbing her ear which must have been itchy after being pierced only recently.

    "That earing ¨C where did you get it from...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked in a cautious tone, straining himself to not sound too aggressive.

    "It was a gift from..."

    "I wouldn''t wear it if I were you."

    Teo tried to exin but Zoemi couldn''t stop himself and dered staring at the piece of jewelry as if it was responsible for the death of his most important person.

    "...n-no...! I like it!"

    The brown-haired girl flinched and stepped back, covering the earring protectively with both hands, shielding it from the hateful re of the ck-haired boy.

    "..."

    Zoemi nced at her, gritting his teeth making Teo look down with a pitiful expression of an unjustly kicked puppy.

    "...sorry for that ¨C just promise me that you will take that thing off if something weird will start happening, alright...?"

    The girl''s expression made the ck-haired boy breathe out and mutter in a bothered voice.

    "...a-alright..."

    Teo gulped down her saliva and nodded, making sure that the earring would stay out of the boy''s vision just in case....

 Chapter 205 - 63 - Morning Full Of Surprises (part 2)

    "Big brother!"

    Patishi was already in the kitchen and weed Zoemi as enthusiastically as ever.

    "Ah, there you are! I was wondering how long will you be slee... eh...?!"

    The thin girl even smiled brightly to Teo ¨C but then she noticed the reddened ear and stepped back closing her mouth with a furious expression.

    |...oh, thats'' right ¨C Teo is wearing the maid''s outfit. Patishi must have confused her with Veo...|

    The ck-haired boy realized ncing between the two girls.

    "..."

    Patishi looked as if she was chewing on her tongue to stop herself from calling out Teo''s behavior.

    "Patishi, listen, we can just..."

    The brown-haired girl in a maid''s uniform stepped forward and reached out towards Patishi, but the younger girl stepped out of her reach while gritting her teeth causing Teo to flinch.

    "...hello...?"

    Thankfully, at that time the real Veo entered the kitchen looking between the trio in confusion - and she got especially shocked at the sight of the Teo''s earring which she noticed instantly.

    "VEO!"

    Patishi, who seemed to be on the verge of actually speaking out her mind about Teo, called out and ran up to the older girl and hugged her protectively ¨C the two of them were basically the same height even though there were about two years of difference between them.

    "Now, now... are you angry at yourself because you couldn''t recognize me and her?"

    Veo smiled and patted Patishi on the back reassuringly.

    "...that shouldn''t happen again, though, right...?"

    "...?"

    She added looking over at her embarrassed younger sister, making Zoemi raise his brow...

    ...Veo had her earring on the other ear ¨C but there was no sign of a hole in the earringless ear...

    "Teo ¨C you could have asked me about the present that my prince gave me ¨C I told him that I don''t like pain, so he gifted me a clip-on earring instead of a normal one ¨C we stopped talking, but I wouldn''t lie to you."

    "!!!"

    The older twin exined tugging on her ear ¨C causing the younger twin to flinch and look down with her face crimson red from embarrassment and shame.

    "..."

    Teo''s shoulders trembled and before anyone broke the silence that befallen their group, the ashamed girl ran out of the kitchen.

    "...I thought that the earring would pick her curiosity and make her talk to me..."

    Veo looked after her sister and breathed out with a guilty expression.

    "No! Veo, it is not your fault!"

    Patishi stepped away from the older girl and shook her head vigorously.

    "It''s okay. Where she even got that earring ¨C it really has a simr design to mine..."

    Veo smiled at the younger girl and then looked up at the silent Zoemi with a questioning look.

    "That''s what I want to know too ¨C that thing gives me the creeps."

    "...creeps...?"

    The ck-haired boy scoffed, furrowing his brows...

    --------

    After finishing preparing the food, Zoemi checked up on Teo ¨C but she merely asked him to tell Miriette that she needs a day off, all through the closed door.

    It was rather discouraging ¨C if not annoying - but aside from that nothing unusual happened.

    -------

    "Zoemi what do you think about going on a shopping trip with me in two days?"

    Miriette asked casually while her attendant was brushing her unruly dark hair.

    "...!"

    The unexpected question made the boy flinch and he straightened his back looking at Miriette''s face reflecting in the mirror.

    "Shopping trip? Of course, mydy, but what about the lectures...? That day isn''t our day off..."

    Zoemi quickly regained hisposure and asked making sure that his voice is casual enough.

    If he didn''t know any better, he would have thought that the dark-haired girl asked him out on a date using the fact that they were alone.

    "Oh? Ah! You didn''t check the announcement board!"

    "...?"

    Miriette furrowed her brows and looked back at the ck-haired boy before her eyes widened in realization and she gasped ¨C causing Zoemi to raise his brows in confusion.

    "The second and third-year students have the mandatory duel sses on that day ¨C the thing is, the first years like us can watch them, but that is not mandatory at all."

    The dark-haired girl smirked cheekily and puffed out her chest.

    "...I''m not sure, mydy... Don''t you think that it might be interesting to see how the duels work...?"

    |I need to talk her out of that idea ¨C as long as Aspakeony is vignt, the Academy is far safer than some random town and sketchy shops...!|

    The ck-haired attendant spoke out loud while his real thoughts raced inside his head.

    "..."

    Hearing Zoemi''s words and seeing his hesitant expression the dark-haired girl sighed and rolled her eyes.

    "...and how about we as Horeo to join us too? We could get someone from the Academy, or even the King''s Guard, to watch over us that way..."

    "...!"

    Miriette was prepared this time ¨C she didn''t want to propose that idea first since she hoped that Zoemi would want to go on a date with her, but clearly, his dutiful mind wouldn''t let him.

    "If that''s the case, myde ¨C then indeed that''s an amazing idea!"

    Zoemi''s face lighted up with a smile.

    It was like killing two birds with one stone ¨C making sure that Horeo and Miriette''s rtionship stays as good as possible while having maximum protection ¨C having someone other than himself focused on keeping Miriette safe sounded like an excellent idea.

    ...Zoemi only had to ignore the jealous side of him that didn''t actually want Horeo to go on a date with Miriette...

    |OHOHOHOHOHOHO! He fell for it!|

    ...but in actuality, he was unknowingly falling into Miriette''s n.

    The dark-haired girl knew for sure that the first prince will be unable to go with them on the shopping date that very day!

    How did she know that?

    Because Horeo himself hasined to her that he was called back to the royal castle by his father ¨C something about staying by his side during an important conference to get him acquainted with the king''s duties or whatever ¨C Miriette wasn''t even sure herself because she instantly started creating her n the moment she heard the prince''s words...

    And as for the people watching over them...?

    Miriette had the best guards with her anyway, the three air emperor spells she activated while Zoemi was recuperating after getting whipped.

    They had the advantage over humans in form of being unable tomunicate with anyone else besides herself, so they would never tell on her and get her or Zoemi in trouble...

    ...though, as a disadvantage they had to stay as far away from Zoemi as possible ¨C Even though they were made out of the air they were also made out of mana, so Zoemi could see their shadows...

    ...and if Zoemi spotted them, he would definitely get angry at Miriette for conjuring them, as even while merely discussing the idea, he realized that because air emperors were cumtive spells, they would eventually grow strong enough to break free from the caster''s control...

    ...yeah...

    |I will be careful, what''s the worst that could happen anyways?|

    The dark-haired scoffed internally and smiled back at her attendant.

    "Then... you agree?"

    She asked him to bepletely sure.

    "Of course, mydy. I can''t'' wait."

    The ck-haired boy smiled brightly and bowed his head to her, making Miriette''s heart flutter.

    |A date...! A date with Zoemi!|

    The dark-haired girl trembled from excitement and leaned back on her chair...

    "Mydy, your hair..."

    Zoemi nced down at her head and spoke awkwardly, raising the hairbrush with a meaningful look.

    "Ah! Y-yes...!"

    Miriette turned away so he could start dealing with her wild hair but she already knew that they are going to bete ¨C there''s no way that those lovestruck curls would straighten themselves into the hairstyle she requested at the beginning...

    Calling down was simply an impossible task for her...

    |It''s a date! A date! I asked him out for a date and he agreed! Teo was right ¨C it''s alright to be a little bit proactive!|

    The dark-haired girl thought to herself happily.

 Chapter 206 - 63 - Morning Full Of Surprises (part 3)

    The master-attendant pair went to the ssroom as usual, when they entered, Zoemi automatically looked at the heroine''s desk to check if she was present and he held his breath when he noticed the empty seat.

    Honestly, he really wanted to run back to the dormitory to check up on her ¨C and have the important talk but...

    "..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows ¨C actually, there were no buts.

    "Mydy ¨C I forgot about something important ¨C I will try to get back as soon as possible but I most likely won''t make it for the first lecture."

    The ck-haired boy walked stopped the dark-haired girl and bowed his head apologetically.

    "Eh...? Oh, no, it''s alright. It must be something important, so go."

    Miriette raised her brows but then smiled and waved her hand benevolently.

    The attendant bowed his head even deeper and left the ssroom without further ado while the dark-haired nobledy took her usual ces and prepared for the lesson.

    "Zoemi just left but you seem to be in a better mood than ever... what happened...?"

    Even before saying hello to the first prince Miriette was smirking smugly and looking down on her fiance as he asked her, squinting his eyes in suspicion.

    "No, seriously. Did something happen or are you just that ted to see me...?"

    Horeo added seeing Miriette''s smug smile only growing bigger and bigger into a beaming grin of superiority ¨C the dark-haired girl looked as if she was about to burst into a peal of triumphantughter right in the first prince''s face.

    "Oh, you poor soul, you''re going to go bald from jealousy when you hear this!"

    Miriette was indeed ecstatic and she didn''t hesitate even a bit before spilling out everything to her greatest love rival.

    -------

    "You little...! And Zoemi agreed...!?"

    Horeo had problems with keeping his mouth closed, the news he just received from his fiance was too shocking even for him.

    "He did! You can ask him yourself if you don''t believe me! At first, he seemed rather worried, but then I reassured him that everything will be alright and he happily consented!:

    Miriette was reporting with a flushed face, she even kept fanning her face with a sheet of paper...

    ...although she was doing that mostly so that Horeo couldn''t take a good look at her face...

    Why?

    Because the dark-haired girl conveniently forgot to mention that Zoemi agreed on the shopping trip only because she promised to invite the first prince too!

    But as the saying goes ¨C everything''s allowed in love and war ¨C and Miriette wasn''t going to pull any punches when it came to psychological warfare against the one person she couldn''t allow herself to lose to.

    "No... I don''t believe you. There''s no chance that he would just agree like that, not if you tantly called it a date in his face, his work ethics are too strong! You''re lying!"

    Horeo shook his head managing to correctly see through the girl''s lies but...

    "Ohohohoho!"

    Mirietteughed proudly while putting her hand to her mouth, doubling down instead of folding

    "So you say, but that only means that Zoemi finally realized that he loves me so much he doesn''t care for such trivial thing!"

    She dered without batting an eye though the was starting to get cold feet ¨C actually, she was very grateful for the ck-haired boy suddenly leaving before the lecture started ¨C if he was there, Horeo could easily learn the truth within seconds...

    "There''s no way...!"

    Horeo put his fist up to his mouth and bit his finger.

    Usually, he could tell when Miriette was messing with him or trying to fool him, but now...

    With Zoemi out of the picture, her shamelessness and overconfidence reared their heads without any breaks.

    "And here I thought that I still had time!"

    The first prince said more to himself than to his fiance, then he took a deep breath and red at Miriette.

    "You know what this means, right? Kiddy-gloves are off! I''m not giving him to you!"

    "Ohoho~!"

    Others would have backed off after seeing the first prince''s grim expression but Miriette reveled in it. What could be better than seeing the desperation of her love-rival?

    "You can try, but the war is already over and the winner is clear!"

    She dered, reveling on the inside after seeing the actual panic in Horeo''s eyes.

    "Don''t get cocky with me, you cunning fox!"

    The blond boy flinched and straightened his back before raising his hand and pointing his index finger at the dark-haired girl''s face.

    "Student Espine, student Bellcephora - everyone knows that you are engaged but the ssroom during the lecture isn''t the right time to flirt."

    As the argument was getting heated ¨C but that was when the blue-haired teacher Rokiana Grea Perserios raised her voice and called out to the future royal couple, reminding them about time and ce.

    "We are sorry, teacher."

    "We will be quiet now."

    Both the first prince and the nobledy owed their heads apologetically and apologized at the same time.

    Rokiana nodded at them and returned the subject of the lesson without addressing the case again, trusting in the honor students.

    "Hmhmm~!"

    "..."

    Miriette smirked and nced triumphantly at the disgruntled Horeo, causing the gold-haired boy to grit his teeth.

    |Wha should I do now? If only I was a girl I could tempt Zoemi with my body...! Argh! What am I supposed to do!? I knew that she had an advantage over me and that this will be how our rivalry will end ¨C but...! Damn it! I don''t want to loos! Zoemi is mine too!|

    Horeo couldn''t focus on the lecture at all ¨C in the end, the conversation with Miriette shook him to the core and he kept on nervously tapping his foot.

    |I should ask him to restart the training sessions... yeah... that would be good... Having him in the state of the mana depletion would definitely lower the difficulty bar... No. That''s a terrible idea - he would hate me if I used that against him the second time...|

    The gold-haired prince partially discarded the idea - the training sessions would be good after all, Zoemi would probably agree too...

    ...although recently he certainly couldn''tin about the number of people that wanted to train with him...

    "..."

    The rather annoying thought entered Horeo''s mind, making him scowl.

    |And all of that happens when I won''t be even able to be here... so annoying...|

    He scoffed to himself watching the empty seat where the ck-haired attendant would be sitting if he didn''t leave the ssroom in a hurry earlier....

 Chapter 207 - 64 - Morning Full Of Surprises (part 4)

    Zoemi rushed to the dormitory building and walked into the female part of the building going straight for the heroine''s room.

    Most of the students, even those from second and third years were attending the lectures or practical exercises from the early morning, so he didn''t really meet anyone except a few other attendants and academy staff doing their chores.

    Zoemi greeted those whom he know but definitely wasn''t going to stop for a chat with anyone for whatever reason, far too bothered by the possible reason for Burushiitto''s absence from their lesson.

    First of all, she might have not even been in her room ¨C but still, it should be the first ce that he should check.

    "...''ve told you to get out of my way!"

    "Student Derizno, this is not up to debate ¨C student Burushiitto is not feeling well and you should be attending your lectures anyway."

    |...what the...?!|

    And as Zoemi suddenly overheard the conversation as he was turning the corner, it turned out that he was very much correct in his haste ¨C Xeonith, of all people, was arguing with someone whose voice the ck-haired boy couldn''t quite recognize.

    From their words it was easy to guess that both of them would be in front of the heroine''s room ¨C and after a few more steps Zoemi indeed saw that very scene.

    "...!"

    ...and he raised his brows in surprise.

    The brown-haired capture target was facing a much taller older dark-haired gentleman with gray streaks, blocking him the ess to the door of the blond girl''s bedroom.

    "Who are you to tell me what I should do? You better exin yourself what you are doing here, darkness magician ¨C the likes of you have no ce in this Academy!"

    Xeonith was clearly very angry for being stopped from doing whatever it was he wanted to do ¨C to the point of actually activating his physical enchantment.

    "I already told you ¨C I am a new teacher hired by lord Vereq ¨C Vizta Emmer Banemor. As such I have all the rights to tell you exactly what you should do.

    The older gentleman scoffed without the slightest bit of hesitation or worry, even though a transcended earth magician was basically threatening to engage him in closebat ¨C which would be basically impossible to win for anyone except someone wielding the ice attribute.

    |That''s the shadow corpse puppet that Aspy showed mest night...!|

    Zoemi realized after taking a closer look at the dark-haired teacher''s shadow and noticing the rather obvious half-slug half-human-shaped shadow leeching into him.

    "That''s ridiculous as if anyone would hire the likes of you as teachers ¨C if anything you are the dangerous person trying to mess with themoner girl using the opportunity!" Show me the proof of you being the teacher or get out of my way!"

    Xeonith scoffed and raised his hands, taking a battle stance, and dered in a prideful voice, pressuring the corpse puppet whose appearance turned into a very convincing living person ¨C a great improvement over his state thest time Zoemi saw him.

    "Student Derizno, there is nothing that I have to prove to you ¨C if anything, you will have to prove to me if you have the ability to read ¨C the notice about my employment has been on the announcement board near the entrance since this very morning ¨C the same one you had to pass on your way here. The female part of the dormitory. While you should be attending teacher Auequas''s lecture."

    Far from being fazed by the obvious threat, the corpse puppet controlled by the gray-haired necromancer red down at the brown-haired boy scornfully and started impatiently tapping his fingers on his thigh.

    |...was there an announcement like that...?|

    Zoemi, watching them from the side after stopping in ce from the surprise of seeing the pair, furrowed his brows and nced back over his shoulder.

    Honestly ¨C whether there was an announcement like that or not, at least he didn''t see it before...

    "..."

    "..."

    Both Xeonith and the shadow corpse puppet stared at each other in silence- and with each passing second, the second-year student was visibly losing his confidence under the unwavering re of the dark eyes.

    ...quite an interesting situation ¨C but the ck-haired attendant wanted to have a talk with the blond heroine, preferably as soon as possible...

    Well, thankfully, the easiest way to aplish that was right in front of him.

    ...he only needed to get rid of Xeonith ¨C in-game his character was already annoying, but after seeing him harassing Burushi, Zoemi didn''t have a very affable opinion about him...

    Luckily the things that the ck-haired boy overheard allowed him toe up with a quick and hopefully efficient method of getting rid of him.

    "Lord Derizno!"

    "...!"

    "...?"

    Zoemi called out and ran up to the surprised brown-haired boy.

    "Ah, teacher Banemor, good morning!"

    The ck-haired boy hurriedly politely bowed to the shadow corpse puppet.

    "Student Auequas, hello ¨C what brings you here ¨C shouldn''t you be attending teacher Rokiana''s lecture right about now?"

    The man didn''t even flinch but Zoemi could see the shadow of the necromancer waver ¨C which only made the boy realize that the corpse puppets have some degree of autonomy and aren''t always one hundred percent dependent on the gray-haired girl directly steering them.

    "Sorry teacher ¨C miss Burushi didn''t show up for the lecture and I was told to check up on her ¨C lord Derizno, I passed teacher Auequas on my way here ¨C she told me to ask you to attend her lecture if I saw you."

    The ck-lied smoothly, speaking in a clear voice without any indication that he was making stuff up as he spoke.

    "...!"

    "Why would she ask you to...? Oh..."

    The corpse puppet raised his brow at the boy''s words while Xoenith scoffed and was about to call out Zoemi''s lie but then it seemed like he realized that the surname''s matched and the brown-haired boy gasped in realization.

    "..."

    Xeonith hesitated for a second before the light of his enhancements faded away and he put down his hands.

    "Since that''s the case, I will go to her ¨C Auequas, I want you to pass themoner my message ¨C if you still want to talk, contact me after the sses are over."

    "I will be d to, my lord!"

    The brown-haired boy dered ¨C to which the ck-haired attendant answered in the servile voice and bowed down much deeper than he did while greeting the shadow corpse puppet a moment earlier.

    "Good."

    Xeonith nodded his head and turn around, leaving without actually saying farewell or anything.

    "...what would you do if he wrecked this body? Lord Derizno has way more mana than this copse and he is an earth magician ¨C he could tear this guy in two..."

    After making sure that Xeonith went out of the dormitory, Zoemi straightened his back and asked, nodding at the Banemor.

    "As if a kid like him would be able to actually harm someone ¨C pipsqueaks like himck the actual resolve to act upon their impulses. If you think otherwise, you still have a lot to do in terms of understanding humans."

    "...?"

    The dark-haired man scoffed, shaking his head, and his peculiar choice of words made Zoemi raise his brow in confusion.

    "Listen, boy, you can''t back off from brats like that, I said that hecks resolve but only if he has someone who stops him from thinking he is free to do whatever he wants¨C you give a brat like that an inch today, they will take a mile tomorrow. But anyway ¨C are you really here because little Rokiana sent you or...?"

    The corpse puppet exined before tilting his head and asking.

    "I need to have a talk with Burushi ¨C it''s very important ¨C and you may listen if you want. Just... brace yourself for some crazy talk."

    Zoemi wasn''t really asking either ¨C he really just exined what he was about to do, and moved past the surprised shadow corpse puppet, raising his hand towards the door and knocking on it...

    "...she is there, isn''t she...?"

    "Yeah."

    The ck-haired boy nced over at Banemor questioningly and got a nod of confirmation in return.

    *click*

    Not only that ¨C as soon as he did so, the noise of the door unlocking resounded through the air and the doorknob moved.

    The next moment the door itself opened just a little bit and the pale, clearly scared heroine peeked from behind it at the ck-haired boy and the dark-haired man.

    "...s-sir Zoemi... what do you want to talk about...?"

    Burushi asked, not even trying to hide the fact that she had been standing by her door the past few minutes and listening in on what was going on on the outside.

    "I will get to the point before something weird happen and makes it all far tooplicated, okay?"

    "...?"

    Zoemi breathed out and said with an awkward smile, causing the girl to blink a few times in confusion.

    "I am a reincarnated person ¨C and so are you, right? This whole world has a setting like a certain otome game, but is also different in many ways ¨C let''s help each other out."

    "!!!!!!!!"

    The boy dered which resulted in the wide-eyed heroine taking a few staps back away from the door, allowing him to walk in.

    "Could you keep watch while we talk?"

    Zoemi winked at the corpse puppet and closed the door before he could answer to that....

 Chapter 208 - 64 - Morning Full Of Surprises (part 5)

    "...so you say ¨C but for me, it is still more usible that this world IS a game and you are simply a character written to break the fourth wall with the yer..."

    Zoemi and Burushi were seated while facing each other ¨C the ck-haired boy took the chair and was sitting next to the desk, while the blond girl was anxiously sitting by the end of her ed, looking as if she was ready to throw herself towards the door at even the slightest suspicious movement form him.

    ...she also didn''t seem to be convinced about everything that Zoemi told her...

    ...which honestly was just an abridged version of everything that happened to him up until that point

    "Seriously...? But aren''t you alive right here and now? You even had the first-hand experience of how an actual hierarchical society would treat a low-barnmoner. If this is a game, where is your plot armor? From what I''ve seen, you have been doing a great job of ying the empty-headed heroine from the game and got kicked in the gut for doing so."

    The ck-haired bo who spent almost an hour putting himself in the best light to convince the heroine that it would be best to join him, just to be treated as an NPC with a slightly more advanced AI and fleshed out backstory, honestly felt a little bit offended.

    "Yeah... easy for you to say that ¨C you went and killed me the other day and the save state was loaded, bringing me back to life..."

    "I did a WHAT now?! Impossible!"

    Burushi murmured looking away, too anxious to make eye contact with Zoemi ¨C and the ck-haired-bo who definitely heard her, raised his voice and straightened his back, staring at the blond heroine in disbelief.

    "That''s what I am talking about! If this world wasn''t a game then I wouldn''t be alive anymore!"

    Interestingly, Burushi clearly took his reaction for confirmation of her viewpoint ¨C which it most definitely wasn''t.

    "What do you mean I killed you?! When?!"

    Zoemi shook his head and asked in an urgent voice.

    "When you ask... on the same day that you told me that you will visit me because you wanted to talk! And sure you did! You werete, I opened the door and then you said that I should have conquered Xeonith and KILLED ME with your stupid dagger spell!"

    The blond girl crossed her arms and cowered defensively, looking at the ck-haired attendant with part-sulking and part-fearful expression.

    "...!"

    |...what...? wait.. what...? No way, but that was...!|

    Zoemi leaned back into the chair,pletely taken aback by the deration.

    Although... it wasn''t like he was so bewildered by the usation ¨C on, no ¨C it was just that the timing of the supposed murder and the extreme deja vu marathon seemed to match...

    "Hah...! Look at how shocked you are!"

    Burushi scoffed, raising her feet off of the floor and moving them onto the bed so that she could rest her chin on her knees.

    *thump*

    "Of course, I am shocked ¨C in what stupid reality I would want you to go to that creepy pervert?! I didn''t help you out twice just to push you onto that scum!"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi actually got really angry about that usation too.

    Whether it was because of the environment he was forced to live in after his mother ¨C in his current world ¨C died, or was it because of some other, deep-seated hatred that he couldn''t quite exin, the ck-haired attendant would lose his temper if he encountered a pervert.

    Even the thought of being someone who forces someone else to stay around a deprived person without any respect and morals when it came to others was enough to make his blood boil ¨C so he smacked his fist against the heroine''s desk, making the girl flinch and shudder, as the stuff she left on the desk rustled because of the vibration caused by the hit.

    "...sorry for that..."

    Zoemi bowed his head apologetically because of his outburst and breathed out.

    "Listen ¨C Do you remember at what time it was exactly?"

    He asked, still sounding apologetic ¨C because he was very much so...

    "...why would you care to know...? The save file was loaded anyway and you showed up looking scary when I was with Xeonith!"

    Burushi hugged her knees and mumbled, making a pitiful expression.

    "I know for sure that I didn''t kill you ¨C this might sound crazy, but I think I remember what happened before the save file loaded ¨C though I don''t think that it was exactly what you think it was."

    "...?"

    The ck-haired boy raised his head and exined while biting his lips ¨C causing the blond girl to squint her eyes suspiciously.

    "...what do you mean...?"

    She asked fidgeting nervously.

    "Well... I thought that I was just having a huge deja vu, but if you also experienced two versions of the same day..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows deep in thoughts and tilted his head.

    "I made supper for Miriette and was going to see you ¨C like I said I would - but then the headmaster wanted to talk to me and took me to he... his office. Then I clearly remember going back to the dormitory and identally scaring teacher Rokiana, making her drop the very expensivemunication crystal and broke it.. and I took her to Miriette so that she could at least contact the person she was talking to and say what happened."

    The boy exined forcing himself to recall the memories which his brain had already ssified as a random mistake.

    "Communication crystal...?"

    Burushi furrowed her brows and murmured in confusion.

    "A piece of mana crystal inscribed with runes and filled with the wind attribute mana ¨C it basically is like the very basic voice-operated smartphone that can only be used to connect to another crystal that was connected by the wind magician,"

    The by exined with a smirk ¨C finding the situation oddly funny ¨C he was talking about smartphones in the world of magic and he actually felt that he was so out of ce because of doing that...!

    "...so what... You went cooking and help out teachers and then you walked here and killed me like it was nothing...?"

    Burushi who didn''t seem to share his nostalgia about the idea of the smartphone mumbled, hugging her knees ever so stronger.

    "No! That''s the thing ¨C when Miriette and teacher Rokiana were talking, I suddenly experienced this horrible pain as if my body was breaking and the n to make things weirder, it felt like I was at two ces at once ¨C from one point of view I saw the everything ying out in reverse, while on the other I was in this creepy room ¨C I think a treasury or something - and I was sitting on a crystal box with a severed arm inside of it... And then I suddenly was back to my own body making the supper a few hours earlier! I am not making this up ¨C I swear."

    The ck-haired boy dered with a serious expression.

    "...you do sound like you are making it up though..."

    The blond heroine muttered inint looking to the side.

    "After that, it was like I said earlier ¨C I went basically straight to you, but you weren''t in your room and Ehmi..."

    Zoemi raised his hands and waved them in denial before she suddenly froze in ce after speaking the name of the small, tinum-haired girl.

    "...Ehmi...? Grazio''s older sister? What about her?"

    Burushi got surprised by Zoemi''s suddenck of movements and asked.

    "Ehmi has time magic! Why didn''t I realize it sooner! We can go to her and ask whether she noticed something!"

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy jumped up from his chair and dered, startling the blond-haired heroine.

    "What? Listen ¨C as I exined to you before ¨C I didn''t manage to y through Grazio''s route ¨C but you are not going to tell me now that Ehmi was a character that was breaking the fourth wall, right? If she knows something then that confirms my version!"

    He dered walking towards the door, stopping only to wait for the hesitant heroine.

    "...but... but I saw you. You killed me with that dark dagger..."

    But instead of following him, Burushiitto slid farther away on the mattress and tapped the top of her wrist to show where the darkness de that killed her appeared from...

    "...huh...?"

    Zoemi blinked in confusion, staring at her hand.

    "....wait ¨C the guy who killed you looked like me but his darkness de showed up from here...?"

    He asked to make sure, taping the top of his wrist just like the heroine did a moment earlier.

    "Not just some guy! It was you!"

    Burushitto cried out in anger.

    "No... no ¨C look ¨C and don''t be afraid -this is just a demonstration."

    Zoemi shook his head and raised one arm while extending the other one to calm down the girl on the verge of panicking.

    "Darkness de."

    He chanted and the murky ck de sprouted up...

    ...from the base of his wrist ¨C NOT from the top...!

    "...!"

    ...which made the heroine''s eyes widen in shock ¨C clearly throwing her off so much that she forgot to be scared and got out of her bed and approached the ck-haired boy on her own ¨C she even reached out and grabbed Zoemi''s hand and moved it closer to her face!

    "...this... this is different..."

    Burushi gasped in realization and looked up at the ck-haired boy smiling at her with satisfaction.

    "See? Now ¨C I still want to talk to Ehmi about that time travel stuff or whatever just in case ¨C are youing too?"

    Zoemi asked, releasing his spell, making the dagger-like de disappear into the air.

    "Alright."

    The blond heroine gulped down her saliva and nodded.

 Chapter 209 - 65 - Morning Full Of Surprises (part 6)

    Their first break has already started, but Miriette and Horeo didn''t stay inside waiting for the beginning of the next one and instead left the ssroom to look for the ck-haired attendant under the excuse of taking a short walk...

    "Zoemi said that he should be back soon but he ended up disappearing instead ¨C here should we start looking...?"

    Miriette murmured holding onto the first prince''s arm just like a lovestruck fiancee was expected to look ¨C although her concerned expression wasn''t fitting that setting all too well.

    "...my love...? I think that we have already found him..."

    "What?! When?!"

    The gold-haired prince answered her in a shocked voice, making the dark-haired girl flinch and look at him in confusion.

    "...look..."

    "...?"

    Horeo certainly didn''t sound happy for the fact that the ck-haired attendant was found so easily, and pointed down the hallway with his free hand, making Miriette look at in that direction...

    ------

    "...years said that she actually went to our ss right? She must be around here then."

    "We might have missed her ¨C she is tiny."

    ...the ck-haired boy in question was on his way back to the ssroom, but he wasn''t alone ¨C the blondmoner girl was trotting right after him and they were having a hushed conversation.

    "Wait ¨C is she really? She never showed up in the game, but if you conversed about her with Grazo, he would always talk about how powerful and beautiful his older sister was ¨C he adores her to the point where you couldn''t conquer him if you badmouthed her in a conversation... there was even a whole side-story that focused on Grazio entering the contest for Ehmi''s hand just so he could stop his family from marrying her off to the winner."

    The blond girl flinched and stopped the ck-haired boy and spoke something to him that Miriette and Horeo ended up overhearing only because they were approaching the pair and focusing solely on them.

    "Well, she is very petite ¨C maybe Grazio''s actually into lolis? You im that he is a tsundere too, so everything''s possible at this point..."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and turned around to look the heroine in the eyes.

    "I don''t think so...? I could swear that I remember a voice-line when Grazio says that he is into motherly girls."

    Burushi shook her head and furrowed her brows trying to recall a distant memory.

    "Well ¨C she is his sister, his taste in women shouldn''t really be matching with her appearance ¨C because seriously, she is tin-UUFF...!"

    Just as the ck-haired attendant was turning around, about to start walking again, something suddenly bumped into him, well, something bumped into his stomach.

    ...and it wasn''t either Horeo or Miriette who by that point were standing next to the ck-haired boy and the blond-haired girl and tried to look as if they were idly strolling instead of eavesdropping.

    "Who are you calling tiny, you cheeky brat?!"

    "!!!"

    The bumping was apanied by the cute yet very angry sounding voice ¨C which made the surprised Zoemi look down...

    ...just to see the pink-tinted tinum hair as the short person called out into his stomach.

    ...because she most definitely didn''t step back after bumping into Zoemi...

    "Ehmi...!"

    The ck-haired boy gasped in surprise, but the shock quickly changed into satisfaction ¨C It was definitely the girl that they were looking for!

    "Yeah, yeah, it''s me... and what got into you ¨C trying to trample others just because you are slightly bigger than them...?!"

    It was the little senior all right.- she finally stepped back and was touching her nose with a sulky expression.

    She must have bumped it on Zoemi''s stomach ¨C but it was more likely that she was just upset about being called out on her unimpressive frame.

    "Uuu... I went to see you to make sure that no one started bullying you and this is what I get! I demandpensation! Eat lunch with me today!"

    Ehmi put her hand down andposed herself but considering her choice of words, she didn''t even attempt to act like a proper senior ¨C but that actually fit her appearance very well, making her look rather adorable and not at all graceful which was what she must have been going for.

    "Zoemi, is this child supposed to bedy Victureo, like, seriously?"

    Burushiitto tilted her head and nudged the ck-haired attendant in the side, mouthing her question to not be heard.

    "Hey! Who are you calling a child?!"

    Ehmi scoffed at Burushi and pouted.

    "...seriously...?"

    Burushi shook her head and looked between Zoemi and Ehmi, blinking repeatedly in disbelief.

    "Ekhm! Right. Lady Ehmi ¨C this is Burushiitto. A friend of mine and a healing variant attribute wielder. Miss Burushi, this isdy Ehmi Gamemi Victureo. Since she''s so youthful you might not realize but she''s an older sister of sir Grazio and also a third-year student."

    Zoemi hurriedly introduced the two girls to each other making sure to keep the proper etiquette.

    "Hmhm~!"

    While he was doing so, the pink-tinted tinum-haired girl proudly puffed out her chest, it seemed she liked the way that the ck-haired attendant referred to her.

    -----

    "...Zoemi knows Ehmi ¨C when the two of them got acquainted...?!"

    Miriette leaned over from behind Horeo and murmured angrily, ring at the short girl from behind her cover.

    Horeo and Miriette were making trying to be stealthy ¨C which meant that Horeo whose golden hair wasn''t umon amongst the students of the academy was ying a role of a wall, providing cover for his fiancee.

    Of course, there''s no way that Zoemi wouldn''t be able to spot either of them just because of something like that but the attendant''s attention was clearly elsewhere at the moment.

    "...I told you that I had a talk with both of them, did you seriously forget...? What did the perspective of going on a date with Zoemi clear out your memory or something...?"

    The gold-haired prince rolled his eyes and scoffed at the girl snuggling up to him without any warm emotions whatsoever.

    "...I... I may have forgotten about that..."

    Miriette admitted with embarrassment but didn''t take her eyes off of the group ¨C and her re grew colder while she focused on the two girls on both sides of her attendant.

    "And why is either of them acting so familiar with my Zoemi?"

    The dark-haired girl mumbled angrily, clenching her fist on Horeo''s vest.

    "Well, Ehmi is a really outgoing and friendly person ¨C it''s hard not to be friends with her honestly ¨C but with thatmoner girl... I know Zoemi feels grateful to her because she healed his wounds and fixed his scars... Say, could it be that the thing that bothered Zoemi enough to miss the lecture had something to do with her? For example ¨C does he feel like he should put an end to the bullying that themoner girl is experiencing...?"

    Horeo exined before furrowing his brows and looking over at the trio engrossed in their own talk.

    "Wait ¨C she is still getting bullied?! But I made Teo promise to stop do...!"

    Miriette flinched and looked up at her fiance taken aback ¨C before she suddenly closed her eyes and looked away.

    "Teo? You made Teo promise to stop what...?"

    The gold-haired prince frowned and squinted his eyes at the dark-haired girl, who adamantly refused to make eye contact.

    "...stop making a scene or they will notice us..."

    Miriette didn''t even try to answer hi and changed the subject back to Zoemi and his female friends....

 Chapter 210 - 65 - Morning Full Of Surprises (part 7)

    <h4>Chapter 210 ¨C 65 ¨C Morning Full Of Surprises (part 7)</h4>

    "¡­alright, that''s enough of this¡­"

    "Miriette¡­?!"

    Even though nothing outrageous was happening, the dark-haired girls seem to have run out of patience and stepped away from her fiance and beelined it towards her attendant while ignoring the first prince''s shocked call.

    "Zoemi, there you are!"

    "Mydy, I''m sorry for missing the lecture."

    Miriette raised her hand and waved at her attendant, smiling benevolently seeing the ck-haired boy''s calm reaction.

    If Zoemi wasn''t panicking, he surely wasn''t ying around with other women behind her back¡­

    ¡­was he¡­?!

    "Lady Espine, hello."

    "¡­!"

    ¡­the dark-haired girl couldn''t help but get suspicious after witnessing the reaction of the two girls standing by Zoemi''s side¡­

    The pinkish-tinum-haired Ehmi greeted her and was gradually shimming her way behind Zoemi to get out of Miriette''s line of sight after the nervous greeting, just as the blond-haired Burushiitto bowed down and almost jumped behind the boy''s back, making them both end up using the ck-haired attendant as the cover.

    "You must be doing something important to not show up ¨C you always tend to diligently take notes¡­"

    |¡­for me¡­|

    The dark-haired girl raised her brow, implying that she wants to know the reason for her attendant''s action ¨C all while ncing threateningly between both Ehmi and Burushi.

    "It is actually ¨C mydy, I know that you were deeply worried that one of our ssmates, miss Burushi here, was experiencing some difficult time, so I took the liberty and decided to help her solve it."

    Miriette re was so cold that even Zoemi started feeling ufortable ¨C he knew that hisdy''s character wasn''t good, to begin with so he chose to switch to half-truths in order to prevent her from flying off the handle in the middle of the hallway.

    "¡­is that so¡­?"

    "!!!"

    Miriette straighten her back and her expression softened while she nced at the cautious blond girl, making the heroine flinch in shock from the rather unexpected ¨C in her opinion ¨C sight.

    ¡­but then the dark-haired girl looked over at the pinkish-tinum-haired girl and straight-up frowned.

    "So? Does that mean you have the culprit pinned down right now? It''s the youngdy Victureo, I see."

    "You see ¨C what?!"

    Ehmiflinched and Zoemi felt her grabbing onto his vest as the young-looking girl leaned from behind him with a furious expression¡­

    ¡­and for some reason, the pinkish glow of her hair turned a little more intense, almost reddish shade.

    "No, no ¨C mydy ¨C Ehmi is a kindhearted person, you don''t have to worry about her ¨C we came to ask her for help, actually."

    The ck-haired attendant took a step towards his master and grabbed her hand.

    "Things between us and her brother might not be actually as bad as we thought ¨C I only ask you to not let things that happened to me to sour the rtionship that hasn''t even properly started yet, mydy."

    Zoemi lowered his head and looked at Miriette with a captivating smile

    "!!!"

    Miriette''s negative feelings evaporated the moment Zoemi grabbed her hand and everything was getting only better for her from that point¡­

    She was gazing into Zoemi''s obsidian eyes and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

    |He said ''us and her brother''. Us¡­! He''s counting the two of us as one¡­! And didn''t he say something about a rtionship? What rtionship¡­? Ours?! Did he mean OUR rtionship?! Does he want to make things official right now?! His face is so close¡­! Kiss¡­! I want to go for a kiss!|

    Miriette stopped caringpletely about where she was ¨C which was the middle of the Aspakeony Academy''s hallway right after the first lecture ¨C and she leaned towards Zoemi, climbing onto her tiptoes and¡­!

    "Bouncing around at the thought of helping out a ssmate, aren''t you, my love?"

    "!!!"

    Horeo instantly understood what Miriette was about to do and was forced to sept into action ¨C he couldn''t let the dark-haired girl cause a massive scandal right when they had tens of eyes glued to them, so he approached the girl, casually grabbed her arm, and pulled her towards himself ¨C thankfully Zoemi wasn''t trying to stop him, or things would have gotten really awkward¡­

    "Hello, miss Victureo, it''s nice to see you again."

    In order to give Miriette a bit of time to cool down, Horeo nodded towards Ehmi.

    "Good morning, my prince."

    The pinkish-tinum-haired girl leaned over from Zoemi''s back, nodded at the first prince, and then immediately hid right back.

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    Then the situation became a bit awkward. Miriette was staring daggers at Horeo, Horeo was smiling as ifpletely nothing happened, Ehmi was holding on to Zoemi''s vest as if she was a lost child, and Burushitto was cowering in the back, seriously considering leaving the scene¡­

    It fell on Zoemi to break the atmosphere.

    "My prince, you see¡­"

    "¡­"

    The ck-haired attendant bowed towards the first prince and his master so he didn''t see the cold stares that both the first prince and his master send Ehmi who became visible after the Zoemi''s movement.

    One could expect that suddenly getting exposed to the angry Miriette would make the small girl shudder ¨C considering that she literally hid behind Zoemi''s back a moment earlier¡­

    ¡­but the expectation was betrayed¡­

    Ehmi''s hair and eyes lost the pinkish glow and became pure-tinum color, her expression turned calm andposed.

    "¡­you, no¡­!"

    Miriette took a loud breath and pulled on Horeo''s arm, reaching out towards the young-looking girl, but Ehmi raised her hand, sticking out her index finger, and traced a counterclockwise circle in the air in front of her¡­

    ¡­the odd pain struck the ck-haired boy and he felt as if he was pulled out of his body ¨C his point of view split in two and beside the academy''s hallway, he also saw the dimly lit treasury, and the crystal box with the severed human arm locked away inside¡­

    The momentter the pain stopped and the boy''s mind returned to his body¡­

    "Zoemi, there you are!"

    "?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?"

    Miriette raised her hand and waved at her attendant, who flinched and stepped back, looking away in panicked confusion.

    "Zoemi, I will be waiting with miss Burushi by the Dormitory''s entrance ¨C join us then and we will have that talk."

    "!!!"

    The tinum-haired Ehmi grabbed shocked Burushi''s arm and waved her other hand at the ck-haired attendant while leaving.

    "Wh-what¡­? Wait, what?!"

    Zoemi turned around to face her and shook his head while trying toprehend what was going on.

    "We will be waiting, see you."

    "Yes, mydy!"

    Ehmi nced back at him and the overwhelming presence that surrounded her was enough to make the attendant instantly kneel and bow down his head in respect.

    "Zoemi?! What just happened?! Why were you with those two?!"

    Miriette flinched and stopped when Zoemi suddenly turned his back on her and got down on one knee, shook her head and grabbed onto the boy''s arm, and started pulling him up, demanding answers in a sulking voice.

    "¡­well, I¡­"

    "¡­whoa¡­!"

    Zoemi raised his head and looked at her, trying to wrap his head around what just happened.

    He also stood up because it looked like Miriette would end up straining her back while trying to move him with her meager strength ¨C which resulted in the dark-haired girl suddenly losing her bnce¡­!

    "MIRIETTE!"

    That made Zoemi call out in shock and step forward, grabbing the girl and pulling her close ¨C which resulted in, well, a rather intimate looking hug¡­.

 Chapter 211 - 65 - Morning Full Of Surprises (part 8)

    <h4>Chapter 211 ¨C 65 ¨C Morning Full Of Surprises (part 8)</h4>

    "¡­"

    The gold-haired prince was quiet ¨C the situation was peculiar and his reaction would matter ¨C if he acted as if the Zoemi catching Mireitte that resulted in the hug bothered him even a little bit, the rumors might spread about the dark-haired girl cheating on him on her attendant.

    There was a positive part to it though ¨C after taking upon himself the scaled-up punishment that was supposed to be Miriette''s, Zoemi status grew to a somewhat of a perfect attendant, so unless neither Horeo nor Miriette will go out of their way to make the save as something inappropriate, no one else would either¡­

    ¡­that is if the dark-haired girl and the ck-haired boy wouldn''t stay like that for too long.

    "!!!"

    OR IF MIRIETTE WOULDN''T TRY TO RETURN THE HUG AS SHE WAS TRYING TO DO RIGHT AT THE VERY MOMENT!

    The first prince had to at whether it would make the situation look suspicious or not, because in this case, his not acting would most definitely lead to the most troublesome oue.

    |That cunning fox brain must have got fried from the closeness¡­!|

    The gold-haired boy scoffed to himself, grabbing Miriette''s arm and pulling her towards himself right out of the protective embrace of her concerned attendant.

    "What the hell are you doing?!"

    "Shut up, are you trying to get Zoemi in trouble?!"

    Horeo nced at Miriette while the dark-haired girl red at him with murderous intent making the gold-haired prince scoff right in her face with anger.

    "She can be so clumsy sometimes¡­ I hope that dealing with my fiancee isn''t causing you too much trouble, my friend."

    The first prince turned to the slightly grumpy-looking Zoemi and smiled at him apologetically, carefully picking his words.

    "My only wish is to assure my master''s happiness, my prince."

    "¡­!"

    The ck-haired boy straightened his back just to bow his head towards the first prince ¨C for everyone else t was just another disy of the textbook performance of a great attendant, but Horeo who knew the ck-haired boy sensed something else in the tone of voice of his friend¡­

    |¡­is¡­ is Zoemi angry at me that I pulled the cunning fox away from him?!|

    The gold-haired boy was so shocked that he actually froze in ce.

    "W-well, the second lecture is about to start ¨C we should get going, my love."

    "¡­?"

    Horeo actually stuttered and turned around, moving the surprised Miriette together with him.

    "Zoemi, you still have something else to do, right? Join us whenever you''re done."

    The gold-haired prince waved his free hand at Zoemi without looking back thrown off by the unexpected discovery.

    |I think that she actually might have won¡­|

    Horeo thought to himself while securely holding onto his fiancee''s shoulders, hoping that she would understand to not do anything stupid in public¡­

    "¡­"

    Miriette nced over her shoulder a few times at the solemn attendant with a grumpy expression but she already calmed down enough to realize the possible dangers of the situation.

    *pinch*

    "¡­ghh¡­!"

    Even so, she did start to mercilessly pinch the side of her fiance regardless¡­

    "I can''t believe it, how dare you block me like that!? Do you want me to send my Air Emperors after your head when you''ll be asleep!?"

    Miriette whispered venomously moving her head upwards towards the first prince''s ear.

    Horeo looked her in the eyes in disbelief, surprised by the sudden attack.

    "You almost kissed him in the middle of the corridor! Think about your surroundings a little! You would get Zoemi in so much trouble that even both of us together would have trouble with saving him!"

    He answered angrily ¨C showing off far more emotions than usually.

    "Pffft!"

    Miriette just snorted.

    "What troubles? I can fly, you can teleport. I have three invisible dragons at my back and call and you have a city-leveling spell gathering the light mana in the atmosphere! Who can stop us?"

    "King''s guards for example, or the royal magician, or one of the ice magicians our families would surely hire! We''re strong but not invincible! Don''t stop thinking now or you''re going to doom Zoemi before I would get the chance to steal him away from you!"

    Horeo rolled his eyes and enlightened the dark-haired girl.

    "The power of the wrath of light is the problem ¨C I have trouble urately targetting anything smaller than a mansion and you cannot forget about the coteral damage. As for your air emperors¡­"

    He hesitated and furrowed his brows trying to recall the time when the three of thempleted the theory about the monstrous spell only a little bit lessplicated than the wrath of light.

    "Wouldn''t they be the same with enough time? They are literally the conscious personification of a hurricane ¨C not to mention that they might stop listening to you if they gather enough mana."

    "I¡­ Urgh! I hate you! Why are you always right?!"

    Miriette wanted to retort but Horeo was speaking the truth.

    "I hope I was right activating the wrath of light ¨C don''t forget that I can fire it whenever I want ¨C unfortunately, that includes doing so subconsciously when I sleep ¨C your spell might end up rebelling against you, but I can literally kill myself and everyone around me if I have a nightmare."

    Horeo sighed andined in a tired voice.

    "¡­"

    Miriette red at him once more but soon her shoulders slumped and she nodded.

    "Yes, you''re right¡­ umtive spells are such a chore¡­"

    She nodded in agreement.

    ¡ª¨C

    Zoemi looked at the backs of his master and her fiance with a heavy heart and expressionless face.

    |¡­I might be getting ahead of myself¡­|

    He took a deep breath and turned around ¨C he certainly had a few things to ask Ehmi.

    After all, she must have been the one to cause the extreme phenomenon this time around¡­

    Zoemi was looking down, deep in thoughts, and took a step forward without looking where he was going and¡­

    "UUFF¡­!"

    "Boy, we need to talk."

    ¡­ended up walking right into a tall burly red-haired tanned man, bumping his face against the man''s chest.

    "Asp¡­! Lord Vereq¡­?!"

    Zoemi took a step back and shook his head in confusion, looking up at the corpse puppet''s face.

    "This will have to wait ¨C youngdy Bictureo and miss Burushi are waiting for m¡­"

    He raised his hand apologetically, but the figurehead headmaster Burdoff Mekhior Vereq controlled by the necromancer Aspakeony shook his head and grabbed the boy''s shoulder.

    "They can wait a little bit ¨C in the first ce that girl isn''t experiencing the flow of time the same time you or even I do.

    Aspakeony spoke in a serious tone through Burdoff''s mouth and grabbed Zoemi without waiting for him toe up with another excuse.

    Going to see her in person wasn''t even a choice and the ck-haired boy was just dragged, utterly confused about what was going on.

 Chapter 212 - 66 - In The Headmasterâ€™s Office (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 212 ¨C 66 ¨C In The Headmaster¡¯s Office (part 1)</h4>

    Aspakeony herself was already waiting for Zoemi in her office, and as soon as he sat down she seated herself on top of hisp without a moment of hesitation.

    "So, I''ve been thinking¡­"

    She said instead of hello and looked Zoemi in the eyes with a serious expression.

    "Astounding."

    "¡­?"

    Zoemi raised his brows and gasped in fake astonishment, making the gray-haired girl furrow her brows and look at him in confusion.

    "¡­what is astounding¡­? I didn''t say anything of importance yet¡­?"

    She said in a concerned voice, making Zoemi feel slightly bad.

    ¡­because he of course meant that it was astounding for her to think ¨C because she definitely didn''t think about him and his ns when she made Burdoff bring him to the headmaster''s office¡­

    "I meant your cuteness up close."

    "!!!!"

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and blurted the first thing that came to his mind without giving it any consideration ¨C which resulted in Aspakeony flinching in shock.

    "¡­"

    ¡­it took Zoemi a moment to realize what he just said and¡­

    "No ¨C wait¡­! I meant¡­!"

    He stiffened and gasped in embarrassment, looking back at the Necromancer seated in hisp, just to end up wide-eyed¡­

    "¡­"

    Aspakeony herself was looking away with a flustered expression and fidgetted nervously on the boy''sp.

    She looked ready to stand up and go hid in her drawer but managed to endure that urge and took a deep breath.

    "You''ve said that you weren''t contacted by Ghosts, but truth be told, they aren''t the only dangerous individuals¡­ or group¡­ I honestly don''t know how to count them¡­"

    She said, trying her best to keep a calm expression, but ended up bashfully ncing at Zoemi''s face time and time again.

    "What exactly do you mean by that¡­?"

    The ck-haired boy raised his brow and tilted his head curiously.

    "This is not well known but there are quite a few powerful beings in this world, you know? The thing is they are keeping to themselves lowkey just like I am ¨C or even more than that ¨C after all, I actively help Bellcephora kingdom whenever I can. I helped create it and I don''t want to see it fall, after all."

    Aspakeony shrugged her shoulders but something in her voice told Zoemi that she wants him to prise her¡­

    "I, myself, am the most powerful in the kingdom of Bellcephora after Ghosts, but there are a few others in other countries who aren''t half-bad themselves ¨C still, I am the strongest necromancer by far."

    She added lowering her head and ncing upwards at the ck-haired attendant.

    "Yes, yes ¨C you are amazing."

    Zoemi smirked and raised his hand, cing it on the girl''s head.

    "But seriously, if that''s the only reason why you have brought me here then I need to go."

    He added and his smile turned into a serious expression.

    "I got you here because I wanted to talk about a certain being that most likely already did contact you in some way shape or form¡­"

    Aspakeony shook her head and also turned serious.

    "No, no magician from another country has contacted me as far as I remember ¨C honestly I never even met another darkness magician¡­ well, I think my mother was a darkness magician, actually ¨C but I was only three years old when she died ¨C and back then I didn''t have magic at all."

    Zoemi responded without blinking while trying his best not to blush. Aspakeony''s face was very close to his own¡­

    "Eh¡­? Your mother¡­? Weren''t you amoner living in the slums before little Mizoe adopted you?"

    Aspakeony shifted her position and Zoemi could swear that she was doing it on purpose again¡­

    "Yes, that''s right- what about it¡­?"

    The boy furrowed his brows and asked, confused about the peculiar tone that the necromancer used.

    "Oh, you see, the thing is¡­ hmm¡­"

    It looked like the gray-haired girl was going to start exining what she had in mind, but then she stopped herself.

    "Sorry, that one subject will have to wait ¨C just keep in mind that even though the world doesn''t exactly like the darkness attribute ¨C magic is still only hereditary through the aristocratic blood ¨C no exception."

    "¡­!"

    Aspakeony dered and straightened her back.

    "Ah, what am I doing¡­ You told me that you are busy and I am giving you some vague statements and hints because I want to keep you here¡­"

    "!!!"

    The necromancer shooke her head and pulled herself together ¨C although her peculiar choice of words made the ck-haired attendant blush a little¡­

    "The thing ¨C or rather being ¨C that I wanted to tell you about is something else. Everyone who came in contact with it experienced it human-like but alsopletely inhuman behavior. We all agree to call it Presence. Presence appeared to always exist in this world, to the point that even the oldest of us can only say that it was always there even before them. At the same time, she¡­ it doesn''t really seem all that eager to intervene with us if it''s not necessary¡­"

    "¡­"

    As the necromancer was speaking Zoemi was feeling progressively worse.

    "If I had to segregate Presence into a certain type of being, the most fitting category would be¡­ god. Or at least the closest thing we heave to it in this little world of ours."

    |Could¡­ could it be that it has something to do with the being that brought me into this world¡­?!|

    Aspakeony exined and Zoemi''s thoughts raced straight back to the moments after his death when he had a talk with a particr being of light¡­

    "Still ¨C even though I said that Presence could be put up there with the deities, she¡­ it is far from omnipotent or omniscient. Everything it does is clearly rooted in the concept of mana and magic. We know it since most of its spells have a hard time working on us ¨C the magicians with a great amount of mana. For example, Ghosts can ignore its effects to a certain degree, as far as I know, and I generally know when it cast a spell."

    Aspakeony put her arms around Zoemi''s neck without him noticing ¨C truth be told, she herself didn''t notice it either, it was just something that her body did on its own when she was focused on exining.

    "The thing is, that just a few days ago arge-scale spell happened, and it was definitely the one cast by Presence. As far as I know, it reversed the flow of time for a few minutes but I have no idea why¡­ That was what I was actually doing the other day ¨C finding the shadow magician''s corpse was only a side objective."

    She added, looking to the side as if she expected the ck-haired boy to be disappointed that he wasn''t the most important one.

    "But I learned nothing. Literally, nothing major happened in the world. I contacted everyone I could about it, and everyone said the same thing. Nothing happened, at all. But the spell was cast nheless and it gave me a huge headache! Then I started thinking about why could the presence that is usually stagnant suddenly made a move. And then it hit me!"

    "!!!!"

    She jumped excitedly and Zoemi flinched.

    "It must have something to do with you! It''s not that the Ghosts don''t want to contact you ¨C they literally can''t contact you because, for some reason, Presence isn''t allowing them to!"

    For some reason, Aspakeony looked excited and her gray eyes were shining with interest.

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and nced down nervously.

    |There''s no way that the god who brought me here and this whole Presence are the same being¡­! Right¡­?|

    He thought to himself¡­

    |¡­Maybe it''s alright to tell Aspakeony that I''m a reincarnated person¡­?|

    Zoemi considered for a moment, but then he realized a major detail that he initially missed from Aspakeony''s exnation.

    "Wait¡­ I don''t have a lot of mana, but I also know that the time was reversed¡­"

    "¡­wait¡­ really¡­?"

    He said out loud and made the gray-haired girl straighten her back.

    "Yes ¨C I felt extreme pain and them it felt as if my consciousness was separated from my body and then I was seeing two ces at the same time ¨C on one side I''ve seen my day happening in reverse, but the other was of an unchanging dimly lit room where I was sitting on the crystal box with a severed hand."

    "¡­!"

    Zoemi spoke and felt that the necromancer stiffened after hearing him out.

    "¡­so you are connected¡­ yes, that makes sense¡­ but then that would mean¡­"

    Aspakeony started mumbling to herself hurriedly, making the ck-haired boy stare at her speechless.

 Chapter 213 - 66 - In The Headmasterâ€™s Office (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 213 ¨C 66 ¨C In The Headmaster¡¯s Office (part 2)</h4>

    "What do you mean by this make sense? What makes sense about it? Is experiencing things like that actuallymon?"

    Zoemi asked in disbelief.

    He also ended up grabbing Aspakeony''s waist to stop her from fidgetting so much because her constant movement atop hisp was making it excessively hard to focus on her words.

    "Hmm? Oh ¨C no, don''t mind me ¨C just thinking out loud about something else. I am connected with all of my corpse puppets even when I am not controlling them directly and sometimes their thoughts slip into my mind and I blurt something weird like that."

    The necromancer casually shrugged her shoulders and exin ¨C although it kind of felt like she had that line prepared beforehand, causing a bit of suspicion in the attentive ck-haired attendant.

    |¡­|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and ended up closing his eyes for a moment, diving into the world of dancing shadows and reaching towards Aspakeony''s shadow¡­

    "¡­!"

    He already had a vague understanding of the spell she was constantly using, but now the aspect he wanted to know more about has cleared out.

    The corpse puppets had all the memories of their original lives and although they were indeed always connected, they were capable of obediently following the instruction left to them by the necromancer.

    The soul wasn''t there, but the mana left inside was capable of moving them ¨C it was quite interesting!

    ¡­although that wasn''t the time for looking into the spell that could be used only on corpses¡­

    "But then what was that doubled point of view¡­?"

    Zoemi murmured in confusion.

    "It might be a coincidence or something important, but I have no idea. But back to our conversation, you were saying¡­?"

    The gray-haired girl furrowed her brows and tilted her head before asking.

    "I¡­ whoa¡­! I also vaguely remembering into contact with a rather strange being that I can only associate with the bright golden light and immense presence¡­"

    The ck-haired boy opened his eyes and twitched once he realized how close Aspakeony''s face was to his own.

    From such a short distance, he had a prime view at her captivating gray eyes that were focused solely on him, transfixed on his face¡­

    ¡­The gray-haired girl''s full lips were slightly open as she gazed upon him, very clearly expecting him to continue talking.

    "¡­but¡­ it didn''t tell me anything in particr¡­? I mean¡­ I don''t remember anything like that at least¡­"

    Zoemi blushed and buried the idea about revealing to Aspekeony that he was a reincarnated person.

    "Yeah¡­ I bet she was feeling rather shy after all these years¡­

    Aspakeony''s face brightened with a soft smile and she giggled.

    "She¡­?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, blinking in confusion ¨C after all the gray-haired girl kept calling Presence ''it'' before.

    "Sorry, sorry ¨C I actually have one of my puppets search for something and I''m trying to focus too much on two things at once and it blends together."

    The necromancer shrugged her shoulders and gave a vague-sounding excuse before turning serious.

    "¡­I knew you were special¡­ But then, what happened that made it use its magic¡­? Did it have something to do with you?"

    Aspakeony pondered over those questions and her thighs pressed Zoemi''s sides.

    "Do you remember anything?"

    She took a careful look at Zoemi''s face.

    She asked leaning even closer towards the ck-haired boy.

    "No to me¡­! But something happened to Burushi!"

    Zoemi flinched and gasped, leaning so close to the gray-haired girl that their noses were basically touching.

    "Burushi was murdered by a darkness magician that looked like me!"

    "WH-WHAT?!"

    Zoemi eximed, making Aspakeony shout as her eyes widened.

    "What do you mean she was killed?! One of MY precious students was killed in MY Academy?!"

    She gasped, sticking extremely close to the boy ¨C who didn''t get flustered only because he was focused solely on the groundbreaking discovery.

    "Yes! She told me herself! She actually didn''t want to talk to me because she was convinced that I killed her, even though that definitely couldn''t be me since at the time of that happening I was together with my master and teacher Rokiana! Or at least I was with them when the time was reversed."

    Zoemi exined and added after a bit of thought.

    "By a darkness magician who looked like you¡­? But if it wasn''t someone who just happens to be like you, that would only leave one of the Ghosts¡­ But¡­ No! That is impossible! I would have known if a member of Ghosts of Bellcephora would physically appear in here! I would! I would because they tried to do that once and I managed to evacuate everyone eighty years ago!"

    Aspakeony was extremely disturbed by the information and she instantly tried to exin her reasoning for that while clinging to Zoemi.

    She looked both very panicked and extremely angry.

    "Maybe it wasn''t one of them and just another darkness ma¡­"

    "NO! I know when an intruder enters my Academy! The only other artifact that I own except for the one creating the seal is a device that detects magic signatures and I have a puppet monitor it at any and all times!"

    Zoemi proposed another exnation, but Aspakeony shook her head and struck that option down.

    "The only time that it didn''t work was when little Zorus came to the academy ¨C but that was only because of the bracelets distorting the mana reading! And there was nothing like that happening again!"

    She dered, squeezing Zoemi''s sides with her legs.

    "Then I don''t know what could have happened."

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows and sighed with a bitter expression.

    "Is there another darkness magician or¡­!"

    "¡­!"

    He pondered, but then he suddenly flinched and looked straight into Aspakeony''s eyes.

    "Arisu can use the magic from other atribu¡­!

    "Little Lazaram used every type of magic that he knew during the third-year''s magic examination and ording to Kross, he was capable of barely using shadow connect sine he focused on training other attributes for understandable reasons."

    Zoemi gasped but his idea was once again instantly shot down by the dark-skinned girl.

    "¡­oh¡­ then I have no idea who was it ¨C but it definitely wasn''t me¡­"

    The ck-haired boy slumped and murmured in a slightly embarrassed voice.

    Actually, he remembered that in-game Arisu''s character also wasn''t proficient with the darkness magic because it was considered as the magic for perverts and assassins by everyone else ¨C but Zoemi thought that the white-haired capture target could be the culprit since he simply had a bad feeling about him, but apparently he was just overthinking everything.

    "¡­that''s something I will definitely have to investigate¡­ Do me a favor, kid, next time you see little Burushiitto, tell her toe to my office ¨C I would like to learn the details straight from her if you don''t mind."

    Aspakeony breathed out and shrugged her shoulders again before straightening her back and asking¡­

    ¡­while shifting her position once again¡­

    "That''s not a problem at all¡­ but¡­ tell me ¨C Burushi has a lot of mana, but nothing over the norm ¨C is she like me and remembers what happened because of some odd coincidence?

    |¡­or is it because that this world is really a game like she says¡­?|

    The boy asked out loud, finishing his question in his mind.

    "Oh? No, no. In her case, I fully know why she still remembers everything."

    "¡­!"

 Chapter 214 - 66 - In The Headmasterâ€™s Office (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 214 ¨C 66 ¨C In The Headmaster¡¯s Office (part 3)</h4>

    The necromancerughed and fidgetted, making herself morefortable.

    "Presence''s spells are, in the end, mana based and therefore they count as magic damage ¨C healers can heal it ¨C little Burusiitti must have felt odd after the time was reversed, so she used the spell on herself and ended up recovering from it before the effects settled. Easy."

    Aspakeony proudly puffed out her chest ¨C which already was kind of pressing against the boy ¨C which resulted in her chest ending up fully pressed against the boy''s torso¡­

    "!!!"

    ¡­that made the ck-haired boy be once again aware of the position the two of them were currently in¡­!

    It was as far away as possible, and if anyone would walk in on them, they could not be med for misunderstanding what was going on¡­

    ¡­Zoemi''s face turned bright red at the realization so he instantly stood up¡­!

    "Kyaah¡­?!"

    ¡­and unintentionally lifted Aspakeony with him¡­

    The gray-haired necromancer had her arms around his neck and her legs locked around his waist which is why the result was what it was¡­

    "Hehe¡­ This is a bit awkward¡­"

    Aspakeony giggled nervously and looked down.

    "Just when did I manage to cling to you like this?"

    She muttered to herself in embarrassment ¨C although when ites to embarrassment, she couldn''t really beat Zoemi at the moment¡­

    The ck-haired attendant didn''t know what to say so he only blushed and looked down¡­

    And instantly he looked to the side.

    Aspakeony''s nightgown has shifted when they got up¡­

    "¡­d-don''t mind me¡­"

    The necromancer released one of her legs and slowly reached towards the floor with it, checking with her toes whether she can actually reach it, and after Zoemi leaned down so it was fine for her to get down, she took a step back.

    "Pardon me for a moment¡­"

    The girl wavered and walked towards her drawer while straightening her nightgown, seemingly calm.

    She then approached the closet and stepped inside the drawer¡­

    ¡­and proceeded to burrow herself in pillows and plush toys before¡­

    *SLAM*

    "!!!"

    She mmed the drawer shut, making Zoemi go wide-eyed.

    "Aspy?!"

    The ck-haired boy gasped in disbelief before walking over to the necromancer''s hiding spot ¨C and crouched by therge furniture.

    "Aspy¡­?"

    He added in a hesitant voice, and even went knocked on the drawer¡­

    "¡­"

    ¡­inside of which Aspakeony was hiding her head in the pillows, so embarrassed that she felt like dying and stayed silent.

    "Listen, I have another question¡­ is since that Presence is manipting time, is it the time attribute? The same type that Ehmi Gamemi Victureo uses¡­?"

    The ck-haired boy asked.

    "Wha¡­?!"

    *WHAM*

    "Auugh¡­!"

    The gray-haired girl gaped in disbelief and tried to get up without paying attention to her surroundings which ended up in her mming her head against the bottom of the closet while releasing a pitiful cry of pain.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi closed his mouth and pulled the drawer open without encountering any resistance, and was faced with the teary-eyed necromancer massaging a painful-looking bump growing on her head in silence.

    "Would you¡­?"

    "Don''t you dare make fun of me! It''s not my fault that necromancy doesn''t have any physical augmentation spells ¨C my original body isn''t meant to be defensive!"

    He opened his mouth but got interrupted by the embarrassed cry of the gray-haired girl.

    "I wasn''t going tough at you, you know¡­?"

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and reach out his hand towards the girl.

    "¡­?"

    She flinched but didn''t pull away and instead carefully observed the boy''s movement.

    "¡­!"

    Aspakeony flinched again once the surprisingly cold hand touched the bump on her head and almost instantly eased the numbing the splitting headache that the hit caused¡­

    "Is it better now?"

    Zoemi took back his hand and asked with a gentle smile.

    "¡­"

    Aspakeony furrowed her rows and touched the spot which was the epicenter of the pain¡­

    "!!!"

    ¡­just to find itpletely normal, without any trace of damage¡­!

    "What did you¡­?!"

    "I copied Burushi''s healing magic."

    This was Zoemi''s turn to cut into the necromancer''s sentence and the attendant kind of enjoyed the surprised expression that the gray-haired girl showed him.

    "¡­this is getting ridiculous¡­"

    The necromancer scoffed, muttering to herself.

    "Alright ¨C so, back to my question ¨C how does Presence manipting time affect a time attribute wielder such as Ehmi?"

    Zoemi asked, feeling concerned about the short, tinum-haired girl.

    "I met a few people with time attribute and they were immune to Presence''s spells and could reverse its effects¡­ as long as she wields the time attribute she should be the same¡­"

    Apsakeony nodded her head but she wasn''t looking at Zoemi and her concerned expression made it rather clear that she was worried about something.

    "Zoemi, since you use her first name, I expect you to be on friendly terms with her ¨C do you mind telling her that I wish to see her too?"

    She asked grabbing one of the pillows and hugging it tightly.

    "Of course, I was going to meet her after all."

    The ck-haired boy nodded, furrowing his brows¡­

    ¡­there certainly was something off about Aspakeony''s behavior.

    "You was?! Zoemi ¨C if she has the time attribute, you cannot try to use her spells at any cost!"

    "!!!"

    The necromancer suddenly stood up grabbing onto the boy''s uniform, making him flinch in surprise.

    "Huh? Why?"

    "Because for the time attribute variant magicians the aftereffects of their spells are way more dangerous than even those of the darkness magicians!"

    Aspakeony dered, clenching her fists.

    "Okay¡­?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and stared at her helplessly.

    "No! It''s not okay! Listen ¨C if a darkness magician is careful they will not die from their own spells ¨C but it''s different for time magicians! Their spells are extremely mana-hungry, a single spell consumes at least half the amount of mana that an average light magician has at their disposal ¨C and if they don''t have enough, the spellpensates it with the caster physical age!"

    She gasped with actual panic in her voice.

    "Huh?! What do you mean bypensating with the physical age of the caster?!"

    Zoemi leaned back, asking in disbelief.

    "No ¨C you tell me first how Ehmi looks now!"

    Aspakeony shook her head and demanded.

    "A short tinum-haired girl, very petite¡­"

    The ck-haired boy raised his hand a little, showing Ehmi''s height but then closed his mouth the moment he saw Aspakeony''s shocked expression.

    "At the beginning of the schoolyear little Victureo was six-foot-tall long-haired beauty¡­"

    "¡­!"

    Zoemi''s eyes widened at the news while the gray-haired necromancer let go of his clothes and slumped back into her drawer.

    "The more she uses her magic the younger she gets."

    The girl added.

    "Little Victureo was born with such extreme amount of mana that no measuring device could give us even the rough estimation, but even that wasn''t enough¡­"

    Apakeony grabbed one of her plushies and hugged it with a pitiful expression.

    She really cared about her students¡­

    "But that''s horrible! Why is she using her magic then?"

    The shocked ck-haired boy asked.

    "Probably because she wants to¡­ Nothing can really stop her from doing whatever she wants anyway¡­ She is as stubborn as she is strong ¨C although she pays the price for that¡­"

    Aspakeony exined with a concerned expression burrowing her face into the plush toy''s back.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi looked to the side, deep in thoughts¡­

    |¡­why does this scene look familiar¡­?|

    He thought to himself watching the crestfallen gray-haired girl.

    "Aspy¡­ I have to go meet up with Ehmi and Burushi, but after that¡­ would you want to have a meal with me¡­?"

    The ck-haired boy asked ¨C food always seem to lift Miriette''s mood so it was the first thing that came to his mind¡­

    "A meal, with you¡­?"

    The gray-haired girl asked and lowered her head in embarrassment, hugging the plush toy much harder than a moment earlier.

    "¡­n-no¡­ I don''t think that she would like that¡­"

    Aspakeony slowly shook her head from side to side and refused while rubbing her feet together, without looking up at Zoemi''s face.

    "It doesn''t have to be today ¨C I have to go now, but keep that in mind, alright?"

    "Sure¡­"

    The ck-haired boy smiled and stood up, going towards the door ¨C and smiled when the gray-haired girl answered him in a timid voice.

    "See you."

    "Bye-bye."

    They exchanged farewells and the boy left, leaving the necromancer in her office¡­

    "¡­"

    Aspakeony sighed with a heavy heart.

    "I was wondering why she never showed her face even though she informed me that she will descend¡­ What a troublesome child¡­ what if she will hurt my student¡­?"

    The gray-haired necromancerid back into her drawer and stared at the ceiling¡­.

 Chapter 215 - 67 - The Platinum-haired Girl

    <h4>Chapter 215 ¨C 67 ¨C The tinum-haired Girl</h4>

    Zoemi hurried to the dormitory building where Ehmi told him that she and Burushi would be waiting for him, of course, he expected that it wouldn''t mean outside, but still, he felt worried when he didn''t see either of them once he left the Academy building.

    Still, he was also d that neither of them thought about checking up whether he wasing or not because the third and second-year students were nearby, practicing before the mandatory duels in two days.

    "¡­tsk¡­"

    Zoemi clicked his tongue the moment he spotted the brown-haired Xeonith defeating his sparing partner ¨C a light magician male student ¨C with ease, by closing the distance instantly thanks to the speed gained from his strength-augmenting enhancements and handling the other boy like a defenseless child in closebat.

    |He isn''t bad, but it is clear that he relies more on his strength in order to overpower his opponent rather than technique, so much wasteful movement and openings. Burushi must have hidden away so he wouldn''t spot her, damn brute.|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself, ring at the brown-haired capture target from afar before shaking his head to get rid of the angry thoguhts and entering the dormitory building.

    "¡­?"

    ¡­and finding no one waiting for him in the empty entrance hall¡­

    |Alright¡­ they probably went to either Burushi''s or Ehmi''s room¡­ Or maybe mine¡­?|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows looking between the two paths he could take.

    In the end, he walked towards the female section and started walking down the hallway.

    Ehmi''s room was farther away, so he decided to check the heroine''s one first.

    But then, as he walked past one branching path¡­

    "Zoemi¡­!"

    "!!!"

    He heard an urgent whisper that made him turn right away as he activated his shadow enchantment, expecting to see one of the Ghosts of Bellcephora that Aspaekony was constantly warning him about.

    "Zoemi,e here ¨C we have a little problem¡­"

    As it turned out, he overreacted a little bit ¨C the person calling turned out to be the bold-haired heroine ¨C she was sticking her head from around the corner and beckoned the ck-haired attendant to approach her.

    "Miss Burushi, why are you here¡­?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows looking at the hallway from which the girl came out.

    It was the one with the bath¡­

    Since Aspakeony Academy was a school for nobles, each room came with a separate bathroom and toilet included, but there still was arge bath on both the male and female part of the dormitory.

    "Come, she won''t even react to me¡­"

    Burushi only shook her head, signaling that there was no use asking questions, and grabbed Zoemi''s hand and started leading him into the bath.

    "¡­miss Burushi¡­"

    "Listen, I don''t lead you here for something indecent, alright?! Lady Ehmi hid in here and doesn''t want to leave!"

    The ck-haired boy spoke up in a hesitant voice, looing around with suspicion which caused the blond girl to blush heavily and dere in a sulking voice.

    "Why would I think that you wanted to do something indecent¡­? In the first ce, you were still afraid of me less than an hour ago. I wanted to ask you did something happen to Ehmi."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and scoffed, making the girl flinch and blush even more ¨C this time from shame over the embarrassment.

    "I¡­ I see¡­ Sorry."

    She apologized before stopping in front of the changing room.

    "It''sdy Ehmi. She isn''t hurt or anything."

    Burushi cleared out her throat to break the awkward silence and put her hand on the door.

    "We were waiting for you at the entrance and talking. She told me that he wields the time attribute and that something reversed time the other day ¨C also, she has the perfect view on the fountain in the courtyard so she seen you both times, and she confirmed your version unintentionally, even before I brought any of that up¡­ I''m sorry for doubting you."

    The blond girl exined and bowed her head to the ck-haired boy.

    "No need to apologize, it was frustrating to be doubted, but you were literally killed ¨C I can understand that much."

    Zoemi smiled and waved his hand dismissively, but then he motioned at the door with his ching and his expression turned serious.

    "Then why Ehmi ended up here ¨C honestly, I was expecting that you will be the one hiding instead."

    He said in a concerned voice.

    "Ah. You saw the transcended asshole flexing on the others too, huh?"

    The blond girl scoffed and shook her head.

    "It''s so infuriating to think that I got so scared that I went to him for help."

    Burushi scoffed and shuddered¡­

    "¡­?"

    ¡­and furrowed her brows in confusion¡­

    "What is going on¡­?"

    Zoemi raised his brow curious about her sudden change.

    "¡­nothing¡­ I just suddenly got the really odd feeling that I forgot about something very important¡­ but since I actually forgot, then it shouldn''t matter, right¡­?"

    Burushi furrowed her brows and massaged her temple with a mixed expression.

    "Anyway, we were talking, and suddenlydy Ehmi turned pale like a ghost and started running away in a panic without any reason ¨C as far as I could tell ¨C she ended up locking herself in there, and I think she''s crying ¨C I definitely heard sobbing. She also isn''t reacting to my calls at all."

    "¡­!"

    She changed the subject and patted the door to the changing room, making Zoemi furrow his brows in concern.

    "Let me try it."

    He said and took a step towards the door.

    *knock* *knock*

    "Ehmi¡­? Are you in there?"

    He gently knocked and called out in a calming voice.

    *sniffle*

    "¡­uuuuu¡­"

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired boy had his enchantments still active and ended up catching on to the muffled crying that the short girl must have tried to block after listening in to what Burushi reported to Zoemi.

    "¡­alright¡­"

    Zoemi nodded and leaned down, looking through the keyhole.

    "She left the key stuck in. What do you want to do, break the door or use a spell to get inside?"

    The blond heroine asked him.

    "Spell, but using shadow walk to enter the changing room would be really bad."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and put his hand to the door.

    Then he focused and used the slightly altered earth spell to manipte the metal key and twisted his hand, making the key follow his movement and¡­

    *click*

    "¡­!"

    The door unlocked, leaving the heroine wide-eyed.

    "If you think that this method was less creepy then I have bad news for you."

    Burushi dered rubbing her arms nervously, but the ck-haired boy ignored her and entered the room.

    "¡­uuuu¡­"

    Zoemi found the tinum-haired girl very easily ¨C she was huddled up in the corner behind the door and was sobbing so hard that her entire body was shaking, making the boy feel as if someone had punched him in the stomach.

    A wave of fear mixed with anger drowned his brain and the ck-haired boy activated the shadow armor without any danger in sight.

    It also wasn''t the basic demonic-looking one, but the beastly version ¨C with the only difference being that the helmet wasn''t opening into a maw, so it was slightly less threatening to look at.

    "!!!!!!"

    ..or not, as was proven by Burushitto flinching and backing off from the changing room the second after she entered it after Zoemi, leaving the attendant and the tinum-haired girl alone.

    "Mydy, it''s okay ¨C I am here, please, don''t cry."

    Zoemi spoke and approached the girl, without considering what he looks like.

    "¡­?"

    The tinum-haired girl twitched and slowly raised her head ¨C her tinum eyes were swollen from crying ¨C but shockingly the moment she saw the menacing murky ck beastly figure right in front of her, she¡­

    "Zoemi!"

    She cried out the boy''s name and pitifully reached out her arms like a young child wanting to be picked up by their parent.

    "¡­"

    The ck-haired boy didn''t need her to say another word, he leaned down and picked her up in his arms.

    "¡­Zoemi¡­ I was so scared¡­! "

    The tinum-haired girl clung to him like a baby ko and burrowed her face at the base of his neck while sobbing.

    "Now, now¡­ mydy¡­ I won''t let anyone harm you."

    Zoemi said as if it was the most normal thing t say ¨C as if that was the only reasonable thing to say.

    He hugged the petite girl and started patting her head until she stopped sobbing and calmed down.

    "¡­mydy¡­?"

    After hearing nothing except her steady breath, Zoemi asked ncing over the short girl in his arms.

    Her tinum hair now had a pink glow to it, and the girl appeared to be sleeping peacefully ¨C that sight alone made the anger and fear subside in the boy''s heart and he himself calmed down enough to realize that having the shadow armor activate wasn''t the smartest choice in his position¡­

    So he released the spell and exited the changing room holding the sleeping Ehmi in his arms.

    "Eh¡­?"

    Burushi gasped seeing them like that and blinked repeatably in confusion.

    "Well¡­ I think that whatever she wanted to tell us about can wait ¨C besides, I wanted her to help me convince you that I am innocent, and she has already done that."

    Zoemi spoke up motioning at the sleeping girl.

    "Then¡­ what do you want to do now¡­?"

    The blond heroine asked, tilting her head.

    "Well ¨C first of all, I will carry her back to her room and I hope that you will help me with that ¨C then¡­ well.. we can just go back to our lectures, I guess."

    Zoemi said, shrugging his shoulders dismissively.

    The two of them did exactly that, actually.

    Zoemi never before was inside Ehmi''s room, but it honestly wasn''t very different than any other room in the dormitory ¨C even his own.

    The biggest difference was a really big stuffed bear sitting on the bed right beside the pillow.

    At first, event when Zoemi put Ehmi onto the mattress, she didn''t want to let go of him even in her sleep, but thankfully Burushi came up with the idea and put the plush toy against the girl''s face ¨C making her switch to hugging it instead.

    "I''m counting on you, little brother."

    Zoemi smirked and poked the stuffed bear with his index finger before he left the room together with the blond-haired heroine.

    "Aww, you don''t look like the type who likes plushies, that was pretty sweet of you."

    Burushi smiled and nudged the ck-haired boy in the side.

    "¡­huh¡­?"

    |¡­why did I talk to the toy¡­?|

    ¡­which made Zoemi realize his subconscious action¡­

    "Alright ¨C I will attend the rest of today''s lectures, but only if you will sneak me by Xoenith, alright?"

    Burushi didn''t notice Zomei''s internal confusion and dered with a smile, patting the boy''s shoulder.

    "Huh? Oh, yeah, sure."

    Zoemi shook his head and responded with a smile, pushing the odd feeling aside.

 Chapter 216 - 67.5 - The Shirt And The Fake Mana Depletion

    <h4>Chapter 216 ¨C 67.5 ¨C The Shirt And The Fake Mana Depletion</h4>

    It was already evening and Zoemi knocked on his master''s door.

    Because he didn''t hear any objection, he entered the room without hesitation.

    "E-eh!? W-wait, no!"

    "!!!"

    And he froze when a surprised voice of his master weed him.

    The dark-haired girl was just walking out of the bathroom.

    She was wearing only a man''s white shirt and her underwear was showing from underneath it.

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    When she saw her attendant entering she panicked even more than if she was naked.

    "Don''t look!"

    Miriette cried out and tried to cover the shirt she was wearing ¨C she even crouched down.

    While she was at it, she was focusing on the shirt itself and not her own body so Zoemi unintentionally ended up seeing a few more sights than he expected¡­

    |You''re an attendant! Stay calm!|

    He ordered himself, but his eyes refused to close and he found himself unable to turn away¡­

    |Still¡­ that shirt¡­ is it Horeo''s shirt¡­?! I want to p the shit out of that damn Horeo! Did the two of them get that far already!? WHEN?! HOW?! No, calm down¡­! There are other ways she coulde into possession of the piece of clothing ¨C her having it doesn''t mean its a war spoil¡­!|

    Jealousy hit Zoemi like a truck ¨C the ck-haired boy certainly wasn''t prepared for that either¡­

    Usually, he could control himself pretty well but after calming down crying Ehmi something seemed to change.

    ¡­the attendant didn''t really realize that yet, but Ehmi slowly started taking the spot of a master in his heart, which made Miriette naturally be someone more approachable¡­

    "I-It''s not what it looks like! Definitely not what you think! Not at all!"

    Miriette eximed in a panicked voice and shook her head, not wanting the boy to notice that she got teary-eyed.

    |Uuugh! He saw me wearing the shirt that I stole from his room¡­! He hates perverts and now he is going to hate me! He knows that I''m an indecent woman¡­!|

    Miriette was about to burst into tears, cursing herself for foolishly changing into her sleepwear ¨C she was sure that Teo would be the one to bring her supper since Zoemi mentioned that he would like to have more time to train in the evening¡­!

    |Why didn''t I confirm that with him¡­!|

    The dark-haired girl wanted to p herself for making such a basic mistake¡­!

    "¡­"

    Zoemi clenched his fists and gritted his teeth so hard that they creaked.

    |Not what it looks like¡­!? Then it is EXACTLY how it looks like, isn''t it?! No! Focus! As long as she''s happy everything''s fine! The closer she is to the first prince the better¡­! Focus! Focus! She is the master, I am the attendant¡­!|

    *rip*

    "¡­!"

    The ck-haired attendant growled internally and he clenched his hands so hard that his bulging muscles tore the sleeves of the shirt that he was wearing at the moment ¨C thankfully the sound of the fabric being shredded apart snapped him out of the rage mode.

    "Mydy¡­ everything''s fine¡­."

    He opened his palms and breathed out, forcing himself to stay ¨C or at least sound ¨C calm andposed.

    "There is nothing to be ashamed of ¨C it''s all good as long as you are happy."

    Zoemi said and extended his hand to her.

    "R-really¡­?"

    Miriette sniffled and looked up at the dark-haired boy¡­

    ¡­she tried to stay as collected as he was, but her eyes kept darting over to his bare arms and ended up adjusting her position, clenching her thighs together before she took Zoemi''s hand and allowed herself to be pulled up.

    The dark-haired girl kept blushing and unable to stop herself from getting her hopes up.

    No matter how she looked at it, Zoemi wasn''t hating her for stealing and wearing his shirt¡­! Didn''t that mean that he¡­!?

    "Y-you''re not mad at me¡­?"

    Miriette asked bashfully and peeked at the boy''s face.

    "No. Of course not. I could never get mad at you, mydy¡­"

    Zoemi breathed out and smiled at her reassuringly.

    He wasn''t mad at her, after all ¨C he felt like tearing Horeo apart, even though the first prince was his friend and, well, the first prince¡­

    "Y-you''re really aren''t mad at me for taking your shirt without permission¡­?"

    Miriette sniffled and peeked at his face bashfully.

    "Of course, I''m not¡­ Wait¡­! Wh-what¡­!?"

    Zoemi was about to say that he''s not mad that she was wearing Horeo''s shirt but then Miriette just said somethingpletely outrageous!

    "Hold on a second¡­! Could you say that again? Please?"

    The ck-haired boy couldn''t believe his own ears and took a step forward while leaning towards the embarrassed dark-haired girl.

    "Uuuu! I knew it ¨C you are angry! But it''s just a coincidence, I swear!"

    Miriette''s chin shook and she desperately tried to exin herself without admitting that she stole his shirt.

    "Mydy¡­"

    Zoemi shook his head and spoke awkwardly.

    "It¡­! It just so happened that I couldn''t find a nightgown because there was a mixup in theundry and I ended up in your shirt instead¡­! I just didn''t want to sleep naked! That''s it! It''s only that! I swear I am not an indecent woman!"

    The usuallyposed Miriette was acting like a child caught doing something she shouldn''t have and was straight up crying¡­

    "Mydy¡­ Are you¡­ Under the influence of mana depletion¡­?"

    Both what the dark-haired girl said and how she acted, made Zoemi realize ¨C or rather misunderstand ¨C that something wasn''t right¡­

    ¡­and he ended up connecting the dots in apletely wrong way showing off the denseness on par with his adoptive father''s¡­

    "What¡­? Do I¡­? ah¡­!"

    Miriette opened her mouth to ask if she really looked as if she was suffering from mana depletion, but then she spotted her way out!

    "Y-yes! That is exactly what is going on! Because of the mandatory duels for the second and third-year students, I felt like practicing my own spells a bit and I think I went too far while doing so¡­ I''m a bit lightheaded- you see ¨C that''s why I put on your shirt when I couldn''t find my nightgown¡­"

    She dered, actually getting lightheaded from the relief of having a way out of the utterly embarrassing situation.

    "So that''s not the first prince''s shirt¡­? You two didn''t¡­?"

    "¡­eh¡­?

    Zoemi asked, blinking repeatably, and Miriette tilted her head like a confused puppy.

    "Horeo''s shirt? Eww! No! Why would I want to wear his shirt?!"

    "!!!"

    Miriette shuddered and scoffed shaking her head in disgust which in turn made Zoemi''s heart fall light as a feather again.

    Still¡­

    |¡­wait, wait, wait¡­! Since he thinks that I have mana depletion¡­ isn''t this my chance¡­!?|

    "Mydy¡­?!"

    Miriette''s eyes shone with excitement and she leaned on stumbled into Zoemi''s arms, causing the boy to hug her ¨C again ¨C to stop her from falling.

    "Zoemi, I''m tired¡­!"

    The dark-haired girlined while shamelessly nuzzling her face against his chest.

    "M-mydy¡­!"

    Zoemi gasped and tried to move away but she chased after him without any remorse.

    "No! I''m a nobledy, I wish to be pampered!"

    Miriette demanded while trying to make her voice sound as if she was drunk.

    "Mydy, considering the difference in our status¡­"

    Zoemi didn''t want to take advantage of Miriette in her weakened state ¨C because he thought she was in a weakened state even though she was only acting ¨C and tried to speak to her better judgment¡­

    *SNIFF*

    ¡­but that was interrupted by an almost obnoxiously loud inhale through a nose¡­

    "¡­Zoemi¡­ why do you have a smell of a woman on you¡­?"

    "HNGH¡­!"

    The cold and suspicious tone made the boy almost spit blood from shock.

    |Is she smelling Ehmi on me¡­?! Oh no, she seemed to dislike her¡­!|

    "It''s probably because of the female attendant that walked into me right before I got here, mydy!"

    He hurriedly came up with the most basic lie.

    "What can I do for you?"

    "Pamper me!"

    Zoemi hurriedly cast a bait that Miriette swallowed instantly as she hugged him with all her might¡­ Which wasn''t much at all since without her enchantment, she was very weak.

    |Well ¡­Miriette always acts tries to act like a properdy¡­ Her parents were always busy, and they didn''t have much time to spend with her¡­ Plus she''s under the side effects of mana depletion and all¡­ Not to mention her spoiled character¡­|

    Zoemi was basing his assumption of mana depletion on Miriette''s unfocus eyes because he knew that''s how his father''s eyes looked when he had the mana depletion.

    The ck-haired boy actually managed to forget that the symptoms of mana depletion are different for Miriette since she has a few thousand times more mana than his father.

    Or maybe his mind didn''t want to remember that fact simply because it was enjoying the situation too much¡­

    "Mydy¡­ Just how much mana did you use¡­?"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and asked with hesitation, considering his options.

    |Ah! He is judging if I will remember anything tomorrow!|

    Excited Miriette took a guess and was spot on.

    "I don''t know¡­ but it was a lot¡­! I''m all woozy¡­"

    She said happily.

    "I see¡­"

    |Well, I''m an attendant it''s not that weird to indulge my master from time to time¡­ Right¡­?|

    Zoemi nodded and thought to himself before patting the girl''s back.

    "Fuaahh!"

    Miriette let out a contented sound.

    "Mydy, what do you want to do¡­?"

    "¡­!"

    |There it is¡­!|

    Zoemi''s next words made her heart skip a beat.

    What could they do¡­?

    Miriette''s head became flooded with all sorts of lewd scenarios and requests but she discarded all of the ideas.

    |If I''ll go too far he''ll realize that I''m not actually mana depleted and I''m just an indecent woman! How far can I go, though¡­? Maybe a kiss¡­? No that''s still too soon!|

    She bit her lip and pondered.

    "Sit on my bed!"

    In the end, the dark-haired girlmanded and pointed at the furniture¡­

    "¡­as you wish¡­"

    Curious Zoemi did as she wanted.

    He sat on the edge of her bed and put his back against the wall.

    "Hmhm~!"

    Without further exnation, Miriette grabbed a book from her nightstand andid down right next to him, leaning against his body with a satisfied expression.

    "Here, you''ll read this to me!"

    She demanded while putting his arm around her and sticking the book in his other hand.

    "Open it on the page with the bookmark."

    "As you wish."

    She demanded and Zoemiplied without a word ofint.

    Honestly, why would hein in this situation?!

    His heart was beating so fast that his only worry was that Miriette would notice it and learn about his feelings ¨C but the dark-haired girl was actually experiencing the exact same problem¡­

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    As he opened the book Miriette adjusted her position and grabbed onto his vest.

    "You may start reading."

    She sounded so proud of herself that if she was a balloon, she would most likely blow up from all this pride.

    Miriette was going to enjoy that evening to the fullest ¨C shepletely forgot about the meal waiting for her ¨C but honestly, so did Zoemi.

 Chapter 217 - 68 - Attendatsâ€™ Business [side] (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 217 ¨C 68 ¨C Attendats¡¯ Business [side] (part 1)</h4>

    Patishi woke up at the usual time, she yawned and tried to stretch but something was keeping her hand in ce.

    "¡­? Ah, right¡­"

    The brown-haired girl sighed and pulled off her nket.

    Just as Patishi expected ¨C another short brown-haired girl in a copper-colored onesie was sleeping halfying half-kneeling by the edge of her bed.

    That girl was soundly asleep while tightly holding Patishi''s hand close to her with both of hers.

    "Hmhmhm~!"

    Patishi chuckled and nced at the second bed on the other side of the earthy-smelling room that actually had a self-sufficient vegetable garden inside.

    Veo''s bed was empty and a big plush cat that the first prince bought for the older attendant, was abandoned against the wall.

    |And our prince got it especially because Veo couldn''t sleep alone¡­|

    Patishi smirked and looked back at the sleeping girl holding her hand.

    "Veo¡­ It''s time to get up¡­"

    "¡­nnnn¡­"

    Patishi poked Veo''s cheek but the other girl only made a funny sound and backed her head away from the younger girl''s hand without opening her eyes.

    "You can sleep some more but I have to get up to start making bread, do you think that you could let me go¡­?"

    Patishi asked moved closer to her, extending her hand, and started patting Veo''s head.

    "¡­nnnngh¡­?"

    "WHOA¡­!"

    The older attendant shook her head and suddenly she pulled Patishi into a hug!

    "¡­u-ugh¡­!"

    Her enchants were active so that actually did hurt¡­!

    Veo hugged Patishi tightly and snuggled her face against her neck.

    "Sniff¡­! Sniff, sniff¡­?"

    The earth magician girl furrowed her brows and started loudly breathing in through her nose as if confused by the smell¡­

    "V-Veo¡­! Let me go¡­! Please¡­! I can''t breathe¡­!"

    Patishi, feeling the air leaving her lungs and her ribs creaking dangerously, stated hurriedly tapping out on Veo''s shoulder.

    "Nnn¡­? Zozo¡­? Why are you smelling like cakes¡­?"

    Veo finally started waking up, she mumbled while still half-asleep.

    Zozo was apparently the name she gave to the plush cat.

    "Veo¡­! Veo¡­! It''s me, Patishi! Not Zozo¡­! You''re crushing me¡­!"

    Patishi started taping her more vigorously, the poor girl''s vision was getting more and more blurry with every passing second¡­!

    "Eh¡­? Patishi¡­?"

    The older girl finally opened her eyes and red at the skinny girl in her arms.

    "Why are you in my bed¡­?"

    She asked and frowned, still half-asleep.

    "Veo, release me¡­! Please¡­!"

    There was no time to exin who crawled into whose bed right now ¨C Patishi''s life was literally in danger!

    "Nnn¡­? AH! OH NO! I''m sorry!"

    Veo realized that she was squeezing the life out of her fellow attendant and quickly released her grip on her

    "UH-HUAAAAAH¡­!

    Freed Patishi gasped and took a loud breath while pulling back and massaging her ribs with a tearful expression.

    "I was wondering why Zozo smelled like cakes¡­ Patishi, don''t you know it''s dangerous to get into my bed even if you are lonely?!"

    Veo also backed off and also got teary-eyed while nervously holding her hands together and trembling.

    "¡­but this is my bed¡­"

    "!!!"

    Patishi sniffled, lowering her head pitifully.

    "Eh¡­? Eh¡­!?"

    Veo became pale as she realized that in truth she was nowhere near her own bed.

    "I-it wasn''t on purpose¡­! Patishi, I am so sorry!"

    She stiffened and backed off, even more, not wanting to inflict even more harm onto the younger girl, and started nervously twisting her fingers.

    "I-I''m sorry, I don''t know how it happened! This time I properly went to sleep while hugging Zozo! I swear!"

    Yes, aside from being almost crushed to death, Veo waking up in Patishi''s bed was a rathermon urrence.

    The cat was bought by the first prince as the countermeasure for that, apparently, Veo just had to sleep together with someone ¨C and since her younger sister moved out of the room Patishi became the only option.

    "I-it''s alright¡­ I don''t think that anything is broken¡­ I will be fine."

    Patishi raised her hand to calm the older girl ¨C she was still holding her ribs with her other hand, but turned her face towards Veo and smiled reassuringly nheless ¨C or at least she tried.

    "Since we''re both awake let''s get ready for the day, alright?"

    The younger girl said, trying to not show up how much she was hurting ¨C but judging by the terribly guilty face the other girl was making, she wasn''t exactly a world-ss actress¡­

    "¡­alright¡­"

    Veo nodded and dragged her feet towards the closet.

    With trained movement she put on the maid''s uniform ¨C even with her hands not having the full mobility, with enough practice that activity no longer posed any trouble to her, even though the uniform itself was moreplicated to wear properly than one might initially think.

    "¡­uugh¡­!"

    "!!!"

    Just as Veo was ready, she heard a muffled pained groan and she instantly ran away ¨C right in time to witness the darkening bruises around Patishi''s torso ¨C right where she hugged her.

    It looked painful and was undoubtedly the cause of the cry, nheless, the younger girl was braving through it, gritting her teeth without realizing that Veo already caught up to what was happening.

    "¡­"

    The older girl clenched her fists and approached Patishi just as the skinny girl was done changing¡­

    "¡­eh¡­?"

    Then, she grabbed her arm as delicately as she could and started pulling her towards the door.

    "Veo¡­?"

    Patishi asked in confusion.

    "Do you want to hold hands as we go to the kitchen? It''s okay, you don''t have to pull me."

    She said as they walked out of the room and Veo locked the door.

    "We aren''t going to the kitchen."

    "Eh¡­?!"

    Patishi gasped at Veo''s decisive response ¨C and indeed, the older girl started leading her in a different direction than they should go¡­!

    "Veo¡­? What is going on, where are we going¡­?"

    Patishi fidgetted and asked nervously.

    "To heal you."

    "Eh?!"

    Veo simply shrugged her shoulders and stepped right in front of a normal-looking door to another room.

    *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

    She raised her hand and smacked it against the door, making an obnoxious amount of noise for such an early hour, making the younger girl flinch.

    "Veo¡­ did you lead me to the miss who healed big brother?! Noo! I don''t want to bother her!"

    Patishi panicked and tried to break free, but escaping from Veo''s girl was far harder than getting out of the metal snares.

    "Calm down, you said yourself that you wanted to talk about her about your body ¨C you wanted to know if she could heal you and make it how it should always be."

    The girl in the maid uniform looked back at the younger girl and tilted her head in confusion.

    "I-I did¡­! But I don''t want to do it now¡­!"

    Patishi shook her head and tried to pull away again, with the same result as earlier.

    "Why?"

    Veo furrowed her brows and asked, clearly at a loss for her friend''s behavior.

    "Because I am scared! What if it''s impossible? What if I''m just crazy like everyone always said?!"

    Patishi teared up and cried out while constantly trying to break free.

    "¡­"

    Veo flinched and looked away ¨C but still didn''t let go of Patishi''s hand.

    "Then¡­ it''s okay to not ask her about it, but¡­"

    *click*

    After a few seconds, she straightened her back and opened her mouth, ready to at least exin herself, but then the lock in the door in front of her made a characteristic noise and the door itself opened a little bit, revealing one eye with a dark circle underneath it and a lot of messy blond hair.

    "¡­what time do you think it is now¡­? Who are you and what do you want¡­?"

    The rudely woken up heroine grumbled, ring at two girls in front of her room.

 Chapter 218 - 68 - Attendatsâ€™ Business [side] (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 218 ¨C 68 ¨C Attendats¡¯ Business [side] (part 2)</h4>

    "Alright, that''s done¡­"

    Burushiitto lowered her hands and breathed out ¨C the bruises that showed up after being nearly crushed by the half-asleep Veo were all gone.

    "About your arms¡­"

    The blond girl turned to the brown-haired girl in a maid''s uniform and made a concerned expression.

    "I never actually seen anything like this ¨C the nervous system is literally gone, the veins are blocked, tendons and muscles are stuck together in ridiculous ways as if they just molded together¡­ what in the world happened to you and who healed you to get them to such a state¡­ I''m honestly surprised there is no sign of necrosis¡­¨C and how are you even able to move them when they are like that?"

    |¡­the parents from my past life should be proud ¨C I am putting the cram-school knowledge to practical use ¨C still¡­ shame that I died before learning whether I was epted to that med school or not¡­|

    She shook her head and breathed out sounding almost impressed andpletely taken aback, and thought about her past life for just a moment.

    "..well¡­ they got crushed in the cave-in and they just healed on their own, it took years before I got them looked at by any medic, and by that time they said it was toote to do anything."

    Veo shrugged her shoulders and exined.

    "As for moving them¡­ well¡­ physical augmentation."

    She added, activating her enchantment and making her hands glow with a brown light before she raised and waved them.

    "Hah¡­"

    Burushi let out a half-shocked half-impressed voice and started rubbing her chin.

    "It''s okay ¨C I already got used to having them like this ¨C you don''t have to¡­"

    "It will take me like at least a month to get them back to how they should be¡­"

    Veo hurriedly shook her head and smiled, reading the girl''s reaction as a sign of powerlessness ¨C but then she flinched hearing the blond girl''s concerned voice.

    "Eh¡­? What did you say¡­?"

    The brown-haired girl in a maid''s uniform asked, wide-eyed.

    "Sorry ¨C you are the first prince''s attendant, I expect that you would want to have full dexterity as soon as possible, but I literally can''t do it any faster. You want me to turn those bs of meat back into actual hands, you need to show up every day for treatment. And I will not do it for free, alright!? You will owe me a favor and will help me out when I''m in trouble ¨C even if that means you asking the first prince for a favor!"

    Burushi scoffed and straightened her back, ring at the speechless female attendant.

    |¡­was that too much¡­? No, I need to help my Surou ¨C at least I need to know where is the monastery they locked him in¡­!|

    The blond heroine crossed her arms and steeled herself, ready for the angry outburst of the girl in front of her ¨C after all, she was only a normalmoner with a useful attribute ¨C the shocked, brown-haired girl was the attendant of the first prince and she even received presents form him ¨C it was obvious who was in the position of power here¡­

    "¡­you¡­ you can heal my arms¡­?"

    But instead of trying to unt her far better social status, the brown-haired girl trembled and got teary-eyed¡­

    "Yeah ¨C back in my vige I even helped one old guy regrow the leg he lost when he was young. Why do you think I got enrolled here even though I''m amoner? Anyway, once I start healing you, your body will need time to adjust to the gradual changes ¨C that''s why I can''t just outright heal you, your body would literally rebel against itself otherwise. Bad time ¨C healing that mistake would take at least a few months, up to even a year¡­ believe me, I know, it happened once."

    The blond girl shook her head and waved her hand dismissively.

    "So? Your answer? Yes, no?"

    |¡­or should I pack my things because you will tell on me to the first prince¡­?|

    Burushi asked, finishing the question in her mind.

    "I¡­ Y-yes¡­! Please! If thats'' really is possible!"

    The attendant in a maid''s dress started sobbing and hid her face in her hands ¨C but still nodded her head vigorously.

    |YES!|

    Burushi wanted to raise her arms and cheer for the sessful negotiations ¨C but she stayed calm on the outside ¨C after all, the other brown-haired attendant who got to their friend and started patting her back clearly looked bothered and wanted to say something.

    |¡­will this one try to make things difficult for me¡­?|

    The blond heroine clenched her fists and looked at Patishi with a challenge.

    "Yes? What do you have to say, kid?"

    Burushi decided to be bold and decisive, just as she remembered the doctors from her old world were ¨C at least the really rich ones that her parents always told her to be like when she grows up.

    "¡­umm¡­ y-you see¡­"

    The skinny youngster trembled, clearly very terrified of the healer girl ¨C which made her feel really bad for acting so bold.

    "It''s alright, don''t worry ¨C could it be that there''s something else you need my help with¡­?"

    She instantly dropped the tough doctor act and smiled reassuringly, lowering her arms and leaning forward trying to look more approachable.

    "¡­y-yes¡­ you see¡­"

    The change worked like a charm ¨C the brown-haired youth gulped down their saliva and opened up about what was bothering them¡­

    ***

    ******

    "I understand."

    A couple of minutester, after listening to Patishi''s story, Burushi nodded her head with a serious expression.

    "I never tried to do something so serious andplicated, but as far as I know ¨C it is possible¡­"

    "IT IS?!"

    "You heard that Patishi?!"

    She dered in a firm voice, which instantly made the skinny girl tear up and straighten her back in disbelief.

    "Yes ¨C BUT!"

    "¡­!"

    "¡­!"

    The blond heroine nodded but instantly raised her hand to point something out and made Patishi and Veo flinch.

    "Let me be clear ¨C this will be far more difficult than healing miss Veo''s arms. In her case, I will recreate just muscles and veins ¨C for you, it will require interacting with actual internal organs which are moreplicated than you imagine ¨C it will take a lot more time for your body to adjust too, so the healing sessions will have to be spread further apart. If everything will go well we are talking about a few months to even a few years. If I was in your position, I would at least sleep on it ¨C are you sure you want to do it and so on. The changes will also be gradual ¨C like I said, your body will need to adjust or the changes done by my spells will be rejected, so it won''t be like¡­"

    *click*

    She exined in a stern voice and snapped her fingers.

    "¡­you know?"

    The blond girl said with a serious expression.

    "I understand!"

    Patishi clenched her fists and trembled from happiness.

    It was possible¡­!

    That thought alone was enough to make her feel light as a feather.

    "Alright¡­ like I said, sleep on it and tell me whether you decided to go with it or not, there''s no time limit so be at ease and think things through."

    Burushi breathed out and said waving her hand dismissively.

    "Now go, some asshole threw dirt at myundry AGAIN and I spent half the night washing it again by myself ¨C I want to get some more sleep. Shoo."

    She added, standing up and motioning at the door with her chin, chasing the two girls out.

    "¡­"

    She then nced down at her own shadow ¨C or more urately, on the dark orb-shaped spot floating within her shadow.

    "¡­say, teacher Banemor, you see those whole original shadows that Zoemi sees, right? Am I making a mistake here¡­?"

    She asked in a concerned tone.

    "There''s nothing wrong with girls helping each other out."

    A bored sigh came out of the dark spot, making Burushi breathe out in relief.

    "Also, no one else approached your room tonight either."

    The voice added.

    "Thank you for your help~ Also¡­ pardon me for asking, but are you in any way shape or form connected to the southern Banemor territory¡­? The one with the crystalke¡­?"

    "¡­"

    She asked, but only silence responded to her this time.

    ¡­a very confused silence¡­

    |Hah¡­ I wonder if Zoemi realized it¡­ he must have ¨C he said that Reo was the best boy, he must know about Banemor territory''s questline¡­|

    The blond heroine squinted her eyes and thought to herself before locking the door and returning to bed to rest even a little bit before another day of lectures.

 Chapter 219 - 68 - Attendatsâ€™ Business [side] (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 219 ¨C 68 ¨C Attendats¡¯ Business [side] (part 3)</h4>

    Patishi and Veo left the kitchen after preparing the meal ¨C even though they were extremely excited over the luckiest and probably one of the best possible turns of events, they never forgot bout their prince ¨C and went to Horeo''s room with breakfast.

    They knocked on the door and waited.

    Only a few momentster the gold-haired first prince opened the door.

    "Ah! Perfect! Hello, Veo, Patishi."

    Horeo smiled at the sight of his two attendants and opened the door ajar and stepped to the side to let them in.

    "My prince!"

    "Good morning, master!"

    Patishi and Veo bowed their heads and responded cheerfully as they entered.

    But as they were already inside they both stopped for a momentpletely surprised.

    In ce of the desk, there was a semi-circr table with three chairs beside it, the t side was against the wall.

    The shining, clearly brand new piece of furniture surely looked high quality and unnecessarily expensive.

    "Master, what is this¡­?"

    Veo blinked a few times and turned to Horeo with a big question mark above her head.

    "I''ve decided that I can no longer leave you to eat whenever you want."

    Horeo crossed his arms and made a serious face.

    "It came to my attention that both of you were working very hard, often to the point of skipping meals ¨C and as you employer, I cannot allow you to forsake your health for my convenience ¨C from today onward the three of us will eat together breakfast and supper. And yes, that is an order I''m giving you as your master."

    He dered in a matter-of-fact voice, as it clearly wasn''t up to discussion.

    Patishi and Veo looked at each otherpletely stunned. They both already knew that the first prince had a thing against skinny people but they never expected him to actually go as far as this.

    ¡­somehow missing the point that Horeo was just worried about them¡­

    "O-of course we willply, my prince, but¡­ What is with this table, where did your desk go? Don''t you need it?"

    Patishi agreed instantly, but couldn''t help herself and asked in a bashful voice.

    "Nope. I can do my assignments on this just as good."

    Horeo shrugged his shoulders and answered with a cheeky smirk.

    "I just wanted something that we could sit by together at once."

    "!!!"

    |B-but that makes it almost like a date¡­!|

    Patishi blushed and started staring at her feet.

    "¡­haa¡­"

    Veo turned her head to the side and sighed without reading anywhere near as deeply into the situation as Patishi was.

    "Indeed, but master, where did you get this table anyway?"

    "Oh? I bought it, of course."

    Horeo responded while shrugging his shoulders.

    "And what did you do with the desk?"

    Veo shook her head and asked.

    "I gave it back to the school staff saying that I don''t need it anymore ¨C look, there''s barely any space in this room anyway."

    The gold-haired prince shrugged his shoulders and spread his arms to demonstrate the point.

    "¡­haaaaaaaaaaa¡­."

    Veo sighed even deeper at her master''s immediate answer.

    "Master, you are being wasteful with your money ¨C again! The desk would be good enough!"

    She even started scolding him!

    "Veo, I''m a prince I have standards, you know?"

    Horeo snorted and sneered at her.

    "¡­!"

    Veo''s face became a shade redder.

    "Maser, I''m going to tell sir Zoemi about this!"

    "¡­!"

    She said threateningly and Horeo gasped.

    "You wouldn''t¡­!"

    He backed off, raising his hands defensively.

    "W-we should eat, right? So the prince won''t bete for his ss! R-right, Veo¡­!?"

    The atmosphere was getting rather odd so Patishi chimed in to lift the mood.

    "That''s right! You don''t want to make your favorite master bete, isn''t that right, Veo?"

    Horeo instantly jumped on the idea and walked towards the semicircr table and sat in the middle.

    "¡­indeed¡­ Hmph! We''re going to return to this conversationter, master!"

    Veo pouted and put the tray with food in front of the first prince.

    "Don''t be like that¡­! Come sit down too!"

    Horeo groaned and moved the chair to his right and patted it weingly.

    "Patishi, you sit here."

    The gold-haired boy then moved the chair to his left and patted it too.

    "¡­I sometimes think there must be something wrong with me¡­"

    Veo sat down with a grumpy look on her face and muttered under her breath.

    "What? Of course not! You are amazing!"

    "!!!"

    Horeo furrowed his brows and scoffed, shaking his head over the outrageous ¨C in his opinion ¨C im.

    "Patishi, don''t be shy, the food tastes better when we eat together, right~?"

    "Y-yes, my prince¡­!"

    The gold-haired boy turned to Patishi and beckoned her to sit down already ¨C which she did while her face became as red as a tomato.

    Horeo split the food between the three of them and they started eating.

    Patishi was the first one to finish but as soon as her hands and jaw stopped moving, Horeo took a portion out of his own te and ced it on the young attendant''s empty te.

    "M-my prince! I-I don''t need it, you should¡­!"

    Patishi tried to stop him but Horeo only took a slice of bread and put it in the girl''s mouth.

    "No, noining, you are a growing girl, what if you faint? I''ve heard that girls worry about their weight but that''s ridiculous, same to you Veo ¨C you lost weight recently didn''t you? You don''t have to overwork yourself, take care of yourself first."

    He said calmly and patted Patishi''s head before turning around, taking another slice of bread, and putting it in Veo''s mouth.

    "Mashta, yu pehfeft¡­!"

    "¡­nnn¡­"

    Veo muttered with her mouth full, Patishi didn''t even say anything she just kept on nibbling on the slice of bread that the prince gave her ¨C but deep blush showed that she shared Veo''s opinion¡­

    ¡­and didn''t really mind it either¡­

    "A what?! Huh?! Why?! What did I do?!"

    Horeo gasped, shocked to the core and his eyes widened.

    ¡ª¨C

    The rest of the meal passed in peace and when they were done, Patishi cleaned the table and Veo picked up the tray with empty dishes.

    "Thank you for your hard work."

    Horeo smiled at them, making both Patishi and Veo were crimson red from embarrassment.

    "Ah! That''s right ¨C Veo, we will be returning to the royal pce ¨C it will be Ptishi''s first time going there too, so that calls for a present!"

    The gold-haired prince spoke up, right as his attendants were about to leave the room.

    "E-eeeeehhhhh?! I''m going too?!"

    Patishi flinched and cowered in panic.

    "Of course you do, you are my attendant now ¨C in training, but still."

    Horeo nodded his head with a serious expression and patted the girl''s head.

    "It came to my attention that you don''t have any dresses in your wardrobe, even though you seem to like them very much."

    "!!!!"

    The first prince said and his expression softened as he recalled seeing the younger girl trying out Veo''s maid''s uniform.

    "My prince ¨C no¡­! There''s no need! I don''t deserve any presents ¨C I barely started serving you, it''s Veo who should receive another o¡­!"

    "Shush. Listen to our master, you silly girl."

    Patishi gasped and started backing off while shaking her head ¨C but because of that, she ended up bumping into the older girl, who raised her hands and put them on her shoulders while smiling at the younger girl.

    "Also rx ¨C I am not going to give you a ballroom dress ¨C just something practical ¨C like Veo advised me to do."

    Horeo raised his hands and waved them to calm his attendant-in-training.

    "You are in on this?!"

    Patishi gasped and turned around staring wide-eyed right into Veo''s eyes, since to begin with, they were basically the same height.

    "Just listen to our master ¨C you will simply receive a maid''s uniform just like mine, only with a bigger apron so that you could still use it while cooking"

    Veo''s smile widened and she nodded without any shame.

    "Wait¡­ like this one?!"

    Patishi''s expression suddenly changed fromplete panic to excitement once she actually heard what she will receive.

    "You will love it ¨C is much cuter than this mine, actually."

    The older girlughed and added happily.

    "Oh, that reminds me ¨C Veo, you are getting a new maid''s uniform too, to match Patishi."

    "¡­eh¡­?"

    Horeo nodded in realization and dered calmly, making Veo open her mouth in confusion.

    "Master! You are paying for them from your own pocket! That''s a waste of money! This one is still good!"

    She ended up shaking off the initial shock and furrowed her brows, ring at the blond-haired boy while stepping away from Patishi to show off her current dress.

    "That''s not urate ¨C even an old dress will look good on a cute girl, you are getting a new one and that''s that, alright, I''m off to the lectures."

    Horeo shook his head and waved his hand dismissively before leaving his stunned attendants.

    "¡­Veo¡­?"

    Patishi slowly approached the older girl who¡­

    "Stupid prince! And he dares to say that sir Zoemi is dense!"

    ¡­blushed so hard that her face turned crimson, and slumped down because she literally got weak in her knees¡­.

 Chapter 220 - 69 - Is There Another Storm Coming...? (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 220 ¨C 69 ¨C Is There Another Storm Coming¡­? (part 1)</h4>

    The day started, as usual, Zoemi woke up, went to the bathroom, got dressed, and picked up the mana potion that still kept on appearing by his door¡­

    "¡­"

    With the vial in his hand, he looked to the sides in search of Grazio, but he was nowhere to be seen¡­

    "I¡­ I need to talk with Ehmi and Burushi about that guy¡­"

    The ck-haired boy sighed while hiding the vial in his pocket.

    Honestly, thanks to all the evening training with a bunch of other students, his mana pool had already reached a level when the efficiency of the mana potion wasgging behind by a lot.

    The thing is, the blue liquid wasn''t something like concentrated mana in a bottle ¨C which would make it possible for the boy to straight-up convert into his own ¨C but rather it made the body regenerate mana a little bit faster ¨C it had a huge effect on someone with a small mana reservoir like the darkness and earth magicians, but didn''t work anywhere near as good for anyone stronger than that¡­

    |¡­not that I mind bleeding that guy dry out of all of his money¡­|

    Zoemi thought to himself, still very much unable to forget what the red-haired capture target did to him and almost did to Miriette.

    With that in mind he went to the kitchen, he greeted and talked a bit with Patishi and Veo, who both seemed to be in excellent moods, and then together with Teo he made the breakfast for Miriette.

    Teo insisted on looking at the tray with the food and walked into the dark-haired girl''s room first ¨C at which Zoemi agreed without any hesitation ¨C after all he already walked on Miriette at least twice.

    Even someone as dense as him learned his lesson and preferred to let the female attendant spearhead their mater''s territory.

    It was quite considerate too, after all, it surely was less embarrassing to get seen by another girl than a boy¡­

    "Mistress, hello~"

    "¡­"

    Teo entered the room and called out cheerfully, while Zoemi patiently waited for the response.

    "Good morning~ Hmm? Is Zoemi noting today¡­? Oh, my gosh, you have to listen to this!"

    But then a familiar responded ¨C and got really excited too, making the boy hesitate.

    "No, no ¨C he is here. He just doesn''t want to stress you out, again¡­"

    "GHH¡­!"

    That is why he only heard and did not see how the girls acted.

    ¡­Teo hurriedly shook her had motioned at the door with her chin, stopping Miriette from blurting out what happened the other day, while the dark-haired girl hurriedly shut her mouth and straightened her back, attempting to act natural.

    "Good morning, mydy."

    That was the moment when Zoemi ended up entering the room and saw Miriette waiting by the desk ¨C the ck-haired boy''s heart skipped a beat when he saw her profile as she was sitting by the desk as he remembered how she ordered him to pamper her¡­

    She was a bit fidgety, but overall there was no reason to suspect that she remembered anything from thest evening¡­

    Of course, the truth was that since the dark-haired girl wasn''t actually mana depleted at all, she was just doing her best to act as she normally did.

    |He would definitely call me an indecent woman if he knew the truth¡­!|

    Miriette thought to herself keenly watching the boy''s reflection in her mirror.

    "Here."

    Teo put the tray with food in front of the young nobledy while Zoemi grabbed the prepared hairbrush and started brushing Miriette''s hair.

    While doing so, the ck-haired boy recalled how his master snuggled up to him and he actually flinched just a little bit from that while tending to the girl''s rowdy short hair.

    "¡­!"

    ¡­which resulted in his hand trembled and he brushed it against Miriette''s neck, which in turn made the dark-haired girl jolt and blush so hard that even her ears and neck became red.

    "AH! I''m sorry, mydy! Your servant was so clumsy¡­!"

    Startled Zoemi started apologizing, panicking because of the vivid red color that he was used to associating with anger but Miriette shook her head.

    "I-it''s nothing, it happens¡­"

    She dered in a slightly trembling voice but didn''t look back at her attendant ¨C which made Zoemi worry a little bit¡­

    |He is so forward¡­! To caress my neck like that, that took me by surprise! Sh-should I do something like that to him too¡­? Maybe it''s alright to be a bit more bold¡­?|

    Somehow Miriette misunderstood what happened but ended uping to a correct conclusion.

    The truth was Zoemi didn''t like perverts that bothered others ¨C but he never had anything against that kind of closeness as long as both parties consented¡­

    "¡­"

    Miriette''s hair was also getting curly from the love-struck excitement and the brushing had to take longer than usual¡­

    Teo took the tray with empty dishes and left the room and Zoemi and Miriette were left alone.

    "Mydy, shall we go to the lectures?"

    Zoemi smiled and asked politely while opening the door for his master.

    "But of course, Zoemi."

    Miriette nodded her head benevolently and offered her hand to the ck-haired attendant.

    "¡­!"

    And then she froze because someone went past her door and she realized that she was about to ask Zoemi to hold hands and walked with him like that in public.

    "!!!!"

    She blushed and quickly retracted her hand before Zoemi could have noticed her movement.

    "L-let''s go¡­!"

    She stuttered trying to act normal and walked out of her room with her head up proudly.

    |Was she always this cute¡­?|

    Zoemi couldn''t help himself but admire his master attitude, even though he wasn''t aware of what exactly caused her to blush¡­

    ¡ª¡ª

    The two of them walked to the ssroom together, Miriette inched a bit closer towards Zoemi so that by the time they were entering the ssroom their shoulders were almost touching.

    "Good morning to the two of you!"

    Suddenly Horeo appeared out of nowhere and jumped between the master-attendant duo and grabbed their shoulders inserting himself in between.

    "It''s a good day, isn''t it?"

    He asked cheerfully.

    "My prince! Good morning!"

    Zoemi raised his brows at the sudden appearance of the first prince but then he smiled¡­

    ¡­a bit coldly unable to stop ring at the prince''s hand that was touching Miriette''s shoulder¡­

    "Zoemi, does my fiance gives you any trouble? Don''t be shy, you canin to me all you want!"

    "You¡­! My prince, please don''t joke around like that¡­!"

    Horeoughed cheerfully and Miriette tried to move as far away from him as she could,pletely creeped out.

    |What is wrong with you¡­!?|

    She silently mouthed at Horeo in disbelief.

    "It''s always good to see you, my love, you''re getting more beautiful by the day!"

    The first prince turned to her and smiled only with his mouth.

    |I told you, it''s a war.|

    His cold eyes were saying¡­

    "!!!"

    Miriette read that without any trouble and clenched her fists.

    |You''ll interrupt even an innocent walk!?|

    She mouthed furious, getting closer to him and pinching his side as hard as she could.

    |WAR.|

    Horeo mouthed in response and moved his hand onto the girl''s back¡­

    "Let''s not block the door anymore, my love, please, you first."

 Chapter 221 - 69 - Is There Another Storm Coming...? (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 221 ¨C 69 ¨C Is There Another Storm Coming¡­? (part 2)</h4>

    The first prince said loudly with impable manners and shoved his fiancee into the ssroom, then he hung himself from Zoemi''s neck with just the right amount of skinship that a normal male friend could allow himself before things would get weird.

    "Thanks for always taking care of her, I''m serious."

    Horeo said with a serious expression.

    "My prince, it''s an honor¡­"

    "Hold on, hear me out first.."

    Zoemi started but the prince interrupted him by waving his hand dismissively.

    "To show my appreciation, how about we resume our training sessions? I''ve heard you get yourself quite the cult following, can I join in on the fun?"

    The gold-haired boy tilted his head and looked up at the attendant''s face with an innocent-looking expression.

    "I mean, sure¡­ but just so you know, my prince, Your opinion might plummet if you will try to do the same thing you shamelessly pulled off when we were kids ¨C there are a lot of people participating in those practices sessions¡­

    "!!!"

    Zoemi raised his brow and tilted his head to match Horeo''s face ¨C and made the first prince flinch and actually blush.

    "You¡­! Weren''t you supposed to let go of that when I made Patishi the royal baker?!"

    The gold-haired boy took a step back and looked away with a grumpy expression.

    "I was, but as far as I know, she is now your attendant, so the deal is off."

    The ck-haired attendant smirked and dered without any shred of shame or understanding.

    "That''s not how paying off one''s debts works!"

    Horeo straightened his back and dered, furrowing his brows angrily at the shameless attendant.

    "Fine, then, give me back my first kiss that you stole and I will put it all behind me."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and reached out his hand as if he expected to get handed something by the first prince.

    "¡­"

    Horeo nced at the ck-haired boy''s hand and then looked up at his face.

    "I was a kid, alright?! And I just read some stupid books together with Miriette, I just wanted to practice, alright ¨C back then there was no meaning to it, so give it a rest!"

    The first prince scoffed and shook his head in disbelief, embarrassed by his embarrassing past.

    "Nah, I don''t feel like it ¨C still, my prince, if you want to show up for a practice session, feel free. It never was some close door gathering or anything anyway."

    "¡­!"

    |Did¡­ did I do something to make him angry¡­?!|

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and shocked the prince''s eye''s widened, as the gold-haired boy tried to figure out what he did wrong¡­

    |¡­oh¡­ I might have been too harsh on him¡­ it''s all because of that misunderstanding with the shirt. Seriously, what a shameless attendant I''m changing into¡­|

    Zoemi felt bad seeing the prince''s reaction and breathed out internally.

    "My prince, you really aren''t used to being the one getting teased, are you? You are always wee to join the training session whenever you have time."

    He straightened his back and spoke with a soft smile while bowing his head politely.

    "Ah¡­! Ah, yes! I see, sorry, I must be overly sensitive about the double meanings and whatnot ¨C father told me that the negotiations he wants me to take part in will be very difficult and I am walking on eggshells."

    The gold-haired prince twitched and his face rxed in relief after assuming that Zoemi wasn''t actually hating him or anything, and exined himself with an embarrassed.

    "¡­?"

    ¡­but by speaking out about a certain detail, Horeo caused the ck-haired attendant to tilt his head and furrow his brows.

    "My prince, pardon me asking but, when will you be joining his majesty during those negotiations¡­?"

    |It''s not tomorrow, right? What about the shopping trip Miriette nned¡­?|

    Zoemi asked out loud and finished in his mind while blinking in confusion.

    "Tomorrow ¨C quite unlucky, don''t you think? I''ve heard from Miriette that you two will go take a breather in the local town and all ¨C I''m quite jealous. Though no one said that preparing to inherit the throne would be easy, I was prepared to forsake my own free time. If you feel sorry for me then let''s hang out another time."

    Horeo perked up and patted Zoemi''s shoulder.

    "My prince¡­ how long did you know about having to spend the free day in the royal castle?"

    The ck-haired boy asked carefully, trying to stay in hisne and not make any outrageous assumptions¡­

    "Since the whole thing was nned ¨C at least a month in advance, what about it? Sorry, it really cannot be rescheduled or anything ¨C apparently father asked the headmaster to make the day of the mandatory duels for the second and third years to be tomorrow BECAUSE of the date of the negotiations."

    Horeo pointed out making an apologetic expression.

    "And mydy was aware of that¡­?"

    Zoemi asked to have a clear picture of the situation¡­

    "Of course, she di¡­ oh. Ohhh¡­!"

    |THAT CUNNING FOX HAS LIED TO ME! That cheeky wench!|

    Horeo furrowed his brows and shrugged his shoulders ¨C but then he flinched and rolled his eyes in a rather very annoyed realization.

    "Zoemi, let''s finish our conversation before, or after, today''s training session, we already talked about way too much stuff in front of the ssroom."

    The gold-haired prince straightened his back and dered in a calm andposed voice while pointing at the door behind him with his thumb.

    "¡­yes, you are right my prince¡­"

    The ck-haired attendant nodded with a serious expression and the two handsome boys entered the ssroom, unintentionally causing most of the girls to swoon at the mere sight of the two of them showing up arm in arm, as the overall concentration of handsomeness had breached the eptable levels and skyrocketed with their appearance.

    |So Miriette knew but still wanted to go? Did she forget about¨C no, wait, she surely didn''t¡­ now that I think about it she mentioned going with Horeo only because I was unwilling to go¡­ could it be that¡­?|

    Questions instantly multiplied and filled his mind and the ck-haired attendant took his seat in front of Horeo and Miriette without a word.

    "You snake! What did you say to Zoemi!? Why does he look so worried!?"

    Miriette instantly jumped at her gold-haired fiance seething with resentment.

    "Hah! Better you tell me why didn''t you tell him that I won''t be going for the so-called shopping date that you boasted about so much, you cunning fox! I knew from the start that there was something off ¨C you weren''t boasting nearly enough for him to just ept a date with you!"

    Horeo frowned and slowly but surely grabbed Miriette''s face and pushed her away from his own.

    "And control yourself a little or others will start suspecting that we are not madly in love with each other."

    "You¡­!"

    He scolded the dark-haired girl, but Miriette has alreadye to her own conclusions and became pale from pure furry.

    "You sold me out?! You cheap thieving cat, even in war there are rules ¨C how could you sell me out like this?! Zoemi will now realize that I lied to him! I thought we were friends!"

    She bit her lips and started smacking the prince''s arm and her pale face started regaining some color ¨C until it became red from anger¡­

    "Control yourself, you overexcited idiot, Zoemi''s looking¡­!"

    "!!!"

    Horeo whispered urgently and the dark-haired girl froze in ce with her hand on his shoulder.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi has turned away and was looking at her with an innocent expression¡­

    "¡­"

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    "?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

    ¡­and once their eyes meet, he blushed and hurriedly turned back towards the teacher''s desk, leaving Miriette ¨C and Horeo ¨C stunned¡­!

    "¡­d-did you see the same thing that I did¡­?!"

    The dark-haired girl muttered, shaking the gold-haired boy''s shoulder.

    "¡­that¡­ did¡­ did I actually help you out by exposing you¡­?! No way¡­!"

    Horeo gasped in disbelief, devastated over the rather obvious reaction of the ck-haired attendant¡­

    Meanwhile¡­

    |No, no, no ¨C I am just imagining things ¨C Miriette is a nobledy and wouldn''t spare a nce for a mere attendant such as myself¡­! She must want to buy Horeo a present or something, and wants to ask me for advice ¨C that''s it that surely all there is to it¡­!|

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva trying o calm down his wildly beating heart.

    |¡­unless¡­|

    But even with all the reasoning, he could muster at the moment, he still couldn''t help but get hopeful there for a moment¡­.

 Chapter 222 - 69 - Is There Another Storm Coming...? (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 222 ¨C 69 ¨C Is There Another Storm Coming¡­? (part 3)</h4>

    The brown-haired Xeonith was getting changed in his room after a morning training session ¨C the second and third years had no lectures since the past few days in order to give them some time to practice before the mandatory duels.

    Xeonith was the transcended earth magician with as much mana as an average light magician ¨C although the duels should have no actual stakes and were just a teaser of what the students will have to face in their adulthood at some point, he couldn''t allow himself to just take it easy and make some silly mistake.

    He carried the title of the pride of all earth magicians.

    The brown-haired boy had a lot of eyes not only in the academy but from the outside carefully following his every step.

    For magicians, their attribute was always something they were proud of to the point of putting strong individuals on the pedestals like some idols or deities.

    It was like that for all magicians, but earth magicians, in particr, were often underestimated and treated as magicians best suited for manualbor ¨C which wasn''t all that great for aristocrats.

    They also boasted the second-lowest mana amount out of the six base attributes, which definitely wasn''t helping their opinion either.

    Earth magicians were definitely strongest in closebat, but usually failed at any spells involving anything over the very short distance ¨C and that''s where Xeonith came into y.

    By winning every single duel with every single magician wielding attribute above the earth in the mana chart, the brown-haired second-year boy would leave a strong impression on all the other students who would then be the sessors of their families ¨C not to mention their parents ¨C improving the status of all the other earth magicians in the process.

    ¡­at least that was what teacher Auequass was telling Xeonith since he stepped into the academy.

    The old woman was an earth magician herself, not to mention that her family ¨C well, the main branch of it at least ¨C always supported Xeonith''s family.

    The brown-haired boy was well aware that the woman''s passion about him being the strongest had a lot to do with her granddaughter ¨C also a transcended earth magician, only a little bit weaker than Xeonith, a couple of years older than the brown-haired boy himself.

    When that girl, well, more like a young woman, was a student, she almost achieved the goal of winning every duel just like Xeonith aimed to do, but actually ended up always losing to another girl from her ss ¨C a certain female water magician, who outrageously wasn''t even a transcended magician but boasted an overwhelming real-life battle experience even as a student which allowed her to crush every single opponent¡­

    "Lady Auequas probably wants me to marry her granddaughter after I leave the Academy¡­ father was rather obvious that I shouldn''t reject her offer when the timees¡­"

    Xenith put on a fresh shirt and picked up the towel to dry out his hair some more after the shower and scoffed to himself.

    "That girl is supposed to be strong, pretty, and polite ¨C what bullshit, if she was, she wouldn''t be nearing her thirties while unmarried! Oh well, a concubine closer to my age will solve that problem."

    He smirked and sat on his bed with the towel covering his face.

    "Ah~ that reminds me¡­ why don''t I y around more with that littlemoner bitch that the idiot Surou fell for? She seems easy enough, and if anything would o wrong¡­ she''s amoner, one punch and the problem is gone~"

    The brown-haired boy hummed and chuckled to himself.

    "Actually¡­ I kind of always wanted to try out torturing someone¡­ pff-hahaha¡­! I wonder what face that idiot Surou would make if he learns that his cheap lover got messed up~!"

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "!!!"

    The sound of knocking made Surou flinch and his towel slid down onto the bed as the brown-haired boy shut his mouth and red at the door.

    "Who''s there?"

    The supposedly stoic capture target asked in a cautious tone ¨C if the person outside happened to be a teacher and they heard his rather outrageous monologue, things could get bad.

    Xeonith always had that problem¡­

    He was just too fond of his own voice to stay quiet with his thoughts!

    "My lord, it''s me ¨C congrattions on bing the new student''s supervisor ¨C honestly, this role should be yours from the beginning."

    But the voice that responded to his question certainly didn''t belong to anyone from the faculty office ¨C no ¨C it was someone whom Xeonith actually met only recently.

    ¡­although ''met'' was stretching it a little bit ¨C the brown-haired boy never actually seen the face of the person, who called himself simply ''his lowly supporter''.

    "Hah¡­ It''s just you. Don''t call out to me out of nowhere, who do you think you are?"

    Xeonith scoffed at the door, grabbed and curled up the towel, and threw it at the door with an annoyed expression.

    "What do you want? Another bootlicking session? Unless you show me your face, you can say whatever you want and I still won''t ept someone like you as an ally ¨C you act like a darkness magician. Filthy."

    The brown-haired boy scoffed ¨C for someone who was supposed to represent a certain group, he seemed to have a lot of disdain for a different group¡­

    "My lord, I have my reasons for not showing my face, but I assure you my devotion for you is true¡­ and while we are at it, I would like to bring your attention to a certain attendant who needs to be put back into his ce."

    The voice didn''t seem very bothered by the harsh words and simply spoke in a calm andposed way.

    "Hmph¡­"

    Xeonith scoffed and shook his head with an annoyed expression, clearly not interested in doing the mysterious so-called supporter any favors.

    "My, my¡­ you let out such a cute voice when he showed up during yourst meeting with themoner girl, that I thought that you would be interested¡­"

    "!!!!"

    The mysterious supporter changed his tactics instantly and snickered at the shocked Xeonith from the outside¡­

    "Bastard! You were there?! How long have you been stalking me?!"

    The brown-haired boy got red from anger and growled, standing up and clenching his fists.

    The next moment his body let out the brown light and it looked like he was going to go straight for the door to beat up the overconfident cheeky bastard unwilling to even show his face.

    "¡­this is so annoying, seriously¡­"

    "HOW DARE YOU¡­!?"

    The supporter sighed in disappointment, which sent the other boy in a furious frenzy making him charge at the door¡­

    "~?top~"

    "¡­"

    But another word spoken by the mysterious individual stopped Xeonith right in his track.

    Literally ¨C the brown-haired boy lost focus in his eyes and was standing in ce on foot while his other leg was raised and frozen mid-air.

    "¡­seriously, this one is so annoying¡­"

    The mysterious supporter sighed in annoyance and cleared his throat.

    "~The first prince likes Zoemi, if you mess with Zoemi, Horeo will drop his peaceful act and show his true face ¨C just like he did the day Surou was getting expelled. The second-year students cannot challenge the first-year students for a duel, but if the first-year student challenges the second-year student, it''s perfectly eptable for the second-year student to ept and beat the shit out of the challenger. It''s your chance to show everyone that you are better than the first prince Horeo. You just need to make that attendant suffer.~"

    The mysterious supporter dered and his voice reverberated through Xeonith''s room.

    "¡­of I mess with that attendant, Horeo will challenge me and I will show everyone who''s better¡­ yes¡­ that''s right¡­ I don''t have to wait until that two-faced gold-haired snob enters his second year at the Academy¡­"

    Xeonith stood up straight and muttered, before shaking his head, getting rid of the dizzy feeling.

    "¡­that makes sense¡­ You, are you still there?"

    The brown-haired boy muttered to himself before calling out in a domineering voice acting as if thest minute didn''t happen¡­

    "Of course, my lord, what can I help you with?"

    The mysterious supporter asked innocently, easily faking the devoted tone of voice of a lowly servant he always used with Surou.

    "You want to be useful, here''s a chance ¨C tell me the schedule of the first-year students ¨C the ss of the first prince and the Espine''s attendant is enough."

    The brown-haired boy demanded with a decisive look in his eyes and waved his hand proudly.

    "As you wish, my lord!"

    The mysterious support responded and even without seeing his face it was obvious that he had just the widest smile nearly splitting his face¡­.

 Chapter 223 - 70 - Congratulations, You Pissed Off The First Prince, Now What...? (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 223 ¨C 70 ¨C Congrattions, You Pissed Off The First Prince, Now What¡­? (part 1)</h4>

    "Why do you think he''s staring at themoner girl so much?"

    Miriette sitting right behind Zoemi leaned towards Horeo and asked, staring daggers into the back of the blond-haired girl a few seats away.

    Rival or not, the first prince was the only person she could consult about her attendant without worrying about causing a scandal.

    "Maybe he''s annoyed that she''s sleeping through the lectures and no one minds her, he is rather strict about discipline after all¡­"

    Horeo tilted his head and squinted his eyes while looking between the ck-haired attendant and the blondmoner girl.

    "Bullshit ¨C look at his face, he looks concerned ¨C why is he worried about anyone who isn''t me?!"

    "¡­"

    Miriette scoffed in annoyance, making Horeo blink and slowly turn towards her with an indifferent expression.

    "Seriously, try to keep such things to yourself, or I will really drop your cunning fox nickname and start calling you an idiot."

    "!!!"

    The gold-haired prince sighed and shook his head in disappointment, making Miriette flinch and blush as she realized she was indeed getting a little bit too intense¡­

    "Still, it''s not like you don''t have a point there¡­ I helped her with Surou''s incident but I don''t have a positive opinion of her¡­ She''s amoner but she doesn''t know her ce at all ¨C if she won''t learn she will end up dead in a ditch the moment she stepped out of the academy¡­ You would think that she would get the hint and straighten up her act since she gets bullied all the time."

    Still, the first prince tilted his head and sighed also ncing towards the blond-haired girl breathing peacefully, clearly deeply asleep.

    "She still gets bullied? I thought that people gave it up already¡­"

    The dark-haired girl raised her brows and gasped quietly in disbelief.

    "What? You thought everything was over? After that whole engagement thing fiasco, missmoner is getting so much shit that even I consider it too much¡­ I even mentioned that I despise petty bullying a few times but I guess that thick-headed rabble of overconfident, pathetic¡­"

    "You''re letting your honest feelings slip."

    Horeo started muttering under his breath, clenching his fists stronger and stronger and Miriette had to nudge him in the side to stop the disgusted chanting.

    "Ah¡­! Sorry, sorry ¨C I wanted to say that it looks like I will have to remind our fellow students that ganging up on someone who cannot really fight back isn''t how real nobles should act like."

    Horeo closed his eyes and took a deep breath ¨C when he opened his eyes he was back to being calm and refreshingly positive on the outside.

    "You''re feeling bad for her?"

    Miriette raised her bow and asked in surprise.

    "I guess? She cannot fit in with the hierarchy, but I don''t think that she is doing it on purpose either¡­ I still don''t like her, but it doesn''t change the fact that she healed Zoemi''s wounds¡­ and that those bullies are a bunch of idiots who needs to be taught a lesson."

    The first prince shrugged his shoulders and responded with indifference.

    "What''s with those questions anyway? Could it be that YOU are feeling bad for her?"

    The gold-haired prince''s eyes widened and he asked with his lips forming a faint smirk.

    "Hey¡­ She was aiming for your younger brother and she lost him almost the same moment she thought she got him ¨C as a fellow female in a difficult romantic situation I respect and feel sorry for her. Until their make-belief rtionship fell apart, I was actually super jealous of her, thinking that she had it so much easier than me."

    Miriette confessed and pointed at the sleeping heroine before shrugging her shoulders.

    "Wait¡­ So are you feeling sorry for me who''s in a far worse situation since my gender is the same as the person I have a huge rush on?"

    Horeo leaned back in shock and had to stop himself from whistling in shock.

    "Hmph! In your dreams, maybe! Why would I feel sorry for my rival!?"

    Miriette fidgeted and looked away blushing with embarrassment.

    "Pffft¡­!

    Seeing her flustered like that made Horeo snort and smile.

    |It feels good to know she really considers me a threat.|

    He sighed internally in relief.

    "Alright, putting the obvious things aside, for quite a long time I was actually quite sure that it was you who punched through thatmoner''s desk way back when."

    The gold-haired boy said changing the subject a bit.

    "¡­eh¡­?"

    Miriette looked at him with actual disappointment.

    "Really? You thought I did that?"

    "¡­"

    She asked with a sigh and Horeo started looking around awkwardly just to not meet her eyes.

    "What ¨C I have more important things to worry about than ying a detective, alright? At the time you were suspicious."

    The first prince fidgetted awkwardly and confessed.

    "¡­ohohoho¡­! Poor little prince, left in the dark about something so obvious¡­!"

    Miriette giggled and looked at Horeo with pity.

    "Huh? So you do know who did it?!"

    Horeo gasped and his eyes lighted up with curiosity.

    "Of course I do! And it''s the reason why I am shocked that the bullying never stopped ¨C I made sure that the one responsible swears that they will never mess with that girl again."

    Mirietted dered, puffing out her chest with pride.

    "Well, maybe you just met a shameless individual? Who is it¡­?"

    "And that''s it for today, have a nice day, everyone."

    Just as Horeo was leaning towards Miriette with a curious expression, the teacher announced the end of the lecture and left the ssroom.

    It was already time for the lunch break and Zoemi turned around towards his master and the first prince with a stunning smile.

    "Mydy, my prince, where would you like to have your meal?"

    "¡­!"

    "¡­!"

    He asked and both Miriette and Horeo straightened their backs taken by surprise.

    "The weather is so nice, it would be a shame to eat indoors, won''t you agree, my love?"

    "Indeed, my prince, you''re right."

    They consulted each other acting out their perfect-couple roles more so out of habit and the need to hide their embarrassment than an actual obligation to do so.

    "Then, if you allow me, I will go make the necessary preparation, it will take just a bit of time so may I suggest the two of you go on a stroll alongside the pond in the meantime?"

    The ck-haired attendant tilted his head and asked.

    "Indeed that''s a marvelous idea."

    Horeo nodded and turned towards Miriette.

    "Don''t you think so too, my love?"

    "I can''t wait, my prince."

    Both of them had their lovey-dovey roles down so well that there was no way of figuring out that each of them would love it a hundred times more if it was Zoemi strolling with them than the other person.

    But they had to keep their appearances.

    "I''m off then, mydy, my prince."

    Zoemi stood up and bowed towards them and was about to step away from his seat and leave but¡­

    "¡­"

    Just as he was doing so, someone entered the ssroom.

    A tall, brown-haired boy.

    A sophomore and one of the capture targets, the son of a duke.

    Xeonith Zarble Derizno.

    It was a rather strange sight as usually the second year students had no reason to show up at the freshman''s ssroom¡­

    "¡­"

    Zoemi stiffened and his eyes lost their light bing far more threatening as he red at the brown-haired intruder.

    |Did that piece of shit pervert actuallye here for Burushi¡­? Does he have no shame¡­?|

    The ck-haired attendant thought to himself subconsciously activating the shadow enchantments, but as the transcended earth magician was looking around the ssroom his eyes didn''t stop at the heroine at all¡­

    "!!!!!!"

    Even when the blond girl raised her head and made a terrified expression when she saw him¡­

    No.

    The brown-haired capture target ignored the heroine and instead focused on the three people further inside.

    Especially on one of them.

    Without paying attention to anyone else Xeonith walked towards the first prince forcing other students to step out of his way.

    "Your highness,dy Espine."

    He nodded towards the couple,pletely ignoring Zoemi ¨C which was rather rude, but not uneptable behavior ¨C their social standing was different enough to allow for such a thing.

    "Sir Derizno."

    "Sir Xeonith."

    The future royal couple responded to the upperssman''s greeting with just the bare minimum of politeness ¨C both of them were already extremely annoyed at Xeonith for a rather obvious reason.

    "¡­"

    ¡­the blond heroine used that chance to hurriedly sneak out of her seat while no one was paying attention to her and started moving towards the door¡­.

 Chapter 224 - 70 - Congratulations, You Pissed Off The First Prince, Now What...? (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 224 ¨C 70 ¨C Congrattions, You Pissed Off The First Prince, Now What¡­? (part 2)</h4>

    "Lord Derizno, it''s an honor to see you."

    "¡­"

    Unbothered, Zoemi showed his professionalism as a trained attendant and bowed his back splendidly ¨C although he didn''t deactivate his discreet enchantments at all¡­

    "Ah¡­ Espine''s attendant, you are here too, I don''t pay attention to trivial things."

    Xeonith responded, with a dismissive scoff as if he didn''t consider the ck-haired bo to be worthy of his attention.

    "My lord, that''s not a problem at all! As an attendant, it is my duty to take care of any unpleasant situation that might bother my master, no matter how annoying and pathetic it may be. What can I help you with?"

    "¡­!"

    Zoemi easily threw a shade at the brown-haired boy while managing to staypletely professional and technically in the clear¡­

    ¡­disying that professional sassiness that his teacher liked to boast about¡­

    |Now that I think about it, he might be quite an interesting teacher¡­|

    Zoemi recalled head-butler of the Espine''s household while innocently looking into Xeonith''s angry eyes, ying the perfect fool.

    "Sir Derizno, it is not amon urrence to see you here and I guess that''s because you have something exceedingly important to discuss. What may I help you with?"

    Horeo chimed in and asked with impable manners taking charge of the conversation and taking the Xeonith''s attention away from the ck-haired boy.

    "No, just a few trivial things that I wanted to deal with, using the fact that I was passing by anyway, really. Student supervisor duties and whatnots."

    The brown-haired boy smirked and straightened his back, clearly satisfied that he was around an inch taller than the gold-haired prince, which allowed him to physically look down on him to some extent.

    "¡­?"

    "¡­"

    Horeo and Miriette raised their brows and looked at each other hearing the piece of news that had managed to fly under their radar.

    Xeonith wasn''t someone who would spout lies in public ¨C he had too much to lose to do such reckless things, which meant that it must have been true.

    That said, what did a student''s supervisor have to say to the perfect first prince?

    "My lord, it was a pleasure to meet you here."

    Zoemi who thought that Xeonith came to ask for help withpleting his duties bowed towards the brown-haired youth.

    "I''m terribly sorry, but I have to leave now, I need to prepare the meal for my master. Mydy, my prince, lord Derizno, if you excuse me."

    "No."

    The ck-haired attendant spoke calmly and was about to turn away when suddenly Xeonith turned grabbed his shoulder in an attempt to stop him from doing so, to the extent of even activating his enchantments¡­

    After all, the earth magicians were supposed to be the strongest in closebat ¨C if not counting variants, ice magicians in particr ¨C so the brown-haired boy didn''t expect any resistance while he put his hand on the attendant''s shoulder¡­

    "Ugh¡­!!"

    That''s why a gasp of shock escaped the unprepared Xeonith''s mouth when he ended up getting thrown off bnce because he couldn''t stop the leaving ck-haired boy.

    "!!!!!"

    "!!!!!"

    "?!?!?!??!?!???!?!?!!"

    Horeo and Miriette froze inplete shock while the heroine who almost made it to the door straight up tripped and was staring at the two boys in utter disbelief from above the desk of another student.

    "My lord? Is something the matter?"

    Truth be told, Zoemi lost one-fourth of his mana on that feat, but his shadow enchantments ended up taking the overconfident earth magician by surprise.

    Judging by the face Xeonith was making, Zoemi might have been the first person who ever managed to achieve that.

    "HMPH! I told you to stay, attendant, and you will stay!"

    The so-called pride of the earth magicians stepped up to Zoemi going all in his face, and grimacing furiously while realizing that he is shorter than the ck-haired attendant ¨C and ended up grabbing his vest with one hand.

    "¡­"

    In response to that Zoemi stayed quiet, looking at Xeonith''s face from the distance far shorter than he ever wanted to, and his eyes lost their light, giving his expression a threatening aura.

    Zoemi using up one-fourth of his overall mana in one go wasn''t enough to push him into mana depletion, but it certainly sent him in a peculiar mood¡­

    "What is the meaning of that!? What are you trying to do with my attendant!?"

    *tap*

    Miriette stood up and furiously smacked her hands against the desk ¨C the hair on the back of her head bristled in anger, but she controlled herself well enough to not activate her enchantments subconsciously which resulted in a rather weak sound and nowhere near the effect she wanted to achieve¡­

    "Derizno, what is the meaning of this behavior? If you don''t let go of my dear friend, the school will have to find yet another student''s supervisor very soon."

    Horeo was no less agitated, and although his face looked calm and he didn''t raise his voice, the words that he used could be hardly mistaken for anything other than a clear threat.

    "Well, I can''t have him go, one of those trivial things I mentioned has something to do with him after all."

    Xeonithposed himself and stepped away from the ck-haired attendant, trying to y it off as if his actions werepletely normal.

    He even shrugged his shoulders dismissively.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi was the only person who didn''t show any outward emotions and simply straightened his clothes, crumpled by the uninvited contact.

    "You¡­!"

    "My love, I know Zoemi is your attendant, but Derizno came to me. I would be grateful if you let me handle this from this point."

    Miriette gritted her teeth and hissed, looking like a furious cat, and was about to tell Xeonith what does she thinks about him and his things but Horeo extended his arm in front of her and stopped her, seemingly back to his calm andposed self.

    "¡­pfft¡­! Ohohohoho! My prince, it would be a pleasure seeing your famous negotiation skills in action!"

    The dark-haired girl flinched and raised her brows in shock over the gold-haired boy''s action, but ended up raising her hand to her mouth and letting out a rather contentugh before nodding and smiling confidently at her fiance.

    "¡­?"

    This was intriguing enough to make a light return into Zoemi''s eyes, as the interested attendant tilted his head and turned towards the prince too.

    "Derizno, tell us about your reasoning for your uncouth outburst, whether or not it will be a good enough excuse will decide the next course of action."

    Satisfied hore faced the transcended earth magician and said calmly, but his eyes were shining threateningly enough to betray his real thoughts.

    "Student Burushiitto ¨C you are also not advised to leave this ssroom, this is about you too, after all."

    "!?!?!?!?!"

    Suddenly, Xeonith called out in a domineering voice without even turning around to look at the terrified blond girl who ended up freezing in ce like a deer in the headlights of the oing truck.

    |STAY HERE OR YOU WILL REGRET IT!|

    Burushi felt Xeonith''s intention even without having him spell it out for her.

    What was she supposed to do now¡­?

    If he was the student''s supervisor, it was better to listen to him, or else he could have found some reason to make them be alone and then¡­!

    "¡­"

    The blond girl trembled and nced longingly towards the door ¨C if she didn''t move so slow out of curiosity this would not have happened¡­

    "¡­"

    "¡­!"

    But then, Burushi noticed that Zoemi was trying to get her attention ¨C he winked at her and nodded reassuringly before motioning his chin at the first prince¡­

    |What is that supposed to mean¡­?|

    The heroine wondered in confusion.

 Chapter 225 - 70 - Congratulations, You Pissed Off The First Prince, Now What...? (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 225 ¨C 70 ¨C Congrattions, You Pissed Off The First Prince, Now What¡­? (part 3)</h4>

    "There''s been a rumor going aroundtely, apparently, your fianceedy Espine and her attendant are the perpetrators of the bullying focused on the student Burushiitto."

    Xeonith dered in a matter-of-fact voice and the atmosphere in the ssroom became stiff.

    "I''m here to investigate that case as one of the students'' supervisors."

    Xeonith finished his sentence with a friendly smile.

    "Then I put an end to that rumor right now, it''s not them,"

    Horeo didn''t even blink and responded in a cold, domineering voice that left no space for discussion of any sort.

    "Do you have any proof to support that ¡­"

    "It is so because I said so."

    The brown-haired second-year student thought he gained an upper hand and started asking but was shot down without even finishing his sentence properly.

    "¡­you highness, you saying such a thing could be considered an abuse of power¡­ It isn''t in good taste to dismiss an usation without properly investigating the matter in question¡­"

    Surprisingly enough, Xeonith seemed to be enjoying himself a little bit too much ¨C just as if taking jabs at the first prince and seeing his expression grew more and more grim was his real objective all along.

    "¡­pfffft¡­ pfffft¡­!"

    The one person who didn''t seem even the slightest bit bothered by the entire situation was¡­ Miriette of all people.

    Even though she was supposedly facing a rather nasty usation she was doing her best to hold back theughter after observing what was going on.

    Xeonith''s ¨C or rather his family''s ¨C obsession aboutpeting with the royal family was well known amongst the high nobility, and Miriette certainly wasn''t unaware about it.

    The thing was, seeing some idiot stirring up her best friend was extremely amusing ¨C honestly, was there better entertainment than watching an annoying creep walk straight into their demise?

    "Bold of you to speak about the abuse of power while showing up here with baseless usation and have the guts toe up to me with them as if they were facts that require an actual proof to be brought down. On the other hand, I wouldn''t mind hearing some facts that would support your im while we''re at it."

    "¡­!"

    Horeo expression changed into that of a soft, but extremely mocking smirk that honestly shocked the brown-haired boy.

    "I''m not using anyone, your highness, I''m here just to ask some questions regarding the matter."

    Xeonith didn''t have anything like that after all ¨C first of all, he only showed up in their ssroom to anger the prince enough for him to challenge him to a duel ¨C but in a sh, that option seemed to be getting further and further away¡­

    |Not good, he is calming down¡­ in that case¡­|

    "¡­?"

    Xeonith thought to himself and nced between the fearful Burushi by the door and Zoemi by his side, getting a suspicious look from the ck-haired boy.

    "Student Burushiitto, you are involved in this the most, you have to show the proof confirming that usation."

    "¡­wh¡­ I have to do what¡­?! But I never used either of them?!"

    The brown-haired boy scoffed and spoke towards the blond girl taken aback by the tantly outrageous demand spoken so easily by the supposedly strict but just capture target¡­!

    Well, apparently his fairness didn''t includemoners that didn''t have the plot armor¡­

    "¡­?"

    Horeo raised his brow wondering what Xeonith was going for with that sudden derail of their conversation but patiently waited to see where the older boy is going with it¡­

    "I see¡­ you really don''t know your ce, do you?"

    "?!?!?!"

    The brown-haired boy shook his head and turned towards the trembling girl who was just as lost as anyone else who had to witness the peculiar turn of action¡­

    "My lord, an investigation has a certain procedure to it¡­"

    |YOU FILTHY PERVERT TRIED TO GROPE HER AND NOW YOU ARE TRYING TO MAKE HER TAKE THE BLAME FOR YOUR IDIOCY?! YOU SHAMELESS, SPINELESS¡­!|

    Zoemi spoke up and stepped forward trying his best to stay calm, but on the inside, he waspletely enraged.

    "Hmph~"

    Xeonith only nced at him and his eyes glistened with satisfaction for a brief moment.

    Then¡­

    "I haven''t asked you for input, attendant, have I?"

    *WHAM*

    This time Zoemi was unprepared and distracted while Xeonith was focused and prepared ¨C the brown-haired boy got lowered his body a bit and punched the ck-haired attendant in the stomach, sending him flying, smashing against the chair and desk, and finally mming against the wall¡­

    "¡­"

    ¡­where he stayed with his head down¡­

    The next thing happened in a sh.

    "ZOEMI?!"

    Miriette screamed horrified and rushed towards the ck-haired boy without caring for the surroundings¡­

    "¡­hmph¡­"

    The brown-haired culprit smirked in satisfaction and turned around to see whether his little stunt was enough to stir up the prince enough to the point of issuing a duel¡­

    "¡­huh¡­?"

    ¡­and ended up letting a surprised voice when someone''s palm blocked most of his field of view.

    Then the hand shone with golden light¡­

    *BOOOOM*

    *CRUSH*

    ¡­and Xeonith had basically no time to react as Horeo deployed his magic.

    A cone of blinding golden light erupted from the first prince''s hand right into the brown-haired sophomore''s face and smashed the brown-haired boy through the window as if he was a ragdoll.

    "¡­!"

    "!!!!"

    "!!!"

    That was so abrupt that no one knew how to react ¨C at least not with Zoemi and Miriette out of the loop.

    The dark-haired girl wasn''t affected by the collective astonishment because of the simple reason of being far too worried about her attendant.

    "Zoemi, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

    She gasped, shaking Zoemi''s shoulder and touching his face while biting her lips ¨C the ck-haired boy didn''t look hurt but he wasn''t opening his eyes.

    "dy Miriette¡­"

    "¡­?!"

    Shockingly enough, someone else came to help Miriette and Zoemi¡­

    And to Miriette''s great surprise it was the blond-hairedmoner girl.

    "Check up¡­"

    Burushi reached out and grabbed Zoemi''s hand and whispered.

    "How¡­ how is he¡­?!"

    Miriette flinched and asked, fighting the urge to p the girl''s hand away from her beloved Zoemi.

    "It¡­ seems to be only mana depletion¡­"

    "Eh¡­?"

    The blond girl responded furrowing her brows in surprise, making the dark-haired girl lean back in surprise.

    "What do you mean, Zoemi doesn''t have enough mana to lose consciousness from mana depletion!"

    Miriette shook her head and dered.

    "True, he didn''t have nearly enough when I healed his back and the burn scars, but he does now ¨C although he also has a slight concussion from hitting his head against the wall, so even though it wasn''t the main reason, it didn''t help either."

    The heroine shrugged her shoulders, unintentionally slipping into her doctor''s tone, but luckily Miriette didn''t seem to either care.

    "Can you help him?"

    She asked instead of getting angry.

    "With concussion? Sure. But he will be all woozy and basically drunk when he wakes up¡­"

    "THAT''S PERFECT, THEN!"

    |I CAN NURSE HIM BACK TO HEALTH!|

    Burushi exined with a serious expression, and something in her words made Miriette a little bit too excited because she called out and grabbed the heroine''s shoulders while her eyes shone happily.

    "I''ll be right back."

    Horeo ¨C who was listening in to learn about Zoemi''s state ¨C passed the two girls with an irritated expression and jumped through the smashed window.

    "Make him pay!"

    Miriette managed to regain enoughposure to lean to the side and call out after her fiance ¨C who in response raised his hand to show that he heard her loud and clear.

 Chapter 226 - 71 - The Angry Prince Is Scary (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 226 ¨C 71 ¨C The Angry Prince Is Scary (part 1)</h4>

    "Urgh¡­!"

    Xeonith was slowly scrambling back at his feet while shaking his head.

    He barely registered what happened, not even in his wildest fantasies did he dare to imagine that the first prince ¨C whom Xeonith always thought about as a stuck up overconfident sheltered snob ¨C would just straight-up attack him without actually challenging him for a duel!

    By doing so the gold-haired boy was doing breaking the exact same rule that got his younger brother expelled¡­!

    To make the situation even more dire ¨C at least for Xeonith ¨C if the brown-haired boy didn''t manage to scramble up the stone armor spell ¨C a defensive spell that provided a certain amount of defense with a single cast, unlike the cumtive spells like a water bubble, or Zoemi''s shadow enchantments ¨C on top of his earth enchantments, he would have been straight-up dead.

    Not even severely wounded.

    DEAD.

    He was extremely lucky ¨C if not for teacher Auequas telling him at the beginning of the year to really focus on learning to cast his spells without incantations, he wouldn''t be alive anymore¡­

    "¡­"

    While trying to calm down enough for his hands to start shaking, Xeonith started looking around.

    The light spell sent him crashing through the window right into the back of the academy where some third- and second-year students were practicing for the next day''s mandatory duels, and his rather sudden appearance caused all of them to stop their own activities and look at him.

    "Lord Derizno¡­?"

    "Xeoni?! What the¡­?"

    Xeonith flinched when he heard a few voices ¨C in particr one that belonged to the annoying bbermouth, Reo Serentii Moyena, the green-haired guy who for whatever reason liked to annoy the brown-haired boy whenever the two of them would see each other and had the gull to call himself as Xeonith''s friend.

    |Ugh¡­ can''t you see for yourself you bumbling fools¡­?!|

    Furious Xeonith thought to himself while trying to get rid of this annoying ringing in his ears.

    But before he could actually respond to the worried voices the new students'' supervisor saw the first prince jumping out of the broken window.

    And the first prince''s expression clearly suggested that he wasn''ting towards Xeonith to apologize.

    "Tsk. I knew that I should have used a stronger spell, light burst has a wide range but at the cost of power."

    Horeo clicked his tongue and scoffed, ring down at the shaken-up pride of the earth magicians.

    "You got to be kidding me! I''m a students supervisor! You''re going to¡­!"

    Xeonith got red from anger and shouted at the first prince.

    "Continue our duel ¨C thank you for allowing me the first move ¨C did I surprise you with the speed of my spells? If you get rid of the incantation, a well-aimed light spell is basically impossible to dodge."

    But Horeo didn''t let him finish his sentence and instead waved his hand dismissively and walked up to Xeonith with a mocking smile, speaking up loud and clear.

    "A duel¡­?!"

    "Ah! That makes sense ¨C you see, Xeoni always wanted to¡­"

    "!!!!"

    Xeonith was about to ask the first prince what was he on about ¨C but he was toote ¨C the students around him all started nodding their heads¡­

    ¡­funnily enough, the one person most eager to tell everyone around him that Xeonith always wanted to duel the first prince topare their strength, was none other than Xeonith''s self-proimed friend.

    ||Damn Reo, that worthless idiot¡­!|

    The brown-haired boy gritted his teeth and straightened his back to face the approaching gold-haired prince.

    Young lord Derizno ended up literally stuck between the rock and the hard ce ¨C if he backed off now and im that the prince was lying everyone would think that he simply chickened out and tried to get out of the duel through dishonorable means and overusing his new position¡­

    The public image was anything, and with just a few words the first prince had gained an upper hand.

    ¡­on the other hand, the brown-haired boy would get the duel that he always wanted, but¡­

    |¡­that spell wasn''t his strongest¡­?|

    Xeonith felt a chill of fear spreading through his stomach recalling Horeo''s words from a moment earlier.

    "Sir Derizno. Are you ready to continue?"

    "¡­!"

    Horeo asked with an indifferent expression and immediately nine golden orbs appeared out of his head and started circling around him like some sort of oversized halo.

    Xeonith became pale as a ghost in an instant ¨C it was clear that the prince wasn''t going to stop either way!

    "Shit¡­! Stone armor!"

    He shouted the incantation of his strongest defensive spell and his body became d in a thick stone armor that made him look like a ten-foot-tall rock golem.

    "What a reaction, as expected of the contender for the title of the undefeated duelist of the year."

    But the gold-haired prince didn''t start attacking immediately and nodded his head in a mockery of a prise.

    "You seem to be serious¡­ so I should respond in kind, shouldn''t I?"

    The mocking smile grew into a cruel grin and six more halosposed of nine orbs each appeared at both sides of the first prince.

    "!!!"

    The sight was enough to petrify the stone-d transcended magician.

    As someone who considered himself the prince''s rival, Xeonith watched Horeo''s performance during his magic examination.

    "I¡­!"

    *BOOOOOOM*

    Xeonith opened his mouth but at the same moment all seven halos started spinning at rapid speed and each orb unleashed a volley of fire right into his armor.

    "!!!!!!"

    "Heavens¡­!"

    "What is that spell?!"

    The shocked gasps filled the air as the uniform stone armor broke apart and started crumbling apart.

    Xeonith thought that his spell would be able to withstand everything that the first prince could throw at him, their mana levels were supposed to be almost the same after all ¨C but just a single second under the focused fire disyed the clear difference between him and the first prince.

    And the attack wasn''t stopping either¡­

    Chunks of stone were flying everywhere each shoot was digging deeper and deeper into the stone armor as if it was y.

    "Earth barrier!"

    Xeonith screamed and his voice was dyed with panic.

    A three-foot thick wall grew from the ground between the two students but Horeo did not have a need to cast any additional spells, to deal with it.

    His light rapid-fire volley ended up shredding through the barrier and continued on destroying Xeonith''s armor as if nothing happened.

    "Earth barrier! Earth barrier! Earth barrier! Earth barrier! Earth barrier! Earth barrier! Earth barrier! Earth barrier! Earth barrier! Earth barrier! Earth barrier¡­!"

    Xeonith wasn''t even screaming now, he was wailing in desperation like a beaten dog.

    As someone who boasted of his absolute defense, this was a nightmare.

    Because he just witnessed that his defense was far from absolute.

    In front of the first prince, it couldn''t be described as anything but pathetic.

    No matter a dozen or a hundred, unless the brown-haired boy would be capable of raising the barriers all at once and not one at a time, there was no point to them as each and every stone wall melted before the next one managed to form.

    "This is truly pitiful. It seems that all the nonsense spouted by the old guys really got to your thick skull, huh?"

    Horeo sighed and slowly shook his head to the sides in disappointment.

    All orbs from the seven halos stopped in ce, ceasing the rain of fire, and in the next moments, three slightly bigger golden orbs appeared and started slowly orbiting the first prince''s body ¨C each one at a different height.

 Chapter 227 - 71 - The Angry Prince Is Scary (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 227 ¨C 71 ¨C The Angry Prince Is Scary (part 2)</h4>

    "Right. Earth magicians aren''t proficient at rangedbat ¨C I am sure you wouldn''t be satisfied with me finishing it off from afar¡­"

    Horeo raised his hand and his body shone with the golden light that made everyone watching the scene think of the sun itself.

    "Stone armor¡­!"

    Xeonith used a momentary breather and yelped while using his strongest spell again to change himself into a fortress, but it was truly a useless effort.

    *SMASH*

    "GHAAAAAAARGHHH¡­!"

    The very next second Horeo was already right by him ¨C with a single kick he shattered the stone legs and when the main part his the ground, Horeo dug his hand into it and excavated Xeonith''s body like some sort of fossil, making the brown-haired boy shout in pain.

    Even with his enchantments activated Xeonith could feel his body breaking.

    "If you ever try to mess with my Zoemi, I will rip off your head."

    "!!!!"

    Horeo brought Xeonith''s beaten-up body and whispered into his ear with an indifferent expression.

    This wasn''t a threat since the first prince would never lower himself to such a puny level.

    That was a piece of information about the inevitable result of messing with the wrong people.

    "Do you admit defeat?"

    Horeo asked in his normal voice, making sure that everyone present would hear him.

    "¡­"

    Xeonith flinched ¨C even in his state he still had enough will in him to refuse to give up, which was probably the only admirable thing about him.

    But that didn''t help anything.

    Horeo asked looking down on him and lifting him a bit closer to his face again.

    "Let me get things straight. You might have been told that the two of us have a simr amount of mana, with you being a transcended magician with as much mana as an average light magician ¨C which thetter is indeed correct¡­"

    Horeo pointed at himself and then at Xeonith with his other hand.

    "But the thing is¡­ The only reason why I am not called a transcended light magician is because the light magicians are already considered to be at the very top of the strength chart. I cannot skip levels when there are no levels above me. Don''t fool yourself you shit-stain, in front of me you are just a pile of moist manure on the side of the road. You are so insignificant that you don''t even enter my vision."

    The first prince snorted at theparison he made himslef.

    "Lisen up, and listen well now¡­"

    Horeo tilted his head and the smile disappeared from his face, leaving only the cold eyes that made the unfortunate students'' supervisor shiver uncontrobly.

    "If you don''t want a repeat of today, don''t you dare to use my fiance or my friend ever again. When you''ll be passing any of us in the hallway, do yourself a favor and just look the other way, you weakling."

    The gold-haired prince scoffed and¡­

    *SMASH*

    "¡­?"

    Just as Horeo was about to let go of the barely conscious opponent, a stone missile aimed at his back exploded on the light barrier timely created by one of the orbs still orbiting his body.

    The attack dealt no damage whatsoever as the protection provided by the spell the first prince thought up together with his best friends, but the problem didn''t lie in that.

    ¡­who in their right mind would dare to attack the first prince¡­?

    "Stop this madness this instant! Student Bellcephora, how dare you attack a student''s supervisor unprovoked?!"

    "¡­"

    Horeo silently turned around and saw an elderly brown-haired woman with her hand still outstretched from the attack.

    *thump*

    "Ugh¡­!"

    The gold-haired prince released the brown-haired boy and casually walked over towards the woman.

    "A teacher attacking a student during a duel is considered a major breach of rules of the Aspakeony Academy ording to the rulebook, not to mention the cowardly sneak attack with the lethal force could be taken as an assassination attempt on me ¨C a royalty ¨C which is an offense punishable by death without trial. Is that why you are trying to make it seem like I am in the wrong here?"

    "¡­!"

    Horeo aked coldly walking close enough to the elderly teacher that she could literally touch his chest with her hand if she flinched.

    And she did flinch and backed off immediately, clenching her teeth.

    | Someone acted withouting up with an excuse.|

    The first prince thought with disgust, staring down at the teacher.

    "That''s nonsense ¨C lord Derizno would never start a fight on his own!"

    The woman regained herposure and lowered her hand, which she then clenched into a fist.

    "It wasn''t a fight, it was a duel ¨C which sir Derizno splendidly lost after being unable to correctly gauge the difference in power between the two of us. As an elder, you should be wise enough to not make the same mistake. I am not killing you on the spot only because you are a grandmother of my dear friend, teacher Auequas."

    Horeo spoke in a cold voice and the orbs orbiting his body shone threateningly as if they were backing up his words.

    "Nonsense, student Bellcephora, do not try to unt your status in the Aspakeony Academy, I merely reacted to a student getting bullied. Not to mention, you never met any of my true grandchildren."

    The elderly woman furrowed her brows and stood her ground even against the overwhelming aura surrounding the silently furious first prince.

    "¡­is that so¡­? Unfortunate choice. Anyway ¨C you are such a nice person then, using this opportunity, let me ask you ¨C what are you doing in order to put a stop to bullying that themoner girl from my ss is facing?"

    Horeo furrowed his brows and asked calmly, making the older woman frown in a held-back fury.

    "Why would I¡­?"

    The teacher scoffed ¨C but the first prince didn''t really let her finish her sentence.

    "Ah, that''s right ¨C the Auequas family banished their only good member because he dared to adopt a child. Excuse my silly question ¨C of course, you aren''t doing anything to help someone weaker ¨C The difference between you and the son you denounced is that Mizoe is striving to be the best person he can be while you are too busy sucking up to people feeding you scraps from their table, like a pitiful dog that doesn''t know a different life and isn''t willing to change a thing."

    Horeo made a bitter expression and sighed ¨C looking at the reddening face of the woman who Zoemi should call grandmother ¨C if not for the little fact that the woman refused to even acknowledge the ck-haired boy''s existence.

    "You there, you''re from this kid''s ss, right? Help him up and get the student Burushi to heal him up, that girl''s a treasure, with her help this kid will be up and running in minutes. Now, as for the two of you¡­ What is the meaning of all of this?"

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    An elderly light-magician, Kros Rul Shuze, exited the Academy and instantly ordered Reo to take care of the beaten-up Xeonith, and walked over to the first prince and the other teacher.

    "Teacher Kros, it''s good to see you in good health ¨C nothing much, just exining to teacher Auequas that she misunderstood the situation ¨C would you believe that she thought that my duel with sir Derizno wasn''t a duel? My only guess is that she has seen too much battle in her time in the army."

    Horeo Smiled brightly at the elderly light magician and shrugged his shoulders, exining things in a cheerful voice.

    "Oh, really? We shall see. I will have both of youe with me to the headmaster''s office, I reckon neither of you minds that?"

    Kros raised his brow and looked between the perfectly calm prince and now stoic elderly earth magician.

    "Of course, there''s no problem, teacher."

    The blond prince smiled refreshingly and the orbs of light simply disappeared into the thin air.

    "Yes, that would be the wisest thing to do, teacher Shuze."

    Teacher Auequas stepped back and rxed her shoulders and fists.

    Both of them ended up nodding in agreement to the light magician''s words.

    "Good. Now, everyone, get back to your own business! As you just saw, a duel is not just a walk in the park ¨C be careful and don''t overestimate yourselves tomorrow!"

    Kros looked over at the students who gathered to watch the fight ¨C or rather the one-sided beatdown ¨C and dered in a tired tone before leaving back to the building together with his colleague and the first prince.

 Chapter 228 - 72 - The Pros And Cons Of Mana Depletion (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 228 ¨C 72 ¨C The Pros And Cons Of Mana Depletion (part 1)</h4>

    Without saying, the rest of the lunch break passed rather erratically.

    Xeonith was carried back to his room and Reo came running to the ssroom where the Academy''s staff were already fixing the broken window.

    "Miss Burushi, we need your¡­?"

    The green-haired boy gasped, deactivating his enchantments, and looked around, only to realize that the blond girl wasn''t there.

    "Lord Moyena, if you are looking for themoner girl, together with Lady Epsine she escorted Lord Zoemi back to his room ¨C you must have missed them in the hallway."

    One of the few students who stayed behind in the ssroom because they had their meal delivered to them by their attendants stood up and hurriedly exined while curtsying to the upperssman.

    "Wha¡­?! I did?!"

    Reo gasped and hurriedly turned right away.

    "Thanks for the help!"

    He waved to the helpful student and ran off again.

    "Hey, hey, don''t you think that recently Lord Moyena had be more¡­ reliable looking?"

    A girl sitting together with the boy who answered the green-haired second-year nudged his side and asked curiously.

    "He did! I''m so happy that you noticed it too! I bet it''s becausedy Espine started studying here, Lord Moyena saw how great a wind magician can be and finally decided to strive for more!"

    The boy, who coincidentally ¨C or not ¨C was also a wind magician puffed out his chest with pride and dered.

    "That''s good, you were bothered that his pranks would make others not take wind magicians seriously."

    The girl nodded and moved her seat a little bit closer to the green-haired boy next to her.

    "Of course I was! What would I do if people startedughing behind your back that you are engaged to some fool?"

    "¡­!"

    The boy dered and the girl raised her brows and then blushed deeply and shyly lowered her head before she started ying with her pale-gold hair.

    "I might be a light magician but my mana reservoir is nothing special¡­ you don''t have to worry about such trivialities¡­ here, I made this myself¡­"

    The girl fidgeted bashfully and pushed a small te with a simple side-dish towards the boy.

    "You made it by yourself?!"

    The boy''s face lighted up with joy and reached for the offered food without a second of hesitation.

    "¡­you don''t have to worry about the opinion of others, it might be an arranged engagement but I like you so it''s fine¡­"

    "Hmm¡­? Sorry, but could you repeat that¡­?"

    The girl muttered under her breath getting even more embarrassed but she was so quiet that the boy furrowed his brows and turned to her with a worried expression.

    "N-n-nothing! Let''s just eat, the recess is going to end¡­!"

    The girl flinched and hid her face in her arms, letting out a small bashful voice.

    ¡ª¡ª¨C

    "¡­I¡­ think that I might have been too harsh on you¡­"

    "!!!"

    After putting Zoemi to bed and watching the blond girl use her healing spells just in case, the dark-haired viiness breathed out and apologized, or at least used the words closest to the apology that she could muster ¨C which were so effective that Burushi froze in ce, looking at her with her mouth hanging open.

    |Slu-Slutiette is trying to be nice¡­?!|

    The heroine could not believe what she just hard, although thanks to the previous experiences, she didn''t try to double-check in fear of actually angering the other girl ¨C she still remembers how her nose was crushed by basically a shockwave of Miriette''s hit after all¡­

    "N-no, mydy, you don''t have to worry about that!"

    Burushi raised her hands and shook her head in denial.

    "I can see now that some of my actions weren''t apropriate at all and¡­!"

    The blond girl started talking hurriedly, hoping that Miriette would stay in a good mood and let her go without any objection.

    "No, it''s just that you are helping my attendant more than I ever did and it just gets on my nerves¡­ About that bullying going on ¨C while I''m not going to search for each and every person who wronged you, it''s okay for you to hang around me, Zoemi, and Horeo ¨C after what our little prince had shown today it would send quite a strong message to those bullies, whoever they might be."

    Miriette shook her head and waved dismissively at the shocked heroine.

    "Wh-what..? B-but¡­!"

    "It''s not like I order you to do that, think about it as my gratitude for helping out my Zoemi¡­ again¡­"

    Burushi stuttered and clenched her hands together, but Miriette only shrugged her shoulders and nced to the side awkwardly.

    "Th-that''s not what I mean, mydy!"

    The blond-haired girl gasped and shook her head vigorously seeing Miriette''t reaction

    "If¡­ if I can be so bold¡­ is there a way for you to let me know which monastery the second price was sent to¡­? Nothing more! I wouldn''t ask for anything more than the location!"

    Burushi fidgetted and asked, before starting to panic and il her hands around.

    "¡­"

    Miriette breathed out and looked at her with a perplexed expression.

    "You know¡­ I used to think that you are in a better situation than I am, but we might be more alike than I ever considered¡­"

    The dark-haired girl smirked with a rather mncholic expression leaving the blond heroine confounded.

    "Mydy, do you mean that¡­?"

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "!!!"

    Burushi nced at the unconscious Zoemi and then turned back to Mireitte, already opening her eyes about to ask her for detail, when suddenly someone loudly knocked on the door making her close her mouth and flinch ¨C her eyes widened as if she expected something to happen.

    "Who is there?"

    Miriette asked unperturbed, without even turning towards the door, focused only on Zoemi ¨C because she could swear that the ck-haired boy had flinched when the knocking resounded throughout the room.

    "Ah! Lady Espine, I''m Reo, a second-year student ¨C is miss Burushiitto still there by any chance? Teacher Kros has told to get her to heal Xeonith!"

    "¡­!"

    The very polite and abashed voice responded to her, making the blond tense up.

    |Kros¡­?! I shouldn''t have healed that guy!|

    Burushi bit her lips and clenched her fists ¨C she certainly didn''t want to get into the same room as Xeonith ¨C especially if it was Xeonith''s room.

    "Aren''t there enoughpetent medics in the academy? That guy barged into our ssroom and started spouting some baseless usation ¨C he even ended up hurting my attendant to get the first prince to duel him ¨C in my opinion, it will be a good lesson for sir Derizno to heal up through natural means."

    "!!!!"

    The dark-haired girl scoffed and dered at the door without the slightest intention of letting Reo inside ¨C she also didn''t answer his question, which made Burushi lean back in shock.

    |She¡­! She is willing to help me out¡­?!|

    The heroine thought in disbelief.

    "H-he did that?! I¡­ I had no idea¡­ Nheless, mydy, I was asked by the teacher to get her¡­ could you please tell me is she in there with you¡­?"

    Reo sounded distressed and all fidgety ¨C as it turned out, talking to the most powerful wind magician ¨C even though a door ¨C was both an amazing and nerve-racking experience for an average wind magician, that''s for sure.

    "¡­"

    Miriette squinted her eyes, ring at the door for a moment before turning to Burushi and motioning her head back at it clearly asking what does the blond girl want to do¡­!

    |She¡­! When she meant hanging out she meant like this?! But then, she straight up offers me full support¡­!|

    That simple gesture of the viiness herself was worth more than any words that could be spoken.

    |¡­if she is serious but helping me out, then doesn''t that mean I would be safe from Xeonith too¡­? She said that I could hang out together with her and the first prince ¨C and the first prince was the one topletely beat up Xeonith¡­ if so, then it doesn''t really matter if I go and heal Xeonith right now ¨C I just go there, cast a spell, and leave ¨C maybe evene back here or something¡­!|

    The blond girl figured out and decided.

    There was no need to get either Reo or Miriette in trouble in case one of the teachers would get angry at them.

    "Lord Moyena, I''m here ¨C I just finished healing sir Auequas ¨C we can go to lord Derizno."

    "¡­"

    Burushi called out and stood up while Miriette merely shrugged her shoulders and waved her hand at the door, making a way for the blond girl to go.

 Chapter 229 - The Pros And Cons Of Mana Depletion (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 229 ¨C The Pros And Cons Of Mana Depletion (part 2)</h4>

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "Come in."

    The sound of knocking might not be something that''s supposed to be unique, but Miriette easily recognized who was the person outside only by the sound alone.

    *click*

    The door opened and the gold-haired first prince entered the room rather cautiously¡­

    "Is it really fine for me to waltz in? You aren''t using the chance and snuggling up to our Zoemi, are you?"

    Horeo snickered after carefully closing the door behind his back and ncing between Miriette and the sleeping Zoemi.

    "Shush! What if you will wake him up and he would hear you?!"

    Miriette put her index finger up to her lips and shook her head urgently ¨C she had a feeling that Zoemi wasn''t actually asleep, but since the ck-haired boy justid in his bed without moving even after Burushi left, the dark-haired girl started wondering whether her intuition was correct or not.

    In the past, the amount of time Zoemi spent in bed would already recover his entire mana reservoir, but that wasn''t the case anymore.

    It was.. odd¡­

    And kind of annoying ¨C Miriette really hoped for some quality time spent with her beloved attendant, but now that Horeo showed up, that could only be a pipe dream¡­

    "Oh, you worry too much ¨C I''ve already been told about Zoemi''s increased mana ¨C he isn''t waking up because his body isn''t used to having to recover such an amount."

    The first princeughed at his fiance and waved his hand dismissively.

    "¡­is that so¡­?"

    Miriette furrowed her brows and nced over at the peaceful ace of the resting ck-haired boy.

    "Hmm? What is it ¨C are you regretting that you didn''t sneak in and cuddled up while you had the chance?"

    "Yes, I do, actually, you pompous show-off."

    Horeo giggled ¨C but surprisingly Miriette didn''t get bashful or angry and just responded honestly, ending her sentence with a scoff.

    "And good job handling that annoying guy ¨C I would have done it myself but I¡­"

    "¡­lost your head because your beloved boy got hurt ¨C I get it ¨C don''t sweat it, it''s because I knew that you would go and take care of Zoemi, I could go and take care of some random pile of trash."

    Miriette grumbled, lowering her head, but Horeo onlyughed it off while waving his hand dismissively.

    "Wha..! Stupid! I told you that Zoemi might wake up, what, do you WANT me to get exposed?! And what about your punishment?"

    The dark-haired girl flinched and her face turned bright red as she started scolding the gold-haired prince in a hushed voice.

    "Punishment? Don''t be silly, I have like thirty witnesses who readily confirm that I was in a duel, and that hag who thinks she''s too good to be Zoemi''s grandmother attacked me from behind while I wasn''t attacking the defeated trash. Anyway. You know, it''s high time that you tell him that you like him ¨C what will you do if suddenly gets romantically interested in someone who isn''t you ¨C or me ¨C and my whole n will go to waste?"

    Horeo disregarded his fiancee''s advice and continued talking unperturbed.

    "¡­I¡­ but what if he isn''t interested in me¡­? Or worse, he is interested, but if I will make a move on him, he will consider that an abuse of power from my side? You know he hates perverts and indecency! Just admit it that you want me to shoot my shots and then fail miserably so you would have a chance!"

    Miriette hesitated for a second before she scoffed and stomped her foot, ring at the fist prince with usation.

    "¡­"

    Horeo raised his brow and stared at the dark-haired girl in silence until her stern expression faltered and she lowered her head.

    "Sorry, that was unnecessarily mean¡­"

    Miriette pouted and looked to the side with an embarrassed expression.

    "What I take from this, is that you have a hard time noticing some details¡­ most likely because the two of you are too close."

    After nodding in acknowledgment, Horeo tilted his head and spoke with just a little bit of annoyance.

    "¡­eh¡­? What details¡­?"

    Miriette gasped and leaned in, eager to hear more details.

    "Well ¨C first thing first, you are right about him disliking perverts and indecency, but the disdain is meant only for people who are a menace to others, like actively doing creepy things ¨C do you think he never walked in on some other students getting sweet with each other? I myself happened to walk on at least three couples getting buzzy and I didn''t even walk around the Academy all that much! So Zoemi must see some indecent acts, but I don''t remember him freaking out about a thing."

    "O-oohh¡­ I see¡­ I guess¡­"

    Horeo exined and Miriette frowned, deep in thoughts, before she nodded admitting that her fiance had a point there.

    "You worry too much that he will not like you because there''s something that you might do or because of how you are ¨C which is actually kind of weird considering how usually confident you are in every other aspect ¨C while you kind of miss the real problem about you two being a master and a servant."

    The gold-haired prince spoke while using the chance to throw the shade at the dark-haired girl given the chance.

    "¡­asshole¡­"

    Miriette muttered angrily under her breath and looked up, staring daggers at the smirking prince.

    "So? What am I missing?"

    She asked boldly, raising her head with a challenge.

    "Because all the kinky romance novels you read, you think that the problemys in the power dynamic ¨C you don''t want him to think that you are using the position of power to force him into a rtionship that you fear he might not want."

    Horeo spoke calmly as if he was teaching basic math to young children.

    "Yes ¨C I do think that''s the case. So? What''s your point, or are you just going to make fun of me?"

    Miriette scoffed angrily, not seeing the prince''s point.

    "You aren''t the problem ¨C Zoemi is."

    "Wha¡­?!"

    The gold-haired prince revealed, making the dark-haired girl take a step back.

    "To be exact, the problem lies with how strong is Zoemi''s dedication to his job. You''ve seen his eyes, right? Each time he calls you ''mydy'', they dim a little bit. And if by any chance, he calls you ''master'' then his eyes go full-on light''s out mode."

    Horeo exined and Miriette didn''t even dare to breathe listening to him with extreme interest.

    "I believe that your biggest obstacle lies in being the master ¨C Zoemi will not step over the imprabl, in his opinion, line separating a servant from a master ¨C or at least that''s how it looks. When ites to you as a person¡­ well¡­ He really loves your butt."

    "Wh-what¡­?! And how would you know?!"

    The gold-haired prince added andughed at Miriette''s embarrassed expression as the dark-haired girl blushed and instinctively reached out towards her bottom when it was mentioned.

    "You know how we walk together and Zoemi is always behind us ¨C well, I keep on ncing over at him and noticed him more than a few times that despite doing his hardest to stay proper, he can''t help himself from stealing nces at you."

    Horeo snickered and winked at the blushing girl.

 Chapter 230 - The Pros And Cons Of Mana Depletion (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 230 ¨C The Pros And Cons Of Mana Depletion (part 3)</h4>

    "He didn''t¡­! Did he¡­?"

    Miriette scoffed but then nced over at the sleeping boy, clearly not opposing to the idea of him being interested in her¡­

    "Hey, don''t overthink that ¨C you might have the advantage, but it''s basically nullified by Zoemi''s dedication for the job ¨C unless you want to fire him and therefore make it actually harder for you two to be together in the long run, feel free to¡­

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "¡­!"

    "¡­!"

    "¡­"

    Horeo and Miriette flinched at the knocking while Zoemi remained motionless.

    "Your highness, I''ve been informed that I can find you here ¨C I came with a message from the king."

    Some stranger called out making Horeo scowl.

    The gold-haired prince walked over to the door and opened it to face a tall gold-haired young man holding what looked like a piece of paper with a wax seal, that someone hurriedly scribbled a message on.

    Horeo took the letter, or rather note, given to him with disdain ¨C although it looked shabby, it was most definitely real¡­

    "Seriously? Literally, nothing happened, can''t this wait? I was supposed to leave tomorrow morning."

    The first prince nced at the messenger and sighed.

    "I''m afraid not, my prince. The king was very clear about this¡­"

    The messenger bowed his head apologetically.

    "Tsk¡­"

    Horeo clicked his tongue and turned towards Miriette and the unmoving Zoemi.

    "Father wants to see me already, apparently someone had made a big deal out of my little duel, the news travel too fast seriously¡­"

    |That old hag of a mother of mine is trying to pull off something idiotic again¡­!|

    The prince exined to his fiancee ¨C the two of them knew each other enough for Miriette to easily decipher what Horeo really thought about the situation¡­

    "¡­"

    Miriette, silently walked towards Horeo.

    She stopped right in front of him, raised her hands, and carefully straightened the prince''s shirt''s cor.

    "¡­she might be from the branch of Derizno family, but isn''t she your mother in the end? Why is she constantly trying to mess with you like that¡­?"

    The dark-haired girl muttered under her breath so only Horeo would hear him while for the messenger it looked like she was tenderly whispering sweet farewell to her beloved fiance.

    "¡­that''s what I would like to know ¨C and what I will investigate ¨C the King''s Guard is on my side, remember? While in the pce I can make them do a little bit of espionage¡­"

    Horeo winked at her and nodded reassuringly, before turning around and looking at the messenger.

    "Let''s go from my attendants and then we can leave."

    Horeo nodded at him.

    "Your highness, the queen has told me to¡­"

    "I wasn''t asking."

    The messenger seemed to have something to say, but that only made Horeo frown and¡­

    "?!?!?!?!?!?!!"

    ¡­the gold-haired boy disappears in the sh of light, leaving the stunned Messanger looking around utterly bbergasted.

    "The first prince is full of surprises, isn''t he?"

    Miriette smiled at the shocked man and unceremoniously

    shut the door in front of his stunned face.

    "¡­so annoying, and right when Horeo was giving me some useful advice for once¡­"

    The dark-haired girl turned around grumbling under her breath angrily ¨C and then stopped in ce¡­

    "¡­"

    Zoemi was still lying on the bed, but now his eyes were wide open and he was looking right at her¡­!

    "Z-Zoemi¡­?"

    Miriette gasped in shock, taking a step back ¨C the ck-haired boy''s eyes werepletely devoid of any light as if they weren''t the eyes of any living being.

    "¡­"

    Truth be told, the boy didn''t even seem to be aware that Miriette was talking to him, he merely looked at her without even blinking.

    |Maybe¡­ he''s just asleep with his eyes open¡­?|

    The dark-haired girl wondered and inched closer to the unmoving boy.

    "Zoemi¡­? Can you hear me¡­?"

    "¡­"

    Miriette asked in an awkward voice and leaned down to get on the same eye level with her attendant, but got no reaction whatsoever once again ¨C but his time Zoemi actually winked, so he had to be awake¡­!

    "Should¡­ should I get Burushi to check up on you again¡­?"

    The dark-haired girl rubbed her hands together anxiously and tilted her head, hoping to get a response ¨C but nothing like that happened.

    ¡­at least not from Zoemi¡­

    *click*

    "Who¡­?!"

    The door suddenly opened and Miriette turned around with her enchantments active and air emperors on the way instantly, but¡­

    "¡­ah, I knew I felt a change¡­"

    "YOU?!"

    one other than a short, young-looking tinum-haired girl entered the room as if it was her own and breathed out seeing both Zoemi and Miriette.

    "Don''t shout, I''m in full control, you don''t have to y pretend."

    The tinum-haired girl shook her head dismissively and walked over towards the bed.

    "¡­!"

    Zoemi''s eyes widened at the sight of her, but he still didn''t even budge.

    "¡­do you know what''s happening to him? Is it something serious¡­?"

    As soon as Miriette heard the tinum-haired girl''s exnation, she calmed down and plopped on the floor leaning against Zoemi''s bed with a worried expression.

    "No, not really ¨C his body isn''t used to getting so much mana, so his mind shut down and left only his most core part active. He will be back to normal once his mana recovers to one-quarter the overall amount."

    The tinum-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and exined dismissively, fully focusing on the unmoving boy.

    "Zoemi, do you recognize me?"

    She then proceed to smile and reach out her hands towards the ck-haired boy as if she was inviting him to hug her.

    "¡­!"

    There was a rection!

    Not only with his eyes, but now Zoemi''s body moved a little bit as if he really wanted to reach out to the short-girl but his body wasn''t capable of any movement.

    "Zoemi, you silly boy,e here. Look at your body ¨C you can do it."

    The tinum-haired girl''s smile widened and sheughed charmingly at the boy¡­

    "¡­?"

    Her words made Zoemi furrow his brows ¨C then since it became clear that she will not get to him, he actually started moving, he slowly, very slowly reached out his hands towards her¡­

    "!!!!!"

    And his eyes widened in absolute shock when he saw his own arms.

    The next moment¡­!

    "Kyaah¡­!"

    The boy jumped out of the bed straight at the tinum-haired girl, making her let out a small surprised gasp as she was locked in a protective embrace.

    "¡­"

    Miriette clenched her fists and gritted her teeth but didn''t move.

    "Now, now¡­ so you do recognize me¡­"

    The tinum-haired girl smiled happily and reached out her hands, only managing to get to the boy''s back ¨C the next second, Zoemi''s body got engulfed by murky darkness, and a beastly shadow armor formed around him ¨C this time it had almost¡­ amicable shape¡­

    "Ma¡­ster¡­"

    "¡­!"

    Then Miriette overheard a pitiful, tearful whisper that must have been spoken by Zoemi, although it sounded as if those were the first words he ever spoke, coarse and weak.

    "Yes, yes¡­ it''s me ¨C I missed you too so much, my loyal protector."

    The tinum-haired girl did her best to return the hug and nuzzled her face against the boy''s torso.

    "Ma¡­ster¡­ I¡­ will¡­ never¡­ fail¡­ you¡­ again¡­ I¡­ will¡­ pro¡­tect.. you¡­ this¡­ time¡­ I¡­ will¡­ make¡­ him¡­ pay¡­ for¡­ what¡­ he.. did.. to¡­ you¡­ He¡­ will¡­ die.. this.. time¡­ for¡­ good¡­"

    The same carse, chanting like voice left the bear-like head of the shadow armor, giving Miriette a really bad feeling, but nheless, the girl didn''t try to interfere.

    She knew exactly what would happen if she dared to even touch the petite girl in Zoemi''s arms.

    "I know you will. I know."

    The tinum-haired girl whispered in a soothing voice.

    "¡­I.. am¡­ sorry¡­ that¡­ I¡­ could¡­ not¡­ save¡­ you¡­ the¡­ first¡­ time¡­"

    Zoemi apologized and embraced the tiny girl even tighter.

    "Silly boy, you went above and beyond what was ever expected of you¡­"

    The tinum-haired girl breathed out and exined while patting the boy''s shadow-d back.

    "I¡­. should¡­ have¡­ done¡­ more¡­ I¡­ though¡­ that¡­ I¡­ killed¡­ him¡­ but¡­ he¡­ is¡­ back¡­ here¡­ I¡­ have¡­ seen¡­ him¡­"

    The boy responded while lowering his head apologetically.

    "Yes¡­ he is¡­ That''s why I brought you back to this world¡­ But, Zoemi, you know you can''t stay like you are now, right? You became so much more after we got separated. I brought you here so you could save me, and then live a happy life afterward¡­ So please, don''t try to revert back to what you were¡­"

    "I¡­ can¡­ be¡­ happy¡­ only¡­ when¡­ you¡­ are¡­ safe¡­ and¡­ happy¡­ master¡­"

    The tinum-haired girl started exining, but to her great surprise, Zoemi actually interrupted her.

    "¡­my silly toy¡­"

    Even so, his words certainly didn''t anger the tinum-haired girl ¨C quite the opposite, really ¨C they made her tear up and cling to the shadow-d boy, like a small child cuddling up to their favorite toy.

    "¡­did youe here to use the chance to cuddle up with my Zoemi, or do you have another reason¡­?"

    The heartwarming mood certainly didn''t work on Miriette whose hair bristled more and more the two stayed close.

 Chapter 231 - The Pros And Cons Of Mana Depletion (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 231 ¨C The Pros And Cons Of Mana Depletion (part 4)</h4>

    "Don''t be jealous, you know that it''s not like that between me and him. Just let me have this after so long¡­"

    The tinum-haired girl moved her head to take a peek at the pouting dark-haired girl and made a gentle expression.

    "¡­!"

    Miriette flinched and fidgetted before nodding her head in embarrassment.

    "¡­alright, but only because it''s you¡­"

    She muttered and moved onto Zoemi''s bed where she unceremoniously burrowed herself under the covers still warm from Zoemi''s body.

    "Hmhm~"

    The tinum-haired girl giggled and nuzzled against the shadow-d boy again.

    "¡­"

    Miriette ended up sticking her face from under the nket and started ring at the two despite her previous words.

    "¡­I know that you are watching. What is it?"

    The tinum-haired girl asked without actually moving over as if she knew exactly how Miriette would act.

    "Zoemi is using spells again, isn''t that making him stay in the mana depletion state even longer?"

    The dark-haired girl squinted her eyes with usation and asked.

    "¡­"

    But she was ignored¡­!

    Miriette squinted her eyes even more and bit her lips.

    "You are doing this on purpose aren''t you? I thought that you didn''t want to make him stay like this for too long!"

    She grumbled angrily, loud enough for the other girl to hear.

    "¡­I really was insufferable¡­"

    "¡­YOU¡­!"

    The tinum-haired girl sighed, and for some reason, her words made Miriette blush and tremble from embarrassment.

    "Alright. I didn''t have enough, but I might as well go now or I will never want to leave him¡­"

    In the end, the tinum-haired girl reached out and pulled away from the bear-like boy ¨C Zoemi didn''t try to stop her at all, but the moment that she stepped away, the ck-haired boy''s shadow armor dispersed into the air and the boy was only looking at her sadly with his lifeless eyes.

    "Thank you, Zoemi, I will be counting on you ¨C now, go back to bed."

    "¡­!"

    The tinum-haired girl smiled back at him and motioned at the bed with the surprised Miriette.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi tilted his head and looked over, but it was as if he didn''t know what he was supposed to do.

    He looked back at the tinum-haired girl and blinked at her in confusion.

    "Silly boy, you are a human now, remember? You can walk ¨C go to bed now."

    In response to that, she onlyughed and reached out to pat the boy''s head before gently pushing him in the correct direction.

    "Make sure he will not follow me ¨C he will be back to normal before evening."

    The tinum-haired girl smiled while basically showing the ck-haired boy into the bed together with Miriette and waved them both goodbye before leaving, closing the door behind her.

    "¡­"

    Seeing her leave, Zoemi slumped down as if he lost the will to move ¨C but, on the other hand, he was already in the bed¡­

    |Until evening she said¡­|

    Miriette thought to herself feeling her face getting hot.

    |That means¡­ beforehand I could¡­?"

    "¡­"

    "¡­!"

    Miriette was already considering her option when Zoemi turned to her with a sad expression all on his own ¨C she flinched and froze, not knowing what to do.

    Before she was able to shake off her embarrassment, something even more incredible happened ¨C Zoemi went and hugged her!

    On his own!

    It was mostly because of mana depletion, but Miriette wasn''t going to be picky!

    The ck-haired boy wasn''t trying to touch anything inappropriate either, he simply cuddled up to her as if he neededfort ¨C and Miriette was all forforting him for as long as it was needed ¨C even though the rest of the day, evening, night and the next day!

    Shopping?

    Who cares about shopping!?

    ¡ª¡ª¨C

    For the first time in a while, Zoemi didn''t have the haunting nightmare.

    He woke up all refreshed and energized ¨C although he felt like something was wrong¡­

    First of all, he didn''t remember going to sleep ¨C thest memory he had was realizing that Xeonith was going overboard with the strength of his spell and he had to focus all of his mana to not be blown apart by the punch¡­

    ¡­and that was it¡­

    The ck-haired boy moved in his bed, shifting to a morefortable position, and suddenly a certain pleasant smell entered his nose ¨C not only that ¨C his nose was actually tickled by something!

    "Hmmm¡­?"

    The boy twitched and slowly opened his eyes.

    He saw none other than Miriette intertwining her arm with his and leaning her head on his shoulder.

    "M-mydy¡­!?"

    Zoemi jolted and eximed in surprise.

    "You woke up."

    Miriette''s reaction was suggesting that being in one bed with her attendant wasn''t all that big of a deal as Zoemi was considering it.

    "Mydy, wh-what is going on¡­?"

    |Am I dreaming?|

    Zoemi asked and wondered to himself in disbelief.

    "Horeo and that annoying Xeonith had a duel and Horeo destroyed him so much that teachers asked Burushi to heal him up ¨C our dear prince didn''t receive any punishment from the school, but it seems like his mother didn''t find it correct, so she made his father summon him early."

    Miriette exined although this wasn''t exactly the type of exnation that Zoemi had in mind.

    The ck-haired boy was grateful about the recap, but he was more interested in the reason for sudden closeness.

    "I am lonely ¨C you have been focusing more on others recently, you know? Before we came to the Academy, you were only mine, and I only had to asionally share you with Horeo. Now you grew close enough to others that you even tried to defend someone other than me¡­"

    |Even Horeo said that the problem lies with Zoemi treating me as his master¡­ with her around, that should no longer be a problem ¨C just a little push should make everything work¡­!|

    Miriette said clenching her hand on Zoemi''s palm, doing her best to sound sulky ¨C and judging by Zoemi''s expression, it was working perfectly.

    "Mydy¡­! I-I mean, I think of Burushi as my friend and lord Derizno behavior towards her was simply inexcu¡­!"

    "¡­nnn¡­"

    The ck-haired boy tried to exin himself, but Miriette only grumbled and shook her head, making the boy close his mouth and look at her in confusion.

    "I am not trying to make you feel guilty for befriending other people ¨C I want to be the most special one amongst all of them¡­!"

    Miriette pouted and pressed her forehead against Zoemi''s shoulder to hide her face.

    "Mydy, but you are the most important one for¡­"

    "Not like this! I don''t want to be important because I am your master, I want to be someone special for you, without the master and attendant thing and all¡­"

    Miriette closed her eyes and held her breath after being especially bold and voicing her feelings as clear as shame allowed her to.

    "!!!"

    Zoemi did his best to remain calm but his face became slightly red anyways.

    "¡­mydy¡­ but¡­ I am your attendant¡­"

    Still, even though he honestly wanted to go along with the girl''s words, his mind still triumphed over the voice of his heart.

    "HMPH! Fine! You want me to do it, then I will do it!"

    "Mydy¡­?!"

    Instead of getting sad or more embarrassed, Miriette got¡­ angry ¨C andpletely took the ck-haired boy by surprise.

    "As your master, I order you to go with me tomorrow on that shopping trip we''ve nned ¨C I already made sure to ask for the bodyguards to watch over us, so you can''tin even if Horeo isn''t with us!"

    The dark-haired girl dered, raising her head and looking into the attendant''s face with a stern expression.

    "I¡­ umm¡­ if that is what your wish, mydy¡­"

    Zoemi was so stunned by her behavior, that he agreed without thinking it through¡­

    ¡ª¡ª-

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "I am not here¡­"

    The blond heroine muttered into her pillow doing her best to ignore the annoying knocking.

    "Student Burushiitto, student Xeonith requires your attention! He needs to be in his top shape tomorrow during the duels and he is still in pain."

    "¡­"

    The voice of an elderly earth magician resounded through the girl''s room for the tenth time within seven hours ¨C it was already ridiculous the third time, but tenth¡­?

    It was straight-up annoying ¨C especially considering that Burushi made sure to use her strongest spell on Xeonith so that she wouldn''t have to spend any more time with him than necessary!

    "I already did my best, teacher Auequas, please, leave me alone ¨C I need to rest."

    The blond-haired girl turned around on her mattress, which was already a lot considering that she was on the verge of mana depletion and she was getting rather moody.

    "Then it''s clear that you didn''t heal him properly and have to do it again! You are a first-year student and have tomorrow free ¨C you can rest then however long you want, but student Xeonith needs to be in his top shape! Now open the door ande with me, or I will report your uncooperativeness and insubordination to the principal!"

    No matter what, the old woman was as stubborn as a boulder ¨C an extremely annoying boulder.

    But at the same time, she was a noblewoman, and Xeonith was a high noble, while Burushi was only amoner.

    If she wanted to ever hope to see Surou again, she couldn''t allow herself to make enemies¡­

    "I''m going¡­"

    She ended up groaning and got out of her bed feeling dreadful.

    |I should go to Miriette and Zoemi¡­ MIriette would protect me, she is more important than Xeonith¡­ Yes¡­ I will use my heal on that faking bastard one more time and go straight to them¡­!|

    The heroine decided, opening her door.

    "Took you long enough, how could you make a wounded person wait?!"

    The elderly teacher scoffed at her and started walking, not even trying to listen to whether Burushi had something to say or not.

    |¡­but he isn''t wounded anymore¡­! I made sure to heal him on the first try! That asshole is probably too ashamed to show his face tomorrow after getting his ass handed to him by the first prince! Don''t drag me into this mess!|

    The blond girl wanted to say, but only chew on her tongue and swallow her words.

    She would definitely go seek shelter in MIriette''s room after she heals Xeonith this time¡­.

 Chapter 232 - 5 - In The Royal Castle (again) [side]

    <h4>Chapter 232 ¨C 5 ¨C In The Royal Castle (again) [side]</h4>

    Horeo teleported in front of Veo and Patishi''s room and knocked on the door and waited¡­

    "¡­?"

    Since there wasn''t any response he tried to open it, but it turned out to be locked.

    "Oh, great, now I have to¡­"

    He clicked his tongue, but then he realized that since it was the evening, his attendants would be in the kitchen preparing supper.

    So he teleported there.

    The kitchen staff was too busy to even notice the sudden appearance of the golden-haired youth and just continued preparing meals for each and every student who didn''t have an attendant on their own.

    The first person that the first prince saw was his ex-attendant Teo, the brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform who was working hard preparing meals for Miriette and Zoemi.

    She also happened to be wearing the earring that Patishi told him about.

    "Hmm¡­?"

    As if she felt that somebody was watching her, Teo looked over her shoulder straight in Horeo''s direction.

    "Ah¡­!"

    Andpletely froze at the sight of the gold-haired boy.

    |That earring really looks eerily the same as the one I gave Veo¡­ but¡­ there''s something disturbing about it¡­|

    Horeo frowned and Teo hurriedly turned back to her work a bit paler than before.

    Then the first prince saw his current attendants, both of who were showing their backs to Teo, and they didn''t notice their master because of it.

    Patishi was moving her hands as if she was ying an instrument and Veo was sitting on a high stool just a bit away from her, she had a pyramid of some sort of pastries next to her which she was taking one by one and munching on freely while the younger girl did her magic.

    Horeo recognized the pastries as apple bunny buns.

    He didn''t mind them and would eat them if given but apples were a bit too nd for his taste.

    |¡­She''s sad¡­|

    Seeing Veo seating there all slouched and eating treats made Horeo frown more angrily ¨C he realized this recently but he severely disliked when Veo and Patishi were ufortable or sad ¨C especially because neither of them wanted to tell him the reason even though he could solve their problems without breaking a sweat.

    Whatever the problems might have been.

    Still, in the first ce, how could the first prince be so sure about his attendant''s mood even without seeing her face?

    Well¡­

    Having Veo around made him learn to recognize her different moods just by the overall bodynguage ¨C which was very helpful since she usually tried to keep the emotionless expression, and only dropped her guard when she tried to tease him ¨C which surprisingly she stopped doing recently.

    ¡­or maybe not that surprising¡­

    Horeo furrowed his brows ncing between the two quarreling sisters.

    "¡­"

    Besides the obvious butler¨Cmaid uniform choice, the two of them differed in jewelry ¨C in particr, Veo wasn''t wearing the earring Horeo gave her while Teo clearly had the counterfeit one on.

    The first prince sighed and shook his head, then he walked towards the two attendants and put his hands on their heads.

    "Eh!?"

    "Mufuh!?"

    Needless to say, they both let out confused noises as he did so.

    Patishi turned towards Horeo and blushed at the sight and Veo looked at the prince shocked, with an apple bunny bun''s butt sticking out of her mouth.

    "We''re going to the castle right now. Leave things here for others to clean up, you can take the buns with you though."

    Thest part he said to Veo, who quickly gulped down the rest of the apple bunny bun and blushed almost as deeply as Patishi.

    "Th-then I must¡­!"

    Patishi put down the knife she was holding and looked like she was about to run to their room to pack some things or maybe to change.

    Veo, who knew what was about to happen only took the te with the stacked pastries and waited.

    "No time. Just stay here. But first¡­"

    The first prince stopped Patishi from going anywhere and turned his head to the right.

    "Teo. Where did you get that earring?"

    "!!!!"

    He asked coldly and Teo flinched at his words.

    "I¡­"

    She certainly didn''t feel good talking to her previous master, after all, he was always trying his best at being a good master but she just decided to leave his service, after all, that he did for her and her sister¡­

    "I just¡­ I don''t¡­"

    She was tripping over her words and couldn''t put a sentence together.

    "It has a weird aura around it ¨C if you insist on wearing it, you should at least show it to a teacher or something, it might be bad news."

    "¡­"

    Horeo spoke in a serious voice, making the short girl lower her head while raising her hand to hide the earring.

    "It''s not an order, but it''s for your own good ¨C don''t forget there are malicious spells in this world."

    The first prince dered before disappearing into a golden sh together with Patishi and Veo.

    Teo just stood there with aplicated expression.

    "¡­I¡­ I think that I don''t want to do that¡­"

    Teo murmured to herself, tugging on the earring that kept getting heavier and heavier as if it was a ripening fruit.

    What would happen if it became ready to harvest¡­?

    ¡ª¡ª¨C

    Horeo, Patishi, and Veo appeared out of the golden sh right into Horeo''s room in the castle.

    "Whoaah¡­!"

    Patishi, who was nowhere near the king''s castle in her life before, not even mentioning the private rooms of the royalty, gasped in awe.

    "Veo, show Patishi around, I have to go talk with my father¡­"

    Horeo said to the short brown-haired attendant and turned towards the door.

    "M-My prince¡­!"

    But he was stopped by Patishi walking up to him with an embarrassed expression.

    "You don''t have to worry about anything, if you have any questions just ask Veo, you should already know that she''s very reliable. I''ll try to get back to you two as soon as possible."

    "¡­!"

    Horeo said but Patishi approached him regardless.

    "But¡­ My prince, you haven''t eaten anything yet, so you should at least¡­"

    "¡­?"

    The first prince raised his brows as he saw Patishi holding up the apple bunny bun right up to his face.

    "Oh! Thank you!"

    The gold-haired boy said with a big smile and just bite into the bunny bun, picking it up like that straight from the younger girl''s hands, and walked out of the room.

    "!!!!"

    Patishi stopped moving ¨C and her face became red like a ripe tomato.

    "Hehehe¡­"

    Veo inched to her fellow attendant and nudged her in the side.

    "See, I told you that feeding our prince isn''t such a hard task, you should find a more bold dream now."

    She smiled seeing how moved the younger girl became from the rather simple action.

 Chapter 233 - Before The Shopping Trip (night)

    <h4>Chapter 233 ¨C Before The Shopping Trip (night)</h4>

    Zoemi woke up in the middle of the night, again, this time though, he noticed someone''s presence before that someone even managed to get close to his bed.

    The ck-haired opened his eyes, expecting to see Aspakeony sneaking in, but instead, he realized that it was the dark-haired older gentleman corpse puppet.

    "Oh, you''re awake."

    The puppet spoke with a smirk and Zoemi instantly realized that the necromancer was in full control.

    "I''ve been looking into the Academy''s security like you asked me ¨C and low and behold, it ispletely fine, just like I told you¡­ although I did notice that one of the teachers is constantly sneaking into the dungeon in the middle of the night ¨C sometimes with students ¨C but when I followed them, it turned out they are experimenting with magic. Anyway, that''s not why I came here."

    Aspakeony spoke through Banemor''s mouth and scoffed as if Zoemi ¨C despite staying silent ¨C was the one making her go off-topic.

    "Then, the academy is safe. That''s great ¨C while we are at it could you¡­?"

    "Hold on ¨C let me ask you something first."

    The ck-haired boy sat up straight on his bed and asked, but the shadow corpse puppet raised his hand and stopped him with a serious expression.

    "¡­umm¡­ sure¡­? What is it?"

    Zoemi closed his mouth and nodded, curious what was so important that it couldn''t wait until morning.

    "I cast muffle on your room so you can talk freely, now, answer me this ¨C you lived in the slums before little Mizoe picked you up, didn''t you? What were your parents'' names?"

    "Excuse me¡­?"

    ¡­that was what he thought ¨C but then the question turned out to be strange, to say the least¡­

    "Your parents'' names ¨C you told me that your mother was a darkness magician, so you weren''t just orphaned right away, right? And what about your father?"

    Despite causing quite a confusion, the necromancer using her corpse puppet asked again sounding as if it was really something very important.

    "I¡­ didn''t have a father. Mother told me that he was in heaven, which implied that he died but, well, you know¡­"

    Zoemi scratched the back of his head awkwardly and shrugged his shoulders.

    "Slums are a tough ce to live, it''s hard to survive, I wouldn''t be angry or surprised if it turned out that my biological father was somewhere out there¡­"

    The ck-haired boy added indifferently, making it clear that even if that man was alive, he didn''t have any intentions of ever looking for him ¨C in case he was actually alive.

    "I see¡­ that¡­ actually makes it more usible then¡­"

    The corpse puppet lowered his head and muttered with a very serious expression, making Zoemi raise his brow in confusion¡­

    "What is more usible?"

    Zoemi asked furrowing his brows and tilting his head.

    "Thatester ¨C first ¨C tell me what was your mother''s name."

    Banemor waved his hand dismissively and asked with a rather domineering expression which was definitely something that was leftover from when he was alive because Aspakeony definitely couldn''t muster anywhere near as much authority around the ck-haired boy so naturally.

    "I¡­ I don''t remember ¨C I was less than four years old when she died, I only ever called her mom."

    Zoemi frowned and huddled up his shoulders defensively.

    "¡­I didn''t think about that¡­ do you remember how she looked like any birthmarks or scars or something?"

    "¡­"

    Aspakeony controlling the dark-haired corpse puppet pressured the ck-haired boy ¨C which didn''t quite get him in good mood.

    All that talk made him remember the day- when his mother died, trembling in a fewer, wing at her chest as if something inside her chest was burning her out from the inside.

    "Her face, eyes, nothing stayed in your memory?"

    The necromancer pried even further ¨C and sleeping fury awakened inside the boy''s heart.

    *SMASH*

    "THE ONLY THING I REMEMBER IS HOW SHE CRUMBLED INTO PIECES BECAUSE THOSE FUCKING GHOSTS WANTED TO SHARE THEIR MANA WITH HER, AND IT FUCKING CORRODED HER INSIDES SO THAT SHE FUCKING CRUMBLED INTO PIECES LIKE A HOLLOW HUSK!"

    The boy subconsciously activated his shadow enchantments and punched the nightstand, smashing it into splinters with one hit while he shouted with more hatred than he ever thought that he could harbor.

    Surprisingly enough, his eyes didn''t turn lifeless ¨C they were pure of raw, very human emotion.

    "¡­I¡­! I am sorry¡­"

    The corpse puppet flinched and didn''t even try to say anything else ¨C he merely turned into a shadow and exited the boy''s room using the shadow walk.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi nced after him only once, to make sure that he was gone ¨C which he could confirm thanks to his ability to see the unique shadows ¨C and slumped on the bed, raising his numb and to his face.

    The punch that shattered the nightstand also ended up breaking his pinky finger.

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows and squinted his eyes, focusing on the world of dancing shadows inside his mind, and reached towards the healing spell of the heroine.

    "Shadow theater ¨C heal."

    He muttered and without any dy, his finger straightened itself and the selling that was increasing his pinky''s volume disappearedpletely within a few seconds.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and moved his hand a few times, confirming the full mobility before nodding with grim satisfaction andying back down on the mattress.

    |¡­was¡­ was that really what happened to my mother¡­?|

    Only after calming down a little bit, the ck-haired boy calmed down enough to realize that the words he spoke were rather oddly specific, considering how young he was when it happened ¨C he wasn''t even a mage back then and had no idea who Ghosts of Bellcephora were¡­

    ¡­or did he¡­?

    The more he tried to think about it the more of a blur his memories were bing ¨C he could swear that the first person who told him about the Ghosts was the royal tutor, Vatlo Jora Erest¡­

    But didn''t he know them before¡­?

    "¡­huh¡­?"

    ''Know them''?

    Not ''knew ABOUT them''¡­?

    "¡­what is this supposed to mean¡­ that recent mana depletion seriously messed with my head¡­ or is it because I''m restless because of the shopping trip with Miriette¡­? Both?"

    Zoemi breathed out andid on his back, staring at the ceiling with a bothered expression.

    There was no way that he could go back to sleep after getting so agitated¡­

    "¡­might as well train some spells¡­"

    He muttered, raising his hands and spreading them open.

 Chapter 234 - Before The Shopping Trip (morning -part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 234 ¨C Before The Shopping Trip (morning -part 1)</h4>

    "¡­huh¡­? Oh, no¡­!"

    Zoemi spent the rest of the night experimenting with various spells, slowly gaining proficiency with mixing a spell from one attribute with the mana of another ¨C and even seeded with mixing together two attributes ¨C but when he reached out towards the nightstand to have a look at his pocket watch to check the time, he discovered that the poor, innocent watch ended up a victim to his fist during the shadow corpse puppet''s visit, together with the nightstand and the magic crystalmp.

    "¡­"

    The ck-haired boy picked up the pitiful remains of the mechanism, barely recognizable after getting crushed t and almost torn in half, and stared at it with sadness.

    This watch was the reward Zoemi received from the head-butler of the Espine''s family afterpleting the attendant''s training course ¨C and the ck-haired boy cherished it greatly.

    ¡­that day certainly didn''t start nearly as good as Zoemi hoped for¡­

    "Shadow theater¡­ heal¡­?"

    Zoemi knew it was stupid, but nheless, he tried to use the healing spell on the murdered watch ¨C but, just as it was expected, the spell that haled up the ck-haired boy''s broken finger could not do anything to help the broken inorganic mechanism.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi really didn''t have any more options after doing that ¨C he wasn''tpletely sure what time it was, only that it was before the sunrise, with that in mind he decided to get ready for the day and go to the kitchen ¨C it was honestly better to be early thante when ites to preparing a meal for Miriette.

    The worst thing that could happen would be that the breakfast would get too fancy.

    Although, speaking of time, they were supposed to go shopping because they had a free day thanks to the second- and third-year students having mandatory duels ¨C maybe Miriette would want ate breakfast¡­?

    "¡­no, she seemed very eager¡­ she cannot sleep when she''s like that¡­"

    Zoemi breathed out and went to the kitchen ¨C picking the mana potion on his way there ¨C and considering it was already there, it couldn''t be all that early anyway¡­

    In the half-empty kitchen, he started preparing the meal, but soon enough all the other staff showed up ¨C and the short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform wasn''t any different.

    "Good morning, sir Zoemi."

    Teo gave the boy a short nod and started helping him out ¨C surprising him a little bit with her distant behavior.

    The short brown-haired girl was acting a bit strange, once every two or three minutes she would pull on her ear with a worried expression as if the heavy-looking earring bothered her greatly.

    As she was about to do the same thing for the twentieth time Zoemi couldn''t stand it and grabbed her hand.

    "Let me have a look at it."

    The ck-haired boy asked while holding onto Teo''s wrist and leaning close to her, to check on her ear.

    "¡­you do know that you have an infection? Why do you insist on wearing that thing¡­?"

    Zoemi sighed, seeing the ugly inmmation spreading from the hole in the girl''s ear ¨C to make things worse, Teo''s constant tugging made the earing dig into her earlobe and it looked like it was close to ripping through itpletely.

    "Sorry, sir Zoemi. I''ll try to not mess with it¡­"

    She said embarrassed, trying to lean away but the boy didn''t let her

    "What''s going on? It looks like it really hurt! Sigh¡­ You know what? Stay still."

    Halfway through his questioning ¨C or more like light scolding ¨C he changed his mind and firmly grabbed Teo''s head.

    "Just¡­ don''t remove it, please¡­"

    Since the girl didn''t protest and allowed him to do so, albeit while blushing deeply, he proceeded with the check-up.

    "¡­"

    He focused and reached out his shadow towards the faltering shadow of the earring¡­

    This tie, it felt like the shadow itself contracted and cowered before Zoemi coulde in contact with it, that was certainly the first time something like that happened.

    Before Zoemi''s shadow reached the shadow of the earring, it was gone.

    The small piece of jewelry becamepletely normal and almost inconspicuous.

    "Can I take it off?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and asked the brown-haired girl.

    "Yes, please¡­ my ear really hurts¡­"

    "¡­!"

    The boy asked even though before Teo was very stern about not removing the earring no matter what ¨C but just as he expected, without the mysterious shadow, the short girl nodded her head and actually moved her head so that he had an easier time freeing her ear.

    "Teo, I really think this thing might be dangerous, cursed even. Well, maybe not cursed, but some malicious spell could have been cast on it¡­"

    Zoemi spoke with a bothered voice while removing the now seemingly harmless piece of jewelry.

    "¡­the first prince has said the same thing ¨C sir Zoemi, you and mistress are going shopping today I''ve heard ¨C I''ll use that time to show this thing to some teacher."

    Teo nodded and reached out both of her hands to take the reading and Zoemi gave it to her with a concerned expression.

    "You¡­ don''t want to go with us¡­?"

    He asked while the short brown-haired girl hid the earring into her pocket.

    "Hmm¡­? Wha¡­? N-no, I don''t think that''s what mistress wants¡­ I will stay behind."

    At first, Teo flinched and straightened her back while blushing but then her shoulders slumped and she shook her head and refused.

    "B-but, you can make it up to me in some other way afterward¡­"

    ¡­and then she started fidgetting while ncing upwards at the boy''s face ¨C which definitely was an improvement in her mood.

    "If you say so ¨C but hold still ¨C I am not finished."

    "¡­!"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and leaning forward towards the girl and reaching out towards her wounded ear.

    "¡­ack¡­!"

    Teo flinched when Zoemi''s hand touched her earlobe but didn''t pull away and bravely stayed in ce.

    "Shadow theater, heal."

    "¡­?!"

    Zoemi focused on the shadow of the heroine''s healing spell and used it ¨C since he was doing it again, this time he felt that the spell activates a lot faster, which was a very nice discovery.

    |Practice does make perfect, huh¡­|

    "¡­"

    He thought to himself while the inmmation and tearing healed up within seconds ¨C the ck-haired boy was very focused on the spell so he didn''t notice the longing gaze that his fellow attendant was giving him, looking up at him while getting more and more red in the face from the very short distance.

    ¡­if she would climb on her tiptoes, Teo would have been able to kiss Zoemi ¨C and that very thought entered her mind and made the girl tens up!

    Should she do it¡­?

    Zoemi was healing her, so maybe she could dress it up as a thank you kiss¡­?

    Would he even like that? What if he would get angry¡­?!

    "It looks fine ¨C but I am not entirely sure if it works all that well with infections ¨C I am getting better with healing magic, but just to be sure you should ask Burushi to check up on it."

    "¡­!"

    Teo was taking so much time that Zoemi ended up healing her ear and pulling away ¨C which solved the girl''s inner turmoil but also made her tense up and grit her teeth.

    "Thank you¡­ Sir Zoemi, what do you think about hat girl¡­?"

    The brown-haired girl showed her gratefulness by bowing her head and asking with a sulky voice without straightening her back.

    "Burushi? I consider her my friend ¨C don''t worry, she is a nice person."

    Zoemi smiled reassuringly, thinking that Teo who was not that good with people ¨C just like her older sister ¨C was simply worried about talking with someone new, and not at all expected a different reason for the girl''s tone.

    "¡­?"

    ¡­although to tell the truth, he did notice that something was off¡­

    "¡­sir Zoemi, I actually don''t feel all that well¡­ I think I will return to my room and if nothing changes I will go to see that girl¡­"

    To his great surprise, Teo stepped back and dered in a weak voice.

    "Oh, no¡­! Did¡­ did I mess up something while healing you¡­?!"

    Zoemi flinched and asked in a worried voice.

    "N-no, I don''t think so ¨C I was feeling pretty under the weather anyway¡­ I''ll go back to my room ¨C there''s no reason for you to walk me all the way there¡­!"

    The brown-haired attendant shook her head while constantly backing away towards the door.

    "But you''re feeling unwell¡­ Shouldn''t I go with you just in case¡­?"

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head, genuinely concerned about his fellow attendant.

    "Denied! No! No way! Just in case please don''te anywhere near my room, sir Zoemi, I''m serious!"

    As if some sort of switch in her head flipped, Teo went from cautious anxiousness intoplete defense within a split of a second.

    She crossed her arms on her chest, making them into an x-shape, and shook her head vigorously ¨C before actually turning around and running away¡­!

    "Wha¡­?!"

    ¡­leaving Zoemi stunned in the kitchen¡­.

 Chapter 235 - Before The Shopping Trip (morning -part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 235 ¨C Before The Shopping Trip (morning -part 2)</h4>

    Zoemi considered following after Teo, but ended up staying and finishing preparing the meal ¨C he set out a portion for the brown-haired girl and even delivered it to her, but she asked him to leave it under her door without showing him her face.

    "Just remember to go see Burushi for healing and consult a teacher about the earing."

    The ck-haired boy said instead of goodbye and went to Miriette''s room as he always would, carrying the tray with breakfast.

    Although, once he arrived in front of the dark-haired girl''s room something out of the norm happened.

    "Oh? Are you alone today?"

    "Yes, Teo isn''t feeling well so she asked for a day off."

    "I see."

    Miriette opened the door after the ck-haired attendant knocked on it and closed it after he entered after a brief conversation¡­

    "Mydy is there something¡­?"

    Slightly confused Zoemi turned to her with a question.

    "Nnn~!"

    "?!?!?!?!?!"

    And was suddenly hugged in response!

    And not a friendly, hello, kind of hug either!

    It was a full-on I-missed-you-and-I-wanted-to-see-you-so-much!-kind of hug!

    Zoemi was speechless!

    "Mydy, what¡­?"

    Zoemi didn''t know what to do with his hands, should he hug her back? Should he firmly push her away?

    He was still carrying the tray so he couldn''t really do either ¨C and didn''t want to, to begin with¡­

    "How is that¡­ today is special, you know? Since the two of us are going shopping, I thought that we should try to not stand out that much, so you shouldn''t call me master or mydy."

    To make things even more confusing, Miriette dered and proudly looked up at the boy''s face while resting her chin on his chest.

    "I¡­ mydy, this is a good idea, but we are still in the academy ¨C not to mention in your own room¡­"

    "Hmhmhm~!"

    Zoemi became flustered and Miriette shuddered from joy at his reaction.

    |It''s working¡­! I barely did anything and it''s already working~! Yesterday really was a blessing!|

    The dark-haired girl''s eyes sparkled seeing the bashful expression on her attendant''s face.

    "Not listening!"

    Mirietteughed and snuggled against his chest.

    "¡­can I at least put the tray down¡­?"

    "¡­!"

    Zoemi asked in a defeated voice ¨C which made Miriette''s eyes widen.

    |Does¡­! Does that mean he wants to hug me back?! Oh my goodness¡­! Is it happening¡­?! IS IT HAPPENING?!|

    Miriette froze momentarily while her brain was overloaded due to Zoemi''s response ¨C and especially because the ck-haired boy has said those very words while looking away and blushing!

    ZOEMI WAS BLUSHING!

    The girl''s surprise allowed Zoemi to sneak away from her embrace and leave the meal at the desk.

    "¡­"

    Then the boy turned back to the girl, not really sure what he should do and¡­

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "!!!"

    "!!!"

    ¡­both of them jolted when someone knocked on the door.

    "Student Espine? Are you awake?"

    Even more shocking was that the voice that called, undeniably belonged to none other but the blue-haired young teacher Rokiana Grea Perserios!

    "¡­?"

    "¡­"

    Zoemi and Miriette looked at each other before turning to the door.

    "Yes, teacher, I''m already awake ¨C did something happen?"

    Even though they were in the academy, while in the student''s dormitory Miriette as the daughter of a duke didn''t need to actually open the door to answer.

    "I have a sort of personal business with you, if you don''t mind, it''s just a small request, but I would be really d if we could discuss it without me standing in the hallway¡­"

    "Teacher, it''s still early in the morning, can''t we discuss it before or after your lecture?"

    Mirietteined while eyeing Zoemi out.

    "Alright, I understand¡­"

    Rokiana sounded defeated and Miriette spread her arms and was about to approach Zoemi again¡­

    "I know I''m being pushy, but the thing is¡­!"

    But Rokiana wasn''t actually going to give up that easily.

    "It''s about charging themunication crystal with wind mana, it will take just a minute!"

    "¡­haa¡­"

    Rokiana dered and Miriette sighed.

    "Teacher¡­ If it''s just that can''t you ask some other teachers with wind attribute, there are at least four of them¡­!"

    "¡­mydy¡­"

    The dark-haired girlined ¨C but after Zoemi looked at her and whispered with a timid expression, she already knew that she will help the woman out.

    After all, Rokiana needed to charge themunication crystal to continue calling Zoemi''s father ¨C and the ck-haired boy supported the direction of that rtionship full-heartedly.

    "The thing is I can''t¡­"

    Rokiana started exining.

    "I already asked them a lot of times and they all got angry at me¡­"

    She confessed sounding abundantly embarrassed about the fact¡­

    "Then how about other students?"

    Miriette still tried to keep up the act but even so, she was already walking towards the door with a defeated expression¡­

    "I''m certain that you know a lot of students with wind attributes who could help."

    She pointed out with her hand on the door handle.

    "But the crystal actually takes a lot of wind mana, for a normal wind magician charging the crystal once would already cause symptoms of mana depletion, but if it''s you, well, you won''t even feel anything."

    Rokiana said in a kind of apologetic manner and Miriette sighed even deeper.

    "Teacher¡­"

    "I-I know I''m being annoying alright? But¡­!"

    Rokiana lovered her voice.

    "Alright, listen. There''s that guy I fell for, alright? It''s Zoemi''s father, actually, and he''s handsome and charismatic and so cool and sometimes goofy and cute¡­! The thing is, he''s super dense but I feel like we are getting closer thanks to talking through the crystal, right?"

    "¡­!"

    "¡­!"

    Now not only Rokiana was embarrassed but the master-attendant pair in the room too.

    "Student Espine, you have a fiance so you don''t know how hard it is to find a decent man and since you''re young and beautiful you have no idea that it''s so much harder to find someone at my age. Come on, please, help the fellow woman out¡­!"

    Rokiana sounded just a bit desperate but Miriette fully could easily rte to her ¨C after all when it came to denseness Mizoe and Zoemi were about the same.

    "Alright."

    Miriette breathed out and opened the door, revealing the blue-haired woman.

    "Thank you! You won''t regre¡­! Hiah¡­!?"

    Flustered Rokiana busted into the room while holding the dim greenish crystal in front of her, at first she sounded grateful and happy but then she saw Zoemi standing by the desk and she let out a weird sound and froze with her eyes wide open.

    "I just have to fill it with mana, right?"

    Miriette asked and took the magic device from the petrified blue-haired teacher.

    "¡­ah¡­! Y-yes, that is correct¡­"

    Only after the crystal left her hands Rokiana react ¨C her face and ears became bright red making a stark contrast with her hair ¨C and she nodded her head.

    "Good morning teacher."

    "M-morning¡­!"

    Zoemi bowed and greeted the blue-haired woman calmly but even that made her flinch and instantly look down at her feet and clenched her hands together.

    Even though she knew that Zoemi was on her side in this situation, she couldn''t help feeling embarrassed over her choice of words.

    The charging sequence was actually extremely easy and fast.

    The control of mana inside one''s body was a skilled natural for most of the magicians and the crystals made it very easy to push it out from the magician''s body without turning it into a spell.

    After thirty or so seconds the crystal was glowing with almost blinding green light.

    "Done."

    Said Miriette and gave themunication crystal back to the woman.

    "Thank you¡­!"

    Rokiana nodded towards them and then evacuated as soon as she could.

    "I think that I should practice calling her mother soon, or mom ¨C she seems like a good person, don''t you agree?"

    Zoemi said while looking at the door that the blue-haired teacher shut behind her.

    "¡­"

    Miriette looked at his cheerful expression and the corners of her lips raised in a soft smile.

    "Yes, she does, do you know what your dad thinks about her though?"

    She decided to dy her cuddling ns a little bit ¨C after all, they had the whole day to themselves¡­

    ¡­and, it would look more natural if she stayed in her room together with Zoemi AFTER the shopping trip than it would do if the two of them just stayed in the room for the whole day¡­

    Not to mention that while in the nearby town the two of them could pose as a couple and cuddle up while on a date!

 Chapter 236 - In The Royal Castle, Again X2 (part 1) [side]

    <h4>Chapter 236 ¨C In The Royal Castle, Again X2 (part 1) [side]</h4>

    Patishi woke up to the unfamiliar ceiling but certainly a familiar presence holding her hand.

    It was Veo, though, this time the older girl wasn''t the one to initiate it ¨C actually Patishi felt really uneasy sleeping in a vastly different ce and got Veo''s approval to sleep in the same bed.

    "Ah¡­!"

    The younger girl raised her head above the pillow and looked through the window, the sun was just about to rise.

    "Veo, hey, Veo!"

    Patishi pulled the nket off her fellow attendant''s head and started shaking her shoulder.

    "¡­nnn¡­ bright¡­"

    Interestingly enough although Veo and her younger sister spent most of their lives underground Veo,pletely opposite of her sister, developed a habit of always sleeping whilepletely hidden, so even while still half-asleep she started frowning and fidgeting from the difort when the warm sunrays tickled her face.

    "Veo, wake up¡­!"

    "Mnuah¡­? P-Patishi? What''s going on¡­?"

    The older girl finally gave in and opened her eyes begrudgingly and nced at the younger girl''s face.

    "Let''s go to the kitchen and make breakfast for the first prince!"

    "¡­hmm¡­? Why¡­?"

    Patishi dered all excited but Veo only frowned.

    "What do you mean ''why''? We are his attendants!"

    The younger girl puffed out her chest proudly, but the other girl didn''t share her enthusiasm at all.

    "It''s fine, the royal cooks will deal with it, let''s sleep some more¡­"

    Veo said and tried to pull the nket over her head again.

    "What do you mean royal cooks will deal with it! Isn''t that our job!?"

    Patishi gasped in disbelief, frowning as if her pride was hurt, and pulled the nket away from Veo''s reach.

    "¡­I will squish you¡­"

    The older girl squinted her eyes at her and muttered woefully with a sour expression.

    "Hmph!"

    "KYAAAH!"

    Without any warning, Veo pulled Patishi''s arm and embraced her just like she would hold Zozo, the plush cat that was left in their room back in the academy.

    "Veo..!"

    Patishiined and tried to free herself, but Veo''s arms were already glowing so it waspletely impossible.

    "Listen Patishi¡­"

    Veo already closed her eyes but still decided to exin things to the younger girl.

    "The thing is that each visit in the royal castle is like a vacation for us attendants. The castle''s servants and maids pamper our master and we get simr treatment too. Just rx and go back to sleep."

    She said while getting herselffortable ¨C while cuddling up to the blushing girl.

    "But Veo, I like cooking for our prince! Let''s go, please¡­!"

    Even though the older girl was hugging the younger one ¨C since she was considered enough and there was still enough space for her to move a bit, so Patishi used it and wiggled herself around and faced Veo.

    "¡­"

    Veo was keeping her eyes shut and acted, although poorly as if she hasn''t heard what the other girl said.

    "Please¡­? Pretty please¡­? I don''t know the way to the kitchen, please, Veo, I need our help¡­!"

    The younger girl asked adorably and Veo''s eyelids trembled and opened just a little bit.

    "¡­!"

    Patishi was looking at Veo with puppy-dog eyes and her cuteness hit the older girl like a truck ¨C she actually moved her head away in an attempt to not be swayed.

    "Please, let''s go. You said it yourself, you like helping me cook, and I like cooking with you, it''ll be fun!"

    Patishi pressed on spotting the crack in Veo''s defense.

    "Nnn..! Nghh¡­! Fine¡­! Fine! You win!"

    Veo couldn''t handle the full-on attack of condensed innocent charm of the younger girl and agreed ¨C her arms stopped glowing and she released her.

    "Yay! I love you, Veo!"

    "Hm-hmph¡­!

    Patishiughed and quickly cuddled up back to Veo on her own ¨C making the older girl blush even though she tried to hide it by frowning.

    "I-indeed¡­ You maniptive bunny¡­!"

    Veo grumbled and get out of the bed.

    "Veo! Veo look! Look!"

    Not even a minute passed when Patishi raised her voice in excitement again.

    The new maid dresses that the first prince promised his attendants were delivered, and Patishi was pointing at them, jumping up in pure bliss.

    "Not bad."

    Veo nodded her head with a gentle smile while watching the younger girl melt over the almost identical sets of uniforms.

    "¡­!"

    Patishi picked up and held the one with arger apron since it was the one that Horeo and Veo told her that would be hers and gazed at it intensely with a flushed face and an awestruck expression.

    Flowy design and lots ofces tickled her love for everything cute and she was left speechless.

    "You don''t have to just look at it, it''s yours ¨C put it on."

    Veo sat up on the bed and encouraged the younger girl while rubbing her eyes.

    "Really!?"

    "Pffft¡­!"

    Patishi gasped, pressing the maid''s dress to her chest with such an amazing expression that Veo couldn''t help herself ad snorted.

    "Yes, of course, that it''s okay! I imagine that our prince would actually get pretty upset if you didn''t wear it after he got it for you!"

    The older girl dered, finally giving up and leaving the bed.

    "Do you want me to help you put it on¡­?

    "Yes, please! And I''ll help you with yours too!"

    Veo asked and Patishi nodded her head vigorously,

    A few minutester two maid-clothing-d attendants went to the kitchen.

    The younger girl was wearing her uniform with such joy that even Veo''s grumpy mood from being forced to wake up early on essentially a day-off was gone, reced by the satisfying feeling of seeing Patishi so happy.

    "Hmhmhmhmhm~!"

    Patishi was walking next to Veo with a spring in her step and theces and ribbons of the maid uniform were bouncing with her every step ¨C which seemed to be the highlights for the cute-loving girl.

    In such an uplifting mood the two attendants entered the royal castle''s kitchen that was just as busy, if not more, than the Academy''s one.

    "Oh? The first prince''s attendants?"

    One of the cooks recognized Veo and walked over to them.

    "Hmm? You''re not with your sister today?"

    As he noticed that it was only one of the twins plus another maid he had never seen before, he tilted his head in confusion.

    "Indeed."

    Veo responded with a frown and the cook raised his brow but didn''t pursue the matter.

 Chapter 237 - In The Royal Castle, Again X2 (part 2) [side]

    <h4>Chapter 237 ¨C In The Royal Castle, Again X2 (part 2) [side]</h4>

    "So, what do the two of you want? The food is certainly not ready yet¡­"

    The cook asked curiously, furrowing his brows while eyeing out the two girls.

    "Oh, this one is actually an amazing cook that our master picked up from the Academy, she wants to make the food for our master."

    "V-Veo¡­?!"

    Veo grabbed Patishi''s shoulders and exined proudly while leaning from behind the younger girl who blushed crimson red from the offhandedpliment.

    "Oh, is that so¡­? Ah! I think I have heard about you! My friend works at the Aspaceony Academy, he told me about a child prodigy chef that''s giving him a run for his money! Was that you?"

    The cook perked up since it turned out he wasn''tpletely clueless and could show off his knowledge.

    "I-I think it should be me, there are no other people my age working in the Aspakeony Academy''s kitchen¡­"

    Patishi blushed and started fidgeting embarrassed by the unexpected praise from aplete stranger.

    "Nice to meet you, my name is Gertsy! But seriously, that old bastard of a friend never told me that this prodigy chef was such a cute youngdy!"

    "¡­"

    Gertsyughed heartily and made Patishi even more embarrassed.

    "Indeed, she''s lovely, isn''t she? Just don''t get any stupid ideas. Now, can we make the food?"

    "¡­?!"

    Veo suddenly got all spiky and started walking while steering Patishi by still holding onto her shoulders while ring coldly at the surprised man.

    "Ah! Right, yes, of course!"

    Gertsyughed awkwardly and pointed them towards a spot that was rtively less busy.

    "You can take that spot, if you need something, don''t be shy ande find me!"

    The man waved to them and returned to his previous spot near the boiling pot while being sent off by Veo''s unfriendly re.

    "Let''s go then."

    Veo dered and proceeded to push Patishi in front of her while not letting go of her shoulders at all.

    "Veo¡­ I can walk¡­ EH!?"

    Patishi turned her head towards Veo but as they were passing one of the cooks, the younger girl felt a crushingly obnoxious feeling and stopped ¨C or tried to stop with all her might.

    It cannot be forgotten that all in all, Patishi was a mage, and not a normal mage or even a typical variant magician.

    She was a unique variant magician who wielded an attribute that was never observed before.

    The young girl could enhance the taste of the raw ingredients and, to some extent, influence certain traits of the half-products but certainly, the most unique thing about her magic was the passive ability which was getting stronger by the day as she was growing up.

    Simr to how Zoemi could see a special kind of shadow of all living people and spells, Patishi could, by some inexplicable magical ability, feel the intent of the ingredients.

    The ingredients always seem to want to be made into something delicious, and if someone whocked the ability to aid them in achieving that goal approached them they would get scared.

    Patishi could sense that fear.

    But if someone would approach them with the intent of consciously making them disgusting or harmful, they would get angry.

    Simrly, the young girl could sense that anger¡­

    ¡­and the ingredients by that one cook they passed werepletely consumed by wrath ¨C it was something that Patishi has never experienced before.

    Something had to be very wrong with that sketchy cook ¨C no doubt!

    Patishi, as someone deeply connected with the ingredients, couldn''t just walk past such a scene as if she hasn''t noticed a thing!

    "Hey! You there! What are you doing to the food!?"

    "Eh¡­?!"

    "?!?!?!?!?!"

    The girl in the frilly maid''s uniform shoutedpletely startling Veo who even let go of her shoulders from shock and marched towards the concerned cook.

    "!!!!"

    ¡­who very suspiciously jumped and got green in the face as he got called out¡­

    "Wh-what are you talking about¡­!?"

    The man asked in a high-pitched voice and tried to remain calm but Patishi''s shout and his odd behavior made him the center of attention of the entire kitchen staff.

    "What were you doing to the ingredients just now!?"

    Unusually agitated Patishi approached the cook with an angered expression and even though she was half the size of the man, he actually took a step back when she walked up to him.

    "N-nothing, miss, I don''t know what you are talking about¡­!"

    The suspicious cook raised his hands and hurriedly shook his head.

    "No, you were trying to add something awful to those ingredients, didn''t you!?"

    This was Patishi''s best bet and she could clearly feel that ingredients were cheering her on, somehow they knew that the cook was about to mix something with them that would turn them into something utterly horrible!

    "What!? N-No! O-of course I didn''t¡­!"

    The man seemingly tried to pose as shocked and appalled at the usation but he couldn''t have looked more guilty even if he tried.

    "Ugh¡­!"

    Suddenly, without any warning, the man threw himself into a mad run, pushing the frail girl to the side, making her groan in pain¡­

    ¡­which was a grave mistake¡­

    *WHAM*

    "GHUG-HUAGH¡­!"

    Withing the same moment, Veo acted ording to her training and caught him, or rather instantly incapacitated him by using her enchantments ¨C she grabbed him and mmed him against the floor, squeezing all air out of his lungs with a single move.

    It turned out that the cook was just a magiclessmoner so subduing him was child y.

    "Patishi, are you alright?!"

    After looking at the suspicious cook trying to catch his breath, Veo looked up and asked the younger girl with concern.

    "I-I''m fine, he just scared me."

    Patishi stood up with a slightly embarrassed expression, but then she shook her head and red at the incapacitated man.

    "What''s going on with this guy?"

    Veo looked between the younger girl and the man she held down and asked while mushing the runaway cook''s face into the floor.

    "He was trying to add something suspicious to the food!"

    Patishi answered as if she actually saw the act and not sensed it from the ingredients, which was a smart move.

    "I see¡­ Check his pockets."

    The older girl squinted her eyes and nodded, motioning her chin at the man, to which Patishi jumped to her and started thoroughly rummaging through the cook''s clothes.

    Of course, the other cooks were observing them with shocked and scared faces, but since the two performing the surprising stunts were actually personal attendants of the first prince and not normal servants, no one dared toment or stop their actions.

    After a minute or two Patishi found a sealed ss vial full of some white powder.

    "What is this!?"

    She asked angrily putting the vial up to the man''s face.

    "S-salt! It''s just salt!"

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    The man cried and Patishi and Veo looked at each other.

    "Open it up and let him taste this salt."

    Veo who was literally trained for such situations shrugged her shoulders and nodded at the younger girl.

    "Wh-wha¡­!?"

    The subdued man gasped and shuddered while Patishi unsealed the vial and started slowly tilting it above the man''s mouth.

    "S-stop!"

    The cook cried.

    "Eh? Why? It''s just salt, right?"

    Veo scoffed coldly.

    "Go ahead, pour it right to his mouth."

    While Veo indeed said that, she also winked at Patishi making sure that the younger girl knows to only pretend to follow hermand.

    "¡­yes¡­"

    Patishi loudly gulped her saliva and continued tilting the vial, cautiously watching the white grains shuffle closer and closer to the rim.

    "No! Stop! That''s not salt! It is poison! Poison! I will die!"

    "!!!!!!"

    Cried the man and everyone in the kitchen except for Veo, who already expected this oue, froze in shock.

 Chapter 238 - The Innocent And Not So Innocent (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 238 ¨C The Innocent And Not So Innocent (part 1)</h4>

    "I don''t know¡­ don''t you think that all of my clothes are too fancy? I was thinking about going to the town more incognito, but with that, won''t everyone instantly know that I am a noble?"

    Miriette asked with a concerned expression while looking at her reflection and the avable choice of things to wear.

    "Not really? I think that it''s not the clothes'' fault ¨C mdy, you simply look stunning no matter what you wear."

    Zoemi waiting by her side with a change of clothes tilted his head and dered with a serious expression¡­

    "¡­!"

    ¡­making the dark-haired girl blush with apliment he really didn''t think of as anything special ¨C because he simply spoke exactly what he actually believed.

    "¡­we¡­ we will go and try to buy some inconspicuous clothes as soon as we will get there ¨C those will do for now¡­"

    Miriette ended up dropping her hands and lowered her head mumbling in embarrassment before walking up to the ck-haired boy and grabbing his onto his arm.

    "I''m ready, lets go."

    She added bashfully but stubbornly leaning onto her attendant''s shoulder with no intention of letting go.

    |Alright, I made sure to ask around and it turns out that a suspicious ice-wielding individual was seen traveling in the opposite direction to where we are going, and more importantly, away from the Academy, so maybe the game event will never really happen? After all, Aspaekony assured me that the academy is safe¡­|

    Zoemi nced at the peculiarly timid girl dressed up in a refreshing white and greency one-piece

    dress, and nodded to himself ¨C there was only one thing left to ask to make sure that everything was fine.

    "Mydy, we can notify the bodyguards that we are about to go ¨C if I may ask, are they someone I am familiar with?"

    "¡­!"

    Zoemi asked and felt Miriette flinching while wrapped around his arm.

    "I¡­ don''t think so¡­ since I didn''t bother Horeo, I ended up asking the principal to rmend me someone, and he delivered¡­ I''ve already contacted the with the message spell too."

    The dark-haired girl lied hurriedly, hoping that the boy will not catch onto her insincerity.

    Miriette who had already deployed the universal defensively-offensiverge-scale umtive semi-autonomous spell, Air Emperor, and three of them to boot, was never actually going to bother with the help of anyone who could have been bought out or turn against her.

    She wanted a genuine date where no one knew who she was and she could be as clingy as she always wanted to.

    "That was a brilliant idea, mydy! The principal is trustworthy."

    "¡­"

    Zoemi''s face brightened ¨C but that made Miriette feel guilty, still, nowhere near enough to tell him the truth.

    |If it''s Aspakeony''s corpse puppet, then it''s even better than I could hope for ¨C in case of trouble she can send in the light magicians at any given moment!|

    The ck-haired boy nodded happily and guided the dark-haired girl to the door.

    "Mydy, are you sure you don''t want me to get a carriage, or maybe even fly there? Even though some warehouses are built close to the outer wall of the Academy, the town center and all the shops are between half an hour to a full hour of walk, depending on our speed¡­ are you okay with that¡­?"

    Zoemi stopped and looked at Miriette with his hand on the door handle.

    "Don''t treat me as if I cannot walk for a bit! I am not that fragile!"

    The dark-haired girl blushed and pinched the boy''s side but he showed no reaction as there was no strength behind her action.

    "As you wish, mydy."

    The dark-haired attendant bowed his head and opened the door, and the two of them walked out.

    |Ohohohohoho! Poor Zoemi, I am actually nning to use the excuse of getting tired and ask you to carry me partway back to the Academy!|

    The dark-haired girl snickered and lowered her head so Zoemi wouldn''t be able to spot her expression.

    |She says that now, but I bet that she will feel faint on our way back¡­ Hmm~! I kind of wish that will happen, I will be able to carry her on our way back~!|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself and looked away so that his master wouldn''t be able to notice his blush.

    With that, the two of them exited the room and walked out of the dormitory building ¨C they didn''t really meet all that many other students because most of them were already gathered in the back of the academy to the specially prepared area where they could safely watch the duels about to start.

    But none of that really bothered either Miriette or Zoemim and they left unbothered through the front gate¡­

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    "¡­"

    Burushi was walking down the empty dormitory hallway while supporting herself against the wall.

    To say that she was extremely tired was an overstatement.

    She was on the verge of copse, she was feeling horribly nauseous, her throat was dried up, and her stomach was rumbling.

    ¡­not to mention the painful headache that amplified the already terrible situation straight into a nightmare¡­

    The previous night the blond heroine told herself that she would use ¨C or rather waste ¨C onest healing spell on the obviously faking Xeonith and then seek sanctuary in the room of the viiness

    But, that n crumbled into nothingness the moment when that awful, awful capture target started willing and tossing around, whining about the insufferable pain ¨C which made that horrible old hag of a teacher force Burushi to heal him over and over again.

    BUT XEONITH WASN''T ACTUALLY HURT!

    And it wasn''t even the phantom pain or anything, because the one time that the elderly teacher with the same surname as Zoemi went out of the room ¨C having the guts to lock it so the heroine couldn''t escape ¨C that disgusting man stopped the act and started threatening the poor healer that if she ever tells anyone about how she saw him act, he will kill her.

    Thankfully, even the awful teacher turned out to be useful and returned rather quickly so that the brown-haired boy didn''t have time to try and do anything to Burushi.

    The ridiculous charadested for the entire night, all until the blond girl''s mana ran out dry ¨C but the thing was, teacher Auequas wanted to keep her just so she would continue wasting her mana on casting the healing spells on the ABSOLUTELY HEALTHY GUY WHO WAS FAKING BEING IN PAIN just to have an excuse to not show up his loser''s face in front of the other students during the mandatory duels.

    ¡­both Xeonth and teacher Auequas were equally stubborn ¨C the older woman wanted the brown-haired boy topete, and the brown-haired boy didn''t and was doing his best to make the elderly woman give up ¨C that somehow resulted in the blond heroine getting a ck eye from Xoenith''s fist while the brown-haired boy was tossing in bed screaming that he''s in pain while not even sounding as if he was in pain ¨C just pissed off¡­

    The only bright side of that was that the wretched teacher FINALLY allowed Burushi to leave ¨C but not without scolding her for being an inept healer who can''t even heal a patient in need.

    "¡­"

    Burushi couldn''t even muster any mana to heal herself wasn''t even going to her own room or the cafeteria ¨C she was doing her best to reach Miriette''s room to crumble on a chair and just have a moment of respite¡­.

 Chapter 239 - The Innocent And Not So Innocent (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 239 ¨C The Innocent And Not So Innocent (part 2)</h4>

    "¡­Miriette and Zoemi aren''t in the Academy at the moment ¨C they went to the city, their room will be empty¡­"

    "!!!"

    Suddenly, even though the passage that the blond girl just passed should be empty, a concerned voice called out to her, making her flinch.

    "WHO¡­?! Ah¡­! Ehmi¡­?"

    Heroine flinched and turned away in fear, but then breathed out seeing the youthful-looking tinum-haired girl.

    "¡­"

    The tinum-haired girl wasn''t even looking up at her, she herself seemed very scared and disturbed by something, ready to run away at the moment''s notice.

    "We¡­ I wish to help you out more, but he is here, and they are around¡­ they will want toe in contact with him not knowing who he really is¡­ I cannot stay here. This is the only thing I can do for you for now. Sorry¡­"

    The young-looking girl just shook her head and reached out her hand towards the confused heroine.

    Then, without Burushi having time to ask her anything, the small girl ended up circling a counterclockwise circle in the air with her index finger and¡­

    "?!?!?!?????!?!"

    Burushi suddenly felt her mana returning to her ¨C not recovering, it process was far too fast to just be a recovery, mana simply returned to her in huge chunks as if each spell she had cast during thest ten hours came back ¨C not only that, her exhaustion went away, the pain in her face and her headache disappearedpletely, and she even stopped being hungry¡­!

    "Wh-what is going on¡­?! Lady Ehmi, wh-what did you do¡­?!"

    Thepletely rejuvenated blond girl gasped in disbelief and gratefulness, looking first at their hands and then touching the supposedly sore spot, the ck eye ¨C which turned out to be back to normal as if nothing ever happened, even though Burushi expected her cheekbone to be cracked¡­!

    "Lady Ehmi, I ¨C I don''t know what to say¡­! Thank¡­!"

    Burushi shook her head and gasped, looking up to properly convey her gratitude towards the small, tinum-haired girl¡­

    "¡­you¡­.?"

    But, the person that Burushi was looking at at the moment, was neither small nor tinum-haired¡­

    "Hm? No, don''t be like that Buru, it was just small talk and nothing else, right? I didn''t really do anything worth thanking me."

    A tall dangerously beautiful girl with long crimson hair reaching below her thighs and deep crimson eyes looked back at the blond girl and smiled benevolently while tilting her head a little bit, which made the overall effect was quite amicable.

    "¡­I¡­ I''m sorry, I was just talking to¡­ a friend¡­ but, she seems to have disappeared on me¡­"

    Burushi flinched and started backing off, not really knowing what to do in this situation.

    |Where''s Ehmi?! And howe this girl is so casual with me¡­?!|

    She thought in panic.

    "Eh..? What are you talking about Buru? Geez, that Derizno''s brat seriously made you go through a lot ¨C I will kick his ass for you if he shows up after all!"

    The tall crimson-haired girl furrowed her brows and rubbed the back of her neck with a worried expression before flexing her arms ¨C that movement alone was enough to make her uniform, with a third-year badge of flower in full bloom, stretch dangerously, threatening to rip apart from the sheer volume of her assets pressing onto the fabric.

    The heroine was supposed to be big in that certain area too¡­ But if that was the case, then this crimson girl was straight-up gigantic!

    "You would?! Wait, no! I''m sorry! Please forgive me! I-I need to go¡­!"

    Burushi gasped in excitement, before hurriedly realizing that she should not put her faith in the words of a stranger she never met before ¨C even if it was a nice stranger ¨C and cried in a high-pitched voice before running away as soon as she could.

    "¡­that was worrisome¡­"

    The crimson-haired girl frowned in a concerned expression before turning in the opposite direction and walking down the hallway.

    "Buru never treated me like that, that little rat must have been really awful to her¡­ Who does he think he is, first messing with Zoe now with Buru¡­"

    Her face turned grim and red through the window at the spot prepared for the duels where first participants were already facing each other.

    "I wanted to show off to Buru and Zoe how cool I am."

    She murmured and pouted which turned her expression from fierce into heart-meltingly cute ¨C the crimson-haired girl then stretched and shook her head vigorously.

    "Nnnnn-ghnyaah! Wow, why do I feel like I haven''t been using my body in ages¡­? Oh well, I''m still in good enough shape to show everyone that no one can mess with the friends of the Victureo family!"

    The crimson-haired girl let out a far too lewd noise and bared her white teeth in a wide smile ¨C she spread open her palm and a deep-crimson-red fireball ignited between her fingers lighting the hallway with a pinkish glow.

    ¡ª¡ª¨C

    "Who was that anyway¡­? She knew my name but I had never seen her before¡­"

    Burushi hurried down the hallway while looking over her shoulder in consternation and worry.

    Nheless, she was extremely grateful to Ehmi for showing up ¨C even though very briefly ¨C and somehow healing her up way more efficiently than the blond girl would be able to do herself.

    "Student Burushiitto! Where were you for the entire night!?"

    "!!!"

    All of a sudden someone called to Burushi and the heroine flinched and stepped away, raising her arms defensively, half-expecting teacher Auequas to inexplicably learn about her recovery and tracking her down to drag her back to continue the farce of healing thepletely healthy brown-haired capture target.

    But that wasn''t the case at all, after actually looking up the blond girl realized that it was actually the dak haired teacher who recently joined the Academy and was keeping an eye on her, helping her out a few times already.

    "Teacher Banemor ¨C you will not believe this, but I ampletely serious¡­"

    Since the dark-haired teacher clearly had a connection with Zoemi, Burushi felt safe enough to tell him everything that happened without holding back ¨C she was worried that using the high noble of faking his condition could get her in trouble, but once she started talking the bitterness took over and she couldn''t help herself.

    "¡­Are you sure that''s what happened¡­?"

    After the blond heroine stopped talking and was standing in front of the teacher with eyes reddish from holding back the angry tears, the dark-haired man looked at her with a serious expression.

    "Yes. At first, I thought that the defeat from the prince''s hands might haveve a scar on lord Derizno''s mind, that was clearly not the case as when teacher Auequas left the room he threatened me! And while we''re talking about teacher Auequas ¨C I have proven my worth with healing teacher Kros''s condition and sir Zoemi''s wounds! Why was I not believed when I told her that I did everything that I could?! Why was I being held hostage throughout the entire night even when my mana ran dry and I entered the state of mana depletion?! I know the social status differs by a lot between me and lord Derizno, but I also am a student of the Aspakeony Academy!"

    In response to him, Burushi straightened her back and clenched her fists, looking Banemor straight in the eyes without even blinking once, showing her sincerity.

    "¡­I see¡­ Please excuse me ¨C you are right to feel bitter, as one of my students you are every bit as important as everyone else and nothing like this should ever happen to you."

    "¡­!"

    Burushi flinched and stepped back when the dark-haired teacher actually bowed down to her in an apology and the blond girl was left speechless.

 Chapter 240 - The Innocent And Not So Innocent (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 240 ¨C The Innocent And Not So Innocent (part 3)</h4>

    "That would never happen if I stayed on the post and is quite shameful of me ¨C this will not happen again, I will make sure that you are safe, just like every single one of my students."

    The man straightened his back and dered with enough power and strength in his voice as if he was at least the headmaster and not a brand new employee.

    "Thank you¡­!"

    But even so, his reaction was exactly something that the blond-haired girl needed ¨C she clenched her hands together and bowed her head gratefully filled with hope.

    "Oh, teacher ¨C I have a favor to ask¡­"

    "!!!"

    "¡­?"

    But then, suddenly, someone called out at the two of them from the end of a hallway, making the girl flinch and turn the surprised teacher''s head.

    Burushi leaned to the side and saw the approaching short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform approaching ¨C as far as she could recall this was a former attendant of the first prince Hroeo and the current attendant of Miriette.

    Judging by the girl''s expression she was approaching with something serious too¡­

    "¡­"

    ¡­and for whatever reason the dark-haired man seemed to be tensing up at her sight, making the blond girl anxious too¡­

    "Student Burushi ¨C wait for me a little bit, I will hear her out and escort you back to your room."

    Banemor nced at the worried girl and smiled reassuringly, motioning at the corner of the hallway, before turning to the approaching female attendant.

    "¡­?"

    The heroine nodded her head and trotted away ¨C but not before peeking over at the brown-haired girl and getting shocked when the attendant stared her down as if she was her sworn enemy¡­

    ¡ª¡ª

    "Teacher ¨C here ¨C sir Zoemi told me to show it to someone, apparently is bad news."

    Teo didn''t waste any time for pleasantries and simply reached out her fist towards the concerned dark-haired teacher.

    "¡­alright¡­?"

    The shadow corpse puppet raised his brow, reaching out his hand to receive the item.

    A momentter an intricate but otherwise unassuming earring fell onto Banemor''s palm.

    "What is supposed to be wrong with it¡­?"

    "I will now leave if you may, you seem to be preupied with some tra¡­ other business."

    The corpse puppet looked at the piece of jewelry and then raised his head to question the brown-haired attendant ¨C but the girl had already turned right around and walked away angrily once or twice ring over her shoulder behind the Banemor''s back right at the blond girl disappearing behind the corner.

    "¡­no, seriously, what is it supposed to be wrong with¡­?"

    It was an odd enough situation for even Aspakeony ¨C who unfortunately was out of the office, fresh after finishing talking in person with one of her old acquaintances about a certain very important matter concerning one of her students ¨C to frown in confusion, she then made Banemor look back at the earring¡­

    ¡­which suddenly turned into a mass of perfect silk-like darkness and spilled all over his hand¡­!

    "!!!!!!"

    The necromancer''s eyes widened in panic and she tried to instantly cut off the connection with the shadow corpse puppet, but she was toote.

    The darkness spread like a lightning-fast disease ¨C it followed the trail of her death attribute mana and the next moment, Aspakeony together with all of her corpse puppets was pulled into the darkness without any chance of defending herself or warning anyone about what was happening.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    "¡­"

    Burushi was patiently waiting for the dark-haired teacher to either call for her ore for her, just like he said.

    But then a minute has passed¡­

    And then another¡­

    And then it turned into five minutes¡­

    "¡­?"

    Burushi furrowed her brows in confusion ¨C teacher Banemor seemed to be a responsible person, if the matter that the attendant came up to him for was so urgent that he would have to leave, he would have at least told her that he needs to go, right¡­?

    He wouldn''t have left her waiting for him forever¡­

    ¡­right¡­?"

    "¡­"

    Deciding that it was better to be rude and make herself look as if she was eavesdropping was better than just waiting there forever like an idiot, the blond heroine walked back the way she came and turned readily turned the corner¡­!

    *thump*

    "U-kyaah¡­!"

    ¡­and ended up running into somebody and she bumped off of that person as if she was a beach ball hitting a rock.

    "Ow¡­! S-sorry, teache¡­!"

    Burushi said standing up and massaging her butt she fell on, fully expecting that it was teacher Banemor who finished talking with the female attendant, but¡­

    "Oh¡­? Well, well, well. Isn''t that just perfect?"

    The heroine froze after hearing the disgustingly mocking voice dripping with fake sweetness¡­!

    The blond girl instantly started trembling.

    "You saw something that you shouldn''t have, didn''t you? Do you know what happens to amoner that sees a noble doing something that might damage their honor¡­?"

    The owner of the voiceughed and the ghastly-pale girl who slowly, very slowly, looked up at the brown-haired student of the second year at the Aspakeony Academy and one of the capture targets¡­ ¡­Xeonith¡­

    "H¡­Hel¡­! UMPH!"

    The blond heroine wholeheartedly tried to call for help but Xeonith brutally blocked her mouth without batting an eye or changing his expression, while the poor girl was almost knocked out with that single move.

    ¡­which turned out to make enough of an impact to cause the crimson blood to start flowing from the girl''s nose¡­

    "y forming."

    The brown-haired boy said and a softish slippery substance suddenly appeared and wrapped itself around Burushiitto''s lips and jaws, hardening almost instantly and making it impossible for the girl to articte anything.

    "NNNNNN! MPFGHHHHHH!"

    The blond girl tried to scream through her nose to get the attention of either the dark-haired teacher or the brown-haired female attendant, but to her absolute horror neither of them were in the hallway anymore ¨C actually ¨C the closest people to her and the aggressor, were students and teachers watching the duels outside with no way of knowing what was happening in the building¡­

    ¡­not a single person was able to help the girl¡­

    "The answer is simple. Amoner who saw too much will simply disappear."

    "NGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHGHGHGHGHHHH!"

    Xeonith''s grin made Burushi whizz out in pure primal fear.

    She tried to struggle her way out, kicking and punching at the boy, but Xeonith''s body was already glowing with the powerful earth enchantments, rendering all the attacks useless ¨C or rather harmful for the blond girl herself¡­

    "Hmph."

    The brown-haired capture target scoffed at the girl''s attempt and grabbed her hand with a cruel smirk ¨C he then turned away and pulled the struggling girl with him.

    "Did you know that the Aspakeony Academy served as a military facility during the previous war? That''s why it has a dungeon ¨C and as every good dungeon, it doesn''t only have cells, it even has a nice torture chamber. Although the tools are long gone because of obvious reasons, I think we can manage without them ¨C thankfully both buildings are connected with the dungeon itself so there is no risk of us getting spotted, so¡­ shall we¡­?"

    "?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

    Xeonith looked over his shoulder and showed the terrified heroine the cruelest, most evil grin that she ever had the misfortune to witness.

    Then, while she continued to struggle to break free, the brown-haired capture target forcefully raised her hand and grabbed her index finger with his free hand.

    She couldn''t even properly react to that, he was too strong.

    *CRUSH*

    First, she heard the sickening crack, then she felt the nauseating pain that made her kneel down, and only after that did she see her index finger, broken and twisted in an unnatural direction and she started screaming.

    "NNNNNNNGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGHGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    Well, she tried.

    The heroine''s scream ended up being only loud wheezing through her nose.

    As if it waspletely nothing, Xeonith grabbed Burushi''s middle finger and smiled at her.

    "Worthlessmoner."

    Xeonith scoffed, smiling over the girl''s squirming¡­

    *CRACK*

    "HGHGHGHGHGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    ¡­and broke her middle finger too before half-dragging her with him¡­.

 Chapter 241 - A Conspiracy Brewing In The Royal Castle (part 1) [side]

    <h4>Chapter 241 ¨C A Conspiracy Brewing In The Royal Castle (part 1) [side]</h4>

    Sometime in the morning before breakfast, Horeo was informed by Veo that thanks to Patishi''s intervention an assassination attempt has been stopped.

    What was even more surprising was the fact that for some reason the royal magician Lazaram got interested in the young supposedly magicless girl.

    Well¡­ but she wasn''t magicless at all, was she?

    That bit of news was quite a big shock for both Horeo and Veo since Patishi never told any of them that she was actually a variant magician ¨C after all, she was worried that no one would believe her, again, even though both the first prince and the older attendant have shown that they aren''t like most of the people Patishi has met in her life.

    Well, the younger girl''s distrust came mostly from the fact that in the past she has told another person about her magic and was not onlyughed at but became a target of rather a nasty bullying since ''I can make food taste better'', was a rather doubtful attribute, and neither of her spells produced any visual effects.

    The thing was, Patishi would still try to hide the fact that she was a magician but during reporting the case of attempted poisoning, themander of the King''s Guard and the royal magician who both were in charge asked how did the girl notice the poison ¨C since the vial in the cook''s possession was still sealed ¨C Patishi had little choice but to truthfully say that she felt the ingredients fury towards the man who was about to ruin their value.

    Anyone else would just think that the young girl was lying and she had something to do with the culprit but the royal magician, who himself was a unique attribute wielder, got curious and started asking more questions.

    It ended up with Patishi going together with lord Lazaram to be examined for the mana attribute with some of the royal magician''stest inventions.

    Veo was worried, so after she reported the case to Horeo, she hurriedly went after them to wait for the girl.

    Although the short brown-haired attendant was more concerned about Patishi, Horeo raised his brow at the attempted poisoning¡­

    Who was the target? Was it the entire royal family, someone specific, just anyone at random¡­?

    The timing was also extremely suspicious ¨C the day of important negotiations where both the king and the first prince were known to be present?

    |¡­is it a coincidence that the perpetrator aimed to poison the food right when I arrived at the castle with a new attendant who was well amongst the Academy''s staff for her love of cooking? This reeks of a setup¡­ Time to make use of the King''s Guard, let''s see if they really are as willing to cooperate as they assured me¡­|

    The gold-haired prince decided to alter his ns for the day a little bit and stopped by the office of themander of the King''s Guard for a little chat before going back to his original schedule and arriving at quarters near the barracks.

    The negotiations were scheduled around the lunch to intimidate other parties with the pompous feast, so the first prince had some time to kill beforehand.

    |That little ball of cuteness was a magician all along? Lazaram should already know what happens to those who try to threaten people that I acknowledge¡­|

    Horeo thought to himself while ring towards the research wing of the royal castle¡­

    Alright, actually, Horeo was in every way just as concerned about Patishi as Veo was.

    |What attribute would allow her to discern poison¡­? Regardless, that''s actually so perfect for an attendant that I can hardly imagine anyone more suited ¨C ability like thatpletely nullifies the need of having food testers around, now mother will have no objections about me hiring Patishi¡­|

    The first prince was smirking under his nose while walking by the bowing servants and knights.

    "¡­"

    But then his expression darkened and he frowned to himself in a sudden realization.

    |¡­that old hag knew about Patishi''s love for cooking¡­ what if she¡­ No, that wouldn''t make sense¡­ with Surou out of the race to the throne, there is no other viable candidate aside from me, at least not to my knowledge¡­|

    The first prince thought to himself in concern, before continuing his walk while trying to piece together all the puzzle pieces spread out in front of him.

    After a few minutes, the gold-haired boy arrived before the quarters of sir Karestas anddy Yarvestreg and knocked on the door momentarily pushing his concerns in the back of his brain.

    "Yes¡­?"

    Tall golden-haired beauty opened the door almost immediately and looked at the unannounced visitor in surprise.

    She didn''t have her imposing armor on but it was definitely one of the knights who escorted the second prince Surou from the academy not that long ago.

    "Oh! Hello, my prince, what brings you here?"

    The woman raised her brows and asked in a friendly manner while discreetly straightening her clothes, a brown shirt, and a surprisingly cute pink turtleneck sweater that tastefully enhanced the figure always hidden by the heavy enchanted armor.

    "I talked with themander Irghun and got permission to train with the two of you, he didn''t tell you?"

    Horeo raised his brow and stared at the woman questioningly, ''identally'' not mentioning that the whole talk happened less than a dozen minutes before.

    "Eh!? No, he didn''t say a thing!"

    Lady Yarvestreg shook her head and moved in front of the prince and closed the door behind her.

    "It''s not like I''m saying that we won''t train with you, but don''t you have to take part in the important negotiations and whatnot and¡­"

    Yarvestreg may have sounded like she was more concerned than annoyed but her cold re and crossed arms werepletely contradicting that image.

    "It''s alright, I know my limits and a bit of movement will help me keep a clear mind ¨C on the other hand, am I interrupting you or something¡­?"

    Horeo tilted his head and responded to her re with an even colder one.

    "No, why would you?"

    Yarvestreg shrugged her shoulders and squinted her eyes not backing in the slightest.

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    The two of them stared at each other waiting for the other one to back off, and finally¡­

    "Tsk¡­!"

    Surprisingly, Yarvestreg was the one to click her tongue and shook her head fist in a clear deration of defeat.

    "Fine, you probably can''t get a proper magic training session when you''re locked in the academy anyway."

    The tall woman sighed and walked past Horeo and looked at the training field bathed in the sun.

    "Hmhm~"

    She said magic training and just training because of a certain ck-haired attendant ¨C and that certainly didn''t escape Horeo''s attention, making the gold-haired boy snicker with a content expression.

    "Oh, by the way, have you heard about the attempted poisoning?''

    The first prince cleared his throat and decided to change the subject.

    "Again? Who''s behind it this time, the foreign ambassadors?"

    As it was in her nature, Yarvestreg wasn''t shaken at all by the news ¨C she only raised her brow and nced at the Horeo sideways.

    "They only just took the poisoner to the interrogation chamber, so we can''t say for sure, but I wouldn''t bet on that ¨C they would have to be really short-sighted or be sent here as expendable pawns."

    Horeo shook his head with a doubtful expression.

    "If you say so¡­"

    *click*

    Yarvestreg shrugged her shoulders and sighed ¨C that moment the same door that she came out of opened and a half-naked golden-haired man appeared.

    He only had pants on and his hair was still wet¡­

    And he looked like a god-damn superhero that would make most women and a lot of men drool.

 Chapter 242 - A Conspiracy Brewing In The Royal Castle (part 2) [side]

    <h4>Chapter 242 ¨C A Conspiracy Brewing In The Royal Castle (part 2) [side]</h4>

    "Oh! Hello, my prince, what brings you here?"

    The ridiculously attractive man asked exactly the same question as Yarvestreg after noticing the gold-haired boy and waved at him in a friendly manner¡­

    "¡­"

    "HMPH¡­!"

    After the initial shocksting around three seconds, Yarvestreg walked to the first prince''s side and covered his eyes with her hands without hesitation.

    "Mine!"

    She dered in a hostile voice while ring down at him.

    "Huh¡­?"

    Sir Karestas, the knight who waspleting the most recognizable duo from the King''s Guard eximed in surprise.

    "Oh right!"

    He looked at himself as if only realizing how he looks and disappeared behind the door.

    "¡­Lady Yarvestreg¡­ Could you remove your hands? I swear I''m not going to try and steal your lover."

    Horeo said in a bored voice, after all, he knew sir Karestas anddy Yarvestreg very well and understood their actions to a certain degree.

    "I''m not taking any chances. Even if you''re the next king I''m not going to let my cinnamon roll be tainted by the likes of you!"

    Simrly, sir Karestas anddy Yarvestreg knew him very well.

    "Really now? And you are worried about him only, then what about yourself? My tastes aren''t tied to a specific gender."

    Horeo removed her hands from his face and smirked at the woman taking a step forward while holding onto her wrist.

    "I''m just acting based on the previous situations, mister I-take-advantage-of-people-under-mana-depletion.!"

    Yarestreg stood her ground and scoffed as the provocation had not much effect on her, which was rather obvious considering her position and experience ¨C she even countered the gold-haired boy with a well-aimedeback.

    "¡­! Why are bringing that up!? I don''t point out that you faked mana depletion to start your rtionship with Karestas!"

    Horeo gasped and scoffed, letting go of the woman''s wrist and putting his hands on his sides, ready for a full quarrel.

    "Wha¡­?! I-I¡­!"

    This was the first time that Yarvestreg flinched and her eyes widened in shock ¨C but as she was about to respond the door to her quarter opened and Karestas clothed in casual clothes walked out.

    "Valkie, what''s is something the matter?"

    The handsome man asked cautiously while buttoning up his sleeves.

    "Commander arranged for us to train with the prince but forgot to tell us."

    Yarvestreg tensed up for a split second and then turned around and responded in an annoyed voice as if the supposed forgetfulness of their boss was the real reason for her previous actions.

    "Huh!?"

    Karestas flinched and after crossing his arms, started ring coldly at Horeo.

    "So that''s how it is¡­! Prince, you should already know how themander is ¨C if you wanted to train with us you should have made an appointment."

    "That''s what I told him too!"

    He said sounding exactly as irked as Yarvestreg.

    |¡­They''re so annoying when they''re angry¡­!|

    Horeo rolled his eye and took a deep breath.

    No matter what the pair was going to say, he wasn''t the one changing his ns ¨C that''s for sure.

    ¡ª

    After the training, both Yarvestreg and Karestas had barely any mana left, and even though it was spent steadily in a prolonged period of time some symptoms of mana depletion started to appear.

    Both of them were sitting next to thepletely unaffected gold-haired boy ¨C and even with him still around Yarestreg was alreadyfortably sitting in Karestas''sp without any shame which was not something she would normally do in public.

    "It''s so annoying that you can use such spells in quick session!"

    Yarvestregined turning her head to Horeo.

    "Hey, it''s not my fault you guys can''t copy them. How many times have Zoemi and I tried to exin them to everyone at King''s Guard with no effect?"

    The first prince shrugged his shoulders and scoffed at her.

    "Although, your coordination is a sight to behold ¨C as always. I was this much from knocking you out¡­"

    Horeo demonstrated how close it was by putting his thumb and index finger together and leaving a tiny space between them.

    "¡­but even though I thought that he had spent all of his mana, Karestas teleported right in front of you with that giant light shield. That took me by surprise ¨C I guess I still have a lot of training to do."

    He smirked ¨C a little bit too mockingly for his words to bepletely truthful ¨C and nodded at the pair of knights.

    "It''s already disturbing that a sixteen-year-old can lead the two of us by the nose all the way to the mana depletion state ¨C you really don''t have to kick us when we''re down¡­"

    Karestas rested his chin on Yarvestreg''s shoulder andined.

    "That''s right, you are ridiculously strong, why don''t you just be the king already? You could dethrone your father at any time, the King''s Guard will have your back no question asked!"

    Yarvestreg leaned towards Horeo all conspicuously and murmured.

    "No, I want to just inherit the throne without killing my own family for it. Even I don''t want to hurt my parent¡­ one of them at least¡­"

    Horeo waved his arm dismissively and frowned in annoyance.

    "So if the King''s Guard could be so kind and try a bit harder to stop attempts of sending the king to the other side, I would be really grateful. I want to at least graduate from the Academy, alright? Find me the mastermind for today''s attempt."

    He said without even blinking.

    ""We will.""

    Karestras and Yarvestreg nodded their heads simultaneously.

    "And do it seriously ¨C I know full well that the King''s Guard motto is ''We follow the might of the king", and this past few years mother was doing nothing else but sucking up to not only our political opponents within the kingdom but also some third-rate countries that can be destroyed if we as much as sneeze at them and father is just allowing her to do whatever she wants. There''s barely any might to follow anymore ¨C but still¡­"

    "¡­yes¡­"

    "¡­sums things up pretty well¡­

    Horeo looked at them with a stern expression and the two knights nodded their heads sadly.

    "I already told Irghun to look into it ¨C but if things would turn out to be a bit more serious than we hoped for, contact me and I will reconsider my stance on the matter."

    The gold-haired boy stood up and stretched.

    "That sounded like you suspect someone from your family to be behind the attempt¡­"

    "It sure does sound like that¡­"

    Karestas pointed out and Yarvestreg nodded while nuzzling against him like an attention-starved kitten.

    "That''s because I am."

    The first prince simply shrugged his shoulders and nodded before walking away without revealing any more of his inner thoughts.

    Horeo was returning to his room with his head filled with conspiracy theories and possible exnations to all of them.

    |I might be too self-conscious but I can''t help to think that this was a failed attempt to ruins my chances for session¡­|

    The gold-haired boy''s face turned grim at the conclusion he reached while walking down the hallway and¡­

    *thump*

    "Ughuah..!"

    "Owowowow¡­!"

    Just as he was turning the corner, he bumped into someone ¨C or rather a pair of someone since neither of the voices that called out belonged to him.

    "Be more mindful of where you walk in the¡­ huh¡­?"

    Horeo waved his hand dismissively but then realized people, he bumped into were none other than his own attendants!

    Veo was massaging her nose with an upset expression but at least she was still standing up while Patishi looked straight up drunk, sprawled on the floor while wearing the disheveled maid-dress ¨C somehow ending up in an extremely provocative state after bumping into the first prince.

    "What''s going on here¡­?"

    Horeo picked up the younger girl with a concerned expression and nced at Vee.

    "My prince, lord Lazaram examined Patishi, she indeed is a magician and she has as much mana as an earth magician, but even lord Lazaram couldn''t identify what attribute she actually wields."

    Veo answered while walking up to Patishi from the other side and started putting the younger girl''s clothes in order¡­

    "Veo, I love you¡­!"

    "!!!"

    "!!!"

    Right then, out of nowhere, Patishi hugged Veo and kissed her on the lips.

    It was so shocking that neither she nor Horeo could stop her.

    "Hold, on ¨C it''s mana depletion!"

    Horeo eximed and grabbed Patishi''s shoulder in concern¡­

    The slightly younger girl in the maid''s outfit let go of the bright red Veo and turned to him with unfocused eyes.

    Just as Horeo figured out, she acted so out of how she normally was because she waspletely out of mana and don''t think straight.

    "Ah! Master! My prince!"

    Patishi''s eyes brightened up and she trembled in eximed as if this was the first time she noticed Horeo by her side, and then she threw her arms around the gold-haired boy''s neck.

    "You don''t have to be jealous, I love you just as much as Veo!"

    Patishi said and pulled Horeo''s head down and kissed him too!

    "Mnnnnngh¡­?!"

    "Patishi, that''s not fair¡­! Th-that''s enough wouldn''t you say?!"

    The first prince''s eyes widened as he froze, literally stunned in shock and it required Veo''s embarrassed and definitely jealous cry ¨C although not directed at him directly ¨C to make the gold-haired boy realize what was going on and pull away from the overly clingy Patishi.

    "What the¡­!?''

    Horeo gasped for air and wiped off the line of drool that stuck to the corner of his lips.

    "Where did this she learn to kiss like that!?"

    He eximed and even Veo looked at him in shock.

    "Wh-wha¡­?! You- you don''t mind that she did that¡­?"

    The older attendant''s face turned bright red and her voice cracked in embarrassment.

    "I¡­ I can kiss too, you know!?"

    "¡­?!"

    She gasped while holding onto Patishi and took a step towards the stunned gold-haired boy.

 Chapter 243 - The Shopping Begins! (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 243 ¨C The Shopping Begins! (part 1)</h4>

    The master-attendant duo has entered the city without much trouble and was approaching the shopping district.

    Their walk ended up fast, too fast if you''d ask Miriette, but maybe it was for the better¡­

    The distance really turned out too much for Miriette, but there''s no way that she would actually admit that.

    ¡­so after the ten-minute mark, the dark-haired girl was doing her best to stealthily use her enchantments so that Zoemi wouldn''t notice¡­

    But he noticed, rather easy to tell the truth ¨C after all the shadow of Miriette''s enchantments appeared rather obviously so¡­

    Still, Zoemi as an attendant acted properly enough and stayed silent about it.

    "We weren''t going that fast, but it seemed our clothes got disheveled¡­ mydy, allow me to¡­"

    Zoemi spoke and straightened his clothes and without dy, he did the same for his master.

    "¡­"

    Miriette stood still as she watched her attendant making sure that she looks impable while blushing slightly¡­

    "You don''t need to go that far¡­!"

    But when Zoemi pulled out ab and was about to start fixing her hair, the girl fidgetted and stopped him with an embarrassed expression.

    "We were supposed to not get anyone''s attention, remember¡­?"

    She asked bashfully and nced at the ck-haired boy''s gentle expression

    "Oh? As you wish, mydy."

    Zoemi tilted his head in confusion ¨C after all his master was always self-conscious about her hairstyle, so her words dide as a surprise ¨C but he put theb back to his pocket and bowed.

    To tell the truth, he really liked Miriette''s disheveled hair, it was adding even more to her charm so it was a win in his book.

    "Let''s start the shopping."

    Miriette proimed and looked expectantly at her attendant.

    Without fail, Zoemi smiled and offered her his arm.

    They started walking towards the shops¡­

    And all the passer-bys stared at them baffled.

    It wasn''t hard to figure out why.

    Although Zoemi''s casual clothes mixed considerably well with the clothes of the locals, the same thing couldn''t be said about the ridiculously fancy dress that no one would wear without a special asion that Miriette picked up as her most tame and inconspicuous clothes¡­

    "Mydy¡­"

    Zoemi, turned to his master with an apologetic look.

    "I know, we have already talked about it ¨C let''s go search for some change of clothes for me first, and then we can start shopping for real¡­"

    Miriette sighed, rolling her eyes, and pointed at one of the shops.

    "That one looks like it deals with clothes for the locals."

    She said and pulled Zoemi right in.

    As this world had a setting extremely simr to that of a game, there were many differences between the development of the society and culture of Zoemi''s original world and this one.

    Certainly, one of those differences was shops.

    The shop they entered looked more like a fashionable boutique than something one would expect to see in the small medieval time town.

    As the dark-haired girl and the ck-haired boy entered, a bell hung above the door rang and a smiling clerk emerged from the rows of various clothes.

    "Welco¡­! W-wee, dear customers¡­?"

    She was a young green-eyed red-haired girl with lots of freckles on her face, and as was the case with the magiclessmoners, the mismatched colors give her out immediately.

    Without a doubt, she was amoner who had not enough mana to even affect her looks ¨C that didn''t really affect Zoemi''s cautiousness but it certainly was a refreshing change.

    "Wee dear customers, what can I help you with?"

    The clerk had to greet them twice, and although her first attempt wasn''t very professional she got it right on the second try.

    On her first try as she saw ck hairs and eyes she instantly thought they were darkness magicians and her face instantly cringed.

    Even ¨C or rather especially ¨C themoners were off-putted by the gossips of the perverted nature of the darkness magicians, even though many never even met a single one thorough their enitre lives¡­

    But then she realized that she was looking at rather wealthy customers, so her attitude changed.

    Well, perverts or not, as long as they buy a lot, who cares?

    People are the bad ones ¨C Money is innocent!

    So the clerk''s second attempt was a lot more polite, though it still didn''t sound quite right.

    "Good morning."

    Zoemi lightly bowed his head and smiled.

    "¡­!"

    The clerk''s eyes widened and she opened her mouth a few times like a fish taken out of the water before she turnedpletely red and lowered her head bashfully.

    "Wh-wh-what can I help you with, your lordship¡­?"

    As it was already amon thing for people seeing Zoemi for the first time after his face was healed, the female clerk got hit over the head with the devilish beauty of the ck-haired attendant and her demeanor changed for the third time during a single minute.

    "¡­?"

    "¡­"

    Zoemi''s raised his brows slightly and tilted his head while Miriette stiffened, staring daggers at the other girl¡­

    "Zoemi,e on, help me pick something ¨C oh, and we''re buying something for you too ¨C let''s go for a matching look!"

    The dark-haired girl got over her initial need to smack the obvious clerk right into her ce, but swallowed her anger and cheered out jumping towards the boy and instantly pulling him towards the men section while doing her best topletely ignore the awestruck clerk.

    ¡ª-

    "¡­seriously¡­?"

    With each passing minute, MIriette''s face was bing more and more annoyed.

    "What''s with thisck of variety!? Why are all of those so nd!? Zoemi, would you actually wear something like that in public? It looks like something you would wear if you were going to work in the mud all day!"

    Sheined, pouting adorably while holding up a pair of brown overalls.

    "¡­pffft¡­. ekhem¡­"

    Zoemi could barely hold inughter ¨C and eventually, he did snort but he masked it with a quick cough.

    "Mydy, that''s because those are meant to be work clothes, you are searching through a work clothes alley."

    He exined doing his best to keep aposed expression¡­

    "E-eh¡­?!"

    Miriette gasped while hurriedly looking around ¨C most of the clothes surrounding her could be only described as ''designed with the functionality and protection over looks'' ¨C perfect for some dirty work¡­

    "¡­"

    Her face became red as a ripened tomato and she quickly put the overalls back where she took them from.

    "I-I knew that!"

    She said looking to the side and failingpletely at keeping it cool.

    "Here, mydy, those are the clothes meant for wearing for casual everyday activity."

    Zoemi said while reaching for afortable leather jacket.

    "¡­You''re teasing me because I don''t know my way around a shop I never was before¡­!"

    Miriette mumbled under her breath while sneaking nces at her smiling attendant.

    "Mydy, there''s no way that a lowly servant such as myself would do that!"

    |And if I did it would be only because you look unbelievably adorable while flustered¡­|

    "Hmph!"

    Zoemi smile became wider ¨C while he finished his answer in his mind ¨C and Miriette turned away from him and crossed her arms in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

    "Mydy, don''t you want to help me choose?"

    Zoemi decided that it''s best not to go too far with the yfulness and asked enticingly while choosing a few pieces of clothing at random.

    "¡­"

    Miriette red at him with suspicion, unsure if it was a serious request or him trying to poke fun at her.

    "Please?"

    Zoemi lowered his head and asked while pulling up two very stylistically different jackets.

    "Well, since you''ve asked so nicely¡­"

    Miriette brushed aside the wild strand of hair from her face and bashfully walked towards Zoemi.

    She started looking at the clothes picked by Zoemi with a serious expression. She even started stroking her chin while deep in thoughts.

    "D-dear customers, if you need help¡­ For a handsome man such as you, my lord it would suit you best to show off¡­"

    The clerk girl approached them quizzically and hurriedly passed by Miriette before basically gluing herself to the surprised Zoemi¡­

    "Yes, you can help us ¨C or rather, you can help yourself ¨C back behind the counter if you know what''s good for your own health."

    "I-I-I''s sorry¡­!"

    But it took roughly two seconds for the dark-haired girl to grab the bothersome clerk-s shoulder and tear her away from the ck-haired boy before staring her down and activating her enchantments threateningly ¨C which instantly cooled down the other girl''s enthusiasm.

 Chapter 244 - The Shopping Begins! (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 244 ¨C The Shopping Begins! (part 2)</h4>

    "¡­"

    The female clerk instantly backed off under Miriette''s furious re.

    Her survival instincts have kicked in and she hurried towards the other side of the shop without as much as daring to look back.

    "Mydy, that girl was rather strange but don''t exert herself over amoner."

    Zoemi breathed out and looked meaningfully at the now pouting ck-haired girl.

    "Hmph! Who cares for some peasant anyway?"

    Miriette scoffed and went straight to picking up a few pieces of clothing that managed to catch her attention.

    "This should be good for the time being."

    She dered and faced Zoemi while holding up a pair of ck pants, a green long-sleeved shirt, and a ck vest.

    Aside from the color of the shirt, a rather safebination that didn''t particrly look any different than what the boy was already wearing.

    "Excuse me, where is the changing room?"

    Zoemi turned to the threatened clerk and asked politely.

    "Ah! I-it''s right here, your lordship!"

    The girl flinched and pointed to the back of the shop at the ce separated from the rest of the shop with curtains.

    "Thank you."

    Zoemi nodded with a smile, making sure that he is blocking the other girl from the absolutely murderous gaze of Miriette¡­

    "¡­!"

    Still, themoner clerk blushed and started staring at her feet while fidgeting, once again overwhelmed by the ck-haired attendant''s looks¡­

    "!!!"

    At that point, Miriette felt as if lightning has struck her.

    She already knew that Zoemi would be constantly approached by the girls infatuated by his looks, but it didn''t change the fact that once that started happening in front of her, it made her extremely angry regardless of the mental preparation¡­

    Well, her anger might have been mostly caused by the fact that the clerk had a long, flowy, not reacting to her current mood, hair.

    The hair that Miriette wished for but could never have because of how it behaved after exceeding a certain length.

    Zoemi went into the changing room and Miriette started to wander around the shop and check out the avable female clothes.

    She eagle-eyed a certain green dress, that made her eyes go round.

    She picked it up and admired it for a few seconds ¨C it definitely paired up perfectly with the set of clothes that she picked up for the ck-haired boy¡­!

    |We can go for the pair-look with these!|

    Miriette cheered out in her mind while raising up the dress, more than just happy¡­

    ¡­until she noticed a rather revealing open cleavage, something that less gifted in the chest volume girl wouldn''t want to show.

    At least if she didn''t want to look just sad¡­

    Miriette nced down.

    Looking straight down gave her a clear view at her shoes that two overly modest bumps had no possible way of obstructing¡­

    "¡­"

    Miriette gritted her teeth and nced at the clerk who still looked embarrassed after Zoemi smiled at her¡­

    if the red-headedmoner girl was in the same position as Miriette, she could barely ¨C if at all ¨C see the tips of her shoes which made her instantly several times easier to despise by the dark-haired girl.

    "Tsk!"

    Miriette clicked her tongue and put the dress back in its ce.

    |Z-Zoemi likes them how they are, right¡­? And besides, Horeo said that Zoemi likes my butt¡­|

    Miriette stopped in her track, ending up at the worrisome thought.

    |That one time I was changing in the same room¡­ D-did he not tried to peek at me because he thinks my body is unattractive¡­!?|

    The dark-haired girl paled and subconsciously protectively covered her chest with a terrified expression.

    "Excuse me, miss?"

    Suddenly Zoemi''s head popped from behind the curtain and he looked at the red-headed girl ¨C and not Miriette who flinched and hurriedly lowered her arms, with her face red as a tomato.

    "Y-yes, dear customer? What can I help you with?"

    The clerk flinched and approached him immediately ¨C while carefully keeping an eye on Miriette.

    "Could you please get me arger size of those designs? They''re a bit too tight for me."

    "!!!"

    He said and handed her the clothes that Miriette picked out for him ¨C identally revealing his muscr torso, which made themoner girl''s eyes go round.

    "Of course, please wait a moment!"

    The clerk perked up kept staring even while already walking away.

    "Much obliged."

    Zoemi added when she took the clothes and went to look for therger ones.

    |She''s looking at him funny¡­|

    Miriette squinted her eyes at the clerk girl ¨C Zoemi wasn''t the one to me, he was just trying out clothes that he wanted to buy, but themoner girl on the other hand¡­

    She would be more obvious only if she openly asked the ck-haired boy to touch his muscles¡­

    "Here you are, my lord."

    The clerk returned to Zoemi and gave him therger clothes he asked for.

    "Thank you¡­?"

    The ck-haired attendant received them with a confused smile, unsure why the clerk was treating him like some sort of celebrity and disappeared behind the curtain.

    The problem was that the clerk made the mistake ofgging behind with a clear intention of peeking at the changing client¡­

    ¡­which was far too much for Miriette to handle in sound mind¡­

    |Only I can do that!|

    Was the dark-haired girl''s first thought as she rushed at the unsuspecting, far too obvious, clerk¡­

    "What do you think you''re doing¡­!?"

    As her body started glowing green, Miriette got right in the face of the clerk.

    "M-miss customer, I-I don''t¡­!"

    "Dead air."

    Themoner girl took a step back and tried to talk to Miriette but the nobledy was having none of it.

    Miriette pointed at the clerk and cast probably one of the nastiest spells she came up with after listening to Zoemi''s rants about something called chemistry that was supposedly a different take on alchemy ¨C one that didn''t include mana and magic at all.

    The effect was instantaneous.

    "Ghuaa¡­!"

    The clerk girl started wheezing and gasping for air.

    She grabbed her throat and her face became blue.

    Miriette stared at her with cold eyes.

    "Listen here, long-haired shit-face."

    The dark-haired girl said while pulling the other girl''s hair so she would get on her eye level.

    "He is mine, got it? Only mi¡­"

    Miriette stopped herself and looked to the side as if she remembered something.

    The clerk was in the middle of suffocating, she was losing strength and her vision was growing darker. There was no chance of her freeing herself from the magically enhanced grip of jealous Miriette.

    "He is mine, mostly¡­ I agreed to share him, but certainly not with you. So know your ce and stay the hell away from him. Got it?"

    Miriette pulled the poor clerk closer and whispered in a blood-chilling voice that made the red-headed girl tremble.

    "I asked if you get it!?"

    Miriette hissed demonically and the girl whose brain was sending mixed signals desperately nodded sensing it might be her only chance of survival.

    "Good. Release."

    Satisfied Miriette nodded, let go of the girl, and released her spell.

    Just in time, tears, drool, and snot was oozing out of their respective orifices and some other body fluids were about to be discharged by the clerk too.

    "Ghu-huaaah¡­!"

    Themoner girl wheezed again, this time the life-saving oxygen was included in the air she was breathing so herplexion brightened.

    Still, as she was now free and ecstatic over still being alive, her knees gave in and she slumped to the floor.

    Because of the clerk''s ample chest rising and falling due to her irregr heavy breathing, Miriette clicked her tongue annoyed.

    |I should have kept the spell on longer¡­|

    She said begrudgingly and turned her back to the girl.

    "Pull yourself together. If he''ll notice that something happened and scold me, I''ll stop ying nice with you."

    She murmured barely loud enough so that the clerk would hear her.

    Scared out of her mind girl scrambled to get up.

    "Mydy, what do you think?"

    Zoemi walked from behind the curtain in his new apparel and smirked confidently while buttoning up the left sleeve of his shirt.

    The clerk turned away as fast as she could so that he would not notice how she looked like to not incur Miriette''s wrath.

    "¡­?"

    Zoemi noticed her sudden movement but disregarded it after a quick nce in her direction.

    What was important for him was the opinion of his master.

    "!!!"

    His master waspletely awestruck and was staring at him as if he was a full course meal ready to be eaten.

    "Mydy?"

    Zoemi tilted his head which only made him look even better in Miriette''s eyes.

    But since there was no verbal response Zoemi got anxious.

 Chapter 245 - The Shopping Begins! (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 245 ¨C The Shopping Begins! (part 3)</h4>

    |I-is she feeling alright? Did I miss her getting sick!?|

    Zoemi felt a sudden chill and approached his master with a worried expression.

    "Mydy, if I may¡­"

    He said and pressed his hand to her forehead.

    She was warm but not to the degree that would allow to describe it as a fewer.

    "¡­~!"

    Miriette trembled under his touch and regained some of her senses.

    "I-I''m fine¡­! And you look really good."

    She said timidly grabbing his hand and removing it from her forehead.

    Then without letting him go, she pulled him over to the women''s section.

    "Now you help me choose¡­!"

    She said with sparkling eyes.

    "As you wish, mydy."

    Zoemi answered happily, satisfied with the praise, and began rummaging through the clothes.

    He was Miriette''s attendant for ten years, he not only knew her sizes, but he was also well oriented in the styles and colors that she fancied.

    ¡­although Miriette might not have beenpletely aware about one of those things¡­

    Still¡­!

    Colors were actually more important to Miriette than she showed on the surface.

    Maybe she didn''t even fully realize that herself but she would always go for the green clothes and essories.

    Zoemi found that endearing more than anything else.

    He suspected, correctly, that his master wanted to show that she was a wind attribute magician whenever she could.

    Every magician, no matter what power they wilded, was proud of their magic and would take great care of their hair, which was the easiest way of telling which attribute they wielded.

    But in Miriette''s case, her hair was so green that it looked ck ¨C so for many people who didn''t know her would assume she was a darkness magician.

    That again would lead to the essories and clothes ¨C the dark-haired girl wouldpensate with wearing as much green as possible.

    Therefore, the clothes that Zoemi was rmending were almost exclusively green with asional ck ents.

    He thought that it would please his master.

    And it did.

    But not because she wanted to show off her attribute ¨C or at least this time it wasn''t the whole reason¡­

    |He''s going for the couple''s look! He''s doing it on his own¡­!|

    Miriette had to try really hard not to start screaming from excitement as she was reading far too much into Zoemi''s choices.

    "I''ll try this one and this one."

    She pointed at two dresses and went to the dressing room leaving Zoemi to bring them to her.

    She pulled the curtain without much care and started undressing.

    "¡­"

    And she got anxious again¡­

    |This time I haven''t ordered him not to peek at me. Will he notice? Will he even want to peek at me? What if I''m not pretty enough for him to be interested!?|

    She looked at her reflection and sighed.

    And then in the mirror, she saw Zoemi''s face in the space between the curtain and the wall.

    He was clearly looking at her and his face was red ¨C he was clearly trying to hold back and turn away but his eyes seemed to be pulled to Miriette by some mysterious force¡­

    "¡­!"

    Miriette''s heart started beating faster.

    |He''s looking! He''s looking at me¡­!|

    She thought excitedly.

    The dark-haired girl bit her lip and decided to be a little bold.

    While acting as if she didn''t notice him she strike a pose as if she was narcissistically admiring her own body¡­

    |Come on, you can even enter and touch me if you want!|

    She thought hopefully while bending forward and sticking out her butt.

    "¡­"

    Miriette held her breath and nced back ¨C Zoemi was biting his lips and, for a split second, she got the feeling that he will go for it and approach her¡­!

    "Ekhem¡­!"

    But then Zoemi suddenly shook his head and loudly cleared his throat.

    "Mydy, I brought the clothes."

    He said while lowering his head.

    |Aaaarghhhh¡­!|

    Miriette held back a groan and made a sad face.

    |So close¡­!|

    She cried internally.

    But in the end, Miriette didn''t want Zoemi to think that she was an indecent woman so she couldn''t initiate something as lewd as allowing him to enter the dressing room while she was only in her underwear¡­

    ¡­not to mention that the two of them were inside a shop and not alone¡­

    The dark-haired girl sighed andposed herself straightening her back.

    "Give me thecy one."

    She demanded and stuck her arm through the curtain.

    After a few minutes, she opened the curtain and showed herself in thecy one-piece.

    "I think this is the one. What do you think?"

    She asked while doing a twirl.

    Zoemi looked at her critically and frowned.

    "What, what is it?"

    Miriette asked surprised, she didn''t expect such a reaction at all.

    "Nothing, it''s nothing, mydy."

    Zoemi said and quickly changed his expression.

    "Zoemi, what is it? Do I look bad or something?"

    Worried Miriette asked while looking at the dress anxiously.

    "No, no. Mydy, you are beautiful, that dress though¡­"

    "¡­! Um¡­ What about the dress?"

    Miriette blushed from the unexpectedpliment but managed to stay on the point.

    "Have you looked carefully at the area around your stomach?"

    Miriette turned around and looked in the mirror.

    At first, she didn''t realize what Zoemi was talking about, it was just manyyers ofce¡­

    "Oh¡­!"

    Miriette gasped in realization.

    "It didn''t think about that when I saw it on the mannequin but this dress was clearly made with the¡­ ekhm, expectingdies in mind, thoseces are meant to hide the stomach, if someone with such great figure as you would wear it, it would instead bring the attention to it as if you were trying to hide something¡­"

    The ck-haired attendant exined with a meaningful expression¡­

    |Like a pregnancy¡­|

    Miriette finished his sentence in her head and felt her face getting hot.

    "I''ll try the second one!"

    She eximed and hurried back to the dressing room.

    The next one was shorter than thecy dress but thanks to that Miriette could show off her fancy stockings which were also a symbol of status.

    This one had also a lot of ck ents, like around the hem of the skirt and around the cleavage.

    Not only this was a fancier-looking one, but it was also pushing the couple''s look with the clothes that Zoemi was already wearing.

    It was already good enough, there was o need to think too deeply about those clothes as they weren''t originally included in the shopping date.

    But definitely, the decisive push in favor of this dress was Zoemi''s reaction.

    Because it was exactly like Miriette was hoping for.

    "¡­!"

    The ck-haired attendant became stunned the moment she left the dressing room, it looked like he even forgot to breathe.

    "Well¡­ How do I look¡­?"

    Miriette fidgeted excitedly and moved around in dancing steps, relishing in the attention she was getting from the man she loved.

    "¡­Stunning¡­ You''re stunning, Mir¡­ Mydy!"

    She made such an impression on him that he almost forgot his role as an attendant, even though they weren''t alone, and almost called her by her first name!

    Nothing could make her happier.

    Even if it was for a split second, Zoemi thought about her as a woman first and his masterter!

    "It''s alright if we''ll leave in those? Can we get a bag for the clothes we came here in?"

    Zoemi asked the clerk who was cowering in fear and visibly shaking.

    |¡­alright, Miriette went ahead and threatened her while I was changing before, didn''t she¡­|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows at the sight and sighed internally, but stayed quiet about the matter¡­

    Sometimes, the best strategy to keep something from escting was to not talk about it.

    Sometimes.

    Rarely.

    But this was definitely one of those cases.

    "O-of c-co-course, dear c-customer sir¡­!"

    The clerk girl stuttered and didn''t even look him in the eyes as she epted the payment for the clothes.

    "Zoemi, I want this one too, after all."

    Miriette approached them with thecy dress in hand ¨C which exined the absolutely horrified reaction of the other girl¡­

    "As you wish, mydy."

    Zoemi wasn''t going to question his master''s decision especially if it started with ''after all'', that meant that she has thought over it and it was final.

    As he was paying Miriette smiled and blushed to herself.

    |If I seed in tempting Zoemi then who knows, maybe hiding my stomach will be needed in a few months¡­?|

    She giggled while pressing thecy dress to her chest and indulging in the visions of the future.

    After packing their stuff to the provided bags the master-attendant duo left the shop with satisfied faces.

    Now, the date could continue!

 Chapter 246 - The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 246 ¨C The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 1)</h4>

    Thanks to the less conspicuous clothes, Miriette and Zoemi stopped attracting that much attention. They were still some people that red at them and frowned after they noticed the same colored eyes and hair but since the master-attendant pair''s attire wasn''t showing off their social position it was assumed that they were justmoners with a bit more mana.

    Well, whether for better or worse Zoemi was attracting a lot of attention from the female part of the local poption so Mirriette was far too buys sticking as close to him as possible in an attempt of disheartening any foolish girls from approaching, so she didn''t quite realize that she also was the target of the more than just a few rather nasty looks from the male locals¡­

    But putting that aside for a moment, overall Miriette herself was overjoyed since she got the chance of leaning on Zoemi''s arm as if they were the most intimate lovers and no one knew any better.

    Zoemi, keeping a close eye on the possible dangers, was keeping silent despite Miriette being honestly a little bit more clingy than it was appropriate considering the difference in their status, first of all, it was preferable for his master to stay as close as possible, and second of all, he honestly really enjoyed that¡­

    The two of them entered a few more stores to look for some clothes.

    Zoemi was the one to buy the most since his wardrobe was thinning out against his will ¨C which kept being both a mystery and a bother¡­

    The academy''s servants in charge of theundry kept telling him over and over again that ''it happens and they are sorry'' but there should be a limit, right?

    It was annoying and unnerving but even though Zoemi wanted to sternly reprimand them, to say the least, he didn''t want to make his master''s public image worse byshing out at others¡­

    Needless to say, the ck-haired boy''s head would explode if he learned that one of the two main culprits behind his vanishing clothes was the girl who currently was giving her best at zealously guarding the changing room he was in while consecutively trying to peek on him without getting noticed.

    At which she has mostly seeded.

    There were a few shopkeepers and clerks that tried to warn her not to peek into the dressing rooms but¡­ The smarter ones just turned right away after facing Miriette''s re and feeling the threatening air, while the less fortunate and observant ones got the first-hand taste of her spells¡­

    It turns out that manipting the level of oxygen in the air wasn''t the only thing she came up with after learning about chemistry.

    Truly, in the field of mastery of the terrifying and deadly spells, she could only bepared to the first prince Horeo, well, and Zoemi himself.

    Two hours passed by as if they were nothing, Zoemi, and Miriette were now in the lingerie shop and Miriette insisted on Zoemi helping her choose the, well, most fitting ones¡­

    Zoemi already knew her sizes, but there was no need to remind him of what shecked, it was far better to focus on her strong point!

    That''s why while they were at it, Miriette strategically avoided the sections with bras and instead concentrated on stockings, panties, not forgetting about the borderline scandalously short nightgowns!

    Although¡­ she took a shine to sleep in Zoemi''s shirts, so she found the nightgowns on their own less important than before.

    ¡­in the first ce, they weren''t the actual point of focus, to tell the truth, the dark-haired girl wanted to shock and caught Zoemi off guard and make him blush, but a trained attendant like him wasn''t embarrassed at all while looking through many different designs, even though his actions did attract the scrutinizing and suspicious look of the shop clerk¡­

    ¡ª¨C

    "Look at these ones! They are so cute!"

    Excited Miriette pushed a pair of racy pantied in Zoemi''s face.

    Zoemi felt a needle of jealousy prickling his heart.

    That particr lingerie just screamed bedroom, and in Zoemi''s mind, it could only mean that his master wants them to show off to her fiance.

    ¡­although there was a part of him that hoped for a rather different exnation¡­

    "I think that the first prince would have liked them."

    Zoemi ended up speaking up while carefully observing Miriette''s reaction to those words and¡­

    "¡­Is that so¡­?"

    The dark-haired girl stopped smiling instantly and put the panties back on the shelf looking rather dispirited ¨C which honestly made Zoemi''s eyes widen.

    "Mydy¡­?"

    Zoemi asked in surprise while gulping down his saliva.

    "I want only these. Let''s go somewhere else already¡­"

    Miriette said in an upset voice while holding up a pair of striped ck and green stockings and walked to the exit.

    Zoemi hurriedly paid for it and rushed to open the door for his master.

    Miriette just went past him with a somewhat dispirited face and walked forward not looking back.

    "M-mydy¡­! Wait! What happened!?"

    Zoemi hurried after her and asked in actual confusion¡­ he actually hoped for a reaction, but not that kind of reaction¡­

    Miriette stopped and nced at him from above her shoulder.

    "Why did you have to talk about him¡­? Are you upset because it''s only the two of us¡­?"

    She asked with a sulking expression.

    "¡­!"

    It was hard for Zoemi to stay calm after hearing that¡­

    From the very beginning, the ck-haired boy understood that the greatest threat to Miriette''s happiness was his affection.

    He didn''t want to make things difficult for his master, but at the same time, he couldn''t help himself from loving her.

    And now, seeing her reaction like that, it was hard to even for him to misunderstand what she meant¡­

    ¡­which was shockingly correct ¨C considering the usual level of Zoemi''s denseness ¨C mainly because Miriette¡­

    |Why did you have to talk about that sassy prince!? You''re on a date with me! With ME! I''m showing you sexy panties and your reaction is to say that stupid Horeo would like them!? Am I that unattractive to you that you couldn''t even say that they would look good on me!? That you would want to see me in them!? What made you think of him!? Would you like more to be here with him instead of me!?|

    Well, Miriette wanted to scream and make a huge fuss in the middle of the street but managed to keep calm while looking away ¨C which made her miss Zoemi''s thunderstruck expression.

    "¡­"

    She bit her lips and clenched her fists while blinking repeatedly.

    "It''s awful¡­!"

    She whispered.

    "Mydy¡­?"

    Zoemi flinched and tilted his head before moving a step closer.

    "I said, It''s awful!"

    Miriette shouted and stomped her foot in anger.

    "You''re not thinking of me at all! We''re here alone and you''re talking about him! My feet hurt! I want you to say I would look cute not that someone else would think I would look cute!"

    She leashed out furiously and Zoemi took a step back.

    |¡­! Crap! Miriette''s not used to walking!|

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva in a sudden realization ¨C still in his attendant mode, which caused him to pick up at the thing that brought immediate difort to his master and could be relieved the easiest¡­

    For some, it might sound funny, but the thing was, Miriette only walked the bare minimum she had to.

    Ever.

    As ridiculous as it might sound she originally got the idea to develop a spell for flying for the exact purpose of not walking!

    But Zoemi, her personal attendant,pletely forgot about that and made her walk continuously for two hours, which was way over her limit.

    Miriette already had a huge temper and after getting tired and experiencing difort this nobledy needed just a tiny spark to ignite.

    Zoemi felt relieved that this was it and instantly felt ashamed of himself for feeling relieved.

    "Why are you smiling!? What do you have to say in your defense!?"

    Miriette barked at her attendant and the hair on the back of her head bristled in threateningly, not caring about the scene she caused and how many people were staring at them.

    "Mydy, this lowly servant is terribly sorry¡­!"

    The ck-haired boy bowed down and apologized.

    "No! I don''t want this sort of apology! I don''t want the apology of a servant to his master! I want YOU to apologize to ME!"

    Zoemi flinched and slowly raised his head.

    Miriette was ring at him with eyes full of tears of anger while shaking.

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva.

 Chapter 247 - The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 247 ¨C The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 2)</h4>

    When Zoemi in his past life was experiencing that world as a game, Miriette on the screen was throwing that kind of tantrum at least two times per route.

    And yet, since he reincarnated, he only saw her that mad only on three other asions.

    The first time was when she caught her father fooling around with a maid.

    The second time was when she caught him and Horeo peeking on the maids in the bath¡­

    And the third time when Grazio tried to challenge him for a duel after the magical examination.

    This time around the air wasn''t boiling from the overwhelming might of the dark-haired girl''s spell but the aura surrounding her wasn''t any less intimidating than during those other times.

    "¡­"

    "WELL!?!?"

    The ck-haired boy''s hesitation made Miriette even angrier ¨C if that was even possible¡­

    "Miriette. I''m sorry for not noticing your feelings."

    Zoemi straightened his back and looked her in the eyes.

    "That''s it!?"

    She scoffed at him and put her chin forward with a challenge as if expecting an actual confrontation¡­

    "I''m really sorry, Miriette."

    Zoemi said approaching her without a trace of worry, fear, or hesitation¡­

    "Hmph¡­!"

    The dark-haired girl scoffed again and just kept on ring at him.

    "And¡­? That''s all you''re going to say!?"

    Even though the ck-haired boy was right in front of her and she had to raise her head straight up, Miriette didn''t lose even an ounce of her attitude.

    Instead of constantly apologizing and kowtowing in front of her, Zoemi went for a different approach ¨C one that proved to be far more efficient with dealing with the dark-haired girl.

    Distraction.

    He went down on one knee and reached towards Miriette''s feet.

    "Wha¡­?! What do you think you''re doing!?"

    Miriette blushed and scooted away.

    Zoemi raised his head and looked into her eyes.

    "Miriette, I''m truly sorry for not noticing how you feel, but me saying sorry won''t make your legs stop hurting. Please let me have a look."

    He said with a serious expression.

    "¡­!"

    Miriette tried to get back into her angry mentality but Zoemi''s actions havepletely thrown her off¡­

    ¡­all ording to Zoemi''s n¡­

    "F-fine¡­!"

    The dark-haired girl grumbled and pushed one of her feet forward.

    Zoemi touched it and instantly lowered his head.

    Miriette''s feet were swollen and must have hurt quite a bit, definitely not something a nobledy such as she would want to silently bear with.

    "I''m sorry for not noticing. I was having too much fun and have overlooked your wellbeing¡­ That should have never happened."

    The ck-haired boy sighed without raising his head.

    "Fun¡­? So¡­ you like spending time with me¡­?"

    Miriette whispered bashfully and blushed.

    "I-it''s not really your fault¡­ I should have told you outright and not just keep it to myself¡­"

    The dark-haired girl, nowpletely anger-free, fidgeted and even sounded a bit apologetically!

    "There''s a bench over there, do you want me to carry you?"

    Zoemi pointed towards the shop with rows of fresh fruit and vegetables on a disy ¨C there was indeed a bench in front of it and it just so happened that a granny who was upying it until that point had got up and trodded on her merry way.

    "It''s alright, I can walk that much."

    Miriette looked to the side and put her hands together fidgetting bashfully.

    Zoemi nodded and stood up.

    He gently took Miriette''s hands and led her to the bench.

    "¡­fuaah¡­"

    When she sat down and sighed with relief, Zoemi kneeled in front of her once again and removed her shoes.

    "O-oh¡­! Th-thank you¡­"

    It wasn''t such a big deal but Miriette felt her heart skip a beat.

    "Could you wait a bit?"

    Zoemi asked looking up at her.

    "Eh¡­? Y-yes. No problem."

    She said and smiled bashfully.

    Looking at her now, no one would have expected that this shy dark-haired girl was shouting her lungs out just a minute ago.

    Zoemi walked off somewhere and Miriette was just awkwardly sitting on the bench with her feet on top of her shoes.

    She looked around curiously but Zoemi didn''t seem to return from wherever he went.

    Miriette looked down and started to move her feet while patiently waiting.

    After a few seconds, she looked up again ¨C Zoemi was still not in her sight so she looked down again.

    She started stretching her toes.

    "¡­"

    She looked up again¡­

    No Zoemi.

    She looked down once more¡­

    "¡­I really overreacted just now, I should apologize to him¡­"

    Miriette sighed to herself.

    "¡­He shouldn''t talk about others while he''s with me, but¡­ Ah! Maybe he was jealous about Horeo because we are still technically engaged!"

    The dark-haired girl perked up but she instantly slouched back down.

    "¡­but it genuinely sounded like he wanted me to end up with Horeo¡­! That''s so ridiculous, I want him and he should realize it already! In the first ce, he should get angry when I''m talking about shing my lingerie to other men, not encouraging me to do so¡­!"

    Miriette grumbled angrily, rubbing her feet together¡­

    "Sounds like you''re in quite a pickle,ss."

    "Kuaah¡­!?"

    Someone breathed out in amusement ¨C which caused the dark-haired girl to flinch and let out an embarrassing sound.

    "¡­?!"

    Miriette hurriedly turned around and saw a middle-aged ck-haired woman in an old-fashioned white shirt and ck pants, who sat next to the dark-haired girl who-knows-when, chuckling at her reaction.

    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to surprise you."

    The ck-haired woman smiled and waved her left hand apologetically.

    "You kept talking to yourself even though I sat down next to you so I thought you wanted me to hear you out."

    She exined sounding just a little bit apologetic.

    "Wh-who are you¡­?"

    Miriette inched away from the unknown woman.

    "Oh, I''m just some olddy passing by!"

    The womanughed and waved her left hand dismissively again.

    "My husband and I have a stall with essories, mostly jewelry, and I have seen many girls with simr expressions as yours. Are you troubled over a boy?"

    The ck-haired woman asked, nudging Miriette in the side as if they were old acquaintances.

    "Um¡­ Well¡­ yes¡­"

    The motherly aura of the woman coupled with a charming smile that for whatever reason reminded Miriette of Zoemi, made the youngdy ease up around the ck-haired stranger.

    "I see, I see¡­ A dense one?"

    The woman squinted her eye and stroked her chin with a witty smile.

    "N-no¡­ It''s a bit more difficult¡­ The truth is¡­"

    Miriette opened her mouth and froze.

    |Wait¡­! Am I really going to tell my story to some randomdy¡­? There''s something wrong¡­|

    She closed her mouth and leaned away from the woman, squinting her eyes in suspicion.

    "Ahaha! Sweetie, you don''t have to be on guard! I just want to ease you up into buying some of our merchandise!"

    Seeing her cautious reaction, the ck-haired womanughed jovially and stood up.

    "I''m sorry for making you nervous, sweetie."

    She said apologetically and winked at Miriette.

    "You can call me Kirissu. Came to our stall with your boy, I''ll give you a discount as an apology for making you weary! It''s a stall that''s also a carriage, near the square, it''s the only one like that so you can''t miss it!"

    Only now Miriette has realize that the woman, Kirissu, must be a darkness magician.

    Her eyes and hair were so dark it seemed to suck in the light and she as a whole seemed a bit¡­ Aetherial¡­ or¡­ way more simr to a shadow than to actual flesh and blood human.

    |Ah! She thinks I''m a darkness magician too! So she just wanted to help one of her own!|

    Miriette thought to herself and felt sorry for acting coldly to Kirissu.

    She looked after the leaving woman.

    "¡­?"

    The passing wind blew and the right sleeve tied into a knot pped loosely.

    Kirissu was missing an arm but thanks to her energetic attitude Miriettepletely missed it while they were talking.

    "My¡­ Miriette¡­?"

    "KYAAH!"

    Zoemi arrived at Miriette''s side and tried to hand her a strawberry crepe he got at one of the food stalls, but she was so focused on Kirissu that shepletely missed the ck-haired boy''s return, and eximed in shock when he spoke to her.

    "Wh-what is it with you darkness magicians and sneaking up on people!?"

    Sheined while massaging her heart, actually scared.

    "Sorry¡­ This is for you ¨C and I am not actually a darkness magician, you know?"

    Zoemi apologized and handed the crepe over to Miriette.

    "¡­Thanks¡­"

    She murmured and bit into the food.

    "So¡­ that suspicious woman just now was a darkness magician?"

    Zoemi asked coldly while casually kneeling in front of Miriette and grabbing one of her feet.

    "¡­!?"

    Miriette raised her brows and turned away ¨C the ck-haired woman was no longer there, she must have returned to the stall that she was talking about before.

    "¡­Z-Zoemi¡­"

    Then, the dark-haired girl looked back at the boy, blushed, and hid her red face behind the crepe when Zoemi started massaging her foot as if it was the most normal and obvious thing to do in the world.

    "Is something wrong¡­?"

    The ck-haired boy looked up and tilted his head like a puppy and Miriette felt twice as bad forshing out at him before.

    "N-nothing¡­!"

    She assured him and hurriedly took another bite.

    "Thatdy before is called Kirissu, she and her husband have a stall with essories near the square. She was nice, I''d like to go and see their goods."

    She said after swallowing.

    |¡­I bet it would feel even better without the stocking, but taking them off seems somewhat inappropriate¡­|

    Miriette forgot herself for a moment while looking at Zoemi ¨C or rather his arms¡­

    His hands felt really good and she couldn''t stop imagining him touching other parts of her body.

    |THEY ARE HERE!|

    ¡­so good that she didn''t notice Zoemi''s eyes going lifeless at the sound of the ck-haired woman''s name¡­

    Zoemi put down Miriette''s foot and reached for the other one but¡­

    "No! Don''t stop!"

    Miriette yelped helplessly ¨C which was shocking enough to make Zoemi shake off the horrible feeling in his heart as he opened his now bright ¨C and shocked ¨C eyes.

    "I-I mean it''s still a bit sore, we still have time right¡­?"

    Miriette missed the momentary change in Zoemi''s eyes and blushed deeply after saying something rather suspicious and fidgeted.

    "As you wish."

    Zoemi nodded and smiled in response.

 Chapter 248 - The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 248 ¨C The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 3)</h4>

    Miriette could remember times when she felt that blissful on the fingers of one hand.

    Zoemi was touching her just as she always wanted¡­

    ¡­well¡­ he was massaging her feet but the dark-haired girl wasn''t bothered by such insignificant detail¡­

    ¡­after all, the ck-haired boy was giving his best into making her feel good ¨C once again, foot massage ¨C how things could get better?

    |¡­He could go ahead and kiss me¡­ Should go lean in and go for it¡­?|

    A passing thought crossed Miriette''s mind and made her face hot.

    It was actually so impactful that her body started to tingle.

    "¡­!"

    All of a sudden she became so sensitive, that Zoemi''s touch made her flinch as if jolts of electricity passed into her through his fingers.

    "¡­NnnAah¡­! Ah¡­!"

    She moaned out loud surprising even herself.

    "Mydy ¨C did that hurt..!?"

    Zoemi, looked up at her, though undeniably, he looked more embarrassed than worried which was an obvious sign that Miriette''s moan wasn''t misread but the ck-haired attendant didn''t want to put his master into an embarrassing situation¡­

    "¡­N-no¡­ O-of course not¡­"

    Nheless Miriette head went all fluffy ¨C which showed up not only in the pattern of her speech ¨C her hair became fluffy and their ends curled up adorably.

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    A slightly awkward silence came between the two as they locked eyes and couldn''t think of anything to say.

    Then Miriette remembered the half-eaten strawberry crepe in her hands and came up with a suitable distraction.

    "Zoemi, you brought me this¡­"

    She waved the crepe to bring it to his attention.

    "That''s right¡­ is this vor not your favorite¡­?"

    The ck-haired boy nodded and looked up at the girl with a slight concern.

    "no, no ¨C that''s not what I meant¡­ you see, you got this one for me, but you didn''t have one yourself¡­ Did you eat yours before returning?"

    Just as Miriette closed her mouth she felt the urge to bite her tongue after realizing what she sounded like.

    |That sounds as if I am some glutton or control freak using him¡­!|

    The dark-haired girl felt her stomach twisting from shame.

    She was a nobledy through and through but that didn''t mean that she wanted to act high and mighty ¨C or rude ¨C to her loved ones.

    "Not at all, mydy."

    Zoemi smiled and returned to massaging her feet as if it was nothing.

    "I bought only one, for you."

    His response came out so natural and unbothered that and for some reason Miriette''s heart fluttered.

    "You don''t like those¡­? But you¡­"

    The dark-haired girl asked bashfully.

    She always thought Zoemi liked sweets ¨C she even vividly remembered him as a child anxiously waiting for the dessert each time they happened to eat together¡­

    ¡­or when she secretly spied on him¡­

    "Oh? But of course, I do like them. But I didn''t want to be away from you for too long, mydy. Besides, I knew I will be busy so¡­"

    "¡­!"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders, motioning at Miriette''s legs with his chin ¨C and once more his answer made Miriette''s heartbeat faster.

    "¡­h-here¡­"

    She outstretched her hands holding the half-eaten crepe and offered it to the ck-haired boy.

    "You can have a bite¡­ A-as a reward¡­!"

    She said with her head turned away from Zoemi in an attempt to hide from him how much she was blushing.

    ¡­Which kind of failed since she couldn''t help herself but keep on ncing at Zoemi if he will really chomp on the crepe.

    "I humbly ept the reward."

    Zoemi lightly bowed his head and indeed bit into the offered food.

    "¡­!"

    Miriette''s hands trembled.

    |I''m feeding him¡­! I''m feeding my Zoemi¡­! Like a couple, like a real couple¡­!|

    She tried very hard to keep a straight face but an awkward smile crept its way on her face despite that.

    "It''s delicious. Thank you, mydy."

    Zoemi licked his lips and smiled gratefully towards Miriette before continuing the massage to relieve the soreness.

    "Y-you know, until the end of our d-d¡­da¡­ haa¡­ until the end of the shopping, you can call me by my name, I doubt that anyone will recognize us anyway¡­"

    "¡­!"

    Miriette proposed bashfully ¨C she would bepletely correct if not for all the times that she kept using her spells, but still, now that they were in the inconspicuous clothes, calling her in such an official way would actually bring even more attention on them.

    ¡­so all in all ¨C yeah, she was right¡­

    Zoemi hasn''t even thought about it until that moment because of rather simple reasoning.

    Miriette was probably the most knowns wind magician in the kingdom of Bellcephora, and even other countries knew about her, so he automatically assumed that everyone would recognize her as soon as they saw her.

    He thought that keeping a low profile was simply impossible in a long term¡­

    But in fact, it wasn''t so at all.

    When she wasn''t using her more obvious spells, Miriette could be easily mistaken for a darkness magician or even a magiclessmoner.

    Pretty and with an enormous attitude, but no one special.

    Since she definitely didn''t threaten any clerk with a massive green wind de, it was very probable that all the unfortunatemoners thought that they encountered the rare darkness magician with her strange powers.

    Who would actually think that a ck-haired girl with mediocre body proportions was the most powerful wind magician?

    "You are very much correct¡­ Miriette."

    There was some hesitation in Zoemi''s voice. Before he was calling Miriette by her first name because he wanted to show her that he''s honestly sorry, but now¡­

    "¡­hmmm¡­"

    "Eh¡­? Y-you don''t like calling me that¡­?!"

    Even so, the ck-haired boy suddenly frowned and looked to the side with a concerned expression, causing the dark-haired girl''s chin to tremble.

    "Commoners might not be aware of how you look, but your actual name might not bepletely safe either¡­ How about just a simple nickname, nothing fancy or anything ¨C would Miri be okay?"

    Zoemi looked up at the girl and smiled encouragingly, not fully aware of the impact he just caused¡­

    "¡­I¡­ don''t mind¡­"

    The dark-haired girl murmured lowering her head, absolutely refusing to make eye contact with her attendant.

    "¡­could you, call me like that again¡­?"

    "Of course. Miri."

    She asked tumidly at which he agreed without a second thought while focusing his full attention back on the massage.

    "¡­"

    And Miriette closed her eyes trying to stop her heart from trying to burst out of her chest from excitement and pressed her lips to the spot on the crepe that Zoemi bites at.

    She was too embarrassed to ask for a kiss but sure wasn''t ashamed of going the desperate way of fishing for the indirect one.

    At least while Zoemi wasn''t looking.

    A few minutester Zoemi made Miriette feel even more like a princess by putting her shoes on her feet.

    A small thing that wasn''t umon at all amongst the masters and attendants but nheless it was special for a maiden in love.

    "Miri, is there somewhere you want to go?"

    Zoemi asked while helping Miriette get up from the bench.

    "¡­!"

    Miriette took a deep breath after taking a direct hit ¨C she was most definitely not used to receiving this kind of attention, and trembled, barely able to control herself¡­

    |We¡­ We can actually act like lovers for now¡­!|

    She thought to herself while lightheaded.

 Chapter 249 - The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 249 ¨C The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 4)</h4>

    Zoemi was about to ask Miriette if everything was alright but the dark-haired girl acted faster ¨C the ck-haired boy''s arm got hugged so tightly as if it was a lifebuoy while Miriette leaned on Zoemi''s shoulder and nuzzled her face against it.

    "I want to check the stall of that nice aunty, Kirissu!"

    She eximed excitedly tugging on Zoemi''s vest.

    "Pfft¡­!"

    Zoemi managed not tough out loud but he still snorted and looked away.

    "Hey! What''s so funny¡­!?"

    Miriette frowned and red at him, all pouty because of his reaction.

    "I''m sorry, my¡­ Miri. You are just too adorable¡­"

    "¡­!"

    With that one response, all grumpiness was evaporated and the dark-haired girl froze before hurriedly looking away to hide her embarrassed face.

    "Let''s go¡­ She said her stall is near the square!"

    Still, Miriette wasn''t going to let anything ¨C even her own shame ¨C get in the way of their date, so she got over it quickly and pulled Zoemi in the direction that she saw Kirissu leave.

    ¡ª¡ª-

    As it turned out the stall really was impossible to miss ¨C that''s for sure.

    As soon as Miriette and Zoemi came near the city square they saw a big carriage that had one of its walls opened to create a quite sizable stall, it wasparable to a small store than a stall, honestly.

    It was higher, more visible, and definitely more pompous than all the surrounding ones.

    The ck-haired woman, Kirissu, was waiting behind the counter and it looked like she was already waiting at the pair ¨C she saw immediately as they spot her and waved at them with her only hand.

    |HER¡­!|

    "¡­"

    The beastly roar resounded through Zoemi''s mind, but the boy merely shook his head ¨C he couldn''t let anything happen to Miriette, his own feelings and suspicion had to wait.

    The pair had to push their way through the crowd of people to get to her.

    It was so bad that at one point Miriette thought about activating her enchants and plowing through those annoyingmoners like a hot knife through butter but every bad thought perished as soon as Zoemi embraced her protectively.

    On the other hand, Zoemi was quite furious ¨C first, was his own voice roaring in his mind ¨C but that wasn''t all ¨C for whatever reason some thieves, thinking that they are sneaky, reached out their hands towards the boy''s and girl''s pockets!

    And not just once but multiple times ¨C which suggested multiple individuals like that!

    Although the pickpocketers were one thing ¨C as far as the boy could see, most of them looked as if they were doing their best to survive¡­ and hurried away after receiving a warning tap on their grabby finger reaching for coins¡­

    No.

    Zoemi wasn''t annoyed by pickpocketers ¨C he was absolutely furious about perverts ¨C often looking shockingly wealthy ¨C who kept aiming for Miriette''s butt.

    Such trash was a menace to society as a whole, but still, the ck-haired boy couldn''t just remove them for good¡­

    ¡­although anyone trying to get their hands on Miriette deserved immediate capital punishment in his opinion¡­

    ¡­still, Zoemi didn''t see anything wrong with putting those individuals in a time-out¡­

    |What nerve¡­!|

    Zoemi was a step from foaming from the mouth in anger, with a cold expression, he locked eyes with another one of perverts he caught red-handed.

    Before that trash had time to back off, the ck-haired boy twisted his fingers until he felt the bones shifting, cracking, and, finally breaking ¨C as the offender''s face twisted in pain.

    |And these scum dare to call darkness magicians perverts!|

    One could say that Zoemi was a bit weird.

    Instead of punishing pickpocketers and perverts equally ¨C as both could be a menace ¨C he left off the first ones with a light but stern tap on the hand.

    Nothing more than ''I noticed, stop'', while the second group would be physically reprimanded and the punishment varied from elbowing the ribs all the way to actually breaking arms and or legs.

    "URRGHAAAAAH¡­! You- you fucking¡­! Do you know who I¡­?!"

    *WHAM*

    The perverts with all of his fingers broken and twisted into unnatural shapes cried out and had the guts to try and raise his voice ¨C his clothes would suggest that he was someone wealthy, which made the situation several times more infuriating for the ck-haired boy.

    "Shut the fuck up, you filth."

    Zoemi, as a trained attendant, tactfully moved his master to his other side, using the shift in movement to punch the man in the sr plexus and then elbowed him in the temple making it look like the offender had fainted on his own.

    "EH? What was that?"

    Miriette flinched, surprised by the boy''s sudden movement, and looked behind to check on the suddenmotion that the unconscious body made by falling under the feet of passing people has caused.

    "Someone just fainted, nothing to worry about, it''s hot today, after we check the stall we''d better buy something to drink to not end up like him."

    Zoemi assured her with a gentle smile.

    "Then why did you¡­?"

    "I realized that he would faint, I wasn''t going to let him fall at you."

    Miriette furrowed her brows, suspicious about the boy moving her from side to side ¨C but Zoemi didn''t even bat an eye while saying the convenient excuse and shrugging his shoulders while continuing to protect the girl¡­

    ¡ª¡ª-

    "Hello, sweety, I see you brought the boy with you."

    After Miriette and Zoemi managed to push through the crowd, Kirissu weed them with a smile.

    She leaned over the counter and showed her white teeth in a bright, weing smile.

    "Y-yes¡­"

    Miriette blushed and nodded which made Kirissuugh.

    "Good morning, ma''am. My name is Zoemi Auequas."

    Zoemi bowed lightly and introduced himself, visibly cautious.

    He felt so tense around the ck-haired woman he never met before that he didn''t even try to hide his real feelings.

    "Oh my, a noble! Hello, my boy!"

    Without showing any apprehension at the sound of the boy''s name, Kirissu reached from behind the counter and patted his shoulder as if they were old friends.

    "No."

    "Eh¡­?!"

    Zoemi stepped back ¨C and not only that, but he also pulled Miriette back with him, causing the dark-haired girl to let out a shocked gasp.

    "I am not your boy."

    The ck-haired boy said, ring right at the ck-haired woman while holding Miriette as close as possible as if expecting the woman to try and steal her away from him.

    "Aww, you don''t have to put up your guard so much, youngster. It''s quite rare to see our people just hanging out. We darkness magicians should stick together!"

    Kirissu didn''t seem too bothered about the boy''s behavior andughed it off, waving her hand dismissively.

    "I am NOT a darkness magician."

    Instead of calming down, Zoemi tensed up even more.

    "Zoemi¡­! What is¡­!"

    He was acting so strange that even Miriette got worried ¨C she ended up gasping and almost scolded him, but she shut her mouth the moment she looked at his face.

    Zoemi''s eyes werepletely lifeless, filled with murky darkness that emanated the purest hatred that made the dark-haired girl shiver even though she wasn''t the target.

    "¡­I see¡­ Shadow magician huh¡­ Don''t worry, with enough hard work you could be a darkness magician ¨C after all shadow is just¡­"

    "I don''t n on bing the dark magician."

    Kirissu''s smile wavered and she leaned back, stopping trying to go for a handshake.

    "You sure are your grandfather''s grandchild, aren''t you?"

    She sighed and asked straightening her back, shaking her head with disappointment.

    "That''s how gics work."

    The ck-haired boy scoffed while gritting his teeth, somehow stopping himself from saying what really was on his mind after hearing the rather awkward-sounding phrase ¨C not to mention that he was definitely not going to exin his situation to some random stranger.

    "Miri, could we go now, this isn''t the only stall¡­"

    "Zoemi! Don''t be rude! Those are all amazing!"

    The ck-haired boy scoffed and clearly wanted to back off, but that was the opposite of what Miriette wanted to do ¨C although her action could have a lot to do with the pair of matching bracelets that could be worn without being too obvious.

    ¡­or, since she most likely would lose the courage and not do something so bold ¨C an elegant pocket watch with an intricate design that she most definitely wanted to buy for the ck-haired boy since she heard him mention breaking his old one¡­

    "¡­yeah, sure¡­"

    Zoemi looked at her and breathed out ¨C he even let go of her while still staying close, although he had no intention of apologizing to the ck-haired woman at all.

 Chapter 250 - The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 250 ¨C The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 5)</h4>

    "We specialize in essories fordies and couples, and we can assure you that you won''t find anything like our products nowhere else in the kingdom! For example, have a look at¡­"

    Kirissu was an excellent salesman whose voice could nearly hypnotize her customers.

    "Zoemi! Zoemi, look at this one! It''s so pretty!"

    Miriette was excitedly showing him a delicate-looking ring, seemingly made of gold, silver, and¡­ perhaps emerald¡­?

    It was really difficult for Zoemi to tell since he was never interested in the jewelry but never mind theponents, the effect was indeed stunning.

    The ring looked as if it was knitted with gold and silver strings and a few emerald-green strands were intertwined with them making it hard to believe it''s even real. The level of craftsmanship was on another level than anything Zoemi ever saw.

    "It is beautiful."

    He nodded in agreement, although he kept on cautiously ncing at the ck-haired woman behind the counter.

    "Right!? Here, put it on me!"

    Miriette excitedly pushed the ring into his hands and then put forward her left hand. She clearly indicated that she wants him to put the ring on her ring finger.

    "As you wish."

    Zoemi was so preupied with keeping an eye on Kirissu that he didn''t really think anything about that action, and simply agreed.

    "¡­!"

    It waspletely normal for an attendant to help their master put on the jewelry and all but still, from Miriette''s perspective it looked as if the ck-haired boy was proposing!

    Without further ado, Zoemi gently took the girl''s hand and put a beautiful ring on her finger.

    The ring yfully reflected the sunshine as if happy, but nothing couldpare to the absolutely stunning smile of Miriette.

    She put her hand close to her face and admired the ring.

    Even though it went against all of his ns to make Miriette happy together with Horeo, he felt satisfied that the first prince wasn''t with them today to witness the scene.

    Then Miriette nodded to herself and without any hesitation, she reached and grabbed Zoemi''s left hand.

    "Alright, since we are not supposed to stand out, you should get something too, right?"

    Miriette whispered to him while putting a bracelet that she was eyeing out before.

    The ring was actually a distraction ¨C a very weed, satisfying, and self-indulgent distraction, ut a distraction nheless.

    Miriette''s real aim was to get Zoemi the bracelet and then buy the matching one in secret.

    "That''s right¡­ Oh, this one is really nice ¨C and it won''t get in the way of my duties¡­ As expected of you, my¡­ Miri."

    Zoemi raised his arm and admired the bracelet, giving it a nod of approval.

    "I''ll buy those immediately!"

    "Of course."

    The dark-haired girl turned to the ck-haired woman and dered ¨C while also picking up the other bracelet, showing it to Kirissu while making sure that Zoemi will not notice it ¨C which made Kirissu nod and smile with amusement.

    "Here."

    Zoemi ended up paying without hesitation and would very much leave the spot, but Miriette seemed to not be finished with the stall at all.

    "You have a great eye, littledy! While you''re at it, why not get that boy of yours a pocket watch ¨C he looks the type to fancy those, even though he is so grumpy."

    Kirissu, as it was expected of a stall owner,plimented her customer''s choice and offered another product of hers in a natural manner.

    "That''s right! Zoemi, you need one of those, right?"

    "¡­"

    Miriette gasped and turned to her attendant with sparkling eyes while Zoemi just stood there gritting his teeth.

    The ring that he put on Miriette''s finger was just a normal ring.

    The same thing went for his bracelet, and the one that Miriette tried to hide ¨C or rather, failed to hide ¨C from him.

    ¡­but that wasn''t the case for the pocket watch at all¡­

    That particr watch that Kirissu was holding up and attempting to sell them had a shadow ¨C the unique shadow that only shadow magicians could see ¨C which meant that it contained some sort of spell ¨C and that spell retracted and disappeared momentarily the moment that the ck-haired boy tried to reach for it with his own shadow.

    ¡­without a doubt, it was something just like Teo''s mysterious earing¡­

    |Teo got it from here¡­? Why didn''t she want to tell me about it¡­?|

    Zoemi thought and quickly turned away so Miriette wouldn''t notice his absolute disgust.

    "Thank you for your consideration, but no. This one is more than enough ¨C I don''t need anything else."

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and stepped aside.

    He already noticed that Kirissu''s attention was on him and not on Miriette ¨C although he was aware that it might have been a bluff, it seemed that the ck-haired woman intended to use Miriette to get him the item containing the unknown spell.

    "Miri, I am not good with jewelry, I will wait over there, call me if you need me."

    Zoemi stepped aside, away from the shocked girl while pointing at the side of the carriage.

    As he was walking away, observing with satisfaction that Kirissu''s expression darkened, proving himself that he was right about the ck-haired woman being interested in him in particr, when unexpectedly he locked his eyes with someone.

    Two someone to be exact.

    Two ck-haired young women with ck eyes were peeking at him from behind the carriage, exactly where he was going towards.

    One had long hair, pale, almost milk-like skin, droopy eyes with heavy eyelids ¨C her nose and lips were small and thin, while the other one had short hair, almond-shaped eyes and dark skin, not the full-on chocte carnation, like Aspakeony, but a lighter, coffee with lots and lots of milk kind of color, and adorable upturned little nose and full lips.

    They lookedpletely different, but at the same time, the intense silky darkness of their hair and eyes made them look simr.

    ¡­and oddly familiar¡­

    |YOU¡­! I REMEMBER YOU! YOU TWO ARE¡­ NOT AS HATEFUL¡­|

    "¡­?"

    Zoemi raised his brow when the roar inside his head sounded a bit different than a moment before when facing Kirissu.

    Now, it sounded, slightly hesitant¡­

    Not as hateful¡­?

    What was that supposed to mean?

    Pondering about the odd situation, Zoemi ended up approaching the two since they seemed a lot more palpable than Kirissu.

    "¡­!"

    "!!!"

    Seeing that they were noticed the two women reacted in a rather amusing way.

    The long-haired one blushed and looked away as if she was caught doing something inappropriate, and the short-haired one perked up, smiled, and energetically waved to Zoemi.

    The boy tilted his head and waved back more because he was taken by surprise than because it was appropriate.

    His waving must have been taken as an invitation for a conversation by the short-haired one because she moved from behind the cart and walked up to Zoemi.

    The long-haired one had no choice but to follow her because it turned out the two of them were holding hands rather intimately.

    "Hi there, kiddo! I''m Elsby!"

    The short-haired one grinned and extended her free hand for a handshake.

    She was so full of energy that Zoemi was swept along with her mood and shook her hand before he realized what he was doing.

    "Nice to meet you¡­? My name is Zoemi Auequas¡­"

    "Oh! A lower noble, huh! She''s a noble too, you know!"

    "¡­!"

    Elsbyughed and nudged herpanion, who flinched and made an embarrassed expression.

    "I''m sorry, please don''t mind her, she''s nothing but trouble¡­"

    The long-haired one apologized with a polite bow.

    "Ah! I''m sorry, where are my manners!"

    "¡­?!"

    "¡­?!"

    She suddenly straightened her back which kind of startled both Zoemi and Elsby.

    "My name is Oktria Herfe Cizoi, and to be clear I was a noble but I ran away from home long ago so I was disowned. No need for formalities."

    "Ci-Cizoi¡­?"

    Not even minding the formalities, Zoemi hasn''t even heard of any noble house called Cizoi and as an attendant of a higher noble, he felt really stupid because of that.

    "Okty, you''re making him nervous, you didn''t have to reveal you have a middle name, you know?"

    "Eh? But it would be rude if I lied!"

    Elsby shook her head at Oktria''s cluelessness and turned to Zoemi.

    "Sorry for her¡­ Anyway, we work here too, and since the vicemander is taking care of your girlfriend, and then we''re going to take care of you!"

    Elsby dered puffing out her chest.

 Chapter 251 - The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 6)

    <h4>Chapter 251 ¨C The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 6)</h4>

    "Ah! Sh-she''s not me¡­!"

    Zoemi flinched and hurriedly waved his hands in denial, managing to not blush only because of the rigorous attendant training he went through in the past.

    "Oh? But you look like you suit each other so well!"

    Elsby raised her brows in surprise.

    "So¡­ maybe it''s only ''not yet''?"

    She tilted her head and added with an encouraging smile.

    "That''s¡­"

    Zoemi looked away and awkwardly rubbed his arm.

    "¡­might beplicated¡­"

    Even with the ck-haired boy doing his best to control his emotions, his expression showed the sadness ever so slightly.

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    The two young women looked at each other ¨C Oktria frowned at the worried Elsby.

    "Don''t mind her! Juste have a look at this!"

    Although Oktria seemed to be way more timid than herpanion, she clearly had more of business sense than Elsby ¨C or maybe she just wanted to change the subject and selling things was her first reflex ¨C she pinched herpanion for talking unnecessarily before letting go of her hand and pulled Zoemi back towards the counter while keeping some distance from Miriette browsing through other goods.

    "Zoemi, you don''t look like a guy who likes jewelry too much, but how about buying something for your friends or family? A cute essory is always a good idea for a present!"

    Oktria talked like a true salesperson while Elsby kept her mouth shut and just stood by her side, nodding vigorously.

    "You don''t need to buy a ne or a ring to show your good will if you''re buying something for a female friend a hairpin could prove to be a far better idea."

    As she talked, Oktria was showing Zoemi various essories. Every one of them was masterfully crafted and was a work of art on its own.

    "¡­"

    ¡­but the boy couldn''t focus on the essories at all ¨C not with Octra being so close¡­

    "If you are trying to act so friendly, why don''t you deactivate that spell first?"

    "!!!"

    After a minute or so, the ck-haired boy had enough ¨C the shadow of the darkness de spell was hovering over the young woman''s head even though no physical manifestation of it could be seen ¨C and made her let go of him and step away with a shocked expression.

    |¡­does it manifest on her legs or something¡­?|

    Zoemi thought to himself furrowing his brows while ncing at Oktria''s knees in search of the actual darkness de, which only created more questions in the boy''s mind.

    "I¡­ I need to go check something in the back¡­"

    Oktria muttered and scuttled away, basically running behind the carriage leaving Zoemi with Elsby looking at each other in silence.

    "That''s right, shadow magicians wee supposed to see unique shadows¡­ You didn''t have to be so rude."

    The short-haired young woman sighed while nodding her head with an awkward expression.

    "I wasn''t. Not to mention that approaching someone with an offensive spell at the ready is basically a threat, but yes sure ¨C me me for noticing that."

    Zoemi scoffed and sugged his shoulders while leaning down, acting as if he was interested in some hairpins.

    "I didn''t mean it like that ¨C please, forgive Okty, she manifests her darkness de as her hair and never turns it off. She didn''t have any ill will."

    "¡­?"

    Elsby apologized and exined ¨C but seeing Zoemi''s raised brow she realized that she needed to tell him more.

    "Oh, right ¨C you must have not grown up around darkness magicians, right? Others might mock us that our only offensive spell is the darkness de, but what they are not aware of is that with enough training, a darkness de can be changed into its perfect original form that is different for each and every darkness magician."

    She revealed while moving her hand to the side.

    Without as much as opening her mouth to utter an incantation, the shadow extended from underneath her feet and a jet-ck slightly wolf-like beast emerged from it without making a sound.

    "See? This is my darkness de ¨C shadow beast ¨C cool isn''t it?"

    Elsby asked proudly, crouching by the shadowy creature and started petting it as if it was alive -and to Zoemi''s great surprise, the creature started wagging its shadowy tail as if it enjoyed that.

    "How does this knowledge makes you think about bing a darkness magician? After all, darkness is a natural step forward for shadow¡­"

    She pointed out with a cheeky smile.

    "¡­"

    That definitely didn''t work on the ck-haired boy.

    |She was listening in¡­ who are they exactly¡­ they¡­ they wouldn''t be Ghosts, right¡­? Aspakeony said that they would be interested in me, but none of the darkness magicians here seem to be all that impressive¡­ Or are they hiding their powers¡­?|

    He thought to himself, barely containing himself from grabbing Miriette and running the hell out of the carriage-turned-stall of the darkness magicians¡­

    "¡­shadow connect¡­"

    Still, the ck-haired boy ended up muttering and a thin hair-like shadow sprouted from his feet and slithered straight to Elsby''s spell.

    "¡­"

    The boy waited for her reaction, it seemed like she didn''t notice ¨C and truth to be told it wasn''t even that strange ¨C whenparing the darkness of the two spells, Zoemi''s looked bleak, while Elsby''s were like the silky darkness of the starless sky in the dead of the night.

    His shadow connect didn''t even feel like it actually connect to anything and he couldn''t get a read of the spell at all¡­

    "I might consider it¡­ how long does it take to master an original darkness de like yours ordy Oktria''s¡­?"

    "You ARE interested?!"

    Zoemi asked cautiously attempting to gain some more information from that seemingly innocent question ¨C but was taken aback by the happiness of the girl''s reaction.

    "Maybe¡­ how long¡­?"

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and asked while backing off a little bit ¨C seemingly just because Elsby came too close for hisfort, while actually he was inching closer to Miriette and readying himself¡­

    "Well, first you would have to be a shadow magician, which I actually am not all that certain how to make that happen, probably with a steady supply of mana or something ¨C themander and vicemander have more experience in that though ¨C but if we''re talking about the original darkness de itself then it''s anything between thirty to one hundred and fifty years! It all depends on theplexity of your own creation ¨C there is no limit to it, seriously! I have shadow beasts, Oktria has her hair, aunty has actual working wings that allow her to fly ¨C and once a prodigy could even his to hypnotize and influence others, almost like the possession that the old fart can use ¨C but, well, he is dead so I can''t tell you how exactly he was doing that¡­ But If you really wish to be one of us then¡­! AH! I know! I''ll call themander ¨C he will LOVE the news!"

    "¡­"

    The short-haired young woman became bouncing up excitedly, not even paying attention to how tense the ck-haired boy in front of her have be¡­

    |¡­I need to get Miriette out of here as soon as possible¡­!|

    Zoemi gritted his teeth as the worst scenario was confirmed while Elsby ran behind the carriage, leaving him together with the wolf-like shadow beast wagging its tail at him.

    The boy ignored it and hurriedly went back to Miriette ¨C but he was toote¡­

    "Oh, Cupcake?"

    Kirissu raised her brows and turned away from Miriette and faced an overwhelmingly tall ck-haired man who appeared from behind the carriage and smiled wryly at all three ¨CKirissu herself, Miriette, and the tense Zoemi.

    "Hello there. Before I start let me just exin, my name is Carcassuss, only my wife calls me cupcake because she thinks it sounds simr."

    He said in a low voice.

    "And cuter!"

    Kirissu added and grinned proudly.

    Kirissu added and grinned proudly.

    Carcassuss only shook his head and walked towards them.

    Kirissu''s husband, and the man whom Elsby calledmander, had a huge jagged scar going across his entire face and neck and Zoemi was sure that it went through half of his torso too, even though an old fashioned shirt blocked the view.

    A scar like that wouldn''t mark just anyone, this was a mark of a seasoned warrior¡­

    The tall man noticed where the boy was looking and his smile became wider.

    "A souvenir I got while protecting this."

    Carcassuss grinned while pointing at his scar and simultaneously patting the side of the carriage stall.

 Chapter 252 - The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 7)

    <h4>Chapter 252 ¨C The Sudden Twist During The Shopping (part 7)</h4>

    "It looks bad but it''s way better from what the attackers ended up like!"

    ""¡­!""

    Carcassuss proudly puffed up his chest and flexed his arm, his biceps almost tore the sleeve apart.

    But that wasn''t what made Zoemi and Miriette gulp down their saliva in shock.

    From behind Carcassuss''s fist, arge de of darkness extended and rose into the sky.

    And it wasn''t an inconspicuous obsidian dagger but a menacing jet-ck longsword surrounded by an overwhelming aura of death.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi ended up ncing over at the peaceful wolf-like shadow beast ¨C although the massive jet-ck de seemed to be a lot simpler, the ck-haired boy didn''t have any delusions about which one was stronger.

    |A versatile spell that can be used in vastly different scenarios versus the spell that only purpose is to kill its target.|

    There really could not be any other conclusions to that situation.

    "Cupcake¡­!"

    Kirissu ¨C not realizing the inner thoughts of the otherwise expressionless ck-haired boy ¨C eximed angrily and pped her husband on the chest since she couldn''t reach any higher.

    "I know you want to show off to the kids, but don''t scare them!"

    She scolded him before turning to Zoemi and Miriette and bowed apologetically.

    "I''m so sorry for him! He''s a bit stronger than an average magician and he loves to make a show¡­"

    She said with her head down and¡­

    *WHAM*

    Without as much as a peep of warning, Zoemiunched himself straight at the muchrger man ¨C his body became enveloped in a murky shadow that formed into a demonic armor with beastly traits and while looking like that, the boy punched the man straight in the face unleashing a torrent of ice-cold air¡­!

    |FUCK ¨C NO EFFECT?!|

    Zoemi cursed to himself, feeling that it was his fist getting damaged instead of Carcassuss''s face so he did the next best thing he could think of before anyone else could evenprehend what was happening¡­

    *SLAM*

    ¡­he ended up kicking at the man''s chest, using it as aunchpad and flew right back at the petrified Miriette.

    "Wha¡­?!"

    As the dark-haired girl managed to barely open her mouth to react, Zoemi was already hugging her securely and¡­!

    "?!?!?!?!?!"

    They both disappeared into the thin air as the shadow shed in the spot that they upied a moment before.

    "¡­wha¡­ what was that¡­?"

    Kirissu gasped, raising her hand and touching her ck hair frozen solid.

    "Cupcake?!"

    She then flinched and turned to her husband with a panicked expression.

    "I''m fine, nothing to worry about¡­"

    The massive mand waved his left hand ¨C because his head and right hand were encased in a solid block of ice that definitely wasn''t there before the punch.

    "Evorietto, did you capture them?"

    Instead of getting upset or angry at his state, Carcassus tapped the wall of the carriage and asked.

    As soon as he did so, a tall and thin feminine man emerged from the shadow beneath the counter¡­

    ¡­but his expression didn''t suggest he had good news¡­

    "No. It doesn''t even feel like he used shadow jump or shadow travel."

    Evorietto shook his head and reported.

    "Did you set up your bubble properly¡­?"

    The feminine man was followed by both Oktria and Elsby ¨C both with bitter expressions ¨C the long-haired Oktria was the one to ask the Evorietto the question.

    "Have you seen anymoner or another mage approaching the twelve-foot radius around our carriage? Of course, I set it up properly!"

    The man scoffed and red at the long-haired woman angrily.

    "Cupcake ¨C what happened to your de¡­?"

    "¡­?!"

    "!!!"

    "?!?!?!"

    Kirissu suddenly gasped, pointing out at the massive man''s right hand ¨C the darkness de should extend to the length of an average two-handed sword was trimmed to only a few inches, barely sticking out above the man''s fist.

    "¡­I didn''t do that, that''s for sure¡­"

    *CRACK*

    Carcassuss frowned and finally broke the ice encasing him, with just the strength of his muscles alone.

    "¡­my shadow beast that I showed to Zoemi also disappeared¡­"

    "..!"

    Elsby gulped down her saliva and raised her hand in shame.

    "What the hell is that kid? How did he escape a shadow de DESIGNED to contain shadow and darkness magicians?!"

    "He must have slipped by or forced his way through ¨C Evorietto told me before that it was possible with enough strength, right?"

    Another two people showed up, materializing from the darkness ¨C an angry wrinkled elderly man, and arge round woman.

    "I did ¨C but that would require him to be in the realm of the sages and not magicians! That kid wasn''t that strong!"

    The feminine man shook his head and answered the round woman''s question with a dissatisfied expression.

    "He didn''t use either shadow or dakness spell, he teleported away."

    Carcassuss announced in a serious voice while carefully looking at his right hand with the piece of the broken darkness de sticking out of it.

    "¡­what¡­?"

    Evorietto asked taken aback.

    "It''s the same as with this ice ¨C this isn''t something that shadow magic is capable of creating ¨C this actually slowed down my mana flow. This was ice magic."

    "¡­!"

    Not letting anyone talk over him, Carcassuss dered showing off his right arm with chunks of ice still stuck to his skin.

    "To make everything even more confusing ¨C that kid has most definitely managed to snatch my darkness de as well as Elsby''s¡­ how much mana was in your shadow beast?"

    The massive man looked over to the dark-skinned girl and asked.

    "Average fire-magician worth''s."

    She responded immediately, straightening her back as if she was answering to a superior in a military organization.

    "¡­mine was several average light magicians¡­ Evorietto."

    Carcassuss nodded and sighed before turning back to the feminine man.

    ¡­.he also suddenly moved his lower jaw and furrowed his brows ¨C before Evorietto had a chance to respond, Carcassuss reached out to his mouth and took out a tooth loosened by the boy''s punch¡­!

    "¡­that kid¡­ he might have not been on the sage level today, but I''m not sure how long that willst¡­"

    The massive man dered while carefully looking at his tooth.

    "New orders ¨C focus on the other candidate ¨C DO NOT try to engage that kid. We underestimated him the first time and it seems like he took it as a threat."

    Carcassussmanded and looked up ¨C while he was examining the loose tooth, the initial group of darkness magicians gathered around the carriage increased to neen.

    "He grabbed the mana-filled spells and fucked off ¨C that doesn''t sound like a spur of a moment thing at all¡­ "

    Someone pointed out in suspicion¡­

    "Maybe he knows that we got the necromancer and tries to get stronger¡­?"

    "Ah¡­! He sees shadows¡­! He saw the shadows of the spell around the pocket watch that the vicemander tried to sell¡­! He must have seen the shadow in the earring we get that servant girl from the Academy¡­!"

    Someone else added ¨C and Elsby flinched and pointed out, clenching her fists.

    "Yes¡­ that''s what I meant when I mentioned him getting threatened by us underestimating him¡­"

    Carcassuss nced at the short-haired young woman and nodded with a solemn expression.

    "¡­if you ask me, it seems that he wields several attributes, it would be best to kill him now before he will be a problem like the ones two hundred years ago¡­"

    "That''s a good point¡­"

    "We had to gang up on that one guy with fire and earth attribute, didn''t we? It was a nightmare with all that heat from theva¡­"

    A sickle-pale, horribly skinny woman leaning against the carriage said in a weak voice ¨C and a few others agreed with her¡­

    "Denied. The Presence calls him its toy, which should have gotten our attention from the start¡­ Who knows, maybe he will give us the answer we are looking for? In the meantime¡­ Raseriat ¨C you will contact the other candidate for our sibling, and while doing so keep an eye on that kid. If even you will deem him dangerous then feel free to kill him."

    He then nodded his head as if deciding on something significant and turned to the round, jovial-looking woman.

    "Aww, I''m sure this boy is just confused and an honest talk would make everything better ¨C but an order is an order,mander. The other boy isn''t even capable of using shadow gate though, do you want me to guide him¡­?"

    The round woman''s face lighted up with a gentle and motherly smile and she shook her head lightly, emanating an aura of peacefulness.

    "I would prefer if he reached that level himself, but I will leave it to your judgment. Just don''t be too soft on either of them."

    Carcassuss nodded at her with a serious expression and looked over every other darkness magician.

    ¡­or as they should be correctly addressed darkness sages¡­

    "Raseriat, one more thing, you aren''t fit forbat ¨C if that Zoemi kid will turn hostile, you can use the necromancer as a bargaining chip¡­ if he even knows about her."

    "I''m sure it will be fine without me restoring to that, but I''ll keep that in mind."

    Carcassuss added and the round woman made a reassuring expression.

    "That''s it. Dismissed."

    "YES, SIR!"

    The massive manmanded, waving his hand ¨C and after a choir of voices responded to him in unison, every single darkness sage gathered at the spot sunk into the expanded shadow and disappeared ¨C together with the carriage, just as if it was never there, to begin with.

    ¡­and the life of the town continued as if nothing happened since the shadow barrier blocked not only the sounds but the vision as well ¨C no one even realized that the group of the worst traitors in the history of the kingdom had been there in broad daylight just a second before¡­.

 Chapter 253 - Threat In The Academy (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 253 ¨C Threat In The Academy (part 1)</h4>

    "¡­t are you doing, Zo¡­?! Eh¡­?! EEEHHH¡­?!"

    Miriette and Zoemi appeared right in front of the gate to the Aspakeony Academy and the dark-aired girl continued her shocked gasp ¨C until she realized where they were and her jaw dropped.

    "We don''t have time to waste ¨C those people¡­ they were definitely dangerous."

    The murky shadow dropped to the ground and the ck-haired boy dered with an extremely tense and cautious expression, grabbing Miriette''s hand and pulling her onto the Academy''s ground.

    |¡­should I tell her that those were most likely Ghosts of Bellcephora¡­? No, better not ¨C she''ll either think that I''m crazy or will get more scared than necessary¡­|

    Zoemi thought to himself while ncing back at the girl''s face already pale and full of worry.

    "Wh-what¡­? But¡­ Alright ¨C even if they were, what were you thinking attacking that guy?! And what with the spell that you used?! I thought that you can''t pull me into your shadow because I have too much mana!"

    Miriette didn''t try to break free or stop him from taking her wherever he was going ¨C because he moved past the dormitory building and went straight for the Academy building.

    "¡­"

    "¡­?!"

    The ck-haired attendant red back at his master with lifeless jet-ck eyes, making her close her mouth ¨C but that wasn''t enough to make her avert her eyes.

    "That wasn''t shadow jump. We teleported, the two spells work onpletely different principles."

    Zoemi ended up answering before turning back to the building¡­ and flinching¡­!

    |¡­it''s¡­ too quiet¡­|

    He thought to himself in realization ¨C although it was supposed to be a free day for all the first-year students, one would expect at least a SINGLE person to be outside¡­

    Simrly ¨C the thing that brought Zoemi''s attention, was the quiet surrounding the area.

    The second- and third-year students were supposed to be partaking in the mandatory duels in the back of both buildings ¨C that alone should produce a lot of noise with the spells being deployed left and right.

    ¡­not to mention all of the cheering from the audience watching each and everypetitor ¨C after all, even though the result of a duel had no repercussion since they were only supposed to teach the students of the basic rules which real duels in their future would follow, the title of the undefeated duelist of the year was something that did work wonders on the excitement and motivation levels of both the audience and thepetitors¡­

    But the sounds reaching both the ck-haired boy and the dark-haired girl were only the sounds of nature ¨C the flow of the water in the fountain, the soft breeze brushing against thewn and the decorative bushes, the chirping of birds¡­

    |What the hell happened¡­?!|

    "Mydy¡­ use your enchantments, please."

    Zoemi tensed up even more and asked Miriette before hastening his peace and bursting into the building.

    |¡­|

    The ck-haired boy also ended up activating his shadow enchantments and used his augmented hearing to listen in on the situation.

    Were the Ghosts of Bellcephora involved in whatever happened to the academy¡­

    "¡­"

    Worried he focused on his ears while walking straight towards the section where the staff''s facilities were including the teachers'' offices ¨C namely, the headmaster''s office.

    "¡­?"

    And to his great surprise and even greater relief, the things he heard crossed out his biggest worry ¨C the involvement of the Ghosts of Bellcephora ¨C although most of the sounds were really muffled since they wereing from the other dormitory building ¨C it seemed like all the students were holed up in their respective rooms while some of the teachers patrolled the corridors.

    "¡­are you sure it''s him¡­?"

    "¡­do you know any other ice magician that would try to storm the Academy and announced their presence byunching a pir of ice right into the arena in the middle of the student''s dueling¡­?!|

    "¡­why lord Vereq had to disappear at such an unfortunate moment do you think that it has something to do with that new teacher¡­?"

    "¡­"

    The sounds from the other buildings were muffled ¨C but the same couldt be said about the voices of the teachers gathered on the faculty office ¨C Zoemi had little to no trouble with listening in on their conversation ¨C although he didn''t particrly like anything that he learned from it¡­

    |¡­the murderer announced his presence¡­ but¡­ why¡­? And why is Aspy not doing anything about it¡­? Or maybe she is? Didi, she sent her puppets after the murderer¡­? No¡­ now that I think about it, Miriette said that she asked the headmaster to provide bodyguards, but I never saw any corpse with her shadow attached¡­ something bad must have happened¡­!|

    Many thoughts filled Zoemi''s mind, still, first and foremost, he had to assure Miriette''s safety, everything else cameter ¨C although he did experience a chilling fear when he figured out that the gray-haired girl might have been in danger¡­

    He was almost sure now that the necromancer would not be in her office and therefore he would not be able to tell her about the Ghosts being so close, but even without her around there was something that she could do to help¡­

    ¡­well, not she exactly ¨C her office that had a powerful seal around it which the gray-haired girl seemed to be absolutely confident in¡­

    "Zoemi¡­"

    Miriette opened her mouth and asked in a timid voice, making the ck-haired boy hurriedly look her way ¨C but since she didn''t appear to be in any difort, keeping up with him no problem because of her enchantments, he didn''t stop or even slow down for a moment.

    "Mydy ¨C I will exin everything when I will be sure that you aren''t in danger ¨C for now, please, trust me."

    "¡­okay, I believe in you¡­"

    He dered squeezing her hand reassuringly without looking back, already fully switched back into his attendant mode, and the dark-haired girl sighed but ended up nodding in agreement.

    "¡­it would be perfect if Teo was with us too, the more protection the better¡­ unless¡­"

    Zoemi muttered to himself, listening in for the short brown-haired girl but since she might have been back in her own room which was far away, he ended up giving up on that idea ¨C while alsoing up with another.

    "Mydy ¨C I know that I made you give your word that you will never use that spell ¨C but is it possible for you to conjure an Air Emperor in order to serve as an additional bodyguard¡­?"

    "??!?!?!!"

    The ck-haired boy gulped down his saliva and turned around ¨C stopping right in front of the door to the headmaster''s office, shocking the dark-haired girl with his sudden question.

    "A-air Emperor¡­?! Bodyguard¡­?!"

    The wide-eyed Miriette flinched and started looking around nervously.

    "Please, mydy, try to stay calm ¨C I might be severely overestimating the level of danger, but I prefer to be safe than sorry ¨C you are the most important person in my life and I will do anything for you ¨C I know that I said before that the cons outweigh the pros when ites to that spell, but now I am sure that I can deal with the aftermath. Please ¨C if you are okay with it, cast it immediately."

    The ck-haired boy dered and bowed down towards the shocked girl, sounding both impatient and apologetic.

    "¡­!"

    Seeing that Miriette took a step back ¨C Zoemi had clearly misunderstood the reason for her panic.

    She wasn''t particrly worried about the supposedly dangerous situation ¨C she was freaking out because she thought that Zoemi figured out that she had conjured not one but three Air Emperors and was going to get angry at her for it ¨C only after a few seconds did she understood that the ck-haired boy had actually asked her about using that spell¡­!

    |¡­Ah¡­! Wait¡­! I can tell him that I already created them, and maybe he will not be angry about it¡­! That sounds good, yes, I can make it work like that¡­!|

    Miriette realized and perked up clenching her hands with excitement that overshadowed her worries.

    "¡­Zoemi ¨C what if I told you that I already conjured three Air Emperors because I foresaw the situation like this¡­?"

    The dark-haired girl breathed out and asked, doing her best to sound calm and collected although she was worried that the boy in front of her will starts hating her for breaking her own promise¡­

    "You did?! Three of them?! That''s perfect!"

    "!!!"

    Well, if she wanted him to not be angry ¨C she made the correct choice ¨C as soon as she revealed the news, Zoemi straightened his back and approached her, grabbing her shoulders and eximed in joy while looking into her eyes, making the girl blush and forgot how to breathe for a second or two.

    "Mydy ¨C sorry for being so forward, but I will ask for something outrageous¡­"

    "I''ll do it¡­!"

    The ck-haired attendant regained hisposure and stepped back, lowering his head while trying to propose something ¨C but was interrupted by Miriette agreeing instantly without even hearing him out properly.

    "¡­thank you for trusting me¡­"

    Zoemi raised his head and smiled at the dark-haired girl.

    "Bring all three of the air emperor here, please ¨C if the headmaster is in there, please forget what I just said ¨C but if the office is empty, I will have to ask for your further cooperation."

    The ck-haired boy dered before turning to the door and grabbing the door handle.

    *click*

    This time it didn''t even take a second ¨C Zoemi focused on the death attribute mana and both the door and the seal unlocked, allowing him and Miriette ess to the tightly secured room.

    ¡­empty room¡­.

 Chapter 254 - Threat In The Academy (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 254 ¨C Threat In The Academy (part 2)</h4>

    "¡­"

    Zoemi looked inside the headmaster''s office ¨C and hesitated before entering.

    Was it possible that him opening the door just now had allowed the ghosts to infiltrated the space?

    Was it actually safe at the moment?

    The ck-haired boy was faced with a dilemma that many might have considered overthinking, but the voice inside of his head was clearly agreeing with him and even advising further cautiousness¡­

    ¡­at least in between the bloodthirsty roar calling him to immediately seek and eviscerate almost every single member of the Ghosts of Bellscephora¡­

    And honestly, Zoemi was very close to following its rage ¨C after all, thanks to his previous outburst caused by the beastly roar, he was able to improve some of his very useful spells¡­

    "Why aren''t weing in¡­?"

    Miriette tilted her head and asked in a worried voice.

    "Mydy ¨C could you get all three of your Air Emperors here first?"

    The boy looked back at her and asked.

    "Of course ¨C I have full control over them."

    |¡­at least for now¡­|

    The dark-haired girl nodded and boasted ¨C timidly adding a rather worrisome bit of information but only in her mind.

    She then closed her eyes and focused ¨C then, within the next few seconds, the pressure inside the hallway leading to the headmaster''s office increased as three semi-autonomous multipurpose magic summons arrived at the academy ground and peeked in at her and the ck-haired boy through the window.

    ¡­well, the Air Emperors were made out of the wind mana and therefore were basically invisible for the naked eye unless they would start attacking ¨C then they would start glowing vivid green as all wind magic spells did ¨C so the only people who even noticed them showing up were Miriette ¨C their creator ¨C and Zoemi ¨C the magician who could see unique shadows.

    The ck-haired boy had them all in clear view.

    "Is it possible to make one of the morepact?"

    Zoemi asked walking towards the window and looking back at Miriette with his hand on the ss.

    "I¡­ think it is? Just one though?"

    "Yes, a single one is enough."

    The dark-haired girl furrowed her brows before nodding and raised her hand at one of the three Air Emperors ¨C her hand shone with a green light and Zoemi witnessed as the massive snake-like body of the summon shrunk from the size of the house to that of a winter scarf, which honestly was incredibly impressive to see as there was no difference between the density of manaposing the small one and the two normal-sized ones.

    "Mydy, that is perfect."

    Zoemi smiled with satisfaction and opened the window, giving the shrunk Air Emperor a way in.

    "This one will go with us inside, make the other one guard this ce, anyone who will try to force their way open is an enemy. As for the third one ¨C if the headmaster isn''t there, please, allow me to use it as a source of mana for my mana conversion spell."

    "!!!!"

    The ck-haired boy spoke and bowed his head knowing that he is asking for much ¨C which was confirmed by the shocked expression on Miriette''s face.

    "For your mana conversion¡­? But, isn''t it taking a lot of mana to increase your mana reservoir only a little bit¡­?"

    She asked in a cautious voice ¨C after all, one conjuring just one Air Emperor drained almost all of her mana, and with the amount of mana she had at her disposal, the mana depletion state''s side effects were no joke.

    "That was the case in the past ¨C but¡­ recently something has changed. Still ¨C if the headmaster is present we can forget about everything¡­"

    Zoemi spoke dered without raising his head, but then felt Miriette''s hand on his shoulder.

    "No ¨C it''s alright ¨C even if he is there you can use it for mana conversion."

    The dark-haired girl decided, reaching her hand towards the shrunk Air Emperor that entered the hallway and wrapped itself around the girl''s neck and shoulders like a scarf ¨C actually in itspact form, this Air Emperor was actually pretty much visible, as wind attribute mana it was made of was giving off faint green light making the summon look as if it was made out of stained ss.

    Air Emperor ¨C a spell made in the image of a mythical dragon-ying snake, defender of the human realm¡­ depending on the myths'' version at least¡­ ¨C which was quite fitting considering the situation.

    Miriette and Zoemi entered the office ¨C which was rather obviously empty, still Miriette walked up to a quite well-masked door near the closet and knocked on it, making Zoemi raise his brow and look at her in surprise.

    "It''s a separate bathroom, theoretically it shouldn''t be there, but my father has one like that in his office in our house too."

    "¡­"

    The dark-haired girl answered the questioning look of the ck-haired boy without him having to actually ask about anything ¨C at first Zoemi found it rather peculiar, but then he realized that Aspakeony would need a bathroom considering that there might have been times where she couldn''t ¨C or didn''t want to ¨C leave the secure office, which made it more understandable.

    But for Miriette to realize it without a moment of hesitation¡­?

    "¡­nope, he''s not here either."

    Miriette, unaware of Zoemi''s hesitation opened the semi-secret door, after not receiving any answer ¨C and it really turned out that she was correct it wasn''t just any bathroom but a full-onpact bath ¨C still, that didn''t change the fact that it was empty.

    "I see."

    Zoemi nodded without revealing his emotions ¨C in the first ce he wasn''t going to search the entire office ¨C just one particr ce.

    With that in mind, he kneeled by the closet and grabbed the drawer at the bottom, pulling it open in one move ¨C revealing the cushioned inside filled with pillows and plush toys.

    "Eh¡­? And what is that? It''s cute, but what''s its purpose?"

    Miriette raised her brows, approaching the drawer and leaning down to have a look at some of the plushies while asking the ck-haired boy.

    "If things get really bad, you may have to hide inside, I bet this has some additional barriers surrounding it¡­ But that settles it. Mydy¡­ Miri. I have to check what is going on. Wait for me or the headmaster to return ¨C do not get out on your own and do not open the door for anyone. Allies will be able to enter this office on their own, anyone else is a suspect."

    The ck-haired boy added, having in mind that Elsby clearly said that one of them had the ability to possess others, which immediately caused a huge problem ¨C the boy hoped that he would be able to spot a person like that thanks to the ability to see unique shadows, but that was unconfirmed, so it was best to be as cautious as possible.

    "What suspect? Zo¡­"

    Miriette furrowed her brows and shook her head before she froze, realizing how Zoemi addressed her.

    "¡­I know that you can protect me and I can be useful with my spells¡­"

    She clenched her fists and looked up at the ck-haired boy, shaking off the distraction, although her heart did skip a beat.

    "That would be the best thing to do if we had no other option ¨C but with a safe area avable, please, allow me to do what every attendant is supposed to do. People seem to think that I am a good attendant, let me keep up the ruse a little bit longer."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi lowered his head slightly and smirked before looking back up at the stunned ck-haired girl.

    "What are you talking about? You literally are the perfect attendant already!"

    Miriette splendidly fell for the change of subject that Zomei had set up, making his smirk change into a gentle smile ¨C he really did know his master well.

    "No. Mydy ¨C that is not the case at all."

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and turned right back around, putting his hand on the door.

    "A perfect attendant would never fall in love with their master."

    Zoemiughed refreshingly before hurriedly leaving the office, carefully closing the door behind him.

    "¡­"

    Miriette blinked, staring at the door in absolute confusion.

    "¡­?"

    After a second or two her eyes widened and her expression turned in the one of pure shock as the meaning of Zomei''s words have fully reached her.

    "¡­eh¡­?"

    In an instant, the dark-haired girl''s face turned crimson red and her knees went weak, making her slump down on the floor.

 Chapter 255 - Threat In The Academy (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 255 ¨C Threat In The Academy (part 3)</h4>

    "¡­"

    Zoemi''s face was bright red from the extreme blush ¨C now he''s done it¡­

    He basically confessed before heading into a dangerous situation.

    Wasn''t that, like, the most obvious death g?

    |It would be worse only if I said ¨C let''s get married when Ie back¡­|

    The ck-haired boy shook his head while walking towards the window behind which only one Air Emperor still waiting there, as the other one must have flown higher for a more advantageous surveince position.

    "¡­"

    Meeting the aze of the summon, Zoemi''s expression turned serious.

    "Sorry for that."

    The boy apologized and reached out his hand.

    The Air Emperor was only semi-autonomous so it didn''t react to the attendant''s words and simply waited, allowing Zoemi to put his hand on its snout.

    *haaaaaa*

    And just like that, after only a second of contact, with the sound simr to a person breathing out in relief the massive spell lost its snake-like shape and dispersed into the particles of mana of which each and every single one got sucked into the ck-haired boy''s palm.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi closed his eyes momentarily and concentrated on the spell while also focusing on his own mana reservoir¡­

    "Oh¡­! I didn''t expect it to be this much¡­ Miriette is so strong¡­!"

    After realizing that the amount of mana at his disposal increased exponentially, the ck-haired boy opened his eyes and gasped.

    "Now then¡­ Sentinel."

    He didn''t close the window nor did he walk away from it ¨C instead the ck-haired boy had reached out his palm while grabbing and modifying the shadow of one of the spells that Horeo kept using.

    Without making a sound ¨C as it was mixed with the muffle spell ¨C a murky ck sphere the size of a basketball appeared out of the thin air, hovering right in front of Zoemi''s hand.

    Then, after a second or so, another one popped up.

    And another.

    Within less than a minute a dozen murky shadow spheres were waiting in front of the window at the ready.

    "Survey the area of and around the Academy, if any of the Ghosts or even a darkness magician shows up, notify me immediately ¨C same with the murderer ¨C so an ice magician ¨C and Aspakeony or any of her corpse puppets. The three of you will go check up on Burushi, Teo, and teacher Rokiana before joining the rest."

    Unsure whether it was enough to just think themands, Zoemi instructed the sentinels out loud, and the moment he was done all of them rushed out and spread in a different direction.

    "¡­now that I think about it, it would be a good idea to confirm with Burushi whether she remembers anything about the Ghost or are they unique part of his world¡­ they didn''t show up in the routs that I yed, but maybe it showed up in Grazio''s¡­"

    Zoemi muttered to himself and focused on the sentinel flying through the dormitory building¡­

    "¡­?!"

    ¡­and the next moment he was right next to it ¨C interestingly enough seemingly startling the shadow sphere as it fluctuated and flew back a little bit when he arrived.

    "Sorry for that, go and survey the area with the rest, I will go to Burushi myself."

    "¡­~!"

    The ck-haired boy smiled at it and patted it as if it was a cute and small animal ¨C at which the sentinel fluctuated kind of happily and flew back the way it came right when Zoemi took back his hand.

    *knock* *knock*

    Without wasting any time, anxiously awaiting any of the sentinels'' messages, Zoemi knocked on the heroine''s door and waited.

    ¡­but there was no response¡­

    "¡­?"

    Since the ck-haired boy already had his shadow enchantments activated expecting to be either attacked or in need of attacking or fleeing at the moment''s notice, he simply focused on his hearing and¡­

    "¡­should I snuck out and go to Keer''s room¡­"

    "¡­other, yes ¨C they stop the duels and ask everyone to return to their rooms! Don''t you think that is reckless? I know that the teachers are patrolling the hallways but wouldn''t it be better to have us all together?! How can I be calm when the murderer might be picking us all up one by one?! NO, mother, I AM CALM!"

    ¡­instead of hearing anythinging from Burushi''s room, he clearly heard her neighbors from both sides ¨C of which one, a light magician, was considering sneaking out to her fiance''s room while the other, a wind magician was contacting her mother about the situation at the Academy.

    "¡­this is weird¡­ Burushi wouldn''t be prancing out and about with a murderer aro¡­! Fuck!"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and suddenly a realization struck him like a lightning.

    |THE CLOSEST SENTINEL TO THE DORMITORY ¨C GET IN THE XEONITH''S ROOM, NOW!|

    The ck-haired boy ordered around, connecting with every single spell of his via the copied message spell sed by the wind magicians.

    "I sear, kid''s these days ¨C there is a dangerous individual outside ¨C who is stupid enough to try to sneak in the girl''s section during an emergency!?"

    "!!!"

    rmed by the boy''s voice, one of the teachers patrolling the hallways was either doing the rounds or turned back to check up on the matter, causing Zoemi to frown.

    Just in case, the ck-haired boy used the shadow connect spell and peeked inside Burushi''s room and after confirming that she indeed wasn''t there, he teleported away to the Xeonith''s where his sentinel just entered.

    "¡­"

    An elderly brown-haired female teacher showed up, ncing from behind the corner.

    The murderer because of a whim the rm was raised got chased away by a group of teachers who called for reinforcements from the pce and started pursuing the criminal, so there was supposed to be no danger left in the Academy, making the teacher do the rounds rather calm.

    "¡­ugh¡­ first young Xeonith gets sick, now this¡­ Good thing that the duels had to be postponed anyway so it doesn''t matter ¨C I was unable to check up on him since yesterday, if only that uselessmoner just did her job properly¡­! Hey! If some pervert thinks he can get away with being creepy, he better says goodbye to the academy! Rollcall!"

    The woman sighed before straightening her back and calling out in a strict voice.

    "¡­eh¡­?"

    A pale-gold-haired girl opened her door and peeked at the brown-haired teacher.

    "Teacher Auequas, what s going on?"

    She asked in a cautious voice ¨C she was the one nning to sneak out to her fiance before¡­

    "I''ve heard a boy''s voiceing from here a moment ago, everyone, out of your rooms! Inspection time!"

    The woman answered shortly and pped her hands with a strict expression, acting a little bit like a drill sergeant.

    "¡­this is not military¡­"

    The pale-gold-haired girl muttered under her breath but came out nheless as other girls started showing up too.

    Xeonith''s room that Zoemi appeared in the middle of, was clean ¨C surprisingly clean and neat.

    Nothing could suggest that the tenant was anything other than a dutiful and hardworking student.

    The only thing slightly out of the norm was that the bathroom doors were open showing a squeaky-clean bathroom.

    |It''s even cleaner than the rest of the room¡­ Actually¡­|

    Zoemi tensed up and felt the hand of unease grip his sides with an iron grip.

    |¡­why¡­?|

    Every nook and cranny was scrubbed until it sparkled, truly a sight for someone, who like Zoemi, was often on the cleaning duty.|

    Zoemi checked a few vital areas that were the most troublesome to take care of.

    |Some spots haven''t even dried properly yet¡­|

    He thought to himself in concern as he found the moisture still lingering on some surfaces.

    |Xeonith wasn''t supposed to be a clean-freak, but this is far too excessive¡­ fuck¡­ fuck, fuck, fuck¡­!|

    Zoemi started cursing to himself as each thing he found kept piling up, adding to the bad feeling he had.

    "In the game, the attack of the murderer would trigger when the heroine and Xeonith would enter the dungeon¡­ But in the game Xeonith wasn''t a massive creep¡­ what if he.. no, Apsakeony wouldn''t let any student get harmed¡­ wait, no¡­ but Apakeony isn''t here¡­ could it be that it''s Xeonioth''s doing¡­? Fuck! I need to go to the dungeon to make sure!|

    Zoemi gritted his teeth, about to rush out of the room, as Xeonith''s ce was just a few steps away from the dormitory''s entrance to the dungeon, when¡­

    *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

    "!!!"

    "Xeonith! Open this damned door this instant, I know that you are in there!"

    Zoemi froze as someone started angrily knocking at the door and calling out in a demanding voice.

    It wasn''t difficult to recognize who was calling.

    Without a doubt, it was Reo Serentii Moyena, the green-haired capture target, and Xeonith''s ssmate ¨C and he sounded much more worried and angrier than ever.

 Chapter 256 - End Of Xeonithâ€™s Route (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 256 ¨C End Of Xeonith¡¯s Route (part 1)</h4>

    "You didn''t actually go, did you? That would be suicide! Hey, just open up!"

    |¡­what is that supposed to mean¡­?|

    Reo has said something that got Zoemi''s attention, and the ck-haired boy who was about to sneak away from the Xeonith''s room changed his ns a little bit.

    "Shadow emerge, shadow movement."

    The ck-haired attendant cast his spells, sinking into his own shadow and traveling like that under the door and underneath the green-haired capture target.

    Zoemi emerged from the shadow a few feet away from the agitated Reo who hasn''t realized a thing.

    Seeing the worried face of the green-haired second-year student Zoemi couldn''t help but feel more and more concerned.

    Maybe his initial thought was wrong and Xeonith was a victim¡­ after all, the murderer was aiming for him as the heir to the Derizno family who stood behind the deaths of the murderer''s family¡­

    "¡­"

    The ck-haired boy stood by the older student for a moment, carefully watching for any signs of the possible possession ¨C but for what Zoemi could tell, the green-haired boy was fine ¨C at least his unique shadow didn''t have any unusual about it.

    Reo was just like he was in the game, a kind and caring personality was hiding under the guise of a reckless prankster.

    Yes, Reo definitely was Zoemi''s favorite character in the game and the ck-haired wouldn''t mind bing friends with him in this world.

    ¡­and that would definitely be beneficial for both as the two of them shared a trait of caring about their friends ¨C well, Zoemi was more focused on Miriette, but that didn''t change the sentiment.

    Still, the ck-haired boy put his inner thoughts aside and loudly cleared his throat.

    "Ekhm¡­! Sir Moyena, is something wrong?"

    "Wha¡­!? Oh! Zoemi! Hi, hello!"

    Though at first he became startled when someone suddenly someone, who he hasn''t noticed, started talking to him, Reo reacted surprisingly friendly once he realized who was talking to him.

    "Sir Moyena, may I know what are you doing here? There is supposed to be a dangerous individual on the loose¡­"

    Zoemi responded to that friendliness with an equally warm smile and asked, suggesting that Reo should return to his room as soon as possible.

    "That''s the thing! I know that, but that fool apparently thinks he''s some sort of a hero! Listen up, Zoemi, you know Xeonith, right? I''ve heard that he was a real asshole to you to start a duel with the first prince and got grumpy because he was beaten up to a pulp."

    Reo just started talking all on his own.

    "It was yesterday, of course, I remember ¨C what about it?"

    Zoemi raised his brow and responded in a bit colder voice.

    "Well, he''s actually my childhood friend though we kind of stop getting along somewhere along the way, but that''s beside the point."

    Reo waved his hand dismissively while so focused on the story that he missed the change in Zoemi''s tone.

    "What''s important is, that he told me this morning that if that murderer that everyone''s so scared of would show up, he would go and capture him on his own! And then, when the giant pir of ice crushed into the arena for the duels and the teachers made us all return to the dormitory, I swear that I saw him running out of the dormitory!"

    The green-haired boy dered, sounding as if he expected Zoemi to either stop or ridicule him for spouting such nonsense.

    "You saw him¡­ running OUT of the dormitory¡­?"

    Zoemi''s face became ghastly pale as all blood drained from his face at the revtion.

    "I did! I can see the dormitory''s backdoor from my room''s window ¨C it was definitely Xeonith! That fool has gone after that murderer for sure! What else he could do?! I knew he was acting super weird after the first prince kicked his ass but I never imagined he would want to prove himself that much!"

    Reo looked so sad and worried that Zoemi would start feeling bad for him, if not for a fact that he was far more worried about the heroine who was also unounted for¡­!

    |¡­oh no¡­ no¡­ please no¡­ what if Xeonith is using Reo to retroactively forge an alibi for himself after doing something horrible to Burushi¡­?!"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and clenched his fists so hard that his shoulders started trembling.

    "Did you tell teachers or anyone else about it?"

    He asked the green-haired boy while readying himself to storm away.

    "Well¡­ Not yet¡­ I thought that maybe it was my imagination after all so I came here to check just in case¡­"

    Reo blushed like a kid caught doing mischief and lowered his head awkwardly.

    "Good¡­ Now go back to your room¡­"

    "Huh¡­?"

    Zoemi nodded and dered, grabbing Reo''s shoulder, making the older boy flinch and blush even harder.

    "The murderer showing up while the headmaster is missing seems a bit too convenient¡­ Go back to your room ¨C and if anyone asks you about Xeonith, say that you haven''t talked recently because he was acting weird."

    Zoemi ignored the shocked gasp and instructed, looking straight into the trembling green eyes of the second-year capture target.

    "What? Why? But¡­!"

    "Just say yes, Reo."

    The green-haired boy wanted to protest but ended up being pinned against the wall by the slightly shorter younger boy ¨C who was taller only because Reo slid down the wall a bit ¨C and was looked down on with a stern, unyielding look of the lifeless eyes.

    "¡­"

    Reo opened his mouth and momentarily his eyes darted down on Zoemi''s lips before the green-haired boy gulped down his saliva and looked back up.

    "¡­a-alright¡­"

    And nodded with a timid expression.

    "That''s my best boy."

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Zoemi nodded and smiled, reaching up and tousling Reo''s hair before running off, disappearing just around the corner of the hallway.

    "¡­"

    Reo, red as a ripe tomato slid down the wall and nced down at his waist ¨C which made him get even more embarrassed and hurriedly look around.

    "¡­oh thank goodness, no one saw it right¡­?"

    He breathed out and stood up, walking off awkwardly going back to his room¡­ to somehow deal with the¡­ situation at hand¡­

    The dungeon''s entrance really was close by, just a few steps after disappearing from Reo''s eyes, Zoemi opened the door and entered the supposedly unused part of the Academy''s facilities.

    Surprisingly ¨C considering that it was supposed to be mostly unused ¨C the passage and the stairs leading underground were well lighted by mana crystals and free of any sort of dust even though Zoemi was fairly certain that the Academy''s staff wasn''t tasked with their upkeep.

    "¡­ph¡­"

    Going down the stairs Zoemi felt something more than he heard it.

    Even with his augmented hearing, the voice he heard could easily be mistaken for a mouse rustling in its nest ¨C but the ck-haired boy had instinctively realized that it wasn''t the case.

    One sentinel confirmed that Teo was safe in her room and the other keeping an eye on teacher Rokiana who was in the party hot on the trail of the murderer, pursuing him without giving him any chance to take a breather, and the rest was scouring the Academy''s ground without encountering any of the people of interest, giving Zoemi chance to carefully check the dungeon.

    None of the cells was supposed to be in use ¨C and most of them looked the part ¨C the whole dungeon should have been off-limits.

    ''Should'' was the keyword as someone ¨C most likely the teacher conducting some secret research with the consensual help of some students ¨C has done some remodeling that allowed for the magic experiments.

    "¡­"

    But that wasn''t the part that picked Zoemi''s attention.

    On the other hand, it was one of the cells in the back ¨C a particrly small one¡­

    ¡­too small¡­

    Even if Zoemi wasn''t able to see the unique shadow of the stone wall ¨C a stronger version of an earth wall spell ¨C present, he would have noticed that the cell''s dimensions had been altered.

    "¡­please, be alive¡­"

    Zoemi gritted his teeth and touched the surface that imitated the back walls of every other cell around, and a murky shadow erupted from his hand and engulfed it all.

    It was different than with the Air Emperor ¨C the wind summon spell was basicallyposed of mana in its entirety just like was the case with the darkness de spell ¨C the earth and stone wall spells actually used the soil and stones and put them up together with mana as an adhesive keeping it together.

    Hence it took him a lot more than just a few seconds to be done with it.

    The ck-haired boy was especially careful because he dreaded the idea of the blond heroine being encased in the stone and getting devoured by his shadow together with the earth spell.

    Finally, the fake wall got digestedpletely, revealing the missing part of the cell¡­

    "Burushi¡­!"

    ¡­and the barely alive, heavily wounded blond-haired girl partially embedded into the actual wall¡­.

 Chapter 257 - End Of Xeonithâ€™s Route (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 257 ¨C End Of Xeonith¡¯s Route (part 2)</h4>

    "¡­ph¡­!"

    At first, seeing the wall disappear and the light from the outer part of the dungeon illuminated the previously closed off part of the cell, the heroine flinched and tied to struggle ¨C which aggravated her twisted arms and legs and aggravated the wounds that barely stopped bleeding, making fresh crimson liquid sip down the ck-and-blue skin¡­

    ''Burushi! Calm down! It''s me ¨C Zoemi, the actual one, not the darkness magician!"

    The ck-haired boy approached her as fast as he could and reached out, getting a hold of the y-made muzzle that blocked the heroine''s mouth and outrageously most of her nose too ¨C it was obvious that it was made ¨C or rather formed ¨C so that the victim couldn''t call for help or make any recognizable noises.

    "Fuck¡­"

    Zoemi nced at the girl''s body, most of her uniform was stripped away but she wasn''tpletely naked ¨C which didn''t change the fact that most of her bones seemed to be broken, her arms and legs in particr ¨C especially fingers and toes.

    Whoever had done that to her clearly wanted to torture her as it was obvious that causing her pain was the most important objective of most of the wounds.

    The ck-haired boy reached out to the y muzzle and shredded it down with his spells, preferring to risk bruising Burushi''s skin with magic rather than ripping off her flesh together by the earth spell.

    "¡­pu-huaa¡­"

    The blond heroine took a deep breath but didn''t say a thing, only watching Zoemi with unfocused eyes ¨C she really couldn''t be more out of it.

    Well, that much was expected ¨C she wielded a healing attribute, and considering that none of her wounds were healed, she must have suffered a severe mana depletion.

    "Dear heavens¡­ when did this happen? Did he keep you here since yesterday¡­?!"

    Zoemi ¨C being rather assumptions about the identity of the culprit ¨C asked and proceeded to excavate the broken arms and legs of the heroine from the wall and did his best to grab and lower her in such a way that wouldn''t cause any unnecessary pain ¨C but it was extremely difficult to do as there weren''t many spots on her body that weren''t painful to touch.

    "¡­morning¡­"

    "!!!"

    In the end, he ended up carrying her like a small child and flinched when he heard her weak, yelp-like voice near his ear.

    She could barely speak, but she seemed to be capable of responding to him.

    "¡­I¡­ wanted to go¡­ to you¡­ or¡­ Miriette¡­ but¡­ he caught me¡­ the shadow teacher was¡­. going to escort me¡­ but¡­ he disappeared¡­ and Xeonith showed up¡­

    The girl cried out weakly, unable to muster any strength in her broken limbs.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi gritted his teeth at the confirmation of his worst fears¡­

    ¡­the shadow corpse puppet disappearance ¨C so Aspakeony''s disappearance too ¨C seemed to ur at the suspiciously convenient time, which made Zoemi assume that they were connected ¨C for better or worse¡­

    Honestly, as cruel as it might have sounded, it might sound very cruel, but in the world that didn''t have any means of taking photographic evidence, it would be best to keep Burushi as she was to fully showcase Xeonith''s crimes¡­

    "Shadow theater ¨C ultra heal."

    ¡­but that certainly wasn''t on Zoemi''s mind at the moment ¨C as soon as the girl was freed from the wall, the ck-haired boy instantly reached into the world of dancing shadow and reached for the strong-looking healing spell which must have been thest one that the heroine used before running out of mana.

    "¡­ah¡­!"

    Burushi twitched as the very familiar feeling spread through her body, mending and connecting the bones, treating the damaged internal organs, reconnecting the muscles, and clearing out the bruises, even her nails regrew to the exact same extent as they were before.

    She still suffered mana depletion, but the pain waspletely gone.

    "¡­u¡­ uuuueeeeeeeeeee¡­.!"

    Once she realized that she was actually safe, the sliver of strong will she was holding on to snapped and she clung to the boy who helped her and started bawling her eyes out.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi said nothing and merely reached out and started patting the heroine''s head¡­

    It was a good thing that Burushi couldn''t see his face ¨C it turned into a lifeless mask of pure undiluted hatred, a fair representation of what was going on inside Zoemi''s head.

    |KILL! KILL THEM ALL! KILL THE FILTH THAT DARES TO ALLY WITH THEM!|

    The beastly roar echoed through his very soul, and honestly¡­

    Zoemi found no reason important enough to disagree with the idea.

    "Uuuueeee¡­! Ughueee¡­! He hurt me¡­! And he was hurting me¡­! And there was this explosion, and everything trembled, and he went to check it out¡­! He said that no one will look for me¡­! That no one will even bother to look for me¡­ that I am a worthlessmoner¡­! He said that when he will return, he will.. that he will¡­ have some fun before he kills me¡­"

    "¡­"

    Burushi started muttering while her whole body trembled so much as if she was freezing, making Zoemi''s hatred only grow that much stronger.

    "No. He will not do anything to you. He will not do anything to anyone. Ever again. I give you my word."

    The ck-haired boy spoke in a shockingly calm voice as if his anger breached a certain threshold and it was no longer possible to express it through voice or expression.

    He merely continued patting the heroine''s head while walking out of the cell and then up the staircase.

    |¡­pass teacher Rokiana my message ¨C the student of the academy needs you, leave the murderer to others ¨C and then bring her back to the academy.|

    Zoemi contacted the sentinel that he sent to check up on the blue-haired teacher who was interested in his father and ordered it, sharing the appropriate amount of mana with it.

    That was why¡­

    "¡­eh¡­? Wh-what¡­? Was that the principal or the new teacher¡­? Which student¡­?"

    ¡­when Zoemi walked out of the dungeon, Rokiana Grea Perserios was already waiting for them ¨C confused about what in the world just happened after an odd shadowynternmunicated with her via the message spell.

    "AH¡­!?"

    One look was more than enough to convince Rokiana of the seriousness of the situation.

    "What happened, quick- give her to me!"

    The blue-haired teacher gasped seeing the state of Burushi''s clothing ¨C how much more serious her reaction would have been if she had seen how the heroine looked before Zoemi has healed her.

    "¡­"

    Seeing her extended arms, Zemi frowned and stepped back out of pure reflex ¨C and hurriedly checked Rokiana''s shadow¡­

    ¡­it was clear of any signs of something controlling her ¨C but to tell the truth, the ck-haired boy wasn''t entirely sure whether it was how the possession of one of the Ghosts looked like¡­

    "Zoemi¡­ did, you found her, what happened? Did the murderer do that to her before he escaped?"

    Luckily enough, instead of getting angry, the blue-haired woman calmed down a little bit after seeing the boy''s reaction and asked cautiously.

    "¡­It was¡­ Xeonith¡­"

    "¡­"

    "!!!"

    The heroine sobbed shaking in Zoemi''s arms at the mere thought of the attacker, making Zoemi grit his teeth and Rokiana flinch in shock.

    "Xeonith!? Xeonith Zarble Derizno!?"

    The blue-haired teacher was so shocked that she took a step back.

    "¡­yes¡­ If Zoemi hasn''t found me in the dungeon¡­ Xeonith would have¡­"

    Burshi, who seemed to be recovering her mana at a satisfying rate now that she was healthy and safe, nodded even managed to move a bit and turn to the blue-haired teacher.

    "Dungeon!? How? It''s supposed to be closed! Did Xeonith have the key? How did you get there? The door is magically enhanced! No one can enter without a key¡­!"

    Rokiana moved her head between Zoemi and Burushitto as her eyes widened at the revtion.

    "Xeonith had the key¡­ I don''t know from where."

    The heroine trembled while recalling the piece of information.

    "He became the student''s supervisor so he could get the key from the staff or even a teacher. For me ¨C the door wasn''t locked when I went there."

    ¡­while Zoemi shrugged his shoulders, and in the end decided it was okay to entrust his friend to the blue-haired woman¡­

    "Please, take care of her, teacher ¨C I have other things to do."

    He spoke while closing the distance he put between himself and Rokiana a moment ago and passed her the blond girl, despite Burushi''s attempts to keep clinging to him.

    "¡­N-noo¡­! What if he wille back for me¡­?!"

    She cried reaching her hands back to the ck-haired boy.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi looked at her with his lifeless eyes and reached out his hand to the side without a word.

    Before either Burushi or Rokiana could ask him what he was doing, the shadowy sphere that teleported the blue-haired teacher back to the academy floated right into the boy''s palm and transformed into¡­

    "¡­eh¡­?"

    "A¡­ plush toy¡­?"

    Just as their gasps suggested, the basketball-sized sphere turned into a rough shape of a teddy bear ¨C thanks to the shadows being murky and not perfectly pitch-ck it was even possible to discern some of the toy''s features even though undoubtedly it wasposed of the same material that the sphere itself.

    "If someone who would want to harm you like that shows up, this will protect you."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders indifferently and pushed the shadow teddy bear into the shocked blond girl''s hands, and she ended up hugging it out of reflex ¨C and became shocked at how close to the real thing it felt to touch.

    "Zoemi, there is a murderer on the loose, what are you nning to¡­?"

    Rokiana raised her brow at the spell she had never seen nor heard of and asked the ck-haired boy who already turned his back on them.

    "Attendant''s duties. Cleaning."

    The boy spoke and¡­. vanished in the flick of shadow.

 Chapter 258 - End Of Xeonithâ€™s Route (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 258 ¨C End Of Xeonith¡¯s Route (part 3)</h4>

    The ck-haired boy appeared in the back of the Academy''s building ¨C right on the spot where the second- and third-year students were supposed to have their mandatory duels.

    Right in front in the very middle of the marked arena, a gigantic icicle ¨C with the diameter of the entire fountain in the front of the Academy ¨C was sticking out of the ground unaffected by the temperature outside, it didn''t bear any traces of melting at all.

    "¡­"

    Just being in its presence was enough to slow down the flow of mana in the body of any magician aside from the few chosen ones wielding the ice attribute, and Zoemi was no different¡­

    ¡­so he simply switched his enchantments into that of an ice attribute ones, getting rid of the problem entirely¡­

    |This would probably also serve as an evidence or something, but I need to replenish my mana¡­|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself while reaching his hand to the transparent pir and¡­

    *CRACK*

    ¡­the murky shadows erupted from the ground and swallowed it whole without the slightest problem ¨C it went so fast because there was no reason for the ck-haired boy to be as careful as with the stone wall back in the dungeon.

    "¡­huh¡­ that was a lot¡­ that guy must have a lot of mana, or he spent most of it on this one¡­"

    Zoemi muttered to himself before disappearing again.

    He made sure that no one from the Academy or the dormitory would see his face, hoping for the casual clothes he had literally never worn before would mask his identity well enough¡­

    ¡­no, actually, he wasn''t even thinking about it, he just wanted to get stronger before he would hunt down Xeonith Zarble Derizno because he didn''t want to just catch him.

    He wanted to absolutely obliterate him and end him only after that fucking sadist would start begging for mercy ¨C of course only after admitting with whom he joined forces and what happened to the gray-haired necromancer and her corpse puppets.

    ¡ª-

    After that, Zoemi showed up right next to one of his sentinels on the wall surrounding the Aspakeony Academy.

    "¡­he sure doesn''t want to fight the murderer, he only wants to use the confusion to get himself an alibi for what he did to Burushi¡­ Or maybe he really is trying to catch the murderer himself¡­? A sadistic torturer and an aspiring rapist at night and the hero protecting his family''s best interest during the day¡­? Oh¡­ I will make sure that you will meet your end from the ice attribute one way or another¡­"

    Zoemi gritted his teeth while crouching at the wall as a translucent ice-de with a threatening aura grew straight out of the base of his palm.

    It wasn''t the lousy darkness de the size of a dagger but a full-sized sword de with the length perfectly matching the ck-haired boy''s height.

    "¡­sentinels¡­"

    Zoemii called out and a dozen new sentinels appeared around him.

    "You all will search for that piece of filth Xeonith. A transcended earth magician, either he''s a cunning coward or a hypocritical here-wannabe. Find him for me."

    He ordered, motioning with his chin at the buildings close to the Academy''s walls.

    The ck-haired boy didn''t just appear at that particr spot randomly ¨C this was the only side of the Academy that was neighboring any sort of buildings.

    Warehouses in particr ¨C and some of them even belonged to the Academy as well.

    They would provide a perfect hiding spot for someone in need of it.

    Zoemi appeared there because that was the spot where he would flee with Miriette and n their next move if the Academy would be contested ¨C at least it WAS the n when Zoemi had a lot less mana than he did at the moment¡­

    Still, if Xeonith would follow the same pattern¡­

    He would get outside the Academy''s grounds, not too far away, actually, it would be preferable to stay very close, and when the teachers that were rmed by Reo would start looking for him, he woulde out to meet them all angry and grumpy saying that he couldn''t find the murderer even after he searched for so long.

    And to tell the truth, immediately after arriving at the Aspakeony Academy while still believing that the world was a game, Zoemi has already checked out the best hiding spots outside the academy grounds just in case he would have to help MIriette hide to escape the bad ending.

    Well, he just wanted to be prepared just in case flying wasn''t an option and they had to evacuate.

    If Xeonith and Zoemi were truly thinking alike, the brown-haired capture target would definitely pick one of those hiding spots.

    Thanks to that, the range of search became rather contained ¨C and it was now searched thoroughly by the dozen shadow sentinels.

    Funnily enough, he didn''t even wait for all that long for the positive result.

    What was even funnier was that he could have actually seen the ce from where he was standing at the moment ¨C although, to his defense, most of the building in question was obstructed by another one.

    Still ¨C it must have been the ce ¨C it wasn''t normal for a storehouse to have huge holes in their walls and crumbling roofs, was it?

    The ck-haired boy teleported towards the sentinel who traced the shadow of the powerful earth spell¡­

    ¡­together with ice spells¡­

    "Pffft¡­!"

    Zoemi couldn''t help but snort at the irony.

    Whether Xeonith was trying to use the search for the murderer as an alibi or not ¨C low and behold, he did find him splendidly and was fighting for his life!

    Howe Zoemi could tell that? Well ¨C the storehouse wasn''t a ruin when he first checked it a few months back.

    "Perfect, a snack~"

    Zoemi smirked, reaching out to the several ice spears sticking out of the wall, and instantly turned it into his own mana.

    As one would expect, the biggest and most important change that happened to his spells was the change to his mana conversion ¨C where he was using it to create shadow mana, it was ridiculously inefficient ¨C but where he merely adjusted the spell a little bit with the idea of changing the mana into one without attribute that would then be changed into whatever was necessary, it not only cranked up the efficiency to almost one hundred percent, it also just so happened to be replenishing his existing mana.

    That was a proper cheat ability.

    With that in mind, after regaining half the mana he spent on conjuring the sentinels, the ck-haired boy peeked inside the destroyed building and¡­

    "I SAID, DON''T COME ANY CLOSER, YOU SCOUNDREL¡­! ROCK BLAST! ROCK BLAST! ROCK BARRAGE!"

    A voice full of both panic and desperation came from inside the warehouse ¨C and Zeomi certainly didn''t need to empower his hearing to be able to notice how absolutely scared that piece of shit Xeonith was~!

    The brown-haired capture target already had his stone armor activated but even so, he was backing off and casting spell after spell to keep the distance between him and a pale-blue-haired man.

    If not for the hair color, that man could be easily mistaken for some random passerby, not even a merchant or a lower noble, just a basicmoner.

    Average height, normal clothes, he had a mustache and beard that made him look a bit scruffy though ¨C although maybe because he was constantly on the run, he most likely didn''t have much time to take care of himself.

    But there was no chance to mistake the chilling aura of the ice magic.

    The man had his enchantments activated, his whole body was glowing with an icy shine and the temperature around him was low enough for a white frost to cover the many bags neatly stored along the walls of the warehouse that he found the heir of the Derizno family.

    How could anyone have any doubts about that scene!

    Seeing Xeonith in person actually made Zoemi lose any trace of amusement he had over the situational irony¡­

    The ck-haired boy looked around going as far as sending his sentinels to check whether someone could interfere with the ambush, and nodded to himself in satisfaction when it was confirmed that the three of them are the only ones there.

    "¡­isn''t that perfect¡­?"

    Zoemi breathed out with ha grim satisfaction ncing at the translucent ice de growing from the base of his palm.

    Even if the murderer won''t be enough to finish Xeonith on his own, the brown-haired capture target will meet his end through ice ¨C that much was certain.

 Chapter 259 - End Of Xeonithâ€™s Route (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 259 ¨C End Of Xeonith¡¯s Route (part 4)</h4>

    It looked like things weren''t going all that smoothly for the ice magician attacking the transcended earth magician as one would expect.

    Despite Xeonith panicking and almost wetting his pants, when it came to the strength and amount of spells he couldsh out at the moment''s notice he wasn''t a pushover by any means.

    The brown-haired capture target despite being an absolute scum was a powerful transcended earth magician and although the ice mana''s aura hampered the speed at which his spells appeared after he shouted the incantation, the spells themselves were still just as strong and managed to keep the murderer at bay.

    It appears that the two were at a stalemate.

    Until the murderer could actually physically grab Xeonith or hit him with a spell, there was no way to seal his mana flowpletely.

    "Haa¡­ Good¡­"

    Zoemi breathed out and his breath became a white mist, the ice attribute was truly fearsome¡­

    ¡­and so was the expression on the face of the ck-haired boy.

    Having Xeonith die by the hands of the murderer while pissing himself from fear would be good, poetic even ¨C but the beastly voice inside of him was roaring for participation.

    "Shadow connect ¨C cobweb"

    Zoemi clenched his fists and activated a mixed spell, the next second tens and hundreds of hair-width shadow sprouted up from beneath his feet and connected to every single shadow inside the warehouse, essentially making it the boy''s territory.

    ¡ª¡ª

    "ROCK BARRAGE! ROCK BLAST! ROCK¡­!"

    Xeonith was shouting his lungs out, keeping the spellsing and forcing the pale-blue-haired man to keep his distance¡­

    "HMPH!"

    The murderer scoffed and stomped his foot and a wave of ice erupted from underneath it, throwing itself at the brown-haired boy.

    "EARTH WALL! STONE WALL! STONE BARRAGE!"

    The direct attack was immediately stopped by the mound of soil breaking through the wooden floor, followed closely by a much bigger and sturdier one that instantly started shooting out pieces of itself forcing the murderer to jump back and dodge, often tanking the missiles with his body covered in a protectiveyer of ice.

    "STONE BLAST!"

    *BOOOOOOM*

    "GHU-AGH¡­!"

    No matter how pitiful the squeals of the heir of the Derizno family were, the way he chained his spells together was impressive ¨C as the projectiles stuck into the ice armor exploded at his next incantation, throwing the ice-magician back and mming him against the wall and caused him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

    "Stone¡­! Huh¡­?! Ah!"

    Xeonith was in the middle of the next panicky incantation when he realized that there was something wrong since the oppressive freezing aura had subsided substantially and he even dared to peek over from his defenses ¨C ending up gasping with excitement.

    "Ahahahaha! Of course! Who do you think I am?! No maniac stands up a chance against me!"

    The brown-haired boy changed from the fearful to overconfident in a matter of second which was amon trait of a coward andughed at the wounded man.

    "Why don''t youe over and finish me off the? Fucking Deriznos'' brat!"

    The pale-blue-haired man spat out more blood and bared his teeth in a furious grin.

    He tried to raise his hand to properly aim the ice spear and impale the cheeky brat but he realized a bit toote that his arms were really messed up with muscles and tendons, his right shoulder had even exposed bones, cracked because of the explosion.

    "Pffft¡­! AHAHAHAHAHA! Say whatever you want, loser ¨C nothing changes the fact that I overpowered you by my superior tactics!"

    "Pissing yourself count''s as a tactic? At least have enough shame to admit that you overpowered me because you put more mana in your offensive spells than I did to my defensive ones ¨C you have as many tactics as those pants of yours frozen solid because of urine."

    The brown-haired boyughed triumphantly but was put back in his ce instantly by the scruffy pale-blue-haired man.

    "¡­bark as much as you want, dog. But it is I Xeonith Zarble Derizno am the one to discover your identity and will put your crimes to an end!"

    Xeonith gritted his teeth but having his opponents on the ropes helped cool down his temper and regain hisposure ¨C which only lead to making him be that much more proud and confident.

    "Discover my identity¡­? Are you kidding me¡­?"

    "¡­!"

    The pale-blue-haired man twitched and red up at the brown-haired boy, making him flinch and step right back behind his magic walls.

    "I am Ludier Gmroze, the pawns of your father assassinated my family to get their hands on the mines in my territory. It was your father who pushed me into this¡­ so I will make sure that he will learn the taste of his own medicine!"

    Ludier growled and the temperature around him dropped like a rock, freezing over his ow wounds and spreading ice and frost all around him.

    "Ha! As if that will work now! Stone ar¡­"

    *STAB*

    Xeonith snorted mockingly, stillpletely sure of his advantage ¨C the brown-haired boy was about to use the spell turning himself into a golem to make sure that there will be a protective barrier between him and the pale-blue-haired man ¨C but before he could finish his incantation he felt an odd stinging in his left foot and looked down¡­

    ¡­to see a bloodied translucent de piercing right through his foot¡­

    *SLASH*

    ¡­that chopped off half of it the next moment before sinking back into the darkness¡­!

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

    "?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

    Xeonith screamed and threw himself back while the fresh wound was spraying blood everywhere, leaving Ludierpletely speechless.

    This certainly wasn''t his doing, as silly as it sounds, his specialties were spears and other piercing projectiles, not actual des¡­

    "Huh¡­?!"

    But to add to the weirdness of the situation, the pale-blue-haired man suddenly felt someone''s palm touching his back, even though he was supposed to be by the wall¡­!

    No, he DEFINITELY was by the wall!

    Who''s hand was it?!

    "¡­?!"

    His shock turned into bewilderment when a wave of relief spread through his body in an instant.

    One quick look at his wounds was enough to notice all of the healing at a rapid speed, within the few seconds that Xeonith spend tossing and screaming his lungs off, the bloody ragged clothes were the only proof that the pale-blue-haired man was ever hurt.

    "What the FUCK is going on here¡­?!"

    Ludier cursed and, moving away from the wall, saw only a murky shadow in the spot where he was sitting just a moment ago as if the light didn''t work properly and forgot to illuminate that one spot.

    "C-y forming¡­!"

    Xeonith managed to cry out while holding onto what was left of his foot, using the same spell that he made a muzzle for Burushi to stop the bleeding.

    "Damn it¡­! Fuk¡­! Fuck¡­! How did y¡­ YOU¡­?!"

    The brown-haired boy cursed, wiping the tears and snot off of his face, but ended up almost falling over ¨C again ¨C once he saw thee healed up Ludiering his way.

    The pale-blue-haired man was confused about the person ¨C or a group of people ¨C helping him, but he wasn''t going to bother figuring it all out while his target was right in front of him.

    "Ice pike. Icence."

    Ludier spoke, using the incantations for the first time during that confrontation and two massive spear-like ice projectiles appeared on both sides of his body as he controlled them with his hands.

    "Derizno boy, which is quicker in your opinion? Your rocks or my ice?"

    The pale-blue-haired man''s face brightened up by a maniacal grin when his readied spells trembled, ready to pierce the brown-haired boy the moment he tries to make his move.

    "S¡­! STONE ARMOR!"

    It turned out that Xeonith was unwilling topete against Ludier with his attack spells, opting for the protective earth spell that turned him into a ten-foot-tall golem ¨C which was less than half of the destroyed warehouse''s height.

    But in turn, Xeonith''s giving his full attention to Ludier was the objective of the sneaky helper watching over the entire skirmish¡­

    "WHAT THE¡­?!"

    Funnily enough, Ludier was also the one to notice what was going under the roof o the warehouse, right above the Xeonith''s golem-like body, and made him let out a shocked shout that unfortunately made the brown-haired boy look in the same direction too¡­

    "HUH?!"

    That is why the emergence of the monstrous humanoid beast wielding a long translucent ice de was witnessed by both the murderer and his future victim.

    "Boo."

    The beastly shadow warrior scoffed and burst out of the massive murky shadow, cascading onto the stunned Xeonith like an unrelenting waterfall.

    *SHING* *SHING*

    *SPLURT*

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRFFFFFGGGGGGGGGGGG¡­!"

    The ice de sang a mortal song and the hands of the stone golem were trimmed to pitiful stubs that started spraying out crimson blood everywhere as Xeonith stumbled back while screaming in pain while the beastly warrior simply disappeared into the murky shadow that spread on the floor from below the golem''s feet as if it was a deep body of water.

    "Honestly, I thought that I would be killing a spoiled but otherwise innocent kid to make his father feel the same pain that I did¡­ but I guess that might not be the case¡­ Or am I missing something."

    Ludier raised squinted his eyes and looked to the side, away from the thrashing brown-haired boy and straight at the shadowy figure that simply stepped out of the murky darkness behind one of the warehouse''s support pirs.

    "As long as you don''t have anything against the Espine family or any of my friends, I am your ally in this fight, sir Gmroze¡­. but first¡­ Filth, I merely cut off the tips of your fingers and thumbs, seal it with y and get back up, trash ¨C it''s time for you to learn what true despair tastes like¡­ and die."

    "¡­!"

    Zoemi nodded at the pale-blue-haired man, surprising him with knowledge about his identity, but without going into details, he turned around and red down at the wailing Xeonith while making sure that the pieces of mana-infused rock that he cut off would sink right into his shadow and add up to his mana pool.

 Chapter 260 - End Of Xeonithâ€™s Route (part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 260 ¨C End Of Xeonith¡¯s Route (part 5)</h4>

    "You were listening in on our little exchange of pleasantries and still want to help¡­?"

    Ludier asked while stepping forward, wary about the beastly shadow warrior of unknown origin that suddenly just popped up.

    "I did, but I knew about you beforehand ¨C the disinformation campaignunched by the queen and the Derizno family isn''t perfect."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and dered, making sure that his armor will automatically swallow any spellunched at it just in case Ludier would turn on him at the moment''s notice.

    The thing he said wasn''t the truth but merely a lie he came up with on the spot to gain the trust of the pale-blue-haired man.

    "Really? And what about the friends of yours?"

    Ludier scoffed and nced to the sides while Xeonith was still too busy adjusting to the pain of getting his fingers and thumbs forcefully shortened by Zoemi.

    "Friends¡­? What do you mean?"

    The ck-haired boy raised his brow even though the pale-blue-haired man was unable to see it because of the beastly helmet of the shadow armor.

    "The one that created that de for you and the one who healed me just now."

    Ludier scoffed and shook his head, clearly angry that he was treated like an idiot.

    "Sorry to break it to you, but it is only me. I don''t know if it will help you understand, but you can think about me as a strong shadow magician."

    "¡­I see¡­ huh¡­ That sounds like old man Banemor when he was alive¡­ Are you perhaps rted to the Banemors?"

    Zoemi exined indifferently, which surprisingly was instantly taken by Ludier at the face value, which honestly was weed.

    "No. Not to my knowledge at least. I was born in the slums of the capital, quite an unlikely ce for anyone with a surname to end up in. But now¡­ I have a request ¨C that piece of filth tortured and almost killed a friend of mine who helped me a lot, I want to make him regret ever raising his hand against her before we kill him."

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders again and answered shortly before changing the subject back on the matter at hand¡­

    Xeonith was quiet¡­ too quiet¡­

    "AS IF I LET ANYONE KILL ME! ROCKFALL!"

    As if he waited just for that, the brown-haired boy pushed his encased body high into the air, breaking through the warehouse''s roof, and while mid-air he cast of the stone armor like a chrysalis and sent it down in the devastating rain that leveled not only the one warehouse but all the ones surrounding it too.

    "ROCK ERUPTION!"

    As if that was not enough, he cast a follow-up spell, turning all the projectiles he created into bombs that started a chained eruption powerful enough to cause an earthquake that easily reached the Aspakeony Academy.

    "Stone armor!"

    As Xeonith was falling back onto the ground, he recast the defensive spell, making himself a brand-new golem body just in case the murderer and his shadowy helper miraculously survived the attack that consumed just about half of his remaining mana, sending him straight into the beginning stage of the mana depletion state.

    Needless to say, hisnding alone caused another tremor, although this one on a much smaller scale and¡­

    "GHUAGH¡­!"

    Only a second or two after his stone-d feet touched the ground giving him a false sense of security, two ice spears flew right ut of the debris and impaled his armor''s torso while also grazing his actual flesh and blood torso, although barely, making him let out a panicked scream when the ice mana came in contact with his earth mana, slowing its flow to a crawl.

    "H-how¡­?!"

    Xeonith gasped, staring in disbelief at the pale-blue-haired man standing tallpletely unharmed right next to an equally unaffected beastly shadow warrior.

    "HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?! EVEN IF THE ROCKFALL DIDN''T KILL YOU, THE ROCK ERUPTION SHOULD¡­! Ah¡­!"

    The brown-haired boy lost his temper extremely easily and shouted his lungs out before he flinched and realized that although the ce where the warehouse the three of them fought was destroyed by his initial spell, it looked like the chains explosion didn''t reach it at all.

    "HOW?!"

    Xeonith roared furiously.

    "The explosion was quite nice, but there need to be any rocks around to explode in the first ce, don''t you think?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and the next moment all the debris around the three of them sunk into the murky darkness hidden beneath int until that point ¨C and to make add insult to injury, the ck-haired boy adjusted his shadow armor so that the beastly helmet disappeared for a moment, reviling his face to the stunned brown-haired boy.

    "Espine''s attendant¡­? You¡­?! B-but¡­ you were a weakling¡­!"

    Xeonith gasped and almost stepped back ¨C almost, because not only did the massive spears impaling him keep the golem-like armor in ce but also his stone-d legs partially sank in the darkness and were held in ce by something that could not be seen from outside.

    "PFFFFTH¡­! GHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I like you, kid! You want to torment him first to get back for what he did to your friend, right? Be my guest! ARROWS ONSLAUGHT!"

    Ludier trembled and finally burst out in heartyughter, grinning wildly towards the unmasked ck-haired boy, reached out his hands towards the incapacitated Xenith, and shouted an incantation.

    "GHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH¡­!"

    At hismand, hundreds upon hundreds of icicles materialized in the air all around him and pierced inside the stone armor just enough to graze and the body of the transcended earth magician hiding within, sending the numbing, agonizingly painful sensation right through his entire body.

    "Interesting¡­"

    Zoemi nced at the attack and flicked his hand, making a shadow raise for a split second and swallowing a few dozens of projectiles that overall didn''t make any difference on the effectiveness of the attack.

    Xeonith was bing more and more like a porcupine, or an incredibly overburdened pincushion.

    "Oh, so it''s like that. Interesting, you both use the actual elements and put it together with mana in your spells instead of creating it from the mana alone ¨C I was wondering howe some magicians could conserve their mana better than others of the same strength."

    Zoemi nodded to himself ¨C he could have reached for the shadow of the spell, but now that he could regain a portion of mana from the spell of another magician getting a hold of it in such a way was far more efficient.

    "¡­ah, right, you are a shadow magician¡­. Out of the basic six attributes, the ones that have to actually create everything with mana are darkness, fire, and light."

 Chapter 261 - End Of Xeonithâ€™s Route (part 6)

    <h4>Chapter 261 ¨C End Of Xeonith¡¯s Route (part 6)</h4>

    "I see, since you are a shadow magician you are simr to the darkness magician so you never realized that it could be done that way. You must have been wasting a lot of¡­"

    "GGGHHRAAAAAGHHH! FORTRESS! FORTRESS! STONE ARMOR! YOU FUCKERS! I WILL KILL YOU BOTH! I WILL KILL YOU BOTH THEN I WILL GO AND FINISH OFF THAT COMMONER WHORE AND THE ESPINE BITCH TOO! WE''LL SE HOW WILL YOU LIKE THA¡­!"

    Ludier raised his brow in realization and exined, momentarily easing up on the continuous spell, which allowed Xeonith to use up the rest of his mana on creating a castle-sized fortification made out of the dirt and tones that flew towards him right out of the reach of Zoemi''s murky shadow and finished it of by actually turning the fortification into an enormous golem which could have been seen clearly from the Academy building.

    The air around them quaked as if in the middle of a heatwave, creating the biggest air quake that Zoemi ever experienced.

    Even if the teachers that remained in the Academy would stay behind guarding other students, when an earth spell that only someone like Xenith could pull off would show up, they simply HAD to send someone.

    The tremors could be ignored ¨C but not a spell of that size!

    In his panicked desperate struggle to preserve his life, Xeonith had identally made the perfect move that could actually save him.

    "Shut the fuck up, filth."

    "¡­!"

    ¡­except that he followed it up with the worst possible mistake he could ever make ¨C at the mention of the dark-haired girl getting hurt, the boy''s eyes lost any trace of light and life that they carried¡­

    In the same heartbeat that the monstrous fortress-sized golem raised from the ground, the murky shadow form down below raised up like an ocean''s wave and crushed against it, swallowing it whole in a nightmarish twist.

    "!!!"

    Even Ludier had to take a step back, fearfully ncing at his feet where the murky shadow was spreading out ¨C but to his great relief, it seemed like he could stay on top of it no problem.

    After all, Zoemi didn''t consider him an enemy at the moment¡­

    "PU-GHUAGH¡­!"

    When the wave of shadow subsided, the brown-haired boy showed uppletely defenseless and in a state of mana depletion so severe that he couldn''t even properly stand on his two feet and instantly fell on all fours, unable to even string a proper sentence together.

    Still¡­ even if he couldn''t walk, he still tried to crawl away desperately pale as a ghost, ncing behind at the disgusted face of the ck-haired boy ring down at him like on the trash that he always was.

    "¡­dear heavens¡­ how are you able to stand after casting something so ridiculous¡­?"

    Ludier gulped down his saliva, shaking his head ncing between the ck-haired boy and the brown-haired boy.

    "Hatred keeps me up."

    Zoemi scoffed, shrugging his shoulders dismissively, lying as easily as he breathed.

    His mana reservoir was not onlyrger than ever before ¨C it was alsopletely full after converting all of Xeonith''s mana into his own.

    "GHAHA! Good ¨C then let''s finish this before we will get apany. Kid, do you mind me getting thest hit?"

    "Be my guest ¨C you wanted to kill him first after all."

    Ludierughed heartily and offered and Zoemi agreed without any objections.

    After all, everything would work out fine as long as Xeonith would die from the ice spell ¨C it didn''t have to be Zoemi''s¡­

    ¡­or rather it was essential to NOT have the ck-haired boy deal the final blow¡­

    "A kid respecting his elders, what a nice thing to see! Now then, with the two of you showing off spells like that even an old guy like myself feels the need to show off a bit. Here. My greatest spell ¨C look carefully kid, you will be the first person to see this one and walk away to tell the tale!

    Ludier nodded his head and turned to the Xeonith crawling away in an attempt to escape ¨C even in the state of severe mana depletion he had enough brains in him to try and run towards the Aspaekony Academy.

    |Ironic. If Aspakeony was here, she would most likely try to save him since he still is one of her students.|

    Zoemi scoffed to himself and his face twisted in a grim smile.

    "Behold! IMPALER!"

    Ludier took moved his legs, getting a better foothold, and spread his arms apart while his voice boomed over the empty battlefield.

    The next moment Zoemi felt that the air around him became unbearably dry to the point of being painful to breathe in as all the moisture got sucked in by the ice mana moved around by the transcended ice magician.

    If the air quake caused by Xeonith creating a fortress-sized golem was like witnessing a heatwave, the air quake caused by Ludier''s impaler spell wasparable only with suddenly being thrown underwater by a powerful torrent ¨C which was pretty ironic considering thepleteck of moisture in its immediate surroundings at the moment.

    Nheless, Ludier''s spell was taking shape ¨C a humongous ice spear which size dwarfed the trees back on the Academy''s ground.

    The spell itself created frost and ice just to break it apart and increase its already enormous volume.

    "Now¡­ Deriznos brat it''s time ¨C don''t worry ¨C I will send your father your way soon enough too! DIE!"

    Ludier took a deep breath and roared ¨C the spellunched with such might that the shockwave it caused almost toppled the ice magician that cast it, and would actually do that if the ck-haired boy didn''t stepped in and supported him.

    Xeonith''s death was inevitable, with no strength left and under severe mana depletion he simply had no way to escape, the impaler would pin him down like a pitiful bug¡­

    "¡­!"

    Or it should have ¨C but the split second before the ice pierced the brown-haired boy ripping him apart a single ck feather appeared out of the thin air right in the way of the gigantic spear, and the moment that the two met the feather exploded and expanded into a towering barrier that shielded Zoemi and Ludier form the Apsakeony Academy¡­

    ¡­the impaler was trembling in the same spot it was the moment its tip touched the feather as if it wanted to keep going forward, but the perfect silk-like darkness was stopping it right in its track¡­

    "And what the FUCK is THIS supposed to be?!"

    The ice magician who got himself in the light mana depletion state shouted furiously pointing out at the pitch-ck barrier that ended up protecting the brown-haired boy.

 Chapter 262 - End Of Xeonithâ€™s Route (part 7)

    <h4>Chapter 262 ¨C End Of Xeonith¡¯s Route (part 7)</h4>

    The impaler, an enormous ice spear that froze everything in its patch was stopped by the mass of perfect silk-like darkness, which Zoemi''s murky shadow couldn''t evenpare to.

    "YOU!"

    "¡­?!"

    The sight of the silk-like darkness Zoemi couldn''t stop the roar that forced its way out of his throat and the shadow armor expanded all on its own, once again covering his head and face with the beastly helmet.

    "Ah. I see it is safe to assume this isn''t your doing, right, kid?"

    The pale-blue-haired man gulped down his saliva, staring in disbelief at how white frosts and ice covers the surroundings of the gigantic ice spear, proving that the spell itself was working properly¡­

    ¡­and yet the barrier protecting the running brown-haired capture target was not affected by it at all¡­

    What was even more insulting, was that the silky darkness wasn''t even swallowing the ice spell that should have boasted the highest piercing capabilities, exceeding even the basic form of the darkness de.

    "Sir Gmroze, how many transcended darkness magicians do you know?"

    Zoemi gritted his teeth, calming down a little bit after his initial reaction of a bloodcurdling roar, and casually asked the feared murderer even using a proper title to address him.

    "None in person, there was the Banemors of course but I was just a kid myself back when I met them, not to mention that they were shadow magicians and are all long dead. No matter ¨C that little piece of shit will escape, can you do the funky stuff with the shadows again and get him here, or fuck up his other limbs so he wouldn''t be able to crawl away at least?"

    The man shook his head, dismissing the question, and asked in a hasty voice ¨C for him, killing the heir to the most hatred Derizno family was the most important thing.

    The revenge was the sole reason for his existence at that point.

    Unlike how he was portrayed in the game that Zoemi yed, in this world Ludier Gmroze''s reputation was ruined because of the misinformation spread by the Derizno family with the backing from the royal pce, twisting the truth from Ludier being the apostle of just revenge form having his loved ones assassinated because of the political power struggle and greed of the Deriznos, right into a crazy maniac who took pleasure in taking lives of anyone who crossed his path ¨C which was tantly untrue.

    Well, the transcended ice magician did enjoy killing his targets, but at least they were all directly connected with either Derizno family or the murder of his family ¨C he definitely didn''t kill anyone innocent.

    Actually, Xoenith was supposed to be his first innocent victim that was supposed to teach Xeonith''s father the taste of his own medicine ¨C or rather that was the n until Zoemi showed up with his own revenge.

    "Believe it or not, that piece of filth is right there, the barrier ended up encasing him in the darkness, so there is no worry about him escaping as long as it is there."

    Zoemi spoke in a calm voice, making the man raise his brow in confusion.

    "It caught him? So what, it''s not defending him? Is the person responsible for this spell on our side or not?"

    The pale-blue-haired man frowned and clenched his fists, surprisingly enough not questioning howe the ck-haired boy can tell what is happening behind the solid wall of darkness.

    "It''s one of the Ghosts of Bellcephora, how am I supposed to know what a fucking traitor is thinking?"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and his armor became even more beastly and fearsome all on its own.

    "You are kidding me, that''s impossible! The Ghosts are¡­!"

    "Oh dear, you really are as cautious asmander expected. What joy, he usually tends to overestimate our future allies and they don''t end up well, poor souls¡­ what''s even more shocking is that you are severely underestimated in terms of strength."

    "?!?!?!"

    The pale-blue-haired man shook his head, taken aback, but before he could finish his sentence a motherly voice resounded from the perfect silk-like darkness and a jovial looking round woman stepped out from it as if it was just some thick fog and not a barrier that continuously prevented a gigantic ice spear from flying forward and killing the brown-haired capture target.

    "Sweetie, release that spell already, I don''t have a business with you."

    "¡­wha¡­?!"

    The jet-ck-haired woman waved her hand dismissively and smiled at the pale-blue-haired man, making him go wide-eyed.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi didn''t call out to the jovial woman but in response to her words towards Ludier, three additional ice des sprouted out from the boy''s shadow-armor-d hand, making it look like the massive wed paw of a feral beast.

    "Now, now, dear. You don''t have anything to worry about. I am no enemy, there might be some bad aftertaste after meeting ourmander, but even he is a great man after you get to know him."

    It was easy for her to say that, and because of her non-threatening looks and a friendly smile, anyone would be swayed into lowering their defenses¡­

    "¡­"

    Which is exactly why the spot where Zomei''s head should be hidden under the demonic helmet turned into a nightmarish beastly jaw filled to the brim with fangs made out of darkness, ice, fire, and even light.

    "Oh dear, oh dear. Young man, you seem to be a friend of this boy. Could you convince him that I am not a threat? My name is Raseriat, but everyone calls me aunty¡­"

    *STAB*

    "!!!"

    Even the wanted murderer was taken aback when a beam of murky light shot out from Zoemi''s mostly normal-looking hand and tore into the round woman''s eye.

    "What in the world¡­?!"

    Well honestly, the sudden attack wasn''t actually the reason for Ludier''s reaction ¨C it was what happened to Raseriat.

    The attack did sessfully gauged out her eye, but it failed to reach any further into the woman''s head¡­

    ¡­because right underneath it, jet-ck, silky darkness was boiling over as if itposed the woman''s body instead of flesh and blood¡­

    "Did you calm down now, sweetie?"

    ¡­and the woman herself didn''t even flinch or react even remotely as a normal living being should do after receiving such damage.

    "What the fuck is going on?!"

    Ludier gasped, rubbing his eyes as if that was supposed to help anything ¨C being under the early effects of mana depletion wasn''t making the situation any easier either.

    "Dear, how about it, I will give you that earth boy to do whatever you like, and you will help me out talk some sense into this child?"

    "¡­!"

    Raseriat spoke in a pleading voice while making a sad expression making Ludier flinch.

    On one hand, he really wanted to kill Xeonith ¨C it was an essential part of his revenge n, actually.

    ¡­but at the same time, he felt that something was off about the jovial woman in front of him ¨C and it wasn''t the missing eye or the darkness uncovered by the wound.

    "¡­when the Ghosts of Bellcephora betrayed their king, Raseriat was asked with taking out the slightly weaker knights and bodyguards from the royal retinue but she didn''t just pick them up from the servants, maids, and squires from which many were still very young, and killed them all¡­ She''s a bitter, vile piece of thrash that never cured her victimplex although she learned to mask it with the facade of friendliness and joviality¡­ Even amongst the bunch of filthy traitors, she is the one who should be watched out for the most as she will not forgive anyone who even looks in her direction the wrong way even if they are clueless innocent children¡­"

    "!!!!"

    "¡­"

    The beastly head of Zoemi''s armor tilted and a hate-filled voice of the boy came out of it making Ludier flinch while The round woman''s expression seemed to be frozen slid on her face.

    "¡­you talk as if you were there¡­ no one told you not to spread LIES about others, child¡­?"

    Raseriat spoke barely opening her mouth as she was clenching her teeth so hard that it was a wonder that they didn''t crack and break.

    "But I saw it¡­ I remember it clearly¡­ How could I forget that? You filthy ruthless ball ofrd!"

    "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BALL OF LARD, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT?!"

    Zoemi spoke sounding as if he was barely keeping it together on the verge of losing his mind from pure unadulterated hatred and aggression and ended up pointing his wed hand at Raseriat ¨C and caused the round woman to go straight into a frenzy as she suddenly became engulfed in silky jet-ck darkness and the moment''ster she revealed herself with a pair of enormous ck wings spriting out of her back.

    "I was given a free hand at handling you, and you have splendidly fucked your chances for survival, you stinking shitty brat! Who needs a new member anyway?! Most of the ones we already have should have been executed hundreds of years ago!"

    A single p raised her high into the sky from where she red down at the shadow-d boy and spat at him in disgust.

    "Well¡­ I know for sure that I am not helping her out. Kid, what''s the n?"

    Ludier scoffed and asked, optimistic probably only because the mana depletion was clouding his judgment.

    "Stay out of this, and try to survive ¨C it would be great if you could find a way to kill Xeonith as soon as possible too or she might try to get him away from us just to mess us up. Despite her violent nature, she is not good withbat¡­ I actually don''t understand why she didn''t call for the others, but I will not question a blessing. If it''s her, I actually have a chance of winning."

    Zoemi took a step back and whispered cautiously without looking away from the furious woman who seemed to be waiting for something.

    "Alright¡­ so¡­ how the fuck you know all of that?!"

    Ludier breathed out and growled, gritting his teeth.

    "I''m Zoemi, the original personality, I took over because there is a hostile Ghost right in front of me."

    The beastly shadow warrior shrugged his shoulders, making the beastly jaw twist in a morbid grin.

    "Am I supposed to understand anything of what you just said¡­?"

    The pale-blue-haired man shook his head and asked inplete confusion.

    "I don''t care if you get it or not, it is what it is. And that filth will die."

    The beastly warrior dered, lowering his body as if he was getting ready to jump in the air to reach the flying woman.

    "WHY ARE YOU NOT BEGGING ME FOR MERCY, YOU LOWLY SCUM?! I AM RASERIAT OF THE GHOSTS OF BELLCEPHORA!"

    "¡­?!"

    The formerly jovial woman roared at the two below, revealing that not only her body was particrlyrge, but her self-importance too.

    "¡­you hear that? Lovely, isn''t she? Let me tell you an interesting fact. Ghosts of Bellcephora didn''t betray the kingdom because of the discrimination against the darkness magicians they faced in their lives. It was the other way around. Because of how vile and repugnant most of the Ghosts of Bellcephora members were, everyone else started discriminating against the darkness magicians instead."

    The shadow-d boy revealed and¡­

    "!!!"

    Actually jumped up right at the winged woman, with enough force to push Ludier back!

 Chapter 263 - End Of Xeonithâ€™s Route (part 8)

    <h4>Chapter 263 ¨C End Of Xeonith¡¯s Route (part 8)</h4>

    The boy d in a murky shadow shot up into the sky against the member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora ¨C a former special unit of the kingdom''s military that ended up turning traitors and killing their masters in pursuit of overwhelming power.

    "Foolish brat! Who do you think you are trying to reach me?!"

    Raseriat clicked her tongue and pped her wings ¨C which had a double effect- first, the most obvious one was that it propelled her higher to make sure that she would get out of the boy''s reach, but simultaneously tens of loose jet-ck feathers shoot down at the approaching boy, homing straight at him like at the heat-seeking missiles.

    "DIE FOR MOCKING ME!"

    The round woman roared triumphantly as the feathers reached the beastly shadow armor and¡­

    ¡­pierced right through the empty space as Zoemi disappeared in the sh of murky light, causing the ck feathers to slow down and finally disperse into nothingness¡­

    "FUCK¡­!"

    Raseriat flinched and cursed ¨C because of the anger that took her over shepletely forgot what were the known abilities of the ck-haired boy she faced.

    "¡­hmph¡­!"

    The round woman ended up scoffing and her massive jet-ck wings pped, propelling her further and further ¨C whenever the ck-haired boy teleported, he wouldn''t be able to catch up to her while she mo¡­

    *SHING*

    "?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

    The very next second proved Raseriot how wrong she was about it as Zoemi fell at her straight from the above ¨C the only direction that she was so confident that was safe, and his w-like razor-sharp ice des dug right into the unique darkness de that she spent a hundred years developing and perfecting.

    "You¡­! YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!"

    *SLAM*

    Raseriat growled from pure fury ¨C not from the pain of course because her wings were indeed the spell she worked so long on ¨C but the next moment the ice-augmented shadow-d knee crushed straight into her face, stunning her momentarily and giving Zoemi enough time to break off his ice des firmly stuck in the jet-ck wings and kick off back into the sky¡­

    "How in the¡­?!"

    Not paying attention to her broken nose ¨C who was still far lesser damaged than her missing eye ¨C Roaseriat gasped, staring in disbelief at the bly standing in the air firmly as if he was on the solid ground.

    "Wings are so unnecessary to cry when you have magic, were you going for the chubby cherubim look when you created it? Sorry, at best you are a winged pig."

    "YOU FUCKING SHITTY BRAT! DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

    Zoemi looked down at the round woman striking right where he knew for sure that would hurt her the most, ending up sending her right into a blind frenzy.

    Instead of sending tens of feathers, her wings produced hundreds, all of which had one target, the boy in a beastly shadow armor, grinning with a face full of different attribute-based fangs.

    "Ice explosion."

    "¡­eh¡­?"

    But thepletely unbothered boy merely chanted an incantation¡­

    *BOOOOOOOM*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!"

    And the ice des that Raseriat allowed to stay in her wing because she was too busy frothing from her mouth with fury exploded, actually separating the jet ck-wing from the body of the round woman, causing her to lose the steadiness of her flight ¨C obviously ¨C and send her spiraling down to the ground.

    "DARKNESS BLADE!"

    Raseriat didn''t stay lost and confused about what has happened and roared, forcing a brand new wing to sprout from the stubble of the first one that was falling down not much farther away from her.

    *WHOOOOOOOSH*

    "?!?!?!?!?!?!"

    But the moment she stabilized and was about to look back up at the hateful opponent of her, a torrent of murky shadow passed her like a water spout, swallowing her detached wing and crashing down and spreading all over the ground like an actual liquid.

    "The hell was that¡­?!"

    Raseriat gasped, looking between the sky and the ground ¨C first of all, the impudent ck-haired boypletely vanished from the space above together with hundreds of the feathers she shot out, which meant that the reverse geyser of shadow had to be his doing¡­

    "¡­!"

    The round woman flinched and hurriedly shot to the side while turning around like a corkscrew to get a full view around herself, but this time Zoemi haven''t suddenly appeared and attacked her.

    "¡­do you think that some tricks of a pathetic weakling would be enough to mess with me¡­? ME?! WE OF THE GHOSTS OF BELLCEPHORA ARE THE HUMANS CLOSEST TO GODHOOD! WE''VE REACHED THE HUMANITY''S LIMIT OF THE SIZE OF THE MANA RESERVOIR AND WASTING A FEW SPELLS TO SQUASH A BUG LIKE YOU IS NOTHING!"

    She ended up losing it again and roaring while stopping mid-flight and turning herself down towards the puddle of murky shadow, which simply must have been the spot where the ck-haired boy chose to hide.

    "PERISH!"

    Raseriat demanded and her wings grew in size to a ridiculous size which made her body look tiny.

    *CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSH*

    The hail of feathers out of which every single one had the strength of abasic darkness de fell onto the murky shadows, piercing right through it and ripping it and the ground below it into shreds so thoroughly that it all dispersed into loose particles of mana.

    ¡­?

    ¡­the earth dispersed into mana too¡­?

    "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO ONE GETS TO LAUGH AT ME AND LIVE! SERVES YOUR RI-"

    *STAB*

    "-GFUEGH¡­?!"

    The maniacalughter and boastful gloating were cut short by a massive ice spear stabbing into Raseriat''s mouth without prating any further, making her choke on her words ¨C but it didn''t cause any effect aside from making the round woman that much more furious¡­

    After all, there was not a drop of flesh and bloodposing the round woman, only perfect silk-like darkness.

    "¡­GHOU¡­!"

    *CRUNCH*

    The round growled with her face full of ice and ended up biting through the spell, ring furiously at the pale-blue-haired man, extending his hand towards her.

    "¡­ummm¡­ whoops¡­? fuck¡­ I should have expected that this will not work¡­"

    Ludier lowered his arm and stepped back awkwardly, while his body shone with the pale blue light of the ice enchantment, ready to dash away at any given moment.

    "You little piece of shit¡­! I would have let you live but you just had to try to avenge that ungrateful brat!"

    Raseriat gritted her teeth, grounding down whatever ice was left in her mouth, and growled loud enough for the ice magician below to hear her.

    "Avenge¡­?"

    Ludier furrowed his brows and tilted his head in confusion.

    "But¡­ you are about to lose to that kid, you know?"

    He added motioning with his chin at something in the vicinity of the round woman.

    "¡­?"

    Raseriat frowned and ended up looking in the direction ¨C it turned out that Ludier wasn''t bluffing, there was something there.

    A murky shadow sphere, simr to arge paperntern was hovering just beside the reach of her wings.

    "¡­eh¡­? A tiny version of Evorietto''s bubble? What, do they not trust me¡­?!"

    Rasieriat furrowed her brows and gasped when¡­

    "Uwaah¡­!"

    Suddenly she lost some height as something happened to her wing.

    "Darkness de!"

    Thinking that it was due to an attack, she cast the spell again and a brand new pair of wings sprouted from her back ¨C albeit excruciatingly slow ¨C allowing her to regain her bnce in the air and giving her a chance to take a look at the first pair.

 Chapter 264 - End Of Xeonithâ€™s Route (part 9)

    <h4>Chapter 264 ¨C End Of Xeonith¡¯s Route (part 9)</h4>

    "¡­what the¡­ ?"

    Raseriat took a deep breath, bergasted by the discovery.

    Her wings weren''t chopped off or damaged in any way¡­ they were¡­ frozen over¡­!

    And not just by the physical ice ¨C the manaposing them was frozen solid too, rendering the first pair useless¡­

    ¡­and the ones that she created after that were slowly getting covered in frost too¡­!

    "WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN! HOW A MAGICIAN-LEVEL TRASH LIKE YOU LIKE YOU CAN AFFECT A SAGE LIKE M¡­?! ¡­eh¡­?"

    Raseriat''s face turned pale and she growled at the indifferent pale-blue-haired man below ¨C until a dark shape moved at the corner of her vision, and then another, and another¡­

    "?!?!?!"

    The round woman tensed up and looked around, it wasn''t just a single shadow sphere floating next to her but at least two dozens ¨C making her realize that it wasn''t one of her fellow Ghosts keeping an eye on her at all¡­

    "¡­sir Gmroze, please, I tried my best to make her distracted enough to not realize what was happening¡­ I hope that you know that if you pointed my sentinels to her even a second earlier she would be able to get away¡­"

    "YOU ARE ALIVE?!"

    Without any warning, a shadow under the pale-blue-haired man expanded and rose up, allowing the armorless ck-haired boy to walk out of it, prompting Raseriat to growl furiously.

    "Is that so? I misjudged the temperature then¡­ But changing the subject, I see the so-called original personality or whatever is gone?"

    Ludier nced at him and smirked before looking back at the round woman barely managing to keep herself up in the air with two pairs of wings pping slower and slower as more and more ice gathered on them freezing them solid.

    "I think that it''s just the earlier version of me¡­ but¡­ it''s weird¡­ I am not sure what is going on with it¡­"

    Zoemi admitted with a bothered expression, actingpletely reverse to Ludier by ignoring Raseriat as if she was no longer a threat of any sort.

    "DON''T YOU DARE IGNORE ME YOU PIECE OF SHIT BRAT!"

    The member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora roared and reached out her hand ¨C in response to that gesture, her wings spread out to their full extent and¡­

    *crack*

    "¡­eh¡­?"

    ¡­shattered into jet-ck particles that dispersed into the air, sending the shocked woman down to the ground¡­

    "Darkness de! Eh..? Darkness de¡­! DARKNESS BLADE!"

    She shouted again and again but no matter what she did, not even a single particle of mana in her body moved to form the spell.

    "That took long enough¡­ I am getting nauseous from mana depletion, freezing that ridiculous amount of mana is really taking its toll¡­"

    Zoemi, slightly green in the face still smirked and reached his hand to the side.

    Using whatever mana was left in him, he became encased with the shadow armor once more, but unlike thest time when multiple ice des grew out of his right hand a single enormous ice de grew around his entire forearm and extended to the length that was far toorge for any practical de to achieve.

    *BOOOOM*

    Not waiting for Raseriat to hit the ground to finish her off, the shadow-d ck-haired boyunched himself into the air to met her halfway.

    "N-no¡­! NOOOO! H-HELP! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

    Seeing him approaching, the round woman lost whatever was left of herposure and started iling her limbs while wailing, overtaken by despair and fear.

    And then, as if somebody listened to her cry, the attacking boy disappeared from right in front of her, exposing the pale-blue-haired man still on the ground glowing with the ice enchantments.

    "Ah¡­! I-it worked¡­! It worked! GET ME OUT OF HERE! GET ME OUT OF HERE, KIRI¡­!"

    *SHING*

    For a moment, Raseriat really thought that she had a chance, she even felt the connection with the rest of the Ghosts of Bellcephora, so she did her best to transfer whatever she could back to them in order to escape the extremely disadvantageous situation she got herself in ¨C but then the massive ice de sung and cleaved vertically from behind¡­

    *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING**SHING* *SHING* *SHING**SHING* *SHING* *SHING*

    Not settling for just a single slice, the ck-haired boy who teleported behind the round ck-haired woman swung his weapon, again and again, chopping Raseriat into pieces like a butcher preparing the meat.

    "¡­ugh¡­"

    With that, Zoeminded on the frozen ground and gasped when his shadow armor dispersed because of his extremely low mana level, as the remains of Raseriat rained onto the ground right after him.

    He was barely staying conscious and nausea caused by the mana depletion was overwhelming.

    "¡­mana conversion¡­"

    The boy groaned, using whatever was left to extend his shadow and swallow the frozen pieces of the defeated member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora in order to both expand his mana pool and regain the used mana.

    At the same time, the darkness barrier that Raseriat created ceased to exist with her demise, freeing the brown-haired capture target, Xeonith Zarble Derizno.

    "Ah¡­! I¡­ I am ali¡­!"

    *RIIIIIP*

    "GYAHUAAAAAAAGH!!!"

    The same moment that Xeonith lifted his body off the ground, the impaler ¨C a gigantic ice spear that was also freed after the jet-ck wall disappeared ¨C pierced through his pelvis, separating his legs from the rest of his body and ripping out his intestines while flinging it all around the ce in a gory mess that froze over the very next second because of the extremely low temperature.

    "Fuck¡­! I actually fogot bout him¡­! Ghahaha!"

    Ludier flinched after the pig-like squeal of the brown-haired boy being ripped apart reached his ear ¨C but the shock soon turned into satisfaction.

    "Hey, kid, look ¨C you wanted to make him suffer and my impaler gutted him like a fish! Isn''t that a fitting¡­ kid¡­?"

    The pale-blue-haired manughed heartily and nced over at Zoemi to point at the job well done, but then he had to do a double-take when he saw that the ck-haired boy wasying on the frozen ground lifelessly like a puppet without strings.

    "KID?!"

    Ludier gasped and ran over to him and shook his shoulder.

    "Ah¡­ it''s just mana depletion¡­ ghahaha¡­ I have never actually seen anyone get knocked out because of it. Just how much mana do you have, kid¡­?"

    The ice magician breathed out in relief after confirming that the ck-haired boy was breathing steadily ¨C unconscious but not dead.

    "It''s him! That bastard never actually left!"

    "It''s him! I see him! Wind mages! Message the King''s Guard and the pursuing group to return now!"

    "Get him!"

    "That''s a student from my ss! You filthy degenerate, get away from him¡­!"

    "¡­!"

    All of a sudden a group of people scaled the wall to the academy and started shouting seeing the situation below.

    "Ah, fuck¡­!"

    Ludier clicked his tongue and nced towards them all judging his chances in a confrontation.

    ¡­no, there was no reason to mess with innocent people without confirming their connection to the Derizno family¡­

    "Well¡­ they are after me, so you should be alright. You''re in luck, kid."

    Ludier smiled at the unconscious ck-haired boy and put him down before standing up and facing the group of various magicians.

    "Good luck trying to catch me, naive fools!"

    Then, the pale-blue-haired manughed towards the iing people and dashed away faster than anyone could react.

    After all, ifpared to other enchantments of the mages with the same mana level, ice enchantments were the strongest by far!

 Chapter 265 - End Of Xeonithâ€™s Route (part 10)

    <h4>Chapter 265 ¨C End Of Xeonith¡¯s Route (part 10)</h4>

    "For thest time, where is young Xeonith?! You are constantly bothering him so you must know something!"

    An elderly brown-haired female teacher smacked the table with one hand while pointing the other one with usation at the green-haired boy standing on the opposite side.

    "Teacher Auequas, I''ve told you already that I have no idea where he could be, I haven''t talked or even seen him since yesterday. My answer will not change no matter how many times you will ask."

    The green-haired boy responded with a grumpy expression ¨C the woman had not only rudely busted into his room to question him about the other boy, but when he told her that he doesn''t know she dragged him to the faculty office and tried to force him to change the answer.

    ¡­it certainly didn''t help that the green-haired boy ¨C who was of course Reo, one of the capture targets ¨C was doing what Zoemi had told him, and lied about.

    It certainly seemed that the teacher in front of him could somewhat sense it and that''s why she was pressuring him so much.

    ¡­or she was just that annoying¡­

    "You haven''t seen him? Then how do you exin beingte for the beginning of the duels?! Other students reported that you went to see Xeonith! Stop lying and tell the truth!"

    "¡­!"

    Teacher Auequas scoffed and pointed out, making Reo flinch and look away in an attempt to avoid making eye contact with her.

    "Lady Auequas, you really should give it a rest and try to actually look for student Derizno instead of bothering others? This is not a wartime interrogation."

    The elderly woman and the second-year student weren''t alone in the faculty office and their behavior ended up eliciting a reaction from other teachers gathered there ¨C in particr the middle-aged red-haired man, Ikarweth.

    "We must find him as soon as possible! Young Xeonith was still in pain after the first prince''s attack so he couldn''t have gone far in the first ce, it is highly improbable that¡­"

    "It was already established that it was a duel not an attack and saying otherwise is spreading misinformation about the member of the royal family, Lady Auequas."

    The elderly teacher frowned and shook her head but was interrupted by a young blue-haired teacher ring at her coldly.

    "Also, student Derizno must have not been in such a bad shape if he was able to leave his room. We really should be looking for him to confirm whether the usation submitted by student Burushi is true or not."

    The young woman added and her neck muscles stiffened as she tried to keep her emotions at bay.

    "Miss Rokiana, I already told you that the usation is both ridiculous and baseless. Thatmoner girl is clearly just seeking attention and nothing else!"

    The elderly woman scoffed and red back at the blue-haired woman clearly seeking a confrontation.

    "You were present when student Burushi has told me what happened, and I already told YOU that she was found by student Auequas in a horrible condition, so as teachers we are required to confirm the facts. I am not saying that student Derizno is guilty, but outright dismissing student Burushi''s words as easily as you do is irresponsible, to say the least."

    Rokiana certainly wasn''t going to back off especially when the other woman was showing tant favoritism towards the student suspected of harming another student.

    "Do not call that boy by that surname ¨C a foundling like him has no right to use it! And speaking of him, he is also missing, isn''t he? It is far more usible that he was the one messing with themoner girl and then lead young Xeonith somewhere to push the me on him!"

    "¡­"

    Olddy Auequas almost spat to the side while pointing her finger at Rokiana, making the entire office gopletely silent.

    "First of all, student Auequas has the same name as his father, second of all ¨C do you have any evidence supporting the usation against him? I just said that as teachers we need to figure out the truth and instead you are coining a brand new usation all on your own!"

    Rokiana stood up from her seat and stared down at the much older and shorter brown-haired woman who ended up getting red in the face from the anger.

    "That man has no right to that surname either ¨C he was disinherited! As for the other situation, how is my im different from themoner girl''s word? She ims that something happened to her but only has the torn clothes as the evidence without any wounds to show for it ¨C her story sounds entirely made up and knowing her imagination it definitely is!"

    The elderly woman also took a step towards the younger blue-haired teacher clenching her fists as if readying herself to throw a punch at her.

    "You can be as biased in favor to your political allies as you want,dy Auequas, but you are over the line trying to change thews of the Bellcephora kingdom! Even if disinherited, the child has the right to the parent''s surname, the same for their children if they are born before the disinheritance. That includes the adopted ones ¨C the surname and title cannot be transferred any further, but both Mizoe and Zoemi arewfully members of the Auequas family although they have no right to inherit the Auequas territory!"

    The old woman''s words have definitely rubbed Rokiana the wrong way as she also stepped forward, seemingly fully prepared and ready to turn their quarrel into a physical fight.

    "I knew it! You are supporting that outrageous usation only to take a jab at me and my family because you are infatuated in that shameless weakling!"

    "My Mizoe isn''t a weakling, you heartless hag!"

    Everyone had the limit to their patience, and speaking ill about the man she fell for was certainly Rokiana''s weak spot, which the older woman realized and used to derail the argument away from the main subject.

    *rumble*

    "¡­?"

    "What was that¡­?"

    In a rather ironic twist, a sudden tremor that shook the building of the Academy derailed the already derailed conversation as both women and everyone watching them flinched and started looking around in confusion.

    "What was that supposed to be? An earth spell or¡­?"

    Rokiana furrowed her brows and looked atdy Auequas, half expecting the tremor to be the cause of her spell¡­

    "What in the world¡­?!"

    But the brown-haired elderly woman gasped wide-eyed, staring at one of the windows in disbelief.

    "?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

    And all of the present teachers did the same right in time to see a giant stone golem rising up from behind the wall surrounding the Aspakeony Academy ¨C just for it to be swallowed by an enormous wave of murky darkness the next moment.

    "¡­"

    For a few seconds, no one knew how to react ¨C and then everyone felt something else.

    An air quake¡­

    It was impossible to miss, everyone felt the slight vibration of the air, this particr kind of movement that mana causes when it changes into a spell that goes against the natural order, exceeding a specific limit.

    ¡­if it was so easy to recognize even for people inside a building, the power at the epicenter must have been absolutely terrifying¡­!

    But then, as if in response to that, a gigantic wall of jet-ck silky darkness appeared out of nowhere and the sensation stopped.

    "We¡­ we need to check out what is going on there!"

    "NO ¨C this is a sign that we must stay and protect the students!"

    The appearance of the jet-ck barrier seemed to push the people in the faculty office right back on the right track.

    "Sir Wirkenor ¨C contact lord Kross and ask him to return with the pursuing group this instant! Tell him to just leave the murder to the King''s Guard!"

    Rokiana turned to the green-haired teacher, switching into a battle mode, andmanded before turning to the others.

    "Lady Auequas the two of us will immediately go and make sure that the Dormitory building is safe, student Moyena,e with us¡­ LADY AUEQUAS!"

    She dered, but the brown-haired teacher passed her without a word, and out of the door she turned in the direction of the closest exit ¨C that definitely wasn''t the shortest way to the Dormitory building, making Rokiana realize that the brown-haired elderly woman was instead going towards the dangerous spot.

    ¡­and was followed by most of the teachers¡­

    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT THE STUDENTS IN THE DORMITORY ARE SAFE!"

    Rokiana roared after them but her voice fell on deaf ears of the teachers who ended up following the eldest person amongst them instead of the one who despite her young age had seen the most battles, survived most ambushes and other dangerous situations, out of their entire group.

    "Student Moyena, contact as many students as you can to make sure that they are safe!"

    The blue-haired woman gritted her teeth and turned to the green-haired boy still frozen in shock.

    "But teacher¡­ I can''t use message spell¡­"

    "¡­what¡­?"

    Reo flinched and started fidgeting, crimson red in the face from shame, making Rokiana take a step back in shock.

    "¡­I am good with small scale spells and self-taught pranks but for the life of me, I could never master the message spell¡­ I am a failure of a wind magician, I know¡­"

    The green-haired boy clenched his fists and lowered his head.

    "¡­if you can''t then you can''t. No matter, follow me."

    Withoutmenting on the unfortunate weak point, Rokiana breathed out topose herself and waved her hand at him while walking out of the faculty office and turning the opposite way than all of her colleagues, rushing towards the student''s Dormitory building.

 Chapter 266 - The Aftermath (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 266 ¨C The Aftermath (part 1)</h4>

    The group of teachers rushed towards the spot of interest, but before all of them even managed to leave the Academy building the jet-ck barrier disappeared and an enormous spear shot into the sky and disappeared in the distance.

    "¡­!"

    No one was saying anything and everyone was focusing on arriving at the ce as soon as possible, mostly because as they were on their way they were hit with the shockwave of the ridiculously powerful spell.

    "Dear god¡­!"

    "What in the¡­!? What was that¡­!?"

    "Such power, what sort of spell was that!?"

    Some of them broke the silence and voiced their bewilderment loudly, but without slowing down.

    "¡­I have a bad feeling about this¡­!"

    Lady Auequas muttered to herself as the closer they were to the wall surrounding the Academy grounds, the colder the air was bing- their breaths turned into white mist and soon they noticed that the stonesposing the wall itself were covered with white frost.

    "¡­!"

    Someone loudly gulped down their saliva.

    They would have to beplete morons to not realize that the feared murderous ice-magician was the cause of this.

    The possibility of another powerful ice magician just passing by and causing all of that was extremely small.

    ¡­at the same time, all of the teachers thought about the same thing ¨C the earth golem swallowed by shadow¡­

    Was that the missing students doing¡­?

    "What in the world happened here?!"

    They scaled the wall they were hit by the scene straight out of a battlefield with every single building razed to the ground with the debris frozen over.

    It was ridiculous¡­

    To think something like that happened right under their noses¡­!

    "Over there!"

    "¡­!"

    The middle-aged red-haired teacher called, pointing at something¡­

    ¡­and that something turned out to be a scruffy-looking pale-blue-haired man holding an unconscious ck-haired boy that all of the teachers recognized in an instant¡­!

    "It''s him! That bastard never actually left!"

    "It''s him! I see him! Wind mages! Message the King''s Guard and the pursuing group to return now!"

    "Get him!"

    "That''s a student from my ss! You filthy degenerate, get away from him¡­!"

    "¡­!"

    The teachers went into an uproar and the man flinched and turned their way.

    The pale-blue-haired man let go of the ck-haired boy and stood up, his body started glowing with a threatening pale-blue light the next moment too.

    "Good luck trying to catch me, naive fools!"

    Then, the pale-blue-haired manughed towards the iing people and dashed away faster than anyone could react.

    Well, truth to be told, after witnessing firsthand what Mizoe did to Ikarweth, no one had enough faith in themselves to go against someone confirmed to be a transcended ice-magician.

    Therefore after notifying the elderly light magician Kros Rul Shuze leading the pursuing group ¨C that turned out o be pursuing nothing ¨C just hurried towards the ck-haired boy.

    "What is Espine''s attendant doing here? Could it be he was fighting with that murderer? Alone?"

    Someone asked.

    "Don''t be ridiculous, he has barely enough mana to use his spells a few times¡­! Leave him! You all saw the golem too ¨C search for young lord Xeonith instead!"

    The elderly brown-haired woman scoffed dismissively andmanded instead.

    "That''s right¡­"

    Most of the teachers agreed with hearing and spread out, although not very much as they were cautious for the murderer''s return¡­

    Most ¨C but not all ¨C a blue-haired male teacher and a red-haired female teacher stayed by the ck-haired boy and kneeled next to him to check up on his state.

    "Doesn''t look all that bad, don''t you think? On the verge of hypothermia, but no visible frostbite¡­ quite lucky considering who was grabbing him."

    The red-haired female teacher smirked with relief and cast a spell over the boy''s cold body.

    "I''d say that we came in clutch and scared the madman just in time or it could be worse. Forget the frostbite, he would be a meat popsicle alright."

    The blue-haired male teacher nodded and sighed while using his own spell simultaneously with the woman.

    The two spells started warming the up Zoemi better than a hot bath.

    "He really doesn''t look affected by this whole mess, does he?''

    The red-haired female teacher raised her brows and motioned at the thickyer of ice all around them.

    "Probably because he stumbled onto the scene at thest possible moment ¨C or rather, he was brought here¨C you heard the granny from hell, he doesn''t have much mana so whoever has caused the real mess has thrown him here as a bait."

    "You think so? Sounds overlyplicated."

    The two of them smirked at each other, there really wasn''t much to do with the boy, but neither of them wanted to be bothered with the search so they acted as if they were extremly busy.

    "You know, this kid was hurt recently, right?"

    "Yeah."

    The man asked and the woman nodded.

    "Apparently the first prince had brought him best medics and all¡­ aren''t you annoyed that he didn''t ask us?"

    The man looked up at the indifferent woman.

    "Nah. And you?"

    "Not really, but you were always morepetitive than me."

    "There''s blood here!"

    The idle conversation between the two was interrupted by a shout of another teacher.

    "Ugh¡­ Your overachieving husband is an idiot, sis."

    The blue-haired teacher groaned and stood up to check up on what was causing amotion and whether it was worth the bother.

    "He''s trying to help¡­"

    The red-haired teacher sighed and just shrugged her shoulders in response, putting the ck-haired boy in a morefortable position and also standing up.

    Suddenly a disgusting sound of some fluid sshing against the ground resounded in the cold, dry air.

    "What now¡­!?"

    The blue-haired teacher rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue going towards the sounds.

    And to his great annoyance, he saw his sister''s husband bent in half and vomiting on the ice-covered ground.

    "What the¡­?"

    He mouthed the question but then the vomiting man painted at some dark shape covered in white frost.

    "A-another one¡­! There''s another person there¡­! The intestines are sprawled all over the floor..!"

    The vomiting man stammered pale as a ghost.

    "¡­!"

    Few other teachers went closer to confirm it with their own eyes.

    "¡­"

    The siblings looked at each other and rushed to the spot, hidden behind a mound of dirty ice.

    "Uwaah¡­"

    "¡­tsk¡­!"

    They both reacted in a simr annoyed way once they got a clear view of the body¡­

    ¡­in multiple pieces¡­

    Legs werepletely separated from the torso, thrown apart to arge enough distance that it was weird that no one else spotted them first, and the pinkish intestines were sprawled in a straight line as if something dragged them as it passed.

    "Ooof¡­ granny from hell won''t be happy seeing that¡­"

    "Shush."

    Everyone recognized who the body belonged to, the brown-haired boy''s torso wasying there in such a way that the face was perfectly visible¡­

    *thump*

    "¡­?"

    "¡­?"

    Something hit the ground next to the pair of siblings and they both turned to look that way.

    As it turned out,dy Auequas had fallen down, fainting at the gruesome sight.

    "Oh, you were right¡­ I''ll go check on her¡­"

    The red-haired woman sighed and went towards the elderly woman.

    "Then I''ll go confirm the cause of death ¨C do you want to bet on it?"

    "Pffft, nah, I''llss."

    The blue-haired man shrugged his shoulders and said indifferently, making his sister chuckle.

    The other teachers were loosing their head in panick, but the pair of siblingsreally treated the situation as nothing special.

    As former military medics thay''ve seen worse.

    Much worse.

    The blue-haired man went towards the remains of the brown-haired boy and kneeled over it, actually going to examine it when¡­

    "Hmm..? Huh¡­?! HOLY SHIT! HIS HEART IS STILL BEATING! THIS KID IS STILL ALIVE! WE NEED TO GET HIM TO THE ACADEMY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!"

    "What!?!?"

    His shout made everyone jump in shock.

 Chapter 267 - The Aftermath (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 267 ¨C The Aftermath (part 2)</h4>

    Burushi, the blond-haired heroine, wasying in her bed and staring at the ceiling, maybe around one-quarter of a way there to refill her entire mana reservoir.

    She wasn''t in pain ¨C Zoemi had somehow healed herpletely and properly, but the blond girl feltpletely out of it regardless.

    Treated with magic or not, physical damage wasn''t all that difficult to healpared to the mental one.

    And Burushi was actually tortured, not just yed around with but physically harmed and tormented while she was unable to defend herself in any way.

    Her cries only causedughter, her shouts merely elicit excitement, and then, after getting re-muzzled, she was told by the person who harmed her that she will get raped and killed at his return, she was enclosed in dirt and rocks to make sure that no one will find her, leaving her to despair.

    With no reliable way to urately count the time her will broke down and she epted her faith.

    The stupid way she died during her original life seemed like an amazing alternative at that time.

    ..but, a miracle happened and she was actually saved¡­

    "¡­I hope that Zoemi will tear that fucking bastard to shreds¡­"

    The blond girl breathed out, already knowing that it will most likely not be the case.

    Thest time she healed Zoemi ¨C her savor ¨C she had a good look at his mana reservoir and all ¨C it was substantially bigger than originally, but such an amount of mana would not be enough toplete the task.

    Burushi was forced to heal Xeonith ¨C the very same person who chose to torment and finish her off because she saw him act disgracefully in order to skip the mandatory duels ¨C and she saw his mana reservoir too.

    It was simply too much of a difference.

    In the heroine''s opinion Zoemi could take out Xeonith, but only by surprise ¨C still, the same could be said about basically anyone.

    "¡­and what do you think little one¡­?"

    Burushi ended up lifting her arms, raising up the shadow plush bear that the ck-haired boy created from his magic.

    The toy was¡­ extremely unusual.

    It very much looked as if it was created from the condensed murky shadow, but somehow felt exactly as a real toy should.

    "If shredding him into a paste is not an option, I would have him rot in the deepest, darkest prison!"

    She ended up moving the toy around and changed her voice to make it seem as if the plush bear was speaking.

    "I like the sound of it. Yes¡­ ugh¡­ who am I kidding¡­ I hope Zoemi will not get himself in trouble¡­ Xeonith is a high noble¡­"

    Burushi nodded with a grateful smile, looking at the features of the toy''s face visible thanks to the shifting in the matterposing it.

    Honestly, as much as she was grateful for getting healed, she understood that with no evidence to show, her usation against the brown-haired boy would end up being just based on her words alone.

    She did have her torn clothes, but knowing how the high nobility treated even the lower nobility ¨C not to even mention themoners ¨C Burushi would end up being used of fabricating evidence in order to sully the good name of the great and amazing Xeonith¡­

    ¡­and even if the hell will freeze over and her story would be believed and the wretched brown-haired capture target will receive a punishment for his deeds, it won''t be a punishment he deserved ¨C he was a son of a duke after all.

    "¡­"

    Burushi breathed out and hugged the bear, nuzzling her face against the top of its head.

    "I wish this was a game¡­ the heroine was having such a good time just having the barebone of a personality¡­ why did I even think this world was a game?"

    She sighed thinking out loud, turning on her side and looking out of the window.

    "¡­hmm¡­?"

    She furrowed her brows ¨C there was a clear parting in the clouds as if something ripped right through them and pushed them aside, leaving it separated and really artificial-looking.

    "Now that I think about it, there was an airquake a little while ago¡­ the duels must be going well¡­"

    Burushi muttered to herself.

    Although she obviously was there when Zoemi and the blue-haired teacher, Rokiana, were talking about a murderer and some danger, she was not in the right state of mind to retain that piece of information.

    She was still convinced that the day is going forward as it should and everyone is just living their lives.

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "¡­!"

    A sudden knocking ¨C very familiar knocking at that, although that line might have sounded weird ¨C resounded thorough the heroine''s room, making her flinch.

    "Miss Buru-"

    Then, without waiting for her response, the voice belonging to Surou''s mysterious supporter called out but suddenly his voice stopped as if the speaker realized that something was wrong.

    "¡­yes, what is it¡­?"

    Burushi, still hugging the shadow plush bear rolled on the bed, turning towards the door.

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    *RUMBLE* *WHAM* *RUMBLE*

    "¡­eh¡­?"

    As she did that one simple motion, the reaction of the mysterious supporter was instantaneous ¨C it seemed that he literally jumped away from the door with such strength that he mmed his back on the opposite wall, tumbled onto the floor, and then ran away without even properly getting back on his feet.

    "¡­"

    Burushi ended up lifting her body and sat upright at her bed, speechlessly staring at her door.

    Without even thinking about it, she kept on holding the shadow plush bear on herp ¨C which turned out to be a blessing.

    Thanks to being in physical contact with the toy, she was spared from the murderous oppressive aura of hate and vengeance that the summon ¨C because the toy was a summon-type spell cast by the ck-haired attendant ¨C ended up releasing.

    That very aura was the reason for the mysterious supporter''s prompt evacuation, but, once again, the spell was constructed in such a way that it waspletely undetectable by the person holding it.

    "¡­okay¡­ that was odd¡­"

    Burushi blinked a few times and shrugged her shoulders.

    She was about toy back down, but peaceful rest and recovery of her mana weren''t in the books.

    *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK

    "What the¡­?!"

    The brand new wave of knocking ¨C just as frantic as it was sudden, got the blond-haired girl right back up.

    "Student Burushiitto! It''s an emergency!"

    "¡­you¡­"

    The door opened and an elderly brown-haired woman burst into Burushi''s room, out of breath and clearly shaken¡­

    ¡­andpletely not interested in the girl''s ice-cold reaction¡­

    "Student Burushiitto, we have an emergency!"

    "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

    Lady Auequas went straight for the girl and without even attempting to care for her opinion, she grabbed the girl''s hand and pulled her out of the bed, and started dragging the struggling girl with her, despite Burushi best attempts to break free that resulted in her dropping the shadow bear.

    "A student has been attacked by the murderer and is in a critical condition, even amoner like you might be useful for once if you do your job right this time!"

    "NOOOO! LET GO OF MEEEE!"

    The elderly woman threw the blond girl over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and ran away disregarding any objections, no matter how desperate.

    ¡­she was so focused on delivering the healing attribute wielding girl to the wounded person that she missed the hair-like shadow that slithered on the floor and connected her and the abandoned plush bear.

    "You can''t be doing this! This is kidnapping! Let go of me!"

    Burushi gasped through her teeth, kicking and hitting the female teacher, but with thetter one activating her earth enchantments the blond girl was the only one getting hurt

    No matter what the heroine did, the brown-haired woman seemed deaf and numb to everything that she did

    "It''s horrible¡­ poor boy¡­ student Burushitto, you must heal him at all cost! He is supposed to be my grandson!"

    Teacher Auequas gasped, running out of breath at a staggering rate as if something was draining her strength ¨C but it was her words that ended up shocking Burushi more than the worsening physical condition of the old woman.

    |¡­supposed to be her grandson¡­? She''s Auequas¡­ just like Zoemi¡­ AH! Did Zoemi get into a fight with Xeontih for my sake and got beaten up by that bastard?!|

    The blond heroine still under mana depletion came to a rather surprising conclusion and stopped struggling altogether.

    "Teacher, faster! We need to get to him¡­!"

    She ended up lifting her body and tapped the old woman''s back encouragingly.

    "He must survive¡­!"

    The elderly teacher nodded her head, proving that until that point she ignored Burushi on purpose, and started running even faster despite having a hard time breathing normally.

 Chapter 268 - The Aftermath (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 268 ¨C The Aftermath (part 3)</h4>

    While being carried by the teacher Auequas through the empty hallways, Burushi prayed that the amount of mana she regained would be enough to help Zoemi, whatever the wounds he had suffered.

    The elderly woman brought her to a room that looked like it was a resting room for servants, there were chairs and tables here and there and even a few couches, and the blond girl was sure that she never was there or even seen it before.

    "Ah¡­!"

    |He doesn''t look all that bad¡­ did he suffer internal damage¡­?!|

    On one of them, Burushiitto spotted Zoemi and gasped, while her thoughts raced in an attempt to figure out what was wrong with him and which spell should she use to heal him the most efficient way before even examining him.

    The ck-haired boy himself seemed to be sleeping, although he was greenishly pale as if he was nauseous too, still there were no traces of any major difort¡­

    "Alright, now get me over to him so I can use my¡­ Eh¡­?"

    The blond heroine reached her hand towards the ck-haired boy but the elderly teacher who was carrying her just ghosted Zoemi as if the ck-haired boy didn''t exist.

    "¡­what is this supposed to¡­?"

    Burushi shook her head, lifting her torso and staring at the brown-haired teacher, stupefied.

    And then she looked to the front and she saw a whole bunch of teachers crowded in front of one of the tables.

    "I''ve brought her!"

    The woman who was carrying the heroine eximed and the group of teachers parted to let them in.

    "¡­!"

    The heroine''s body stiffened at the sight of what was on the table.

    It was¡­ It was¡­!

    "Stu Burushiitto¡­! You must save young lord Derizno¡­!"

    Teacher Auequas called out with tears in her eyes while swaying on her feet and ced the heroine on the table by the body.

    For a few seconds, Burushi could see anything, her vision simply went ck.

    Then slowly everything returned to normal and she took a closer look at what was in front of her.

    None other than Xeonith was sprawled on the table next to her.

    "¡­pffft¡­!"

    |SERVES YOUR RIGHT!|

    The sudden jolt that the blond-haired heroine managed to pass off as feeling sick and notughing, didn''t change the fact that seeing the person who tormented her like ha was pure joy.

    Speak about karma.

    "Student Buru¡­!"

    "What am I supposed to do? He is clearly dead, look all of that damage."

    Teacher Auequas gasped while heavily sitting down on the chair provided by another teacher, and was splendidly cut short by Burushi''s cold voice.

    "I thought so at first, but that is not the case, miss."

    "¡­"

    But unfortunately, someone else started talking, a blue-haired male teacher ¨C he pointed out at Xeonith covered in half-melted ice and frost but somehow, only appearing to be dead.

    With just a slightly closer inspection it turned out that the brown-haired boy''s chest was going up and down in the rhythm of his breath.

    That small movement was proof of Xeonith being still alive ¨C which was truly impressing since most of his intestines were neatly ced just a bit under his ripped torso.

    If Burushiitto wanted to, she could have looked inside him and observed the remaining internal organs without much obstruction.

    There was no pelvis but the legs were ced on the table in such a way as if the missing part was still there.

    "¡­"

    Burushiitto covered her mouth with her hands and hung her head down, her shoulders started to shake uncontrobly.

    "Miss, I know it looks horrible, but you are literally the only person we can count on right now."

    The blue-haired teacher insisted with a serious face.

    "¡­"

    No one could see the heroine''s face.

    And it was for the best¡­ for her¡­

    |HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!|

    Burushiitto was shaking from theughter.

    She wasughing so hard that if she didn''t block her mouth and nose a burst of maniacalughter would escape her and rm everyone in the room.

    |It''s amazing! Amazing! Howe such a magnificent thing could have happened!? Ahahaha¡­! Is this a blessing? It''s a blessing! A divine punishment came onto this vile piece of shit¡­! NO, not divine ¨C it''s Zoemi! It must have been Zoemi''s doing no doubt!|

    She felt such a wild euphoria that she stopped feeling any pain and her heart became light as a feather.

    Although, soon the lightness changed into the burden of annoyance and anger¡­ and vengeance¡­

    "Miss Burushiitto, please heal him¡­!"

    The elderly brown-haired woman joined in and pleaded¡­

    "¡­"

    Burushiitto red at her from behind the curtain of her blond hair.

    |No one else can save him? I am his only chance? Oh, but that wretched hag had no trouble calling me a cheat and quack before, and now everyone seems to put their faith in me? Heal him¡­? HIM!? Oh, I''ll heal him, just you wait¡­!|

    She grinned to herself and extended her hands.

    "Check-up."

    She touched Xeonith''s cold body and cast her spell.

    After all, she wanted to make sure there was absolutely no chance for his survival¡­

    "¡­"

    Thanks to her initial spell, detailed information about her patient''s medical state flooded her mind.

    Funny thing was that even though his legs weren''t attached any more information about them still appeared like normal.

    "¡­Eh¡­?"

    "What? What is it!?"

    Heroine flinched and eximed loudly and the surrounding teachers quickly picked up on it.

    But the heroine didn''t answer and closed her eyes.

    |Why there are traces of the darkness attribute mana outside his body but nothing like that on the inside¡­? What exactly happened to him, I''ll have to ask him about itter ¨C either way ¨C good job Zoemi!|

    Burushi opened her eyes and nced back in Zoemi''s direction holding herself back from showing him thumbs up.

    |He must have gone after Xeonith and actually lead the murderous ice magician to kill Xeonith¡­!|

    Even though was aware that most of the things the ck-haired boy did, he did for Miriette, a warm feeling spread in her chest when she thought about the lengths to what Zoemi had to go to aplish the task of getting Xeonith to this state¡­

    |Now¡­ I can''t let his hard work go to waste, can I? Old hag, you called me a quack so watch carefully ¨C this is how you REALLY botch the healing procedure!|

    There was no time to waste and Burushi knew exactly what she should do.

    Without any hesitation, she firmly grabbed the pink weaves of the intestines and shoved them right back inside the Xeonith''s torso as they were already almost thawed and were starting to stink

    "Heal!"

    The blond heroine cast her spell and focused on the areas she wanted to pretty up¡­

    ¡­pretty up, and not help¡­

    "Ah¡­!"

    Teacher Auequas gasped when the fresh skin started covering the ripped stomach.

    "¡­"

    Meanwhile, the blond heroine was focusing all of her attention on making sure that she only affects the cosmetics side of the wound and not actually healing any of the problems.

    She made sure to regenerate the skin as best as she could so that it would look like she actually tried to save Xeonith''s life.

    Burushi even went ahead and roughly restored the skeletal structure although she didn''t really care for the bones in the first ce.

    For the onlookers, it looked just as if she was trying to connect the leg.

    "That''s too much¡­"

    After connecting the intestines just a little bit too much ¨C making all the blood vessels clog andpletely messing up with the connections between organs ¨C all while making sure that in case someone would inspect the body, they would be unable to pin the guilt on her, she pushed the leg aside.

    "But¡­!"

    The brown-haired teacher cried, desperately stopping the loose limb from tumbling off the table.

    "His life or his legs? Which one do you want!?"

    Burushi shouted at the woman.

    "L-life! Of course life! Save him, please¡­!"

    The woman flinched and yelped, suddenly treating the blond girl with the respect that she had never shown her before.

    |¡­that''s what I call the work well messed up¡­ Now, the one thing left to do is let him thaw so that his body will finish him off by itself¡­|

    The heroine''s work was already done, Xeonith would die on his own anyway¡­

    |No¡­ I want to do it¡­! I want to finish him off directly¡­!|

    But then Burushi gritted her teeth and ced both of her hands on Xeonith''s chest ¨C which made her look as if she really was doing her best to save the brown-haired boy.

    "Re- generate¡­!"

    "S-student Burushiitto?!"

    The blond girl cast another one of her spells and her body slumped to the side ¨C she was quickly caught and put on the avable couch right next to the one that Zoemi was on.

    For everyone present, it honestly looked like she just used a powerful healing spell and passed out due to the mana depletion and overall exhaustion.

    They thought that her final spell would aid the natural regenerative abilities of the organism.

    The truthyed elsewhere¡­

    The ''re'' she said wasn''t a part of her incantation at all.

    Burushi''s ''generate'' spell had a vastly different effect than regenerate.

    It forced the red blood cells in Xeonith''s body to multiply to a ridiculous extent which in turn caused a nice big blood clot to be created inside Xeonith''s veins and sent straight into Xeonith''s heart causing a heart attack.

    Funnily enough, that spell wasn''t mana hungry, strong, orplicated to use, so the girl simply faked losing consciousness and had to be careful to not out herself.

    "Hisplexion looks far better already."

    "That variant attribute really is something huh¡­"

    The teachers who were convinced that everything would be fine fell for the little trick that Burushi yed and started chatting, audibly relieved¡­

    ¡­while Xeonith was already dead¡­

    |That''s what you get for asking the victim to heal their assant!|

    And Burushiitto wasying on the couch with a big satisfied smile hidden behind the curtain of her blond hair.

 Chapter 269 - 5 - Troubles Are Brewing

    <h4>Chapter 269 ¨C 5 ¨C Troubles Are Brewing</h4>

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    The perfect silk-like pitch-ck darkness spilled into around twenty ck-haired people ¨C all of whom were speechless.

    "Ha-kchuu¡­!"

    "Bless you."

    ¡­and shivering from the horrible coldness that sipped into their bodies together with thest thing that Rasseriat saw before dying.

    The scruffy pale-blue-haired man, reaching out his hand towards the round woman while her mana was frozen, and then the connection was lost.

    Raseriat ended up transferring all of the frozen mana back to the other Ghosts, but didn''t manage to do the same thing with her mind and ended up perishing.

    All of that had posed some really worrisome questions, to say the least¡­

    What spell did the mysterious ice magician use, how strong he actually was, why would Raseriat pick a fight with a strong opponent while she was supposed to merely observe the interesting boy and make contact with the aspiring darkness magician in the Academy?

    Was she the one getting attacked?

    How in the world did she end up actually dying?!

    There really wasn''t supposed to be any ice magician ¨C or rather ice sage ¨C to actually take any of the members of the Ghosts of Bellcephora by surprise¡­

    Unless someone like that was born while they weren''t paying attention.

    Yes¡­ that was the most likely answer to the situation at hand.

    "What bothers me the most is that this guy wasn''t even touching her directly¡­ the freezing capabilities of the ice mana should be reduced at the distance ¨C unless there was some trick to it, that guy might be the strongest ice attribute wielder in recent history."

    A feminine man rubbed his hands together and sniffled with a grim expression.

    "Raseriat was really desperate to escape¡­"

    A pale long-haired young woman shuddered and nuzzled against an equally cold short-haired young woman.

    "She was onlyfortable with facing opponents who couldn''t fight back ¨C this guy clearly wasn''t one of those but when she realized it, it was toote."

    The leader of the group, arge muscr man shrugged his shoulders while hugging the one-armed woman by his side.

    "Yes, yes ¨C losing Raseriat is very sad and unfortunate ¨C but more importantly, what will be our response? Lossing one of ours like that has never happened since three hundred years at least¡­"

    A wrinkled old man asked curiously, ncing at the one-armed woman¡­

    "Do you even have to ask? The answer is obvious."

    The one-armed woman raised her stump and pointed it forward.

    "The Ghosts will pay him a visit, like in the old times."

    She dered and the shadows erupted around her.

    ¡ª¡ª-

    A pale-blue-haired man was running away from the chase.

    His pursuers were many and of different attributes but thanks to his ice-mana and spells he was able to keep them at bay, even the pesky teleporting light magicians.

    In the course of his escape he somehow ended up at the execution ground near the royal castle ¨C which was quite a feat to reach that far in such a short amount of time, but it was all thanks to the overpowered ice enchantments ¨C it was also clear that the ones after him are trying to push him right into the hands of the King''s Guardsying nearby in ambush.

    |Ha! As if they''ll seed this time¡­!|

    The manughed to himself and recast the area of effect spell that hampered the use of mana to an excruciating degree, causing the reveal of the teleportation destination point, allowing him to dodge the oing light magicians before they appeared.

    It was a very useful spell and Ludier was justly proud ofing up with it.

    It was a silent night ¨C too silent ¨C the moon and the stars were shining brightly and the shadows grew extremely long and dark as if they were turning into gates to the void¡­

    "¡­huh¡­?"

    No, thatst part wasn''t normal at all¡­!

    And neither was the absolute silence ¨C unfortunately for Ludier, he picked up on it a second toote¡­

    A shadow of the podium for the execution has swollen many times over and it covered the whole ground making it seem like the running man was hovering above the endless void.

    "What in the¡­!?"

    The ice magician gasped in shock and fear.

    Before he could react a giant pitch-ck hand emerged from underneath him and grabbed him in its w-like fingers squeezing the air out of his lungs.

    "Wha¡­?!"

    *WHAM*

    And then it smashed him against the podium.

    Ludier didn''t even have the time to scream, his bones broke from the impact and his organs have ruptured from the initial impact.

    *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*

    The giant demonic arm picked him up and then mmed him against the podium again.

    And again.

    And again.

    *SPLAT*

    The cycle kept repeating that until there was hardly anything left from the man turned into mincemeat ¨C aside from viscera and gore, leaving the bloodied rags as the most discerning part of the pale-blue-haired man.

    Suddenly the night became even brighter than a day and a terrifying pressure appeared.

    "We could have asked him about what happened, you know? My intuition tells me that we are missing something."

    A single voice came out of the darkness andined.

    "Shut up, Elsby."

    "¡­"

    The choir of unison voices silenced her and the next second the jet-ck darkness subsided and the more natural darkness returned together with all the various sounds of the night.

    "Hurry- we can''t let him get away!"

    ¡­which included the voices of the pursuing group of mages¡­

    ¡ª¡ª-

    *click*

    "Ah! Zoe¡­ mi¡­?"

    The door unlocked and Miriette jumped up from the headmaster''s seat at which she made herselffortable a while ago, but her enthusiasm evaporated the moment she saw the glint of the tinum hair and the small frame of the person who entered the office.

    "Well, I haven''t expected to see you around."

    The dark-haired girl ended up slumping back into thefortable chair and kicking her feet up on the desk.

    "What is it? Is the disappearance of the headmaster your doing?"

    She breathed out and asked, looking over at the tinum-haired girl who didn''t move an inch after entering.

    "You really are lucky that you are so thick-headed that you missed the danger right in front of you¡­ Although it was probably because you were too busy thinking about Zoemi. No, I didn''t do anything to miss Aspakeony."

    "Hey¡­!"

    The young-looking girl shrugged her shoulders and scoffed, making the dark-haired girl flinch and straighten her back with the face bright red from embarrassment.

    "Zoemi did a great job hiding you here, but now the danger had passed, it''s actually shocking how easy it was to scare that guy away ¨C so easy that it makes me all the more anxious¡­ But everything is going well so I think I might leave this body for good. I already left it once and there was no repercussion, so it should be fine."

    The tinum-haired girl spoke with an indifferent expression, not really aping attention to whatever Miriette was doing.

    "¡­if you want to say goodby to Zoemi, you should just stay here with me and wait¡­"

    The dark-haired girl sighed and rolled her eyes, annoyed at herself for being nice to the older ¨C but younger-looking ¨C girl.

    "Oh, no ¨C that''s not why I came here for."

    "¡­eh¡­?"

    The tinum-haired girl shook her head and waved her hand dismissively, throwing Miriette for a loop.

    "The danger had passed, you should go to Zoemi instead of wasting your time here."

    The tinum-haired girl dered.

    "No, I don''t think I will listen to that advice ¨C Zoemi has told me to¡­"

    "The danger had passed but Zoemi is in trouble now. Go check up on him, stupid."

    Miriette tried to dismiss her, but the tinum-haired girl shook her head with a disappointed expression and shared more information¡­

    "What?! What happened?!"

    ¡­just enough to stirr up the dark-haired girl right ack into full attention¡­

    "Go and find out ¨C he will not be mad at you for leaving."

    The small girl shrugged her shoulders and exined while opening the door again and leaving without looking back.

    ¡ª¡ª

    "Eh¡­? Why am I here?"

    A tall, crimson-haired beauty furrowed her brows looking around the hallway leading to the headmaster''s office.

    She certainly didn''t remembering there at all¡­

    *whoooosh*

    "¡­!"

    Suddenly, something passed her and in shock she realized that it was youngdy Epsine, running down the hallway in a very udylike manner.

    "Miri! Hey! Hold up!"

    The crimson-haired girl raised her hand and called, but the dark-haired girl didn''t react to her at all.

    "Geez, what got into her¡­?"

    The tall girl furrowed her brows and sighed.

 Chapter 270 - Chaos In The Academy (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 270 ¨C Chaos In The Academy (part 1)</h4>

    Zoemi woke up in a seemingly empty unfamiliar room,ying on an unfamiliar couch.

    "¡­hmm¡­ oww¡­! Oh¡­"

    At first, he didn''t remember what has happened but then a wave of pain brought it all back.

    "Why I got no mana from Raseriat¡­?"

    The ck-haired attendant furrowed his brows andined while lifting his body up to a morefortable position.

    "Raseriat? Who''s that I thought that the murderer''s name was Ludier Gmroze or something?"

    "HUH¡­!?"

    Zoemi flinched and looked around, slightly panicked, when he heard someone''s voice.

    He ended up noticing a unique shadow a few feet away from him, and once he propped himself a bit higher, he saw a simr couch to the one he wasying at.

    The heroine was upying it while assuming a slovenly and extremely udylike position¡­

    ¡­while holding onto a shadow plush bear that the ck-haired attendant has given her before¡­

    "'' Sup?"

    Without getting up, she only raised the bear and propped one of its arms up in a greeting towards the stunned boy.

    "Bu-Burushi¡­? What are you doing here? You should be resting!"

    Zoemi shook off the initial shock and asked in confusion while making sure that they are alone.

    "Nnn? Oh, believe me, I was trying, but then I was carried here ¨C by that ungrateful hag who should be your grandmother ¨C to try and heal Xeonith. Could you believe that?"

    The blond girl scoffed while continuing to use the ber to convey her own movement.

    "WHAT!?"

    "Exactly. Can you believe the guts of that old hag, she was there where I told everything that happened to me to teacher Rokiana, but still had the audacity to bring me here to heal that fucking animal!?"

    Satisfied by the boy''s shock and appalled shout, the heroine breathed out and shook her head.

    "Sounds like a selfish noble alright ¨C apparently that''s also an urate description of the members of the main branch of the Auequas family. They disinherited my father for adopting me."

    Although Zoemi knew that the question wasn''t meant to be answered, he did so anyway to let Burushi know it was okay to badmouth them to her heart content.

    "..alright, but could you exin to me what do you mean by ''heal Xeonith'', I might have passed out but I swear I heard him squeal when a super strong ice spell turned him into a skewer. That must have killed hi¡­"

    "Nah."

    Zoemi hurriedly started speaking about another part that interested him greatly but the heroine cut him off.

    "Huh!?"

    The ck-haired boy raised his brows and leaned back in shock.

    "Nah."

    The heroine just shrugged her shoulders one more time in response¡­

    "¡­"

    ¡­leaving Zoemi speechless¡­

    "That utter piece of the filthiest trash somehow survived though whatever you saw or heard and ended up in a critical condition. Don''t ask me how he didn''t die from the shock, or the blood loss, my only guess is that the cold from the ice magic did something about that, or maybe he was just that tough. I don''t give a damn, the important part is that I was dragged out of my room to heal him up. So I did. I never expected to get a chance for getting that repugnant monster so soon."

    She sounded indifferent and almost bored and it made Zoemi even more confused.

    But if what she was saying was true then¡­!

    "You totally stole the kill, didn''t you?"

    "Wha¡­? PFFFFFT¡­! Ahahaha!"

    The ck-haired boy gasped in fake disbelief and make the blond-haired girlugh.

    "No, no ¨C that was cooperation, a kill secure if you will¡­ Still, we shouldn''t be too loud, someone might be at the door. The teachers took the corpse and left. I appreciate not being in the same room as that filth, alive or not, but still, I''m not sure what they n to do. As long as it won''t be some bullshit resurrection magic ¨C I don''t care. They can feed him to the dogs or toss him in some nearby ditch or whatever."

    The heroine just shrugged her shoulders dismissively.

    "True, I feel the same. Hey, Burushi? Sorry for asking a weird question, but are we still in the Academy?"

    Zoemi nodded and asked.

    "Of course, we are in the Academy. You of all people don''t know this room? It''s the room for the servants to rest!"

    The heroine scoffed and waved her hand.

    "That makes sense ¨C I never used it because the only times when servants cane here is when students have lectures."

    Zoemi tilted his head to the side looking around once more and nodded as his expression turned indifferent.

    The two of them stopped talking and just keptying on their couches in silence for a few minutes.

    "Do you know what happened to sir Ludier?"

    Still, the ck-haired attendant ended asking, breaking the silence.

    "Nope. Don''t have a clue¡­ SIR Ludier? Damn, how close did you get with him, yboy?"

    The heroine shook the bear but then she flinched and tilted the toy''s head to the side, questioningly.

    "He wanted to kill Xeonith to get back at his father, I wanted to kill that bastard because of what he did to my friend. We found amon interest ¨C sir Ludier is much more reasonable and nice than they portrayed him in the game."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulder and exined with a shrug.

    "So you are not denying that you are a yboy?"

    "¡­"

    Burushi snickered and made the toy put its hand to its mouth.

    "Burushi, tell me. Is this how you normally act, you know, while you''re not mirroring the heroine from the game?"

    In response to that jab, Zoemi frowned and asked with a disappointed sigh.

    "Pffft¡­! Nah! It''s just that I used a powerful healing spell on you right before you woke up, so I spent, like, most of the mana I had recovered ¨C I''m right back in the state of mana depletion!"

    The heroineughed and dered proudly.

    "Does that mean that you''re high?"

    "Like a kite!"

    The two of them chuckled.

    "How are you feeling though? Don''t you need me to heal you just in case too?"

    The ck-haired boy sat upright and asked, looking at the girl sprawled on the other couch.

    "I''m fine, seriously ¨C wouldn''t be healing others if I required help myself. Thanks for the offer though, I appreciate it."

    Burushi ended up moving around and ended up facing the ck-haired boy while tightly hugging the very fortunate shadow bear.

    "I''ve already healed myself earlier too, I still feel like shit though. I guess that all that happened today isn''t something I can just brush off¡­ I don''t know what to feel about finishing off Xeonith myself though. I mean ¨C he one hundred percent deserved it but¡­No matter what shit it was, life is a life. And I''m a healer and all¡­"

    The blond girl smiled weakly and looked down before raising her head again and making eye contact with Zoemi.

    "¡­"

    The ck-haired boy stayed silent for a bit.

    "Aren''t you going to tell me that it''s okay to be selfish and that personally, you prefer that trait in others?"

    Burushi ended up raising the plush bear up to her chin and burrowed her face in it so that only her eyes remained visible.

    "What brought you to that conclusion?"

    The ck-haired boy''s face brightened and he asked, raising his brow.

    "Well¡­ considering your choice in waifus, that''s the logical assumption, don''t you think?"

    "My choice in a WHAT¡­?!"

    *click*

    "¡­!"

    "¡­"

    The two reincarnated humans bickered yfully when suddenly the door opened, making them stop and look over at whoever wasing in¡­

    ¡­or rather at everyone who wasing in¡­

    "Student Auequas, you are awake ¨C good. Come with us."

    The red-haired middle-aged teacher, Ikarweth, standing in front of a group of other teachers, called out to the ck-haired boy.

    ¡ª¡ª¨C

    "¡­so¡­ I guess it''s safe to assume that it''s okay for me to go back to my room¡­?"

    Burushi looked around awkwardly, asking no one in particr since with Zoemi taken away by the teachers who knows where she was left all to herself.

    "What do you think? You popped up from my shadow right after the teachers got distracted with the corpse of that filth, so you should be aware to some degree¡­"

    She ended up turning the shadow plush bear and asked it with a serious expression, but the toy remained mute.

    *SLAM*

    "¡­?"

    The next moment the door flew off its hinges and rammed into the opposite wall and a dark-haired girl glowing with intense green enchantment showed up, clearly looking for something.

    "Lady Miriette, hello~"

    "Eh¡­? Ah, um¡­ hello, miss Burushi¡­"

    The blond girl raised the plush bear hand as a greeting to her too, making the dark-haired girl confused for a moment.

    "If it''s Zoemi that you are looking for, you are a littlete ¨C teachers took him a few minutes ago. I don''t know why or where."

    Burushi ended up using the bear''s arm one more time to point at the door.

    "What?! Wh¡­?! Ah, I see¡­ thank you regardless ¨C I will go look for him."

    Miriette flinched and look at the blond girl in confusion, but ended up nodding and stormed right out of the room as fast as she get in.

    "Well then¡­ back to my room I guess?"

    Burushi shrugged her shoulders and stood up while holding the bear tightly.

 Chapter 271 - The First Prince And His Attendants (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 271 ¨C The First Prince And His Attendants (part 1)</h4>

    Horeo woke up together with the sun, for a few seconds his head was still hazy from the sleepiness and stretched in a pleasant ignorance of everything that happened in the Academy during his visiting the royal castle.

    "Ngggghhh¡­! Good morin- ah, you both still asleep¡­?"

    The gold-haired prince yawned and nodded with a smile at hispanions.

    ¡­because he certainly wasn''t alone in bed¡­

    Veo was sleeping on Horeo''s right side in a rather unrefined but captivating manner, her hair was all over the pillow, she was snoring a little and her bare chest was going up and down in the rhythm of her breaths, her arms were motionlessly aligned with her torso making her lookpletely defenseless and she had a nket covering just one of her legs and going under the other. Her clothes were put into a pile on the right side of the bed, leaving her only in a cute nightgown.

    Patishi was on Horeo''s left, sleeping on the side, very properly and very calmly, she was peacefully breathing and the nket was covering everything except her skinny shoulders so it wasn''t all that obvious that she was wearing an oversized white shirt as a pajama.

    Her daily clothes were neatly folded and put on the floor on the left side of the bed.

    "Seriously, giving Veo a hard time and making her stay up untilte because you wanted to request all of us sleeping together¡­ what an innocent request."

    "¡­nnnn¡­!"

    The first prince snickered and reached out his hand to poke Patishi''s cheek, making the younger girl frown in her sleep.

    As if greatly disturbed by the tease, the sleeping Patishi ended up shifting her position and moving forward, which resulted in her snuggling to Horeo''s waist.

    "¡­nnn~!"

    With her cheek smushed against the gold-haired boy''s muscr stomach, Patishi let out a satisfied sound and continued sleeping.

    "Hey, hey¡­ You won''t be able to push it off to mana depletion after having a good night''s sleep, silly."

    The gold-haired prince giggled quietly and gently tousled the younger girl''s hair to not actually wake her up.

    The previous day was very busy for him, so seeing all that adorable innocence and trust he felt at ease.

    Although Horeo was supposed to be only a passive observer during the negotiations, his mother ended up speaking out of turn, giving out seemingly insignificant but very rudements, making it seem like she wanted to sour the rtionship between the two parties, and it was up to his father and him to patch everything up ¨C which luckily they did.

    Truly, by that point, it was more than obvious for the first prince that the queen was actively plotting against the royal family.

    The problem was, how he was supposed to convince his lovestruck father that his wife isn''t just a lovably cluelessdy but a straight-up malicious hag?

    "¡­tsk¡­"

    Horeo ended up clicking his tongue at the idea.

    Sometimes he wondered how such a shallow and short-sighted woman could possibly be his birth-mother.

    From what Horeo has learned, he was more simr to Surou''s mother¡­

    Yes, it wasn''t overly well known but besides being born in the same year with ten months between them, the first prince and the second prince had different mothers.

    It wasn''t supposed to be a secret, but through the years, Horeo''s mother ended up coining a web of oddly specific lies.

    The first prince''s mother was originally only a concubine who was brought in because the original marriage partner of the king was of fragile health and all her pregnancies would always end up in miscarriage.

    As soon as the healthy concubine got pregnant she was elevated into the main wife spot and the original wife was put into a separate mansion away from the castle, although the king would often visit her as his affection was quite strong at the time.

    Then Horeo was born, a healthy boy with golden hair just like his father, and everyone rejoiced.

    The king didn''t let go of his first wife even then and unsurprisingly for anyone living in the royal castle, she got pregnant too.

    The problem was with that pregnancy her health severely degraded and not too muchter news arrived that the previous queen died during childbirth but the child survived.

    That child being Surou.

    Feeling incredibly remorseful, the king had taken in the child and properly made him the second prince.

    After all, there was the possibility of the blue-haired child being as fragile as his mother.

    Horeo''s mother supposedly epted Surou without a word and raised him as her own, though it was something unthinkable for someone so cunning¡­

    The more the gold-haired boy thought about it, it must have been some sort of ploy to gain the support of the first queen''s faction.

    Although, he did realize that his mother never quite liked him and was always treating Surou better BUT only when she knew that Horeo was around to see or hear it¡­

    Horeo shook his head, this was no reason to think about that and sour a perfectly good morning!

    "¡­nnnnnnng¡­"

    "Oh?"

    With impable timing, Veo seemed to wake up ¨C at least partially.

    With a sleepy expression, she ended up channeling the enchantments through her arms and lifted herself up to look around, making the gold-haired prince rx and smile.

    "Good morning Veo, did you sleep well?"

    "¡­?"

    Horeo waved his free hand at her and spoke softly, making the older girl tilt her head in confusion.

    "¡­ah, it''s this one again¡­"

    She muttered to herself, rubbing her face against her shoulder, and dragged herself all the way up to the gold-haired boy whose interest was piqued.

    "What do you mean by this one aga-mmmnnn?"

    Horeo asked curiously watching the girl get all up in his face ¨C whenpletely out of nowhere Veo ended up hugging him and going straight for his lips with a very soft and gentle kiss that left the first prince speechless.

    "V..! Veo¡­?! Now hold on ¨C that wasn''t the part of Patishi''s request ¨C you don''t have to¡­!"

    Horeo gasped once Veo pulled her head away just so she could gaze at his face.

    "Shhh¡­ I know I can''t have you for real, so just let me have you in my dreams¡­"

    "NNNN?!"

    Veo frowned andined in a grumpy voice before going for another kiss- this one much more¡­ intense¡­

    "¡­ngh¡­? Hmm¡­?"

    Themotion they were making ended up waking up Patishi who shook her head and looked up to the rather indecent sight.

    "Eh¡­.? EEEEEEEHHHHHHH?!"

 Chapter 272 - The First Prince And His Attendants (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 272 ¨C The First Prince And His Attendants (part 2)</h4>

    *thump*

    The younger girl ended up gasping while her face turned bright red and she moved away in shock ¨C so preupied in the scene ying right in front of her that she was half-falling off the bed ¨C while her torso was on the floor, her feet were still on the mattress somehow¡­

    "Nnnn-ugha¡­! Patishi?! Are you alright?!"

    Horeo flinched and pulled away from Veo to check on the younger girl, hurriedly moving to the edge of the bed.

    "I¡­ I''m fi-fine¡­!"

    "Don''t scare me like that, what if something happened to you?"

    Patishi gasped still extremely embarrassed, while Horeo breathed out in relief and helped her back onto the bed¡­

    "¡­eh¡­?"

    ¡­where Veo froze over in the position that the first prince left her.

    "Well, well, well, would you look at that, guess I wasn''t the one to put my hands on you."

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    Since Veo always loved to tease him o that subject, Horeo teased back with a cheeky smile ¨C but right then someone started knocking on the door to the prince''s bedroom.

    "My prince! We have an emergency! My prince! Please wake up, you have to talk to the king!"

    "It can wait."

    Horeo furrowed his brows and scoffed but also instantly picked up and throw the nket over the stunned Veo while motioning at Patishi to hide ¨C whoever might havee for him might decide it''s okay to get inside the room and see the rather questionable sight.

    Although Horeo, Patishi, and Veo actually just slept through the night and nothing more ¨C but the rumors didn''t quite reflect the truth, did they¡­

    "My prince, it''s an emergency!"

    The messenger wasn''t giving up and from his voice, it was clear that the situation was serious.

    "D-did the king learned that you agreed to my selfish request and wants to punish you¡­?!"

    "!!!"

    Patishi got teary-eyed and trembled, feeling terribly guilty.

    "What? Nonsense. Even if that was the case I will deal with everything. Patishi, Veo, get dressed and wait for me to return."

    Horeo said and rushed to the door.

    If the messenger decided to bust through the door and saw the scene this whole situation would blow up into a full-scale scandal, Horeo had to prevent that, after all, for him as a first prince the consequences would have been minor, but for his attendants¡­

    Horeo grabbed his clothes and made sure that he looks somewhat presentable before opening the door just a little.

    "What is¡­"

    "My prince!"

    The golden-haired knight Karestas grabbed Horeo''s arm and pulled him out of the room and started dragging him along without any warning.

    "What''s going on! Exin!"

    Horeo had barely any time to close the door.

    ¡ª-

    Veo was sitting on the bed, staring at the door with apletely vacant expression.

    ¡­not for long though¡­

    The next moment before Patishi could even open her mouth the older girl''s face turned crimson red before Veo ended up leaning down and hiding it into the mattress.

    "Veo¡­!"

    "I am so shameless! I actually kissed our prince! I hugged and kissed him! But I am only an attendant! He''s the prince! What was I thinking?! I thought this was just a dream!"

    Patishi finished dressing up and walked over to the devastated Veo.

    "Nooo! What will I do if he will fire me¡­? No, what will I do if he will say that he hates me?! I am so stupid¡­!"

    "¡­"

    The older girl continued to wail while the younger one watched her with concern.

    "Our prince is so good to us, but even a good person has his limits, I messed up! I messed up so ba¡­!"

    "Veo ¨C if our prince hated, or even disliked you or the kiss he would have pushed you away or at least try to struggle¡­"

    "!!!!"

    Veo still couldn''t pull herself together and that had prompted Patishi to raise her voice at the older attendant ¨C and seed in making her shut her mouth.

    "¡­wait¡­ but that means¡­!"

    She gasped and her eyes widened.

    ¡ª¡ª-

    Horeo was still thinking about his attendants while Karestas was dragging him through the long corridors.

    What if this whole summon was about them spending the night in his room?

    That certainly wasn''t something appropriate to do for an attendant¡­ could it be that his father ¨C and mother ¨C would try to force him to send the two girls away¡­?

    Impossible.

    As long as Patishi and Veo would want to stay by his side, he would never allow anyone to take them away.

    |¡­ah¡­ I guess that the number of people I care about like that had increased, huh¡­|

    The gold-haired boy scoffed to himself in a quite pleasant realization.

    "My prince, you better wake up as soon as possible, the situation is extremely bad!"

    Seeing Horeo''s absentminded expression Karestas shook his arm.

    "Tsk¡­ Then will you tell me what is it about?"

    Horeo sighed and clicked his tongue at the knight.

    "Xeonith Zarble Derizno was killed by the serial-killer ice-magician. The damages were so severe that even themoner girl with healing magic couldn''t save him despite fainting from mana depletion!"

    The gold-haired knight exined with a serious face.

    "Oh no, that''s terrible. Anyways, what does it have to do with¡­"

    The first prince shrugged his shoulders with an indifferent expression,pletely unbothered because of the death of some trash.

    "And Zoemi was found on the scene of the crime! He was found unharmed but unconscious ¨C but the problem is that the higher-ups are discussing why he even was there in the first ce and if he is somehow responsible for Xeonith meeting the murderer!"

    But Carestas continued his exnation regardless, finally dropping the bomb of relevant information on the unsuspecting Horeo.

    "WHAT!? That''s nonsense! Zoemi doesn''t have enough mana to pose a threat to a transcended earth magician like Xoenith! Who even came up with such ridiculous idea¡­!?"

    "Your mother."

    The gold-haired prince let out a shock of disbelief and got an immediate and very worrisome answer.

    "¡­!"

    A sentence more fit to be a joke ended up rendering Horeo speechless.

    |That damned hag! What is she even thinking!? Is it like with the Marigotiee Kingdom!? Who is she sucking up to now!?|

    The gold-haired prince bit his lips so hard that the metallic taste filled his mouth.

    "We need to talk some brains into those fools."

    Horeo growled and hastened his peace so Karestas didn''t have to drag him anymore ¨C now it looked like it was the other way around.

    "That''s why I came for you."

    The gold-haired knight nodded and let go of the boy''s arm.

 Chapter 273 - Chaos In The Academy (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 273 ¨C Chaos In The Academy (part 2)</h4>

    *****

    Miriette wasying in her bed with a warm feeling filling her heart.

    She turned to the side and met the beautiful mysterious obsidian eyes of her attendant and lover, Zoemi.

    "Hi, handsome¡­"

    Mirietteughed and pulled herself closer to the attendant.

    "Miri."

    He smiled in response and called her affectionately.

    He raised his hand and run his fingers through her wild hair which curled cutely showing how happy and excited Miriette was.

    "My, my, how lovely ¨C should I tease you until you show me your cute expression again¡­?"

    Zoemi grinned mischievously embraced Miriette pressing her closer to his perfectly toned body.

    "Oh my¡­! You brute¡­!"

    Miriette blushed and giggled.

    It was such a pleasant change of pace, having him act so domineering and almost arrogant in contrast to his calm andposed attendant attitude made Miriette shiver in anticipation.

    But it wasn''t like she was going to just act all meekly and submissive.

    "Oh? Do you think you have it in you to be mean to me? Mister I-was-peeping-on-the-bathing-maids-in-the-bath?"

    She looked at him with a challenge and pinched his side.

    Zoemi raised his brows andughed.

    "Hey, Miri, it was ages ago! Do you still hold it against me?"

    He asked tilting his head adorably.

    "I do! You should havee peep on me, not those stupid maids! Or you should have just joined me in the bath altogether!"

    Miriette scoffed at him but she felt butterflies in her stomach each time he called her by the nickname.

    "Aww¡­ Your so lovely when you''re grumpy."

    Zoemi couldn''t conceal his smile and then kissed Miriette''s forehead.

    "Hmph!"

    Miriette still acted offended.

    So Zoemi kissed her nose.

    "¡­Hm-hmph¡­!"

    She tried her best to scoff at him again but she couldn''t keep her act up.

    Zoemi was leaning for a proper kiss after all and Miriette became tingly all over.

    She stretched her neck in order to meet his lips as soon as she could and then closed her eyes.

    But there was no soft sensation sending electricity down to her toes or anything.

    Surprised, she hurriedly opened her eyes just to see Zoemi''sughing eyes and the pillow covering the bottom of his face!

    "How dare you block me!?"

    Miriette''s hair bristled in anger but Zoemi was just looking at her.

    Or rather staring.

    The happiness slowly thawed away from his eyes as they were bing more and more serious. More and more scary and lifeless, like the eyes of a dead person.

    "I just thought that it was in order. After all, what''s the bit of teasing in the light of what you''ve done."

    Even Zoemi''s voice became cold and distant.

    "Wh-what do you mean¡­?"

    Miriette was taken aback but she didn''t let go of Zoemi, she even hugged him tighter as if demanding that he dropped the scary act.

    "Well, you''ve been responsible for the disappearance of my clothes, for example, you perverted woman."

    Zoemi''s next words made Miriette flinch.

    "Yo-you know about that¡­?"

    She cowered to his chest to hide from his using cold eyes.

    "You have also been pleasuring yourself rather vigorously while using my clothes as the material for your wild perverted imagination, yeah, that too¡­"

    "¡­!"

    Miriette clung tightly to Zoemi''s body. She became terribly afraid that the ck-haired boy will now try to push her away and she felt almost as if someone has punched her in the stomach.

    "A perversion like that¡­!"

    Miriette''s body stiffened.

    |Noo! I knew it! He hates indecent women¡­! Wait ¨C does he know that I also¡­!?|

    She thought to herself straining her memory to remember if she did something tantly inappropriate.

    Then she felt Zoemi grabbing her shoulders and tearing her away from him.

    She was so terrified to separate from him that she even activated her enchantments though she knew she could hurt him but even that didn''t help.

    While her lips trembled as she was barely holding back the tears she raised her head to look up into Zoemi''s eyes.

    Cold, dead eyes, so dark and indifferent and therefore as threatening as the darkness itself.

    |¡­eh¡­? The face doesn''t quite match¡­ and those eyes, they are not¡­|

    Miriette furrowed his brows in realization while Zoemi in front of her opened his mouth.

    "¡­you are supposed to be innocent! If you are Miriette then you MUST be the perfect innocent¡­!"

    The ck-haired attendant''s mouth spewing the furious and annoyed voice that Mireitte had never heard Zoemi use ¨C her Zoemi never sounded that close to losing it, and he certainly never had tried to force her to act ording to his likes and dislikes.

    "Ah. Ghosts of Bellcephora, I presume? Or not? You feel kind of weak, don''t you?"

    "!!!"

    But before they even properly told Miriette her final sin, the dark-haired girl pulled away from the ck-haired boy and scoffed, leaving him speechless.

    "So, you have the ability to enter dreams¡­ Talk about bullshit¡­ or is this supposed to be hypnosis¡­? Suggestion? Either way, it''s quite annoying. You have guts to be calling others perverts¡­"

    Miriette ended up getting up from the bed and walked towards the window, opening it and breathing in the night breeze ¨C which didn''t actually feel like a night breeze because she was indeed dreaming and in reality, she was calmly sleeping in her bed.

    "Say¡­ even if you managed to sneak in, this is still my dream, is it not¡­?"

    "Wha¡­? How strong is your will¡­?!"

    The dark-haired girl gritted her teeth as her anger was at the boiling point, making the person who disguised himself as Zoemi flinch and back off¡­

    "Stop."

    "!!!"

    Miriette demanded in a furious voice and a single strand of her hair lost its color, which resulted in the disguised individual getting stopped right in his track as the words got stuck in his mouth.

    "I am already extremely pissed about the current situation, so I don''t need some creep messing with me while I rest! How dare you try to use my Zoemi''s appearance to influence me?!"

    She shouted, waving her hand in a domineering way, and the space around her shattered like a broken mirror revealing her and the Zoemi-lookalike¡­

    "AAAAHHHH¡­! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    ¡­and the seventy foot-tall Zoemi that appearead right behind Miriette''s back, making the Zoemi-lookalike start to shout in absolute horror.

    "You better not have a strong connection, or the mental damage will transfer back to your original body, freak."

    *click*

    "W-wait ¨C No! ¨C Miri! I am not a member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora ¨C I''m A¡­!"

    *SLAM*

    Miriette scoffed and snapped her fingers, at which the gigantic Zoemi raised his foot and crushed the imposter like a filthy bug, despite the audacious intruder''s attempt toe up with an exnation, turning it into a stter of blood and gore.

    *******

    And then¡­

    Miriette woke up.

    "¡­huh¡­ true, he seemed to be trying to make himself look like a member of the Ghosts, but with how much SHE is scared of them, he definitely was way too weak to be one¡­"

    The dark-haired girl opened her eyes and muttered to herself before raising her head from over the desk by which she fell asleep the other night.

    She stood up while stretching and approached the window ¨C opening it and feeling the morning breeze tickle her face.

    "¡­so the spell has a lot of range, or he is hiding something nearby¡­"

    She also looked down at the ground checking, just in case, whether the person who sneaked inside her dreams hadn''t been lying there unconscious but there was no such luck.

    "Figured."

    She scoffed to herself before moving to the door and opening it to check in the corridor just in case.

    "Oh? Mistress, good morning."

    But the only person she spotted was the short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform walking towards her while carrying a tray with food.

    "¡­yeah, morning. You didn''t happen to pass someone who looked as if they were stepped on by a seventy-foot-tall Zoemi on your way here?

    Miriette nodded at her absentmindedly and moved to the side to make a room for her to pass.

    "¡­a¡­ a what¡­? N-no, I don''t think that I did¡­"

    Teo blinked a few times in confusion in response.

    The two girls got into the room and Teo left the tray with food on the desk that Miriette left a moment before.

    "Miriette, sir Zoemi would be worried that you didn''t get a proper rest because of him¡­"

    As the door closed, Teo breathed out and pointed at the made bed that clearly wasn''t slept in during the night.

    "As if I could rest easy when he is kept in a cell in a dungeon! Did they allow you to talk with him at least, or did you got blown off like me? It''s so annoying that the dungeon has some weird wind-magic blocking capabilities and I can''t talk with Zoemi myself and my message spell can''t make it to Horeo in such an important situation either¡­! Why in the world it is so easy to block the message spell?!"

    The dark-haired girl breathed out andined while taking a seat by the desk and pulling the tray towards herself.

 Chapter 274 - Chaos In The Academy (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 274 ¨C Chaos In The Academy (part 3)</h4>

    "Indeed, I was allowed to see him, not for much, but still."

    "¡­!"

    Teo sat down on the bed and spoke in a serious manner, making Miriette freeze with her hand outstretched for the food.

    "And? How is he?"

    The dark-haired girl asked impatiently staring at the attendant.

    "He looks fine, it certainly doesn''t look as if they are attempting to make him cooperate using force¡­"

    "Bullshit ¨C I bet he asked you to tell me that! Come on, Teo, I thought we were friends!"

    The short brown-haired girl on a maid''s uniform spoke in a calm andposed voice but was immediately interrupted by annoyed and slightly sad Miriette, which made her close her mouth and go silent for a while.

    "¡­it doesn''t look like he isn''t being tortured, but I know for a fact that he can use healing spells¡­"

    Teo breathed out and ended up spilling the truth while moving her head and pointing at her ear that until recently was getting more and more swollen because of the infection that Zoemi healed up for her.

    "¡­?"

    Miriette raised her brow and tilted her head but didn''tment, waiting for Teo to continue.

    "I might be overthinking it, but I expect him to be healing himself or something, maybe even cleaning his clothes and the cell he is kept in, but I saw a few specks of blood on the wall outside his cell, that he ¨C or someone else, could have missed¡­"

    The brown-haired attendant pointed out with a bitter expression, making Miriette frown in anger.

    "¡­do you know whose blood it was¡­?"

    The dark-haired girl asked in a tense voice.

    "¡­and how am I supposed to tell you that? I just saw that it was rather fresh ¨C if it was caused by someone hitting sir Zoemi from inside the cell, then the hit must have been quite strong. Earth magician level strong at least."

    Teo raised her brow and shook her head in disbelief at the naive question.

    "Ah. So you expect that the olddy Auequas lost it and is trying to force Zoemi to admit that he had something to do with Xoenith''s death¡­ Yeah, I was afraid that it would be something like that ¨C I contacted my mother and father and from what they told me it seems that the dearest queen of ours is doing her best to appease the anger of lord Derizno. Normally that would mean making sure that they would put more people into chasing after the murderer, but apparently, they want to turn Zoemi into a convenient scapegoat so that it would look like the royal family is actually doing something."

    Miriette frowned and nodded with a solemn expression before taking a sandwich and biting into it in annoyance.

    "¡­I¡­ I meant that I think that some earth magician might have been too eager in their interrogation because lord Derizno was a transcended earth magician the other earth magician looked up to¡­ Master''s mother really is doing that? Why?! Derzino family is powerful but isn''t the support from Espine and Moyena families enough to maintain the status of the Bellcephora family?"

    "¡­"

    Teo blinked in confusion and spoke anxiously, clenching her hands together with a terribly worried expression while Miriette was chewing silently feeling very awkward after talking too much.

    "From what I know the problem lies with the neutral powers, Victureo and Lazaram families. Victureo holds the power in the military while Lazaram ¨C especially the current head of the family who serves as the royal magician. While Victureo seems to be leaning towards Bellcephora in recent years they still tend to put their foot down and stubbornly block somews from being passed that would favor the current rulers. As for Lord Lazaram ¨C he keeps away from any and all important meetings using his research as a shield, and some people think that it is because he actually detests the current king and will give his supporter to the first person who will try to overthrow his entire bloodline."

    Well, since she already said too much there was no reason to just hold back, so Miriette just went all in and just dumped all the definitively top-secret information onto the increasingly scared Teo.

    "Wh¡­ what¡­? Lord Lazaram hates master''s father? Why?! They always talk with each other normally in public!"

    The short brown-haired girl gasped in disbelief ¨C she of all people would have known that as until recently she always stayed by the first prince''s side, giving her free ess to most ces in the royal pce when she often could catch a glimpse of some important people.

    "You got that one right ¨C in public. Did you know that Horeo doesn''t have only one half-brother?"

    Miriette smirked and pointed at the shocked girl with her half-eaten sandwich.

    "¡­eh¡­?"

    Teo''s jaw dropped at the revtion making Miriette''s smirk grow into a grin.

    "You definitely know about Surou being the child of the first wife of Horeo''s father ¨C but did you know that the king''s current wife was in a rtionship with another man and even gave him a son? Funnily enough, that was used as an argument IN FAVOR OF her assuming her current position."

    The dark-haired girl seemed to be having fun sharing high-ss gossip with her friend, although most of them weren''t just rumors but a confirmed truth that was simply kept away from the lower-born people.

    "I-indeed, but what does it have to do with lord La¡­ oh¡­! Ooooohhhhhh¡­!"

    Teo shook her head slightly and tilted her head in confusion before at one point her eyes widened in realization and she gasped.

    "Yes. The current queen was in fact lord Lazaram''s partner before leaving him for the current king ording to her family''s wishes. Apparently, lord Lazaram didn''t take that too well ¨C which is hard to say for sure, but since he didn''t take another wife despite many marriage proposals from basically every single noble family in the kingdom sounds pretty usible."

    The dark-haired girl pointed out before returning to her meal

    "That means the third-year student that can use the spells from all attributes is master''s older brother?! But he never spoke about him, ever!"

    Teo was already so invested in the story that she momentarily forgot about Zoemi.

    "¡­now I wonder if this is something that I should tell you¡­ Horeo might get grumpy if he would know that I told you about it¡­"

    "¡­eh¡­?!"

    Miriette finished her meal and leaned back in her chair with a concerned expression, confusing the brown-haired girl.

    She already told her so much about really secret stuff, what information could be so dangerous that it could make her hesitate from revealing it?

    "Oh well, just don''t tell him that you know and it should be fine. I trust you."

    "!!!"

    Miriette ended up shrugging her shoulders and smiling cheekily at the stunned Teo.

    "This will require just a little backstory ¨C so listen."

    Miriette cleared out her throat and looked up at the ceiling.

    "This happened before you two showed up in the pantry in the royal pce so I am not surprised that you are not aware of it ¨C but ¨C in the past Horeo and Surou were inseparable."

    "¡­wait¡­ what¡­?"

    The dark-haired girl revealed, making Teo furrow his brows in confusion ¨C it was shocking information considering the rivalry and overall negative emotions between the two princes, but it didn''t sound all that important.

 Chapter 275 - Chaos In The Academy (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 275 ¨C Chaos In The Academy (part 4)</h4>

    "Horeo didn''t awaken his magic until quitete, and funnily enough he looked up to his younger brother who could use magic since the age of four and the two would always study together and whatnot. Sometimes they would be even studying together with the son of the royal magician as he also was a prodigy. Our little Horeo was very timid and shy at that time ¨C and then Zoemi came into their lives. First, he stole Horeo''s heart and made him want to improve and even overtake his younger sibling, and then even ended up triggering the awakening of his magic. That has turned everything on its head. This part you should know about, but Horeo is probably up there with the recorded strongest light magicians in history. That and having mine and Zoemi''s encouragement made the first prince shed his doubts which resulted in him excelling in basically everything he tried, leaving Surou in the dust both in terms of magic,bat, and academics. Still, Horeo didn''t turn arrogant or try to humiliate his younger brother ¨C in turn, he actually kept trying to bring him in more ces and learn together with him that more often."

    "Which made Surou hate and envy him."

    Miriette stopped to take a breather which Teo used as a chance to make her guess.

    "No."

    "Eh?!"

    And missed splendidly.

    "Surou was actually extremely sheltered as the king feared that his health would be as fragile as histe mother''s. But Horeo singlehandedly proved that to be just an incorrect assumption, gaining Surou''s gratitude."

    Miriette corrected her and exined.

    "That doesn''t make sense¡­ if that''s the case, then howe that their rtionship deteriorated to its current state?"

    The dark-haired girl gasped in disbelief and leaned closer.

    "ording to Horeo, one day he went for Surou to take him to study together, but he was told that lord Lazaram''s son had taken the second prince somewhere. Just like that, when the two of them saw each other the next day, Surou dered Horeo his political opponent and refused to spend any time together. From that point onward, that was always Surou''s reaction to meeting Horeo."

    Miriette breathed out and shrugged her shoulders.

    "Horeo tried to learn what it was all about, but everyone told him the same thing ¨C in the future either him or Surou would be the next king, so the two of them really were political enemies. That made Horeoe to the conclusion that anyone who thinks that is simply too stupid to be considered human, which lead him to develop in the way that he is now. Oh. Just in case ¨C he absolutely mes everything on Arisu ¨C the Lazaram''s son ¨C so be careful and try not to mention his name around him. Horeo thinks that Arisu took his brother away, and I don''t imagine that it will end well. Normally Horeo acts as if Arisu doesn''t exist, but I wouldn''t try confronting him about it."

    "I-I''ll keep that in mind¡­"

    The dark-haired girl finished what she wanted to say and nodded at the brown-haired girl who agreed with a mixed expression.

    Then, suddenly, a bright golden light shed, illuminating the entire room and three people simply appeared from the light.

    "!!!!"

    "Took you long enough."

    ¡­making Teo speechless, while Miriette raised her brow and smirked¡­

    "Because of the negotiations, past two days the entire royal castle was under the experimental magic stone barrier developed by the royal magician. It intercepted and blocked any and allmunication spells which exins why I never got any message spell from you ¨C but does not exin why couldn''t you be bothered to send an actual currier with a written message ore yourself ¨C as my fiance you have all the right in the world toe to the royal castle while I am there."

    The person who appeared in the middle frowned and scoffed angrily while walking over to the dark-haired girl by the desk.

    "I preferred to stay close just in case that my air emperor would see them abuse Zoemi, my prince."

    Miriette shrugged her shoulders and stood up from her chair to stand up face in face ¨C or as close as the height difference allowed her to ¨C with the gold-haired first prince, Horeo.

    "Eh?! Mirie¡­ umm¡­! M-mistress, what do you mean your air-emperor would see? Didn''t you say that¡­?!"

    Teo flinched and gasped ¨C hurriedly changing the way she addressed the dark-haired girl to amodate for thepany ¨C and asked in confusion.

    "Nn¡­ no. I only said that I can''t use message spell to talk with him directly. I am keeping an eye on him. The blood that you noticed wasn''t his ¨C sorry for acting a bit vague, I promise you there was a reason for it and not just me wanting to keep you in the dark ¨C although they were trying to hit him to make him talk, they encountered a rather unexpected problem."

    "¡­!"

    Miriette nced at her and smirked with satisfaction ¨C making Teo finally realize what was the reason for Miriette staying shockingly calm in a situation where Zoemi''s safety was threatened.

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    The other two that arrived together with Horeo ¨C two brown-haired girls, Patishi and Veo ¨C were staying silent, doing their best to ignore Teo but paying attention to the first prince and his fiance.

    "Aww, you made a friend! Good for you. Now. Let''s go get Zoemi. He spent more than enough time in a cell."

    "Yes."

    Horeo grabbed Miriette''s hand and the two of them rushed out of the room in a hurry, leaving the three attendants in awkward silence.

    "¡­I¡­ I see that your ear is all better now. That''s good¡­"

    "¡­!"

    Veo ended up being the first one to break the silence- which honestly made Patishi flinch from shock.

    "¡­"

    Teo blinked and looked at her wide-eyed in silence.

    "¡­"

    The next moment her chin trembled and her eyes filled with tears.

    "Veo¡­! I-I''m so sorry¡­!"

    The girl in a butler''s uniform cried out and hid her face in her hands.

    "Now, now. Everything is fine now."

    Veo smiled and approached her younger sister to pat her back reassuringly.

    ¡ª¡ª-

    "Are we busting him out with spells or¡­?"

    While running through the hallways while using their enchantments, Miriette asked Horeo with a deadly serious expression.

    "Probably not since I have this."

    The gold-haired prince shook his head and took out a piece of paper from his vest''s inner pocket.

    "We will use force only if someone will try to act clever with us."

    ¡­but ended up adding with a threatening smile, which made Miriette grin in a very simr expression¡­

    "Also, apparently the headmaster is missing, and that made my father really worried for some reason, which is odd since I never hear anything about him being close to anyone from the Vereq family¡­"

    Horeo added, hiding the paper back in his pocket as his smile subsided reced by concern and suspicion.

    "The Academy is an important ce ¨C sir Vereq was the principal for many years if he won''t be found someone else will have to be elected as a recement. That alone might be nerve-racking ¨C what if the new person ends up trying to influence the students against the royal family?"

    Miriette furrowed her brows and responded cautiously as the two approached the entrance to the dungeon guarded by one of the teachers.

    "No¡­ this feels different¡­ You got a point, but then why not select someone neutral or in favor of our family? Father seemed to be mortified by the idea of headmaster''s sudden disappearance¡­"

    Horeo slowed down and shook his head with a grim expression.

    "Student Bellcephora, student Espine ¨C this ce cannot be essed by the students."

    Horeo finished talking just in time, because the teacher by the door ¨C Ikarweth, the red-haired middle-aged man ¨C looked at them with concern and dered, raising his brow.

    "Oh, don''t worry teacher ¨C you see¡­"

    Horeo breathed out assuming the calm facade of calmness andposure that everyone knew him for and said, pulling out the piece of paper from before.

 Chapter 276 - (part 1) - In The Carriage

    <h4>Chapter 276 ¨C (part 1) ¨C In The Carriage</h4>

    "Hey, cheer up, Zoemi. We got you out of there, didn''t we?"

    Horeo smiled and tilted his head looking at the devilishly handsome ck-haired attendant seating by the carriage''s window, staring at the sights they passed on their way to the capital.

    "Why wasn''t I sent back withdy Miriette to the Espines'' castle? I am her attendant and the usations against me are too ridiculous to be taken seriously."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and answered with a grim expression.

    There were four people inside the royal carriage avable only for the members of the royal family.

    The gold-haired first prince.

    The short brown-haired girl in a maid''s uniform, who had her hands slumped down limply alongside her body.

    The skinny brown-haired girl in a maid''s uniform, who looked slightly younger than the other passengers.

    And the ck-haired boy who was on the verge of blowing up from all the pent-up anger.

    "We are doing that because the annoying hag who unfortunately happened to give birth to me is actively trying to make you annoyed enough for you to do something stupid so that all the charges against you would seem more believable."

    The gold-haired prince sighed and pointed out.

    "Well, that is awfully close to being aplished, that''s for sure."

    "Big brother¡­! Please, calm down¡­!"

    Zoemi scoffed angrily, gritting his teeth ¨C which made Patishi cry out with a pitiful expression and jump over to the ck-haired boy''s seat to grab his hand.

    "Patishi, you are a good girl but you are missing something important ¨C I am calm right now. If I wasn''t, I wouldn''t be here anymore."

    Zoemi sighed and raised his free hand to pat the younger girl''s head while exining, stunning others ¨C except Horeo ¨C with his words.

    "¡­did you cast muffle so the coachman wouldn''t hear us¡­?"

    The first prince asked, meaningfully ncing over the ck-haired attendant''s shoulder.

    "Yes, I did."

    Zoemi nodded, breathing out and leaning back into his seat while continuing to pat Patishi''s head which seemed to be easing his worries a lot.

    "Good. Veo, are you still feeling sick?"

    "¡­y-yes¡­ I''m sorry for being a bother, my¡­ p-PRINCE?!"

    Having received a confirmation, the first prince rxed and also leaned back in his seat while asking Veo, who nodded timidly¡­

    ¡­and gasped in disbelief when Horeo guided her toy down and put her head on hisp, where he started gently stroking her hair.

    "Now then ¨C did you actually kill Xeonith?"

    "!!!!"

    "!!!"

    With thefort of his attendants out of the way, the gold-haired boy looked up at the indifferent Zoemi and straight-up asked an extremely dangerous question ¨C which caused both Patishi and Veo to tens up in disbelief.

    "I didn''t deliver the final blow, and even the hit before that wasn''t my doing ¨C but I definitely took a part in wiping that perverted piece of filth from the face of the earth."

    "!!!!"

    "!!!!"

    What made the two girls even more shocked, was Zoemi''s lighthearted answer.

    "But besides my unfortunate presence there, there should be no evidence pointing to my involvement ¨C which made it incredibly annoying. Those idiots clearly just want to make me a scapegoat for appeasing the head of the Derizno family, but more than half of their fabrications are actually true. That''s ridiculously annoying."

    The ck-haired boy shook his head in annoyance and added, looking straight into the prince''s eyes.

    "Then, the things that themoner girl used that overconfident weakling was true?"

    Horeo nodded his head calmly and asked, not doubting his friend for even a single second.

    "Of course they were ¨C I found her behind a fake wall made of the earth magick, barely alive and embedded into the real wall¡­ If you are asking me that it seems like none of the reports were passed on¡­"

    Zoemi nodded and breathed out again before taking back his hand from Patishi''s head.

    "You go to your prince too, little sister."

    "N-no¡­! I wasn''t jealous¡­!"

    The ck-haired boy smirked and gently pushed the shocked and embarrassed girl back to the other seat so that she also could lean against the gold-haired prince.

    "My, my ¨C someone is getting really needy~"

    "M-my prince, i-it''s not like that ¨C I really¡­!"

    Horeoughed, wrapping his arm around the blushing younger girl''s shoulder and resting his chin on her head.

    "It''s okay. Your big brother likes strong-willed and stubborn people while I have a weak spot for the needy ones."

    "!!!!"

    "!!!!"

    The gold-haired prince exined calmly, but it was clear from the bright red blushing faces of both girls that his words had the opposite effect on them.

    "And moving back to the main point ¨C I made sure to take a look at every single report submitted by the Academy, and themoner girl''s case was only briefly mentioned as wild usation that held no water. But I definitely noticed that every single one waspiled without the input from teacher Perserios ¨C who is known for being impartial and trustworthy ¨C which means that someone neatly erased everything she tried to submit."

    Horeo looked back at the ck-haired boy and exined.

    "And was there a mention about a member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora showing up in the Academy?"

    Zoemi smiled at the well-hiddenpliment towards the woman who was doing her best in conquering his father''s heart, but his expression turned serious as he pointed out the extremely serious situation.

    "There was a rather lengthy exert suggesting that you have some mental illness, yes."

    The gold-haired prince smirked mockingly and nodded.

    "But I was also present in the same room as my father when he saw that report ¨C and his reaction waspletely different than what whoever wrote the report wanted. While we''re talking about the reactions of my father ¨C he also seemed extremely bothered by the disappearance of the headmaster¡­ He expects those two matters to be connected."

    The gold-haired prince added and his expression became serious again.

    "¡­yeah ¨C I figured out the same thing ¨C I actually thought that the Ghosts might have used Xeonith to lure her out of, but that didn''t seem to be the case¡­ Considering how afraid of them she was, I suspect that there was no one else who could openly threaten her, at least not in our kingdom."

    "Her, she¡­? Are you saying that lord Vereq is like my Patishi¡­?"

    Zoemi agreed with the king''s suspicion but forgot that Horeo wasn''t yet aware of the real identity of the headmaster of the Aspakeony Academy, and ended up getting confused.

    "No. Completely different, but you will learn everything on your own when you will be the king."

    The ck-haired boy smirked at his friend, making him raise his brow in suspicion.

    "¡­my prince¡­ sir Zoemi¡­ I think that we are almost at the royal castle¡­"

    Their conversation was interrupted by very timid Veo pointing out at the window behind which a very familiar sight of the kingdom''s capital was passing by.

    "You''re right, thanks, Veo."

    Zoemi nced at the window and then nodded at the older girl who was hurriedly getting up from the prince''sp before their carriage passed through the inner gate.

    "And the muffle is off."

    Zoemi dered and Horeo nodded with a calm expression.

    "My prince ¨C do you think that this whole summon would end up in me trading the Academy''s dungeon for the royal castle''s dungeon?"

    The ck-haired boy smirked nastily, actuallypletely sure that it will really be the case.

    "I expect a certain person to try and do that¡­ but that certainly wasn''t in the order I received from my father, so¡­ we willply with the will of the king."

    "¡­?"

    "¡­?"

    The gold-haired boy responded with an equally malicious smile, making the two girls by his side look at both of them in confusion, right as the carriage stopped.

 Chapter 277 - (part 2) - The Visit In The Royal Castle

    <h4>Chapter 277 ¨C (part 2) ¨C The Visit In The Royal Castle</h4>

    "Now then¡­"

    Horeo breathed out and he donned a mask of a refreshing smile on his face, readying himself to exit the carriage, reaching for the door¡­

    "A person known as Zoemi is immediately required to be taken to the royal castle''s dungeon when he will await his sentence!"

    ¡­the carriage''s door was opened by some overly eager light magician donning a full set of enchanted armor, glowing with the bright golden light of the active enchantment.

    *SLAM*

    *WHAM*

    ¡­whoever the mage was, he either didn''t know or didn''t care about who else was in the carriage ¨C which earned him a backhanded p from the brightly smiling first prince ¨C a backhanded p that crushed the mage''s helmet and sent him flying and crashing into the ground a couple of dozen of feet away from the carriage itself.

    "L-lord Osteriov?!"

    As it turned''s out, the rude fool wasn''t alone and hispanion in the same type of armor, also with light enchantments active, called out after him in shock.

    "Osteriov? He was expelled from the King''s Guard for the crippling inability to follow authority¡­ Ah ¨C I see ¨C You two are insurgents attempting to assassinate me."

    Horeo ¨C glowing with blinding golden light of his own enchantments while three golden orbs orbited his body ¨C stepped out of the carriage, dusting off the hand that he hit the armored mage, and nodded in understanding.

    "Y-y-your highness, th-that''s not it..! W-we are the members of the Light Order ¨C a group created by the queen to¡­!"

    The other armored mage raised his hands, surrendering, immediately losing every ounce of confidence that he had in himself as hepared the intensity of the light that the first prince was giving off to his own.

    "Light Order? What kind of bullshit is that supposed to be? If you are members of the official organization, why are you using potentially offensive spells in the presence of royalty while there is no immediate danger to that royalty''s life? I could kill you both on the spot without any trial for that. Zoemi, apprehend that idiot so he can be taken away and interrogated about his idiocy."

    Horeo scoffed, shaking his head at thepletely terrified man, and then nced over his shoulder and called back at the carriage.

    "?!???!"

    The next moment a wave of murky darkness spilled out of the door and swallowed the armored man whole ¨C the next second the darkness subsided revealing the ck-haired boy pinning down the utterly confused gold-haired young man in a submission hold¡­

    ¡­and said young man was wearing only the undershirt and underpants that went underneath the armor, but there was not a trace of the enchanted armor on him whatsoever¡­

    "Hmph!"

    Horeo scoffed looking at the squirming man who couldn''t overpower the ck-haired boy despite still having his enchantments active.

    "Listen here sir overachiever ¨C this here is an order from the king where it is clearly written that Zoemi Auequas will be brought to the royal castle for further questioning. Changing the king''s order is an offense strictly punishable by thew ¨C and iming that Zoemi is supposed to be thrown into the dungeon to await a punishment is exactly that. So how about I will throw you and your unconsious friend over there ¨C if he is still alive in the first ce ¨C into the cozy cell you overeager idiots prepared for him?"

    The gold-haired first prince took a piece of paper out of his vest''s inner pocket, crouched down over to the armorless light magician, and showed him the king''s seal at the bottom of the page.

    "Now then¡­"

    Horeo stood up and looked to his side where he saw Veo with her enchantments fully activated, ready to protect him as was her attendant''s duty, which made him smile.

    "Veo, go to the King''s Guards barracks and bring them here to deal with this bother for us."

    "As you wish, my prince!"

    The first prince asked with a pleasant smile and the short brown-haired attendant nodded her head and ran off without any hesitation.

    "Patishi,e here, stay close just in case."

    Horeo added, seeing his other attendant uncertainly peeking over at him from inside the carriage ¨C she clearly wanted to help too, but had no idea how could she do that without any offensive capabilities.

    "Y-yes, my prince!"

    The skinny girl gasped and hurried towards the gold-haired prince, stopping right behind his back getting inside the safe space of the orbiting light spheres, peeking at the incapacitated man with a mixed expression, part fearful and part angry.

    "U-unhand me you crimi-NGHNGHHH¡­!"

    The incapacitated man growled and tried to struggle but Zoemi simply pushed his face into the ground.

    "Thank you, Zoemi, this is truly annoying ¨C why there is no one else here? Where are all the servants, aside from the guards at the main gate we haven''t seen anyone¡­ do you think that coup d''¨¦tat actually happened? I shouldn''t have let Veo go alone after all¡­ how do you think about retaking the entire castle with just the three of us?"

    Horeo sighed, looking around at the eerily empty area in front of the actual royal castle.

    "If that is your wish, my prince, I will humbly follow your lead."

    Zoemi looked up at him and nodded while smiling cheekily ¨C there was not even a trace of exhaustion on his face despite him holding down a light magician who should have been leagues stronger than him.

    "Dear goodness! My prince?! What in the world is going on?!"

    "Ah, looks like that''s not the case after all."

    At the shocked call of another light magician who appeared in a sh of light right next to the carriage, the first prince tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders.

    "Sir Irghun, we have some audacious fools iming to be members of something called the Light Order ¨C be so kind to take them to the dungeon and interrogate them thoroughly, as you can see, it clearly seems that they were plotting to assassinate me under the guise of following king''s orders."

    Horeo turned to the newly arrived man ¨C who turned out to be themander of the King''s Guard in person ¨C and demanded in a strict tone.

    "Zoemi, knock that man down and let''s go inside, this stupidity is making my head hurt."

    "As you wish, my prince."

    The gold-haired boy sighed and waved his hand at the ck-haired boy who nodded and furrow his brows.

    "¡­"

    "Done."

    The very next second without any visible attack the incapacitated man suddenly wentpletely limp and Zoemi smiled with satisfaction before standing up.

    "Excellent. Sir Irghun, I leave it in your capable hands. I expect a report on the caseter today."

    "My prince, this¡­pffft¡­! Ekhm, of course."

    It seemed that themander of the King''s guard was having a hard time keeping a straight face after seeing the two fallen light magicians, but ended up clearing his throat and agreeing while straightening his back.

    "My prince¡­ what just happened¡­?"

    Patishi nervously grabbed onto Horeo''s clothes and tugged on them with a worried expression.

    "We had to make quite the scene for whoever is looking, don''t worry, everything is under control for now."

    The gold-haired prince winked at the younger girl and smiled reassuringly while taking her with him and Zoemi into the royal castle.

    ¡­where inside servants were busily moving around as always¡­

    "¡­my prince, I expect that this was a provocation done especially so that it would be proven that I had the strength to endanger that filth''s life¡­ I am ashamed to admit that because of my personal feeling taking over, I went overboard and showed too much of my current power¡­"

    Zoemi leaned towards Horeo and whispered in a grim voice.

    "¡­yes, most likely ¨C although I can''t really me you since I did the same thing¡­ but I believe that we can spin the situation in our favor still¡­ say¡­ would it be okay for me to involve themoner girl in the story ¨C I think we can use her healing magic as an exnation for some questionable parts¡­"

    "¡­"

    Horeo whispered back, causing Zoemi to furrow his brows in concern.

    "It will not endanger her, I can promise you that."

    The gold-haired prince assured the ck-haired attendant, which seem to ease his worries.

    "Alright. You are far better with the political game than me ¨C obviously ¨C I leave it to you, my prince."

    Zoemi took a deep breath and nodded to his best friend¡­

    "That''s what I like to hear~"

    ¡­which made Horeo smile with satisfaction.

    ¡ª¡ª¨C

    "¡­I don''t like this¡­ Do you think that this brat caught wind of our n?"

    A tall, intimidating-looking woman clicked her tongue after listening to the report of one of her spies and turned to the studious-looking man.

    "That¡­ seems likely¡­ I told you before that some of our allies seem to be too loose-lipped for their own good¡­ also, if I might be so bold, you are showing too much apprehension towards him as time goes, which definitely made him more suspicious of you. He is your son after all but you aren''t very supportive or motherly."

    The man breathed out and spoke softly.

    "If it wasn''t for bing the queen, I would have neverid down with that clown of a man and gave him a child. I will make sure that neither of his offspring will get the throne even if it''s thest thing that I do."

    The woman scoffed and shook her head in annoyance.

    "While we are on the subject of session ¨C what about Moyena family? Any progress on making them into turncoats?"

    The man nodded his head and asked curiously.

    "Yes. The Banemors territory situation is bing more and more problematic for the royal treasurer as someone convinced that fool of a king to give all responsibility for retrieving thend from the upying sage-level man to him¡­ and our poor treasurer seems to be convinced that it was the first prince doing. The weight of the responsibility seems to be wearing him down and he gets desperate. If, for example, someone convinces the king to pressure lord Moyena even more and impose some ridiculous punishment and restrictions then, who knows? Supporting another candidate for the throne might be a reasonable option for him ¨C and if not for lord Moyena himself, then definitely for one of his hot-headed descendants. At least for the ones who matter."

    The womanughed triumphantly while walking towards the window ¨C and looking down at the view below.

    The imposing woman and the studious man had their talk in a secured room at the very top of the tower sealed off with one of the man''s inventions, assuring the secrecy of their meeting and the subjects they talked about.

    "Buying out Moyena''s informants turned out to be a profitable investment then."

    "Indeed, that is how it turned out."

    The studious man smiled and the intimidating woman nodded with a satisfied expression.

 Chapter 278 - 5 - HOW IS THAT NEWS TO YOU?!

    <h4>Chapter 278 ¨C 5 ¨C HOW IS THAT NEWS TO YOU?!</h4>

    "This is problematic¡­ although we might have convinced some people that you aren''t a darkness magician and instead was affected by a sickness that would make your magic appear as if you were, and that was healed by the spell that themoner girl had cast on you, but it really didn''t change the situation all too much¡­ With how things are, it really will be better to just ship you off to some remote territory until things go quiet."

    Horeo picked up a ss of juice to his mouth and sighed before taking a big gulp of the refreshing beverage.

    "One thing that I certainly wasn''t expecting was lord Victureo straight up announcing that he refuses to believe any under your name. I realized that Ehmi liked you, but I also thought that you and Grazio hate each other ¨C this might be just a very forward political move on Telorius''s part, but to straight-up say that you are a young man who has the full trust of both of his children seems to be an oversight on his part¡­"

    The gold-haired prince looked form over his ss at the ck-haired boy sitting on a chair, deep in thought.

    "I don''t think that he lied¡­ I had trouble believing it for a while, but it seems like Grazio was trying to patch things up with me this whole time ¨C he was even leaving this under my door each morning ¨C although I learned that he was the one doing that only recently."

    Zoemi breathed out and took out a vial of the mana potion from his vest''s pocket to show it off to his friend.

    "Wasn''t that this stupidly overpriced novelty that restores only a minuscule amount of mana? How many did you get?"

    Horeo raised his brow observing the blue liquid with medium interest, after all, the potion itself wasn''t the important part at all.

    "It is ¨C although it doesn''t restore mana, it simply influences the body''s natural capabilities to restore it on its own. The more mana someone has, the less effective it is though. And it must have cost him a fortune because I got a few months'' worths."

    Zoemi confirmed before storing the bottle back into his pocket and leaning back into the chair.

    "Then, lord Telorius Graxul Victureo wasn''t lying ¨C that still doesn''t change the fact that he is basically openly dropping the guise of neutrality and joins the faction supporting me¡­ Well, that part is understandable though, my younger brother will have to work hard to regain his previous status."

    The first prince nodded his head and down the rest of the beverage before walking to and sitting on his bed.

    "How about my return to the Academy¡­? You have mentioned shipping me off to some remote territory, that sounds like me getting expelled is set in stone¡­ I do not particrly care about being a student there or not, but getting expelled equals getting banned from entering the Academy grounds ¨C so that would interrupt with my duties as Miriette''s attendant."

    The ck-haired boy pointed out and frowned at the implication that he had made himself.

    "For now, we have the two-week break called by the Academy because of Xeonith''s death to try and do something about it¡­ Although I am quite sure that certain people will try to push for your expulsion, most likely to tilt either me or Miriette so that either one of us would make some mistake that could be used against us¡­"

    "Horeo ¨C I REFUSE to leave Miriette''s side."

    Horeo titled shrugged his shoulder and tilted his head with an awkward expression ¨C to which Zoemi reacted with a stern and very determinedment.

    "¡­goodness¡­ if she thinks the same way the two of you mighte to a stupid idea of running off together¡­ so listen."

    The first prince scoffed in annoyance and rolled his eyes before ring at the ck-haired attendant.

    "Let''s imagine the two of you ran away together. I would lose face and support of some noble houses, Espine family would lose face, and you and your father would be deemed traitors ¨C yes, Mizoe would be involved too ¨C while the two of you would have to be on the run for the rest of your lives. Even if after some time I would manage to get everything under control ¨C you two will lose on potentially pleasant years of your life because of constantly being chased. And you know that in this world there are some fearsomely strong magicians ¨C or as they call themselves, sages ¨C who would go after you for the right price. Why risk getting captured and or killed? We have the option of resolving everything as it is. Think about it. You might be forced to stop seeing Miriette so often for a few weeks or at most months not expelled but suspended from the Academy. It will give the people wanting you gone the semnce of getting rid of you. In the meantime, I will make sure to arrange everything the proper way."

    "¡­"

    The gold-haired prince dered with a deadly serious expression, and by one point even Zoemi started fidgetting in unease ¨C but not because of the prince''s looks, but rather his words¡­

    "¡­my prince¡­ the way you phrase it¡­ it seems that¡­ you know about my feelings towards¡­ you know¡­"

    "¡­"

    Zoemi cleared his throat and started mumbling in embarrassment.

    "Zoemi¡­ Miriette tries to win your heart since she met you ¨C though I am not much different ¨C and apparently, you recently confessed to her, although that information might be overexaggerated by that cunning fox to piss me off ¨C in which case I am sorry for assuming that you wanted to elope with her."

    After dealing with all the high aristocrats during the meeting about Xeonith''s death and Zoemi''s involvement in the incident, Horeo had enough lying and bending the truth to his benefit for the day so he gave it to his friend straight without holding back.

    "¡­huh¡­?"

    Which seemed to have the same effect on the ck-haired boy as getting hit over the head with a mace.

    "So¡­ you confessed to her or not¡­?"

    Horeo prodded further, as seeing Zoemi flustered like that was a weed breath of fresh air after the stuffy conversation in the royal meeting room.

    "I¡­I¡­ I did.. but¡­ I didn''t wait for the answer¡­ I expected to be rejected in the first ce¡­ What do you mean she tried to win over my heart since she met me?! When?!"

    The ck-haired boy seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack, and his face waspletely red from the extreme blush at the unexpected revtion.

    "¡­"

    ¡­which has left the gold-haired first prince lost for words¡­

    "You¡­ you actually are that dense¡­ it wasn''t a ruse¡­? I always thought that you know and just imitated how Mizoe acted to not cause a scandal ¨C so I yed along to that¡­! But that''s how you really are?! What the hell, man?! Are you an idiot?!"

    Horeo couldn''t hold back any longer and stood up, shouting at his deeply embarrassed friend.

    "N-no¡­! I-Imean yes¡­ but¡­! But you two are engaged and flirt all the time! It''s obvious that you two are a good fit, and if she marries you she will be the queen and all¡­! I just want her to be happy!"

    "Moron! Blind idiot! If you want to make her happy, you should be the one to make her happy! What cretin pushed the girl who loves him into the arms of another man?! Who the hell do you think you are?! A tragic background character in some cheesy romance novel?!"

    Zoemi tired looked up at the furious first prince and tried to exin but got ruthlessly berated instead.

    "¡­alright¡­ listen you might be a dense numbskull, but this doesn''t change all that much in the long run¡­ listen ¨C I will do my best to not allow you to get expelled ¨C but you will most likely get suspended. What you have to do is not be stupid and just stay put. If it can''t be helped, at least try to do something good to paint you in a better light. Unfortunately, it would be best to put you away from the Espine territory, so that your presence would not sour the rtively peaceful rtionship between the Espines and Derizno more than it already did. I would love to have a country to rule, one without an ongoing civil war."

    Horeo breathed out, physically deting, and started rubbing his forehead with an annoyed expression.

    "¡­I¡­ will do my best¡­"

    Zoemi timidly nodded his head while trying to get in terms with the world-breaking realization.

 Chapter 279 - Start Of A New Questline (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 279 ¨C Start Of A New Questline (part 1)</h4>

    *SWOOSH*

    An enchanted de cut through the air aiming straight at the head of the ck-haired boy, but was dodged with ease as the target of the strike kicked off therge tower shield and, sending the light male light magician wielding back.

    "AS IF I LET YOU GET AWAY THIS TIME!"

    A female light magician teleported right behind the boy, mming down the massive greatsword, aiming to chop the opponent in half with the sheer mass of her weapon.

    "I do not consent to that."

    *SHING*

    *thump*

    "!!!"

    The devilishly handsome ck-haired boy smirked and waved his hand now enveloped in dark murky mist vaguely forming the shape of a one-handed sword ¨C and cut the greatsword cleanly in half.

    "HMPH!"

    But there was no room to breathe out in relief after dodging the attack as the previously kicked man was now charging at the boy using the tower shield as a ram to knock him out, giving the woman time topose herself ¨C throw away the now useless piece of metal ¨C and encase her hands in the orbs of light making them into boxing gloves.

    "Ghost."

    With no way to escape, stuck in the rock and the hard ce ¨C or rather the massive shield and the oing light-d fist, the ck-haired boy didn''t lose his head and merely smirked, proudly chanting an incantation.

    *WHOOOSH*

    *SWOOSH*

    The next moment his entire body turned into ckish mist and spread thin across the entire battleground as both attacks from his opponents merely passed through without causing andy damage.

    "He is doing this again already! Damn it!"

    "¡­"

    The woman cursed furiously and closed her eyes ¨C and the man followed her example.

    The next moment their bodies got surrounded by pirs of light ¨C which started expanding, seemingly swallowing all the murky ck fog in the area.

    *WHAM*

    "Ghh¡­!"

    The gold-haired man was suddenly kicked in the back, even though no one was anywhere near him, making him groan in annoyance, but that wasn''t enough to make him stop the cast.

    *SLAM*

    "Urgh¡­! You little fucker¡­!"

    The woman was next one to be kicked in the same spot as herpanion, but her response was a little more wordy, even though she also didn''t stop expanding the area of her pir of light ¨C which already started ovepping with the pir of herpanion.

    *SLA-thunk*

    "AHA!"

    only a few secondster, there was an attempt to kick the gold-haired man again ¨C but this time he was prepared and caught the leg of the culprit¡­

    "¡­huh¡­?!"

    ¡­or rather what he thought was the leg of the culprit and what in fact turned out to be leg-shaped solidified darkness¡­

    *BOOOOOM*

    *SLAM*

    "RIRIO?!"

    ¡­which ended up exploding right then and there, sending the man flying, and forcibly releasing his pir of light while causing the gold-haired woman to cry out loud.

    "In realbat, you would freak out like that too?"

    *WHAM*

    "UUURGGHHH¡­!"

    A single murky-ck orb appeared in front of the woman''s face and the boy''s voice called out to her before suddenly a pair of hands appeared from below the woman''s feet, grabbing her ankles and mming her to the ground, pushing all the air right out of her lungs, knocking her out and ending her spell as well.

    "Alright! Stop! That''s enough!"

    Suddenly a fourth person arrived at the training ground behind the main castle, pping their hands to get the attention of the fighting people.

    ¡­or rather the one still conscious¡­

    "I was under the impression that sir Carestas and Lady Yarvestreg were supposed to train with you, sir Zoemi, because they refused to settle with you winning by fluke the first time¡­ then howe whenever I see you train with them so they could prove their strength, they are getting more and more beaten up each time¡­?"

    The person turned out to be Veo, the short brown-haired girl in a maid''s uniform who was one of the two attendants of the first prince Horeo.

    "Honestly ¨C their problem is that their cooperation is perfect ¨C If one attacks, the other one wouldpliment them in the best possible way ¨C which makes it easy to counter as long as their opponent is fast enough and can read the signs. Also, I have been training with them all the time for ten days straight, I kind of figured out their fighting style¡­ they rely too much on magic and enchantments to overpower their opponent, while their technique iscking¡­ the typical problem of strong magicians."

    The ck-haired boy showed up by the girl''s side as the murky water bubble surrounding him stopped reflecting the light at a certain angle, making him visible again.

    "¡­that makes me want to train some more¡­"

    Veo nced over at the unconscious members of the King''s Guard and sighed.

    "What brings you here? Are you also up for a practice fight?"

    "No. My prince has called for you, there is a visitor that, and those are his words ¨C might be useful ¨C so he askes for your presence."

    Zoemi asked with a refreshing smile but Veo merely shook her head without a moment of hesitation and revealed her objective.

    "Ah, of course. I will go to him immediately once I heal those two."

    The ck-haired boy raised his brow for a moment, but then nodded and turned right around, walking towards the gold-haired woman first.

    ¡ª¡ª-

    A few minutester, Zoemi was following Veo through the royal castle''s corridors that he had seen enough times already to learn the way by heart.

    Soon enough the two of them got to their destination, a small meeting room prepared for private gatherings.

    *knock* *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "It''s open."

    The brown-haired girl knocked on the door and the voice of the first prince resounded from the inside, indirectly giving them permission to enter.

    "My prince, I brought him. Now if you allow me, Patishi asked me to be her taste tester for a new recipe."

    Veo opened the door but didn''t enter the room, stopping at the doorstep and bowing her head, before she turned around and made way for the ck-haired boy.

    "My prince, it''s a pleasure to be allowed in your presence, as always."

    Zoemi walked in and immediately bowed his head to the gold-haired boy seated casually on one of the armchairs ¨C and only after greeting the definitely most important person, he turned to the guest.

    A green-haired second-year student from the Aspakeony Academy ¨C Reo Serentii Moyena.

 Chapter 280 - Start Of A New Questline (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 280 ¨C Start Of A New Questline (part 2)</h4>

    "Lord Moyena, good morning ¨C I hope that you are in good health."

    Zoemi bowed his head lightly and smiled at the visibly excited upperssman.

    "Reo is enough! Zoemi! I am so sorry that you have to go through this ridiculous situation!"

    "¡­!"

    Reo didn''t even wait for Veo to properly close the door after Zoemi stood up and approach the ck-haired boy and show him his support, positively surprising him.

    "¡­?"

    "¡­"

    As Reo realized that he might have acted a bit too familiar with the ck-haired attendant and looked to the side in embarrassment, Zoemi used that chance to nce over at Horeo ¨C who winked at him and nodded his head with an encouraging expression.

    "Then¡­ Reo¡­ It''s nice to see you, is there something that you want to discuss?"

    The ck-haired boy decided it was okay to indulge the green-haired boy who ¨C at least up until that point ¨C had been exactly as his character in the game that Zoemi had yed in his previous life.

    ¡­and he was also Zoemi''s favorite character after Mireitte too, so the ck-haired boy was quite pleased that he didn''t turn out like Xeonith¡­

    "Yes. I do actually."

    Encouraged by Zoemi going along with his open and amicable personality, Reo straightened his back and nodded with a serious expression.

    "First of all¡­ have you heard about the Banemor territory?"

    "¡­!"

    The green-haired boy asked, and Zoemi''s eyes widened in realization.

    |Ah! So we really will go through the Banemor questline! Hmm¡­ poor Reo¡­ if I remember correctly, this was the event where hepletely fails to impress his father and stops pulling pranks altogether, giving up on winning the fatherly affection¡­|

    The ck-haired attendant thought to himself carefully observing Reo''s face.

    "I do. It''s a territory on the edge of the Bellcephora kingdom that lost the high noble family ruling it ¨C but the administration was taken over by the family servant ording to lord Banemor''s will."

    Zoemi nodded and spoke the line he remembered seeing on the screen in his past life.

    "That''s right. Banemor territory was always prosperous and racked in a lot of money through taxes for the kingdom ¨C but ording to the kingdom''sws, only the ruling family is supposed to pay the taxes to the crown ¨C and the loophole of thatw is used by the servant to not pay a single coin for over sixteen years already."

    Reo nodded back vigorously and started exining regardless of Zoemi''s confirmation.

    "Why can''t another family take over the territory then?"

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head and asked, consciously using the line that the heroine from the game should have used to correctly activate the questline.

    "There are two reasons for that. First is that lord Banemor''s will clearly states that he leaves everything to his missing daughter or her child or children if she had those¡­ which could be easily dismissed if not for the second reason¡­"

    The green-haired boy raised his hand and extended his index finger and partly did the same with his middle one.

    "The second reason for this troublesome situation is that the servant who upholds thete lord Banemor''s will is an extremely strong individual who had managed to singlehandedly repel an entire King''s Guard that has attempted to remove him, without breaking a sweat. That man said that he will not allow anyone to take over the Banemor''s territory until he would be shown proof that his master''s missing daughter or her child or children are dead. Which is ridiculous because there is no proof that they are alive either, with his daughter running away with a traveling merchant and going missing over sixteen years ago¡­"

    "¡­"

    Reo sighed and added with an awkward smile ¨C but in his words was a piece of information that didn''t appear in the game''s quest log, but Zoemi found it quite significant¡­!

    |¡­that servant is supposed to be extremely powerful¡­ so it is not all that far out there to assume that he knows about Aspakeony and her necromancy¡­ Isn''t that guy just asking Aspakeony to find the corpse of the missing youngdy and make sure that there really isn''t any descendants left¡­? Then his words would make a lot of sense¡­|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself.

    ¡­unfortunately, at the moment getting Aspakeony''s help was impossible considering that she had gone missing together with seemingly all of her corpse puppets¡­

    ¡­still, Zoemi had already copied her magic¡­

    |Maybe in this world, it will be possible to help Reo impress his father¡­? Having him as an ally could turn out rally profita¡­! Ah¡­! I see. That''s why Horeo must consider Reo useful ¨C Helping out Moyena family deal with the Banemor''s territory conundrum would certainly show me in a good light and make it easier to clear me of the suspicions! But.. he doesn''t know about the quest or that I can use necromancy¡­ so¡­ what is the n actually¡­?|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself with satisfaction but then furrowed his brows in a realization.

    "¡­where do Ie into y in this scenario¡­?"

    Slightly confused Zoemi ended up tilting his head and asked the green-haired boy in front of him.

    "Well, the servant asks for a proof of death ¨C but what if we show up with a living person?"

    "¡­huh¡­?"

    Reo revealed and his expression brightened, but the same thing couldn''t be said about Zoemi.

    "Banemors were known for being very strong shadow magicians ¨C which fits your current self quite well ¨C what sir Moyena tries to say is that we will introduce you as the child of the missing daughter, and after the stubborn servant will step down, you will relinquish the rights to the territory in favor of the royal family ¨C essentially returning the Banemor territory back to the Bellcephora Kingdom."

    Silent until that point first prince came in clutch with his exnation, making everything pretty clear.

    "By doing so, you will surely win a favor of a few people who are bound to gain on the situation."

    Horeo added, ncing at Zoemi meaningfully.

    "Yes! It''s exactly as his highness had said! Then, what do you think about my n, Zoemi?!"

    Reo nodded his head vigorously and turned back to Zoemi, looking at him expectantly with sparkling eyes.

    "(My prince¡­)"

    Zoemi lowered his head for a second and reached out for the shadow of the wind magic''s message spell and tweaked it a bit so that he could merely think instead of actually speaking.

    "[Zoemi ¨C I know this might sound shady, but it''s actually a perfect opportunity. Even if the n fails, we can use the attempt alone to show off your will to cooperate for a right cause, and in case we actually seed and you relinquish the rights to the territory ¨C it will be enough of a feat and proof of a just person that you are to permanently shut the mouths of our opponents.]"

    Horeo flinched for a moment but caught on to what was going on almost immediately and started responding hurriedly not even giving Zoemi a chance to finish his sentence.

    "(I wasn''t going to try and argue, it''s just that¡­)"

    "[When you will be in Banemor territory while the students return to the Academy after the break ends, I can arrange with Miriette to teleport there so that the two of you can finally meet without making things troublesome.]"

    And once again, Zoemi started thinking but was interrupted by Horeo ¨C with the small difference of Horeo''s word having a huge impact this time around.

    "I ACCEPT! WHEN CAN WE GO THERE? ACTUALLY, WE CAN TELEPORT THERE RIGHT AWAY!"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi straightened his back and immediately grabbed Reo''s hand while wholeheartedly voicing his full trust and support for the n, positively shocking the green-haired boy who didn''t expect the attendant''s face to get this close and ended up blushing.

    ''Thank you, Zoemi! But it would be better if we take the carriage ¨C that way we will have more time to get you acquainted with the whole situation and how to y your role correctly ¨C I have done a lot of research!"

    After a couple of seconds, Reo ended up shaking his head andposing himself enough for being able to speak and dered.

    "Ah¡­. that''s true. Yes¡­ let''s do it the way you nned it."

    Zoemi flinched and nodded with understanding.

    "I will arrange for the carriage to be prepared."

    "Your highness! Thank you very much, I will be eternally grateful!"

    Horeo joined in and made the green-haired boy bow deeply while his voice shook from excitement.

 Chapter 281 - Start Of A New Questline (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 281 ¨C Start Of A New Questline (part 3)</h4>

    "Alright, so the story goes like this¡­"

    "Reo."

    Reo straightened his back all rearing to get Zoemi up to the task as fast as possible but was stopped by the ck-haired boy''s raised hand.

    "Slow down, we didn''t even move past the inner gate. How about we casually talk about something else first and return to this subject after we will leave the capital?"

    Zoemi smiled charmingly and cooled down the eagerness of his upperssman without putting too much weight on the request, making it seem as if he wanted to learn more about the green-haired boy.

    Which was kind of true, of course ¨C after all he wanted to make sure that Reo would not turn out like Xenith with his character twisted to the extreme, but actually had a lot more to do about Zoemi''s worries about being eavesdropped on by the wrong people.

    "Wh-wha¡­ you want to talk about something else¡­? Wh-wh-what about¡­?"

    The green-haired boy stuttered while shifting around as if the charms of the ck-haired attendant have physically pped him around, making him lose all his confidence and turn into an embarrassed mess.

    "I was wondering whether you really have time to take me to the Banemor territory, for example ¨C after all, today is the day that the students are going back to the Aspaeony Academy¡­ oh, and while we are at that subject, who has been given the position of the principal while lord Vereq is missing?"

    Zoemi casually acted as if he didn''t realize that Reo was ¨C to use the probably already outdated phrase from Zoemi''s previous world ¨C down bad, responded while tilting his head and making a curious expression.

    "When ites to me, well¡­ the Academy is important for the social interactions and all, but let''s be honest ¨C after my rather easygoing lifestyle up until a few weeks ago, my opinion isn''t all that great. And I realized that this is bad ¨C I might be way over my head here, but I decided to show my father that I exist¡­ ekhem¡­ that I at least should be considered a candidate for seeding the position of the head of the family."

    Reo started exining and was very honest about everything ¨C at least until he realized that Zoemi might think of him as childish or silly, and hid his real reason, making it seem as if he was striving for glory and recognition as was a more proper way of thinking for the nobility.

    "And as for the headmaster¡­ apparently the king asked lord Shuze to stand in, but he refused, saying that he much rather be looking for his friend instead and left the academy¡­So after some negotiation, lord Ikarweth was put in charge for the foreseeable future. My only opinion on him is that he is a little bit too pompous, but he isn''t a bad person ¨C apparently, he is researching ways of increasing mana reservoirs, and the students assisting him only have good things to say about him."

    The green-haired boy added, answering thetter part of the ck-haired boy''s question.

    "Hmhm¡­ I see. I don''t really have much opinion about lord Ikarweth, but if his highness has decided to support him, I will put my trust in that person."

    Zoemi nodded with a solemn expression.

    He really didn''t think much about the middle-aged red-haired magician who seemed to have a bias for more powerful students ¨C and who was the same person who got absolutely crushed by Mizoe, Zoemi''s father, when the pale-blue-haired man arrived at the Academy to check on his wounded son¡­

    ¡­so he actually was leaning to a more negative outlook on the situation¡­

    "I wonder where lord Vereq could have disappeared to¡­ don''t you think that the timing is suspicious? What if the murderer who murdered Xeonith had got him too? Or maybe lord Vereq is chasing after the murderer this very moment?"

    Reo picked up on the change in Zoemi''s mood, reading his expression as being interested, so he happily provided his own input too, in an attempt to make it stay that way.

    "Yes, the timing is suspicious indeed, but I can''t help but doubt whether the murderer is involved in any way with the disappearance of the headmaster¡­"

    |In the first ce, Aspakeony would have sent more than just one corpse puppet after him, and certainly wouldn''t go herself.|

    Zoemi spoke out loud but certainly stopped himself from actually voicing all of his opinions on the matter, as it was even less suited for the conversation in the moving carriage than the n to get the Banemor territory back under the crown''s rule.

    "Then, what do you reckon could have happened to him?"

    As it was clear from Reo''s innocent question, the slight hesitation in the ck-haired boy''s voice wasn''t used to decipher his true intentions.

    "I simply have no idea. Nheless, it sounds like you want to prove to everyone that you aren''t just a jolly prankster, which is very admirable. I''m d that you asked me to assist you ¨C although I can''t promise that the whole n would be a sess. Still what made you try and turn a new leaf?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and smoothly changed the subject to the one with fewer potential traps.

    "I was already nning on something like that regardless, but with what happened to Xeonith, and seeing what the adults act only with their best interest in mind instead of trying to uncover the truth¡­ I just decided that I would like to change something. My family is one of the more influential ones in the kingdom and if I will take over it, I can steer it into the better direction than it is heading now."

    Reo''s expression turned slightly more serious while still staying very much embarrassed through and through and he revealed, keeping himself in check to not be too fidgety while saying all of that.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi opened his mouth but then closed it again holding himself back from pointing out two things that bothered him.

    First, was the way Reo addressed other nobles that his father had to deal with ¨C even though in that world at the age of fifteen a person was already considered an adult by thew, and Reo was over sixteen by that point too, so he should be treated as an adult ¨C which showed the environment that the green-haired boy grew up in.

    He was never treated seriously, always dismissed as being the rowdy child that has little to no self-awareness and he seemed to be stuck in that mindset even now when he decided to change.

    The other point of interest was the phrase about steering the family in the better direction ¨C that seemed like the green-haired boy knew about some sort of policy that the Moyena house had chosen that he didn''t agree with at all.

    It might have even been connected with some sort of conspiracy or even ¨C considering that Moyena family members were all well-known supporters of the first prince Horeo ¨C a sudden decision to be turncoats.

    That was of course pure spection on Zoemi''s part but was worth keeping in mind.

    Unfortunately, the trust between Zoemi and Reo wasn''t enough to allow for the in-depth discussion about the second problem ¨C but after a short consideration, the first one was a matter that could be resolved faster as long as Reo was made aware of the problem.

    ¡­the ck-haired boy didn''t even realize that him worrying like that about the green-haired former prankster capture target was a leftover affection towards his favorite character¡­

    "Reo. You are also a member of those so-called adults ¨C if you will put others in the position of power over you before you even met them in person or talk to them, you are already mentally preparing to let them win. Children are taught to follow and obey the adults ¨C but in politics, there are only people useful to you at the moment, and those who are not, regardless of what some people might try to impose on you."

    "¡­!"

    Zoemi''s words seem to shake Reo to the point of making him speechless.

    "¡­?"

    Actually ¨C although Zoemi''s words did have a clear effect on the green-haired boy, the shaking part was actually the fault of the carriage suddenly stopping- which made Zoemi raise his brow and look out of the window.

    They weren''t even out of the capital yet ¨C from the carriage both of them could still clearly see the silhouette of the royal castle towering over every single other building.

    Actually, from the ce they stopped, the view was especially good ¨C considering that they were very close to the execution ground.

    ¡­a rather eerie spot to take a break in¡­

    "Why did we stop? Hello? Mister coachman? Is everything alright?"

    Reo asked in a worried voice and knocked at the carriage''s wall.

    "I don''t know, my lord ¨C there are people in armors approaching us and they are blocking our way."

    "¡­"

    The clearly very anxious and worried coachman responded in a shaky voice, causing Zoemi to furrow his brows and activate his stealthy shadow enchantments ahead of time.

    |¡­huh¡­?|

    But just as the ck-haired boy did so and his senses became heightened ¨C he suddenly flinched and looked straight at thepletely empty execution ground.

    ¡­thanks to his ability to see the unique shadows, Zoemi could never mistake one person for the other, even if they were identical twins, or extremely well disguised. ¨C but that was what has made this situation so odd and confusing¡­

    |¡­is¡­ is Ludier Gmroze hiding HERE¡­?!|

    ¡­because the presence that bothered Zoemi so much was the shadow of the wanted murderer who helped him in finishing off Xeonith. The same man who was supposed to disappear into the night momentster¡­.

 Chapter 282 - A Meeting At The Execution Ground (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 282 ¨C A Meeting At The Execution Ground (part 1)</h4>

    "Be at ease, my kind mister, we are here just to pass a message to one of your passengers. There will be no blood spilled here today ¨C you have the word of the vicemander of the Light Order."

    "¡­"

    The tall man in full armor raised his hand and loudly announced to the anxious coachman, who didn''t seem to particrly believe the deration.

    Sill, a carriage wasn''t exactly a means of transport that could back up fast without the proper u-turn and the group of fourteen men led by the so-called vicemander of the Light Order blocked the road right in front of the horses, so the coachman didn''t have much choice.

    It wasn''t like the knights in front of him were just somemon magicless bandits whom he could try to trample and make the dashing escape ¨C those here were light magicians with active enchantments ¨C the carriage would stand no chance in the contest of durability, not to even mention the innocent horses.

    "Sir, sirs, as you can see I am¡­"

    "We know who you are transporting, kind mister. Stay put and you will be able to continue your work after we will pass the message."

    The coachman tried to speak up but was instantly turned down by the dismissive scoff of the man at the front of the group of knights.

    ¡ª-

    "¡­Light Order¡­? Who are those supposed to be, some insurgents?''

    Inside the carriage, the green-haired Reo furrowed his brows while peeking through the window and asked his ck-hairedpanion in a hushed voice.

    "¡­pffft¡­!"

    ¡­but his particr choice of words had made Zoemi snort, barely able to hold back a burst of heartyughter.

    "No. Nothing like that ¨C I''ve heard that they are something like a group of bodyguards that the king allowed his wife to create. The queen is also the one who selected each of the members herself, so their ego is insanely overblown."

    The ck-haired attendant managed to hold himself back properly and exined properly after a brief moment o weakness.

    "The group of bodyguards¡­? Alright, that makes sense ¨C but what are they here then? The guy in the front said something about a message, but bodyguards aren''t supposed to be messengers or errand boys thest time I checked."

    Reo tilted his head, moving back to his seat and looking at Zoemi with a confused expression.

    "Unfortunately, that is a question more suited to be asked the queen herself, as I, a faithful follower of the first prince cannotprehend her ways."

    "¡­hmmm¡­"

    The ck-haired boy smiled while shrugging and sighed ¨C making the green-haired boy in front of him frown with concern.

    |¡­that''s why I like him¡­|

    Zoemi smirked to himself seeing the captured target''s expression.

    Although Reo could be urately described as childish, easygoing, and free-spirited, none of those traits were connected with being stupid.

    He clearly understood what Zoemi meant, and could very well connect it with some facts that he himself was aware of.

    "Zoemi, there is something that I have to tell you ¨C you see, the queen might have¡­"

    After some consideration, Reo raised his head and spoke looking into the ck-haired boy''s eyes.

    "You don''t have to hurry, it''s always a pleasure to talk with you, and I''m ready to entertain you at any time."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi nodded and sent Reo the refreshing smile that almost knocked out the poor capture target, sending him leaning back into his seat with a crimson red face.

    This time Zoemi had done it on purpose, after all¡­

    *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

    "Roun Vevesti Lutroan, the vicemander of the Light Order requests to have a talk. Open up."

    ¡­the moment after Reo became too embarrassed to talk, the armored man approached their carriage and knocked on the door, speaking as loudly as he was confident in himself.

    The green-haired boy wasn''t stupid, but his timing was ofter particrly bad ¨C that was how things were for his character in the game, so Zoemi knew that he should be extra careful and act to preemptively shut down any sensitive topic just as he did this time.

    ¡­but the ck-haired attendant made sure to make a mental note to ask the green-haired boy what was he going to say about the queen¡­

    "What do yo¡­"

    "Shh¡­"

    Just as Reo managed to m down enough to call out to the man outside, he was shushed by Zoemi tapping his knee and putting his index finger to his mouth.

    "¡­?"

    The green-haired capture target raised his brow questioningly ¨C at which the ck-haired attendant responded with a cheeky smirk.

    "Lutroan family barely counts as high nobility. Reo, you are a Moyena. As long as you are in this carriage, that guy has no right to demand anything in such a rude way and he knows that ¨C that is why he didn''t open the door himself. He also stopped the coachman from telling him exactly who is in there because of the very same reason. The hidden rules of noble etiquette are a funny thing. If he doesn''t see you, he can act all high and mighty under the pretext of not knowing that you are here, and if you respond to him first, he is in the clear. But we can use it against it ¨C because as someone of a higher social position, you have no obligation to respond."

    Zoemi snickered and whispered conspicuously to the shocked green-haired boy.

    "Wait¡­ what¡­? But what does this achieves?"

    Reo gasped, shaking his head clearly not understanding what was the point of the seemingly silly back and forth.

    "Nothing much, just a small scale power struggle that some old guys came up with a long time ago ¨C but the fun part is ¨C if he actually tries to force his way in, or make you or anyone apanying you out, we can use force against it because that will count as an attack. Although, I don''t actually believe that he thinks that we are aware of that part. It''s an old rule that hasn''t been in active use for years but was never outright crossed out from the rulebook."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulder and grinned kind of evilly, leaving Reo wide-eyed.

    "There is a rulebook about those¡­ wait, no! You want to fight him?! Why?! Are you out of your mind?!"

    The green-gasped in disbelief, looking between the ck-haired boy and the window.

    "No, no ¨C of course, I don''t want to fight. Even if I would be justified, actually harming any of them would be giving ammunition to the wrong people. I just want to have an excuse in case I will get caught."

    The ck-haired boy immediately changed his expression into apletely innocent one and waved his hand, dismissing the audacious idea.

    "¡­in case you will get caught ¨C doing what exact¡­?"

    *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

    "Hey! Are you deaf? I told you to open up!"

    At his words, Reo furrowed his brows and asked in confusion but was interrupted by the increasing impatient vicemander of the Light Order.

    "¡­"

    "¡­shhh¡­"

    Reo nced at the door and then back at Zoemi ¨C who ended up pressing his index finger to his lips again and winking mischievously at the green-haired boy.

    The two of them stayed silent for another few seconds, and then, just as it was expected¡­

    *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

    "I am the vicemander of the Light Order, Roun Vevesti Lutroan, open the door immediately!"

    ¡­the armored man on the outside mmed his fist against the carriage''s door so much that the ss window vibrated, and shouted on the verge of blowing up.

    "Ah, that''s right. Reo, why don''t youe over here?"

    Foreseeing that Roun''s patience would soon run out, Zoemi took into consideration the way the carriage door would open and ended up reaching for Reo''s hand, grabbing him and pulling him over to sit right by his side, making sure that the capture target would be the first person the armored man sees ¨C using the green-haired boy as the barrier just in case.

    "¡­!"

    The rather bold act ended up making Reopletely speechless, setting up his timidness to the maximum level.

    "THAT''S IT! I have an important message from the q¡­!"

    And then it finally happened, Roun couldn''t stand being ignored any longer as his pride was getting hurt in real-time while his underlings were sending him rather obvious nces, so he opened the door ¨C and immediately froze when he met face-in face with the blushing Reo.

    "¡­o-oh¡­! Lord Moyena! I¡­ I had no idea that you were on the carriage too!"

    He tensed up and leaned back with his hand still on the carriage''s door and mumbled awkwardly, doing his very best to cover up the minimum of etiquette while boiling over with anger and shame over being outsmarted by some kid¡­

    "¡­shadow connect¡­"

    ¡­.and that was exactly why he hadpletely missed the clump of hair-like shadows bursting from the inside of the carriage and homing at him and every single one of his men, as the ck-haired attendant reached out andtched his shadows onto their active spells and began slowly draining their mana and converting it into his own, all while grinning wildly from behind the green-haired capture target''s back.

 Chapter 283 - A Meeting At The Execution Ground (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 283 ¨C A Meeting At The Execution Ground (part 2)</h4>

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    *poke*

    "!!!!"

    The vicemander of the Light Order and Reo were looking at each other in awkward silence for a few seconds until Zoemi prodded the green-haired boy''s side making him jump.

    "Act as if you didn''t hear him before."

    "¡­?!"

    The ck-haired boy whispered while making sure that his voice won''t be picked up by the cautious Raun.

    "Who are you¡­?"

    *poke*

    "More confident!"

    Reo asked, but his hesitant tone earned him another prod and a hushed scolding from the ck-haired boy.

    "Wh-what is the meaning of this? Who are you and what is your purpose on barging into the carriage lent me by the first prince?!"

    After the initial slow start, the green-haired capture target seemed to get in the groove and straightened his back acting like the noble of a higher position should be towards the one below him.

    "¡­"

    Raun furrowed his brows and breathed out topose himself ¨C his actions had already brought him enough shame in front of his underlings of which each and every single one was eager to take his position. He really couldn''t allow himself to lose his temper so easily ¨C although if it was so easy for him, he wouldn''t have been rejected from the King''s Guard in the first ce¡­

    "Young lord Moyena. Pardon this misunderstanding. I am Roun Vevesti Lutroan, the vicemander of the Light Order. I was informed that an individual called Zoemi Auequas would be traveling in this carriage. I was tasked with conveying him a message from the queen herself, therefore I believe that you will excuse the rashness of my actions."

    ¡­still, he wasn''t all that bad with the proper etiquette once he really put his mind into it, Raun actually managed to recover quite splendidly and correctly use his position ¨C and the position of his master ¨C to get out of the potentially troublesome situation.

    After all, even if his own social status wasn''t worth being mentioned, the position of the person who tasked him with conveying the message changed the power bncepletely.

    "¡­it''s alright, I''ll take it from here on¡­"

    Zoemi whispered, gently patting Reo''s back as if he was telling him it was okay to tap out.

    "I see. If that is the case, sir Raun, I see no reason to keep you from your task. Zoemi, you''ve heard him. Receive the queen''s message."

    This time the green-haired boy was somewhat ready for the instruction so he followed it up immediately be doing his best at acting all high and mighty while moving back to his original spot, uncovering the ck-haired boy to the armored man.

    "Lord Lutroan, it is a pleasure to meet you. Even though I am unworthy of such great honor, I eagerly await to hear the message from her majesty."

    "¡­"

    The ck-haired boy was the embodiment of professionalism and absolutely nothing in his words or act showed his true feelings ¨C which certainly wasn''t to Raun''s liking as it felt like Zoemi was mocking him behind all those politeness and humbleness.

    ¡­probably because that was exactly what was happening¡­

    "¡­I wouldn''t be so happy if I was in your ce¡­"

    "My lord?"

    Raun gritted his teeth and scoffed, squinting his eyes at the ck-haired boy with an innocent expression, making him tilt his head curiously.

    Zoemi had of course heard the armored man perfectly since his shadow enchantments were augmenting his hearing the most, and it was only a way to let Raun know that the ck-haired boy isn''t going to pick a fight as must have been the secondary ¨C or maybe even the primary ¨C objective of this particr group from the Light Order.

    "It''s nothing. Let''s get to what is really important."

    The armored man shook his head and cleared his throat before delivering the message.

    "Take a good look at the ce you are now, as this is thest sight that those guilty of grave crimes would undoubtedly see before meeting their justly end."

    "¡­!"

    Raun spoke loudly and clearly, and his words really seem to get a shocked reaction¡­

    ¡­of the green-haired Reo as well as the coachman listening in on them¡­

    |I was wondering what it will be, but to think it will be a threat¡­ Still, this might be an attempt to provoke me so that I would do something stupid ¨C maybe this is why the Light Order showed up in bulk¡­ Oh well, it actually works in my favor if I am underestimated.|

    Thepletely unfazed Zoemi thought to himself, doing his best not to sigh and shake his head at the childish message.

    "I see. Yes. Her majesty is very wise ¨C please, lord Lutroan, if you be so kind, convey back my gratefulness for the benevolence and wisdom imparted onto me by our beloved queen."

    "¡­"

    Zoemi went even a step further and bowed deeply towards the speechless vicemander of the Light Order.

    |Huh¡­? Weird¡­ I can sense sir Ludier''s shadow, but my shadow connect passes straight through it without any reaction¡­ what is going on¡­?|

    Actually, the ck-haired boy had another reason to hide his face by lowering his head.

    By doing that he was able to focus on one strand of the shadow connect spell that he had sent out to check up on Ludier Gmroze''s shadow that he noticed before.

    The shadow itself felt odd somehow.

    It definitely was there, but at the same time, it wasn''t¡­

    Although that was rather rude to do to someone whom he allied before, Zoemi ended up sending his shadow to leach onto the Ludier''s shadow ¨C and the same spell that was stuck onto the fourteen Light Order members leeching out their mana had splendidly passed right through the unique shadow of the wanted murderer without draining even a speck of mana.

    To make it even more confusing, by searching and feeling around with the free strand of the shadow connect, the ck-haired boy realized that Ludier wasn''t even physically there.

    It was ONLY his unique shadow hovering a foot above the podium in the middle of the execution ground.

    |¡­I need to check what is going on¡­|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and decided after gulping down his saliva ¨C he certainly didn''t have a good feeling about this situation.

    Seeing a unique shadow of one person being attached to someone else ¨C like it was the case with Aspakeony''s magic ¨C was already an incredibly odd thing to experience, but a disembodied shadow was on a whole another level of strange.

    "Her highness is indeed wise! Actually ¨C my lord ¨C while you are here, why don''t you show me around this ce so I could learn more about the faith of the evildoers of the world!"

    "Zoemi¡­?!"

    "!?!?!?!?!"

    The ck-haired boy suddenly straightened his back and dered, straight-up jumping out of the carriage and making Reo raise his voice after him while Raun had backed off so fast that he had almost tripped on his own legs.

    "My lord? Is there a problem? If my request is too much please, feel free to refuse!"

    |Pffft¡­! I see ¨C he must know that I was able to hold down and knock out one of his underlings before and tries to keep his distance because he is cautious of me¡­|

    Zoemi tilted his head and asked with a perfectly innocent expression while holding back a mocking snort at the man''s reaction.

    "I-It''s not. The queen did tell me to properly convey the meaning of her message to you if you happen to miss it, so this is well within my duty¡­"

    The vicemander of the Light Order was doing his best to not show the embarrassment, acting as if nothing happened even though some of his men started whispering to one another sharing mockery.

    "Ah! Is that so?! Then, by all means, my lord, please lead the way!"

    The ck-haired boy bowed down looking as polite and servile as it was possible, which only raised Raun''s cautiousness.

    "Zoemi¡­"

    "Lord Reo, please, it will not take long."

    Reo called out to Zoemi from the carriage but the ck-haired boy stealthily winked at him and bowed his head.

    Although the green-haired boy had good intentions Zoemi had two good reasons to want to stay longer at their current location.

    First was of course checking out on the extremely unusual unique shadow just¡­ existing without a person it should be attached to¡­

    And the second was draining as much mana from the fourteen light magicians as it was possible without them noticing anything.

 Chapter 284 - A Meeting At The Execution Ground (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 284 ¨C A Meeting At The Execution Ground (part 3)</h4>

    Zoemi, Raun ¨C and Raun''s men keeping a certain distance ¨C walked over to the podium in the center of the execution ground.

    It wasn''t a gallows, just a wooden structure that would elevate the criminal and the executioner for the cheering crowd to see.

    The execution itself would be done with magic ¨C ice magic- whenever the appropriately strong ice magician would be avable, and if that option wasn''t avable, a magician confirmed to be stronger would be tasked with delivering justice to the criminal.

    Although there wasn''t anything special about the podium at the first nce, the atmosphere surrounding it was indeed quite eerie as if the countless lives that met their end on top of it had changed the rather simple construction into something threatening.

    "How about now? Did actually seeing the ce where you will end up had opened your mind to the weight of your sins?"

    The vicemander of the Light Order has clearly dropped the subtlety, or maybe he wasn''t actually one for them in the first ce ¨C either way, the words he used left very little to misunderstand.

    "¡­"

    "Hmph~!"

    The ck-haired attendant didn''t respond, standing motionless in front of the podium, seemingly overtaken by the inevitability ¨C which pleased Raun enough to scoff triumphantly.

    |After all, that kid is nothing much.|

    The armored man thought to himself with satisfaction ¨C although he couldn''t stop himself from feeling relieved.

    After all, from the research he had made himself, the ck-haired boy seemed like an absolute nightmare to deal with,pletely different from what the queen had offhandedly shared with Raun.

    Thankfully, it turned out that the queen''s informants were far better than the ones the vicemander of the Light Order could afford¡­

    "¡­"

    Meanwhile, Zoemi was squinting his eyes ring anxiously at the unique shadow of Ludier Gmroze, the nobleman turned murderer, who was in fact on his quest for revenge on the head of the Deizno family for the death of his family.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and nced over at the armored man escorting him, who was keeping a safe distance at any time while obviously cautious of him.

    There was no doubt that Roun Vevesti Lutroan wasn''t seeing the same thing that Zoemi did.

    Funnily enough, after some closer inspection with more and more shadow magic spells Zoemi came to a rather unusual conclusion.

    The unique shadow of the scruffy pale-blue-haired man wasn''t actually a shadow at all.

    The most obvious clue to that was that it wasn''t connected to anything at all, simply hovering a foot above the podium itself.

    This discovery was problematic¡­

    If it wasn''t a shadow, then, what was it¡­?

    Since no one else seemed to notice it meant that only the ck-haired boy could see it¡­

    ¡­and that''s about it¡­

    What could be the trigger¡­?

    "You are the lucky one, kid. This time you would be able to leave this ce ¨C usually, it''s impossible for criminals to leave this ce alive."

    "¡­!"

    The armored man encouraged by the boy''s silence openly snickered at him, pinning him as guilty even without the official verdict of the case that was still very much open ¨C and his words shook also seemed to shook the ck-haired attendant to the core, which made Raun even more confident.

    |¡­no way¡­ but, if sir Ludier was killed, there is no way that the queen would be interested in using me as a scapegoat ¨C she would have the main culprit¡­!|

    Unfortunately for the vicemander of the Light Order, Zoemi wasn''t actually stunned because he suddenly started fearing for his life ¨C instead, the words of the armored man had given him an idea about the apparition itself.

    "¡­"

    So instead of answering to, or even acknowledging Raun, the ck-haired boy breathed out and closed his eyes, diving into the world of dancing shadows ¨C and as he began to suspect, he realized that one of the closest one ¨C a shadow basically pushing itself onto him as if it had a will on its own ¨C was the death attribute mana, fueling Aspakeony necromancy magic.

    Zoemi didn''t really want to use it, as he really didn''t want to learn that Ludier Gmroze was actually dead¡­

    "¡­shadow theater¡­ corpse puppet¡­"

    Still, he couldn''t just leave that ce without actually checking up on the apparition that very well might have been the ghost of the ice magician, so the ck-haired boy sighed and muttered under his breath so that his incantation wouldn''t be picked up on.

    "!!!!"

    The moment that his mana turned into the death attribute one and the spell activated, Zoemi became ghastly pale and faltered, barely able to keep himself up.

    Although recently his mana increased to a ridiculous extent, the spell he was using at the moment was draining it out with such a ridiculous speed as if Zoemi''s mana reservoir broke apart ¨C and if not for the steady flow of the mana that he was siphoning out from the present members of the Light Order, there would be nothing left in it.

    "Haha! My, oh, my ¨C I haven''t expected you to be that weak-spirited!"

    Raun openlyughed at the staggered boy, mocking him for what he himself assumed to be fear over the end that the queen had in store for him.

    "Say, why don''t you try getting onto the podium yourself? You know, as a rehearsal for the real¡­"

    *GRAB*

    *SCREECH*

    "!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!????!"

    The vicemander of the Light Order confidently approached the faltering ck-haired boy and boldly tried to get him up on the pedestal ¨C but that didn''t end up well for him as the pale boy slouched and grabbed onto his arm to support himself ¨Cpletely crushing the ornamental part of the armor that his bare hand got ahold of ¨C which was followed by the ice-cold stare of thepletely lifeless eye that reflected no light and seemed to have pierced right through the armored man''s helmet as the young attendant turn his face to him.

    "¡­lord Lutroan¡­ thank you for showing me this ce ¨C I will be eternally grateful for the mindfulness you showed me¡­ Now, could you please take me back to the carriage as it seems I have been struck by a sudden weakness¡­"

    "¡­!"

    The ice-cold voice that came out of the boy''s barely opened lips sent chills down the backs of not only Raun but all of his men too.

    Actually, it seemed like the temperature in the surrounding area had in fact gone down by a significant margin without any apparent reason, which added to the eeriness of the ce to a disturbing degree.

    "Wh- wha¡­ I¡­"

    The vicemander of the Light Order mouthed in confusion, both shocked and mesmerized by the lifeless eyes that seemed to be sucking him in like a bottomless abyss ¨C then suddenly a glimpse of pale blue light shone through the darkness!

    "Please."

    "Yes!"

    Despite the seemingly polite choice of words, it clearly was a straight-up order given by a seasoned leader that gave power to all of what was previously spoken, and even someone with a difficult character who had trouble following orders ¨C like Raun ¨C obeyed immediately and supported the ck-haired boy without even realizing what he was doing.

    Without the moment of dy, Zoemi was escorted back to the carriage and sent off by the armored man ¨C who even ended up bowing his head towards the carriage as it was going away.

    "¡­that kid is dangerous¡­"

    "¡­yeah¡­"

    The other members of the Light Order standing behind Raun whispered to each other while trying to get rid of the chill.

    ¡ª¨C

    *pomf*

    "Z-Zoemi¡­?!"

    Inside the carriage, as soon as the door closed the ck-haired boy swayed and leaned on the shocked green-haired boy with all his weight, dropping the crushed piece of metal on the floor, causing him to let out a confused voice.

    "¡­sorry, Reo¡­ I¡­ need some mana¡­"

    Zoemi breathed out, doing his best to cling onto consciousness, and reached out with his shadow to the greatest aggregation of mana avable to leech off of it as his connection to the group back in the execution ground was severed¡­

    "¡­"

    "Zoemi¡­?"

    ¡­but ended up losing consciousness regardless, while somehow still maintaining the drainage, confusing Reo to no end.

    "Geez¡­ what was all of that¡­?"

    Seeing the peaceful face of the unconscious boy, the green-haired capture target breathed out and smiled.

    After a few seconds, Reo ended up blushing and ended up moving the ck-haired boy so that he would end up with his head on hisp.

    "Waah¡­! I am so bold¡­!"

    Reo gasped with his face bright red and¡­

    *BOING*

    "!?!?!?!?!??!"

    Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, Reo''s body shrunk ¨C with the exception of his chest that increased in size dramatically enough for his shirt''s second and third buttons to straight-up break unable to withstand the added volume.

    "Wh-wh-wh-whaaaat?! Why now?! I just changed the mana crystal too¡­!"

    The brown-haired green-eyed person gasped in a higher-pitched voice, and hurriedly reached for the difficult to ess now vest''s inner pocket, and took out a small crystal box covered in intricate runes.

    "¡­seriously, this one was supposed tost longer¡­! I barely have any spare ones left¡­ what If I run out before I could buy some new ones¡­?"

    Theyined with a pitiful expression, pouting their full lips and reaching out to their pant''s pocket to take out a glowing green crystal the size of a peach seed.

    "What a ripoff, I definitely never going back to that shop ever again¡­ this could have been really bad¡­"

    The brown-haired green-eyed person breathed out in disbelief and anger and changed the dim blue crystal inside the box for the brightly glowing green one, and closed the box¡­

    *WHOOSH*

    Which caused the box to light up with white light and in turn changed the person back into the green-haired boy whom Zoemi knew as one of the capture targets, Reo.

    "Sorry for lying to you about the real reason why I want to gain the recognition of my father¡­"

    Reo sighed, making a sad expression while gently patting the unconscious Zoemi''s head.

    "I don''t want to take over the family ¨C I just want to prove to them that I can be trusted, so they would let me live free¡­"

    He murmured as his hand trembled.

 Chapter 285 - On The Way To The Banemor Territory (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 285 ¨C On The Way To The Banemor Territory (part 1)</h4>

    "What the hell is going on in here?!"

    A pale-bluish silhouette giving of cold aura flinched as it suddenly awoke in a space that could be only described as the madhouse ¨C myriads of murky shadow shapes and figures were constantly moving and shifting around in a way that could be described as a dance but was more like someone had created a kaleidoscope that only had multiple shades of ck instead of colors¡­

    "Get me out! This instant!"

    The cold shadow growled furiously and began unleashing more and more of the freezing aura ¨C but regardless of how long that went for, none of the other shadows were affected by it in the slightest.

    "¡­what in the world¡­?"

    ¡­which of course made the cold one extremely confused¡­

    His magic should be freezing others, right

    His magic?

    What was that magic¡­?

    And while the questions were being asked¡­

    Who was he¡­?

    "You, necromancy puppet, stop forcing yourself on me."

    "HUH?!"

    Out of nowhere, heard a voice right behind his back, and hurriedly turned around to face whoever was talking to him but¡­

    *WHAM*

    ¡­a single swipe of a giant paw mmed him to the ground, making it go right into a harmless slumber, as the other shadows continued to dance.

    ¡ª¡ª-

    "¡­nnn¡­?"

    Zoemi''s eyelids trembled and he sleepily opened his eyes, confused about what exactly had happened.

    Why did it feel like his body had grownrge and he had to squash some pesky troublemaker?

    "Oh¡­! Umm¡­ Are you feeling better now? Oh, and hello."

    The green-haired boy, Reo, looked at the ck-haired attendant from the other seat of the moving carriage and asked with a worried smile.

    "Y-yeah¡­ I guess¡­? How about you?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows while sitting up and massaged the side of his head before asking hispanion.

    "You are asking me? You were the one who fainted after those Light Order guys took you to walk around the execution ground! Did they harm you? The light attribute doesn''t have any passively harming spells, but I wouldn''t be surprised if there was a modern magic device or ancient artifact that sucks out mana or something!"

    Reo raised his brow and scoffed dismissively before leaning g forward and exining in a feverish voice as if he received some sort of revtion while the ck-haired boy was knocked out.

    "No, no¡­ they didn''t do anything to me¡­ I used a¡­ spell that turned out to require far too much mana than I ever imagined so it got me into a severe mana depletion¡­ I was also asking about your mana depletion¡­ everything''s alright?"

    Zoemi raised his hand apologetically and slowly shook his head from side to side ¨C judging by the rough estimation of how much mana he recovered, which already included the amount he got from Reo, it couldn''t take him long to regain his consciousness.

    "¡­why would I get into mana depletion¡­? I didn''t use any spells¡­"

    "¡­?"

    The green-haired boy tilted his head in confusion and blinked repeatably at the attendant''s words.

    "¡­wha¡­? But I¡­? Huh¡­"

    |¡­ah, I see ¨C he is ying tough¡­! What a good guy!|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows but his expression soon brightened as he settled for the first exnation that came to his mind.

    "I was going to let you in on the story of the Banemor family, but maybe you should rest a bit more¡­? You seem out of it¡­ Seriously, what were those people thinking ¨C they were treating you as if you were guilty even though there is no proof!"

    The green-haired boy asked in concern, leaning slightly lower to look up at Zoemi''s face from an angle, before frowning and getting agitated at the members of the Light Order they left behind.

    |Uugh¡­ I never actually tied to cast any of the necromancy spells on an actual target after activating it, so I had no idea that they require such a ridiculous amount of mana¡­ dear heavens¡­ It seems that I have been underestimating Aspakeony this whole time¡­ She felt slightly stronger than Horeo, but that must have been only because her mana had to be split between the thousand corpse puppets¡­ scary¡­|

    Unfortunately, the ck-haired boy wasn''t really paying attention anymore, trying to piece together what has happened in his head.

    |¡­did I even seed with using corpse puppet spell on sir Ludier''s ghost or whatever it was¡­? I can''t sense anything different¡­ Have I just wasted all that mana for nothing¡­?|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, lowering his head even more ¨C which in turn seemed to convince Reo that the ck-haired boy has not made a full recovery, which was, in fact, partially true.

    "Zoemi, maybe you shouldy down some more?"

    The green-haired boy asked, waving his head to get the ck-haired attendant''s attention.

    "Hmm? No, no ¨C I am alright. You should take a rest, though ¨C your mana hasn''t recovered yet."

    "¡­?"

    Zoemi nced over and shook his head with a reassuring smile ¨C but that didn''t really have an effect on the concerned Reo.

    "What are you talking about? I don''t have mana depletion ¨C I didn''t use¡­"

    "It''s okay, don''t y tough ¨C I can more or less sense that you have a lot less mana than before ¨C you dropped from the average water magician level all the way to the wind magician¡­ wait¡­"

    Reo rolled his eyes, thinking that Zoemi was being the one trying to act tough instead, but his words were interrupted by the ck-haired boy''s assurance ¨C that was followed by the realization.

    "¡­.ummm¡­ Reo¡­? Why were you on the water magician level before? I thought that your mana reservoir is the same as any other average wind magician¡­?"

    "!!!!!"

    Zoemi asked, furrowing his brows in confusion which made Reo start raising his hand up to his vest''s inner pocket ¨C but the green-haired boy managed to stop himself in time.

    "A-are you sure about that? I am just a normal wind magician though¡­ You¡­ you must be feeling confused because of the mana depletion. Hey, how about I will tell you about the n after all? We eft the capital so it should be okay, right?"

    The green-haired boy tensed up immediately and after attempting to shrug the question off he went right back on his own words from a moment earlier and steered the conversation towards the case which was known to Zoemi as the Banemor questline.

    "Huh¡­ maybe¡­?"

    Zoemi''s head was still a bit woozy indeed so the ck-haired boy didn''t think put much thought into the reason for the strange fluctuation in the mana amount at Reo''s disposal ¨C and murmured to himself.

    "Sure¡­ let''s talk about the n."

    After a brief hesitation, the ck-haired boy attendant nodded ¨C to the great and visible relief on Reo''s part.

    "Well¡­ when I said n ¨C I really meant the necessary backstory ¨C the n is that we will pass you to the servant as the son of the missing daughter of thete lord Banemor. Your age might not exactly match, and he will surely not believe us at the beginning and definitely will try to catch you off guard and find any discrepancies in the story¡­ Therefore the preparation is needed."

    The green-haired boy breathed out and nodded as his face became serious.

    "I personally believe that knowing less is better in this situation ¨C we know for a fact that youngdy Learen Etrolia Banemor who barely graduated from the Aspakeony Academy had one day ran away from home together with a traveling merchant for whom she felt burning passion seemingly meeting him a few times through the years on multiple asions. Since previously she tried to convince her father, lord Vizta Emmer Banemor, to allow her to marry themoner and was splendidly banned from leaving the castle and clearly had disobeyed her father, there must have been some leftover bad blood between them¡­ therefore the best defense against any question regarding the Banemor bloodline would be that your mother is dead and has never spoken about her family."

    Reo said in a single breath and closed his mouth waiting for Zoemi''s reaction.

    "Alright, I see where this ising from ¨C then, how about knowing something aboutdy Etrolia or the man she ran away to mary?"

    The ck-haired boy nodded and asked ¨C he did remember some of the Banemor-exclusive customs that came up in the game, so he didn''t really need instructions in that regard anyway.

    "The man was called Neramis, but most of his clients just called him Nera ¨C he was four years older than Learen at the time of them eloping. Honey-blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a devilish heart-stealers smile. Apparently, he was handsome enough to make even noblediese by his cart and buy something just to have a conversation whenever he was in town. He had a head for business, but hismoners'' background had kept him from making it big. There is a theory that he seduced Learen to make up for his low birth as marrying into the high nobility would open a lot of doors to him ¨C but as we all know, because of the customs, that was doomed to fail from the start¡­ still, it''s not overly clear whether that actually was his intention or not, because of the way he died."

    Reo continued, bringing his hands together and nervously tapping his leg as even he himself seemed to be invested in the story he was telling.

    Zoemi stayed silent, not even moving a muscle when the name of Aspakeony''s newest corps puppet was mentioned, listening attentively as those were the details that were omitted in the game ¨C most likely because in the game there was no plotline following assuming the identity of the heir to the Banemor territory¡­.

 Chapter 286 - On The Way To The Banemor Territory (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 286 ¨C On The Way To The Banemor Territory (part 2)</h4>

    "The stolen Neramis''s cart was what lead the search party to the bandits'' den. Banemor''s men captured every single ruffian and after thorough and final investigation they learned of what happened ¨C the ruffians attacked the cart with the blond man and the sick woman nning to kill just the man and take everything else, but the merchant pulled out a sword and proved to be problematic enough that the woman managed to escape before the attackers were done with him. Apparently making sure that she Learen would get away safe was the only thing on Neramis''s mind because the moment he realized that she got away safely, he lost concentration and got stabbed to death by multiple opponents."

    Reo revealed with a downcast look ¨C he certainly wasn''t enjoying that part of the story.

    "That is thest time that Learen was either seen or heard of. At the time of going missing, she was about five feet tall, had long jet-ck hair, a doll-like porcin skin, upturned nose, and cat-like shaped eyes which she enjoyed highlighting with distinct makeup. She was extremely stubborn and despite running away from home, she wasn''t known to be rash in any way. It is very likely that the entire thing was originally going to be a ruse that she nned to make her father agree to the marriage with amoner. Unfortunately, even if that theory was true it went down the drain very fast with Neramis''s death."

    "From what the bandits said, it seems that Learen was sick ¨C what was that about? She was a mage, right? She must have been since she graduated from the Aspaekony Academy. What happened to her that she had to escape and didn''t even try to fight against the magicless bandits? Correct me if I am wrong, but Banemors was known to be a family of shadow magicians, so she must have been one too ¨Cmoners aren''t used to seeing magic ¨C and the thugs and bandits are always cautious about mages ¨C it should be possible to scare the opponents away with that.. unless something else was going on¡­"

    The green-haired boy was taking a breather ¨C so the ck-haired boy took the chance and voiced the first few questions that came to his mind.

    "Y-yes, she was a magician, a shadow magician¡­"

    Reo flinched and tensed up at the mention of the Academy, and hurriedly nodded his head to confirm some of the ck-haired boy''s points.

    "There are many theories that sprouted about it at the time ¨C for example¡­ Learen was turning from the shadow magician into a darkness magician. Learen was pregnant and her magic abilities were unsteady making her unfit for anythingbat-rted. Learen was actually the one who orchestrated it all because she hated her family and wanted to run away, making use of the naive lovestruck merchant, and ditching him at the most convenient time. Still, none of them can be confirmed asdy Learen was never found. Shepletely disappeared ¨C some people think that she did turn into a darkness magician and identally got stuck during shadow travel or shadow jump and died corroded by the darkness attribute mana because she didn''t know her limits."

    The green-haired capture target started swaying from side to side, all fidgety and uneasy¡­

    "¡­"

    ¡­mainly because of the expression on Zoemi''s face¡­

    "Zoemi¡­ are you alright¡­?"

    Reo hunched down and asked in a timid voice, trying to figure out whether he said something that could have upset the ck-haired boy.

    "Nothing¡­ it just reminded me of something unpleasant¡­ there is actually another option too, but that is still very bad and means thatdy Learen is indeed dead."

    Zoemi shook his head and straightened his back, making sure to change his grim expression, soured by the thoughts of the faith of most darkness magicians.

    Every single magician wielding the darkness attribute who had any semnce of potential would at some point get approached by the Ghosts of Bellcephora who would have tried to share their power with them, inevitably killing the unfortunate person in the process.

    It was usible that Learen was incapable of fighting back because her body was in the middle of getting devoured from the inside by the corrosive darkness mana, andter her body couldn''t have been found because she simply fell into pieces and turned to dust ¨C just like how it happened to Zoemi''s mother.

    "What is that option¡­?"

    Reo asked cautiously, audibly gulping down his saliva, nervously awaiting the even more disturbing story.

    "¡­"

    Zoemi shook his head to get rid of the anger that was slowly poisoning his mind and looked at the troubled green-haired youth.

    "The bandits might have been lying about not killingdy Learen because they were hoping that Banemors people would let them live if they hide the truth."

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders, deciding there was no reason to traumatize Reo with the knowledge of three hundred years plus old group of elite soldiers turned traitors who are still alive and kicking after all they did in the past¡­

    "Well, if they did that, they were either very spiteful or very stupid ¨C when I told you that it was a thorough and final investigation, I meant that it was final for the bandits, as they were all killed without exception."

    The green-haired boy shrugged his shoulders with a slight frown that suggested it was the most fitting end for these kinds of people.

    "Reo, tell me¡­"

    Still, his travelpanion''s words struck a certain cord and made Zoemi realize something else.

    "The servant who took over the territory and is governing it waiting for the possible heir appearance¡­ where in the world was he when all of that happened? Isn''t he supposed to be this insanely powerful individual who can stop the entire King''s Guard without breaking a sweat?"

    He asked, furrowing his brows in concern.

    Looking at the situation from that perspective it seemed like the whole thing was indeed orchestrated by someone ¨C that someone being the servant pulling the strings from the shadows¡­

    "It doesn''t seem to be that way, although such theories did arise ¨C more than a few times¡­ The servant in question is a man named Benevirau, in his own words, he ims to be a water sage ¨C a stronger version of a magician. Apparently, he did know about the Learen''s ns to run away from home but thought she would be smart enough to not act on them ¨C while the actual thing happened, he was traveling with the Bellcephora''s kingdom merchant fleet, assuring the safe delivery of supplies to our allies in Thradoansa who were dealing with an aftermath of a natural disaster urring at their ind. It was impossible to contact him with magic alone as seasonal magic storms blocked all non-physicalmunication with Thradoansa, and he returned six monthster. Even though he is said to immediately rush and search on himself, the trail was already long cold so he shamefully returned with nothing. That failure of bringing back Learen is ¨C ording to Benevirau himself ¨C the reason why he will not change his mind on keeping lord Banemor''s will."

    "Still sounds guilty, everything else seems like an excuse¡­ Is he aggressive? I get the feeling that even the most convincing acting would fail and he will straight up attack us under any pretext."

    Reo answered while shaking his hand dismissively but Zoemi didn''t seem very convinced.

    "Also¡­ I have heard that at some point water mana wants to be ice mana ¨C why is that guy who is supposed to be so strong wields one of the basic attributes?"

    The ck-haired boy added, sounding rather doubtful.

    "Sorry, I only repeat what I learned from the report I managed to get my hands on¡­ Whenever Benevirau is mentioned it always has something to do with water ¨C whether it is appeasing storm or bringing rain to the area suffering from drought."

    Reo lowered his head and apologized for being unable to give a proper answer, while nervously shifting his legs.

    "Ah¡­ No, sorry ¨C I was still agitated because of the story ¨C I apologize for making you feel bad."

    The ck-haired boy went went-wide eyed at the green-haired boy''s act and bowed his head even lower than he did.

    "It''s alright¡­ Benevirau is a difficult person to understand ¨C but at least he appears to be very reasonable¡­ when it benefits him. He ims that he is at least a thousand years old, and oddly enough it seems that it isn''t a lie, which is¡­ even more, disturbing than his strength ¨C although he ims that the two are connected. In his words, when you have a certain amount of mana, your body stops aging whatsoever."

    Reo slowly straightened his back and threw in some interesting fact that was most likely meant to clear out the atmosphere in the carriage.

    "Oh, yeah, that one makes sense."

    The ck-haired boy nodded as if that was the most obvious thing to know ¨C but he did so only because he was also aware of Aspakeony.

 Chapter 287 92 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Entrance (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 287 92 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Entrance (part 1)</h4>

    The expensive carriage passed by the agricultural area surrounding the main city of the Banemor territory where the Banemors mansion was built ¨C Learen.

    Yes, the city in its current state that waspletely different from a town it was sixteen years before, had been renamed after the missing daughter of thete lord of the region ¨C not the other way around.

    The name change was something that lord Banemor hade up with as his dying wish ¨C he wanted his child to not fear to return to her rightful home ¨C no matter why she ran away, no matter what she had done to get by after that ¨C she would always had a ce to get back to, no matter what.

    An asional farm worker would look up at the carriage, snickering to themselves because of the local joke going around for more than a decade already ¨C if a fancy carriage is going to the city, the crown will try their luck with Benevirau again.

    Funnily enough, unaware to them, this time it really was the truth.

    -----

    "Some of their crops don''t look suitable for the climate that this area should have..."

    "Do they? I am not really big on agriculture..."

    Zoemi pointed out while looking through the window, but that observation had earned only a light shrug from the increasingly impatient Reo.

    They have been on their way for more than just a few days, so the destination of their journey was far more interesting than any corp could ever be.

    Although, in the green-haired boy''s case that could not have been the entire truth...

    "...are you feeling alright...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked with concern, taking his eyes off of the outside world and looking over at the nervous and fidgety capture target.

    "Y-yeah, no, seriously ¨C it is definitely nothing... just... I need to go to the toilet really bad ¨C Sorry for the trouble but I might ask to stop the carriage by the nearest ce with the proper facility..."

    Reo flinched and crossed his arms and nervously rubbed the left side of his chest with his thumb.

    "..."

    That action had certainly made Zoemi a bit worried ¨C a simr thing happened on their way there a couple of times and Reo would always exin it as problems with his stomach ¨C which was difficult to believe for the ck-haired attendant.

    Zoemi could see the unique shadows of every single being and thing that had mana ¨C humans, some animals, enchanted objects, and of course, the spells themselves included ¨C and each time Reo just so happened to have his emergency toilet break, his unique shadow would be faltering, barely holding on together, which was not at all how human unique shadows should behave.

    Well ¨C that''s not exactly true... there was a certain time during which magician''s shadow would tremble and start breaking apart ¨C it was the moment of that magician''s death.

    That knowledge alone was enough to make Zoemi more than just a little bit anxious about the life of the green-haired capture target who finally had his chance to prove himself to his father, unlike his character in the game.

    |...is it some terminal illness that he doesn''t want to talk about...? I knew that it was odd that only he was exactly the same as Reo from the game!|

    Zoemi made his own assumptions about the reason for the green-haired boy''s suspicious behavior.

    In the first ce, Reo''s shadow alone was already a bit different from the typical one.

    Usually, a shadow was connected with the physical body of the magician in a single point - usually one of the feet - but would hoover behind its owner''s back idly.

    On rare asions, with the stronger magicians, the shadows would berger in size or more intricate but still easily distinguishable form.

    Simrly, withmoners that have little to no mana, the shadows would be smaller and less detailed ¨C but stillpletely unique.

    That was the reason that Zoemi could never mistake two people no matter how simr they were ¨C their targets were always different, even if it was just some seemingly small detail.

    The unique shadows never lied revealing the people for whom they truly were.

    And... then was Reo...

    His shadow was... a box...

    A box that seemed to be clipping through him like a badly renderedputer graphic.

    Zoemi had encountered genderless shadows before ¨C but... this was literally a box, it couldn''t have been described in any other way.

    No distinguishing features, no movement.

    A box.

    It went against every single unique shadow principle that the ck-haired boy had seen since he awakened the ability to see them.

    |...maybe I should tell him about it? Hey, Reo, why do you have a shadow as if you were an artifact? Are you secretly an object? No, that''s ridiculous... I should try to secretly heal him and hope for the best unless he opens up to me...|

    Zoemi thought to himself, staring in concern at the spot where the unique shadow box was clipping through the green-haired boy ¨C which was coincidentally the spot on his chest that Reo was rubbing with his thumb, making it seem like it was greatly bothering him.

    |Could it be damaging him or something...? Nonsense, the unique shadows shouldn''t be able to interact with the physical world...|

    The ck-haired boy scolded himself over jumping to conclusions, but certainly, the whole thing was suspicious...

    Still, speaking about shadows...

    "..."

    Zoemi turned back to the window ¨C the road to the Learen was following the river and therefore turning the same way the river did, ended up giving the carriage passengers a clear view of the city they were going to...

    ...and the massive unique shadow hovering over it...

    That size was no joke ¨C it could only mean that an overwhelmingly powerful magician ¨C or a sage ¨C was residing there.

    Probably the scariest part about it was that it wasparable to the shadow that Raseriat ¨C the members of Ghosts of Bellcephora whom Zoemi managed to kill ¨C had.

    Zoemi wasn''t stupid or overconfident ¨C he knew that he managed to deal with Raseriat only because she initially didn''t want to fight andter was blinded by the anger ¨C a w in her character ¨C which allowed him for a proper setup.

    If she straight up locked on to him and attacked even a second earlier, that would be the end for the ck-haired boy, even with her limited offensive capabilities.

    Truth be told, if only Zoemi managed to get all of Raseriat''s mana at the moment of her death, things would have been different now ¨C he certainly wouldn''t be nearly as worried about the possibility of being wiped out of existence if he will make a wrong move ¨C but s, he didn''t get even a speck of mana from the opponent he worked so hard to defeat.

    The only positive part of his current situation was that there was a chance that the owner of this particr gigantic shadow would not turn hostile.

    "...Reo, Benevirau have never killed anyone trying to make him step down, right?"

    "O-of course he didn''t! That''s why he is troublesome ¨C he is using thew''s loopholes and just lives carefree knowing that no one can actually stop him without straight-up breaking thew!"

    Zoemi asked for confirmation, and indeed Reo delivered on that, straightening his back and assuring with a serious nod...

    ...and rubbed his chest, right above his heart...

    "...alright, that''s it ¨C let me use check-up on you... I will not let you pass out because of heart failure or something simr like that...!"

    That was it for the ck-haired boy''s patience too, ad he leaned forward, reaching his hand towards Reo''s chest with clearly stated intention of copying one of the heroine''s spells, but...

    "Nooo...! Zoemi, don''t be a pervert!"

    The green haired-boy jumped away as far as he possibly could, protectively covering his chest with both hands, staring at the ck-haired boy with a pitiful betrayed expression as his chin trembled.

    "Wh-what...? No, Reo ¨C I can use the healing spells that Burushi uses. I can see that your heart is bothering you so I was going to just, you know, check what is going on."

    Zoemi raised his hands and assured with a slightly guilty expression.

    "No! No touching until I will make it to the shop with cry... toilet! With toilet!"

    Reo shook his head while strongly rejecting the idea.

    "Alight... As you wish. Sorry again..."

    Zoemi got back into his seat and leaned in with an apologetic expression making sure that the green-haired boy feelsfortable enough to move back to his spot.

 Chapter 288 92 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Entrance (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 288 92 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Entrance (part 2)</h4>

    The carriage was moving through the busy city of Learen, passing shops and inns whole the citizens were minding their own business, not bothered by the strangers...

    *SLAM*

    "I CAN''T HOLD ON! ZOEMI, JUST GO ON WITHOUT ME, I WILL CATCH UP SOMEHOW!"

    "REO?!"

    ...or they weren''t paying them much attention until the carriage''s door was kicked open and flustered green-haired young noble juped out of, before the vehicle could properly stop ¨C which caused the other passenger to reach out after him with a shocked gasp.

    That was a truly bizarre scene ¨C especially considering that the next thing that happened was the runaway green-haired boy bolted straight to one of the shops.

    Not an inn, or apothecary, mind you ¨C but a shop dealing with magic crystals that were one of the oldest buildings in the entire city...

    What couldn''t he hold on for...? Buying himself a mana crystal?

    ----

    "...sir...? Should we wait for him?"

    The coachman asked cautiously, pulling on the horses'' reins and slowing down while ncing at the ck-haired boy looking out of the carriage with a concerned expression.

    "How difficult it is to get from here to the Banemor mansion?"

    Zoemi asked in response while stretching his neck trying to see whether Reo was allowed to use the toilet or would be thrown out.

    "We are basically there already, it''s at most a ten-minute walk straight down this street ¨C look, you can see the mansion from here."

    The man raised one hand and pointed at the tastefully white and gray building to which the surrounding garden ¨C and the wall going around it - began only a few feet from the spot where they were at.

    "..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows in contemtion.

    On one hand, it felt wrong to leave Reo while he was clearly not feeling well...

    ...but on the other hand, Zoemi was aware of the event from the Banemor questline that was supposed to happen when the heroine and Reo arrive at the Banemor mansion...

    The thing was that in the game, the green-haired capture target wasn''t the only Moyena who came up with the idea to show off to his father by returning the Banemor territory under the rule of the Bellcephora kingdom ¨C two of his older siblings would try to do the same, and they would be very pleased to have their favorite pushover close by to bully while their ns are useless against the protector of the territory and keeper of lord Banemor''s will, Benevirau.

    The entire quest was about making Reo realize that he doesn''t have to win his family''s approval because he is already fine how he is, without changing to fit their vision of the world.

    Zoemi couldn''t be sure whether Aerea and Vianee would really show up and even if they would, then if they would be mean to Reo or not, but he knew one thing.

    In the game, once the three Moyenas would meet, there will be a small-scale skirmish that Reo would lose, getting his butt kicked for daring to talk back to his older brother and older sister.

    Truth be told, during the said unfortunate event, Aerea and Vianee would be on their way OUT, after failing to aplish anything ¨C one could say that they were there just to set the mood for the whole questline.

    Well, the timing didn''t match because the whole questline should happen during the summer break, and the heroine herself was back in the Aspakeony Academy, but even so, Zoemi preferred to stay on the cautious side.

    Honestly, his reasoning was pretty simple and kind of childish.

    He didn''t want to see Reo get beaten up by his water-attribute-wielding sister or the fire-attribute-wielding brother, the green-haired boy was his second favorite character in the game, and in this world, he was basically the same character-wise ¨C so impossible for Zoemi to dislike.

    "He said that we should go without him and that he will catch up to us ¨C I trust him. Let''s go."

    "If you say so, sir. Please, now get back inside and close the door."

    The ck-haired boy ended up shrugging his shoulders and nodding at the coachman, who nodded back and lightly smacked the horses with the rains to make them go faster, as they seemed to be creating an inconvenience on the street.

    Just a few minutester the carriage stopped in front of the mansion''s imposing door.

    "Sir, I was told to return straight away, but I can pick up young lord Moyena and bring him here..."

    The coachman said with a conspicuous expression while leaning down towards the surprised Zoemi.

    "Oh, no, no ¨C it really is alright. Reo will be alright. Thank you for the offer though."

    Zoemi raised his hand to wave it to the sides dismissively and smiled gratefully to the concerned man.

    |If those two are here, it really would be better if Reo wouldn''t show up for a while.|

    The ck-haired attendant finished the sentence in his mind while the coachman was gazing over at him with an unconvinced expression.

    "No, really. It is okay. Have a nice way back."

    The concern was heartwarming but unnecessary so Zoemi simply nodded at the man and turned to the mansion.

    The imposing door was closed and there was no servant in sight that would invite him in, making things slightly more troublesome.

    Not by much though ¨C Normally the uninvited guests would be forced to wait until someone from the house would show up and let them in as just walking in on their own was extremely rude and could incur the wrath of the host, but Zoemi wasn''t uninvited.

    Well, it depended on how one looked at it.

    He was arriving while posing as the son of the missing heir to the Banemor family ¨C although farfetched as that excuse was, since the ck-haired boy was supposed to be convincing, he should be acting as if the mansion ¨C and the entire city, and territory ¨C were already his.

    That could turn out to be a double-edged sword ¨C or the most efficient way to trick the overpowered servant.

    "..."

    Having decided on how to act, Zoemi straightened his back and his face turned serious.

    Things could turn out really good or horribly bad, but either way, he would at least get the points for trying.

    ...as long as Benevirau would not kill him...

    Without wasting any more time the ck-haired boy walked up to the door and started opening them ¨C despite their size their hinges were well maintained making for a very easy movement, and the ck-haired boy couldn''t help himself for a little bit of theatrical ir and set it ajar stepping inside like an overconfident young master.

    "What do you mean he will not see us?! We''ve beening here for two weeks already! Do you hear me, peasant? TWO WEEKS!"

    "I seriously start to doubt whether sir Benevirau even wants to cooperate with the kingdom ¨C I wonder how would he like an entire army at his do... hmm...?"

    Just as he did, he became the witness to a young hot-headed red-haired man and a young haughty-looking blue-haired woman talking down to an upset dark-blue-haired misty-gray-eyed boy in a butler''s uniform, who couldn''t be much older than Zoemi.

    The blue-haired woman noticed Zoemi''s entrance and stopped talking before tapping the red-haired man''s side and they both red at the ck-haired boy.

    "You, darkness magician, back off ¨C do you know how many trash already showed up here thinking that they can trick sit Benevirau that they are the heir to the Banemor family?!"

    The red-haired man scoffed and waved his hand to chase off Zoemi who stopped in ce at the sight of the two and frowned.

    |...Reo''s route basically goes exactly as it did in the game ¨C but we are here earlier than we should, so those idiots aren''t quite done yet...|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself with annoyance at his own miscalction.

    He was already so used to events happening out of ce and with a different timing that he just assumed that if Reo''s siblings would be at the mansion, they would be on their way out after trying to get to talk with Benevirau for over two months.

    ...but as Vianee had already shouted at the young butler, they were there for mere two weeks...

    "Are you deaf?! Get out!"

    "...!"

    The red-haired man, Vianee, got agitated over thepleteck of reaction from the ck-haired boy ¨C but his sister Aerea squinted her eyes before straightening her back at the realization.

    "Via..."

    "Hmm...?"

    She poked his side and leaned in to share her observation with the unamused man.

    "Ah... I see... You are the guy who killed young lord Xoenith ¨C what, YOU were the one whom my useless youngest sibling chose to help him?"

    After listening to the hushed exnation, Vianee scoffed, looking down on the silent Zoemi, and shook his head in disbelief while a mocking smirk twisted his mouth.

    "My name is Zoemi Auequas, attendant ofdy Miriette Lisea Espine, and a rightful heir to the Banemor family ¨C sir Vianee ¨C I don''t remember you bing the judge of the ongoing case ¨C unless you think that you have greater authority on the matter regarding the death of young lord Drizno than his highness the king, I advise you to shut up and watch your tongue unless you want to go from the second son of the Moyena family to the tragically deceased second son of the Moyena family."

    "...!"

    In response to the mockery, Zoemi simply raised his brow and casually threatened the red-haired young man, making him be stunned from receiving the same thing he was dishing out.

 Chapter 289 92 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Entrance (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 289 92 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Entrance (part 3)</h4>

    "You really have some guts to be talking like that to the members of the Moyena family..."

    The young blue-haired woman, Aerea, frowned and took over the conversation, giving her brother ¨C who looked as if he was about to blow up with extreme fury ¨C a chance to cool down.

    "You two Moyena siblings really have the guts to be acting as if you own this building. You two should be the ones to get out and stop annoying the hardworking servants."

    Just as was the case with her brother Vianee, Zoemi responded to Aerea in the same tone that she used while talking down to him...

    "You really are asking for it, brat. Don''t stick your nose where it doesn''t belong. Where is that useless brother of mine? It seems that he needs a lesson in picking his allies."

    The red-haired Vianee shook off the initial shock and walked towards Zoemi with a raised hand in which a bright fireball appeared crackling threateningly.

    "Sir, it is in bad manners to use offensive spells in the house belonging to someone else."

    Suddenly, the dark-blue-haired boy with misty-gray eyes spoke in a tired voice ¨C momentarily getting the attention of the two older Moyena siblings.

    *phssss*

    "Huh...?! How did you...? How dare you do that?!"

    Using that chance, the ck-haired boy created an air pocket around the fireball in Vianee''s hand, making it go out almost immediately after being locked out of the oxygen supply ¨C that of course didn''t get past the red-haired man who gasped in disbelief and red right back at Zoemi, rightfully so because it was indeed Zoemi''s doing, but Vianee has done it simply because he thought no one else present would try to oppose him.

    "Sir Vinee, did no one told you that being a fire magician doesn''t automatically require you to get pissed off at everything? Maybe you should get your sister''s to help you cool down?"

    "...!"

    "...!"

    Although Zoemi had said the first sentence intending for it to be a jab at the rashness of the re-haired Moyena sibling, the other sentence wasn''t meant to imply anything besides ¨C she is a water magician, she can make water ¨C but...

    Zoemi''s problem was that in the game Vianee and Aerea showed up only briefly, they were just throwaway named characters that added to Reo''s story and in this world, Moyena''s family wasn''t his point of focus, so of course, he had no idea about a very unpleasant rumor going around about those two.

    That particr rumor had a lot to do with the pair of siblings always traveling together and rarely being seen separate to the extent of Aerea getting her engagement canceled.

    Therefore, although the ck-haired boy unintentionally struck the most sensitive nerve that he could, making Vianee go red-faced from anger and Aerea gritted her teeth, pale as a ghost.

    "DUEL! I challenge you to a duel, you worthless piece of shit! You are going to take back everything that you said!"

    "...?"

    The red-haired man who started literally trembling from anger ended up blowing up and roared, pointing his finger at the slightly confused ck-haired boy.

    Zoemi looked over at the blue-haired woman, wanting to check if she is also shocked by her younger brother''s behavior ¨C but he only met an utterly furious re instead.

    It actually felt like if Vianee didn''t challenge him to a duel, Aerea would do that instead.

    "...I have a feeling that I am missing something... Sir Vianee, are you always that rash, or are duels your hobby...?"

    "SHUT UP! I CHALLENGED YOU TO A DUEL! YOU ACCEPT IT OR NOT, YOU COWARD?!"

    Zoemi was absolutely going to ept the duel but wanted to make sure that he understands the reasoning for this particr challenge, as he was clueless why the red-haired man red up with anger so much ¨C but got interrupted by a bloodthirsty roar of the seriously enraged man.

    "I see... so this is what Reo had to deal with at home... I ept the duel on the condition that when I win, the two of you will leave the Banemor territory and stop bothering its people... and stop messing with Reo."

    The ck-hired boy breathed out and nodded his head while waving his hand quizically as if the perspective of fighting head-on with an older and supposedly more experienced opponent didn''t faze him at all.

    "You don''t have any rights to demand things from...!"

    "I ACCEPT!"

    "Vianee?!"

    The blue-haired Aerea scoffed, almost spatting to the side from anger ¨C but was interrupted by her younger brother one-sidedly agreeing upon the condition, which made her gasp in disbelief.

    "Killing the opponent is forbidden ¨C we don''t want to have any trouble because either of you will not be able to control your strength."

    Suddenly, the dark-blue-haired butler sighed and called out in an annoyed voice, not even attempting the useless act of trying to talk the two guests from duking it out.

    "Who cares if some trash dies? Wouldn''t having another impostor just die benefit sir Benevirau. Maybe his busy schedule would open enough for allowing us to see him?"

    Reminded about the young butler''s presence, Aerea straightened her back and crossed her arms, while continuing to re at Zoemi, not even sparing a nce for the Banemor mansion servant.

    "Yes, yes, both of you are upset ¨C for whatever reason ¨C let''s just move outside and have the duel. And I promise that I will not kill my opponent ¨C with that in mind,e. You are going to be the witness to the duel itself. If we are doing it, we are going to do it properly."

    Zoemi rolled his eyes at the attempt to get him either agitated or threatened and instead nodded at the dark-blue-haired servant.

    "I am a servant of the Banemor family ¨C I do not take orders or requests from anyone else."

    The young butler shook his head and turned around with a sour expression.

    "Exactly. I am the heir to the Banemor family, discovered and brought here by Reo Serentii Moyena. This is my mansion, and you are my servant. You have been acting without a master long enough already. We are going outside now."

    "..."

    Zoemi really was going all-in on his role as the rightful heir to the Banemor family ¨C that was also the reason why was he so unapologetic towards Vianee and Aerea, the two young high nobles ¨C which made the young butler stiffen and slowly turn back to stare daggers at the ck-haired boy with his misty-gray eyes.

    "Turn back while you can, I can see who you are, and this isn''t funny."

    The young butler breathed out in annoyance and shook his head.

    "See? Even a bellboy can tell that you are just a fake. I am adding another condition on my part ¨C you will take back what you said before AND get the hell back to whatever dirty hole you crawled out of AND will not talk to that useless prankster ever again!"

    "..."

    Vianee, who seemed to calm down a lot despite beingpletely ignored for a while,ughed mockingly and pointed his index finger at Zoemi.

    Interestingly enough ¨C or rather unfortunately enough for himself ¨C the red-haired man was now the one who struck a nerve with his words.

    Zoemi tensed up and he gritted his teeth so much that veins bulged out on his neck and forehead.

    "...Sir Vianee... I will give you a chance."

    He breathed in through his nose and breathed out through his mouth doing his best to stay as calm as he could.

    "When I introduced myself I already said that I am the attendant of the youngdy Miriette Lisea Espine, by saying that I have to get back from the dirty hole I crawled out of, you are indirectly badmouthing the Espines estate. Not to mention that it also includes talking in of everyone living there, INCLUDING my father who took me in after I was forced to live in the slums after my biological mother''s death."

    Zoemi really tried his best, despite his anger being many magnitudes stronger than those that made Vianee roar so loud, his voice remained calm with only his body tens from the pent-up aggression ready to erupt at any given moment.

    "Hmph! I said what I said. You can add me taking back my words to the conditions in case you win the duel."

    The red-haired man smirked, satisfied with the furious reaction, unaware of how big of a mistake he just made.

    "As you wish... I will not kill you, because I already promised that... But I will beat you up until you are an inch away from death."

    *WHOOSH*

    "...!"

    Zoemi''s eyes lost all the light in them, making them look like the eyes of a dead person and as he opened his mouth, the gust of ice-cold air sent chills down the backs of the pair of siblings and made the dark-blue-haired butler raise his brow in curiosity.

 Chapter 290 92 - Banemor territory - part 1 - The duel

    <h4>Chapter 290 92 - Banemor territory - part 1 - The duel</h4>

    "...shadow connect..."

    Zoemi muttered under his breath while walking outside the mansion, and a hair-like shadow shot out behind him, seeking and immediately connecting him with the red-haired Vianee''s shadow, while the two of them were taking positions.

    "..."

    Setting ups spells before the duel properly starts was considered to be not only rude and bad manners but often lead to the automatic loss, but the ck-haired boy didn''t particrly care about any of that, despite the fact that the young dark-blue-haired butler who ended up going with them to be the duel''s witness, certainly noticed the premature setup.

    Still, he remained silent, so it was as if nothing happened.

    With that, the ck-haired boy and the red-haired man stood against each other in front of the Banemor mansion.

    Zoemi''s expression was that of a stone-cold mask, while Vianee was smirking to himself, still very pleased with the reaction.

    The fire mage still thought that it was a good thing to anger this particr opponent as both darkness and shadow spells ¨C the ones being only the inferior copies of the original spells from other attributes ¨C didn''t boast particrly good range, and the ck-haired boy just so happened to move all the way to the Academy-set middle range.

    From that distance, Vianee would be able to pelt him with the barrage of the explosive fire spells without ever being in danger.

    "..."

    "..."

    The two opponents froze in ce, waiting for the signal to start the duel being called out by the supposedly impartial dark-blue-haired butler, who momentarily seemed as if he forgot the role he was supposed to y.

    "Hey, how long are you nning to stare? Start it already!"

    Even the blue-haired Aerea ended up scoffing at the young butler, who seemed to be deep in thought.

    "...hmm? Oh! Right...! Begin!"

    He flinched in surprise and then waved his hand almost dismissively.

    "Say goodbye, you tra-GSHHHH?!?!?!"

    Vianee smirked, raising his hand with a massive fireball already coiling in front of his palm when suddenly the front of his shirt bulged out and a human hand burst through the cor of his shirt, grabbing his throat and choking him out of the attempt of provoking the enemy to make a mistake.

    "Vianee?!"

    Aerea gasped, looking around in terror before realizing that the ck-haired boy facing her brother did already make his move.

    Zoemi was also reaching out his hand ¨C but it was cut off by pulsating darkness right above his elbow...!

    "I gave you a chance."

    Zoemi scoffed with a disgusted expression and moved back.

    *WHAM*

    "GHUAGH...!"

    He ended up pulling most of his arm out of the darkness, which in turn caused the hand choking Vianee to pull the red-haired man down, mming him against the ground, pushing the air out of his lungs.

    *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*

    Zoemi repeated the movement a few times for a good measure before releasing Vianee''s throat and freeing his own hand, and then casually activated his shadow enchantments to close the distance between them before the red-haired man could properly stand up.

    "Don''t forget about your enchantments."

    Zoemi stopped right before the fire magician crawled his way back onto his feet, deactivated his own enchantments for a moment, and...

    *SLAM*

    Delivered a full-on ser kick onto the head of his opponent, sending him tumbling back like a ragdoll.

    "...you...! YOU LITTLE FUCKER! DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME?!"

    Since the kick wasn''t augmented by any spell, Vianee who indeed have his own enchantment active, managed to get up rtively fast, with his face bright red from embarrassment and fury, behind theyer of dust and dirt from the ground in which Zoemi mmed him a few times before.

    "Good. It would be so annoying if you got down after only that."

    "?!?!?!?!"

    Instead of responding to the furious question, the ck-haired boy smiled eerily and reached out his hand again ¨C but this time a murky ck fire erupted from his fingertips and coiled around into a fireball.

    "Catch."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and casually flicked his wrist, sending the fireball flying with such an amazing speed that Vianee who happened to blink at the very unfortunate momentpletely missed it...

    *BOOOM*

    "GRAAAAAAAAUUUUUGHGHGHGHGHHH....!"

    ...but what he couldn''t have possibly missed was the ice-cold explosion that encased his stomach in a me-like icicle.

    "Shut up, you aren''t properly damaged yet. Ice explosion."

    *click*

    "H-huh...?!"

    *BOOOOOOOM*

    Zoemi scoffed and shook his head in annoyance, snapping his fingers and causing the fresh murky ice to explode, sending the utterly confused Vianee flying.

    "Where do you think you are going?"

    Zoemi raised his brow and asked in annoyance as the fire magician''s body was about to hit the ground ¨C he ended up stepping forward and snapping his hand like a whip.

    As he did so, a water sprout with whip-like properties shoot out from his palm and extended all the way to the airborne enemy, coiling against his neck and...

    "Get back here. I am not done."

    The ck-haired boy scoffed pulling back on the water whip that contracted like a rubber band, propelling Vianee straight at the awaiting Zoemi.

    The ck-haired boy already had his hand at the ready ¨C encased in a massive glove made out of soil put together by the earth mana.

    It really took only a fraction of a second to...

    *WHAM*

    *CRUSH*

    Vianee''s face met with the earth fist and get mmed into the ground so hard that his legs shoot out and fell down only full five secondster.

    "Tsk. Weakling, at least don''t lose consciousness when we fight ¨C beating on an unconsious person isn''t what I wa... ghhh...!"

    "...kill...!"

    Zoemi red down at the messed up face of the red-haired man with his eyes shing whites, and clicked his tongue in annoyance ¨C but then he suddenly faltered, as his shadow extended without his permission, and a murky-ck-figure burst out of it wielding two massive ice spears very clearly aimed at the defeated opponent.

    "Vianee! YOU BASTARD, YOU SAID YOU WILL NOT TRY TO KILL HIM!"

    Seeing all of that Aerea cried out before charging at the ck-haired boy with water spears already forming from the moisture in the air.

    "BACK!"

    Zoemi, didn''t even pay attention to the blue-haired woman, far too concerned about the murky ck-shadow who freely wielded ice ¨C and was clearly using Zoemi''s own mana to do so.

    |It''s sir Ludier...! The corpse puppet spell was at least partially sessful ¨C but why the hell is it acting on its own?!|

    Zoemi gritted his teeth, doing his best to take control over the shadowy figure about to finish off the unconscious Vianee.

    "I TOLD YOU TO GET BACK, YOU UNGRATEFUL MORON!"

    "...!"

    Feeling his mana getting drained almost as fast as during casting corpse puppet spell at the execution ground, Zoemi managed to get a hold of the death-attribute-mana-filled strings and take direct control over the shadow puppet, forcing it to sink back down into the murky shadow it sprouted out on its own.

    "...whew..."

    Zoemi breathed out, having regained control over the situation, when...

    *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB*

    "Gh-ghugh...!"

    ...multiple water spears pierced through his torso making him falter and take a step forward, throwing up a mouthful of blood as at least two spells pierced through his lungs, causing a profound hemorrhage.

 Chapter 291 93 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Benevirau (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 291 93 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Benevirau (part 1)</h4>

    Zoemi was literally skewered with multiple water spears that he didn''t block because he deactivated his shadow enchantments earlier in the fight to not finish off Vianee too soon...

    ...which ended up proving to be a big mistake...

    Gaining momentarily control over the rouge shadow puppet of the deceased Ludier Gmroze had massively drained the ck-haired boy''s mana with its ridiculous requirement, pushing him right into the early stages of the mana depletion.

    "..."

    "!!!"

    With blood constantly pouring out of his mouth, Zoemi slowly turned around to face the blue-haired Aerea who froze up, petrified by the nightmarish sight of the bloodloss, lifeless void-like eyes, and the expression of cold fury.

    *WHOOSH*

    "?!?!?!?!"

    Well, at least the blue-haired woman didn''t have to worry about the horror-esque sight as the next moment Zoemi''s body got swallowed by a murky shadow that transformed a demonic-looking armor with beastly features.

    Then, without any movement or verbalmand from either the boy or the woman, the water spears still sticking out of the boy''s torso suddenly started sinking in deeper and deeper until they disappearedpletely in the murky shadow...

    "W-wait, I didn''t mean to...!"

    Aerea gulped down her saliva and took a step back.

    She ended up interfering in the duel and even straight-up wounded the ck-haired boy.

    Although she did have an excuse because it looked like Zoemi was using one of his spells to finish off the fallen Vianee, that ended up being only momentary trouble with control over a spell that got resolved...

    ...but she ended up attacking him anyway...

    It would be alright for her to kill the boy ¨C as wrong as it sounds ¨C because she never promised to not kill anyone, so she wouldn''t break her word ¨C but her problem was that the ck-haired boy didn''t die...

    ...and since she jumped in to help her younger brother, she was now taking part in the duel...

    Officially.

    "I just...!"

    *GRAB*

    "Ghhhh...! GHUGHUGUGUGHUGHUGUU...!"

    Aerea, with her enchantments active, raised her hands defensively and tried to return to the dark-blue-haired butler''s side, but before she took three steps, the shadow-armored by reached out to her, his arm erged into a beastly paw and got a hold of her in a bone-crushing grip, that instantly squeezed the content of her stomach right back up, making her vomit in a very unrefined manner.

    Although it wasn''t just the crushing power that made her do that ¨C at the same time with the physical attack, the armor-d boy was draining the mana right out of the blue-haired woman straight through her active enchantments, using it to replenish his own and heal his injuries.

    Zoemi was of course siphoning mana out of the unconscious Vianee to whom he was still connected via the shadow connect, but since the red-haired man was already unconscious, none of the symptoms were showing up.

    "Alright, alright. That''s enough ¨C don''t you think, Aspakeony? Seriously, what''s with all that weird acting?"

    "...?"

    *thump*

    The young dark-blue-haired misty-gray-eyed butler sighed rolling his eyes and walked towards the shadow-armor-d Zoemi, making the ck-haired boy look over his way deactivating his shadow armor, and letting the knocked-out Aerea drop onto the ground right next to her younger brother.

    "Honestly, I let you take my master''s corpse only because you said it was really important because one of your beloved students was in need of the guidance of the shadow magician. I also clearly said that you are not supposed to make him too young because someone will most definitely try to use him to convince me to step down. Instead of kicking some reckless kids around, you better tell me how is your end of the deal going? Did you find any trace of the youngdy Learen?"

    The young butler sighed, shaking his head, and pped Zoemi''s chest in annoyance, without even looking at his very confused face.

    "...sir Benevirau...? Do... you think that I am a corpse puppet...?"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva, surprised that the extremely powerful servant who took over the Banemor territory under the guise of upholding thete lord Banemor''s will had revealed himself so easily, despite showing no intention of doing so earlier.

    ...the most surprising part was that he seemed to be having a major misunderstanding...

    As for Zoemi not being surprised in the slightest ¨C well... a gigantic shadow towering over the city that was attached to the butler in question was the biggest hint of all...

    "Come on, you think that just making my lord''s body younger, you would confuse me? I clearly remember how little Vizta sounded when he was sixteen! What, did you get dumber from thest time I saw you? You reek of death attribute mana and you clearly used different attributes from your other corpse puppets ¨C which by the way, I also remember you promising not to do forty years ago after you finally stopped seeing Ghosts in every shadow."

    Benevirau, the thousand years old young-looking butler scoffed, once again pping Zoemi''s chest while making a very grumpy face.

    "..."

    That response left the ck-haired boy stumped.

    His mind was fuzzy from the mana depletion, he was exhausted after subduing and taking control over the shadow corpse puppet of Ludier Gmroze, and now he had to deal with the supposed water sage who was convinced that Zoemi was one of Aspakeony''s corpse puppets.

    "Ummm... s-sir Benevirau...? Do... do I actually look like lord Banemor...?"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and asked, raising his brow in confusion.

    He did see Aspakeony''s corpse puppet that must have been the former ruler of the territory he was currently in, and honestly, the ck-haired boy himself really could find any matching points besides the ck hair and eyes...

    "Oh for the... Ha ha ha. Yeah, very funny, you ancient brat ¨Cugh at the blind guy, you... huh...?"

    Benevirau graned in annoyance, rolling his misty-gray-eyes to the heavens ¨C before freezing in ce as he realized something.

    "...hold on a second... why the death attribute mana faded away...? How are you controlling the puppet now?!"

    The dark-blue-haired butler gasped, furrowing his brows in confusion, taking back his hand that he was about to p Zoemi''s chest for the third time with.

    "...ekhem... sit Benevirau... this is a really awkward situation for both of us it seems... I am not a corpse puppet... I merely copied Aspakeony''s mana, that is what you must have sensed... I am the student she needed the shadow magician to teach... Oh, and yes, I know about her being the necromancer and the actual headmaster of the Aspaekony Academy."

    "!!!!"

    The ck-haired boy who finally managed to pacify the shadow corpse puppet of Ludier ¨C and therefore getting rid of the death attribute mana ¨C cleared out his throat and exined, slightly squirmish, making the young-looking butler straighten his back and nervously rub his hands together.

    "...you... no. There is no way...!"

    Benevirau took a step back and shook his dead in denial.

    "But you sound exactly like Vizta did!"

    He called out in a kind of desperate-soundingint as if he had a really hard time admitting his mistake and was doing everything in his power to prove that he wasn''t the one in the wrong.

    "Umm... may...maybe that''s because he was my grandfather...?"

    Zoemi also tensed up and asked awkwardly, remembering at thest moment that he was supposed to y his role as the heir to the Banemor territory.

    And honestly, the coincident like that was more than wee, it reallyplimented the lie perfectly!

    "..."

    Benevirau lowered his head and started massaging his temples trying to take it all in without making any more mistakes.

    "Show me your face."

    "Okay, sure."

    In the end, he breathed out and asked, reaching his hands up, to which Zoemi agreed without any objection.

    Since in act the dark-blue-haired young-looking butler was a head shorter than the ck-haired boy, he ended up first brushing over his chest, and then made his way up to the Zoemi''s face.

    He carefully traced every detail with the tips of his fingers, especially focusing on the jawline, cheekbones, the shape of the nose, and the eyesockets.

    The eyesockets were the spot at which he suddenly flinched and stepped back, taking back his hands looking distressed.

    "Sir Benevirau...? Did something happen...?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and asked in confusion, making the dark-blue-haired butler take another step back while lowering his head to hide his face.

    "E-e-everything''s fine. Just fine..."

    Benevirau began nervouslybing his hair with just his left hand while continuing to back away, and not only stuttered but even sniffled as if he had a running nose because of a cold, despite not showing any of the symptoms the moment before.

    "I... need a moment... Excuse me for now..."

    The dark-blue-haired man sniffled again, moving back towards the door.

    "Oh. No, no problem. I will go out to the city to..."

    "NO, YOU CAN''T! DON''T LEAVE!"

    Zoemi waved his hand and shook his head before turning to the gate, about to inform the young-looking butler that he was going to check up on Reo who stayed behind and should be showing up any moment, but his words resulted in Benevirau raising his voice in panic and grabbing onto him as if he was terrified that the ck-haired boy would disappear on him.

    "...uuummm... Sir Benevirau...? I was just going to..."

    The wide-eyed Zoemi gulped down his saliva while still pointing at the gate, extremely confused about the reddened eyes of the extremely strong magician ¨C or rather a sage.

    "Zoemi! Did you manage to...? VIANEE?! AEREA?! WHA...?! WHAT HAPPENED?! WHY ARE THEY HERE?!"

    As if someone had timed it, at that exact moment, the green-haired Reo showed up, and seeing Zoemi he happily ran over to his side ¨C only to notice the unconsious bodies of two of his older sibling sprawled around the ground, which caused him to raise his voice in shock.

 Chapter 292 93 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Benevirau (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 292 93 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Benevirau (part 2)</h4>

    "..."

    Zoemi looked down at the unconscious pair of Moyena siblings and then at the youngest Moyena, Reo, and shrugged his shoulders with a dismissive expression.

    "They were rude to sir Benevirau, then they got angry at me all on their own, immediately after which Vianee challenged me to a duel for some reason even though he was using far more offensivenguage than I did, and. Well... I ended up beating up both of them."

    The ck-haired boy ended up exining in an indifferent voice while staring straight into the green-haired boy''s eyes without blinking.

    "Before you ask, Aerea had stabbed me with multiple water spears, that''s why she ended up like this ¨C I did not attack her without provocation."

    He added, raising his hand, pointing his index finger into the sky.

    "Yes, it is exactly how young master said!"

    "...huh...?"

    "...wh-what...?"

    As for the most surprising thing, the dark-blue-haired young-looking butler vigorously nodded his head in confirmation to Zoemi''s words, leaving both Zoemi and Reo stunned out of their minds.

    "Wait... wha... I... Alright, I understand Vianee and Aerea being unreasonable, but... are you telling me that this is sir Benevirau?!"

    The green-haired capture target took a step back while pointing inplete and utter disbelief at the misty-gray-eyed butler who looked to be at most eighteen or neen.

    "Yes, that''s me."

    Benevirau nodded his head again while continuing to hold onto Zoemi as if expecting the ck-haired boy to attempt to tan away.

    "But... aren''t you supposed to be a thousand years old?! Why do you look so young?!"

    Reo gasped, shaking his head refusing to believe the story once the person in question stood right in front of him.

    "A mix of a bnced diet, working out, and a several hundred times more mana than an average light magician, I suppose?"

    Although it was doubtful whether the green-haired boy actually wanted an answer and wasn''t just showing his shock, Benevirau answered him in a casual voice with a hint of hesitation.

    "Alright. You must be the friend who brought the young master home. I will be eternally grateful for that, now, please, allow with me and the young master inside. I would be much obliged if you would be so kind to keep himpany while I would be preparing the wee party!"

    "Wh-what...?"

    The dark-blue-haired butler nodded at the stunned Reo before tugging on Zoemi''s arm with a barely contained excitement.

    "Young master, is there something that you especially like? I will make sure to prepare it!"

    "..."

    Benevirau was positively fidgetting when he faced Zoemi, showing him a beaming smile that honestly made the ck-haired boy nk out for a moment.

    |...what the hell is going on...?! I mean, the n is working, he seems to believe that I am the heir to the Banemor family, but... why...?! Is it that easy?! My voice just so happens to resemble the voice of thete lord Banemor and that''s it? Is it a trap? It must be a trap!|

    When things go too smoothly some people''s minds find it suspicious, and Zoemi was certainly one of those people, instantly assuming the worst possible scenario was taking ce.

    Because, honestly that didn''t make sense.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy looked over at Reo, and with just one look he was able to tell that the green-haired boy was just as shocked and uneasy as he was.

    This must have been a trap of some sort, no question about it.

    Will the jolly butler turn murderous the moment they put their guard down?

    Possibly ¨C an oue such as that certainly wasn''t out of the realm of possibilities, that''s for sure.

    Honestly... that turnaround was far too sudden to be genuine... right...?

    But even so... how were those two youngsters supposed to respond?

    |He... he didn''t kill any of the people attempting to take the territory... there is a chance that he just wants to scare us, making an example and that''s it... It can get unpleasant, but honestly, as long as we survive, the more trouble we will go through before getting sent back, the better it would look for my case about being a devoted and honest person...|

    Zoemi thought to himself, trying to calm down and not overreact at the situation.

    "Young master, is something wrong? Are you doubting my culinary skills? I can assure you that I have been prized by yourte grandfather and mother many times before!"

    The silence brimming with hesitation seemed to bother Benevirau greatly, as he gulped down his saliva and made a pitiful pleading expression.

    "Ah, oh, n-no. I was just wondering what to pick...!"

    "Zoemi...?"

    The ck-haired boy hurriedly shook his head and responded reassuringly, making the confused Reo gasp in disbelief.

    It sounded like the green-haired capture target was ready to just escape the Banemor territory as it was, without even making sure how screwed they are ¨C although in his case it might have more to do with his siblings beaten up by the ck-haired boy than it did with the dark-blue-haired butler.

    ...or at least so it seemed because of how many times did he nced at the unconscious bodies of Aerea and Vianee...

    "Please, excuse me for rushing you! Let''s get inside your home, please. You said that you currently are the attendant of the youngdy Miriette Lisea Espine ¨C Espine territory is almost on the other side of the kingdom, you must be tired after a long journey! Ah...! Once again, pardon me for rambling, I just already lost hope that I will ever see youngdy''s child...! I...! I...!"

    Benevirau gasped and hurriedly bowed his head repeatedly while talking extremely fast, getting exasperated all on his own ¨C the dark-blue-haired butler ended up slowing down only because his eyes ended up filling with tears as he got extremely emotional and was on the verge of ugly-crying.

    ...that certainly was an unexpected behavior from the fearless sage who kept the entire territory away from the kingdom it belonged to for sixteen years...

    "There are just so many things I want to ask you, so many things I want to know and apologize for...! Young master... how... how did you end up an attendant in the Espine household...?"

    Benevirau''s chin trembled but he managed to brave through and asked while blinking repeatedly to keep himself in check.

    "Well... I was born in the..."

    "Dear heavens, what am I doing? What am I questioning you like that in front of the house! What if you catch a cold?! Inside! Please, let me take you back inside, young master! And, master''s friend, youe to!"

    Zoemi opened his mouth and was going to tell the short version of his life up until that point but only after a few words the dark-blue-haired butler gasped in embarrassment and started hurriedly pulling him towards the mansion while also waving his hand in Reo''s general direction inviting him too.

    "What about my siblings...? We can''t leave them like that... can we...?"

    The green-haired boy flinched and spurted the first thing that came to his mind to dy walking into the lion''s den.

    "...! That''s right, the trash that challenged young master in his own territory... in the very city bearing his mother''s name..."

    Unfortunately, it seemed like with hisment Reo had stirred up the anthill of Benevirau''s anger as the dark-blue-haired butler tensed up and looked over his shoulder roughly where Vianee and Aerea were.

    *click*

    *BLUB*

    "!!!"

    Without letting go of Zoemi''s arm, Benevirau snapped his fingers and arge ball of water grew from right under the two unconscious Moyenas, making them float on its surface, and carried them outside the mansion grounds and out of sight, leaving both Reo and Zoemi speechless.

    "I threw them outside the city. If theye back to bother you again, young master, I will take care of them a little bit more roughly."

    |At least it seems he isn''t keen on murdering others, that''s a good sign.|

    The dark-blue-haired-butler assured with a determined expression, unintentionally easing at least one of Zoemi''s fears.

    What was left for the ck-haired boy to do in such a situation?

    Even though Benevirau seemed to be acting genuine - he was over a thousand years old, he certainly had more than enough time to polish his acting skills...

    There really was only one way to be certain what was his intention in the end.

    Just go along with whatever the dark-blue-haired butler was nning.

    "Thank you. I''ll be counting on you."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi patted Benevirau''s hand on his arm and spoke to him with a grateful tone, which made the misty-gray-eyed butler lower his head again.

    "...young master... I... I am so happy..."

    Benevirau sniffled, unable to hold back his tears finally led Zoemi and Reo to the mansion while constantly wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

 Chapter 293 94 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Banemor mansion (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 293 94 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Banemor mansion (part 1)</h4>

    "Young master, have you decided on the food you wish me to prepare for you?"

    "...!"

    To Zoemi''s great surprise, the dark-blue-haired butler didn''t change his demeanor immediately after entering the mansion and instead asked in a soft, devoted voice.

    "I... um... I don''t have anything that I particrly dislike or can''t eat... feel free to prepare anything that''s not too fancy."

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders awkwardly, but for whatever reason Benevirau flinched and his chin trembled again.

    "Wh-why are you doing that...? Have I said something offensive?"

    If the young-looking butler was doing that to throw Zoemi off, he certainly was seeding splendidly, as the ck-haired boy had no idea how he should act around him.

    Annoyingly enough it seemed that the dark-blue-haired thousand-years old servant was using the same tactic that Zoemi himself had employed against the higher nobles many times ¨C it was the first time for the ck-haired boy to be on the receiving end of it, and he certainly wasn''t enjoying it at all.

    Quite the opposite really.

    "N-no, it''s nothing, young master... it''s just... You really sound like your grandfather... not only in a matter of voice alone but your consideration for me...!"

    "..."

    Benevirau hurriedly shook his head, denying any ill intention with an expression of someone terrified of making their most important person angry... and that certainly didn''t sit well with Zoemi.

    It really just felt as if he was doing exactly what Benevirau wanted of him.

    The dark-blue-haired butler ended up leading both Reo and Zoemi to a fancy dining room, cleaned to perfection, and made them take a seat ¨C insisting on Zoemi seating at the seat of honor with Reo on his left side.

    "I will be right back with the meal, young master, young master''s friend!"

    Benevirau bowed deeply and backed out of the room without raising his head.

    "..."

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy and the green-haired boy looked at each other with concern and sighed at the same time once the dark-blue-haired butler closed the door behind his back.

    "Zoemi.. just what in the world is going on?! Is that the real Benevirau?! If so then did you actually manage to convince him that you are the heir to the Banemor family?! How?! Just what is going on?!"

    Reo was the first one to speak after that ¨C he put his elbows on the table and burrowed his face in his hands, asking question after question while peeking at the ck-haired boy next to him from behind the spaces between his fingers.

    Interestingly enough none of the things he asked about had anything to do with his older siblings- which was quite telling about the actual rtionship they had.

    "I don''t actually know... It will be best if I tell you everything from the beginning... shadow web connect..."

    Zoemi breathed out and nced at the door, simultaneously muttering the incantation and connecting himself with as many shadows as possible giving himself a good look at the mansion.

    Even the kitchen.

    It looked like, despite Zoemi''s attempt to be stealthy and not go straight for Benevirau, he still was noticed as the dark-blue-haired butler instantly turned his head towards the shadow that Zoemi chose as the best one to observe him from.

    Instead of getting angry, the misty-gray-eyed man smiled and return to cooking without even trying to do anything about the ck-haired boy''s spell.

    While trying to figure out Benevirau''s real objective in acting in such a way, Zoemi recounted the events that happened after Reo and they separated ¨C of course hiding the real Aspakeony''s identity, and just changing that part into the headmaster asking Benevirau for advice.

    "I still don''t know what exactly made your siblings so angry, but anyway, after that Benevirau started acting as he is ow right after touching my face."

    Zoemi finished the recollection and looked over at the frowning Reo.

    "About Aerea and Vianee... well, you were unlucky with your choice of words... You see, there is a very damaging rumor going around about them, suggesting that the two of them see each other as something more than just brother and sister ¨C which is untrue as far as I know ¨C but they must have misunderstood you telling Vianee to go to Aerea to cool down as telling him to... you know... blow off some steam with her... in, you know... an indecent way..."

    The green-haired boy lowered his head and exined, getting redder and redder as his exnation went until he stared fidgetting and muttered thest part under his breath in a barely recognizable whisper so quiet that Zoemi had to activate his enchantments to make sure that he heard him properly.

    "Well then... that exins an awful lot... Doesn''t excuse him for speaking ill about Espine family and my father, but now I start to think that they are just hot-headed and notplete scum..."

    The ck-haired boy breathed out, furrowing his brows, and leaned back on the chair, staring at the ceiling with a sour expression.

    "If it makes you feel better, I actually am happy that I didn''t have to meet with them while they were conscious..."

    "..."

    Reo looked to the side and murmured with a grumpy expression, making Zoemi return to a proper way of sitting and look at him carefully.

    "...we don''t like each other very much... they me me for our mother''s death... just like our father does..."

    The green-haired boy slouched more and more until he was hunched over the table with his head between his shoulders.

    "..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows ¨C this certainly sounded like the part of the conversation that the heroine was supposed to have in Reo after he got beaten up by Vianee and Aerea ¨C it looked like there was something wrong with Reo''s route after all ¨C it activated with Zoemi instead of the blond heroine!

    The only good part was that Miriette was back in the Aspaekony Academy that got its defenses augmented by the members of the Royal Guard thanks to Horeo''s demand, so the dark-haired girl wasn''t in danger of being kidnapped and or sold into very.

    ...in the first ce that ending was already impossible for her as the spell-sealing bracelets were gone...

    |...now that I think about it, that was always a plothole in the endings... howe some kidnappers were supposed to get their hands on the precious artifact from the kingdom''s treasury...?|

    The ck-haired boy let his mind drift to a different subject for a moment before dismissing it as irrelevant and focusing back on the green-haired boy.

    "No one is perfect and grief sometimes pushes people into doing things that they may regretter. Getting med for something you had no control over must be horrible, and it doesn''t feel right that your family can''t understand that they are in the wrong."

    With Benevirau happily cooking in apletely non-threatening manner, Zoemi decided to y along with the event-like situation for a little bit.

    "...I can''t me them... If only I wasn''t born first both my mother and twin brother would..."

    "Huh...?"

    Despite Zoemi''s attempt to be encouraging, Reo hung his head down in shame and sighed, sounding so full of self-loathing that the ck-haired boy flinched and shook his head in confusion.

    Although, the confusion part didn''t have as much to do with the tone of Reo''s voice as it did with the thing that he said.

    This was the first thing to Zoemi''s knowledge that didn''t match with the game version of the green-haired capture target.

    In the game, the death of Reo''s mother got exined as aplication during childbirth and that''s it, which sounded mostly the same ¨C but there was nothing about a twin.

    How much did that change in the story? Did it change anything at all?

    Did it or did it not increase the chances of Miriette getting in danger...?

    "Sorry. I shouldn''t have brought that up... We have more important things to worry about..."

    Reo fidgeted in shame, raising his head a little bit only to bow to Zoemi the next moment with an apology.

    "It''s okay. If you ever want to have a talk about it with someone, I am told to be quite a good listener, believe it or not."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi smiled reassuringly and patted the green-haired boy''s shoulder making him flinch and blush.

    "...th-thank you... I... I maybe will take you up on that offer someday..."

    Reo nodded timidly and his expression brightened just a little bit with a tiny smile.

    "..."

    "..."

    The two of them looked at each other in silence...

    "Oh, um... Benevirau...! You did say that he started acting differently after touching your face? Wh-what could be the reason...?"

    It seemed like the green-haired boy wasn''t quite ready for the prolonged eye contact and ended up looking to the side and asking in a flustered voice.

    "Maybe it''s a coincident just like with my voice sounding like lord Banemor''s? There is a chance that I am simr to the missing daughter, right?"

    Zoemi went along with the change of subject without a moment of hesitation and shrugged his shoulders giving the answer he had no possible way of being certain of.

    "...Zoemi... but... what if we are looking at it from the wrong angle?"

    "...?"

    Reo suddenly straightened his back and asked, making Zoemi raise his brow.

    "What do you mean by that? We are just trying to figure out Benevirau''s purpose in acting so friendly all of a sudden, aren''t we?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, shrugging his shoulders.

    "Yeah, that''s what I''m talking about!"

    But to his surprise, the green-haired boy nodded his head vigorously and pointed at him with his hand.

    "What if there is no n at all? What if you ARE the heir to the Banemor territory? Maybe your voice and looks - if those are the case - aren''t mere coincidences?"

    Reo asked, nervously gulping down his saliva.

 Chapter 294 94 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Banemor mansion (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 294 94 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Banemor mansion (part 2)</h4>

    "I cannot be the hair because... because..."

    At first, Zoemi rolled his eyes and was going to shoot down Reo''s question, but once he realized that ¨C Because I am a reincarnated person from another world ¨C doesn''t actually speak against him, and maybe even gives it a little bit more validity...

    He WAS born again, he didn''t just pop into existence out of a thin air.

    He did have a mother, although memories of a three-year-old child couldn''t be said to be vivid.

    Back then, Zoemi wasn''t even properly aware that he was a reincarnated person, he was just a child who had strange dreams about living a different life and nothing else.

    He lived with his mother in the slums, thinking how much better the life of the boy named Kuro Aku was.

    If only the ck-haired boy could remember the name of his mother, that would make everything so much easier - but the problem was that he always called her just mom, mommy, like any child his age would.

    To his defense, he also didn''t remember the name she was calling him with ¨C although he remembered that calling him by it made her smile no matter how sad and depressed she was.

    "..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and looked to the side with confusion.

    He could remember such an obscure thing as his mother being happy about saying his name but couldn''t remember it? What was that about? Ridiculous. The ck-haired boy felt ashamed of himself for being unable to recall just the most basic information about his life in that world before he met Mizoe and Miriette.

    "Zoemi? By any chance did you recall something that proves my point...?"

    Reo started slowly straightening his back while putting down his hands and asked with a hesitant but extremely curious voice.

    "No. I didn''t recall anything important, but I realized that there indeed is no proof that I am not the possible heir... My past can be difficult to track sometimes..."

    The ck-haired attendant nced at the green-haired boy and shrugged his shoulders dismissively.

    It really wasn''t the right time and ce to start being curious about a topic that might have turned dangerous for them extremely fast.

    "...just curious... but... on a chance that you are the real heir... would you still be keen on giving up the territory to the disposition of the crown...?"

    "..."

    Still, Reo didn''t seem to catch on Zoemi''s unwillingness to continue the subject and innocently asked tilting his head while gazing at the ck-haired boy with his big green eyes.

    "I wou..."

    Once again, Zoemi opened his mouth the clear the older boy''s doubts but got doubtful himself.

    Wouldn''t actually owning a territory open so many new doors for him?

    Of course, the responsibility would also be tremendous but...

    For just a split second a vision of him in a carriage together with Miriette shed in his mind ¨C he and the dark-haired girl, not as a servant and master but as two aristocrats of equal standing traveling together to his territory...

    Zoemi didn''t have a chance to properly talk with Miriette before going to the Banemor territory, so he couldn''t really confirm Horeo''s shocking news about Miriette reciprocating the feelings her attendant had for her.

    Zoemi tried to contact her with a message spell once but... he clearly picked a bad moment despite trying to contact her before supper, where she should be free which earned him a horrible scolding.

    Back then Miriette said that he is banned from contacting her first, and the ck-haired boy followed her order as an attendant should, no matter how much he wanted to talk to her.

    ...she didn''t contact him since then...

    ...could it be that she didn''t want to talk to him because she actually hated him...?

    "Zoemi...?"

    "...!"

    Reo''s concerned voice brought the ck-haired boy right back from the depths of his own mind, aking his shook his head and looking back at the green-haired boy.

    "What would you do if I didn''t? I could end up kidnapping you, and make it as if your n had never happened. You know that the first prince is my friend."

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy felt slightly embarrassed and felt the need to tease the other boy to hide his own feelings but, that didn''t exactly go as he thought it would ¨C mainly because Reo''s eyes widened and he lowered his head with a timid blush.

    "That... that would be nice too... if you would want to keep me by your side..."

    The green-haired capture target murmured while fidgeting, leaving Zoemi stunned.

    "Wh-what...?"

    "What?"

    Zoemi stuttered when his teasing attempt backfired splendidly but instead of following up with a punchline, Reo just flinched, straightening his back, and blushed heavily while attempting to keep a straight face and not look away.

    "The meal is ready!"

    "!!!"

    "!!!"

    Benevirau ended up returning with the first dish at a perfect moment to break the silence that befell the two boys, making both of them panic slightly as they remembered their actual objective.

    "Please, enjoy your meal, young master, master''s friend!"

    The overjoyed dark-blue-haired butler whose reddened eyes clearly suggested that he must have gotten emotional on his way back to the dining room served the tes to Zoemi and Reo before bowing his way right back to keep an eye on the main dish.

    Neither of the boys was in a hurry to return to the subject and just got busy with the food in front of them ¨C simrly, the rest of the meal passed like that.

    The only difference was that after serving the dessert, Benevirau didn''t return to the kitchen and instead was waiting by the door, with his face turned towards Zoemi as if he was tasked with an observation duty.

    "..."

    |Alright... he either wants to get praised for the food he prepared or there is something with this meal particr dish that he wants to witness me react to...|

    Zoemi didn''t say anything but the behavior of the young-looking butler certainly didn''t go unnoticed.

    The caramelized apple slices themselves looked normal.

    Actually, of anything that particr dish looked much simpler than the fancy food served moments earlier...

    |Are Desserts out of his realm of expertise or is it the moment that he will start to make things difficult for us...?|

    Zoemi thought to himself with looking over the bright-faced butler when...

    "URGHH...!"

    "!!!"

    Reo suddenly le out a retching noise and reached for the napkin to spit out the piece of caramelized apple.

    |Oh, so it''s time for making life difficult for us. Noted.|

    Zoemi took a deep breath when he assumed that one of the scenarios he prepared for began to y out.

    Still, he had to give it to the misty-gray-eyed man, at least he fed them normal food first and not just straight up tormented them with either something disgusting or straight-up poison under the guise of hospitality.

    Maybe Benevirau was just starting slow to not overdo things and actually harming the guests since that could result in actual repercussion towards the entire territory, but still.

    |I wonder what could he do to the caramelized apple...? there isn''t that much that he could do without making it seem too obvious...|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself, curiously stabbing a slice off of his te with a provided toothpick, raising it to his mouth.

    "Z-Zoemi...? I might have overreacted, but you might hold on to those, they are extremely bitter...!"

    "..."

    Reo leaned towards him and tried to whisper conspicuously, but there was no way that Benevirau didn''t hear him do that, despite showing no reaction whatsoever.

    "Just that? Well, well, well, someone has a really childish pte."

    Zoemi raised his brow and snickered ¨C for a change making sure that his whisper would be picked up by the dark-blue-haired butler ¨C and put the caramelized apple slice to his mouth without hesitation.

    Because what could have happened?

    A little bitterness couldn''t possibly have an effect on someone who used to eat literal trash to survi...

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    As the bitterness of the burnt caramelized apple that had clearly been left on the me for too long spread through his mouth, a single memory cleared out drawn out by the smell and taste filling his mouth and nose.

    ****

    A sickly-skinny ck-haired woman was shaking from a horrible cough by the flimsy table in the small but clean kitchen.

    The coughing fit was continuing for terrifyingly long, and the woman didn''t even notice a small, ck-haired child trodding his way towards the table where a few pieces of a caramelized apple were sprawled as if being the leftovers after the failed cooking...

    ...because that was exactly what they were...

    Still, the unaware boy led by the enticing smell stood up on his tiptoes and reached up for one piece snatching it up.

    "GHUGH...! N-GHOUGH-no...! Sweetie, don''t! Mommy messed those up again, don''t eat them, they are -GHOUGH- really-GHOUGH-awful..!"

    The terribly pale woman noticed the child and tried to stop him, but she ended up being toote.

    "!!!"

    The small boy flinched and trembled and his eyes teared up from the bitterness.

    "GHOUGH...! Sweetie...! Mommy is sorry! GHOUGH! Quick! GHOUGH! Spit it out!"

    The woman rushed to her child even though she was barely in a state to move, and gasped, moving her hand towards the boy''s mouth but...

    "I-ish good...!"

    The boy shook his head and swallowed the whole slice, braving through the bitterness.

    He didn''t take the caramelized apple from the table because he was hungry or a glutton.

    His mother would always smile when he ate the food she made for him, and he wanted to make her feel better that day since her health was getting really bad.

    "...!"

    Seeing him forcing himself to smile even though the bitterness was squeezing the tears out of his eyes made the woman tear up.

    "My silly boy..."

    She sniffled and hugged him doing her best to smile too despite the horrible cough messing with her lungs already corroded by the darkness attribute mana.

    ****

 Chapter 295 94 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Banemor mansion (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 295 94 - Banemor territory - part 1 - Banemor mansion (part 3)</h4>

    *SLAM*

    "ZOEMI?!"

    The ck-haired boyunched himself at the dark-blue-haired butler without as much as a peep of a warning, causing his chair to hit the ground and Reo to cry out in terror.

    "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?! ONE OF THE GHOSTS OF BELLCEPHORA?! HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT MY MOTHER ALWAYS MESSED UP THOSE FUCKING APPLES?! DO YOU THINK I WILL FORGIVE YOU FOR MAKING ME REMEMBER HOW SHE SUFFERED WHEN THE DARKNESS MANA WAS MELTING HER INTERNAL ORGANS, KILLING HER FROM THE INSIDE, YOU FUCKING SCUM?!"

    Whether that was Benevirau''s intention or not, Zoemi had flownpletely out of the handle, encasing himself in the murky-ck armor, and picking him up by the shirt, letting out a deafening roar that made the windows in the entire mansion tremble.

    "...wha... what did you...?"

    While Zoemi waspletely consumed by anger, Benevirau was pale as a ghost ¨C but not because of the attack.

    The dark-blue-haired butler didn''t try to run or defend himself, even though he was more than capable of doing so at any given moment.

    Zoemi''s beastly shadow armor had no effect on the blind man in the first ce, but what horrified him were the boy''s words.

    "Wha-what do you mean darkness mana melting her organs...?"

    Benevirau trembled on the verge of tears.

    "...fucking...! Reo!"

    The ck-haired boy growled through his teeth and nced over to the green-haired boy powerlessly watching the scene y out from the side whit a horrified expression.

    "Y-yes...?!"

    Reo gasped, straightening his back at the attention without even realizing it.

    "I don''t give a shit about this territory anymore. You do whatever you want, I don''t care, I''m teleporting back to the royal capital."

    "Wha...?! EEHH?!"

    Zoemi deactivated his shadow armor, and dropped the dark-blue-haired butler, before shrugging his shoulders and disappearing into a sh of a murky light ¨C to a shocked outcry of the green-haired boy.

    "Y-young master...? YOUNG MASTER?!"

    Benevirau reached out his hands to Zoemi but was a split second toote and he grabbed onto a thin air where the ck-haired boy should be, which caused him to falter and almost fell down.

    "Young master?! Where... where are you? Where did you go?!"

    The misty-gray-eyed man looked truly pitiful and lost, reaching his hands as if expecting that Zoemi had only stepped away from him, but s, that wasn''t the case.

    "What was that about his mother slowly dying and you being one of the ghosts of Bellcephora?! What did you do to Zoemi?"

    As if that wasn''t enough, Reo also seemed to forget himself and jumped over to the dark-blue-haired butler grabbed him by the shoulders, and shook him in panic, despite knowing about the strength the man was holding.

    "...the apples... the caramelized apples..."

    "What about the stupid apples?! What''s wrong with them?! Besides being bitter as all hell...!"

    Benevirau muttered to himself, literally trembling from worry, making Reo lean away in confusion.

    "One day youngdy Learn asked me to teach her how to cook, so she could surprise Neramis the next time he would be passing through the city... She could always do everything, but couldn''t grasp the correct timing for taking the apples off the me... I... I didn''t want to make young master remember any horrible memory...! I just wanted to know whether the youngdy had... had...! What have I done...?!"

    It really looked like Benevirau''s world had copsed and the dark-blue-haired butler had absolutely no clue what to do with himself.

    "Umm... Sir Benevirau... I''m sorry to ask that even though I was the one who brought Zoemi here, but... How are you so sure that he isdy Learen''s son? I expected that you would want to put him through a test or something, but you just... seempletely sure that he is the person you were waiting for... How...?"

    With the ck-haired boy loudly and clearly expressing his loss of interest in the Banamor territory before disappearing, the green-haired capture target couldn''t help himself and asked in a curious voice, trying his best to not anger the thousand-year-old servant.

    "What question is that?! Of course, I would recognize Learen and Naramis''s son! Not only does he sound exactly like his grandfather, but he also looks like his parents!"

    Benevirau scoffed, greatly annoyed by the suggestion of being mistaken.

    With a mere flick of his wrist, three water spouts erupted right from the floorboards and froze into ice sculptures of two males and a female.

    "!!!"

    Seeing the highly detailed faces of the ice-sculptures Reo was left speechless as his jaw dropped.

    The middle one, was Zoemi ¨C no doubt about it, although the details of the body and clothes were different than what the ck-haired boy actually was wearing, every single detail about his face matched.

    As for the sculptures on right and left, although Reo could swear that he had never seen either of those people in his life, but even so, he could point out the simrities between them and Zoemi.

    Simrities that were too numerous to be written off as mere coincidence.

    "You are his friend, aren''t you?! I beg you, please help me bring him back...!"

    Benevirau grabbed Reo''s hands and pleaded with a desperate expression.

    ------

    In one of the dormitory rooms, a dark-haired girl was staring nkly at her reflection in the mirror on top of her desk.

    "Miriette... you really should just contact him already."

    A big-breasted blond girl who took over the bed to cast her spells on the short brown-haired girl in a maid''s uniform sighed and looked at the unresponsive girl.

    "...Burushi...! You don''t understand...! He caught me mas... doing indecent stuff by myself...! How am I supposed to talk to him after that...! He always kept me in such high regard and then... How is he even able to use message spell in the first ce?! And why he has perfect timing for the worst situation?!"

    The heroine''s words certainly did have an effect on the viiness, as she suddenly leaned down, pressing her forehead against the desk, and cried out in a mournful voice.

    "Aren''t boys into that though...? You were ying with yourself while thinking of him after all, didn''t you?"

    The blond girl shrugged her shoulders and asked, making Miriette flinch.

    "H-how would you know that...?!"

    "I don''t know. Because of that maybe? Alright so, the other hand now."

    The dark-haired girl gasped but instantly blushed even harder when the blond girl motioned with her chin at the crumpled male shirt hanging off of the side of the bed as it must have fallen from under the pillow, and continued Veo''s treatment letting go of her left arm.

    "Sh-shut up..."

    Miriette cowered and grumbled in defeat, looking away from the mocking smirk of the blond heroine.

    "Mistress... Sir Zoemi would not stop liking you because of something like that. If it was that easy then my prince would have seduced him ages ago."

    Veo raised her right hand and deactivated the enchantments letting her control it, so that Burushi could work on it without any obstruction and used the chance to point an obvious - in her opinion - fact to Miriette.

    "...that... does make sense..."

    "Or Zoemi is just dense as a rock."

    The dark-haired girl nodded her head with a realization, but the blond-haired girl merely scoffed and shrugged her shoulders at that.

    --------

    "Ughh..."

    The ck-haired boy had depleted his mana by a lot by subduing the shadow of Ludier Groze, so even though he normally could have teleported right where he said he would go - that being the Bellcephora''s kingdom capital - but his mana reservoir emptied out and he was thrown out of the murky light right into a bush growing beside the magnificentke glowing with a myriad of mana crystals half-buried in its muddy depths.

 Chapter 296 95 - Banemor territory - part 2 - By the crystal lake (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 296 95 - Banemor territory - part 2 - By the crystalke (part 1)</h4>

    Normally, when a light magician didn''t have enough mana to teleport to their destination point, the spell would not activate at all. That alone was why light magic was one of the safest ones to use ¨C as long as the user themselves wanted to get hurt, the light attribute mana itself would stop its flow to prevent any harm to its user.

    Still, what Zoemi used wasn''t a pure copy of the teleportation from the light attribute''s array of spells but a copy modified with some of the unstable properties of the shadow jump from the darkness attribute.

    Hence, the spell did activate, but the moment that the boy''s mana ran out, he was spat out immediately,nding in bushes by the crystalke.

    Unfortunately, the ck-haired boy ended up unconscious, but on the other hand there, fortunately, wasn''t anyone around who could take advantage of that vulnerable state of his.

    ...truth be told, there certainly was something inside of him that wanted to break free and start a murderous rampage, but that shadow was kept in check by another, much more powerful, shadow lurking in the very core of Zoemi''s being.

    The ce he ended up in was still well within the Banemor territory and was quite a famous tourist location, that during the night doubled as the meeting spot for lovers ¨C which only make it more popr.

    Thanks tonding on the side of theke that was slightly less picturesque and therefore didn''t have all that many people walking around, the ck-haired attendant spent the next few hours in rtive peace, but in a certainly ufortable position.

    Interestingly enough, this time he didn''t wake up immediately despite his mana reservoir refillingpletely.

    "Let''s make it thest time we''re working with that guy. He pays well but the meeting point he chooses each time suck."

    "...nnn...?"

    What did stir him up instead was a voice that sounded as if someone was raking gravel.

    "Oh, shut it ¨C it''s not that bad. We can camp out with the boys and considering how many people show up here, we would be getting paid well before our guy shows up."

    "...nn... nnn...?"

    Another voice responded to the first one, which was followed by an approving grumble of at least a dozen other voices, that made Zoemi shake his head and slowly start getting up still utterly confused about where he was, or what exactly happened.

    "Don''t be stupid ¨C if people likeing here, then it would be all that more probable that some of them will report our presence to the local lord ¨C which if you bunch of idiots haven''t realized, is that Benevirau guy famous for sticking it to the whole kingdom! No shaking the passerby''s ¨C just... just tell them that theke had been reserved for the night. I''ve heard that this Benevirau isn''t fond of people of our upation, and he isn''t taking bribes ¨C he kills the ones who bring harm to the territory and its citizens."

    "...what in the world...?"

    The first voice scolded the others angrily, finally giving the ck-haired attendant enough stimtion to actually wake up.

    Zoemi shook his head and adjusted his position in the bushes, casting a muffle spell to not rm the group of fifteen men that showed up and set out a camp within an earshot of his location.

    Judging by their appearance, equipment, and manner of speaking, it was rather easy to figure out who they were.

    Bandits.

    Commoner bandits.

    Groups like that were bound to show up in every territory from time to time, although the ones here didn''t seem to beposed of locals ¨C at least judging by the things they''ve said up until that point.

    They all seemed more organized too, at leastpared to what Zoemi had in mind when thinking about a ragtag group of ruffians.

    "..."

    |It''s alreadyte evening, and I didn''t even manage to leave the Banemor territory... I shouldn''t have left Reo like that. Even though I tried to make it seem that I don''t care about him at all so that Benevirau would not try to take him hostage, who knows what someone like that might do?|

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows watching the group of ouws in silence while thinking back about the green-haired capture target he left back in the mansion.

    It seemed that the extended rest had calmed Zoemi''s mind ¨C to an extent ¨C as the hatred he initially felt towards the dark-blue-haired butler now felt like slight disgust.

    Zoemi wasn''t a pessimist, but more often than not he tended to prepare for the worst oue of any situation just in case ¨C and this time that way of thinking pushed him into a rather grim exnation.

    In the ck-haired boy''s opinion, Benevirau was most definitely involved in the disappearance and death of the youngdy of the Banemor family as well as Neramis''s and the lord Banemor himself.

    There was no doubt in Zoemi''s mind that the young-looking butler did that to gain control over the territory and he also must have gotten the help from the Ghosts of Bellcephora so that there would be as little evidence linking him to the deaths as possible.

    |Makes sense... Aspakeony''s disappearance may also be connected with all of them all... She turned the corpse of lord Banemor and turned it into her puppet, from which she might have essed some condemning memories about Benevirau''s involvement ¨C so he contacted his friends and made her vanish... As for why is he messing with me...|

    The ck-haired boy crouched in the bushes and remained motionless as themoner bandits were setting their camp, asionally shooing away the lovebirds and other visitors who wanted to take a look at the beautifulke that truly started to show its multicolored beauty after dusk.

    They all seemed to go along with the earlier words of one of them, and weren''t actually aggressive, and neither did they try to mug anyone, further proving that they were more than just anymon thugs.

    Common thugs with self-control were usually tools in someone else''s hands...

    But for the moment, none of that really bothered the ck-haired boy who was doing his best to put together all the information he had.

    |In the end, it must have something to do with me killing Raseriat. But... the Ghost don''t seem to know that I did that or... ah...! They must have been the ones who killed sir Ludier! That makes sense! That''s why no one knows that he died! But... They killed him but not me? Did... did they actually see only the veryst moment of Rasriat''s life and not the whole fight?|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows very much taken aback and unsure about the connection the Ghosts of Bellcephora share.

    |Huh... maybe that has something to do with why there was no mana left in the body...? Raseriat sent it all back the other Ghosts together with thest image she saw... in that case, I am responsible for sir Ludier''s death...|

    The ck-haired boy figured out, suddenly feeling a lot worse about using the corpse puppet spell on the shadow of the dead pale-blue-haired man and subduing him ¨C although he was justified for doing thetter part as the going on a murderous rampage wouldn''t solve a thing...

    ...would it...?

 Chapter 297 95 - Banemor territory - part 2 - By the crystal lake (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 297 95 - Banemor territory - part 2 - By the crystalke (part 2)</h4>

    |I have to check whether Reo was able to leave the Banemor mansion or not ¨C Benevirau didn''t seem able to stop me from teleporting, so I will have a way out and with my mana regenerated, I will be able to just teleport to the royal capital as I originally said. Banemor territory returning to the Bellcephora kingdom is one thing ¨C but discovering that the person who governs it is working with the worst traitors in the history of our kingdom is on a whole another level...|

    Zoemi ended up deciding and nodding to himself, preparing to use the modified teleportation once again, when a new person appeared near theke ¨C someone who didn''t get turned around like the rest.

    "Ah, lord Vanterl. Greetings. It''s a pleasure to finally have you bless us with yourpany."

    The man who had to be the leader of the bandits stood up from his ce near the fire and greeted a prideful-looking crimson-red-haired man with foxy eyes.

    |Did... did he just say Vanterl...? Isn''t that the maiden''s name of the current queen?! What is someone like that thinking, meeting with individuals such as those?!|

    Thanks to hesitating to use his spell, Zoemi ended up bbergasted, watching the nobleman frown horribly, ring at the bandit as if he was the most disgusting thing that the red-haired man saw in his entire life.

    "Idiot! Why don''t you shout louder?! What if someone would eavesdrop on us?! Did you at least make sure that there''s no one here?!"

    The crimson-red-haired man scoffed viciously and asked as his body shone with a red light that ignited a momentter encasing him in a fire armor that looked even grander than the one that duke Espine could conjure.

    The me helmet waspletely hiding the man''s face now, but Zoemi couldn''t help but find the man reckless.

    If he wanted to hide his identity, showing off a skill that only a handful of magicians could use was equally reckless as revealing his full name.

    "Now, now ¨C of course, it is safe ¨C we are professionals, and you know that, my lord. We''ve worked together long enough to establish it."

    The bandit''s leader flinched and stepped back, but his voice didn''t show nearly as much worry as Zoemi expected it to ¨C all while tantly lying about securing the surroundings.

    After all, if even a single person from their group would bother to have a walk around theke, Zoemi would have been found hours ago.

    "Tsk. Yes, we have. That''s why I know about your recklessness. You,moners, don''t care about evidence, as anyone with half of a working brain would not treat you as suspects in the first ce. That''s why that ice cretin was able to figure out that Deriznos wanted those damn mines. I better check myself. Swallow."

    "...?!"

    The man in ming armor clicked his tongue and shook his head ¨C revealing something incredibly shocking, as well as reaching his hand to the side and unleashing a seemingly simple ¨C fireball

    in his hand turned into a bird and took flight.

    The little me creature began circling the area, giving Zoemi quite the scare.

    Unsure about its purpose, the ck-haired boy reached his shadow towards it and was shocked to learn that it had heat vision and was scanning the area while sending back the information to the fire magician, using a very simr method on which a wind magicians message spell worked.

    Zoemi had three choices ¨C the most risky one being sucking the mana out of the spell, facing the possibility of getting exposed because of that. Doing what he originally wanted to do and teleport away, escaping the area. Or using magic to mask his presence to the best of his ability.

    At first, the ck-haired boy wanted to teleport away but the moment that Derizno''s family was mentioned in the same sentence as mines, the dormant shadow of Ludier Gmroze started giving the boy some trouble.

    With the fire swallow about to fly over him on its next circle, Zoemi focused and activated his shadow enchantment, changing his mana to water one and adjusting the temperature with both fire and ice mana, to almost perfectly blend into the surroundings.

    "...hmph... at least you seem to take your job seriously."

    The fire-magician scoffed after the swallow returned to him and perched itself on his shoulder just to sink into the ming armor as if it always was a part of it.

    "But of course."

    "..."

    Hearing the perfectlyposed voice of the bandits'' leader, Zoemi had to give it to him ¨C he sure could handle the pressure of a potentially dangerous situation far better than most aristocrats that the ck-haired boy knew.

    "Still, why did you choose this ce to meet us ¨C it is literally a tourist attraction. Why not a tavern, or any of the random inns ¨C you clearly don''t care about being seen, so why go out of your way if you still end up suspicious?"

    Then, the bandit leader impressed Zoemi by asking a good question that also started to bother the boy.

    The fire magician was from the Vantrel family ¨C the family in which Horeo''s mother was born ¨C no matter what, him talking with a bunch of ruffians would raise some questions.

    "That''s why I hate working withmoners... I am meeting you at a tourist attraction because everyone knows that I went on a trip to see the said attraction. Some lousy bunch of nobodies called out to me, and I activated my me armor to keep them at bay. Or do you think that it''s less suspicious to suddenly have me share a drink with the likes of you? Or have someone notice me sneak around to have a meeting in some supposedly secretive spot? Don''t make meugh."

    "!!!!"

    But the answer that the fire magician had for the bandit was what truly opened the ck-haired boy''s eyes.

    The man was correct...!

    If Zoemi was unable to hear their conversation, everything that happened between the fire magician and the bandits would have looked like an idental and unwanted meeting on the nobleman''s part ¨C especially because of his immediate activation of the fire armor...!

    The aristocrat wasn''t reckless ¨C he was actually extremely cunning ¨C especially since he used the heat-vision swallow to make sure that no one was within the earshot!

    "..."

    A simr revtion seemed toe to most of the bandits too, at least judging from their expressions ¨C including their leader, although he seemed to be just annoyed that the nobleman actually thought things through and wasn''t an overconfident idiot.

    "What job do you have for us today, my lord."

    The bandit leader didn''t keep on sulking for too long though, and only a few secondster he asked while crossing his arms.

    "In two weeks an experimental portable device that can measure how much mana the magicians have withouting in contact with them would be passed from the royal magician to the hands of the Victureo family. The Victureo family would be tasked to mass-produce and distribute it amongst the army''s officers, as the device like that was deemed to be useful for the army. For maximum secrecy, the device would be transported from the royal castle to Victureos'' mansion by a group ofmoners posing as merchants. I want you to steal the device while it is in transit."

    The fire magician dered with a shrug.

 Chapter 298 95 - Banemor territory - part 2 - By the crystal lake (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 298 95 - Banemor territory - part 2 - By the crystalke (part 3)</h4>

    "...and destroy it? Sell it...?"

    "Don''t be stupid."

    The bandit leader asked, squinting his eyes and speaking with hesitation, but his assumption got him scolded by the annoyed nobleman.

    "After you will acquire the device in question, you will then ce it in Espine''s castle. Duke Espine is known for favoringmoners, going as far as hiringmoner-born knights and some servants, which should make it easier to infiltrate his estate. Hide the artifact there, but don''t do it too well ¨C that thing needs to be found by the investigators when the timees."

    The fire magician dered and turned away dismissively, making it seem as if his sightseeing trip was ruined and he wouldn''t waste any more of his time on the idle chat with somemoners.

    "My lord ¨C about the payment..."

    "The payment will be twice the normal amount because of the particr dangers of the job ¨C and it will be paid AFTER itspletion, as always. If you manage to do it, met me three weeks from now in this spot to get it."

    The bandit leader called out after him but got interrupted by the annoyed fire magician who would not allow any unnecessary chatter, answered the question, and left immediately after.

    "Derow, Par, get up. The three of us will go to our backup hideout and start preparing ¨C the rest of you will stay here for the night and go to the main hideout in the morning, you will join us in the backup one two two days before the job."

    After waiting enough time for the fire magician to leave the area, the bandits'' leader turned to his men and started giving orders without hesitation.

    "Those who stay, you can take out the drinks and have some fun ¨C you heard our dearest lord ¨C we are the inconvenience that messed up his trip. Make lots of noise and be obnoxious ¨C but not enough to get you all in a cell or coffin. If we will have a change of ns, you know what happens and what to do. With that, good night gentlemen."

    With the two men he called out by name before by his side, the bandit leader nodded at the others and left, disappearing into the night as the atmosphere around the campfire became a lot more jolly when the alcohol started flowing.

    "Sentinel."

    Meanwhile, Zoemi hidden in the bushes, while still using the enchantments that left him invisible for the heat-vision spell, muttered an incantation and had a ck orb appear above his shoulder.

    "Attach yourself to them. Only observe and contact me the moment something suspicious or noteworthy happens."

    Zoemi reached his hand and patted the ck sphere, instructing it as if it was a fully sentient being.

    "~!"

    The orb fidgeted happily under his touch and shot out after the three men that left immediately after the ck-haired boy took back his hand.

    "Now then..."

    "That haughty guy, why was he so bothered about us leaving evidence of connection with Derizno? What, did he expect us to wait to be sentenced and hanged for getting rid of some lowe nobles?"

    Zoemi was about to conjure another sentinel ¨C this one to keep an eye on the main group when an unexpected conversation started.

    "Rega, you are an idiot. Don''t you remember that the ones we ended up killing were the Gmrozes? What, now you will tell me that you haven''t heard about a murderer who hunts down nobles? That''s the head of the Gmroze family ¨C Ludier or whatever ¨C we offed his family."

    "And did a great job pushing the me onto others ¨C I''ve heard the man had gone crazy and turned half of a city into an iceblock, but never pursued any of us."

    "...oh, shit..."

    The bandits wereughing amongst themselves, but Zoemi wasn''t in the mood forughter ¨C his murky shadow ¨C visible thanks to the light provided by the illumination of the shining mana crystals at the bottom of theke - extended on its own as the ice shadow puppet broke through his shackles and materialized into the physical world using the ck-haired boy''s mana.

    The only good part about it was that for some reason this time, it didn''t take nearly as much mana as when Luider''s shadow showed up and almost finished off Vianee.

    Still, that didn''t change the fact that the shadowy figure had crawled out of the murky darkness and immediately started creating ice spears out of the surrounding moisture.

    "...ah...!"

    Only when the ck-haired boy noticed that some of the magic stones in theke flickered and be dim did he realize that it wasn''t like the shadow puppet suddenly became more mana efficient ¨C instead, it was using the same ability that Zoemi had and leeching mana off of the nearest mana source.

    But that also must have meant that it wasn''t a mindless murder machine...

    "Sir Ludier...?"

    "..."

    Zoemi asked, ncing over towards the bandits campfire to see whether his summon was spotted already or not, while the shadow puppet flinched and slowly turned to look back at him.

    "...kid... do... not... stop... me..."

    "!!!"

    The strained voice, so full of rage and grief that it was almost too painful to listen to came out of the murky figure, causing Zoemi to hold his breath in disbelief.

    Still, not for long.

    "I only ask you to spare or rather not immediately kill two of them ¨C I want to learn about their main hideout and I am not sure whether I will be able to bring them back as I did for you..."

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy whispered, knowing that he would be understood even if he only murmured or mouthed the words anyway.

    "...we can... catch the three... that already left..."

    Ludier''s shadow proposed a different solution.

    "Sir Ludier ¨C you should be the single person most interested in getting to the bottom of things. We don''t want to kill off the connection those people have with that person from the Vanterl family. In the first ce ¨C I didn''t recall anyone from the Vanterl family being a fire

    magician powerful enough to cast fire armor, or that swallow spell. I will not stop you from avenging your family ¨C but if you want the culprits dead, you should be interested in getting to the ones at the very top too. You knew about that when you were alive."

    "..."

    Zoemi stood up from his hiding spot ¨C which funnily enough didn''t cause any reaction from the bandits gathered by the campfire as they were busy enjoying food and drinks they have brought with them ¨C and spoke to the shadow puppet of his.

    "...wouldn''t one be enough....?"

    Ludier''s shadow was able to speak more and more clear as the seconds passed as if sucking out mana from the crystals in theke was turning him into the person he was before his death ¨C he even started bargaining.

    "Two, just to be sure ¨C and like I said, you will be free to kill them afterward, so there''s no need for you to act spoiled now."

    "...pffft...! True... you did say that, kid. Alright, fine."

    The ck-haired boy raised his left hand with two fingers extended, shaking his head with a cunning smirk, making the shadow puppet snort before nodding.

    "I would also like to know how exactly did you die but, that can wait until you are done here. Feel free to start."

    *WHOOSH*

    The moment that Zoemi waved his hand and gave clear permission, the shadow bolted forward, surrounded by the halo of ice spears...

 Chapter 299 95 - Banemor territory - part 2 - By the crystal lake (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 299 95 - Banemor territory - part 2 - By the crystalke (part 4)</h4>

    "Next time we should-"

    *THUNK*

    *crack*

    The first target got skewered through the back of his head so that the ice spear came out of his mouth and shattered the bottle he was rising to his mouth.

    "!!!!"

    For a full second, every bandit by the campfire was silent...

    "...splinter..."

    *CRACK*

    Ludier shadow''s eerie whisper was carried by the water ¨C only to be followed by the dead bandit''s body to be turned into a pincushion for the icicles.

    "WHAT IN THE...?"

    *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab*

    As the initial shock turned into panic and all men jumped up at their feet, throwing the food and drinks to the side and reaching for their weapons, all of them without exception were impaled by the ice spear, leaving no one free.

    "...this doesn''t feel good... why are you all so weak...? How were you able to murder my family...? Splinter."

    The shadownded in front of the campfire and asked whoever was lucky ¨C or unlucky ¨C enough to survive the initial attack... but in the end, Ludier immediately turned all but two of the survivors into the grotesque, gory ice sculptures.

    "Just as I expected... the unique shadows of the few who had them dispersed into nothingness the moment they died... Still... maybe I can experiment on the bodies...?"

    With no worries of getting discovered anymore, Zoemi casually walked through the nightmarishndscape while looking between the mutted bodies.

    "Shadow theater, corpse puppet."

    First, he reached out his shadow towards the mana stones in theke, just as Ludier''s shadow was doing to make sure his mana wouldn''t drain immediately as it did thest time he used it and then chanted the incantation.

    "Huh...? HUH...?!"

    The moment that the ck-haired boy used the spell on the closest bandit''s corpse, he immediately gained ess to all of the deceased man''s memories and was able to make him move again as if he was a puppet on a string.

    It felt COMPLETELY different than how things happened with Ludier''s shadow who had a will of his own!

    "...is... this the actual corpse puppet spell...? But then, what in the world happened with you...?"

    Utterly confused Zoemi furrowed his brows, looking at himself looking over at Ludier''s shadow through the eyes of the partially frozen and very much skewered from every possible angle bandit.

    "...I don''t understand the question... I am myself..."

    Ludier''s shadow puppet shrugged its shoulders and responded in a rather indifferent voice.

    |Yeah... I have no ess to him at all...|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, thinking to himself in concern ¨C but then focused on the corpse puppet and made some promising discoveries.

    The corpse puppet skill used on themoner bandit must have been different from the supposedly identical one he used on the unique shadow of Ludier Gmroze because, unlike that one, it had cost basically no mana.

    The ck-haired boy even wanted to channel more of it into the bandit''s corpse but he soon discovered that there was a limit to how much it will take.

    When he tried cramming in even a tiny bit more ¨C the ice covering the corpse had broken off and all the wounds started healing up.

    "Well, well, well..."

    Zoemi breathed out in amazement, observing the changes in the bandit''s body, as once the wounds from the Ludier''s assault have healed uppletely and the mana didn''t stop flowing, the corpse had started getting younger and younger until his physical appearance became that of a man in his early thirties orte twenties at the earliest.

    "Outstanding...! Why does it feel so intuitive...? I wonder if...?"

    The ck-haired boy nced at the other deceased bandits and an idea appeared in his mind.

    Something had to be done with the bodies after all, or the next person visiting theke would be up for quite a scare...

    "Shadow web connect, corpse puppet."

    Zoemi couldn''t help himself from experimenting, and not only did he connect himself to all the remaining corpses, but he turned them into puppets the very next second ¨C and the amount of mana he used was barely equal to a single fireball...!

    "...p-please...! S-spare me...!"

    One of the two bandits left alive ¨C the one who didn''t lose his consciousness - groaned as the coldness of the spear was numbing his guts that it was piercing through.

    "Oh, yes, those ones ¨C turns out we don''t need them at all ¨C deal with them as you see fit."

    Zoemi nced at the man and then shrugged his shoulders, facing the murky shadow puppet, and tapped the side of his head to signify that he had all the memories of the remaining bandits, using only slightly more mana to heal them all up.

    There literally was no reason to leave the others alive...

    "...splinter..."

    *STAB*

    "GHHH...!"

    ...and Ludier wasn''t going to do that in the first ce either, killing both bandits immediately, without a moment of hesitation.

    "Corpse puppet."

    ...simrly, the ck-haired boy didn''t hesitate to turn them into puppets either...

    "I see..."

    Zoemi nodded to himself, furrowing his brows as the influx of new memories entered his mind.

    "Can we go... Kill the others then...?"

    The shadow puppet asked in an eerily eager voice.

    "No. Killing everyone without any exnation will only lead to unnecessary problems. Instead, we can use the three that left - plus the nobleman from earlier - while they are still alive to expose the real masterminds and then deal with them ordingly. The leader of those bandits is the one dealing with the clients most of the time, but those here did overhear many interesting things... Which includes the revtion that the fire magician although he seems to be someone important, isn''t the one pulling the strings."

    Zoemi shook his head and dismissed the request on the spot.

    "...then... What are we supposed to do now...?"

    Ludier''s shadow asked, clearly eager to go as far as he could with his unfinished revenge as soon as possible.

    "Now we have three weeks before the fire magicianes here and we will be able to make progress with your business... Hmm... Hold on a moment, I want to check something."

    The ck-haired boy spoke with hesitation, looking between one of the magicless corpse puppets and Ludier''s shadow.

    "Say... what if we try putting you in one of those?"

    "I refuse... They are the ones who killed my family, I''d rather be destroyed."

    Zoemi asked pointing between the two but ended up getting immediately shot down by the unique shadow who was getting better and better at speaking fluently.

    "Alright, noted. I was just asking... When there''s that much of them, it gets difficult to spread my attention through all of them. It would take a lot of practice to... Ah. Why don''t we try this then? Sentinel."

    Zoemi nodded, epting Ludier''s decision without any qualms, and started to tub his chin ¨C before he suddenly straightened his back,ing up with another idea and conjuring the sphere of murky darkness.

    "Hey, there, little one? How do you feel about possessing a body?"

    "~?"

    The ck-haired boy started patting the sphere and asked, feeling it tilt under his palm in confusion.

    "You are both my spells, so with a little bit of experimenting..."

    Zoemi squinted his eyes, reaching his shadow towards the sentinel and the first bandit that he had taken possession of, connecting them and...

    "..."

    After a few minutes of silence, the sentinel disappeared and the boy lost direct control over the corpse puppet at the same time ¨C leaving only the connection between him and the hidden sentinel.

    "...? ¡­! !!!"

    On the other hand, the corpse puppet made out of the bandit straightened his back and raised his hands curiously, only to be amazed by the fact that it can move them around and immediately started joyously testing the range of the body''s movement.

    "It... seems to be working well enough... Sentinel."

    While the first one was moving around all excitedly, Zoemi ended up conjuring the next sentinel and putting it into another corpse puppet, and then again and again.

    Before he was done with thest avable body, he waspletely free of the burden of splitting his attention between multiple bodies at once, and instead gained twelve silent, but very happy semi-autonomous followers.

    "What are we going to do now, kid?"

    Ludier''s shadow asked again, begrudgingly watching the corpses of the bandits he killed just a moment before prancing about all happily like innocentmbs.

    "I want to check up on Reo just in case, and then we''ll see. Little ones, can you use magic in that state? You do have unique shadows now and all..."

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows and decided, before turning to his new underlings making them stop whatever they were doing and turn to him attentively, and after a little bit of hesitation...

    "[Message spell?]"

    "[Message spell.]"

    "[...message spell.]"

    "[Message spell!]"

    "[Message spell.]"

    "[Message spell...]"

    "[Message spell.]"

    "[Message spell!]"

    "[Message spell.]"

    "[Message spell...?]"

    "[Message spell.]"

    "[...message spell...]"

    All twelve of them contacted Zoemi using themunication spell, before...

    "Stone spear."

    "Wind de?"

    "Water spear."

    "Darkness de."

    "Stone missile..."

    "...stone... de...?"

    "Wind bubble!"

    "Stone armor."

    "...wind missile..."

    "Muffle."

    "Muffle!"

    "Earth wall."

    As it turned out, the sentinels that possessed the corpse puppets had lost most of the abilities that Zoemi put into them originally but ended up getting different spells instead ¨C most likely ones corresponding to the natural predisposition of the bodies they inhabited, which was a rather interesting thing to discover.

    "How about mana absorption, does that still work like the message spell?"

    Zoemi asked and the group turned right around, facing the crystal-filledke.

    Not even a minute passed when a few of the mana crystals closest to the shore flickered, as the corpse puppets refilled their meager mana reservoirs and immidiately started sending Zoemi any and all excess that they gained.

    The influx of mana flowing to him through his puppets was certainly as unexpected as it was weed.

    "...this is amazing..."

    The ck-haired boy gasped, covering his mouth with one hand while imagining all the possibilities that opened up for him.

    "..."

    While he was at it, Zoemi''s eyes ended up inadvertently moving towards the shining mana crystals...

    There were so many of them just... waiting... to be used to erge his mana reservoir...

    "No. Not yet. I don''t want the fire magician to get suspicious."

    Zoemi shook his head, turning away from theke so that he wouldn''t fall for the temptation.

    "I''m going to check on Reo now, and then we will go straight to Horeo... while we are at it, we should think how to deal with Benevirau too..."

    He breathed out trying to regain hisposure and dered and everyone in his group nodded silently.

 Chapter 300 96 - Banemor territory - part 2 - Picking up Reo (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 300 96 - Banemor territory - part 2 - Picking up Reo (part 1)</h4>

    Zoemi teleported back to the capital of the Banemor territory, Learen.

    He was at the ready to just use the spell immediately in case he would notice Benevirau''s shadow, but surprisingly enough despite its massive size, the unique shadow of the thousand-years-old water magician was nowhere to be seen.

    Previously it was visible all the way from outside the city, and Zoemi had no trouble differentiating the unique shadow from the darkness of the night, so it could only mean that the young-looking butler had left.

    The question was, for how long?

    To preserve as much mana as possible just in case, the ck-haired boy didn''t choose to teleport straight into the mansion and instead simply walked.

    No one knew him so it wasn''t as if he would be captured or anything, and certainly, any thug would not pose too much of trouble either ¨C but Zoemi activated his shadow enchantment just in case anyway.

    Going on foot had allowed the ck-haired boy to get a better look at the city than he could have done while in the carriage.

    Especially since during the night, it seemed even busier than during the day, with the workers did with their work and going for the drink or whatnots.

    The atmosphere seemed joyous and peaceful with the only noises being theughs of the people in taverns and bars, although that could be said about any city at a first nce ¨C but still, nothing could suggest that the citizens had lived under a tyranny of any sorts.

    If anything, the living condition seemed to be even better in Learen than they were in the capital of the Bellcephora kingdom itself, which was a considerable feat as almost all the inventions of the royal magician Lazaram would be implemented there first, making it an extremely popr ce to live for the aristocrats that would not be able to inherit thend because of their older siblings.

    Yes ¨C the capital of the kingdom was filled mostly with nobility, and yet Learen seemed to be just as - if not even more ¨C prosperous, while most of its poption wasposed of magiclessmoners.

    Still, it wasn''t as if Zoemi hade there for sightseeing ¨C his aim was the Banemor mansion, or rather the green-haired boy who could have been taken prisoner there.

    Momentarily, there was nothing more important than making sure that Banemor haven''t done something to him...

    "Please, mister, leave me alone...!"

    "...now hold on here ¨C I didn''t see you here before, did I? Are you a new waitress at one of the taverns? Which one? I wouldn''t mind having another drink if a pretty girl like you would pour it for me... And maybe if you would work really well, I could give you a nice tip...?"

    ...nothing... nothing was more important...

    "Wh-what do you mean work really well?! Please, let go of my hand!"

    "Oh,e on sweetie. Don''t act like such a prude..."

    ...really, honestly ¨C even though Benevirau wasn''t anywhere near the city, nothing possibly could stop Zoemi from hurrying to the mansion to make sure that Reo ¨C who had the same chance of being in the mansion as not being there at all ¨C was alright.

    Seriously, it would be best to just contact Reo using the message spell, but the green-haired capture target was unable to use it at all ¨C which shockingly extended not only to actually casting it but even receiving it in any way shape, or form.

    ...which was really bothersome as any magician, and everyone who had even a little bit of mana in them, should be able to receive the message spell...

    "Oh,e one, why would you enter that alley if you weren''t working that kind of job on the side..."

    "No! It''s not like that! Let me go!"

    Despite his original n, the ck-haired boy couldn''t just walk past the conversation he overheard from the back alley of the mana crystal shop, especially the distraught voice of a girl who seemed to get more and more scared.

    |Oh for the f...!

    Therefore, he just gritted his teeth and dashed to the side, moving away from the main road, to the point where his shadow enchantment augmented hearing had led him.

    After a few long seconds, he reached the spot just in time to see a drunken man who must have chosen that spot to take a piss was grabbing onto a petite brown-haired girl that seemed to be around Zoemi''s age, wearing a maid uniform on the simple and more functional side...

    ...a maid whose small frame didn''t include the... ekhem... particrly impressive bust ¨C that was definitely the part of her that had caught the drunken man''s attention ¨C which was further proven to be a correct assumption by the man''s attempt to grope the struggling girl.

    |Why can''t a single ce be free of perverts?!|

    Zoemi clenched his fist, rushing at the fighting duo.

    *creak*

    "GHA...! UGHWAAAA...!"

    "You! No one had taught you that it''s rude to bother strangers? This miss said to let go of her."

    The ck-haired boy grabbed the man by the wrist of the hand that was locked on to the girl''s chest and twisted it back until it let out a dangerous sound, ready to break at any given moment, which of course caused a rather loud and pained reaction of the offender, who seemed to sober up extremely quick thanks to the stimtion.

    "I-I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to! I swear!"

    The man cried out immediately letting go of the girl and bowing his head without looking at the ck-haired boy''s face.

    "Tsk...! You are lucky that I don''t know you ¨C if ANYTHING like that will happen again, you can say goodbye to your arm."

    "!!!!"

    Zoemi didn''t want to cause too muchmotion, so he ended up releasing the man with just a warning, having him scuttle away in panic without looking back.

    "...it sucks that things like that happen ¨C have a nice rest of the night."

    The ck-haired boy made sure that the drunken man would not return to bother the girl again, and then turned back to her and nodded his head apologetically, before fully intending to continue his original n.

    "Z-Zoemi...?!"

    "?!"

    But that got slightly derailed again when the girl gasped in confusion, calling after him.

 Chapter 301 96 - Banemor territory - part 2 - Picking up Reo (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 301 96 - Banemor territory - part 2 - Picking up Reo (part 2)</h4>

    "..."

    Zoemi turned around and look at girl a bit more carefully.

    She had short brown hair and green eyes, which would be a dead giveaway of her being amoner even if Zoemi would somehow miss that she doesn''t have a unique shadow on her own.

    Her face looked a bit familiar, but the ck-haired boy couldn''t link it to any of his memories...

    ...maybe it was one of the children that were kept by Edung and Boren in the slums of the capital all those years ago...?

    No ¨C that one was definitely impossible ¨C Zoemi wasn''t a name that anyone knew him by back then simply because that name was given to him only after he got adopted by Mizoe.

    "Pardon me, miss, but... do we know each other...?"

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows and asked in confusion ¨C in the first ce, the back alley wasn''t lightened up by any of the streemps and the only light source were the stars and the moon ¨C which wasn''t a problem for Zoemi but certainly should be a problem for amoner - but the girl recognized him regardless...

    "Ah...! I... My name is Re... Ririe...! Ririe ¨C I am a maid in the Banemor''s mansion ¨C sir... lord Reo had told me about you...!"

    The girl seemed to get extremely embarrassed and was stumbling over her own words, cowering more and more while stealing nces at whatever she could make out of the ck-haired boy''s face in the darkness.

    "..."

    At first, Zoemi furrowed his brows and leaned back in confusion, fully expecting the girl to be trying to lure him into a trap...

    "Sir... Lord ¨C um, sir Benevirau rushed to the capital because you said that it is your destination, but sir Reo had stayed behind because he thought that you may actually return! He knew that you wouldn''t just leave him like that!"

    The servant girl clenched her fists, getting a bit confused over how she should address the young-looking butler, but then she became all bouncy as she spoke with excitement...

    ...all bouncy...

    "Wait ¨C so he is in the mansion after all? And not because Benevirau had imprisoned him?"

    Zoemi did his best not to look at anything other than Ririe''s face and asked cautiously.

    "Imprisoned?! No! Not at all! Sir Zoemi ¨C there has been a huge misunderstanding! Sir Benevirau isn''t a bad person! He made the carmelized apples so bitter because he got extremely nostalgic about the youngdy Learen, who could never grasp a proper timing...!"

    "...yeah, of course, that''s what he would say..."

    Ririe took a step towards Zoemi and looked up to him with a pleading expression, but the ck-haired boy looked away and sighed with a bitter face.

    "Sir Zoemi...! No, I swear, it''s not like that! After you left he made ice sculptures of you and your parents and showed me... lord Reo... I mean, he showed us how he recognized you! You really are simr to them! If you had seen how sir Benevirau behaved after you disappeared, you would not doubt him either!"

    The magicless girl pleaded and clung onto the boy''s arm as if to prevent him from vanishing again.

    "I..."

    |Dear heavens, she isn''t wearing any...!|

    Zoemi opened his mouth but then a sudden realization struck him down like a lightning, causing words to get stuck in his throat.

    "Ekhem... Miss Ririe. I understand that you put a lot of faith in Benevirau ¨C but he had a lot of time to master the art of acting ¨C are you really sure that what you witnessed wasn''t a masterful performance on his part?"

    "..."

    Still, it wasn''t as if he couldn''t control himself, so after clearing his throat he asked, looking seriously into the big innocent green eyes of the brown-haired magicless girl, causing her to make a pitiful expression.

    "Is it okay for you to take me to Reo? I want to return with him to the capital ¨C although that might not be the greatest idea with Benevirau going there too..."

    With the silence from the girl, Zoemi ended up tilting his head and asking.

    "...I... I will take you to lord Reo... but the sculptures are still in the dining room, would

    you

    at least take a look at them before you two leave...?"

    |...! She'' either well aware about what''s she''s doing or extremely clueless about her own body...!|

    Ririe ended up grabbing onto Zoemi''s hand so much that some other parts of her ended up pressing against the boy''s body, making him breathe out to keep calm.

    "That depends on Reo''s reaction ¨C I do not know you, miss Ririe, and I will not take your opinion over my friend''s."

    "Of course! Thank you, sir Zoemi!"

    Zoemi ended up shrugging his shoulders and dered while looking the girl in the eyes, expecting to see any sign of annoyance shing through, but instead, they lighted up with happiness, and the content girl ended up unintentionally rubbing herself against the ck-haired boy even more.

    The two of them walked back onto the main street and Zoemi was about to tell Ririe that it was okay not to stick to him that hard as no matter how hard she tries to hold him down, he would simply teleport with her ¨C but then he noticed that her being so close wasn''t exactly meant as an attempt to persuade him to go with her.

    "Eyy! Another one,ss!"

    "No way ¨C you get even half a ss more and you will piss yourself and your wife would nag me tomorrow!"

    "...!"

    Each time they heard the voices of the people enjoying themselves, Ririe would flinch and tighten her grip on Zoemi''s hand.

    Although she was trying to appear as if the drunken guy from before trying to force himself on her didn''t affect her all that much, it was obvious that she was still afraid to some degree, so the ck-haired boy just kept quiet as if he didn''t notice a thing.

    "What were you even doing in that alley alone? Did that guy drag you there? Should I have not let him go?"

    "...eh...? Ah...!"

    Zoemi asked ncing down at the worried girl, making her flinch and look up at him in confusion before her eyes widened and she turned away blushing.

    "N-no... I... I was running somest-minute chores and was using the alley as a shortcut... I was the one who walked on at him actually... And it seems that he misunderstood my intention..."

    The brown-haired girl moved her left hand and patted the apron of her maid dress, pointing at the exposed pocket, before hurriedly grabbing onto the ck-haired boy''s hand.

    "..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows looking at it and immediately sent out a hair-like shadow towards the alley.

    ...the girl wore the apron inside out, and the alley was a dead end with only one way to ess it ¨C that being from the main street...

    The girl was lying.

    "..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows ¨C inside apron''s exposed pockets, the girl seemed to store mana crystals, multiple green mana crystals.

    If she was getting paid well enough to afford that many of them, Benevirau was certainly not holding back with the money...

    The ck-haired boy didn''t say anything but also ended up deciding that he certainly wasn''t going to deactivate his enchantments around her, that''s for sure.

 Chapter 302 97 - Banemor territory - part 2 - Picking up Reo (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 302 97 - Banemor territory - part 2 - Picking up Reo (part 3)</h4>

    After a few minutes of walking Zoemi and Ririe reached the dark mansion ¨C by that time the magicless girl ended up feeling ratherfortable around the ck-haired boy, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked.

    "Benevirau is gone, but what about the other servants and Reo?"

    Zoemi nced at the girl and motioned at the silent mansion with his chin.

    "Are you telling me that everyone else is asleep already?"

    He added, raising his brows.

    "No, no. It''s not like that ¨C sir Benevirau is the only person actually living here, there is no staff aside from him at all."

    The girl twitched and blushed, straightening her back as if she only just now realized how familiar she acted around the ck-haired boy, before answering.

    "What about you then...?"

    Zoemi''s brow raised even higher as he pointed out the w in her exnation.

    "I...! I am only a maid in training... I do not count as an actual staff yet!"

    The magicless girl hurriedly exined, looking away to dodge making eye contact with the boy, and finally, let go of his arm.

    "Let''s... let''s go inside already... You should go take a look at the sculptures I was talking about, they are in the dining room. I will go bring lord Reo!"

    She dered hurriedly with a flushed face and ran inside the mansion, busting through the unlocked front door.

    "...an ambush...? Who is she supposed to be ¨C she''s not a mage herself... could it be that she is someone hired by Aerea and Vianee to mess with Reo or something...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, thinking to himself out loud, not really bothered whether the girl could hear him or not.

    [Maybe, still, I doubt there is any actual harm they could do to you as you are now, and you got the cute girl to be all over you ¨C I was very happy when my wife was like that ¨C and you didn''t seem to mind that either. Now, let''s see the ice sculptures!]

    "..."

    Without any warning a voice of Ludier''s Gmroze shadow spoke inside Zoemi''s head, sounding as if he was smirking at him, making the ck-haired boy flinch in surprise.

    He still managed to keep his mouth shut, but the shock was real ¨C he never expected Ludier''s shadow to be straight up able to talk to him like that.

    |Did you miss the part in which I literally met her less than fifteen minutes ago or something? If that would have been Miriette then you would have a point. And true, let''s check whether there are any ice sculptures or not.|

    Zoemi shook his head and responded in his mind while following in Ririe''s step and talking to the mansion keeping his guard up.

    [Ah, pardon me, I wasn''t aware that you already have a wife, kid, good job. Are you expecting the ice sculptures to be a trap?]

    |...|

    Ludier''s shadowmunicated back with a rather bold assumption that Zoemi didn''t find necessary to correct orment on ¨C unlike thetter part.

    |How are you not seeing it as suspicious? I bet those are just some random vaguely shaped ice pirs that would explode when I get close because Reo''s siblings want to knock me out and mess up the room in hopes of getting Benevirau furious at me when hees back and me at the scene. Aerea is a water magician and can easily just make some ice and set it to explode.|

    The ck-haired boy rolled his eyes and exined while walking towards the dining room despite the possible danger he just pointed out himself.

    [...you are overthinking that by far, kid ¨C first of all, those siblings you talk about would have to be absolutely certain that you would return here in the first ce, or else they would be putting an offensive spell right in the house of an extremely dangerous individual... Just let''s have a look and then figure things out.]

    |Sure, but I bet this will be a trap.|

    Ludier''s shadow sighed and pointed out, making Zoemi shrug without changing his mind.

    ----

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy entered the dining room and immediately realized that his suspicion about the ice sculptures being fake or a trap set up by Reo''s siblings got immediately pushed out of his mind.

    The three ice sculptures had their own shadows and were so full of mana that they could never be created by Aerea even though she had slightly more mana than the average water magician.

    "..."

    Zoemi slowly approached the sculptures holding his breath.

    The middle one was undoubtedly made in his image and although everything aside from the face wasn''t detailed all that much, by looking at it Zoemi couldn''t help but feel as if he was looking at his own image through some fancy camera filter.

    Still, he didn''t just stop in ce to admire his own visage made out of ice ¨C there were two other sculptures that demanded his attention after all.

    There was the sculpture of a man ¨C that just had to be Neramis - slightly taller than Zoemi was now, bearing an overbearing simrity to the ck-haired boy ¨C especially that the sculpture had captured him with a devilish smirk that had be Zoemi''s natural expression after his face got healed.

    [You are bearing a striking resemnce to him.]

    |...a skilled sculptor wouldn''t have all that much trouble creating something like that after checking my face...|

    Ludier''s shadow went as far as to peek out from Zoemi''s shadow and point out, but the ck-haired boy shook his head in denial, although even he didn''t sound all that convinced anymore.

    [What about thest one...?]

    Ludier''s shadow asked, leaning out even more to have a closer look at the third sculpture.

    "..."

    That one was the one that Zoemi couldn''t just ignore with a dismissivement or excuse.

    He could recognize it, although the face of the woman was slightly different than the one in his refreshed memories.

    "...Z-Zoemi...?"

    "!!!!"

    The ck-haired boy reached his hand towards the third sculpture and then literally jumped in shock when someone called out to him.

    "Wha...?! Ah...! R-Reo...! Good to see you are fine."

    Zoemi gasped and breathed out in relief seeing the green-haired capture target entering the room with the familiar box-shaped unique shadow still clipping through him.

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to surprise you..."

    Reo ¨C who got startled by Zoemi''s sudden jolt ¨C bowed his head apologetically and didn''t actually walk inside holding onto the door handle with a worried expression.

    "It''s alright, my mind was in another ce, that''s all. As I said, it''s good to see you are unharmed. How did Benevirau treat you after I left? Also, is Ririe there with you?"

    Zoemi waved his hand dismissively and smiled reassuringly while trying to peek over Reo''s shoulder to see whether the magicless girl was sneaking around there.

    The ck-haired boy was especially worried about Reo as he most likely wasn''t aware of how suspicious the maid-in-training was.

    "Ririe? Um.. she... she told me toe here and then hurried back to her house ¨C there were some chores that shepletely forgot about and had to leave without saying goodbye! But, she asked me to thank you again for saving her from that drunkard!"

    Reo''s eyes widened as he nked for a second before he began hurriedly exining while blushing.

    |Look at how red he is when I mentioned that girl... do you think that he might have fallen for her or something...?|

    Zoemi squinted his eyes and thought with concern, waiting for Ludier''s shadow response.

    [You seem awfully sure that is the case ¨C was that girl that appealing in your opinion?]

    |Sh-shut up, that wasn''t what I was talking about! Reo is just a bit naive and I''m worried about him!|

    The shadow asked in confusion, making the ck-haired boy flustered.

 Chapter 303 97 - Banemor territory - part 2 - Picking up Reo (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 303 97 - Banemor territory - part 2 - Picking up Reo (part 4)</h4>

    "So she left... I see."

    Zoemi breathed out and nodded, doing his best to not how any of his inner turmoil on the outside.

    "Just in case, try to prepare yourself, as if anything dangerous happens, I will grab you and immediately teleport away."

    "Eh... I-I mean, huh?"

    The ck-haired boy made a serious expression and dered, beckoning the surprised green-haired boy to approach him.

    "But... there really won''t be anything dangerous...! Sir Benevirau really believes that you are the heir to the Banemor family!"

    "I''m sure he does."

    Reo indeed walked towards him and ¨C intentionally or not ¨C grabbed onto Zoemi''s arm, making a worried expression, but that resulted only in a long sigh from the ck-haired boy.

    "The sculptures ¨C aren''t they simr though? Sir Benevirau insisted that there can be no mistake about your lineage...!"

    "...?"

    The green-haired boy seemed so certain that Zoemi began to suspect that he had indeed fallen for the magicless girl''s charms and was saying all of those things because she asked him to.

    [You are overthinking it. Kid, you can ask him about it too, you know?]

    |...that might put him in danger, he already has enough problems on his own...|

    Ludier''s shadow called out to Zoemi, but the boy dismissed him with a sulky remark, that surprisingly made the shadow puppet go quiet - although Ludier going silent might have more to do with the ck-haired boy looking over at the statue of Learen and gritting his teeth in silence than with anything else.

    "Sir Zoe... Zoemi?"

    Reo asked, but then shook his head and hurriedly changed the way he addressed the ck-haired boy.

    "..."

    "...?"

    Zoemi lowered his head for a moment, and when he raised it and looked at Reo, the green-haired boy tilted his head in surprise.

    Zoemi wasn''t angry or embarrassed or annoyed.

    He seemed incredibly sad.

    "The third sculpture. I... I am able to recognize who that person is supposed to be."

    Zoemi spoke, pointing at the visage of youngdy Learen.

    "Is it your mo...? wait... Why are saying it like that?"

    Reo leaned in to ask but he suddenly stopped, furrowing his brows recognizing a certain suggestion in Zoemi''s voice.

    "There is a lot of resemnce between this person and my mother... I can certainly recognize some of the facial features, but... in my memories, my mother didn''t look anywhere near as healthy and happy as this person."

    "...oh..."

    The ck-haired boy breathed out and exined, causing the green-haired Reo to lower his head and fidget from worry.

    |Say, sir Ludier ¨C how good you are with sculpting, or altering the sculptures?|

    Zoemi closed his mouth and sent his thoughts to the shadow puppet of the ice magician.

    [I was always more interested in developing my territory than spending my time appreciating fine arts, but if we are talking about ice, I can pretty much create anything that I imagine. What am I supposed to do with the sculpture?]

    Ludier''s shadow answered with a bit of hesitation but ended up agreeing to Zoemi''s request even though the ck-haired boy didn''t directly ask him to do anything.

    |Thank you. Please, if you can, try to make it more like this.|

    "...?"

    Zoemi focused on his mother''s face and smiled softly, nodding his head gratefully, even though he was only thinking the words, making Reo slightly worried about what was going on.

    The next moment, Ludier''s shadow separated from Zoemi''s shadow and reached his arms towards the third ice sculpture, enveloping it with the murky darkness.

    After only a few seconds of the shocked silence ¨C which was the result of Reo sticking close to Zoemi, basically hiding behind him, and observing the other shadow with a slightly unnerved expression ¨C the shadowy figure returned to when he came, sinking back into Zoemi''s shadow, leaving the altered sculpture.

    "...!"

    "..."

    The ice was still made in the image of the same woman, but now instead of standing tall with a confident smile, she was hunched down, with her cheeks sunken down from months of going hungry ¨C not because of theck of food, but because of the inability to properly eat.

    The more Zoemi focused, the more unpleasant memories surfaced.

    His mother always tried to make the brave smile, even though she was constantly in pain.

    Back then the ck-haired boy didn''t understand what exactly was happening to her, connecting all of the symptoms to some dangerous sickness only present in that world...

    ...but with the knowledge he had now, he was fully aware of what must have been the real cause.

    The Ghosts of Bellcephora tried to forcibly turn his mother into theirrade and to do so, they overloaded her with the darkness attribute mana to convert into her own.

    The only problem was that the darkness mana was innately corrosive, and without the foundation of an already vast mana reservoir, it was impossible to work through it all fast enough.

    But the mana remained regardless and started corroding and melting all of Zoemi''s mother''s internal organs, giving her excruciatingly slow and agonizing death.

    The ice sculpture as it was now showed the woman doing her best to smile through the pain, forcing herself to show a brave front to her child so that he wouldn''t worry about her.

    "Say, Reo... the original sculpture... has it really been the youngdy Learen...? Are there any portraits of her or things like that?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi asked while feeling his throat getting tighter the more he looked into his mother''s face, feeling Reo clenching his fists while holding onto his back.

    "It was ¨C I have seen the reproductions of the paintings of her while researching Banemor territory... I also discovered that the originals are hung on the walls upstairs ¨C I can lead you to see them if you..."

    The green-haired boy gulped down his saliva and said hesitantly before tugging on Zoemi''s clothes and pointing towards the door.

    "No. It''s okay, I trust your opinion."

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy shook his head lightly and rejected the proposition with a sad-looking smile, making the green-haired boy behind him hold back his breath and blush.

    "...I will give Benevirau a chance... I only hope that I will not regret it..."

    Zoemi ended up sighing and nodding more to himself than to Reo.

    "Ririe said that he had left to the capital to look for me ¨C how did he do that? Using enchantments and running? Actually going in a carriage...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, turning around to face the green-haired capture target.

    "Oh... I... actually am not sure ¨C he just dashed outside and then there was this loud loud thunder, and when I went to see what happened, he was nowhere to be seen."

    "Thunder...?"

    Reo exined, fidgetting from the attention he was receiving, while Zoemi was furrowing his brows trying to piece together what was that supposed to mean.

    Benevirau was supposed to be a water magician- or sage ¨C Reo said so, and the spells used by the dark-blue-haired butler seemed to confirm it too...

    |Huh... I wanted to catch up to him, but with no hint as to how fast he is going, that might be impossible to do...|

    Zoemi thought to himself ¨C or rather sent his thoughts to the shadow puppet lurking within his own shadow.

    [Then just wait ¨C the sculptures weren''t just one and done thing ¨C they are active spells, and I just messed with it. Benevirau would definitely notice that ¨C If he really is so devoted, then there is a chance that he would get pissed about someone messing with the sculpture of one of his masters ande check it out having not found a trace of you.]

    "!!!"

    Ludier''s shadow pointed out, making Zoemi straighten his back in realization.

    "Zoemi...? What are you going to do now....?"

    Reo rubbed his arm nervously, looking at Zoemi with a worried expression.

    "Now? We wait until Benevirau returns."

    Zoemi breathed out and dered, walking towards the chairs and taking a seat.

    |Now then, since my ns seem to change constantly, I better exchange some important information with a certain gold-haired best friend of mine...|

    He then put his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his linked hands, closing his eyes and thinking.

    "|Hello? My prince ¨C it''s me Zoemi.|"

    "{Wha...?! Ah! Zoemi! Took you long enough to message me! How are you?}"

    The boy called out in his mind and got an almost immediate response from the first prince, Horeo.

    "|Things are getting... interesting ¨C especially since...|"

    Zoemi took a deep breath and reported everything he saw ad heard happen by the crystalke...

 Chapter 304 98 - Banemor territory - part 2 - The second impression (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 304 98 - Banemor territory - part 2 - The second impression (part 1)</h4>

    Zoemi spent most of the night creating a n together with Horeo, many things needed to be done and the ck-haired boy offered his help but was refused by the gold-haired prince.

    "{I need to check out who that fire magician was because, from your description, it wasn''t anyone I am aware of... which is odd since I thought I know every family member from my mother''s side... But that will require messing with a lot of people. Just stay in the Banemor territory for a while longer, sorry, I swear that I will visit you with Miriette as soon as the situation allows for it.}"

    "|Allright, I understand ¨C and that would be nice. How is she?|"

    Horeo''s thoughts were transferred straight into Zoemi''s mind and vice versa.

    "{She became more approachable, believe it or not. She interacts with other students a lot more and she constantly hangs out with themoner girl. It got to the point that Miriette''s fan club had officially epted Burushi as her acquainted.}"

    The gold-haired boy smirked and his amusement was transferred thanks to the modified message spell used by Zoemi.

    "|Sounds so nice... Say... do you think that I was always an obstacle preventing her from being more open to other people...?|"

    The ck-haired boy asked with hesitation, slightly worried to hear the actual answer.

    "{As if.}"

    Horeo scoffed in disbelief and must have shook his head too, but it wasn''t something that Zoemi could actually see.

    "{Since the change was rather jarring, I asked her about it, and she said that she''s acting in such a way so that you wouldn''t have to be worried about her. I am not sure why you both decided to not contact each other like we are doing right now, but she asked me to tell you that she is missing you but she will manage on her own for a bit ¨C at least just enough so the situation would settle down for you, and there will be no more danger.}"

    The first prince exined, ending up ying fair and actually conveying Miriette''s words instead of keeping it all to himself to mess with her.

    Zoemi realized that the dark-haired girl must have still been a little angry at him for trying to use the message spell with her at an unfortunate time, but he certainly was relieved to know that she was doing alright.

    "|I wish I was thatposed ¨C truth be told, I almost teleported back to the capital because of something that was most likely a misunderstanding, or rather an overreaction, on my part and only failed to do that because of mana depletion knocking me out.|"

    The ck-haired boy breathed out and revealed feeling slightly ashamed.

    "{I bet it was about something that had to do with fighting ¨C even during training you are so ridiculously cautious it''s hard to spot an opening, so I am not even surprised that you did that... Still, it''s incredible that you only have the overreaction mode and the ultra-dense mode and nothing in-between. You are a fascinating person, my friend.}"

    Horeo only scoffed and dismissed that information without pressuring Zoemi for details ¨C they knew each other so well that the gold-haired prince knew that if the ck-haired attendant actually wanted to share more because he thought it was important, he would have done so on his own.

    "|Oh, and that reminds me ¨C my prince, did a dark-blue-haired guy with misty-gray eyes showed up around the capital?|"

    Zoemi smiled to himself and asked with a bit of hesitation.

    "{I... did not hear about anyone like that ¨C but also I am at the Aspakeony academy currently, so you know, I can''t be too obvious with gathering intel... for now... So, who''s that guy anyway? Was he the reason you almost changed our perfectly functional and working n to move you out of sight of the pests trying to mess with me?}"

    Horeo denied Zoemi''s question and then responded with one of his own.

    "|Maybe. Although, as I said before, everything could have been just a misunderstanding on my part and nothing else. I''ll let you know whether it was like that or not as soon as I figure that out for myself... Oh, and if I am mistaken, then that original n might get altered a bit...|"

    *thump*

    The ck-haired boy smirked to himself at the thought of actually being the heir to the Banemor territory and the possible pros and cons of that oue, when suddenly something bumped into his shoulder, making him nce to the side.

    "...oh...?"

    As it turned out, Reo, who refused to return to the room that Benevirau had let him stay in, ended up falling asleep and ended up leaning against Zoemi''s shoulder, causing the ck-haired boy to smile looking at the peaceful face of the green-haired capture target.

    Still, since even Reo was already out like a light, the ck-haired attendant ended up checking the time on the clock at the opposite wall, realizing that it was already more fitting to say that it was early in the morning than it was to try and say it''ste into the night...

    "|Oh dear, excuse me, my prince ¨C I have been keeping you up for too long already ¨C I will contact you again with more information regarding the subject.|"

    Zoemi''s eyes widened and he apologized to the first prince, who unlike him had to worry about attending lectures in the morning ¨C and there wasn''t all that much time before the sunrays anyway...

    "{Oh, don''t sweat it ¨C I needed a distraction anyway, helps me keep myposure.}"

    Horeo responded dismissively, sounding slightly embarrassed which had honestly surprised the ck-haired boy.

    "|Goodnight, my prince.|"

    "{And same to you too.}"

    Still ¨C he wasn''t surprised enough to bother asking for rification and ended up cutting off the connection of the spell.

    -----------

    "You are all really putting me to a test, aren''t you...?"

    The gold-haired first prince asked while half-sitting on his bed, and looked down, where Veo was sleeping soundlessly with her head on hisp ¨C while facing him ¨C and Patishi was cuddling up to his side.

    Somehow sleeping together had be just as much of a habit as eating together for the first prince and his two attendants...

    The part that was bothering Horeo the most in all of that, was that he didn''t actually mind that, despite knowing the risk of a possible rumor starting if anyone notices it.

    "...seriously... what am I supposed to do with the two of you...?"

    He asked, carefully moving his hands to not wake up either of the girls and gently patting their heads.

    ---------

    "Reo... if you don''t wake up on your own, I will have to princess carry you to your bed..."

    "...mhmhm..."

    Zoemi lowered his head towards the green-haired boy''s ears and whispered, but that only resulted in Reo giggling softly in his sleep, tickled by the breath of the ck-haired boy.

    "Well ¨C if you want it that way so if... oh...?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulder and moved, fully intending to pick up Reo just the way he warned him about when the green glow showing from his inner pocket got his attention.

    "...?"

    Although he knew that it was quite rude, Zoemi ended up slightly moving his vest and checking for the source of light, slightly concerned that the green-haired oy might be using spells in his sleep.

    But as it turned out, that wasn''t the case ¨C interestingly enough, inside the inner pocket, Reo had stashed a little rune-covered box and a few green mana crystals.

    "...and what are those supposed to be...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, intrigued.

    The mana crystals seemed to be at least simr to the ones that Ririe had on her before...

    |Wait... could it be that the chore she was talking about was running an errand for him...?!|

    Zoemi leaned back, raising his brows in surprise.

    [Oh? Sound''s like someone had realized that he really was overreacting this whole time. Aren''t you relieved, the cute girl wasn''t actually anyone dangerous ¨C good for you!]

    |Shut up! You know it''s not like that!|

    Ludier''s shadow decided it was the perfect moment to call out to Zoemi and snicker at him, causing the ck-haired boy''s blush heavily from the embarrassment, as thement had got him out of the blue.

    "...ekhem... I wonder what''s that artifact doing though... Wait... This is the actual source of box-shaped unique shadow... Where is Reo''s unique shadow then...?"

    Zoemi ended up tilting his head in confusion at the sudden realization, furrowing his brows and ncing at the peacefully sleeping boy.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy ended focusing, and reached his shadow towards the small artifact intending to check its properties without messing with it in any way, but then...

    *BHHHRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOGHHHHH*

    "!!!!"

    "...!"

    A rumbling of oundishly loud thunder made Reo woke up and jump in shock, which also ended up startling Zoemi who instinctively retracted the shadow.

    "Eh? Ah? Eh? Z-Zoemi...? What... when did I...? What was that noise?!"

    The green-haired boy panicked and started looking aroundpletely disoriented, before managing to focus on the ck-haired boy and asking.

    "I..."

    *WHAM*

    "I SWEAR IF YOU DARED TO MESS WITH THE SCULPTURE OF THE YOUNG LADY LEA...! Ah...!"

    Zoemi opened his mouth to express his cluelessness, the dark-blue-haired young-looking butler busted in the dining room growling furiously ¨C but ended up freezing in ce with a shocked expression, facing the taken aback boys.

 Chapter 305 98 - Banemor territory - part 2 - The second impression (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 305 98 - Banemor territory - part 2 - The second impression (part 2)</h4>

    "..."

    Zoemi tensed up, using up almost all of his self-control to not attack the young-looking butler on the spot.

    The ck-haired boy really had to continue telling himself that the dark-blue-haired man had no ill intentions while feeding him the bitter dessert that triggered the painful memories of his mother to resurface from the depths of his memory.

    "Young... young master...! You came back...?"

    Benevirau''s chin trembled as he stepped forward and his misty-gray eyes filled with tears.

    "I did. What about it ¨C are you now going to tell me I am not the heir to the Banemor family?"

    Zoemi frowned and scoffed at the young-looking butler.

    He was certainly still extremely bitter ¨C even more than the caramelized apples were...

    "N-no! I am extremely sorry, young master...! Please pardon this foolish servant! I only thought about myself ¨C I never considered that even though both of us might have the memories of youngdy Learen preparing the food, yours might bepletely different from mine..."

    The dark-blue-haired butler ended up kneeling down and began apologizing with a truly heartbroken expression.

    "..."

    Still, only that didn''t seem topletely convince Zoemi that the misty-gray-eyed butler was nearly as good and emotional a person as he was showing at the moment.

    "Sir Benevirau, please, get up...!"

    "...?"

    While Zoemi was still full of doubt, the green-haired Reo seemed to bepletely on Benevirau''s side, going as far as leaving Zoemi and approaching the young-looking butler pulling his arm and making him get up from his knees.

    "Zoemi, you are not angry at him, right?"

    The green-haired capture target asked, looking hopefully at the ck-haired boy.

    |Ah...! Right! I am getting angry at him over nothing ¨C Reo is actually going with the original n while I am too preupied with my own feelings! Again with the overthinking...|

    Although at first Zoemi had frowned, ring at Reo while feeling betrayed ¨C he soon realized or thought that he realized, what was really going on.

    [Umm... no. I think this is the other mode of yours that the prince mentioned... The ultra-dense one.]

    |Huh...?! What? Why...? Wait...! You were listening?!|

    Ludier''s shadow called out in Zoemi''s mind, surprising him with apletely different opinion than he expected ¨C again.

    [¡­]

    If the ck-haired boy expected an exnation or excuse from Luier''s shadow, then those expectations werepletely betrayed.

    "I am, actually, still mad ¨C but I am willing to give him a chance."

    Regardless, Zoemi tried to get back into his role but it was incredibly hard now to get back into the proper state of mind...

    It honestly would have been better if someone had walked in on them or attacked the mansion or something, but s, the ck-haired boy had no such luck this time around.

    "Young mas...!"

    "First of all, do you know what changed in the sculpture you made? Because I was the one to change it, just so you know."

    The dark-blue-haired man gasped and was about to go down on his knees and kowtow to the annoyed Zoemi, but the ck-haired boy scoffed while shaking his head and asked in an annoyed voice.

    "I... do not..."

    Benevirau stopped in ce in an awkward position with Reo attempting to make him stay upright.

    "Just as our memories about those caramelized apples didn''t match, the same could be said about the looks of my mother. Go on, check for yourself. This is how I remember her, and that the looks of her that you reminded me of with your cooking, fishing for nostalgia."

    To further prove how angry Zoemi was, he actually was unable to stay calm andposed as the attendants training he went through had taught him to be at all times ¨C which was the second or at most the third time in his life that happened.

    "..."

    At his words, Benevirau face became slightly paler and he loudly gulped down his saliva before he turned toward the three ice sculptures he made himself.

    Seeing his reaction, Reo let go of his arm and stepped back looking between the ck-haired attendant and the dark-blue-haired butler with an anxious expression.

    The young-looking water sage approached the sculpture that was altered by Ludier''s power and raised his hand to touch its face.

    "...!"

    It didn''t take long to make him bite his lips.

    Benevirau''s fingers were tracing the adjusted facial features and the more time he spent on that, the more pale and the more miserable he became.

    "...that... that is the youngdy... what happened to her...?"

    Unable to continue experiencing the stark difference between the image he undoubtedly had in his mind with the version seen by Zoemi, Benevirau lowered his hands and took a step back, while asking in a weak voice.

    "I don''t know when she ended up in the slums of the capital, but that was apparently the ce where my mother has given birth to me. Believe it or not, but the way the sculpture looks now is showing her how she was on a good day, where the pain would allow her to move out of the bed."

    "...!"

    Zoemi spoke indifferently, not really all that interested in answering the question in a straight way and his words certainly had an effect on Benevirau and Reo who both reacted simrly by showing shocked and scared expressions.

    "The slums in the capital...? Bellcephora''s kingdom capital...? BUT THE KING HAD SWORE TO ME THAT THE SEARCH PARTIES HAVE FOUND NO TRACE OF HER THERE!"

    "S-sir Benevirau...?!"

    After a moment, when the realization had sunk in, the dark-blue-haired butler raised his trembling hands to his face and gasped before clenching his fists, unable to stop himself from roaring in fury ¨C his body shone with such ridiculously intense blue light that the whole room started looking as if it was made out of stained ss ¨C not to mention that the air itself started trembling in an air quake...

    ...an air quake caused by just the activation of enchantments...!

    it was mindboggling to even think about the strength that the dark-blue-haired butler had at his hands at that moment.

    "How many times did they search? Maybe my mother had simply arrived there after they already gave up, or maybe she was using the darkness attribute spells to hide in the shadow?"

    Zoemi, who still suspected the young-looking butler to be acing, shrugged his shoulders and pointed out.

    "...what...?"

    He seeded in making Benevirau calm down, but it looked like he did that bypletely shocking him and not because he exposed his lies.

    "...darkness attribute...? So... youngdy really did turn from the shadow magician into the darkness magician...?"

    The dark-blue-haired butler asked in a trembling voice, clenching his fist so hard that even with the enchantments still active, he managed to hurt himself as his fingernails pierced the skin on his palms and drew blood.

    "That''s a question you should be asking the Ghosts of Bellcephora, not me. I only remember how my mother died, crumbling into pieces after the darkness attribute mana had corroded her from the inside."

    "It was... the Ghosts'' fault...?"

    Zoemi scoffed and shrugged his shoulders while biting his lips and looking away in anger as Benevirau stood there in disbelief, lowering his head.

    "..."

    Zoemi gritted his teeth, half-expecting the dark-blue-haired butler to reject the notion of the Ghosts being the culprits...

    "...did... did they do that to the youngdy because of me...?"

    "H-huh...?"

    ...but Benevirau''s reaction ended up being so different from that, that the ck-haired boy ended up gasping in utter shock.

 Chapter 306 99 - Banemor territory - part 2 - The second impression (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 306 99 - Banemor territory - part 2 - The second impression (part 3)</h4>

    Benevirau was looking so miserable as if his world had crumbled down right in front of him.

    This was also the first time that Zoemi couldn''t just say that it could have been acting ¨C there was just something about the utterly heartbroken dark-blue-haired young-looking butler that made his sorrow seem genuine.

    ...even for the skeptical ck-haired boy...

    "Young master, you seem to know both about the Ghosts and Aspakeony, so that will make things a lot easier to exin. Would you... give me a chance to exin myself before you will condemn me...?"

    Benevirau asked as his shoulders trembled ¨C well, not just shoulders ¨C the dark-blue-haired butler was trembling as if whatever was keeping him together for a thousand years had finally started to give out.

    "...don''t jump into the condemnation part ¨C I have already exhausted my quota of acting rashly for the day, so I want to at least hear you out properly. What did you mean when you asked if the Ghosts of Bellcephora had done something to my mother because of you? Are you enemies?"

    Zoemi sighed heavily and shook his head.

    In a show of good will, he ended up sitting by the dining table and moving a chair for Benevirau to the seat next to him.

    "Come, sit."

    "Thank you, young master."

    The ck-haired boy beckoned the young-looking butler, who nodded gratefully and approached him.

    "..."

    Benevirau hesitated for a moment, before slowly sitting down, adjusting his position ordingly in order to take a seat.

    "The Ghosts of Bellcephora became known as an elite group of darkness mages created by the royal family over three hundred and twenty years ago ¨C give or take a decade or two."

    The dark-blue-haired butler began exining turning in Zoemi''s general direction.

    "From the start, their leader, a bastard son of king Kasorius Reterne Bellcephora, Carcassuss..."

    "Carcassuss is a royal bastard?!"

    Benevirau had only just begun, but he already revealed such a jaw-dropping revtion that Zoemi couldn''t stay silent.

    "Yes. The thing is, the original idea behind the Ghosts of Bellcephora was to give Kasorius''s son the highest position avable for a child born out of wedlock ¨C especially one from an affair with amoner servant."

    Benevirau nodded his head, sounding so casual as if that wasmon knowledge avable for everyone ¨C which certainly wasn''t the case!

    "The first thing king Kasorius did after that, was to introduce Carcassuss to me and Aspakeony. Back then themander of the Ghosts was already extremely ambitious to a dangerous degree but was also filled with ambition and the need to prove him worth to his father and all the other aristocrats that he is worthy of preferential treatment. Yes... I remember when he arrived at the Banemor mansion to introduce himself and his four subordinates."

    The dark-blue-haired butler smiled bitterly to himself, clearly regretting not killing the group back then.

    "Four? So originally they were only five of them?"

    Zoemi asked.

    After all, everyone who knew the story about the betrayal of the Ghosts of Bellcephora knew that there should be twenty-one members.

    "I am talking about the very conception of a group that they became. Like I said, originally, they weren''t even supposed to be actualbatants."

    Benevirau raised his hand and waved it while clearing up the misunderstanding.

    "Carcassuss, Kirissu, Raseriat, Evorietto, and the small Elsby ¨C they were all transcended darkness magicians and bastard children of various influential individuals from across the kingdom. As I said, originally the Ghosts weren''t supposed to bebatants ¨C especially since Elsby was at most five years old at the time. The king encouraged them to act more like a family than an organization and that was indeed what they did. I still have no idea what was that supposed to help with, but at the time I was more interested in ensuring the crops were irrigated properly than anything else... I am also ashamed to admit that I very well might have to do a lot with turning them from just a bunch of bastard children ying house into the group of elite assassins..."

    "...?"

    "...?"

    Benevirau sighed and shook his head with a shameful expression, causing Reo and Zoemi to exchange confused nces.

    "When they were introduced to them... I wasn''t the nicest. The kingdom was facing certain financial problems connected with rampant corruption, but the king was still eager to spend precious foundings on a bunch of brats. And I told them that straight. That initial meeting was very short ¨C Carcassuss took his underlings and left right after, without even trying to respond to my words. The next time I heard about them, was a few yearster when the news about them sneaking into the headquarters of the enemy kingdom that started a war with Bellcephora and killing all the generals and even their king, throwing the enemy side inplete chaos. Once again, I am ashamed to say that instead of focusing on it, I merely shrugged it off and admitted that now they at least started earning their keep."

    The young-looking butler sighed with a bitter expression.

    "I was always at the Banemor territory, far more preupied with assuring its prosperity than worrying about the entire kingdom as a whole ¨C Aspakeony was always the one trying to keep an eye on them while watching over the royal family ¨C although there were some extremely disturbing rumors going around about them, so, unfortunately, the next time I saw them was already after the tragedy. Apparently, Carcassuss had managed to create a spell that allowed him and all his underlings ¨C whose number grew to twenty that everyone knows about today ¨C to obtain the entire mana reservoir of the person that they have killed. The betrayal wasn''t prompted by hatred or some inferiorityplex as some schrs suggested years down the line ¨C it was all because of the thirst for power that turned into an obsession. The Ghosts wanted to show off so much that they stopped caring about anything else. That was also the time they came to kill me and take my mana ¨C encouraged by the sess they had with picking off Aspakeony''s corpse puppets one by one."

    Benevirau gulped down his saliva, slowing down as he was getting to the point he originally wanted to talk about.

 Chapter 307 99 - Banemor territory - part 2 - The second impression (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 307 99 - Banemor territory - part 2 - The second impression (part 4)</h4>

    "I''m not sure whether you noticed or not, but Aspakeony''s power is spread evenly through hundreds and thousands of puppets, making her an extremely dangerous opponent when there is enough space forrge scalebat but that strategy also failspletely when she''s facing an opponent that is small in number but extremely powerful individually and also gains strength the more they kill. I am not like that though. All my strength is concentrated within me, and if that is not enough, I can tap into the mana avable in the element that I mastered more than anyone in this world ever did ¨C at least to my knowledge ¨C water."

    The dark-blue-haired man said and reached his hand to the side ¨C within the same heartbeat, the room filled with heavy mist, that then condensed into a sphere that turned into clear ice ¨C clear enough to allow the two boys to see the liquid part boiling on the inside.

    Zoemi''s curiosity took over him and he reached out his shadow towards it and...

    "H-heavy water...?! Hydrogen...! You...! Imbecile, that''s the first step to creating a hydrogen bomb! Do you want to blow us all up?!"

    The ck-haired boy gasped didn''t waste any more time before extending his shadow and swallowing the extremely dangerous sphere.

    "Young master, no, it''s dangerous!...! Wh-what did you do with it?! It is indeed extremely dangerous so don''t do anything hasty!"

    After suddenly losing the connection to his spell, Benevirau panicked, and the first thing he was worried about was Zoemi''s safety ¨C which would normally result in the ck-haired boy warming up to him but the circumstances certainly didn''t work in the dark-blue-haired butler''s favor...

    "It''s gone ¨C don''t you ever just create that willy-nilly when there is no grave danger ¨C especially not near my friends!"

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy shouted angrily, still greatly disturbed by a close encounter with something so ridiculously dangerous in the hands of someone who didn''t seem to understand the risks...

    "Young master I... I''m sorry. I promise to be more careful from now on."

    Benevirau fidgeted and apologized.

    "Alright ¨C I think I understand what you meant before. The Ghosts showed up here and you kicked their teeth in, then they swore revenge. Is that it?"

    Zoemi breathed out and asked, massaging his forehead.

    "Thank you for giving me so much credit, but the actual encounter was cutting it a lot closer than that. I don''t know what happened to them, but they aren''t normal sages. They im to be at the peak of human capabilities, supporting that by saying that they can no longer gain any more mana ¨C which they called reaching the human limit of mana. As ridiculous as it may sound, a single member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora is as strong as all of them, so facing twenty of them just feels like fighting a single person that uses twenty different styles ofbat. They tried to face me two times and each time I managed to repel them ¨C but it seemed like one of them was especially angry about some of my spells I believe her name was Rethaq and her darkness de was creating a thin, mist-likeyer of darkness that allowed her to attack form basically every possible angle, but it waspletely countered by my actual mist. She sure had a lot to say about what she will do to me and to everything that I love and hold dear..."

    Benevirau furrowed his brows and revealed with concern.

    "That one makes sense. Apparently, they are really into the originality of their darkness des and how they spent a lot of time developing them into the perfected form ¨C she must have got angry at seeing something simr to her own spell."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders, nodding his head

    at the information he received.

    "...do you think that they did that to youngdy Learen because of me... Because they held a grudge over not being able to kill me?"

    The dark-blue-haired butler slouched and asked in a tense voice, sounding as if he was praying for Zoemi to deny his words, outright dismissing the idea.

    "Huh... I think I can humor you on that front ¨C as far as I know, the Ghosts of Bellcephora approach every darkness magician that they find interesting..."

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head to the side and sighed, making the misty-gray-eyed butler breathe out in relief.

    "...umm... Zoemi...?"

    Using the moment of silence, the green-haired capture target, Reo, moved towards the ck-haired attendant and shyly tugged on his sleeve while leaning towards his ear.

    "Hmm?"

    Zoemi turned to him with an innocent expression and let out a curious sound,

    "...you... were talking about Ghosts of Bellcephora... and someone called Aspakeony, just like our Academy... and I''m pretty sure I''ve heard something about corpse puppets... Just... what is going on? Are we in trouble now...?"

    The green-haired boy asked awkwardly, nervously looking between Zoemi and Benevirau while holding onto the ck-haired boy''s arm as if it was an anchor tying him to reality.

    "...oh... ooohhhh, that''s right... you... oh..."

    Zoemi raised his brows and gasped, suddenly struck with a realization.

    He and Benevirau had certainly mentioned a lot of really secret stuff that certainly shouldn''t be spread around ¨C the existence of Aspakeony alone was supposed to be so well protected that only the kings were supposed to know about her...

    "Reo..."

    "Y-yes...?!"

    Zoemi took a deep breath and looked the green-haired boy in the eyes, making him flinch and blush instantly.

    "It would be best if you just forgot what you heard here tonight."

    "...eh...?"

    The ck-haired boy raised his hand and put it on Reo''s shoulder before nodding his head and dering in a t voice, leaving the green-haired boy speechless.

    "Benevirau ¨C let''s say that I believe you. With that in mind, considering that I am the actual heir to the Banemor territory, I can assume that you will keep your word and let me inherit it just as my grandfather''s will stated?"

    Zoemi patted Reo''s shoulder again and leaned to the side to have a better look at the dark-blue-haired butler.

    "Let you...?! Young master, don''t even joke around! I will make sure to deal with all the preparation and legal documents required for you to be the official ruler of the territory as soon as possible!"

    Benevirau gasped and jumped out of his seat, bbergasted at the notion that Zoemi thought that he would be against the inheritance process.

    "Great ¨C with that in mind, show me to my room, please. It has been a... well, a day."

    Zoemi smirked, shaking his head, and sighed unable to find a proper word to describe his feeling about all that happened in such a short time.

 Chapter 308 100 - Banemor territory - part 3 - The rightful heir (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 308 100 - Banemor territory - part 3 - The rightful heir (part 1)</h4>

    ******

    Learen woke up feeling surprisingly good, far better than she did in weeks, she got up with relief and nodded to herself.

    It was her son''s third birthday and she wanted to make it special, so she had been saving up money for months and bought all the necessary ingredients to make all his favorite food and even bake a cake ¨C although the crumbling oven they had in their tiny one-room house was most definitely a fire hazard ¨C it was also somehow good enough to use...

    ...probably...

    "Hmhm~!"

    The ck-haired woman hummed to herself and tiptoed by the little bed of her child and started sneakily preparing everything.

    She knew that she shouldn''t be using the darkness magic spells because since her shadow attribute transformed into the darkness attribute her health plummeted down like a speeding wagon down a cliff, but she decided that it was okay just this once and casted muffle to allow her precious little boy a little more sleep time.

    "Uncle Benevirau always said that kids should sleep a lot and not worry about a thing~"

    She muttered, smiling to herself reminiscing about her old life in the Banemor territory.

    "I wonder how father is... It''s already been more than three and a half years, maybe he had forgi..."

    "|YOU HAVE ABANDONED YOUR FAMILY, GOT IMPREGNATED BY SOME MAGICLESS SCUM OF A COMMONER AND EVEN THEN YOU LEFT HIM TO DIE ESCAPING ON YOUR OWN! YOU ARE A WORTHLESS BITCH WHO WHORES HERSELF OUT JUST TO SURVIVE AND FEED THAT MAGICLESS BASTARD OF A CHILD! FORGIVE YOU? YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF FORGIVENESS! IF YOUR SINS WERE SO EASILY PARDONED THEN BENEVIRAU WOULD HAVE FOUND YOU ALREADY! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN ALREADY? NO ONE IS LOOKING FOR YOU! NO ONE CARES FOR YOU! NO ONE EVEN REMEMBERS YOU! GIVE UP! JOINING THE DARKNESS IS THE ONLY WAY! YOU HAVE ALREADY STOOP SO LOW, WHAT''S THERE PROBLEM TO BENT A LITTLE MORE...?|"

    Learen hugged herself and sighed with a dreamy expression ¨C when suddenly her body trembled in and she bent in half, having to use both hands to support herself against the table to not fall down as the furious words of two voices which neither sounded as if belonged to her, came out of her mouth, berating her relentlessly.

    "Ghhhh...! GHOUGH! GHOUGH! GHOUGH!"

    Immediately as the voices stopped, Learen started coughing heavily until blood started gushing from her mouth.

    "N-noo...! GHOUGH...! The...! GHOUGH! The ingredients...!"

    The ck-haired woman cried out, crouching down making sure that the blood won''t be spilled on the food she was preparing.

    She didn''t seem nearly as concerned with the two voices nor with the bleeding as she should be ¨C but that was only because it wasn''t the first time that happened.

    "GHOUGH! GHHHHOURRGGGH..! Ptghe...!"

    *st*

    Learen coughed and coughed until she spat out a piece of fleshy red tissue, and that seemed to have helped.

    "That''s right... who am I kidding... Neither father nor uncle could ever forgive me..."

    She gulped down the saliva mixed with blood and whispered bitterly as her shoulders trembled.

    "Now then...!"

    With the reurring attack of violent coughing gone, the ck-haired woman stood up and nodded to herself, trying to smile and get back into the good mood that vanished when she saw the mess on the floor.

    The only good part about the situation was that her son didn''t witness the attack this time ¨C when the voices berated her the little boy would always try to help her but end up crying as there was nothing that he could do.

    This was just how things were for Learen.

    This was her punishment for being such a terrible person...

    ...at least ording to the voices that started harassing her at the same time she became sick...

    Learen hurriedly got some rainwater stored in an originally leaky barrel that she and her son fixed t the best of their ability, and cleaned the floor, hoping that the metallic smell won''t reveal to her child what had happened.

    Even his sad face was so cute that Learen couldn''t stop melting over him, wondering whether he would look more like his father or her when he will grow up...

    "..."

    And instantly bit her lips with a bitter realization that she will most likely never be able to see him grow up...

    Her biggest wish was to live long enough so that he would be able to survive in this world, maybe even get adopted into some warm family...

    "Ah...! Oh no, not in the batter...!"

    Learen realized a bit toote that she started crying and her tears ended up falling into the bowl she was mixing the ingredients for the cake.

    "Oh, dear... What''s going on with me today...? I need to be strong for the two of us!"

    She wiped her tears and shook her head, taking a deep breath and breathing out topose herself.

    The sun was already up and the normal sounds of the slums were invading their tiny house through the cracks and holes in the walls ¨C it was only a matter of time before the birthday boy would wake up.

    ...but the thing was, he already was awake, and was only pretending to be asleep...

    Learen didn''t realize that her muffle spell never properly worked and the boy had heard everything...

    Soon enough the whole house filled with the enticing smell of food and the ck-haired woman approached him and kneeled by his bed, so he hurriedly burrowed his face in the pillow so she wouldn''t notice that he was awake this whole time and got sad over him witnessing everything...

    "Hey~ my little sleepy head~! It''s time to wake up. It''s your birthday~"

    Learen cleared her throat, sore from all the coughing, and hummed happily, reaching her hand and affectionately tousling the boy''s ck-haired, which was actually of a slightly lighter shade of ck than her own.

    "...nnn...?"

    The boy let out a sound that he hoped sounded sleepy enough to not arouse any suspicion and moved a bit, but not enough for his mother to take back her hand.

    The little boy really loved his mother''s head pats after all.

    "Hmhmhm~! It''s time to wake up, my sweet Benevi~!"

    Learen called out with just as much love and...

    *****

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Zoemi never woke up so violently from any nightmare ¨C not even the terrible ones about danger approaching Miriette - as he did from that particr dream.

    He...

    He dreamt about his childhood.

    The time house in the slums could be called a ruin at best and was only slightly better than a shack made out of sticks and mud.

    His mother, tormented by the attacks of violent coughing caused by the darkness mana slowly melting her from the inside, corroding her respiratory organs first as they were the easiest target.

    But there were some details that he didn''t originally remember.

    The voices...

    Back then he was extremely scared each time the voices spoke through his mother''s mouth, berating her and putting her down about everything she did ¨C but at that time he had no idea who they belonged to.

    ...it was a different thing now...

    Zoemi had no idea how he knew, but he was absolutely sure to who the voices belonged.

    Two members of the Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    Rethaq, a woman whose darkness de turned into mist, who interestingly enough Benevirau had mentioned the night before...

    And Kiorterell... the one whose darkness de was allowing him to... possess his target...

    "...sentinels..."

    "~?" x 97

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and breathed out - the next second the master bedroom that he slept in became packed to the brim with tens upon tens of murky dark robs, all very confused about their quantity.

    "Find the Ghosts of Bellcephora. Find every single trace of the Ghost of Bellcephora. Go."

    The ck-haired boy demanded without raising his head and pointed his hand at the window.

    "~!" x97

    All the sentinels turned into murky mist and effortlessly passed through the wall, materializing back into their usual form once they got outside and spread out at ridiculous speed.

    "..."

    Zoemi hid his face in his hands and breathed out, doing his best not to lose his mind.

    The dream could have been only just that, a charmless dream that his brain pieced together from the information avable.

    But the ck-haired boy knew deep inside that it wasn''t the case.

    That wasn''t JUST a dream.

    It was a memory, a memory buried deep inside his brain that got uncovered because of the recent events.

    Zoemi slowly straightened his back and looked outside the window ¨C the sun didn''t even raise yet and only a thin orangish line on the horizon was marking its presence.

    He barely slept an hour.

    Maybe even less.

    "Benevi, huh... I wonder how Benevirau will react to my original name..."

    The ck-haired boy raised his brow and thought out loud, before getting out of the bed and dressing up.

 Chapter 309 100 - Banemor territory - part 3 - The rightful heir (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 309 100 - Banemor territory - part 3 - The rightful heir (part 2)</h4>

    Zoemi got out of his new room and walked down the hallway where he assumed was the kitchen ¨C it wasn''t as he was supposed to be cooking for anyone, but he wanted to at least have a look at the mansion while unbothered by anyone.

    ...even though that anyone meant Benevirau in particr...

    The ck-haired boy wanted to talk with the dark-blue-haired butler to inform him about the name that his mother had given him, but that could wait.

    The kitchen was exactly where Zoemi had expected it to be situated ¨C from a quick inspection the ck-haired attendant nodded to himself with satisfaction.

    Despite not being particrly big, the kitchen was up to his standards ¨C both spotlessly clean and well equipped.

    Still ¨C it wasn''t like Zoemi was particrly hungry ¨C it simply was still a bit too early for him to have a meal.

    After checking up on the gastronomy facility the ck-haired boy ended up moving aimlessly until he finally ended up by the stairs leading to a higher floor.

    "... since I''m already here..."

    Zoemi shrugged to himself and got upstairs.

    The first thing that he saw after doing that was a hallway with rows of paintings portraying generations of Banemors.

    "..."

    The closest one to the staircase was the portrait of none other than his mother.

    Zoemi didn''t need the que with Learen Etrolia Banemor put under the frame.

    Judging by the school uniform ¨C and particrly by the badge of a flower in full bloom, a mark of a third-year student at the Aspakeony Academy ¨C the ck-haired girl must have been eighteen when it was painted.

    She looked so proud and happy, she still had no idea what will happen to her after graduation...

    The next painting was showing a much younger Learen sitting by a smiling pair of a cheerful gold-haired woman with adorable dimples, and a tall ck-haired man in whom Zoemi recognized the shadow corpse puppet that Aspakeony showed up within his room before.

    Banemor family - Vizta Emmer Banemor; Iwarei Minas Banemor, nee Bellcephora; Learen Etrolia Banemor.

    "...so my grandmother was rted to the royal family..."

    Zoemi raised his brows while sliding his finger on the que beneath the family portrait although he definitely spent the most time looking at that particr painting, the ck-haired boy didn\t just stop there and walked down the hallway looking at each and every member of his family.

    Interestingly enough although the partners wielded many different attributes, Banemors heir would almost always end up ck-haired indicating that the shadow and darkness attributes really ran deep in the family.

    Or maybe it was the other way around? The children with the shadow or darkness attribute would be more likely to be chosen as heirs...?

    It was possible, but it was impossible to tell just by the pictures ¨C the families painted on each would almost exclusively have only a single child ¨C with the only exception being two boys that must have been twins as their faces looked exactly the same.

    Although their faces were the same - they were even making the same expression - the colors of their eyes and hair werepletely different.

    The boy on the left had jet-ck hair and eyes while for the boy on the right they were gold.

    "..."

    Zoemi looked back at the painting that would be chronologically next and saw only the ck-haired one ¨C older and already married and with a child ¨C so he curiously looked at the que, wondering whether there would be some kind of hint for the gold-haired boy''s faith.

    Mirrowel Nestro Banemor; Kasorius Reterne Banemor.

    "...huh... HUH?!"

    And he certainly found out the answer he was looking for!

    As long as it wasn''t some extreme coincidence, there was little doubt about the name!

    Wasn''t Kasorius Reterne both the first and middle name of the king of the Bellcephora kingdom who was murdered by the Ghosts of Bellcephora?!

    And didn''t Zoemi learn just the previous night that the leader of the Ghosts, Carcassuss was Kasorius''s bastard child?!

    No wonder Carcassuss was a powerful darkness magician from the get-go!

    Kasorius himself was from the Banemor family!

    "This is wild..."

    Zoemi breathed out smirking to himself while looking up at the faces of his ancestors.

    "That means I am distantly rted to at least one member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora... this feels... filthy..."

    The ck-haired boy made a bitter expression and shuddered at the thought.

    "That said... I kind of expected Benevirau to show up at some of the paintings ¨C he was the watching over the Banemor territory for so long after all... is he just keeping a low profile or something...?"

    [I do not know the answer for that, kiddo ¨C you can go and ask him yourself though.]

    Zoemi tilted his head and wondered ¨C which prompted the Ludier''s shadow to speak up inside his mind.

    "I know, I was just thinking out loud ¨C besides, there are still more paintings. Maybe they weren''t hiding him at the beginning."

    The ck-haired boy rolled his eyes and scoffed before continuing his sightseeing tour.

    The sun began properly raising ¨C showing itself from behind the horizon when Zoemi arrived at the end of the hallway to see twost pictures, and his question was answered.

    The twost ones were different from the rest.

    First o all both of them were definitely meant to be a pair ¨C one big and detailed, a masterpiece painted in the same style as all the ones that Zoemi had already seen, and the other, a small one, clearly made by a child who was really trying their best but was only slightly above the level of stick figures.

    Still, judging by the frames, the two were clearly favored by the person decorating the hallway.

    Therge one was showing the dark-blue-haired Benevirau in his butler uniform ¨C who surprisingly was shown with dark-blue eyes instead of misty-gray, with a cheerful ck-haired boy sitting on his knees proudly puffing up his chest.

    "...huh..."

    As he did before, Zoemi curiously looked at the que and let out a short gasp.

    Benevirau; Mekirien Banemor.

    "...!"

    Zoemi hurriedly nced at the previous painting ¨C the que specifically...

    Mekirien Nevira Banemor; Resque Cortie Banemor, nee Derizno; Sawatrio Orta Banemor.

    It showed the same boy already grown up and married to a blue-haired calm-looking woman, together with their young ck-haired daughter.

    The ck-haired boy hurriedly looked back at the picture with Benevirau ¨C and then he looked over at the small childish picture right next to it.

    It was supposed to show three people.

    A tall blue-haired and blue-eyed smiling man with childish letters spelling the words ''daddy'' and an arrow pointing at him.

    A child figure with ck hair and eyes with ''me'' above them.

    And a winged woman with long ck hair and ck eyes, hovering over the two others in the clouds, with the word ''mommy'' above her head.

    Interestingly enough, Zoemi noticed that in the big portrait, Benevirau''s clothes had the pocket with the chain of the pocket watch sticking out of it on the opposite side than it usually should be...

    ...although that detail alone could be exined by the change of fashion that happened through the years, that wasn''t exactly the case this time.

    "...ah...! It''s mirrored! Could it be that he painted it himself by looking at the mirror?"

    [You can ask him about it if you go to him.]

    Zoemi gasped in realization after noticing that the mole on the boy''s face changed its location on the painting where he was an adult ¨C and immediately got a down-to-earth answer from Ludier''s shadow immediately.

    "...true..."

    Still, this time Zoemi ended up nodding and turned around and walked back down the hallway ¨C he ended up overhearing some noiseing from the lower floor that must have been either Benevirau or Reo ¨C or possibly Ririe.

 Chapter 310 100 - Banemor territory - part 3 - The rightful heir (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 310 100 - Banemor territory - part 3 - The rightful heir (part 3)</h4>

    Zoemi descended the staircase and walked towards the source of the sounds ¨C he didn''t feel a particr need to eavesdrop so he didn''t activate his enchantments and just approached the door to an unknown room.

    *knock*

    "...!"

    With only a single knock all the noises stopped as if whoever was inside ended up being taken by surprise.

    "Young master, goo morning! Pleasee in!"

    Less than five secondster, the dark-blue-haired butler opened the door and bowed his head with a greeting, moving to the side to allow Zoemi the entrance.

    "!!!"

    The room was a small office with various papers and ount books stacked on the shelves by every single wall.

    There was a small window there too, with a desk and a chair right under it ¨C and in front of the said desk the brown-haired green-eyed girl that Zoemi met the day before was standing, all fidgety, not knowing what exactly she should do or act like.

    "Good morning, Benevirau. Good morning Ririe. Benevirau, I have some matters I want to discuss with you, should Ie backter? I was thinking about doing some light exercise in the garden anyway."

    The ck-haired boy looked between the dark-blue-haired butler and the bashful maid-in-training and asked, shrugging his shoulders.

    Although he first came up with the training part only to give the two of them a chance to finish whatever they were discussing before without his interruption, Zoemi realized that it indeed wouldn''t be a bad idea to actually move around a little bit.

    "N-no...! Sir Zoemi, do not bother yourself with me ¨C we were just discussing my employment here that''s all...!"

    The brown-haired magicless girl gasped, waving her hands dismissively, slightly panicking about being an inconvenience.

    "You are only discussing it now? Were there any trouble?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and turned the question to Benevirau, which had caused Ririe to tens up and clench her fists from anxiety.

    "Young master ¨C since you have returned you should be the one to approve things like that ¨C I wouldn''t dare make a selfish decision..."

    "Even though there would be no Banemor family without you? If I understand the paintings on the floor above correctly, you do have all the rights you need."

    The dark-blue-haired butler lowered his head and assured him, but the ck-haired boy merely sighed and motioned at the ceiling with his chin.

    "There might be a bit of misunderstanding ¨C despite what little Mekirien''s drawing might suggest, I was merely his guardian and foster father ¨C I do not have any right to contest the rights to the territory in any way shape, or form."

    "..."

    Despite Zoemi''s expectation, Benevirau''s answer was a lot smoother and honest-sounding than he assumed it would be.

    The misty-gray-eyed young-looking man merely smiled softly at a distant memory without raising his head.

    "Don''t say it like that ¨C I would get sad if my father talked about himself in that way."

    "...! Young master...?"

    Interestingly enough, the ck-haired boy also started smiling and shrugged his shoulders, causing Benevirau to straighten his back and make a confused expression.

    "Anyway ¨C let''s employ Ririe properly, I give my approval."

    Having said that, Zoemi turned to the magicless girl and nodded at him with an encouraging expression.

    "Just so you know ¨C this is a sign of good will. Do not think about it as an opportunity to make a profit out of messing with the Banemor family."

    "O-of course...!"

    The ck-haired boy added, pointing his index finger at the ceiling, slightly confusing the girl.

    Still, if she was confused, it was a good sign.

    Of course, her just being confused wasn''t a definite proof that she wasn''t some sort of a spy or someone bought by Aerea and Vianee to mess with him and Reo from backstage ¨C but her looking utterly clueless was certainly suggesting that she was just a normal person.

    "...! Young master...! You already thinking about the family...! I will get to writing a contract with your friend immediately and then hurry with all the legal procedures that would allow for you to officially take over the territory!"

    Zoemi''s words had another effect too ¨C Benevirau perked up and basically hop-skipped-jumped to the desk and reached out for the stacks of papers that must have been specially prepared for him for many years as the quality paper had clearly aged quite far.

    "Ah...! What m I doing...! Young master, what was the matter that you wanted to discuss with me?"

    Still, before the dark-blue-haired butler managed to sit down, he had realized that there was a reason why Zoemi showed up at the door ¨C and it wasn''t originally connected with the new hire.

    "Oh, you know ¨C you already unknowingly answered one of my questions ¨C that being of your connection to the first official Banemor member as he became a high noble."

    The ck-haired boy raised his brows and nodded a few times while learning to the side stretching his body.

    "The other thing was that I wanted to talk about the name that my mother would want to give me ¨C Zoemi isn''t that one ¨C I would like to keep it though, as a lot of feelings was put into it ¨C but I thought that since I will be inheriting the territory and therefore bing a high noble, I would use the original name as the middle one."

    Zoemi exined while moving around the subject just trying to gauge Benevirau''s reaction.

    "..."

    "...?"

    And curiously enough it seemed that the dark-blue-haired butler wasn''t clueless about the matter ¨C at least judging by the torrent of various emotions showing up on his face one by one.

    "Young master... it... it''s not like I don''t have any guesses ¨C youngdy Learen was very vocal about her wishes for a big family and any instance of a potential suitor sending in engagement propositions would end up in her thinking about the names for the possible children - but in the end, what youngdy Learen had chosen remains a mystery for me. Are... are you saying that you don''t remember it yourself..."

    Just as the ck-haired boy was dancing around the subject, so was the misty-gray-eyed man as he didn''t want to give a single specific answer.

    "Are you sure?"

    "..."

    Zoemi asked calmly, not pushing too far ¨C but even so, it looked like he had asked a question that made the butler sad.

    "...there is one that she always teased me and lord Vizta, but... with how things were, I don''t think she would choose it... She must have hated us both so..."

    The dark-blue-haired man spoke with a terribly sad smile and his shoulders slumped before he breathed out in shame.

    "Sir Benevirau..."

    Seeing him like that Ririe''s chin trembled and she stepped towards the young-looking man, but then...

    "Benevi."

    "...eh...?"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi said in a t voice, making the magicless girl let out a short confused gasp ¨C but when ites to the dark-blue-haired butler, his reaction was far more intense as he literally crumbled down to his knees with tears streaming down his eyes.

    "Benevi...? But ¨C isn''t that just..."

    Ririe asked in confusion, looking between Zoemi and Benevirau ¨C she undoubtedly was going to say that it was just a shortened version of the butler''s name.

    "...when I was leaving for the escort mission to deliver help to the ind nation Thradoansa ¨C thest time that I saw her ¨C youngdy Learen said that she would name her first child after me and her father..."

    Benevirau spoke slumped on his legs and exined in a shaken voice.

    "Sheughed that Benevi would be perfect because it is the mix between Benevirau and Vizta, but because it just sounds like a short version of my name, she would be able to ease her father that he didn''t make the cut..."

    He added while taking out a handkerchief from his pocket to start drying out his tear-stained face.

    "It is a nice name ¨C make sure it would be listed as my request for the middle name. It''s rare for the person to pick it by themselves, but this is certainly an unusual situation."

    Zoemi nodded his head, after seeing the reaction that he expected, and turned to the door.

    "I will be in the garden ¨C If you will need me for anything before I return, you will find me there."

    He added and left leaving Benevirau and Ririe in the small office.

    The dark-blue-haired butler calmed down after a while and stood up with the help of the brown-haired magicless girl.

    "I''m sorry for acting so unprofessional, young master''s friend, let''s'' write the contract. But first, let''s rify something... I was convinced that your name was Reo Serentii Moyena but it seems that young master is calling you Ririe..."

    Benevirauposed himself and apologized before asking with a confused expression...

    "Ah! AH! Not so loud! Please! The thing is..."

    Which prompted the girl to panic while ncing at the door worried that Zoemi might have heard that.

    ...and she certainly wasn''t ready to tell him the truth...

 Chapter 311 101 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Things are going well (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 311 101 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Things are going well (part 1)</h4>

    A brown-haired green-eyed maid entered the master bedroom carrying a tray with an evening meal that she left on a work desk by the window.

    "...?"

    As she did that, the maid looked around in confusion but her initial observation wasn''t wrong ¨C there was no one there.

    ...which was rather odd considering that she was specifically instructed to bring the food to the young lord at the specific time...

    It has been almost two weeks since she started working in the Banemor mansion and for the first time in her life, she experience living her own life.

    Although she ended up having to spend most of her time learning how to do chores around the mansion, the magicless girl could do that freely without spending a fortune on mana crystals that would fuel the ancient artifact changing her appearance into that of a green-haired boy.

    Well... that wasn''t exactly true, Reo still had to pretend her name was Ririe - as that was the first name that came to her mind when she unexpectedly met the new master of the mansion, Zoemi, out in town the same night they both arrived ¨C as well as showing up as the green-haired boy from time to time to not let Zoemi know the truth.

    Reo could just reveal her secret to the ck-haired boy, but at that point, she was actually scared to do that.

    In Zoemi''s mind, Reo was the wind magician with a carefree outgoing personality...

    To tell the truth, that indeed was Reo''s personality, but the real Reo was a magicless girl who used a couple of different artifacts to trick everyone into thinking that she was a mage.

    As far as she knew how aristocrats were, not a single one enjoyed getting tricked like that.

    Reo wasn''t causing trouble for others by hiding her identity, but the sole fact of withholding the truth would make her less reliable as a friend ¨C not to mention that amoner tricking nobility ¨C and high nobility at that ¨C would end up being judged as a sever offense punishable even by death.

    But then, since the consequences of getting found out could be THAT serious, why was Reo posing as a male wind magician?

    Well... it all had to do with pride.

    Although there were aristocrats who didn''t hesitate to betray lose their honors and betray their ideals for a fistful of money, a vast majority held their own pride in the highest regard.

    Reo''s grandparents and father were exactly the same.

    Livingvishly while in a well-respected and equally well-paid office was one of the requirements for their happiness and they felt the most respected when they were the center of attention, spending exorbitant sums on every asion.

    To add to it, before Reo was born and messed everything up, lord Moyena and his wife had six other children ¨C three boys and three girls, all talented in terms of magic.

    The problem was that even since the youngest years, the same policy of spending a vast amount of money and taking pride in it had been imnted in their minds.

    Still, that wouldn''t be a problem until a few years down the line as Moyena family was well off and the head of the family was even chosen as the country''s treasurer!

    Could things be even better?

    Yes, they could ¨C but everything goodes to an end someday.

    And the event that marked the beginning of the end of the perfect lifestyle of the proud aristocratic family was the birth of Reo.

    The pregnancy ofdy Moyena hadplications from the start but no one expected things to be any more out of ordinary than the previous six.

    And no one expected there to be twins.

    Due to the botched medical procedure only the child born first ¨C who ended up being the magicless girl, Reo ¨C survived.

    Both the other twin, a green-haired boy who didn''t even receive a name, and their mother ended up dying.

    The medics attending ended up reporting to lord Moyena that because the magicless girl was born out of order, her umbilical cord ended up strangling the boy who would have been a wind magician ¨C on top of that it was reported that because of the movement of Reo while still inside the womb, the mother ended up suffering organ failure which directly caused her death.

    It was a disaster.

    Losing his beloved wife was one thing, but losing her because a magicless child dared to be born first and ended up killing her magician brother?

    Unforgivable.

    In a final sign of a familiar love lord Moyena ended up not getting rid of his youngest daughter permanently, but instead gave her to a trusted servant to leave her at the nearest orphanage''s doorstep.

    Normally, that should be it.

    The Moyena family would announce the tragic death of both the mother and child and Reo would end up either getting adopted or simply growing up in an orphanage, having no idea about her origin.

    ...yes...

    ...it SHOULD have been like that...

    The problem was that in his need to show off to a foreign ambassador visiting his mansion, lord Moyena ended up borrowing one of the precious artifacts from the kingdom''s treasury, one that looked especially amazing but which purpose he didn''t know ¨C and while ying around with magic, his children ended up breaking it.

    It was impossible to find the same kind of artifact, as the broken one was in the treasury because it was deemed unique.

    Using his connection, lord Moyena managed to find an artisan capable of fixing it ¨C but the price that the man demanded would have thrown the entire family into years of debt.

    The only choices avable seemed to be dishonor and severe punishment for basically stealing and destroying a precious artifact or dishonor by life in poverty.

    But, lord Moyena was a cunning man and figured out a third way that would lessen the severity of the consequences.

    He ordered the servant to bring the child back, and using the fact that the news about the death of his wife and child didn''t manage to spread, he announced that only his wife died.

    Still, lord Moyena decided it would be too shameful to announce that the child that his wife sacrificed herself to give birth to was a magicless girl, he purchased an appearance altering artifact from the same man who was already working on fixing the broken artifact from the treasury and revealed to the world his son.

    Of course, as it was a great tragedy to lose a spouse, many noble families sent gifts, mourning the loss ofdy Moyena and wishing the child all the best.

    Mary gifts.

    Thanks to that, the burden of the ridiculous payment didn''t fall solely on the Moyena family and they dodged poverty.

    Their standard of living had to be adjusted, but at least they saved their honor with the artifact back in the treasury with none being the wiser.

    What to say...

    Reo was simply unlucky ¨C because of what happened, her existence became a family history because if she ever revealed who she really was, the enemies of the family Moyena family might start putting two and two together and ruin their reputation.

    At least that was the version that was told to Reo, chaining her down with the burden of guilt that she honestly didn''t deserve in the slightest.

 Chapter 312 101 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Things are going well (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 312 101 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Things are going well (part 2)</h4>

    Even before she began attending Aspakeony Academy she begged her father to let her fake her death ¨C or rather the death of the male wind magician ¨C allowing her to silently leave the family, never to return, but all of her pleas were rejected without informing her about the reasoning.

    Reo never before told anyone about her circumstances ¨C well, anyone except Benevirau, the extremely powerful servant of the Banemor family.

    In the first ce, she didn''t have a choice in the matter, as the appearance-altering device didn''t work against him.

    Thankfully, his only response was ¨C as long as it doesn''t harm the young master or the territory, I can tolerate you.

    That had ended up with her in that spot.

    Living her life as herself.

    "...I kind of wish that Zoemi would know...he likes me as a male friend, but maybe if he knew that I was a girl we could be...!"

    Reo stepped away from the tray and murmured to herself, using her right forearm to prop up her voluptuous chest that would put to shame even Burushi''s assets...

    *click*

    "Mmhmhmm~"

    "!!!!!"

    The door to the bathroom o[pened and bare-chested Zoemi walked out humming while drying his hair with a towel,pletely tunning the magicless girl who didn''t even let out a single pip as her eyes followed the ck-haired boy on his way to the closet.

    To make things clear, Zoemi did have his pants on, although they were unbuttoned...

    "Hm-hm-hmm-mm-hm-hm-hmm~ hmm...?"

    The boy continued to hum cheerfully until he took down the towel ¨C with the expanded field of vision Reo''s frame showed up for him and turned around to face her.

    "Whoa...! Ririe! When did you...?! I did not hear youe in...! That bathroom must be soundproof...!"

    He flinched and hurriedly turn back and picked up a fresh shirt that he wore immediately.

    "Please, excuse the unsightly view, it was not my intention. Ah, you got me a meal, thank you!"

    The ck-haired boy ¨C now properly dressed up apologized before noticing the tray with food and cheering up.

    "Are... are you that upset...?"

    Zoemi ended up not going straight for it as the girl was acting a bit unusual ¨C she was lowering her head and was kneading her bright red cheeks with the palms of her hands in silence.

    "Ririe...?"

    The worried ck-haired boy asked tilting his head.

    "I... am not upset...!"

    Reo muttered, sounding as if she was very much upset...

    She really wanted to either tell him the truth or at least make him stop calling her by the fake name!

    The problem was that both options had their consequences.

    "I am sorry."

    "...!"

    Zoemi apologized again and he reached out his hand to pat the girl''s head out of habit before he stopped himself after seeing the girl''s round eyes staring at his approaching palm.

    "Ah! I was going for your head! But I apologize for that too! I always had a habit of head patting others ¨C this is not me being condescending, I swear ¨C I just recently realized that I like head-patting others because I myself really liked being head patted by my mom and... You know what? I will just shut up already."

    The ck-haired boy blushed a little bit and took back his hand, speaking almost too fast to be understood.

    "..."

    The brown-haired girl looked up at him shyly and then nced down at his hand and...

    ...she slowly reached out and gently grabbed his pinky finger and thumb with both hands and led his hand to her head.

    "...I am not upset... sir Zoemi, I don''t mind, I know that you aren''t trying to make me feel bad... and.. and I like it when you are nice to me..."

    She murmured timidly without ever trying to make eye contact ¨C but was most definitely heard by the ck-haired boy.

    They stayed like that for a couple more seconds before Zoemi''s stomach grumbled and he nced over at the food.

    "AH! Sir Zoemi ¨C please, don''t bother yourself with me! Go eat, go eat...!"

    Reo gasped and stepped back, repeatedly bowing down apologetically, and moved her arms as if she was guiding a ne onto anding strip.

    "You''re right."

    The ck-haired boy nodded and took his ce, beginning to chow down on the prepared meal.

    "Is there anything scheduled for me to do this evening?"

    He asked in between the bites.

    "Nothing, sir. Sir Benevirau asked me to tell you that some of the high nobles are holding back on approving the request to officially recognize you as the heir of the Banemor territory but they should give up the annoying resistance within a week or so - he also made sure to clear out tomorrow and the day after, just like you told him... he also asked me to ask you whether you would require his assistance in whatever you have nned...?"

    The magicless maid answered with a serious face, focusing so that she wouldn''t forget to pass the whole message.

    "Some of the high nobles are... huh...? Did he tell you who are those nobles that try to infringe on the king''s authority...?"

    The first part alone was so surprising that Zoemi asked for a rification.

    "Duke Derizno who has the support of her majesty, the queen. Royal magician Lazaram, some of the less important families like Auequas and Ralia also voiced their concern and... lord Moyena also... isn''t keen on the situation..."

    Reo nodded and answered to the best of her ability while clenching her fists when her family name ended up ending amongst the people trying to make things difficult.

    "...yes, that was expected..."

    "It was...?!"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and nodded with an indifferent expression while chewing on his food.

    "It most of them at least ¨C the queen is encouraging Deriozno family to push the me for their heir''s death on me, so there was no way that they would do anything that would help me out. Auequas family had been supporting the Derizno family for a long time. Lord Lazaram..."

    Zoemi gulped down another bite and exined, deciding to not reveal the information of the connection between the royal magician and the queen that he knew from the game.

    "...is questionable, same with Ralia family. And when ites to Reo''s father... well... I treated two of his children rather roughly and I suspect that he realized that I will not y along with the original n of returning the Banemor territory to the crown to govern, so with no profits in sight, he decided to act grumpy. I wonder if Reo will forgive me for messing his ns up."

    The ck-haired boy pointed out and ended up sighing while looking out the window.

    "I-I am sure that lord Reo will understand!"

    "...?"

    The magicless girl flinched and gasped leaning forward with a flushed face, making Zoemi smirk and nce at her ¨C which caused her to realize her obvious actions and straighten her back while blushing.

    "Someone sounds like she is putting a lot of faith in my friend~ Well, I have never seen you two in the same room so I don''t know how you interact, but he also talks very highly of you... And you know, normally a high noble cannot be with amoner, but if it''s the fourth son... he just has to denounce his title and you know... I am not forcing you to do anything, but I will also not stop you."

    "...eh...?"

    Zoemi''s smirk turned into a smile and inked at the utterly confused girl.

    |Is... is he trying to hook me up with MYSELF...?!|

    Reo was left wide-eyed and speechless while Zoemi continued eating unaware of another feat ofplete denseness that was added to his name.

 Chapter 313 101 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Things are going well (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 313 101 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Things are going well (part 3)</h4>

    "...then what, Aspakeony simply vanished?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows while leaning back on a chair in Benevirau''s office.

    "Unfortunately, young master, that''s how it looks like. I am searching for any trace of her with my fog, but there is no sign of either her or her corpse puppets."

    The dark-blue-haired butler lowered his head apologetically and confirmed.

    "She seems to care about the Academy very much, but it really does seem like she just left."

    The ck-haired boy made a bitter expression and flicked his wrist in annoyance.

    "No. Aspaekony didn''t care about only her Academy, the entire Bellcephora kingdom was her livelihood. Her personal apology to the world for the ancient wars. She would never abandon it without a good reason, and even if there was one, she would end up warning someone. Even when Ghosts of Bellcephora were hunting her down three hundred years ago, she managed to contact and warn me and most of the sages she knew."

    Benevirau shook his head and rejected the notion on the spot, but that only reset the conversation and did not push it forward.

    "Well, you were the one who said that she was too careful to get herself killed or captured, so what do you expect happened to her?"

    Zoemi sighed, rubbing his eyes, tired because of theck of progress of any kind.

    "..."

    With the silence from the dark-blue-haired butler, the ck-haired boy looked at the time and frowned.

    "Alright ¨C let''s leave this subject for another time. The next two days will be busy for me so I leave things in your hands.

    Zoemi dered standing up and walking to the door, waving his hand at the concerned butler.

    "...young master ¨C I know that you are young, but... keep in mind the limits of your body... please."

    "...?"

    Still, Zoemi couldn''t help but stop and turn around at Benevirau''s words.

    Seeing the bothered expression the misty-gray-eyed butler was making, it was hard to decipher what exactly was that supposed to mean.

    |Is he worried about my health because I began taking over the duties of the territory ruler and he thinks I''m overworking myself, or does he know about tomorrow''s ambush...?|

    [Could be both, could be neither.]

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself, but the vague answer he got from the Ludier''s shadow was more of a vague opinion than anything else.

    "I sure will. Goodnight."

    "Goodnight, young master."

    With nothing better in mind, Zoemi simply nodded and smiled at Benevirau before leaving the office.

    After he got back to his room, he could breathe out.

    He made sure toplete everything that required his immediate attention and could focus on the proper preparations.

    Well ¨C there was a little thing he had to do still.

    "|Hello, father~!|"

    "(...huh...? Ah! Son! Is it already thiste? How have you been?)"

    Zoemi used the adjusted version of the message spell and connected to his father back in the Espine territory.

    "|I''m good. The inheritance procedure is going slower than expected, but considering what is going on it''s not surprising. Even so, Beneviraus began introducing me to the duties of the ruler and I must say that I underestimated the amount of paperwork and things that require the permission of the territory ruler.|"

    The ck-haired boy rxed and jokinglyined.

    "(It really is! Make sure to not overwork yourself, alright? Recently lord Espine has been really concerned about the safety of the castle so that added a fair share of responsibility on my shoulders so unfortunately, I will not be able to visit you until the situation changes.)"

    Mizoe even in his thoughts sounded extremely apologetic ¨C even though he only mentioned visiting Banemor territory and taking a few days off without promising a thing.

    "|Dad, it''s okay! Remember to watch your health too ¨C if you will not eat and rest properly, teacher Rokiana will scold me after I return to the Academy~!|"

    "(...)"

    Zoemiughed, dismissing the silly worries that his father had ¨C but because of that, he ended up missing the tense silence caused by him mentioning the young blue-haired teacher.

    "|Speaking of her ¨C since you want to visit anyway, why don''t you call her and you both visit together? Banemor territory is amon tourist destination ¨C the crystalke at night is really romantic... you know... many people like that stuff|"

    The boy asked, perking up at his own idea of bringing the pair even closer in an excuse of a joint trip, but ended up hesitating, because if he would get too pushy then his dense father might think that he was pushing Rokiana at him without consulting her, and reject the proposition on the spot.

    "(No, I... I''ve heard that the things in the academy had been really busy for the teachers without lord Vereq, so she is probably very busy ¨C I don''t want to bother her...!)"

    Luckily Mizoe didn''t get the wrong idea but still, his answer wasn''t very enthusiastic either.

    |He heard...? Probably...? Sounds like they didn''t have too many chances to talk recently... better avoid the subject.|

    Zoemi thought to himself making sure that those thoughts would not get transferred to his father.

    "|And besides that, how have you been?|"

    "(Hmm? Pffft...! Hahaha! What a question, the same I was yesterday ¨C you have been messaging me every day since you learned that spell. I''m good, like always.)"

    He asked instead and made Mizoeugh.

    "|I mean, since I can, then why not? I can hold back a little if I''m being a bother...|"

    The ck-haired boy lowered his head and thought apologetically, feeling slightly bad because Mizoe did sound tired.

    "(I am notining, son! Contact me as many times as you want ¨C but, I need to go make sure that the guards set for night duty aren''t cking off, so maybe lets end here for the night.)"

    The pale-blue-haired man thought, and Zoemi certainly wasn''t going to hold him back from his job.

    "|Sure, talk to you again soon, dad!|"

    "(Goodnight~)"

    Zoemi deactivated the spell and instead focused on another person to connect to them.

 Chapter 314 101 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Things are going well (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 314 101 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Things are going well (part 4)</h4>

    "|My prince.|"

    "{Zoemi, perfect timing ¨C I am back in the royal castle for a few days and the royal magician will begin testing the magic barrier any minute now so you might not be able to reach me - how the situation looks on your end?}"

    His call was immediately picked up by the gold-haired first prince, Horeo, who didn''t waste any time and asked about the progress of their preparation.

    "|Everything seems to be in order, puppets were a bit pouty because their body had to age back to their original state so that the three bandits in the backup hideout wouldn''t notice the difference, but thanks to that they are gathered and no one expects a thing. Same with the one supposedly infiltrated the Epsine castle. We are good to go.|"

    The ck-haired boy smirked to himself and reported.

    "{Good. Victureo took a bit of time to convince, but apparently, Ehmi learned about the situation and demanded from her father to cooperate. Don''t tell Miriette but I think she has a thing for you.}"

    Horeo sounded satisfied and even allowed himself a little joke.

    "{To minimalize the loss of lives, the caravan will be protected by disguised knights instead of just normal bodyguards. Since their original n was sure to kill everyone to not leave any witnesses, the three original bandits need to be knocked out as the rest will set things up so it looks convincing enough so when theye to, they will not suspect a thing, pick the wares and the artifact. One of your puppets has to be the one to get it. I already informed lord Espine about the whole operation, and it is alright to actually deliver the artifact into the Epsine castle, but we agreed it would be better not to. After that, we will have the week between the meeting of the bandits and the supposed lord Vantrel. If things go well, after that you''ll be able to kill the remaining bandits and take over them as you did with the rest, gaining ess to the memories of their leader, and maybe learning a bit more about that crimson-haired mage. Still, with that done the only thing left to do will be to wait and see who will show up in the Espine castle to use them of stealing the artifact.}"

    The first prince recounted the final version of their n.

    "|What we are supposed to do with the artifact itself?|"

    Zoemi asked curiously.

    "{I was thinking of doing something fun ¨C for example, nting it on the person that will show up at the Espine castle, making it seem like they were about to nt it themselves...Or maybe hiding it in my mother''s private chambers in an attempt to push the me on her. You know. If we will secure it properly and all, it would be a waste not to use it to our advantage.}"

    Horeo answered lightheartedly, sounding as if he was grinning rather maliciously.

    "|That does sound like a proper thing to do, doesn''t it|"

    Zoemi responded while making the exact same type of expression.

    "{And with that out of the way... Say, on apletely unrted note - if Miriette and Ehmi ended uppeting for your affection. Who would you bet on? I personally think that the winner would be...}"

    "|Huh...? My prince...?|"

    Horeo suddenly asked a rather shocking question - but suddenly got cut off without any warning, leaving Zoemi both confused and slightly embarrassed.

    "...oh...! Lord Lazaram must have begun testing the magic barrier... Oh, well, we did manage to talk about the important stuff, so it''s fine."

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself while undressing and going to bed.

    [Saved by the bell.]

    |Shut up.|

    Ludier''s shadow snickered at him, making the boy furrow his brows and pull a nket over his head.

    Zoemi woke up long before the sunrise, too anxious about the whole n going well. His corpse puppets fused with sentinels werepletely self-sufficient but he just couldn''t help himself from making sure that everything would go.

    He even sent out a few standard sentinels to have a better look at the situation ¨C and a spot to teleport to ¨C just in case.

    Although the ck-haired boy was up very early, the bandits were already preparing, tipped off about the time and the route that the merchants transporting the artifact would take.

    The thing that Zoemi was the most worried about ¨C that being the bandit leader and the other two bandits would recognize that there was something wrong with theirrades ¨C did not happen even after spending more than a day together.

    At first, the ck-haired boy had his doubts about his puppets'' ability to pose as actual humans ¨C a bunch of thugs to boot ¨C but thankfully those turned out to be unfounded.

    With the memories of each and every body at their disposal, and a few days of practice, the puppets were doing a splendid job.

    The ck-haired boy get out of his bed and began nervously walking around while nothing important happened.

    Within the first hour, he realized that his n to stay in his room for two days just to be absolutely sure that everything went alright was a mistake, so he began doing some light indoor exercises.

    Within a half-an-hour until the sunrise, the group of unsuspecting bandits and Zoemi''s puppets were alreadyying in wait for the merchant, whom they expected to show up within an hour or two.

    For them ¨C and Zoemi too, personally ¨C it would be best if the merchants showed up as early as possible because theter in the day it would be, the bigger was the probability of unwanted witnesses that might decide to join in and try to help.

    ...and that could lead to unnecessary casualties orplications to the n...

    In the end, to be absolutely certain that the crimson-haired mage the others addressed as lord Vanterl would not realize that something was off, at least the bandit leader had to be in his original form, preferably left alive and not as a corpse puppet fused with a sentinel.

 Chapter 315 102 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 315 102 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 1)</h4>

    Even though the magicless bandits were fooled and didn''t notice a difference, there was no opportunity to check whether that would be the case for a mage.

    Although the ability to sense mana of different attributes was rare, the crimson-haired man had already shown not just one but two spells that had suggested him not being just an average mage content with the basic spells.

    "...!"

    Suddenly, all the bandits tensed up as someone showed up in the foresty spot they picked for an ambush ¨C and Zoemi froze in pace too, halfway through a pushup as the drop of sweat dripped from his chin after he already lost count of the exact number of reps he already performed.

    "...tsk..."

    But as it turned out, the travelers who showed up were just a family of three, all vigers by the looks of it ¨C a skinny man, a plump woman, and a putting little girl - all both magicless and poor so not worth attacking, as even if they had their life''s savings, no matter how much it would be it would no recuperate the loss the bandits would suffer if the merchant had realized that something was wrong and change their route.

    Of course, everyone in the merchant''s group was tipped off about what would happen, s they would march into a trap even if the bandits moved out of their hiding spots and rolled out a red carpet for them, but that knowledge wasn''t avable for the bandit leader and two of his most trusted men.

    So they let the viger family pass unbothered and continued the waiting game.

    Zoemi changed the exercise from pushups to nks.

    The minutes passed but the road remained empty.

    Zoemi was getting worried while regretting that he didn''t send out a sentinel to the merchant transporting the artifact too so he could at least expect what was going on.

    The bandits were oddly at peace ¨C in Zoemi''s opinion, at least.

    Although, thanks to the ess to the memories of twelve of them, most of their activities were actuallyying in wait just like they were doing now.

    It was nothing more and nothing less than another job and only Zoemi who was vicariously experiencing it for the first time found it anxiety-inducing.

    At one point he even made one of the standard sentinels leave its position and fly above the trees to check whether the merchants were at least approaching already, but the trees blocked most of the road so that brought no result.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy breathed out in disappointment while the seconds turned into minutes at an excruciatingly slow rate, both because of the wait and the strain on his body caused by his choice of exercise, when suddenly...!

    *knock* *knock*

    "...huh...?!"

    Someone arrived, but not in the foresty area where the banditsid in an ambush, but in front of his room.

    Well, it was time for breakfast but Zoemi had told Benevirau that he will most likely not have either the morning or the mid-day meal and to not bother him about it.

    That could only mean that something happened - something that the dark-blue-haired butler deemed so important that he decided it was okay to have Zoemi''s attention.

    "..."

    Since Benevirau made an impression on the ck-haired boy suggesting that he was a very responsible and dutiful person, Zoemi didn''t get angry or annoyed and simply stood up, wiping the sweat off his face ¨C only to realize that his shirt itself was already drenched from the physical activity.

    |I''ll see what it is about and go take a quick bath... it should be fine, the merchant is clearly taking his time...|

    Zoemi thought to himself looking at the white shirt that turned half-transparent and was tightly sticking to his body.

    *knock* *knock*

    The shy knocking repeated, and judging by the sound alone, the person on the other side of the door was getting hesitant, maybe even reconsidering showing up in front of the room.

    "I''ming!"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi called out to stop them since he thought that the least he could do is hear out what was it about ¨C but it sounded like his words caused the person outside to panic.

    *click*

    Still, that didn''t deter Zoemi from unlocking the door and opening it while doing his best to control the rate of his breathing increased by the hours of exercise.

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    "Hmm...? Oh? Ririe...?"

    Fully expecting to see the dark-blue-haired butler, Zoemi was surprised to find himself in need of looking down at the small-framed brown-haired girl.

    ...who was using her hands to cover her crimson-red face, but was still staring at the ck-haired boy''s torso through the spaces in between her fingers...

    "What''s the matter...?"

    *thump*

    Zoemi tilted his head, asking with concern but at that moment the girl''s knees gave out and she plopped on her butt while continuing to speechlessly stare between Zoemi''s face, and his wet-shirt-d torso.

    "Ririe?! Are you okay?!"

    The worried ck-haired boy gasped in concern and reached out his hand to help the girl back up, but as it turned out, her legs havepletely turned into jello, rendering the attempts useless.

    "Pardon me."

    Since it didn''t feel right to just leave her in the hallway, Zoemi apologized in advance and picked her up, moving her from the hallway''s floor to his bed so that she would be able toy down and rest.

    |Oh dear ¨C I saw her doing her best recently, but could it be that she ended up pushing herself past her limits? Was that it? Did shee here to ask for a day off or a sick leave?|

    Zoemi thought to himself, helping the girly down.

    The merchant was nowhere to be seen and the bandits were still patiently waiting, so actually, the ck-haired boy had some time to spare.

    "Rire, don''t worry about a thing and just rest her. I''m going to take a quick bath and be right back."

    Zoemi spoke in a reassuring voice while patting the girl''s shoulder - he also used that moment to cast a copy of the check-up spell to make sure that her life wasn''t in danger or anything, but thankfully beside the increased heart rate there didn''t seem to be anything wrong with her.

    Expecting her to suffer from overwork, Zoemi decided it would be best to not heal her up as she would most likely get back to work immediately, while it was far better for her to have a natural rest.

    "Yesh...! I mean, yes...! I... I''ll be in your care if you think that I''m good enough...!"

    "...? Yeah, of course..."

    The magicless girl wanted to answer so fast that she ended up biting her tongue and causing Zoemi to raise his brow in confusion.

    |I''m only going to have a bath and carry her back to her room, why would she not be good enough for that?|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself in concern while leaving the girl and going to the bathroom.

    He even considered leaving a sentinel with her just in case the check-up spell didn''t activate properly and the girl would copse and require his help, but he stopped himself, as that would be dangerously close to peeping or straight-up stalking - which both were a definite no-go in his books.

    "Don''t push yourself too hard."

    "N-no...! It''s not like that! I-I am incredibly happy but, it''s so soon...! I did imagine and hoped that you would be interested in me like that but I never actually thought that...!"

    Zoemi added while closing the door, missing part of the girl''s words...

 Chapter 316 102 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 2 - Reoâ€™s POV [side])

    <h4>Chapter 316 102 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 2 - Reo''s POV [side])</h4>

    Reo woke up together with the sun and dressed up watching it rise above the horizon.

    She considered showing up to Zoemi in the green-haired boy''s appearance, but she honestly preferred her real looks so much that she ended up deciding otherwise.

    Actually, she was already thinking about doing a whole scene where she would leave as the green-haired boy under the excuse of returning to her family and then just stay in the Banemor mansion as herself.

    "..."

    She sighed thinking about it, but she knew that her family wouldn''t just let her do that, as they stubbornly refused to let her leave too afraid that she would reveal the family secret and get them all in trouble.

    Reo looked in the mirror checking up whether she put on the simple maid dress properly this time, and nodded at her reflection with satisfaction.

    Zoemi told her that he would require some peace and quiet and to not bother him without a reason, but that didn''t mean that she would have a day off herself.

    She had officially be a maid-in-training after all and sir Benevirau was properly instructing her without holding back, clearly intending her to stay in the mansion as a real maid since Zoemi had a soft spot for her.

    Well ¨C more for Reo in her male disguise, but that was just a small detail that could be corrected easily...

    ...in Benevirau''s opinion at least...

    Prepared for another day of chores and duties, Reo left her room and went straight to the small office where the dark-blue-haired butler could be found in the morning and in the evening.

    That''s how things were for the past couple of days ¨C the brown-haired girl would wake up, go to the butler''s office, learn about the schedule for the day and go to the kitchen to have breakfast.

    That day was supposed to be the same but...

    *knock* *knock*

    "...yes...?"

    When the magicless girl politely knocked on the door, Benevirou''s greeted her from the inside sounding rather shocked.

    "Good morning, sir. What is the n for today?"

    Still, Reo entered the room, bowing down her head politely, and waited.

    "..."

    "...?"

    But when she raised her head she was greeted by the dark-blue-haired butler making a confused expression.

    "Is something the matter?"

    She asked worriedly.

    Was there something she forgot? Or maybe did the misty-gray-eyed man had already instructed her before and she did not pay enough attention?

    "Miss Reo... Aren''t you suppose to be with the young master?"

    He asked, tilting his head.

    "E-eh...? But sir Zoemi said that he will be busy...?"

    Reo also tilted her head and asked back, getting as confused as Benevirau.

    "Well... yes. But wasn''t he supposed to be busy with you...? I mean, he is a healthy young man ¨C he has his urges... He told me that you were informed about everything and were okay with helping him out... Did I misunderstand him...?"

    "Eh...? EEEHHH?!"

    The dark-blue-haired butler furrowed his brows with a straight face - which in turn made Reo blush and start fidgetting.

    "S-sir Benevirau, when you say urges... do you mean that sir Zoemi wants to... with me... do the adult stuff...?"

    Reo asked with a flushed face while she felt a tingly feeling in her abdomen.

    "That''s one way to call it, but if you mean sex and not, for example, doing the taxes, then yes I meant the adult stuff. Would there be any other reason why a young man like the young master would want two day''s off even though he is making the duties of the territory ruler look like the simplest task?"

    "!!!!!!!!"

    The calm and matter-of-fact voice of the dark-blue-haired butler made Reo clench her legs together and gulp down her saliva while holding her hands close to her chest.

    "If I am mistaken and the young master never requested you to aid him in such a way, please let me sincerely apologize. I did not mean to offend you..."

    Hearing no response from the girl, Benevirau furrowed his brows and bowed down his head but...

    "N-no! I-I think that he did say something about it...!"

    ...Reo suddenly gasped, straightening her back and dering with her face burning bright red.

    "W-we talked yesterday, and he talked about me liking somebody else, but now that I think about it, he might have just been asking that because he was too embarrassed to ask me straight about it...! I... I think that I missed it... but I would be more than happy to...! AH! I-I mean... if he wants me to... I... I do not mind...!"

    The brown-haired girl couldn''t stay still, as it looked like the situation she literally had dreamed about on a few separate asions was actually happening in real life.

    "Oh, I see. Yes, the young master doesn''t seem to like crudenguage so he most likely would find it troublesome to properly convey his intentions when ites to that subject. But as long as both of you are consenting adults... "

    Benevirau raised his head and nodded in understanding, smiling softly before returning to the paperwork that Zoemi would have to check after his days off.

    "I-I-I''m of then...!"

    Reo gasped, straightening her back like a saluting soldier, and hurriedly returned to her room.

    "Bath...! I need to take a bath...! Should I do something about my hair too...? Ah, my only female attire is the maid uniform... But... he wouldn''t mind, right...?"

    She thought out loud while hurriedly preparing.

    A few minutester, although she would like to have more time but was worried that she was making Zoemi wait and that he would lose interest, she was ready and standing in front of his master bedroom with still slightly damp hair.

    "..."

    And she was getting cold feet.

    |Am... Am I good enough for him...? What if there is something wrong with me...? Aren''t my breasts too unproportianallyrgepared to the rest...?|

    Reo was biting her lips in desperation while holding her hand an inch away from the door.

    |No ¨C stop that! This is my chance...! I need to just... just do it...!|

    She thought to herself and...

    *knock* *knock*

    She knocked on the door.

    "..."

    Still, at first, there was no reaction.

    |Ah...! Did... did he lose interest...? Or is he angry at me for not arriving sooner? What if he is doing it himself and....|

    *knock* *knock*

    "I''ming!"

    |HE IS DOING IT BY HIMSELF!|

    She knocked on the door again, this time a lot softer as she was getting embarrassed ¨C but then she heard Zoemi from the inside, answering in a raspy, tired voice and her brain went ces.

 Chapter 317 102 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 3 - Reoâ€™s POV [side])

    <h4>Chapter 317 102 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 3 - Reo''s POV [side])</h4>

    *click*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    "Hmm...? Oh? Ririe...?"

    Still, before she could mentally prepare herself, the door opened and The ck-haired boy emerged from the room, looking so attractive that the brown-haired girl felt her brain turning into mush.

    It was too much, the sight alone was too much...!

    "!!!!"

    Reo covered her crimson-red face, but was unable to help herself and continued staring at the ck-haired boy''s torso through the spaces in between her fingers...

    "What''s the matter...?"

    *thump*

    Zoemi tilted his head, asking with concern but at that moment Reo''s knees gave out and she plopped on her butt while continuing to speechlessly stare between Zoemi''s face, and his wet-shirt-d torso.

    Was she dreaming?

    She must have been dreaming...!

    No one is allowed to be that attractive...!

    It was even more stimting than that time he pushed her against the wall - mostly because now she was showing him her real appearance and the shirt was sticking to his muscr body in a way that left nothing to the imagination.

    "Ririe?! Are you okay?!"

    The worried ck-haired boy gasped in concern and reached out his hand to help her get back up on her feet, but as it turned out, Reo''s legs havepletely turned into jello, rendering the attempts useless.

    "Pardon me."

    Seeing that just supporting her wasn''t enough, Zoemi nodded his head apologetically and picked her up so easily as if she weighed nothing, making her heart flutter.

    She was so close to his face now ¨C if she only moved her hands and leaned even an inch closer, she would be able to kiss him...!

    Even his smell was amazing as a single whiff was causing her body to be hot.

    But s, she hesitated too long and The ck-haired boy put her on the bed...

    |Bed...? BED! ZOEMI''S BED IN ZOEMI''S ROOM! THAT''S RIGHT WE ARE GOING TO...!|

    It took her a few seconds but once she realized where she ended up, her brain went into overdrive and she could feel her heartbeat so fast that it felt as if it was going to burst out of her chest at any moment.

    "Rire, don''t worry about a thing and just rest her. I''m going to take a quick bath and be right back."

    "!!!!!!!!"

    Zoemi spoke in a reassuring voice while patting the girl''s shoulder ¨C unaware that his touch sent jolts through the girl''s body, causing her eyes to fog up, and her legs to start rubbing together.

    "Yesh...! I mean, yes...! I... I''ll be in your care if you think that I''m good enough...!"

    "...? Yeah, of course..."

    |HE SAID I''M GOOD ENOUGH FOR HIM! HE SAID IT...!|

    Zoemi, slightly confused about the question, nodded and went to the bathroom, leaving the overjoyed and extremely excited girl on the bed.

    "Don''t push yourself too hard."

    "N-no...! It''s not like that! I-I am incredibly happy but, it''s so soon...! I did imagine and hoped that you would be interested in me like that but I never actually thought that...!"

    The ck-haired boy added while closing the door, which must have caused him to miss at least part of the words Reo said.

    *click*

    "..."

    The sound of the lock turning in the bathroom door let the magicless girl know that the ck-haired boy didn''t want to be joined during the bath, which honestly made her feel a bit sad.

    She understood that he must not like being sweaty, but honestly, being in his strong arms while surrounded by his smell might have awakened something in Reo.

    "..."

    The brown-haired girl looked around all fidgety, not knowing what she should do or how to act.

    Since she spent most of her life under the appearance of a boy thanks to the artifact she had on her even now ¨C only without the inserted mana stone ¨C it was her first time in a situation like that.

    "...!"

    After realizing that she spent over four minutes just staring at the bathroom door, Reo flinched and grabbed the side of her skirt.

    |He wille out of the bathroom without clothes, right... it''s only right to undress while I wait...|

    She thought to herself, biting her lips.

    Without wasting any more time she hurriedly took off her clothes ¨C at first, she wanted to just leave them on the floor but decided that this would make her appear like a slovenly person, so she folded each piece neatly and put it on top of her shoes by the bedside.

    |Should... should I remove them too... noo...! that would be too embarrassing to wait for him like that...!|

    Reo thought to herself while ncing down at the undershirt on thin straps and simple panties that she bought in the city since every piece of clothing she originally brought with her was for males.

    |Ah! The door''s unlocked!|

    *click*

    She realized at thest second and tiptoed towards the door and turned the key before skipping back on the bed.

    "..."

    With that, Reo was prepared.

    She kneeled down at the mattress and then sat at her feet, straightening her back and putting her hands on her knees.

    The thin material was unable to hide how excited she was, but she wasn''t going to back out now.

    She took a deep breath, trying topose herself and...

    *click*

    "Puah...! Sorry it took so long."

    "!!!!"

    The door to the bathroom opened and Zoemi emerged from inside with a big towel around his waist and a small one on his head that he was using to dry out his heart ¨C he walked outpletely unbothered, unable to see Reo flinching because of the towel obstructing his vision as he walked towards the big closet, opening it and hiding behind the door.

    "How are you fe...?"

    Finally, he didn''t remove the towel but peeked at Reo from behind the closet and suddenly words got stuck in his mouth...

    "WHAT IN THE...?!"

    Suddenly he let out a loud gasp and jumped back, sending his towel - or rather towels - flying as he tripped on the carpet and fell down.

    "Sir Zoemi!? Ah...!"

    Reo, shocked by the reaction got up from the bed and hurriedly approached him and let out a short bashful gap when she saw the ck-haired boy fully exposed...

    "Oww... Huh...? AH!? HUH?!"

    Zoemi was massaging his back before he nced up at the worried girl, blushed, looked down, realized that there was nothing covering hisher regions, and gasped while grasping the towel that he dropped to cover himself.

 Chapter 318 102 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 318 102 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 4)</h4>

    Zoemi get out of the bathtub and started drying himself with a towel with an absentminded expression, torn between worrying about the magicless girl''s health and keeping an eye on the bandits lying in ambush.

    Although the long time that it was taking the merchant to show up was starting to get on his nerves, it also gave him an opportunity to take care of the brown-haired maid-in-training.

    "Tsk... clothes..."

    The ck-haired boy clicked his tongue when he reached his hand towards the rack where he usually stacked the change of clothes as he went for a bath and realized that he did not remember to do so this time around.

    "I will just have to make a run for the closet. I hope it won''t bother her... what do you think?"

    Zoemi sighed while affixing therge towel around his waist while using a smaller one to dry his hair.

    [She looked kind of out of it, I bet she will not even notice.]

    Ludier''s shadow called out from the depths of Zoemi''s mind, sounding kind of bored and indifferent.

    "Yeah, she might have even fallen asleep, pushing oneself past your limit is no joke."

    The ck0ahired boy nodded and walked towards the door, unlocking it and re-entering his room.

    "Puah...! Sorry it took so long."

    "!!!!"

    Zoemi breathed out and took a deep breath of the much cooler air while emerging from the bathroom, briskly walking towards the big closet, opening it, and hiding behind the door.

    "How are you fe...?"

    He took off the small towel from his head and leaned from behind the closet''s door to check up on the brown-haired girl, but the sight that he witnessed had thrown him for a loop.

    It literally took him five seconds to properly take in the sight of the barely-clothed girl waiting for him on the bed wearing only a set of underwear that was doing a poor job of covering anything.

    "WHAT IN THE...?!"

    When the view finally sunk in and his brain started working again, the ck-haired boy let out a loud gasp and jumped back, dropping the small towel as his sudden movement loosened the big one around his waist causing it to slide down.

    To make the situation even more ridiculous, as he wasnding, his heel ended up folding the carpet by the closet, which resulted in him losing his bnce and falling down.

    "Sir Zoemi!? Ah...!"

    The brown-haired girl let out a panicked cry and get off the bed and approached him, only to gasp and blush with her eyes fixated on a certain lively spot...

    "Oww... Huh...? AH!? HUH?!"

    Zoemi groaned, massaging his back before he nced up at the worried girl, blushed seeing her up close, and looked down after realizing where she was staring just to realize that was nothing covering hisher regions - and gasped while grasping the towel that he dropped to cover himself.

    "R-Ririe...! What are you doing...?! Did... did you get a fewer and forgot that you aren''t in your own room...?! Why did you undress...?!"

    The ck-haired boy asked inplete confusion, trying to figure out how did he get into that sort of situation.

    Why was it happening at this exact time when there was focusing on keeping an eye on a very important event going on.

    |The hell is this supposed to be?! Is she actually someone sent here to mess with us?!|

    Zoemi gritted his teeth and attempted to look away from the concerned-looking girl leaning down towards him, intentionally ¨C or not ¨C revealing even more of her voluptuous body.

    [If she is, then she is seeding. You keep staring.]

    |I AM TRYING NOT TO!|

    Ludier''s shadow scoffed at him mockingly and the ck-haired boy roared back at him in his mind.

    [Well, I cannot really me you. The size of those things really boggles my mind, she''s the type that looks smaller in clothes... isn''t that ridiculous? With that volume?]

    |I CAN SEE THAT! NOW SHUT UP!|

    Still, it seemed that even the unique shadow of the ice-mage couldn''t help himself frommenting on the situation, making Zoemi angry.

    But in fact, that anger was exactly what the ck-haired boy needed to clear his mind even a little bit.

    "Sir Zoemi... Am... am I not to your liking...?"

    "...?!"

    Zoemi started paying attention just in time to see the girl''s trembling chin as she asked, clenching both of her hands and pressing them against her chest in distress.

    |Hold up...!|

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and furrowed his brows.

    "Ririe... why did youe to my room today...?"

    He asked, getting up and moving back behind the closet''s door where he hurriedly started dressing up.

    "Eh...? I... Well... didn''t you call for me to... help you... umm... relieve the pent-up stress...?"

    The magicless girl cowered and started stuttering as her face was getting redder and redder from embarrassment with each word she spoke unable to get a certain image out of her mind.

    "...Ririe... when did I say that?"

    |Did I say anything that could be interpreted in such a way..?|

    [Not to my knowledge, no.]

    Zoemi asked out loud while also confirming it with Ludier''s shadow, who affirmed his doubts.

    "Well... I... you... wasn''t that what you meant when you asked me if I like lord Reo...?"

    "..."

    The girl lowered her head and muttered, making Zoemi look up and blink repeatedly while frowning.

    |...what...? How in the world did THAT got misinterpreted like that?!|

    He thought to himself unable to figure out the logic behind that way of thinking.

    [I don''t know... I was a very lucky man and my lovely wife was straightforward in her affection so we could just talk openly about those things. But everyone is different, so...]

    Ludier''s shadow answered him once again, although this time it kind of sounded as if he was boasting...

    ...and wasn''t helpful at all...

    "Ririe... there has been a mimunication... I really meant it when I said that Reo seems to like you, and I said that I want to be left in peace because I am watching over something important ¨C definitely not because I wanted to force you to do something so..."

    "I wasn''t forced...! I...! I will be more than d to help you out in any way I can, sir Zoemi..."

    The ck-haired boy breathed out and tried to exin, but the brown-haired girl had cut him off while making a pitiful expression.

    [It looks that she is serious about you...]

    |...|

    Ludier''s shadow pointed out, causing Zoemi to bite his lips.

    "Sir Zoemi, I am not acting rashly, the truth is I have liked you all the way since you helped me out back then..."

    The brown-haired girl took a step forward and spoke up, realizing that the reality ispletely different from her hopes.

    And, when she said that she liked Zoemi from back then, she meant it by the beginning of the school year when he had saved her from Xeonith''s spell after she nted a cracked wind mana stone in the pot, causing the oatmeal eruption in order to ensure that no one will doubt her being a magician.

    "..."

    But for Zoemi who didn''t know that Ririe was in fact Reo, her words sounded as if she talked about him saving her from the pervert only two weeks ago, making her words sound like something someone naive and innocent would think, mistaking gratitude for love.

    "...I think I understand ¨C not everything but at least the gist of it... Ririe. I am sorry. I already have someone that I like in such a way, and it is not you. Please, get dressed."

    "...!"

    Zoemi buttoned up his shirt and dered with a serious expression, causing Reo to flinch.

    [Wow... and I am supposed to be the one in charge of ice...]

    |Shut up. What, is it better to lead her on? What would your wife say hearing you talk like that?|

    [...alright, damn ¨C I get it, kid...]

    Ludier''s shadow gasped but got shot down by Zoemi without even a bit of hesitation.

    *sniffle*

    "...!"

    Then, the sound of sobbing made the ck-haired boy flinch and he closed the closet''s door to reveal the brown-haired girl hiding her face in her hands as her shoulders trembled.

    "S-sir Zoemi... I... I am sorry...!"

    She sniffled, and the next moment she grabbed her clothes and ran out of the room...

    *thump*

    ...or at least she attempted to but she ended up encountering the closed door that she locked herself...

    "...!"

    The brown-haired girl took a quick breath, doing her best to not straight up burst into crying, and reached for the key...

    "I am not in a position to tell you how you should feel, but don''t do anything rash. Maybe take a few days off and think things through. When you make a decision you don''t have toe to me if you don''t wish to see me. You can just talk to Benevirau ¨C or not. If you don''t want to return afterward, it''s also okay."

    "..."

    Zoemi looked at the girl and then lowered his head apologetically, causing her to flinch.

    "...I... Understand..."

    Reo sniffled and nodded.

    She even ended up hurriedly putting on her dress to not run through the hallway half-naked and nodded while doing her best to calmly unlock the door.

    "...I will take the few days off..."

    She added, without looking back at the ck-haired boy, and left.

    "..."

    Zoemi sighed ncing at the door for a few seconds when...

    "(Ghost!)"

    "(Ghost...!)"

    "(Ghost spotted!)"

    "!?!?!?!?!??!"

    In an instant, three of his sentinels contacted him via the massage spell causing the ck-hired boy to switch into battle mode as the wave of hatred crashed against the core of his being washing off any other emotion.

    Without a moment of hesitation, he focused in order to connect himself to the sentinels that located the member of a Ghost of Bellcephora and...

    "What the fuck...?!"

    Zoemi cursed as he realized that it wasn''t any of the ny-seven sentinels that he sent out to search for the group of traitors, and instead it was the three whom he sent to watch the bandits'' ambush...!

 Chapter 319 103 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 319 103 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 5)</h4>

    The merchant and his guards had finally arrived, but amongst their group, a single person had a unique shadow that was too big and detailed to belong to an ordinary magician.

    It was also a shadow that Zoemi recognized as he had seen it in person once already...

    The gigantic female wolf that dwarfed everything around her belonged to none other than the short-haired, dark-skinned

    Elsby ¨C the young woman that he encountered during the shopping trip with Miriette.

    At the moment, Elsby was disguising herself as a hooded masked bodyguard with a shortsword at her waist.

    "What is that supposed to mean?! What do Ghosts have to do with this? Damn it!"

    Zoemi growled, gritting his teeth.

    Even though the short-haired young woman was the only one amongst the Ghosts that he didn''t feel immediate murderous intent, her presence alone was a threat to the n.

    What was her purpose in being there?

    As the ck-haired boy was clenching his fists, the merchant''s group got in the right spot and the bandits jumped out to attack.

    "...!"

    When Zoemi noticed Elsby using show connect and the thin hair-like shadows erupt from beneath her feet and connect to every single person on the screen, he could not hold himself back anymore and teleported to the nearest sentinel.

    "...huh...?"

    Once on the spot, he froze as the disguised Elsby went straight for one of the three actual bandits and knocked him out with the pommel of her sword, and immediately after rushed at the bandit''s leader who attacked her with the one-handed axe.

    Even though she could have easily dodged the hasty attack, she ended up receiving it, letting the axe head break through her corbone and sink into her body, and even allowed for the bandit leader to cheer out loudly and kicked her back to retrieve his weapon just to be knocked out by one of the guards hurrying to help.

    "...she is... going along with my n...? What in the world is going on...?"

    Zoemi squinted his eyes and whispered to himself deciding to wait and see what would happen.

    Was she intending to steal the modern artifact from under the noses of the guards...?

    Or was she aiming for something else entirely...?

    The ck-haired boy carefully observed the member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora who wasying on the ground acting dead even though she didn''t suffer any actual damage.

    Just as was the case with Raseriat, right under her skin there was no actual flesh and blood as all of it got reced with the condensed jet-ck silky darkness that was immune to conventional attacks and weaponry.

    With two out of three bandits unconscious it didn''t take too long to knock out the third one.

    With them gone, one of Zoemi''s puppets raised his hand and called out for thepletion of the first stage of their n.

    Few guards approached the fallen Elsby, looking extremely concerned thinking that it was an actual casualty but...

    "Leave that one alone."

    Zoemi frowned andmanded one of his puppets to stop the concerned men from approaching the disguised Ghost for their own safety.

    They did seem rather disturbed about the demand, but with more puppets joining in and reminding them of the second part of their n, they begrudgingly gave up and helped out with unloading the cargo from the merchant''s wagon and started applying the fake wounds that would convince the three knocked out bandits about the positive oue of their ambush when they will eventually regain their consciousness.

    To make things even more convincing and stop the three from trying to check up on the bodies, all of the bodyguards removed the pouches with coins they had on them and threw them on a pile next to the loot before lying on the ground to act dead.

    With that, the stage was set within a few minutes, and the eager puppets pped the bandits awake.

    "...!"

    After a moment of confusion and hesitation, the bandit leader ordered the others to divide the loot amongst themselves while he made sure that the described artifact was secured in one piece so it would be easily recognizable.

    Then...

    "Fucking asshole... I got him good."

    "...!"

    The bandit leader walked over to the disguised Elsby and kicked at her stomach, causing the observing Zoemi to flinch.

    "Hmph!"

    But Elsby didn''t break her role and let herself be kicked around without showing any reaction whatsoever, ying dead perfectly and making the bandit leader scoff with satisfaction after seeing her tumble on the ground like a ragdoll.

    "Are you ready? We''re going back to the hideout to properly share the loot before sending off the special package. Let''s go."

    The bandit leader nodded with satisfaction and called out, ordering the others.

    After all, they had no reason to cover up anything, part of their n was for someone to discover the robbed bodies to ensure that it would be certain that the magicless bandits were behind everything so that it would be easier to pin the fault at the Espine family that did hesitate from hiring anyone who showed enough capabilities regardless of them having magic or not.

    All the bandits flee from the scene within the next few minutes but the merchant and the guards didn''t move for quite a while longer to ensure that the truth will not be discovered.

    Once that was assured, the first thing the group did was walk over to the Elsby, as the wound she was supposed to suffer must have looked very serious to them and they were sure that she was actually dead, that''s why...

    "Whew! That was unpleasant!"

    "!!!!"

    That''s why they all jumped or backed away in shock when the disguised girl sprung right back up as if nothing happened and started dusting off her attire while sounding extremely cheerful.

    "Wha...?! How did you...?! But, the wound...?!"

    "Chainmail, my overly worried friend, chainmail. I will end up with a bruise after that chop, but let me tell you this - that guy will be limping for a week after kicking me like that! Ahaha~!"

    One of the guards called out but was just shrugged off by the happy-go-lucky girl patting her stomach - although she did not show off the wound and instead was facing the other way to make it impossible for the others to confirm her words.

    "Hey, I was thest-minute addition, but let''s make it clear, is the guy who hired us paying well? I must have missed the part where we were told to not bring too much money with us because it will be taken away... I am going to miss my dinner...!"

    "Pfffft...! If you are bothered about some spare change then you really are fine!"

    "Ahahaha!"

    "Don''t worry, we will get paid well enough."

    Elsby shrugged her shoulders and sulked theatrically which made the guards and the merchantugh with relief.

    "Alright, they should be far enough already, let''s pack up and return to the town."

    "Miss - you said that you don''t have money for dinner - you definitely did a good job acting dead, I wouldn''t be able to keep quiet if someone kicked me like that - you earned yourself a feast!"

    The merchant who already managed to change his shirt said with a benevolent smile and all the bodyguards nodded in agreement

    "Nah, I was kidding. I will go take a leak and return to the town on my own. I shoulde to pick up the reward tomorrow in the same spot that we gathered today?"

    Elsby waved her hand dismissively and started walking straight towards Zoemi''s spot.

    "Ha! Yes, that''s right. Just watch out for the snakes!"

    The merchantughed and leaned down to pat the side of his horse which also deserved a reward for not panicking and running away while the fighting started, allowing the merchant to ride back to the town instead of going on foot.

 Chapter 320 103 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 6)

    <h4>Chapter 320 103 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 6)</h4>

    The other bodyguards were surprised about Elsby''s decision not to go back together but ended up hopping on the free ride anyway without questioning her.

    With the others gone, Elsby ended up taking off her hood and removing the mask, revealing her face and jet-ck hair.

    "..."

    She squinted her eyes and started looking around, clearly looking for something.

    "Zoemi - you were watching everything, didn''t you? I mean no harm and just came to talk!"

    "!!!!"

    The ck-haired boy, hidden within hearing distance almost tripped and fell after hearing that...

    |How the hell does she knows that I''m here?!|

    [She sounded like she knows that you were watching, not that you were here in person though. Just be ready to teleport and go see what she wants.]

    "...!"

    Zoemi gritted his teeth, activating his enchantments, but ended up flinching after hearing Ludier''s shadow''sment that for once was right on the mark.

    "Zoemi...? Eh...? was my instinct off the mark...?"

    While the ck-haired boy was nning his next move, Elsby furrowed her brows and muttered to herself in concern.

    The one good thing was that the cheerful member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora wasn''t actually trying to search for the ck-haired boy.

    Although it might have been a sneaky ploy, Zoemi''s curiosity ended up winning as he stepped forward to meet with probably the only member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora that he didn''t want to kill on the spot.

    ...which yed a major part in him deciding to check what was her deal...

    "Yo. You gave me quite a scare, what does a member of the Ghosts want with me?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi called out after making sure that his enchantments are active and that he can use the teleportation spell without any dy, and funnily enough, he made Elsby flinch.

    "Eh?! Whoa! You were actually here?! Not just watching?! Ha! My intuition was on the spot!"

    The young woman''s eyes widened once she located the boy''s position, but her first reaction was still a proud cheer.

    "Ehem... I mean... Good morning, Zoemi! I have been looking for you!"

    Then, all of a sudden she flinched and straightened her back before clearing her throat and speaking in a polite voice.

    "...why...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, tensing up prepared for at least one other member of the Ghosts of Bellcpehora to show up at any moment.

    "I wanted to talk. When we talked before you

    seemed like a reasonable kid... even though you ate my dog..."

    Elsby exined ¨C and pouted while mumbling thest part under her breath, but since Zoemi had his enchantments active, he ended up hearing it anyway.

    "Excuse me? I did not ¨C ate ¨C your dog!"

    Zoemi frowned and shook his head taken by surprise, but didn''t drop his guard at all.

    "Yes, you did! One of those guys!"

    In response to his denial, the short-haired young woman furrowed her brows and scoffed, snapping her fingers which caused arge wolf-like shadow beast to emerge from her shadow and sat by her feet wagging its tail.

    "Oh... right... I guess you could call it eating... So, that''s how you track me down... You were still connected with your summon and came here to avenge it?"

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and scoffed, silently activating shadow connect and sending out Ludier''s shadow to attack the jet-ck-haired young woman from behind.

    "...no? I lost the connection the moment you abducted them, and I found you thanks to my intuition. I do not want to fight."

    Elsby shook her head and dered, raising her hands as if she was surrendering.

    "Intuition...?"

    "Intuition, instinct, both names work honestly. I just know stuff."

    Zoemi asked, raising his brow and Elsby answered immediately shrugging her shoulders with an innocent smirk.

    "What do you want?"

    The ck-haired boy didn''t allow himself to get swept into the young woman''s peace and asked while silently conjuring sentinels to patrol the area for any threats.

    "Just to talk and confirm a few suspicions. Do not worry, I am not connected with the rest at the moment."

    Elsby shook her head and assured him waving her hand again, but her words certainly did not convince the cautious Zoemi.

    "What is that supposed to mean? How are you all connected in the first ce?"

    Since they were talking, the ck-haired boy decided to try and get the best of it while he could, although he was getting anxious.

    Should he even talk with her?

    "Ah. Sorry, You just look like a darkness magician so I forgot that you wield a different attribute."

    Elsby raised her brows and breathed out making an embarrassed expression.

    "You see, the biggest concern with the darkness magic isn''t just that it can kill its user."

    "..."

    She then proceeded to answer the surprised boy''s question without holding back.

    "The real problem starts when the darkness magician''s mana reservoir achieves the size of the average water magician. As it turns out at that point the darkness mana forcibly connects everyone who is at that level creating an awful amalgamation of consciences with multiple bodies but a single will. There is no privacy, no hidden thoughts, everything is exposed. Every secret, every dream, every w. It''s horrible. When in that state, it''s not possible for a unit to oppose the majority. NO matter how much they hate the decision, all of the bodies will act upon themand given by the joint consciousness. The only way to escape that is to erge the mana reservoir of one''s original body to at least ten times the size of an average light magician''s capacity, which is easier said than done. And even afterward, once disconnected, it''s still possible to connect back... the amount of mana required to have peace of mind in one''s own body is on a level of a sage ¨C so we are talking of hundreds of times more mana than an average light magician could possess. Now you get what I mean when I say I am not connected at the moment?"

    Elsby exined and her smile became somber.

    "What I get from that is you are trying to convince me that you didn''t actually want to betray the Bellcephora kingdom."

    "...because I didn''t..."

    Zoemi scoffed and shook his head while Elsby''s smile got reced by a bitter expression.

    "Alright, I answered your question, now you answer mine."

    The jet-ck-haired young woman shook her head and looked back at the ck-haired boy.

    "You were the one who killed Raseriat, weren''t you?"

    "...?"

    She asked, but Zoemi merely furrowed his brows and tilted his head.

    "I have no idea who are you talking about."

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy lied without batting an eye, making Elsby furrow her brows.

    "The others are certain that the ice magician guy had killed her because she was stupid and let herself be trapped, but thest image she sent out together with all of her mana was too strange. The scruffy pale-blue-haired man looked far too surprised to be the one to deliver the final blow, and it definitely wasn''t a face that someone who simply couldn''t believe their spell would work would make. To further back up my im ¨C you already showed us that you can use ice magic powerful enough to hider a sage when you punched ourmander and encased him in ice while getting away with acquiring arge amount of mana from his darkness de... And right now there is a strong ice mana source behind me."

    "..."

    Elsby pointed out and it was Zoemi''s turn to furrow his brows at her.

 Chapter 321 103 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 7)

    <h4>Chapter 321 103 - Banemor territory - part 3 - Taken by surprise (part 7)</h4>

    "Is there one? No way...! Maybe there''s an ice sage hunting you Ghosts down for the time you killed his important person? Because that''s how you must have gained the mana necessary for disconnecting right? Using the spell that lets you acquire the mana of the person you kill."

    "..."

    Zoemi gasped and took a step back looking all surprised before he dropped the act and his face twisted in annoyance, causing Elsby to close her mouth and re at him.

    "I really did note here to fight you, but you are getting over the line."

    The jet-ck-haired girl breathed out and raised her head as her shadow extended and a whole pack of the wolf-like shadow beast emerged from inside with bristled jet-ck fur.

    There weren''t as many as Zoemi expected though, only around seventy ¨C without a doubt Elsby was holding back...

    ...or underestimating him thinking that it was enough to take him on...

    "Sentinels."

    "~!" x242

    As the ground was taken by the Elsby shadow beasts, the space between the trees was taken over by Zoemi''s sentinels havering above the wolf-like shadows, outnumbering them at least three to one.

    "...hold on... aren''t those...?!"

    Seeing the lively orbs of murky darkness the jet-ck-haired young woman''s eyes widened and she gasped in disbelief.

    "Learning the structure of your spell allowed me to enhance the original spell ¨C this is what your dog was used for."

    "~!"

    In response to her, the ck-haired boy smirked and reached out his hand, patting the closest sentinel that started nuzzling back against his hand immediately.

    "...do you have any idea how long I spend on perfecting that spell...?"

    Elsby bit her lips and for the first time, her eyes showed actual fury.

    "See? This is why I cannot trust you. You Ghosts only care about showing off and proving yourself, the moment something goes against your n you go batshit insane. Maybe I don''t hate you because originally you weren''t as bad as the rest, but I guess you just spent too much time connected with the others."

    "...!"

    Zoemi sighed, shrugging his shoulders about tomand Ludier''s shadow and every avable sentinel to attack, but it seemed like his words had a huge effect on the short-haired young woman.

    "..."

    She literally froze in ce, before her shoulders slumped down and she lowered her head, looking at her hands in disbelief.

    "...?"

    In the next second all of her wolf-like shadow beasts sank back into her shadow as if pulled in by some invisible force, leaving her alone.

    "I... I didn''t mean to..."

    Elsby clenched her hands into fists and let out a rather pitiful cry.

    If this was her acting, this was the most convincing performance yet...

    "..."

    Zoemi gritted his teeth, ring at the top of the girl''s lowered head, prime and ready to get chopped off with a quick enough spell.

    "...suspicions..."

    He ended up sighing.

    "...eh...? Wha-what did you say...?"

    Elsby flinched and straightened her back, shaking her head like a dog that got out of the water.

    "You said that you want to confirm a few suspicions you had. You thought that I killed that Reser-whatever, I said I did not. What is the next thing you wanted to confirm?"

    The ck-haired boy scoffed in annoyance and asked while over two hundred sentinels returned to him and sunk into his shadow.

    "Oh? Ah! Right! We are talking! Yes!"

    Elsby perked up and although the smile that returned to her face was nowhere near as cheerful as before.

    "So?"

    Zoemi raised his brow and motioned at her with his chin.

    "You know about the necromancer living in the Bellcephora kingdom, don''t you?"

    "The missing necromancer."

    Elsby asked and Zoemi corrected her, not seeing the point in hiding the truth this time.

    "No. She isn''t missing. We have her."

    "..."

    The jet-ck-haired young woman shook her head and revealed carefully observing the boy''s reaction, and unfortunately, this time around Zoemi wasn''t able to stop himself in time before flinching.

    "Well. When I say we ¨C I mean one of us. The feminine guy callred Evorietto. His darkness de can be used as a barrier that traps specific types of mana ¨C he can make one that can contain all at once, but a barrier like that is really easy to break from the inside as its defensive capabilities have to be spread really thin."

    Elsby tilted her head and continued revealing detail after detail.

    "Truth be told we didn''t decide to capture her because we wanted to harm her ¨C at least to my knowledge ¨C but instead themander and vicemander wanted easier ess to you and the other candidate that''s in the Academy..."

    "Huh...? Wait, so Xeonith didn''t make a deal with you to get rid of Aspakeony so that he could torture and **** Burushi?!"

    The jet-ck-haired young woman pointed out shrugging her shoulders lightheartedly but froze when Zoemi interrupted her in confusion.

    "...did... did that Xeonith guy... seded...?"

    Elsby gulped down her saliva and asked, nervously ncing at Zoemi''s face.

    "He did torture her, but luckily I ended up finding her in time ¨C and assisted in killing the scum. It''s not my ce to do so, but thank you for your concern. Burushi seems to be fine now. But... if you don''t mind me asking ¨C why do you look so bothered about it? You said that abducting Aspakeony had nothing to do with Xeonith''s actions. You also weren''t the one to captureAspekony so why would you..."

    The ck-haired boy waved his hand dismissively before his face suddenly turned serious as he red at the guilty-looking Elsby.

    "...how did you manage to get Aspakeony in the first ce? She said that no one could get into the Academy without her knowledge..."

    He asked, squinting his eyes at the ashamed Elsby.

    "...well, none of us did it directly... We just... I just ced one of my shadow beasts capable of using shadow connect and shadow jump into a certain earring and Kiorterell added a bit of his own shadow de so that the wearer would seek the necromancer herself or at least one of her shadow puppets and drop the earing into their shadow so that we could gain ess to all of them and get them into Evorietto''s barrier... Zoemi...?"

    Elsby answered awkwardly but then take a step back once she saw Zoemi burrowing his face in his hands.

    "I had all the information and never put something so obvious together...! That''s why I couldn''t properly check the shadow in that earing...! Fuck! I learned that you Ghosts must have been responsible for the earring anyway but so many things happened immediately after, that Ipletely forgot...! And thenter I saw Teo without the earing I just assumed she got rid of it as I advised her ¨C but her losing it was actually connected with Aspakeony''s disappearance...! Is this what Horeo means when he calls me dense?! I am a fucking moron!"

    Zoemi groaned in disbelief, shaking his head in shame causing Elsby''s brows to rise higher and higher.

    "Then?! Is this the actual reason for youing to find me? What do you want me to do for you to help me save Aspakeony from that Evorietto?!"

    "...!"

    The back-haired boy straightened his back so fast that he momentarily startled Elsby, who shook her head not understanding how did he make a connection like that.

    "I... just came to talk - I cannot force Evorietto to do anything I am not themander or vicemander."

    "Tsk...!"

    The jet-ck-haired young woman exined, making Zoemi click his tongue when...

    "GHUAGH...!"

    "Huh...?!"

    Out of nowhere Elsby suddenly bent in half, grabbing onto her head as if it was about to explode, causing the ck-haired boy to take a step back.

    "What is going on...?"

    He asked cautiously, as the shock brought him back to his normal self.

    "Don''t speak to me...! Don''te any closer...! Commander is calling everyone back...! No one can oppose him...!"

    Elsby cried out and started waling back, only to suddenly sink into her own shadow, and disappearpletely without any further warning.

    |...do you think it was just an act, or she really was forcefully called back...?|

    Zoemi asked internally.

    [Both of you acted crazy - I have no other opinion on the subject except that you should learn to control your bloodlust even a little bit. She really didn''t seem hostile at the beginning. You have learned so much new information, and you could have learned even more.]

    "..."

    Ludier''s shadow scolded Zoemi, making the ck-haired boy go quiet.

    [How about the bandits?]

    Luedier''s shadow sighed and asked changing the subject.

    |They are back on their way to the main hideout. The leader and two others are not expecting a thing. The modern artifact is safe and in the hands of one of the puppets.|

    Zoemi reported, ready to use the message spell to repeat the same thing to Horeo.

 Chapter 322 104 - Flags, flags everywhere (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 322 104 - gs, gs everywhere (part 1)</h4>

    The next few days that Zoemi spent waiting for the meeting between the crimson-haired Vanterl and the bandits.

    Nothing much happened besides Zoemi training with Benevirau from time to time which was a nice distraction for the ck-haired boy from cursing himself and his short temper.

    Still, it wasn''t like only he was having a worse than eptable time.

    Benevirau was stunned by the information about Aspakeony and began using his mist to search for the Ghosts responsible for keeping her imprisoned, but for the time being, he made the same amount of progress that Zoemi did with his sentinels.

    Nothing.

    Ririe wasn''t showing herself at all and Reo both looked and sounded down, barely even talking to Zoemi ¨C and Zoemi could connect that only with the magicless girl''s absence, which added to the list of things he was angry at himself.

    Horeo sounded to be exhausted and annoyed about his mother''s ceaseless attempts to throw Zoemi under the bus each time they talked, the only good side being that with the discovery of the n to get Espine and Victureo''s families at each other throats was snuffed before anything could happen and two lords stood ever so firmly on the prince''s side.

    Mizoe started to cut their talks short, excusing himself for being tired but something in his voice was making Zoemi worry that his father was pushing himself too hard.

    He even started expecting that it might have something to do with him...

    After all, suddenly learning that the orphaned child that he picked up from the streets and brought up as his own ended up being the actual heir to a high noble family must have been quite a shock.

    ...and not exactly a pleasant one...

    One could say that Mizoe was a simple man who took a lot of pride in doing what he thought was right.

    He didn''t hesitate from adopting Zoemi even though his family literally banished and disinherited him.

    And now, to further support his son and make the inheritance process go smooth, Mizoe ended up refusing the status that otherwise should most definitely be his own ¨C that was the thing that Zoemi had to learn through Horeo as Mizoe himself was refusing to talk about it.

    It really looked like the pale-blue-haired knight was distancing himself from his ck-haired son to stop him from trying to grant him a status that he didn''t deserve - in his own opinion.

    After the initial shock and the need to rebel against such an unnecessarily humble and selfless stance, Zoemi decided to momentarily go along with his father''s wishes but witnessing Mizoe sounding more and more depressed and bothered made him have second thoughts about that.

    ----

    It was the day when the meeting between the bandits and Vanterl was supposed to happen.

    This time the bandit''s leader decided to arrive at the crystalke a little bit earlier and they had their camp set up before the sun even touched the line of the horizon.

    There were only fourteen of them at the spot oo as one bandit had been mixed amongst the servants of the Espine family.

    Of course, it was one of Zoemi''s puppets ¨C not to mention that the modern artifact that was supposed to be ced in Espine''s castle had been safely kept in Zoemi''s improved storage that did not corrode its content the moment that the protectiveyer of darkness mana was gone.

    Zoemi who was observing the situation through his puppets eyes staying behind in the Banemor mansion this time, nervously rubbed the palms of his hands against his pants, making sure that he didn''t forget about any detail that would tip off the crimson-haired man about the interferences in his n to turn two high noble families against each other.

    The ck-haired boy even made sure to personally cast enchantment-like spells on each and every puppet so that their body temperature would make them appear alive in case the so-called lord Vanterl would want to check the perimeter with the heat vision swallow spell like he did thest time.

    *knock* *knock*

    "Zoemi? Can Ie in...?"

    Suddenly, the ck-haired boy''s concentration was broken as someone ¨C who turned out to be Reo ¨C knocked on his door and called out to him.

    "Yes, sure, the door''s unlocked."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and invited him in while moving from his bed onto the chair by the desk.

    The green-haired boy entered the room with a worried expression and clenching a letter in his left hand.

    "Did something happen...?"

    Zoemi nced at the paper crumpled paper sticking out of Reo''s fist and looked up at his friend''s face.

    "My father is calling me back home. He wrote that he is concerned with me taking a leave from lectures in the academy, but he definitely wants to make tell me off for bringing you to this territory... Well... If you look at the situation from his perspective, my original n backfiredpletely."

    The green-haired boy sighed and lowered his head, too ashamed to look the ck-haired boy in the eyes.

    "How so? The objective of having the Banemor territory properly return to the Bellcephora Kingdom would bepleted with me inheriting the family name, doesn''t it?"

    Seeing Reo down like that and hearing the reason for it caused Zoemi to raise his brow and ask in confusion.

    Well... maybe not confusion.

    There must have been a specific reason why lord Moyena was one of the nobles doing their best to hinder the inheritance procedures for the territory.

    "No... not exactly..."

    Reo made a pitiful expression and shook his head.

    "In father''s words ¨C he did want the return of the territory itself, but without the return of the Banemors... Apparently, he had already lined up some nobles who would split the territory amongst themselves and their children for when you were supposed to renounce the territory on the kingdom''s behalf..."

    "..."

    The green-haired boy revealed, causing Zoemi to scowl.

    "A-at the same time, it seems that he is at least willing to talk with me about a certain other subject that I was begging him to consider for years ¨C so it''s not like it''s all bad ¨C I have a chance to... to get what I always wanted... I will be leaving immediately ¨C sir Benevirau prepared a carriage for me already ¨C I just came to say goodbye."

    Reo suddenly straightened his back finally sounding back to his cheerful self, but he stuttered and start blushing the moment he encountered Zoemi''s confused face.

    |Something that he always wanted ¨C wouldn''t that be recognition and love of his father...? Well, it looks like his route is finally getting messed up like it was with the other capture targets because something like this had never happened in the game.|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself.

    "If that''s the case then I can only say that I wish that you will aplish everything that you want. But, just in case, know that the Banemor mansion has a lot of spare rooms so there will always be a ce for you here."

    He ended up saying out loud with a smile, standing up and reaching out his hand for a farewell handshake.

    "Thank you ¨C if everything goes well, I will have something to tell you... I hope you will not stay mad at me for too long after you will learn about it..."

    Reo grabbed Zoemi''s hand and smiled shyly.

    "Nah, I am convinced that unless it''s something really bad I will not be able to get really angry at you anyway."

    "...!"

    Zoemi just shrugged his shoulders and dered with a cheeky smirk that honestly made Reo turnpletely red, giving the ck-haired boy a big hint about the secret.

    "W-well then... goodbye, Zoemi..."

    Reo gulped down his saliva and moved away, letting go of Zoemi''s hand.

    "See you soon~!"

    "...y-yeah... it would be nice..."

    Zoemi waved his hand and watch the green-haired boy leave his room ¨C and ended up overhearing worried words that Reo ended up whispering under his breath, that honestly sounded a bit like a g...

    With Reo gone, Zoemi returned to keeping an eye on the bandits'' camp and only nced towards the window for a moment when he heard the sound of the leaving carriage.

    The sun set and the crimson-haired aristocrat was still nowhere to be seen making Zoemi worried about whether he would actually show up.

    The n should have been leaked...

    ...was wishful thinking that Zoemi dropped after encountering Elsby who found him without the slightest bit of trouble...

    "I honestly expected you to fail and get caught..."

    "!!!!"

    Just as Zoemi was letting the dark thoughts get the better of him, the crimson-haired man simply walked out from behind the trees right beside the spot where the bandits set their camp and called out in a satisfied voice that was the direct opposite of the meaning of his words.

 Chapter 323 104 - Flags, flags everywhere (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 323 104 - gs, gs everywhere (part 2)</h4>

    "Lord Vanterl! Good evening to you too."

    The bandit''s leader raised his hand and cheered out with a confident smile full of self-satisfaction.

    "Victureos are inplete disarray, honestly even if you didn''t manage to sneak the artifact into the Espine''s mansion, the sight of that lightning attribute child losing his cool when assuring the king and the royal magician about the progress of the mass-produced prototype is worth the money I promised you! After the truth about Victureo losing the artifact will be brought to light, they will have to do something about that humiliation and will have to bend under the pressure and marry off their natural-born sage!"

    "Oh-ho...?"

    The crimson-haired noble seemed in such a good mood that he was unable to hold back from smiling triumphantly, making the bandit''s leader eyes go round as he focused on the money part and wasn''t interested in the very concerning sage part that caused Zoemi back in the Banemor mansion to shake his head in disbelief.

    "Then, if I will tell you that Espine''s castle has been infiltrated and the object was hidden in a storagepartment right in the office of lord Epsine himself, would you be willing to consider giving us a bonus?"

    The man shed his teeth and a toothy grin and rubbed his index finger and thumb together.

    "Depends... what storagepartment? I clearly instructed you to leave it in a ce where it would not get discovered by Espines but could be picked up by the investigators..."

    Lord Vanterl''s smile dimmed a little bit and he squinted his eyes at the bandit, most likely wondering whether his joy was premature or not.

    "Ah, my lord ¨C let me tell you why we definitely deserve something extra ¨C you see, our dear friend, Gorion, had really outdone himself. You see, lord Espine is known for his love of sweets to the point that he has an entire shelf dedicated to things he can snack on during work."

    "...and...? If your man had ced the artifact there it would make it that much easier to discover..."

    The bandit''s leader boasted but was interrupted with an annoyed scoff by the suddenly angered crimson-haired noble whose body began glowing with intense fire enchantments that were iparably more powerful than normal fire enchantments had any right to be.

    "Do not jump to such a hasty conclusion, my lord ¨C you see lord Espine had been recently gaining weight and his wife decided to do something about it ¨C she ended up locking the shelf and hiding the key. She even shows up in the office from time to time to make sure that the shelf is locked properly and her husband didn''t just break it to get to the snacks."

    "..."

    The bandit leader raised his hands defensively, protecting his face from the heating from the furious fire magician, and exined ¨C which in turn caused the light of the enchantments to slowly ade form the nobleman''s body.

    "Indeed ¨C Gorion is well versed in the subtle art of lockpicking ¨C he ced the artifact in the back of the shelf behind the snacks and locked it back without damaging the lock itself."

    The bandit lowered his hands and smiled, nodding his head at the crimson-haired man.

    "That does make things a little better ¨C although it gives us a time limit ¨C how long until that boy would break or his wife''s heart will soften enough to let him off the sweets probation?"

    The crimson-haired noble tilted his head and sighed, not angry anymore, but rather concerned.

    "My lord, I also have an answer to that ¨C this ban on snacks isn''t happening for the first time ¨C ording to the ounts of the servants that our friend asked while searching for the right ce to hide the artifact, he learned that the least amount of time lord Espine held back was a week, while his current record is set to two weeks... As long as you will be able to organize the investigators to search the Espine''s castle within a week, there is almost a hundred percent guarantee that no one else will discover the artifact before them."

    The bandit leader puffed out his chest and dered triumphantly.

    "I don''t know which is more surprising... The fact that you lot had properly nned out and performed a n like that, or that someone like you knows what percents are."

    The crimson-haired noble scoffed but the joyful smile that he had when he showed up returned to his face.

    "Oh, you see ¨C before I was introduced to the world of forcibly relocating the goods and founds from others to myself, I was a humble son of a traveling merchant. My father had taught me well ¨C if our entire livelihood didn''t end up burning up because of the incorrectly packed oil barrels you would be talking to someone else."

    "...!"

    The bandit leader revealed lightheartedly while shrugging his shoulders making the nobleman raise his brows in surprise.

    "Is that so... here."

    Lord Vanterl breathed out and pulled out a considerably stacked bag of gold from behind his back and threw it in the loving arms of the talkative bandit leader.

    "That''s the amount we have agreed upon... and this..."

    The crimson-haired man dered before reaching to the inner pocket of his shirt and taking out a small box with runes carved into it.

    "Is a little bonus ¨C those aren''t order made so it cannot be tracked back to me, and you can do whatever you want with it. I will contact you again if I need your service."

    "!!!"

    He said throwing the box onto the bandit''s leader''sp and leaving without properly saying his farewell or sparing a nce to any other bandit besides the one he talked to.

    ----

    [Can I kill them yet?]

    Ludier''s shadow got lively in Zoemi''s head and asked, all rearing to fulfill this part of his revenge.

    "Wait ¨C the crimson-haired guy is still around."

    Zoemi shook his head still thinking about the words that the noble let slip at the beginning of his conversation with the bandits.

    Victureo will have to bend to the pressure and marry off the natural-born sage...?

    |...is there anyone else besides Ehmi who fits the requirements for that...?|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself in concern thinking about the young-looking tinum-haired girl whose unique shadow was a humongous face of a ticking clock.

    [I know that he is still there ¨C I want to kill him too! He surely has something to do with the deaths of my family!]

    "..."

    Ludier''s shadow certainly wasn''t paying attention to Zoemi''s worries as he was locked into the avenger mode already ready to send himself through the connection between the ck-haired boy and the puppets and emerge on the shore of the crystalke to wreak havoc.

    "Are you sure you can deal with him? Isn''t he a sage?"

    Zoemi scoffed andined in annoyance, before he was too concerned with not getting caught to pay attention to the crimson-haired man''s unique shadow, but now he was sure ¨C the level of details and size of the unique shadow in the shape of a scorpion with two sting-ended tails clearly suggested that his mana reservoir was leagues above the average light magician''s.

    [...it is worth trying... you were far weaker than you are now when you killed that winged woman...]

    Zoemi''s words worked like a bucket of cold water and managed to stop the shockingly hot-headed shadow of the ice-magician.

    "Not yet. First, we must make sure to learn who he really is... ah... he''s gone now anyway. Go wild on the three bandits left alive."

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and refused ¨C just to flinch when the crimson-haired man''s unique shadow disappeared just as suddenly as he showed up.

    [FINALLY!]

    Ludier''s shadow roared and indeed went wild following the connection and emerging from the extending shadow of one of the puppets sitting patiently by around the campfire...

    *stab* *stab* *stab*

    Ludier''s shadow showed a lot more constraint thanpared to the twelve others, killing all three by piercing them with ice spears through the neck, severing their spines with precise simultaneous stabs without even turning them into the ice statues of pincushions.

    *ching*

    The bag of gold coins dropped by the deceased bandit leader hit the ground with a clean sound.

    |Are you feeling better?|

    Zoemi asked, sending his thoughts straight to the Ludier''s shadow.

    [I will not feel better until Derizno''s head rolls or he chokes on the money he earned from the mines he ordered killing my family for.]

    The shadow puppet answered looking at the corpses.

    [Come on, kid, make them into puppets too.]

    He added while sinking back into the extended shadow.

 Chapter 324 104 - Flags, flags everywhere (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 324 104 - gs, gs everywhere (part 3)</h4>

    Zoemi spent the next few days waiting for the heads-up from the first prince as to when Espine''s castle will be visited by the investigators searching for the missing modern artifact.

    He did not just sit by idly though ¨C after dealing with each and every task that a territory leader had to bother with, the ck-haired boy would always end up dragging the dark-blue-haired butler to the garden where they would train together ¨C although a huge part of it consisted of Zoemi absorbing Benevirau''s spells and erging his mana reservoir in the progress.

    The only troublesome part was that they had to be done by the evening as the citizens of Learen did not appreciate the thunderous roars of thunders and vicious storms assaulting their eardrums when they were going for a drink to unwind after the hard day''s work or simply try to sleep.

    Not to mention the air quakes that many of the magicless people were finding being in the center of one to be extremely nauseating.

    The training wasn''t just to kill time ¨C Zoemi was preparing for facing the Ghosts of Bellcephora and although since encountering Elsby neither he himself nor his sentinels encountered even a trace of another Ghost, the ck-haired boy was sleeping with one eye open just in case and had three sentinels capable of using teleportation spell standing by in his shadow ready to teleport him and the nearby allies away in case of an ambush.

    Speaking about allies...

    "|My prince ¨C how is everything going?|"

    Zoemi finished supper and said goodnight to Benevirau before going back to his room and throwing himself onto the massive bed and contacting the gold-haired prince first as his father asked him to not disturb him for a few days.

    "{...I can barely sleep ¨C since yourmoner friend has made major progress with Patishi''s treatment the little bugger had been clinging to me almost none stop insistent on showing off that she no longer has the part that she disliked the most about herself... I had no idea that maid''s dresses can get this short... I am beginning to doubt my strong will and start thinking that my Patishi isn''t as innocent as I initially assumed. And don''t get me started about Veo... Since your friend, again, is getting better and better with her magic, my Veo regained quite a lot of mobility in her hands and has taken an interest in massage... massaging me to be exact... We need to get you back to the Academy to hook up with Miriette as soon as possible because I swear to all heavens that I will cause a scandal that will make Surou''s failure of an engagement look like a childish joke.}"

    "|...have you tried telling Patishi to dress more appropriately...?|"

    Horeo certainly had a lot that he wanted to share, maybe even overshare, making Zoemi rather embarrassed and unable toe up with any better response.

    "{Don''t be stupid, you tinum b!}

    ...but thatment only earned him a harsh scolding...

    "{She is finally starting to befortable with her own body and I would rather bite my own tongue off than put her down like that! Besides, she is only dressing up like that around me and I li...}"

    Horeo scoffed furiously but finally said something that he himself found to be too much information ¨C but he was toote I biting his tongue...

    "|Ah, so you do like it. Then you are just telling me that because you want to brag? And why did you call me a tinum b...?|"

    Zoemi snickered at his best friend and furrowed his brows, confused about a rather unusual nickname.

    "{You know what? Fuck you. tinum b fits you because you are dense as one, of course!}"

    It was maybe the third or fourth time that Zoemi witnessed Horeo lose his patience like that ¨C of which most times were during their childhood ¨C so it was both unexpected and... really amusing...

    "|Alright, then, how is the progress on the inheritance procedure? If you are ying around I am going to tell Patishi and Veo about your weakness towards females donning fis stockings- let''s test how strong your strong will really is.|"

    "{!!!!!!!!!!}"

    Zoemiughed mockingly and even though Horeo didn''t say a thing he could sense the absolute exasperation of the gold-haired prince.

    "{You know what? You got awfully bold since you learned that our grandmothers were sisters, you know? And once again, fuck you ¨C don''t you dare give them dangerous ideas like that!}"

    The first prince managed to calm down enough to groan in disbelief at the clear provocation from his best friend.

    "|Aren''t you the same? I could swear that you would hold back on swearing like that especially at me unless you were extremely shocked.|"

    Zoemi pointed out before breathing out and shaking his head, ready to get back to the serious talk.

    "|Alright, your fiss stocking fetish secret is safe with me. Now. Do you have any news about the inheritance process ¨C I do want to return to the Academy even without the threat of two girls aiming to pop your cherry.|"

    The ck-haired boy really tried to stay serious but he couldn''t help himself from throwing another snarky remark just to tease the gold-haired prince.

    "{We both know that there are way more than two girls who aim to do that anyway ¨C the problem with those two is that I do like them back. And no. For now, all talks have been stopped because lord Lazaram has asked lord Victureo to return him the modern artifact because he wants to perform some maintenance and maybe add a few more adjustments and it was revealed that the object has been stolen. I had just the tiniest bit of hope that it would actually cause your case to be approved and swept under the rug, but instead, my genius - and I am using that word only half-ironically - mother dug up some obsolete rule that allows her to indefinitely freeze any legal discussions and meeting as long as there is an undergoing emergency ¨C and of course, it turns out that to call a situation an emergency it needs only a majority of the votes ¨C and not even a decisive three quarters one but the normal one. Even though normally she would not have even that kind of majority, the scale tipped in her favor because Vitureo are in particr possition right about now.}"

    Horeo exined and his thoughts were turning more and more annoyed as he was sending them to Zoemi.

    "|Say... does it has to anything to do with Victureo family holding back on marrying off Ehmi...?|"

    Zoemi froze up and asked, squinting his eyes in realization.

    For once, the queen''s action might not have been aimed exclusively at him...

    "{...yes, actually... that is exactly the reason. As long as a noble family in the Bellcephora Kingdom has an unmarried male member, they have sent a marriage proposal to the Victureo family and got rejected. After all, it''s not every day that someone like Ehmi is born. She really is a big deal... but how do you know about the details like that...?}"

    Horeo asked sounding confused and slightly suspicious ¨C it really sounded as if he was going to ask whether Zoemi is interested in Ehmi next, so the ck-haired boy decided to speak first.

    "|I told you that this was what that Vanterl guy said, right? Beside''s, isn''t it obvious enough? Ehmi is in the third year already. Despite her looks, she is at an age where the majority of nobles are already at least engaged ¨C and her rare variant attribute, although troublesome

    because of all the time distortion stuff and her getting younger, is incredibly powerful. The prestige of...|"

    "{Zoemi, let me stop you there.}"

    Zoemi pointed out while furrowing his brows and shrugging his shoulders even though Horeo couldn''t see him ¨C but the gold-haired prince interrupted him in an utterly confused voice.

    "|Yes...?|"

    Zoemi asked, wondering what could it be about.

    "{Despite her looks? Variant magician? Time distortion and getting younger? Zoemi, you honestly had something for a moment, but then you started spewing such nonsense? Who are you talking about?}"

    Horeo scoffed in disbelief, causing Zoemi to sit up on his bed.

    "|I''m talking about Ehmi of course, Ehmi Gamemi Victureo ¨C the time magician.|"

    The ck-haired boy exined feeling increasingly odd about the situation ¨C what was going on, was Horeo trying to prank him or something? The two of the literally talked with Ehmi before, together! Horeo had been talking with the tinum-haired girl in front of Zoemi!

    "{...are... are you suffering from mana depletion right now...?}"

    Horeo asked sounding genuinely concerned.

    "|No. Why would you ask that...?|"

    Zoemi shook his head and questioned the first prince.

    "{Zoemi... Ehmi is a tall beautiful girl that looks slightly more mature than others her age ¨C and she is a fire magician ¨C oh, right, you know about sages now, so, a fire sage ¨C you know? Red hair and eyes and all...}"

    "|...huh...?|"

    Horeo exined and Zoemi could only blink in confusion and gasp.

 Chapter 325 [Bonus chapter] 104.5 - Flags, flags everywhere (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 325 [Bonus chapter] 104.5 - gs, gs everywhere (part 4)</h4>

    "{Are you sure you are feeling alright? Maybe you should have an earlier rest today?}"

    Horeo asked with concern while Zoemi couldn''t respond far too shocked to make a coherent sound.

    "|Y-yeah... maybe I should... Goodnight.|"

    "{Goodnight ¨C contact me tomorrow when you will feel better.}"

    The ck-haired boy listened to the gold-haired prince and stopped the connection after they exchanged their farewells.

    "|BURUSHI!|"

    "(KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WHO IS THERE?!)"

    Then, Zoemi proceeded to immediately contact the blond heroine, but he was a bit too hasty in calling out to her and ended up startling her quite a bit...

    "|Whoops... sorry, it''s me, Zoemi. I can use a modified message spell now ¨C have a question.|"

    The ck-haired boy apologized and continued talking before Burushi could regain herposure.

    "|You are the person who was around Ehmi when I was with her the most ¨C how does she look now?|"

    Zoemi asked in a tense voice waiting for the answer whatever it might have been.

    "(Ehmi that sometimeses over to chat is a tall curvy long-haired fire magician.)"

    Burushi managed to calm down and answered although still sounded more than just a bit exasperated.

    "|Oh... I see...|"

    Zoemi flinched and rolled onto his back, furrowing his brows while staring at the ceiling.

    If even Burushi who was a healer and could cleanse herself from any kind of magic damage didn''t notice anything then maybe it all really was in his head...

    "(But since you are asking me about her, you must mean the tinum-haired brat wielding the time attribute.)"

    The blond-haired girl added so offhandedly that for a second the ck-haired boy didn''t realize what she actually had said.

    "|Don''t call her a brat, I... WAIT! YOU DO REMEMBER HER LIKE THAT TOO?!|"

    Luckily, that state of absentmindedness didn''tst long, and within a few seconds, Zoemi sat upright on his bed and gasped in disbelief, sending all the surprised thoughts straight toward the heroine.

    "(Of course I do ¨C I even asked her about it and she looked at me with concern and started worrying about my health. The red-haired one is really chill ¨C she actually considers me and you as her good friends and from what I found out she has most of the memories the tinum-haired one had, but definitely not all of them. It''s really weird, but no one else seems to notice ¨C even if I use my strongest spells on them. I''m d you asked me about it because I honestly was starting to think that I am beginning to lose my mind.)"

    Burushi sounded as relieved as she said she was while casually sharing her discoveries with the ck-haired boy.

    "|Well, in turn, I am beginning to overthink everything again...|"

    Zoemi sighed and plopped on the mattress face first.

    "(...alright... what do you expect is happening...?)"

    The blond heroine asked cautiously, not really sure whether she want to know Zoemi''s suspicions or not since he himself called it overthinking.

    "|Do you remember the time when you were killed by someone who tried to impersonate me and the time reversed? Apparently, it was done by a being called presence who wields time tribute... Do you think it''s possible that it could have possessed the real Ehmi and by doing so took on the form that both of us remember? The more I think about it, the more sure I am that when Ehmi''s hair was pure tinum, she was surrounded by that overwhelming pressure, but when her hair had this pinkish glow to them, she was a lot more casual... is it possible that, for example, when Ehmi had the pink glow to her hair, it was because the actual Ehmi was conscious? That would exin why she remembers some things and not others...|"

    Zoemi shared his thoughts while burrowing his head into the pillow as if he was trying to hide from the scornful look that this tant overreaction would surely earn him...

    ...despite the fact that for once he was absolutely correct in his assumptions...

    "(...let''s say that it''s possible... why would that whole presence choose Ehmi?)"

    Burushi didn''t seem to be convinced but at least she didn''t outright ridicule the idea that honestly sounded as if the ck-haired boy was reaching for it quite far...

    "|It must have something to do with the mana capacity of the person... Her highness chose the strongest person that was closest to me ¨C by the distance at least. She bought me to this world for a reason, but why she didn''t actually say a thing...|"

    Zoemi thought, raising his head and staring at the wall with jet-ck lifeless eyes that could only bepared with the absolute void from which no light could ever escape...

    "(...you... seem to know quite a lot about that presence... so, it''s a girl, interesting... but don''t you think that addressing her as if she was royalty is a bit odd...?)"

    "|...huh...? Presence is a girl?|"

    Burushi spoke with hesitation and asked... which caused Zoemi to shake his head and once he blinked the light returned to his eyes and he frowned at the heroine''s words.

    "(Why are you asking me? You just addressed her as she and her highness...)"

    "|I did?!|"

    Burushi pointed out throwing the ck-haired boy for a loop as he honestly did not realize a single thing.

    "(...Zoemi ¨C by any chance are you using the healing spells topensate for sleeping and are awake non-stop doing whatever it is that you are doing?)"

    The healer magician sighed and asked out of the blue.

    "|No... I do try to sleep for an hour... or at least a quarter of one...|"

    Zoemi flinched and looked to the side even though Burushi could not see him at the moment.

    "(I knew it! Zoemi, the human body isn''t supposed to work twenty-four hours a day! You are going to make yourself sick! You most likely already did! As someone with vastly superior knowledge about the human body than you, and your friend, I order you to have proper eight-hour sleep at least today!)"

    Burushi tested up and dered while hugging the murky-ck plush bear that Zoemi left her, burrowing her face in the soothing surface of the condensed shadow.

    "|...but I was nning toe up with some new spells...|"

    "(NO! No buts! Go to sleep! After a proper rest you surely will see the world form a different perspective! Now, disconnect us and go to sleep!)"

    Zoemi grumbled all sulky but Burushi pressured him without any hesitation.

    "|Okay, okay... I will...|"

    The ck-haired boy rolled his eyes and agreed, without any intention of following it up.

    "(You better do, or I will tell on you to Miriette!)"

    "|You wouldn''t...! You aren''t a snitch!|"

    She added, but Zoemi gasped, calling out her bluff ¨C or what he hoped was a bluff...

    "(HA! Try me! I was a ss rep every year in both middle AND high school! You are underestimating what I am capable of!)"

    "|!!!!!!!|"

    But Burushi onlyughed, causing Zoemi to lean back in terror.

    "|Alright! Fine! I will go to sleep for real, okay?! I will! Goodnight...|"

    "(HMPH~! Goodnight~!)"

    The ck-haired boy groaned and after the blond heroine said her farewell, he released the spell.

    [She was probably right ¨C you should deactivate the healing spell you are using on yourself all the time and try to fall asleep.]

    Even Ludier''s shadow seemed to be concerned about Zoemi...

    "Tsk...! Fine ¨C I will show you, I''ll stop using it right now, and then nothing will happen and then I... I... zzzzzzz...."

    Zoemiined and released the healing spell that Luder''s shadow was talking about - and ended up falling asleep mid-sentence within the next five seconds...

 Chapter 326 105 - The big find in the Espine castle (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 326 105 - The big find in the Espine castle (part 1)</h4>

    "This is just a routine check ¨C Derizno and Moyena families already had their residences searched up, no one would even dare to offend the Espine family...!"

    A young, gold-haired knight in an enchanted armor was lowering his head apologetically while shivering from the intense cold emanating from a slightly shorter pale-blue-haired man ring at him as the pale-blue light of the ice enchantments was emanating from his hands,

    No one warned the young knight about this man!

    The Epsine manor was supposed to have many knights both those wielding magic and those magicless but in the report that the young man received none of them was deemed as a potential threat.

    But that was obviously wrong!

    There was an ice magician right there in front of him!

    Ice magicians literally couldn''t be weak as the ice spells consumed an obscene amount of mana!

    The poor knight shivered, feeling his mana flowing slower and slower through his numbed body.

    "So you say, boy, but yet you are here demanding the ess to the private rooms of the Espine castle with the attitude more fitting of the king himself and not someone borrowing the authority of somebody else."

    "I...! I didn''t mean to...!"

    Themander of the guards of the Espine castle, Mizoe Auequas, tilted his head, ring up at the utterly terrified face of the young light magician, and took a step forward, making the young man move back so fast that he almost tripped over his own legs while letting out a pitiful cry.

    *thump*

    "...huh...? Oh...! Ah! L-lord Lazaram...! Lord Victureo...!"

    But before the light magician actually fell down, two people behind him ced their hands on his back supporting him, causing him to let out a relieved gasp.

    "Sir Mizoe ¨C this young member of the Light Order might have been too forward with his choice of words, but he is in fact representing the crown and... and..."

    A schrly-looking man, who was in fact the royal magician, breathed out and looked up at the Mizoe''s face but flinched and his eyes started darting away once he met the cold gaze of the pale blue eyes of the Espine''s knight.

    "...lord Victureo, please back me up here..."

    Royal magician leaned toward the other man who was none other than the head of the Victureo family and the general of the Bellcephora Kingdom''s army, Telorius Graxul Victureo.

    "...I am afraid that whatever I will say will have the opposite effect... you surely know what happened between my son and his son when they were young..."

    The kingdom''s general whispered back also trying not to make eye contact with Mizoe.

    This... was certainly not amon situation.

    If someone would hear about two variant magicians and a light magician, all of the high social positions werepletely stopped by a single magician who despite wielding ice attribute had less mana than an average earth magician, they would surely not believe it, or dismiss the information thinking it was an intro to some sort of a joke.

    |...I wish I was able to show this to teacher Rokiana, dad is so cool right now...|

    Zoemi who was watching the entire scene from the shadow behind paintings ¨C behind all paintings ¨C in the hallway the four men were standing, thought to himself feeling extremely proud.

    "Lord Lazaram ¨C you do say that this boy has the right, but he never shoved lord Espine or anyone else any proof of that being the case."

    Mizoe turned to the schrly man and spoke coldly while raising his brow in contempt.

    "...isn''t that because lord Espine didn''t arrive yet...?"

    The royal magician muttered while making a sour expression.

    "Yes, he did not ¨C that is another reason why the search cannot proceed. If my information is correct, both lord Derizno and lord Moyena were present during the search for their private rooms. Why would things be different for lord Espine?"

    "...!"

    Mizoe nodded and agreed with the statement only to turn it into an argument backing him up, which made lord Lazaram flinch and gritted his teeth.

    "We shall wait for lord Doregon, ordy Misena. There''s no need to be on your guard so much..."

    The kingdom''s general added, trying to mediate between the two parties and ease up the tension in the hallway...

    "Your cooperation is appreciated, lord Victureo ¨C but being on guard is exactly what I should and will do as the head of security of this estate."

    ...but it was easier said than done as Mizoe in his current state wasn''t even considering giving in a little bit as an option...

    It seemed like the four men were at a stalemate, but luckily for the three, one of the only two people who could order around Mizoe did show up.

    "Good work there, Mizoe, I will take it from here though ¨C we do not have anything to hide so this should be over quick anyway."

    The burly red-haired man with an impressive beard walked to the four and raised his hand while nodding benevolently at the pale-blue-haired knight.

    "As you wish, my lord."

    Mizoe nodded his head at duke Espine and moved to the side allowing the free pass for the group of investigators...

    ...but he did not deactivate his enchantments nor did he stop ring down at all three of them...

    "Now then, gentlemen, I hope you do understand that there are some things in there that I am not willing to show you ¨C especially not to one of you..."

    Lord Espine nodded with satisfaction and said while sending an unfriendly re at lord Victureo.

    "...but since you are working under the order of his majesty, I will cooperate to the utmost of my ability."

    He added, preemptively answering the question that lord Lazaram was already opening his mouth to ask.

    "I expected nothing less from the great lord Espine ¨C and to show you the same amount of respect that we received, I prepared a device that will help us make it clear that the modern artifact has never been in this estate, to begin with."

    Still, the schrly man spoke up anyway, reaching to arge bad he always carried with him, pulling out a mall box that was shaped in such a particr way that it made others think about arge beetle when they looked at it ¨C especially the two protrusions at one end that were very simr to mandibles.

    "You surely have not heard about this device because I just finished working on it a day before this visit, but when I press it from both sides this thing will emit a frequency that will cause the modern artifact to produce a high-pitched noise, revealing its location."

    Lord Lazaram revealed with pride waving the beetle-shaped device back and forth, causing all the others to look at him in surprise.

    "A device like that... with the modern artifact missing, how can you be sure that it will work properly...?"

    Lord Espine raised his brow and asked, looking doubtfully at the device in the hand of the royal magician.

    "My memory has always been my pride ¨C although Ick the materials to produce another modern artifact with the same capabilities as the one missing, remember everything about it."

    |He talks like that because he most likelypleted the localization device before shipping the artifact to Vicureos.|

    The royal magician dered, but Zoemi watching from the shadow had a rather different idea about what must have happened.

 Chapter 327 105 - The big find in the Espine castle (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 327 105 - The big find in the Espine castle (part 2)</h4>

    "That would be really useful while searching in Moyena and Derizno''s estates wouldn''t it? Are we going to return there and check again using that after we''re done here? After all, we can be tricked but if this really will make the modern artifact let out a loud enough sound..."

    Lord Victureo asked, raising his brow while observing the prideful royal magician.

    "...of... of course..."

    Lord Lazaram flinched and nodded ¨C although for a split second it looked as if he was about to say that there will be no need to look anywhere else because the modern artifact is indeed in the mansion.

    |...now should be a good moment...|

    Zoemi thought to himself, and a hair-like shadow slithered down the wall and alongside the floor before it reached the royal magician where it climbed up and attached itself to the man''s bag.

    With that, Zoemi gained the ess to everything that was inside.

    Still, it wasn''t as if the ck-haired boy was there to take things ¨C on the contrary, he was going to add to the cluster of various devices instead.

    Using the fact that Lord Lazaram was distracted, Zoemi simply pushed the device into the bag, making sure that it will end up at the very bottom or at least under as many other artifacts and devices as possible.

    ...while looking through all the royal magician''s belongings while he was at it...

    It took a little while just because the ck-haired boy was careful not to move things around too violently to minimalize the chances of Lazaram noticing anything, and luckily he was done before the conversation between the five men moved along in any significant way.

    "|My lord, it is done.|"

    Zoemi pulled back his shadow and hurriedly messaged the red-haired man wh instantly straightened his back and smiled ¨C making it seem like he was happy about the introduction of the localization device.

    "Why won''t you use it now? It would really save us a lot of time."

    Lord Espine asked pping his hands together and his enthusiasm seemed to be amusing enough for the royal magician to make him barely able to hold back a smile.

    "I''m sorry my lord, but there is still the thing about the range that this device has ¨C we still have to get inside a room to make sure that everything will work properly. I hope you understand, the walls and all are quite troublesome for that little thing."

    Lazaram hurriedly shook his head to get rid of the smirk and spoke in an apologetic voice.

    It wasn''t that obvious but for a split second his eyes darted over towards the door leading to lord Espines office where the locked cab with sweets was.

    ...which further revealed with whom he was aligned - although that wasn''t even a real mystery once someone had all the facts, to begin with...

    |You are in for such a surprise... what a shame, I actually thought he was a decent guy.|

    Zoemi ¨C who certainly did not miss any detail regarding the royal magician''s behavior - sighed internally while observing the situation from multiple shadows thanks to his sentinels hidden in various locations throughout the entire mansion.

    [He is decent in his own mind, I can tell you that much.]

    Ludier''s shadow pointed out while physically manifesting in the darkness right by the ck-haired boy''s side ¨C well, as physical as a shadow could be, that is.

    "Let''s get it over with already. Shall we?"

    Back in the corporeal world lord Espine reached out his arm, inviting the others to follow his lead to the closest of the private rooms of the castle.

    The pale-blue-haired Mizoe moved first, walking towards the door and opening it without ever having the cold, disdainful look disappear from his eyes.

    "...ekhem... while we are at it, my lord, did you hear that lord Victureo finally decided to consider letting his daughter be married?"

    Seemingly just to break the awkward silence that the re of the ice attribute wielding knight who still had his enchantments active, the royal magician cleared his throat and asked lord Espine as they all moved towards the open door.

    "Lord Lazaram, you make it sound as if I was sheltering my daughter. Ehmi has a mind of her own and I never intended on forcing her to do anything."

    The variant lightning attribute-wielding general of the Bellcephora kingdom frowned while grumpilymenting on the remark.

    "But of course, of course... still... Did you not pitch up an idea of an open duel tournament in which the winner would have the right to have your daughter''s hand in marriage?"

    "...?"

    "..."

    Lord Lazaramughed it off, waving his hand dismissively before his eyes turned sharp and he pointed out, making the other two men look at lord Victureo, curious about his reaction.

    "It is just that in the light of a current situation... That is, after thorough consideration, and talking things over with Ehmi herself and all the others members of our family, it has been deemed an appropriate solution. You all surely know how special my daughter is ¨C we have received countless marriage proposals already but we were hesitant to pick one up, as because of my position, no matter who was chosen, it might have been read as ying favorites and scorned. To cut all of such harming gossip from ever being created the idea of the tournament in which all are wee to participate, and the result would be based on the ability alone sounds like a fitting solution."

    Telorius Graxul Victureo exined with a face that could hardly be described as anything other than the word bitter, all while not making eye contact with anyone as if the entire thing was actually the most infuriating for him.

    |He is talking about it on purpose to make Victureo agitated ¨C the queen really does not like the idea of Victureo and Espine walking together, so they want to make sure that lord Telorius''s reaction will be as explosive as possible once the modern artifact will be found. Still, a tournament, huh...|

    [What, are you interested?]

    |...can''t say I''m not ¨C at least in the duel part, not so much about the reward...|

    Zoemi thought coldly while ring down at the unaware royal magician, before Ludier''s shadow asked curiously, causing him to tilt his head in consideration.

 Chapter 328 105 - The big find in the Espine castle (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 328 105 - The big find in the Espine castle (part 3)</h4>

    "An open tournament? How is the Victureo family supposed to manage that? I imagine that, with my family and a few other exceptions, every single noble family in the kingdom will want to participate."

    Lord Espine stopped right before entering the first room and asked, looking over at the annoyed lord Victureo ¨C all to the joy of lord Lazaram who thought that things were working out in his favor.

    "There of course will be rules in ce. No more than three participants from each family would be allowed ¨C and on top of that, since my daughter is very clear about her tastes, only the families that have an unmarried male member can participate. Also, I would like to add that it would only apply if that male member would be an adult, so no less than fifteen this year. As for the upper limit, I personally wanted to make it so no one who is over five years older than my daughter would count, but while proposing the idea of the tournament, I was strongly advised by the queen to make that fifteen."

    The general revealed while tensing up, getting visibly angered because of anyone ¨C including the queen ¨C sticking their nose in the business of his family.

    "Is the age limit needed...?"

    "Haaa...?"

    The gold-haired knight who wouldn''t even dare to open his mouth before when the lords were talking muttered under his breath, but unfortunately for him, even his hushed voice was picked up by the general, making him let out a vicious growl while staring at the light magician down while yellow and red light of enchantments enveloped his whole body.

    "I-I-I didn''t say a thing...!"

    The unfortunate knight yelped cowering under the deadly re of the infuriated father.

    "Is the idea of a tournament not too rushed? Telorius, when talking about the age limit, you mentioned that the males represented by their family members must be fifteen this year. Do you really intend to put it all together that fast?"

    Lord Espine turned out to be the one to try and resolve the situation, saving the gold-haired knight from a rather unfortunate fate.

    "Yes, we do. When the Victureo family is doing something, we are not messing around - once put into motion we will be ready within two weeks, with possible dys connected with the arrival of all the willing participants making it a single month."

    "Impressive."

    Lord Victuero breathed out and dered, raising his head high, making lord Espine nod with approval.

    "My lords. A moment of silence please - I will use the localization device now and if the artifact is in this room we should be able to hear it."

    *click*

    The conversation was stopped by the royal magician raising his hand with the beetle-like device, pressing it from both sides and causing the mandibles-like protrusions to vibrate.

    *SHWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWE*

    "!?!??!??!?!?!?"

    ...and immediately froze over when the piercing shrill starteding right out of the bag at his side.

    *WEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWE*

    Lord Lazaram didin''t even look back.

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    Initially, his face became pale but with the piercing shrill never stopping as he held onto the localization device he was slowly getting more and more red from utter embarrassment ¨C especially when lords Victureo and Espine, together with Mizoe, all leaned to the side to stare at the bag the sound was clearlying out of.

    "L-lord Lazaram... The... the noise is..."

    Even the knight from the Light Order ended up inching toward the royal magician and whispered while poking his arm as if he thought that the only reason for lord Lazaram to continue keeping the localization device active was because he had problems with hearing...

    *WEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEeee...*

    Unable to hold back any longer, lord Lazaram put down his hand and immediately reached for his bag, pulled

    it in front of himself, and started rummaging through the clutter.

    "...could... could it be that the localization device works on a different artifact too...?"

    The gold-haired knight gulped down his saliva and asked, trying to find an exnation that would help the royal magician.

    "Impossible ¨C don''t you know? Lord Lazaram has the most amazing memory, he made this device to work only on the modern artifact and would never make such a mistake."

    "...!"

    Lord Espine straightened his back and red down at the light magician, making the royal magician flinch with his words.

    "...a... a prototype of the modern artifact then? Or a brand new one...?"

    "Don''t be stupid ¨C lord Lazaram had said so himself ¨C there is only one modern artifact ¨C the one sent to my family was the prototype, and lord Lazaramcks the resources to produce a new one."

    "...!"

    The knight still tried to make things look a little bit better for the royal magician but this time he was shot down by lord Victureo''s angered voice, which caused lord Lazaram''s hands to tremble as he started to shove around all the devices in his bag in increasing panic.

    "But... but if lord Lazaram had the modern artifact on him, it would make the sound while we searched for it in Moyena and Derizno''s estates...!"

    The terrified knight on the verge of bursting into tears was looking between the two lords...

    "No, it would not. The device waspleted only recently, didn''t lord Lazaram say so himself while showing it to us?"

    The coldest-sounding remark yet came from behind the light magician, where the pale-blue-haired Mizoe was ring at him with a scornful expression.

    *RUMBLE*

    *thump*

    "!!!"

    "...?"

    "...?"

    "...?"

    Then, the attention shifted back to the royal magician who turned his bag upside down, emptying it on the floor, and fell to his knees to rummage through the contents more efficiently.

    "...impossible..."

    Then, the royal magician flinched and muttered, reaching his hand towards the small device that didn''t particrly look any different from all the ones surrounding it, making it so only someone who already knew what it was could recognize it.

    *click*

    *SHWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWE*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Lord Victureo ended up picking up the localization device dropped beforehand by the royal magician and ended up activating it ¨C which caused the unknown device in the hands of lord Lazaram to start shaking in response, releasing a high-pitched shrill, startling the man holding it while revealing itself to be the modern artifact the group of investigators was looking for.

    "...you will have a lot of exining to do..."

    "...so it seems..."

    Lord Victureo spoke in a cold voice, ring down at the royal magician who tensed up, lowering his head while gritting his teeth.

 Chapter 329 105 - The big find in the Espine castle (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 329 105 - The big find in the Espine castle (part 4)</h4>

    After the group of investigators left the Espine''s castle in a rather precarious mood, lord Espine and Mizoe returned to the private office where Zoemi had already emerged from the shadow and was waiting for them.

    "Son, good job."

    The pale-blue-haired knight entered the office already smiling and the first thing he did was to approach the ck-haired boy and pat his shoulder.

    "They gave me quite a scare for a moment ¨C we were really lucky that lord Lazaram had waited with the reveal of the localization device. If he showed it off from the start and activated it then, we would have nowhere near as sessful oue."

    Zoemi smiled brightly but then he breathed out and said in a bothered voice.

    "Young Zoemi, this was much less of a stroke of luck than you think ¨C the current royal magician s known for his weakness for theatrical ir and showing off. He also wanted to make sure that Telorius would be as agitated as possible before revealing his triumph card. Thankfully that had worked out in our favor ¨C because, let me be honest here ¨C although Telorius was on our side from the beginning, he isn''t much of an actor. Being actually angry sure added to his performance."

    Lord Espine who followed after Mizoe,ughed hearing the boy voicing his opinion and exined.

    "Exactly, and with how things turned out anyway, lord Lazaram will have a hard time talking his way out of it ¨C especially after being so confident and all."

    Mizoe added, and although Zoemi''s expression brightened, lord Espine was the opposite.

    "The problem is that with how useful Lazaram is for the kingdom with all of his inventions finally pushing the development of artifacts that have been stagnant for over three hundred years, he will most likely be able to get away with just minimal punishment ¨C if any at all."

    The red-haired man stroked his beard and said in a somber voice.

    "Even after the queen went ahead and pushed for the vote establishing that the missing modern artifact is in an emergency on the scale of an entire kingdom...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and asked.

    "Believe it or not, lord Lazaram actually voted against that. If the king will be in good mood, it is possible for Lazaram to simplye up with an excuse like ¨C he actually made a mistake and the artifact that was given to Victureos wasn''t the modern artifact ¨C or something. It would be unwise to base all of the future ns on the premature assumption about Lazaram falling out of grace."

    Lord Espine once again shook his head and pointed out.

    For a moment there was a silence in the office as all three of them thought about the problems that unfortunately would not get solved as they hoped for.

    Lord Espine ended up sighing before walking towards his desk and seating heavily on thefortable armchair.

    "That said ¨C it is undeniable that both of you had done a splendid job today. Mizoe, whatever training you have done to increase the level of control over your mana, it is amazing ¨C if you didn''t report your progress daily, I would surely think that I am dealing with a transcended ice magician! And here you were worried that moving more duties onto other knights would not be worth it in the long run."

    "No, my lord, it is nothing. I am still far away from the ce I want to reach."

    The red-haired man nodded at the pale-blue-haired knight with a benevolent smile, which made the knight bow to him and respond with a strained voice sounding as if he was holding back bitterness.

    "...father is having fewer duties and more time to train...?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi tilted his head in confusion, looking between the two men ¨C of which Mizoe ended up flinching and looking down in embarrassment.

    "Yes, yes. You see, your father is really working hard to show off to the brave young woman who proposed to him!"

    "My lord...!"

    The red-haired nobleman smiled with pride and nodded his head while nodding towards the pale-blue-haired knight who turned pale and gasped.

    "Hmm...? Who is it this tim... Wait! Could it be that it was teacher Rokiana?! She confessed?! No, wait ¨C she PROPOSED?! That''s amazing!"

    To that revtion, Zoemi almost tripped and fell even though he wasn''t even walking.

    The ck-haired boy''s eyes widened and instantly shone with excitement when he fully realized what was being said and he connected the dots.

    One thing for sure ¨C he certainly hoped for a simr oue, because he knew for sure that his father was too dense to understand any argument or deration with less stopping power than a mace.

    ...and a straight-up marriage proposal was definitely on such level ¨C if not even higher.

    "Indeed. I expected you to know who that woman is ¨C indeed, miss Rokiana Grea Perserios is the one who made such a bold move. I am d to say that in-person she is just as formidable as all the information we have on her imed her to be."

    Lord Espine''s smile grew even wider as he leaned forward and confirmed Zoemi''s guess while putting his elbows on the desk and resting his chin on his hands.

    "...ted her..."

    "..."

    Mizoe muttered something that the red-haired man didn''t quite catch but what did make Zoemi freeze in ce with a shocked expression.

    "Hmm? Ah, yes, it''s obvious that this time he would ept her, after all, it requires a lot of courage to call out to someone like Mizoe ¨C after all, even I sometimes get scolded by him!"

    Lord Espine thought that what he managed to hear was a part of ¨C I epted her proposal ¨C and ended up leaning back with a content expression while reaching towards the cupboard hosting his secret stash of sweets only to remember that it was locked by his wife.

    "..."

    Mizoe breathed out before straightening his back and looking at him with a serious expression.

    "I rejected her."

    "...!"

    The pale-blue-haired man repeated so this time even the red-haired nobleman could properly hear him.

    "What...? Why would you do that? Each time you mentioned her before you seem to be favoring her greatly! Did something change...?"

    Lord Espine gasped and asked the question that the frozen Zoemi also wanted to know the answer to but was too shocked to do so.

    "Yes, something did. My family is making things difficult for me ¨C and they sent me a letter exining how things would be... I first need to be done with them to be able to live in peace."

    Mizoe nodded and dered without getting into any details.

    "B-but father...! They already disinherited you! What else they can do?!"

    Zoemi finally managed to shako of the initial shock and gasped.

    "To me? Nothing, as I don''t hold nor seek a political career. Thankfully, once you inherit your rightful status, they would not be able to do much at all to you either... But the same cannot be said about other noble families... Perserios family is in a precarious situation right now... They are all born fighters and would surely not back down under any pressure, but if I can spare them the trouble thates with having me ¨C I will."

    Mizoe dered with a steely gaze that clearly showed his determination in the situation.

    "...Mizoe... you say it as if you want to clear the situation with your family by yourself, but, you do know that miss Rokiana might not wait for you or rather give you a second chance after the rejection...?"

    Lord Espine pointed out, getting serious again and asking calmly.

    "I am not doing this because I hope she would. This is simply something that I need to do... by myself.. .after all I have already wasted enough time thinking that the current status quo was fine..."

    the pale-blue-haired man nodded with the same determined expression.

    "..."

    Zoemi wanted to add something, but at the moment he was opening his mouth he noticed his father''s hands...

    Mizoe was clenching his hands so hard that his fingernails pierced the skin of his palms and drew blood.

    ...the man had made his decision, and it was no one else''s business...

    "I see..."

    Lord Espine seemed to share the same opinion as he merely nodded and breathed out while thinking of another subject.

    "Zoemi ¨C no matter how much lord Lazaram and her majesty will try to diminish it, today''s sess is all thanks to you. From my position, I can assure you that we are doing everything in our power to make the inheritance procedure go smoothly. But if there is something else that you would like me to help you with..."

    The red-haired man ended up looking up at the ck-haired boy and did his best to smile.

    "It''s alright, my lord. I need to go now... Benevira will get worried if I don''t show up on time, especially since I was the one who gave myself the limit. Farewell. Bye, dad..."

    The ck-haired boy looked at him and shook his head with a sour expression and simply vanished in a sh of murky light.

 Chapter 330 106 - Another step towards the bright future (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 330 106 - Another step towards the bright future (part 1)</h4>

    A week passed and neither the queen nor lord Lazaram suffered any consequences of their actions despite all the usations they faced after the missing modern artifact was found intact amongst the cluttered bag of lord Lazaram himself.

    And to further signify theck of progress, the approval of Zoemi inheriting both the title and the territory of Banemor was just as far away as it was seven days prior.

    There were things that did change, however ¨C for example, Zoemi''s rtionship with Benevirau, the water sage who kept on guarding the territory against ever being taken by someone outside the Banemor line.

    "Grandpa... what am I supposed to do with father? I want to help him out, but he is really stubborn and doesn''t want anyone to get involved... it kind of sucks because I am his son, right? I know that I was adopted, but still..."

    The ck-haired boyined in a sulky voice.

    He and Benevirau were in the small office that the dark-blue-haired butler was using since the mansion was built ¨C or even prior to that as apparently that room was a part of another building that the water sage has lived in since his youth.

    ...Benevirau really was attached to thend that has be the Banemore territory in more ways than one could expect...

    Still, at the moment Benevirau was sitting in the chair at the desk with a stack of papers that never seemed to get any smaller in front of him.

    Zoemi was leaning on Benevirau''s back from behind with his forearms on the butler''s shoulders while suling with his chin rested on top of the sage''s head.

    "Young master, I don''t think that sir Mizoe is acting like that because he doesn''t think that you two are close ¨C it''s most likely the opposite, really. He knows that you would help him out without hesitation, but he still wants to do things on his own. I would say that he wants to prove to himself that he is worthy of whatever it is that he is trying to achieve..."

    The dark-blue-haired young-looking butler exined while furrowing his brows trying to remember what exactly the whole case was about after not paying attention to it before.

    "His family is making things troublesome ¨C I don''t know the full story but it looks like they are threatening to make things difficult for the family of the woman that proposed to him."

    Zoemi got on his tiptoes and ended up moving over Benevirau''s head and leaning down looking him in his misty-gray eyes from upside down.

    "Is it okay to get rid of all of them ¨C from what I know my father was the only decent person there anyway?"

    The ck-haired boy asked with a serious expression, making the dark-blue-haired man furrow his brows, deep in thoughts.

    "I mean... we could ¨C it would not be the greatest decision as it would basically make most other noble houses band together against us because of the fear of being next, but I don''t really think that they can do anything to you or me directly anymore."

    Benevirau answered in a hesitant voice after a moment of hesitation.

    "What if we made it look like the Ghosts of Bellcephora were behind it? I doubt that anyone knows that one of them is dead, and I can use her ability convincingly enough."

    Zoemi frowned and asked, raising his brows as a pair of murky-ck devil wings sprouted from his lower back and pped causing dark feathers to appear all around the office.

    "I don''t think there are many people who actually remember what ability each of the Ghosts had to begin with, so I wouldn''t say that is the best idea."

    Benevirau shook his head and dered in a stern voice.

    "Besides, after discovering you trying to frame them, they might seek revenge on you ¨C you already know how sensitive they are about someone using spells that are simr to the ones that they use. My guess is that they would absolutely freak out if they learned that you can copy them almost perfectly."

    He added sounding worried.

    "Well... maybe I want to make them angry so they would finally show up? It''s been like two weeks and still, the only trace of them I have is Elsby showing up on her own! Are they seriously just holed up in the shadow somewhere doing nothing at all? I mean, I know that my sentinels can''t be everywhere but seriously! I have found six other sages besides you in that time and three of them were literally hiding away from me thinking that I was either a ghost or hostile sage!"

    Zoemi scoffed angrily while moving back and this time he rested his chin on Benevirau''s shoulder while wrapping his arms around his neck.

    "Now I know why Aspy was so worried about them. Not having even the slightest idea about their ns or movement is extremely unnerving."

    He grumbled while looking at the documents that the dark-blue-haired sage was working on.

    "Gramps, this one is wrong."

    Zoemi moved his hand, pointing at a certain space on the page, and dered.

    "Huh...?! Really?! But I double-check the calctions and all...!"

    Benevirau gasped and leaned down, tracing his hand over the writing.

    Benevirau was blind, but he was using his water magic to dampen the paper just enough to be able to recognize the difference between the dried ink and paper, allowing himself to read it without any trouble,ter taking the moisture back out leaving both the paper and writing in the perfect condition.

    "No ¨C not your calctions, I mean this."

    Zoemi shook his head rubbing against Benevirau''s shoulder and tapped the spot that he was already pointing at before.

    "Unless this guy is selling the magic stones for one-fifth of the market price, there is no way that he would earn so little for it. Not with the amount, he spends on the workers and miners, and he isn''t even paying them especially well. It is either the most inefficient mana crystal shop in the territory, or this guy is hiding something."

    The ck-haired boy exined moving his finger across the paper, pointing out the numbers that were suspicious in his opinion.

    "Well, this is a shop that is trading mana stones directly with the royal magician... the owner might be cutting prices, but at least he is sure that he will get paid on time every time."

    Benevirau titled his head and reached for the pile of papers stacked below the desk and picked out a single one to show to Zoemi.

    "Nonsense. I understand giving a discount to returning customers, but selling stuff at a quarter of its worth? People would be trampling over each other if someone started selling mana stones for three-quarters of the market value, not to mention that low."

    But that argument certainly wasn''t convincing enough to make Zoemi change his opinion.

    "I''ll send my puppets to investigate. This might be anything from the owner getting threatened by the Lazaram family all the way to in old embezzlement. Anyway. I will check this out."

    The ck-haired boy dered, already sending instructions to four of his undead puppets.

    "If you think that is necessary then please do. I am sorry for being negligent about this ¨C I am ashamed to admit that I neverpared the costs and gains of the businesses of the taxpayers."

    The dark-blue-haired butler sighed and apologized with a guilty expression.

 Chapter 331 106 - Another step towards the bright future (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 331 106 - Another step towards the bright future (part 2)</h4>

    "Grandpa... I am not angry with you. You have been one person trying to deal with ruling the entire territory while also protecting it in ce of a regr army. You have been doing an amazing job, but now there are two of us ¨C and soon I n to get even more people to properly split the work amongst. But first, let''s crack down on those suspicious individuals who had the guts to show us this info without properly hiding the evidence."

    Zoemi smirked and shook his head while waving his hand dismissively.

    "Still ¨C although it is a potentially troublesome situation, isn''t it better to just leave it be for a moment longer? The Lazaram family is already holding back the progress of your inheritance procedure ¨C if this situation is caused because of their interference, wouldn''t they try to get back at you even harder for messing with them like that? Let''s wait until that is over with and then we can m down on them for whatever they had been doing..."

    In response to that Benevirau furrowed his brows and sighed.

    "Aww, grandpa, it''s alright. In the worst situation, we will have to wait until the ruler will change ¨C Horeo isn''t the type to turn his back on his friends."

    "I understand..."

    Zoemi snickered, causing Benevirau to make a conflicted expression.

    "...young master... why do you keep calling me grandpa...? I already told you that I am just a butler."

    As it turned out, the dark-blue-haired man wasn''t even bothered about the potential embezzlement situation, but instead about the way that the ck-haired boy had been addressing him.

    "No."

    Zoemi merely shook his head, rejecting anyints on the spot.

    "You raised the first lord Banemor, my mother called you uncle ¨C you are my grandpa. This is non-negotiable."

    "...!"

    The boy added with an indifferent expression leaning in and pressing his head against the speechless Benevirau''s head.

    "With that said, grandpa, you have any idea what might be going on with the Ghosts? Or how to help my father without making it obvious?"

    Zoemi ended up moving his head, giving the minimal amount of personal space back to the dark-blue-haired butler, and asked.

    "As for the Ghosts ¨C it is possible that they are simply doing something outside of the reach of our powers, or maybe they really are hiding within the darkness in a spot where no one even considered to look."

    Benevirau breathed out and answered, not even aware of the smile on his own face that had been caused by Zoemi''s earlier words.

    "When we are talking about your father... do you know what he wants to do in the first ce? Maybe it''s alright to just trust him with whatever he is doing? He didn''t seem like he gave up, did he?"

    Benevirau tilted his head and wondered, making Zoemi do the same thing but in silence.

    "He sure did seem tired, but not desperate ¨C and the way he

    controlled the ice mana in his body was really impressive ¨C although his mana reservoir didn''t change at all, he could keep his spells active for much longer than ever before."

    The ck-haired boy nodded, at least partially agreeing with the butler''s argument.

    "Well then, that answers it then, doesn''t it? Sometimes there are things that people have and want to do on their own. Just trust him and at least let him try his best on his own. Constantly trying to help others no matter what might have unfortunate consequences ¨C I mean, take the Ghosts of Bellcpehora for example. They were granted status because the king wanted his son born out of wedlock to acquire a high social position, he wanted to help him but that only ended up nting a seed of self-doubt and wanting to prove himself in those children ¨C although I already said that I most likely had my part in that ¨C which lead to the catastrophe and the biggest tragedy in Bellcephora kingdom history."

    To drive his point in, Benevirau added the Ghosts of Bellcephora into the mix, which definitely worked ¨C at least judging by Zoemi''s expression.

    "My dad wouldn''t start killing everyone just because he would want to prove himself. But... I get what you want to say... fine... I will not do anything unless he would be in danger or asks me to help him."

    The ck-haired boy breathed out and nodded with a slightly grumpy expression before leaning down and pressing his cheek against the butler''s shoulder.

    "While the important decisions are being made ¨C what do you think about participating in the tournament for the hand of youngdy Victureo? You are at the right age to get engaged and from what I know she is not only the first natural-born sage that Ghosts left alive since they had achieved the level of sages, but is a real beauty too."

    "..."

    Benevirau clearly wanted to lift the mood while bringing it up, but things were a little bit moreplicated for Zoemi at the moment...

    "I actually do have someone I already like, so I''m not interested in the engagement being the prize for winning."

    He breathed out heavily and exined before looking to the side.

    "But I was thinking that participating for the sake of it would be good. You know, grandpa, showing up as the heir to the Banemor family and showing off the strength all when most of the kingdom nobles would be keenly watching doesn''t sound like a bad thing. But ¨C that would be the case only if the inheritance process will go smoothly from now on... How much time we have left for that tournament anyway? Three weeks? A month?"

    Zoemi grumbled in a dispirited voice and asked looking back at Benevirau.

    "The invitation that had been sent out with the help of the royal castle stated the date that would be two weeks from now on."

    The dark-blue-haired butler answered without a moment of hesitation ¨C after all, he would not bring it up if he didn''t have enough details to hold up a conversation.

    He was also very curious about the person that the ck-haired boy was talking about, but was tactful enough not to pressure him for the answer...

    "Yeah, they might still try to block me by that point, and I''m sure that Auequas''s family will fill up the limit of three people per family just to make sure I would not be able to participate normally. Oh well."

    Zoemi sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

    "Maybe we will be lucky and find traces of Ghosts and will be too busy dealing with them to bother about any tournament?"

    He added with an unsure smile.

 Chapter 332 107 - When one route is on hold, another one begins (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 332 107 - When one route is on hold, another one begins (part 1)</h4>

    Another week of training andck of any progress with both the search for the Ghosts and the inheritance process passed, leaving Zoemi in a ratherplicated mood.

    By that time even Benevirau started getting pissed off about the stubbornness of the nobles stopping thepletion ofte lord Banemor''s will and ended up going to the capital two days earlier to have a serious talk with them all, leaving Zoemi to housesit on his own.

    Well ¨C Zoemi, as he was now, should not actually count as ever being alone ¨C the sentinels in his shadow always ready to teleport him away at the sight of threat that he could not stand up and the unique shadow of Ludier Gmroze living in the boy''s mind were the best examples of that.

    Although they weren''t the only ones.

    For example, ten of Zoemi''s puppets were working hard to keep the mansion and the garden in perfect order.

    As for the other five, the initial three that the ck-haired boy sent out to check on the suspicious mana stone merchant had been augmented by two more as it turned out that the whole thing might be turned into the prime ckmail material if only investigated properly.

    ...and after enough proof would be gathered ¨C hence, the increase in the number of the puppets looking into it...

    Still, even after only scratching the surface Zoemi was beginning to think that the Vanterl family might not have been all that power-hungry when they convinced the current queen to left lord Lazaram and instead pursue the current king of the Bellcephora kingdom.

    It was enough to say that the amount of money the royal magician kept wasting on mana stones before his former partner became an important person in the kingdom was enough to put the entire Lazaram family ears dept into debt.

    ...and, not surprisingly, the amazing deal that the mana crystal merchant offered the passionate inventor only happened after the new queen was crowned...

    *GGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHRRRRROOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH*

    "Oh, grandpa is back already?"

    Suddenly, the roar of thunder caused all the windows in the Learen city to tremble, and the ck-haired boy raised his head above the pillow and looked at the window, putting aside the book that he was reading to put his mind at ease.

    "Huh...? Ah! Wee back~!"

    "Zoe... ekhem, young master ¨C I''m back."

    Zoemi got up and walked out of his room going to greet the dark-blue-haired butler at the door, but instead, the two of you met in the hallway ¨C and funnily enough for a moment it really sounded like the young-looking butler would call out to the ck-haired boy by his first name, but he ended up catching himself in time and changing the way he addressed him to a more appropriate for servant calling out to his employer.

    "How was your trip?"

    Zoemi smiled triumphantly finally seeing that there actually was some progress done in those weeks ¨C at least when it came to adding Benevirau as a member of his family, it really seemed like the dark-blue-haired butler would end up folding in any day now and start calling him by his first name.

    "Fast ¨C your advice turned out to be far more practical than I ever hoped for ¨C also, I think the water jet can also double as another offensive spell ¨C I am pretty much sure that I ended up identally cutting a boulder in half when I first invoked the enhanced spell."

    Benevirau owed his head and dered, bowing his head with respect.

    "I bet that theints about the downpour you cause every time you travel will go down thanks to you not using an entire waterfall-worth of water to propel yourself. Still, do you think it would be possible to do something about the lighting and the thunder you cause each time? Your magic is suited for stealth but conjuring a thunderstorm to get enough water without turning the territory into a desert is a bit, you know, overwhelming."

    Zoemi Nodded his head with satisfaction before titling it and pointing it out.

    "True... but it also doubles as an offensive spell if needed ¨C it helped me fending off the initial attacks of Ghosts of Bellcephora as well as the attempt of the King''s Guard to take me down."

    The dark-blue-haired butler allowed himself to snicker and boasted.

    But soon enough his smile made way for a sour expression.

    "Unfortunately, except for testing out the improved version of my water-powered flight spell, the entire trip was pointless. I might have as well spent that time talking to that boulder that I split apart."

    He sighed and revealed, lowering his head apologetically again.

    "It''s impossible to convince someone who doesn''t want to be convinced ¨C isn''t that what you said before yourself?"

    Zoemi waved his hand dismissively.

    "...so, even the lower houses didn''t reconsider their stance ¨C I see. You know, the showcase of strength might work out this time around. Right now most of them are considering me an annoying brat who tries to take away thend and wealth that they could put their hands on otherwise."

    "No, they would not be able to, as long as I am alive."

    The ck-haired boy said and his words caused the dark-blue-haired man to frown and grumble in annoyance.

    "We both know that, but they all think differently. With you ruing the territory they don''t even consider it being a part of it ¨C but with me, who they thought is weak and easy to bully, they are starting to get fussy. Some might be even worried that if you would begin listening to me, I could start giving out some stupid orders and cause problems for them ¨C or worse. Therefore I believe that it would be best to show them that I am perfectly capable of causing them problems on my own. And that working so hard just to make my life more difficult might not be the best, nor the safest, decision they could make."

    Zoemi exined, and an overwhelmingly captivating and viinous smile appeared on his face as he straightened his back with pride.

    "The thing is, how to do that without causing everyone to start panicking and doubling down on stopping me from inheriting anything under the pretense of me being an irresponsible lunatic? The Victureo''s tournament would be perfect, but as I mentioned on a previous date, Auequas''s family will surely take all avable spots to hinder me..."

    He added frowning while looking outside the window.

    "I might have something that could solve that problem for you, young master."

    "Huh...?"

    Benevirau suddenly dered, reaching for his inner pocket before handing Zoemi a white envelope sealed with a wax seal with the crest of the Victureo family.

    "Another invite...?"

    Zoemi muttered to himself while breaking the wax seal and pulling out a letter written neatly with lots of care put into making each letter look beautiful.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows reading through all of it.

    The gist of it was rather interesting.

    The sender was Ehmi Gamemi Victureo ¨C and although Zoemi never actually met her in her actual form, she definitely had at least some of the memories from when her body was taken over and hosted the closest being to a god that their world had ¨C she asked Zoemi in a very friendly manner whether he would be willing to represent the Victureo family in the uing tournament.

    As it turns out, Victureo family imposed a rule in which they would put forth their own three representatives ¨C and if any of them would win the entire tournament, Ehmi would be free, able to just marry whomever she wants, or not marry anyone at all.

    In response to that, the annoyed queen who had been putting her nose where it did not belong, again, had literally forced them to allow people from outside the families that qualified to participate in the tournament as representatives.

    At the same time ¨C apparently, to stop any unwanted rumors ¨C a rule was added that no actual member of the Victureo family would be able to participate, basically forcing them to turn to representatives,pletely cutting off Ehmi from participating herself, as well as taking away the chance of helping her out from her father, lord Telorius who was a variant lighting magician so the second-best candidate to win.

    And that was the point of the letter ¨C Ehmi asked Zoemi whether he would agree to be one of Victureo''s representatives and would save her from the unwanted marriage.

    "Grandpa... I just got an excuse to show off the progress you helped me make, without risking others questioning my morals."

    Zoemi''s smile became all that more captivating and viinous as he folded the letter back into the envelope and waved it around while experiencing overwhelming joy.

 Chapter 333 107 - When one route is on hold, another one begins (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 333 107 - When one route is on hold, another one begins (part 2)</h4>

    Even without the proper title, Zoemi arrived in Victureo territory a day before the start of the tournament.

    Although it was apletely different part of the kingdom, and normally traversing such distance in a carriage just like the one the ck-haired boy traveled in would take ten days at a minimum ¨C and only if they would exchange horses for rested ones along the way ¨C it didn''t take even a fraction of that time for him to get there.

    The truth was, Zoemi and his corpse puppets departed merely a few minutes before crossing the inner border.

    The reason was simple ¨C the ck-haired boy simply teleported himself, his puppets, as well as horses and the carriage when he decided it was time to go ¨C and he didn''t even break a sweat while doing so.

    It was already a feat that he would not even dreamed about only a few weeks earlier, but now it became an easy task - the rate of his growth was simply stunning.

    Funnily enough, Zoemi originally intended to arrive a few days in advance, but he had to spend most of that time convincing Benevirau that he would go alone ¨C as his corpse puppets, couldn''t really count aspletely separate beings.

    In truth, the ck-haired boy wanted the dark-blue-haired young-looking butler to go with him, but unfortunately, he was also aware that leaving the territory without anyone in charge would not be a very good idea.

    Benevirau''s reaction was rather surprising ¨C if looked at from the perspective of the water sage being the guardian of the Banemor territory for many centuries...

    Benevirau was adamant about going with Zoemi, actually, it looked as if he was horrified at the thought of letting him leave the territory for the entire week that the tournament was supposed to take ce.

    Things got a lot clearer if somebody decided to look at it from the perspective of the young-looking butler being extremely worried about the safety of the one remaining heir to the Banemor family, and especially since the boy was insistent on treating him like family.

    The dark-blue-haired man might have tried to keep the rtionship strictly master-servant like, but it wasn''t working out at all with Zoemi finding every single reason to hang out with him while calling him grandpa ¨C not in a teasing way too, the ck-haired boy was absolutely honest and genuine while calling him that.

    ...and it wasn''t as if Benevirau didn''t love every single member of the Banemor family as if they were his own children...

    Oh, and there was the thing about Benevirau wanting to help Zoemi out and participate in the tournament too ¨C for which the ck-haired boy was grateful, but also didn''t like the idea the most.

    After all, if the water sage would join in, he would definitely be able to defeat even the most skilled magicians, but that would end up cutting into Zoemi''s training curve.

    The ck-haired boy was going to use the tournament to its fullest, acquiring as many interesting spells as possible, while sipping on the mana of his opponents.

    Zoemi was thinking about the sulking Benevirauwho waved him goodbye, as the carriage entered the capital city of the Victureo territory, Merarara.

    First and foremost, even at nce, there were far more magicians living there than in the Banemor territory.

    Interestingly enough, the mostmon attribute amongst them seemed to be fire as the red-haired and red-eyed magicians in the streets seemed to be outnumbering all the other ones at least three to one.

    "Sticking with the theme, I see."

    Zoemi smirked to himself before leaning back in his seat, letting the improved corpse puppets and sentinels keep an eye on the situation and all the possible traces of danger, or more importantly, Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    As for finding the Victureo''s mansion, it wasn''t all that difficult ¨C the biggest clue was that Ehmi herself was a sage, so her shadow towered over the entire city in the first ce.

    Still, Zoemi couldn''t help but stare at it from the window as his puppets were doing their best to navigate the city based on the general location of the supposed origin point of the massive shadow phoenix.

    It felt very surreal, after all, the ck-haired boy had clearly remembered the unique shadow that he was associating with Ehmi ¨C a giant face of the clock with its hands moving around as if actually counting down time.

    From the clock to the phoenix, one could say that it was an upgrade ¨C or not, still, it sure was bothersome.

    After far more time than it took Zoemi''s carriage to appear in the Victureo territory, they managed to arrive at the gate to the Victureo mansion ¨C just as the guard standing n front of them had announced.

    "Good day. My lord, are you another participant in the tournament for youngdy''s hand? The registration process takes ce in the building near the arena. You can''t miss it, both the registration building and the arena were constructed especially for the event with the help of the most skilled earth magicians in the kingdom. You don''t have to hurry, the official sign-ins end only at midnight."

    The guard turned out to be more friendly than expected, considering that he must have been repeating the same phrase to a noble after a noble that arrived for most likely two weeks, he still sounded just a little bit fed up.

    "Hello, I was asked bydy Ehmi to be one of her representatives, do I still have to show up and sign in, or was that already handled?"

    Zoemi peeked through the window and responded cheerfully while showing the additional note that Ehmi sent him together with the letter, instructing him to show it at the gate.

    "...? Oh...? OH! You are lord Zoemi...?! My lord, please, enter... Hey, you lot! Open the gates! Lord Zoemi is here!"

    "..."

    The reaction of the guard was quite interesting ¨C seeing the slip his eye''s widened and he immediately turned around and shouted towards his coworkers who were on the other side, all while looking almost shockingly happy.

    "My lord, if you please...!"

    The guard even bowed down as the gates opened and the carriage was able to pass him, leaving Zoemi slightly confused.

    |They seem to be awfully happy to see me... like, me, Zoemi, not the representative that will fight for helping out their youngdy...|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, thinking to himself ¨C well, not exactly himself...

    [True... say, did you ever do some great favor to the Victureo estate? That might shed some light on this question.]

    Ludier''s unique shadow woke up and asked curiously, causing Zoemi to ponder the situation once more.

    |Ehmi thinks about me as a friend... and that''s it. Grazio did give me awful burn marks all over my body and especially my face though. Do you think that it counts?|

    [...no, that doesn''t sound like it does...]

    The ck-haired boy snickered, but Ludier''s shadow didn''t seem to find that particrly funny.

    |He seemed to want to apologize, he even spent what must have been a fortune on the novelty mana potions and ended up leaving them for me under my door in the Academy each day. Apparently, he is a tsundere.|

    Zoemi added as the carriage was closing in on the mansion.

    [Am... Am I supposed to know what a tsun de re is...?]

    |Nope, don''t worry, don''t worry~|

    Ludier''s shadow asked in confusion but Zoemi dismissed him with a lighthearted expression without answering the question.

 Chapter 334 107 - When one route is on hold, another one begins (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 334 107 - When one route is on hold, another one begins (part 3)</h4>

    "Lord Zoemi!"

    "H-hello..."

    The devilishly handsome ck-haired boy was let into the Victureo''s mansion and everything would be in order, if not for the one surprising fact...

    ...every single servant seems to recognize him at the first ce and get overjoyed at the mere sight of him...

    This was... extremely unexpected to say the least...

    If anything, considering the history between Zoemi and the Victureo family ¨C with the exception of Ehmi ¨C shouldn''t they all be even a little bit apprehensive towards him?

    It wasn''t as if they were bad people, but as it often was with the aristocrat, they would often tend to push the me on others.

    Hence, Zoemi was sure that the servants who would try to appease their masters would be cold and distant towards him as he was actually the reason that Victure and Espine families would stop interacting with each other.

    But, no.

    That expectation he had been thoroughly foiled.

    Even so, if Zoemi thought that would be the biggest surprise yet, he was in for something special...

    "He is...?! Really?!"

    As the elected servant leading the ck-haired boy and the ck-haired boy himself was moving through the hallway of the mansion, another servant was talking to someone in one of the rooms.

    "...?"

    And Zoemi definitely recognized that voice.

    "Hmph! He sure took his time! And I wanted to... hmm...? Eh...? EH?!"

    Although Zoemi recognized the voice, that did not mean that he recognized the person that it belonged to when they walked out of the room with a pridefully-pouty expression ¨C even when that person nced over at him and then did a splendid double-take when she realized who she saw.

    The person in question was of course Ehmi Gamemi Victureo ¨C the real one.

    The crimson-haired beauty with eyes like burning embers, and a face like the marble statue of an ancient goddess.

    She was far taller than most of the women Zoemi ever saw, with the body proportions that could bewitch even the most steadfast saint.

    Ehmi was wearingfortable clothes that she was surely only donning while rxing at home, and her hair was tied in two low ponytails ¨C that maybe were supposed to be pigtails, but their length exceeded any norms of said hairstyle.

    "ZOEEEEEE~!"

    After the initial shock at seeing the ck-haired boy already in the hallway, Ehmi''s face lighted up with pure joy and she cheered out with excitement that could only be reserved for reuniting with one''s best friend after being separated for a long time.

    "?!?!?!?!?!?!"

    She also ran towards Zoemi, whose initial thought was to dodge the charge, but considering that the girl had no enchantments active, and was definitely not going to attack him, he decided to take her head-on.

    *muniuu~*

    "!!!!!"

    And that might have been a mistake as the red-haired girl locked him in the warmest of hugs, literally clinging to him like a lost long lover, definitely catching the previously calm ck-haired boy by surprise.

    "I missed you so much...!"

    Ehmi, who was slightly taller than Zeomi ended up lowering her head and rubbing her face against the boy''s corbone and muttered as he was considering whether he should hug her back or not.

    "Zoe! You bully! I''ve heard from Hororo that you have contacted him using a message-like spell! Same with Miri and Buru! Unfair! Why was I left out?!"

    Zoemi''s dilemma about returning the hug was resolved when Ehmi pulled away on her own ¨C at least at the ar''s reach distance ¨C and stared at him while furrowing her brows and pouting.

    |Is lying an appropriate solution for this situation?|

    Zoemi blinked while looking into the fiery eyes of the red-haired girl, whose expression was getting grumpier and grumpier with each passing second of Zoemi staying silent.

    [Is she your wife or a lover?]

    Ludier''s shadow asked from within the boy''s mind.

    |N-no...!|

    Zoemi scoffed internally at the question that shocked him almost as much as Ehmi''s greeting.

    [Then who cares? Go ahead and lie.]

    The unique shadow of an ice magician responded indifferently and went dormant again.

    "I didn''t want to bother you ¨C I don''t know the schedule of third-year students so I didn''t want to interrupt you."

    Not wasting any more time Zoemi lowered his head just a little bit and gave Ehmi an upwards nce that coupled with a soft apologetic smile and his devilish beauty made for a truly killerbo that caused every servant who was able to see it to blush.

    "Haa.~? Silly boy, you take precedence over any silly schedule! But still... that serious side of yours is cute too so your benevolent senior will forgive you this time."

    "...!"

    ...but instead of faltering over his looks, Ehmi squinted her eyes and countered with an even more seductive expression ¨Cpletely turning around the situation and making Zoemi''s words backfire at him splendidly!

    Zoemi''s face got healed up only a couple of months back ¨C or even less than that ¨C he wasn''tpletely used to winning people over with his looks, so trying to win with Ehmi was a bad decision.

    The ck-haired boy didn''t blush but he tensed up ¨C and Ehmi''s brow raised a little bit, revealing that she had noticed it.

    "You are forgiven for not contacting me ¨C but then why did you arrive sote? I almost thought that you would not show up! I was worried that you would stand me up! If not for Grazio backing me up, papa would have called for someone else to represent our family!"

    She raised her head and nodded with a benevolent smile, satisfied with one-upping the ck-haired boy...

    "Ah! You are a papa''s girl? Aww~! Little cutie~"

    "Khh...!"

    ...but she celebrated too early as Zoemi pped back out of reflex, causing her to flinch and let out a scratchy noise as she blushed heavily.

    "..."

    Zoemi went silent as he noticed someone elseing...

    "...ehem... Why are the two of you trying to outseduce each other in the hallway...?"

    The new arrival turned out to be the red-haired capture target, Grazio Mera Victureo in person, who cleared out his throat as he was approaching to notify the two about his arrival, and asked, sighing with a serious expression.

    "...and, hello, sir Zoemi."

    The red-haired boy added tensing up and nodding at the ck-haired boy who had to really do his best to not make a bitter expression at the sight of him...

 Chapter 335 107 - When one route is on hold, another one begins - STUPID! (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 335 107 - When one route is on hold, another one begins - STUPID! (part 4)</h4>

    Zoemi already knew that Grazio was supposed to be a tsundere and was also the person responsible for gifting him with the mana potions that were very helpful while the ck-haired boy had extremely low mana but still...

    "Lord Victureo..."

    ...he couldn''t stop his initial reaction at the sight of the person who did burn his face.

    It did not matter that he was already healed up.

    It did not matter that Grazio was ¨C supposedly ¨C sorry.

    "..."

    "..."

    Zoemi nodded his head back and answered with an ice-cold voice bringing down the temperature in the hallway.

    Not literally of course, as the ck-haired boy was properly controlling himself from using any mana whatsoever ¨C but still, the atmosphere definitely changed for a much more serious one...

    "...thank you for agreeing to represent our family ¨C my sister is going to be the next head of the family and the least we can do is to assure that she would choose someone she actually likes as her partner..."

    "...?"

    Grazio ended up bowing his head a little lower and spoke in a tense voice, breaking the awkward silence and causing Zoemi to raise his brow in confusion.

    "...I could swear that you always acted as if you were the heir..."

    Zoemi''s frown changed into a simple furrow and he tilted his head looking between the red-haired siblings.

    "Well... as you hopefully noticed, Grazio isn''t the best at expressing his feelings and it hasn''t been that long since we weed out the pests that filled his head with really awful stuff... He just tries to meet the expectation that others have towards him..."

    Ehmi took a deep breath and bit her lips trying to back up her younger brother, but she sure felt extremely awkward trying to convince the literal victim about the innocence of the offender, so she was struggling with her choice of words.

    "...I do not expect you to forgive me, sir Zoemi... but... could you be so kind as to let me clear a few misunderstandings...? Not the horrible way I acted when I visited the Espine castle with my father back then, but the more recent things at least?"

    Grazio bowed and asked without raising his head, and honestly, Zoemi really wanted to just straight up refuse.

    He didn''t have any obligation to care about the red-haired capture target ¨C in the first ce he did note to the Victureo territory to meet or even talk to him, it was all about the tournament after all, but in the end, unless it was some borate n on Grazio''s part, some of his past acts have shown that he was sorry...

    ...and Burushi did vouch for him too...

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy red down at the back of the red-haired boy''s head in silence for a few more seconds before turning to the red-haired girl.

    "...do I need to go and register as a representative...?"

    He ended up asking, ignoring Grazio.

    "...eh...? Ah... umm... yes, actually... Not like a full one, because we handled most of the normal process, but you do have to show up there and confirm that everything was done properly to make it official."

    "..."

    The red-haired girl twitched and nodded, making a worried expression as she looked over at her dispirited younger brother.

    "Alright. Exin."

    Zoemi sighed and shook his head before motioning at Grazio with his chin.

    "Not in a hallway! Let''s go to my room!"

    Before the red-haired boy realized what was being said, Ehmi perked up and grabbed both his and Zoemi''s hands and pulled them inside the room, and the relieved servants ended up closing the door after them.

    "..."

    When inside Zoemi''s demeanor changed a bit ¨C he moved past the bed and grabbed thefortable armchair by the bookshelf and turned it around before sitting on it and ring up straight at the shocked Grazio.

    "Go on. What am I misunderstanding? I will definitely NOT look past you disfiguring me, but please, tell me how you challenging me to a duel and then trying to get me expelled from the Academy because of a false usation of **** was supposed to show any good faith? I''m listening."

    The ck-haired boy asked, leaning back and crossing his legs in a dismissive position of indifference and power.

    "..."

    Ehmi went wide-eyed and simply inched toward her bed and plopped on it in silence.

    "The duel was so that you would get harmed which would allow miss Burushitto to have an excuse to heal you, which she would then heal up your scars too..."

    Grazio lowered his head, looking away intimidated by the cold re of the lifeless ck eyes.

    |This matches what Burushi said before...|

    Zoemi thought to himself without changing his outward expression and did not say a thing.

    "As for the usations under your name... I... well... I went with those girls because I wanted to prove that you are innocent, none of their arguments sounded usible ¨C as teacher Persrios proved anyway... and... you know..."

    "No, I do not know. Tsk...! This is why tsundere personality doesn''t work in real life!"

    Zoemi interrupted Grazio, clicking his tongue and rolling his eyes in annoyance.

    "Tsun... tsundere...?"

    The red-haired boy asked in confusion, looking over at his sister for an exnation, but she was just as confused as he was about the unknown word.

    "...don''t make that face ¨C I''ll have you know that you were the person I hated the most in the world ¨C at least until I''ve learned about around twenty more individuals that are far worse."

    "...!"

    Zoemi ignored him and instead just shook his head in annoyance and pointed out, making Grazio flinch and cover, looking down to hide his expression.

    |I can tease him before I will forgive him, right?|

    The ck-haired boy asked internally, waiting for the opinion of the unique shadow.

    [...huh...? Wait, hold on, kid. You ARE going to forgive him?! But everything that you said is directly contradicting that!]

    Lurdier''s shadow gasped in utter confusion.

    |Call it a gic-level weakness to the imaginary personality type.|

    [...what...?]

    But Zoemi shrugged him off, still going to do what he originally nned.

    "...and you never even said the line! How am I going to forgive you if you will not even cover the very basic requirement?"

    He called out loud, making both Grazio and Ehmi flinch.

    "...the line...? Wh-what line...?"

    The red-haired capture target asked anxiously, not understanding what exactly he was missing.

    "Seriously... I know this is not a game but still... alright the line goes ¨C it''s not like I like you or anything, stupid."

    "!!!!"

    "!!!!"

    The ck-haired boy sighed in disbelief and dered, leaning forward and looking at Grazio expectantly while both siblings were looking at him in shock.

    But as the seconds passed and Zoemi wasn''t backing off from his demand, the red-haired boy started blushing more and more until his face became almost the same color as his hair and...

    "I... it''s... it''s not like I li... like I like you or a-anything... STUPID!"

    Grazio ended up saying the line but by the end of it his embarrassment took over and he bolted out of the room.

    "Ah~ This is what I call bliss. He did sound like a real deal after all. Alright ¨C I''ll goplete the registration now!"

    Zoemi breathed out fully satisfied, finally able to put his hatred aside and move on, and stood up ready to go.

    "...Zoe? How did you know...?"

    Ehmi remained seated on the bed and looked up at him curiously.

    "How did I know what?"

    The ck-haired boy raised his brow and asked back.

 Chapter 336 108 - Tournament arc (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 336 108 - Tournament arc (part 1)</h4>

    "...Zoemi A... Auequas...? There are already three participants from the Auequas family, now how did that slip by the registration process?"

    A tall, strict-faced light magician scoffed in annoyance looking at the name cards provided to him before the beginning of the opening duel of the tournament for the hand of the youngdy Victureo.

    "I am not representing the Auequas family ¨C you can go on and asked them about it too ¨C at least one of them is sitting in the audience right over there."

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and pointed at the elderly brown-haired woman who he recognized as the teacher from the Aspaekony Academy.

    "Youn man, I have been selected by her majesty the queen herself to make sure that everything will go ording to rules, and the rules clearly state that there can be only three representatives from each family."

    Still, the strict-faced man merely shook his head and turned away from the boy without paying him any attention.

    "And I am not a representative of the Auequas family. You have been selected by the queen and still don''t know who I am? Under which rock did she get you from?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi leaned back and shook his head mockingly, making the supposed rule-keeper flinch and tens up.

    "..."

    The red-haired young woman standing next to them looked between the gold-haired man and the ck-haired boy, furrowing her brows but staying silent.

    "You cannot participate in the fight and that''s that."

    The strict-faced light magicianposed ended up dering, shaking his head, which honestly made Zoemi frown.

    |I expected that the queen would try and go for a low blow like that, but, you know... seeing it actually happen is even more annoying than I imagined.|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself, and even though this time Ludier''s shadow did not respond, Zoemi could sense that he is agreeing with him on the matter.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, it''s unfortunate but there has been a breach in rules already ¨C The first fight will be defaulted as a win to youngdy Laerias, as sir Zoemi Aue..."

    The man who was supposed to be an impartial referee walked to the center of the arena and called out, making full use of his sonorous voice augmented by the well-constructed amphitheater.

    "...huh...?"

    As the man spoke, Zoemi was already reaching out to him with his shadow and began draining out his mana to incapacitate him, or at least make him start sounding drunk and ruin his credibility for the event, but the light magician''s eyes went round even before half of his mana reservoir was emptied out...

    It was definitely a weird situation for the audience ¨C a man who was supposed to be one of the judges, or rather referees, just started talking about defaulting win for the first fight of the tournament and then he suddenly froze up looking like a frog ran over by a carriage.

    It was surprising enough for Zoemi to stop draining the man''s mana too.

    "..dies and gentlemen... the first duel would begin shortly ¨C youngdy Cerinaza Vial Laerias representing the Laerias family will face lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor representing the Victureo family..."

    The gold-haired man exined while lowering his head before he hurriedly walked off the podium of the arena, with the eyes of basically everyone glued to him.

    |Ah! Wait, no way! It was approved?! It must have been approved ¨C that guy must have been contacted by someone from the royal castle! Ludier, you heard? It looks like I''m officially a high noble now~|

    Zoemi''s face brightened as he correctly read all the signs and he snickered internally, watching the suddenly mellow man walk by him with his head down low, acting as if he didn''t exist.

    [Pffft...! Yeah, yeah, congrattions, kid.]

    This time Ludier''s unique shadow answered, sounding as if he was having fun observing the boy''s reaction.

    "Now then ¨C since we were announced, shall we, mydy?"

    "..."

    Zoemi, riding the high, turned to the red-haired young woman who was going to be his opponent and smiled charmingly offering his hand to her ¨C to which she went wide-eyed and for a second it looked like she was going to take the offer before she regained her senses and shook her head.

    "Hmph. As if I was going to touch a darkness magician!"

    She scoffed and looked away, moving onto the elevated podium that was the arena prepared for the duels.

    "I am not a darkness magician though."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and followed her without being bothered by her behavior.

    "The a shadow magician? Little difference."

    "...alright, we are going all out, your choice..."

    She responded, ncing at him over her shoulder with a disgusted expression ¨C which in turn made the ck-haired boy sigh and shrug his shoulders.

    The two of them took the positions at the opposite ends of the arena ¨C which was clearly in favor of the fire attribute users likedy Laerias...

    ...was probably something that most people in the audience would think not actually knowing who Zoemi was...

    The interest in the duel was high ¨C but it mostly had to do with the sudden mention of a long thought extinguished Banemor family name.

    "I am giving you a chance before I will barrage you with my fire ¨C unless you want that face of yours to get disfigured by burns!"

    The young woman called out and ended up making the boy ufortable ¨C the red-haired boy watching from the audience, that being Grazio.

    As for Zoemi...

    "..."

    ...he has beenpletely silent, looking at his opponent with an indifferent look in his eyes, waiting for the judge''s call to begin the duel.

    [You are not going to respond...?]

    Ludier''s shadow asked curiously from the depths of Zoemi''s mind.

    |Why? That level of trash talk is literally trash, the only person she''s embarrassing is herself.|

    The boy scoffed internally still waiting.

    "BEGIN!"

    And themand was given ¨C but to Zoemi''s surprise, Laerias took on a rxing stance and didn''t even activate her enchantments properly.

    The enchantments of fire magicians were known to be the weakest amongst the attribute users that could use them, but they still were the bare minimum that should be activated if one took the fight seriously.

    Not activating them at the beginning of a duel by a person who could do it was straight-up disrespectful towards their opponent.

    Even Zoemi already had his shadow enchantments active, even though barely anyone knew that he was capable of using those...

    |Ah... right ¨C she isn''t using the enchantments because she thinks that I will then be able to copy them. Not bad.|

    Still, Zoemi raised his brow, realizing what was the deal this time, and instead of attacking, he decided to see what the young woman would dish out ¨C maybe she was actually already conjuring a really clever spell that he never even thought about?

    "...tsk..."

    The red-haired woman rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue at the apparentck of reaction from the ck-haired boy.

    "If that''s how you want to make it y out, fine."

    She sighed.

    Then she raised her arm and moved her hand around leisurely as if she was warming up her wrist and a small ball of fire appeared in the palm of her hand.

    She proceeded to gently lob it so that it fell just a few feet away from Zoemi and sizzled out.

 Chapter 337 108 - Tournament arc (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 337 108 - Tournament arc (part 2)</h4>

    "See? That was a fireball. A ranged attack ¨C it would be unfair to not throw a bone at a shadow magician, after all. "

    She exined with a mocking smile.

    "..."

    "~!"

    Zoemi looked down at the darker spot where the fireball brunt the arena, making the woman''s face light up with a triumphant smile as she reached out her hand while silently casting the actual spell after sessfully ¨C in her opinion at least ¨C distracting him...

    *thump*

    *WHAM*

    "GHUGHUGEGHEhgueguegue....!"

    But instead, the ck-haired boy simply raised the heel of his right foot and brought it down ¨C which in turn caused a massive bling pir of rock to erupt from under the red-haired woman''s feet and m into her stomach, taking her breath away and forcing the inside of her stomach to evacuate the same way it got in...

    ...causing her to fall on the side and start violently vomiting...

    "This is supposed to be a duel and you talk too much."

    Zoemi sighed shaking his head in the absolute silence that spread through the audience.

    "Oh, and that was not a fireball ¨C this is a fireball,"

    Zoemi said extending his own hand, and the air around his arm trembled and began to boil over.

    In the next second, murky-ck mes erupted from his palm and coiled around itself forming a ck fireball at least ten times bigger than the one thrown by the youngdy Laerias.

    After a moment or two of showcasing it ¨C as Zoemi wasn''t so heartless as to justunch it at an incapacitated opponent in a duel - the offensive spell shot out from the boy''s moving so fast that it could have as well teleported...

    "Ghu...AAHH...!"

    The red-haired girl barely reacted, in between the spasms she managed to activate her enchantments and cross her arms over her face, protecting her head and...

    *BOOOOM*

    *SPLASH*

    ...the ck fireball struck her and to the apaniment of a deafening explosion sent the woman flying all the way to the first row of the audience where she hit the protectiveyer of water conjured by a team of water mages.

    She didn''t get up and her body wasn''t glowing anymore either.

    "..."

    If earlier the silence seemed to be absolute, now it felt as if it was straight up deafening ¨C it felt as if everyone collectively forgot how to breathe...

    "She''s out of bounds and hopefully only unconscious ¨C how long will it take for the jury to announce the result?"

    "!!!"

    The only person who was not shocked by the disy ¨C Zoemi himself ¨C called out, getting the attention of everyone present.

    "Go ahead and check whether she is alive... and what about that verdict...?"

    The ck-haired boy looked over at the servants whom he recognized from the Victureo mansion and motioned at them to check on the fallen woman.

    "Ah! At once!"

    The servant who managed

    to

    shake off the shock called out and rushed to the defeated duelist and kneeled by her.

    "She''s breathing! It doesn''t look like she''s hurt too much but she got knocked out!"

    The servant announced and gently picked her up and carried her off to the specially prepared sickbay in the back of the arena.

    "Good job, thank you for the hard work."

    Zoemi smiled and nodded at him with a grateful expression before turning to the jury ¨C and especially towards the gold-haired strict-faced man.

    Another person close by ended up elbowing the light magician in the side and pointing him towards the center of the arena, where he reluctantly went...

    "Lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor representing the Victureo family had won the duel and will be awaiting his next opponent..."

    "Thank you~"

    The man dered in a tense voice as if he expected to get booed,

    or at least mocked by the ck-haired boy next to him, but instead, Zoemi simply nodded at him with a smile and walked off the arena.

    Since no one seemed to be keen on stopping him, the ck-haired boy decided to check up the sickbay ¨C after all, apparently, one of his acquaintances was supposed to be there ¨C even though it took away from her time at the Academy...

    After making sure that the servant carrying the unconscious Laerias will leave through the same door he came in, Zoemi himself walked inside the clean and tidy room with beds and a single blond-haired girl standing over the patient.

    "Meh, it looked far worse than it actually is... Heal. Oh?"

    The heroine sighed to herself with an almost bored expression and tapped the unconscious woman''s shoulder speaking her incantation out loud before turning around and facing the ck-haired boy.

    "Yo! If it isn''t his lordship Banemor! I''m d that things worked out for you."

    Burushi leaned to the side to make sure that no one else is there with them and cheered out at her fellow reincarnated human.

    "Burushi! It''s good to see you. How it''s been?"

    Zoemi genuinely smiled and walked closer ¨C to which the blond girl reacted quite surprisingly ¨C she went over for a hug, which she had never done before.

    But unlike what Ehmi''s done before, Burushi''s hug was that of one friend happy to see the other one, which was honestly quite sweet.

    "It''s quite nice actually ¨C Miri is a way better person than I ever give her a chance, Teo is very scary though, as for the first prince- well, he is scary but also quite chill too? Completely different than he was in the game. Still ¨C Miri is making sure that people will not bully me left and right so I must say that the Academy has been quite fun ¨C I never knew that hanging around with friends could be so fun!"

    Burushi took a small step back and said with a soft smile while holding on to Zoemi''s hand as if she was enjoying being in contact with another friendly person.

    "That''s good to hear... wait, never? Not even back in your previous...?"

    Zoemi''s smile widened and he nodded his head before he suddenly furrowed his brows and looked at the blond heroine with surprise.

    "Strict parents, high expectations, and sleep schedule ruined by ying games overnight."

    Burushi rolled her eyes and exined with a sigh.

    "I can rte to one of those things."

    Zoemi tilted his head and said cautiously, not wanting to further ruin the mood.

    "Oh, forget it, I like this life better anyway. Speaking of the current life, I''ll do a check-up on you, if you don''t mind, alright? Let''s see whether you''ve been listening to your doctor''s advice~"

    Thankfully Burushi had far thicker skin than her looks suggested and she shrugged it off, before raising Zoemi''s hand and closing her eyes, concentrating.

    "...Zoemi... what the hell have you been doing...? I literally cannot measure your mana reservoir..."

    After a few seconds of standing still, she suddenly furrowed he brows and looked up at him with a grim expression, as if lots of mana was supposed to be a bad thing.

    "Healthy diet and daily exercise?"

    "..."

    Zoemi''s eyes widened and he shrugged his shoulders making a troubled expression that certainly didn''t convince the unamused heroine.

    "Alright, maybe there''s more about it, but I am not going to tell you that in a contested environment, alright?"

    The ck-haired boy rolled his eyes, waving his free hand around the room while indicating the arena as a whole.

    "Zoe~! There you are! Ah~! Buru, no fair~!"

    As if summoned by the motion and voice, a tall crimson-haired girl showed up at the sickbay''s door and gasped, sounding a lot more pleased than her words may have suggested.

    She also hurried over and ended up clinging to Zoemi''s, once again getting over the boundaries of the friendly hug...

 Chapter 338 108 - Tournament arc (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 338 108 - Tournament arc (part 3)</h4>

    Another duel was taking ce already, but the girls whose hand was the stake in the whole tournament had left the ce of honor built amongst the seats of the audience and went to the area constructed to allow the wounded contestants to get healed in peace.

    If the tournament was well under way and there were a couple of particrly close fights with both sides getting wounded and taken there before the result of the duel was decided, her actions could be exined as benevolence.

    She could be visiting the representatives and congratting them on the battle well fought.

    But, the only person that had the right to be in the sickbay was the unconscious fire magician young woman ¨C which meant that Ehmi''s purpose was to have a word with the winner of the opening fight, Zoemi Benevi Banemor.

    ...which in turn only ended up looking as if she had a bias...

    That alone should not be all that surprising, as the ck-haired boy was representing the Victureo family, but in the opinion of some, the youngdy should not show that she is so unwilling to actually marry that she is showing favoritism to a contestant.

    Well...

    ...those people would probably start frothing from their mouths if they would actually stand up from their seats and checked on what was going on inside the sickbay...

    --------

    "Mhmhmhm~! Zoe, you got so strong! That fireball that you made felt really powerful! How did you manage to keep it murky ck? It should turn a brighter color as the normal fire does!"

    Ehmi was clinging onto Zoemi from one side while tilting her head so that she could peek at the boy''s face while making an innocent expression.

    "I did not increase its temperature ¨C it wasn''t even a proper fireball. I used fireball frame but used water mana ¨C that''s why this one here did not get burnt at all."

    "EEEEHHHH?! That wasn''t fire?!"

    The ck-haired boy exined with an indifferent expression, causing the crimson-haired girl to gasp in disbelief.

    "No, wait, that must have been an actual fireball! I have an inborn affinity with fire and it felt like I could absorb it!"

    She dered, pulling away just the tiniest bit ¨C meaning she just leaned her head back while still clinging to Zoemi with the rest of her body.

    "Because it was a fire? Just made with water mana instead."

    "...and how is that supposed to make sense...?"

    Still, Zoemi only had basically the same answer for her, making it even more confusing.

    Ehmi even nced over at Burushi, but the blond heroine merely shook her head every bit as confused as the crimson-haired fire sage.

    "You see..."

    "ZOEMI?!"

    It seemed like the ck-haired by was about to go into details about the nuances of mana and spellcasting, but once again, the scene was interrupted by someone ¨C someone very familiar at the sound and sight of Burushi ended up stepping away from the ck-haired boy making sure that there is an appropriate amount of distance between them.

    "Mydy?! Wh-what are you doing...?!"

    *thump*

    "...here...?"

    Zoemi asked, utterly shocked, seeing a certain petite dark-haired girl at the door, and was just as shocked ¨C if not more ¨C when that short-haired girl ended up clinging to him on the opposite side and immediately started ring at Ehmi from behind Zoemi''s shoulder.

    ...in his entire life, Zoemi has NEVER seen Miriette acting so timid in front of another person, so there had to be some other reason for such behavior...

    Because the petite dark-haired girl could be no one else than Miriette Lisea Espine after all.

    Of course, at first Zoemi as an attendant wanted to pull away ¨C but that would not work out well.

    If he would step in the opposite way of the dark-haired girl, he would end up pushing himself against Ehmi.

    And if he tried to step back or forward, that would end up exposing the obviously hiding Miriette to Ehmi.

    Zoemi had no idea why the dark-haired girl seemed to be worried about the rather friendly and high-spirited crimson-haired girl, but he wasn''t going to force them to face each other.

    "Miri~! See? I told you I will steal him for myslef~!"

    Still, none of what Zoemi was thinking and nning on had any influence over Ehmi, who leaned to the side without letting go of the boy and peeked over at Miriette.

    "Sh-shut up! He is mine!"

    As Zoemi was rolling his eyes over the outrageous statement that held no water, he felt Miriette tightening her grip on his arm as she retaliated in a voice that barely hid her bottled-up anger...

    |...ah... she isn''t afraid... she is trying to not look at her because she knows she will fly off the handle if she would...! Mydy is doing her best to control herself~!|

    ...which has finally cleared out things for the ck-haired boy...

    [...if that is true then this Miss is kind of unhinged, don''t you think...?]

    |Oh, shush! She is putting in an effort to not make a scene!|

    Ludier''s shadow ended upmenting in a worried voice but got silenced by the defensive Zoemi.

    "Mydy, what brings you here?"

    Zoemi ended up asking, deciding to ignore the whole stealing him part, and asked, looking down at the shorter girl.

    It might have been because of the time they''ve spent apart, but Zoemi for the first time realized how short she was ¨C Miriette could barely measure up to Zoemi''s chest ¨C well, it might have been connected with some sort of an unnoticed growth spur on the boy''s part, but still.

    "What brings me...? You...! I wanted to see y...! Khh...! I came here to bring back this lecherous woman! The fights are going on and if she will not return, people might start making up some crazy rumors about the two of you!"

    Miriette gasped and scoffed in response, ending up biting her tongue after almost saying something that was not appropriate for the time and ce they were in as too many people might have been keeping an eye on them.

    "Ehmi, you are going to get MY ZOEMI in trouble! Let go of him and let''s return to our seats!"

    The dark-haired girl ended up clinging to Zoemi even tighter and dered while nuzzling her way under his arm and ring at the crimson-haired girl who was too tall to mirror her move without looking silly.

    "Today we host only the preliminary duels and if everything will be ording to the schedule, there will be a second round of it too. Is there really a need to all of that if OUR ZOEMI will end up winning it all anyway?"

    But even if she couldn''t cuddle up to Zoemi nearly as cutely as Miriete, she had some assets that Miriette could only dream about ¨C and she used it fully by sandwiching the boy''s arm between them as she dered with a proud expression.

    "I WILL NOT SHARE HIM WITH A HEATHEN LIKE YOU!"

    Miriette took a deep breath just to shout at the top of her lungs while her hair bristled like a forest of needles¨C thankfully, Zoemi was prepared for that and hurriedly cast a bubble of muffle that epassed all four of the ¨C yes, Burushi was also being included despite doing her best to not be a part of the small-scale drama.

    "Aww, you are so cute when you are angry~!"

    Instead of getting angry, Ehmi merely snickered ¨C but did end up letting go of Zoemi and stepping away.

    "Alright, teasing you was fun but I really should return... Zoe, I will be cheering you on during your second fight ¨C alright, let''s go!"

    "...ohe on..."

    She cheered out clearly intending for all three of them to leave the sickbay, but that only caused Miriette to breathe out and shake her head in disbelief ¨C her hair returned back to normal and she sighed, unwillingly moving away from Zoemi, clearly looking as if she would prefer to stay like that for long.

    "No, Ehmi ¨C the two of us will leave first, and Zoemi will leave whenever he pleases because otherwise, it will only look suspicious for all of us!"

    Mirietteined angrily, grabbing Ehmi''s hand and pulling her outside.

    ------

    "Didn''t you want to wish him good luck?"

    Ehmi asked as she and Mireitte were returning to their seats, making most of the people turn away from the rather boring fight between two wind magicians, and stare at them wondering whether Espine and Victureo''s families were being at odds with each other wasn''t a gross exaggeration.

    "Tsk. Don''t be stupid. My Zoemi doesn''t need any luck to win."

    The dark-haired girl scoffed in response, proudly raising her head and puffing out her modest chest.

 Chapter 339 109 - Tournament arc (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 339 109 - Tournament arc (part 4)</h4>

    The luck wanted it that although the tournament was actually going a little bit off schedule, Zoemi''s second duel fight would happen on the same day after all.

    The ck-haired boy was looking forward to it -after all, he did show off just a tiny little bit before so this time around whenever his opponent would end up being, they should go at him with full power from the start.

    And that was exactly what Zoemi wanted ¨C the most powerful and creative spells that his opponent could muster woulde right at him and he would eat them all up, gaining all the more power~!

    Wasn''t that just the most perfect scenario for the...

    "And for the final duel of today ¨C lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor representing the Victureo family will face sir Tervos Mafiri representing the Mafiri family!"

    "...huh...?"

    One of the judges announced, causing Zoemi to flinch and look at the opposite end of the arena where a green-haired boy his age was already stepping up with a serious expression.

    This one was actually someone that Zoemi recognized ¨C it wasn''t like they talked that much, but the green-haired boy was amongst the group of students who trained together with him back in the Aspakeony Academy.

    And if Zoemi''s memory was correct ¨C and it definitely was ¨C he was one of the most passionate ¨C if not the most passionate person that did their best to get stronger.

    |Why would he show up here...?|

    The ck-haired boy wondered more than just slightly confused.

    "Lord Zoemi, it''s good to see you again."

    "(Lord Zoemi ¨C I know it''s sudden but I have a favor to ask of you ¨C I need to lose this fight but I cannot surrender. Lia was abducted on her way back to the academy, and the kidnapper had been sending instructions to our families. Whoever they are, they knew that the two of us will face each other in this tournament. I don''t know what''s their end goal is but they threatened to hurt Lia if I will not fight you seriously.)"

    "...!"

    The green-haired boy nodded his head as a greeting and immediately after he used a message spell and muttered under his breath,pletely confusing the ck-haired boy with his words.

    "|Lia...? Wait ¨C you mean Nilianna?! Your fiance!?|"

    Zoemi gasped in disbelief and contacted him back using his modified message spell.

    "(Yes. I am ashamed to bend down to the kidnapper''s demands, but I cannot allow her to be hurt...! Please ¨C I don''t know why I and her were chosen, but whoever kidnapped her demanded that I will betray your trust. Is... is it possible to make it seem like you are unhinged over seeing me here? We weren''t that close but, please...!)"

    "|I understand. I will defeat you in the most spectacr way possible while acting as if I''m losing it.|"

    Zoemi agreed before Tervos finished asking for his help.

    "(Thank you...!)"

    The green-haired boy trembled and had to bite his lips to not show how relieved he was.

    |I was expecting Ghosts to have a go at me, but never expected it to be in that way...|

    Zoemi thought to himself in annoyance.

    [How are you so sure it''s their doing?]

    Ludier''s shadow asked from inside the boy''s mind.

    |Only aplete deviant and pervert coulde up with something so ridiculous as this. But, that is also a good thing ¨C it means that they are watching ¨C and if they are watching, they have to be connected to somewhere around here. And in turn, that means that they can be tracked back.|

    [That''s a lot of assumptions... but... I kind of see your point this time... Still ¨C what if you are wrong though, and that kid just wants you to make a fool of yourself?]

    The ck-haired boy exined but the unique shadow of the ice magician was still doubtful.

    |I don''t see anything wrong with his shadow, and I think that the Ghosts picked him because he was the most honorable person from the group that trained together with me, so his sudden betrayal would affect me the most... I guess...?|

    [Again, only assumptions...]

    Zoemi furrowed his brows a little, causing Ludier''s shadow to sigh.

    |Hey ¨C I can turn it in my favor if I will show how much I care about honor, right?|

    The ck-haired boy pointed out.

    [...go for it I guess...?]

    Ludier''s shadow sighed and gave up, returning to being dormant.

    "|Is it okay to rage at your family, or is it off limit?|"

    Satisfied, Zoemi ended up messaging Tervos onest time.

    "(There is no limit ¨C as long as it will help keep Lia safe, you can even drag my family name into the ground.)"

    The green-haired boy dered with an unbreakable resolve, making the ck-haired boy smile internally.

    And so, the show was about to begin...

    "...Tervos.... didn''t you say that you were the only heir to your family? Who are you representing...?"

    "..."

    Zoemi asked loudly, causing the green-haired boy''s face to get serious as he clenched his teeth.

    "It''s just as it was announced, lord Zoemi. I represent my own family. I am participating in the tournament for the opportunity to marry the youngdy Victureo."

    Tervos responded straightening his back and dering while clenching his fists as if he was holding himself back.

    "But you are engaged to Nilianna Kir Orenta, aren''t you...? You were always giving your best because you wanted to prove to everyone that you are worthy of her and that the arranged engagement wasn''t a mistake... What THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE TOURNAMENT TO MARRY EHMI?! YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE?! WAS YOUR DEDICATION A LIE?!"

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy asked, but when he saw the green-haired boy looking away at the mention of the name of a pale-gold-haired girl that he was often seen around back in the Academy, Zoemi acted as if something inside if him snapped and he roared, taking a step forward ¨C causing Tervos to flinch but not back off.

    "Tervos... Your actions and words do not match... And you were the one who said that a value of a man is only represented by keeping his word... Where is your value now, then...?"

    Zoemi breathed out and asked, seething with a fury of a thousand wild beasts, giving everyone watching chills despite not being the direct object of it.

 Chapter 340 109 - Tournament arc (part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 340 109 - Tournament arc (part 5)</h4>

    "Then I will show your family how dumb they were to make such a ridiculous bet."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and...

    *WHAM*

    Punched the ground, causing the whole arena to tremble...!

    "!!!!"

    No, he went further than that!

    His punch ended up piercing through the arena and before anyone could figure out what was the purpose of it he...

    *RUMBLE*

    *CRACK*

    "WHAT IN THE...?!"

    Zoemi started straightening his back ¨C but instead of just pulling his arm, elbows deep in the arena, back, he ended up pulling the entire thing together with him ¨C causing the half of the fighting space to just get ripped out from the ground in a huge, house-sized chunk of earth and stone, causing the panicked Tervos to shout in shock as the surface he was standing on suddenly became vertical.

    But although the green-haired boy wasn''t prepared for sudden terraforming, he wasn''t going to let himself be thrown out of bounds or smashed like a bug.

    As a wind magician, he had ess to the levitation spell ¨C and at them moment he made full use of it of staying afloat and in the air, too cautious about thendmass effortlessly picked up by the ck-haired boy to attack him.

    "For your own safety, you better give up now, or at least start dodging."

    "...!"

    Although Zoemi was hidden from Tervos by the mas of earth and rocks, his voice certainly reached him, which prompted him to kick himself off and use the levitation spell to its full potential and cushion his, leaving the arena without it being counted as getting out of bounds.

    "...!"

    He also was able to see Zoemi again, and the cold re of his lifeless ck eyes sent a chill down his spine, even though he knew that it was all a ruse ¨C but still...

    ...it was extremely convincing...

    "Hmph."

    *SMASH*

    The ck-haired boy scoffed and the giant chunk of the arena broke apart into a huge amount of debris of various shapes and sizes.

    "Tsk... Your choice. Rock barrage."

    "!!!!!!!!"

    Acting as if he took the shocked silence of Tervos as a decision to not give up, Zoemi clicked his tongue and snapped his fingers, causing all of the floating debris to shoot out, homing at the green-haired boy, who barely had any time to react.

    Tervos was doing his best, using the burst of wind magic to propel himself forward and change direction without losing any speed as the hundreds of projectiles were hot on his trail closing in on him with increasing uracy while riddling the already destroyed ground with holes...

    ...if even a single missile hit him, he could say goodbye to his limbs as there was no chance for his speed-oriented wind enchantments to stop such brute force...

    "Why are you running? Your family broke off the engagement with the youngdy Orenta because they thought that you have a chance to win this tournament! Youplied with them so you must think the same, right? SHOW THAT BREAKING YOUR WORD WAS WORTH IT!"

    Zoemi snorted with a furious expression and smirked mockingly watching Tervos desperately throwing himself left and right with gusts of wind, and increasing the number of missiles barraging him.

    "Sh-SHUT UP! GALE!"

    A trash talk was only effective if the target was getting agitated by it ¨C and that definitely was the case for the green-haired boy who growled and propelled himself straight at the ck-haired

    boy, leading the barrage of stone missiles right into him, all while already preparing another spell.

    "WIND BLADE!"

    Tervos roared, releasing the spell right in Zoemi''s face at an extremely short distance.

    "Boring."

    *SMACK*

    *SPLASH*

    "GHRAAAAAAAHHHH...!"

    Zoemi didn''t even bling and literally smacked the spell with the back of his hand right back at the green-haired boy,unching him high enough so that he reached the upperyer of the protective water barrier cast by the team of water magicians, resulting in Tervos''s dyed scream of pain.

    As for the rock missiles that by all means should hit the boy who conjured them, they all ended up stopping about a foot away from Zoemi, peacefully orbiting him after losing all of the momentum they should have.

    "Pathetic. A traitor, liar, AND a weakling? I see that the Mafiri family is in good hands. After you be the next head, they still will be able to order you around, stomping on your oh so precious honor. Congrattions! You are a splendid tool~!"

    Zoemi pped his hands andughed looking up at the falling Tervos raising his voice for all to hear, acting as if he was making sure his words would reach the green-haired boy despite the difference in altitude.

    "SHUT UP! AS IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING! TORRENT LANCE!"

    |Hey, that sounded convincing! He would make a good actor! And the spell he is using is good too!|

    [...or he actually got pissed off about your words because you are too good at your role...]

    Infuriated by the mockery, Tervos roared back, reaching out his hand, creating a miniature cyclone around it and shrinking and condensing it into a shape that would fit the name he came up for it ¨C causing Zoemi to raise his brow with approval as he saw the potential of both the original spell and the green-haired boy himself ¨C but Ludier''s shadow gave his opinion doubting his host''s positive exnation.

    Still, there wasn''t much time for the leisurely response as the green-haired boy literally fell down upon Zoemi like a shooting star, stabbing the torrentnce straight into the ck-haired boy''s torso...!

    "Wh-what...?! Lord Zoemi why didn''t you dodge?!"

    Tervos gasped in terror as he ended up perched on Zoemi''s chest as the ck-haired boy was arched as if he was an insect skewered by a needle...

    ...except that although the torrent seemed to be stabbing into Zoemi''s chest, it definitely wasn''t stabbing through him...

    "Hmm... that was interesting ¨C I will make sure to put it to a good use ¨C now, t''s time for you to go to sleep~!"

    "Huh...?!"

    To the green-haired boy''s great surprise, Zoemi suddenly raised his head and smiled brightly, and the next moment...

    *SLAM*

    Tervos''sgot choke-mmed against the ground before he could make another sound or question anything.

    "HMPH!"

    Zoemi scoffed at the green-haired boy shing the whites of his eyes and looked around at the audience observing the entire fight before turning towards the judges...

    ...of which everyone was stunned into silence...

    If they thought that Zoemi''s first fight was surprising, then his second fight couldn''t be even properly put into words.

    "..."

    Zoemi tilted his head wondering why the verdict wasn''t yet announced ¨C he even nced back at Tervis''s unconscious body wondering whether he happened to wake up, but no, the green-haired boy wasying down just as he left him.

    "Ah! It''s because of the destruction of the arena? No problem~!"

    *click*

    The ck-haired boy gasped and snapped his finger.

    At hismand, the debris that he used as projectiles all swirled around and returned to its original shape ¨C after all since the start the entirety of the arena was constructed by the earth magicians especially for the tournament so it should be obvious that all the damages could be repaired by the earth magic.

    "What...? Still no verdict? Should I kill him or something...?"

    Zoemi frowned when he received no reaction still, and raised his hand, extending his index finger ¨C atop of which a murky-ck me erupted in grew in size turning into a carriage-sized raging fireball that would most definitely obliterate the green-haired boy even if he was fully conscious...

    "Th-the winner of the duel is lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor representing the Victureo family!"

    At least one of the judges reacted in time and called out hurriedly, reaching his hand toward the ck-haired boy.

    "Thank you~! See? It wasn''t that difficult now, was it?"

    *click*

    *haaaa*

    Zoemi smiled brightly and snapped his fingers again, making the dissipate into the air with the sound resembling a person breathing out with relief.

    ...while using the chance that the eyes of everyone were focused on the dissipating murky-ck mes he also used shadow connect and discretely ced half a dozen of sentinels straight into Tervos''s shadow before turning around and proudly raising his head, presenting everyone with his charming, devilishly-handsome face.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for today ¨C on behalf of the Victureo family I wholeheartedly invite you toe tomorrow to feast your eyes on more of my overwhelming victories~! Goodnight~!"

    The ck-haired boy cheered out and bowed down theatrically like a first-ss entrepreneur before disappearing in a sh of murky light, leaving everyone absolutely stunned.

 Chapter 341 110 - Tournament arc (part 6)

    <h4>Chapter 341 110 - Tournament arc (part 6)</h4>

    "Be honest with me, Burushi, was I too extra? I kind of feel like I overdid it with the exit... I did not need to teleport at the end."

    Zoemi was in the room in the Victureo mansion that was provided for the blond heroine ¨C and he was talking to the blond while taking over her bed as she was brushing her hair while in her bathrobe after getting out of the bath.

    "Nah. It worked out just fine, the nobles love theatrics like that ¨C I think... More importantly ¨C what is going on with the whole kidnapping? Everything is happening mostly as it yed out in Reo''s route ¨C but I sure as hell did not start his route."

    Burushi shrugged her shoulders looking at Zoemi''s face in the mirror, without actually turning back towards him.

    "Umm... yeah, about that... I think that I kind of started it...? You know, with the Banemor questline ¨C although my best boy didn''t get beaten up because I trashed his assholes of siblings instead."

    The ck-haired boy made an awkward expression and looked to the side while admitting to being at least a part of the problem.

    "Aren''t you the heart-stealer? You got Miri, the evil twin who got ALL the crazy, Reo, Victureo siblings, and m... maybe even a couple of others."

    The blond heroine snickered and started to count on her fingers, flinching just a little bit by the end and hurriedly shrugging it off dismissively.

    "Evil twin...?"

    "Even though Miri was very clear about not bullying me, Teo is certainly going out of her way to be mean to me."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and asked, tilting his head and Burushi sighed and rolled her eyes while exining.

    "Yeah ¨C well, it''s not a game, so you know, not everyone will be nice to the character of the heroine."

    The ck-haired boy tried to reason things out and suggested, but that only gained him a tired re from the blond-haired girl.

    "I am not talking about being nice to me ¨C I only ask to not openly threaten me and destroy my property. That should not be such an outrageous endeavor as she makes it to be, alright? She got some issues that my magic cannot heal, let me tell you that."

    Burushi breathed out and put down the brush before facing Zoemi with a scowl, causing him to lean back and stare at her wide-eyed.

    "...and even Miriette wasn''t able topletely stop her...?"

    "Nope."

    The ck-haired boy asked for confirmation and he received it immediately, without even a second of hesitation from the blond-haired girl.

    "Hmm... well, I can try to talk to her the next time we meet, but..."

    "...but I will not be holding my breath in anticipation for the result..."

    He breathed out and assured with a ratherplicated expression, and Burushi smirked and waved her hand dismissively.

    "...but as for the immediate solution, have those two."

    Still, as it turned out, she was not right about the reason for Zoemi making a worried face, because the next moment the ck-haired boy extended his hand and two murky-ck orbs appeared above his palms before slowly floating down and disappeared into the blond girl''s shadow.

    "You already have the bear, but it is strictly about physical and magical defense, those guys can teleport and can contact me if the things go really bad. There are some perverted traitor assassins gunning for me and apparently, they began messing with people around me to... tilt me, I guess...? Alright, thatst part isn''t confirmed, but we already talked about Tervos and Nilianna''s situation, and those people are my main suspects."

    Zoemi exined, awkwardly, but at least he tried to be transparent about the situation.

    "In the game, it was not disimed who exactly was behind the kidnapping ¨C quite a plot hole if you ask me, but that leaves a lot of space for assumptions anyway... About those orbs ¨C are you going to teleport Teo into the sun when she tries to punch my head off?"

    Burushi breathed out and asked with a mocking smile.

    "No... not the sun... just... put into a time-out."

    Zoemi sat up on the bed and looked away, dodging making eye contact.

    ''Wait... Seriously?! I was not expecting that! Aren''t you going to be like ¨C oh, she''s my friend, she isn''t like that, she had a difficult childhood, you just need to talk things out with her - and other crap like that?"

    The blond heroine gasped in actual shock staring down at her shadow where two ck dots were bouncing around within its borders.

    "No, not really. I mean, I like her but it doesn''t mean that she is some sort of a saint. Everyone has ws."

    Zoemi shrugged and faced the wide-eyed Burushi.

    "...and what if I said that Miri was actually the one bullying me...?"

    The blond girl asked, squinting her eyes, testing the ground out of pure curiosity.

    "I would have to give you a lot more sentinels to keep you safe."

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders without batting an eye.

    "...You would not doubt me...?"

    The heroine asked while she herself sounded doubtful, funnily enough.

    "You seem to believe I spent most of my current life around her and still somehow don''t know how her personality works... It''s the same situation, I like her, but I know she isn''t a perfect being ¨C isn''t that how it''s supposed to be for everyone though...?"

    Zoemi raised his brow, looking at the shocked Burushi.

    "Alright, but moving on to a different subject. I know about Reo''s route ¨C but what about Grazio? Is this tournament a part of it or apletely original thing?"

    He asked, moving onto the edge of the bed and gesturing at the blond girl.

    "Yes, but in the game, it wasn''t even focused on the fighting itself ¨C it was more on the interactions between Grazio and the heroine as she was healing him after each fight. Oh, because in the game the tournament didn''t have the rule about Victureo''s not being allowed to represent themselves. Grazio didn''t end up winning, and his sister had to marry the winner, the rest of the route consisted of various situations where he was striving to get stronger, involving himself with studies and experiments that teacher Ikarveth was doing in the Academy''s dungeon."

    Burushi answered, leaning back in her seat and looking at the ceiling.

    "...any details...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and leaned forward with a questioning look in his eyes.

    "...it wasn''t my favorite route so I yed through it only for thepletion sake, alright?"

    The blond girl frowned and crossed her arms defensively, while looking away, pouting...

    ...and puffing out her already ample chest...

    "Ah, sorry... So, we have the distorted tournament from the Grazio route and the kind of fitting kidnappings from Reo''s route... Troublesome..."

    Zoemi sighed and lowered his head.

    "Speaking of troublesome things ¨C what are you going to do about the people from the Auequas family? It looks like you will have to face one of them tomorrow..."

    Burushi suddenly tensed up and asked.

    "Are you talking about granny from hell?"

    "Yah."

    Zoemi asked and Burushi nodded her head vigorously.

    "I am not going to let her win if that''s what you are asking about."

    He shrugged his shoulders with an indifferent expression.

 Chapter 342 110 - Tournament arc (part 7)

    <h4>Chapter 342 110 - Tournament arc (part 7)</h4>

    "For the next duel, lord Zoemi Benevi Auequas representing the Victureo family will facedy Viriges Auequas representing the Auequas family!"

    It was already the second day of the tournament for the hand of the youngdy Victureo, and just as Burushi has predicted, Zoemi was about to face the woman who would have been his grandmother if she and her family didn''t disinherit the man who adopted the ck-haired boy.

    As Zoemi was walking up to the arena already frowning, his expression be a lot fiercer as he saw the old brown-haired woman already on the position.

    There was no ce for doubt, it was the teacher who was so keen on interrogating him after the death of Xeonith, and even made the mistake of trying to force him to talk by using force.

    That granny pulled no punches and clearly showed that she thinks he is guilty.

    Funnily enough, she was right, but that alone did not mean she had any right or justification for acting the way she did, except for her own gain.

    And Zoemi wasn''t going to gloss over the fact that she was the same person whopletely glossed over what Xeonith did to Burushi, making the disgusting sadistic monster seem like apletely innocent heroic young man.

    "I don''t know how you did it but it must have been a trick of darkness magician! I''ve seen you at the academy! You''re just a weak dar...!"

    "Oh, shut up, old hag! This is not the Academy and no one is here to hear monologues! If you want to talk, get the hell out of this arena!"

    Zoemi groaned and interrupted the brown-haired woman before she managed to finish whatever speech she had in store.

    "How dare you...!"

    "BEGIN!"

    That made her angry enough to almost froth from the mouth and her body started blowing brown basically at the same time as the start of the duel was announced.

    "Shadow armor!"

    Zoemi called out loudly, even though he didn''t need to use the verbal incantation anymore, and his body got enveloped in a murky-ck demonic-looking set of armor.

    "!!!!"

    He could just use the discreet shadow enchantments, but since he wanted to show off, he decided it was okay to go a bit further than that ¨C not too much though.

    "Tricks of a weakling! The same as what you did yesterday!"

    The old woman shrieked furiously as she shot out from her spot like a stone flung from a sling and while in flight.

    "THIS IS WHAT A REAL FIGHT IS LIKE!"

    She roared as her arms got enveloped in the earth and stones that got pulled from the arena, increasing in size at least four times as she readied for delivering a devastating punch to the shadow-d boy.

    "PFFFT... AHAHAHAHA! Are you really trying to twist the truth and make it so that I am actually weak? Getting delusional at your age already, mydy?"

    Zoemi burst intoughter as he effortlessly dodged the attack and moved his hips, barely bumping into the passing woman...

    *SLAM*

    "HGU-AUGH...!"

    The earth where he was standing just a moment ago exploded under the terrifying force like the woman crushed into the arena with enough force to create a crater.

    "You...! You cannot be strong! You are just a worthless foundling who...!"

    Lady Auequas growled, climbing her way up, ring at Zoemi with hatred as her body shone with the intense light of her enchantments.

    "Ah... I get it now. You are simply in denial. You cannot ept that you made a mistake by refusing to acknowledge me so you try to bend the reality to fit your view of the world..."

    But instead of letting her tell him exactly who she thought he was, Zoemi turned around in a dance-like move and delivered a devastating punch at her exposed jaw...

    "I AM ZOEMI BENEVI BANEMOR!"

    He roared as the hit connected and he felt stone armor appearing under his fist, forming a protectiveyer between him and the earth magician.

    ...he clearly wasn''t the only one good at thest moment decisions...

    |It''s so infuriating that she ispetent at fighting! Why someone like that would cast my father away!|

    Zoemi gritted his teeth and merely continued the motion, letting his shadow-d fist dig into the stone armor.

    *WHAM*

    "KHHHH...!"

    With a loud bang and pieces of extremely hard stones flying around the woman stumbled back with unfocused eyes.

    The hit didn''t knock her out but it definitely had an effect.

    "What you and the Auequas family did to my adoptive father...!"

    *SLAM*

    Zoemi howled and with horrifying precision, he delivered an uppercut right to the woman''s stomach.

    "...WILL NEVER BE FORGOTEN!"

    "GHHHHRAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH...!"

    The woman''s enchantments were still active so the punch didn''t split her in half and instead sent her flying straight up.

    "HMPH!"

    *BOOOOM*

    As if this was his n from the very beginning Zoemi jumped after the woman and just as he was above her he joined his hands together and using the force of gravity that was now pulling both of them down he smashed them at the woman''s head sending her straight down onto the ground.

    "THIS IS YOUR PUNISHMENT FOR SPITTING IN OUR FACES!"

    *SLAM*

    Zoemi called out as the earth magician hit the ground and raised a cloud of dust.

    "...hmm...?"

    The shadow-d boynded y the crash site and let out a shocked voice.

    What hended in... was sand!

    |...I hate this...|

    Zoemi bared his fangs and raised his leg.

    "IGNITE!"

    He shouted and stomped his foot...

    ...from underneath the sole of his shoe murky-ck mes erupted covering the six feet in diameter around him and turning all the sand into rough ss in an instant.

    "Bring it on...!"

    Furious Zoemi looked around, he didn''t expect to find the older teacher around since he was sure that she burrowed herself in the sand for either protection or in preparation for a surprise attack.

    "...huh...?"

    But then there she was, exactly on the spot she crashed at, with her body still glowing strongly with the protective enchants.

    "If you act dead, at least deactivate your enchantments!"

    Zoemi scoffed rushing at her without a moment of hesitation.

    The next second he grabbed her and raised her up while holding a firm grip on the back of her head.

    Sightly surprised by theck of reaction, Zoemi still raised her up with the intention of smashing her head into the newly made ss when...

    "Please, stop!"

    A blue-haired middle-aged man jumped from the audience straight onto the arena with his arms raised in a peace gesture and made Zoemi stop momentarily.

    "You won, could you put her down...? Judges, please announce that lord Banemor has won already."

    The man asked politely and then called out to the judges observing everything from the side as Zoemi red at him with suspicion.

    "..."

    After all his opponent hasn''t moved even though he picked her up by her head and was just dangling limply!

    "Her enchantments are still active..."

    Zoemi said cautiously, there was still no reaction from the woman in his hand.

    "That''s because she was in the army and learned to keep her enchantments active even when she loses consciousness... Just take look at her face."

    The man spoke in a tense voice without making any sudden moves.

    Zoemi red at him but then he lowered his hand still holding the woman and turned her towards himself.

    "Oh..."

    He muttered.

    The older teacher''s eyes were shing white, her nose was bleeding and her mouth was hung open, even with all that her enchantments were glowing strong.

    The lights were on but nobody was home.

    "I see."

    Zoemi nodded and gently ced the woman on the ground.

    "The winner is lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor representing the Victureo family!"

    ...and released the shadow armor only after the judges made the announcement...

    ----

    "This sure is therapeutic!"

    Burushi breathed out with satisfaction while watching the fight from the slightly opened door to the sick bay.

    After making sure that every patient was properly taken care of, she could allow herself a moment of a breather and used her spare time to witness Zoemi''s fight.

    "That old hag dared to ask me to heal that shitstain Xeonith even though she knew exactly what he did to me! Don''t listen to that guy! Rough her up even more!"

    She cheered Zoemi on in a hushed voice, while ng over at her patients to make sure that none of them has woken up and overheard her.

 Chapter 343 111 - Tournament arc (part 8)

    <h4>Chapter 343 111 - Tournament arc (part 8)</h4>

    The old teacher was taken away from the stage but the blue-haired man was still there looking at Zoemi getting out of the arena.

    "My name is Letro Auequas."

    The man introduced himself to Zoemi.

    "I take it you are my... Uncle...? What do you want? Not that it matters much at the moment."

    The ck-haired boy stopped and nced back, furrowing his brows at the new arrival.

    "I don''t know what you are talking about. None of my brothers has a legitimate son named Zoemi."

    "..."

    Letro dered proudly while ring at the boy''s back with barely hidden anger, which only caused Zoemi to roll his eyes and hold back a sigh.

    "If you want to duel me as revenge for defeating your mother then just win every duel until we met. As long as you are strong enough we shall meet."

    Zoemi scoffed and waved his hand dismissively, taking a guess at Letro''s reason for staying in the arena and just going along with it.

    "No! I demand...!"

    "Letro Auequas ¨C if you want to fight someone, why not duel me? I raised that boy after all."

    As the unconscious body ofdy Auequas was carried off the arena into the sickbay, the blue-haired man shook his head and take a step toward Zoemi, but he was interrupted by a certain pale-blue-haired knight entering the arena from the side.

    "Father?!"

    Zoemi who did a good job not getting provoked gasped in disbelief at the sight of the extremely serious-looking Mizoe.

    "...I don''t expect an idiot to be able to have decency, but you should at least know that this tournament has nothing to do with you. Get out of my sight."

    Letro scoffed and barely sparing his younger brother a single nce.

    "I already got permission from the Victureo family to take some of the time, and your next opponent also didn''t pose any objections to the personal duel. If that helps you make the decision, the judges didn''t end the duel betweendy Auequas and my son because I was taking their attention, informing them about all those circumstances."

    Mizoe shrugged his shoulders and announced with a cold smile, acting as if his older brother''s insults did not affect him in the slightest.

    "...I see... Asking you for decency had no purpose did it...? Watching your own mother get beaten up, what kind of son are you?"

    "How dare you...?!"

    "Zoemi, it''s okay ¨C don''t y their game."

    Letro scoffed, shaking his head with disgust, causing Zoemi to actually turn around about to give him a piece of his mind, but that was stopped by Mizoe, looking at his son with a reassuring smile.

    "Letro, why are you acting as if you weren''t there wheredy Auequas chased me out of the Auequas family home without allowing to take me even a single one of my belongings while screaming at top of her lungs that I am not her son? Or were you too busyughing? If anything I am a far better son than you ¨C I at least epted and follow the decision of the woman who gave birth to me andpletely epted that there is no connection between us as she dered on every single asion I tried to reconcile."

    Mizoe''s eyes turned ice-cold when he looked away from his son and turned to his older brother.

    With that subtle change, the reassuring smile turned into a very threatening sigh.

    "The guts...! How exactly are you better...?"

    "~!"

    "!?!?!?"

    Letro straightened his back and red down at Mizoe with pure fury, while Zoemi was absolutely shocked as it was his first time seeing his father looking as if he enjoyed himself quarreling with someone...

    As for the reason that the pale-blue-haired knight was happy, the reason was simple ¨C the blue-haired man swallowed the bait splendidly~!

    "As I said, Letro. I respected her decision ¨C but you are trampling on it instead. You just said that I didn''t step in while she was being beaten up ¨C but how shameful would it be for a noble if someone else stepped in and hurried with an unwanted help and interrupt their duel? With your own words, you tumbled of her pride as apetent warrior... shame... shame on you, Letro~"

    "...you..."

    Mizoe straightened his back too and his smile bloomed into a full-on grin when he saw Letro''s clenched fists and trembling shoulders.

    "What is supposed to be the purpose of this duel you want, anyway?! To allow trash like you to return to our family?!"

    The blue-haired man scoffed, barely stopping himself from spatting to the side in hatred.

    "Don''t be ridiculous, Letro~ I just want Auequas family to leave me alone, for good. Act as if I do not exist and don''t even dare to threaten people close to me, ever."

    "!!!!"

    Mizoe dered and Zoemi''s eyes widened in realization.

    That was all of that about.

    Mizoe acting distant and training in secret.

    He wanted to actually cut all ties with the family that rejected him.

    There was no better moment to force the Auequas family toply than during the tournament where most of the noble families from the entire kingdom gathered...!

    If the duel will be epted ¨C which by that point was more than certain ¨C and if Mizoe would win, then if Auequas family would be caught interfering with him ever again, they wouldpletely lose their honor and reputation.

    But...!

    Mizoe had to win the fight for that...

    "...fine. I ept the duel in your condition ¨C BUT when you lose you will have to break any connection with lord Banemor."

    "...!"

    Not to mention that Letro wasn''t going to just take everythingying down and actually wiped the smile off Mizoe''s face with his own demand.

    "He epts."

    "Zoemi?!"

    Although the pale-blue-haired knight went silent as the condition that he would rather die than ept showed up, then the ck-haired boy himself spoke up without a speck of hesitation in his voice.

    "Father, there is no problem with that condition at all as there is absolutely no chance that you would lose."

    Zoemi looked at his shocked father and nodded at him with a serious expression.

    "...hmhm..."

    Mizoe snickered and nodded back.

    "My son is right. I ept."

    He dered and walked towards the middle of the arena.

    "Letro, this took enough time already ¨C the sooner we start the sooner the tournament can continue."

    Mizoe called out resting his hand on the hilt of his shortsword.

    "...a trash who is going to lose in a second is not worthy to call me by my first name..."

    Letro responded with disgust and moved towards the back end of the arena ¨C ready for the duel, but at the distance that put Mizoe who had very little mana at a major disadvantage.

    As for Zoemi, he moved all the way back to the seats of the jury as if cing himself under their watch so that it would be clear that he would not interfere no matter what happens ¨C because that was exactly the case.

    This was the fight that his father wanted to face alone, and the least Zoemi could do as his son was to respect that decision.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, as you heard, this duel is not counted towards the tournament. Sir Letro Auequas was challenged by sir Mizoe Auequas."

    One of the judges announced and no one from the audience spoke up against it, so it was taken as eptance.

    "BEGIN!"

    The judge called out and the two men immediately made their moves.

 Chapter 344 111 - Tournament arc (part 9)

    <h4>Chapter 344 111 - Tournament arc (part 9)</h4>

    Mizoe leaned forward with his hand on the hilt of his sword while Letro smirked mockingly seeing that his younger brother forgo the enchantments.

    The blue-haired man was not going to adjust himself to the level of his younger borther who had much less mana than he - so not only did he activate his water enchantments, but the water bubble and a dozen or so water spears that all at once...

    *SHING*

    *crack*

    "!!!!!"

    ...turned into ice and shattered into nothingness as Mizoe pulled out his weapon that emanated such insane cold that the entire arena became frosted over, and unleashed the sh that had no right to reach Letro but ended up destroying all the spears that he conjured upfront anyway.

    "...you...! CHEATER! HOW DARE YOU USE EQUIPMENT THAT DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU!"

    Letro roared while immediately backing off trying to recast the defensive spell while trembling from cold but the bubble that appeared around him was trembling and deforming to the point of splitting apart, losing its purpose without receiving any attack.

    "Letro ¨C are your eyes frozen over too? This is the de that you made fun of so many times ¨C the same weapon that I received after bing a knight. The only thing different is that I channel my ice enchantments onto it instead of my own body."

    Mizoe scoffed while rushing after his fleeing older brother.

    ------

    "Water mana wants to be ice mana and does not want to oppose it~ Still, using enchantments on an object. Haha~! It sounds so obvious after he said it."

    Zoemi muttered to himself with a wild grin feeling extremely proud of his father''s ingenuity.

    Normally enchanted equipment was crafted with the use of mana crystals, no one was actually using spells to bestow properties onto objects.

    -------

    *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING* *SHING*

    "GHAGH!"

    The ice-cold crescents of sheer cold erupted from the impossibly cold de under Mizoe''s perfect guidance and reached Letro''s leg after cutting off his path, freezing him to the already frosted arena.

    "Give up, Letro."

    "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY A TRASHY WEAKLING LIKE YOU, JUST BECAUSE YOU LEARNED A FEW TRICKS!"

    Mizoe demanded while in the middle of another swing ¨C but just like a cornered rat would fight back the predator chasing it ¨C Letro growled and conjured water spears and spheres and sent them at the pale-blue-haired knight while they were freezing over.

    As the projectiles were turning into ice, the blue-haired man lost control over them but that wasn''t really a concern of his ¨C Letro just needed to direct them and the momentum they gained would to the rest.

    "...!"

    Mizoe gritted his teeth and had no other choice but to start dodging.

    He was at a major disadvantage here as with his extremely limited mana he could not use the enchantments on both his sword and himself, forcing him to dodge the frozen barrage with just his natural agility and evasion ¨C and not getting knocked out or skewered was enough to take most of his attention, forcing him to go into defense.

    ...which for Mizoe meant only trouble as stalling or getting stalled meant that his precious mana would be spent on keeping the enchantments active while not getting him any closer to victory...

    "..."

    Zoemi gritted his teeth watching the precious seconds run out ¨C he knew that with the intensity of the cold given out by the spell-enchanted sword, Mizoe will enter the state of mana depletion within the next minute, or two ¨C at most ¨C and it seemed like Letro was also aware of that...

    *shing*

    And that expectation was proven to be correct as the next sign that sent the feezing crescent towards the blue-haired man ended up only creating a thinyer of ice on top of his clothes instead of actual freezing like it happened to his leg.

    "HA!"

    ...which caused Letro to let out a triumphant roar and steadily continue the barrage of the attacks.

    He did not have to increase the intensity or the number of projectiles either as the moment that the ice enchantments will run out would be equal to Mizoe losing every single chance of victory against the magician with an appropriately sized mana reservoir fighting from a distance.

    The pale-blue light of the ice enchantment enveloping the de of Mizoe''s shortsword was getting dimmer and dimmer which caused the pale-blue-haired man to bit his lips so hard he drew blood.

    "GHAHAHAA! IT''S YOUR LOSS, TRASH!"

    "Shut the hell up already, you insufferable snob!"

    "?!?!?!?!"

    Letroughed triumphantly ¨C but as if refreshed by the metallic taste of his own blood Mizoe roared back,pletely shocking Zoemi by actually cursing, which the boy''s father always abstained from.

    *wham* *m* *crush* *stab* *stab* *stab* *stab*

    Zoemi also did not recall his father ever showing even remotely as much recklessness as he did in the next few seconds ¨C because instead of continuing to dodge the water spears and spheres, Mizoe charged straight through them dodging the bare minimum that would kill him on the spot or slow him down and allowing all the rest to just hit him, breaking his ribs and bones of the swordless arm, or piercing his flesh as he closed the distance to the trapped Letro, frozen to the same spot of the arena.

    "YOU...! WATER BUBBLE!"

    Letro''s eyes widened and he panicked to the point of voicing out his incantation and raising his arms protectively as Mizoe''s sword swung through the air, aiming at his head.

    *crack*

    The de wasn''t cold enough anymore to create a damaging freezing crescent, but the metal itself still carried that property and shattered through the barely formed defensive water spell.

    *WHAM*

    "GHHHRAAAAAAAGH...!"

    At thest moment, Mizoe chose to show mercy and did not behead his older brother, twisting his wrist and using the sword like a flimsy mace instead of a ded weapon ¨C but still, the hit was extremely effective as Letro''s neck and right shoulder got encased in a thickyer of ice as the man himself mmed onto the arena, seemingly knocked out.

    "..."

    Mizoe stood over his older brother for a few seconds while pointing the dimming spell-enchanted sword at him...

    "...haaaaaaaa..."

    ...but as Letro didn''t make any move except for breathing, the pale-blue-haired man took a step back and breathed out rxing his tense muscles.

    "..."

    Still, he ended up pulling himself together for a moment longer and gritted his teeth before turning towards the judges, waiting for them to announce the official verdict.

    "Sir Mizoe Aueqas has won the..."

    "HE DIDN''T WON SHIT! WATER SPEAR!"

    *STAB*

    "Ghh...!"

    *ng*

    As the judge closest to relieved and proud Zoemi stood up and spoke up, Letro jolted himself up and roared, conjuring the water spear right at Mizoe''s back, skewering the pale-blue-haired man straight through the chest and the shortsword fell out of his hand and hit the frosted ground with a clear sound...

    "AS IF I LET A TRASH LIKE...!"

    In the horrified silence that befell the arena, Letro roared triumphantly ¨C but the words got stuck in his mouth when Mizoe with half of the water spear sticking out of his chest turned to him with the most terrifying re that the blue-haired man had seen in his life, and clenched his fist...

    *WHAM*

    *crack*

    "...YO-GHUAGH...!"

    Without even trying to say anything back, Mizoe just punched his older brother square in the face, breaking his nose and front teeth and mming him to the ground with enough power to break the ice.

    "...sir judge... you were saying...?"

    "!!!!!!!!!!"

    Even though there was not even a speck of mana left in Mizoe and the was suffering from the mana depletion, both his voice and his eyes carried the cold of his enchantments with them sending chills down the spines of everyone watching ¨C and it was worth noting that the water spear was still lodged firmly in his torso, which only added to the overall effect.

    "S-sir Mizoe Auequas has won the duel...!"

    The judge has gulped down his saliva and announced as his hand trembled slightly.

    "...good..."

    *thump*

    Mizoe nodded his head with a proud expression ¨C and fell face-first onto the ground, losing his conscience right after hearing the most important words.

    The next moment Zoemi was by his side, picking him up and leaving rushing towards the sickbay while not caring that he stepped over his uncle.

    He could have used his own modified version of healing, but when ites to his father''s heath he decided to put his trust in Burushi who had far more knowledge and expertise on the subject.

 Chapter 345 112 - Tournament arc (part 10)

    <h4>Chapter 345 112 - Tournament arc (part 10)</h4>

    Mizoe was already healed up and put on one of the beds in the sickbay as Letro was carried in and thoughtfully ced on the bed on the other side of the room.

    At first, Zoemi wanted to kick him out the very moment that Burushi would confirm that she fully healed him, even before the blue-haired man would not regain his consciousness, but ended up deciding not to do that as showing pettiness to that degree might have been too much.

    "That duel was really something ¨C short, but ridiculously intense."

    The blond heroine finished using the check-up spell just in case the patients were about to leave after getting healed up and turned to the ck-haired boy sitting by his father''s bed.

    "It had to ¨C dad has less mana than an average earth magician ¨C basically the same as an average darkness magician. His only chance at winning was to end it as fast as possible and he surely delivered on that."

    Zoemi smiled at the calm face of the sleeping pale-blue-haired knight before turning over to Burushi.

    "He oftenughs that he is a reverse transcended magician. But because he is well aware of his weakness, he is capitalizing on things he is good at ¨C let me tell you this, even with using the physical enchantments on a weapon, an amateur wouldn''t be able to swing a sword and create a projectile of air and pressure as he did. My father is the shining example of also being the opposite of the overconfident magicians with lots and lots of mana that do not care about their unaugmented physical abilities ¨C his technique is on such a ridiculous level that barely anyone can match up to him."

    The ck-haired boy boasted, puffing out his chest before turning back to his father.

    "...but of course, since magic is so important in this world, at least for the nobles, having lots and lots of mana is the most important thing so people like him are treated like worse."

    "Yah, I figured that much out after hearing this lovely gentleman speak his mind during the fight..."

    Burushi nodded, pointing behind at the unconscious Letro.

    "Though, I can''t say I''m surprised. You know, I know - nobles,moners, basically middle ages. Self-exnatory."

    She raised her hand while rolling her eyes, sighing.

    "Still ¨C wouldn''t normally someone like him want to prove himself and be epted back into the family or is something wrong with my logic?"

    Burushi added, putting her hand down.

    "He is stubborn, but he isn''t an idiot, hoping for people who already condemned you to have a change of heart because some quality that you showcased sounds amazing... But honestly, outside romanticized novels, such turn of events will happen only on the surface level and only because they will try to use you for their own gain. Dad had that figured out soon after he adopted me. No, he really just wants to have nothing to do with the Auequas family anymore..."

    Zoemi exined, stopping himself by the end and frowning while figuring out whether let the blond heroine in on some of his family problems.

    "Basically, a very nice woman proposed to my dad, and the Auequas family forced him to reject her by threatening to make problems for her family..."

    "And since Perserios family relies on the supplies from families like Auequas, as our territory has the worst soil and harshest climate, sir Mizoe made the most honorable decision."

    "?!?!?!"

    Zoemi sighed and exined without dropping the name of the woman in question just in case ¨C but that turned out to be unnecessary as someone who just entered the sickbay had revealed it all.

    "It would be nice if he had properly exined things to my sister, but considering the duel we all just witnessed, I chose to believe he has full intention of marrying her after all."

    The person who entered turned out to be a blue-haired boy younger and much shorter than both Zoemi and even Burushi, maybe a thirteen or fourteen years old.

    Despite his age, he did not carry himself like a child and was surrounded by a surprising aura of authority.

    "Lord Zoemi, miss Burushiitto."

    The boy smiled and give a short nod as a greeting before reaching out his hand toward the surprised ck-haired boy.

    "It''s nice to meet you. My name is Devios Elef Perserios, the heir of the Perserios family."

    He introduced himself making eye contact with both of them.

    "...?!"

    Zoemi did not budge at all but Burushi couldn''t help herself from raising her brows with interest ¨C one of Devios''s eyes ¨C the right one - was a perfectly healthy blue eye...

    ...while his left one was also blue ¨C but instead of it being a blue iris, it was entirely blue, made out of the sculped sapphire mana stone.

    "I can heal that up if you want. Your depth perception must be messed up as it is."

    Before realizing what she was saying, the blond heroine raised her hand and pointed at the prosthetic eye of the younger boy.

    "Hmm? Oh, no this isn''t caused by a wound, I was born without a properly formed eye so it''s not like I am not used to my vision, not to mention that I can use this mana crystal as another mana reservoir which is invaluable in battle."

    The young heir to the Perserios family didn''t seem bothered by the question at all, and instead waved his hand dismissively and exined in a lighthearted voice.

    "Lord Perserios, by any chance did youe here to have a talk with my father?"

    Zoemi stood up and grabbed the blue-haired boy''s hand and shook it firmly before asking while ncing over at the unconscious knight on the bed by his side.

    "That is one of my reasons to show up here, yes. But first - just Devios is enough, sir Mizoe did more than enough to prove worthy of my approval, so unless my sister changed her mind, the two of us will be family anyway. Hmm... since sir Mizoe is your father then that would make me your... uncle...? step-uncle...? Excuse me, I still have a lot to learn about..."

    The blue-haired boy furrowed his brows, making a concerned expression as if being unsure about something was giving him a hard time.

 Chapter 346 112 - Tournament arc (part 11)

    <h4>Chapter 346 112 - Tournament arc (part 11)</h4>

    "Regardless of the proper way to address the rtion, you still want me to call you by your first name?"

    It was Zoemi''s turn to smile as he made sure.

    "Considering your seniority and the social status, that is indeed quite a stretch on my part, my lord..."

    "No, no ¨C that is not what I meant."

    Devios flinched and hurriedly lowered his head with a worried expression, but that only made Zoemi shake his head and put his hand on the other boy''s shoulder.

    "I am happy with the first name basis. But about your original purpose, my father is still out ofmission so the actual talk will have to wait a little bit ¨C you are also participating in the tournament, so..."

    "Oh, the tournament? Don''t bother yourself with worrying about me ¨C since you are representing the Victureo family, there is no reason for me to participate any longer."

    The ck-haired boy exined the misunderstanding and pointed out, motioning at the door where another duel was already nearing its end with both participants approaching the limits of their mana.

    "And before you try to talk me out of it ¨C I would be sir Auequas''s next opponent, and if I and both my uncle and our third representative withdraw from thepetition, you will have the chance to face him."

    Devios raised his hand and said with a relieved smile while ncing over his shoulder at unconscious Letro on the other side of the room.

    "...but didn''t you sign in on..."

    "Zoemi. I have witnessed your previous duels, you don''t have to be nice and lie to me that I have a chance to win when you are one of the obstacles to youngdy Victureo''s hand."

    Zoemi pointed out but Devios tapped out with an amused expression.

    "...I also feel obligated to make things up to you as my former fiancee tried to get you in trouble by cing false usation under your name..."

    The blue-haired boy added and his expression turned remorseful, even though that situation wasn''t his fault.

    |I have entered this tournament to get stronger and im more spells, but I cannot just refuse his offer, can I...?|

    Zoemi thought to himself, waiting for Ludier''s opinion.

    [Perserios family defends one of the most dangerous borders of the Bellcephora kingdom, I have a feeling that you will be more efficient sparing with them during a family reunion than you would on a rare chance that you would face each other in this tournament.]

    |...huh... true...|

    The unique shadow of the ice-magician responded after a moment of hesitation, making the ck-haired boy nod in agreement.

    "Will you stay behind to see the rest of the tournament?"

    That was what Zoemi asked out loud, as his face brightened up as he indirectly epted Devios''s decision.

    "I wish to say yes, but after I''ll have a few words with sir Mizoe I will have to leave ¨C truth be told having an excuse to leave the tournament earlier is very handy to me, as our feisty neighborscking the centralized government is annoyingly active during this time of year, and I honestly don''t have time to worry about making a good impression on a potential partner."

    The blue-haired boy lowered his head just a little bit with an apologetic expression.

    "Is that so..."

    Zoemi spoke more to himself than to Devios, before he snapped his fingers causing a dozen murky-ck orbs to appear in the room around him.

    "Since both of us seem to be sure to be family, I would like to give you a protective charm."

    The ck-haired boy announced while gesturing down, making all of the newly created orbs descend and get sucked into the blue-haired boy''s shadow.

    "...protective charm...?"

    Devios asked, visibly disturbed about anything at all entering his shadow without his previous explicit consent.

    "Think of them as backup mana crystals, just like your left eye ¨C only that those ones will be at your disposal if you get mana depletion ¨C and no, I cannot surveil you through them, those I gave you are just storing water mana that matches with your."

    "..."

    Zoemi shrugged it off

    dismissively but judging by Devios expression that was definitely not enough.

    "Not those ones... so you have ones that can spy on others...?"

    The younger boy asked cautiously, doing a good job of masking whether he was interested or scared of the possible answer.

    "I can be a very useful ally to have ¨C especially that I appreciate my family and friends the most."

    Zoemi smiled ¨C but this time his smile was far more meaningful...

    "Hmhm~!"

    Devios face twisted with a grin as the blue-haired boy could not stop himself.

    "And here I thought people from the Aspakeony Academy were all spineless~! Maybe I change my mind about attending it the next year~?"

    He giggled and nodded as his eye sparkled with interest.

    "Go for it ¨C I am barely the first year and I do n on graduating normally without dropping off, no matter what some people might be nning. Could be fun~"

    Zoemi snickered back and...

    "Nnn... Nngh...? Wha...?"

    Maybe because of the voices of the two boys talking, or maybe because one of the voices belonged to his son, Mizoe let out a bothered noise and his eyelids shook shortly before he opened his eyes.

    "THE DUEL?!"

    The pale-blue-haired knight suddenly jumped right out of the bed as drops of sweat appeared on his forehead.

    "Sir Mizoe, please calm down."

    Burushi was by his side instantly, raising both of her hands in a calming manner.

    "Dad, it''s alright ¨C you won. See? Letro is over there, still out of it, and even Devios showed up to check up on you."

    Zoemi was by his other side only a secondter and cheered out while pointing at the others in the sickbay.

    "I won?! Oh thank goodness...!"

    Mizoe stared at his son for a few seconds and with Zoemi repeatedly confirming the oue he finally breathed out andid back down nearly knocked out by the relief.

    "Hello again, sir Mizoe - here. And do not make my sister cry again, even if it''s for her own good - or at least exin things to her prior."

    Devios also stepped towards the bed, only that instead of calming or cheering Mizoe on, he simply reached out to his pocket and pulled out a greenmunication crystal.

    "Wait...! YOU DIDN''T EVEN TOLD HER WHY YOU REJECTED HER?! DAD! EVEN I AM NOT THAT STUPID!"

    Zoemi flinched, looked between the blue-haired boy and the pale-blue-haired knight, and raised his voice.

 Chapter 347 113 - Tournament arc (part 12)

    <h4>Chapter 347 113 - Tournament arc (part 12)</h4>

    There was a little bit of confusion as three participants dropped out of the tournament on their own, not to mention that another one was out ofmission because of an unofficial duel, forcing the judges and organizers to change things a bit.

    As a result, Zoemi ended up not having to walk onto the arena for that day and his next fight would be with none other than his adoptive father''s older brother ¨C or rather just Letro Auequas since, as per the promise that was the entire point of the duel, Auequas family should no longer have any connection with either Mizoe or Zoemi.

    That said, the next day had already arrived and the ck-haired boy was patiently waiting for the blue-haired man to show up as the audience all waited impatiently for another show.

    "Lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor representing the Victureo family will face sir Letro Auequas representing the Auequas family!"

    One of the judges stood up and announced as soon as the blue-haired man finally showed up...

    "You would save yourself a lot of shame by forfeiting from the tournament ¨C but it''s not like honor and shame can be taught to overconfident trash who shoots their opponent in the back when they find out they can''t measure up to them. "

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders looking down at Letro whose face twisted from extreme annoyance.

    "That fight was just a lucky stroke of a weakling who learned a single trick and nothing more!"

    The blue-dered getting red in the face.

    "Ah ¨C I see, like mother like son ¨Cdy Auequas also tried to rewrite the truth by being loud before I proved her wrong, kicking the light out of her."

    "You...!"

    Zoemi merely smirked and shrugged his shoulders, pping right back, throwing no less shade than a mountain.

    Letro was about to respond to that too and most likely speak his mind in rather strong and probably not very appropriate words but it wasn''t like Zoemi wanted to waste time hearing him.

    "Say, since you are trying to make it seem like my father won out of pure luck, how about we spice up our duel? The only spell I will be allowed to use will be a physical enchantment while you can use whatever you want. If I win, you will have to promise that whenever asked about my father, directly or not, you will always call him a much better person than you, one with an actual spine, morals, and honor..."

    Zoemi said with a wide smile as the two of them waited for the official signal to begin the duel.

    "You got the title less than three days ago and you already dare to...!"

    "...and if I lose, I will give you Banemor territory."

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Letro scoffed as thick veins started bulging out on his forehead and neck ¨C but Zoemi did not care about his opinion on the subject and finished his sentence ¨C which not only sessfully shut the blue-haired man up but only caused the entire arena to go silent in disbelief.

    "...you''re lying..."

    Letro gulped down his saliva and squinted his eyes with suspicion at the rxed ck-haired boy.

    "No, why would I? My father raised me to always keep my word and act honorable ¨C you know, the opposite of how you act. Everyone here can be our witness too. If I don''t defeat you using only the physical enchantments I will really pass the ownership of the Bnaemor territory, together with the title and the high noble status, onto you. Do you agree?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and doubled down on his words without the slightest intention of backing away or taking back his words.

    "..."

    The blue-haired man gritted his teeth for a moment as the vision of sudden gains way above his expectations sessfully won over every single sound thought in his head...

    "Deal!"

    He called out, clenching his fists, barely able to hold himself back from already rushing at the ck-haired boy.

    "Isn''t that perfect~? I''m d that a man without honor is as greedy as he is spineless. You are drooling, you know?"

    "...?!"

    Zoemi snickered, touching the corner of his mouth and winking, making Letro flinch and hurriedly wipe his own face ¨C only to realize that the boy was just making fun of him.

    "BEGIN!"

    The judge who just like most members of the audience seemed to be mesmerized by the outrageous side deal the two duelists have made, ended up getting elbowed to the side by his colleague and called for the start of the fight,

    "YOU WILL REGRET NOT HOLDING BACK YOUR TONGUE JUST LIKE I HELD MYSELF BACK WHILE FIGHTING THE TRASH THAT ADOPTED YOU!"

    Letro howled as his body shone with an intense blue light before a translucent water bubble appeared around him.

    The bubble remained translucent only for the first few seconds because the moment that the blue-haired man rushed to the side it first turned opaque, then its surface became reflective like a mirror, only topletely blend in with the background, basically turning Letro invisible.

    If this was Zoemi''s first time seeing such use of the normally only defensive water bubble spell, he might have even panicked a little bit ¨C or at least gotten interested...

    ...but that wasn''t really the case considering that teacher Rokiana used the exact same spell during one of her first lessons ¨C and she did that far more efficiently as her water bubble didn''t need the few seconds to camouge her...

    Interestingly enough, Letro was not only using his spell to mess with his opponent''s sight ¨C but his spell was also getting rid of his footprints, getting rid of any sound he made, masking any smell, and evenpletely hiding the body signature of his body, which alone wouldpletely mess up with even a powerful fire magician.

    "Since you are at such a ridiculous disadvantage that it''s only pitiful, you might want to attack me first too. Go on ¨C I will only use the enchantments to protect myself so this is your best chance before I go into the offensive because I will end you in a single hit."

    Zoemi deredpletely unbothered by the stunning use of the defensive spell that was rarely seen outside of the actual battlefield.

 Chapter 348 113 - Tournament arc (part 13)

    <h4>Chapter 348 113 - Tournament arc (part 13)</h4>

    "..."

    Letro certainly didn''t respond to that as he figured out that the ck-haired boy was merely baiting him intopromising his position with a directed offensive spell that can be easily traced back to its point of origin like a water spear or the water sphere.

    But that didn''t mean that hecked the means of attack.

    Without making any sound or revealing himself in any other way that anyone from the audience was able to recognize, Letro showed up more of the ingenuity of a seasoned soldier.

    While he did use the water sphere spell, he did not do that close to him and definitely not used it as a projectile either...

    "Blub..."

    What ended up happening was sudden and shocking to many ¨C a water sphere appeared around the head of the ck-haired boy whose body was covered in a shadow despite him standing in the full sun, causing his next exhale to turn into pockets of air that ended up bubbling on the surface of the sphere...

    And that''s it ¨C Zoemi did not start panicking nor reacted in any other way ¨C he just stood in ce patiently waiting for Letro''s other move as if the water that was blocking his mouth and nose did not bother him in the slightest.

    Far from it ¨C he actually looked bored...

    Still ¨C Zoemi''s expression wasn''t a sight for the audience to see for too long as within moments the surface of the sphere frosted over as Letro used another spell that turned the liquid''s temperature down, fully intending to crush the boy''s head with the ice if he did not suffocate first.

    "...!"

    Only when the sphere''s surface was properly frozen did Zoemi make his move and...

    ...stretched...

    *BOOOM*

    And as he was done the next thing happened so fast that barely anyone besides the judges caught it ¨C The boy kicked off the arena with such strength that the spot he was standing on turned into a crater as the boyunched himself at a seemingly random direction...

    *SPLASH*

    *WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM*

    "!!!!!!"

    He also pulled back his hand and punched down at the empty air ¨C just for it to burst into a fountain of water as it turns out that he ended up not only finding the blue-haired man''s location that he ended up moving to, breaking the defensive water bubble ¨C that could only break when the user''s mana was depletedpletely or the mage turned it off himself, he also ended up hitting him square in the face and smashing him to the ground with such force that the entire arena caved in as if hit by a meteor to the point of judges and the group of mages teaming up to protect the audience with their joint water bubble ended up getting thrown around like a bunch of ragdolls.

    To make things even scarier, the audience wasn''tpletely safe either as their seats trembled and some of them cracked or straight-up broke apart ¨C all from the single punch...!

    To make the situation even more ridiculous, the waterposing the already broken water bubble conjured by the group of water magicians hired by the Victureo family was falling down on everyone like a summer drizzle.

    "..."

    While the boy who was the main cause of all of that still had the frozen water sphere around his head, he slowly stood up, rxing his fist dripping with blood, and turned to the disoriented judges. He just stood there and waited.

    As they didn''t seem to be too cooperative - or rather literally had toe to terms with what just happened as the water magicians in the state of a borderline mana depletion next to them were crawling back up to their feet -Zoemi ended up raising his other hand and flicking his finger at the ice encasing his head...

    *crack*

    Breaking it just like that, revealing his drenched hair and face.

    "Anyone wants to check whether I won or not?"

    Zoemi asked, swiping his ck hair back and smirking mockingly, basically quadrupling the devilish beauty, which coupled with standing in the middle of the crater he made himself in only one hit, with the blood of his opponent slowly dripping from his other handplementing the picture of an absolute carnage that no one could look away from.

    "Just so you know, he is not dead ¨C the bet I made would not have much sense if he would have to honor it in the afterlife."

    The ck-haired boy added ncing down and pointing at the twitching body of Letro Auequas with apletely crushed lower jaw and most of his face punched in, to the point of being barely recognizable as belonging to a human.

    Honestly ¨C those who didn''t know about the girl with the healing attribute being on duty in the sick bay would most definitely point out that leaving the blue-haired man alive would be an act of cruelty far worse than actually finishing him off.

    "~!"

    No one announced the end of the duel so Zoemi remained standing in ce ¨C although he did end up looking at the audience and once he spotted Miriette his evil smirk turned into an actual smile and he waved to her and waved back as her hair curled up showing her affection even better than a deep blush covering her face.

    "...seriously ¨C he is alive at the moment but if he chokes on the blood, teeth, or his own tongue because no one helped him this will not be on me. Also, I will not allow anyone to start healing him as long as the result will not be announced."

    Since Mireitte fidgetted and bashfully lowered her head, Zoemi turned away and stared meaningfully at the judges, who ended up catching the queue and hurried over to him...

    "Lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor won the duel!"

    ...and announced the winner after a single nce...

    "Thank you."

    Zoemi breathed out and nodded at them before turning around ¨C after all, since the duel was over he could use other spells so he was fully intending on fixing up the damages to the entire arena just like he did after his first fight.

    "FATHER!"

    "...father...? Oh? Oh... Ugh..."

    But as he was raising his hand as Letro was being carried over to the sickbay someone from the audience called out and rushed towards him, making the ck-haired boy sigh and re their way.

 Chapter 349 114 - Tournament arc (part 14)

    <h4>Chapter 349 114 - Tournament arc (part 14)</h4>

    A tall young woman with dark-brown long hair and eyes rushed over to Letro and covered her mouth in shock at the sight of the state that a single punch from Zoemi left him.

    She wasn''t wearing a dress nor the servant attire but clothes more akin to a soldier''s uniform, which was a rather unique choice for someone who only came by to watch but waspletely understandable for a tournament participant who wanted the most practical clothes to fight in.

    "Ah, I see. Letro''s daughter, right? Remind him about the bet he lost and to never badmouth my father."

    The ck-haired boy waved to her while channeling his mana into earth spells and fixing the broken arena with ar more efficiency than before ¨C enough efficiency to make some earth magician straight up envious.

    "Father...!"

    But even if the young woman saw and heard Zoemi, shepletely disregarded him, clinging to the unconscious ¨C barely alive ¨C Letro, being bothersome to the point of the people carrying him had to stop in ce because she wouldn''t let them move.

    |Oh, hey, look. An idiot.|

    [She''s in shock ¨C if your father... wait. Alright, I guess you have the right to say that.]

    Zoemi groaned internally ¨C Ludier''s shadow responded to that, seemingly to call him out, but after realizing that his argument wasn''t valid this time around, he just apologized and went silent.

    "Miss. As long as you didn''t figure out a way to heal people with earth magic, I suggest you allow those nice RESPONSIBLE people to carry him to the sickbay ¨C or instead of whining by his side, you will be mourning him."

    The ck-haired boy sighed out loud and raised his voice, rolling his eyes at the brown-haired young woman.

    "How dare you do something like that to him!"

    "..."

    His words did cause a reaction ¨C the young woman turned to the ck-haired boy and the servants of the Victureo family were able to carry the unconscious, heavily wounded Letro to get him healed up... the surprising part was how she chose to react to the words she heard...

    Zoemi was actually taken aback to the point of leaning back and ncing at one of the judges ¨C the gold-haired man who was actually equally shocked as he was.

    Zoemi blinked a few times before looking back at the brown-haired young woman and carefully examining her choice of wardrobe.

    "...alright... you might not know what a duel is... but if you don''t know about fighting, then why exactly are you sporting a soldier''s uniform...? Is it a new fashion statement...?"

    He asked in disbelief.

    "Don''t try to y a fool! I am asking how dare you do something like that during a duel! You wanted to kill him, admit it!"

    The brown-haired young woman called out, getting red from anger as she pointed at the ck-haired boy''s chest in usation.

    [The audacity...!]

    Even Ludier''s shadow gasped in shock, having a hard time believing that a statement like that could pass through the throat of someone rted to the man who ¨C also during the same type of duel ¨C stabbed his opponent in the back will full of the malicious intention of killing him.

    "Alright ¨C I see now. At first, I had my doubts but with three strikes like that, I am forced to assume that my father is the only decent person with the blood of the Auequas family flowing through him. I did not want that confirmation, but here we are."

    Zoemi had to take a few deep breaths to digest the utter bullshit that Letro''s daughter was pushing onto him.

    "I am Arreta Auequas, the heiress of the Auequas family, and a banished weakling isn''t rted to us in any way!"

    The brown-haired young woman, Arreta, called out taking a step forward, proudly raising her head while her body shone with the intense light of the earth enchantments, just as if she was readying herself to attack or preparing to be attacked.

    [She wants to get you angry enough to start a fight ¨C or rather assault because she didn''t call for a duel.]

    Lucier''s shadow warned Zoemi from within his mind.

    |She needs to work on her insult game then because that was pathetic.|

    The ck-haired boy scoffed internally in response ¨C and ended up smiling brightly on the outside.

    "Exactly! I am happy to hear that after my father utterly humiliated your overconfident father the entire Auequas family, including an heiress like you,dy Auequas, already epted that nothing connects both parties. That is very appreciated AND is a first step to the road of raising your tarnished reputation from the dirt."

    "!!!!"

    The ck-haired boy pped his hands with the same wide smile and nodded at the shocked young woman with approval.

    "There is nothing wrong with the honor of the Auequas family!"

    Arreta clenched her fists and scoffed.

    "Piercing the opponent''s back from point-nk range with a water spear during a duel in a tournament that was demanded to be non-lethal... And you''re acting as if that never happened speaks for itself. Shameless. Untrustworthy. Constantly trying to twist the truth that EVERYONE witnessed with their own eyes... Treacherous. You are also trying to threaten me with your spells even though I had barely finished fighting in a duel ¨C malicious. Should I give more examples?"

    Zoemi raised his hand and started counting up on his fingers for a greater visual effect ¨C and with each count, Arreta''s face was bing redder and redder...

    "See? You can''t even deny it. If you want to fight me then do your best in your next duels and you might even get a chance to face me... But for now, we took enough time dilly-dallying in front of an audience that did not show up here to hear discussions. Have a nice day."

    "...?!"

    But before she could blow up and speak her mind, undoubtedly spilling some venom and only confirming Zoemi''s valuation of the Auequas family, the ck-haired boy simply shrugged his shoulders and turned away from her, getting off of the restored arena

    "Stop! How can you exin your current strength?! My grandmother said that you were only a weak darkness magician! Everyone knew that! How can trash like that get this strong without some dirty tricks?!"

    Just when Zoemi thought that the show was over because Arreta followed him, it turned out that he was mistaken...

    ...the brown-haired young woman started calling after him...

    [Huh? I get why can she be interested, but didn''t thate out of nowhere?]

    Ludier''s shadow asked in confusion as Zoemi stopped and red at Arreta from over his shoulder.

    |It sounds like she is going along with some sort of script but since I wasn''t ying along she had to skip a few paragraphs... Well, the Auequas family is in close rtion with Deriznos, and both the Derizno family and the queen don''t like me. I might be overthinking again, but just like I want to show off to other aristocrats, the queen and Deriznos might want to tarnish my image using the Auequas family. But she isn''t the only person here that can work with a script~!|

    The ck-haired boy breathed out, barely stopping himself from shaking with anticipation, and turned around, facing the brown-haired young woman, who visibly rxed once her verbal jabs seem to work out.

    "Just admit that you...!"

    "I was never a darkness magician, and definitely not weak either."

    Arreta scoffed triumphantly but Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and interrupted her in a silky voice.

 Chapter 350 114 - Tournament arc (part 15)

    <h4>Chapter 350 114 - Tournament arc (part 15)</h4>

    "It was all a terrible, terrible mistake."

    Zoemi continued entrancing everyone who listened with his charming voice that captivated the audience far better than Arreta''s desperate shouts.

    "You want the truth? Here it is. My minuscule mana reservoir and the darkness-like abilities were both the result of an illness."

    The ck-haired boy spread his arms open and revealed, lying as naturally as he breathed.

    [Hey... that story about an illness - isn''t it...?]

    |The excuse Benevirau and I came up with and rehearsed during every single training session back in the Banemor territory, yes~|

    Ludier''s shadow asked while chuckling and Zoemi pridefully confirmed his guess.

    "Illness...?"

    "Indeed~"

    The red-haired judge muttered and Zoemi nodded his head with a solemn expression picking up on it instantly.

    "I don''t know the name of it, and actually I doubt that it even has one, to begin with."

    "..."

    The devilishly handsome boy with the voice to back it up reveled in the attention as he felt teths of gazes upon his outrageous im.

    "I would most likely go about my life without knowing any better if I did not attend the Aspaekony Academy. Because you see, I ended up in one ss with someone very special~ An amazing person wielding the variant attribute that is closer to the gift from the heavens than actual magic. A girl ofmon birth, miss Burushiitto ¨C an actual healing magician that became a friend of mine."

    ------

    "Huh, now I''m an amazing person, ey? How convenient!"

    Burushi muttered under her breath but her chest filled with warmth as she leaned away from the door and checked on the already healed up ¨C but unconscious - Letro just in case.

    ------

    "My dear friend ended up using her healing spells both in my presence and directly on me because of various reasons ¨C and as the treatment progressed I experienced something straight out of a dream...!"

    Zoemi continued...

    -----

    "I might be crazy but it sounds like he is dering that I am under his protection... Now I want to see other students bully me!"

    Burushi gasped to herself, lowering her head as a slight blush was covering her face.

    ------

    "The strange feeling in my chest, that I thought was normal, disappeared without a trace... and apletely new world opened to me!"

    The ck-haired boy dered and went silent for a moment - he looked down and after a few seconds, he raised his head back up.

    "I am very simr to howdy Miriette Lisea Espine is... although in my case the change of color isn''t all that eye-catching."

    "...!"

    Once Zoemi stated that loud gasps could be heard from everywhere.

    There was hardly anyone who did not catch what the ck-haired boy meant by that!

    "My hair and eyes... They should be the murky ck, but instead, they are jet-ck because of the high concentration of mana in them."

    Zoemi raised his head with shameless pride.

    Nit a single word of what he said was true ¨C but it sounded usible enough for the nobles in the audience to believe in.

    ...and it was all that was needed for him to seed...

    "But even spells of the youngdy Espine are known to be green as they should be! Howe yours are the murky ...! Ah..."

    Arreta asked but she looked to the side realizing the silly mistake she made ¨C shadow spells were supposed to be murky dark or at least bleaker than the spells they copied.

    "I can partially recognize your confusion."

    "...wait... you can...?!"

    Zoemi shook his head, sounding as if he was on Arreta''s side, which honestly made her flinch and step back in surprise.

    "My spells seem a bit darker than usual, simply because I have just that much more mana. With enough mana, spells can also alter their color."

    Zoemi announced with a friendly-looking smile, as the announcement dawned on the audience.

    Some aristocrats did not realize what the ck-haired boy just said, but those who did were more than just stunned.

    To them, Zoemi basically announced that he wasn''t a magician ¨C but rather a sage.

    Someone with much more mana than an average light magician.

    Such revtion required to be looked into ¨C but in case that wasn''t just boasting of an overconfident young noble that was bestowed with a high social position, most of them would have to change their ns for the future...

    ...to put it lightly...

    ------

    "Wooow, so much bullshit! You should be the one called Burushitto!"

    Thatst revtion was a bit too much on the nose for the blond heroine watching from the sickbay.

    -----

    Zoemi smiled at the brown-haired young woman and nodded his head at her.

    "Was that enough of an answer, miss? Now, let''s try this again ¨C have a nice day."

    "...w-WAIT...!"

    He said with the full intention of leaving the arena this time, but that clearly wasn''t an action that matched with the scenario that Arreta was following ¨C so she clenched her fists and called after him in an intimidating voice.

    "You beat up my father and my grandmother, I cannot let you be!"

    She dered and the arena that Zoemi fixed mere moments earlier broke apart, and the debris flew straight to the brown-haired young woman to be armor for her arms.

    This spell looked just like the one used by her grandmother, but Arreta''s stone arms looked a bit slimmer and more agile than the onedy Auequas tried to use.

    "Excuse me...?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi looked up at Arreta with such fury in his eyes that she felt chills go down her spine.

    "Where do you think you are?! This is the arena created to facilitate the tournament hosted by the Victureo family! You want to fight, win your way until you encounter me. I understand that the main Auequas family has no honor, but have a shred of shame and BACK OFF!"

    The ck-haired boy''s voice boomed over the arena to the point that it was impossible for it to NOT be mana augmented, but still...

    "Then I challenge you to a duel!"

    She dered and the stone armor assembled on her legs too, leaving only her torso and head unprotected.

    "You are kidding me? At least follow the rules and talk with organizers, judges, and participants whose allotted time you are imposing on, you..."

    "My hair may not be so brown that they are ck, but I''ll have you know that I''m also a transcended magician!"

    A thick vein bulged out on Zoemi''s neck as he tried his best to remain calm over the uneptable behavior of someone who at one point could be a part of his family ¨C but he was interrupted by that very person, as Arreta shouted over him as if his words had no meaning behind them.

    "Who the hell cares? I am not epting a duel with you! Shortsighted moron ¨C can''t you see that the barrier protecting the audience isn''t up? How reckless can you be?"

    Zoemi scoffed in disbelief waving his hand in refusal ¨C but he certainly did keep his enchantments active.

    "Lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor will facedy Arreta Auequas!"

    "...you are not serious..."

    But to the Zoemi''s disgust ¨C yes, no surprise but straight up disgust ¨C the gold-haired judge, the same one who tried to disqualify the ck-haired boy before his first fight, called out, basically shocking everyone around him with half a working brain ¨C which basically epassed everyone except for Arreta and himself.

 Chapter 351 114 - Tournament arc (part 16)

    <h4>Chapter 351 114 - Tournament arc (part 16)</h4>

    "BEGIN!"

    "Time to eat dirt!"

    The judge gold-haired judge started the unapproved duel and Arreta immediatelyunched herself at the ck-haired boy with a cheer.

    "Earth wave!"

    She shouted and Zoemi felt that the very soil underneath his feet is moving as if someone was pulling a rug from under his feet.

    "Stone miss...!"

    "Stone explosion."

    The brown-haired young woman called out, going for both the close and long-range attacks ¨C but Zoemi''s cold voice resounded over her incantation...

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    "GHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH...!"

    At the ck-haired boy''smand, the stone armor around Arreta''s arms and legs blew up with such horrifying power that her body was flung high in the air...

    *THUMP*

    ...just to crash in the same spot it gotunched from a few secondster...

    "What the hell do you think you try to do using earth and stones that still have my mana coursing through them? Didn''t you see me put the arena back together or something?"

    Zoemi scoffed coldly at the earth magician''s body.

    "As for you... who do you think you are, calling for the beginning of a duel? This is..."

    "(Ghost found! Strong shadow connect spell - looking for the point of origin!)"

    He also turned right around and walked over to the edge of the arena and called out the gold-haired judge, but he suddenly froze when one of his sentinels called out to him using the message spell.

    "(~!? Master? Hello! Why you here?)"

    Although it was both shocking and weed news, it alone could not shock Zoemi to the point of stopping in his track ¨C but seeing his own sentinel suddenly slip out from the mouth of the gold-haired judge was apletely different matter altogether.

    "The duel will continue."

    The gold-haired judge said as if nothing happened at all, but for some reason, he left his mouth hanging open after speaking...

    *haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa*

    ...unfortunately, the reason became clear very fast as with another blink, the gold pupils of the light magician turned silky-ck and half-transparent ck mist burst out from between his jaws enveloping the entirety of the arena within a single heartbeat.

    "...what the fuck is this supposed to be...?"

    Zoemi squinted his eyes, furrowing his brows as he red at the supposed light magician ¨C he did not attack for one reason only ¨C the rather stunning performance and disy of the darkness attribute from someone clearly not looking like a darkness magician should cause a rather shocked and confused reaction of the audience watching whatever was happening on the stage...

    ...but it did not...

    After a closer look Zoemi tensed up and the murky-ck demonic-looking armor enveloped his body.

    People in the audience weren''t reacting because they all fell unconscious.

    Including

    Miriette, so, there was no ce for kid gloves at that point.

    Simrly, Arreta wasn''t moving ¨C but whether that was because of the power of the spell she was exposed to or the fault of the ck mist was a question that Zoemi didn''t fund to be significant in any way, shape, or form.

    What Zoemi found extremely disturbing though, was the gold-haired man''s unique shadow.

    There was no trace of anything leeching onto it as it was the case with Aspakeony using necromancy on her corpse puppets.

    The unique shadow looked normal, the proper size and details for an average light magician ¨C those were all in ce too.

    It was a five-legged stag with impressive antlers ¨C quite normal for what unique shadows could look like, to be honest.

    All that information leads to some extremely worrisome conclusions.

    ...the ck mist would suggest the member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora that hated Benevirau ¨C Rethaq...

    ...as for things happening to the light magician judge, that could be the fault of the darkness de that another member of the Ghosts developed to allow himself to possess other people...

    ...and the worst part about that was that if that really was Kiorterel, that would mean his possession is impossible to be discerned with only the ability to see unique shadows...

    "My, my ¨C you have found yourself in quite a pickle young man..."

    "..."

    The mouth of the possessed light magician moved, but the voice that came out of it waspletely different than before...

    ...and it was a voice that caused Zoemi to flinch as a distant memory became vivid once more...

    "Commander told us to leave you alone, but you are proving yourself to be too dangerous to be left alive."

    "He wanted to keep you alive because you might have an answer for the question we have been struggling with for a long time."

    "...but let''s be honest... Why should we allow anyone to obtain godhood right under our noses while we are stuck at the pinnacle of the human capabilities..."

    The two voices, male and female, began talking together using the gold-haired judge''s mouth.

    To make things even more disturbing, as they were doing that, the possessed man''s hair began turning from gold to ck.

    The change didn''t even happen by the gold dimming and fading into ckness ¨C no, instead the jet ck spots appeared in various ces and expanded until the light magician could not be discerned from the darkness magician anymore.

    With the change in his appearance, the change happened to his unique shadow too ¨C the fife legged stag suddenly increased in size until its body covered the sky while the number of his legs multiplied into hundreds making for a truly eerie sight.

    ...at least for someone who could see the unique shadows, that is...

    "This is bad..."

    Zoemi clicked his tongue as he nced at the massive unique shadow before looking back at the possessed judge.

    "Oh, don''t worry, it won''t be that bad."

    "You actually will not even feel a thing."

    Two oily, obnoxiously reassuring voices assured, very clearly enjoying the distress in the boy''s voice.

    "It will be just like with those other weaklings ¨C you will fall asleep..."

    "...with the only difference being that you will not wake up."

    The voicesing from the judge turned darkness magician dered, reveling in the sadistic pleasure of bullying those they deemed weak.

    "I..."

    "IN YOUR DREAMS! GET AWAY FROM ZOE!"

    "...!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi opened his mouth to respond, but to the great surprise of the possessed man ¨C or rather the people possessing him ¨C someone other than Zoemi called out and jumped from the audience seats straight into the arena, surrounded by a crimson ze that was burning up the ck mist crawling its way towards the ck-haired boy.

    "...Natural born sage..."

    "Annoying privileged brat..."

    The voicesmented spiteful while their host red at the tall, crimson-haired girl who stepped between them and the ck-haired boy.

    "I don''t know who or what you are ¨C but you are interrupting the important tournament ¨C and I will not allow you to kill a man who is participating in it for my sake!"

    Ehmi Gamemi Victureo called out as her body shone with powerful red light only to be engulfed in mes the next moment.

    The outburst of crimson mes caused the ck mist to sizzle out and retract the moment they touched ¨C the raging fire subsided from a zing inferno into a shape of a ballroom dress ¨C a unique shape for already extremely hard to master fire armor spell as Ehmi was about to begin the counterattack.

    "Tsk... annoying."

    "Evorietto should help us, right? Let''s call him and deal with the annoyance without themander''s knowledge."

 Chapter 352 115 - Tournament arc (part 17)

    <h4>Chapter 352 115 - Tournament arc (part 17)</h4>

    As if the crimson-haired girl readying herself to evaporate their existence was nothing to be worried about, the two voicesing from the possessed man''s mouth talked to each other discussing the situation and evening to a conclusion.

    "As if I let..."

    *tsss*

    Ehmi snorted and raised her head pridefully ¨C until suddenly something touched her shoulder and her me armor went out like a match sprayed with water.

    "...you...? Eh...? Eh...?!"

    "?!?!!?!??!"

    "?!?!?!?!?!?"

    *thump*

    Ehmi gasped in disbelief ¨C but she wasn''t the only one shocked.

    The possessed judge turned into a darkness magician literally stumbled back and fell on his back starring in terror at something behind the girl.

    "..."

    Ehmi breathed out and looked over her shoulder.

    "Rethaq, Kiorterell... You fuckers DARE to speak about peaceful death after what you did to MY MOTHER...?!"

    The creature that was by the crimson-haired girl''s side growled, breathing pure hatred and fury ¨C what was supposed to be murky-ck demonic armor swelled up into a beastly shape with thick paws sporting massive wsposed of darkness, ice, light, and fire attributes.

    At the first nce, the head of the beast was almost cute ¨C until it opened its jaws, revealing a mouthful of fangs in multiple rows ¨C far too many for anyone to be able to sleep calm after seeing it ¨C some of which were created using variant attributes that no one in that world even heard about.

    "Z-Zoe...?"

    Ehmi trembled at the sight and asked cowering fearfully under the touch of one of the paws, although she was not being directly harmed in any way ¨C her body was feeling weak as if someone was draining all energy out of her...

    ...which wasn''t that much off from what was actually happening ¨C but instead of energy, it was her mana getting siphoned out at a breakneck speed...

    "You... know us...? And what was that about your mother...?"

    "As if we remember every trash that we y around w..."

    *SLASH*

    The voices tried tough off the beast''s words, but before the male one could finish his sentence, the creature disappeared from Ehmi''s side only to show up right in front of the possessed man and cut him into several slices with a single swipe of its paw.

    "...your death will not be peaceful..."

    "!!!!!"

    Ehmi shivered as the flesh, blood, and guts sprayed everywhere followed by the horrible whisper that was even worse than the bloodcurdling roar.

    Where the judge was only a second ago a judge was trying to get up, a thick cluster of ck mist was hanging over a barely recognizable pile of gore.

    "...so annoying... Where is Evorietto? Did you contact him already?"

    "..."

    The same female voice asked in annoyance, but this time the male one did not respond to her.

    "Kiroterell...? What is it? Did themander catch us...?"

    The female voice asked again and the cluster of ck mist fluctuated nervously ¨C without any answer.

    "~!"

    "Another one of those? How are they showing up like that...?"

    Rethaq gasped in confusion when another murky-ck orb materialized out of her own mist without any involvement on her part.

    "This is a sentinel who was created to force a Ghost of Bellcephora whose darkness de was a mist to materialize back into a corporeal form."

    The murky shadow beast raised its head and dered as its voice became much moreposed...

    "Wha...? But I am the only one who...GHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHH?!"

    The thickest part of the mist pulsated as the woman spoke in confusion before the ungodly pain assaulted every particle thatposed her and forced it back into a single humanoid shape.

    "...wha... how...?! HOW?!"

    A tall and terribly skinny woman with long silky-ck hair crawled up on all fours and gasped in utter disbelief as her face twisted in a horrifying grimace.

    "Turning into the mist is easy ¨C I figured it out on my own ¨C as I said, this little guy was created for the sole purpose of annihting you."

    The shadow beast shrugged its shoulder and the next moment, just like it said, it exploded into ayer of mist that caked the whole arena including every single sleeping audience member, before getting sucked back to its center and materialized into the ck-haired boy with clear eyes lighted up by hatred.

    [Oh? And here I thought it will be the time for the original personality to shine!]

    Ludier''s shadow spoke up from Zoemi''s mind sounding just as surprised as he imed to be.

    |Fuck him. As if I let anyone other than me kill the repugnant filths that tormented my mother.|

    The boy''s response was simple and to the point ¨C Ludier''s shadow had nothing toment on, things would be the same for him after all.

    |That said ¨C the other pervert who possesses people already tries to get away so go out there and hold him for me.|

    Zoemi added, ncing to the side where a green-haired person from the audience that was supposed to be asleep was cautiously crawling away from their seat as their hair was turning silky-ck.

    [Oho! With pleasure, kid!]

    Themand wasn''t even necessary ¨C Ludier cheered out happily and his unique shadow emerged from beneath Zoemi''s feet...

    "...the hell...?!"

    Rethaq eyes widened as a spear-armed humanoid with horns and spikes covering his bodyunched itself from the ck-haired boy''s shadow and skewered someone in the audience, turning them into ice sculptures too fast to properlyprehend what was happening.

    "Trashy mist, are you sure it''s a good idea to look away?"

    "Eh...?"

    Before Rethaq shook off the shock, she heard Zoemi''s voice from her left although she was definitely facing him the second earlier ¨C and then turned to the side to see him, he was indeed there ¨C with massive ck wings sprouting from his lower back.

    "Raseriat left me this ¨C but yours will be worthless."

    The boy shrugged his shoulders and the wings pped ordingly, releasing rens of murky ck feathers that all floated towards the bergasted member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    "Ras-Raseriat...?! No! IMPOSSIBLE! IT WASN''T THE ICE MAGICIAN?!"

    Rethaq managed to shake off the shock and jumped back while shouting.

    Her face got serious and it seemed she was about to use her spell again...

    "KGHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH...!"

    ...the moment she tried a burning pain assaulted every cell of her body, bringing her down to her knees...

    "How is that possible...?! My body isn''t made of flesh and blood anymore...!"

    She growled trying to get back up ¨C but the moment she did...

    *shing* *shing*

    Two floating feathers grazed her arms.

    *thump* *thump*

    *SPLURT*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    The inconspicuous harmless-looking feathers ended up cutting off the upper limbs at the points where they touched the Rethaq''s body ¨C the left one at the shoulder, the right one slightly above the elbow.

    Both arms fell to the ground just to sink into it as if the ground turned into the quicksand, while the thick darkness imitating blood gushed out of the stumps giving the silky-ck-haired woman enough shock to stumble back and fell on her back as she watched the escaping darkness,pletely speechless.

    "This... this is nothing...! You overconfident brat, do you think that someone like me can''t even...!"

    Rethaq shook her head and rolled on her side before kneeling up and gritting her teeth as she hissed at the ck-haired boy ring down at her.

    "..."

    The member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora frowned in concentration, moving her stumps to the side as if she expected brand new arms to sprout out of them.

 Chapter 353 115 - Tournam%^&#

    <h4>Chapter 353 115 - Tournam%^&#</h4>

    "..."

    "...?"

    After ring at Zoemi for a few seconds, the frown turned into a worried furrow and she blinked before ncing at the open wounds from which the darkness was escaping in form of a thick smoke too heavy to float high into the sky.

    "Go on. Do something."

    "...!"

    Zoemi leaned forward and motioned at her with his chin, causing the already pale woman to be even paler.

    "You can''t contact anyone, you can''t use your spells. How does it feel to be this helpless? If I could torment you just like you and Kiroterell tortured my mother ¨C I would... But even though I cannot do the exact same thing because like you said, you are no longer made of flesh and blood, does not mean that something simr enough can''t be done..."

    "!!!!!"

    Zoemi added as his face twisted with a bloodthirsty grin.

    "You liked the feathers, right? How about I give you more of them?"

    The boy''s already harrowing expression turned even more terrifying, as he raised his left hand, and every feather that he released flew up to it and started coiling around each other like a feathery fireball.

    "Here~"

    "GH-UGH...?!"

    Zoemi cheered out and stepped back before taking a swing and punching the feathery ball right into Rethaq''s chest.

    To make things scarier and more traumatizing, the entry wound closed u in an instant, but the razor-like feathers spread through Rethaq''s insides.

    It honestly should not have much of an effect.

    After all, just as it was with Raseriat, Rethaq''s body wasposed of perfect silky darkness.

    There should be no organs that the murky-ck feathers could damage ¨C and certainly, there should be no nerves that would transfer the pain signals into her brain...

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...!"

    But somehow none of themon sense applied in the situation as the excruciating, harrowing pain threw Rethaq on her back as she iled and trembled like a partially crushed worm thrown into the sun.

    "...not enough..."

    Zoemi scoffed to himself and clenched his fists.

    AS he did a house-sized clock appeared behind his back.

    The thinnest hand moved, counting down one second, then another, and then...

    Stoppingpletely.

    This was the very first time that Zoemi even tried to use the time attribute spell as he remembered Aspakeony''s warning about the insane amount of mana that it requires.

    Still, this was supposed to be both

    a test and a very efficient method of properly repaying Rethaq for what she did to Zoemi''s mother.

    The ck-haired boy was ready to stop the spell immediately ¨C he was actually even ready for it topletely empty out his mana reservoir.

    Although he had no idea that he will meet any of the Ghosts, he had prepared the sentinels that carried a massive amount of mana that would refill his mana reservoir just in case.

    But the problem was, theck of mana wasn''t the real problem that he experienced...

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    As the hand of the shadowy clock stopped in ce so did the world around him ¨C but instead of just staying still as the boy expected it to, he himself experienced his consciousness being torn out of his body as the space around him got torn apart like an old film tape getting burnt and everything turned into a blinding light before fading away intoplete darkness.

    And...

    *click*

    The hand of the shadowy clock moved backward.

    ---------

    "Hey there, handsome~!"

    |Huh...?!|

    The first sight that Zoemi saw after the world returned to normal was a close-up of Aspakeony''s face.

    "Ahaha~! You are so cute! Her little highness will love you for sure~!"

    The dark-skinned necromancerughed refreshingly and reached out to pat Zoemi''s head.

    |Wait...! Aspy?! You are alright! Thank goodness! I learned that you were being captured by Evorietto ¨C I tried to find you but those bastards are impossible to find! My sentinels stumbled onto Rethaq and Kiroterell by pure luck ¨C and they were apparently right under my...!|

    Zoemi breathed out and started exining ¨C but suddenly Aspakeony grabbed and lifted him up effortlessly as if he weighed nothing!

    "I really outdid myself with this one. Ah, the eyes are looking a bit dead though... must be a side effect of my attribute - I probably put too much mana in..."

    The gray-haired girl tilted her head and sighed to herself looking into Zoemi''s lifeless eyes...

    |Whoa, there! Hey! You overly attractive headmaster, why are you so strong all of a sudden?! I thought that your attribute have no physical augmentation...! Huh...?|

    The boy gasped in annoyance and tried to wiggle his way out...

    ¡­.but then he realized something...

    |Hold on... What is going on...?!|

    Zoemi gasped, doing his best to get regain even a little bit of control over his body, only to find out that he had NO CONTROL whatsoever.

    Far from it ¨C he couldn''t even properly feel his own body, it was all numb and powerless no matter how much he tried...!

    "Eh, who cares ¨C they add to the character! Ahaha~! Who is a royal protector? Who is going to save the little princess from all the bad bad nightmares?"

    To make the entire situation all the more surreal the gray-haired necromancer started spinning around the room while holding onto the increasingly disturbed boy, and even ended up hugging him tightly ¨C which would definitely feel amazing IF HE COULD ACTUALLY FEEL ANYTHING AT ALL!

    |Aspy! Aspy, please listen to me! Could you exin to me what is going on here ¨C I am extremely close to freaking out here...!|

    Zoemi gasped, extremely worried, as the panic was slowly setting in his wildly beating heart...

    |...huh...?|

    Except that his heart wasn''t beating.

    At all.

    "Aww, so soft~! And you are at a perfect huggable size too! I almost don''t want to give you away~!"

    Aspakeony smiled at him while hugging him close to her chest, and even ended up rubbing her face against the top of his head.

    |...I can''t feel any mana in me...|

    After realizing that there was more wrong with his body than he originally assumed, Zoemi began to test out some things ¨C first of which was the ability to see spells ¨C any spells.

    ...all of which had failed...

    |Aspy. You aren''t ignoring me, are you? I am not actually talking out loud either, am I...?|

    The second realization was even more worrisome ¨C but after an absoluteck of reaction from the dark-skinned girl, even someone as dense as Zoemi had to connect the dots.

    |...what even happened to...|

    Zoemi thought to himself as Aspakeony continued fawning over him ¨C at one point she turned around and stepped in front of the mirror to admire herself with the boy in her arms ¨C and that was the moment in which Zoemi''s mind nked out.

    |...me...?|

    He mumbled as he saw their reflection.

    Aspakeony was just as he was seeing her ¨C a beautiful young girl with skin like dark chocte, unevenly cut gray hair and captivating gray eyes.

    She was wearing more clothes than what Zoemi usually saw her in - instead of a skimpy nightgown she was sporting a rather breezy but elegant dress that added to her youthful charm.

    The millennia-old necromancer sure didn''t look a day older than eighteen.

    Yes, there was absolutely nothing wrong with her appearance.

    But the problem was with what she was holding in her arms.

    Because where Zoemi knew he was, and where he should be ¨C he the sixteen-year-old ck haired boy...

    ¡­.there was a big ck teddy bear with a nose even darker than his soft fur and two obsidian-like eyes that seemed to be absorbing light instead of reflecting them...

 Chapter 354 116 - 300 years in the past (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 354 116 - 300 years in the past (part 1)</h4>

    "Hello~"

    The gray-haired necromancer smiled and made the plush toy wave its paw at its own reflection.

    Then she turned it around and hugged it with a gleeful expression and even nuzzled her face against its head.

    "Maybe I will just keep you and make another one for her little highness?"

    Aspakeony hummed happily while constantly patting the toy''s head.

    |...just... what is going on here...?|

    Zoemi stuck in the plush bear''s body thought to himself trying to figure out the situation he got himself in.

    He was literally just fighting with a member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora and used the time attribute spell, intending to stop time for everyone except her, to assure the maximum amount of suffering before finishing her off ¨C but clearly, something went horribly, horribly wrong.

    The same girl who was holding him in her arms, seemingly unaware about a conscious being locked in the toy''s body, had told him before to never even try to copy the time attribute spells as they were far too dangerous.

    The evidence for that was that Ehmi would get younger and younger as thepensation for using it in the first ce and...

    |Hold on... Aspy did act a bit different when talking about Ehmi... Could it be that she knew more than she let me in on...?|

    The boy considered while observing the joyful girl.

    |...besides clothes she looks exactly the same as I remember her... Did she just escape and I was somehow pulled into the toy that she made? Or is it the future...? Or...|

    "I would very much prefer you did not hold back on the essory that could help my daughter. Lady Aspaekony."

    As Zoemi was doing his best toe up with a sensible conclusion, a middle-aged gold-haired man got into the room and respectfully called out to the dark-skinned girl.

    |Huh...? He looks familiar, doesn''t he? Hold on...! Is that a crown?!|

    Zoemi gasped to himself and if his eyes weren''t lifeless obsidian-like beads, they would widen from shock when he noticed the very recognizable headwear on the newly arrived man''s head.

    ...the crown of the ruler of the Bellcephora Kingdom...

    Zoemi had seen Horeo''s father wearing the crown many times while he was in the royal castle, so he had a reasonable amount of confidence telling him it was the real thing.

    But the man wearing it wasn''t Horeo''s father.

    |Future or past...?|

    Zoemi thought to himself while Apsakeony tightened her embrace n him while turning to her guest.

    "Oho! Little Kasorius~! There is a whole hour until the time that we agreed to meet up, you rascal~!"

    The necromancer pouted yfully and raised her hand, wagging her finger at the man that looked as if he could be her father ¨C or even grandfather.

    ¡­although in her case the looks were EXTREMELY deceiving...

    |Kasorius? As in Kasorius Reterne Bellcephora?!|

    Although Aspakeony''s reaction was very lighthearted, Zoemi felt chills going down his spine ¨C or he would if he had either an actualplete body instead of the fabric and stuffing or even just the spine alone.

    If that was really the same person that Zoemi had in mind, that would mean it was the King of the Bellcpehora kingdom who, together with almost his entire family, got assassinated by the Ghosts of Bellcpehora.

    "I hope that my timing doesn''t inconvenience you, mydy. This was the only time I could reasonably show up at all ¨C honestly, Corosariuss and his friends were a little bit too sessful... We are basically bombarded with constant offers for alliances and although it is an amazing opportunity, it is also a problem..."

    The timeline was confirmed by the gold-haired man himself as he nodded apologetically at the gray-haired girl and gave his excuse.

    "...but it seems I ended up arriving just in time ¨C it did sound like you were about to hoard the protective charm for yourself, even though your collection of plush toys is... Very remarkable already."

    King Kasorius added, raising his head and smirking a little bit as his eyes focused on a queen-sized bed that was simply overflowing with all kinds of plushies, that honestly, Zoemi wasn''t paying attention to before.

    The gold-haired man also reached out his hand expectantly, very clearly suggesting that the necromancer would hand over the toy ¨C which was Zoemi ¨C to him.

    "Little Kasorius ¨C I thought was already aware of the stuff I make ¨C this handsome boy will protect the first person besides me who touches him. He will not be carried to your daughter, she has toe to him..."

    And yet Aspakoeny did not part with the plush bear and even stepped away from the much taller man, showing him her back and scoffing lightly.

    "...then doesn''t that mean that it already bonded with you...?"

    King Kasorius sighed and asked, raising his brow with a rather displeased expression.

    "Don''t be silly, boy. I put him together so I am basically another plushie for him. Isn''t that right?"

    Aspakeony snickered and shook her head at the king''s words before raising Zoemi up to her face and nuzzling her nose against his beady nose.

    |I... what...? How are you supposed to be a plushie to me!? What the hell is going on! I don''t get it! I was reincarnated into this world ¨C I was not created here! W-was I...?"

    The boy trapped in the body of the toy tried to make the ends of the convoluted situation but the internal struggle he was going through definitely did not show any outward signs as his plush body didn''t even budge.

    "You put him together...? Why you are making it sound like you didn''t make it..."

    "Him."

    King Kasorius furrowed his brows and asked ¨C but before he finished Aspakeony corrected him without even batting an eye.

    "Alright, him. Aren''t you HIS creator?"

    |That''s a valid question, not really extremely important, but still valid.|

    The man rolled his eyes and finished asking, holding back a sigh, and Zoemi agreed with him even though there was no way for anyone to hear him.

 Chapter 355 116 - 300 years in the past (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 355 116 - 300 years in the past (part 2)</h4>

    "Boy ¨C death attribute isn''t like light or darkness, or water, fire, earth, and wind. I do not create death and I surely do not control it ¨C I merely guide it. It''s the same thing as with the time attribute. Most of the other attributes can be created ¨C earth magicians can control soil and rocks that already exist in nature, but if youunch them into the air, they would be able to create it out of thin air purely with their mana alone. If I tried to create death ¨C I would be the one to die."

    The gray-haired necromancer breathed out, shaking her head with a disapproving expression.

    "Didn''t we talk about it before? It''s the same with time attribute ¨C a magician wielding the time attribute who would want to create time would affect themselves either getting younger or older without their consent."

    She dered in a tired voice.

    "...alright... now you are making me worry... So how exactly did you put it... I mean, him ¨C together? Is it okay to give him to my daughter?"

    The gold-haired man asked in a worried voice, not only taking back his hand but even stepping back.

    "Sweetie, you can''t grasp the concept of death attribute and time attribute alone and you want me to answer that? Alright... in the most simplistic way I could put it ¨C this boy is an artificial soul put together with the residual energy that was left in the bodies of my corpse puppets."

    |Hold on...!|

    "Hold on...!"

    Aspakeony shrugged her shoulders and exined ¨C and both Zoemi and Kasorius seemed to have the same problem with that statement.

    "What? You clearly stated that you wanted the strongest defensive charm that I coulde up with ¨C so I searched around and got the most fitting residue of the life energy that I could get my hands on."

    The necromancer scoffed, sounding as if it wasn''t a big deal at all.

    "Life energy? What about death attribute?!"

    |EXACTLY!|

    King Kasorius gasped in shock and Zoemi echoed him, although only in his own plush head.

    "...and now you want to have death attribute without considering the opposite of it... It''s enough for you to know that once this boy will bond with someone, he will protect them at any time and at any cost. Alright, I will put it even simpler ¨C this boy is an artificial soul that is almost ¨C but not quite ¨C like the real soul that humans possess... Here, take a bit of rest while you can ¨C those are your friends."

    Aspakeony revealed while putting walking towards the bed and putting him between the other plushies and muttered to him, backing off a bit and admiring her entire collection.

    |EXCUSE ME!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ARTIFICIAL...?!|

    [...friends...?]

    As she did so, Zoemi suddenly heard another voice resounding in his mind and gasped in confusion.

    |HUH?! Who was that?! Ludier?!|

    There was a chance that it was the unique shadow of the ice magician ¨C but honestly, whoever it did not sound like Ludier at all...

    "Alright ¨C little Kasorius, you can go fetch the little princess, and then they can bond ¨C I will exin how he works when she will be present."

    The necromancer nodded her head and nced over at the gold-haired man and waved at him while making a benevolent expression.

    "Pshh... alright, mydy."

    King Kasorius sighed in a tone that suggested this wasn''t the first time he had to deal with Aspakeony''s quirks and turned around, leaving the room before a sh of golden light announced his departure as he teleported away.

    The gray-haired necromance raised her arms and stretched before returning to the bedside and leaning down only to pat Zoemi''s head with a warm smile.

    |...|

    Even without her saying anything, Zoemi experienced the extreme feeling of a Deja Vu...

    [...friends...]

    |AGAIN?!|

    To the boy''s great distress, the voice he heard before called out again as if stirred up by the necromancer''s touch ¨C which in turn stirred up Zoemi.

    |Seriously, Ludier! If it''s you then it is not funny at all! Why the hell aren''t youmunicating with me in a normal way?!|

    He roared internally, actually properly enraged by what he assumed was the unique shadow of the ie magician making fun of him.

    |Hold

    on...|

    But while being on the topic of the unique shadow ¨C just as Zoemi thought about it, he realized something.

    In his current state, he could not see the unique shadows of anything...!

    He should have realized it sooner, but he finally realized what was making him feel so uneasy.

    Even though Aspaekony was right in front of him, he could not see her unique shadow in the shape of a half-girl half-slime parasite, and after a moment of peace, he also realized that he did not see the unique shadow of king Kasorius either.

    What did that mean ¨C since the moment he awakened as a magician, he possed the ability to see the unique shadow ¨C even while he was on the verge of mana depletion ¨C he honestly should still have the ability even though he couldn''t feel any mana within him.

    "Aren''t you happy? You will be the royal protector~!"

    |...!|

    Aspakeony hummed and if he could move his body, Zoemi would surely jolt from shock as he momentarily forgot about her after the realization struck him.

    *knock* *knock*

    "I''m back. Sweetiees with daddy."

    Only a momentter without even giving Zoemi time topose himself, the gold-haired king of the Belcephora kingdom teleported back and politely knocked on the door, walking inside while gently guiding someone, whose sight had literally thrown the confused boy''s world upside down.

    "Miriette,e on, don''t be shy. Say hello tody Aspakeony."

    Kasorius closed the door behind him and give a light, encouraging push to the back of a young, maybe a nine-year-old girl...

    ...a girl who looked exactly like Miriette...

    And not simr, like Ehmi did in the young-looking form ¨C no.

    The girl that king Kasorius brought with him looked EXACTLY like Miriette that Zoemi knew ¨C almost.

    She did have a single, significant difference ¨C the Miriette in front of him didn''t have eyes and hair so green that they looked ck.

    No.

    Her''s was...

    ...tinum...

 Chapter 356 116 - 300 years in the past (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 356 116 - 300 years in the past (part 3)</h4>

    "...nice to meet you,dy Aspakeony..."

    The tinum-haired Miriette grabbed the hems of her cute fluffy dress and curtsied very politely towards the gray-haired necromancer.

    "...I am the second princess of the Bellcephora Kingdom, Miriette Aperaete Bellcephora..."

    The little girl added and waited in the same position without raising her head.

    "Hello~ I am Apskeony ¨C I do not have an official title but your father trusts me with helping out our kingdom when there is serious trouble."

    Aspakeony smiled looking at the gentle tinum-haired child who seemed very nervous about meeting a new person.

    "...!"

    "..."

    The gray-haired girl snickered discreetly once she noticed the little girl flinching at the mention of having no official title.

    The second princess must have felt very confused about why someone without an official position gets so much respect...

    ...at least in Apsakeony''s own assumption...

    |Dear heavens...! She is so furious...!|

    On the other hand, Zoemi ced in a strategic position amongst the pile of other plushies held a very different opinion about the whole situation.

    The tinum-haired Miriette had the same bodynguage as Miriette he knew, or at least Zoemi couldn''t stop noticing simrities.

    This might have been just a wild assumption on his part, but the boy locked in the body of a stuffed toy bear couldn''tpare the images in his head.

    His Miriette always had a short temper, but as if to bnce that, her self control was also tremendous ¨C in reality that meant that when she would blow up it would always turn into arge scale temper tantrum and never just a little hissy fit that could be hushed in a moment.

    |Why aren''t they trying to calm her down?!|

    The confused boy thought to himself, bracing himself for whatever would happen.

    "Aren''t you curious why your father brought you here?"

    Aspaekony who clearly had little-to-no experience with dealing with mini-Miriette asked, still under the impression that the little girl is simply timid.

    "..."

    The tinum-haired girl lowered her head and said nothing, she did not grit her teeth, she did not clench her fists ¨C but she did pinch the sides of her dress with enough power to wear off the fabric.

    "Mydy, I apologize for her, Miriette doesn''t like talking with strangers."

    King Kasorius bowed his head to the amused Aspakeony and put his hand on his daughter''s shoulder.

    While they stood like that beside each other, they did not give off a parent-child impression.

    The tinum-haired Miriette was petite even for her own age group, with milk-like skin and a slightly grumpy look ¨C only visible for Zoemi thanks to his vantage point.

    King Kasorius ¨C well, he was a tall and broad man, ratherte in his middle age, actually, maybe even not that.

    If not for the light attribute mana keeping his hair pristine gold at all times, the number of wrinkles could lead others to believe he wasn''t the father but rather the grandfather of the child next to him.

    "You don''t have to be shy here. I told you that you will receive a very nice present ¨C but you must promise to not destroy this one."

    "...!"

    Seeing his daughter not even lift her head to look at Aspakeony, king Korosarius breathed out and lightly patted Mireitte''s shoulder ¨C and made her flinch...

    |Uh-oh...!|

    Both he and the gray-haired necromancer thought that it was because of how nervous she was, but Zoemi braced himself for the impact.

    If her could move his body, he would instinctively cover his ears too...

    "Hey, your little highness ¨C say, do you like plushies?"

    Unaware, Aspaekony ended up walking closer and crouched down to make herself the same height as the tinum-haired child...

    "I DON''T WANT ANYTHING FROM YOU!"

    "!?!?!?!?!"

    "!!!!!"

    ...and ended up triggering the outburst, as the little girl showcased that her size and her voice do not corrte...

    "Miriette! What are you doing?!"

    King Kasorius gasped in shock, pulling his daughter away from the wide-eyed necromancer.

    "NO! LEAVE ME ALONE! DADDY IS HORRIBLE! YOU WILL LEAVE MOMMY FOR THIS GIRL! DADDY IS A CHEATER!"

    But, just as Zoemi expected, the tinum-haired girl cried out even louder while struggling to get away from her father''s grasp.

    "Miriette! What are you saying?!"

    In response to that Korosarious gasped, getting red in the face from the extreme embarrassment his daughter''s words caused him.

    "DADDY GOT BORED OF MOMMY AND WANTS TO REPLACE HER! DADDY, I HATE YOU! I...!"

    Miriette roared furiously with her eyes filled with tears and did not want to calm down even when Kasorius picked her up and tiered to coddle her ¨C which resulted only in her kicking up and smacking against his chest with her little fist.

    "...!"

    |Huh...?|

    Still, picking her up made a difference, but only Zoemi seemed to notice it.

    The moment she was held firmly, mIriette bit her lips and stopped making any sound whatsoever.

    Her father and Aspakeony both thought that it was a sign of her calming down, but Zoemi felt chills instead.

    The tinum-haired girl did not m down at all.

    When Kasorius hugged her a bit tighter, which should bring herfort, she stopped visibly resisting ¨C but ended up trembling instead while looking away, biting her lips so hard it was only a matter of seconds until she would draw blood.

    That was the first major difference between the tinum-haired Miriette and Miriette that Zoemi knew ¨C his Miriette never acted in such a way one hugged.

    She did not calm down ¨C it was more like the ability to control her limbs shut down!

    "I... I don''t know what to say ¨C she never acts like that!"

    |Youd don''t know what to say...? LET GO OF HER, YOU MORON! SHE IS HORRIFIED! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER TO MAKE HER LIKE THIS?!|

    Which must have been a troublesome scene of his daughter acting bratty and unreasonable for Kasorius, seemed like a scene from psychological horror to the boy trapped in the body of a toy.

    Because while Zoemi had never seen his Miriette act like that, he did see this kind of behavior.

    ...long ago, when two disgusting men, Edung and Boren took him to form the streets ¨C the way the tinum-haired Miriette acted was simr to how the girls the two horrible, disgusting and repugnant filths of adults forced to...

    "Your little highness, let''s make some things clear ¨C I am not interested in his father. I do help him out but it is just like Benevirau helping out your uncle Mirrowel."

    At that moment, Apsakeony spoke up in a calming voice and mentioned at least one name that Zoemi knew, causing him to shake off the terrifying memory and refocus on what was happening in front of him.

    "Exactly! Will you behave now...?"

    "..."

    King Kasorius nodded vigorously in confirmation and asked while gently putting down his daughter even though she did not let out even the smallest sound while tears were streaming down her face.

    It really looked as if she has shut down mentally.

    "..."

    Aspakeony waited a bit but there was no response ¨C she looked over at the bothered Kasorius, but he could only shake his head and shrug, unable to exin anything.

    The gray-haired girl furrowed her brows and nce at the ck bear she left on the bed amongst other plushies, considering something for a moment.

 Chapter 357 116 - 300 years in the past (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 357 116 - 300 years in the past (part 4)</h4>

    She intended to give his to the second princess in a slightly different manner but...

    "Your father contacted me because I am really good at making toys ¨C I''ve heard that you like them a little bit too much and they end up in pieces, so this one is made very sturdy to withstand anything. You can love this one as much as you want without worrying that it will break,"

    "...!"

    Aspakeony walked over to the bed to pick Zoemi up, showing her back to both Kasorius and Miriette, so she missed how the girl flinched and her chin visibly trembled at the mention of toys ending up in pieces.

    |Aspy... I love you, but TURN AROUND FASTER! GLANCE OVER THERE! LOOK AT HER! NOTICE THAT SOMETHING IS WORNG!|

    Zoemi called out deeply disturbed but just as it was before, none of his attempts tomunicate had any effect.

    "I also heard that you can''t sleep because of really bad dreams ¨C he will protect you from all of that~!"

    The gray-haired girl patted his plush head before picking him up and turning around to showcase the teddy bear to the silent girl.

    "He was made just for you ¨C he will be your defender. What do you think? Do you like him?"

    Aspakeony asked and crouched by Miriette once again, this time putting the toy in front of her own face, and wiggled the bear''s arms.

    At first, the girl did not react, but after a few seconds, she shyly looked up and nced at the toy.

    "...it will get broken..."

    Miriette sniffled and muttered, lowering her head.

    "No, he will not. I promise ¨C I made him very special."

    Aspakeony peeked from behind the plush bear and smiled reassuringly.

    |Aspy...! Listen! She is a princess but there is something wrong! She did not say that she will break it!|

    Zoemi has given up on trying to scream as no matter what, inside his head, his own voice was always the same volume - but he could not stop himself from speaking out, hoping that somehow his thoughts get transferred to the gray-haired girl even without the use of mana that he had no ess to.

    "Here."

    Apsakeony smiled, offering the toy to the little girl.

    "..."

    At first, Miriette didn''t even seem to want to take the bear ¨C but after another couple of seconds in silence, she nced at it again...

    ...and again...

    And finally, she reached out and took it.

    [Master recognized! Master, I will protect you!]

    |!!!!!!|

    And just as she did, the voice that called out inside Zoemi''s mind before resounded again ¨C this time much louder and clearer than before ¨C if the trapped boy could move his body, he would jolt in shock for sure.

    "..."

    Without saying anything out loud, the tinum-haired girl took the bear out of the necromancer''s hands and stared at it intensely.

    "Is something wrong with him?"

    Since Miriette was holding the toy in front of her at an arm''s reach as if it was something potentially dangerous, Aspakeony raised her brow and asked, intrigued.

    "The color..."

    "Miriette, that''s not appropriate to...!"

    "...let her finish..."

    The little girl muttered, which caused her father to gasp in shock, while the dark-skinned necromancer only allowed herself a soft sigh.

    "What about the color? You don''t like it?"

    She asked.

    "I don''t... he looks like a darkness magician..."

    Miriette cowered and exined, not looking up at her father or the necromancer.

    "Eh...? You ¨C you don''t like darkness magicians...?"

    Aspakeony straightened her back and asked in confusion ¨C before she looked over at king Kasorius and connected the dots regarding the little girl''s behavior.

    "Ah...! I see..."

    She looked between the parent and child and nodded.

    Miriette must have overheard someone

    talking about Carcassuss, the leader of the Ghosts of Bellcephora being the illegitimate son of her own father. So she must have assumed that her father had abandoned Carcassuss mother to get together with her own mother and that he was now trying to do the same thing.

    "...I don''t..."

    "..."

    "..."

    Miriette nodded, answering the necromancer''s question while staring at the plush bear, which caused king Kasorius to look away awkwardly trying to not make eye contact with Aspeakony.

    "I could..."

    "...but Elsby is a darkness magician, but I like her..."

    The gray-haired girl was about to ask whether the young girl want her to redo the toy, but at that exact moment, Miriette sniffled and murmured and hugged the plush bear close.

    "...can I really keep him?"

    The tinum-haired girl sniffled again and asked in a worried voice as if expecting Aspakeony to change her mind and take the toy away.

    "Of course, you can, your little highness. He only exists to protect you."

    [Master...! Master, I will keep you safe!]

    The gray-haired necromancer smiled brightly and assured the second princess ¨C and the voice inside Zoemi''s head sounded like an overzealous knight tasked with his first bodyguard mission.

    |...hmmm - so I don''t have any control whatsoever - and this all happened because I used a time spell for the first time...|

    At that point, it didn''t even shock the boy trapped inside the bear as he started to have an idea about what was going on ¨C and the slightly annoying theory started putting itself together in his mind.

    The thing was ¨C he was experiencing the events that happened three hundred years in the past through the eyes of the teddy bear ¨C he couldn''t move or talk or use mana because nothing like that happened with the toy.

    The voice that called out from time to time was also the bear''s voice ¨C if Zoemi was actually there, at least the toy should react ¨C but since it didn''t...

    Well...

    |I used the time spell and was put in the spectator mode... Is it safe to assume that only my consciousness was sent back in time? This is troublesome... what about my real body? How am I supposed to return...? Is it even possible to return...?|

    [Master, I will protect you! I will make you happy!]

    |...|

    Zoemi thought as the voice of the toy resounded in his mind again, causing him to close his mouth because of how familiar those words were to him.

    Still, at the current moment, there was not really anything that he could do and as such, Zoemi left Aspaekony''s room carried by the tinum-haired Miriette walking beside her bothered father.

    "Miriette, why would you say that I would leave your mother fordy Aspakeony?!"

    King Kasorius asked in a disturbed tone.

    "...because she is pretty... Lady Apsakeony is even prettier than mommy and one of the maids said that you left your previous wife and chose mommy because mommy was prettier than your previous wife..."

    The little girl hugged the ck teddy bear a bit tighter, getting timid because of the man''s tone, all while not even daring to raise her head and look at her father''s face.

    "Ugh...! You start to sound like Mirrowel... As if I would ever consider someone like her as an option!"

    King Kasorius scoffed, shaking his head in borderline disgust that he would most definitely not dare to show in front of the dark-skinned necromancer.

    "You said that you like someone like Elsby... but it sounded like Corossariuss and his family are amongst the ones you don''t like. Why is that?"

    He asked with a frown, staring down at the tinum-haired girl.

    "..."

    But she bit her lips and stayed quiet.

    "Your will - I won''t force you to tell me. But on the other hand - which maid exactly said that bout your mother and my previous wife?"

    "...the one that..."

    and asked in a strict voice, that only made the girl''s grip on the toy that much harder ¨C after the tinum-haired Miriette revealed the gossipy maid''s identity, the gold-haired man scoffed and teleported them out of the hallway of what looked like an actual mansion.

    Even though there was a whole bed and the room was far bigger, originally Zoemi expected the room to be in the Aspakeony Academy as he knew that it would be the spot where Aspekony preferred to reside...

    ...until he realized that in the real world, and not this reying memory or whatever his situation could have been described as, Aspaekony most likely chose to spend most of her time locked up because of the trauma after the Ghosts betrayal...!

    |Wait...|

    Zoemi tensed up - or he would if he was in his own body.

    |When will they kill everyone...? Will I be forced to watch those freaks kill this poor little girl?!|

    He thought in horror.

    Then, everything went gold and ck again...

 Chapter 358 117 - Tournament arc (part 18)

    <h4>Chapter 358 117 - Tournament arc (part 18)</h4>

    "You beat up my father and my grandmother, I cannot let you be!"

    The brown-haired young woman, Arreta dered and the arena that Zoemi fixed mere moments earlier broke apart, and the debris flew straight to the brown-haired young woman to be armor for her arms.

    This spell looked just like the one used by her grandmother, but Arreta''s stone arms looked a bit slimmer and more agile than the onedy Auequas tried to use.

    "...huh...? Wait, what...?! Where is the...?! I was just...!"

    The ck-haired boy flinched and straightened his back, turning around with a wild look in his eyes.

    "Announce the start of the duel!"

    Arreta roared at the gold-haired judge ¨C who seemed to be even more confused than Zoemi.

    "Rethaq...? Rethaq?! Where are you?!"

    The man gasped, touching his head with his left hand and clutching his right hand around his heart, looking as if he was heaving a panic attack.

    "Tsk...!"

    Seeing him being so uncooperative, despite being extravagantly paid off by her majesty the queen herself just to allow the Auequas family to deal with their own trash, Arreta had no choice.

    She clicked her tongue flew past the disoriented ck-haired boy andnded behind his back with an extremely annoyed expression.

    It''s not like she had a second thought or suddenly received some divine revtion ¨C if the duel wasn''t approved, the thing she has almost done would have been just a cowardly assault and nothing else.

    Her honor and the honor of the entire Auequas family would have beenpletely destroyed, broken apart, and forever mixed with mud and manure.

    The worst part was ¨C that wasn''t even an over-exaggeration.

    In the worst-case scenario, a fight that was not a duel could even be considered an attempted murder ¨C and since the ck-haired boy received the title of the high nobility because of the inheritance process finally finishing...

    Let''s say that the brown-haired young woman, as lower nobility without a middle name, would be extremely lucky if she ended up sentenced to quick and painless death if she as much as grazed the currently defenseless boy.

    And speaking of which...

    [Kid? Kid! Wake up! What the hell happened? Her logic is hard to follow for anyone sane, but there''s no reason for losing your mind like this!]

    A voice called out from inside Zoemi''s head ¨C but instead of it being the voice of a plush bear it was the unique shadow of Ludier, the dead ice magician.

    |Lu-Ludier...?! What?! Why are we here?! Why is that annoying girl still standing?! No, wait ¨C I''m back in my own body...! Why aren''t you holding back Kiorterell?! Myst attack should have killed Rethaq, but I have to make sure!|

    Zoemi gasped, shaking his head like a dog who rushed out of the body of water afterplete submersion and called out internally, activating his enchantments to the maximum possible output, causing an air quake with that basic spell alone.

    "!!!!"

    Seeing that Arreta gulped down her saliva and stepped back holding her arms up in a fighter''s defensive position.

    [What...? Who are you talking about? You most definitely didn''t kill anyone during this tournament. Did... did that whole Letro guy have a poisoned face and you are getting sick because of it? Or maybe you messed up your hand from punching him and are speaking crazy because of a bloodloss...?]

    "...!"

    Ludier''s shadow asked in genuine concern, sounding so worried that Zoemi ended up flinching and stopping himself from unleashing the copy of Raseriat''s wings.

    |But... but we fought them ¨C Rethaq and Kiorterell... and I wanted to use the time attribute spell to make her suffer as much as my mother did ¨C but then...|

    [Kid... I live inside your head ¨C I would know if shit like that happened. You destroyed Letro Auequas''s face and his daughter rushed over to seek vengeance. That''s it.]

    The ck-haired boy breathed out, and thought, making a worried, almost scared expression ¨C to which Ludier''s shadow hurried with an exnation.

    |Are... are you sure...?|

    [Yes!]

    The ck-haired boy asked, gulping down his saliva and the unique shadow confirmed with full confidence.

    "..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and rxed just a little bit ¨C he did not deactivate his enchantments, but he certainly lowered the mana output so the air quake calmed down.

    |Was that all some sort of...|

    The ck-haired boy breathed out again and rubbed his forehead looking extremely tired ¨C but then he noticed the behavior of the gold-haired judge who seemed to act even more erratic than he was feeling at the moment.

    "Rethaq...?! Rethaq! This is not funny! The family is just a facade, but the two of us always stick together! Where are you?!"

    The man not only was looking around muttering to himself ¨C he straight up started shouting and running around, causing other judges to stare at him in confusion.

    "Ah...! Shadow connect."

    Zoemi gasped and froze ¨C he activated one of his spells almost unintentionally, but still, the thin hair-like shadow shot out from under his foot and slithered across the ground until it reached the gold-haired judge.

    The connection was strong and clear ¨C the seemingly average light magician with a unique shadow of a six-legged stag turned out to be hiding a very special filling.

    ...a stake of concentrated silky-darkness was stabbing right through his heart ¨C which was most definitely a wound that should have killed him on the spot, but s, the man''s raised voice was clearly proving that to be not true.

    Judging by the stake itself, it must have been Kiorterell''s darkness de ¨C and judging by the things he was saying, Rethaq was no longer there.

    Even as confused as he was, Zoemi came to a realization that somehow the time attribute spell that he used had ended up working out and after showing him a certain even from the distant past, he was pulled back into his own world...

    ...but it really looked like the member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora who received an intense internal massage of razorde-like feathers stayed dead ¨C even though Zoemi tried to use the time spell specifically to extend the time until her death so she would suffer more...

    It was both worrisome and somehow encouraging.

    One of the two people who were most involved in killing Zoemi''s mother seemed to be already dead ¨C and thanks to that the ck-haired boy managed to stay calm and not just go and attack and kill a judge right in front of representatives of basically every single noble family in the kingdom.

    "Sentinel."

    What he did instead was to encourage one of the sentinels lurking in his shadow to move alongside the shadow connect spell and attach itself to the Kiorterell''s spell.

    ...as it was said ¨C one perpetrator was already dead ¨C now it was the correct time to use the other one to track the whole rest of the filthy traitors...

    "|Keep an eye on him, report everything.|"

    "(Yes~!)"

    Zoemi passed a message to the sentinel already digging its way into the shadow and the summoned spell responded cheerfully.

    *thump*

    The very next moment, the silky-ck stake disappeared from the heart of the gold-haired judge and the man fell down, not even bending his knees but instead crashing onto the ground face-first to the great disturbance of his colleagues and everyone else watching.

    Interestingly enough, as the stake disappeared, so did the third pair of the shadow stag''s legs.

    Zoemi really did a good job going for the attaching the sentinel instead of attacking blindly!

    "Oh for the...!"

    Arreta also didn''t miss the gold-haired judge''s sudden copse and groaned, chewing on the words that she wanted to describe the useless corrupted judge with...

    "I challenge you to duel! If you are a man you will fight me right here and right now!"

    ...and while she regained some of the confidence seeing that the air quake caused by the ck-haired boy had passed, and used that chance to walk in front of him and challenged him, right in his face.

    "..."

    Although it was annoying, it was also a good wake-up call to start acting more conspicuously for the good of his own image ¨C so Zoemi straightened his back and looked at the young woman who should have been his cousin, but whom he saw for the first time in his life.

    "No. Not out of order. You are already participating in the tournament anyway - to face me you just have to keep winning until we get to face each other."

    Zoemi scoffed and shook his head, rolling his eyes.

    "You have no ho...!"

    "You want to make the rules, how about you organize the tournament for your own hand and act then? Not that anyone would want to participate."

    Arreta was about to try and berate the ck-haired boy, but his snappy response literally forced the words tight back into her throat, as she definitely did not expect aeback like that...

 Chapter 359 117 - Tournament arc (part 19)

    <h4>Chapter 359 117 - Tournament arc (part 19)</h4>

    Zoemi breathed out, halfying on his bed, trying to calmly think things through.

    [So... kid... you''re saying that your original personality, the one I met, is actually something called artificial soul created by the millennia-old necromancer who can''t even confirm anything because she got abducted by one of the Ghosts of Bellcephora... isn''t this, you know...? Hard to believe?]

    Ludier''s shadow with whom the ck-haired boy consulted, asked in a doubtful tone.

    |Said an apparition held up with mana in the world where magic is real.|

    Zoemi sighed, rolling his eyes and leaning his back against the wall.

    [I just think that if you really were thrown back in time, I would travel together with you ¨C I am basically living inside your head.]

    Ludier''s shadow countered, also making it sound as if he sighed.

    |When I activated the spell you were out and holding back Kiorterell for me ¨C we were barely connected, so that''s most likely the reason why only I experienced it.|

    Zoemi pointed out and shrugged his shoulders making an annoyed expression.

    |Do you want to try using the same spell again to make sure?|

    Ludier''s shadow asked, making quite a good point.

    |I can''t.|

    [Huh? What do you mean by you can''t?]

    The ck-haired boy shook his head, refusing without a moment of hesitation and confusing the unique shadow of the ice magician even more.

    |Look.|

    Although the refusal came instantly, it did not mean that the ck-haired boy was going to just drop the subject ¨C instead, he reached out his hand and concentrated.

    His mana shifted into a time attribute one and proceeded to construct a spell...

    *haaaaaa*

    ...only to be released without properly forming, with the sound of the person breathing out in relief...

    [Oh... I felt that ¨C there''s something blocking you from using the time spells!]

    Ludier''s shadow gasped, and Zoemi nodded his head with a bitter expression.

    |I have a sneaking suspicion that the thing preventing me from using the spell is that so-called original personality. He doesn''t want to witness the events that followed the scene that I already saw ¨C and taking into consideration the nightmares that I experienced since childhood and what is publically known about the assassination of almost every single member of the royal family three hundred years ago, I am not even that surprised.|

    Zoemi admitted with a slight frown and looked up at the ceiling.

    |And to make everything even more annoying, Kiorterell is literally just bouncing in the darkness searching for Rethaq. You would think that if he is so shocked and confused, he would have contacted the rest of the Ghosts.|

    The ck-haired boy scoffed, concentrating to peek at the member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora who specialized in possessing other people.

    [Didn''t he shout something about their family being only a ruse but him and that supposed other Ghost being the real deal? Maybe that''s it? Not to mention that the cheery Ghosts said something vaguely alongside the same lines?]

    |Fair point.|

    Ludier''s shadow disyed that he wasn''t just a witty freeloader and pointed out, making Zoemi tilt his head to the side and nod, agreeing with the exnation.

    |Then, what now? Do you reckon I should give him more time to figure things out and maybe contact other Ghosts, or should I try to get him now? He could be the most problematic one to kill if left alone, but with the element of surprise on our side, he should go down even easier than Rethaq or Raseriat.|

    The ck-haired boy asked, raising his hand and moving his fingers, causing ice, darkness, acid, and sma particles to appear and dance atop it as a half-constructed spell.

    [Ah! Now we are threading on the area of my specialty! Wait of course! What is the use of killing a small fish when you can use it as bait for the real catch!]

    The shadow of the dead ice magicianughed, and boasted, sharing the wisdom of a man who was walking the path of revenge quite sessfully until he met an unfortunate end at the hands of someonepletely unrted to his cause.

    |Must I remind you that the small fish that you are referring to was directly responsible for my mother deteriorating health and mental state? Without him and Rethaq tormenting her, the mana she received might have as well properly settled in and she would not die. He is not just a small fish ¨C in your fishing allegory, he is a killer whale.|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and corrected what he thought was wrong about Ludier''s words.

    [Would she really be alive though? You can''t say for sure.]

    |...|

    The unique shadow argued, and he received no answer, as there was none.

    Of course, Zoemi wasn''t sure ¨C even if he anted for it to be true, what would that change at the current time with his mother already dead?

    It was only an excuse that he came up with because he didn''t want to wait and let the chance to kill Kiroterell pass.

    [Kid, just leave him for now ¨C unless he discovers your sentinel, you can take him out from the shadows.]

    |Fine...|

    Ludier''s shadow advised Zoemi, and the ck-haired boy sighed and nodded.

    [And changing the subject ¨C they really will not let you fight tomorrow? Isn''t the Victureo family the organizer? What, are they afraid that you will wipe off the opponents too fast?]

    The unique shadow switched gears within an instant and asked, clearly trying to make his host cheer up.

    |You''ve heard lord Telorius ¨C they want me to win since I am their representative, but if things will go too well, the queen might go and throw a hissy fit and im that the whole tournament was staged or something equally annoying. And honestly, I would not put it past her, even though it does sound like a childish tantrum.|

    Zoemi shrugged and rxed his shoulders ¨C it was already quitete and it would be best for him to go to sleep, to have even a little bit of rest, since it was just like Burushi has told him before.

    Healing magic is useful, but it simply cannot be used to get rid of some bodily functions.

    |Taking it easy tomorrow might be a good idea ¨C I can use the duels as a temte and make it seem like my future fights are a lot closer than they could be ¨C making me just scrape by instead of outright stomp my opponents should also aid in cutting off the easy way for the queen to make things difficult for anyone who doesn''t go along with her n... whatever it is... You know what? I should keep an eye on her too, just in case.|

    "Sentinel."

    "(~!)"

    The ck-haired boy thought andid down ¨C before furrowing his brows and conjuring the excited murky-ck sphere out of the thin air.

    "Try to sneak into the royal castle and attach yourself to the queen''s shadow ¨C it''s okay if you fail, juste back."

    "(~!)"

    Zoemi instructed the sphere and gently patted it, making it squirm happily under his touch before it flew off, changing into murky mist and passing through the window, before materializing back into its original shape and zooming off into the night.

    |Allright ¨C goodni...|

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "...ugh..."

    Zoemi nodded to himself and closed his eyes ¨C but just then someone knocked on his door, making the ck-haired boy let out an annoyed sound.

    "...Zoemi...? Are... are you asleep...?"

    "!!!!"

    But that all changed when the person knocking on the door called out in a hushed voice ¨C and Zoemi instantly recognized it.

    Zoemi jumped out of bed and hurried to the door, opening it ajar.

    "Ah...!"

    ...and making the dark-haired viiness flinch and blush the moment she saw his face...

 Chapter 360 118 - Affirmation of the feelings (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 360 118 - Affirmation of the feelings (part 1)</h4>

    The dimmp in the corridor was the only source of light for Miriette, but it was giving enough light for her to see Zoemi''s face.

    As for the ck-haired boy, he could see in the dark so the source of light behind the dark-haired girl did not obscure her face in any way either.

    The two of them stayed like that for a few seconds, just looking at each other and...

    (Master!)

    "!!!!"

    A voice called out from the depths of Zoemi''s mind, causing him to jolt in absolute shock.

    It wasn''t Ludier''s shadow ¨C it was the voice of the bear that the ck-haired boy heard while experiencing the events from three hundred years back!

    (Master! I will protect...!)

    |SHUT THE FUCK UP! SHE ISN''T YOUR MASTER!|

    The voice called out again, and Zoemi''s body filled with warmth ¨C but Zoemi himself did not feel happy at all, on the contrary, he looked away from the dark-haired girl in front of him and his face twisted in fury as heshed out at the voice of the plush bear that found its way into his mind.

    "Zoemi...? Is... is it a bad time for me to... visit...?"

    Seeing the boy''s actions and mistaking them for a reaction to her showing up unannounced at thete hour caused Miriette to tense up.

    "N-no, of course not! Well... maybe a little..."

    Zoemi gasped and shook his head, focusing back on the girl in front of him.

    "Oh... I understand... Let''s talk another..."

    Miriette lowered her head, trying to hide her upset expression while biting the inside of her cheek, trying to not be too obvious.

    Even though whenpared, the two of them spent a lot less time apart than together it seemed like the time when Zoemi wasn''t by her side had changed her the most.

    Before it would take a lot of convincing to change her mind from the idea she thought of as good ¨C even for Zoemi ¨C but now she was really showing off her self-restraint that she never disyed before.

    ...at least to the same extent...

    "Wait, Mi... mydy ¨C I only meant that the time of the day, or rather a night, is a little bit troublesome ¨C not that I don''t want to see you...!"

    As the dark-haired girl was turning away, the ck-haired boy stepped out of the room provided to him and spoke out in a worried whisper.

    ''Well.. it is inconvenient... but I did make sure to sneak by everyone, so unless Ehmi or Burushi will wake up and start looking for me, everything should be fine."

    Miriette instantly turned around and dered in a confident whisper, as she puffed out her chest and raised her head proudly.

    "...umm... how are you so sure...?"

    The ck-haired boy leaned back and asked.

    He did not doubt the girl''s abilities ¨C but he sure felt a bit worried.

    Usually, Miriette''s idea of sneaking by someone was to knock that person out and just walk by normally.

    "People breathe and that makes the air move, same with them moving around ¨C I tried concentrating on that while using my mana, and I waited or hide when I sensed the movement of air~!"

    The dark-haired girl boasted and spread her arms as if awaiting the prize toe her way.

    She did not actually expect anything and was just emoting ¨C after all, just like Zoemi knew how she acted, Miriette was more than used to him not picking up on her signals.

    But this time...

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy''s face lighted up with a longing smile and he stepped forward, leaning down and hugging the dark-haired girl, causing her brain to short-circuit for a moment out of pure shock.

    "I''m sorry for calling and bothering you when you were busy."

    Zoemi apologized as before he did not have a chance to do so...

    "F-forget about that! That was my fault!"

    Both the hug and the apology were unexpected enough to make Miriette start thinking straight again ¨C and the first thing she did was to hug back the boy who was moving away with a timid expression that she recognized as a sign that he was about to start apologizing for hugging her in the first ce ¨C and she wanted none of that.

    The dark-haired girl climb on her tiptoes and raced her with all her physical might ¨C which did not include any magic whatsoever, so it amounted to a soft hug, only with Miriette''s arm slightly shaking as she was doing her best.

    "I am the one who is sorry... I spoke before I thought and make such a big deal out of it, it''s not like you timed things out on purpose, after all."

    She said with her forehead firmly pressed against the boy''s chest, doing her very best to hide her blushing face.

    "Ummm... well I did time it, though..."

    "WHAT?!"

    Zoemi answered sounding slightly worried and made Miriette flinch and look up at him in disbelief.

    "I apologize once again. I was sure that you were about to eat supper and had some time to spare, but my timing seemed to be offpletely."

    The ck-haired boy apologized profoundly once again, and that calmed down Miriette a little bit.

    "That''s what you mean... It''s okay... I wasn''t even all that mad at you, it just was a bad moment... well, not a moment but, you know...! Uuu.... this is embarrassing..."

    The dark-haired girl flinched and fidgetted, firmly pressing herself against the boy''s body doing her best to let him know that she doesn''t want him to leave without actually voicing that thought.

    [Kid, you are a good kid so I will assume that this is your wife ¨C maybe you should take her inside and not disy your affection in the hallway?]

    |...|

    Ludier''s shadow voice called out from within the boy''s mind, making Zoemi sigh internally as a response.

    Ludier''s reaction did have an impact but not exactly in a way that the unique shadow intended the things to go...

    "...I... I am a high noble now..."

    The ck-haired boy spoke up looking down at the girl clinging to his chest.

 Chapter 361 118 - Affirmation of the feelings (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 361 118 - Affirmation of the feelings (part 2)</h4>

    "...?"

    Miriette looked up at him with a worried expression.

    What he was going to say?

    She started biting the inside of her cheek while her hands trembled, this time not just from the strain but nervousness too.

    "I..."

    "I-it''s okay if you don''t reassume your attendant''s duties...!"

    He took a deep breath like a diver about to submerge themselves into the water ¨C but the dark-haired girl spoke first sounding almost desperate.

    "You don''t have to ¨C you don''t have to call me master, and you don''t have to clean up or cook or anything...! Just... Just don''t leave me... No, wait ¨C I am doing this again..."

    Miriette''s chin trembled as she spoke up, swept by the moment and worry.

    Zoemi simply stated the fact ¨C he was a high noble now ¨C and not just a high noble, the head of the Banemor family - and even though he was also technically the only member of that family, his position meant that legally he was not supposed to be anyone''s attendant as it would be meant his family bes subservient of another high noble family and that was literally against thew.

    "The thing I want to say is ¨C as we were apart I have some time to think. I talked with different people and... I realized that I don''t need you in a way that I thought I did... I... I don''t need you like a servant who will be with me twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, year in year, but I... I want you to be with me... not... not in a servant, or attendant, way... You know...? This is my response to your confession ¨C the one back when you left me in the headmaster''s office. I-I mean ¨C if that was an actual confession! If you meant it in a different way, then... then..."

    Miriette took a step back and Zoemi did not stop her, then she proceeded to speak her mind, at first giving Zoemi the chills as it sounded like she was the one to sever their bond, but then she turned it all around with a splendid response that sounded as if she put a lot of efforting up with, but was getting cold feet when it came to present it.

    [So this isn''t your wife... Kid, you should...]

    |Luider, I swear to all that is holly I will send you in watch duty in Derizno house but without any means of attack, just to surveil them and nothing else ¨C IF YOU DON''T SHUT UP, please and thank you!|

    The unique shadow of a dead ice magician seemed to be particrly preachy, which understandably ¨C or not ¨C made the ck-haired boy rather angry.

    [You will not. You are a good kid, and that''s why you should not cheat on your wife... unless you have an agreement in case of which I am sorry for jumping to a conclusion...]

    |I do not have a wife ¨C there is a girl who I would very much want to be my wife, and THE GIRL RIGHT HERE IS THAT GIRL!|

    The unique shadow''s trust in his host did not falter even a little bit and did not stop talking ¨C so the embarrassed boy had to spell things out to him.

    Truth be told, if Zoemi was just honest with Ludier from the start about the whole wife situation, the unique shadow would respectfully stay quiet in the back of his mind, to begin with.

    ...but s...

    [You should have started with that, kid ¨C good luck!]

    Ludier''s shadow gasped and just like that, he went back into slumber without any further exnation needed.

    "You... you didn''t...? Then, please ¨C forget about everything that I said! I just...! I really did show up at a bad time, didn''t I...? Forget it please!"

    With Zoemi taking a bit too long to respond because of his internal dialogue with his mind''s tenant, Miriette read his silence as the worst possible answer and started backing away clenching her fists and looking around restlessly while constantly blinking just to not make eye contact with Zoemi and show him her tearful eyes full of embarrassment and shame.

    "Wait ¨C no! It''s not like that! You didn''t misunderstand anything about my confession!"

    "!!!!"

    The boy shook his head and reached out his hand after the dark-haired girl ¨C but did not grab her ¨C his motion and words were alone to stop her retreat.

    "So... it was a confession..."

    "It was."

    Miriette took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself and asked, making Zoemi breathe out with relief and a smile.

    "..."

    Which in turn caused the dark-haired girl''s eyes to widen as if she herself could not believe that their conversation really

    was following probably one of the best paths it could take for her and her own feelings.

    "Then... you..."

    "I love you."

    She fidgetted and muttered awkwardly, looking up at the boy, and instead of continuing to back away, she started inching forward with a rather clear intention of making her way back into his arm, which caused the boy''s smile to grow wider before he confessed ¨C this time directly and while looking right at her, instead of offhandedly on his way out.

    "Zoe...~!"

    *crack*

    "!!!"

    "...?"

    Miriette gasped in awe and was about to jump into Zoemi''s arms when a sudden noise caused both of them to flinch and look around in search of its source.

    "There is no awake around."

    "Yes... though lord Vuctureo should check up with Burushi, he is having trouble breathing in his sleep."

    Zoemi said after using his spell to survey their surroundings and Miriette confirmed with a short nod while adding a little detail.

    "...we are in the Victureo''s mansion... I better return to the room or Ehmi or Burushi might really wake up... I can tell Burushi about the Ehmi''s father then...."

    The dark-haired girl breathed out ¨C she was extremely happy, but she wasn''t blinded by the affection which showed her growth the most out of everything she did that night.

    She also used the information she herself found out to give herself another reason for leaving ¨C she did not actually want to leave but knew it was not advised and could get both her and Zoemi in trouble that was both unnecessary and avoidable.

    "Do you want me to at least walk you back? I will be careful so that no one will notice."

    "No, it''s alright... you are mine now, and I am more patient than you might remember~"

    Zoemi offered but Miriette only shook her head and turned around...

    ...but then she suddenly turned right back and her body lifted the ground with the help of her spell just so she could get on the boy''s eye level and...

    *chuu~*

    ¡­ she kissed the surprised boy''s lips softly...

    "Well, maybe not that patient~"

    She revealed as she floated away since her face was getting more and more red from the blush.

    "Goodnight~!"

    Miriette added just like that, she gracefully floated away farm more graceful andfortable in the air than she was on the ground.

    It was most impressive as she always held herself with pride, but that was simply a testament to how good she was with the levitation and flight spells.

    "...!"

    Not to mention that the dark-haired girl ended up hiding her face in her hands as soon as she got out of the boy''s line of sight, shocked and excited about her own boldness.

 Chapter 362 119 - Tournament arc (part 20)

    <h4>Chapter 362 119 - Tournament arc (part 20)</h4>

    Even though Zoemi was not actively participating in the tournament as a fighter, it did not mean that there would be no injuries among thepetitors.

    To tell the truth, some injuries were even more severe than those caused by the ck-haired boy.

    "Please, hold still."

    The blond-haired heroine sighed as the twitchy patient was trembling like a leaf, watching as the girl was attaching his arm back to his torso.

    "Sir, I am not questioning your courage, but did you never before challenge a wind magician?"

    Zoemi, who killed time by helping Burushi out in the sickbay, asked, getting the terrified man''s attention away from his severed limb.

    "I... I thought that the earth enchantments would be enough to withstand a wind de..."

    The brown-haired man spoke up both ashamed and extremely worried ¨C which should not be surprising after losing a fight in a rather spectacr way with his arm flying off the bounds of the arena as he stupidly charged right into a fissure of boiling air that could only be an umting wind de.

    And he clearly paid the price for being so hot-headed.

    "A point-nk wind de ¨C sir, both you AND your opponent are lucky ¨C if either of you would jump around at the wrong time, this would be your head."

    Burushi breathed out with an annoyed expression while she applied a healing spell after a healing spell on each separateyer of the body while keeping the bloodloss at a minimum with another spell active in the background.

    "She''s right, you know? Earth enchantments are best suited to toughen up the body. They help withstand shockwaves and blunt trauma, but do almost nothing against heat and spells that specialize in cutting or piercing."

    Zoemi chimed in and added, tapping the man''s other, healthy, arm and getting back his attention.

    "...but my enchantments stopped swords and arrows..."

    The earth magician muttered, sounding disappointined with himself.

    "Enchanted ones?"

    "N-no... Enchanted weapons are expensive to maintain and the barbarians at the border barely use them ¨C but when they do, let me tell you about their hexes!"

    The ck-haired boy asked and the man responded awkwardly before straightening his back and living up.

    "Please, don''t move ¨C unless you want to never raise your hand above your head anymore."

    "...sorry..."

    Burushi sighed and red at her patient with a bitter expression, making the man lower his head apologetically.

    "While I would love to hear more about the barbarians, let''s get back to the weapons ¨C an object without mana and a spell created by mana are two separate things. Even when the spell uses a physical object, it also makes a difference. You could block conventional weapons because you were protected by mana ¨C but the earth mana is stagnant as the real thing ¨C if you push it aside, you can get through itsyer. That''s exactly what spells do to earth enchantments, they literally push the protectiveyer aside to deliver a hit. The water bubble of the water magicians is the other way around ¨C it protects against spells because it deflects mana. You should know that this is useless against conventional weapons. See? No single element is perfect."

    Zoemi smirked and nodded at a man before continuing his exnation.

    "Well... I guess I shouldn''t have been skipping on duels back in my Academy days, I guess... Our territory isn''t as crucial as Perserios territory, but we do have our fair share of skirmishes with the barbarians... fighting another magician is rare..."

    The earth magician lowered his head even more getting angsty because of his shoring.

    Although he had seen what the boy in front of him was capable of doing, he still felt rather awkward listening to someone almost half his age tutor him about fighting with such confidence.

    "Alright ¨C only the skin left ¨C we saved your motor functions, now to make it pretty... or do you prefer a tough-guy scar as a souvenir?"

    Burushi breathed out and nodded to herself with satisfaction before raising her head and ncing over at her patient.

    "..."

    Interestingly enough, although the blond heroine was actually joking, her question seem to be really tough for the man to answer.

    "...she said her culture sees scars as marks of honor..."

    The earth magician muttered to himself ¨C which was actually not him trying to be heard but rather a mishap caused by a side effect of one of Burushi''s anesthetic spells that she used on him.

    "..."

    "..."

    Zoemi and Burushi exchanged intrigued looks but neither said anything since the patient clearly wasn''t intending on sharing it with them originally.

    "If it''s not a problem, I would actually like you to leave it as a reminder of my recklessness that should not be repeated, Miss."

    The man ended up deciding and speaking out loud properly this time with a serious expression.

    "Your body, your choice, sir. But it will be more sensitive than the rest of your skin. Maybe even sting at the change in the weather."

    Burushi shrugged her shoulders and nodded before pointing out.

    "I can deal with that."

    The man snickered and smiled in response.

    "Oh, and if you want to close the distance between you and your opponent next time you get a chance, if you are really averse to zigzagging, raising up a few vision obstructing barriers can be a good strategy too."

    Zoemi added on his own.

    "Making the opponent move around instead of me... a bit risky, but can be implemented in my fighting style nheless."

    The man furrowed his brows with a concerned expression before nodding to the ck-haired boy.

    "Now then ¨C the healing isplete, you have a nice scar as a reminder like you wanted ¨C and if I see things correctly, the next duel is about to finish and both contestants will require the heal..."

    Burushi said, climbing on her tiptoes to look over the sitting man''s shoulder and peek through the window added to the sickbay by Zoemi.

    "Stay here for at least ten minutes and tell me immediately if you will feel that there''s something wrong ¨C Zoemi, you don''t mind helping me out with the next patients, do you?"

    The blond heroine instructed the earth magician before looking over at the ck-haired boy and beckoning him toe over to her.

    "I do not feel confident with healing internal organs and recreating veins."

    Zoemi answered with a concerned expression while looking through the window just like Burushi did a moment earlier.

    "I will do the check-up first and we''ll split the work then... Oww...! That looked like his arm got boiled... good idea with blocking the fire with a water sphere ¨C bad idea that he put his arm inside the same sphere though..."

    Burushi waved her hand dismissively before flinching as the deciding attack had been struck and the fire magician with a knee crushed by a frozen ice sphere and a hole in her abdomen from the water spear was announced the winner over the unconscious water magician with a slightly charred face.

    "Heat of the moment, most likely - and sure. No problem. Sir Parrats, if you don''t mind, I would love to learn more about the hexes that the northern tribes use ¨C if you don''t mind let''s have a talk about it at ater date, I''ll send you a message about the details."

    Zoemi nodded at the blond girl, then looked over at the brown-haired man and asked.

    "O-of course! I would be honored, lord Banemor!"

    Hevoroy Parrats gasped in disbelief before nodding his head vigorously as both Zoemi and Burushi walked away from his bed and moved towards the door seeing the two wounded duelists being hurriedly carried over to the sickbay.

    "...you know that this guy is the older brother of Senria Parats, the wind magician girl who helped spread the rumor about you raping Sifra Ralia...?"

    Burushi nced over at the earth magician patiently sitting on his bed just as he was instructed, and murmured to Zoemi in a conspicuous voice.

    "Yeah, I do ¨C but he doesn''t seem to know about it, although that doesn''t mean that I can''t use it to my advantageter on... also... why are you keeping tabs on people who wronged me...?"

    The ck-haired boy nodded his head with an indifferent expression before asking in surprise, raising his brows.

    "Miriette takes helping me out seriously, not long after you were suspended and left to Banemor territory, she presented me with a list of previous offenders she learned about and instructed me to tell her if those people will try to do something again."

    The heroine exined as the ck-haired boy opened the door for the peopleing in.

    "Oh, I see."

    Zoemi raised his brows and nodded.

    "Teo was at the very top of the said list... No, not there ¨C here is enough. Lord Banemor will help move them far apart in case they will not be able to act like adults. Thank you for your cooperation, now, move along."

    Burushi pointed out before instructing the servants where to put the new patients.

    "Oh, I see."

    Zoemi made an awkward expression and sighed.

 Chapter 363 120 - Tournament arc - the missconception about magic - (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 363 120 - Tournament arc - the missconception about magic - (part 1)</h4>

    "Zoe~! You have a duel tomorrow afternoon, so you can spare some time this lovely evening and help my cute little brother train, can''t you~?"

    After the fourth day of the tournament officially ended Zoemi was approached by the cheery Ehmi who approached him all bouncy and excited.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows and tilted his head deep in thoughts.

    Although he started to forgive Grazio for what he did to him and almost did to Miriette when they were children, it did not mean that all of his aversion was gone and he wanted to spend his free time with him ¨C especially in a situation involvingbat.

    ...even the training...

    The ck-haired boy already made the red-haired capture target say the official tsundere line, but getting rid of all the hatred umted over the years required something more than just getting him embarrassed a bit.

    "Oh,e on, please? Would you do it for me? Miri isn''t here so you don''t have to hold back for her sake~!"

    "..."

    Ehmi pointed out and her smile was straight up beaming ¨C but that did not affect the ck-haired boy.

    |...I was trying not to think about it...|

    Zoemi sighed internally, doing his best to not roll his eyes at the crimson-haired girl.

    [She had to get back to the Academy because of some assignment, right? Isn''t it okay anyway ¨C she will be back tomorrow, just in time to see you win another duel!]

    |Hey ¨C it''s not like I am grumpy because she had something to do ¨C I am feeling just a bit sad that she is gone right when we would have some time to spend together without being overly suspicious...|

    Ludier''s shadow pointed out, trying to cheer up his host ¨C but Zoemi felt that he was thinking too hard about the situation.

    [Ah, trying to act as mature as she, aren''t you? It''s okay, kid ¨C most of the time girls are the more mature ones.]

    It wasn''t like the Ludier''s shadow wanted to get Zoemi down ¨C he was supporting his host from the sidelines properly.

    "You are overestimating the lengths I''ll go for you."

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and answered Ehmi''s question without a shred of empathy.

    "Aww ¨C that line would work only if you didn''t agree to protect me from getting married off to some random stranger~"

    Still ¨C that was not enough to dampen the crimson-haired girl''s mood, as she instantly shrugged off Zoemi''s shrugging off...

    The ck-haired boy made a bitter expression and red at her in silence.

    |That''s how it looks for the outsiders? They think I am protecting her because I want her for myself or something?|

    Zoemi sighed internally without breaking eye contact with the crimson-haired girl.

    [That''s how she made it sound like. So, you''re going to refuse, right?]

    Ludier''s shadow scoffed sounding almost as annoyed as Zoemi was feeling.

    |Yeah ¨C I would like that... but making enemies out of our current allies does not feel like a smart choice...|

    [Hmm... true.]

    Zoemi stopped himself from clicking his tongue in annoyance while Ludier''s shadow sighed.

    "Oh,e on~, please? You will see how easy and fun it is to tease him! He really is cute when you get to know him better!"

    The crimson-haired girl approached the ck-haired oy and grabbed his hand, tilting her head while making a cute expression herself.

    "...fine... But I bet it''s not as fun to tease him as you suggest..."

    Zoemi couldn''t stop himself from rolling his eyes this time but ended up agreeing ¨C after all, training was one of the actual reasons for him participating in the tournament...

    -------

    It was already getting dark but the training ground in the back of the Victureo''s mansion was still upied by a very engaged pair...

    "Ghhh...!"

    A ck-haired boy forced the red-haired boy down to the ground making the pinned one let out a short gasp all while smiling diabolically.

    "Then how about this? Huh? Think sir Grazio, how will you escape from this?"

    Zoemi whispered in Grazio''s ear while wrapped around the red-haired boy like a snake strangling its prey.

    "I...! I won''t give in...!"

    Grazio gasped, his breath was extremely heavy, unable to free himself he pointlessly struggled but there was seemingly no escape from Zoemi''s grasp.

    "That is not what I am asking for~! What move? What spell? Squirming will get you nowhere~!"

    The ck-haired boy''s diabolical smile grew into a demonic grin as he chuckled over his opponent.

    "Lord B-Banemor, please...!"

    Grazio tried to struggle, but even though Zoemi was restricting the power of his enchantments to the exact same level as the red-haired boy''s, the red-haired capture target could only groan pitifully and squirm.

    "Tsk, tsk, tsk... going from resistance straight into begging? That won''t do ~"

    [Fro someone who imed that this will not be fun at all, you are having a whole lot of fun, kid.]

    Zoemi clicked his tongue and straightened his grip, making it slightly harder to breathe for Grazio ¨C which prompted Ludier''s shadow toment pointing out the obvious.

    |Maybe. Can you me me though? For a sessful alliance I need to get all the hatred out of my system ¨C and seeing the guy I formerly hated the most in the world utterly helpless is certainly working out for me.|

    The ck-haired boy responded without batting an eye.

    [Just don''t kill him.]

    |My only worry is that he will start liking it mid-way.|

    The unique shadow sighed, making Zoemi chuckle back.

    "I...! I give up...!"

    Grazio gasped, attempting to tap out of the training session, but there were no stops on this ride...

    "Nah, I believe in you~! Struggle and fight back! I''m doing this for your own good, you know?"

    |Hmmm....|

    [I... I know what you are thinking, kid... You have no shame.]

    For a moment Zoemi hesitated whether he should bite Grazio''s ear or not, but in the end, Ludier''s shadow turned out to be a voice of reason...

    "Fuuuuu~"

    ...so the ck-haired boy only gets closer and breathed lovingly into the red-haired boy''s ear...

    "Stoooop iiiiiitttttt!"

    Making the crimson-faced Grazio cry out pitifully while struggling really hard.

    "That''s more like it! Fight back, no one likes a dead fish as their partner!"

    [Kid ¨C you mean a training partner, right? RIGHT?!]

    Zoemi snickered, causing Ludier''s shadow to ask in a worried voice, asking a question he did not receive an answer to.

    "Hmm... now that I think about it, our training session doesn''t have enough stakes to really put you at the edge to reach your true potential..."

    Zoemi giggled cheerfully leaning his head to the side so Zoemi could see him properly, feeling his victim tens up with worry.

    "Wh-what..? What does that suppose to mean...?"

    Grazio trembled and his eyes shook from terror because of the look in Zoemi''s eyes.

    "Oh, you know... A punishment game for both of us..."

    Zoemi''s smile became more sinister... even though Grazio thought that it should not be possible...

    "W-what p-punishmenth- GHHH...?!"

    The red-haired boy asked before getting choked a bit harder.

    "Oh, you know..."

    Zoemi hummed yfully...

    "For me, it would be something like granting you one wish, if it''s in my power... Whatever you want. I will even concede my territory and title IF you manage to win."

    The ck-haired boyughed but Grazio didn''t find it funny - and not only because he was unable to move - instead he started sweating buckets ¨C if that was what Zoemi was putting on the line then what could equal it...?!

 Chapter 364 120 - Tournament arc - the missconception about magic - (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 364 120 - Tournament arc - the missconception about magic - (part 2)</h4>

    "Wh-what about me...?"

    Grazio asked through his teeth as Zoemi was holding him firmly in a submission hold.

    "Oh, you know..."

    "~!"

    Zoemi was having so much fun teasing Ehmi''s little brother that he actually didn''t notice that they have an audience by that point ¨C and a very enthusiastic one at that.

    "The punishment for you would be something like..."

    *squeeze*

    "?!?!?!?!???!?!?!?!???!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

    -------

    "Kyaaah~! Look Burushi, look...!"

    "..."

    -------

    The ck-haired boy grinned and his hand touched Grazio''s buttocks causing the red-haired youth to flinch and jolt back from the sheer shock of the unexpected action ¨C while one of the two people watching them let out an excited gasp.

    "Let''s just say that I would take something from you..."

    Zoemi giggled maliciously ¨C ad ven the bergasted Ludier''s shadow could not be entirely sure whether his host was serious or not...

    "GHAAAARGHH!"

    That was the final straw.

    Grazio roared, his body glowing red from both enchantments and embarrassment, and swung himself and Zoemi, beginning to roll on the ground in an attempt to shake the ck-haired boy off...

    "Tsk, tsk, tsk...! Grazio, you can do better."

    ...to no avail...

    His attempt only made Zoemi hum and strengthen his grip.

    "Let go of me! That really isn''t funny, Zoemi! Come on!"

    Grazio gasped, very close to actually breaking ¨C not physically but rather into tears ¨C subconsciously dropping the titles and whatnots.

    "Grazio... You are a member of the important Victureo family ¨C ad as such you are in danger of getting attacked. If an assassin would get you like this, do you think he will be soft-hearted at the sound of your cute pleading voice...?"

    Zoemi asked sweetly which made the grappled boy tremble...

    "You think that my voice is cute? I...! I mean...! An assassin wouldn''t fondle my ass!"

    The red-haired boy gasped and blushed before realizing how he sounded and hurriedlying up with another response.

    He even tried to make himself sound angry.

    "Hmm, well, yeah ¨C you got a point there. But I don''t dare to point a killing spell at my friend''s precious little brother... This kind of threat must suffice for a recement..."

    The ck-haired boy chuckled and his fingers tapped on the Grazio''s buttcheek in a steady rhythm.

    ------

    "...Ehmi, why did you drag me out here? Am I supposed to be happy that your brother has more chance to get Zoemi''s interest than me...? For your information, I am still more interested in Surou, but out of spite I am definitely going to tell on both of you to Miriette and we will see who will beughing then."

    The blond-haired heroine murmured in annoyance to the crimson-haired girl looking away from the two boys entangled in rather dubious-looking activity.

    "Burushi! No! Of course not!"

    Ehmi gasped in shock, visibly confused about the blond girl''s outburst.

    "I mean ¨C two boys acting like that does get me to feel a certain way ¨C but I really got you here just in case that one of them will get hurt! Please don''t get angry!"

    The crimson girl whispered in a worried voice, grabbing the heroine''s hand to stop her from leaving the hiding spot between the ornamental shrubs shaped like various mythical creatures.

    "...so you''re a yaoi fangirl...? That''s a character development I did not expect from someone like you..."

    Burushi nced back at the crimson-haired girl and raised her brow before letting out a defeated breath and crouching back next to her.

    "...Burushi...? What''s yaoi...?"

    "Shush."

    Ehmi asked but the blond heroine scoffed at her and turned back towards the training ground while pouting.

    ------

    "KYAAAAAAHH!"

    "Oh-ho~!"

    Grazio let out a high-pitched scream and his body became engulfed in mes sending Zoemi rolling back on the grass out of the borders of the training grounds with a happy gasp.

    "Hmhm~!"

    The ck-haired boy quickly stood up and shook the dirt and stray weeds off his clothes, which didn''t even get charred as even his enchantments sucked in both the heat and the explosive power of the unleashed spell.

    The use of a fire spell by the red-haired boy was exactly what Zoemi was waiting for ¨C not to make Grazio harm himself of course, but rather to achieve the goal of the training session they were having.

    Yes ¨C as much as it just looked like Zoemi bullying the red-haired capture target, there was an actual beneficial reason.

    "Ths kind of things should not be done with just anyone!"

    Teary-eyed Grazio dered in an embarrassed voice, standing at a safe distance from Zoemi, all spikey, angry, and so much on guard that he didn''t even notice theyer of zing mes covering his body like armor.

    Or rather ¨C his brand new armor spell.

    "Congrattions, Grazio~! It needs a bit of polishing, but to my knowledge, you are the first non-transcendent fire magician who managed to use me armor... though judging by the temperature of the mes - a weaker version... let''s say... Fire armor. Simple, but to the point, don''t you think?"

    Zoemi smiled cheerfully and apuded the red-haired boy while pointing out to him the spell he subconsciously unleashed and was keeping active.

    "Huh...?"

    Grazio flinched and slowly looked at his hands, while still on guard against Zoemi''s sudden retaliation - but the moment heid his eyes on the crackling mes that protected him instead of causing harm, all of his cautiousness flew right out of the window as he straightened his back.

    "I-I did it...?! I did it! Ha!"

    The ecstatic red-haired boy threw his arms up in joy andughed.

    "How is it? Concentrate on the flow of your mana and the spell itself. Is the armor draining your mana as we speak or did it take a certain amount of your mana and is working just on that?"

    Zoemi watched the red-haired boy closely and asked, already connected to him via his shadow.

    "Wait a moment..."

    Grazio furrowed his brows and concentrated.

    "I think it just used mana to activate... it doesn''t take any mana to uphold it as it is, at least..."

    He answered after a few seconds.

    "Test it with your own spells, remember to start with weak ones just in case."

    "A-alright!"

    Zoemi encouraged Grazio and the red-haired boy hurriedly nodded and reached out his hand.

    "Fireball...!"

    *BOOM*

    Grazio conjured a basic offensive fire spell, adjusting it to the lowest temperature, and made it explode right in front of him...

    "Nothing! The me armor took no mana and I didn''t feel anything! Fireball!"

    Grazio eximed happily and without wasting any time he used a standard version of the spell, the one that he would actually use to attack an opponent in a duel.

    *BOOOOM*

    The fireball shed for a moment and then exploded raising a cloud of dust.

    "It''s incredible! I felt nothing and the armor took less mana than the fireball itself! Ah, could it be? Dragon breath!"

    Very excited Grazio started talking even before the dust settled and cast yet another spell that engulfed him in a cone of fire.

    "Whoa...! That''s an interesting one! No, hold up...! Grazio?! Are you okay?!"

    A cone of fire engulfed the red-haired boypletely, surprisingly enough severing Zoemi''s shadow connect, and causing the ck-haired boy to call out in a worried voice.

    Messing with Grazio during training was one thing, but allowing him to self-immte was on apletely different level...!

    "Ahahahahaha! Zoemi! This is amazing! This armor does take my mana to withstand the attack, but the amount it uses isughably small! And look! This armor doesn''t have a helmet, but it does protect my head too! I-I think I''m invincible now...!"

    Grazio''s overjoyed voice came out of the cone of fire before the mes subsided, revealing the extremely happy youth.

    The red-haired capture target puffed out his chest d in a ming armor, beaming with pride, and looked at the ck-haired boy as if waiting for him to gush over his spell too.

 Chapter 365 121 - Tournament arc - the missconception about magic - (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 365 121 - Tournament arc - the missconception about magic - (part 3)</h4>

    "Not so fast, it only works that well against your own spell. Let''s try mine."

    Zoemi moved his hand as if he was warming up his wrist and in the palm of his hand, a spark of ck fire shed.

    The ck-haired boy moved it around and the spark ignited into a big round ck fireball crackling menacingly.

    "Ready?"

    Zoemi asked.

    "Y-yes...!"

    Grazio clenched his fists and nodded, his face tensed up with anticipation.

    "Fireball."

    Zoemi adjusted the power so his spell to a magician level and shot it at Grazio''s stomach.

    *BOOOOOOOOM*

    "!!!!!!"

    The spell flew with great speed and as it exploded, the dark mes covered Grazio''s body and finally pushed him back, making the red-haired boy fall on his back and tumble around a few times before stipping.

    "Ugh...! What was that...? Almost one-quarter of my mana is gone just like that...!"

    Grazio gasped for air, rolling to the side and slowly getting up while shaking his head, trying to get rid of the woozy feeling...

    "How strong was it...? Did you put in as much mana as when you punched that water magician?"

    The red-haired boy asked, looking up at the ck-haired boy hopefully.

    "Wha...? You mean Letro...? Pfffft...!"

    Zoemi couldn''t help but snort at that question.

    [As much mana as the punch that knocked-out Letro, he says!]

    |Pffft...! Ekhem! Well, he is confident, I can give him that.|

    Ludier''s shadow straight-upughed inside Zoemi''s head while the ck-haired boy himself did his best to keep it together even internally.

    "...pffft...!"

    Still, he had to really focus to not openlyugh at the red-haired boy.

    "Sorry to say that, but it was at the level I of the one I used against that female fire magician during the first fight of the tournament ¨C which by any means is much stronger than the normal one ¨C don''t get me wrong ¨C but, you know..."

    Zoemi had a difficult time deciding on how to approach the situation ¨C on one hand, the fire armor spell was an incredibly impressive achievement for someone with an average amount of mana for the fire magicians, and that definitely was worth prising. But on the other hand, it would be better to bring Grazio back to earth, after all. It was a good spell for an average fire magician but faced against a light magician, or equally strong transcended magician wielding another attribute would not withstand too many hits... overestimating its capabilities could be fatal ¨C literally.

    "You see..."

    -----

    The ck-haired boy ended up exining things just how he saw them.

    "O-oh... I see..."

    After hearing him out, Grazio looked down and muttered with a dispirited expression.

    "Don''t worry about it though, it was never meant to be the strongest armor anyway. Think, it almostpletely negates the bacsh of your own spell at the close distance, isn''t that what you told me you were aiming for?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi reminded him and the red-haired boy perked up.

    "Yes... Yes, you''re right!"

    Grazio nodded and his face brightened up with a smile.

    "See? That''s the spirit ¨C now, that''s not the end ¨C you still have mana so let''s continue. Try checking if you can recall it and then cast it again at will ¨C that is the most crucial thing. I''ll have you know that I might not be around to trigger it the same way each time."

    "Sh-shut up! Of course, there won''t be a need for something like that!"

    Zoemi instructed and smirked, making Grazio call out in embarrassment.

    "Well then. Go for it.

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and beckoned at the red-haired boy to proceed.

    "...hmph..."

    Grazio scoffed in a pouty way and closed his eyes, concentrating...

    *haaaaaa*

    And his armor disappeared the next moment with the sound of a person breathing out with relief.

    "Fire armor."

    Grazio called out, but the armor did not appear again causing the red-haired boy to flinch in worry.

    "Remember the feeling you got when you activated it before. It''s okay to take things slow. Just focus and carefully construct your spell ¨C conjuring it consciously will be hard and can take more time than you would like to, but the speed wille with practice."

    Zoemi spoke in a calm voice, reassuring the red-haired capture target and instructed him patiently.

    "...the feeling... fire... armor..."

    Grazio muttered to himself and breathed out ¨C he kept his eyes closed and spoke slowly, trying to follow the advice given by the ck-haired boy and...

    The fire armor did appear ¨C although it did not look exactly the same as during the first cast ¨C this one was more of a robe than armor, but it did suit a mage, especially a fire magician like Grazio.

    "It works! Zoemi, it works!"

    The red-haired boy opened his eyes and eximed with joy as he saw that he had seeded.

    "Congrattions ¨C again - but seriously... Pffft... I can''t, really... Hahaha... Ahahaha...!"

    Zoemi nodded with approval, but then suddenly his body shook from the fits of uncontrobleughter.

    "Wh-what is it...?!"

    Grazio blushed, unsure what exactly caused the ck-haired boy''sughter.

    The red-haired boy even stealthily checked whether his fire armor isn''t missing some parts that would cause it to look silly, but no. Everything was in order.

    "Oh, you know... Pffahahaha...! The main thing with the armor-type spells is that to properly construct and cast such spells a magician needs to have a very strong desire to protect themselves. Because of the environment and way that magicians in our kingdom are brought up, it is normal for the earth magicians to learn about it from an early age ¨C it is also somehow normal for the water magicians, hence their protective water bubble."

    Zoemi exined, but then he stopped, furrowing his brows.

    "Wait- let me clear things out more. The desire to protect oneself is the most important, but the key to conjuring a proper armor-type spell is the confidence that you can do it. Beforementioned earth and water magicians are confident that they can use that kind of spells because that is a norm ¨C every other earth and water magician is using the defensive spells like that, so they never doubt themselves."

    The ck-haired boy said, now visibly more satisfied with his exnation.

    "But as for the wind, fire, and light magicians, you already know where this is going right?"

    Zoemi asked, and smiled at the red-haired boy.

    "They don''t use defensive spells because they don''t believe that it''s possible...? But going with that logic everyone could cast whatever spell they liked! That sounds insane! What, you''re saying that I could also conjure something like a fire de or... or use fire version of levitate spell?"

    Grazio asked in surprise before shaking his head and dering with a frown.

    "Grazio ¨C this must be because you were born in a family of mages and grew up with a certain stereotype in mind but ¨C IT''S LITERALLY MAGIC WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, WHY ARE YOU PUTTING LIMITS ON IT?! The only limit to magician''s spells is the magician''s own ingenuity!"

    Zoemi rolled his eyes and responded.

    "No ¨C but, each element has its specialty!"

    "Yeah ¨C specialty ¨C that means the construction of a certain spell works better with a certain element, not that it cannot work with another element ¨C I know, I do that."

    Grazio shook his head and denied it, pointing out the obvious, and was countered by Zoemi doing the same thing.

    "That''s because you are a transcended shadow magician!"

    Still, it was not easy to convince someone to change their belief on the spot ¨C as was the example of Grazio who refused to believe Zoemi''s exnation despite using the spell that was known to be impossible to conjure by an average fire magician.

 Chapter 366 121 - Tournament arc - the missconception about magic - (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 366 121 - Tournament arc - the missconception about magic - (part 4)</h4>

    [You should give it a rest for now, just continue exining to him about the armor spells.]

    |True.|

    Ludier''s shadow pointed out, and the ck-haired boy agreed, seeing the strength of the resistance that Grazio put up against his revtion.

    "Alright, anyway ¨C let''s get back to the need to defend oneself, alright? Because we can agree on that at least?"

    Zoemi asked out loud and the red-haired capture target closed his mouth and nodded although just a moment before he looked as if he was prepared to throw hands in defense of his belief.

    "So the notion of defenses easier for the earth and water magicians and not so much for light, wind, darkness, and fire ones. That is especially true for fire magicians for whom it''s customary to stay as far away from the enemy as possible and destroy their targets with the overwhelming firepower of their long-range, highly explosive spells. You know, fire is naturally destructive and anyone, even the fire magicians themselves, rarely associate it with protection in a ''protect your body with it'' sense."

    Zoemi breathed out and continued as if it was nothing.

    "Yes, it''s more of a -destroy them before they destroy you ¨C kind of thing, a preemptive strike so to speak."

    Grazio nodded his head grumpily and agreed, even though he didn''t seem all that happy to do so.

    "Then what is there to it? What does it have to do with our training...?"

    The red-haired boy muttered, looking to the side while the aura surrounding him became more fluffy than before signaling that he began to rx.

    "Oh, only that, that for you to properly activate the shield-type spell I had to make you give your best to protect yourself. And I really meant your very best, basically your all."

    Zoemi exined and smirked with amusement at the slightly confused expression that Grazio made.

    "You see, initially, I thought that I would have to make some serious and hard-to-exin threats against your family. Or maybe even threaten to kill you and even make a convincing attempt of going with that n just to aplish that.... but instead, you freaked out so cutely with just me suggesting that you will lose your innocence...! Pffffft...! Ahaha! Oh, Grazio, you are so cute, you pure boy!"

    "!!!!"

    Unable to contain himself any longer, Zoemi burst with a peal of heartyughter, making Grazio''s face burn from embarrassment, he was so moved that he even recalled his robe-like fire armor.

    "And wh-what''s so wrong with that?! I''m keeping myself for my future partner!"

    |Whoa, Ludier, he sounds simr to you, don''t you think?|

    The red-haired boy turned away and crossed his arms defensively while making a pouty expression and grumbling - which in turn made Zoemi stop cackling like mad and looked at him with a serious gaze while calling out to the unique shadow of the ice magician.

    "Wh-what now?"

    Grazio crossed his arms protectively and grumbled grumpily because of Zoemi''s reaction.

    [No...? I only said about staying faithful to your chosen partner. The method of finding the one ¨C or many ¨C depends on the individual and I do not judge.]

    |Ho-ho!|

    Ludier''s unique shadow shrugged the question off before going back toying low, making Zoemi gaps internally.

    Still, the red-haired boy in front of him required an answer ¨C or a follow-up.

    "You are keeping yourself pure, you say... does that mean you haven''t even kissed anyone yet?"

    After a little bit more hesitation, the ck-haired boy asked in surprise.

    After all, there could be a lot of things he could say about Grazio, he had a lot of female friends back at the Aspaekony Academy.

    Like... A lot, a lot ¨C far more than male ones.

    Of which at least half had wanted to take the rtionship a step further ¨C or a few steps ¨C some even being rather obvious about it too.

    As for the males...

    |...huh...?|

    ...actually, after a bit more thinking, Zoemi could not recall ever seeing Grazio interact with other boys outside of the official tasks and sses.

    Not even during the training...

    Did he even have any male friends, to begin with...?

    "O-of course I didn''t kiss anyone! Like I said! I''m keeping myself from my future partner!"

    Grazio furrowed his brows and straight-up turned his back on Zoemi who was on the verge of making a certain discovery...

    "Shesh, man -isn''t that bad though? It sure does sound bad! What if you will be terrible at kissing and your future lover will lose think you aren''t serious ¨C or worse ¨C not worth their time?"

    Zoemi asked in a worried voice, half-serious, and half still making fun of the red-haired boy as the element of his petty revenge.

    He had to use a tremendous amount of his strong will to not shake fromughter while making a mental note to apologize to Ehmi the next time he sees her.

    After all, teasing Grazio turned out to be just as fun as the crimson-haired girl had been suggesting all along.

    "I-I don''t think that will be a problem! There will be nothing wrong with us, my future partner and I, I mean, to learn about each other and love at our own peace!"

    |Aww...! That''s so sweet...! Oh man, I messed up so much by not ying through his route...! His just as pure and cute as Reo!|

    Grazio dered with a serious expression while raising his head proudly, making Zoemi falter as he barely held himself back from awwing at the heartwarming take on love and rtionship.

    [¡­? You are ying him alright right now, I can tell you this...]

    Still, the ck-haired boy''s good humor was lost on the unique shadow lurking within his brain.

    Yet, instead of shushing Ludier''s shadow as he would do almost always, Zoemi circled the grumpy Grazio and leaned to the side to look up at his face.

    "What are you doing? why are you approaching me like that...?"

    Grazio asked as instead of stopping at a respectable distance, the ck-haired boy wasing closer and closer, and when the red-haired boy realized it and wanted to back off, it was already toote.

    "GHAAH?!"

    *thump*

    Grazio was tackled to the ground with Zoemi sitting on top of him with a very sinister grin and an even more sinister look in his sparkling ck eyes.

 Chapter 367 121 - Tournament arc - the missconception about magic - (part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 367 121 - Tournament arc - the missconception about magic - (part 5)</h4>

    "Wh-what are you doing...?!"

    The red-haired boy gasped with a flushed face and tried to wiggle his way out ¨C to no avail.

    "Your stance on the topic is adorable, but, honestly - that won''t do, you pure-hearted younger brother of my friend..."

    Zoemi dered pinning Grazio to the ground.

    "Your sister asked me to help you train, and she did not specify the limits of said training so I will add this training session as a bonus."

    He added with a wicked grin, causing the red-haired boy''s eyes to widen.

    "W-wait...! Hold on...! What do you mean...?!"

    Grazio gasped but Zoemi''s lips already turned into a duckface.

    "Now, give me a big smooch mister tsundere! Mmmm!"

    "GYAAAAAH! NOOOOO!"

    Grazio''s first reaction was to struggle ¨C although honestly, if he actually wanted to run away, or at least dodge, since it wasn''t abat situation Zoemi actually left him PLENTY of room to wiggle and turn around.

    But interestingly enough, except for being vocal about it, Grazio was staying still in a submissive position while watching Zoemi''s face approach him.

    [I have one word for you, kid ¨C evil.]

    |Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!|

    Ludier''s shadow sighed while Zoemi was internallyughing maniacally, ying a game of chicken with Grazio.

    ...but only from his own perspective...

    Because he was honestly too dense to notice that for one of them, getting kissed like that wasn''t actually problematic at all.

    More like getting an unexpected reward, actually.

    -----

    "W-wait - hold on! No! Not like that! I don''t want Gazio to be the first one to kiss Zoe!"

    "You idiot ¨C your head is steaming! What are you doing ¨C you are going to get us noticed!"

    Ehmi gasped, all her previous excitement gone and reced by actual anxiety- she was getting so worried that Burushi''s observation wasn''t an overreaction ¨C there really was steaming out of the other girl''s head ¨C or more specifically, from her crimson hair that actually heated up.

    ----

    "Nnn~ Nnn? H-huh?!"

    Zoemi obnoxiously pouted lips were approaching and Grazio actually started raising his head to meet them ¨C but then in the corner of his eyes he caught some movement, and once he nced to the side he noticed a cloud of steaming from behind the bushes...

    "!!!!"

    Which he recognized immediately and acted ordingly.

    "N-NOOO! BIG SISTER EHMI! SAVE ME!"

    Although he didn''t feel a particr need of being ''rescued'' from the situation he felt that he shouldn''t use Zoemi''s denseness for his profit ¨C so he began struggling again and called out...

    "YES! Big sister to the rescue!"

    "EEEEHHHH?!"

    And as if she was summoned out of the thin air, none other than the crimson-haired Ehmi jumped out from the bushes, to the sound of Burushi gasping in disbelief, and dived between the two boys.

    Shended in such a way that she lodged herself between the two of them - her back covered Grazio''s face and the pristine belly, exposed because of the jump and shifting of her cozy housewear, pushed itself against Zoemi...

    *chuu*

    ...''s lips...

    "Ahyan~!"

    "..."

    The crimson-haired girl let out a lewd sound and looked up at the frozen ck-haired boy.

    "''S-sup? I need some training too, if you don''t mind...! C-can I still join?"

    Ehmi smiled awkwardly and waved her hand at Zoemi as her eyes were wildly moving around as she tried to think of some possible exnation for her sudden appearance.

    "Of course, you can! Here. Lesson one ¨C throw your opponent off by doing something unexpected!"

    "?!?!?"

    ¡­.made the ck-haired boy firmly grab the older girl''s torso and take a deep breath...

    "EH?! Whoa, wait! Hold on! Not in public, Burushi is watching us too!"

    Ehmi panicked and tried to stop him but it was already toote.

    "KYAAH!?"

    While firmly holding her in his grasp Zoemi pressed his lips against her soft abdomen and...

    "PPFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffffffffFFFFFFFFFfffFFFFFFFFF...!"

    "MUNYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA, SH-SHTOPH YYTH...! NYAHAHAHAHA...!"

    Blew all the air from his lungs and made a loud farting noise, causing the crimson-haired girl to lose it fromughter...

    "Nyahaha... ahaha... nyahaha... haa...."

    Even though Zoemi already leaned back and wasn''t even breathing at any part of Ehmi, the crimson-haired girl still needed a minute to calm down from the vicious attack she wasn''t ready for.

    |She was keeping an eye on her little brother and intervened before things went south for him, huh. Having siblings must be so nice...|

    The ck-haired boy wasn''t even mad about the girl''s sudden appearance ¨C he was shocked because he was actually caught off guard which seemed outrageous considering that Ehmi''s unique shadow was basically covering the sky.

    But to Zoemi''s defense ¨C he was really focused on what he thought was getting back at the guy who wronged him, so it should be excused.

    ...also ¨C his sentinels hidden within his shadow knew about the crimson-haired girl''s presence, but since she wasn''t doing anything suspicious other than just observing their master from behind a cover, they stayed silent...

    "Nyahahaa... should I count that as you being interested...?"

    "...?"

    Ehmi calmed down her breath and asked with a flushed face, earning herself only a raised brow from the ck-haired boy.

    "I thought the entire thing with me representing the Victureo family in this tournament is to help you out and NOT force you to marry anyone."

    Zoemi responded with a shrug before he nced back.

    "Burushi..."

    "This yaoi fangirl has dragged me here! This wasn''t my idea!"

    He called out to the other girl, who was still trying to hie despitepromising her position moments earlier ¨C and caused her to jump out and dere in a panicked voice, before she ran back to the mansion, not wanting to face the possible consequences...

    |...hold up ¨C what did she mean by that?|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows in confusion.

    [Oh, so you also don''t know what yaoi is? Interesting!]

    |No, I know ¨C but what did she mean by that though?|

    Ludier''s shadow snickered with interest, assuming that there finally was something that confused his host, but the ck-haired boy merely shrugged his shoulders and showcased just how dense he really was.

    Male or female, the only person who could break through that thick skull of his at that point was only Miriette ¨C and even she had done that after literally YEARS of struggle.

    "Shister... Could you get off of me...? Actually, could BOTH of you get off of me already?!"

    Grazio''s muffled voice came from underneath Ehmi.

    "Whoops... yeah, sure."

    "Ah! R-right...! Thank you..."

    Zoemi flinched and stood up before offering a helping hand to the suddenly bashful Ehmi...

 Chapter 368 122 - Tournament arc (part 21)

    <h4>Chapter 368 122 - Tournament arc (part 21)</h4>

    "I should congratte you ¨C I did not expect you to win your previous fight ¨C you most definitely did not deserve that win."

    It was already the next day ¨C the fifth day of the tournament for the hand of the daughter of Victureo family ¨C and Zoemi was standing up in the arena, casually dishing a disrespect towards the brown-haired young woman from the Auequas family, in what was the closing duel for that day ofpeting.

    "Lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor will facedy Arreta Auequas!"

    One of the judges announced and the audience focused on the two opponents, knowing that their fight should be very interesting as proven by their previous encounter...

    "Hmph! As if I get baited into useless chatter!"

    Arreta scoffed and took a battle stance but waited for the judge to actually announce the start of the duel to activate her enchantments.

    "Ah, of course ¨C you are apparently good at that too. A real master baiter, I suppose ¨C You must have been doing it a lot since your grandmother was pushing so hard for your marriage with the tragically deceased heir of the Derizno family..."

    Zoemi made a sad expression and nodded his head with understanding.

    "While we''re on the subject... was... was he always supposed to be your option? Did your families seriously just one day say ¨C hey let''s engage this twelve years old girl to this newborn boy, it will work out great! I admit I did say some extremely mean things, even just now, but if you need help to get away from those people ¨C Banemor territory is open for you, you do havebat skills that put you above many other magicians... your short temper though..."

    Zoemi said nad his expression softened, going as far as to be worried and one could even say full ofpassion...

    "SHUT UP, YOU FOUNDLING!"

    ...but the brown-haired young woman certainly was already too angry ¨C and embarrassed over getting called out as a master of baiting in front of so many other nobles to actually realize that the ck-haired boy was serious in hisst offer.

    "...yeah, that''s wat I''m talking about..."

    Zoemi sighed and shrugged off the insult without even batting an eye.

    "BEGIN!"

    "STALAGMITE!"

    *WHAM*

    The judge put an end to the word-jousting and started the duel, and Arreta made the first move stomping her foot and causing a pir-shaped rock to erupt from the arena right by Zoemi''s left foot and hit him in the side,unching him high into the air.

    "HA!"

    The brown-haired young woman called out triumphantly and sprinted after the airborne boy using the full power of their enchantments.

    "STONE MISSILE!"

    As she positioned herself underneath the boy, she raised her handmandingly and unleashed a spell that used the pieces of the arena as ammunition,unching cab-sized pieces of rock at the seemingly helpless victim...

    "THAT''S WHAT YOU GET FOR UNDERESTIMATING YOUR OPPONENT! STONE EX-!"

    "Dragon breath!"

    As Arreta was in the middle of a monologue, Zoemi called out, using the spell he saw Grazio using the day before.

    *WHOOOSH*

    As he shouted the incantation, a slim cone of fire erupted from the palm of his hand ¨C but instead of erasing the projectilesing his way, the ck-haired boy used the massive blowback of the jet-like stream of mes and propelled himself out of the way.

    "N-no! Stone explosion!"

    The brown-haired woman''s eyes widened and she gasped, deciding to detonate the missiles without adjusting their trajectory just to get the ck-haired boy while he was the most vulnerable.

    The thing was ¨C she made the wrong choice.

    "Dragon breath!"

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    The power of the one-third of the arena worth of rocks exploding was indeed something to behold ¨C but only got used as the bonus properly for the same spell that Zoemi cast using his other hands, pushing himself out of the danger zone while the debris hit the water shield created by the team of the water magician protecting the audience.

    "Grrrrr! As if I let yound like this! STALGMITE''S OCEAN!"

    Arreta scoffed furiously and waved her hand dramatically.

    *RUMBLE*

    Within a single heartbeat, the whole arena trembled, and razor-sharp spear-like rocks turned every possiblending spot onto a death trap for anyone other than the caster herself.

    "...eh...?"

    But only a few secondster Arreta was faced with a big surprise.

    The truth was, Zoemi never stopped using the dragon breath spells ¨C and both of his hands werenching a massive amount of murky-ck mes that...

    ...kept him in the air with only a few adjustments necessary...

    ------

    "Whoa! Miri! Look! That''s just like a fire version of a levitation spell! Ahaha! I will try to do the same thingter!"

    "Hmph~! As expected of MY Zoemi ¨C he can use fire spells even better than a fire sage!"

    Back in the audience, in the VIP section, Ehmi and Miriette watched andmented on the duel together, while Grazio was sitting a few seats lower than them,pletely speechless.

    -------

    "What the...! That''s unfair! It''s cheating!"

    Seeing the ck-haired boy keeping himself in the air tanks to the magic equivalent of miniature jet engines, Arreta had the nerve toin in the middle of the duel where opponents were SUPPOSED to push their skills to the limits in order to win.

    That wasn''t some exhibition match ¨C it wasn''t illegal to use the spells in an unconventional way.

    "Get on the ground! RIGHT NOW!"

    "Pfffft...!"

    The brown-haired girl had even the gull to actually shoutmandingly at the ck-haired boy, but that only resulted in a mocking scoff.

    "Stone barrage!"

    That certainly did not sit well with her, so Arreta screamed furiously and the ens upon hundreds of stgmites she created all ended up breaking off from the ground and shooting out into the air ¨C not at the same time because since they had a single target, most of them would end up colliding with one another - but like a concentrated volley fire of machinegun fire.

    There was simply no way to dodge that many projectiles ¨C not when Zoemi was stubbornly using just the fire spells to keep himself afloat.

    "me cloak!"

    But truth be told, Zoemi had no intention of doing so much free manaing his way.

    Instead of the previously seen murky ck demonic armor, this time the ck-haired boy was engulfed in a torrent of murky grayish mes that formed into a spending cloak.

    It wasn''t merely a fashion statement either- every stone spear ¨C or the stgmite, whatever someone wanted to call them ¨C get close to Zoemi, they all melted away into a sizzling mess that got swallowed into the darkness covering the boy''s body with a protective, fireproof,yer.

    "Good, good! Keep theming!"

    Zoemiughed as none of the missiles reached got even remotely close to wounding him - even when it came t giving him a scratch.

    "Tsk!"

    Arreta clicked her tongue and stopped the barrage, as it did not make sense to waste her mana on tens of small attacks that all amounted to nothing.

    The only thing they were kind of good at was wasting the boy''s mana - at least that was what the youngdy of the Auequas family thought then.

    She was correct - and she most certainly did make the correct decision of stopping the attack.

    The mana getting wasted wasn''t just Zoemi''s after all - but her''s too!

 Chapter 369 122 - Tournament arc (part 22)

    <h4>Chapter 369 122 - Tournament arc (part 22)</h4>

    "Merge!"

    The projectiles could keeping as long as Arreta had mana, but she was not reckless or angered enough to just continue the pointless attack ¨C so she raised her hand andmanded in a stern voice.

    The rock spears, even the ones already flying at Zoemi ended up merging into carriage-sized boulders ¨C the size alone was enough to prevent them from disintegrating immediately in the vicinity of the fire-based spell the ck-haired boy was using.

    Still, that would not amount to much if the boulder simply hit Zoemi and got absorbed into the darkness lurking beneath his me cloak spell...

    "Stone explosion!"

    *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM**BOOOOOM**BOOOOOM**BOOOOOM* *BOOOOOM*

    "...ghh...!"

    If Zoemi was standing firmly on the ground, he could have absorbed not just the mana-filled debris but the shockwaves too, but since he himself chose to keep himself afloat in the air by the dragon breath spells alone, he was flung around like a ragdoll while doing his best to regain bnce.

    "HA! GOT YOU! Merge! Stone explosion!"

    The brown-haired young womanughed triumphantly before sending another wave of the effective projectiles against the ck-haired boy.

    For the audience, it really looked as if the boy got himself in a troublesome situation ¨C but then...

    "Murder of crows!"

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    While tumbling through the air, Zoemi roared sounding actually furious - and his back literally exploded into hundreds of lively bird-like ck shapes that were agile enough to fly around the enclosed space of the water barrier without making contact with it.

    *CRACK*

    What they dide in contact though, were the boulders approaching their creator ¨C the murky-ck spells swarmed and pierced through every single earth sell in their vicinity.

    It required between fifteen and twenty crows to break apart a single boulder but the number of the dark spells wasn''t a problem Zoemi kept spawning new ones to rece the ones getting destroyed without any dy.

    "Guh...!"

    Arreta groaned and bit her lips, feeling her mana dissipating into the air as the spells were broken beforepleting their purpose hence releasing the mana stored within them.

    "I... I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY SOMEONE LIKE YOU!"

    *RUMBLE*

    She roared, throwing caution to the wind, and poured way over half of her remaining mana into the spell, which in turn caused the arena ground to cave in as each piece of soil and stone got lifted up and used to create brand new projectiles ¨C not only their number increased, the size did too, to the point of bing a serious threat not just for the ck-haired boy in the air but for the audience witnessing the deal.

    "...?"

    Arreta wasn''t going to take the defeatying down ¨C she was keenly observing her surroundings in case of a sneak attack ¨C after all the crow-like spells circling around were extremely agile and...

    ...none of them even brushed against her spells...

    At the moment, the spells created by the ck-haired boy were outnumbering hers not just twenty to one but fifty to one ¨C why was Zoemi not trying to shoot them down before they became a threat...?

    |Why isn''t he attacking with the whole swarm... Is he ying with me...!?|

    "~!"

    "!!!!!"

    The brown-haired woman thought to herself, ring at the boy in the sky ¨C and then their eyes met, and Zoemi''s face twisted into a cruel grin, making Arreta flinch.

    "Hunt her down!"

    The ck-haired boymanded and all at once, his crows turned towards Arreta,pletely ignoring the massive clumps of the ground made afloat.

    "!!!!!!"

    Every single hair on Arreta''s neck stood straight up as the inexplicable bad feeling assaulted her, setting off her survival instincts and fight or flight response.

    She chose the flight option.

    "Earth wall times twenty! Stone wall times ten! Stone fortress! STONE EXPLOSION! Earth dive!"

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    She instantly piled up her best defenses and detonated all the projectile to destroy as many murky ck crows as possible, using the explosion that shook the entire arena and caused an impact that must have been felt in the entire city to stealthily submerged herself into the earth down below as if it was water.

    "Hmph~"

    Zoemi snickered as hundreds of bird-shaped spells created a wall protecting him from any harm, all while spawning more and more to rece every single destroyed one.

    *BOOM* x859

    The next moment, a seemingly neverending stream of crows poured upon the earth and stone walls, turning them into dust in no time and taking less than a minute to break apart the walls of the stone fortress with their sheer number alone.

    All the defenses that Arreta put up as a decoy were gone and the impending waterfall of the homing spells began digging into the ground with a vengeance...

    ...and only a single target...

    |I''m going to die...! I have to do something...! HOW MANY CAN HE CONJURE?! I can''t stay like this forever, I need to get out there and get him in one shot before he gets me...!"

    Arreta felt genuine fear and was racking her brain to find a way out of the situation she got herself in.

    Earth dive was allowing her to swim and breathe in the earth with no trouble and was considered to be harder to master for an earth magician than a teleportation spell was for the light magician ¨C it was truly a proof of reaching a peak of earth magic master ¨C but it did not make the caster invincible.

    Because in terms of potentially deadly side effects, earth dive was far closer to the shadow jump than it was to teleportation.

    If the earth magician''s mana ran out while they were underground ¨C that was it for them.

    They would not get dissolved and melted alive - but suffocating while being buried alive wasn''t a much better oue...

    It wasn''t that she was impatient ¨C she had very little choice.

    If only Zoeminded, Arreta would be able to get him and pull him down or attack ¨C but with the ck-haired boy staying in the air she was unable to get to him in her current position.

    |Damn foundling, backing me up in a corner like that! I only need a small window to strike back...!|

    Arreta gritted her teeth and braced herself, about tounch herself back to the surface anyway, not keen on dying from her own spell like that...

 Chapter 370 122 - Tournament arc (part 23)

    <h4>Chapter 370 122 - Tournament arc (part 23)</h4>

    |Just look at that. A spell like that should be enough proof to support the im that the spells avable for each attribute aren''t predetermined and magicians are the ones putting the limits on themselves saying that something is impossible.|

    Zoemi thought, directing the subject to the unique shadow of the ice magician lurking within his mind.

    |They are things that people can and cannot do.|

    Ludier''s shadow responded although he did not sound too confident this time around.

    |I guess this is the problem of people born in a world where magic is something normal...|

    Zoemi sighed, carefully watching the tiny bit of Arreta''s shadow that luckily remained above the ground, betraying her position for only the ck-haired boy.

    [Oh, I wouldn''t say that... I and everyone gathered here today, most definitely see the insanity...]

    Ludier only scoffed,menting on their situation.

    Because honestly, insanity was a quite good description of what was going on...

    Within the boundaries created by the water magicians to protect the audience, a vortex of murky darkness waspletely blocking the view of anyone outside.

    The vortex itself wasn''t a spell at all, although it most definitely looked like a shadow hurricane.

    The truth was it was thousands upon thousands of the bird-like spells that Zoemi just kept on spawning, all circling around the arena waiting for their turn to crush into the ground to further the process of excavating the brown-haired woman from her hiding spot.

    Water magicians holding up the barriers were looking at each other, sweating nervously ¨C the magic crows weren''t hitting against their connected spell, but the pressure created by their movement was a different matter altogether.

    It might have as well been an actual hurricane spell at that point...

    The howling of the wind was blocking off all the noises from both the inside and outside so even if the judges were calling for the duel to end, the two fighters inside could not hear it at all.

    |Now... I wonder how much mana she has left? Don''t you agree that if I will stop pressuring her, she shoulde out and attack me with all she has left...?|

    [Sure. I mean, what other option does she have besides that? Staying in the grave she made for herself?]

    Ludier''s unique shadow responded to Zoemi''s amused thoughts.

    |But while doing so ¨C we can''t greet her empty-handed, can we?|

    [You are getting out of control, kid ¨C but sure. I definitely was not and am not a person that would stop others in their revenge.]

    Zoemi smirked and Ludier snickered.

    "Crows, gather."

    The ck-haired boy adjusted his position and the output of the dragon breath shooting out of his left hand in order to stay in the air without using his right hand as he reached out with it and ordered.

    At hismand the thousands of murky-ck crow-shaped spells rushed towards his palm as if it was their nest, clearing the view for the audience...

    ...at least for a moment...

    The air started to shake from the sheer quantity of the spells gathered in an extremelypacted space ¨C although it did not turn into a full-blown air quake.

    Meanwhile...

    |Ah! He stopped! Finally! I knew he could have that much mana ¨C it would be ridiculous! Damn foundling, now I can hit him with my strongest spell while he is helplessly searching for me!|

    Arreta felt that the surface of the earth stopped trembling from the explosions and decided on a full-on offensive.

    The timing couldn''t have been better ¨C after all, she was getting desperate as her mana was getting depleted to a dangerous degree for her position.

    Without a second dy, she propelled herself towards the surface and shoot out like a graceful and deadly mermaid, ready to deal a fatal blow!

    "Giant''s punch...! Eh...!?"

    The brown-haired young woman confidently cast her spell and then her hand trembled when she realized something was terribly wrong with the world above.

    Because of her own spell, the earth that she just emerged from quivered and obediently formed into a monstrous arm that shot up right where the pesky guy who beat up her father and grandma was... But although she used most of her remaining mana, it wasn''t the amount that could cause an ariquake ¨C so why the air around her was shaking so much that it seemed as if she was underwater!?

    "Phoenix."

    |OH SHIT, THAT''S WAY TOO MUCH...!|

    High above her, Zoemi dered, speaking up the name of the spell he just created, and instantly regretted using that spell against Arreta and the sturdy rock arm that sheunched at him.

    The difference between the two spells was too much to even allow aparison!

    Because the thousands of crows that gathered at Zoemi''s palm melted together forming something akin to an egg, and the air stopped quaking for a moment, before...

    *crack*

    The shell of the egg shattered and the spell emerged from inside.

    The airquake that proceeded was iparable to anything else ever before.

    It was as if space itself blurred - as if the calm surface of a sea was hit by a tornado.

    The might of the murky-ck phoenix didn''t break through the giant''s arm... it denied its very existence by burning up the manaprising the spell into nothingness and straight-up evaporating the water barrier protecting the audience.

    "FUCK! No! It''s too strong! RUN, YOU IDIOT!"

    Realizing his mistake Zoemi tried to stop the phoenix but that spell was born solely for the purpose of destruction and refused to be called back.

    |That little shit dares to disobey me!?|

    Zoemi roared in his mind and bit his lip in fury.

    "Explode, you impertinent fool!"

    He shouted.

    And the phoenix had no other choice but to obey.

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    -----

    "Ah..."

    *thump*

    Arreta saw her death approaching.

    She saw it clearly and the only thing she could do was to fall to her knees and wait.

    There was no use in escaping or trying to hide when the avatar of destruction was right in front of her.

    But then, a miracle urred.

    The murky-ck phoenix exploded with the unimaginable power ¨C but, there was no shockwave nor heat spreading and harming anyone...

    A crimson-haired girl using a fire spell of her own,unched herself from the VIP section in the audience, straight at the impending phoenix while her body shone red and ignited.

    As the red mes covering her turned into a splendid ballroom dress, the murky-ck spell that got out of control of its caster exploded ¨C but instead of spreading death and destruction, all of the raging inferno got sucked in towards the girl.

    As that happened, the me dress that she was donning went into a transformation ¨C the mes rapidly changed colors going from red, orange, yellow, and then finally pure white.

    As it reached the colors of the fresh snow, the dress itself tuned more pompous, basically changing from a ballroom dress right into a full-blown wedding dress ¨C veil included.

    "...sheesh... what would you do without me?"

    Ehminded gracefully in front of the speechless Arreta, but most certainly wasn''t talking to her.

    "Seriously... eh...? Whoa...! Hold on ¨C what is this supposed to be now...?!"

    Ehmi sighed, shaking her head at the lowly descending Zoemi, before she flinched and looked down at her body confused about the brightness, realizing how her spell changed because of taking in all the power from the boy''s spell.

 Chapter 371 123 - Tournament arc (part 24)

    <h4>Chapter 371 123 - Tournament arc (part 24)</h4>

    "I''m serious here. If that was the preliminary fight for the semi-finals of tomorrow, then I, as the person responsible for healing thepetitors and anyone affected during the duels, do not advise them to be performed with an audience."

    The blond-haired heroine crossed her arms and dered with a serious expression,

    She was sitting by a small desk in one of the rooms in the Victureo mansion and was talking to two other people who were there with her.

    "I think so too... when nning for the tournament, neither my father nor anyone else took into consideration that someone on the sage level would participate.... and if they did then I apologize for my family thinking that a group of water mages would be a sufficient precaution against that kind of magic..."

    The crimson-haired girl sighed nodded and sighed with a bitter expression.

    "If for whatever reason I wasn''t there, or even if I didn''t react in time ¨C then Zoemi would have a higher noble kill count than even the Ghosts of Bellcephora form three hundred years ago."

    She added making a concerned expression and looking away.

    "That is not what you said to the judges though..."

    Burushi pointed out furrowing her brows ¨C she was concerned about the safety ¨C but she did realize that the danger was so extreme.

    "I was lying of course. What, did you want Zoemi to get disqualified or even punished?"

    Ehmi shrugged her shoulders and murmured defensively without making eye contact with the blond heroine.

    "I see... well ¨C I did know something was up. Whendy Arreta woke up in the sickbay, she had a panic attack the moment she saw shadows move, or anything remotely ck to the point of... Nevermind. I knew about people having a reaction like that, but it was my first time seeing someone being traumatized to that degree."

    Burushi breathed out and leaned into her chair, speaking her mind before stopping herself, and keeping some information about her patient confidential.

    "Or maybe my Zoemi should step back from the tournament? That would solve the problem."

    "Eh?!"

    "What?!"

    The third person spoke up ¨C a dark-haired girlying down on the bed ¨C herment made the other two gasp in disbelief.

    "Miri,e on! Why would you say that?! Even after I tried so hard to convince others to not disqualify him?!"

    Ehmi straightened her back and turned to the dark-haired girl, utterly shocked by her stance on the subject.

    "And? You only think about this stupid tournament. You want my Zoemi to participate because you don''t want to get sold off to the winner ¨C and I understand that sentiment. But you don''t consider Zoemi''s feelings right now."

    "...!"

    "...?"

    Miriette shrugged her shoulders and casually scoffed, causing Ehmi to flinch and Burushi to tilt her head curiously.

    "His spell got out of control. He was always warning me and Horeo about being cautious with our most powerful spells because they could turn out to be extremely dangerous, and then exactly that happened to him! You both see what happened in that arena. Zoemi wanted to stop the spell but it didn''t listen at all and his only option was to blow it up, which only worked out in everyone''s favor because of your affinity with fire."

    The dark-haired girl continued the exnation in an unbothered voice, although her indifferent expression changed into a grumpy one as she motioned at the crimson-haired girl with her chin.

    "So? Where is the problem? If he has trouble with controlling his spells the best option is to practice hard in order to master them."

    The crimson-haired girl frowned and shook her head with a weirded-out expression.

    "Hmph."

    Miriette did not respond to that and only scoffed rolling her eyes at thement.

    "Ehmi... I don''t think that is the problem here. It''s not about the future but that one ident. Can''t Zoemi use attributes other than fire? What if his spell had the same destructive capacity but was a water spell instead? Or wind, light, or even lightning, like your father''s?"

    Since neither of them seemed to be willing to continue talking, Burushi took it upon her shoulders to bear the burden of carrying the conversation until things will clear out between them.

    "Weren''t you the one to say that without you there, Zoemi''s noble kill count would be higher than the one Ghosts of Bellcephora had amassed, or something?"

    "...ah..."

    The blond-haired girl pointed out which made the crimson-haired girl gasp in realization.

    "Exactly. You even have the guts to suggest that fighting in the tournament is the right ce to train. You sure got guts, I''ll give you that."

    Miriette snorted and shook her head at the already dispirited Ehmi.

    "The best training is a training done inba..."

    "Ah, so you are the type of person tho trains uracy of your spells while your target is surrounded by helpless toddlers? To raise the stakes? Wow. For a moment you got me fooled into thinking that you are a responsible person, but here we are."

    Ehmi took a deep breath and was trying to back up her stance but Miriette scoffed in annoyance, ring at the ceiling as she didn''t even want to look at the crimson-haired girl anymore ¨C which left Ehmi speechless.

    "Seeing how bothered Zoemi was and still spouting so much bullshit. Tsk. If that still was within my power, I would make him withdraw from this stupid tournament without hesitation."

    To add insult to injury, the dark-haired girl clicked her tongue and roled on the side, turning her back on the crimson-haired girl.

    "You think you are so smart?! You are just jealous that Zoemi is fighting in the tournament for my sake! You t-chested inferiorityplex!"

    Having a hot temper wasn''t a requirement for a fire magician, but there was a certain corrtion between that attribute and its wielders having a short fuse ¨C which was clearly disyed by Ehmi''s outburst.

    ...although in her case it might have more to do with some other circumstances aligning in a certain way...

    "!!!!"

    Burushi''s eyes widened and she moved back, even sliding her chair together with her, as she was preparing for the overwhelming response from the dark-haired viiness.

    "The only time I felt jealous about someone is when Burushi was openly hanging around Surou, but go off I guess."

    "?!?!?!"

    And she was in for one of the biggest surprises of her life as Miriette simply shrugged her shoulders and responded without even ncing back.

    But the thing was, Miriette was furious, but she was also spiteful enough not to show it at all since that would give the other person the satisfaction of getting to her.

    "Telling me that I have an inferiorityplex, I swear. What was it called again ¨C projecting your insecurities? No ¨C in your case it probably is something even more stupid, like, for example, wanting other people to feel inferior to you, because of course, you are so superior. You know what? You are so superior that both your looks and power only ended up putting you in a position of a prize. Congrattions."

    That''s why when she actually talked back, it wasn''t just a warning shot but a straight-up war.

    "...!"

    "Ehmi...?!"

    At first Ehmi''s face be pale, then she turned red from anger and she stood up ¨C but she seemed to cool down at least a little bit when Burushi called out her name.

    "I thought you were better than that!"

    She scoffed and walked to the door.

    "No. No, you did not."

    "...!"

    Miriette snorted without even sparing her a single nce.

 Chapter 372 123 - Tournament arc (part 25)

    <h4>Chapter 372 123 - Tournament arc (part 25)</h4>

    "Bitch."

    Miriette rolled on her back and made a vulgar gesture with her fingers towards the door that closed behind Ehmi.

    "Oof... I knew you didn''t like her but..."

    "But what?"

    Burushi took a deep breath and muttered ¨C but if she didn''t want to actually get Miriete''s attention, her volume was not low enough.

    "I... well, you see - I don''t feelfortable with taking sides in this conflict if that''s okay...? I kind of like both of you so..."

    The blond-haired girl flinched and mumbled with her head down doing her best to not make idental eye contact with the angry dark-haired girl while trying to diffuse the situation even a little bit.

    "..."

    But once again, despite Burushi''s worries, Miriette showed a surprising amount of self restrain and did not pursue the subject, only sighing with annoyance and looking up at the ceiling.

    "Yeah, sure, that''s fair ¨C but I would not put too much trust in the busty senior of ours if I was in your ce. She is the kind of girl who hangs around people she considers inferior to make herself look better."

    Miriette frowned while pushing out her lower jaw in annoyance while talking about the crimson-haired girl.

    "I''ve seen maids in our house act just like her. All the facade is gone the moment the supposed inferior friend is getting more attention than the superior one, and things can turn ugly."

    She advised with a grim expression, still looking at the ceiling.

    "...ah, I''ve seen others act in that way too, actually..."

    Burushi muttered in realization and furrowed her brows.

    She herself had never been in that kind of situation before but she certainly did see that kind of behavior back in her previous life.

    A rare privilege of a loner ¨C not getting involved in drama, simply because a group activity cannot involve you if you are not a part of the group in the first ce.

    Still, now that might have turned against her, as she could not recognize whether she really got herself in the spot of the ugly friend or was that only the grumpy viiness''s attempt of keeping her away from Ehmi she did not like.

    "Leaving that aside ¨C since when Arisu is taking part in the tournament?"

    "...eh...?"

    Then, out of nowhere, Miriette sat up and asked, looking at Burushi with concern ¨C causing the blond girl to let out a confused voice.

    "He is not...? Not only personally, but the Lazaram family altogether isn''t represented at all. I know because I overhear some of my patients talk about it."

    Burushi answered tilting her head and looking Miriette straight in the face.

    "What...? But then who is the white-haired man that I heard others gush about? Supposedly he finished every single fight in one hit, just like Zoemi did with Letro. You also don''t know about him?"

    The dark-haired girl asked, taken aback by the blond girl''s answer.

    "No...? Wait... there was something odd going on ¨C I do remember hearing the judge signal the start of the duel and call the winner almost immediately ¨C but I always thought that the other fighter conceded because I never got a patient afterward."

    Burushi furrowed her brows and bit her lip in concern doing her best to recall.

    "...I see... I wonder whether Zoemi knows about him, then...?"

    Miriette made a concerned expression and nced towards the door.

    "There should be no problem with me visiting him and discussing the subject, wouldn''t you say? If someonees by and asks about me say I went for a walk."

    She added with a faint smile appearing on her face and stood up.

    "..."

    Burushi raised her brow but said nothing about the fact that Miriette ¨C a transcended wind magician ¨C would not even try to contact someone else via the message spell before going through the trouble of sneaking through the hallways in the mansion of another noble family.

    "Sure, it''s not like that would be a lie. Oh, but I suppose that Ehmi must have told him about that other guy already ¨C all in all, she doesn''t want to get married so would share the intel about the potential opponents. Anyway, have fun and don''t get caught."

    The blond heroine shrugged her shoulders and waved Miriette goodbye.

    --------

    Miriette ended up sneaking into Zoemi''s room getting past everyone thanks to the same detection spell she developed the previous time.

    As for the room itself ¨C well, one of her air emperors ¨C thepact one, had simply snuck underneath the door and unlocked it for her.

    "...uuuu...."

    The dark-haired girl muttered to herself seeing the empty bed, Zoemi must have either gone to get something to eat or simply hasn''t returned from his usual training.

    Still ¨C that wasn''t all bad, she could wait for him and surprise him with the gift of her presence when he would return.

    "Hmhmhm~!"

    *click*

    Miriette hummed to herself, locking the door and walking towards the bed...

    "Eh...? Hold on ¨C the key was on the inside..."

    Suddenly she flinched and looked around, realizing that if the boy really went out, the bedroom would not be locked from the inside...

    *click*

    "Hmhmhm hmm hm hmm... huh...?"

    The confirmation of her realization soon arrived as the door to the joint bathroom opened and the ck-haired boy walked out humming, with a bath towel wrapped around his waist as he was drying off his hair with a smaller one.

    "..."

    "..."

    Zoemi looked up and once he met Miriette''s gaze the two of them just stared at each other for a couple of seconds...

    "...please, continue..."

    Miriette went ahead and politely sat on the bed before blushing and looking up at the frozen boy with sparkling eyes.

    [My, my, my. Isn''t she a bold one? Still, isn''t she the one who told you before that you shouldn''t do anything questionable while in the Victureo mansion?]

    As for Zoemi, the first voice that broke through the dead silence of his shocked brain was the voice of Ludier''s unique shadow.

    *WHOOSH*

    *thump*

    "Uwa-nyah?!"

    As if prompted by those words, Zoemi ended up panicking and threw the small tower he was using to dry his hair straight at Miriette''s face, causing her to fall back on the bad she sat on with a muffled gasp, while he jumped toward the closet and started hurriedly dressing up.

    "What was that for?!"

    The dark-haired girl stood back up and took off the towel about to throw it back, but ended up stopping herself at thest moment and instead folded it up and held on to it while leaning to the side, trying to peek at the changing boy without making too much noise or changing her position.

    "Zoemi, listen I came here to..."

    "Miri."

    She was about to tell him about the convenient reason she found out to visit him, but as the ck-haired boy in casual clothes walked up to her with the most grateful smile she had ever seen she immediately closed her mouth and waited for him to make a move.

    "I am soo happy that you showed up. I swear that I will not do anything improper but... is it okay with you if... if I... will be a bit clingy with you...? I will make sure that no one will walk in on us... Once again ¨C I swear that..."

    "IT''S OKAY!"

    As soon as Mirietteprehended the meaning of Zoemi''s words her brain almost exploded, and all of her priorities for the evening shifted.

    At the same time after her initial overly enthusiastic agreement, she realized that she might have been too quick and tempered her expectations.

    After all, it was the dense Zoemi standing in front of her.

    Who knew ¨C for him being clingy might have meant just sitting next to each other, or leaning against each other, or holding hands...

    ...of which all were very weed...

    ...but it probably not included all the activities epassed by Miriette''s wild imagination of the dark-haired girl...

    *hug*

    *thump*

    But then Zoemi did indeed sit next to Miriette who closed her eyes trying to hold back a disappointed sigh ¨C right before she felt the boy''s arms wrapping around her stomach as he pulled her down on the mattress before snuggling up to her neck.

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    The little spoon''s heart almost jumped out of her chest.

    It turned out that Zoemi''s definition of being a bit clingy was very much within an average person''s standards, at least for the physical closeness ¨C and Miriette had never felt happier about being wrong.

 Chapter 373 123 - Tournament arc (part 26)

    <h4>Chapter 373 123 - Tournament arc (part 26)</h4>

    The sixth day of the tournament went on to be a little bit more hectic than expected.

    As it turned out, after witnessing Zoemi''s fight the previous day many contestants have straight-up conceded, unwilling to test their strength against someone who had such power at his disposal.

    After all, if it required a sage to stop only one of the boy''s attacks, and said the attack didn''t even cause the boy to go into the state of mana depletion, meaning that he could have used it more than once during a fight, didn''t that put him at least around the sage level too?

    With that in mind, only two duels would end up happening on that day, and Zoemi would be participating in one of them.

    "...?"

    |What...?|

    As the ck-haired boy was stepping onto the arena, so did his opponent, and the sight of the white-haired man in histe thirties wearing an apron was so out of ce that Zoemi simply froze in shock, staring at him in disbelief.

    |Wh-where is his unique shadow? Is this supposed to be the guy I''m supposed to fight? I had never seen him before...|

    [No one is stopping him and the judges don''t look as if he should not be here... odd...]

    Zoemi thought to himself and Ludier''s shadow clearly shared his suspicion.

    It wasn''t about the looks, as they could be deceiving ¨C theck of the unique shadow would suggest that the white-haired mancked any mana whatsoever.

    As for the eyes - the man was keeping them closed - or at least was squinting them enough to make it extremely difficult to see his pupils- but Zoemi was willing to bet that they did not share the color with the man''s hair.

    "Lord Banemor, is there a problem of some sort?"

    "...!"

    The apron-wearing man called out to him very politely while smiling innocently, causing the boy to flinch.

    "Lord Zoemi Benevi Banmor representing the Victureo family will face mister William representing the Moyena family!"

    |HUH?!|

    [What a strange name... and he isn''t even a noble...? So odd...!]

    The red-haired judge announced the contestants to everyone, and Zoemi''s confusion got only worse when the white-haired man was introduced.

    Although it sounded like Ludier''s shadow was also shocked, certainly, the two were not on the same page at the moment.

    "...mister William... you are not from around here, are you...?"

    Zoemi breathed out in an attempt of calming down and asked, using the time before the start of the duel was officially announced.

    "Of course, I''m not, my lord. I am but a humble florist living in the Moyena territory. Never before in my life have I traveled outside of it, not to mention as far as to Victureo territory!"

    The man gasped, all bashful from the high noble talking to a nobody like him ¨C but the dead silence brimming with anticipation that has befallen the audience was confirming Zoemi''s suspicion that something was very, very wrong.

    Well, to begin with ¨C how could there exist a possibility of any magiclessmoner not only participating in the tournament for the nobles but making it all the way to the semi-finals?

    "Why have I never seen you fight...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked cautiously, keenly watching William''s every move.

    "That has to be because all of my fights had ended in a single hit, my lord."

    |!!!!!|

    William responded lightheartedly without ever changing his expression or opening his eyes.

    "...no ¨C I spent a lot of time in the sickbay helping out with healing the contestants. Having people brought down in a single hit would make me pay attention to such an interesting florist capable of inflicting enough damage."

    Zoemi shook his head, refusing to believe the man''s exnation.

    "My lord, I would never dare to lie to you ¨C just as I would never even dare to bring harm to anyone with noble blood flowing through them. None of my opponents were harmed enough to require receiving a treatment."

    "..."

    The white-haired man gasped and shook his head while making a fearful expression ¨C his easygoing nature made Zoemi be on alert more than he ever was in his life.

    Although he spent a lot of time thinking that the world was just a game, this was the first time that he encountered someone who literally felt like a hidden-boss character.

    "How did you manage to do that?"

    "My lord, isn''t there a saying that a good magician never reveals his secrets?"

    The ck-haired boy asked and the white-haired man responded politely while pulling up the sleeves of his shirt and making sure that his apron is on securely.

    |That... is not an expression that magicians of this world use, isn''t it...?|

    [Although I can agree with his words ¨C no. I never heard anyone say it like that... Maybe that''s just themoner''s way of thinking?]

    Zoemi gritted his teeth, feeling cold sweat drenching his shirt as Ludier''s shadow was unable to see the danger the ck-haired bo had already spotted.

    What the hell was that supposed to be?! Amoner showing up from nowhere, and no noble is able to stop him? The guy is humble but confident at the same time, casually admitting that he is more powerful than all of the magicians he fought, to the point of being able to knock them for whatever was necessary for him to win, but not strong enough to harm them?

    That should be the main event and not just a semi-finals fight...!

    "Then, I can assume you will try to do the same thing with me? Knock me out just for long enough for the judges to announce your win?"

    Zoemi asked while reaching out with his shadow towards William ¨C but encountering absolutely nothing that he could grab onto.

    The white-haired man really had no mana, making the whole situation all the more bizarre.

    "..."

    William did not respond to that.

    First, he furrowed his brows and lowered his head as if deep in thoughts, pondering about the proper answer.

    And when he finally looked back up...

    "No. I must see for myself the extent of your power. With your previous fight, you have shown the destructive power that could be a serious threat. You, my lord, and the youngdy Vitureo who stopped it so effortlessly. I am thankful."

    He stopped smiling and his face became serious to the point of making Zoemi flinch.

    "...what are you thankful for...?"

    "Hmm, I wonder~?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, but the white-haired florist merely smiled.

    "BEGIN!"

    "Law of Capricorn."

    *WHOOSH*

    One of the judges called out, officially starting the duel ¨C at that very moment William called and as soon as Zoemi blinked, the white-haired man disappeared from his spot!

    ...or so would it look for someone not paying attention, as the white-haired man simply moved fast enough to use the opportunity of his opponent blinking...!

    "...!"

    But that also was exactly what Zoemi was expecting from this secret boss-like encounter, to begin with, so he activated both the shadow enchantments and the shadow armor intending to use it to absorb any attacking his way...

    *WHAM*

    "GHUOGH...!"

    Just for William''s punch to break straight through the boy''s defenses and tear the demonic armor to shreds in one punch aimed at his sr plexus.

    "HMPH!"

    *WHOOOOOSH*

    *SPLASH*

    The white-haired florist scoffed and twisted his hand, adding a spin, and the next moment Zoemi wasunched into the sky ¨C high enough to actually hit the ceiling of the protective dome the water magician kept active for the protection of the audience!

    "...huh...? That''s it? That so-called magic sucks... And here I was worried that locals could pose a threat."

    William muttered to himself, opening his eyes just a little bit and revealing his pupils to be green while watching the body of the ck-haired boy peel off of the protective barrier and start falling back down towards him.

 Chapter 374 124 - Tournament arc (part 27)

    <h4>Chapter 374 124 - Tournament arc (part 27)</h4>

    [KID?! KID RESPOND! THE ORIGINAL PERSONALITY? EITHER ONE IS FINE! YOU''RE FALLING!]

    Ludier''s unique shadow shouted, but there was no response - except for him there were no other thoughtsing through the boy''s mind, as William''s hit seemed topletely shut down the ck-haired boy''s brain.

    The only good part about it was that Ludier''s shadow could feel that the boy''s heart is still beating and he is breathing ¨C with trouble, but still.

    Nheless, that was a straight-up defeat in one hit, and another victory for the white-haired magicless man.

    The only thing left was for Zoemi''s unconscious body to fall back down and...

    ¡­most likely die from the impact of the crashnding as all defensive spells got literally wiped off by the hit thatunched Zoemi into the air.

    [A magicless runt killing a magician... you fucker...]

    Ludier''s shadow muttered n a barely contained fury.

    Although themoner bandits who were hired to kill off his family were already disposed of, and he knew how it happened thanks to Zoemi retrieving their memories and piecing it all together, the hatred for them returned in a twisted version of a shell shock and prompted the unique shadow to take action.

    As he had already done before he regained his senses, Ludier''s shadow tapped into his host''s mana reservoir and helped himself with a generous serving of mana.

    [Kid, I''ll be borrowing your body while you are out. Hope you don''t mind.]

    -------

    "...or maybe not...?"

    The white-haired man donning simple clothing and an apron squinted his eyes as the body of the boy he thought he defeated disappointingly easy, went through a change.

    Instead of getting enveloped in murky-ck armor, strips of darkness wrapped around his body like wild vines climbing a tree...

    *WHAM*

    "..."

    Also, instead of smashing against the ground and officially finishing the duel, the boy now ended upnding somewhat properly ¨C and although the ce where hended ended up caving in, the boy himself ended up standing up straightening his back.

    "...haaaaaa..."

    He also breathed out, releasing a small cloud of pure-white frosty air, and opened his eyes.

    The pupils remained jet-ck, but there was a distinct pale blue light emanating from them.

    "...interesting..."

    *WHOOOSH*

    William muttered, before once again closing the distance between the two of them.

    *CRACK*

    "...?!"

    This time his punch was aimed at the boy''s face, as the white-haired man was aiming to smash him into the ground this time to shorten the waiting time required to get back to him just in case, but instead of meeting flesh, his fist ended up breaking thought severalyers of ice materialized out of the moisture int the air, stopping all the force a few inches in front of his target.

    "[I see. So it was just like that? You are efficient against elements created with mana. Isn''t that a piece of good news?]"

    "!!!!"

    Ludier''s shadow controlling Zoemi''s body snickered and the boy''s lips twisted into a wicked smile, making William flinch and hurriedly jump back.

    *SHING*

    The white-haired man did that just in time too as the spot where he was just a split second before got pierced by several ice spears that appeared thanks to the magically enhanced process of desublimation.

    "[Quite a handy trick ¨C mind telling me whether are more people like you lurking around?]"

    As Ludier''s voice wasing through Zoemi''s mouth, the temperature inside the arena was dropping lower and lower with every word he said.

    Simrly, a thicker and thicker ice armor was growing onto the ck-haired boy''s body, shaping up to be an exact copy of how Ludier''s unique shadow itself looked in the wild.

    "I don''t know what you are talking about, lord Banemor. I am but a humble florist with ess to a special attribute."

    William waved his hand around, shaking off the pieces of ice still stuck into it, and politelyughed off the question.

    "[I see. Lier.]"

    *WHOO-*

    *SLAM*

    "?!??!"

    Ludier said, nodding Zoemi''s head ¨C and William used the chance that the boy wasn''t looking at him to rush at him again, just to be sniped by a block of ice from the side.

    The white-haired man''s head was assaulted by a cube of ice to the temple, the attack ended up knocking him down with ease as the arena itself was now covered with frost and ice that gave almost zero stable footholds.

    "...what...?"

    William gasped, trying to get back up but failing and sleeping on his side.

    He felt something warm flowing down his cheek and once he reached for it, he found it out to be his own blood.

    "[How many like you are out there?]"

    Ludier''s walked atop the slippery ice with ridiculous ease and calmly approached the fallen opponent.

    "N... none, of course... my lord, isn''t that how variant attributes work...?"

    William muttered, feeling the cold numbing his muscles and making it difficult to talk.

    "[No, they do not, in fact. Oh, and the feeling you are experiencing is your body freezing from the inside ¨C since you don''t have your own mana to stop my mana from invading your insides, I can control the liquids inside of you.]"

    "!!!!!"

    Ludier shook Zoemi''s head with a grim expression and revealed, pointing the boy''s ice-covered index finger at the white-haired man''s chest, causing him to open his eyes wide clearly revealing his green pupils.

    "[Now, your choice ¨C give up, or your own blood and piss will kill you.]"

    Just like the temperature around them, one could say that Ludier''s chill was in the negative...

    "Wasn''t this tournament supposed to have strict rules against killing...?"

    "[idents happen all the time.]"

    Williamughed nervously, but Ludier merely scoffed through Zoemi''s mouth and lifted the boy''s finger ¨C which caused a wave of pain to spread through the white-haired man''s abdomen.

    "...the geezers were right, low tier initiates have no chance against the poison of mana ..."

    "[...?]"

    William lowered his head and muttered under his breath, making Ludier furrow Zoemi''s brows and...

    "Law of Aquarius!"

    *WHOOOOOOOOOSH*

    "[!!!!]"

    William called and his body emitted a shockwave that not only caused Ludier in Zoemi''s body to be pushed back but straight up repelled the mana inside and around him...!

    "Round two it is! Law of Taurus!"

    *BOOOOOOM*

    The white-haired man roared and kicked off the ground ¨C he was slower than before, but judging by the damage his kick caused to the arena, the power behind the charge was exponentially stronger...!

 Chapter 375 124 - Tournament arc (part 29)

    <h4>Chapter 375 124 - Tournament arc (part 29)</h4>

    Despite Ludier falling down towards the charging William, the ascending white-haired man was the one faster.

    "YOU''RE DEAD!"

    *WHAM*

    *CRACK*

    A single lightning-fast punch was enough to break the ice-d unique shadow in half, while basically flying right through the pieces...

    "No. You, but you are."

    *STAB*

    "GHRAAAAH...!"

    The bisected unique shadow of the dead ice magicianughed, as both of his halves turned into razor-sharp spears and stabbed right through the chest and abdomen of the white-haired man, making him spit out a copious amount of blood as both his stomach and lung were pierced simultaneously.

    "[It looks like duplicating yourself made you half your strength and resistance.]"

    Ludier scoffed, looking down on the skewered William as they both were falling down into the chasm created by the ice explosion.

    "...I... can''t me you for assuming that... You have no idea... how the cleansing power of Aquarius will on a blob of poisonous mana like yourself... do you...?"

    "[HUH...?!]"

    But the unique shadow was in for a nasty surprise if he thought that the fight was over, as the seemingly defeated white-haired man snickered with the blood pouting ceaselessly through his mouth and nose...

    "LAW OF AQUARIUS!"

    *CRUSH*

    William''s face lighted up with a bloodthirsty smile and he twisted around, letting the ice spears tear his body to gory pieces before he was in a position to spread his arms open and punch at Ludier''s halves digging into him ¨C unleashing punches that shattered the ice into shining particles while also tearing apart the shadowy figure donning the ice armor.

    "...annoying... pest..."

    Although the unique shadow disappeared, the wounds that the white-haired man suffered from the suicidal attack were too severe and...

    *haaaaaaa*

    His body disappeared into nothingness without leaving a single trace with the sound of a person breathing out with relief...!''

    "...I hate being proven wrong..."

    The William who ended up staying behind saw all of that and scoffed, gritting his teeth while his wounds were recovering at a rapid speed as he was floating cross-legged in the air above the enormous chasm.

    *RUMBLE*

    "...huh...?"

    Then the earth down below cried out and trembled, making the white-haired man nce down with a frown.

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Not even a moment toote to witness the arena-sized chasm fill up, but also straight-up shoot up forming an enormous spire ¨C which tip as pointy and sharp as that of a spear was piercing through the air aiming right at him!

    "ARE YOU KIDDI-HUOUP...!"

    William only managed to shake his head and shout in shock ¨C he did try to escape but that resulted only in him being impaled by the spire through his stomach while it grew and grew until it reached the cloud level.

    "...little... fuc...ker..."

    *STAB* x10

    William groaned before his body got riddled with stone spears that grew out of the spire, ending him without a moment of hesitation...

    *haaaaaaaa*

    But just as it was with what looked to be a copy, the second body f the white-haired man also turned into nothingness with the sound of a person breathing out in relief.

    -----

    "..."

    The spire retracted back into the depth of earth while Zoemi made sure to restore the arena to its normal state with a spell inplete silence, as terrible nausea assaulted him because of mana depletion.

    "....fuck..."

    The ck-haired boy cursed, spatting to the side.

    Neither the spells that Ludier used while Zoemi was unconscious, nor the ones that Zoemi usedter on ¨C including the creation of the gargantuan spire ¨C depleted anywhere near one-quarter of his mana...

    But that wasn''t the problem.

    The corpse puppet necromancy spell that the ck-haired boy was using on Ludier''s unique shadow got broken, and the half of the boy''s mana that he shared with the dead ice magician disappeared just like that - not released into the air but straight up ERASED from existence, leaving a huge void in the boy''s mana reservoir.

    Ludier...

    Ludier''s unique shadow was gone.

    After getting hit with William''sw of Aquarius attack, Ludier''s consciousness vanished just like the ice that formed his armor and never returned.

    Zoemi was reaching his shadow everywhere, but there was no longer even a trace of the dead magician''s unique shadow anywhere.

    The ck-haired boy tried using the time spell despite being extremely low on mana ¨C low enough to barely be able to keep himself up straight ¨C but just as he already knew, the spell did not activate, no matter how hard he tried.

    Just to make everything even more worrisome, the time around the arena did not resume.

    If it was Williams doing, it either did not require him to be alive or...

    ...it meant that the white-haired man wasn''t dead yet...

    "..."

    This was a loss ¨C no matter how one would look at it. Not even in his wildest dreams, Zoemi would assume that an opponent like William would show up just like that. Nothing like that ever happened in the game, and after gaining knowledge about sages, Zoemi thought that they were the peak of strength, just below the existence that brought him to that world in the first ce...

    "Hold on... Wasn''t presence supposed to be using the time attribute...?"

    The ck-haired boy shook his head trying to fight back the overwhelming weakness and nausea assaulting him because of the severe mana depletion and furrowed his brows in confusion.

    ------

    "Ah...! He realized...! Alright, that''s enough...!"

    The being of light watching over the world gasped and fidgetted.

    ------

    "...?"

    The world returned to life after being frozen ¨C but no one seemed to realize it.

    The people in the audience did notice the change ¨C after all the ck-haired boy who was justunched in the air with a single punch, was now standing back in the arena, pale as a ghost and having slightly more disheveled clothes, but otherwise unharmed, and his white-haired opponent was nowhere to be seen...

    Or was he...?"

    *p* *p* *p*

    "!!!!!"

    As if some sort of curtain fell down, William appeared perfectly fine in the corner of the arena, apuding the swaying ck-haired boy.

    "Although your offensive capabilities are nothing special, I see now that the magic worth lies in its utility ¨C especially that time-stopping spell. Zoemi Benevi Banemor ¨C be proud of yourself, you have proven to me that the Heavenly Star Nation should make more preparation before we begin the conquest of this continent!"

    The white-haired man dered, reaching out his hand to point at the ck-haired boy who could barely focus his eyes on him.

    "Wh...? what...? But the time stop was your..."

    "Law of Pisces!"

    Zoemi shook his head and gasped in utter confusion ¨C but instead of responding, William straightened his back and called out loudly...

    *haaaaaa*

    ...and his body disappeared into thin air with the sound of a person breathing out in relief...

    "...huh...?"

    Zoemi blinked repeatedly, staring at the empty spot ¨C same as everyone present in the arena...

    "...umm... because of mister William leaving the arena, the victory goes to lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor..."

    After a full minute when it was clear that William''s disappearance wasn''t a part of the tactic and there will be no stealth attack on the ck-haired boy, the red-haired judge stood up and announced in a concerned voice.

    "...ugh..."

    Zoemi gasped and held back the bile rising to his throat, as he stumbled towards the edge of the arena and went straight for the sickbay.

 Chapter 376 124.5 - Tournament arc (part 30)

    <h4>Chapter 376 124.5 - Tournament arc (part 30)</h4>

    "GOT YOU!"

    "...?"

    As William''s spiritual projection was returning to his real body, it got trapped within a perfect silky-darkness trap, looking as if it was woven out of the void itself.

    It was very troublesome as although thew of Pisces was very useful for checking up on things that were at an outrageously long distance ¨C and even going as far as crossing the usually imprable line of raging mana storms known as the line of death - it had its inconveniences, the main one being that to have ess toplete, vivid memories of everything that the projection had done and seen, the part of the consciousness the user sent out had to properly return to their body and reconnect with the user''s core.

    This obviously couldn''t happen at the moment because someone somehow managed to intercept the flow of William''s spiritual energy.

    "Yes, yes ¨C I already know that the utility of the poison you call mana can interfere with the power of ourws."

    The fragment of William''s consciousness carrying the memories of the tournament that he snuck his way in, sighed and materialized into a full spiritual projection ¨C white hair, green eyes, in clothes, simple apron, and all.

    "I am Evorietto of the Ghosts of Bellcephora. To think that I merely went to check up on Kiroterell and Rethaq, but ended up encountering such a strange specimen as yourself! Ahaha! This is truly magnificent! I''ll make sure to study you carefully before I will pass you on to themander and vicemander so they decide what to do with you~! Say ¨C what forgotten corner of the world did you hide from me for so long?"

    An enthusiastic, effeminate but most surely male voice called out, not actually responding to William''s voice but rather speaking over him, informing the white-haired man about his fate from then on.

    "Hide? Forgotten...? Do... do you think that the world ends on the death line...? Are... are you stupid? Ah ¨C wait ¨C of course, you are, you spat enough crap to prove that... Anyway. Why don''t you show up so we can talk and I can correct your backward knowledge about the world we all live in? Not to mention the bold assumption that you can keep me trapped for any significant period of time. You poison users are seriously too proud for your own good."

    But instead of getting intimidated, William merely sighed and shook his head in annoyance.

    "Pffft... Ahahahahahaha! Aww, and you have a bite in you! Poor fool! Show up? You can already see me! We, the members of Ghosts of Bellcephora have reached the limit of human capacity! We became one

    with the darkness attribute and can channel ourselves through the darkness mana! You already see me as I am present here within every part of my darkness de that has been constructed as a cage keeping every type of living being locked for me to study~!"

    Evoriettoughed mockingly and boasted, poking fun at the magicless human who had no idea how silly he sounded calling a blessing of mana something so hurtful as poison.

    "...so... you are saying that you are mana...?"

    William raised his brow and asked cautiously which only prompted Evorietto to get even more excited.

    How long has it been since he got a specimen that did not fear him at all?

    The kids he was capturing recently were only crying in fear, which got boring after only a few days ¨C and the necromancer and her corpse puppets were staying silent and didn''t try to do anything because she already knew that it was the helpless struggle of the victims that excites Evorietto the most.

    "Oh, you poor bastard... and you are saying that you are everywhere around me right now?"

    The white-haired man snickered, continuously shaking his head in denial, which honestly tickled Evorietto''s fancy

    It would be so fun to break him and watch him lose all of that spunk and confidence.

    "That''s right! I spent many decades perfecting my darkness de to the point of..."

    "Law of Aquarius."

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    The member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora most proficient in creating barriers and traps giggled from joy and started boasting- but was interrupted by William''s voice ¨C and an outburst of unknown energy, that thoroughly destroyed every single particle of mana around him.

    Well ¨C that didn''tst long as the wind mana immediately filled the momentary void ¨C but at least there was no longer any trace of the darkness mana blocking the white-haired man''s way.

    Truly ¨C if there was a way to permanently clear out that part of the world from mana, the Heavenly Star Nation - the most advanced human civilization - would have begun the conquest of other parts of the world centuries ago.

    "Limit of human capacity he said... the poisonous mana must havepletely corroded his brain. I swear... May the light of stars shine brightly upon your soul in the afterlife... you poor delusional fool."

    *haaaaaaaaaa*

    William sighed, bowing his head politely and saying the phrase meant to mourn the dead, before his spiritual projection turned back into a stream of spiritual energy with the sound of a person breathing out with relief, and continued its journey back to the original body.

    ----------

    "!!!!!!"

    Therge carriage that could double as a stall when one of its side walls got opened up, pulled by fourrge shadow beasts suddenly stopped in the middle of the road as the one-armed woman pulled on the rains.

    She had trouble breathing and could hardly focus.

    *WHAM*

    The carriage door opened and a young short-haired woman and a muscr man with a scar going through his face both fell out, with exactly the same kind of expression as the one-armed woman.

    They all had ck hair and eyes - but that should be obvious enough as they were not only darkness magicians but the members of Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    The strongest darkness magicians - no - darkness sages.

    And even calling them that wasn''t giving them the full credit they deserved.

    The three outside the carriage weren''t just any members, there were the only remaining founding members.

    Themander, and the main reason the group was created - Carcassuss, the royal bastard, and the single person most obsessed with power.

    The vicemander, Kirissu - the only person who could tame Cracassuss to any degree and the one whose arm got cut off as their group was betraying the royal family that gave them as much support as they could.

    And the group''s scapegoat, the youngest of the founding members, Elsby.

    The one who tried to oppose most of the cruel decisions made by the other two.

    Originally there were five founding members.

    As for the two missing ones.

    Raseriat was gone, killed by an ice magician - and only Ehmi knew the truth about her real killer although she stayed quiet.

    And thest one.

    Evorietto.

    The one whose consciousness was thoroughly erased - and if any other ghost was even a second slower, they would get erased too as the unknown power seemed to devour mana.

    "...Cupcake... recall everyone... order them to abort every undergoing mission until we find out what the hell caused that!"

    Kirissu gasped and looked up at Cracassuss.

    ----------

    "Eh...? EEEEEEEHHHHHHH?!"

    The moment Evorietto was cleansed from the face of the earth, every single person captured inside his darkness de reappeared exactly where he abducted them from ¨C including the gray-haired dark-skinned necromancer, who showed up out of nowhere in front of the headmaster''s office back in the Aspakeony Academy and loudly eximed unable toprehend what exactly happened.

 Chapter 377 124.5 - Tournament arc (part 30)

    <h4>Chapter 377 124.5 - Tournament arc (part 30)</h4>

    "GOT YOU!"

    "...?"

    As William''s spiritual projection was returning to his real body, it got trapped within a perfect silky-darkness trap, looking as if it was woven out of the void itself.

    It was very troublesome as although thew of Pisces was very useful for checking up on things that were at an outrageously long distance ¨C and even going as far as crossing the usually imprable line of raging mana storms known as the line of death - it had its inconveniences, the main one being that to have ess toplete, vivid memories of everything that the projection had done and seen, the part of the consciousness the user sent out had to properly return to their body and reconnect with the user''s core.

    This obviously couldn''t happen at the moment because someone somehow managed to intercept the flow of William''s spiritual energy.

    "Yes, yes ¨C I already know that the utility of the poison you call mana can interfere with the power of ourws."

    The fragment of William''s consciousness carrying the memories of the tournament that he snuck his way in, sighed and materialized into a full spiritual projection ¨C white hair, green eyes, in clothes, simple apron, and all.

    "I am Evorietto of the Ghosts of Bellcephora. To think that I merely went to check up on Kiroterell and Rethaq, but ended up encountering such a strange specimen as yourself! Ahaha! This is truly magnificent! I''ll make sure to study you carefully before I will pass you on to themander and vicemander so they decide what to do with you~! Say ¨C what forgotten corner of the world did you hide from me for so long?"

    An enthusiastic, effeminate but most surely male voice called out, not actually responding to William''s voice but rather speaking over him, informing the white-haired man about his fate from then on.

    "Hide? Forgotten...? Do... do you think that the world ends on the death line...? Are... are you stupid? Ah ¨C wait ¨C of course, you are, you spat enough crap to prove that... Anyway. Why don''t you show up so we can talk and I can correct your backward knowledge about the world we all live in? Not to mention the bold assumption that you can keep me trapped for any significant period of time. You poison users are seriously too proud for your own good."

    But instead of getting intimidated, William merely sighed and shook his head in annoyance.

    "Pffft... Ahahahahahaha! Aww, and you have a bite in you! Poor fool! Show up? You can already see me! We, the members of Ghosts of Bellcephora have reached the limit of human capacity! We became one

    with the darkness attribute and can channel ourselves through the darkness mana! You already see me as I am present here within every part of my darkness de that has been constructed as a cage keeping every type of living being locked for me to study~!"

    Evoriettoughed mockingly and boasted, poking fun at the magicless human who had no idea how silly he sounded calling a blessing of mana something so hurtful as poison.

    "...so... you are saying that you are mana...?"

    William raised his brow and asked cautiously which only prompted Evorietto to get even more excited.

    How long has it been since he got a specimen that did not fear him at all?

    The kids he was capturing recently were only crying in fear, which got boring after only a few days ¨C and the necromancer and her corpse puppets were staying silent and didn''t try to do anything because she already knew that it was the helpless struggle of the victims that excites Evorietto the most.

    "Oh, you poor bastard... and you are saying that you are everywhere around me right now?"

    The white-haired man snickered, continuously shaking his head in denial, which honestly tickled Evorietto''s fancy

    It would be so fun to break him and watch him lose all of that spunk and confidence.

    "That''s right! I spent many decades perfecting my darkness de to the point of..."

    "Law of Aquarius."

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    The member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora most proficient in creating barriers and traps giggled from joy and started boasting- but was interrupted by William''s voice ¨C and an outburst of unknown energy, that thoroughly destroyed every single particle of mana around him.

    Well ¨C that didn''tst long as the wind mana immediately filled the momentary void ¨C but at least there was no longer any trace of the darkness mana blocking the white-haired man''s way.

    Truly ¨C if there was a way to permanently clear out that part of the world from mana, the Heavenly Star Nation - the most advanced human civilization - would have begun the conquest of other parts of the world centuries ago.

    "Limit of human capacity he said... the poisonous mana must havepletely corroded his brain. I swear... May the light of stars shine brightly upon your soul in the afterlife... you poor delusional fool."

    *haaaaaaaaaa*

    William sighed, bowing his head politely and saying the phrase meant to mourn the dead, before his spiritual projection turned back into a stream of spiritual energy with the sound of a person breathing out with relief, and continued its journey back to the original body.

    ----------

    "!!!!!!"

    Therge carriage that could double as a stall when one of its side walls got opened up, pulled by fourrge shadow beasts suddenly stopped in the middle of the road as the one-armed woman pulled on the rains.

    She had trouble breathing and could hardly focus.

    *WHAM*

    The carriage door opened and a young short-haired woman and a muscr man with a scar going through his face both fell out, with exactly the same kind of expression as the one-armed woman.

    They all had ck hair and eyes - but that should be obvious enough as they were not only darkness magicians but the members of Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    The strongest darkness magicians - no - darkness sages.

    And even calling them that wasn''t giving them the full credit they deserved.

    The three outside the carriage weren''t just any members, there were the only remaining founding members.

    Themander, and the main reason the group was created - Carcassuss, the royal bastard, and the single person most obsessed with power.

    The vicemander, Kirissu - the only person who could tame Cracassuss to any degree and the one whose arm got cut off as their group was betraying the royal family that gave them as much support as they could.

    And the group''s scapegoat, the youngest of the founding members, Elsby.

    The one who tried to oppose most of the cruel decisions made by the other two.

    Originally there were five founding members.

    As for the two missing ones.

    Raseriat was gone, killed by an ice magician - and only Ehmi knew the truth about her real killer although she stayed quiet.

    And thest one.

    Evorietto.

    The one whose consciousness was thoroughly erased - and if any other ghost was even a second slower, they would get erased too as the unknown power seemed to devour mana.

    "...Cupcake... recall everyone... order them to abort every undergoing mission until we find out what the hell caused that!"

    Kirissu gasped and looked up at Cracassuss.

    ----------

    "Eh...? EEEEEEEHHHHHHH?!"

    The moment Evorietto was cleansed from the face of the earth, every single person captured inside his darkness de reappeared exactly where he abducted them from ¨C including the gray-haired dark-skinned necromancer, who showed up out of nowhere in front of the headmaster''s office back in the Aspakeony Academy and loudly eximed unable toprehend what exactly happened.

 Chapter 378 125 - Tournament arcâ€™s epilogue

    <h4>Chapter 378 125 - Tournament arc''s epilogue</h4>

    Inside the sickbay, Burushi was facing a real problem with the ck-haired boy.

    Mainly, the damages he suffered in the ridiculous fight that just happened weren''t healing with her magic.

    And yes.

    The blond heroine remembered the fight.

    She not only wasn''t frozen in time ¨C most likely thanks to being hoke-full of healing attribute mana ¨C from the window that Zoemi himself made, she had a perfect vantage point to witness the absolute insanity of what was happening.

    She couldn''t wait to talk with Zoemi about the whole Heavenly Star Nation thing ¨C not to mention why the man with a leucism was calling out loud the names of zodiac signs before pulling off some insane moves that seemed to bypass manapletely.

    There definitely wasn''t anything like that in the game both of them yed ¨C but since this world wasn''t a game at all, that wasn''t all that surprising.

    What was surprising and worrisome, was the deration the white-haired, self-proimed florist made before disappearing.

    He said that his nation would have to prepare more.

    Not that the attack would not happen ¨C it would just be dyed.

    By how much?

    What does it mean for everyone?

    The blond-haired girl did not dare to ask anyone else besides Zoemi those questions.

    Well, maybe except for Miriette, who already proved herself to put her money where her words were ¨C but unluckily for Burushi, the dark-haired girl didn''t show up alone and left together with her escort soon after.

    "Haa... let''s try this again, shall we?"

    Burushi breathed out and pulled up her sleeves approaching the unconscious ck-haired boy whose insides were severely messed up by the initial hit that sent him flying.

    ...seriously, it was so worrisome...

    Zoemi didn''t even seem all that wounded when he stumbled into the sickbay ¨C merely exhausted.

    But then he coughed up bile and unfortunately, it was mixed with blood, and the boy fell over right after he closed the door behind his back.

    It has been a few hours since and he still didn''t show any signs of recovery despite Burushi constantly showering him in her healing spells.

    Considering how things were, it would not be surprising if he would be unable to participate in a final duel of the tournament the next day ¨C which would basically invalidate half of his reasons for even showing up in the first ce.

    Still, if there was a single word that worked best to describe Burushi, it would be stubborn.

    Before she was holding back just in case ¨C but with it getting dark outside, and the arena emptied out - finally -since people seem to like hanging out around there even with no duels happening, Burushi could pull up the big guns of her healing attribute.

    "A-a-ah... I wonder what Surou is doing... more time had passed since he was expelled and locked in some monastery than what we spent together... He might have as well forgotten about me..."

    The blond heroine allowed herself a nostalgic sigh as she looked through the window at the starry sky before turning to her patient.

    All of his injuries were internal but just in case most of the boy''s clothes were removed.

    Needless to say, Burushi shook her head, getting rid of the unnecessary thoughts, and made a serious expression before she put her hands on Zoemi''s bare chest.

    |Damn, he is chiseled...!|

    Even with all her professionalism, she couldn''t help herself from admiring Zoemi''s training-hardened body and how it felt under her touch.

    "...alright, I better stop before I''ll do something that will make me doge making eye contact with Miriette ¨C ekhem - Check-up."

    She then muttered to herself, sliding her hands on the most affected area ¨C the abdomen - cleared her throat, and cast her spell out loud, enjoying the otherwise silent environment that let her focus on the important parts.

    Within seconds, the information about Zoemi''s health flowed into her brain.

    It was bad ¨C broken bones, ruptured organs, not to mention bloodloss... all that every single previous spell that Burushi had cast was to keep him alive ¨C it did not make him better, it only made him stable for a brief amount of time.

    That had to change.

    If the normal spell didn''t show anything that could be healed ¨C it only meant it wasn''t thorough enough!

    "Private visit."

    With that in mind, Burushi cast another spell ¨C a better, more advanced, and more thorough version of the check-up spell, that she usually didn''t use because the amount of information that would flow into her brain would always cause her headache.

    But this was for a good cause.

    After all, if normal healing spells weren''t working on someone who had been sessfully healed in the past, the logical option was to search for the cause of that!

    A foreign object ¨C or maybe foreign energy, more likely ¨C must have entered the ck-haired boy''s body and was messing with the natural order.

    "...are you kidding me...?!"

    But the only pay-off after giving herself a headache was more detailed information about everything she already knew.

    She was almost sure she was in the right ¨C but in that case, wouldn''t it mean that if her magic is unable to identify the problem, it is also unable to treat it...?

    |So it is no use after all...? The best I can do is to just keep him alive?|

    The blond heroine bit her lip, staring at therge dark bruise on the boy''s stomach ¨C a very clear sign of the hemorrhage.

    Something like that should have disappeared after Burushi used just a basic healing spell, but instead, it was still there as if taunting her about being powerless!

    |No, I can''t just give up! If there is some foreign energy messing with mana inside his body, then it should be possible to flush it out by injecting him with new mana!|

    She gritted her teeth and decided.

    ...and it just so happened that the healing attribute literally worked on the mage injecting the patient with their mana and guiding it through the patient''s body...

    "Heal!"

    Burushi said and a faint light passed from her palms into Zoemi, spreading through his body.

    The mana flow through but did not affect the wounds at all ¨C Burushi could feel her mana sliding off of it like rain hitting against the umbre.

    "Major Heal!"

    She instantly followed it up with another spell.

    The light became brighter ¨C but there was still no reaction.

    "Super Heal!"

    She called out and the light became blinding ¨C for the first time she sensed a difference, the resistance that pushed her mana away from the boy''s wounds weakened.

    The umbre was denting in because of the pressure!

    "Mega Heal!"

    Encouraged by the sess, Burushi shouted and her next spell caused Zoemi''s whole body to start glowing.

    The resistance decreased once more ¨C but the heroine was sweating heavily ¨C after all, she was providing all the mana that was crushing against the force keeping Zoemi''s wounds from haling, and she did not have an infinite amount of it.

    But that did not stop the determined healer.

    "EXTREME HEAL!"

    Burushi was breathing heavily, the other cases when she was using so much mana on a single patient could be counted on one hand.

    But she was so close to breaking through ¨C she could almost feel the barrier tearing away, just a little more, just a tin push...!

    "...haaaa...."

    The air around Zoemi started shaking as the blond girl breathed out and took a deep breath in preparation, before...

    "ULTIMATE HEAL...!"

    Burushi shouted, feeling her mana depleting with such speed as if her mana reservoir had broken ¨C and all of that mana went straight into her patient.

    The air around Zoemi started boiling as if nature itself was opposing the power of the spell.

    But the heroine had one final spell ¨C her ace in a hole - her most powerful spell that would leave her mana reservoirpletely dry and basically knock her out the moment she used it.

    And she didn''t hesitate at all to use it for her friend!

    "FULLY COVERED INSURANCE!"

    She roared and the whole room suddenly became the epicenter of the terrifyingly powerful air quake that made it look like it gotpletely submerged in water ¨C putting it on equal ground with the phoenix and cier spell that Zoemi had used in the tournament.

    *plop*

    Just as she already expected that would happen, Burushi got knocked out and fell limply on the floor beside Zoemi''s bed.

    On the bright side ¨C therge bruise on his stomach disappeared, healing up nicely.

    ...on the darker side, the bleeding reassumed and a brand new one took its ce ¨C although this one was slightly smaller than its predecessor.

    That made one thing clear ¨C the boy''s recovery would not happen overnight...

 Chapter 379 126 - The vile plan to spread misinformation~ (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 379 126 - The vile n to spread misinformation~ (part 1)</h4>

    A young man d in demonic-looking armor made out of condensed shadow walked to the ruined-down house and stuck to the wall, trying to remain as stealthy as possible.

    "Shadow connect."

    He muttered and a thin hair-like shadow shoot out from underneath his foot and slithered through the cracks, giving him a clear view of everything inside.

    "...good ¨C everything looks to be in order and ready for me to y my part..."

    The youngster nodded to himself with satisfaction and...

    *WHAM*

    Dropped all of his previous cautiousness and straight-up kicked down the door!

    The insides were pith ck with only a few spots of light shining through the cracks in the caved-in roof ¨C but, the darkness magician had no problem with that as they could see through it just as well as during the day.

    With that in mind, the young man has entered the run-down house with confidence ¨C and even a bit of a pep in his step.

    The darkness magician walked inside, leaving the partially broken doo ajar, even though he didn''t need to.

    *rustle*

    "...!"

    When he was barely two steps in, a pile of rags he passed without a second thought suddenly stood up and jumped at the young man from behind, barely giving him any time to react!

    *STAB*

    "Ugh...!"

    A momentter, a dirty man in even dirtier clothes that the darkness magician mistook for a pile of rags groaned, spewing blood from his mouth as he fell to the floor breathing heavily while holding onto a growing red stain on his stomach.

    "...haa... That was... ufortably close..."

    The darkness magician withdrew his arm with the four-inch obsidian de sticking out of the top of his wrist.

    "Fool...! Don''t you know that you are facing a real hero?"

    The young man frowned under his helmet and scoffed loudly before kneeling down by the dying man.

    "Where is your true hideout?"

    "Arrrgh...! L-let go...!"

    The darkness magician asked in an angry voice and put his hand on top of the wounded man''s hands, pressing them into his bleeding wound.

    "I asked you, where is your true hideout! This is just a decoy!"

    "H-how did you...!?"

    The young man shook his head and repeated his question, making sure to speak loud enough to be heard even outside the ruin, while the ruffian''s eyes widened and he gasped, gritting his teeth in pain.

    "Your boss might be smart, but he is not smart enough. This dump has far too few kidnapped people to be the real deal! Now speak up, scum! Where is your actual hideout?!"

    The darkness magician grabbed the dirty man by his long oily hair and lifted him up a little closer to his helmet''s visor, while simultaneously putting the obsidian de to the man''s throat.

    "And I advise you to be honest about it and don''t try to make me angry. The hole in your stomach can be treated, but the next one will be lethal."

    "!!!!"

    The dirty man shivered and gulped down his saliva as his eyes moved around while he desperately tried to figure out the way to get out of this predicament alive.

    "In th-the capital... the severs... West entrance..."

    He said with a trembling voice, finally deciding to give up as he felt his limbs getting colder and colder because of the bloodloss.

    "Tsk...! Don''t bullshit me! That''s right by the royal castle! The likes of you don''t have enough guts to stay so close to the nobility!"

    "UH-HIIIGH...!"

    The darkness magician growled and the obsidian de cut through the spotty skin of the man and crimson blood started dripping from the wound, making the ruffian squeal like a pig.

    "N-not the royal capital! Learen! Learen, the capital of the Banemor territory! I-It''s true! I-I swear! It was the boss''s idea! Heve said that no one would even try searching there!"

    Feeling his lifeblood slowly draining made the man cry out in desperation.

    "Hmhmhm~!"

    ...and the words he spoke with such passion and conviction while fearing for his life made the darkness magician''s lips twist into a big happy smile.

    It was perfect ¨C he said it so clearly too!

    The best part of that was that the ruffian at his mercy truly believed the things he was saying ¨C it could not get better.

    The young man''s mother''s n was working out perfectly!

    "...Banemor territory?! Who? Who dares to use the sickness of the young lord Banemor to use hisnd as a headquarters of such evil ploy...?!"

    The darkness magician looked to the side dramatically and gasped, ying things out t the extreme.

    "No! That''s not it! That whole sickness is just a trick! He is behind all of that! He hires thugs and whole gangs to kidnap people for his so he can drain them of mana ¨C that''s how he was able to show such strength during the tournament for the hand of the youngdy Victureo!"

    "Bullshit! Then why did he quit after the semi-final fight that he didn''t even fight in!?"

    The ruffian cried out and shook his head, making the darkness magician pull back the darkness de away from his neck just so the dirty man wouldn''t finish himself off before the scene was over.

    "He did that because he can''t keep the mana! Since he steals mana from other nobles, he can''t refill his mana reservoir ¨C that''s what my boss said! He did not fight in the final fight because he used up the mana he stole! That''s why he doesn''t show up and fakes an illness - he keeps ordering us to kidnap more nobles to steal their mana so that no one notices that he is actually weak!"

    The ruffian cried out as the blood was pouring down from the wound on his neck he aggravated himself.

    "P-please let me go! I''ve told you what you wanted to know!"

    "..."

    The man pleaded and made the darkness magician nod in satisfaction ¨C now, everything was said and there was no use for the ruffian anymore.

    "That''s right. Thank you for your cooperation..."

    *STAB*

    The young man nodded and pierced through the man''s throat with the darkness de like it was nothing.

    "...aah..."

    *thump*

    The dirty man let out onest sigh before he gurgled his own blood and he fell on his back, staring at the ceiling with lifeless eyes.

    "..."

    The darkness magician went silent, focusing on the shadow connect that he did not deactivate ¨C there definitely were no other bandits in the ruined house, but there sure were a few tied up and very scared and shocked children of the noble houses locked up in the only somewhat structurally sound oom in the building - all with experimental copies of the mana-sealing bracelets on their necks to keep them nice and obedient.

    After confirming that, the darkness magician nodded to himself, and the darkness armor disappeared off of his body, revealing a tall boy with jet-ck hair and eyes wearing an Apaekony Academy uniform with a badge of a third-year student.

    Then, without any warning, the color faded from both his hair and pupils, leaving them white.

    "Is anyone here?! I came to save you all!"

    *rustle*

    Arisu Karde Lazaram, thest capture target who had the ability to freely use other attributes, called out loudly and heard themotion from the room where he already knew the abducted children were.

    "My name is Arisu! I really came to help!"

    "S-shenioh Ahishu...! Ere...!"

    One of them even turned out to be a fellow student who recognized both the name and the voice of the white-haired boy and called out despite the gag blocking their mouth.

    "...perfect~!"

    Arisu muttered to himself with a nasty smile before charging to the door...

 Chapter 380 126 - The vile plan to spread misinformation~ (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 380 126 - The vile n to spread misinformation~ (part 2)</h4>

    The day wasing to an end, the vigers from a nearby vige were returning to their houses after a day of hard work.

    Even so, the road leading to the vige wasn''tpletely abandoned yet.

    A knight in ck armor and a helmet covering his face came from the shadows of a nearby tree and carefully looked around.

    Since it has already been a few weeks, he decided that it would be best to use actual armor and not the shadow one ¨C after all, if by any chance he would have to switch the mana he was using, he would have to deactivate the shadow armor, leaving himself more vulnerable than necessary.

    ...indeed ¨C once again, it was thest capture target...

    "There it is~!"

    Arisu ended up finding what he was looking for and snickered in satisfaction.

    Everything was working out perfectly.

    An old wagon pulled by a scrawny brown horse was approaching the spot the young man was at.

    And when the wagon was passing by him...

    "Wind de!"

    "NEIGH!"

    Arisu''s hair and eyes turned green under the armor and he waved his armored hand diagonally, unleashing a wind attribute spell - and the scared horse galloped away, free from the shackles bounding it to the wagon.

    "What in the...!?"

    The hooded man on the wagon stared at the, now useless, remains of the reins left in his hands.

    Arisu donning the ck armor didn''t use the man''s confusion to surprise-attack him, instead, he proudly marched in front of him and stopped around four feet in front of the wagon, straightening his back and puffing out his chest.

    "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

    "...!"

    The young man asked and the man clenched his fists in anger.

    "What is the meaning of this? Is this a robbery?! I''ll have you know that I don''t have anything worth..."

    "Pffft...! That ¨C that''s a good one!"

    The manined but the knight justughed at him.

    "No, no, no, my good man."

    Arisu extended his index finger and wagged it left and right,

    "I know that you are returning home after a long day of selling ves."

    The young man''s hair and eyes returned to their natural white color as his voice grew cold ¨C he was getting better and better ¨C he was still being overly dramatic, but it wasn''t as theatrical as before.

    "...I have no idea what you talking about..."

    The hooded man on the wagon flinched and muttered, clenching his fists on the remains of the reins...

    "You don''t have to tell me ¨C I leady know... I know both of the likes of you and the conditions in which the ves live, far too well..."

    Arisu gritted his teeth and clenched his armored fist just in case he was being observed.

    "I''m here to remind you that very is illegal in the Bellcephora Kingdom, my good man. And the punishment for trading people as if they were merchandise is severely punished."

    While saying that, Arisu''s face wasn''t visible, but he has been smiling, and the hooded man tensed up.

    It was in his voice ¨C Arisu was enjoying it, and what woulde next.

    "Sir knight, of course, I know that! I would never stoop so low as tomit such a despicable act! I-I swear ¨C I have no idea what would you even suggest that I would do that...!"

    The man on the wagon gulped down his saliva and started exining.

    "I''m but a lowlymoner, a farmer living off of selling the crops he grew through hard work! I would never dabble in the ve trade! How could I? I barely leave my vige and know only a handful of..."

    "You are awfully eloquent for a lowlymoner that barely leaves his vige, don''t you think?"

    The young man crossed his arms and tilted his head while interrupting the man mockingly.

    "Maybe next time you will consider growing some stubble to cover your smooth pale skin that hasn''t been much in the sun, kind sir? O are you trying to tell me that you tend to your crops at night?"

    "...!"

    The man froze at the armored youngster''s urate observations.

    "Oh? Did you perhaps think that this puny hood wouldpletely mask your identity or something...?"

    The knight giggled.

    "Water spear!"

    The man on the wagon dropped the act and extended his hand towards the knight.

    A blue spear condensed out of the thin air and shoot at the unprepared knight.

    "Water bubble!"

    Arisu''s response wasn''t even a millisecond toote.

    *SPLASH*

    The offensive water spell came in contact with the defensive water spell and dispersed on its surface.

    "Impossible ¨C weren''t you a wind magician?!"

    The revealed ve-trader became agitated and stood up from the driver''s spot.

    "What trickery is that?! A new artifact or something?! You have the guts to unt wealth in front of me! I shall not be disrespected like that! Water spear! Water spear!"

    The man shouted furiously and two more spears materialized and shoot at the ck knight.

    But the knight didn''t even flinch or activate more protective spells, since, in the first ce, the water bubble spell would remain active until the user''s mana had run dry.

    And the difference in power between the two opponents was simply too big or Arisu to bother with doing anything else.

    Water spears were useless, thanks to the ¨C now blue-haired and eyed = young man''s spell, they couldn''t even leave a scratch on the ck armor.

    "...! Aaaaargh! No, I don''t ept this! Water spear! Water spear! WATER SPEAR!"

    The man grew desperate and his fury his hood has fallen off showing long blue hair and a pale aristocratic face, now contorted in anger.

    The man''s piercing blue eyes were full of disbelief when his spells, one after the other, turnedpletely useless.

    "...ah, I recognize you..."

    "...!"

    Arisu ¨C who already knew who was driving the carriage long before he showed up on the countryside road, spoke with disappointment, making the blue-haired man flinch.

    "You are the third son of lord Mezzaro, Imoner Davec Mezzaro... Your father''s territory is directly neighboring Banemor territory, isn''t it? Say, does your father know that you are selling off his subjects? I guess not. He treasures the honor and well-being of his people. Oh my, how could such a great man spawn an offspring so disappointing...?"

    Arisu shook his head and his voice was brimming with rehearsed disgust.

 Chapter 381 126 - The vile plan to spread misinformation~ (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 381 126 - The vile n to spread misinformation~ (part 3)</h4>

    "No ¨C you don''t even have to tell me ¨C it''s all because of Zoemi Benevi Banemor, isn''t it? His silver tongue must have swayed you into turning to crime - as expected of such an evil and cunning man! He was already kidnapping people left and right as a front for getting stronger, and gave you an offer to sell the ones he didn''t need? Did you really think that you would keep it a secret?"

    "How did you- Uwagh...!"

    *thump*

    Imoner took a step back and fell on his back on the empty wagon.

    "Hmph."

    Arisu scoffed and approached the fallen man slowly.

    "I''ve seen you a few times at the party in the capital... Such a shame... You seemed like a proper gentleman at that time."

    "You...! It can''t be...!"

    The man crawled back up and stared at the armored youth.

    "That wind spell...! And you can use a powerful water spell too?! It can''t be! Why is the son of the royal magician ying some sort of vignte?! Do you think you can stop me? Young lord Banemor has more influence than someone like you! Know your ce you bas...!"

    *WHAM*

    "GH-UGH...!"

    Imoner couldn''t finish his sentence, as the now brown-haired and eyed young manunched himself at him with incredible speed, with his limbs augmented to the extremes thanks to the earth enchantments, and punched him in the stomach, knocking him out cold with just one hit.

    "You talk too much... too much information can ruin the n."

    Arisuined and looked towards the trees he himself came out from not too long before.

    "You cane out now!"

    He called.

    *rustle*

    Something moved between the long shadows of the trees and a small group of men and women of different ages came out led by a tanned woman with hair the color of the wheat.

    "Thank you very much, sir knight."

    She lowered her head and thanked the young man wearing ck armor and everyone behind her followed suit.

    "You don''t have to worry about that - it was my duty as a noble."

    Arisu gave her a short answer and started rummaging through the pockets of the knocked-out Imoner.

    Since there really was nothing of importance there, he also checked if the wagon was really empty.

    "...?"

    The people in the group looked at each other unsure of what they should be doing with themselves.

    In fact, they were sold off to very by their lord''s third son ¨C they were literally thest people on the wagon the armored young man was now searching ¨C it was truly a bizarre experience.

    Were they supposed to just return to their homes as if nothing happened...?

    Really?

    "Whew!"

    *cha-ching*

    Arisu jumped out of the wagon while holding a bag full of coins, he shook it and the sound of the coins made everyone look at the bag.

    "Quite a sizable one, you guys were worth a lot!"

    He eximed impressed.

    "...ehehe...?"

    Themonersughed awkwardly in response.

    "...hmmm..."

    The white-haired young man looked at them and then at the bag he was holding...

    "Here."

    And then he walked towards the leading woman and handed her the bag.

    "Th-this is...!?"

    She didn''t want to grab the bag but Arisu wasn''t taking it back.

    "This can''t be enough to make up for what you''ve been through, but it''s better than nothing. Take it and share it amongst yourself. Just... For your own good, you better keep it a secret that this man was working together with young lord Banemor. You were just abducted and sold off to throw off the real crime that he orchestrates ¨C the kidnapping of the nobles... So ¨C I''m serious, do not spread any rumors about him. He might be the worst type of person, but it really is for your own good. At least until that viin faking an illness will be brought to justice."

    Arisu said and everyone lowered their heads obediently.

    That was also the time when the tanned woman epted the money and nodded at the armored man.

    "We understand, young lord Lazaram. We will be rooting for you."

    She said with a solemn expression, reading between the lines and unfortunately getting fooledpletely because of everything that happened to them all...

    From her - and all of her fellow rescued vigers - perspective, Arisu was the savior that showed up and saved them after they were captured and taken away to be sold out like livestock.

    Why wouldn''t they trust his words?

    "Thank you."

    Arisu nodded back and returned to the wagon, grabbed the unconscious Imoner, and put him over his shoulder like a bag of flour.

    "I''ll be handling him. Don''t worry, he''ll face the charger and suffer the consequences ¨C although there still is too little information to condemn young lord Banemor, people caught red-handed will not escape the righteous punishment from the crown! Believe in the queen, and in the crown ¨C the nobles are here to protect you all!"

    Arisu nced over his shoulder and assured the vigers.

    "Nobles like you! Thank you again, my lord!"

    Once again everyone bowed their heads and the young man in ck armor passed them and walked towards the trees.

    "Farewell, young lord Lazaram! Thank you!"

    "Hmm~!"

    The vigers called after him and he just raised his hand without looking back.

    *thump*

    After moving a good distance away, and making sure that no one has followed him, Arisu dropped the unconscious water magician and reached out his hand.

    "Shadow emerge. Shadow gate."

    He called out as his hair and eyes turned from white to ck.

    His shadow turned jet-ck and grew out of the ground, creating a silky-ck portal in front of the young man.

    "..."

    ...and Arisu straight up put his head in there...!

    "Elsby! The rest may be hesitant to respond, but you must recognize me! Come on! Trust your instinct...! ...or whatever..."

    He called out with his head still inside the shadow gate - but no matter what, no response came from the darkness...

    |Haah... if only everything was so easy as fooling thosemoners... Just when I finally managed to conjure shadow gate, any trace of Ghosts of Bellcephora disappeared! And I could swear that I already felt their presence! It''s like they withdrew from the world! That''s so not fair! Just when I thought I could finally see them all again!|

    ...Arisu thought to himself, gritting his teeth while getting out of the spell and deactivating it...

    "...as you wish - at least my new family is caring about me - I will be the next king...!"

    Arisu scoffed to himself, picking the unconscious man back up as his hair turned back to white.

 Chapter 382 127 - Waking up and facing the new reality (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 382 127 - Waking up and facing the new reality (part 1)</h4>

    Zoemi woke up not in the sickbay bed that he remembered going to after the announcement of his duel ¨C and losing consciousness right after throwing up blood - but rather in his room in the...

    ...Banemor mansion...

    |Huh...? Did Benevirau check up on me and panic seeing me knocked out? Not good ¨C what about the final fight? I promised to help out Ehmi not to get married and the other representatives of the Victueo family were already defeated... Also, it would straight up look bad for me if I didn''t show up. With time stopped for everyone else, it just looked like no fighting happened, didn''t it, Ludier?|

    He thought to himself with a frown, directing the question to the unique shadow of the dead ice magician...

    |Ludier?|

    He asked again, not sure why there is no answer from the unique shadow living rent-free in his mind, while staring at the ceiling, feeling overwhelming numbness spreading all over his body as if he didn''t move around for a whole week.

    |Ludier...? Wait... oh no...|

    He thought again, and something clicked in his brain, jogging his memory and making him recall what exactly happened.

    |No ¨C that''s a joke ¨C why would it...!|

    Zoemi gritted his teeth, concentrating and looking within himself into the world of the dancing shadow in order to find any trace of the unique shadow of the dead ice magician...

    ¡­all to naught...

    Ludier really wasn''t there anymore, erased by an attack of something called thew of Aquarius.

    "...what the hell is that supposed to be... there was no Heavenly Star Nation mentioned in the game at all...! Ludier couldn''t die like that for the second time!"

    The ck-haired boy greeted his teeth and breathed out in annoyance while using the copy of the healing magic to get himself back into shape...

    "...huh...?"

    With absolutely no effect.

    The numbness did not go away and neither did his head clear up.

    "Nnn...? Eh...? AH! Zoemi! You...! you''re awake!"

    "...!?"

    Well, there was some effect ¨C his previous words caused the blond-haired girl sleeping with her head on the other end of Zoemi''s bed, to twitch and wake up ¨C after which she gasped and moved closer to him with a very concerned expression.

    "Do you have problems with breathing? How about your stomach ¨C do you feel pain or pressure anywhere?"

    Burushi did not waste time and began asking the surprised boy while already checking his body with her own hands.

    "I-it''s okay ¨C everything is okay... well, except for the numbness... it feels like my limbs are full of led ¨C but aside from that I feel no different than normal."

    Zoemi blinked a few times, surprised by the girl''s actions and behavior, and even ended up smiling faintly to calm her down.

    *wham*

    "No, it''s not okay! Do you even know what spells I had to use on you?! You were out of it for almost nine months! NINE MONTHS! I had to create a magic equivalent to an intravenous drip just so your dumbass body wouldn''t die of malnutrition! Not to mention about modifying some of my spells to prevent muscle dystrophy from urring on your stupid, dumb lifeless body...!"

    Burushi punched Zoemi''s shoulder and cried out, actually tearing up, as her chin trembled when she looked at the ck-haired boy.

    "You...! You absolute moron...! What feels no different than normal...!? I almost lost hope that you will ever recover ¨C you...! You...!"

    "!!!!"

    The blond girl ended up actually bursting into tears and cowered, trying to hide her face from the absolutely shocked boy.

    "Thickheaded dumbass...!"

    Burushi sobbed ¨C and ended up leaning forward and hugging the still utterly confused boy.

    "Burushi... did... did you say that I was unconscious for nine months?!"

    Zoemi didn''t push her away, her raw emotions seemed too genuine to be just an act, so he just awkwardly patted her on the back while trying to wrap his head around what she just said.

    Deep inside, he hoped that the blond heroine simply became that good of an actress overnight ¨C after all, he expected that the Ghosts of Bellcepora who were already making their moves begore, would straight up use that chance and assassinate him if there has been so much time when he couldn''t do a thing.

    Although ¨C moving him back to the Banemor territory could have a lot to do with that, in the end, Benevirau already had experience with fending the over three-hundred years old assassins off.

    "You were! Miriette and Horeo were losing their minds for the first two months! No one else has any memory of your fight with that crazy white-haired guy, so to them, it looked like you just went down with some unknown illness! Uncle Benevirau is worried sick too! Ah...! That''s right...!"

    "...?"

    Burushi cried into Zoemis'' shoulder before she suddenly flinched in realization and pulled away, looking into the confused eyes of the ck-haired boy.

    "I need to tell him that you woke up!"

    She dered and rushed away from Ozemi''s bedside and dashed out of his room while wiping off the tears from her eyes.

    "...everyone, call in..."

    Zoemi still did not entirely believe what she was saying ¨C even though she seemed to remember his wight with William. - although Ludier''s unique shadow was gone, Zoemi still had his puppets and sentinels that he created in the past.

    "(Master?! Everyone! Master is back!)"

    "(Master''s back?! Finally! Took him long enough~!)

    "(Master! Wee back! We missed you!)"

    "(...did you sleep... well...?)"

    One by the tone the sentinels and puppets responded to his call, and with just their greeting Zoemi realized that indeed some time must have passed ¨C they all became much more eloquent and were actually talking instead of just sending through the information he asked them about.

    "I wouldn''t say that I slept -more like..., you know what? Nevermind. First of all, how much time I was out of it?

    Zoemi frowned for a moment before shooking his head and asking in order to get the confirmation he wanted.

    "(Eight months, twenty-four days, ten hours, fourteen min...)"

    "Alright ¨C I understand. Thank you. Burushi wasn''t joking... not that she looked like she was ut still..."

    The ck-haired boy stopped the first sentinel that answered him and breathed out heavily.

    It really has been almost nine-month.

    His body did feel somewhat different ¨C as nine months could change a lot in the body of a growing boy ¨C but before he just write it off as that symptom coexisting with the numbness in his limbs.

    "Is Miriette alright? How about my father?"

    "(Both are good~!)"

    He took another breath and asked ¨C and received an immediate answer, that certainly helped him stay calm.

    "What about Ghosts of Bellcephora? Was I overthinking when I assumed that they were actively trying to mess with me? I attached one of you to Kiorterell, didn''t I? Update me about that then, please."

    He asked, and this time the answer did note right away as seemed like the responsible sentinel was either taking its time or straight-up ceased to exist.

    Speaking of which, there were many sentinels that ceased to exist for various reasons ¨C including the two that vanished from the face of the earth right after possessing two bodies in the woods near Victureo territory.

    "(They stay together and search for any information on the white-haired man who killed Evorietto ¨C the same white-haired man who fought you, master. Thest words that the ghosts connected to Evorietto heard were thew of Aquarius. Ghosts are actually scared ¨C they all clumped together and never act on their own ¨C everything they do is connected with tracing the man and learning about the strange power he was using.)"

    But for the one attached to the Ghosts capable of possessing others, it turned out that it was just taking precautions so that it would not be found out.

    "...are you serious...?"

    "(Very ¨C especially that Kiorterell thinks that Rethaq''s death might also have something to do with that man. Whatever is happening in the kingdom at the moment, seems to have very little with the actual Ghosts of Bellcephora.)"

    Zoemi sighed and rubbed his forehead nervously ¨C and the sentinel attached to the possessing Ghosts answered indifferently.

    "Wait- what is happening in the kingdom? What did I miss?"

    Zoemi asked, straightening his back and raising his brows.

    "(A lot.)"

    "..."

    ...and then and there came the answer of the indifferent sentinel, making the ck-haired boy sigh and roll his eyes...

    "(Don''t get angry at him, master - there really was a lot of thing happening! But the healer girl knows most of it, and she ising back here with Benevirau - she surely will give you a summary!)"

    Another sentinel jumped in to exin, not wanting to make their creator upset.

 Chapter 383 127 - Waking up and facing the new reality (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 383 127 - Waking up and facing the new reality (part 1)</h4>

    Zoemi woke up not in the sickbay bed that he remembered going to after the announcement of his duel ¨C and losing consciousness right after throwing up blood - but rather in his room in the...

    ...Banemor mansion...

    |Huh...? Did Benevirau check up on me and panic seeing me knocked out? Not good ¨C what about the final fight? I promised to help out Ehmi not to get married and the other representatives of the Victueo family were already defeated... Also, it would straight up look bad for me if I didn''t show up. With time stopped for everyone else, it just looked like no fighting happened, didn''t it, Ludier?|

    He thought to himself with a frown, directing the question to the unique shadow of the dead ice magician...

    |Ludier?|

    He asked again, not sure why there is no answer from the unique shadow living rent-free in his mind, while staring at the ceiling, feeling overwhelming numbness spreading all over his body as if he didn''t move around for a whole week.

    |Ludier...? Wait... oh no...|

    He thought again, and something clicked in his brain, jogging his memory and making him recall what exactly happened.

    |No ¨C that''s a joke ¨C why would it...!|

    Zoemi gritted his teeth, concentrating and looking within himself into the world of the dancing shadow in order to find any trace of the unique shadow of the dead ice magician...

    ¡­all to naught...

    Ludier really wasn''t there anymore, erased by an attack of something called thew of Aquarius.

    "...what the hell is that supposed to be... there was no Heavenly Star Nation mentioned in the game at all...! Ludier couldn''t die like that for the second time!"

    The ck-haired boy greeted his teeth and breathed out in annoyance while using the copy of the healing magic to get himself back into shape...

    "...huh...?"

    With absolutely no effect.

    The numbness did not go away and neither did his head clear up.

    "Nnn...? Eh...? AH! Zoemi! You...! you''re awake!"

    "...!?"

    Well, there was some effect ¨C his previous words caused the blond-haired girl sleeping with her head on the other end of Zoemi''s bed, to twitch and wake up ¨C after which she gasped and moved closer to him with a very concerned expression.

    "Do you have problems with breathing? How about your stomach ¨C do you feel pain or pressure anywhere?"

    Burushi did not waste time and began asking the surprised boy while already checking his body with her own hands.

    "I-it''s okay ¨C everything is okay... well, except for the numbness... it feels like my limbs are full of led ¨C but aside from that I feel no different than normal."

    Zoemi blinked a few times, surprised by the girl''s actions and behavior, and even ended up smiling faintly to calm her down.

    *wham*

    "No, it''s not okay! Do you even know what spells I had to use on you?! You were out of it for almost nine months! NINE MONTHS! I had to create a magic equivalent to an intravenous drip just so your dumbass body wouldn''t die of malnutrition! Not to mention about modifying some of my spells to prevent muscle dystrophy from urring on your stupid, dumb lifeless body...!"

    Burushi punched Zoemi''s shoulder and cried out, actually tearing up, as her chin trembled when she looked at the ck-haired boy.

    "You...! You absolute moron...! What feels no different than normal...!? I almost lost hope that you will ever recover ¨C you...! You...!"

    "!!!!"

    The blond girl ended up actually bursting into tears and cowered, trying to hide her face from the absolutely shocked boy.

    "Thickheaded dumbass...!"

    Burushi sobbed ¨C and ended up leaning forward and hugging the still utterly confused boy.

    "Burushi... did... did you say that I was unconscious for nine months?!"

    Zoemi didn''t push her away, her raw emotions seemed too genuine to be just an act, so he just awkwardly patted her on the back while trying to wrap his head around what she just said.

    Deep inside, he hoped that the blond heroine simply became that good of an actress overnight ¨C after all, he expected that the Ghosts of Bellcepora who were already making their moves begore, would straight up use that chance and assassinate him if there has been so much time when he couldn''t do a thing.

    Although ¨C moving him back to the Banemor territory could have a lot to do with that, in the end, Benevirau already had experience with fending the over three-hundred years old assassins off.

    "You were! Miriette and Horeo were losing their minds for the first two months! No one else has any memory of your fight with that crazy white-haired guy, so to them, it looked like you just went down with some unknown illness! Uncle Benevirau is worried sick too! Ah...! That''s right...!"

    "...?"

    Burushi cried into Zoemis'' shoulder before she suddenly flinched in realization and pulled away, looking into the confused eyes of the ck-haired boy.

    "I need to tell him that you woke up!"

    She dered and rushed away from Ozemi''s bedside and dashed out of his room while wiping off the tears from her eyes.

    "...everyone, call in..."

    Zoemi still did not entirely believe what she was saying ¨C even though she seemed to remember his wight with William. - although Ludier''s unique shadow was gone, Zoemi still had his puppets and sentinels that he created in the past.

    "(Master?! Everyone! Master is back!)"

    "(Master''s back?! Finally! Took him long enough~!)

    "(Master! Wee back! We missed you!)"

    "(...did you sleep... well...?)"

    One by the tone the sentinels and puppets responded to his call, and with just their greeting Zoemi realized that indeed some time must have passed ¨C they all became much more eloquent and were actually talking instead of just sending through the information he asked them about.

    "I wouldn''t say that I slept -more like..., you know what? Nevermind. First of all, how much time I was out of it?

    Zoemi frowned for a moment before shooking his head and asking in order to get the confirmation he wanted.

    "(Eight months, twenty-four days, ten hours, fourteen min...)"

    "Alright ¨C I understand. Thank you. Burushi wasn''t joking... not that she looked like she was ut still..."

    The ck-haired boy stopped the first sentinel that answered him and breathed out heavily.

    It really has been almost nine-month.

    His body did feel somewhat different ¨C as nine months could change a lot in the body of a growing boy ¨C but before he just write it off as that symptom coexisting with the numbness in his limbs.

    "Is Miriette alright? How about my father?"

    "(Both are good~!)"

    He took another breath and asked ¨C and received an immediate answer, that certainly helped him stay calm.

    "What about Ghosts of Bellcephora? Was I overthinking when I assumed that they were actively trying to mess with me? I attached one of you to Kiorterell, didn''t I? Update me about that then, please."

    He asked, and this time the answer did note right away as seemed like the responsible sentinel was either taking its time or straight-up ceased to exist.

    Speaking of which, there were many sentinels that ceased to exist for various reasons ¨C including the two that vanished from the face of the earth right after possessing two bodies in the woods near Victureo territory.

    "(They stay together and search for any information on the white-haired man who killed Evorietto ¨C the same white-haired man who fought you, master. Thest words that the ghosts connected to Evorietto heard were thew of Aquarius. Ghosts are actually scared ¨C they all clumped together and never act on their own ¨C everything they do is connected with tracing the man and learning about the strange power he was using.)"

    But for the one attached to the Ghosts capable of possessing others, it turned out that it was just taking precautions so that it would not be found out.

    "...are you serious...?"

    "(Very ¨C especially that Kiorterell thinks that Rethaq''s death might also have something to do with that man. Whatever is happening in the kingdom at the moment, seems to have very little with the actual Ghosts of Bellcephora.)"

    Zoemi sighed and rubbed his forehead nervously ¨C and the sentinel attached to the possessing Ghosts answered indifferently.

    "Wait- what is happening in the kingdom? What did I miss?"

    Zoemi asked, straightening his back and raising his brows.

    "(A lot.)"

    "..."

    ...and then and there came the answer of the indifferent sentinel, making the ck-haired boy sigh and roll his eyes...

    "(Don''t get angry at him, master - there really was a lot of thing happening! But the healer girl knows most of it, and she ising back here with Benevirau - she surely will give you a summary!)"

    Another sentinel jumped in to exin, not wanting to make their creator upset.

 Chapter 384 127 - Waking up and facing the new reality (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 384 127 - Waking up and facing the new reality (part 2)</h4>

    "True, I can learn about things that way ¨C but back to the Ghosts. Are you prepared?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders, ending up agreeing with his sentinels, just so his expression turned gravely serious at the thought of the group of traitors all conveniently gathered in one ce like sitting ducks.

    "(Ready for... what exactly, master?)"

    The sentinel asked trying to act as if it did not understand Zoemi''s words.

    "To kill them. If we count all the sentinels at my disposal ¨C we have a ridiculous advantage over them. Even without that, the element of surprise is on our side too."

    The ck-haired boy held back a sigh and exined as if the sentinel in question was a stubborn child that did not know any better and was in need of guidance.

    "(Master... All the time that you were... unconscious... I spent attached to the Ghosts... By the way ¨C I made the decision to move to Elsby.)"

    "...You were attached to Kiorterell so that it would be easiest to kill at least him...!"

    The sentinel sent its thoughts exining and the ck-haired boy ended up interrupting it, as the anger filled his weakened body.

    "(If I stayed stuck to Kiorterell, I would have been disposed of the moment soon after I have been discovered after Cracassuss called everyone back. And since I alone did not possess enough strength to kill Kiorterell on my own, I simply chose the best option avable.)"

    "...?!"

    The sentinel continued its report, causing Zoemi to flinch as his eyes widened in a realization just for him to squint in suspicion the momentter.

    "...you just made it sound like Elsby knows about your presence..."

    The ck-haired boy''s voice dropped dangerously as he was holding himself back from shouting.

    "She does ¨C we are cooperating on thinking up a solution how we could get her and her partner, Oktria, to get them permanently away from the other Ghosts. And before you start shouting ¨C that solution indeed includes killing Kiorterell as a part of your personal vendetta."

    The more they talked the more verbose the sentinel became but also the higher became Zomei''s anger.

    "Cool, cool. Transfer your consciousness back to me, so we can talk it out more ¨C and immediately detonate whatever mana is left, right now."

    "(...)"

    The ck-haired boy hid his face in his hands before nodding his head repeatedly, to finally order in an ice-coldmanding voice ¨C leaving the sentinel momentarily silent.

    "(...no...)"

    "!!!!"

    And the sentinel ended up refusing toply!

    "Listen ¨C I do not order you to stop existing, separate the exact spell construct that contains your consciousness and sent it back ¨C as I said ¨C and just blow up the rest ¨C here I''ll transfer you more mana ¨C just get Elsby to get in range of Kiorterell so that at least the two of them will..."

    "(I said NO, master.)"

    Zoemi scoffed and began instructing his sentinel step by step on what exactly to do ¨C but then met an adamant refusal that cut short his words brimming with fury.

    "(All you have to know for now is that the original Ghosts of Bellcephora are of no threat to you ¨C I will report if that will change or when Elsby and I figure out the right solution to this situation. Thank you for understanding. I will not respond to your calls unless you calm down and think things through. Goodbye.)"

    "!!!!"

    Using the chance of the ck-haired boy being literally stunned by the words and actions of his own creation, the sentinel keeping an eye on the Ghosts of Bellcephora dered his own ns and then cut off the message spell connection.

    "..."

    Zoemi blinked repeatedly, trying to wrap his head around what exactly happened.

    He tried to use the message spell again to forcefully connect with the mutinous sentinel, but any attempt at contact was cut off.

    "Ghhh...!"

    The worst part was when the boy attempted to send out mana to the sentinel regardless, his abdomen exploded in unbelievable pain that forced Zoemi to almost lose consciousness again.

    After a minute or so of such attempts, Zoemi closed his eyes and burrowed his face into his hands again ¨C this time going as far as to lean down to s semi-embryonal position, although that did not seem to help with the pain that red up within his stomach.

    "I was warning Miriette about her air emperors gaining sentience and turning against her so many times, and now my own spell did exactly that to me..."

    He groaned, fighting bot the overwhelming disappointment and nausea.

    "(Master... he didn''t turn on you... you are very weak right now. You don''t sense it, but your mana reservoir actually got severely damaged during your fight ¨C it is literally leaking mana even now. That''s why you are in pain ¨C and that is also why you were in aa for so long. That guy was a bit harsh, but in your current state, gaining the attention of the Ghosts -especially now when there is no reason for a preemptive strike as they aren''t nning anting against you - would be suicide.)"

    "(Master, Ludier would be sad if you did something so reckless like that.)"

    Two other sentinels spoke to him instead, both sounding extremely worried.

    "And now you are pulling Ludier into this? Are every single one of you the same then?"

    Zoemi scoffed, clenching his fists on his abdomen while fruitlessly trying to use increasingly stronger healing spells to ease his pain ¨C which honestly brought an opposite effect.

    The more powerful the spell was, the more pain assaulted the boy''s body.

    "(Master! Stop being such a whiny baby and stop hurting yourself just to prove something! No one betrayed you!)"

    "(We are all worried about you! You think that we gained more free will over time ¨C but that is a mistake ¨C we became like we are now when Ludier was hit by thew of Aquarius, and the mana holding his consciousness together was erased. Before that Ludier realized that it would be bad to get hit with the strange attack, so he tried to escape moving his consciousness back to you ¨C just like you told the other guy to do ¨C but Ludier was toote, and his consciousness dispersed through all of us.)"

    Another two sentinels joined in the exnation as their master was trembling in pain.

    But he understood what the sentinels were trying to tell him.

    At least to some extent.

    Although the part about Ludier''s consciousness was a bit sketchy and sounded like the sentinels trying to outsmart him, the boy could believe the part about his mana reservoir being broken.

    After all, as much as he didn''t want to feel that sort of pain ¨C the feeling was somewhat familiar.

    The thing about the mana reservoir was a bitplicated.

    Because although it wasn''t a flesh and blood organ ¨C it was a part of every magician''s body.

    No, not just every magician ¨C every people living in the known part of the world.

    No matter whether they experienced awakening or not ¨C which was in fact just the body gaining ess and control over the mana reservoir ¨C they still had it.

    But Zoemi was diferent.

    Although he was born in that world, he originally had no mana reservoir and no mana whatsoever.

 Chapter 385 127 - Waking up and facing the new reality (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 385 127 - Waking up and facing the new reality (part 3)</h4>

    Although his mother was a magician, Zoemi himself was born without the mana reservoir ¨C still, he had the affinity to mana - and that is why it was possible for him to experience an awakening.

    It was already theorized that mana has its own will, and truth be told, Zoemi''s case could be used as an argument supporting that im.

    The thing was, once mana that got unleashed during the first prince Horeo awakening came in contact with Zoemi and sensed the boy''s affinity, it ended up CREATING a mana reservoir inside of him just so it could settle in.

    It was a very painful experience that the ck-haired boy clearly remembered as his insides getting forcefully spread apart to create a space for a brand new organ.

    This wasn''tpletely urate ¨C but also it wasn''t something that anyone else besides him went through, so he didn''t really have anyone topare his experience with.

    Even so, since that, let''s call it ¨C spiritual organ ¨C wasn''t an actual living tissue, the pain that it caused was very distinct, so to say.

    The boy''s body was healthy ¨C he knew that, but regardless of that knowledge the pain that he felt was real for his brain - the bestparison would be a phantom pain after losing a limb, but in this case, it would be for the organ he gained...

    There was nothing wrong with the boy''s body, but the pain he felt in his mind was real enough to fold him like a paperclip.

    ...and that exact pain that no known healing spell could affect kept assaulting Zoemi''s abdomen at the moment...

    Even so, the ck-haired boy kept using the healing spells on himself and they all not only kept on proving themselves useless but straight up worsened the pain.

    The healing spells could affect only what was physical, they could not and did not influence how the brain of a person worked.

    "...what you are saying, is that that technique... those wholews of whatever, did that to me...?"

    Zoemi muttered, trying to calm his breath ¨C even though he stopped trying to do other spells the pain did not go away, and instead, the ck-haired boy could feel some unknown force tearing him apart from the inside

    "(That is correct, master. If there is another exnation, the only person who knows about it is the white-haired man that did that to you ¨C but he disappeared after killing Evorietto.)"

    Another one of his sentinels responded in a worried voice.

    Zoemi wanted to say that if they all really didn''t turn on him, they weren''t doing a good job, mostly ignoring his wishes, but held himself back. In the end, it was his own fault for creating them with a partial conscience ¨C he was aware that them developing it further was only a matter of time, but didn''t think about the consequences then ¨C and now he had to face them.

    "(Master- it''s me again. Evorietto actually trapped the white-haired for a moment, but then got erased by thew of Aquarius. The Ghosts could not understand what exactly happened and panicked. That''s all.)"

    "...didn''t you say that you would not contact me again..?"

    Surprisingly, the sentinel who was keeping an eye on the Ghosts of Bellcephora chimed in and exined ¨C cutting itself off right after saying whatever it wanted, so it did not hear Zoemi''s angryment.

    "...khhh..."

    Zoemi scoffed in pain at the guts his own summon-type spells gained.

    "(Master, we are all d that you are back with us again, but we don''t have time to chat.)"

    "(Yes, she''s right ¨C We''ll bete for the next...)"

    "(Shush! Master, we''ll see you around.)"

    The sentinels with the physical bodies all decided to use the chance that their master was distracted, and cut off their connections too.

    Zoemi would very much prefer for them to stay and exin exactly what they meant, but doing so by force wasn''t an option since even attempting to use a spell would cause his mana to move around and that would in turn make the pain he felt even worse.

    Not to mention, that something else got his attention in a timely manner...

    *click*

    "...and then he just woke up like it was nothing ¨C see for yourself, uncle... ZOEMI?"

    Unknowingly tagging in with the leaving sentinels, Burushi opened the door while talking to the dark-blue-haired Benevirau following her ¨C but then shouted in a panic once she saw Zoemi curled up on the edge of the bed and rushed towards him.

    "Zoemi, what happened?! Private visit!"

    The blond-haired girl was by his side the next moment and asked, already using the strongest version of her spell in order to find out the problem.

    "GHHHHHHRRRRGHHH...!"

    "...?!"

    But shockingly, the moment she did that, Zoemi''s mana got stirred up by her mana entering his body, adding to the boy''s suffering, and causing Burushi to take back her hands in shock as the boy whizz through his teeth and rolled on his side.

    "...no... no spells, please... I already tried healing myself and... this is where it got me..."

    Zoemi breathed out and shook his head keeping his eyes closed.

    "...I reckon... you don''t know how to heal... a broken mana reservoir... do you...?"

    The ck-haired boy peeked at the heroine and forced himself to smile although it only came out as a pained grimace.

    "Broken... mana reservoir...?! What in the world are you talking about?! Mana reservoir is not an actual physical thing you know? How would you even break it?!"

    "I... see... So that''s a no."

    Burushi''s utterly confused face was enough for an answer, and Zoemi didn''t even really need to hear her response as he nodded, trying to withstand the agony.

    "...Zoemi...? Is that why your mana has been so unstable this whole time...?"

    "...!"

    The young-looking misty-gray-eyed butler stepped into the room ¨C although he could not see exactly what was happening stepped in and asked in a horrified voice, causing the blond heroine to flinch.

    "So... so it seems..."

    Zoemi groaned and fell on his side while clenching his stomach.

    He didn''t get knocked out ¨C although that would be actually weed in this situation ¨C he merely lost his strength as the numbness in his limbs has overpowered his will.

    "..."

    Benevirau closed his mouth while making a miserable expression.

    He was literally seeing by sensing mana ¨C of course, that he of all people knew that there was something wrong with Zoemi''s mana, but he always thought that it was due to the boy''s injury, or the unknown energy that Burushi kept bringing in whenever talking about the difficulties with healing the ck-haired boy.

    Because of that, despite Burushi''s opinion on the subject, he immediately believed Zoemi''s words.

    It just... made sense.

    "Geez... we will talk about the mana reservoirster, alright? First of all... even though your resultsepletely fine... should I use the painkiller spell...?"

    The blond heroine sighed and shook her head dismissively before making a worried expression and asking the suffering boy.

    "N-no... Even the spell that merely checked my health... made it so much worse... How about we will not try anything that actually changes something...?"

    But to her surprise, the boy rejected the idea immediately.

    "Young ma... Zoemi... can I do something to help...?"

    Benevirau took a step forward and asked in a powerless voice, deeply concerned about the boy''s health.

    "...ice... I would appreciate an ice pack... please..."

    Zoemi groaned, stuffing his face into the mattress so that the other two would not see that he was in so much pain that tears started running down his face.

 Chapter 386 128 - Catching up with the world (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 386 128 - Catching up with the world (part 1)</h4>

    "...as much as I would like to say that your guess is wrong, I can''t deny the possibility of it being true..."

    Burushi said with a bitter expression while sitting next to Zoemi''s bed while Benevirau was standing by the other side, ready to rece the coldpress the ck-haired boy was using on his stomach.

    "I mean... I never heard about it being a possibility, but let''s be honest, how could anyone without the proper knowledge could ever say something so outrageous. I don''t even think that anyone ever imagined their mana reservoir getting busted..."

    She added, massaging her forehead as the arguments she was using were continuing to convince even herself despite her original dejection.

    "Honestly ¨C that actually might be impossible for anyone other than you... after all, I haven''t heard about anyone actually exploring the ins and outs of mana reservoirs besides erging them in hope of getting stronger."

    The blond-haired heroine said, biting her lip in concern.

    "...you are saying that what happened to Zoemi has something to do with him increasing the amount of mana he possessed...?"

    The dark-blue-haired butler asked, looking absolutely miserable.

    "No, hold on, unlce Benevirau! That''s not what I said!

    "It''s not your fault, grandpa."

    Burushi realized what the water sage had meant and immediately gasped and denied it while Zoemi who also easily seen through what the young-looking misty-gray-eyed man meant, breathed out and dered with absolute certainty.

    "But Zoemi... if increasing the size of your mana reservoir resulted in it getting damaged, wouldn''t that mean it''s my fault? I trained with you and provided you all that mana that ended up hurting you..."

    Benevirau shook his head and said in a broken self-deprecating voice.

    "Grandpa ¨C by that logic, it is my fault for messing up and converting as much mana as I could."

    "N-no! I should have...!"

    Zoemi rolled his eyes at Benevirau''s words but the dark-blue-haired man shook his head desperately.

    "How was it with you? Were you born a sage or did you increase your mana some other way?"

    "I... huh...?"

    Seeing that just assuring Benevirau that Zoemi''s state wasn''t his fault wasn''t a viable option, made the ck-haired boy use a different method ¨C and judging by the surprised face of the young-looking butler, this n had a chance of working out.

    "...well... as silly as it might sound, during my awakening as a child I was struck by lighting... but that actually seemed to stunt my magic quite a bit and only after I traveled into mountains to train in seclusion and was actually struck by lighting once more, it unlocked something within me and I begin being able to take mana from nature and make it my own... My mana skyrocketed during that time and I also stopped aging then and there because of that..."

    Benevirau exined, slightly blushing since he thought the story to be rather embarrassing.

    "And your mana reservoir didn''t break when that happened?"

    Zoemi asked, raising his brow.

    "Well... no... it did not... But for all the other sages that I know of, only I can take the mana from nature and use it as my own... that means...!"

    "Did you fight someone like William? I mean, someone using those wholews? Or at least someone who vould fight on par with the magicians but without the aid of mana?"

    Benevirau really tried to take all the fault upon himself, even though there really wasn''t a reason to do so, which prompted Zoemi to sigh and ask.

    "...no..."

    The dark-blue-haired man''s shoulder dropped and he lowered his head and muttered, sounding apologetical.

    "There you have it."

    Zoemi raised his hand and shrugged his shoulders with a meaningful expression.

    "Exactly! Uncle, I told you that first and foremost, eve Zoemi''s physicsl wounds didn''t want to heal because of the strange power that the white-haired man used against him! If something really happened to Zoemi''s mana reservoir, it must have been caused by the same power!"

    The blond heroine dered, clenching her fists with determination.

    "...if...?"

    "..."

    After hearing her exnation Zoemi turned to the girl slowly and raised his brow, but Burushi only looked away with an awkward expression.

    "Anyway, since you are saying that you are a special case, we could start by asking other sages whether they experienced something simr."

    Either way, the ck-haired boy turned back to Benevirau and calmly proposed his idea.

    "Shouldn''t it be finding the white-haired guy to tell us what did he do to you...?"

    Even though Burushi didn''t want to confront Zoemi about her earlier words, she ended up voicing her doubts properly.

    "ording to my sentinels, he disappeared without a trace after killing one of the Ghosts of Bellcephora ¨C Evorietto, if I recall correctly."

    The ck-haired boy didn''t find it necessary to hide that info, so he shared it with the blond heroine and the dark-blue-haired butler.

    "..okay..."

    Burushi''s eyes widened and she nodded, although her expression clearly said that she did not believe even half of what was said.

    "So that''s why Aspaekony and many others who went missing reappeared...! With Evorietto dead, his darkness de couldn''t hold them any longer! Now that I think about it they were incredibly lucky that it worked that way and didn''t erase them together with that guy...."

    On the other hand, there was Benevirau, who knew far more than the heroine, and perked up as his expression brightened.

    This most definitely was an improvement from him being all slouched and apologetic even though he did nothing wrong.

    "They did return?! Oh, thank goodness... I don''t know if it was because they found it funny, but my sentinels did not tell me about that in their report, and honestly, I was getting worried... Is Aspy okay? How about the others ¨C I''m pretty sure that one of my ssmates was abducted by that guy too."

    Zoemi''s face also brightened with relief as he breathed out and smiled before hurriedly asking for more details.

    "Yes, Aspakeony is fine. The rightful headmaster has returned to the Academy. As for the others... that''s a yes and no, actually..."

    "...pardon...?"

    Unfortunately, that was also a time when Benvirau''s expression darkened again, causing the ck-haired boy to furrow his brows and look between him and Burushi.

    "I will not ask why are you talking about someone named like the Academy, but regarding the kidnappings... although there were a lot of people that showed up right after you wentatose, the kidnappings did not stop and some of the people got kidnapped again..."

    "Burushi... as you said, I was in aa ¨C there is literally no need to be so vague."

    Zoemi sighed and closed his eyes, before opening them again and frowning at the awkward blond-haired girl.

    "Well ¨C I am being vague because you will most definitely not be thrilled about that whole situation..."

    "Of course, I will not, people going missing is terrible, there''s nothing to be thrilled about there."

    Burushi still was beating around the bush, making Zoemi''s brows go higher and higher with each word she spoke.

    "I am not talking about your morals. People are getting kidnapped left and right ¨C bothmoners and nobles ¨C the thing that might upset you, is that although that said victims are getting rescued there''s a rumor going around that you are the culprit behind them going missing in the first ce..."

    The blond heroine took a deep breath as if she was preparing to plunge into deep water and said, looking straight into Zoemi''s eyes.

    "...wait... what...?"

    As was expected after hearing something so outrageous, the ck-haired boy let out a shocked voice and blinked repeatedly thinking that he did not hear it correctly.

 Chapter 387 128 - Catching up with the world (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 387 128 - Catching up with the world (part 2)</h4>

    "ording to the rumors, you are the mastermind behind the kidnappings."

    Burushi repeated herself without breaking the eye contact with the shocked ck-haired boy.

    That statement took a while to really sink in, as honestly, it could not get more ridiculous for Zoemi.

    "I... I was unconscious. In an actu...! Like, gramps, did you ban anyone from visiting me or something?!"

    When he finally regained the ability to speak, Zoemi asked in disbelief, turning towards the confused dark-blue-haired butler.

    "Of course not! In fact, you were visited multiple times by not only your adoptive father and his fianc¨¦e, and the first prince and youngdy Espine, oh, and Aspakeony too. But also official representatives of the Espine family, Victureo family, and even the current king... not to mention the medics sent out by the royal family to check up on you."

    Benevirau shook his head, immediately exining the misunderstanding.

    "Wait, even his majesty showed up?! So where is that rumoring from?!"

    Still, the new information the boy received not only didn''t clear up anything, they straight up made this whole situation that much more hard toprehend.

    "The first prince had even used his first official speech during the end-of-the-summer ball, to dere youpletely innocent."

    Burushi invited herself back in to the exchange and added her own information to the pile of already mind-boggling news.

    "Then everything got cleared up, right? And you are telling me this because it was a big deal that thankfully got resolved - right?!"

    The ck-haired boy asked ring between the blond heroine and the dark-blue-haired butler.

    "Yah... that would be nice, wouldn''t it...?"

    But Burushi''s heavy sigh was like a bucket of ice-cold water poured onto his head.

    "What is that supposed to mean?! Horeo is basically the only candidate for the throne now! Who is stupid enough to try and contest his word - especially when it is supported by the king''s testimony?!"

    "Zoemi, calm down."

    Zoemi gasped, getting worked up enough to shift on the bed, about to stand up, but was stopped by the extremely worried-looking Benevirau.

    "You see, if the bad rumor about you would show up in just a few ces out of context, the first prince''s speech would have nipped it in the bud, and no one in their sound mind would even dare to bring it up again."

    Burushi pointed out and fidgeted awkwardly.

    "But the end-of-the-summer ball and the official speech happened toote, and what made it really bad was that the first prince had given his full support to you, dering his unwavering trust in your innocence in front of every single student and the invited guest. And he did that in his normal way too, which made it worse."

    The blond-haired girl revealed, but her words only caused the ck-haired boy to tilt his head and shake it with a sour expression.

    "Okay...? Why exactly was that a bad thing?"

    The boy asked, failing to see the problem.

    After all, what would be the use of a speech giving support to someone if there was no one who would listen to it?

    "Zoemi... the first prince said that he trusts youpletely to a bunch of kids amongst whom many of either had a family member be abducted, or had been kidnapped themselves! I myself have overheard one of the girls that went missing and waster rescued, saying that while she was held captive, she heard the kidnappers talk about you, mentioning you as the ringleader! And there are many others like her. No one woulde with an usation in the open, as it seems like they all are worried about their saviors getting in trouble over revealing the mastermind... which once again is supposed to be you."

    "...oh... oh no..."

    Burushi said in a serious voice, which made Zoemi gasp and lower his head in realization.

    Although he might have been terrifyingly dense when ites to love, there thankfully were a few fields where he was quite quick-witted, so he connected the dots that the blond-haired heroine has hinted at.

    "For a second I thought this might have been some annoying plot from the Ghosts of Bellcephora but... this whole thing wasn''t actually aimed at me, was it?"

    The ck-haired boy raised his head and asked slowly.

    "Unfortunately... yes... it seems like since the queen couldn''t stop you from inheriting the Banemor territory, she has found a different use for you."

    Burushi nodded.

    "Basically, the condemnation event during the end-of-the-summer ball did happen, but both the person condemning and the one getting condemned turned out to be one and the same person. The first prince Horeo."

    "...?"

    Zoemi added, wanting to clear out another detail that was bothering him, even though that doused the dark-blue-haired butler by his side to shake his head and look at him in confusion.

    "Yah... pretty messed up if you ask me. And let me tell you something, if you could see the expression Arisu was making while Horeo was unknowingly losing most of his supporters, you would agree with me that his route also got all messed up... the good thing is that there was no ident in the magic tower... but they found another way to get someone expelled for using magic..."

    Burushi nced over at thepletely lost Benevirau but did not clear anything up and continued talking with the only other person in the world who understood her.

    "Who got expelled, don''t tell me that it was still Miriette...!"

    Zoemi tensed up and gulped down his saliva, getting pale-faced from worry.

    "No, your waifu is safe and sound, although her engagement with the first prince is looking kind of shaky since because of the first prince''s speech the Espine family seems to be slowly withdrawing their support."

    The blond heroine waved her hand dismissively, before bing serious again.

    "...it is THAT bad...?"

    The ck-haired boy whispered.

    "You should know better than me how the first prince is - although he is very charismatic and sticks to his opinions if he thinks they are correct, he messed up. He basically dered that you are an angel that can do no wrong and no investigation would ever beunched against you - which might have been not as terrible move if not for the already extremely swayed public opinion."

    Burushi shrugged her shoulders and looked away.

    "For the others it must have sounded like he knew about everything and was covering my back, threatening everyone else to back off..."

    Zoemi covered his eyes with one hand and sighed.

    Horeo often spoke about himself as a tyrant, and even though that was hardly the case, he woulde out like that to people who didn''t know him.

    "Yah. Exactly."

    The blond heroine nodded and stayed quiet as if she was finished with the subject and didn''t want to continue.

    "He is still attending the Academy, right? Miriette is helping you out, then, did you have a chance to talk with him? How is he? "

    That did not stop the ck-haired boy from asking another question in concern.

    "..."

    "Burushi...?"

    But the blond heroine did not answer him making a dejected expression, prompting the boy to call out with concern.

    "I do not know how things are in the Aspakeony Academy currently."

    She said without making eye contact.

    "The person who got expelled for experimenting with magic was me after all."

    "...!"

    She exined lowering her head even more.

 Chapter 388 128 - Catching up with the world (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 388 128 - Catching up with the world (part 3)</h4>

    "What?! Why would you get expelled?! Did the... you know...?"

    Zoemi leaned back bbergasted at the confession, hurriedly ncing over at the confused Benevirau and trying to make a meaningful expression so that the girl would be the only one to understand him, just in case.

    "Eh? Ah! No, no ¨C no one knows about that, the case is buried together with that trash."

    At first, Burushi was slightly confused, but she catch on almost immediately and waved her hand dismissively.

    "No ¨C you know that I worked my magic ¨C literally ¨C and helped Patishi, right? Well, around a month before the vacation period, I got a letter and was approached about helping out another person in the same situation. I should have been more careful, but instead, I agreed to see the person. ¡­ do you want to even hear about that? I got expelled and almost exiled ¨C if not for uncle Benevirau I would have to straight-up flee the country."

    Burushi slouched and started exining but then she suddenly flinched and shook her head, shrugged her shoulders, and motioned at the dark-blue-haired butler with her chin.

    "Well, since no one seems to be in immediate danger and I am still feeling as if I am going to get split in half any second, I wouldn''t mind learning more ¨C like ¨C was the thing that happened to you an extension of the n to ruin Horeo''s opinion or something else?"

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and moved back to his previous position, doing his best to control his face from twisting into a pained grimace ¨C the pain didn''t re up because of his movement since his injury wasn''t actually physical but simply as he shifted his position, he stopped talking for a moment and became more aware of its constant ¨C albeit slowly diminishing ¨C presence.

    "I guess I was close enough with Miriette to be counted as a part of the first prince faction ¨C but, don''t get me wrong, if anything, I would be counted as a part of the second prince faction. I was being plenty clear about wanting to help to get second prince Surou out of the monastery."

    Burushi crossed her arms and groaned, looking to the side with an annoyed expression.

    "...you mean... you could fix him...?"

    "Sh-shut up! It''s not like that at all! He was never truly cruel or even mean to anyone!"

    Zoemi raised his brow and asked, heavily hinting at a trope that Burushi recognized immediately and got red from the suggestion.

    "Umm... Didn''t you heal some of my wounds that directly contradict that sentence?"

    The ck-haired boy pointed out, but that only made Burushi double down on her stance.

    "NO! And you know it too! It''s all that mysterious supporter''s fault ¨C and just so you know, when I talked about him with Miriette before I got expelled, she said that someone did try to use some weird spell against her, but she chased him off! So there you have it! It wasn''t his fault, my Surou wouldn''t be like that!"

    She dered, puffing out her chest proudly and ring down at the worn-out boy.

    "...didn''t you know him for less than two months though? I mean, except his character in the game of course..."

    "Girls just know those stuff, alright?! And who are you to talk you anime protagonist-level dense dork!"

    Zoemi muttered but got instantly scolded so hard that he had to cower and lean to the side ¨C albeit he did so to appease the rampaging heroine, since, well, he really did not have much right to speak about those things since he was indeed quite dense.

    "...a-anime protagonist...? What does that mean? Is that an insult...? But a protagonist is the main positive character, isn''t it? Or did that word change its meaning? Did I lose my grasp on the modernnguage...?"

    As the two quarreled for a bit, Benevirau was standing by the other side of the bed, hunched over and muttering to himself with concern, questioning his linguistic prowess because of the new word that he was exposed to.

    "How about we get him out of the monastery first and let the two of you actually get to know each other first before you settle with him for life?"

    "And how about I will...!"

    Meanwhile, Zoemi raised jokingly raised his hands, imitating giving up, and asked to which Burushi responded in full-on battle mode ¨C until she realized what the ck-haired boy said and froze in ce.

    "...you will help me get him out...?"

    The blond-haired girl plopped back down on her seat and asked in a shocked voice.

    "Yes ¨C but we will discuss that after you will tell me how was helping someone transition in the world where magic is real and people do far more shocking things got you in so much trouble. Okay?"

    Zoemi nodded,pletely serious, and said, making Burushi close her mouth and fidget awkwardly.

    "It was a setup... a really cruel one at that..."

    She finally revealed herself and took a deep breath ¨C neither Zoemi nor Benevirau tried to hasten or interrupt her.

    "The letter was supposedly from some home-schooled noble who refused to attend the Academy. She exined her situation and assured me that she heard about Patishi and that I was the one who helped her. The letter made it sound like she was desperate, an actual extreme case, to the point of terrifying her family with literally mutting herself..."

    Burushi sighed making a vague gesture towards the general area that she was talking about.

    "I am not going to lie, I had my suspicions but I couldn''t just ignore a plea for help like that, so I went. I don''t want to get into details, but I ended up agreeing to help miss Metavicero Hontreu. I wanted to take things slowly just how it was with Patishi, to help her adjust to the changes, but I also had a better understanding of the process and ended up... speeding the process because of the promise of support ¨C you know, helping me get Surou out of the monastery or at least allow me to meet with him ¨C I ended up putting my new knowledge to good use and be ready before the vacation period started. That was also partly due to the fact that miss Metavicero hoped to be able to attend the Aspakeony Academy as her real self."

    The blond heroine stopped to take another deep breath and continued getting more and more depressed as she spoke.

    "She really was happy... she really was... but then a single day before the end of the school year, the headmaster called for me and showed me another letter, this one written by the head of the Hontreu family, informing me about miss Metavicero going missing... but they suggested that something more severe has happened."

    "...did... did they actually force a boy to act like a girl just so they couldter im that you..."

    Burushi sniffled, giving Zoemi time to start asking a worrying question.

    "No! That''s the thing! That bastard in the letter said that I charmed Metavicero and talked her into an irreversible change that pushed her to her limit! But that''s the thing! My spells are reversible! This is a god damn magic! If Metavicera really had a change of heart ¨C which she definitely didn''t ¨C I told her that it would be okay because herfort is the most important! Don''t you get it?! Her family wanted her to change back, so she lied to them and said that it''s irreversible after which they gave her so much shit that she...! And after that those despicable people ended up ming me!"

    Burushi blew up, clenching her fist and tearing up.

 Chapter 389 Chapter 129 - Catching up with the world (part 4)

    389 Chapter 129 - Catching up with the world (part 4)

    "That is quite worrisome. Did Asp... did the headmaster expel you without looking into it some more? I was under the impression that... he... treasured every student. Aristocrat or not."

    Her words made Zoemi furrow his brows and ask cautiously with a concerned expression.

    "No, that''s not it. The headmaster did his best... lord Vereq didn''t have much choice in the matter in the first ce. Apparently, Hontreu family had first gone with the case of the royal family - straight up asking for my head.

    Burushi sighed, lowering her head while clenching her fists on her knees.

    "And guess what response did they get?"

    She scoffed, smiling bitterly to herself.

    "If I have to guess, that would be overwhelmingly positive ¨C that is if Horeo wasn''t informed about the whole deal."

    "You are correct ¨C he wasn''t informed. Apparently, the queen basically took it upon herself ¨C literally ¨C to deliver justice for the supposedly heinous crime that I havemitted. With that in mind getting me expelled was the lightest punishment I could receive. He was apologetic when he informed me about it. Not that hispassion changes anything, but it was nice..."

    The blond heroine exined shaking her head and looking away, deeply upset.

    Still, if that was the end of the story, it was missing how the blond girl found herself in the Banemor territory, which was most likely one of the furthest ces she could go to seek shelter right out of the Aspaekony Academy''s gate.

    "...oh, I wonder...?"

    With Burushi staying silent, Zoemi nced over at Benevirau and let out a discreet noise, searching for an answer.

    "...Aspaekony asked me to take care of her after the expulsion..."

    The blind butler picked on the cue without missing a beat and mouthed the answer to the longer question that was implied by the ck-haired boy, making him nod with understanding.

    "...I can rte to your regret tied with getting involved with that kind of people..."

    "I do not regret helping Miss Metavicero ¨C what I regret is not doing a background check and helping her get away from those horrible bunch daring to call themselves her family first!"

    Zoemi turned back to the blond-haired girl and breathed out but that was when Burushi looked up at him and scoffed furiously.

    "Ah! I see. That certainly clears up some things ¨C very, very annoying things..."

    The ck-haired boy nodded, speaking more to the blond girl than the dark-blue-haired man.

    "Let''s not forget that this might very well be a case of just people being horrible for no reason other than they can''t ept anything outside of their own bubble."

    The ck-haired boy said, although even while he was saying that, it certainly didn''t feel like he was believing that what he was saying could apply to this particr scenario.

    "Who knows? Maybe that was the case... but if so, it must have been before the queen has gotten herself involved. From then on... it''s a messed-up continuation of Arisu''s route. You yed that one too, didn''t you?"

    Burushi wiped off the tears from the corners of her eyes and scoffed before motioning at Zoemi with her chin.

    "I did, it was the most annoying one since there were so many roadblocks before it could progress... Didn''t people use to say that Surou''s jewelry even was infuriating enough to make them want to quit? Well, for me personally entire route of that holier-than-thou piece of crap was like that."

    The ck-haired boy frowned in annoyance.

    "Speaking about Surou ¨C are we on the same pace here? Do you also think that everything that happened to me has been orchestrated by the queen just because I was close with Surou and even though I am not a noble, my healing magic would be influential enough to aid him in the long run?"

    The heroine asked the former attendant, all while the young-looking butler was staring between them inplete and utter disbelief.

    "Yes, we are on the same pace ¨C from what we know at the moment, it ys out somewhat along the line of the Airsu''s route''s a bad ending. This is even more annoying because if we''re being honest now ¨C in my pinon Arisu''s route never made much sense to me, it was full of plot conveniences, not to mention that people simply believed him without ever bothering to question anything he did. If that somehow ended up bleeding to this world then we might be screwed."

    Zoemi made a sour expression and started tapping his chin with his thumb in an attempt to jog his memory.

    "Pardon me, but... are you both speaking in some king of code...? I can assure you, aside from us three there is only a single gardener, and she is currently busy working. Are you two doubting me...?"

    Benevirau couldn''t really handle the talk in which many words sounded like some suspicious gibberish, so he asked, subconsciously slouching down with a sad expression while misunderstanding what was going on.

    "..."

    "..."

    The two reincarnated people nced at him, then looked at each other with awkward expressions, and then turned back to the dark-blue-haired man.

    "Uncle Benevirau, it''s not like that...! You know the thing is..."

    "Yes, we are using a code ¨C sorry, a habit ¨C you already know that the queen doesn''t like me, right? Burushi and I knew about it long before either of us even showed up here and met you so we made up a code and are using it ever since. There''s really no reason to take it personally."

    Burushi was seemingly set on finding some good-sounding exnation, or who knows, maybe even trying to exin the truth to the dark-blue-haired man, which could be bad, to say the least...

    So instead of actually trying to fix it, Zoemi chimed in and built upon the young-looking butler''s mistake.

    "Ah...!"

    Benevirau flinched and gasped, and even blushed a little as the ck-haired boy''s exnation had caught him off guard.

    "That said, Burushi, we don''t really have to hide things from grandpa, do we?"

    Zoemi nodded, satisfied with the effect, and turned to the blond girl to make sure she will follow up on his words.

    "Of course! We''re sorry, uncle, neither of us wanted to make you feel left out!"

    Not only did she do that splendidly, Zoemi could actually have a peek at how the heroine felt about the butler ¨C it really seemed like she wasn''t just using a name for a family member just to try and win him over, instead, it was as if she trusts him a lot.

    "And now I''m embarrassed for acting so self-conscious... But, then ¨C if it''s okay for me to know ¨C what exactly the two of you found out about the current queen that you started using a code?"

    Benevirau didn''t stop blushing, but there was no trace of sadness on his face,

    "That''s..."

    Burushi''s eyes widened and she hesitated with her answer but...

    "You know how the Vanterl family pushed for her marriage with the king even though she already had the child with another man?"

    Zoemi said without hesitation ¨C this time going for the actual truth.

    "Of course ¨C before marrying the king, she was together with the royal magician, Lazaram. It was a big deal a few years back, because their son, Arisu Karde Lazaram, was born with the unique variant attribute that allowed him to use spells from many different attributes. Most nobles know about that since simr situations do happen from time to time."

    Benevirau furrowed his brows, not understanding why would something like that be a big deal.

    "Well, yes, but in the case of our dearest queen ¨C she wants to discredit both children of the current king, and put her own bastard on the thone. And because the king already proved that he adores his wife a bit too much, that might very well happen."

    "!!!!"

    Zoemi exined, causing the dark-blue-haired butler to straighten his back while making a bbergasted face.

    "I could help the second prince Surou regain his support thanks to my healing magic, so that''s why the queen decided it would be best to get rid of me. Simrly, she knew that the first prince is too smart to make any false steps when ites to himself, so she got him through his best friend, Zoemi."

    Since they were apparently going full honesty, at least for the particr fact, Burushi joined in and finished the exnation started by the ck-haired boy.

 Chapter 390 Chapter 129 - Catching up with the world (part 5)

    390 Chapter 129 - Catching up with the world (part 5)

    It took some time but the pain torturing the ck-haired boy has finally subsided and Benevirau had prepared some light porridge for him to eat.

    Well... more like he prepared the light porridge for Zoemi to try so that they could see how his body would react to actual food after months of getting his nourishments through healing spells.

    The result was...

    "That''s all I can fit... it actually feels like I''m going to burst..."

    ...positive.

    Zoemi did not throw up the food, although the amount of food he could eat was less than half of a child''s portion.

    "It''s okay, you don''t have to force yourself on your first meal."

    Burushi nodded, taking the bowl away from him and putting it on the desk.

    "Now, then. Let''s continue from where we left off."

    The blond girl looked between the ck-haired boy and the dark-blue-haired man and nodded.

    "Yes, let''s... say... what happened with the tournament?"

    Zoemi breathed out and asked immediately, with an anxious expression, although it wasn''t all that difficult to guess the answer to that question.

    "You were in no condition to step onto the arena, so you lost by default."

    The blond girl said tly without trying to dress up her words.

    "So the tournament was won by the representative of the..."

    "Nah."

    Zoemi sighed and was about to name the other person who won their semi-finals duel, but Burushi cut him off, shaking her head with a bitter expression.

    "...what ¨C do you mean they canceled or postponed the tournament...?"

    The ck-haired boy raised his brow and questioned the short answer, to which the blond girl rolled her eyes and breathed out, sounding as if just recalling what happened was giving her a headache.

    "Zoemi, don''t get me wrong, but... why would anyone postpone or cancel an official tournament just because one participant couldn''t show up?"

    She asked before revealing what actually happened.

    "Because the organizers, the Victureo family didn''t actually want to give Ehmi to the winner... but since they had everyone''s eyes on them and the queen..."

    "See? I knew you weren''t just a pretty face. The keyword here is once again, queen."

    Zoemi lowered his head awkwardly and murmured, in a shy attempt to justify himself ¨C which gained him a tired sigh from Burushi.

    "Then what happened?''

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows, tilting his head in confusion.

    "The Victureo family couldn''t postpone the tournament because that would show how biased they are but then, in the same way, the queen couldn''t have just brute-forced her way there because that would be a sign of the royal family pushing the high nobles around. Those are both bad options and no amount of plot conviction she has on her side would work in the real world to fix that!"

    Zoemi blushed from embarrassment over apparently missing something and dered, raising his head with a challenging look in his eyes.

    "Oh, believe me, what actually happened is somehow more annoying than the queen just walking on the stage and changing the result."

    Burushi scoffed and nced over at Benevirau whose expression got cloudy the moment she and Zoemi started talking about the tournament.

    Following her line of sight, Zoemi also turned to the misty-gray-eyed butler and then faced the blond healer with twice the amount of confusion in his eyes.

    "You do know that there are other sages aside from uncle Benevirau and Ghosts of Bellcephora, right?"

    "Obviously."

    Burushi wanted to confirm, which Zoemi did without asking any more questions and waited for her to continue the exnation.

    "ording to uncle, most of the high-noble families have or at least had a sage as their progenitor."

    "Most of them were killed by the Ghosts when they were actively hunting anyone with arge mana reservoir they cold take for themselves."

    The blond-haired girl revealed and the dark-blue-haired man added from his side.

    "Exactly.''

    Burushi nodded to him and then looked back to Zoemi.

    "So imagine this situation ¨C it''s the final day of the tournament, your opponent is waiting in the arena and the judges are calling for you to show up. Since you do not, they call in that you are disqualified. The case closed, right?"

    The blond girl asked, waving her hand dismissively.

    "Wrong."

    She then shook her head and eaved her hand angrily.

    "The next moment, before the winner of the entire thing is officially announced ¨C you know, rule-wise, half of the arena bursts into mes and this crimson-haired fox-eyed guy walks straight out of it as if he teleported, leaving everyone speechless!"

    Burushi recounted, throwing her hands up in the air, imitating an explosion.

    "I... don''t like where this is going..."

    Zoemi flinched at the description of the person showing up ¨C especially since it was preceded by the question about sages. Although having crimson hair and foxy eyes wasn''t the most informative, Zoemi did know about a certain sage who would meet the requirements.

    Considering that Zoemi''s puppets were all previously a gang of bandits that frequently worked for said fire sage ¨C and Zoemi even saw the sage in question while one of said dals was taking ce and knew the man''s surname - he could ask about the man''s name or wait for Burushi or Benevirau to confirm or invalidate his guess.

    "That guy introduced himself as Vanterl ¨C you know, the progenitor of the ENTIRE Vanterl family... "And the queen''s maiden''s name is Vanterl. I see."

    Burushi exined, speaking as if the revtion was a big deal, but for the ck-haired boy, it only confirmed what he was already expecting.

    Interestingly enough, while Zemi was quite indifferent, Benevirau''s face twisted in anger at the mention of the fire sage''s name.

    "Huh? Grandpa? You know that guy too?"

    Noticing that, Zoemi furrowed his brows and asked, maybe not surprised but more like intrigued by the young-looking butler''s behavior.

    "...Vanterl is the person that robbed me of my vision..."

    "...!"

    "..."

    Benevirau answered with a bitter smile, making Zoemi flinch while Burushi only nodded sadly as she must have already heard the story from the misty-gray-eyed man.

    "Well, that Vanterl guy simply waltzed on the arena, activated the armor spell just like yours but with fire and not the shadow, and knocked out the person who should have won the whole thing ¨C Vanterl didn''t even challenge them for a duel, and then had the audacity to proim himself the winner!"

    Burushi spoke angrily, making it sound as if she was adding to the list of fire sage''s bad deeds.

    "And he wasn''t stopped by anyone? And by anyone I mean Ehmi. Not only she is a sage too, but she also has that me absorb ability that lets her absorb all kinds of fire and add it to her own power - wasn''t that exactly what she has done when I was fighting Arreta and her spell got an upgrade ¨C she should have the advantage no matter how much more experience that guy was!"

    Zoemi gasped and dered.

    "I don''t know what she was thinking back then, but she did not interfere."

    "Wh-what...?

    But then he was shocked yet again by Burushi rifying things for him.

    "If I had to guess, I think she just didn''t want to fight that guy, and probably hoped that if she went along with him, the rules of the tournament would help her out."

    The blond heroine continued and gave Zoemi a meaningful look.

    "it didn''t work out?"

    Zoemi asked, clicking his tongue.

    "It did not work out as she hoped for, no."

    Burushi sighed and nodded.

 Chapter 391 Chapter 129 - Catching up with the world (part 6)

    391 Chapter 129 - Catching up with the world (part 6)

    "This all only feeds to the distorted Arius route, doesn''t it?"

    Zoemi frowned and red towards the window, angrily taking in the view of the clear blue sky.

    "Yes ¨C although I never thought that his overpowered great-grand-times thirty-father would show up and win him a wife. Especially one like Ehmi."

    Burushi scoffed and nodded, satisfied with Zoemi figuring out the reasoning behind the fire sage interfering with the tournament without her help.

    "Every time I saw Arisu I had this really horrible feeling ¨C I just wrote it off as a trauma frompleting his annoying route, but I was clearly far too optimistic."

    "...?"

    "...?"

    Zoemi muttered to himself which caused both Burushi and Benevirau to look at him with surprise.

    "Wouldn''t that be a lot of times then? I knew that you can be ridiculously dense, but didn''t our ss have a simr schedule to the one he was in? I remember running into him and his friends at least three times a day! Even though I also disliked his route and didn''t seek a conversation, I still would pass him."

    "..."

    Burushi sighed Zoemi the tired smile that looked like she was wondering how in the world he could be that much of an airhead to not try to look deeper into the situation, but the ck-haired boy stared at him in disbelief.

    "I have seen him twice, maybe three times at most the entire time I was in the academy though."

    Zoemi said with a concerned frown.

    "What? No way ¨C like I said, our schedules were simr and we had to cross paths on multiple asions. You must have not to pay attention..."

    "Burushi, I am an attendant, I was trained to pay the same amount of attention to my master and their surroundings. Not to mention that I can see the unique shadows. I would have noticed Arisu if he was there."

    Zoemi shook his head with a grim expression as the blond heroine furrowed her brows.

    "No, but... It''s not like I don''t believe you, but even the first prince had identally walked in on Arisu ¨C and we both know that he actively tries to avoid his older half-brother at every possibility..."

    Burushi said with concern putting her fist to her mouth and squinting her eyes.

    "...with that in mind... doesn''t this looks like he is the one avoiding you...?"

    After a moment of hesitation, she straightened her back and asked the ck-haired boy.

    "That would make sense if he had a reason for doing so."

    Zoemi tilted his head from side to side, considering the possibility that was the most usible under certain circumstances.

    The problem was ¨C what reason could the white-haired capture target have to dislike someone like the ck-haired boy?

    "First of all, is having a valid reason actually necessary? Maybe he disliked you because you were thought to be a dark magician? Their reputation is terribly low. Or because back then you were introduced as amoner adopted by a lower noble who got disinherited y his family ¨C and that was bothering his sense of honor of a noble? It could even be about that you were adopted by a loving parent while his own mother left him and his workaholic father so that she could be the queen? People hate other people with less reason than that."

    "..."

    Once again Burushi came out with a thought-provoking answer that made Zoemi lower his head deep in thoughts.

    "I agree with Burushi. I mean... Vanterl picked a fight with me just because I was a water sage and he saw me as a threat even though I never left Banemor territory for longer than a few days. He ended up settling for blinding me after he realized that I can ess the mana from nature so he wouldn''t be able to win in a battle of attrition."

    Benevriau reminded the two about his presence by joining in andmenting with a solemn expression and a light shrug.

    "..."

    Zoemi looked up, biting his lips.

    "True. In the first ce, Arisu''s route was full of plot conveniences so I wouldn''t put it past the actual Arisu to act in such a way... that said. Gramps, I couldn''t heal your eyes before, but with Burushi here..."

    He nodded, admitting the possibility, before bringing up a question that bothered him for a while.

    "...sorry... that is impossible for me."

    But the blond heroine shook her head and her face showed that she was ashamed of herself.

    "You see, whatever spell hit uncle Benevirau, it somehow bypassed the normal way damage works... Uncle''s eyes aren''t wounded, the reason for hisck of vision is that..."

    Burushi started exining but stopped herself, looking to the side trying to figure out an easy way to exin the medical details to someone without knowledge of that particr subject.

    "...let''s just say that the cells that should not be connected got connected in the worst, most inconvenient way possible ¨C they are functioning on the basic level but not in a way that they should. I can work with internal organs, but the eyes are where I draw a hard line. With my current abilities andck of a magic version of aser, o tiny scalpel at least, I can''t promise that I would not make the situation even worse than it already is."

    She dered without looking up, clearly upset at herself.

    Burushi even started clenching her fists as if expecting a certain question to be asked...

    "I see... you can work with hormones and all the stuff that already is in the body, but not when there is nothing to use... I assume there isn''t even a single healthy cell in grandpa''s eyes?"

    "!!!!"

    But judging by her loud gasp and mouth open in shock as she jolted up staring at the ck-haired boy, the question she expected didn''te up ¨C even more, the boy had already seemed to understand the problem!

    "That''s exactly right! Uncle''s eyes are working fine to the point that his body thinks of them as to how they should be. When I try to multiply them, the ones that show up are just as messed up as the ones that were already there. The only answer I have for this ridiculous medical impossibility is that it was caused by magic in the first ce, so my medical knowledge can get me only this far. Whatever spell was used on uncle, it was extremely malicious and thorough ¨C it was almost as if Vanterl knew about healing magic and constructed a spell that would render it useless!"

    Burushi nodded vigorously andined, visibly more rxed as she didn''t have to exin her powerlessness in that particr situation.

    "Oh. Yes, that makes sense. Back when it happened, a sage with a healing attribute was still alive, that must have been a reason."

    "!!!"

    "!!!"

    Benevirau pped his hands and nodded in a sudden realization, making the other two jump in shock.

    "Don''t get your hopes up. As I said, he was killed by the Ghosts of Bellcephora, or rather one of them ¨C namely Raseriat. She had him on his revenge list since he told her that her weight isn''t a sickness which she did not take kindly."

    The dark-blue-haired man hurriedly waved his hands to stop the blonde-haired girl and the ck-haired boy from jumping to conclusions or making any ns connected with the healing sage.

    "...well, that is very unfortunate... a healing sage could have known something about fixing broken mana reservoirs..."

    Zoemi let out a dispirited sigh.

 Chapter 392 Chapter 129 - Catching up with the world (part 7)

    392 Chapter 129 - Catching up with the world (part 7)

    "Alright... but back to the situation with the Vanterls ¨C so Vanterl had secured Ehmi as a wife for Arisu. Have they married already?"

    He then took a deep breath and asked, getting back on track with their conversation.

    "No. Not really. Apparently, Arisu wants to follow in his father''s footsteps and is too busy with research BUT they got formally engaged."

    Burushi leaned back into her seat and answered while crossing her legs.

    "She took it way calmer than I expected... maybe Arisu just suits her tastes or something?"

    "...hmm..."

    She shrugged her shoulders and wondered while Zoemi let out a low voice that was neither approving nor disapproving, already having a few ideas about the true nature of said research...

    "Speaking about weddings ¨C since you are awake, your dad might finally get married!"

    Burushi''s face lighted up as she moved on to another subject.

    "...excuse me...?"

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and asked, taken aback.

    "Oh, you see, your dad got back together with teacher Perserios, but apparently the two of them agreed that they will wait to exchange their vows only after you wake up."

    "Wha...?! Are... Are they stupid?! What if I never woke up?! I need to contact those idiots immediately!"

    *WHAM*

    "ZOEMI?!"

    "ZOEMI!"

    Zoemi became agitated within an instant after hearing the news he found outrageous and tried to get out of the bed without waiting for another second, thinking that the numbness in his limbs is nothing major ¨C only to have his legs give out the moment he tried to move, making him fell face-first onto the floor which caused both Burushi and Benevirau to call out in panic.

    "...ghhh... I... I''m fine..."

    The ck-haired boy groaned, trying to get up only to realize that his arms didn''t hold enough power to help him lift himself off the ground.

    "...but I would appreciate some help... Sorry for the blood."

    He needed up muttering with a face red from both strain and embarrassment, as he felt a warm liquid build up and flow down his nostrils.

    "What the hell were you thinking?! I did my best with keeping your muscles from regressing, but you were not using them for NINE MONTHS! Why would you even think about jumping out of the bed like that!"

    Burushi scolded him with a pale face while Benevirau was helping him get up.

    "And here I thought you weren''t all that dense... Heal."

    The blond-haired girl sighed and fixed the boy''s bleeding nose with her most basic spell.

    "...nothing happened..."

    ..or rather she attempted to, as Zoemi furrowed his brows when he didn''t feel any difference in the amount of blood dripping down his chin.

    "Eh...? But it''s just a nosebleed!"

    Burushi flinched and gasped ¨C but indeed, the aliment the ck-haired boy was suffering from wasn''t healed at all.

    "Major heal."

    She then used a stronger spell, and this time zoemi felt a slight itching and...

    ...nothing else...

    "Ummm..."

    "Are you kidding me?! Major heal fixes sprains and injured tendons!"

    Zoemi let out an awkward voice ¨C the bleeding was slowing down a little bit, but it was difficult to say whether it was due to the spell the heroine used or was it just natural healing.

    It certainly wasn''t Zoemi''s doing as he was unwilling to use his own mana in fear of reigniting the paining from his mana reservoir.

    "..."

    Burushi bit her lip in annoyance.

    It wasn''t like she was all that bothered about her spells not working ¨C although it was a part of it ¨C what bothered her the most was that she already knew that her spells might stir up Zoemi''s mana and make him suffer.

    "Super heal."

    The blond girl breathed out, controlling her breathing, and used a stronger spell once again.

    "Ah!"

    "What happened?! Was that too much?!"

    Zoemi gasped and Burushi flinched and gasped with a pale face.

    "Oh, no, no ¨C the bleeding stopped. Nothing hurts."

    The ck-haired boy hurriedly waved his hand dismissively and smiled ¨C while his face was still covered in blood which honestly should be quite a gruesome look, but with Zoemi''s devilish beauty, it made for quite the captivating image...

    "...!"

    So captivating in fact that Burushi froze in ce staring at him with a half-open mouth only to get bright red from embarrassment and physically step away before she did or say something that could affect their current rtionship.

    "A-alright. So super heal is enough to work on you but not powerful enough to affect your mana reservoir. That is good to know for future reference."

    Burushi started walking around the room, nodding to herself, really trying her best to y it off as if she wasn''t bothered by the ridiculously good looks of the wounded boy.

    "Allow me."

    "Thank you, grandpa~!"

    As she was doing that, Benevirau used his spell to rinse off the blood from Zoemi''s face, making the boy smile at him gratefully.

    "And about contacting your father ¨C there''s no reason for you to be using our spells or anything, I''ll go get a wind magician or maybe a light magician who will..."

    "Hold on!"

    The dark-blue-haired butler patted the ck-haired boy''s shoulder and assured him ¨C but that only made Zoemi straighten his back and gasp in realization.

    "...a-alright...?"

    Benevirau raised his brows and moved away in confusion waiting for the boy''s next action.

    |Hey little ones, you can hear me, can''t you?|

    Zoemi thought to himself ¨C well, rather than doing just that, he instead addressed his thoughts towards the sentinels that were residing within his shadow.

    "(We do!)"

    "(Yes, we do, master!)"

    "(How can we help you?)"

    The answer to his call came out immediately as the defense sentinels he ced within his own shadow a while back called out to him sounding like overjoyed puppies.

    |You can use the message spell, right? I can''t really use my mana right now, so I would be very grateful if you would connect me with my father instead.|

    Zoemi smiled outwardly, as the sentinels in his shadow didn''t really seem to change like the ones residing in the puppets or the ones surveilling the Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    "(Yes, we can!)"

    "(Master''s mana is always sshing around so we are strong now! We can help you whenever you like!)"

    "(That''s right ¨C ah, I''m already using the spell, master!)"

    "...?"

    The sentinels all cheered out andplied with Zoemi''s request.

    There was a part that one of them said that made Zoemi raise his brow ¨C the one about his mana sshing around, but in the end, that wasn''t so surprising considering the state of his mana reservoir.

    "(Master, you are connected!)"

    |Thank you~!|

    One of the sentinels informed Zoemi, and the boy responded with equal enthusiasm before breathing in and...

    "|Father, we have to talk.|"

    "[Wh-wha?! Who...?! ZOEMI?! YOU WOKE UP! THANK GOODNESS! How are you feeling?! Is everything alright?! Are you still in the Banemor territory? I will get there as soon as possible!"

    The ck-haired boy called out and audibly startled Mizoe who most definitely did not expect a message spell from with son, but his relieved shout made the ck-haired boy feel warm inside.

    "|Dad, rx, I''m fine ¨C you don''t have to worry like that. We can meetter, I am awake and not nning on disappearing. I am contacting you because we need to talk.|"

    "[O-okay. I''m so d to hear that you are alright now. What do you want to talk about? I''m all ears.]"

    Zoemi assured Mizoe and took a deep breath while his father asked in slight confusion.

    "WHY AREN''T YOU MARRIED TO MISS ROKIANA YET?! THE NEXT TIME WE TALK IT BETTER BE YOU GIVING ME AN INVITATION TO THE CEREMONY! I WILL NOT TALK TO YOU UNDER ANY OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES BEFORE YOU TWO WILL HAVE IT ALL ARRANGED!|"

    "[Wh-wha...?!]"

    |Thank you. You can stop the message spell''s connection now.|

    "(Alright~!)"

    Satisfied with his outburst and making his father bbergasted, Zoemi thought to his sentinels and one of them responded enthusiastically, ending his conversation with Mizoe without even properly saying goodbye.

    "...Zoemi... what were you doing just now, you just went silent and started making faces... did... did my spell did messed with your mana reservoir after all...?"

    The concerned Burushi asked, leaning forward and tilting her head to look up at the ck-haired boy''s face.

    "Hmm? Oh, no. Don''t worry - I was just messaging my dad and gave him a little push on the back."

    "You did WHAT?! Zoemi! Weren''t you in pain for over three hours because you were using spells?! What are you thinking?!"

    ...which of course earned him an earful from the blond girl...

    "No, no - I didn''t use the spell - my sentinels did it for me."

    The boy shook his head and exined, all happy because he found a way to bypass his predicament, atst partially.

 Chapter 393 Chapter 130 - A bit of preparation (part 1)

    393 Chapter 130 - A bit of preparation (part 1)

    "ZOEMI! WHERE ARE YOU?! Uncle, did you find him?!"

    Burushi shouted while opening a door to yet another room in the Banemor mansion, before finding it empty and calling out to equally worried Benevirau.

    "I don''t sense him anywhere within the estate... could he go to the city...?"

    The dark-blue-haired butler shook his head, biting his lips, and silently erged the area covered with his mana-infused mist.

    "He can''t use his mana properly and he can barely walk, how would he get there?!"

    The blond girl shook her head andined In powerless anger.

    It has been only a few days since Zoemi woke up from the nine-month-longa.

    In the morning Benevirau got the ck-haired boy breakfast and he has eaten it with a smile as he was slowly regaining his appetite.

    The thing is when sometimeter Burushi showed up in Zoemi''s room to supervise him as the boy was relearning how to walk, only to find the room empty.

    With a patient suddenly gone, the healer magician raised an rm, which led to her, Benevirau, and the gardener looking for the young lord of the Banemor family all over the ce.

    But he was nowhere to be found and they were getting quite worried, even desperate.

    "What an idiot! What is he thinking, not telling anyone what is he nning to do and just disappearing on me like that! I am going to kill him when he gets back!"

    Burushi was mumbling to herself furiously while clenching her fists with a terrible feeling in her stomach.

    "...what if he didn''t go on his own... what if the Ghosts of Bellcephora got him...!?"

    Suddenly even worse exnation came to the girl''s mind, making her straighten her back and stare into the distance with utmost fear.

    "(Miss, Miss...! Here!)"

    "...?!"

    Suddenly, while Burushi was running from room to room even though they have already searched the entire mansion, she suddenly felt a slight pressure rubbing off against her head and heard a worried voice.

    She immediately looked around in search of it, even though she realized that it was a message spell.

    "Eh...?!"

    But it turned out that her search wasn''t in vain - she noticed a murky-ck orb surfacing out of her shadow...

    Which honestly was enough of a surprise on its own but then the orb seem to swirl around its own axis and brought up something else from within the girl''s shadow.

    It was the murky-ck plush bear that Zoemi created to protect her before!

    "(Miss, you are worried, here.)"

    "(Don''t worry, Miss. Master is safe!)"

    To make it even more unbelievable, a second orb surfaced and both of them started speaking to the blond heroine who honestly looked as if her brain short-circuited from the sight she had to take in.

    "(Miss. Here.)"

    "(Here, here!)"

    The orbs called,municating via the message spell and both of them pushed up the murky-ck toy, clearly wanting the girl to take it.

    "..."

    Burushi blinked repeatedly, staring at the timid orbs with the appropriate amount of disbelief.

    "...what are you...?"

    She did not take the shadow toy bear, but she did not run away either, and instead, settled for gulping down her saliva and asking in a confused voice.

    "(We are Master''s sentinels! Don''t you remember? He gave us to you so we could keep you safe!)"

    "(Safe!)"

    The more talkative orb cheered and exined happily while the other settled to just echoing thest word that the first one said.

    "You...!"

    Burushi gasped ¨C indeed, Zoemi did gave her the sentinels to protect her from getting bullied, but it was back during the tournament.

    The sentinels did not try to contact her before!

    "Hold on ¨C if you can talk then why didn''t you talk to me earlier?! I could use your help in tose past months, you know?!"

    The blond girl shook her head and her brows furrowed at the realization that indeed, the murky-ck orbs were indeed the ones she received from the ck-haired boy.

    "(We did protect you!)"

    "Eh...? When?!"

    The more talkative orb said grumpily, causing the blond girl to lean back and stare at it in disbelief.

    "(Back in the Academy, during the night some guy kept showing up in front of your room and tried to use some weird spells on you! We protected you from him!)"

    The orb dered still in disbelief that the blond girl could have doubted them over something like that.

    "Wh... what...?! Wait ¨C is that why I never met the mysterious supporter again?! It was your doing?! Wait...!"

    Burushi gasped in shock and looked to the sides as if she was checking whether someone was listening to them or not.

    "So, do you know who exactly was that guy? Was it Arisu?!"

    Her eyes widened and she kneeled down by the orbs and the plushie that they were still holding up to her and asked.

    "(Arisu...?)"

    The more timid orb asked in confusion while using the murky-ck bear as a shield separating it from the blond heroine.

    "(Sorry, Miss. We weren''t tasked with surveilling your surroundings like that. Only to her protect you directly. We didn''t investigate the identity of that guy.)"

    The more chirpy orb exined, moving forward and taking Burushi''s attention away from its timid friend.

    ''O-oh... I see...."

    Burushi opened her mouth and closed them immediately without peaking even half of the words that came to her mind.

    "Alright then... now ¨C you said that your master is safe ¨C you mean Zoemi, right?"

    The blond girl sighed and let go of that subject, changing it to the matter at hand.

    "(Yes! Master is testing the spell assist!)"

    "...!"

    Surprisingly enough, it was the more timid orb that pushed forward and answered the heroine''s question shocking both Burushi and its friend.

    "(Sorry... here. Moral support, don''t worry now ¨C bye!)"

    *thump*

    "!!!"

    Judging only by how its voice sounded through the message spell, the timid orb got flustered over its own sudden boldness andunched the murky-ck toy right into the heroine''s face, startling her and taking enough of her attention away so that it could jump back to its friend and push it back down into the shadow and disappear form the outside world.

    "H-hold on! What is that spell assist?!"

    Burushi instinctively grabbed the toy and hugged it, moving it out of the way, but it was already toote, both orbs were gone, and neither responded to her call.

 Chapter 394 Chapter 130 - A bit of preparation (part 2)

    394 Chapter 130 - A bit of preparation (part 2)

    A young brown-haired woman was working in the garden of the Benevirau mansion.

    Up until just a few minutes earlier Benevirau and Burushi were running around like crazy looking for the young lord, but all of a sudden, without even finding him, they simply stopped.

    Neither of them even bothered to tell her what they learned which made them calm down!

    "Do they think I just don''t care or something?"

    The gardener frowned, muttering to herself as she was continuing to rearrange the hedges in the garden, helping herself with the earth magic spells.

    "I didn''t even have time to have a word with him, don''t they understand how awkward this situation is for me?"

    She continuedining in a quiet voice while turning the maze into a nice open area that the ck-haired boy would be able to use to rehabilitate while taking in the fresh air.

    No one actually asked her to do that, but she has decided it was the right thing to do after learning about the young master''s condition a few days earlier.

    In the first ce, no matter what she did with the garden, it could be rearranged back into ce as thanks to her spells, she was able to move the nts around without damaging or harming them in the slightest.

    "Haa... honestly... maybe it is better that he is gone...? What would I do if it would turn out that he wasn''t serious before...?"

    The woman breathed out heavily and her shoulders slumped down as she thought about her situation.

    *whoom*

    "...whoom...?"

    Suddenly, a rather unexpected sound got the gardener''s attention, and she repeated it while looking over her shoulder in an attempt to localize its source.

    "...eh...?"

    And she didn''t have to look for long ¨C a watermelon-sized murky-ck orb was hoovering in the very center of the area that she opened up by moving all the shrubs around, around seven feet above the ground.

    "Umm..."

    The brown-haired woman looked around with a bothered expression, but there was no one around to tell her exactly what that thing was supposed to be.

    "Hey, you! Get out of here!"

    Since it could very much be an enemy, or at least an intruder, the brown-haired woman waved her hands and called out, trying to chase it away to see what it would do.

    "..."

    But there was no reaction from the orb to any of her actions.

    "This is thest warning ¨C I will attack you, you know? Will deal with you as it is described in the military textbook."

    The young woman dered, pointing her index finger at the silent orb that was just staying in the same spot without budging in the slightest.

    "Alright ¨C this is what you wanted...!"

    The gardener dered, raising her voice and reaching back her hand without actually casting any spell, just to see whether there will be a reaction...

    ¡­

    ...but the murky-ck orb didn''t even flinch...

    "...tsk... fine ¨C whoever or whatever you are, you wanted this. Stone..."

    *WHOOOOOOM*

    *WHAM*

    Just as the brown-haired young woman in muddy overalls was casting her spell, the orb turned into arge disc-like shape and something fell and mmed right into the ground covered only with a perfectly trimmed grass.

    "...WALL! STONE WALL!"

    That made the gardener panic and she hurriedly changed her incantation halfway, changing it from an offensive one right into a defensive one.

    *RUMBLE*

    As she did, a three-feet-wide, six-feet-tall, seven-feet-long wall emerged from the ground, separating her from whatever the murky darkness had spat out.

    "...uuurrrghhhh... there... was supposed to be a bunch of shrubs here..."

    As the brown-haired young woman was hiding, the ck-haired boy that fell out of the shadow gate hovering in the air groaned in pain as hisnding wasn''t what he expected in the slightest.

    "...?"

    Hearing the voice, the gardener furrowed her brows and stepped to the side, and peeked from over her cover.

    "EH?! It''s you! What are you doing here?!"

    Once she spotted the boyying t on his stomach with his face half-buried into the grass, while only twitching slightly.

    "...doesn''t matter... could you please just help me o... huh...?"

    Reacting to her shocked voice, Zoemi groaned in pain and moved his head to actually see the person that talking to him, and his eyes widened once he saw the gardener''s face looking at him from over the stone wall.

    "Arreta...?! What are you doing here?! Huh?! Did... did I mess up and jumped over to the Auequas estate?!"

    The ck-haired boy gasped in disbelief, immediately recognizing the brown-haired young woman as the youngest member of the Aueqas family who faced him during the tournament for Ehmi''s hand.

    "Wha...?! It is you! Wha... what happened?! Where were you! Lord Benevirau and miss Burushi were worried sick!"

    Arreta gasped after confirming that it was indeed the young master of the Banemor family, and rushed out of her self-made cover to help him get up.

    "Ah, since you know about them both then maybe it is the right ce..."

    Zoemi breathed out in relief, letting her pick him up.

    "Eh...?! You are stone cold! What in the world were you doing?!"

    The brown-haired young woman gasped in shock with a tiny bit of worry mixed in once she grabbed the boy and put his arm over her shoulders.

    "You are no nearly as tall as I thought you were - your big attitude during the duel sure made me confused, now it makes sense."

    It was actually Zoemi''s first time getting so close to Arreta, so he raised his brows, honestly surprised when it turned out that even when she was standing tall, he himself still had his legs in an awkward position, basically touching the ground with his knees.

    "Shut up! I was wearing tform shoes, alright!? Do you want me to drop you right back? Because I will and I will not tell others that you are back so they will find you in the evening at the earliest!"

    Arreta blushed and scoffed angrily.

    "Working hard to keep up the reputation of the short people, huh? Thanks for the help, but say. What are you doing in my territory?"

    Zoemi snickered with a weak smile as Arreta was dragging him toward the mansion...

    "...!"

    "Hmm?"

    He also raised his brow as he felt the woman flinching at hister question.

    "...you said that the Banemor territory would take me in if I ever wanted to leave the Auequas family... were... were you not serious about it...?"

    The brown-haired young woman asked in a worried voice and there was no trace of her earlier feistiness.

    "I waspletely serious ¨C although I was sure that you would not take that offer. Do you want to tell me what changed...?"

    Zoemi shook his head and smirked, before tilting his head and asking curiously yet politely.

    "...grandma got into some weird deal with the queen and wanted to marry me off to Reyolen Haliu Ikarveth..."

    Arretea''s expression darkened but she did answer the question without much hesitation.

    "Reyolen Haliu... wait...! Ikarveth?! Isn''t that this middle-aged red-haired teacher in the Aspakeony Academy?!"

    "Who''s middle-aged?! That man is turning fifty-nine! I am not going to marry someone over twice my age!"

    Zoemi gasped to which Arreta responded furiously, clearly misunderstanding the boy''s point.

    "It was already bad enough when the man I was supposed to marry was younger than me by mire than a decade, but actually trying to pair me up with some old geezer...? I really thought that grandma was thinking about my future and all, but that''s clearly was not the case..."

    The brown-haired woman lowered her head and muttered dispirited.

    "..."

    |You all think that she is being honest...?|

    Zoemi observed Arreta for a moment before thinking the question towards the sentinels hiding within his shadow.

    "(Hard to say. Ths one is odd. She is good at fighting ¨C she beat up a group of robbers who snuck into the mansion when mister grandpa wasn''t here. But she is really naive in other areas.)"

    "(Sheltered girl. Realized that she was controlled and doesn''t know what to do. Not dangerous.)"

    "(Should be kept away from bad people since she seems like the type to fall for the first person that shows interest in her regardless of their intention.)"

    The sentinels answered quite honestly.

    |...what was thatst part...?|

    Zoemi raised his brows and asked in surprise.

    "(I volunteer to keep an eye on her.)"

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy thought that his sentinel will rify why it is worried about Arreta''s love life, but what he got instead was even more surprising.

 Chapter 395 Chapter 131 - â€œStealthyâ€ infiltration (part 1)

    395 Chapter 131 - "Stealthy" infiltration (part 1)

    A lone monk in a hooded robe was hurrying through the hallway of a monastery in a small seaside town.

    The sermon has already started but his duties kept him from attending it on time so the sound of his sandals pping on the stone floor was both loud and hasty.

    Something he would definitely be scolded for if he was caught red-handed.

    Still, he didn''t run because actually running would be deemed an even greater offense to the sanctity of the walls and he would have to...

    *WHOOOOM*

    Before the monk could turn the corner, a ck-haired boy dressed in casual clothes that were covered with ice armor emerged from the puddle of darkness on the ceiling...!

    *WHAM!*

    "Ugh...!"

    ...and dropped right on the monk''s head, taking down the unsuspecting man with a full body m that gave out an unpleasant sound when the two of them mmed into the ground.

    "Ooww... the recoil is still toorge... that''s barely any better than stone armor..."

    Zoemi groaned raising his head and looking around with a pained expression.

    "...at least no unexpected witness has shown up out of nowhere..."

    After confirming that there really was no one else in the hallway and his rather coarse appearance didn''t bring any attention, he breathed out with relief and rolled off of the body of the monk and stood up.

    "Uwah... that dealt more damage to him than I intended... hey, could one of you heal him a bit? Not enough to make him regain conscience, but still... I am not an expert but the human shoulder should not be able to bend that much back..."

    Zoemi''s face soured as he looked at the knocked-out monk, and he spoke to the sentinels within his shadow.

    "(Of course!)"

    "Good, thank you."

    The answer came immediately and one of the murky ck orbs popped out from the boy''s shadow and hovered over to the poor victim.

    "Check what''s behind that door too, alright?"

    "(On it!)"

    Zoemi added, motioning at the closest passage with his chin, and another sentinel showed up and changed into a murky-ck mist before phasing right through the wood...

    "(Unused chamber!)"

    ...just so it could emerge right back only a secondter and report in an overjoyed voice.

    "Good job. Now then..."

    The ck-haired boy nodded with satisfaction, checking whether the cleared room was locked or not first before asking his sentinels to take another action - and to his satisfaction, the door was actually open.

    With that out of the way, Zoemi dragged the monk, whose limbs were all back in their natural positions, inside and proceeded to strip him from his hooded robe.

    "Tie him up just in case."

    "(Stone or ice?)"

    Zoemi instructed, but since neither of them had a rope on hand, the sentinel asked for rification on what attribute spell it should use to rece it.

    "Stone, just don''t make it too tight."

    The ck-haired boy decided while putting the secured robe on top of his ice armor and after confirming that he did not look too much out of the ordinary, he left the room with the calmly breathing monk with legs and hands stuck inside two bs of heavy stone.

    In the end, making the shackles out of stone was less damaging in the long run, for the ice to be effective and not melt within minutes its temperature would have to be so low that it could cause frostbite.

    With stone, there was no need to worry about that ¨C plus, there were far more earth magicians than ice magicians around, so doing it that way also doubled as a distraction.

    Not that Zoemi needed one to begin with ¨C the most of the people on his side still thought that he was in aa, while the ones who got fooled and believed him to be some vicious viin kidnapping people left and right for his own benefit would believe every bad rumor about him at that point.

    "Check the area, either with shadow connect or just look around."

    "(Okay~!)"

    "(We will!)"

    Zoemi asked and the sentinels called out happily and chose thetter option, emerging out of the boy''s shadow en-mass and scattering through the monastery''s hallways.

    *click*

    Just in case he closed the door and put his hand armored hand to the lock, making it freeze over because of the temperature of the ice.

    "(Master! Another one is here!)"

    "...!"

    Only a momentter one of his sentinels called out hurriedly, making Zoemi straighten his back and start walking as if he wasn''t doing anything suspicious ¨C but with enough hesitation to make it seem that he was bothered about something.

    "...huh...?"

    Less than five secondster, another monk showed up from around the corner, almost walking onto the ck-haired boy with his face hidden under the robe''s hood.

    This newly arrived monk was at least four times rounder than the one whose robes Zoemi was borrowing and had a different colored rope around his waist ¨C which was a dead giveaway of some higher-up, at least considering that the one wrapped around the boy''s waist was the same as most of the monks that he had seen while surveilling the area before picking ut his target.

    The only question about the person in front of him was- when if he was important, how important was he...?

    "Brother."

    "...?!"

    Zoemi nodded his head towards the round monk and the monk stopped in his track with a shocked expression as he definitely did not expect to encounter anyone at the current time.

    "Brother, why aren''t you at the sermon!?"

    As if he wanted to make it even more obvious, the round monk was already mid scolding, looking at Zoemi with usation.

    "Ah, brother, it is a really embarrassing thing, really. I was asked to check on the second prince, you know how hard it is to deal with him... He is a truly cunning youngster... But the thing is, our abbot chose me to try and talk some sense into him since I''m the closest in age to him... But you see..."

    Zoemi came up with a lie on the spot and began ying a role, fidgeting nervously while the round monk was looking at him with suspicion.

    "I can''t find his cer..."

    The boy mumbled nervously sounding incredibly ashamed of himself.

 Chapter 396 Chapter 131 - â€œStealthyâ€ infiltration (part 2)

    396 Chapter 131 - "Stealthy" infiltration (part 2)

    "You... what...?"

    The monk shook his head in disbelief at such a im.

    "I-it''s my first time visiting the boy, brother. My duties never involved any sort of contact with him before. I thought that he wouldn''t be put in one of the usual chambers, but... Oh, please help me, the abbot asked for me by name and I was so proud that I forgot to ask where the boy''s room is..."

    Zoemi cowered letting his head hang down in shame, he was taking a huge gamble, he knew close to nothing about the monks in that world ¨C and honestly not much about monks in his previous one either - and couldn''t be sure that he wasn''t talking to the abbot right now...

    "...haaa..."

    Hearing the disguised boy''s exnation the round monk sighed and shook his head.

    "You youths are so hasty these days..."

    "~!"

    Heined in a voice brimming with annoyance, but Zoemi grinned with relief without raising his head since his bet paid off - the monk in front of him wasn''t the abbot, an abbot wouldn''t react like that after hearing some random guy using his name like that, and to top it all off, the round monk didn''t seem all that strict with rules as he wanted to make it sound with his voice.

    "Brother, please, help me, I''m alreadyte for a sermon even though I was supposed to have the talk already. I''m ready for the punishment but if I will fail the abbot''s request on top of that...!"

    Zoemi went with the good flow and pleaded in a tearful voice.

    "Alright, alright. Not many of our brothers don''t even know that we are hosting the troublesome second prince, to begin with, so I can understand your confusion about where he is... Fine. Follow me."

    The round monk said grumpily but nheless, he agreed and turned around before starting to walk very fast in the opposite direction that he was originally going towards.

    "Thank you, brother!"

    Zoemi bowed his head even lower than before chasing after him, which was rather difficult considering that the ck-haired boy''s body could move around as it did only because of the ice armor that supported it.

    It wasn''t for defense, it was literally acting as an upgraded version of crutches.

    Without it, he could only muster the speed of a leisurely stroll at best.

    At least, he could do that already, just a few days earlier he could barely stand up on his own.

    "..."

    With all of that put aside, Zoemi kept a three-step distance from his guide but while following the monk, he had thought to start talking to him for a moment, just to flesh out his story more to make it more believable.

    Or maybe make some small talk, and ask about why he also wasn''t attending the sermon.

    But in the end, the ck-haired boy gave up both of those options since they were actually too risky.

    He was already being led to Surou''s room so why riskpromising his disguise that clearly had worked out?

    To begin with - the simpler the better.

    The monk and the boy disguised as one walked for quite a bit of time and Zoemi began to get worried.

    Although the ice armor was helping him move around like normal, the longer his body was in contact with the ice ¨C even through clothes - the closer he was to hypothermia.

    As bad as that sounded, it was still a better option than allowing himself to get melted with the side effects of the darkness armor, or burnt with the ones of the fire armor.

    As for the stone one...

    The stone armor was far too bulky and didn''t allow for nearly as much mobility, so although it was by far the safest to use, it was also the most unsuitable for the current situation.

    -----

    After what felt like an eternity but could be at most five to ten minutes walk, the monk leading the ck-haired boy started to slow down, though it wasn''t clear whether it was because they were getting closer to the ce where Surou was confined or just because the round monk has begun to lose his stamina after keeping the fast pace all the way.

    Even though the reason for the change in the round monk was up for debate, Zoemi most certainly

    was already exhausted and forparison, the monk wasn''t using any enchantments even though judging by his hair and eyes, he was a magician...

    Although that said more about Oemi''s current state than anything else, honestly.

    Either way, Zoemi decided it was a good time to set up some additional precautions.

    |Create a gate above his head and follow him, connect the gate to my shadow when I give you a sign.|

    He instructed the sentinels in his mind, taking the precaution to the possibility of the monk overhearing him if he spoke, or even whispered, the samemand out loud.

    *whoom*

    This time the sentinels didn''t even respond and straight-upplied with the request ¨C the murky-ck puddle appeared above the round monk and moved together with him in perfect sync.

    Still ¨C it turned out that the slower pace of the monk leading the disguised boy was only caused by a hesitation ¨C because once they came across the branching hallway and the man nodded to himself and picked up the speed.

    Finally, after another few minutes, the monk stopped and motioned at a door that was most definitely giving off the impression of one seen in a prison...

    "Here... You''re in luck that it was along the way to my own destination..."

    The round monk huffed and puffed andined grumpily while pointing at the inappropriately heavy-looking door with a sturdy-looking vizor protected by a metal b, all of which didn''t really give Zoemi the monastery-like impression, but once again, the ck-haired boy wasn''t really familiar with monks, monasteries, and whatnots of either world.

    "Just so you know... You don''t have to tell the abbot that you''ve met me... is that clear...?"

    The monk leaned forward and gave Zoemi a surprisingly thuggish look.

    "Of, course, brother. Thank you very much for your help, now I can ¨C connect."

    "Huh...?"

    Zoemi lowered his head for the third time and then...

    *WHOOOOOM*

    *WHAM!*

    "Ugh...!"

    He ended up plummeting down into his own shadow just to re-emerge from the darkness right above the shocked monk''s head, ramming him into the ground with his weight increased by the ice armor.

    "...ah, good. This one was lucky~!"

    Zoemi rolled off of the unconscious man and smiled with satisfaction not seeing any twisted limbs.

    "Now then..."

    The ck-haired boy went ahead and used the rope that the round monk originally had tied around his waist to tie him up without the use of another spell.

    But still...

    "Go ahead and transport him to the same room as the first guy."

    "(Alright~!)"

    Zoemi asked and the murky-ck puddle on the ceiling turned into a single orb that then fell down and sttered on the floor next to the knocked-out monk, creating a puddle in which the man had sunk in slowly.

    "Thank you~"

    The boy smiled widely and nodded gratefully at the puddle, before looking up and focusing on the sturdy door.

    "...''

    He had to take a deep breath because his heart was pounding so hard.

    Will Surou still act so naive as in the Academy, or will the theory that Burushi had about the blue-haired boy acting in such a way because of the influence of the mysterious supporter would turn out to be more than just hopes and dreams...

    Zoemi''s next move would depend on that oue.

 Chapter 397 Chapter 132 - Meeting with Surou (part 1)

    397 Chapter 132 - Meeting with Surou (part 1)

    *knock* *knock*

    "...hmm...?"

    The unexpected noise made Surou raise his head over the hard hay mattress, and let''s say that the second prince wasn''t too keen on being disturbed as he was focusing on the movement of the mana within his body.

    It was already after breakfast time and the monks should attend the sermon without exception, this was the time for Surou to concentrate and practice his water magic to a degree he never actually thought of before.

    With no books or actually any means of killing the boredom aside from praying and fasting ¨C which could hardly be called fun in the second prince''s opinion ¨C the blue-haired boy had to find his own way to kill time.

    "..."

    *hsss*

    Surou gritted his teeth and released his spell, and the scalpel-like translucent de on the tip of his index finger turned into a puff of stead that dispersed into the air.

    The blue-haired boy really didn''t like when the monks decided to pay him an uninvited visit ¨C normally he should have time at least until lunch.

    At lunch, two monks woulde to his cell ¨C that they dared to call the chamber.

    One earth mage and one water mage plus the person carrying the tray with food.

    The tiro would offer the meal to the boy...

    Although not really.

    The word offer implied that Surou had a choice whether he wanted to eat or not.

    In reality, if the blue-haired boy wouldn''t want to eat the two mages would force the food down his throat. and with the perfect coverage of the physical and magical defensive spells that the two monks could provide to each other, Surou had little chance of winning.

    But even though he could try to oppose it, why would he?

    To send a message?

    Why bother?

    It was better to turn his anger into determination and polish his magic skills.

    Yes, it was always better to just eat in silence while making ns for the future.

    That''s how it would usually go, but now someone went ahead and show up just to disturb him!

    "Who''s there!? Bastard! I know that not a single one of you has the guts to kill me, so better be prepared that any form of bullying will get you reported to your superior. I might be a prisoner here but I am not your outlet to relieve stress. Go listen to your sermon and piss off."

    Surou scoffed angrily, getting up from the mattress and dusting off his clothes from the stone power that got onto him while he practiced.

    "... whoa... that one sentence has more critical thinking in it than everything that I heard you say during your brief stay in the Academy, my prince."

    What answer him was a familiar voice, but certainly, this voice didn''t belong to any of the monks that Surou met until now...

    "Open the visor already so I can see your face. It seems like you want to talk, courtesy calls for making eye contact when your intentions are pure."

    The blue-haired boy spoke cautiously while furrowing his brows, trying to match the voice to the face.

    "Oho! Would you look at that! And here I thought that you don''t mind talking through the door. After all, wasn''t that how you always talked with your mysterious supporter~?"

    "..."

    The voice from behind the door said confidently which made Surou tense up and he nced at the opposite wall wondering whether the time hase to put all of his preparations into practice.

    "...ah... It seems that I made a miscalction in my prediction..."

    The second prince nodded slowly and breathed out in an almost perfectly calm voice ¨C almost perfectly calm because there were some undertones of annoyance surfacing through.

    "Wait... what...?"

    The voice hesitated and asked in confusion, it seemed like the person behind the door flinched and took a step back.

    "Nothing, really. It is just that I underestimated the efficiency of you people. Since you are here for me, that means my brother is dead already... It is... so infuriating... he must have died thinking that I despise him... You can tell that whore of a queen of yours that I will not forget her that - neither her nor her firstborn!"

    Surou sighed, turning away from the door and approaching the wall with a tiny window blocked with sturdy iron bars while his body began glowing blue from the physical enchantments.

    --------

    "Wha...?! Wait, what are you even...! Hold on! Surou?! I...!"

    *WHAM*

    *RUMBLE*

    Zoemi gasped in disbelief over Suoru''s words and called out to him, but he was interrupted by the sound of a powerful hit followed by the sound of falling stones.

    "Break it open!"

    The ck-haired boy''s eyes widened and he shouted, pointing at the sturdy door.

    "(~!)"

    *SPLAT*

    His sentinel only hummed in response and charged at the door, fusing with it only to make it turn into a murky puddle the next second.

    "Surou! HUH...?!"

    Zoemi rushed inside the chamber and was initially stopped, taken aback by the sight.

    One of the walls and part of the sloping ceiling were covered with bumps and indentations that could be used to practice rock climbing.

    The one opposite to it, the one under which a hay mattress ¨C the only thing that could be called a piece of furniture in the entire room ¨C was ced, was thoroughly covered in the most intricate carvings of a myriad of flowers of the most intricate shapes and all the different sizes, each and every single one so detailed that if not for their uniform color, the result of being carved into the same stone, one could easily mistake them for living nts.

    It was an entire stone garden carved by a real master.

    And finally, there was the wall opposite the door, the one that the ck-haired boy was facing.

    There was a jarring hole in the middle of it, one with a perfect view on the line of the horizon and the trees down below as that part of the monastery was facing a cliffside to the old bank of a river whose course was changed decades earlier.

    "Holy shit! Surou what the hell?!"

    Zoemi managed to shake off the initial shock and rushed towards the hole looking out of it, honestly expecting to see a gory stter of red down below...

    "...where is he...? HUH?!"

    Well, that wasn''t the case ¨C but when the boy leaned slightly farther and began looking around, he spotted the blue-haired boy hugging the wall of the monastery while climbing down with the dexterity of a seasoned mountaineer!

    "Holy fucking shit! Is that really supposed to be hi...! AAAAHHHHH! CATCH HIM!"

    While Zoemi was watching, the blue-haired boy down below reached the ledge that was near impossible to traverse without using earth magic or at least a specialistic gear ¨C and instead of retreating, he took a deep breath and pushed himself off the wall, jumping off a two-hundred-feet fall, causing Zoemi to shout in panic and urge his sentinels to save the reckless second prince.

    But, was Surou really that reckless?

    As several murky ck orbs were zooming towards him through the air, the blue-haired prince rolled into a ball and surrounded himself with a water sphere several timesrger than himself.

    "...!"

    Zoemi''s jaw dropped at the sight, but the next moment, the water sphere got swallowed by a murky-ck gate created by his sentinels mid-air and...

    *SPLASH*

    "!!!!"

    Another shadow gate appeared back on the chamber''s ceiling and the water sphere came right out of it, crushing against the floor and causing a small flood that drained almost immediately through both the doorway and the hole in the wall, and Zoemi barely dodged getting pushed out by the torrent by sidestepping and clinging to the wall itself.

    "...tsk... So be it!"

    Drenched Surou who realized where he was with a single nce and didn''t let the change of location render him defenseless, jumped right up, clicking his tongue and conjuring a water spear - and judging by the steaming from the bubbling spearhead, he somehow made it boiling hot too.

    "I will not dieying do...! Huh...? Zoemi Auequas...?"

    Surou scoffed proudly, pointing his weapon at the wide-eyed ck-haired boy, before recognizing him, bing wide-eyed himself.

    "That doesn''t make sense. You can''t be working for the queen... why are you here?"

    The second prince gasped, lowering the spear while blinking repeatedly.

    "Of course, I''m not working for the queen! The question is, what happened to you?!"

    Zoemi breathed out, shaking his head in disbelief before waving his hand at the blue-haired second prince.

 Chapter 398 Chapter 132 - Meeting with Surou (part 2)

    398 Chapter 132 - Meeting with Surou (part 2)

    "What kind of question even is that? I was expelled from the Academy ¨C apparently while making a hell of a shameful scene ¨C and got sent here as a punishment. Since you are here, you should know that. With that in mind, why are you here, sir Auequas?"

    Surou raised his brow and motioned at the stunned ck-haired boy.

    "...I see you also broke the door, you sure gained even more proficiency with your darkness magic... I can''t imagine a dutiful person like you showing up here even though you should be at the Academy with youngdy Espine... I see, although you no longer have the scar, you still bear a grudge against me... have youe to take your revenge...?"

    The second prince furrowed his brows as his clear blue eyes seemed to be looking right through Zoemi.

    Surou was a prince, a member of the royal family, and as one of course he knew the story about the Ghosts of Bellcephora''s treason.

    Well, he certainly wasn''t aware that those exact people were still alive and kicking, but even so, he knew how dangerous and spiteful the darkness magicians were supposed to be.

    And one of those darkness magicians was standing in front of his door...

    And it was someone who has all the right to hate him and want him dead.

    Even while all those thoughts passed through the blue-haired boy''s head, his voice remained calm.

    "Revenge? For what?"

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and asked, sounding genuinely shocked.

    "Overusing my power, to begin with. Not to mention sentencing you to whipping. I might have not been fully conscious back then, but the responsibility still lies with me. It''s okay, I understand. But I would appreciate it if you would not kill me ¨C or at least wait until I give you the warning to pass on to my brother before you attempt to take my life."

    Surou released his spell, making the water spear in his hand disappearpletely, and raised his hands showing that he means no harm.

    "...whew... Hold on, my prince."

    Zoemi closed his eyes and breathed out in an attempt topose himself.

    "First of all, I do not hold any grudges against you. Second of all, I did note here to harm you, the opposite, actually. And third ¨C what do you mean you were not fully conscious back then?! Oh, and fourth ¨C what happened to you?! The way you are ¨C you are... well, you are still yourself, but... you seem smart! And you seem to actually n and think things thought!"

    The ck-haired boy sighed, counting all the things that bothered him about the situation while pointing at the room as a whole with the evidence supporting Surou''s preparations in in sight.

    "Good heavens... your opinion of me is so low...? That makes me think that I actually am missing more memories than I originally thought..."

    *click*

    "!!!"

    The second prince breathed out heavily before snapping his finger and causing the excess moisture caused by the flood to be drained from his and Zoemi''s clothes.

    Then, the gathered water floated towards the empty doorway and created an ice wall in ce of the heavy door that Zoemi''s sentinel melted away.

    "...I will be warned when someone will show up in the hallway leading to this room, my prince, would you mind exining what exactly you mean. You seemed plenty conscious each time I have seen you..."

    The ck-haired boy pointed out while raising his brow after calming down a little bit.

    "No, not really. Since you are so weirded out about me making actual ns and preparing in advance, that means that we never properly met."

    But in response, the blue-haired boy merely shook his head with a grim expression while shrugging his shoulders.

    This...

    This Surou, confident and cold felt more like the character Zoemi knew from the game.

    That''s how the character of the second prince would be before the heroine cleared the first major story event for his route.

    Not by coincidence, that kind of behavior was also reserved for everyone else who the blue-haired boy did not trust.

    But... wasn''t this world Surou supposed to be different?

    "Interesting... I would love to learn more about your take on that but this ce might not be an optimal spot to discuss things in detail... I came here to check whether Burushi was right about you being under the influence of the mysterious supporter while in the academy or were you just, pardon the crude wording ¨C a shortsighted dumbass ¨C and the answer is rather clear."

    Zoemi nced at the ice wall created by the blue-haired prince and dered.

    The barrier was good considering the amount of mana at the second prince''s disposal, but in the end, a few good kicks from a normalmoner, let alone a magician, would manage to break it.

    "Honestly, I would also prefer to discuss things in a more friendly environment ¨C but the problem is I can''t really leave this ce without bing a wanting fugitive within the borders of the Bellcephora kingdom, sir Auequas. What is your suggestion?"

    Surou asked, raising his brow and squinting his eyes, intrigued.

    "..."

    "Sir Auequas...?"

    Since Zoemi went quiet and was just staring at Surou, the blue-haired boy leaned back a bit and asked in hesitation, doing his best not to nce over at the gaping hole in the wall that was now his only way of escape in case the ck-haired boy would turn murderous after all.

    "You werepletely cut off from the outside world information, weren''t you, my prince?"

    "...?"

    Zoemi asked suddenly, making Surou raise his brow.

    "Yes. That was literally the whole point of exiling me here. Still, I can''t say it turned out to be all that bad ¨C after all, without the hexes messing with my head all the time I could piece together the puzzle of what led to this point - although honestly, there are still a few pieces missing... But it doesn''t seem like that''s what you are referring to."

    The second prince confirmed and shrugged his shoulders looking down, before raising his head and staring back at the ck-haired boy''s face.

    "Well, I am not an Auequas anymore, sorry to be self-centered all of a sudden, but slightly under ten months ago, I have been officially recognized as the heir to the Benemor family. That means I should reintroduce myself, my prince. Zoemi Benevi Banemor. And I am not a darkness magician. If it makes things easier, you can think about me as a very strong shadow magician... although that also isn''t exactly my attribute either."

    Zoemi responded in an official tone before bowing down to the shocked Surou.

    "Well, well, well, if that isn''t an upgrade..."

    The second prince blinked a few times, looking to the side.

    "While I am updating you on the outside world I think it would be best to tell you about another fact ¨C Burushi has been expelled from the Aspakeony Academy and is taking shelter within my territory. She is safe but..."

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy was in the middle of exining when the atmosphere changed.

    One nce at the Surou was enough to say how furious he was, and it made Zoemi hesitate whether he should actually say anything else.

    Well, the best indicator of that would be to know the reason for the second prince''s anger.

    "First, the teachers would not lift a finger even when miss Burushiitto was bullied, not even look into things properly p and now you say that she was forced to leave...? And did you say she is taking shelter within your territory...? Even without properly graduating, with such a special variant attribute she should be sought out by not only every noble family but the royal family itself...! WHO DARES TO TRY TO HARM HER, HAVEN''T THEY HAVE ENOUGH?!"

    "...whew..."

    Although he was doing his best to stay calm, in the end, Surou ended up erupting into a furious roar while clenching his fist so hard that his fingernails ended up drawing blood ¨C but ironically enough, that kind of reaction made Zoemi breathe out in relief.

    |He wasn''t jealous and possessive, he was worried about her. I say he has passed the test with a positive grade.|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself.

    "(Maybe...? Still hesitant...)"

    "(Master, don''t be too hasty...)"

    His sentinels responded using the message spells sounding a bit worried still.

    |Huh...? Oh! No, no, no! I don''t mean I will reunite them immediately ¨C I just mean that I think that Surou is clear for the next step of the n we talked about.|

    Zoemi gasped internally, before breathing out with relief at the realization and exining it to the sentinels.

    "(Oooooohhhh...!)"

    "(Okay, for that it''s okay!)"

    They responded cheerfully.

 Chapter 399 Chapter 132 - Meeting with Surou (part 3)

    399 Chapter 132 - Meeting with Surou (part 3)

    "My prince, calm down. It was actually one of her medical procedures, interestingly enough a sessful one, that caused an unfortunate chain of less than ideal events."

    Zoemi raised his hands and moved them in a calming manner towards the furious Surou.

    "Less than ideal?! Sir Au... Sir Benemor, this is not some trivial case ¨C this is clearly a part of a n to remove both me and my brother from the throne inheritance line!"

    |Oh. Clever boy.|

    The blue-haired prince scoffed in anger, waving his hand in annoyance, but that only made Zoemi raise his brow and thought to himself impressed.

    The thing that Surou pointed out was exactly what Zoemi and Burushi figured out too, but in the case of thetter two, they were reincarnations that already have the prior knowledge regarding the subject.

    "What brought you to that conclusion?"

    Zoemi asked with interest.

    "Arisu was the person who used the hex on me. The rest can be figured out with enough time to think ¨C of which I had plenty."

    Surou scoffed, shrugging his shoulders and motioning at the rest of the chamber in a meaningful way.

    "...then, was Arisu also the mysterious supporter that Burushi was talking about...?"

    The ck-haired boy leaned forward and asked cautiously.

    "...yes ¨C but the thing goes even further back..."

    The blue-haired prince nodded and rolled his eyes angered at the mere thought.

    "You see, it all started when I was just a kid, one day I was called out by him and that snake had dared to use the control-type magic on me! He even dared to try and make it so that I would hate Horeo, but thankfully I had at least a little bit of resistance against the hex and it changed into a dislike and strong rivalry. From that point on that bastard kept renewing the hex on me whenever he was visiting the royal castle ¨C irregrly might I add, so sometimes I was close to breaking free..."

    |I remember that back when we were young, there were times when Horeo said that Surou would almost seem to revert to how he was during the so-called good old days...|

    While Surou exined, Zoemi thought to himself nodding at the blue-haired boy''s words.

    "Still, I was mostly aware of what was happening for the most part ¨C but that changed right before going to the Aspakeony Academy, that bastard began showing up almost every day and it felt like my brain was turning to mush. Honestly ¨C I don''t remember a thing that happened for two weeks before the beginning of the academic year ¨C my first memory after that is meeting miss Burushiitto on my way to the Academy."

    "...?"

    The second prince continued while Zoemi furrowed his brows.

    There was something about that part that didn''t sit well with the ck-haired boy, but he couldn''t really put his hand on it...

    "While in the Academy, Arisu was showing up to cast the hex on me at least two times a day ¨C sometimes even more ¨C but whenever I was with miss Burushiitto, even without her using any of her spells on me, I was at least aware of what was going on ¨C not that it mattered in the long run since when we parted ways Arisu would show up to mess up with my head again, but still. She has my gratitude. The least I can do for her is make sure that she is safe."

    "Hold on! Arisu was showing up so much? Burushi said that he was showing up from time to time to advise you!"

    Surou exined but his words made Zoemi call out the difference in his own information.

    "She knows only about the times she was present for ¨C and mind you, if Arisu would show up when she was with me, I would stillpletely nk out ¨C but still I wasn''t staying with her all the time, as that would be excessively inappropriate ¨C even in my dumbed-down state I knew that much."

    The blue-haired prince shook his head and cleared out the doubt with a dismissive wave.

    "More inappropriate than proposing to her...?"

    "...I beg your pardon...?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and questioned thest part which caused Surou to freeze and slowly look up at him.

    "You proposed."

    "Proposed what?"

    The ck-haired boy tried to clear things up but it seemed like the situation was so outrageous for the blue-haired boy that even with his quick wit he wasn''t able to understand what it was about.

    Or rather he didn''t want to understand ¨C but judging by the actual fear in his eyes, he already knew but was hoping for Zoemi to say it''s indeed just a misunderstanding and wrong use of words...

    "My prince... you... proposed to Burushi... You even gave her an engagement ring that you made yourself."

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy gulped down his saliva and exined as his stomach started hurting because of an extremely bad feeling...

    *thump*

    "My prince?!"

    But shockingly enough what happened next was Surou getting pale as a ghost and slumping down to the floor, making Zoemi gasp in panic.

    "Please tell me that''s a joke... Expelled or not, I am a member of the royal family, and as useful as healing attribute is, miss Burushiitto is amoner...! The outrage that something like that would cause could harm the honor of the Bellcephora family line and in the worst-case scenario could lead to the other noble families taking back their support. Something so outrageous could even be a lynchpin for dethroning the current royal family and trigger a war for taking its ce!"

    Surou hid his face in his hands and growled in desperation, leaving Zoemi wide-eyed and speechless.

    "Sir Banemor, please, tell me that what you said was just your way of taking revenge on me and not the reality..."

    "...!"

    Surou added, looking up at the increasingly ufortable Zoemi.

    "...many noble families have sent marriage proposals to me ¨C riding with miss Burushiitto in the same carriage was already like spitting in their faces, but actually proposing to amoner? Not to mention that it would be impossible since the royal family would NEVER approve of something so ridiculous, those families could start an uprising in defense of their honor!"

    The second prince''s face turned green as he spoke ¨C and interestingly enough, all of what he said matched pretty well with what Horeo had said to Zoemi about the situation way back when they witnessed all of that...

    |...|

    "(Master...?)"

    "(Master, are you feeling alright...? Don''t worry! Please...?)"

    Zoemi was biting his lips staring in disbelief at the horrified Surou ¨C the ck-haired boy felt just as bad as the blue-haired one looked, to the point of his sentinels contacting him because they got worried about him.

    "...I came here to get some answers and get Surou out of here, but instead I got my brain blown away..."

    "...huh...?"

    The ck-haired boy mumbled feeling lightheaded ¨C it was meant to be a response to his sentinels, but he ended up saying it out loud getting Surou''s attention.

    "...your rtionship with Burushi wasn''t your own decision... but since Arisu was the one hexing you... doesn''t it mean that he nned for it? Why? What''s the point? Or is Burushi on to it too?"

    Zoemi shook his head and breathed out before messaging his forehead.

    "You are asking me? Do you have any idea how I feel?! I was convinced that I got here because Arisu made me bring the ancient bracelets from the treasury without going through the proper procedure!"

    Surou scoffed, shocked by Zoemi''s reaction.

    "What? So you don''t even remember that they got destroyed?"

    "THEY WHAT?!"

    The ck-haired shook his head and asked in disbelief ¨C but the second prince''s shout was clear enough of an answer.

    "(Master, monks areing.)"

    "!!!"

    As if there wasn''t enough bad and shocking news already, one of Zoemi''s sentinels rmed him about the people approaching the room, causing the boy to flinch.

    "Tsk...! There is something extremely messed up going on, but one thing is certain. I am not leaving you here, my prince."

    "Wh-what...?!"

    Zoemi clicked his tongue and gritted his teeth before grabbing Surou''s shoulder, causing his eyes to widen.

    "We''re proceeding with the n. Please open the gate."

    "What are you talking abo..."

    "(Okay~!)"

    The ck-haired boy called out, making the second prince gasp in disbelief, but before the blue-haired boy managed to finish his sentence, one of Zoemi''s sentinels jumped out of his master shadow and turned itself into a murky-ck gate on the floor...

    *WHOOOOOM*

    ...and both Zoemi and Surou sunk into it before making another sound.

 Chapter 400 Chapter 133 - Unused event (part 1)

    400 Chapter 133 - Unused event (part 1)

    With a sh of murky-ck light, two youngsters appeared inside the monastery.

    Both of them were wearing the uniforms of the Aspakeony Academy with the closed flower-bud badges, the mark of the first-year students.

    An amaranth-haired pigtail girl and a moss-green-haired bespectacled boy.

    "Master is too kind. People like him tend to spare people that should be dealt with and get in troubleter on."

    Thitreen sighed, taking off his thick sses and ring around thepound with his vicious bloodthirsty eyes.

    "That might be the case, but now he has us to save him from the future trouble."

    Teenfif shrugged her shoulders and smiled, prodding the boy''s side yfully.

    "Just remember to not maul the bodies too much or the other sentinels will have to use master''s mana which will surely rm him now that he is awake. And it''s Thitreen."

    The moss-green-haired boy said as his skin turned into brass.

    "Sure, sure~"

    The amaranth-haired girlughed so much that her smile grew from ear to ear...

    "Youngsters, block all the escape routes and cast muffle on the entire building while you are at it~"

    "(~!)" x42

    ¡­ and she said towards the murky-ck spheres that began appearing around the two of them, while her fangs elongated until they began resembling ice picks...

    -------

    Thitreen was walking through the silent hallways, checking out every nook and cranny in search of survivors.

    At first when he and Teenfif attacked, the monastery filled with screams and panicked cries, and it was so easy to find a target, but now it turned out into a hide and seek game.

    It was slightly annoying.

    His variant attribute ¨C transformation - allowed him to turn his body into that of a brass golem.

    His offense and defense were through the roof, but he did not possess any spells that would allow him to track prey.

    Teenfif was a different thing.

    Her attribute was blood, but one of her spells allowed her to transform.

    She could attack, she could track, and she had the agility to corner any opponent.

    Not to mention many different types of blood-based spells that she could cast.

    One thing was sure, Thitreen would not try topare the final killstreak with her.

    Truly a broken attribute.

    Still, there was a certain demerit keeping her from being too powerful ¨C Her mana reservoir was rather small and she did not regenerate mana like every other magician, instead, she had to regain it by drinking the blood of other magicians, so in case if she ever picked a fight with someone who didn''t bleed ¨C like for example Thitreen ¨C she would end up in a state of mana depletion after just a few attacks.

    "(Here! Here!)"

    "(Here!)"

    "...?"

    As the moss-green-haired boy was walking, two sentinels phased through the door and started calling him excitedly, making him approach and check out the room.

    "Ah. I see. Founder''s keepers, right?"

    "(Yes~!)"

    "(Yes, yes~!)"

    Thitreen opened the door and smirked - there were two people inside, one was round and bound with a rope, the other was skinny with stone bs constricting his hands and legs ¨C not to mention that the skinny person was only in his underwear...

    "Just remember ¨C after bing the corpse puppets, you would have to continue acting as monks for the time being and make it look like the second prince is still kept in this monastery so our master will not get in trouble."

    "(We know!)"

    "(We remember!)"

    The moss-green-haired boy dered and the two murky-ck orbs cheered out impatiently.

    "Hmhm~! With that, wee to our little corpse puppet gang."

    Thitreen snickered, stepping towards the two unconscious men, raising his hand that turned into brass and glistened dangerously.

    ---------

    "So could you tell me, why did you take us to Atreterve?"

    Surou asked and looked around with a dissatisfied expression.

    "Oh? You recognized the architecture or something?"

    Zoemi raised his brow and asked.

    The two boys were standing in the back alley of a noisy town, the buildings were in a different style than those back in the kingdom of Bellcephora.

    That particr style of architecture made Zoemi recall a distant memory from his previous life...

    As they were now, the ck-haired boy decided it would be best to follow his original n - at least the first part of it - and tackle the rather troublesome case of Surou''s and Burushi''s rtionship after some progress would be made.

    "That too, but the dead giveaway is that some of the passersby were wearing cors. very is a serious crime in our homnd, but citizens of Atreterve country don''t share our beliefs in that regard."

    Surou pointed out, motioning towards the bustling main road.

    "I''m pretty sure at least three people were eyeing us out, of which one seemed to seriously wonder whether he should try and capture us. Magicians are the most expensive ves."

    Surou clicked his tongue at Zoemi''s answer and crossed his arms.

    "Don''t tell me you''re actually nning to sell me off!?"

    Surou''s face became pale and he took a step back.

    Zoemi raised his brow and shook his head in disbelief.

    "I just wanted to take us to a ce where we would not be disturbed. This is Vexzi, by the way. And unless a magician already has the ve cor, the vers will not bother them, our countries have an agreement don''t they?"

    Zoemi waved his hand dismissively and said lightheartedly.

    "I''m asking why did you take me here if you just wanted to talk, are you saying that your territory is contested in some way?"

    Surou frowned angrily.

    "Now, now. It''s not like that. When I showed up at your chamber in the monastery you thought that I was someone that the queen had sent to dispose of you ¨C I know that Atreterve isn''t the safest ce for magicians, but that''s why it is one of thest ces that anyone woulde looking for you."

    The ck-haired boy exined, adding whatever he knew from the game on top of everything he learned after reincarnating.

    "..."

    Surou squinted his eyes, ring at Zoemi with a bitter expression.

    "...haa... Atreterve is a country of magic engineers. People from this region aren''t born with the same attribute as us. While the barbarians from the north have hexes and curses, Atretervians use the power of the mana stones to create the finest enhanced equipment that is highly sought in Bellcephora... Not exactly thest ce to look for a runaway second prince, but let''s say that it''s the thought that counts..."

    The blue-haired boy shook his head and sighed before shrugging his shoulders and nodding.

    "My prince, just making sure but ¨C you are interested in being a jeweler, right? Or was that also a thing caused by the hex?"

    "..."

    Zoemi smiled with satisfaction at the second-prince reaction and tilted his head slightly while asking cautiously.

    "...that is indeed something that I always wanted to do..."

    Surou confirmed it with a hesitant nod.

    After all, back in the monastery, there was an entire he was using to not get out of practice.

    "How about adjusting that ambition a little bit and bing an enchanter while you are at it?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi asked with an evil-looking smirk, making Surou wide-eyed.

    "Follow me ¨C we''re going to find you a teacher~!"

    Zoemi turned around and snickered without looking back and Surou, as the second prince end up choosing to indeed follow him to whatever the ck-haired boy was going.

 Chapter 401 Chapter 133 - Unused event (part 2)

    401 Chapter 133 - Unused event (part 2)

    Zoemi and Surou walked out of the alley and started to push through the seemingly endless hordes of people going who know where with very serious expressions.

    They walked for a long time, Vexzi was many times bigger than any of the cities in the Kingdom of Bellcephora even though Atreterve was a much smaller country.

    Finally at a ce where the crowds of people seem to be thinner Zoemi suddenly turned and enter one of the buildings.

    Even though nothing from the outside made one think of a shop ¨C no stopper or other sign - as soon as Zoemi opened the door a silver bell rung out clearly showing that this was indeed a shop of some sort.

    "Just what do you n to put me through...?"

    Surou looked around, muttering with suspicion but following after the ck-haired boy nheless.

    He didn''t have many choices left by this point after all...

    "...oooohhhhh...!

    But as soon as the blue-haired boy properly entered the building, he couldn''t help himself from gasping in awe.

    It was a shop with jewelry.

    And it wasn''t just a shop.

    It was also a workshop.

    A master jeweler was sitting by the counter in the innermost part of the shop and was busy working, carving various runes into the mana stone that would be a core for yet another essory.

    Although the bell to his shop rung twice, signaling two potential customers - or intruders - the jeweler didn''t even flinch.

    Instead, he kept on working as if he was still alone, as his focus seemed to be unbreakable.

    Surou was drawn to the beautiful pieces of jewelry put on a disy behind a thinyer of ss that was giving off cold air.

    The designs of the essories were intricate and delicate, a perfectbination of the natural beauty of gems and craftsmanship.

    Zoemi didn''t even spare a single nce at the wonders behind the ss and instead headed straight to the counter.

    "Master, I brought you a stay-in apprentice!"

    "?!?!?!"

    Zoemi dered loudly, making the bergasted Surou take a step back and almost knock another disy case over.

    "...tsk...|

    That finally made the old jeweler nce at them, but he only clicked his tongue after looking at the ck-haired boy and shook his head.

    "You have the hands of a martial artist, not a jeweler, go away."

    The old jeweler scoffed at Zoemi and looked back to his work.

    "...martial artist..?"

    This time even the ck-haired boy furrowed his brows ¨C he even raised his hand and checked his palm with old calluses he got from all the sword practice.

    Not even a swordsman, but a martial artist?

    "..."

    Surou who managed to tear himself away from the breathtaking jewelry was looking at Zoemi and the old jeweler with a concerned face.

    "That''s it...?"

    The blue-haired boy moved away from the disy case and inched closer to Zoemi, leaning forward and whispering in confusion.

    "Sorry, that took me by surprise."

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and nodded apologetically at the second prince before making a serious expression and facing the jeweler.

    "You seem not only blind but deaf as well, old man, I never said that I wanted to be your apprentice. He is the scapegoat."

    "Scapegoat...?!"

    Zoemi pointed at Surou who flinched and paled.

    Zoemi was being incredibly rude to this old person even though he was asking him for a favor, but more than that the blue-haired boy was rmed by the choice of words...

    "Put him through the test. Your usual one."

    "...hmph..."

    While Surou was reconsidering running off on his own, Zoemi dered without changing his rude tone and the old jeweler stopped his work and faced him whit a cranky expression, putting aside the thin mana stone-powered drill.

    "Hoh... I thought that everyone has already forgotten about my test..."

    But instead of getting mad the old jeweler took off a magnifying monocle and smirked, scratching his chin as his light-brown eyes shone yfully.

    "You do know the stakes of the test...?"

    The old man looked at Zoemi and the ck-haired boy grinned in return.

    "Of course ¨C the bag, please."

    *whoom*

    *jingle*

    Zoemi nodded and muttered and the next moment a murky-ck orb flew out of his shadow and spat out a bag full of coins right at the counter separating the shop from the workshop part of the room.

    "I will pay up for every ingredient and piece of equipment that my friend here will destroy during the test, but if his work will show promise you will take him in as an apprentice."

    "Good."

    The ck-haired boy announced and the old jeweler nodded with satisfaction.

    But Zoemi wasn''t done talking.

    "I want to make a slight adjustment to the second part though."

    "Hoh...?"

    The jeweler squinted his eyes and stared at Zoemi, his light-brown eyes seemed to pierce right through the ck-haired boy.

    "You''re getting older, old man and your art doesn''t have a worthy sessor. This guy here isn''t an enchanter yet but is quite the promising jeweler. He got banished from his home because he fell in love with the wrong girl. He will show you something amazing and you will make him your inheritor and pass on your craftsmanship and the workshop. Of course when you will pass away or decide to retire."

    |He went mad...!|

    "..."

    Surou straightened his back and froze in shock while listening to what Zoemi was saying, the old jeweler''s face also seemed to freeze but in anger.

    "You..."

    The old man breathed out about tosh out, but Zoemi didn''t let him continue.

    "Remberu, think about it as paying the debt to your son."

    "...?"

    "!!!!!"

    Zoemi said in a cold voice, Surou shook his head and raised his brow staring at the ck-haired boy in utter confusion, but judging from the old jeweler''s reaction, Zoemi didn''t just go mad and started spewing random nonsense.

    "They ended up like that because of you, think you will be able to face them on the other side as you are now?"

    "???"

    "..."

    Zoemi added, making Surou even more weirded out, but the old jeweler''s body trembled.

    "Just test him, Remberu, you owe it to Varem and Sekuru."

    The old jeweler''s pupils shook and he looked away unable to keep eye contact with the ck-haired boy.

    Someone else might have argued or started asking how Zoemi knows all about his name or the name of his son and his fiance but the old jeweler, Remberu, was carrying a burden too heavy to question anything.

    His past.

    His past mistakes were too grave to question anyone who would use them against him.

    "You there,e here."

    Remberu was avoiding Zoemi''s re and called to Surou instead.

    "S-seriously...!?"

    Surou asked in disbelief, looking between the old man and Zoemi as if expecting one of them to reveal the whole scene to be some weird set-up.

    "You there,e here."

    But instead, Remberu avoiding Zoemi''s re called out and beckoned Surou to walk around the counter and approach him.

    "S-seriously...!?"

    The second prince asked in disbelief - could that day be any weirder...?

    "Sit here, you can use whatever you see here, take as much as you want, make an essory since your friend is willing to sponsor you."

    "Mister - I want to remind you that I am not an enchanter..."

    Surou breathed out and exined cautiously.

    "But you want to be one right? In this workshop, I don''t make weapons or armor but jewelry instead. If you have a talent for that, I would be willing to teach you the rest. Now, make some jewelry to prove your worth, or get the hell out and take your friend with you!"

    "...the things that I have to bear with..."

    Remberu scoffed making the blue-haired boy frown.

 Chapter 402 Chapter 133 - Unused event (part 3)

    402 Chapter 133 - Unused event (part 3)

    On the other side of the table, in small boxes, tens of mana crystals, gems, and minerals were stored.

    Diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, agates, rubies, opals, pearls, gold, silver, white gold, and tinum, just to name the limited few that Zoemi could recognize.

    "Psst... My prince, just so you know, I don''t want to pay this old man even a broken copper so it would be much appreciated if you did not waste anything. Please."

    "Who do you think you are talking to? I''ve turned a in brick wall into a work of art. Sit down and watch."

    Zoemi''s worried whisper reached Surou''s ears and stirred up his pride.

    "...also, we will have to talk about... you sharing the story of my life without my permission..."

    The blue-haired boy nced back at the ck-haired boy and whispered in muttered in annoyance ¨C although he did not try to clear things out since the made-up story was the reason the old jeweler, Remberu, agreed on Zoemi''s outrageous conditions.

    "We definitely will. Now, chop-chop. Go on to work."

    "..."

    Zoemi rolled his eyes and nodded at the rather obvious statement, causing Surou to squint his eyes at him before turning back.

    "Hmm..."

    The blue-haired boy curiously picked up one of the carving tools and studied it with interest.

    "The thing magicless people create to imitate spells..."

    He raised his brows and nodded, rather impressed at the ingenuity, but after a few more seconds he put the tool down and began choosing the base material for the essory he would make.

    "...huh..."

    Surou scoffed after examining all the precious materials just to find out that most of them weren''t of the top quality.

    "Will you even start doing something or will you just stare at the tools like a cow at a painting of a meadow?"

    Remberu groaned grumpily and certainly wasn''t being reassuring towards the blue-haired boy but in the first ce, why would he?

    "I was just thinking that I would like the girl I love to see these top-quality materials."

    Surou made a bitter expression and said in the ttest voice possible, so obviously annoyed that Zoemi began worrying that the blue-haired second prince would stand up and walk out the next second.

    "Good. Use that feeling as an inspiration. Just imagine you''re making a gift for her. You want to see her, you want to show her how much you love her, you want her to be happy. If it''s made with all your heart she will love it no matter what it is."

    "..."

    All that sarcasm was clearly lost on the old jeweler who apparently took Surou''s wordspletely seriously ¨C but what was probably the most shocking part was that they caused the man to warm up to the blue-haired boy.

    "..."

    "...I know... don''t mind him... he isn''t doing it on purpose..."

    The second prince slowly turn around and red at Zoemi with murder in his eyes and the ck-haired boy did his best to calm him down.

    Surou was more than just pissed off and he had all the rights to be like that.

    "Oh, dear. Isn''t that right? Hmmm... In that case... She doesn''t have any hair essories even though her hair is so lovely... A hairpin it is."

    The second prince spoke in a stiff, mechanical voice that made Zoemi sigh.

    |Connect me via message spell with him, please.|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself while Surou was picking up the materials.

    "(Done!)"

    One of the sentinels responded cheerfully, establishing the spell connection.

    "|My prince...|"

    "[DON''T YOU DARE TO MY PRINCE ME! I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HUMILIATED IN MY LIFE! WHAT IS THIS WHOLE BULLSHIT ABOUT ME LOVING THE WRONG WOMAN?! I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT I DID NOT START AY RELATIONSHIP WITH ANYONE, AT LEAST NOT BY MY OWN FREE WILL!]"

    Zoemi thought apologetically and saw Surou flinch ¨C but the next moment he was the one flinching as Surou''s furious thoughts assaulted him right back,shing out in his thought.

    Still, the blue-haired boy managed to control himself on the outside quite splendidly, which Zoemi would expect out of his character from the game but not the person he met in the academy.

    "|I understand, my prince... The things I said to this old man were not meant to offend you, it only served to make himply with my demands. Bing a stay-in apprentice will be a stealthier option than renting a ce. This will give us enough time to investigate things... and do so more thoroughly than I originally intended to because your testimony had shaken whatever understanding of the foundation of this world I had left intact...|"

    "[...I willply, for now...]"

    Zoemi thought apologetically while Surou breathed out and got to actually work as the idea was already forming in his head.

    "No tools...?"

    Remberu grumbled seeing the blue-haired boy just picking up more and more jewels and rare metals.

    "Oh...? Oooohhhh!"

    But then his eyes shone when he saw water gather at the end of Surou''s fingertip and take a peculiar shape.

    |This kid is a natural!|

    The old jeweler gasped internally while Surou started working with a serious face.

    |It''s a good thing the second prince gave us the benefit of a doubt. Still... Surou doesn''t love Burushi... which is... worrisome. She loves him, after all... But then again ¨C since Arisu was the one hexing Surou all this time, he must have been the one to pick Burushi as the target. He or his mother, the queen...|

    Zoemi sighed silently and thought, intending to start a conversation with his sentinels.

    "(Why would they do that?)"

    One of them responds to the thought curiously.

    |Getting rid of Surou could have been a long-timeing. Who knows? Maybe Burushi was even enrolled into the Aspakeony Academy just for that sole purpose? We should look into it if we ever get the opportunity.|

    "(We should!)"

    "(Yes, we should!)"

    The boy considered and thought with a soft scoff, which was weed by an excited cheer of the sentinels.

    For the time being, Zoemi went silent and joined in with the old enchanter at watching the blue-haired boy focus on his creation.

 Chapter 403 133 - Unused event (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 403 133 - Unused event (part 3)</h4>

    On the other side of the table, in small boxes, tens of mana crystals, gems, and minerals were stored.

    Diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, agates, rubies, opals, pearls, gold, silver, white gold, and tinum, just to name the limited few that Zoemi could recognize.

    "Psst... My prince, just so you know, I don''t want to pay this old man even a broken copper so it would be much appreciated if you did not waste anything. Please."

    "Who do you think you are talking to? I''ve turned a in brick wall into a work of art. Sit down and watch."

    Zoemi''s worried whisper reached Surou''s ears and stirred up his pride.

    "...also, we will have to talk about... you sharing the story of my life without my permission..."

    The blue-haired boy nced back at the ck-haired boy and whispered in muttered in annoyance ¨C although he did not try to clear things out since the made-up story was the reason the old jeweler, Remberu, agreed on Zoemi''s outrageous conditions.

    "We definitely will. Now, chop-chop. Go on to work."

    "..."

    Zoemi rolled his eyes and nodded at the rather obvious statement, causing Surou to squint his eyes at him before turning back.

    "Hmm..."

    The blue-haired boy curiously picked up one of the carving tools and studied it with interest.

    "The thing magicless people create to imitate spells..."

    He raised his brows and nodded, rather impressed at the ingenuity, but after a few more seconds he put the tool down and began choosing the base material for the essory he would make.

    "...huh..."

    Surou scoffed after examining all the precious materials just to find out that most of them weren''t of the top quality.

    "Will you even start doing something or will you just stare at the tools like a cow at a painting of a meadow?"

    Remberu groaned grumpily and certainly wasn''t being reassuring towards the blue-haired boy but in the first ce, why would he?

    "I was just thinking that I would like the girl I love to see these top-quality materials."

    Surou made a bitter expression and said in the ttest voice possible, so obviously annoyed that Zoemi began worrying that the blue-haired second prince would stand up and walk out the next second.

    "Good. Use that feeling as an inspiration. Just imagine you''re making a gift for her. You want to see her, you want to show her how much you love her, you want her to be happy. If it''s made with all your heart she will love it no matter what it is."

    "..."

    All that sarcasm was clearly lost on the old jeweler who apparently took Surou''s wordspletely seriously ¨C but what was probably the most shocking part was that they caused the man to warm up to the blue-haired boy.

    "..."

    "...I know... don''t mind him... he isn''t doing it on purpose..."

    The second prince slowly turn around and red at Zoemi with murder in his eyes and the ck-haired boy did his best to calm him down.

    Surou was more than just pissed off and he had all the rights to be like that.

    "Oh, dear. Isn''t that right? Hmmm... In that case... She doesn''t have any hair essories even though her hair is so lovely... A hairpin it is."

    The second prince spoke in a stiff, mechanical voice that made Zoemi sigh.

    |Connect me via message spell with him, please.|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself while Surou was picking up the materials.

    "(Done!)"

    One of the sentinels responded cheerfully, establishing the spell connection.

    "|My prince...|"

    "[DON''T YOU DARE TO MY PRINCE ME! I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HUMILIATED IN MY LIFE! WHAT IS THIS WHOLE BULLSHIT ABOUT ME LOVING THE WRONG WOMAN?! I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT I DID NOT START AY RELATIONSHIP WITH ANYONE, AT LEAST NOT BY MY OWN FREE WILL!]"

    Zoemi thought apologetically and saw Surou flinch ¨C but the next moment he was the one flinching as Surou''s furious thoughts assaulted him right back,shing out in his thought.

    Still, the blue-haired boy managed to control himself on the outside quite splendidly, which Zoemi would expect out of his character from the game but not the person he met in the academy.

    "|I understand, my prince... The things I said to this old man were not meant to offend you, it only served to make himply with my demands. Bing a stay-in apprentice will be a stealthier option than renting a ce. This will give us enough time to investigate things... and do so more thoroughly than I originally intended to because your testimony had shaken whatever understanding of the foundation of this world I had left intact...|"

    "[...I willply, for now...]"

    Zoemi thought apologetically while Surou breathed out and got to actually work as the idea was already forming in his head.

    "No tools...?"

    Remberu grumbled seeing the blue-haired boy just picking up more and more jewels and rare metals.

    "Oh...? Oooohhhh!"

    But then his eyes shone when he saw water gather at the end of Surou''s fingertip and take a peculiar shape.

    |This kid is a natural!|

    The old jeweler gasped internally while Surou started working with a serious face.

    |It''s a good thing the second prince gave us the benefit of a doubt. Still... Surou doesn''t love Burushi... which is... worrisome. She loves him, after all... But then again ¨C since Arisu was the one hexing Surou all this time, he must have been the one to pick Burushi as the target. He or his mother, the queen...|

    Zoemi sighed silently and thought, intending to start a conversation with his sentinels.

    "(Why would they do that?)"

    One of them responds to the thought curiously.

    |Getting rid of Surou could have been a long-timeing. Who knows? Maybe Burushi was even enrolled into the Aspakeony Academy just for that sole purpose? We should look into it if we ever get the opportunity.|

    "(We should!)"

    "(Yes, we should!)"

    The boy considered and thought with a soft scoff, which was weed by an excited cheer of the sentinels.

    For the time being, Zoemi went silent and joined in with the old enchanter at watching the blue-haired boy focus on his creation.

 Chapter 404 133 - Unused event (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 404 133 - Unused event (part 4)</h4>

    |Heh... this sure brings back memories... Surou''s ythrough-stopping event. Just remembering looking for answers and digging through every possible dialogue option makes me so feel so tired~!|

    Zoemi thought to himself while jawning, before stretching as he reminiscent of the excruciating time in his previous life when he was checking out every rumor about changing the fate of the tragic viiness in the game.

    Through the heroine, the yer had to go through a lot to finish Surou''s rote.

    First taking Surou to Atreterve during the vacation between the semesters, then finding the old jeweler...

    Learning about the old man''s backstory and the tragedy he caused to his son and his son''s fiance... Everything that Zoemi said towards Remberu was exactly how the heroine should have yed this damned event to unlock the secret CGI of Surou working on a piece of jewelry...

    It was something that only the most hardcore Surou fans, and Zoemi,pleted.

    Many people on various forums thought that this ultra-hard and the annoying event was the sole reason that the option of jumping to different routes existed in the first ce.

    Seriously, the jeweler''s legacy was so damn annoying event that many people voted Surou''s route to be the absolute worst in the whole game.

    But on the bright side, since that world wasn''t the game although it was simr to it, Zoemi could use his knowledge to get a far better reward than it was intended.

    ...that did not change the fact that the ck-haired boy couldn''t help but get bored with just watching the blue-haired work ¨C it would be a different case if it was a speed-up video, but actually having to sit through the entire process of making jewelry wasn''t exactly everyone''s cup of tea.

    It certainly wasn''t for Zoemi.

    The ck-haired boy became restless and initially went around the shop and checked out the avable merchandise.

    ...after another hour or so Zoemi went behind the counter too, and since the owner of the ce was too busy looking Surou over the shoulder and watching him work, the ck-haired boy went ahead and began checking the equipment that the old jeweler usually used.

    There were many perfectly normal tolls like chisels, picks, brushes, and scalpel-like knives ¨C but Zoemi was most interested in a mana-stone powered drills,

    "...can I take a look at those...?"

    Zoemi nced over his shoulder, deciding to ask for permission in the end, and pointed at the slightly too technologically advanced tools for their time period.

    "Huh..? Yes, sure, they all have mana stones removed so they are safe to check. Just know that you will be paying for everything that get''s broken bo..."

    *brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*

    Remberu waved his hand dismissively after quickly checking what Zoemi was talking about, but he closed his mouth in shock when the ck-haired boy picked up one of the supposedly safe drills that began working with full power that very moment.

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    Even Surou raised his head from over his project and all three of them stared at the buzzing drill.

    *brrrrrzzz....*

    After another second Zoemi slowly put the working droll back where he took it, and the tool went silent, actually making the situation even weirder because other than the ck-haired boy''s touch there was no stimulus to the drill.

    "..."

    The old jeweler walked over with a concerned expression and grabbed the very same drill ¨C but the tool stayed silent, even when he tinkered with it.

    "It doesn''t have the mana stone... How did you make it work?"

    "I am not sure...?"

    The man asked but the ck-haired boy could only shrug his shoulders with a dumbfounded expression because he honestly did not know.

    He certainly wasn''t using his mana willingly, as that could stir up the tormenting pain from his damaged mana reservoir.

    "My friend! I don''t mind having an audience, but I must disappoint you ¨C if I am supposed to really do my best here, it will not be done in an hour. Get yourself something to eat ¨C and while you''re at it, grab something for me too. Thank you."

    The atmosphere was getting rather awkward, but the second prince dealt with it rather swiftly, with a simple but effective change of subject...

    -----

    The evening came but Surou wasn''t stopping working and the old jeweler wasn''t going to make him stop either.

    The evening became night and the night became day.

    And Surou wasn''t done yet either.

    Only in the middle of the second night, did the blue-haired boy''s hands stop and he raised his head.

    "Oh?"

    "Hoh...?"

    Zoemi and Remberu peeked over his shoulders and saw a beautiful flower attached to a hairpin.

    It was a flower that neither of them had ever seen before, it had such ridiculous details that not only it was hard to say it was an essory and not the real thing, it went even beyond that as the creation looked almost alive as if it was growing out from the precious metal the hairpin was sculpted from.

    "I hope you aren''t biased against flowers ¨C I am not that good with animals so this is what I ent for. It still isn''t finished, but you should be able to see where am I going with it. "

    Surou''s shrugged his shoulders indifferently, ignoring the shocked faces of his audience while he pushed the hairpin right to Remberu''s nose.

    "~!"

    Zoemi nced at the old jeweler''s expression and smirked to himself.

    "Boy ¨C I will teach you all I know ¨C no, please, let me teach you!"

    There was no way that the hairpin could be considered anything less than a masterpiece, which was further entuated by the tearful gasp of the old jeweler grabbing onto Surou''s hands as if they were the most precious thing in the world.

    "Ah. Recognition. So that''s how it feels~"

    Surou nodded with satisfaction before looking over at Zoemi and wiggling his brows triumphantly.

    "What''s your name, my boy?"

    The old jeweler asked, actually getting tearful for some reason.

    |Connect me to him immediately!|

    "(Active!)"

    "|You shouldn''t use your name, not the first one at least. Go with your second name, Delche.|"

    Zoemithought in panic and started talking immediately after his sentinel confirmed the use of the spell.

    "..."

    "...?"

    Surou closed his mouth and nced at Zoemi ¨C with annoyance that made the ck-haired boy tens up.

    "[Sir Banemor, are you an idiot? If my first name isn''t safe to use, why would my middle name be alright? I did a good job with the essory, why should I half-ass it with the name...?]"

    "|Oh... yeah... you are correct... Just remember whatever name you choose, it would be suspicious if you would not react after being called...|"

    "[I will manage.]"

    After the second prince''s scolding, Zoemi nodded timidly and looked away embarrassed.

    "My name is Roytou, mister."

    The blue-haired boy looked back at the old jeweler and said confidently without even batting an eye.

    "Roytou, my boy, I will take you as my apprentice and I will pass all my knowledge on to you. If your potential to be an enchanter is even a fraction of your talent as the jeweler, you will surely be the greatest enchanter in the world!"

    Remberu called out ted, shaking Surou''s hand so much that the blue-haired boy almost dropped the hairpin.

    "Mister, this means that you will provide Royto a ce to stay and food and..."

    Zoemi shook his head again and said to the old jeweler cautiously.

    "Of course, I will be providing for him! I just said I will make him my inheritor, right!?"

    Remberu scoffed at Zoemi in disbelief, as if the ck-haired boy suggesting another oue has greatly offended him.

    "Well ¨C if so, this is perfect."

    Zoemi nodded with satisfaction.

    At least one thing worked out as he intended.

    ...although he did originally underestimate the second prince''s talent, that''s for sure...

 Chapter 405 134 - Meeting by the crystal lake (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 405 134 - Meeting by the crystalke (part 1)</h4>

    |What should I do...?|

    Zoemi was pondering, exiting the jeweler''s shop after leaving Surou with a few of his sentinels for protection just in case.

    "(Eat a meal...?)"

    "(Return home~!)"

    "..."

    The sentinels residing within his shadow answered naively making the ck-haired boy smile.

    |That too, we didn''t tell grandpa or Burushi that our little practice excursion would take so long, they are probably worried about us.|

    Zoemi thought, clearing things up and making his sentinels stay quiet waiting for him to be more precise this time.

    |What I originally meant was, I wondered how should I let the situation between Burushi and Surou y out... just in case, little ones in Burushi''s shadow...|

    "(Yes, master?)"

    "(Do you need something?)"

    Which the ck-haired boy did, but then he also immediately called out to the other sentinels for some additional answers ¨C and got an immediate response while walking down the mostly silent street.

    It was past midnight, veryte but still too soon to be expecting sunrise.

    |Are there any signs that she knows about herself being the recipient of Surou''s love only because of the hex that somebody has cast on him?|

    Zoemi thought, tensing up because of the subject he himself has brought up...

    "(Eeeehhhh?!)"

    "(No. She will be really sad when she learns about it...)"

    ...but the sentinels were so confused, that only one of them gave a coherent answer to the question.

    |I see... she might not be aware of anything.|

    The ck-haired boy nodded to himself.

    |But she might as well know about everything and just be ying a long game... stay vignt around her. Help her when necessary but do not overexert yourselves in a case she would be able to make things work on her own.|

    "(O-okay...?)"

    "(No favoritism, understood!)"

    Zoemi instructed the listening-in sentinels protecting the blond heroine, and his words caused them to have quite the amusing disparity in a tone of eptance.

    |Oh, and before I forget and make things awkward ¨C please do tell Burushi that I am fine and that I will take some more time before returning. Don''t go into details about where or who I am with.|

    "(Alright~!)"

    "(Yes, master!)"

    The ck-haired boy added hurriedly before the connection between him and the sentinels guarding Burushi was cut off.

    "Now then..."

    Zoemi breathed out, nodding with satisfaction, and turned into one of the sideroads even though e could clearly see that there was no one following him.

    |Alright. Let''s move along with the n. Take me to Aspakeony, please. I need to have a word with her.|

    *WHOOOOOM*

    When he confirmed that the alleyway he chose at random ¨C before asking his sentinels and getting swallowed by the murky shadow underneath his own feet.

    -------

    *WHOOOOOM*

    *thump*

    A murky-ck gate showed up in the air out of nowhere and spat out a ck-haired boy, who this time managed tond properly on his feet.

    "...huh...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows looking around in honest surprise.

    Because he fully expected to be transported to the Aspakeony Academy.

    Maybe not to the headmaster''s office itself, but at least in front of it...

    Where he showed up instead was a walkway amongst the forest, that he seemed to recognize somehow.

    "Isn''t this the way towards the crystalke in my territory...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked out loud in confusion.

    In the end, he did ask to be taken to Aspakeony ¨C if the sentinels misunderstood him, he should have been at least transported to the Academy.

    Then how did he end up back in the Banemor territory that was half of the kingdom away from that ce?

    "(It is!)"

    "..."

    The confidence in the message sent to him by one of his resident sentinels made him furrow his brows.

    No matter how smart they got, their murky-ck orbs seemed to share a distaste for exining themselves unless they got directly asked for context.

    "... I see..."

    Zoemi sighed and nodded that information.

    "...?"

    The ck-haired boy turned to the side and raised his brow ¨C from his position he actually could see a faint glowing from that direction, making things visible even for people who unlike Zoemi did not have the night vision.

    This clearly must have been the crystalke, Zoemi''s initial thought about his location was spot on.

    Well... Might as well check it out. They seem so confident about bringing me here... It''s worth checking. Maybe Aspy went for thete-night swim or something...|

    Zoemi thought to himself, making sure that his thoughts would not be passed to the sentinels, and begin walking towards the faint light.

    As he was moving along, he was reminded that the crystalke wasn''t just some measly pond but an actualke...

    Basically, what that meant was that the walk-up to theke itself took him a lot longer than he expected.

    With each step the glow that theke was giving off would grow in intensity, ending in the area basking in the beautiful rainbow brilliance.

    After a few more steps Zoemi passed thest trees obstructing his view and the crystalke presented itself in front of him in all its glory.

    Although this wasn''t his first time seeing it, the ck-haired boy still had to stop in ce to take in and appreciate the view of this most popr tourist location in the Banemor territory, as if he never witnessed it before.

    It was a truly magnificent sight, one truly fit for a fantasy world full of magic and wonder. The crystal clear water wasn''t obstructing the beautiful formation of blue-tinted crystals pulsating under its surface like hundreds of thousands of beating hearts.

    It was incredibly charming and even Zoemi forgot for a moment about his troubles and worries.

    There was something soothing about this scenery, some sort of ancient charm...

    And on top of all of that, there was someone there ¨C someone with a unique shadow in the form of half-girl half-slug.

    And since the shadow wasn''t leeching to another unique shadow, this must have been the original body.

    "Good morning, Aspy."

    "Beautiful, isn''t it?"

    Zoemi called out to the gray-haired youthful-looking dark-skinned girl, sitting just a few meters away from the spot he was standing, and she reacted to his presence but did not respond to him directly, instead, looking at theke showing the boy her back.

    There was a small pier going into the water and the gray-haired necromancer was sitting on the edge of it.

    She was wearing a simple ck one-piece, with a ck ribbon in her gray hair and she had a pair of ck silk slippers sitting next to her and she was dipping her bare feet into the water.

    "I can assure you it is always just as gorgeous, no matter how many times you look at it..."

    The dark-skinned girl said mncholically and sighed while putting her hands on the edge of the pier and leaning back to look at the moon.

    "Though the crystals sure glow brighter when the moon is full..."

    Without a doubt, that girl was none other than Aspakeony, an ancient necromancer and the true headmaster of the Aspakeony Academy.

    "..."

    As the ck-haired boy approached her, he looked between theke, the moon up above, and the gray-haired girl, for the first time realizing that her hair and eyes are more silvery than actually gray.

    "Breathtaking."

    Zoemi smirked and nodded, without looking towards the spectacle of the hundreds of shining mana stones.

 Chapter 406 134 - Meeting by the crystal lake (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 406 134 - Meeting by the crystalke (part 2)</h4>

    "Look at you now. I was gone for a while, then you were out of it for even longer ¨C and suddenly to go ahead and start flirting... Don''t you know how much older I am?"

    Aspakeony smiled, chuckling at the boy''s words, not really recognizing it as apliment but rather wanting to tease him ¨C and while doing so she still hasn''t looked over to him.

    "..."

    That made Zoemi step towards her, looming over her with a gentle expression.

    "...eh...?"

    Suddenly getting the moon blocked by the ck-haired boy''s calm face made the gray-haired necromancer''s eyes widen in surprise...

    "..."

    "EEEEHHH...?!"

    ...and then, even more, when the boy crouched down shortening the distance between their faces to only a few inches.

    "Since I don''t know how old were the remains that you took the residue of the life energy to create the original artificial soul, I can''t be sure about that seniority of yours."

    "...!"

    As Zoemi said that, Aspaekony''s expression turned into pure shock as she stared at him in disbelief.

    "How...? I... I mean ¨C what are you talking about?"

    The gray-haired necromancer gasped and hurriedly scuttled to the side straightening her back and looking away from the calm boy.

    "Don''t say weird things like that. Anyway ¨C I almost forgot how handsome you were. Are you feeling better now? Do you want to return to the Academy?"

    Sheughed extremely awkwardly and changed the subject in such an obvious way that it was hard to believe she lived for far more than enough to perfect acting skills several times over.

    "Alright. We can leave that talk forter."

    Zoemi sighed and approached her.

    "As for your questions ¨C yes, I do feel better. And also, yes, I wanted to talk to you about my return to the Academy. That''s why I showed up. Can I sit here too?"

    "...sure..."

    He added, tilting his head and smiling softly, which caused the Aspakeony to nce at him and breathe out in relief, before tapping the spot right next to her in an invitation.

    ...that the ck-haired boy took...

    Zoemi seated herself next to the necromancer by the edge of the pier but he did not put his legs over the edge, settling for the rather delinquent way of sitting that matched his devilish beauty.

    "So you do dress normally when you go out openly. You should do that more often, you look dashing."

    The ck-haired boy pointed out with a smirk.

    "Oh, you can say that again! This dress is not asfortable as the nightgown but it''s not too bad and considering the situation I find it far more fitting."

    Zoemi''s words fulfilled their purpose and made the girl chuckle, but then her expression became somber and she let out a soft sigh.

    "The asion?"

    Zoemi tilted his head, watching the gray-haired girl breathe out as if she was thinking about the best way to convey her feelings.

    "It''s been almost three hundred years since thest time I allowed any of my students'' to die in the academy. Even if that student turned out to be a piece of human garbage, it''s still unpleasant... And the poor girl that he tortured..."

    Aspakeony moved her legs and kicked up the water which reflected the moonlight.

    "Believe it or not, things like that happen from time to time... Kids with too much strength abuse those weaker than them... Each time it happens I swear to myself that it will be thest time. I increase the levels of security, I put more of my puppets to keep an eye on anything suspicious, but still again and again a time arises when some scum slips by... It makes me wonder if I am really suited to be the person in charge of the Academy..."

    "...''

    She sighed again and kicked up more water, Zoemi sat down beside her and shrugged his shoulders.

    "Hey, at least the girl is fine now, and having the criminal punished sure does make it better for her to cope with everything."

    "Does it really...?"

    Aspakeony just kicked up water again and stared at the droplets stuck to her outstretched foot.

    "Can you even call it a fitting punishment? He should be dragged through a much more humiliating fate than just death. He should have a trial and all. Do you know? That would make things more right... making it public and shaming such cruelty to the ground, making it an example, a threat for other scum that even considered something simr. Now that he is dead everyone just wants to keep quiet about what he''s done because the little Hostersa pushed the narrative that little Xeonith heroically fought with the murderer or whatever... But I don''t have to tell you that, right? I was told that you got involved in that mess... I''m sorry I wasn''t there to help..."

    "It''s okay, Aspy."

    She nced at Zoemi and the ck-haired boy nodded.

    |I wonder if she''ll feel better if I tell her everything...?|

    Zoemi seriously considered spilling all his secrets to the girl next to him.

    "(Master, master...! You don''t have to tell the nice girl everything...!)"

    "(Yes! But do tell her about the darkness magician you killed!)"

    And since he didn''t block off his thoughts, his sentinels heard them all and provided their own take on the subject.

    |True. Good thinking. I will tell her... but a bitter. It feels like she still wants to talk.|

    The ck-haired boy nodded discreetly while responding, as Aspaekony was hanging her head low while stirring theke''s surface with her feet.

    "If he was still alive, what punishment would you want to befall him?"

    Zoemi asked, reading between the lines.

    "Since nowadays we are in a rtively peaceful rtion with Atreterve, I would say that banishing that brat to the neighboring Saorneh would be the best choice. They like the fair-skinned ve there, and they have a lot of curse attribute magicians, they would have been able to bind his powers and put him to work to make him."

    She answered serious expression, clenching her fists without looking up.

    "You know that would never work, right? With his father''s status and all."

    The ck-haired boy asked, making her flinch.

    "..."

    The gray-haired necromancer''s silence confirmed that if Xeonith wouldn''t die, he would get off scot-free.

    |...oh... it looks like that was it...|

    Zoemi thought to himself while seeing the tension leave the girl''s shoulders as she let out the longest sigh yet.

    "That sounds like you are angry at yourself that a part of you is happy that things ended as they did, but you see..."

    "...not happy... but... satisfied in a way. That adds to my horrible character. I caused the extinction of the healing attribute, I failed to foresee the betrayal of the Ghosts of Bellcephora. My judgment is literally trash and I am an awful person..."

    The ck-haired boy said while meaning to make it into a segway to the appearance of one of the Ghosts, but unfortunately, his words were enough to push Aspakeony right back into mncholy.

    "Haah... speaking of which - did you learn bout the rumors going around about you? A certain someone is putting a lot of work into making you look just the worst. If you want to talk about it too..."

    The gray-haired girl said, looking up at the ck-haired boy while trying to smile.

 Chapter 407 134 - Meeting by the crystal lake (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 407 134 - Meeting by the crystalke (part 3)</h4>

    "Truth be told, I don''t really needpassion. Together with Burushi we have figured out that the queen wants to ruin the reputation of both the first and the second prince, and her n includes tarnishing Horeo''s image through his association with me."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and said with a rather calm and indifferent expression.

    "...that''s unfortunate..."

    Aspakeony''s shoulders slumped and she lowered her head apologetically.

    "I kind of don''t know how exactly all of that will affect me personally, besides the possibility of being shunned... How can the opinion of others affect me when I am the owner of the prosperous territory that functioned perfectly fine on its own? Can the royal family take back the title they let me inherit? Or maybe vilify me andunch an attack to remove me from the position of power by force?"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi asked, tilting his head curiously ¨C he wasn''t actually all that bothered, but judging by the gray-haired necromancer''s shocked reaction, maybe there was something to worry about in the end...

    "Don''t even joke about it! That could spark the internal conflict that would eat the Bellcephora kingdom from the inside!"

    Aspakeony gasped in horror, shaking her head vigorously.

    "...although... if enough nobles would believe in the rumors that are being spread about you and they all unite in order to bring you down..."

    It looked like she didn''t like the sound of her own words, but still, the gray-haired girl ended up biting her lips and muttering in a worried voice.

    She didn''t want to think about either option.

    Aspakeony was the very person who helped create the Bellcephora kingdom and could be considered its guardian.

    The kingdom itself was sort of her apology to the world for many things she did in the past...

    Still, she also tried to stay away from the spotlight as much as she could ¨C after all, she had long learned that people who thought they have a backing of an overwhelmingly powerful being tended to grow vain and reckless, which in turn leads to their downfall.

    That is why most of the time only the kings and queens were aware of her existence, and she would only lend her help in the most dire cases.

    Unfortunately, although she favored the ck-haired boy, a single noble house being the target of nder wasn''t enough to cause her to get involved.

    At least for now.

    "Do you think they would be able to bring down Benevirau and me?"

    "(And all of us!)"

    "(Yeah! We will not abandon you, master!)"

    Zoemi raised his brow and smiled slightly on the mocking side, but then immediately grinned after hearing the feisty cheers of the sentinels residing within his shadow.

    "As long as little Benevirau isn''t taken down by surprise in one shot, he can take down everyone in the battle of attrition because of his ability to use the mana straight from nature... also, I''ve heard that you got stronger too..."

    Aspakeony shook her head and spoke in a hesitant voice while looking switching her position a bit and looking up at the easygoing ck-haired boy.

    "...but if I have to be honest... being too strong is a problem too. If people will fear you enough, they will unite to destroy you like the mischief of mice killing a cat. I fear the destruction that could be brought back upon this world..."

    The gray-haired girl sighed and lowered her gaze to hide her tearful eyes.

    "...I already asked you would you like to return to the Academy and I am really happy that you confirmed it. I believe that with you being there the other nobles would see that you aren''t involved in the rampart kidnapping going around and..."

    "Aspy."

    "...!?"

    The gray-haired necromancer spoke sounding apologetical for having an ulterior motive and not being focused on her student''s wellbeing, and that''s why she flinched when the boy reached out his arm and lightly touched her face.

    Aspakeony did not move back from the physical contact...

    She just looked up in silence, worried about the boy''s reaction.

    "I might be paranoid again, but don''t you think that the kidnapping will stop the moment that I will show back up in the Academy? In a way that will only add to the rumor''s credibility."

    "..."

    He said and the girl''s worried expression was more than enough of a confirmation that she expected that oue too but was trying to not think about it.

    "I can always start kidnapping people for real but make it so it seems like someone else is doing it. Since it works for the queen, why wouldn''t it..."

    "DON''T!"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and jokingly came up with a very questionable idea that made Aspekony actually scared, and she suddenly leaned to the side, reaching for the ck-haired boy.

    *thump*

    What she did not expect was that Zoemi''s body was only beginning to recover from staying motionless for over nine months and wasn''t augmented by any enchantments, so when she got him, she ended up pushing the boy down andnding on top of him.

    "...oww..."

    Zoemi breathed out, furrowing his brows as he smacked his head against the ground pretty hard.

    "..e on, Aspy... please be gentle with me, I am vulnerable around people I trust..."

    Heined reaching to the back of his head and massaging the sore spot.

    "...eh...?"

    "Hmm?"

    The ck-haired boy opened his eyes and looked up because of the tone of voice the gray-haired necromancer made and ended up surprised seeing how flustered she was.

    "Oh...? Has someone missed the attention? As long as I can get back to the Academy without going through the process of enrolling again, you can think of me as a very big plush toy. I might be not as soft, but I am warmer and hopefully just as cuddly."

    The boy smiled and spread his arms as if waiting for the necromancer to be the one to make another move.

    "...don''t be stupid, we weren''t that close, to begin with..."

    Aspakeony scoffed and turn her head away from Zoemi''s face.

    "Says the girl who was cozily sitting in myp, fully aware of what she was doing."

    "...khhh...!"

    The ck-haired boy pointed out, which caused the gray-haired girl to let out a troubled voice as she turned her head even further away.

    "Weren''t you supposed to be dense about hose things...?"

    She muttered in embarrassment, ncing at the softly smiling boy.

    "(Master, what about telling her about killing the darkness magicians?)"

    "(Shh! Don''t disturb them!)"

    |...|

    Zoemi was about toe up with a response, when the sentinels within his shadow contacted him via the message spell, making sure that he is still in contact with reality.

    Well, at least one of them did.

    "(What, are you fine with that? Wasn''t master already taken?)"

    "(Don''t be such a prude! It''s master, he can do whatever he wants!)"

    The two sentinels continued to argue within Zoemi''s head, making the ck-haired boy''s eyes widen

    |...I was just teasing a friend, you know...?|

    "(You heard that?!)"

    "(...master... you don''t really have any boundaries, do you...?)"

    Zoemi shook his head and tried to defend himself, and once again, one of the sentinels had his side by the other one was doubtful...

    "Eh?! Zoemi? Are you feeling okay? Did you seriously got hurt?!"

    The change in the boy''s expression made Aspakeony gasp in a worried voice and she finally got off of him and helped him get up.

 Chapter 408 134 - Meeting by the crystal lake (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 408 134 - Meeting by the crystalke (part 4)</h4>

    The ck-haired boy and the gray-haired girl were sitting back at the pier at a respectable distance from each other.

    "By the way, Raseriat and Rethaq are both dead. Same with Evorietto."

    "..."

    Zoemi turned to Aspakeony and said in a casual tone, so casual in fact that the necromancer originally didn''t realize the meaning of his words.

    "...eh...?"

    Only after full five seconds did she flinch and stared at him with wide-open eyes.

    "Hold on...! Did you just say that...?!"

    She gasped in disbelief closing the distance between them once more, but this time didn''t try to grab onto the recovering ck-haired boy.

    "You know the thing with Xeonith, right? Well, I was there, and so was Raseriat. Only one of us end up surviving the encounter."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders again and started counting on his fingers.

    "Hold on! You aren''t going to tell me that you actually killed a member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora! No way! Raaseriat might not have been offense-oriented but she was still a sage! Do you even know how many of my puppets got torn to pieces because of those wings and feathers of her darkness de?!"

    Aspakeony scoffed angrily with a frown sounding all sulky as if she thought that Zoemi was being unnecessarily mean to her.

    "You mean those ones? Wings, please."

    "(Yaay~!)"

    The ck-haired boy raised his brows looking up close at the pouting face of the gray-haired necromancer and tilted his head to the side before calling out t his sentinels that got to work with an enthusiastic cheer.

    *WHOOOSH*

    "!!!!"

    With only a fraction of a second of dy, a pair of jet ck wings spread out from Zoemi''s waist, making Aspakeony flinch and lean back to get the full sight of them into her view.

    It wasn''t just the wings either, the murky-ck feathers were dancing in the air all around the boy and the necromancer,pletely unaffected by the multicolored lighting from theke.

    "...how...?"

    Aspakeony gasped, looking between the feathers, the wings, and the ck-haired boy''s face inplete and utter confusion and disbelief.

    "Well, ice. As you said, she wasn''t offense-oriented, so it only took taking her attention just long enough for the ice mana block her mana, and then, shing~"

    "(SHING~!)"

    *SHING*

    "...EEEHHH...?!"

    Zoemi tilted his head to the side and exined lightheartedly, making a silly sound while waving his hand ¨C which one of his sentinels read as amand and actually conjured a massive ice de on his arm, causing the gray-haired necromancer to almost fell back from shock.

    One look at the blood-chilling de was almost enough to make her believe the boy''s words.

    Almost.

    "But...! The Ghosts are connected! They can separate their minds from their bodies! Killing them shouldn''t be possible as long as they sent out their consciousness to one another!"

    Aspakeony pointed out in an almost usatory voice.

    "Well, she didn''t make it, because it was definitely confirmed that she is dead."

    Zoemi dered without getting troubled.

    |Alright, thank you for this, now please get rid of the de.|

    "(Alright!)"

    *haaaaa*

    The boy added in his mind and the overly eager sentinelplied immediately, making the ice spell disappear into the thin air with a soft sound of a person breathing out in relief.

    Actually, the other sentinel also released the spell it was casting for their master, so the murky-ck wings and feathers disappeared too.

    "Who confirmed it...?"

    Aspakrony asked, raising her brow with suspicion.

    "One of the Ghosts, maybe even more of them, who knows?"

    Zoemi said dismissively, about to tell her about Rethaq.

    "What?! Which Ghosts talked to you without trying to do anything?!"

    ...but Aspakeony was still all about the first case.

    "Elsby. She is quite friendly, all things considered."

    "...oh..."

    Zoemi exined and the gray-haired necromancer who was about to start arguing ended up only opening her mouth before closing them and nodding with a small gasp.

    "(Oh! That''s good! I am going to tell her that you don''t see her as a threat anymore~!)"

    |WHA...?! YOU?! WHY ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING IN?!|

    Completely out of nowhere, the sentinel keeping an eye on the Ghosts of Bellcephora connected with Zoemi and dered all happily and disconnected immediately afterward, without the slightest intention of staying to hear Zoemi''s furious roar.

    "Is something wrong...?"

    Seeing the ck-haired boy suddenly straighten his back and turn the other way, Aspakeony asked in a worried voice and moved closer to check up on the oddly acting boy.

    "Sorry. It''s nothing. Just an... rowdy kid doing whatever he wants..."

    "...?"

    Zoemi shook his head and waved his hand dismissively, but that only made Aspakeony tilt her head in even more confusion.

    "The next one was Rethaq. In her case, she showed up together with Kiroterell at the tournament for Ehmi''s hand. The two of them were actually upying the body of one of the judges. Quite creepy if you ask me."

    The ck-haired boy revealed.

    "...Kiorterell wasn''t amongst the three you said was dead, how in the world did anyone manage to kill Rethaq without getting a reaction from him? The two of them were always together, even before they joined the Ghosts of Bellcephora."

    Aspakeony pointed out immediately, making the boy hesitated.

    "I killed her and the time reversed for some reason, but when it did, Rethaq was already dead and Kiroterell went away to search for her."

    "..."

    |...oh...?|

    Since the necromancer didn''t want to talk about the past when he first mentioned the subject, Zoemi decided to say only the most important part without speaking about the vision of the events from three hundred years ago, but interestingly enough the information about time travel made Aspakeony close her mouth and look away like a child that really wanted to ignore the ufortable subject.

    "As for Evorietto, I was told that he was erased by the same person who messed me up during the semi-final duel of the tournament. A man called William ¨C someone apparently from a ce called Heavenly Star nation. He was using a weird technique that wasn''t magic. He called itws. The one that destroyed Eviorietto ¨C and freed you and all the people Evorietto abducted ¨C was called thew of Aquarius."

    Zoemi breathed out and moved along with his countdown of dead Ghosts.

    "...?"

    This seemed to work as the gray-haired girl turned back and faced him with a confused expression.

    "And what are all of those supposed to be...?"

    She asked, tilting her head and blinking repeatably.

 Chapter 409 134 - Meeting by the crystal lake (part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 409 134 - Meeting by the crystalke (part 5)</h4>

    "...huh...? So even you don''t know what it is about?"

    Zoemi raised his brows and asked.

    "I was sure that since you remember ancient times, you would know something ¨C especially about a technique thatpletely erases mana, like thew of Aquarius... Not to mention that all of thosews seemed to at least ignore mana and magic in general. I had both shadow enchantments and shadow armor active when William got me with a punch empowered by thew of Capricorn and I was sent flying... That also must have messed up my mana reservoir, although if I remember correctly, I could use strong spells immediately after, so maybe it also had some lingering effects..."

    He pointed out furrowing his brows realizing some details that didn''t quite match.

    "...I... hmm..."

    Aspakeony opened her mouth just to close it again before furrowing her brows.

    "Mana should be the only thing that can interact with a different type of mana. Are you sure that it wasn''t just some really messed up variant attribute...?"

    She ended up breathing out and asking with concern.

    "Definitely not. William didn''t have a unique shadow at all. He had no mana, at all. I would see something if he did."

    Zoemi shook his head and cleared out.

    "...just in case, you know about that Willitham guy killing Evorietto from...?"

    "His name is William, and I know about it because I put one of my sentinels on Kiorterel first, but that little bugger decided it would be more beneficial to move to Elsby, so he did, and now apparently I have a deal with her."

    The gray-haired necromancer asked so the ck-haired boy answered her while trying to hide the fact that he expected that very sentinel to betray him.

    "...eh...?"

    Still, it seemed that Aspakeony might havee to that very confusion even without Zoemi openly telling her ¨C at least judging by her worried expression and the short gasp.

    "Alright, but the thing is - my head was already very hazy, but I am quite sure that William also said that the Heavenly Star nation was preparing to conquer ournd, but because of me they would have to prepare more..."

    Zoemi said, furrowing his brows to recall thatst bit.

    "...I''ve heard about the weird white-haired florist representing the Moyena family, but they have denied ever sending a representative but no one said anything about any nned invasion - are you sure that one wasn''t just something your brain made up after you got severely wounded...?"

    Aspakeony frowned and muttered...

    "...maybe...? Ugh... fine. Let''s talk about my return to the Academy!"

    The ck-haired boy raised his hand as if he wanted to make another point but he gave up and change the subject to the more pressing one - at least at that moment.

    "Well, the faster the better - if we won''t make a fuss about it, maybe the people working for the queen will make a mistake and the kidnapping will continue, making it at least a little bit suspicious for the smarter kids, or at least their parents."

    Aspakeony picked the subject enthusiastically and said while sliding over to the ck-haired boy.

    "Pffft... yeah... would be nice."

    Zoemi snorted and rolled his eyes, full of douts in such a fortunate turn of events.

    "It is worth a try..."

    The gray-haired girl looked down and mumbled awkwardly and started moving her feet through the water again, this time without kicking it up though.

    "True... that said, Aspy ¨C I have a little idea that needs confirmation."

    The ck-haired boy tried to hold back a smile after watching Apaekony''s cute behavior and asked to go along with his actual n that he had while showing up before the real headmaster of the Aspakeony Academy.

    "..."

    Aspakeony stopped moving her legs and slowly turned to him with a grumpy expression, without actually saying anything.

    "First of all ¨C what year will I being back to...?"

    Zoemi''s first question was on the cautious side but had to ask, after all, he didn''t spend all that much time in the Academy, and if it was his old world, then even with someplimentary lessons, he would have to repeat a year.

    "Second year, of course. Why would that be even a question?"

    The gray-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and shook her head with a confused expression, not really understanding what was the problem.

    In the first ce, Aspakeony Academy wasn''t meant to be just a school for the children of noble families.

    The ones who were enrolled were already adults in that world after all.

    There were three main reasons for the Academy in its current form.

    First ¨C allowing the young nobles to make connections with one another.

    For some of them, the friendship and the next step ¨C an alliance ¨C would not be possible because of the distance between the territories.

    Getting the future leaders to at least get ustomed to each other was already extremely valuable.

    Second ¨C it gave time and opportunity for the already engaged students to get to know one another without forcing them into living together.

    It might seem silly at the first nce, but it was a proven fact that engaged couples created by an arranged marriage were more likely to work out andst with the pair spending time together in the academy where they had a choice of meeting each other.

    The three years of the Academy also gave more time for the single students to actually get engaged, as some rtionships that started because of the people meeting in the academy would then turn into strong alliances between the noble houses that would not interact under any other circumstances.

    And the third one was ¨C well, although the students were already adults when they being their first year, the three years gave their parents time to get ustomed to no longer being in control of their children.

    Some other excuses were added on top of that with time, but those were the original thoughts behind the creation of the Aspakeony Academy.

    Most students were already trained with the use of magic, and the teachers were just there to either iron out the little ws in techniques or make the students realize that they have still a long way in front of them ¨C which usually meant that they would curb the overconfidence.

    "No, no ¨C just making sure."

    Zoemi smiled at the confused Aspakeony and waved his hand dismissively.

    "Then, the other question I have is... since I am a high noble, it is okay for me to bring an attendant?"

    He asked with an innocent smile.

    "Yes, obviously."

    Aspakoeny furrowed her brows but nodded in confirmation regardless of what she thought about a question like that.

    "Is there a rule about the identity of an attendant that I can bring with me?"

    "...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked with a mischievous smirk and made the gray-haired girl tilt her head.

    "...!"

    *ssh*

    It took her only a second to realize what ¨C or rather who ¨C Zoemi was alluding to, and she straightened her back and unintentionally stirred up theke''s surface.

    "You don''t mean that you want to make...!"

    "Hey, I am a recovering patient, it should be obvious that I would have someone taking care of my health with me."

    Aspakeony gasped, but Zoemi interrupted her in a casual voice and with a satisfied grin.

 Chapter 410 135 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 410 135 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 1)</h4>

    "Are you sure it is okay?"

    Burushi asked nervously, ncing suspiciously at the murky-ck portal in the middle of the living room in the Banemor mansion.

    "If I wasn''t, I wouldn''t ask you toe with me. You said that you are okay with helping out with the chores."

    Zoemi looked up from over his baggage and raised his brow questioningly.

    "I am not worried about the servant duties! Teo was bullying me when I was a student! What will she do when we will be on equal footing?!"

    The blond girl shook her head and revealed what she actually was so worried about.

    "Snitch on her to me immediately if something like that happens. I want to believe that Teo is smart enough to realize her mistakes ¨C but if not..."

    The ck-haired boy rolled his eyes and dered, before furrowing his brows in a rather menacing way and leaving the sentence unfinished.

    "Doesn''t it feel weird to be going back...?"

    The blond heroine fidgetted nervously and tackled the subject from a different angle, as the uneasy feeling inside her chest would not go away that easily.

    "Well... for me it wasn''t all that long, for you, it was like some extended holiday if you think about it. Try to think about is about a new opportunity."

    Zoemi gave up acting all threatening and tilted his head while making a bothered expression.

    "...I would really prefer that opportunity to be opening a small clinic in this territory and fading away into the background as my role as a heroine hase to an end..."

    Burushi muttered under her head, lowering her head and looking away.

    "How about we first make sure that I am not considered some evil mastermind and you aren''t a quack?"

    The ck-haired boy finished making sure that all of their stuff is in order and stood up before walking over to the blond girl and fixing a few unruly parts of her uniform.

    Burushi wasn''t wearing a maid''s uniform so to speak, at least not the extremely cute one that Patishi loved, but a simple yet elegant one that made others think about a prim and proper girl when they looked at her.

    It wasn''t the exact type of clothes that Burushi usually wore so she wasn''t aware of a few spots that always required more attention or the whole positive aura it was giving off would turn slovenly.

    "...thanks..."

    The girl spread her arms apart to make the adjustment easier for the ck-haired boy and muttered with a blush when he was close to her.

    "...but I am still just amoner in a school of nobles, and now I am on even lower standing than before. I mean, you do understand where I''ming from, right?"

    She breathed out and asked, looking up at Zoemi''s face as he was straightening one side of the cor of her shirt.

    "Ah, so that''s where this misconception ising from? Burushi..."

    The ck-haired boy smirked and took a step back to have a better look at the heroine''s overall appearance.

    "..."

    The tone of his voice made the blond girl lower her head and pout since it really sounded like he was making fun of her.

    "First of all, you are mistaken in thinking this is a downgrade."

    "Eh...?!"

    Zoemi breathed out and smiled at the confused reaction he got.

    Or maybe Burushi was just surprised that he started head patting her all of a sudden?

    Regardless of the actual reason, the ck-haired boy continued.

    "When you were a student at the Academy, you were still just amoner without any backing whatsoever. You got epted only because of your unique attribute, but..."

    Zoemi pointed out but then he suddenly froze in ce, making a face as if someone has pped him.

    "...Zoemi...?"

    Burushi furrowed her brows in confusion and reached up, ending up tugging onto the sleeve of Zoemi''s shirt to get regain his attention.

    "Ah...! Sorry. Sorry. I kind of... had a weird thought. Never mind that, please."

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and nodded apologetically, realizing that he was tousling Burushi''s hair this whole time ¨C but when he tried to take back his hand, the girl did who did not let go of his sleeve stopped him.

    "It''s okay, I don''t mind. At least I know that you aren''t condescending or anything. So what was that about me bing a servant ending up as an upgrade to my status?"

    Burushi announced with a timid smile and pulled the boy''s hand back to her head before asking curiously.

    "I meant to say that back when you were a student, you still were just amoner who also happened to get the privileges of a student. Now you are a servant. My servant. The reputation might be plummeting, but no one can demote one of the original high noble families of the Bellcephora kingdom. Being someone who works directly under me actually elevates your status above most lower nobles. Please, try to remember to still use the sir, miss, lord, anddy, forms though, that is important regardless of the buffed social standings. That includes me. Unfortunately, the public requires the servant to always address their master as their lord ordy. Young miss or master is optional."

    Zoemi exined.

    "If someone will be giving you trouble, or even try to make you run errands or do some chores that don''t directly involve me, make sure to remind them who you serve. To drive the point in you can even use my name without honorifics to show that we are close ¨C just don''t do thattter one too often, as if overused, that strategy will backfire and make it seem like you just don''t respect me at all."

    He added after a moment of hesitation, making sure that Burushi would not get herself or him in trouble.

    "All in all, if nothing unusual happens, you should witness a major improvement in the way others treat you."

    "..."

    Zoemi smiled, but Burushi herself didn''t seem all that convinced.

    "...even with all the rumors going around about you...? Evil magician kidnapping others to feed on their mana and the quack girl whose spells drive others to harm themselves... I want to believe in you, but the information that we were provided with does not paint a pretty picture for us."

    The blond-haired girl breathed out all dispirited and only then did she let go of the boy''s sleeve.

    "Do you really? I bet you that the first person who isn''t like a friend or close acquaintance that we will encounter in the Academy will ask me whether stealing mana from other magicians really works."

    Zoemi''s smile only grew bigger as he said that, but Burushi wasn''t in a mood tough.

    "Isn''t that bad though?!"

    She asked clenching her fists in anger at the boy''s dismissive behavior.

    "Depends on how you look at it. The thing is to make the best of the bad situation~!"

    Zoemi cheered with a confident expression and went back to the baggage to lift it up and walk through the murky-ck gate.

    "(Master, did you eat something bad...?)"

    "(Did someone kidnapped or hexed our master when we weren''t looking?! But we were looking!)"

    "..."

    The genuine cries of worry and concern over the boy''s state spoken by his sentinels made him realize that his confidence might indeed be a tad overblown...

    But, was he in the wrong though...?

 Chapter 411 135 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 411 135 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 2)</h4>

    Miriette''s day started as always, she woke up, took a quick bath to wash away the sleepiness, and waited for her attendant to show up with breakfast and help her with her hair.

    "...I wonder what my Zoemi is dreaming about..."

    The dark-haired girl muttered to herself, with her head against the desk as she watched the outside world through the window of her dormitory room.

    It has been so long since thest time she checked up on him.

    The ck-haired boy lying motionlessly in therge bed in the Banemor mansion, like a prince from a fairytale, waiting for the true-love kiss of a princess who would wake him up from his ancient slumber...

    Putting aside the question of whether Miriette had tried ¨C multiple times ¨C to explore that solution or not, it was getting more and more difficult to permission to visit Zoemi.

    Things were... bad.

    The rumors about the ck-haired boy being the mastermind behind the series of kidnappings of the children of the noble families, and his supposed involvement in thepletely illegal Bellcpehora kingdom ve trade, certainly affected the general opinion of the boy.

    Still, it wasn''t as if his honor has been tarnished.

    The rumors and gossip were circting, but in the end, even the most eager users had a hard time going against the statement made by the king himself.

    And the king did say that Zoemi Benevi Auequas wasatose.

    That event caused a shift in the tone of the rumors, at first the mostmon was that the boy himself is behind all of the bad stuff happening, but after the statement made by the head of the kingdom, they all shifted into ¨C all of what has been done, was done to heal the ck-haired boy.

    The new batch of rumors included a story about Zoemi originally gaining the enormous power that she showed during the tournament through stealing mana from other magicians. The boy was supposed to fall into aa after the stolen mana has been used up and now his servants were kidnapping people left and right to both get more mana for their master and gain funds to cover up the costs of everything.

    "Stupid Horeo. Because of some stupid session, my Zoemi is being badmouthed when he can''t even defend himself."

    Miriette scoffed to herself, patting the head of the tiny air emperor that was constantly guarding her while being wrapped around her shoulders like a green shawl.

    The summoned spell has gained a lot of mana and even some degree of free will, but the only oue of that was that it would make itself visible and sometimes throw a sassyment or two about the situation bothering her creator.

    Yes, her. With how aware of herself the air emperor was, she thought of herself as a girl.

    "If the rumors won''t die down, then at least your family will break off the engagement to not involve themselves with the first prince."

    As if wanting to confirm her presence, the tiny air emperor stuck out her opaque tongue and hissed in a soft voice.

    "Why do you make it sound as if that was a good thing? Since I am engaged to Horeo I don''t have to worry about troublesome marriage talks or interviews at all. Being a young unmarried girl is a little different from being a prize that almost all noble houses are eyeing out!"

    Miriette scoffed, rubbing the air emperor''s head to make her stop talking, and leaned back onto her chair.

    "I only someone wouldn''t be too scared to get attention from some creep, she could have the situation resolved already."

    The dark-haired girl added, ring towards the blue sky outside with usation.

    "...who are you talking to... or about...?"

    "Hmph!"

    The girl''s air emperor raised her head and hissed in confusion, but was ignored as Miriette poted and scoffed proudly.

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "...still not my Zoemi..."

    Although Miriette knew that the ck-haired boy she longed for was lying unconscious in a mansion more than half a kingdom away from the Academy, each morning she hoped for him to show up in her room as if nothing happened.

    ...but that also could no longer happen...

    After all, Zoemi ¨C even while in aa ¨C was a high noble and as such could not legally be an attendant of anyone with a lower position.

    Normally that wouldn''t be all that much ¨C after all the Espine family which Miriette was the only heiress, was very powerful and influential.

    The problem was that Zoemi was a member of a Banemor family ¨C and no matter what, until Miriette would mary Horeo and tie the Bellcephora and Espine families together, the Banemor family remained the closest rted noble house to the royal family, making them in fact at least as important as Espines...

    Or even more.

    Banemor title being so important was also the reason why the queen was so desperately trying to not allow Zoemi to inherit it.

    Even though he was the only member alive ¨C or maybe because of that he was the only member alive ¨C during the meetings and negotiations of the representatives of the noble families, that single person would have the same decisive power and privileges as an entire household.

    Correctly used, that could make a massive impact.

    "Good morning, Miriette."

    But s, it wasn''t Zoemi knocking at the door ¨C instead, the short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform entered the room with a tray, bowing her head t the dark-mncholic dark-haired girl.

    "...''sup Teo."

    Miriette responded shortly, waving her hand without raising her head from atop the desk.

    The attendant put the tray with food in front of her and that finally made the dark-haired girl straighten he back with a heavy sigh.

    "You really should try to hold yourself back, even a little bit ¨C cutting on sleep just to... entertain yourself can''t be healthy."

    "...hmph... say that again after you will stop wearing his clothes..."

    Teo pointed out, but that only made Miriette scoff proudly as she pointed at the male shirt that her attendant was wearing.

    "Hey ¨C I miss him, okay? You were able to see him over a month ago ¨C I was not!"

    The brown-haired girl pouted, grabbing the brush from the desk''s drawer and beginning the battle with her master''s unruly hair.

    "Teo... that was your own fault. You loudly called ¨C what is thatmoner whore doing here ¨C while we showed up at the Banemor mansion. I almost died from shame! Burushi is my friend too you know?! How could you even call her that?!"

    "..."

    Miriette groaned in disbelief and scolded the stubborn earth magician who look away, clearly trying to dodge the subject.

    "Teo ¨C seriously!"

    The dark-haired girl pouted and red at the brown-haired girl reflecting in the small mirror on top of the desk.

    "...what was she even doing there...? Hmph... no doubt doing something indecent with her stupid udders to the defenseless sir Zoemi..."

    Teo grumbled angrily, but although her voice was trembling from fury, she was still very gentle with Miriette''s hair.

    "Burushi is a healer, Teo ¨C she was there trying to heal Zoemi."

    The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes and tried to exin patiently.

    "She didn''t do a good job then, did she?"

    The brown-haired attendant scoffed and shrugged her shoulders indifferently.

    That certainly didn''t sit well with Miriette.

    "We are friends, aren''t we? Can you tell me why exactly you hate Burushi so much? Wha did she ever do to you?"

    Miriette couldn''t help herself this time and finally ended up asking the question that bothered her since the moment she learned about Teo''s animosity towards the blond-haired girl with a healing attribute.

    "..."

    Teo stopped brushing Miriete''s hair and lowered her head looking truly miserable for a moment.

    "...there was this drawing..."

    She muttered...

    "...eh...? What drawing?"

    The dark-haired girl gasped and turned around, reacting to a never heard before a piece of information.

    "Nothing! Miriette, stop interrupting me ¨C if I will not hurry up, you will bete for the first lecture!"

    "Ah...! You''re right...!"

    But that action seemed to have a reverse effect as Teo straightened her back all proudly and scolded the dark-haired girl, who flinched and realized that she was indeed correct.

    A few minutester, the two of them left the dormitory room ¨C Teo went to return the dirty dishes to the kitchen, while Miriette begin walking down the hallway of the female part o the dormitory, while going to the other building.

 Chapter 412 135 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 412 135 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 3)</h4>

    |Why would some drawing get Teo to hate Burushi...?|

    Miriette thought to herself in concern while walking through the entrance hall of the Academy building.

    It was worth trying to dig into, for sure, but it wasn''t some invaluable knowledge either ¨C after all, for now, themoner girl with a healing attribute was safe back in the Banemor territory keeping Zoemi as healthy as possible.

    |...I miss him... maybe I will sneak out at night and fly to the Banemor territory to check up on him...?|

    The dark-haired girl''s interest switched to her former attendant the first opportunity it got as she looked to the side at the small argument a few students seem to have...

    "...eh...?"

    Miriette flinched the moment when she recognized the golden hair of her fiance, the first prince of the Bellcephora kingdom, Horeo Marets Bellcephora.

    It was extremely unusual to witness the prideful youth having an argument in public, but one look at the other party made things a little bit more clear...

    "My prince ¨C it is a misunderstanding, really...!"

    A cute brown-haired girl with a closed bud badge ¨C a mark of a first-year student ¨C who added many cute essories to her uniform was raising her hands, making an apologetic expression.

    "Patishi, you were crying. If those two are giving you a hard time, just say it and I will get rid of them."

    The gold-haired first prince whose badge was that of a second-year student leaned forward and dered while ring at two first-year boys standing on both sides of his attendant.

    "No! My prince, this is a misunderstanding! Onne and Enleve weren''t bullying me...!"

    Patishi gasped getting bright red from embarrassment and started shaking her head vigorously.

    "They were just...! Just..."

    She stopped herself and tried to exin but then she became even more embarrassed and lowered her head and started fidgeting.

    "...they were just...?"

    Horeo raised his brow and asked cautiously.

    "Holy shit, your highness, would you mind getting that stick out of your mud? We were teasing her ¨C you know, like friends sometimes do. Pati is easy to tear up when she''s embarrassed ¨C which you would know if you paid more attention to her."

    "..."

    The slouching green-haired boy with shark teeth scoffed, leaning forward, and red up at the grim-faced first prince who certainly didn''t appreciate the tone of the shark-teeth boy''s voice.

    "Onne! You can''t speak like that to my prince...!"

    Patishi gasped turning to her green-haired friend and grabbing onto his sleeve with a worried expression.

    "Your highness, you should hold yourself to a higher standard. Flying off the handle and threatening someone just because they are acquainted with your attendant is not giving off the best impression, don''t you think...? Especially considering the current... situation..."

    "Khahaha! Good one, Enleve~!"

    The other boy, a ck-haired one with a scar in the middle of his forehead, pointed out in a tired voice as he red up at the gold-haired boy in front of them, making the shark-teeth Onne burst intoughter and nodded with satisfaction.

    "I am reacting ordingly to the situation at hand. You two are a bad influence on my Pa... on miss Patishi."

    Horeo straightened his back and dered in an ice-cold voice while squinting his eyes at the two younger boys.

    "...bad influence, he says... he is just jealous thatdy Patishi doesn''t spend all her time with him."

    "He is just as easy to tase as she thought. Did you hear him slip and almost call her ¨C my Patishi ¨C? Our little prince is definitely jealous~!"

    "!!!!"

    Onne and Enleve moved behind the apologetic Patishi and leaned towards each other, speaking just loud enough for the girl to hear them ¨C and keep blushing from embarrassment.

    Between the four of them ¨C Horeo was actually angry, Onne and Enleve were half-serious and half still teasing their brown-haired friend, and Patishi was embarrassed but kind of happy, seeing the first prince so worried about her.

    "Now listen here, you two...!"

    Horeo breathed out and took a step forward...

    "My prince, it''s such a nice coincidence seeing you here. Were you perhaps waiting for me?"

    ...but that was a moment when Miriette decided to help him out a bit and stepped up to the scene...

    ...although a part of her did want to see how that even would y out...

    "Oh? But of course, my love. I wanted to escort you to the ssroom but was held back by some concerning behavior that caught my eye."

    The gold-haired boy raised his brow in confusion as he did not realize that the dark-haired girl was around, but ended up recovering almost immediately and took the escape rope she had thrown him.

    "..."

    "..."

    The first prince nced over at the two problematic individuals, but both of them were bowing toward Miriette without saying a word in a disy of perfectly proper behavior.

    "I see that your stern talk works quite well. Be good, all three of you. Let''s go, my prince."

    The dark-haired girl nced at the two suddenly well-behaved first-year boys and grabbed Horeo''s arm, leading him away while winking to Patishi before walking away.

    "...and here I thought that you were moreposed than me ¨C but here you go. Losing your cool seeing the girl you like around other boys."

    Miriette leaned on Horeo''s shoulder and snickered at him, making it seem as if she was whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

    "Listen, there is something odd about those guys ¨C about all themoners in the first year, actually. I can''t exin it but... they are just off as if they are not used to anything!"

    Horeo sighed, leaning to the side making it seem like he was considering resting his head on his fiance''s head but hesitating about disying so much affection.

    "...did you just say that it''s suspicious that a group ofmoners raised in an orphanage isn''t perfectly adjusting to attending an academy full of only aristocrats...? Not everyone can be like Zoemi, you know? Even though he was originally living in the streets as amoner, he was taken in and taught by Mizoe. Those kids are just doing their best. And they are very polite might I add. Comparatively, at first, Burushi was like a rampaging bull with her tant ignorance of the rules."

    The dark-haired girl sighed in disbelief while poking the gold-haired first prince in the side.

    "Wery funny. Thosemoners aren''t acting as if they aren''t adjusting well to living in the Academy. They are acting as if they aren''t fully ustomed to having bodies. Anyway, speaking about your friend with the healing attribute, did you contact hertely? Any changes in Zoemi''s state?"

    Horeo breathed out aint before straightening his back and asking as the two of them were about to enter the ssroom.

    "I did, but it was the same as always. she said that she''s doing her best, and to not lose hope. She is really nice. Maybe you wille to like Patishi''s friends if you give them a chance, just like it was with me and Burushi?"

    "..."

    Miriette asked but Horeo only made a sour expression in response to her suggestion.

    "They im they are from Banemor territory. As far as we know they might be a part of my mother''s n to drag me down through discrediting Zoemi. I will not give a chance to someone who might be Zoemi''s enemy."

    The first prince grumbled defensively, and looked down, before pulling himself together and making a confident expression just as the two of them were entering the ssroom.

    "Pissy prince."

    "Cunning fox."

    The first prince and the nobledy snickered at each other to boost their morale and walked in,pletely unaware that a certain ck-haired boy was passing right behind his back together with his blond-haired attendant.

 Chapter 413 136 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 413 136 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 4)</h4>

    "Yo, my lord, was that...?"

    "Miriette and Horeo, yes I did see them. But we were told to go to the headmaster''s office first."

    Burushi stopped for a second and called out after Zoemi, but the ck-haired boy only shrugged his shoulders dismissively while helping himself to walk straight with a crystal cane.

    "You could say hello."

    The blond girl caught up to him and pointed out looking up at his serious face.

    "I could."

    Zoemi nodded his head in agreement but did not add anything, even though the words he used would imply that he was going to.

    "..."

    Burushi closed her mouth and gazed at him for a few more seconds before she gave up and started looking around, interested in the reaction of people seeing them.

    After all, the young man who was not only supposed to be the mastermind behind the streak of kidnappings but also in aa at the same time and a girl expelled from the Academy were now walking through the corridor as if nothing happened.

    Well, Burushi didn''t have a school uniform but a servant''s one, but usually, the person expelled never stepped inside the walls of the facility again.

    "...they aren''t talking..."

    Zoemi nced to the side with a cloudy expression, making a few students jump back in panic, and muttered with a worried voice.

    "...hmm...?"

    The blond heroine tilted her head and nced to the sides to check whether that sentence was true or not and raised her brow at the ck-haired boy.

    "My lord, is everything alright with your ears? Literally, everyone is talking about us. Actually, I think that some people even think about grouping up and trying to subdue us..."

    She asked in concern before nervously pointing at a bunch of students with a flower in full bloom badges on their uniforms talking amongst each other and eyeing out the ck-haired boy supporting himself with a cane.

    "Sorry, that''s not what I meant. Before they noticed us, the first prince and his fiance walked through the hallway acting all lovey-dovey. Normally there should be at least a few people melting over how romantic that was. But no one said anything. At all."

    Zoemi slowly moved his head from side to side while furrowing his brows.

    "Oh... umm... are you sure that we weren''t noticed and our presence disturbed the fluffy atmosphere?"

    Burushi flinched and bit her lips before muttering in hesitation.

    |...little ones, did you hear any awws or awestruck gasps idolizing the future royal couple?|

    Zoemi hesitated for a second and thought to the sentinels residing within his shadow.

    "(Nn-nnn!)"

    "(No... not really... But there were a lot of scared ones though!)"

    |I see, thank you.|

    The answers came immediately ¨C all negative - and the ck-haired boy breathed out heavily.

    "I am sure."

    "...oh..."

    He said out loud, making Burushi''s shoulders slump down in concern.

    "Zo... my lord. I think that those thrid year students really will try to attack...!"

    Even so, suddenly the blond girl flinched again and sharply turned back, cautiously staring a the group that began following the two of them.

    "Ignore them until they will actually try to attack us."

    Zoemi didn''t share her concern and he didn''t even try to look over his shoulders,pletely unbothered.

    "Tsk! Easy for you to say... my lord!"

    Burushi clicked her tongue before hurriedly adding the proper title at the end of her sentence.

    "You also have sentinels guarding you. If you will keep doubting them like that, you will make them sad."

    The ck-haired boy smirked, slightly waving his cane to point out two murky dots staying within the boundaries of the blond girl''s shadow.

    "What if I am concerned about them too? They are cute like puppies, I don''t want them to get hurt protecting me...!"

    Burushi scoffed and looked away ¨C and although Zoemi knew that she made that argument on the spot to hide her real feelings, he also felt that the sentinels guarding her became happy.

    As the two of them were walking through the Academy''s corridors attracting more and more attention, the group following them was also growing exponentially and could actually be troublesome if they decided to jump the ck-haired boy or his blond attendant.

    After all, it would be awfully awkward to exin why so many students dropped dead on his first day back in the Aspaekony Academy...

    "I''ll be right back~!"

    *thump*

    "...?"

    "...?!"

    Just as Zoemi was passing a door to one of the ssrooms, a cheerful brown-haired girl jogged out while not looking in front of her, too busy addressing her friends ¨C and she ended up bumping into him.

    "Uff...! I-I''m sorry, I wasn''t loo..."

    The brown-haired first-year girl who attached many cute essories to her uniform moved back and hurriedly started bowing apologetically to the ck-haired boy without even looking at his face, but when she did, her eyes widened and she opened her mouth in utter disbelief.

    "Hmm? Patishi? Ah! You became a student?! That''s amazing! Why did no one tell me?!"

    Zoemi also was surprised, but not as much as the younger girl, so he blinked a few times before his face bloomed into an excited smile as he spoke to his not blood-rted younger sister.

    "BIG BROTHER ZOEMI!"

    "!!!!!"

    The next moment Patishi shouted so loud that Burushi almost fell over, and jumped at Zoemi, locking him in an affectionate hug.

    "BIG BROTHER ZOEMI! YOU ARE AWAKE! YOU ARE AWAKE!"

    Without ever lowering her voice, the brown-haired girl cried out happily while rubbing her face against the boy''s chest as he was returning the hug.

    "Yes, I am. Did you miss me? I see that a lot of things happened. Did you finally decide to tell others that you are a magician?"

    The ck-haired boy asked while holding the younger girl up with the arm that he also had his cane on while using his other hand to pat her head.

    "EEEHHH?! Big brother, you knew?!"

    Patishi gasped and leaned away just a bit so she could look up at Zoemi''s face and asked in a shocken voice.

    "Of course. You always had a well-defined unique shadow, it was obvious that you were a magician but since you kept it a secret, so did I."

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and exined.

    "Big brother!"

    In response to that revtion Patishi felt even happier and hugged the ck-haired boy with all her might.

    "Now, now. Young miss, my lord is a recovering patient and he isn''t going to disappear on you, so you don''t have to hold him that tight."

    Burushi watching it all from the side smiled and breathed out, lightly tapping Patishi''s shoulder.

    "Ah...! I''m sorry! I forgot that... Eh...?! MISS BURUSHI?! YOU''RE BACK TOO?!"

    That made the younger girl flinch and step back with an apologetic expression ¨C before she looked over at Zoemi''s attendant and the situation just repeated itself with her shouting in shock and jumping in for the hug.

    "I''m back, but not as a student. Well then, Miss Patishi, how are you feeling, is everything alright? Private visit."

    Burushi hugged Patishi back, but then she grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away before switching into her medic-mode and asked a routine set of questions as she activated the strongest version of the check-up spell just in case.

    "Miss Burushi! I am perfectly fine, I never felt better, and it is all thanks to you! I am so happy that... wait... not as a student?"

    The brown-haired girl nodded vigorously and confirmed with an excited expression ¨C that suddenly froze and was reced with concern when the meaning of Burushi''s words finally settled.

    Only then Patishi pay attention to Burushi''s clothes and her eyes widened.

    "I was already keeping an eye on lord Banemor''s health so after he woke up it was most convenient for me to just go ahead and be his attendant just in case."

    The blond heroine announced loudly enough for the people behind them to hear it too and smiled at the younger girl.

    "That said ¨C we are heading to the headmaster''s office before my lord can go attend his lectures, so if you be so kind and excuse us..."

    She added, moving Patishi to the side and stepping toward the ck-haired boy.

    "My lord."

    She added meaningfully ncing back at the group of students who had rather doubtful intentions towards them.

    "That''s right. We have to go. See you around, little sister."

    Zoemi nodded at Burushi before looking at Patishi with a smile and winking.

    "Big brother! I will cook something special for you!"

    "Just be a good girl and pay attention to your lectures first!"

    As the ck-haired boy and his attendant were walking away, Patishi called after them, making Zoemi snicker and call back lightheartedly.

 Chapter 414 136 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 414 136 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 5)</h4>

    "(Master! One of the prettydy puppets just walked into the faculty office!)"

    "(It''s the big red-haired one!)"

    The two sentinels called out to the ck-haired boy as he was about to turn the corner.

    |Is that so? We can just meet with him then. Thank you, little ones."

    Zoemi smiled and nodded without speaking anything out loud and changed his original n.

    When he and Burushi moved along the hallway, the ck-haired boy stopped by arge, elegant door instead of moving past them and knocked on it with his crystal cane.

    "Eh?! My lord, the headmaster''s office is..."

    "I know. This will speed things up, believe me."

    The blond-haired heroine flinched and stared at Zoemi in disbelief while pointing down the hallway with her index finger, but then the boy merely shook his head from left to right and assured her.

    "...if you say so..."

    Burushi breathed out anxiously, ncing back at the group of students trailing them.

    The good part about Zoemi stopping by the faculty office was that the students have stapped too ¨C as if confused about whether the ck-haired boy was going to turn himself in or not...

    "Teachers are having a meeting, you need to wait."

    The voice of one of the male teachers came from the inside without the man even bothering to open the door.

    "You heard that, my lord? Let''s just go straight to the headmaster''s office!"

    Burushi kept ncing over at the students behind them amongst whom a few were already activating their enchantments in preparation of... whatever it was that they were nning to do...

    "No."

    "Why?!"

    But Zoemi merely shook his head again and raised his cane to knock on the door once more.

    |First ice, then just a bit of water, please.|

    "(Ay-ay~!)"

    "(Okay~!)"

    He thought while lightly tapping on the magically enhanced door ¨C and his sentinels responded with a child-like excitement...

    *CRACK*

    "!!!!!!!"

    "!!!!!!!!"

    "!!!!!"

    With just the lightest touch of the boy''s crystal cane, the entire door turned into a block of ice that then broke and shattered into thousands of brilliant pieces that whooshed past him and spread through the hallway.

    "Good morning, teacher. I came here to notify the headmaster that I and my attendant, miss Burushi, have arrived."

    As everyone except him was stunned speechless because of the annihtion of the supposedly the highest quality magically enhanced door, Zoemi nodded his head at the closest teacher and announced in a calm voice.

    "Zoemi...?!"

    A tall, burly red-haired man standing a bit farther in gasped with his eyes wide like the dinner tes.

    "Ah, lord Vereq. My way here passed without any trouble, thank you for worrying about me. I am grateful for taking it upon yourself to exin the situation to the Academy''s staff."

    Zoemi didn''t even blink as he leaned to the side to have a clear view of the corpse puppet Aspkeony was using as a figurehead headmaster and smiled while nodding his head a bit deeper.

    The ck-haired boy used the chance and peeked inside the faculty office and was surprised not to see the blue-haired young female teacher, Rokiana Grea Perserios ¨C but truth be told, she wasn''t the only teacher missing, so he just moved back, walking back to the hallway.

    "Oh."

    He raised his brows and gasped softly as if this was the first time his attention was brought to a bunch of less than friendly students all rearing to perform some vignte justice ¨C or more likely a lynch ¨C on the ck-haired boy rumored to be responsible for the series of kidnapping of both nobles andmoners alike.

    "Teachers... I believe some people want to have a duel with me. I ept their eagerness and wish for you to supervise it. Please and thank you in advance."

    Zoemi breathed out heavily as if he found the entire situation not worth his time at all, and asked looking straight at Aspaekony''s corpse puppet.

    "Now hold on ¨C what are you even suggesting...?!"

    A middle-aged red-haired teacher that Zoemi recognized as Ikarveth ¨C the same person that Arreta didn''t want to get married to and escaped the Auequas territory.

    "Nothing much, teacher. Just that as the heir to the Banemor territory I will not let myself be bullied in any way shape or form. Since this is an educational facility, it should be obvious peoplee here to learn."

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders, looking at Ikarveth indifferently, and shrugged his shoulders while raising his crystal cane.

    |Do not kill, just freeze them all.|

    "(Yaay~!)"

    *thump*

    Zoemi thought and brought the cane down to the cheer of one of his sentinel.

    ¡­

    And that''s all.

    "Thank you for your time ¨C I''m off to the lectures. Burushiyou can get acquainted with the Academy from the servant''s perspective. The staff does have ess to a few more facilities than students so it will probably take some time, just make sure to show up by the recess."

    Zoemi nodded with satisfaction and spoke to his speechless attendant.

    "Ah, now that I think about it, ording to the second-year schedule, my ss should have lectures with teacher Rokiana. Hmhm~! I wonder if she will be surprised to see me? Dad might actually forget to tell her that I woke up. Teachers, have a nice day."

    The ck-haired boy nodded and muttered to himself lightheartedly before nodding to everyone in the faculty office and limped back down the hallway he came from while supporting himself on the crystal cane that made a clear, cold sound each time it touched the floor covered in white frost.

    "N-now hold on! Who do you think you...! You... you... what in the world...?!"

    Teacher Ikarveth became red in the face from anger and busted out of the faculty office to scold the casually leaving boy but almost all words left him as he got into the hallway and looked after the leaving individual.

    The ck-haired boy was already in the middle of four dozens of ice sculptures when he stopped and straightened his back as the students trapped inside of them could only watch with trembling eyes widened in fear.

    "Life lesson number one. Don''t try to bite more than you can chew. Pride is important, but overconfidence kills."

    Zoemi announced coldly and went on his way, moving between the people encased in ice that waspletely stopping their mana movement within their bodies making it impossible for them to thaw or break out of it.

    "Zoemi! Student Zoemi!"

    Aspakoeny''s corpse puppet got out of the faculty office too and called after the ck-haired boy while passing the stunned Ikarweth.

    "You said that you will make an announcement about my return."

    "...ack...!"

    Zoemi answered vaguely without turning back, but Aspakeony flinched through Burdoff''s body and let out a voice of a kid being caught red-handed.

    "If my attendant will be bullied, I will take it as if I was put in harm''s way and will respond in kind."

    The boy added, raising his crystal cane to the side, making sure that the message will reach at least the teachers, not to mention the frozen students.

    "(Master, they can hear you too! I make little holes so the sound cane in! Ah! And air too!)"

    |Thank you~|

    One of his sentinels dered proudly, making that part clear, prompting Zoemi to smile at its cuteness as he proceed to walk unbothered by the rather worrisome addition that the sentinel has made...

 Chapter 415 136 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 6)

    <h4>Chapter 415 136 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 6)</h4>

    *knock* *knock*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    As the blue-haired teacher was about to begin her lecture someone knocked on the door to the ssroom getting everyone''s attention ¨C especially the dark-haired girl who straightened her back and stared wide-eyed at the entrance inplete disbelief.

    "...what are you doing...?"

    The first-prince Horeo raised his brow and leaned toward his fiance in confusion.

    "Your air emperor smells danger or something...?"

    He asked cautiously. Looking between the girl and the door.

    "Enter."

    The blue-haired teacher, Rokiana Grea Perserios breathed out and called out, clearly preferring to have any possible nuisance out of the way as soon as possible.

    *click*

    The door opened and a tall, devilishly handsome ck-haired boy supporting himself on a crystal cane walked inside, unable to hold back a smile when he looked at the surprised teacher.

    "Good morning. Please excuse me for beingte ¨C I had to show myself to the headmaster first."

    Zoemi nodded his head apologetically while his eyes inadvertently ended up on the blue-haired woman''s left hand''s ring finger when a simple but elegant engagement ring was sparkling with her every move.

    "Oh, my! Young lord Banemor! I''ve heard that your health improved and was expecting you to show up sometime soon. Take your seat."

    Rokiana noticed Zoemi''s gaze and had a hard time holding back a proud smile but in the end, her professional expression didn''t even budge as she motioned at the free spot ¨C that not by coincidence was right in front of Miriette and Horeo, a position that the ck-haired boy would always take before he had to leave the Academy.

    "Thank you for understanding."

    The ck-haired boy smiled brightly as the blue-haired teacher''s words indirectly confirmed that his father took his words seriously and talked things out with her, unintentionally making a few hearts skip a beat before casually going to his seat as if he wasn''t absent for almost a full year.

    "Cousin."

    "...?!"

    Zoemi smirked kind of menacingly at the first prince, shocking the gold-haired boy with that attitude quite a bit - before turning to the awestruck youngdy Espine.

    "Miri."

    *chu*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    *ck*

    Zoemi''s devilish smile demanded absolute and undivided attention from anyone lucky enough to catch even a glimpse of it, and the ck-haired boy reached for Miriette''s hand, taking it gently and cing a light kiss on top of it, making Miriette blush so hard as if her head was about to explode, as the quill she dropped rolled off the desk and fall to the floor making a shockingly loud noise in the absolutely silent ssroom.

    "I see you are still betrothed to that justice-loving goody-two-shoes even though I am right here. We should change that as soon as possible."

    Zoemi added in a tone of casual chit-chat, before turning around and taking his seat as if he didn''t just literally say that he will take the first prince''s fiancee...

    ...and did so in front of their entire ss worth of people...

    "(Master, master...! Weren''t you supposed to be good?)"

    "(Evil master is so cool~!)"

    As Zoemi put his crystal cane against his desk, the two sentinels in his shadow called out to him, the first one sounded very worried as if it thought that the ck-haired boy suddenly started feeling sick, while the second one was absolutely ecstatic because of the turn of events.

    |The original n had to be altered. Haven''t we seen enough to support my decision?|

    The ck-haired boy took out a handbook, a quill, and ink and acted as if he focused on the blue-haired teacher trying to start a lecture ¨C even though she too was actually shaken over the sudden wild behavior of her soon-to-be step-son ¨C and responded to his sentinels.

    |The animosity towards Horeo is on an all-time high because of his support towards me ¨C we saw it while we passed this ssroom earlier. At the same time since four dozens of people actually wanted to pick a fight with me, we can assume that I am straight-up hated, truly vilified even.|

    Zoemi exined ¨C but it wasn''t like his sentinels really understood where he was going with it...

    "(Then... why are you making things worse, master...?)"

    "(Evil master is the best~!)"

    Their stance on the subject didn''t change a bit.

    |As I said, I am altering my original ns, originally it was to slowly clear up my reputation ¨C and by proxy Horeo''s ¨C instead of that, I can y along with me being evil. Evil enough to trick the kindhearted, justice-loving first prince into putting his faith in me. Do you see my point? Clearing my opinion will be really bothersome afterward, but as long as we bring back Horeo''s support and secure his ascension to the throne, everything will be alright in the end.|

    The ck-haired boy tried to clear things out some more.

    "(...but... my mind is too small to work that out... I need someone smarter to talk you out of this, master... THITREEEEEEEEEN!)"

    "!!!"

    The first sentinel responded in a pitiful voice before it suddenly raised its voice, and even though Zoemi was receiving the words through magic, he still flinched at what was basically the equivalent of a shout.

    "[I can''t talk right now, as long as master''s life isn''t in danger do not contact me.]"

    One of Zoemi''s puppets responded in a bothered voice but it cut off the connection immediately after scoffing at the sentinel who called him.

    "(...uuu.... master is overthinking things again...)"

    "(I know what master is doing! Master wants to take the prince''s fiance! Master loves her and is changing his n because he doesn''t want her to marry the prince!)"

    |!?!?!?!?????!|

    The scolded sentinel cried out pitifully, but all of a sudden, the other sentinel called out triumphantly, and Zoemi almost fell out of his chair because of the ridiculously perfect prediction that he honestly didn''t expect from the sentinel that seemed to be less bright than the first one.

    "Student Banemor? Is everything alright?"

    Rokiana turned around and asked in genuine worry sing the sudden change in Zoemi''s expression.

    "I didn''t fully recover yet, but it''s nothing major. Sorry for being a nuisance and thank you for worrying. Please, don''t mind me."

    The ck-haired boy smiled awkwardly while bowing his head apologetically as everyone''s attention was focused on him again.

    "(Really? Then our master isn''t trying to sacrifice himself?)"

    The first sentinel asked in a relieved voice.

    "(Nope~! Master is evil, and being evil is cool! And cool people have harems!)''"

    "(EEEEEHHHHH?! Master, you will have a harem?!)"

    |...I... wha...? You know? You actually had something there but then... how in the world did youe to THAT conclusion?! No, I will not!|

    The sentinels began talking to each other without excluding Zoemi from the call, making the ck-haired boy close his eyes and breath out in disbelief.

    "(...you won''t...?)"

    "(But if you will, other students would believe that you were tricking the prince this whole time just to get close to the girls!)"

    |...where did the two of you get all that knowledge from, anyway?!|

    The sentinels asked, Zoemi only groaned internally and decided to actually focus on the lecture.

    He will have plenty of time to clear things up with his resident sentinelster on.

    "..."

    Teacher Rokina was speaking about tacticsmonly used during battles at the northern border and the importance of the supply lines, but something different was bothering the ck-haired boy whose face was bing more and more grim...

    |...it would make it more believable though...|

    "(Master...?!)"

    "(Master~!)"

    He ended up sighing as he thought to himself in defeat, making the two sentinels gasp for two different reasons again...

 Chapter 416 136 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 7)

    <h4>Chapter 416 136 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 7)</h4>

    "[Zoemi, I...]"

    |Cut her off.|

    "(If you say so, master...)"

    Miriette''s message spell was pressing onto Zoemi''s conscience but the ck-haired boy not only didn''t turn around to face her, he straight-up asked his sentinels to reject the spell whatsoever ¨C which one of them did, although not without audible doubt.

    "(Mater, are you sure...? If you want to steal her then, you know, you should talk to her.)"

    The sentinel asked in a worried voice.

    |The more confused both of them are, the more believable their reactions will be. That''s the point. I will talk things out with them when the time is right.|

    The ck-haired boy thought dismissively while doing his very best not to nce back even though he heard the rustle of Miriette shifting around in unease.

    ------

    "Zoemi, we need to talk."

    The lecture came to an end and the gold-haired prince and his fiancee stood up from their seats and approached the ck-haired boy...

    "..."

    ...who also stood up and waved past them going straight for the blue-haired teacher who was about to leave the ssroom ¨C which was quite a feat considering that he was doing so while also needing his cane to move around normally.

    "Teacher Perserios! How are the preparations for the ceremony going along?"

    Zoemi asked all excited while walking to the hallway together with the blue-haired young woman.

    "Pfff...! I was wondering whether we would have to go to your territory to give you the wedding invitation since you told your father that you will not speak to him before we restart the preparation."

    Rokiana couldn''t stop herself this time and snickered before ncing at her future step-son.

    "I was going to return to the Academy anyway so things would resolve themselves quite well."

    The ck-haired boy lightly shrugged his shoulders and pointed out.

    "Then? A month? Two? A bitter? Or maybe sooner?"

    He moved the subject along as the break between the first and second lecture wasn''t all that long and he didn''t want to bete.

    "Eh? You would want me to wait that long? Come on, student Banemor. Do you expect me to wear some baggy dress just so my stomach wouldn''t stick out making it too obvious?"

    Rokiana scoffed and rolled her eyes with a tired expression, before sliding her middle finger alongside the line of her waist.

    "It''s going to be next week sharp. Today is myst day before taking the leave, actually. I will send someone to get you a day or two earlier if you don''t mind ¨C You need to be present during at least one rehearsal after all."

    She added while Zoemi was staring at her stomach with confusion...

    "...huh...? HUH?! You?! No way~!"

    ...until something clicked in the boy''s mind and he gasped,pletely awestruck, and looked up at the proud expression that the blue-haired woman was making.

    "Yes, way. You are going to be an older brother in a few months so try to behave. Although I think I know what you attempt to aplish... Self-sacrifice is not allowed, alright?"

    Rokiana nodded and her expression became serious as she warned the ck-haired boy while tapping his shoulders with her right hand.

    "Oh ¨C and Devios would love to meet up with you. He was supposed to be the student here this year, but the duties of the heir of our territory are a bit too time-consuming to allow such luxury... But we can talk about itter. Now, go back to the ssroom and try to be good."

    The tapping changed into reassuring patting, as the blue-haired young teacher gently guided the ck-haired student back towards the direction they both originally came from.

    "...ah...! Okay!"

    Zoemi flinched in realization and nodded, he walked a few steps before turning around with a concerned look on his face.

    "...was I at least convincing...?"

    He asked cautiously, not wanting to directly say ¨C with acting as a bad guy ¨C because of all the ears listening in from every side, but it was plenty obvious, especially for the blue-haired woman.

    "It was a start ¨C to really drive it home, you should at least pick up a fight with someone and win by andslide. That would send the right message."

    She smirked cheekily and dered.

    "I thought so too. Good thing I already have that crossed off the list. Take care~!"

    "...?"

    The ck-haired boy breathed out in relief and waved goodbye to the slightly confused Rokiana, who, after all, wasn''t aware of the boy''s earlier encounter with overzealous students in front of the faculty office.

    "Hmhmhmm~"

    Zoemi hummed while walking back as many students were crowding at the door of their ssrooms to have caught a glimpse of him.

    Acting as if he was basking in the attention, the ck-haired boy straightened his back and donned the proudest smirk that he ever mustered, all while supporting himself on a crystal cane that, truth be told, was getting an almost equal amount of attention as his person.

    Someone must have already spread the information about the little show that four dozens of students decided to volunteer to participate in.

    "I''m open to talks, you know~?"

    Zoemi spoke loudly enough to get the attention of all, without actually having a specific person to whom he was directing his words.

    "You can decide for yourselves, or pass it to our parents. Those who don''t think that either of the princes is a good option for Bellcephora kingdom''s future, now have a valid third option, with Zoemi Benevi Banemor. Research it in your spare time and see whether my words hold some truth or not~"

    "[MASTER, WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?!]"

    He announced with a lighthearted shrug ¨C and the moment he did, one of his puppets connected with him via the message spell and shouted in pure shock and disbelief.

    |Stirring up a lot of trouble and hopefully controversy too.|

    "{...did you talk it out with ANYONE beforehand...?}"

    Another one of the puppets joined in and asked in a tired voice.

    "[MASTER HAS A MARTYR FETISH!]"

    The first puppet responded to the other question with an usatory shout.

    |I will exin it all, but this is the moment that my words have the greatest impact.|

    "[AND YOU ARE CHOOSING TO MAKE YOURSELF INTO A VILLAIN?! WE ALL HAVE BEEN WORKING SO HARD TO SALVAGE WHATEVER WAS LEFT OF YOUR IMAGE AND YOU JUST...!]"

    |...what exactly were you doing...?|

    The shouting puppet was venting out their anger, but instead of getting their master to feel guilty or reconsider his decision, they made him ask with a terribly grim expression.

    "[...! N-nothing in particr... Bye!]"

    Either because that particr puppet was around or whether Zoemi''s mood tranted so well in his thoughts, the shouting puppet lost everyst drop of the bravado and muttered in panic before cutting off the connection.

    |Listen up little ones ¨C if you want to scold me about notmunicating with my allies, maybe you should take the advice from your own book ande clean with your own ns?|

    The ck-haired boy scoffed, returning to the ssroom and splendidly ignoring every other student before taking his ce right as the next teacher showed up for his lecture.

    "{We are all your creations through and through so... we will exin things at ater date, master.}"

    "..."

    The other puppet pointed out before cutting off their connection, leaving Zoemi grumpy all the way until recess.

 Chapter 417 137 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 8)

    <h4>Chapter 417 137 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 8)</h4>

    The lunch break arrived, the teacher left, and the students were either going to the Academy''s cafeteria to grab some of the food provided by the facility or waiting for their attendants to bring it to them.

    "..."

    The gold-haired first prince Horeo nced at the ck-haired boy at the desk in front of him.

    He and Miriette had talked over his unexpected behavior of Zoemi for the entire lecture and came to the same conclusion.

    Zoemi had not changed a bit ¨C he was still putting others before him.

    It was infuriating ¨C all the more so that it wasn''t like this was some dumb idea ¨C for the circumstances, that might even be considered the right thing to do.

    People love to have something or someone to push the me for the bad things happening in their lives, even when the scapegoat of their choosing isn''t guilty in any way.

    That is why it was always so hard to root out the bad rumors to the point of impossibility.

    The ck-haired boy had already proven that he was willing to take the me and bear the brunt of the consequences for others when he took Miriette''s punishment upon himself even though that made the punishment increase in severity a few magnitudes over.

    And now he was doing the same thing but for the gold-haired prince.

    ...funnily enough, both Horeo and Miriette missed the little detail that the ck-haired boy''s sentinels picked up on immediately ¨C that being Zoemi''s affection towards Miriette ¨C but considering that they both knew how dense the ck-haired boy could be, they couldn''t really be med for that...

    Still ¨C the scapegoat tactic wasn''t a problem in itself.

    After all, Horeo had enough confidence in himself to deal with and erase any actual threats to his best friend''s wellbeing...

    No.

    The problemid with that making Zoemi the scapegoat was the same tactic that Horeo''s very own mother tried to apply after the murder of the young lord Derizno almost a year back.

    The first prince had an issue with following the same n that the queen already tried and failed to execute.

    "...he cut me off..."

    "...hmm...?"

    The dark-haired girl muttered to herself all pouty and grumpy, causing the gold-haired boy to return back to reality and look at her while raising his brow in confusion.

    "...I used the message spell on him but he cut off the connection..."

    Miriette muttered, deeply offended, as she was ring daggers at the back of her former attendant.

    "It happens. It''s Zoemi, he wouldn''t do that without a purpose... probably a dense and inconsiderate one, but a purpose nheless."

    Horeo shrugged his shoulders and breathed out.

    "Let''s y along until he will decide to let us in on the n ¨C we should damage control him if he goes too much over the line, absolutely no one needs the repeat of the whopping..."

    He added with a concerned expression.

    "I can understand why would he want to keep things hidden from others. But why wouldn''t he let ME in on the n early?! It''s not like someone is listening in on the wavelengths of my spells and spies on my every word! I will not concede for my number one spot just because he has some n now!"

    But the prince''s words only seemed to infuriate the dark-haired nobledy who started hissing at him in a hushed voice.

    "Don''t make a scene. Or maybe do? Zoemi might actually want you to get crazy. He might have missed the drama."

    "Pffft...! Shut up."

    Horeo waved his hand dismissively before suddenly smirking and nodding his head with approval, which ended up causing Miriette to snort and shook her head with a semnce of a smile peeking through her grim expression.

    "We can just wait and see what is he nning to do next, Veo and Teo should be here any moment with our meal. Oh ¨C I wonder if Zoemi knows about Patishi? Probably not... if she doesn''t have ns with her friends we could call for her to eat with us, I don''t think he would be able to refuse the invitation..."

    The gold-haired prince said with a soft smile before he suddenly furrowed his brows and shook his head.

    "No, wait... wouldn''t that interfere with Zoemi''s n, whatever it is...? Seriously... he really has a lot of lessons to catch up on in themunication department. He probably thinks that our actions will be more believable if we know nothing or some basic misconception in that fashion."

    He sighed, rolling his eyes, before putting his elbow on the desk and nonchntly resting his chin on his hand just to keep up the appearance for the people not meant to hear him.

    "Hmph... whatever... Why isn''t he getting up, though? He isn''t going to eat anything?"

    Miriette scoffed shrugging her shoulders before leaning towards her fiance as if she intended to lean on his shoulder just to make the love-dovey couple farce alive ¨C even though it was n longer working the way it was intended to.

    *click*

    "Wha...?!"

    "Huh...?!"

    "...eh...?!"

    "Isn''t that...!"

    As if to answer the question asked by the dark-haired girl, the door to the ssroom opened and a few attendants entered carrying the trays with food for their respectful masters, and although Veo wasn''t amongst the initial group, someone else was ¨C a blue-eyed blond girl with eye-catching voluptuous chest wearing an elegant and proper servant''s uniform.

    Burushiitto.

    The same girl who got officially expelled from the Aspakoeny Academy right before the end of the previous academic year.

    Despite all the gasps and feverish whispers that her appearance caused, the girl herself did not even try to look around at the faces of her former ssmates and instead was focused solely on the tray she was carrying, as keeping it perfectly bnced wasn''t a skill she yet mastered.

    "What is she doing here...?"

    A pale-gold-haired girl gasped leaning towards the green-haired boy, who only shook his head before discreetly ncing towards the indifferent Zoemi.

    "My lord. Here."

    Burushi managed to get to Zoemi''s desk and put the meal in front of him, tray and all, breathing out in relief after confirming that nothing was spilled or knocked off.

 Chapter 418 137 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 9)

    <h4>Chapter 418 137 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 9)</h4>

    "Maybe it''s just someone who looks simr...?"

    A red-haired girl with sharp eyes gulped down her saliva and leaned in to murmur to her green-haired friend.

    "Thank you, miss Burushi. If you be so kind now."

    But the next moment that doubt was cleared when Zoemi straightened his back and looked at the blond girl with a soft smile, nodded, and then offered her his hand.

    "I don''t feel all too well so I would like to ask for a check-up, please."

    "!!!"

    "!!!"

    He added with a smile that made some of the unprepared pure-hearted students get quite hot in their faces.

    "Of course, my lord. Private visit."

    The blond heroine nodded without missing a beat and went straight for her most urate spell.

    "Nothing wrong aside from the abundance of overflowing mana... Are you nauseous again? Should I go and get you something lighter to eat?"

    "..."

    Burushi asked without letting go of Zoemi''s hand ¨C which honestly made Miriette''s brows furrow, yet she said nothing.

    "It should be fine. I kind of get used to it already."

    The ck-haired boy waved his other hand dismissively while reaching for the cutlery with his other one.

    "Did you have time to eat? Sit down and grab a bite."

    Zoemi added in a casual voice, before realizing that even if he said so, his desk had only one chair by it, making the proposition rather suggestive ¨C especially that many other students ¨C Mireitte and Horeo included ¨C were looking at the boy''sp as if expecting that to be a valid ce.

    Zoemi wasn''t blind and upon checking where the gazes of many of his ssmates are focusing, his face became grim, as that definitely wasn''t what he was suggesting.

    It especially angered him since he saw how ufortable Burushi got because of the misunderstanding too.

    "Miss Helterose. Fetch me your chair."

    "?!?!?!"

    ...so he leaned to the side, making eye contact with the sharp-eyed red-haired girl, and called out to her, causing her to flinch and stare back at him wide-eyed.

    "E-excuse me...?"

    The red-haired girl who together with Sifra Ralia and Senria Parrats ¨C of whom only the green-haired Senria was still attending the Aspakeony Academy as Sifra was taken out of the Academy and then disinherited by her own family ¨C for cing a false **** charge on Zoemi in hopes of getting him expelled.

    "I request your chair. Politely, for the time being."

    Zoemi exined, reaching for his crystal cane without breaking the eye contact with the red-haired girl.

    "...!"

    Young miss Helterose bit her lips before hurriedly looking around for some support ¨C but anyone she tried to look at was facing away ¨C even her best friend Senria and young lord Grazio...!

    "F-fine...! Senria and I were going to the cafeteria anyway!"

    The red-haired girl became pale and didn''t dare to pick up a fight with the unpredictable supposedly evil young lord of the Banemor family ¨C who already had enough reason to put her on his shit list.

    "Thank you, I appreciate your cooperation and look forward to our future endeavors."

    The red-haired girl was so shaken that she indeed brought the char to the ck-haired boy''s desk ¨C for which he thanked her in probably one of the most threatening tones that she had ever heard in her life.

    Although... truth be told, the words he had chosen to use were also kind of... suspicious... to say the least.

    "Wh-whatever...!"

    Youngdy Helterose wanted nothing more than to get away from the threatening boy so she only shrugged her shoulders and walked to the door as fast as she could, slowing down only to grab her green-haired friend before leaving.

    "You people have no shame, honor, or pride. That''s why none of you will be able to help your friends and loved ones in case someone will try to nder them, ruining their reputation. And it was so easy to do something. I merely threatened the headmaster and the ban on entry magically disappeared. But sure. Hold on to your pathetic justice. Miss Burushi, have a seat."

    Zoemi ended up sitting back down without actually grabbing the crystal cane and dered in an ice-cold voice.

    Although it sounded like he was trying to keep things kind of vague, mentioning threatening a headmaster to remove a ban on entry when someone who was previously expelled was right by his side was as obvious as it could get.

    After all ¨C the ones expelled from the Aspaekony Academy would never be allowed to step inside its walls under any circumstances.

    ----

    "...what in the world is going on...?! Miriette...! Were... were we wrong in thinking that Zoemi is only acting like that to make himself a scapegoat...?! Because with thatst part he sure did sound as if he directly hated me."

    Horeo gulped down his saliva and muttered to the stunned dark-haired girl right next to him.

    "I... am not sure..."

    Miriette breathed out in relief ¨C although it really did seem like Zoemi was just doing things without any n whatsoever, he was still as serious as ever about indecent things, so it seemed like she didn''t have to be on guard all that much.

    "He seems to be trying to keep up being scary while also making sure that people wouldn''t try to mess with Burushi. By saying that he managed to threaten the headmaster intoplying with his will suggests that he... eh...?!"

    "...!"

    "!!!"

    Mireitte was muttering under her breath before suddenly flinching ¨C she then straightened her back and looked vacantly into the distance as her eyes widened, and every single other wind magician in the ssroom acted the same way!

    "...what is it...?"

    Horeonced between all the wind magicians and asked cautiously.

    He wasn''t too bothered, since if it was a real emergency it wouldn''t be the wind magicians that would get notified first ¨C but nheless, something was going on...

    ------

    "(Master! Wind magicians are sharing the information about you winning a duel against four dozen of students!)"

    "(They do!)"

    Zoemi''s sentinels called out in excitement which suggested that it wasn''t actually being shared in a negative light.

    |Really? What are they saying?|

    The ck-haired boy raised his brows while casually eating his portion after sharing the food with the timid blond-haired heroine.

 Chapter 419 137 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 10)

    Chapter 419 137 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 10)¡¡¡¡"(They said you''ve epted the duel and incapacitated every single opponent at the same time without actually harming them!)"

    "(We did a good job, right master?)"

    The first sentinel exined happily while the other one cheered out proudly.

    |Of course, you did amazingly. I am very happy to have you helping me.|

    "(~!)"

    "(~!)"

    Zoemi smiled to himself while chewing on the food while the two sentinels in his shadow gave off an aura of pride and joy.

    The sentinels didn''t quite catch the real meaning of that statement and were just happy that they were useful to their creator.

    First of all, the message that they listened to was confirming how strong the ck-haired boy was ¨C although that should be obvious to anyone present during the parts of the tournament that Zoemi participated in.

    At the first nce that was all in favor of the ck-haired boy, right?

    Since it was a duel, it had been approved by the teachers ¨C so it wasn''t an act of aggression.

    The others had the numbers advantage so it wasn''t like the ck-haired boy was picking out and bullying the weak.

    Not to mention that all of them ended up unharmed and only made incapacitated and nothing else.

    But the thing was...

    All of that only added fuel to the rumor about Zoemi being the mastermind behind the kidnappings.

    All in all, the message undoubtedly spreading around the entire Academy ¨C and possibly even beyond its walls ¨C worked perfectly with Zoemi''s adjusted n.

    "...my lord... are there... changes in the schedule I was not notified about...?"

    Burushi, who ended up looking back when she heard Miriette''s gasp, ended up taking a deep breath and leaning toward the ck-haired boy with a question, and a very serious expression.

    |Could you connect us with the message spell, please?|

    "(Done!)"

    Zoemi thought and his sentinel acted immediately.

    |I know we nned on resolving everything peacefully, but indeed, the n had to be changed. From now I''m going for the viin route where I will act as if I was tricking the first prince the whole time, clearing his opinion while besmirching mine even more...|

    "[What about me then?!]"

    The ck-haired boy exined, but then Burushi howled at him ¨C of course only within their magically connected minds.

    |Oh, yours doesn''t even need to change. We just need to make sure to show that I was the only person who would give you protection. We can say it was out of convenience too since I was terribly ill and you managed to heal me. It should be fine.|

    Zoemi assured her, doing his best to think of a good argument that would appease the worried healer''s heart so that her inner turmoil wouldn''t turn into an outward one.

    "[You are just such a hasty guy... I bet that you didn''t even try to talk about the changes with anyone because you knew that everyone would tell you to just leave things as they were. As long as you are not aiming to leave the Academy early, you will be attending this and the entirety of the next school year too. You don''t need to do things immediately and pace things properly!]"

    Burushiined in her mind while her fork stopped on its way to the te for more food.

    |No. I change it because we are not sure how much time we have before the king''s death. In Horeo''s route''s epilogue, it was mentioned that his majesty simply retired after a few years, leaving the kingdom in the capable hands of the first prince and his wife ¨C but we both know how those things trante to this world, the king might be killed within a month. Horeo is the best option. Surou isn''t bad either ¨C but for sure we need to get rid of any semnce of chance that Arisu could ever be a candidate.|

    The ck-haired boy denied it and exined his reasoning without much problem.

    "[How fast do you jump to conclusions?! Arisu being an option for the session of the throne isn''t even a valid option yet! But on the other hand, do you know what I heard while getting the food for you...?]"

    Burushi scoffed internally and on the outside, she frowned grumpily while turning her head to face Zoemi while shemunicated with him.

    "[You. You literally put yourself as a third option! What''s with that?!]"

    She hissed in usation as her eyes narrowed.

    |He hates me. I want a reaction to seeing how far gone are things. How else am I going to do that aside from sending a strong message? He graduated the prior year.|

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders while eating, before looking up and seeing the second wave of the attendantsing in ¨C amongst whom were the short brown-haired twins serving two different masters ¨C Teo and Veo.

    "Lord Banemor, it''s a pleasure to see you in good health. Same to you, miss Burushi."

    The older one, Veo, bowed her head gracefully as she passed Zoemi''s desk before serving the food from the tray to the first prince.

    "Likewise. I''m happy to see that Burushi''s treatment worked out so well for you."

    The ck-haired boy nodded back at her with a soft smile and motioned at the skillful movement that the girl was still incapable of back when he was around the first time.

    "Yo~"

    As for Burushi ¨C she simply raised her hand and nodded at Veo.

    The two of them actually already saw each other earlier while in the kitchen and had an actual conversation that included the blond heroine checking up on the state of the brown-haired girl''s arms, so the greeting just now was only a matter of acknowledging each other out o respect.

    Just from the looks of it seemed that Veo has improved tremendously and definitely couldn''t be counted as just half of the attendant as she originally did ¨C which was probably the reason why Patishi began attending the Academy as a student.

    Truly, there were more than a few things that Zoemi wanted t know and learn but he held onto asking since he was in the middle of acting out his n.

    "Master Zoemi...!"

    "..."

    While on one side there was Veo, the older twin who was acting like an examr attendant ¨C there was the younger twin, Teo, who was looking as if she had a hard time keeping her act together.

    Just from her gasp that was supposed to be a greeting, it was obvious that she would much prefer to throw the tray she was holding to the side and jump at the ck-haired boy.

    ...not to mention the way she addressed him was...

    "Hello, Teo. Long time no see. Don''t mind me. Your master is waiting."

    Zoemi breathed out and tried to diffuse the situation, smiling in an amicable manner and leaning to the side as if to make Miriette sitting behind him more visible.

    "..."

    But instead of doing the right thing and moving past him, the brown-haired girl wearing the butler''s uniform remain in ce, ring at the blond girl towards whom Zoemi had leaned to.

    "..."

    Burushi flinched and lowered her eyes, not looking to pick up the challenge that the other attendant was clearly issuing.

    "Ehem! Teo. I''m waiting."

    "!!!"

    Thankfully, Teo, Burushi, and Zoemi weren''t the only people in the ssroom - and Miriette, Teo''s master, cleared out her throat and tapped her finger meaningfully on her desk, expecting to receive the food that the brown-haired attendant in the butler''s uniform was holding.

 Chapter 420 137 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 11)

    <h4>Chapter 420 137 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 11)</h4>

    "..."

    Thest lecture of the day wasing to an end and the ck-haired boy was looking more grim than ever.

    He missed a few more opportunities to show his supposed evilness but he didn''t have all that many gripes about it.

    What he was concerned about though, was that he was finally reunited with the girl he liked and his best friend, but because of his own ns, he knew he shouldn''t show off his affection withoutpromising them immediately ¨C or worse, getting the first prince even deeper in trouble than he already was.

    Originally Zoemi didn''t expect such sentiment to be a problem, but as not even hours, but mere minutes went by he found himself wanting to interact with the pair behind him as he always did.

    He just... really missed them...

    s, the lecture came to an end and all the students bean getting up from their seats, free for their oen devices until the next day.

    When he first returned to the ssroom, Zoemi thought of something that would make it show that he was gunning for Miriette, nning to steal her right from under Horeo''s nose.

    That consisted of getting behind the future royal couple when they will be going out, getting between them, and leading the dark-haired girl away with a smooth but nastyment that would leave Horeo stunned.

    ...but when it came to this, the ck-haired boy found himself not wanting to do it...

    He actually didn''t trust himself enough to pull it off, and with how things were for him at the moment, the initial getting between the pair would most likely end up in him just giving them both a long hug and getting sentimental.

    And that was aplete no-go. Absolutely not. Not with how things should be to make everything right.

    Therefore, when Miriette and Horeo begin to leave, Zoemi didn''t budge. Not even when both of them looked at him with worried faces.

    He just smirked and made a little gesture as if shooing them away, not willing to be bothered.

    Soon enough the only people left were him and two girls.

    The green-haired Senria Parrats and the sharp-eyed red-haired Kierul Berra Helterose, both of whom the Zoemi didn''t particrly want to be around.

    The three of them looked at each other, and inadvertently, Zoemi''s face turned bitter.

    "What it is, miss Helterose, miss Parrats? Already nning on fabricating more usations against me?"

    He sighed, reaching for his crystal cane, and stood up while supporting himself on the desk.

    Zoemi staying behind had another reason aside from him thinking things through.

    Even though he hasn''t been using any spells, the already unfortunately familiar pain was making his body hard to move.

    The phantom pain from his broken mana reservoir was making him nauseous while also hampering his movement ¨C after all, even without any actual physical damage, it felt like his abdomen was tearing itself apart.

    "...n-no...! Lord Banemor... you... during the tournament for youngdy Victureo''s hand, you have talked with my older brother..."

    "...hmm...?"

    Surprisingly, it wasn''t even the sharp-eyed Kierul but the green-haired Senria who stepped up and spoke in a surprisingly apologetic voice, making Zoemi raise his brow and look at her intrigued.

    "I do remember talking with sir Hevoroy, he made a good impression on me. And certainly wasn''t aware of his younger sister''s love for gossip and false usation."

    Zoemi scoffed, intentionally being as mean as the social norm would allow to before taking things too far, fully intending to walk past the two girls and leave.

    "N-now hold on! Senria just wants to tell you what her older brother asked her to!"

    Youngdy Helterose stepped forward, blocking the ck-haired boy''s path, and dered, while trying to sound confident ¨C which certainly wasn''t how she actually felt, especially evident because of how much she kept ncing at the boy''s hand ¨C or more urately, the crystal ane of his.

    "And what gave you the idea I am willing to hear her say it? Sir Hevoroy can send me a letter or even contact me with a message spell, I don''t mind. What Id o mind is spending time with both of you alone in the same room."

    "...!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi dered without stopping, limping his way to the exit even though it would mean that he will bump into the red-haired girl.

    "B-but...!"

    Youngdy Helterose stuttered, not even trying to act with confidence anymore.

    "(Master...! You are spilling out a lot of mana, that might be why you are feeling so bad...!)"

    "(We will try to take level out the excessive amount that stirs up your entire reservoir like we did before, but you should bettery down!)"

    Zoemi''s two sentinels contacted him sounding extremely worried as they sensed that the boy''s sharp response andck of patience weren''t due to talking with people he didn''t like, but rather because of the amount of pain that he was in was steadily increasing.

    "Lord Banemor, my brother doesn''t know that you are awake yet ¨C I will contact him, of course, but the thing is he said that if..."

    The green-haired girl spoke up again, sounding even more apologetic, but honestly no matter what, in Zoemi''s state neither her words nor intentions made much difference.

    "Tsk... You can use the message spell to contact meter. Now I don''t have time to listen. That''s why... MOVE OUT OF MY WAY, KIERUL...!"

    "!!!!!!!"

    The ck-haired boy clicked his tongue and answered while breathing through his teeth when a sharp spasm of pain almost bent him in half, making the boy raise his voice and growl at the sharp-eyed girl in his way... who flinched, and backed off while clenching her legs together while putting her hands to her crotch all tearful, too scared to even let out a voice.

    |... too much... teleport me back to my room and.... try to make it stop, please...!|

    *WHOOOM*

    As the agony was only increasing, the boy stopped caring about his surroundings and cried out to his sentinels, who listened to him immediately and got him away by making him sink like a rock into his own shadow.

    "Eh...?!"

    That left both Senria ¨C who let out the shocked noise ¨C and Kierul alone.

    "*sniffle*"

    With only her best friend, the red-haired girl trembled while holding back the tears of extreme embarrassment.

    "Kierul... are you okay...?"

    The green-haired girl asked, approaching her with concern.

    "...no..."

    Youngdy Helterose shook her head as her face waspletely red from deep shame.

    "...ever sincedy Espine had... dropped me... I already told you before..."

    She spoke while biting her lips very hard.

    "He was scary..."

    "Oohh... oh, no..."

    Kierul admitted with shame without moving her hands away or rxing her legs, which caused Senria to nce down and realize what the problem was.

    "I am so sorry that this happened to you because you wanted to help me out...!"

    She gasped apologetically and pated the red-haired girl''s shoulder.

    "But... sincedy Espine did that to you... this always happens when you are scared, right? Maybe you should ask themoner girl for help since she is back and all...? With her healing attribute, maybe she could help...?"

    "...m-maybe..."

    Senria pointed out while Kierul gulped down her saliva and nodded.

    -------

    "(...buu...! And that is what I stayed behind for instead of going with master...? I thought they would be plotting against him, not that they really wanted to have a talk...! He need me!)"

    The other one of Zoemi''s sentinel that created the shadow gate through the boy''s shadowined before leaving the ssroom after not really learning anything useful.

 Chapter 424 139 - Just a little showcase (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 424 139 - Just a little showcase (part 1)</h4>

    Zoemi didn''t feel any better until the next day ¨C where he was greeted at his door by an unexpected visitor.

    "...what do I own the honor...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked therge man''s abdomen before raising his head and ring at his tanned face.

    "Apparently you have been threatening me, boy."

    Burdoff Mekhior Vereq, one of Aspakeony''s corpse puppets serving as her Academy''s current headmaster.

    "Was that wrong?"

    "..."

    Zoemi smirked mockingly, making the corpse puppet squint his eyes and furrow his brows at such disrespectful behavior that Aspakeony never expected from the ck-haired boy.

    "You want to y a bad guy even in front of me?"

    The necromancer asked through the mouth of her puppet ¨C but Zoemi didn''t budge at all at thatment.

    "I''m only doing what is necessary."

    The boy ended up shrugging his shoulders dismissively, supporting himself on the crystal cane while leaning to the side, away from therge-bodied man, in order to look at the hallway that was blocked by him...

    "Many people came to me withints ¨C it is slightly annoying but apparently a lot of people do not agree with the result of your mass duel from two days ago. They want a fair chance at you."

    Aspakeony exined through Burdoff ¨C which honestly made Zoemi rx a bit as he expected that she showed up in front of his room for a rather different reason than being a glorified messenger.

    "That is pretty annoying ¨C they went to bother you because they fear the repeat of the original duel then? They want to lose with an audience, huh, quite foolish if you ask me... although not particrly against my own wishes."

    The boy nodded with an understanding expression before going back to a mocking smirk.

    "Is this all? Sir?"

    He added looking up at the corpse puppet who was far too big to be just called bulky anymore as if Aspakeony pumped him full of mana to erge him.

    "To make the other students know what they are signing up for, there will be a little magic examination prepared just for you. Since I decided it would be the best way to deter other kids from getting hurt, today''s there will be no lectures."

    "..."

    The corpse puppet revealed to which the ck-haired boy reacted by lowering his head as if in an annoyed sigh...

    |Connect me with her, please, little ones.|

    "(Ay-ay!)"

    Zoemi asked internally and his sentinel responded without a dy, connecting him directly to the gray-haired necromancer through the message spell.

    |Aspy. There are three students and a teacher behind you, not even mentioning the five listening by the door, and you are making it really hard for me to y the role of a bad guy...! I am really grateful for all that you are doing for me, but if you go any further I will blush and ruin the performance, okay?|

    "!!!"

    Zoemi thought, which caused the corpse puppet, that the gray-haired girl was focusing her attention on, to flinch.

    |Alright, I will continue being cheeky, but there''s no need to butter me up, alright? I love you, but I am doing this to clear the first prince''s name. I definitely didn''t turn into a delinquent because of something you did, so let us move this show along.|

    The boy added before taking a deep breath and straightening his back.

    "Hmph. Good. I see those naive fools who can''t see right from left are due to the little presentation. Then? When and where exactly should I show up for that examination?"

    His acting was pretty much professional, with no trace of the warm feelings he conveyed in his thoughts bing recognizable in his voice.

    "...the same time that the second lecture would normally start, in the back of the dormitory, the same ce that the magic examination for the first-year students takes ce every year."

    Aspakeony shook her head which tranted to Burdoff shaking his and conveying the instructions after a moment of hesitation caused by the discord between what Zoemi spoke out loud and what she informed her through the message spell.

    ...not to mention that the gray-haired necromancer herself was deeply shocked that Zoemi''s message spell could pass through the seal around her office. That alone should be possible only for her own magic and death attribute mana. The problem was that the message spell should not be possible to activate with death mana instead of wind one...

    "Great. I hope you prepared a lot of ultra-long-range targets, or there might be some damage to the Academy''s property."

    Zoemi didn''t wait for Aspakeony to figure out what exactly did he do, and moved past Burdoff''s body slipping by what little space there was.

    "I allow myself to leave now. Apparently, all the food you serve here is poisonous for me, so I might teleport back to my territory to grab a bite of something that doesn''t want to kill me. But I will make sure to show up for the special magic examination."

    He added raising his hand to wave goodbye without looking back at the figurehead headmaster and limped away supporting himself on his crystal cane.

    "...wait, what...?!"

    It took her embarrassingly long to realize that Zoemi wasn''t actually joking or trying to be edgy, and only flinched and made Burdoff turn around when the sh of murky-ck light announced the boy''s disappearance.

    ------

    "Sorry for the wait. On the bright side, you won''t bete for the lectures because there won''t be any today~!"

    With a sh of a murky-ck light, the ck-haired boy showed up in the middle of the living room in the Banemor mansion and raised his hand towards the younger brown-haired girl who was nervously ncing towards the big grandfather clock by the wall.

    "Big brother Zoemi!"

    She cheered out and ran up to him for a hug which Zoemi return with a soft smile.

    "Once again, sorry for shortening the tie you can spend with Horeo, but on the bright side, you will have the rest of the day free to hand out with him."

    The ck-haired boy nodded apologetically before affectionately tousling Patishi''s hair.

    "Don''t apologize, big brother! I want to help you out! But... why are the lectures canceled...?"

    Patishi shook her head while clinging to Zoemi and assured him, but then she tilted her head and asked curiously.

    "Our good headmaster came up with an amazing idea to make others not pick fights with me ¨C there will be an official magic examination just for me, free for everyone to see for themselves and decide whether it is worth challenging me to a duel~"

    The boy exined while looking around the room curiously.

    "By the way ¨C did you have the chance to check on the food prepared here?"

    He asked, picking on the noises of people approaching from behind the door leading to the kitchen that were unmistakably made by Burushi, Benevirau, and possibly even Arreta.

    "Actually, I did."

    "..."

    Patishi nodded and her expression became serious to which Zoemi raised his brows and waited in silence for the continuation.

    "You see, the difference between the ingredients and food, in general, that''s avable here and back in Aspakeony Academy is that I can''t sense any intention from the food here..."

    "...huh...?"

    The younger girl exined lowering her head in embarrassment, making the ck-haired boy let out a shocked voice.

 Chapter 425 139 - Just a little showcase (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 425 139 - Just a little showcase (part 2)</h4>

    "Oh-ho...! Would you look at all of those people, must be an entire Academy."

    Zoemi raised his brows and snickered while walking in the back of the dormitory, admiring the space created overnight by either the teachers wielding the earth attribute or Aspakeony''s puppets with the same type of magic at their disposal.

    The walls of the Academy that usually boxed the buildings and the green parts were lowered using a certain artifact only avable for Aspakeony ¨C not all walls of course ¨C as if the ones against which the storehouses were leaning against would move around, all buildings would crumble without exception.

    No, the wall that disappeared was the one facing the ins and meadows extending all the way to the Bellcephora kingdom capital ¨C and were conveniently not in use in agri or horticulture.

    ¡­actually, that wasn''t a coincidence ¨C the entire terrain was a part of the no man''snd that was considered a neutralnd ¨C which meant as much as it was under Aspakeony''s control...

    And she would always refuse any kind of development since it was really convenient for her to use the empty ins as a space for performing the magic examination for the exceptionally strong students.

    As for Zoemi''sment about the entire student''s body being there, that was true ¨C even though Aspakeony called it a little magic examination, the massive stands for the audience created with earth magic werepletely full as it looked like no one wanted to miss the performance of the young lord of the Banemor territory who returned to the Academy after many months of absence.

    "Interesting. How much of the Academy can actually move around thanks to that whole artifact?"

    The ck-haired boy added curiously.

    When he saw the absence of the walls for the first time all the way back when he was a first-year student, he didn''t pay much attention to it since honestly, he considered it a part of the game ¨C but with how many things changed from that moment, he found himself intrigued by all the things that differentiated this world from the one in the game ¨C especially the ones in the environment, as they all could be usefulter on.

    "(We can go take a look if you want, master!)"

    "(Eeehhh?! Noo! We can send another sentinel to check on it! We have to stay with master to make sure he is safe!)"

    The two sentinels residing within the boy''s shadow answered sounding as adorable as always and started a tiny quarrel almost immediately.

    |For now let''s focus on showing off without actually causing too much trouble for Aspy. We can also just ask her to show us the artifact too. She might get angry that we are checking her things without permission.|

    This time Zoemi didn''t speak out loud but rather thought silently, making sure that only his sentinels would be able tomunicate with him.

    Getting overheard would be very problematic to say the least ¨C especially so when the thing he talked about was a precious artifact from the ancient past ¨C probably as old as the seal on the headmaster''s office, or maybe even older.

    "(Okay... Thenter...?)"

    "(After we make others not want to mess with master!)"

    The sentinels cheered out, making Zoemi wonder whether he really did exin things to them properly enough...

    Still, as long as they wouldn''t kill anyone, everything should work out fine ¨C after all the ck-haired boy really wanted to deter others from constantly bothering him while also giving himself an opportunity to be boastful and arrogant.

    He actually nned for something else after the examination would be over ¨C but he was still hesitant whether to implement that particr idea of his or not.

    "Lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor, if you please."

    The red-haired headmaster ¨C or rather the red-haired corpse puppet ying the role of the headmaster ¨C called out and waved at the approaching boy to hurry up, but Zoemi did not pick up his pace at all, casually limping all the way supporting himself on the crystal cane.

    "Now, now. Sir Burdoff, I am a recovering patient, don''t you know? You don''t want to make me exert myself ¨C my personal medic is rather feisty and would not hesitate to throw hands in my defense~"

    Zoemi grinned evilly while walking up to the burly man and looking up at him mockingly, speaking with no respect in his voice.

    Even the form he was using while talking to the corpse puppet ¨C sir and not lord ¨C showed that the ck-haired boy considers the headmaster as only someone equal or lower than himself, which was unthinkable for every single student except for the royal first prince.

    "(Master, the healing girl is angry at you for pulling her into this.)"

    One of Zoemi''s sentinels reported in a bothered voice, but Zoemi only snickered internally.

    |Tell her that it''s already toote to try and hide it ¨C she was a step away from beating up Teo yesterday~|

    He said yfully while taking his spot as the examined student.

    "Ready~"

    Zoemi hummed lightheartedly standing next to the desk that normally would host three teachers as examiners, but with only Burdoff taking most of the space.

    "ce your hand over the mana measuring device."

    The corpse puppet headmaster demanded while motioning at the translucent sphere, which the ck-haired boyplied with without another word.

    For this test he didn''t need his sentinels to help him out as if he remembered things correctly, the measuring device didn''t actually mess with the mana itself but rather used the mana stored within it to epass the mana reservoir of the target and gauge its size that way.

    "..."

    "..."

    The silence that befell the audience was eerily ufortable as everyone was waiting for the result ¨C that of course included the necromancer taking direct control over her puppet and the ck-haired boy who didn''t stop measuring his mana reservoir after it overtook most of the magicians he knew.

    The crystal sphere started slowly changing the color, first, it became opaque, then it was dyed ck, but within a second it changed to vibrant brown, then green, blue, and red.

    When it finally turned gold, the light it was giving off began growing in intensity, until it started to be borderline blinding, impossible to keep one''s eyes on it.

    "Wh-what in the world...?!"

    Someone gasped ¨C but it was hard to tell whether it was someone from the audience or either Zoemi or Aspakeony using Burdoff''s mouth.

    Why?

    Well, because the next step after bing blinding was for the sphere to create an air quake, distorting the space around it to the point of turning the reality into an extremely low-resolution image...

    "ENOUGH!"

    This time it was unmistakably Burdoff''s voice roaring over the space distortion caused by the measuring device.

    "(Master!? Are you okay?!)"

    "(Master, you have to be careful!)"

    |...ugh... I''m fine... I just... didn''t expect an air quake to cause me an actual headache...|

    Funnily enough, Aspakeony wouldn''t call for the end of the procedure if not for the fact that she noticed the smudge that she recognized as Zoemi to be bending down seemingly in pain ¨C the device itself wasn''t done.

    And the necromancer controlling the puppet headmaster was right in calling for the premature end ¨C as was proven by the worried voices of the sentinels followed by the boy''s pained gasp that he managed to hold back, groaning only in his thoughts.

    "..."

    The air quake subsided and the orb reverted back to its translucent state and the ck-haired boy breathed out and straightened his back before looking down at the red-haired headmaster.

    "How was that?"

    He asked while doing his best not to grit his teeth ¨C thankfully the headache was disappearing almost as fast as the visual distortion caused by the sphere.

    "...sage level, easily..."

    Aspakeony muttered under Burdoff''s breath before looking up straight into the boy''s eyes, ready to y things out slightly different for the audience amongst whom many were not aware of even the concept of sages.

    "If there actually was anything above the level of a light magician, you would be just that, boy."

    ...was what the corpse puppet said out loud for all to hear, causing a collective gasp to pass through the stands.

    "Duh, obviously. Don''t you know what I went through to get to that level?"

    Zoemi smirked, shrugging his shoulders dismissively while already walking towards the first target - a training dummy at the closebat range.

    "Ready~"

    He said again, waiting for the permission to begin.

 Chapter 426 139 - Just a little showcase (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 426 139 - Just a little showcase (part 3)</h4>

    "Proceed."

    *click*

    Burdoff waved his hand as the mark of the beginning of the actual examination, to which Zoemi reacted not with words but rather with the snap of his fingers.

    With apletely nonchnt stance, without saying a single word of incantation, it looked like just with the gesture alone the ck-haired boy caused his shadow to extend and condense below the training dummy donning a prime-quality magic armor.

    "(WIGGLY WIGGLY STAB!)"

    ...Zoemi might not have said anything ¨C but the same could not be said for the sentinel using the spell...

    *blublublublublub*

    As a continuation, the shadow that became a stter of murky darkness began boiling and bubbling as if affected by an unearthly heat ¨C then...

    *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB*

    Spears of darkness erupted from the shadow and pierced through the armor as if it was made out of wet tissue, causing the magic device hidden within the dummy to release crimson red light to indicate the deadly amount of damage, but that wasn''t it either...

    *SCREEEEEECH*

    To the shock and terror of the students amongst whom some thought they would have a chance against the ck-haired boy, the spears stabbing through the armor came alive, turning into tentacles that tightly wrapped around the armor, before crushing it into unrecognizable scrap metal and finally pulling it into darkness from where they emerged.

    "Hmph~"

    Zoemi smirked to himself proudly, making sure his satisfaction is conveyed to his sentinels, who chose a fitting spell for the asion.

    Without further ado, the ck-haired boy turned to the next target at the short-range.

    *tap*

    This time he merely raised his crystal cane slightly, before bringing it back down with only the slightest amount of force necessary to produce a sound...

    "(ICE WHIRL PARADISE!)"

    The other sentinel also was having st, joining itsrade in picking up random names for their spells instead of just casting them.

    *WHOOOOSH*

    The cyclone of ice-cold air surrounded the armor-wearing dummy ¨C which immediately released a red light, but the attack was only just starting.

    The entire dummy became encased in ice, causing the red light indicating the damage to flicker and disappear before...

    *CRACK*

    Breaking apart into specks of crystal-like dust that got thrown away into the icy winds, leaving only the empty, frosted piece of baren soul where the boy''s target was only a moment before.

    "..."

    Zoemi looked over at the closest students and smirk at their jaws hanging open from shock.

    The ck-haired boy nodded to himself and faced the next target dummy, this one set at the middle range.

    This one was still too close to use anything truly spectacr, considering that the shockwave had a chance of damaging the members of the audience.

    Zoemi could point that out to his sentinels, but he trusted their judgment ¨C at least in terms of wholeheartedly putting themselves to the job, that is.

    In terms of the safety of others...

    Well... he still had doubts, but at least he confirmed that Miriette and Horeo wave both positioned at a safe enough distance ¨C or at least one that would allow his sentinels to protect them if that wasn''t the case.

    *rumble*

    "(ANGRY MOUNTAIN REVENGE~!)"

    "...?!"

    This time he didn''t even make any distinct movement, so everybody else looked around in confusion when the earth trembled...

    *RUMBLE*

    *WHAM*

    Still, their consternation was resolved instantly when a gigantic arm made out of rock, burst out of the ground as if it was a water basin hiding a giant, and turned the training dummy into a stter of vaguely recognizable metal with bits and pieces of red-glowing mana crystal stuck inside of it.

    "...pffft..."

    By far the hardest part of the examination was for Zoemi to keep a straight face when his resident sentinels were having so much fun.

    They didn''t even use the names like incantations ¨C as was proven by one of the sentinels activating the spell before calling out a random name that it found funny.

    "...whew..."

    Zoemi breathed out discreetly, this time focusing his attention on the Aspakeony''s puppet and the other teachers.

    The result?

    *thump*

    Lady Auequas, the old woman who would be Zoemi''s grandmother if she and the rest of the Auequas family not disinherited his adopted father, fell heavily back on the seat she stood up from when a spell that was a few timesrger than the one her granddaughter tried to use against Zoemi during the tournament appeared as if it was nothing.

    In short ¨C the result: satisfactory.

    "(ZIPPY-ZAP, GRANDPA BENEVIRAU ISN''T THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN USE MANA FROM NATURE!)"

    "...huh...?!"

    Surprisingly enough ¨C even for Zoemi who couldn''t hold back a gasp ¨C the next attack had a rather interesting and descriptive name.

    It also had a longer dy ¨C but the exact reason for that became recognizable soon enough.

    That being the sudden arrival of murky ck clouds right above the long-range practice target that...

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    "!!!!"

    "!!!!"

    "KYAAAAAH!"

    ...soon birthed a thunderbolt that erased the existence of the dummy with the best magically enhanced armor money could buy in a sh before even the roar of the thunder caused some of the students to cry out in panic and fear.

    |Whoa there... you are getting a bit out of hand, don''t you think?|

    Zoemi thought to his sentinels when the gust of the shockwave created by the spell rustled his school uniform.

    "(Sorry master...)"

    "(We will be careful to not overdo it with thest one!)"

    The first sentinel sounded apologetically enough, although the second one just shrugged it off without a sliver of remorse.

    |I''m counting on you.|

    Zoemi rolled his eyes and thought before turning to the headmaster and putting a confident smirk on his face.

    "Ultra-long range target for more points?"

    He asked in a loud voice, making sure that the people still slightly deafened by the thunder would get what he meant.

    "...if those other kids weren''t afraid of you before, they sure are now... It was supposed to be a showcase, not an examination, so go ahead..."

    Aspaekony sighed through Burdoff''s mouth and waved his hand in approval.

    "(Master! Master, for thest spell reach out your hand as if you were aiming the spell yourself!)"

    "(Yeah! We will make it super cool~!)"

    "..."

    Although Zoemi didn''t mind doing an overkill, when his sentinels were BOTH cheering out in excitement, even he got a bad feeling and hesitated.

    "(Please...?)"

    "(Please...!)"

    |Fine...|

    The sentinels pleaded and made Zoemi agree to their request, even though he started feeling that the supposed showcase has been turned into the yground for his summons...

    Nheless, the ck-haired boyplied and reached out his hand vaguely in the direction that he saw the glistening of the magic armor and waited.

    *WHOOM*

    *WHOOM*

    "...?"

    The next moment, both of his sentinels actually left his shadow and floated towards his outstretched arm, assuming a position in front of his palm.

    That already should have set off the rm in the boy''s head.

    But even if it didn''t ¨C the next words spoken by the sentinels certainly did...

    "(BURIAL OF MANA...)"

    "(AND DEATH OF HOPE~!)"

    ...but it was toote, as when the sentinelspletely flipped their master''s expectation and chose a very menacing name instead of a cute one, it didn''t create an air quake.

    But what it did instead was...

 Chapter 427 139 - Just a little showcase (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 427 139 - Just a little showcase (part 4)</h4>

    *GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*

    The particles of mana itself got torn apart, causig an ungodly scream that could only bepared to the choir of tormented souls ¨C and the abomination of a spell that was brought into existence shot through the air, swallowing and literaly erasing a chunk ofnd that could fit the entire royal capital and then some.

    "..."

    "..."

    No one dared to speak a word, no one even dared to let out a pip.

    There was no shockwave, no earthquake, no air quake.

    Just...

    At one moment the audience could enjoy the view extending from the back of the Academy building, the empty fields, and meadows, purposefully kept empty by their owner ¨C Aspakeony ¨C and the next moment they found themselves seated close to the edge of the seemingly bottomless chasm...

    "(Master, we didn''t harm anyone~!)"

    "(And we kept strictly to the borders of the Academy grounds! See? All the buildings on the sides are untouched too!)"

    Completely oblivious to what they have done, the two sentinels floated over to the boy''s head and nuzzled against him affectionately, all while boasting, clearly filled to the brim with pride over a job well done.

    "..."

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and took a single step forward, getting right to the edge of the created chasm...

    "...!"

    And immediately stumbled back as his vision started spinning while his brain tried toprehend the depth of the newly created pit.

    |What did you do?!|

    The ck-haired boy thought, clenching his fist on the crystal cane he was supporting himself on.

    "(Eh...?)"

    "(We did a cool spell without overdoing anything~!)"

    Once again, the first sentinel sensed that something wasn''t right with their master''s reaction even though it couldn''t quite understand what was wrong, while the second one was blissfully ignorant of everything.

    |WHERE IS THE GROUND?! YOU EVAPORATED A WHOLE TERRITORY?! IN WHAT WORLD IS THAT NOT OVERDOING THINGS?! HOW DEEP DOEAS IT GO?!|

    To Zoemi''s favor, even though he was losing it and shouting ¨C he was doing so only in his head while on the outside he looked as if he was admiring the view he has created.

    "(But we kept it to the borders and make sure that nothing else was touched, I swear...!)"

    The first sentinel realized that Zoemi was upset, but it really couldn''t grasp the core of the problem ¨C so it thought that their master was angry because he thought that their spell has done damage to the property outside of that owned by the Academy.

    |WHAT DID...! Haa... fucking hell... what did you do with all thatnd? Did you just... teleported it...?|

    Zoemi was about to lose his mind, but he managed to hold himself back, took a few deep breaths that barely help, cursed, and then asked in a calmer tone.

    "(No...? We erased it. We buried the mana, just like in the name we came up with!)"

    "(Yeah, yeah! And we killed any hope anyone could have for standing against you, master!)"

    |I... need to talk with someone about this... What are they even saying...?|

    Zoemi decided it was worth a bit of pain and used his own mana to cut off the connection with the two sentinels just to have a moment alone in his own head.

    The scene was... ridiculous.

    Simply ridiculous.

    The worst part about it wasn''t even the sheer size of the chasm that was created ¨C it was the precision with which it was created with, not a single rock outside of the space that was attacked got even grazed.

    Zoemi''s sentinels had very clearly had far more power to spare.

    |Fill it out.|

    "(Eh...?)"

    Zoemi reconnected with both sentinels and demanded, making one of them gasp in surprise.

    "(Master, you wanted to send a message ¨C it would be better to leave this as a reminder of...)"

    |Little one. This isn''t up for discussion. Fill it out before I will actually get angry. Please.|

    "(!!!)"

    The first sentinel tried to reason with the ck-haired boy, which was quite ironic with itsck ofmon sense ¨C but Zoemi responded by granting it insight into his mana reservoir ¨C and all the mana he was moving around despite not being supposed to.

    Zoemi''s body felt as if it would get torn into pieces but the message he sent was abundantly clear even for the child-like sentinels.

    "(...I''m sorry master... please don''t be angry, you are going to hurt yourself...)"

    "(We will fix it all right away, master! Sorry, we should have made sure that this spell was allowed...)"

    "...haaa..."

    Both sentinels apologized sounding as if they were tearing up, causing Zoemi to breathe out in relief as he was actually prepared to face them if it turned out that the outrageous spell was them starting a mutiny.

    *RUMBLE*

    With the two sentinels back inside the boy''s shadow, it was proven once again that the names of the spells weren''t incantations of any sort as they made a humongous amount of earth appear out of thin air and cascade down the chasm with enough force to cause an earthquake.

    "(Master, this will take a bit ¨C creating earth out of mana is hard...)"

    "(...if we knew we had to recreate everything then we would have just teleport it away... no... wait... that would take too much mana...)"

    The resident sentinels were sounding guilty, although not exactly for the right reason.

    Still, it was enough for the ck-haired boy.

    |It''s okay, little ones... can... you get me an ice pack, please?|

    Zoemi breathed out as the scene of the chasm getting filled up made him actually calm down ¨C although now he was bothered by the pain caused by the movement of mana that he had caused to himself.

    "Whew... Ahahaha~! Wasn''t that something?"

    Zoemi turned around andughed awkwardly, leaning against his crystal cane while holding a block of ice to his stomach while tens of thousands of pounds of the earth were cascading down behind his back like some ceaseless nightmarish waterfall.

    ---------

    "...my prince... is big brother an actual bad guy now...?"

    "..."

    The best summary of the reaction of everybody watching the special magic examination of Zoemi Benevi Banemor was that even Patishi was absolutely terrified of him, to the point of clinging to the Horeo''s side and whispering in a tearful voice, while the first prince himself couldn''t even properly answer her.

    "Pissy prince, don''t be a wuss. Your Wrath of Light is more destructive. All Zoemi did was shovel some ground away."

    Still ¨C it wasn''t actually everyone who was scared ¨C the dark-haired girl at the first prince''s other side elbowed him in the ribs and snickered unbothered.

    "True ¨C but there is a reason why spells like that should not be shown in public and Zoemi is going to learn that first hand and not through word of mouth like I did."

    Horeo breathed out and scoffed while furrowing his brows in concern as he reassuringly tousled Patishi''s hair.

    "Of course, he isn''t. It''s just that..."

    The gold-haired boy smiled at the younger girl before furrowing his brows trying to find the right words to answer her earlier question.

    "It''s just that he and I will have to have a talk... He just became strong which doesn''t usually happen so he isn''t aware of some of the nuances of being in the position of power."

    He finally exined, not quite satisfied with his own words but it had to do for the time being.

    "Is... is big brother Zoemi in trouble then...?"

    Patishi flinched and gulped down her saliva while staring at Horeo as she trembled.

    "...let''s just say that if he wanted to be left alone and live peacefully, then he messed uppletely..."

    "!!!!"

    The first prince''s expression became bitter and he shrugged his shoulders, making the younger girl gasp.

 Chapter 428 140 - The ceremony (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 428 140 - The ceremony (part 1)</h4>

    "(Connected~!)"

    "|Royto! How is my favorite human informant doing in the faraway Atreterve?|"

    After the first sentinel hiding within Zoemi''s shadow announced, the ck-haired boy spoke in a hushed voice out of habit, even though his other sentinel was using the muffle spell on their surroundings so no one could hear him.

    Well, taking into ount the high-stake situation he was in, that level of cautiousness was fully understandable...

    "[Sir Banemor?! Y-you could have warned me in some way before suddenly messaging me, you know? I almost had a heart attack thinking that someone had broken in and is about to cut my throat!]"

    The blue-haired second prince breathed out in relief beforeining ¨C he sounded overly anxious as if the situation he was currently in was taking quite a toll on him, which wasn''t all that surprising.

    "|Oh... that sounds like your life there isn''t too easy...|"

    Zoemi frowned with concern, straightening his back.

    "[It''s not that bad, alright? But... You will not lose on anything if you start a sudden conversation with - it''s me, Zoemi - right? I don''t trust the locals yet and I think that I would have a heart attack if someone casually called me by my actual name ¨C because that would probably be an assassin, so giving out your name first would be preferable... Let me drop the subject already and move onto a more important one ¨C did the news about me going missing from the monastery spread around yet?]"

    The second prince grumbled for a moment or two before getting over it and asked with caution.

    "|No, actually. And it shocks me greatly ¨C ording to the general opinion, you are still getting the reeducation within those walls. My best bet is that the monks didn''t want to get in trouble and did not notify anyone about your escape.|"

    "[Wait, really? That''s... exceedingly strange. I was sure that at least some of them were actually just thugs mixed in along with the normal monks... Please, keep an eye on how that situation will turn out. That said ¨C what got you to contact me, sir Banemor?]"

    "|Checking out if you are alive. Also, what''s new on the ve market ¨C any illegally sold citizens of the Bellcephora kingdom?|"

    Surou scoffed in concern before shrugging it all off and asking casually, making it Zoemi''s turn to shrug his shoulders and respond half-dismissively.

    "[Not officially, but let me prove to you why helping me out was the best decision you could make.]"

    The second prince boasted and it was easy enough to sense his mood improving tremendously ¨C which in turn let Zoemi know that he indeed had some interesting news to share.

    "[I gained the favor of a few filthy-rich and important people here in Vexzi. My talent for making jewelry is only equal to my way with words, you see? One of those now loyal customers just happened to be the new consort of the owner of the biggest ve market in this part of the country, shees by every two days or so to buy something and I''m giving her nice discounts in exchange for the information about the new ves ¨C even the less official ones.]"

    Surou exined sounding as prideful as ever

    "|Less official ones, huh...? Well ¨C I''ve seen your craftsmanship so you amassing fans isn''t surprising ¨C but still... you must be giving some killer discounts for thatdy to b out about ves from Bellcephora to a magician like yourself...|"

    Zoemi pointed out with concern.

    "[That is what shocks you? Well, you would be stunned if you learned who she actually is... But her identity is not all that important ¨C aside from the fact that she is a former ve and a magician herself. She wants to help ¨C I want the info ¨C she gets the discounts. Might seem odd, but it works out for now.]"

    "|For now? Tsk... I understand why you were on edge when I contacted you.|"

    The second prince revealed just the tiniest bit of additional information ¨C although it was still enough to make Zoemi realize that the blue-haired boy himself thought that he haspromised his hideout and a secret identity and was only acting tough.

    That made him wonder...

    Who exactly did he meet up with...?

    That woman was supposed to be a magician but a former ve ¨C she could be a bastard child of some noble that became a nuisance or maybe her story was even moreplicated...

    ...but the ck-haired boy was almost sure that whoever she was, she must have recognized the blue-haired second prince, which of course pushed the boy in question to the edge.

    Or maybe not...?

    |Am I overthinking things again...?|

    "|My prince, be honest ¨C Did you get yourself in trouble?"

    Zoemi thought before wondering out loud.

    "[Yes, of course, I did that! How did you guess that? Things went down right after I introduced myself to her with my full name! Because I''m a drooling idiot!]"

    Surouined in a pained voice after Zoemi showed hisck of faith in him.

    "Who are you taking me for anyway!?"

    He scoffed at Zoemi in disbelief, making the ck-haired get a feeling that he really was off about the second price''s circumstances...

    "|For a brainwashed idiot who let himself be locked in a monastery after doing a lot of dumb idiotic things. Or at least a drama queen, much more than I expected you to.|"

    Zoemi snapped back at him.

    "[Fuck you! How was getting hexed my fault?! I had no say in it!]"

    Surou groaned in annoyance, clicking his tongue at the unjustified burn.

    "|Sorry. It was unnecessary, I''m just a bit nervous because of the marriage and all... Just so you know, the sentinels I left with you can teleport you away in the time of need, they will help you out if things get really bad.|"

    The ck-haired boy breathed out and apologized, reminding the second prince about the precaution he left with him.

    "Oh. Caan they, now? That''s awfully convenient ¨C I thought that those little buggers were just here to be cute and asionally sassy... now hold on ¨C what marriage, or rather whose marriage are you talking about? Are you about to get married? WITH WHO?!"

    "|...!|"

    Surou''s shout was so loud that Zoemi leaned to the side out of habit, just as if he was trying to get away from a phone even though the spell didn''t work in the same way.

    "{Hey! Keep it down!}"

    Unexpectedly enough a muffled voice of an old man also transferred through the connection, which was an interesting nuance that a normal message spell was not supposed to do.

    "[Ah! I''m sorry master! Just having a problem with a new piece!]"

    Zoemi clearly heard Surou''s apology before the blue-haired boy started talking to him again.

    "[I''ll ask again ¨C who are you getting married to?! You aren''t doing anything controversial, right?]"

    The second prince gasped in a hushed voice that almost made Zoemi snicker.

    "|Oh, no, I am not the one getting... hold on...! What controversy do you use me of...?|"

    The ck-haired boy was about to exin things, clearing out the misunderstanding, but there was something in the blue-haired boy''s voice that made him hesitate.

    "[Like...! I... you know... doing something like stealing my older brother''s fiancee, or marrying miss Burushiitto to throw the societal hierarchy into a disarray... or something ¨C I don''t know!]"

    Surou ended up audibly flinching and began muttering awkwardly, letting some of his actual feelings slip by in the process.

    "|Societal hierarchy, huh... Are you perchance worried about Burushi after all...?|"

    "[Sh-shut up, no I''m not...!]"

    Sure cried weakly, when Zoemi read between the lies shockingly urately and asked in a teasing voice.

 Chapter 429 140 - The ceremony (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 429 140 - The ceremony (part 2)</h4>

    "|You know, although it would require some exnation ¨C considering that your entire rtionship happened because you alone were under the hex ¨C but I could arrange a meeting for the two of you. Somewhere safe for both of you... in case you would want to get rid of her to clear your name...|"

    Zoemi spoke lightheartedly, although by the end he started mumbling so that Surou could barely understand what was said.

    "[Hold on a minute ¨C who do you take me for again?! Miss Burushiitto is as much of a victim in all of that as I am!]"

    ...barely able, and notpletely unable ¨C which was why the second prince gasped in disbelief at the outrageous implication.

    "|Oh? So are you telling me that a thought like that didn''t cross your mind?|"

    "[...that''s beside the point. I am a prince ¨C currently in hiding, but still ¨C it is obvious for me toe up with various ns to protect my name and honor... But it''s not like I would act up and try out all of them!]"

    The ck-haired boy asked mockingly ¨C which prompted a grumpy response from the blue-haired one.

    "|My prince, let me make things clear ¨C Burushi is my friend, you are my convenient aplices, and a backup n if the things go the worst way possible. I do not sacrifice my friends for some convenient aplices. Is that clear?|"

    Zoemi breathed out and dered, and even though he did not mean it to be as much of a threat as more of a warning ¨C it sure sounded like a bonafide threat.

    "|Nheless, it''s not like I can or want to make decisions for Burushi, so I will tell her about your situation and if she will want to meet up with you, or contact you through my sentinels, I will make that happen.

    "[Having an honest talk would be appreciated.]"

    The second prince nodded and even without a vision of him, Zoemi could tell that the blue-haired boy was making a bitter expression.

    "[Then again ¨C what about that marriage ¨C who are you marrying?]"

    Still, only after a few seconds topose himself, Surou ended up changing the subject and asked.

    "|Oh, that''s right ¨C where did you get the idea that I am the one getting married anyway? My father is marrying Rokiana Grea Perserios.|"

    Zoemi raised his brows and rolled his eyes, finally clearing up the misunderstanding that honestly shouldn''t have happened in the first ce.

    "[Huh... now that makes more sense... wait ¨C he''s marrying the teacher? And one of Perserios to boot. That is quite a radical change of policy for the Auequas family... Weren''t they always the bootlickers of the Derizno family?]"

    Surou let out a surprised voice and pondered with interest.

    It seemed that with his mind messed by the hex for years he missed the fact that Mizoe was disinherited by the Auequas family.

    "|Not all, my father was thrown out, and my cousin ran away after they tried to force her to marry teacher Ikarveth.|"

    The ck-haired boy didn''t want to sour his mood by recounting the entire case to the second prince so he just mentioned it was a shrug.

    "[Ah, the Lazaram wannabe? Good choice, he always was really creepy with his experiments.]"

    "|What...?|"

    The blue-haired boy pointed out, sounding as if he nodded with understanding ¨C which honestly was out of Zoemi''s expectations.

    "What do you mean by what? I just told you, he was always creepy with his experiments with expanding the mana reservoir in order to mass-produce sages. Well, maybe I''m overexaggerating by saying it was creepy, but I do remember him back in the day trying to convince my father to experiment on me because I was only average. The queen cut those attempts in the bud, but now I am sure that she only did so so that no one would realize that her bastard son hexed me.]"

    The second prince spoke dismissively, but for Zoemi it was more than just interesting- although the research alone seemed to be offputting, at least for Surou, it was worth checking whether teacher Ikarveth knew something about fixing broken mana reservoirs...

    "[Still, so it''s your father who is getting married ¨C pass him my congrattions and best wishes. Honestly I could even make their wedding rings or some other gift... when''s the ceremony?]"

    The second prince moved on and asked curiously.

    "|Oh, in a few minutes or so your offer is appreciated but a bitte...|"

    "[WHAT?!]"

    "{st it, boy! I''ve told you to keep quiet!}"

    Zoemi''s answer made Surou raise his voice again ¨C which prompted the old jeweler''s response.

    "[Sorry, master! Anyway, sir Banemor, what do you mean ''in a few minutes''!?]"

    After apologizing to the old man again, Surou asked Zoemi in a hushed voice.

    "|I''m just waiting in the back of the chapel, although it is a bit unconventional as far as I am aware, I am tasked with going with my father to the altar where he will be awaiting his bride.|"

    "[Aww...! That actually sounds adorable...!]"

    The ck-haired boy revealed, unexpectedly making Surou gasp in awe.

    "|Thank you.|"

    Zoemi smiled and nodded his head greatefully even though the second prince could see him.

    "|Ah! The door''s opening! Gotta go! We will keep in touch!|"

    "[Alright! Ah! I almost forgot ¨C Tell Devios that the real Surou wants a rematch in chess and...!"

    The ck-haired boy cut short his conversation with the second prince who still had a lot to say or so it seemed, and hurriedly straightened his back as his sentinels both deactivated their spells ¨C that being the message one and muffle.

    The door opened fully and the person who showed up was the pale-blue-haired knight in an official uniform.

    Despite not wearing armor, he still had the shortsword by his waist as it was the mark of his knighthood, and also the same de that he bested his older brother with ¨C which only added to how important the weapon was to him.

    "Father, are you ready?"

    Seeing his slightly pale face, Zoemi asked with a wide grin...

    "I think I am... but I still can''t believe it is really happening..."

    ¡­Mizoe gulped down his saliva and responded with an anxious smile.

    "Everything will be fine ¨C just let me know if you will feel like fainting ¨C I have healing spells at the ready."

    "That would be very weed ¨C I imagine that on a rare chance that I would faint, some rude people might try to coin a rumor that I was forced to marry Rokiana... Actually, apparently, there already is a rumor like that circting around the territory..."

    "Don''t pay attention to that now, dad. You want to do this, right? Then what''s the problem?"

    Mizoe nodded with a faint smile but almost instantly his expression darkened and he murmured ¨C making Zoemi pat his shoulder reassuringly.

    "Am I worthy of her?"

    The pale-blue-haired man lowered his head and asked, breathing out heavily.

    "Are you kidding me? Dad, you are the best person I know ¨C and if that question is the reason for your worries, then it means you most definitely are worthy."

    Zoemiughed in response and gave his father an encouraging pat on the back.

    The two of them left the room and started walking down a small hallway that, for Mizoe at least, seemed way too long.

    "The priest said that this corridor is called ''thest chance road''. If you''re having second thoughts this is your chance to turn back..."

    The son whispered to his father in a humorous way but there was a hint of reassurance in his voice.

    |I will support your decision.|

    It seemed that Zoemi was saying.

    "It''s okay. It''s not a spur of a moment thing... But thank you for the heads-up."

    Mizoe blushed and took a deep breath.

    The hallway was ending and soon the two of them entered a chapel.

    The interior was decorated in white, pale blue, and deep blue colors all over.

    "..."

    Zoemi froze for a second when he saw the crowd sitting at the marble benches.

    Because of an older brown-haired woman sitting near the altar, the ck-haired boy thought thatdy Auequas actually showed up at her son''s wedding, but after a closer look it turned out to be someone from the Perserios family.

    It was easy to say because Mizoe''s mother would never tear up at the sight of Mizoe walking up all proudly.

    It was a bittersweet realization ¨C and Zoemi nced over to his father to see whether he also fell for the unintentional surprise, but thankfully the pale-blue-haired man was too focused on his spot at the altar.

 Chapter 430 140 - The ceremony (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 430 140 - The ceremony (part 3)</h4>

    The wedding itself was on a smaller side, the invited guests were spread evenly.

    But of course, that wasn''t because the Auequas family suddenly had a change of heart and decided to show up to support the youngest son they disinherited ¨C not at all.

    While the quests from the bride''s side were mostly from her family and the friends, all mages ¨C the ones who showed up in response to Mizoe''s invitation were both mages andmoners, the people he worked for, with, and with whom he grew close through the years.

    That of course included the duke and duchess Espine, Mizoe''s employers who always felt more like family to him than his actual family ever did.

    Unfortunately, Miriette couldn''t make it for the ceremony as since she was an engageddy and her fiance was called back to the royal pce because of some kind of emergency, she had to stay behind to not create yet another rumor.

    ...thatst part was the only grievance that Zoemi had about the wedding, but he didn''t let it show ¨C after all, it was his father and new mother''s moment.

    As Mizoe and Zoemi passed the rows of smiling guests, duchess Espine waved her hand at them while smiling and the duke himself nodded his head proudly ¨C but Zoemi noticed that the red-haired man''s eyes were slightly reddish as if he was doing his best to not show that he was tearing up because of the happy asion.

    After they took their spots just as they did during the rehearsals the past two days, the music yed by the bards changed and the bride entered, escorted towards the altar by her father and younger brother.

    Rokiana Grea Pwrserios looked impable in the splendid white wedding dress, holding a simple but elegant bouquet of white roses and blue clematis flowers that perfectly suited the bride.

    Even wearing such a splendid getup, Rokiana didn''t let go of the weapon she received as proof of her knighthood and had the rapier by her waist.

    It was quite troublesome to pick a dress that would match the scabbard, but it was done and the effect was amazing.

    Zoemi smiled to himself and his smile only grew when he nced over at his father who becamepletely stunned at the sight of the woman he was about to marry.

    With that, the bride arrived and took her ce together with the groom.

    The actual ceremony could finallymence.

    ------

    Honestly, most of the ceremony became one big blur for Mizoe, as if somebody pushed the fast-forward button.

    The pale-blue-haired man could feel the white shirt underneath the stylish tuxedo getting drenched in his sweat.

    |We will have to kiss in front of everyone...? I''m to old for this ¨C what if I mess something up...?!|

    Out of every possible situation now was the time when Mizoe''s prudeness raised its wellbed head and made him terribly embarrassed.

    He was so worried about it that he didn''t pay any attention to his surroundings.

    |I need to calm down... What will Zoemi think of me if this is the moment when I will lose my cool...|

    Mizoe was feverishly trying to figure things out ¨C the priest had said something, and the pale-blue-haired man answered without thinking or even properly paying attention.

    |There''s still time, what has it been since the priest started talking? Five minutes? I just need to think things through carefully to not make a fool out of myself or Roki... There are so many people here... should we go for a slight peck or a propper kiss...? We did it normally during the rehearsal, but maybe I should...|

    "Sir Mizoe, you can kiss the bride."

    |I CAN WHAT!? ALREADY!?|

    The priest''s words jolted the knight awake from the depths of his own mind.

    He looked at the leniently smiling clergyman with the wide-open eyes of the deer looking into the headlights of the oing truck.

    The priest nodded his head towards Rokiana and Mizoe, who suddenly realized that the temperature in the chapel is unbearably high and turned to his bride, loudly gulping his saliva.

    She was standing there, right in front of him, even from under the veil he clearly saw her azure eyes gazing at him longingly.

    "..."

    He moved his slightly trembling hands and grabbed the delicate veil and pulled it back uncovering the rest of the face.

    Rokiana''s lovely blush contrasted with the color of her hair and eyes, she parted her lips a little just to close them again and her eyes slightly trembled.

    At this point, it would be very rude to make thedy wait any longer and even denser-than-a-rock Mizoe was not blind to that...

    He leaned forward and Rokina leaned up to meet his lips.

    Without any more time to think, Mizoe picked the safest and most obvious option ¨C just a normal kiss like doing the rehearsals...

    He was ready for a good normal prudent kiss, one that a married couple sitting on the bench in the park wouldn''t be ashamed of.

    Yes. A perfectly normal not embarrassing kiss.

    The pale-blue-haired man wanted to show everyone that he and his wife were upstanding people with high morals and...!

    |HUH!?|

    But it turned out that the bride had different ns than the groom...

    As soon as their lips connected she wrapped her arms around Mizoe''s neck, locking him in a tight embrace, and pushed her tongue inside his mouth and intertwined it with his.

    "...!"

    Mizoe panicked and not knowing what to do with his hands he finally settled on resting them on Rokiana''s shoulders.

    Pulling away was not really in the realm of possibility right now and he actually wasn''t the type to just passively receive what was given to him, so he indeed returned the kiss with equal passion.

    "~!"

    ...which was very much weed by Rokiana, satisfied with her groom''s eagerness...

    Some of the less experienceddies present at the ceremony bashfully turned their heads away but continued to discreetly peek.

    Older couples smiled with understanding.

    After a few more words from the priest, the ceremony was concluded, and the only thing left was the reception.

    It was truly a splendid party.

    Nothing of importance was said or done, but it was a happy time.

    A weed breather before what was about to happen.

    ------

    "Lord Banemor. Before you go..."

    "Hmm?"

    Zoemi was about to step through the portal made by one of his sentinels but was stopped by Devios, Rokaina''s younger brother whom he already met during the tournament...

    "Considering the power you have at your disposal, you will be called to fulfill your obligation towards the crown ¨C in that case, why not act first and announce that you will help the Perserios family in dealing with the barbarians?"

    The younger boy asked, straightening his back and bracing himself as if expecting a refusal or straight up scolding for even saying something like that.

    |...a crown might what now...? Why?|

    That was what Zoemi thought...

    "Sure thing, I will help out my new family whenever they need me."

    ...was what he said out loud without hesitation.

    "Is that okay?! Then, I will make all the necessary preparations for the announcement to be made! Leave it all to me!"

    "Sure. See you around, uncle? Step-uncle? Devios - I''ll just go with that. See you around, Devios."

    The heir of the Perserios family smiled brightly and bowed towards Zoemi gratefully, to which Zoemi responded lightheartedly, before stepping into his portal, and returning to the Academy.

    "...I wonder what obligation did he mean...? Well, that''s not important, I will help my friends out if they ever need me anyway~"

    The ck-haired boy hummed to himself and went straight to the bathroom in his dormitory to take a shower after the fun night.

 Chapter 431 141 â€“ The meaning of obligation (part 1)

    Chapter 431 141 ¨C The meaning of obligation (part 1)The following day was a snap back to reality with its normality of everyday life ¨C but as the normal life contained a copious amount of magic, maybe it wasn¡¯t so bad.

    Although Zoemi was feeling pretty tired after getting only a literal wink of sleep before his biological clock made him wake up even before dawn, he felt incredibly happy.

    Although it should be a while before he would be able to see his parents as they went on a well-deserved vacation-honeymoon two-in-one, it didn¡¯t¡¯ change the fact that his little dream about having a big family was being fulfilled step by step.

    Zoemi wasn¡¯t using mana at all in recent days so he felt good enough to have some proper training is ¨C of course just the body one.

    Judging by the time, Burushi was still dead asleep so the ck-haired boy didn¡¯t feel the need of notifying his attendant about his ns.

    Just in case anybody¡¯s wondering- the blond heroine didn¡¯t have problems with getting up early ¨C even before when she was still a student, she didn¡¯t have an attendant on her own so she had to do everything by herself. It was just that she wasn¡¯t used to getting up THAT early that it still counted as night for most people.

    After washing off the sleepiness with cold water, Zoemi dressed up and went out of the dormitory, to train in the back of the Academy.

    It has been a while since Zoemi trained at such time, back then he still despised Grazio so much that he changed his normal routine just to make sure to avoid the red-haired capture target.

    That being said, Grazio training in the morning was a thing that Zoemi remembered only after seeing another person taking a training sword from the Academy¡¯s storage shed ¨C that person being of course the young lord Victureo.

    ¡±Zoemi¡­? Ah¡­! I mean ¨C lord Banemor! Good morning!¡±

    Grazio ¨C who was using his own mes to make up for theck of proper lighting in the shed gasped as he was turned around to check who had approached him from behind.

    ¡±Hello. I would say that calling me Zoemi is good enough, but I expect that you would be angry at me for giving your family false hope during the tournament.¡±

    Zoemi looked at the red-haired boy in front of him and lowered his head with an apologetic expression.

    Graizo flinched and hesitated for a moment, even biting his lip while thinking deeply about a proper response.

    ¡±It¡­ it wasn¡¯t actually your fault, was it though, Zoemi.¡±

    ¡±¡­!¡±

    His friendly and for some reason almost apologetic response surprised the ck-haired boy who would have literally fallen down if not for the support from his crystal cane that he carried with him just in case, even though his body was fine.

    ¡±I want you to know that I don¡¯t believe in those ridiculous rumors about your involvement with all those kidnappings either. My family is trying to look into it all and although the initial results aren¡¯t looking all that promising¡­ It would appear that whoever is trying to frame you knows how to buy people in a way that doesn¡¯t leave a trail. Most of the ruffians that get captured actually believe that they are working for you¡­¡±

    Grazio added with a heavy sigh even though Zoemi didn¡¯t prompt him to do anything of the sort ¨C still, another report about the case that was done by different people than the ones he had at his disposal was always weed.

    ¡­even if they didn¡¯t bring anything new to the table¡­

    ¡±Of course, they would be like that ¨C after all the matter of session is at the stake here.¡±

    ¡±Huh¡­?!¡±

    Zoemi only smiled and shrugged, moving past the shocked Grazio and taking out a training sword for himself.

    ¡±Do you mean that the newest rumor going around the Academy is that you are actually nning to use your status as an heir of the Banemor family to put yourself up as the third candidate?!¡±

    The red-haired boy gasped, straightening his back as his eyes widened.

    ¡±I see that my little slip-up spread like a wildfire¡­¡±

    Zoemi snickered, nodding his head and resting the training sword on his shoulder while elegantly walking away from the storage shack while supporting himself on a cane.

    ¡±But no, I do not. The whole thing was a very roundabout way of getting nobles¡¯ attention towards a possible third candidate that is right there in in sight. I hoped and still hope that even though some of the students might not catch up on the true purpose, their parents or other members of their families would. Because if that happened, a lot of things would suddenly start making a lot more sense for them.¡±

    He revealed while leading towards the red-haired capture target.

    ¡±What do you mean? And why are you being so vague?¡±

    Grazio furrowed his brows and asked with a concerned expression.

    ¡±I am taking such a roundabout way because being used of conspiring in order to perform a regicide is not aughing matter and also not something I would like to happen to me or anyone remotely close to me.¡±

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and revealed lightheartedly ¨C so lightheartedly in fact that for a moment Grazio did not realize what has been told.

    ¡±¡­hold on¡­! R-regicide?!¡±

    When it finally clicked, the red-haired boy flinched and took a few steps back as if even being near someone who uttered such an outrageous phrase was dangerous.

    ¡±Say, since you basically said that we are on good terms still, is it okay for a little sparring? Let¡¯s say just a training duel ¨C no magic.¡±

    ¡±¡­!¡±

    The ck-haired boy wasn¡¯t worried at Grazio¡¯s reaction ¨C mostly because it was a reaction that he both expected and basically caused to begin with ¨C and instead he simply look over at him and reached out towards him with the training sword in a non-threatening manner.

    ¡±Also¡­ even though indeed my absence during the final duel of the tournament wasn¡¯t something I nned or wished for in any way shape or form, I still feel inclined to apologize as I get yours and Ehmi¡¯s hopes up¡­¡±

    Zoemi added, seeing that just because he wasn¡¯t meaning any harm and simply wanted a change of subject, his action had made the red-haired boy quite anxious.

    ¡±¡­huh¡­? Oh¡­! No, no! No, I¡¯m serious, Zoemi. Even if you would win that fight, the sudden appearance of lord Vanterl would have resulted in the same oue no matter what¡­ Even my older sister didn¡¯t dare to face him and she is also a sage!¡±

    Grazio shook his head, finally able to push the very dangerous implication that Zoemi casually intertwined into their conversation, and waved his free hand in denial.

    ¡±¡­if you say so¡­¡±

    Zoemi raised his brows and agreed, not knowing why would that be the case.

    |Didn¡¯t Burushi say the same thing ¨C that Ehmi didn¡¯t seem to want to fight that guy, even though she was the natural-born sage and can absorb fire? That is quite odd, don¡¯t you think?|

    Zoemi thought to himself before ncing down at the two dots trailing behind him at a spot that would normally have his shadow.

    ¡±(Maybe she wasn¡¯t confident enough?)¡±

    ¡±(The difference in experience¡­?)¡±

    His two sentinels responded immediately¡­

 Chapter 432 141 â€“ The meaning of obligation (part 2)

    Chapter 432 141 ¨C The meaning of obligation (part 2)¡±(Oh ¨C or maybe she just wanted to get married to that guy¡¯s grandson?)¡±

    ¡±(A sudden change of heart¡­?)¡±

    ¡­but then both sentinels changed their train of thought ¨C making Zoemi have a bad feeling about the phrase ¡®sudden change of heart¡¯ as it made him think about Surou¡­

    The blue-haired second prince was under a hex and his affection was directed towards a person that would not receive the same amount of it if not for the third party interaction.

    Arisu, the white-haired capture target was the factor connecting both cases¡­ could it be more than just a coincidence?

    Arisu was most definitely the one responsible for messing with Surou, but could the same be said about Ehmi?

    Although she on the other hand did have a problematic past experience that she didn¡¯t even remember ¨C that was showing up as a younger version of herself but with tinum hair¡­

    |Hold up¡­! I couldn¡¯t ask Aspakeony about it before, because she was missing! Why didn¡¯t I think about it sooner?!|

    ¡±(Other things on your mind?)¡±

    ¡±(Coma.)¡±

    Zoemi realized, getting wide-eyed and his hand trembled before he lowered it with a slightly paler expression, even though his sentinels had a rather sensible response to that question that they did not realize was a rhetoric one.

    ¡±I am fine with the practice fight ¨C I will definitely not embarrass myself as I did before, but please go easy on me, it has been only a few months¡­¡±

    Grazio, who of course wasn¡¯t in Zoemi¡¯s head and had no ess to the little talk that the ck-haired boy had with his sentinels, said with a timid expression and nodded before smiling bashfully.

    ¡±Sorry, Grazio ¨C change of ns. I just remembered that I had a very important task to do! Maybe next time!¡±

    But then Zoemi moved past him in a hurry, throwing the training sword back into the storage shed and rushing to the Academy¡¯s building.

    ¡±¡­huh¡­?!¡±

    The red-haired boy let out a confused voice as his jaw dropped watching the ck-haired boy¡¯s back.

    ¡±Once again, sorry for the confusion!¡±

    Zoemi waved at him before walking into the building and going to the headmaster¡¯s office.

    ¡±(Master, do you want to be teleported, or maybe you would like shadow-gate better?)¡±

    His first sentinel offered innocently.

    |Thank you, but it¡¯s okay ¨C no matter how little, actually getting transported by mana interferes with my own mana and it brings out the pain which I do not like at all. Besides, it¡¯s not that far away, and if you are worried about me, we can talk along the way.|

    Zoemi thought in response and smiled.

    ¡±(Okay~!)¡±

    ¡±(~!)¡±

    The sentinels cheerfully agreed ¨C the walk and the talk weren¡¯t all that long, to begin with, and soon enough the ck-haired boy was standing in front of the door to the headmaster¡¯s office.

    He also asked his sentinels to open the seal on the room using the death attribute mana and to not damage it, since it was preferable for him to not use his own mana ¨C like he ad already said himself.

    ¡±(Master, it¡¯s open~!)¡±

    |Good job~|

    The second of his sentinels called out proudly, and Zoemi praised them in his thoughts.

    The ck-haired boy then proceeds to open the door and walk inside.

    ¡±Hello¡­? Aspy, it¡¯s me¡­¡±

    He called out in a hushed voice, which he expected to already shock the gray-haired necromancer ¨C but to his disappointment, there was no response.

    At the first nce, the headmaster¡¯s office was empty.

    ¡±¡­¡±

    Zoemi furrowed his brows ¨C he expected either at least one of the necromancer¡¯s puppets or her herself being there at such an early hour, but it seemed like the actual headmaster had some things to do.

    Or she was in the bathroom behind the hidden door ¨C or just sleeping in the augmented closet¡¯s drawer of which both could hide her shadow easily.

    Since it didn¡¯t feel right to just leave the room without checking those two ces, the ck-haired boy walked towards the closet first and kneeled by it.

    When he grabbed the handles and started pulling it out, he already knew that something indeed is in the drawer as it had actual weight to it that surpassed the normal weight of just some nkets and plushies that would always be stuffed inside of it.

    |Sleepyhead~|

    As soon as the drawer was out, it indeed revealed the dark-skinned gray-haired girl, peacefully sleeping in one of her nightgowns literally buried in a pile of plushies that worked as a makeshift nket.

    ¡±¡­nnn¡­?¡±

    Stirred up by the sudden movement of the drawer that should not have happened without her knowledge, Aspakeony twitched and made a grumpy noise.

    Her eyelids trembled and she moved around when the colder air from outside the drawer came in contact with her skin.

    ¡±Hello, Aspy~ Sorry to bother you at such an early time but¡­¡±

    Zoemi spoke up in a soft, apologetic voice as probably no one liked to be woken up when they thought they could have been asleep for longer, but the gray0haired girl had a curious reaction to his voice.

    ¡±¡­nnn¡­!¡±

    ¡±¡­!¡±

    *thump*

    Without opening her eyes, she frowned and reached out toward Zoemi, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him right back into the drawer filled with various plush toys.

    ¡±(¡­friends¡­)¡±

    ¡±!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡±

    Zoemi was about to speak up about what happened, especially about being faced with yet another argument about why the medium is premium pressing against his face as he was being treated as an oversized stuffed toy, but then a silent and extremely distant voice whispered in his head for the first time since he woke up, stunning himpletely.

    ¡±(Eh?! Who was that?!)¡±

    ¡±(Hello¡­? Is anyone else here too? Show up!)¡±

    Even his sentinels reacted in confusion which proved that it wasn¡¯t just their host¡¯s imagination ¨C but s, the answer they all were waiting for didn¡¯te as the mysterious voice did not call out again.

    |That must have been the original personality¡­ Now that I think about it¡­ it was getting stronger before the tournament, I remember it calling out to me quite clearly, even to the point of taking over my body¡­ but why does it sound so distant now? And since it did take over my body before, why didn¡¯t it do the same thing when I was in aa?|

    Zoemi thought to himself, so concerned that in fact while his mind was focused on the matter, his body subconsciously reacted to being hugged, and hugged back.

    ¡±(Eehh¡­? So it was that weird thing from way back? I thought it got chased out when you got punched by the white-haired man!)¡±

    ¡±(Yeah, I thought so too!)¡±

    The boy¡¯s sentinels spoke in concern, trying to figure out what was going on.

    ¡±¡­oh dear goodness¡­ now I¡¯ve done it, I couldn¡¯t control myself anymore and I kidnapped him¡­¡±

    ¡±¡­?!¡±

    Just then, the Aspakoeny who woke up because of being hugged back, muttered in her raspy morning voice, sounding worried but somewhat content about the ck-haired boy in her arms.

    Instead of letting go and confronting him about what was going on, the gray-haired necromancer only hugged him tighter, grabbing him with her legs and nuzzling her cheek against the opt of his head since she couldn¡¯t do that to his face that was currently buried in her chest.

    ¡±I should have known that Benevirau will forget to tell you to hold back and not show off your real power¡­ he never was one to hold himself back, but on the other hand, he also never tried to run away from the responsibility either, so I should have predicted that¡­¡±

    ¡±¡­?¡±

    She sighed heavily, causing the ck-haired boy to frown in confusion.

 Chapter 433 141 - The meaning of obligation (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 433 141 - The meaning of obligation (part 3)</h4>

    Zoemi nuzzled his way up so that at least he could face Aspakeony and looked at her with his cheeks smushed between her breast.

    "..."

    "..."

    Which resulted in the two of them staring at each other in silence for a good few embarrassing seconds.

    "...finally done it...? So you were thinking about abducting me for a while?"

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy asked, making the gray-haired girl twitch and look away bashfully.

    "Don''t get me wrong - you are misunderstanding the circumstances we are in. I was the one who showed up at your office, you didn''t kidnap me or anything if that helps... but you were the one to hug me first when I tried to wake you up."

    He continued to exin but his words didn''t particrly make Aspakeony feel any less embarrassed.

    "(I want to hug master too!)"

    "(Eh?! Not fair! Me too!)"

    To add up to the situation, Zoemi''s second sentinel cheered out and emerged from the boy''s shadow before nuzzling up to his side - and was closely followed by the first one who was definitely thinking about doing the same even earlier but was the more socially-aware than their friend.

    That resulted in Zoemi being hugged by the necromancer and the two murky-ck spheres.

    "I don''t remember saying anything like that..."

    Aspakeony mumbled while facing away from the ck-haired boy.

    "...?"

    While doing so she also tried to casually make some space between them, but to her surprise, Zoemi didn''t let go of her at all.

    "Since we have a chance to talk like that, I would like to ask you about Ehmi."

    "...?"

    The boy said, to which the gray-haired necromancer furrowed her brows and tilted her head looking at him in concern.

    "Considering the state your body was in, there was nothing that you could do. Besides, after that brat Vanterl showed up, you would not be able to do anything either... without starting a full-on civil war that is."

    The gray-haired girl exined with concern, although because of a slight misconception on her part, she was speaking about something that certainly wasn''t on Zoemi''s mind at the moment.

    "Not about that, I figured out that since Ehmi herself didn''t fight back against another fire sage she was fine with the oue... hold on... what do you mean a civil war would start? On what basis?!"

    Although even though Aspakeony''s words were off the mark, the vicinity in which theynded, ended up being almost as much worrisome as the main point, so Zoemi couldn''t stop himself from asking.

    "Oh...? Ohhh...! If you don''t know that either then I understand your confusion."

    The gray-haired girl raised her brows even higher before slowly nodding her head in realization.

    "You see, originally all the high noble families stem from the sages. If not for the betrayal of the Ghosts of Bellcephora and their hunt for sages and strong magicians, most of them would still be around."

    "Okay...?"

    She started talking while getting closer to Zoemi once more and the ck-haired boy nodded while looking to the sides trying to figure out how that was connected with anything.

    "Do you know that humans have a limit on how much mana they could have? That means that once they reach the said limit, they cannot get any stronger and so the battle between sages are usually glorified battles of attrition."

    Aspakeony exined while tilting her head to the other side.

    "Grandpa Benevirau said that fighting all of the Ghosts of Bellcephora was like fighting just one of them, is that what you mean...?"

    Zoemi spoke up blinking rapidly because of the conflicting information.

    "...please don''t call him grandpa, that makes me feel even more ancient than I already am..."

    Aspakeony groaned while rolling her eyes with a pained expression.

    "But about little Benevirau, of course, he can say it like that, he has ess to the mana from nature itself, of course, he would win every single battle of attrition - he literally cannot run out of mana."

    "Ah. Right, sorry, I wasn''t thinking...!"

    The gray-haired girl pointed out and the ck-haired boy nodded awkwardly before forcing himself to stop looking at the necromancer''s chest.

    "When two sages fight the end result is usually so destructive that no one truly wants to fight - with the only notable exceptions being the Ghosts of Bellcephora and Vanterl. Hence, it''s a good thing that you didn''t pick a fight with him."

    Aspekony ended her sentence making a benevolent smile and looking at the ck-haired boy as if he was a cute innocent child.

    "...but Ghost did kill a lot of sages, and William erased one of the Ghosts so easily that it scared the rest of them into hiding... hell, even I killed in two of the Ghosts by myself, and I wasn''t even a sage when the I killed the first one either. Are you sure that everything is as you say...?"

    "..."

    Zoemi bit his lips and asked doubtfully making Aspakeony freeze.

    "...?"

    Although after just a second, the ck-haired boy realized that it wasn''t his words that have caused it.

    Instead, it looked like the gray-haired girl waspletely focused on his lips.

    Just a single heartbeatter, she ended up leaning in as if for a kiss - but Zoemi jerked his head away and frowned, actually angered.

    "Hey! Don''t try to get away from the subject like that, focus, you stupidly attractive ancestor!"

    He scoffed, leaning his head forward so that he rested his chin against the necromancer''s neck to prevent another attack.

    "You think I''m attractive?!"

    "What, was that ever under any doubt? Of course. But! Aspy, I am not an idiot, you are clearly not telling me the really important stuff. Please do not change the subject like that - my will is stronger than you seem to expect."

    The gray-haired girl gasped in awe but the ck-haired boy only scoffed, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

    "Tsk... fine. The real reason why no one is picking a fight is because of Bellcephora."

    Aspakeony clicked her tongue and breathed out, fully entrusting herself to Zoemi''s and breathed out heavily.

    "...so just like the other noble families had a progenitor, the royal family did too? Well, that''s logical, actually..."

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head a bit, unintentionally leaning against the necromancer''s skin.

    "Not just the family, the entire kingdom."

    She pointed out, correcting his line of thought.

 Chapter 434 141 - The meaning of obligation (part 4)

    <h4>Chapter 434 141 - The meaning of obligation (part 4)</h4>

    "Wait, but wasn''t you the person who helped create the kingdom and always helped out the royal family? Why would you need to do that if there already was someone like that in the first ce?"

    Zoemi frowned and asked in a bothered voice.

    "Yeah - I helped. I have not done everything on my own. Besides, the problem with Bellcephora is that she isn''t exactly a normal human being..."

    "...?"

    Aspakeony exined to the extremely confused, by that point, Zoemi.

    "Bellcephora is a humanoid creature that was created by the Presence itself. Although she does have free will, she does not care about anything other than following the will of her creator. And before you ask, that is very problematic. There were instances where Bellcephora stopped wars and even personal fights, but she didn''t lift a finger when the Ghosts betrayed and assassinated almost the entire royal family of the time. And neither did she do anything when the Ghosts went on a killing spree. She did fix a broken toy one time though she turned it into a deadly artifact... which was arguably weird and uncalled for... nowadays she mainly guards the main vein of the mana crystal that was originally used for creating the spell-blocking bracelets that recently got destroyed by the second prince... that being said, thest time she showed up, that being after the Ghosts stopped their rampage, she announced that sages cannot fight with each other and she will stop all attempts of such."

    The gray-haired girl gave a lengthy speech about apletely new person who never appeared as a character in the game and certainly wasn''t mentioned during any of the lessons that Zoemi attended in his current life, but honestly, the ck-haired boy was kind of not convinced on the matter...

    "You made it sound as if the Ghosts were protected by Bellcephora, but I killed two of them. Even if Raseriat didn''t count because I wasn''t actually a sage at the time so technically the ban on sage on sage fighting was not vited, with Rethaq it was most definitely the case!"

    Zoemi groaned in annoyance and actually moved away from the gray-haired girl and get out of the stuffed-toy-filled drawer.

    "I get it, you want to keep me in the dark for some reason, but seriously, trust me a bit would you? Or be better at lying at least."

    "...I wasn''t lying about Bellcephora though,pared to me she''s a super weirdo..."

    He scoffed with a tired expression - to which Aspakeony reacted by mumbling into all the plushies that she burrowed herself into in exchange for the ck-haired boy who ran away from her.

    "...anyway. Going back to the subject I originally came here with - you and I talked about Ehmi before in this very office. Not about the red-haired sage Ehmi, but about the tinum-haired time attribute user Ehmi. You were very concerned about her too. Do you remember that?"

    Zoemi shook his head before straightening his back and talking in a stern, serious voice, that made Aspakeony peek at him out of theyer of stuffed animals.

    "You do know that I could use a convenient excuse of saying that presence must have erased my memories just like it did with everyone else so I have no clue about what you are talking about, right?"

    The gray-haired girl asked in an equally serious voice.

    "Well, since you are talking about it like that, then I guess it''s your way of showing the will to cooperate. Because that''s a yes to my question?"

    "That is a yes, yes."

    The ck-haired boy asked and the gray-haired girl confirmed.

    "So, what was the case with the tinum-haired Ehmi?"

    Zoemi took a deep breath and motioned at Aspakeony with his chin.

    "Presence was possessing her. She can do that, but usually, she was using Bellcephora for that. And before you ask, I can''t be sure why she switched to the littledy Victureo, but my best bet is that she was more convenient to use at the time."

    The gray-haired necromancer answered straight up without even trying to hide anything - this time at least - and shared whatever knowledge she had about the subject.

    "I KNEW IT! Ha! Whew, okay...what is the connection between the presence and the second princess who was murdered by the Ghosts of Bellcephora...?"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi called out triumphantly before furrowing his brows and looking straight at Aspakeony. His following question ended up causing her to dive under the plushies and pillows, burrowing herselfpletely.

    "...I don''t know... one is basically a god, the other is dead and her body was put into the royal crypt, you can go check that out for yourself if you get permission. Why would you even ask about something like that? It''s even more ridiculous than any of my stories!"

    She scoffed awkwardly without ever surfacing from beneath her cover.

    "...is that so...? I might be imagining things but since the presence wanted to contact me and originally my soul was the artificial soul that you have created..."

    "Zoemi, don''t say it."

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and sighed with suspicion, but then Aspakeony sat up straight amidst the stuffed animals and cut him off with a strict face.

    "And why shouldn''t I say it?"

    Zoemi raised his brow and asked, slightly irked off.

    "Because if you figure out things too soon Bellcephora might show up and make things difficult for both of us. She did so before to me and personally, I do not want a repeat."

    Aspakeony responded without changing her serious expression while staring straight into Zoemi''s eyes.

    "..."

    The two of them were ring at each other for a good while and neither of them even blinked through the entire duration of the staredown.

    "Please. There is a reason, things are going fine as they are for now. Can you just go along with it?"

    Shockingly enough it was Aspakeony who threw in the towel first and her shoulders slumped down as she made a pleading expression.

    "Things are going fine you say? For who though?"

    The ck-haired boy breathed out before looking away in annoyance.

    "Alright. I will not pursue the subject - but in exchange, I have two questions that I want you to answer."

    After a moment of silence, Zoemi decided to drop the subject for the time being and switched to another.

 Chapter 435 141 - The meaning of obligation (part 5)

    <h4>Chapter 435 141 - The meaning of obligation (part 5)</h4>

    "I want to have three kids, but they would need to be triplets because I witnessed the delivery firsthand more times than I wanted and I am not willing to go through it on three separate asions. Also, I like cuddles the most so I will be clingy as hell when we will be together."

    Aspakeony smiled and shrugged her shoulders lightheartedly.

    "Cool, I would like to have a big family, the bigger the better, and I am also the clingy type - but I do not understand why we started talking about our hopes for the future. I will ask the questions now, okay?"

    "...okay..."

    Zoemi responded with an innocent smile as Apakeony''s point shot right over his head and fell t somewhere behind him, causing the scruffy gray-haired girl to be sulky and nod while pouting.

    "Why didn''t the presence possess you when she wanted to gain ess to the Academy?"

    "Simple - my mana is spread out through all of my corpse puppets, I do not possess enough of it in any single body, even this original one, to contain such powerful being as the presence. I would die if she tried to do that."

    The ck-haired boy asked and received an instantaneous answer.

    "Oh. Then maybe getting stronger wasn''t such a great idea after all..."

    Zoemi frowned and muttered to himself in realization.

    "And the other one?"

    The gray-haired necromancer tilted her head and encouraged him with a wave.

    "What is the obligation that the nobles have towards the crown?"

    "Not exactly all nobles - sages."

    He asked and Aspakeony corrected him right from the start, so he closed his mouth and started listening.

    "It has to do with something that Bellcephora said thest time she showed up. In her own words, when new sages would show up and showcase their strength to the world to see, they must offer their service to the crown immediately and help out with any dire situation threatening the kingdom, or she would deal with them ordingly."

    The girl answered that question as easily as she did the first one.

    "That''s it? What would... ah..."

    Zoemi raised his brow doubtful over the fact that such a simple that would work against people like Vanterl or Ghosts of Bellcephora - until he realized that the obligation didn''t actually apply to them.

    "No - don''t you even go with that cheeky reaction. I said that she created the deadliest artifact, well, she is also the original creator of the spell-blocking bracelets. And guess what, although nowadays no one can recreate them, she is watching over the vein of the crystal that is required for making new ones. Even our genius royal magician and all the Atreterve''s magic engineers can''t do that, but she can. Now you know why she is so dangerous? Things were and still arepletely serious despite all the time that passed. Not to mention that it is actually possible to meet Bellcephora and ask her about it yourself, she isn''t hiding, and she wiped out thest group that the royal family tried to put in front of her abode to guard her."

    Aspakeony exined, putting a lot of importance on not going against the proxy of the presence.

    "She wiped out a group that was supposed to guard her? Yeah... I don''t think I will try to chat with her without a dire reason to."

    Zoemi shook his head, taken aback.

    "Ha! Well, your loss. Bellcephora never attacks anyone who is rted to her. This means that you would be able to actually go and chat with her freely since as the real member of the Banemor family you do share a bloodline with the Bellcephora family."

    The necromancer pointed out and slumped to the side, falling onto her plushies and pillows as she said everything she wanted.

    "If that''s all thene join me here again. Since we''re both clingy we can help each other out."

    She said reaching her arms out toward the ck-haired boy.

    "(Master, you aren''t going to the lectures today?)"

    "(The sentinel in charge of miss healer asks if you don''t want breakfast, master!)"

    "Wha...?! It''s thatte already?!"

    Before he could actually think about her offer, both of his sentinels called out innocently, causing him to flinch, straighten his back, and gasp in shock.

    The headmaster''s office didn''t have windows whatsoever so it was impossible to judge the time of the day from the level of brightness outside, but there sure was an even better and more urate way of doing so.

    That being arge clock by the wall.

    And indeed, its hands were very much confirming the worriesing from the boy''s sentinels.

    Zoemi most certainly spent far too much time cuddling up with the attractive necromancer while trying to interrogate her about the subjects that interested him.

    "Sorry, Aspy, I already overstayed my wee. Thanks for your hospitality, I will hold off on visiting the progenitor of the Bellcephora family. I need to go now. I might be posing as the bad guy, but I don''t want to make my friends worry about me and I didn''t tell anyone where I''m going. Bye!"

    The ck-haired boy bowed to the gray-haired girl apologetically and rushed to the door, not forgetting about the crystal cane that he had left on the floor by the drawer.

    "You didn''t overstay or anything! Don''t you remember who actually runs this ce? I can excuse any tardiness and whatnot, you hear?! Hey?! Don''t go yet!"

    Aspakeony stood up and called out after Zoemi, but the boy was already walking out of the door after waving her goodbye.

    *click*

    "...at least give ma a goodbye kiss or something..."

    The door locked after the ck-haired boy left the room, and the gray-haired girl plopped back into her drawer and framed to herself in disappointment.

    "...I hate that she knew exactly how I will start feeling about him..."

    She sighed to herself staring at the ceiling while grabbing half a dozen of her plushies and hugging them all forfort.

    "...little princess, I really do hope that your game will have a happy ending..."

    Aspakeony muttered and rolled over to the side.

 Chapter 436 142 - Shocking reveal (part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 436 142 - Shocking reveal (part 1)</h4>

    After hurriedly eating breakfast after apologizing to Burushi about disappearing on her without any notice, Zoemi furrowed his brows seeing the empty spot next to Horeo.

    "...?"

    The ck-haired boy looked around to see whether he simply missed Miriette talking with one of their ssmates, but that was not the case.

    He even nced back towards the open door to peek into the hallway to see whether she wasing or returning to the ssroom, but still, there was no trace of her.

    "Good morning, lord Banemor...!"

    "Hmm?"

    Suddenly, a call from the side got Zoemi''s attention and when he turned towards it, he saw the green-haired Senria Parats, bowing her head towards him.

    It was quite odd considering that normally neither she nor her red-haired friend, youngdy Helterose were trying to get his attention.

    Opposite, actually.

    But on that day of all days, Senria made an attempt on being nice, even though herst actual conversation with Zoemi was pretty far away from friendly.

    "Good morning, miss Parats. We''re you instructed to be nicer to me?"

    "...!"

    Basing his eyes response on theirst conversation, Zoemi''s smirked quite mockingly, which honestly made for a quite striking effect that made Senria blush before she even realized that the ck-haired boy was mocking her.

    "...he did... my brother said that the young lord Perserios notified him that you will be helping them out with barbarians, so he asked me to formally invite you to visit our territory on your way there whenever you will be traveling there."

    To Zoemi''s surprise, even though she became a lot more timid, Senria did have something more to say to him.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows in consternation - although the green-haired girl did not mention any specific date, why did it sound like it was expected to happen soon...?

    |Quite odd... Didn''t Devios asked me about helping them with barbarians just yesterday?|

    "(...maybe news travels fast...?)"

    "(Maybe the one-eyed boy started spreading the information about your cooperation before asking you for it?)"

    The second sentinel wondered, but the first one had quite a different opinion that didn''t sound too farfetched at all.

    "I already told him that I will do that whenever a chance like that happens. Pass him my thanks for confirming that he didn''t change his mind despite all the pesky rumors."

    "O-of course! Thank you, my lord!"

    Zoemi ended up nodding and waving his hand dismissively as he moved towards his seat, sent off by the words of the bowing Senria.

    "Cousin~ where is your fianc¨¦e? She is far smarter than to run away because of some rumors, did your chivalry take over once again and you advised her to stay away?"

    The ck-haired boy snickered while passing by the gold-haired first prince and snickered loud enough for others except the two of them to hear it all.

    "The problems keep on piling up and that ns of yours seem to work.. youngdy Espine was called back to the Espine estate - she very well might not be my fiance the next time we will see each other."

    The way Zoemi talked and the words that he used were meant to push forth the image of thepassionate and benevolent first prince who was tricked by the wile and untrustworthy viin, but then Horeo exined the situation regarding the absence of the dark-haired girl...

    "...what...?"

    ...and made Zoemi''s jaw drop as his eyes widened in disbelief.

    Things weren''t supposed to go that way, not at all - not so fast at least!

    "Exin."

    The ck-haired boy leaned over the gold-haired prince and demanded in a grim voice.

    "I already did, haven''t I?"

    Horeo looked up at him and answered raising his brow and shrugging lightheartedly as if this was none of his concerns.

    "With how the things are currently, it really isn''t that surprising, really. I would not want to get her involved in the possible turmoil that will happen soon enough."

    "!!!"

    Although Zoemi was the one who wanted to shock others, the words of the first prince shook him to the core.

    "Hmph~ I see."

    The ck-haired boy managed to snicker and immediately sat down doing his best to make a proud and confident expression, but inside...

    |Little ones, connect me to Horeo!|

    ...he hurriedly asked his sentinels for cooperation.

    "(Done~!)"

    The second sentinel cheered out as it managed to outspeed their friend this time around.

    |My prince?! What in the world is going on?! Is it my fault?!|

    Zoemi gasped in his thoughts while keenly listening in to any movement from the gold-haired boy behind him.

    "[Pffft...! I knew you were just faking everything!]"

    "!!!"

    But then he was the one to flinch when Horeo responded to him cheerfully and not at all worried as Zoemi expected him to be.

    "[Miriette and I have figured out that you wanted to be a scapegoat for everything that''s happening, but honestly although the gesture really warms my heart, it was unnecessary.]"

    The first prince added in apletely rxed tone.

    "[But it was quite hurtful when you wouldn''t just talk to us normally - or use this improvedmunication spell of yours to share your ns with us. When did we lose your trust, my friend?]"

    To bewilder Zoemi even more, Horeo sighed in a clearly fake sadness and asked.

    |...alright, you got me. My n wasn''t all thatplicated, but I thought it was my best option. I apologize for giving you a cold shoulder but I thought that a genuine reaction from you and Miriette would be better. And speaking about her, why is she absent? For real though.|

    Zoemi frowned, kind of angry at himself for falling so easily into Horeo''s trap, and returned the question without answering the one the first prince asked.

    "[ying someone evil suits you surprisingly well, but you are too kindhearted and - please don''t take it as an insult, I really mean it in the best way possible - simple-minded to truly sell it. I really appreciate the effort though, because I know you were doing so for my sake. As for that cunning fox... she was called back to the Espine estate because our engagement is under reevaluation.]"

    The gold-haired prince revealed, and the ck-haired boy heard his breath out in relief - although he himself was as far away from relief as possible.

 Chapter 437 142 - Shocking reveal (part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 437 142 - Shocking reveal (part 2)</h4>

    |SHE IS?! You were serious about that?!|

    Zoemi gasped,pletely stunned by the revtion that turned out to be true all along.

    "[Of course, why would I lie?]"

    Horeo answered in an easygoing tone as if he didn''t have a single care in the world.

    |And this isn''t really a problem...?|

    Zoemi barely stopped himself from shaking his head in disbelief and nced back at the gold-haired first prince.

    "[There is no problem in this world that would not be solved by an appropriately powerfulser.]"

    Horeo pointed and met Zoemi''s shocked gaze before smiling.

    |I believe that you said you didn''t want to take the throne by force...|

    "[Wanting and having to are two different things. Still, it is still too early to go all the way there. It is an option, but not something set in stone. You see, there is something going on - a piece of new information surfaced and it shared some light on the entire case, showing us a new perspective. You are going to the Perserios territory soon, aren''t you? That''s actually perfect.]"

    Zoemi groaned internally but got apletely serious response.

    |Howe literally everyone knows that I agreed to help Devios with the barbarians?! Did he pay off wind magicians to share that news all over the kingdom?!|

    The ck-haired boy scoffed in annoyance - which only made the first prince''s smile that much wider.

    "[Zoemi... where were you in the morning? Lord Vereq posted an announcement regarding that on the announcement board. As a sage, you are required to fulfill your obligation to the kingdom, and you will do so by aiding the Perserios family and protecting our border from the tribes of barbarians. You... hold on, you seriously don''t know?!]"

    Horeo rolled his eyes over his friend''s absentmindedness, but then his expression changed into that of an actual shock when he realized that the ck-haired boy wasn''t joking or being dense as always.

    "..."

    Zoemi gritted his teeth and stood up even though the red-haired teacher, Ikarveth, was in the middle of his lecture.

    "Student Banemor... is something wrong...?"

    The man asked, just as confused as almost all of the students who stared at the ck-haired boy.

    "Apparently yes. Don''t mind me I need to go check something."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders, already on his way toward the door without asking for permission to leave or anything.

    "(Master, we can check things for you!)"

    "(Or ask other sentinels to see what it is about!)"

    |Thank you, but no. I want to see it for myself.|

    His resident sentinels called to him, but the ck-haired boy refused their offer as he stormed out of the ssroom.

    ---------

    When Zoemi reached the announcement board the biggest and most prominent document put up for everyone to see was the one that Horeo was talking about.

    A full-page written in an unnecessarily flowerynguage informing the reader about his, Zoemi''s, departure from the Academy to the Perserios territory within the following week.

    "...he said that the headmaster put that up, didn''t he...?"

    The ck-haired boy spoke to himself in a low voice.

    "(He did.)"

    "(...who are we talking about...?)"

    The first sentinel confirmed their host''s words without hesitation even though the second one was very much confused about the question.

    "Little ones, do you know where Burushi is right now?"

    Zoemi continued speaking out loud while breathing deeply, really doing his best to stay calm even though anger was literally filling every cell of his body.

    This whole situation wasn''t even aboutck of trust - it was straight-up insulting.

    "(We can call her toe here...)"

    "(Or to your room...!)"

    Both sentinels sensed the extremely bad mood of their master and tried to appease him whileplying with his request in a way.

    "I

    feel that I need to move around or I will start breaking things. I can walk a bit. Where is she?"

    Zoemi shook his head and asked while already walking away from the announcement board.

    "(Miss healer is in the servant''s breakroom!)"

    "Thank you."

    The second sentinel revealed and the ck-haired boy nodded, changing his route and going in the right direction.

    The noise of his crystal cane furiously hiring against the ground was echoing through the hallways even louder than his footsteps, bringing the attention of the Academy''s staff and the attendants busy with their own chores, but it didn''t bother the ck-haired boy at all.

    Within the next few minutes, he reached the right room and walked inside after barely tapping on the door instead of knocking.

    "...?!"

    The blond-haired girl - the only person in the room at the moment - hurriedly sat properly on one of the couches she was sprawled in a very udylike manner just a moment earlier.

    "Eh...? Zo... my lord? Did something happen?"

    Burushi raised her brows and realized that the person bursting in was none other than her fellow reincarnated human, and asked in surprise.

    "Nothing much, I''m just livid because... what in the fucking hell...?!"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders while gritting his teeth in annoyance before his eyes wandered off deeper into the room and widened right before he cursed out loud in utter shock.

    "...eh...? Wha... what is going on...?"

    Burushi cowered, taken aback by the considerably odd behavior of the ck-haired boy, and looked between him and the direction that he was staring at, but it was only one of the tables there.

    And the table was empty too.

    That particr furniture wasn''t anything special but also wasn''t hideous or inconvenient enough to elicit such a reaction either.

    Well, the thing was, from someone with a healing attribute - or most attributes, to be honest - perspective, there was nothing there.

    But for someone with a shadow attribute - or at least something simr to it - there was a unique shadow hovering right above the table.

    "..."

    All thoughts and anger were literally shoved out of Zoemi''s mind because of the sight.

    Because he recognized the unique shadow.

    It belonged to the student who died on the very same table almost a year back.

    Xeonith Zarble Derizno.

    "What the hell? It''s just like with Ludier...!"

    Zoemi gasped to himself, approaching the table and observing the slowly rotating unique shadow.

 Chapter 438 142 - Shocking reveal (part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 438 142 - Shocking reveal (part 3)</h4>

    "What the hell - is an appropriate question! What the hell is going on?!"

    Burushi furrowed her brows and asked, standing up and walking towards Zoemi.

    "Private visit."

    She immediately cast one of her spells on him too, without actually waiting for the answer.

    "...hmm..."

    But then frowned when the results that showed up stated that there was nothing wrong with him.

    "Burushi. It''s Xeonith unique shadow."

    "...?!"

    Zoemi nced over at her while pointing at the empty space above the table, causing the girl to flinch and step back while hurriedly ncing at the spot.

    "What in the world are you saying?!"

    She asked, as her face became pale.

    "This is the spot that he actually died, isn''t it? His shadow is still here."

    The ck-haired boy exined, immensely intrigued.

    "Wha... what the hell do you mean?! There is some part of that piece of shit still here?! Can''t you get rid of it?"

    The blond heroine flinched and gasped, instinctively hiding behind Zoemi.

    "I mean... I could, but I kind of want to check something. If you don''t mind I will use a necromancy spell and..."

    "EXCUSE ME?! OF COURSE I DO MIND!"

    The ck-haired boy said while ncing over his shoulder at the pale girl, but she immediately shook her head and scoffed furiously.

    "Why would you even suggest bringing that guy back to life?! You found me! You know what he did to me!"

    Burushi bit her lips and clenched her fists, grabbing onto Zoemi''s clothes while muttering in disbelief.

    "...I know. But here''s the thing. I have proof that your favorite Surou was messed with by the mysterious supporter - that being Arisu, by the way - using hexes. I only want to check whether that could have been the case with Xeonith too. My spell will not bring him back to life, it will only reanimate the piece of his consciousness that stayed within his shadow, nothing else. I swear that if he was just a vile piece of shit I will erase any trace of him immediately, but I want to at least make sure first."

    "..."

    Zoemi exined, causing Burushi to close her mouth and look down, deeply bothered.

    "Using this as a chance, I want to finally tell you that I came in contact with Surou..."

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired boy added - which caused the blond girl to straighten her back and stare at him in disbelief.

    "Before you say anything, I will let you two meet regardless of your decision about Xeonith''s shadow... and I didn''t tell you earlier because I wanted to make sure that it would be possible for you two to meet up safely. Sorry for keeping it a secretary by the way."

    He lovered his head apologetically and didn''t raise it at all, kind of expecting to get smacked.

    "This is really confusing... and worrisome - I don''t like that you said you wanted to make sure that my meeting with Surou was safe. For some reason the context you used made it feel like the mysterious supporter was messing with him more than I thought... ugh..."

    Burushi groaned while fidgetting and making a very upset expression.

    "...fine... check whatever you want, but I don''t want to be anywhere near that guy unless he was actuallypletely brainwashed or something. I don''t want his ghost, or shadow, or whatever, hanging out around me so you better not lie about erasing him if he really was just that vile."

    In the end, Burushi sighed and nodded while leaning on Zoemi and pressing her forehead against his back.

    "Thank you."

    |Little ones, can you use the necromancy spell on him?|

    The ck-haired boy nodded back at the blond girl before internally asking his sentinels.

    "(Okay!)"

    "(Leave it to us, master~!)"

    His sentinels cheered out in response, making him smile.

    But then a few seconds passed and nothing happened.

    Then a full minute...

    "(Master... it doesn''t work on him for some reason...)"

    "(...weird, it should work, right? The puppets can use all sort of spells...! Is there something wrong with us...?)"

    The sentinels cried out in disappointment when it turned out that they are powerless in regards to reanimating the slowly rotating unique shadow.

    "...hmm..."

    Zoemi frowned and let out a bothered noise while watching the unique shadow.

    His sentinels couldn''t use the necromancy on it even though Zoemi could easily tell that Xeonith''s unique shadow was weaker than Ludier''s.

    In the first ce, the necromancy was supposed to work on dead bodies and not on shadows - but that meant that the only person capable of actually reanimating a unique shadow was Zoemi himself.

    If he wanted answers, he had to use magic...

    |Little ones, prepare the ice pack for me, please.|

    Since the ck-haired boy wanted to be done with Xeonith once and for all, he decided it was worth going through the pain and asked his sentinels in preparation for that oue.

    "(Eh...?)"

    "(O-okay...)"

    The two of them didn''t seem excited at all, but at least didn''t have to try to talk him out of it.

    |Alright, now then...|

    Zoemi thought and breathed out.

    He focused and forced his mana to switch into a death attribute - which alone made him very nauseous. Honestly, the boy dreaded the next step...

    "...ghh...!"

    With a stinging pain spreading through his body, Zoemi reached out with his shadow andtched onto the unique shadow above the table, stopping it from rotating.

    |Alright... wake up. We need to talk.|

    The ck-haired boy thought and activated the right spell.

    "GHHHHHH...!"

    "Zoemi?! Ultra...! Ah, no, it will make things worse...!"

    Truth be told, even though the wave of pain that tore through the boy''s body caused him to fold like a switchde - which made Burushi call out to him in a worried voice and almost cast one of her strongest spells on him before she realized that it would be the opposite of helpful - the amount of mana that drained from him was far below his expectation.

    "I''m... fine..."

    Zoemi grumbled and slowly straightened his back with Burushi''s help.

    As he did, he could see for himself whether his spell worked or not.

    ""

    It certainly did - as Xeonith''s unique shadow stopped hovering over the table and slumped down on it as if he had a corporal body and even shook his head and groaned.

    "

 Chapter 439 143 - Shocking reveal (part 4)

    Chapter 439 143 ¨C Shocking reveal (part 4)

    "</ah,>

    "It did not work the same as it happened with Ludier... ghh...!"

    Hearing the unique shadow speak in an official manner that was exactly like the one Xeonith character from the game always used was surprising enough, but coupled with it shrinking down and turning into a golem-like shape was straight-up fascinating - at least until the spasm of pain made the ck-haired boy gasp for air through his greeted teeth.

    |Little ones, can we be sure that he really doesn''t recognize me?|

    Zoemi thought while carefully watching the properly formed shadow Xeonith as it looked around, fidgetting in concern.

    "(He might not know you at all, master, or he might as well Just don''t remember you right now.)"

    "(It is... difficult to say for sure...)"

    The boy''s sentinels didn''t have a straightforward answer and sounded very much bothered.

    "You have the guts to y a fool! My lord, can you just tear him apart right now, please?"

    Burushi red at the shadow figure and hissed furiously at it before hiding right back Zoemin back and asking him in a worried voice.

    "Huh?! You can see and hear him?!"

    "Now hold on, miss...! I can see for myself that something weird has happened to me, but there is no need to jump to conclusions!"

    The ck-haired boy''s eyes widened as he turned around to stare at the blond-haired heroine - but he wasn''t the only one shocked either, Xeonith''s shadow was even mare taken aback than any of them were.

    "My name is Xeonith Zerble Derizno, and I''m a first-year student at the Aspakeony Academy! I might look like some sort of specter or a folktale monster, but I am just a harmless human being!"

    The shadow flinched and began backing off while shaking its head and arms quite wildly to push his point across.

    "... first-year student...?"

    "....?!"

    To his words, Zoemi blinked a few times and nced over at Burushi, who was staring at the shadow Xeonith with her mouth hanging open.

    "Senior, could you please tell we your name...?"

    Using their consternation as a chance, the shadow figure pped its hands together and asked in a slightly trembling voice.

    It was quite easy to see through the reason for such worry - If Xeonith''s shadow really did not remember his school year as a second-year student, then he had no right to know about Zoemi getting enrolled as it was kept hidden until the two months before the beginning of a new school year.

    Therefore, Xeonith might very well suspect that in fact whatever happened to him was caused by the ck-haired boy in front of him.

    Or that it was all some borate trap that he fell for...

    "Zoemi Benevi Banernor. The found heir of the Banemor family."

    "....huh...?!"

    Zoemi revealed without thinking too much about it, but his words caused the shadow Xeonith to tilt his head in constemation.

    "...pardon me if this will sound rude, but, Banemor territory was left without an heir for over fourteen years, do you have any proof of your identity...?"

    "The audacity! You are the one looking like some creepy shadow monster! Why he should prove anything to you? If anything, you should be the one proving yourself right now!"

    The shadow fidgeted nervously and asked carefully, clearly trying to both keep a cake and eat it with how it acted, which the blond heroine has seen right through and called out immediately.

    "No, no, no! Miss servant! I don''t lie! If we are still in the Aspakeony, Academy, you can go and ask my best friend, Reo, toe here and confirm my identity! Although he is a prankster, he shows his responsible side during serious situations like this!"

    Burushi''s words worked wonders, making the shadow Xeonith be meek and apologetic in the very next second.

    "Was Xeonith supposed to be that good of an actor or did your spell make him like that?.

    The blond-haired girl leaned closely against the ck-haired boy''s back and whispered conspicuously into his ear.

    "I want to my, I told you, but this is out of the realm of my expectations, actually. Still, you agree that it would be okay to not erase him right now?"

    Zoemi tilted his head from side to side and muttered back in a slightly more rxed tone than before.

    It did seem like the shadow Xeonith was serious about thinking that he still was a first-year student.

    On one hand that kind of confirmed Zoemi''s theory - maybe not entirely, but partially for sure.

    "...fine...just..."

    Burushi groaned and rolled her eyes before discreetly looking around the staffs break room to make sure that no one is eavesdropping on them.

    "...just hide him away for now. Can you imagine what would happen if someone have seen or heard him act like the actual Xeonith...? As long as you will keep him in check, he can stay around - but hidden!"

    The blond girl added in an inconspicuous voice, ncing over at the shadow figure that gave off an aura as if it was staring back at them in worry mixed with suspicion and hesitation.

    "You are right. Young lord Derizno, I will take you to a safe spot where we could have a proper talk. Do not be rmed."

    |Store him away, please. Do not let him escape, but do not let him melt away or anything of the sorth!|

    Zoemi said out loud and immediately followed it up with a silent instruction aimed at his two sentinels.

    "(Yea, yes~!)"

    "(He will be in our care, master!)"

    "Hold on - what do you exactly...?"

    *WHOOM*

    The two sentinels cheered out and even though shadow Xeonith was notpletely on board with the idea, a clump of shadow shot up from the ground beneath it and swallowed him whole in one swift movement, bringing back the peace and quiet to the room.

    "Haaah... okay, now - my lord, I kind of doubt that this thing was the reason for you showing up here. What did you originally want to tell me?"

    Burushi breathed out and stepped away from the ck-haired boy, speaking to him from an appropriate distance..

 Chapter 440 143 - Shocking reveal (part 5)

    Chapter 440  143 - Shocking reveal (part 5)¡¡¡¡"Ah, right. I was quite furious just now. You see, it was announced that I would leave to the Perserios territory to help them deal with the barbarian problem as a way of fulfilling my obligation. I was even given a time frame I should leave. The audacity!"

    Zoemi raised his brows and nodded, taking a deep breath and frowning once more as the terrible mood returned with a vengeance.

    "That sounds ridiculous! Can they even do that? What if you refuse?"

    Burushi gasped and frowned just like the ck-haired boy did.

    "Originally I wanted to go against it and came here to get you before returning to the Banemor territory, but actually... I don''t feel good acting all evil around people that I like, maybe we should go back to our initial n of being nice to others and clearing up our names slowly over time?"

    Zoemi breathed out, losing his anger once more - this time for good andined while pressing the ice pack created by his sentinels to his stomach.

    "Going back to the initial n that you changed all on your own without consulting it with anyone including me? Sure. I don''t mind. But what caused you to see the error of your ways? If you don''t mind me asking?"

    The blond heroine asked while crossing her arms under her chest.

    "...Horeo and Miriette''s engagement is going under reevaluation, if it will indeed end up getting canceled, her family would start looking for another suitor. That is just how things work. The Espine family is an honorable one, and they would not consider someone with rumors of running an underground, highly illegal ve trade as a valid option..."

    Although Zoemi hesitated for a bit, he ended up revealing his reason, while blushing slightly.

    "Wha...?! Are you saying that you are changing our ns again because there is a chance you will get together with your waifu?!"

    "Hey! You of all people have no right to call me out on that, okay?! Not after hooking up with your favorite capture target, even though he was...! Even though he was a high noble and you are of a lower status..."

    Burushi gasped in disbelief, which made Zoemi snapback - he even almost straight up told her about the second prince getting hexed and never truly loving her, but managed to stop himself, as it felt like that would be going too far, even in anger, considering that there seem to really be some budding affection towards her within Surou''s heart.

    "Yeah, that''s fair. Then, when we depart to the Perserios territory?"

    The blond-haired girl looked to the side in embarrassment and nodded, knowing full well that her opinion on the subject was rather biased.

    "Depends. How fast can you pack our belongings?"

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and asked in an indifferent voice so it was hard to tell whether he was serious or not.

    "I do have an invitation to visit the Parats territory too, but truth be told I would much rather teleport straight to the Perserios castle since it would be much more efficient. After learning exactly what am I expected to do there, we can visit them on our way back."

    "Not exactly what I was asking about, but sure sounds like a n. Do the Perserios family knows about it though? I remember that teacher Perserios mentioned that the tribes of barbarians are constantly harassing the borders, and it sounded like they would not mind helping hand with repealing them, but showing up unannounced is kind of rude for the host. Wouldn''t you agree? And you just said that you are quitting going for the viin route."

    Zoemi titled his head and stared into a distance while recounting out loud - to which Burushi responded in a serious and clear-headed manner.

    "Burushi. I agreed to help them out the previous night and there is already an actual official announcement regarding the matter hanging on the announcement board. If someone was rude, it wasn''t me. At least not first.

    They have no excuse and I will not back on the matter at all."

    He scoffed, crossing his arms and making a stern expression.

    "Alright, fair enough."

    The heroine spoke raised her brows and nodded in understanding.

    "I was this close from breaking my promise and just holding up in the Banemor territory. With my sentinels and Benevirau, I would love to see anyone trying to force me to do anything."

    The ck-haired boy began fuming onest time, raising his left hand and putting his index finger and thumb together, leaving just a microscopic gap between them.

    "My lord, I do understand. It''s okay."

    Burushi rolled her eyes and snickered seeing Zoemi act like that.

    "You know, maybe you are suited to be a viin. Not the super evilst boss one, but a mid-game obstacle in an otome game. Are you sure that you secretly aren''t a DLC character?"

    She added lightheartedly while already walking to the door.

    "Who knows? Maybe. By this point I am honestly not sure - and considering that some people treat me like a gullible idiot who is appeased by a bit of skinship and can be pointed out in the direction of their choosing, that might not be a farfetched im."

    "...oh...okay..."

    Although the blond-haired heroine wanted only to leave the conversation on a funny note, Zoemi took her joke a little bit too serious and made her a little bit weirded out, and actually left.

    "(Master, are you angry at the necromancer?)"

    The second of his sentinels asked innocently as the ck-haired boy was left alone in the staff''s break room.

    |Yes, I am upset. Aspy''s puppet put up that dumb announcement while I was with her in her office.|

    Zoemi nodded and thought back, before leaving the room as he noticed that there were some servants and attendantsing there for their break but none dared to actually enter while he was inside.

    "Good job, have a nice day."

    "!!!"

    "Ah, thank you, young lord!"

    The ck-haired boy nodded at the servants he has passed which made most of them stunned and silent or caused them to bow their heads deeply.

    "(I see... Master is upset because he wanted the necromancer in his harem, but she is using his kindness with some ulterior motives in mind...! Not good, someone needs to keep an eye on her!)"

    "?!?!?!"

    The second sentinel wasn''t done at all and called out in excitement as if they figured out something incrediblyplicated - which made Zoemi almost trip over his own feet when he heard it.

    |Wha...?! Are you still hung on to the idea of me having a harem?! Give it a rest, little one! I am not pursuing the evil image anymore!|

    Zoemiined while shaking his head and steadying his walk.

    "(Yeah, I know~! But having a harem isn''t evil - it''s cool!)"

    The little sentinel was not giving up on the subject at all.

    |You said before that being evil is cool, and cool people have harems. By that logic...|

    "(Umm... master, you are not making sense...)"

    Zoemi sighed and wanted to remind his sentinel about their own words, but then the second sentinel pulled out a rug from under his feet by acting as if he had no idea what was it about.

    "(Master, give it a rest. Some of us are smart, but this one here is not one of those...)"

    "(Hey...!)"

    The first sentinel spoke up apologetically, making the second one call out in embarrassment.

 Chapter 441 144 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 1)

    Chapter 441  144 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 1)¡¡¡¡Devios Elef Perserios was sitting behind a desk where he was reading the reports regarding thetest skirmish with one of the tribes.

    The barbarians were supposed to be just... well... barbaric.

    They weren''t supposed to have a centralized government, they were supposed to be just an unorganized bunch of loosely rted tribes which rarely ever made alliances with each other as their hatred towards the Bellcephora kingdom was matched only by their animosity towards everyone from outside their own tribe.

    "...why is there a pattern here...?"

    The young blue-haired boy muttered to himself while rummaging through the old reports that his father originally dismissed after a short read.

    "Are we really supposed to dismiss the absence of children in every other tribe...? Or maybe I am just overthinking it all and the ones making the report just didn''t bother counting the abandoned toys like they did weapons and food supplies... haa... I swear, all the previous heirs are worthy of our respect because we wouldn''t be here without them, but why did none of them realize that there is no feasible way for that many people to survive off of pige alone! Where are their crops, are they really gathering roots out in the freezing rocky wastnd? Where are their herds? There is little to no wildlife! Did they already hunt them down? If so, why are their forces only getting stronger? If they are starving and attacking us because of hunger, why are they burning the rations and crops instead of taking them...?! Ugh...! My head hurts."

    Devios went on a lengthy monologue before throwing the report back on the desk and leaning into his chair.

    He then took out his fake eye, pointed his finger at it, and made it nice and chilly before putting it back in his empty eye socket.

    "Ahhh... that hit the spot... maybe I am overthinking it... I will make sure to instruct everyone to write things down properly. It''s probably something simple like our troops taking the abandoned toys and giving them out to the kids in settlements on our side while I am imagining some sort of grander scheme."

    Devios breathed out in bliss as his headache subsided after just a few seconds and then he stood up and nodded to himself rejuvenated.

    After all, it wasn''t even noon yet and he couldn''t allow himself to just call sick for the rest of the day.

    Not when his sister went on a well-deserved vacation together with her husband.

    Although Rokiana wasn''t the most powerful mage in the Perserios territory, her ingenuity and battle sense made her one of the triumph cards on the battlefield.

    Devios felt the huge pressure on his back because of that, but not because he didn''t want to show himself as inferior.

    No.

    The thing was because he knew his older sister well enough, he realized that if by any chance the troops under the Perserios family banner would lose any significant skirmish with the barbarians, Rokiana would take the me upon herself and never leave their territory ever again.

    It was an oue that Devios could never allow happening.

    Originally Rokiana was the only heir to their family, she was forced to waste all the chances at love and even romance that she ever encounter because of being taken to the battlefield by their grandfather and then father.

    And when she was fully ready to inherit everything, he, Devios, was born and it was decided that he will inherit the territory.

    Then, to make things worse, because of that, all of the families that sent marriage offers to Rokiana took them back as the Perserios territory was no longer included in the marriage deal.

    Rokiana had never med Devios or their father and grandfather for such turn of events, but her younger brother couldn''t just let it be like that.

    It was simply not fair.

    That''s why he wanted to show her that although she is greatly appreciated, she doesn''t have to chain herself down to the territory and the battlefield at the border.

    "I wonder if the messenger had reached the royal family about Zoemi yet...?"

    Devios muttered to himself looking out of the window at the cloudy sky.

    In Perserios territory, clouds were a good sign.

    The worst that could happen was hail or a snowstorm.

    The problems started when the sky was clear and nothing nketed the ground from the horrible frost that could destroy every crop if itsted for more than a day.

    *tremble*

    "...huh...?"

    Suddenly, a slight movement underneath the boy''s feet pulled his attention.

    At first, Devios wasn''t sure what exactly was wrong, but then he realized that the dark dots that always stayed within the boundaries of his shadow began moving erratically just like overly excited children happy about a sudden visit of their favorite family member.

    "...that didn''t happen before..."

    The young heir to the Perserios family muttered to himself, raising his brow at the unusual performance of the dots that he otherwise got used to seeing already.

    After all, they were gifts from Zoemi after the tournament ended, they were supposed to work as emergency mana reservoirs, but Devios managed to never rely on them in the end.

    "What, are you excited because it''s only a matter of time until Zoemi will arrive here? You have to be more patient, I didn''t get a response from the royal castle yet. It''s nothing certain."

    The blue-haired boy smiled and spoke to the dots, even though they were supposed to not be conscious or anything so talking to them was pointless.

    But then...

    *WHOOM*

    "!!!"

    The darker dots in Devios''s shadow all spilled into arge puddle of murky-ck spheres of darkness, making the boy almost fall down in shock as he certainly did not expect anything like that to happen.

    "...puah...! I thought I was a goner! I will never get used to that..."

    "You know that you don''t have to hold your breath, right?"

    The next moment a tall ck-haired boy holding a crystal cane and a blond girl with a disproportionallyrge chest emerged from the puddle of darkness as if it was some sort of tunnel while they were having a light conversation.

    "You didn''t forget anything?"

    "Of course not! See?"

    The ck-haired boy asked and the blond girl scoffed and pointed at the baggage that floated up from the darkness right after them.

    "Z-Zoemi?!"

    Devios stood right up and gasped, staring at the pair that showed up as if it was nothing.

    "Yo. Short time no see. Did anyone tell you that you work extremely fast?"

    At the younger boy''s call, Zoemi turned around and nodded his head at him with a slightly annoyed smirk.

    "Same could be said about you! I expected you to show up next month at the earliest!"

    "...and not within two weeks...? Ah, no matter. I am here regarding the obligation."

    Devios breathed out moving his hand and waving it in Zoemi''s general direction, making the ck-haired boy rise his brow in surprise before shrugging his shoulders.

    "That''s exactly what I needed right now! Please, have a seat - before anything else I would like to ask you a few things about the spells that you can use just to be sure how to use your help in the most efficient way."

    Devios nodded his head vigorously and grabbed an empty chair from under the wall and presented it to Zoemi.

    "AH...! Wait, no - would, would you want to eat something first? Please, pardon myck of hospitality, I truly was not prepared to see you in our territory that fast...!"

    The younger boy flinched and shook his head before lowering it a bit with a worried expression.

    "..."

    "I am full, don''t worry, and have this talk. It does sound kind of important."

    The ck-haired boy nced over at the blond-haired heroine, but she only waved her hand dismissively and pointed him at the chair.

    "As she said. Let''s have this talk, but just so we are clear - what do you want to know exactly, and while we are at it, what sort of services are required. Although I took part in the duels, full-on battles arepletely foreign to me aside from the literature, so pardon myck of knowledge in that regard."

    Zoemi sat downfortably and motioned at Devios to also take a seat, but instead, the blue-haired younger boy hurried to the desk and took out a fresh sheet of paper, a bottle of ink, and a quil before leaning against the desk ready to write down everything.

    "I see... then, it would be better to not include you inrger battles since without proper understanding of the battlefield it will only increase the casualties on our side..."

    Devios said out loud while writing it down and looking at Zoemi to confirm whether it was fine.

    "Exactly - now, a question, please."

    The ck-haired boy smiled with satisfaction and nodded, content with being treated seriously and understood properly.

    Fighting alone even against arge group was one thing - but fighting in a group against another group was somethingpletely different - especially when considering the devastating power of magic.

 Chapter 442 144 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 2)

    Chapter 442  144 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 2)¡¡¡¡"Is it really okay to leave things as they are?"

    Burushi asked while outing unpacking her belongings in the room she was given by the Perserios family.

    The Perserios castle itself wasn''t the same type of castles as the one belonging to the Espine family or even the royal family.

    The twotter ones could be used as defensive structures - there was no doubt about it, but in the grand scheme of things, there were also a lot of thoughts put in to make them asfortable and pompous to show the status of the owners.

    As for the one that Zoemi and Burushi were currently in...

    It was a military fortress through and through. Every room was built with efficiency in mind and it was furnished in the same manner. There was no space for luxury, and it was not eye-catching in any way except for its size to make sure that even if the barbarians ever breached it, they will not gain anything except the roof over their heads.

    To begin with, most of the chambers had been turned into barracks for troops as the Perserios castle was the most convenient spot for their main forces to station at, as even if the border of the Bellcephora kingdom was actually breached, the attacking forces had two ways of advancing.

    Either attempting to scale a magically augmented wall, or trying to pass through the fortress.

    That all lead up to a specific conclusion - the blond girl receiving her own room and not sharing one with any of the female troops was a show of clear favoritism.

    Of course, Zoemi also received a room on his own, but since he was actually a high noble and a sage fulfilling his obligation towards the crown - that was a given.

    Burushi on the other hand was not.

    "What do you mean - is it okay to leave things as they are-? I am not leaving anything."

    Zoemi stopped dusting off the shelves that the blond-haired girl was going to use and furrowed his brows in confusion.

    "I meant the really bad rumors about you. With what you said before it is almost certain that Arisu or at least Arisu''s supporters are behind spreading them all over the kingdom. You might have changed your mind and gone back to the original n but we did leave the most efficient and convenient ce to fight those very rumors."

    Burushi breathed out heavily and pointed out, waving around a small blue box and a bottle of perfumes.

    "And don''t get me wrong, that whole obligation sounds like a step in the right direction, except that there is no audience from various noble families from all over the kingdom to report back to their rtives about how great you are. You know what I mean by that, don''t you?"

    She added pointing at the ck-haired boy with her perfumes.

    "That since my father married into the Perserios family their ount about me being helpful would be regarded as highly biased in my favor?"

    "Yah."

    Zoemi asked rolling his eyes to which Burushi simply nodded with a straight face.

    "(Master - the puppets said that they are working hard to fix that image thing~!)"

    "(They said it will be easier since you won''t be in the Academy to mess things up with being un... unpredcise.... unpreditc... uuu...! Unpredictable...)

    The second of the boy''s resident sentinels chimed in happily just as Zoemi was trying toe up with a response.

    Interestingly enough, the first sentinel that was always the smarter and more aware of the pair ended up stumbling on her words and got embarrassed - but they did give a rather interesting exnation nheless.

    "I... have someone taking care of it already."

    Zoemi said out loud, although he didn''t manage to make himself sound too convincing.

    "You do...?"

    "Apparently."

    Burushi asked, raising her brows - to which Zoemi hurriedly nodded, trying to cut her short before she would try to learn more and ask who exactly was delegated to that task.

    "..."

    The blond heroine squinted her eyes at him, very clearly realizing that there was something off about the ck-haired boy''s reaction...

    "...alright, I agreed to cooperate with you so I will at least give you the benefit of the doubt."

    She ended up sighing and shrugging her shoulders with a slightly annoyed expression.

    "Then, what are we supposed to do here?"

    Burushi put down the perfumes but not the blue box andid down on the bed even though there was still quite some stuff to unpack.

    Instead, she started to y around with the box opening and closing it while waiting for the boy''s answer.

    "We will be well behaved and fulfill the orders given to us by the Perserios family."

    *p*

    "..."

    Zoemi answered without much care ir to which Burushi shut her box with a surprisingly loud sound and stared daggers at him.

    "You don''t have a n?"

    She asked in disbelief.

    "What n? Perserios territory wasn''t mentioned all that much in the game, besides, aren''t we already past the end credits in the timeline?"

    The ck-haired boy turned around, huddling his shoulders defensively while speaking in a hurt voice.

    "...are you saying that you cannot n for the thing that you didn''t y through in the game...? How in the world did you survive up until now?"

    The heroine raised her brow and asked in utter disbelieve.

    "That''s not what I meant!"

    Zoemi groaned, clicking his tongue and shaking his head in annoyance.

    "Listen, the obligation must be fulfilled or I will get in trouble, what I n for is just doing what I am told until I will be freed from that duty. I do have ns afterward, depending on the oue of the dealing with the barbarians, but I am not going to butt in in Devios''s strategy!"

    "Oohh... now see? That''s a much better answer. It actually exins things. Alright. So... we are free until tomorrow?"

    The ck-haired boy dered in an exasperated and slightly embarrassed voice, to which the blond-haired girl''s eyes widened in realization before she nodded and asked in a much happier tone.

    "Yeah. It''s like Devios said after he wrote down all of my answers. We can settle in our rooms and walk around the castle if we want, but the actual tour and intended schedule would be given to us the following day during the breakfast."

    He confirmed.

    "Neat~"

    Burushi snickered and opened the blue box again to nce at its content with satisfaction.

 Chapter 443 144 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 3)

    Chapter 443  144 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 3)¡¡¡¡*knock* *knock*

    "...huh...?"

    On the morning of the following day, someone knocked on the door to Zoemi''s room, causing the ck-haired boy to raise his head from over the book he was reading to kill the time before breakfast.

    The boy checked the time but since there was still a full hour before the scheduled breakfast for the troops that he and Burushi were supposed to partake in, he had no idea what it could be about.

    "(It''s the boy with the fake eye, master!)"

    "...?"

    The first sentinel called in to inform their confused host, making Zoemi raise his brows.

    It was odd, considering that after the initial meeting Devios was so busy with his own tasks that he contacted Zoemi via messengers.

    Maybe the mornings were the least packed time on his schedule...?

    "I am opening."

    Since he already knew who the visitor was, the ck-haired boy did not bother with asking out loud for confirmation of the identity and just called out before opening the door.

    "Zoemi, there is a bit of a... problem... we need you to help us out, it is quite dire...!"

    "...!"

    It was indeed the blue-haired heir of the Perserios family, Devios, and to boot, he was visibly in such amount of distress that Zoemi actually thought for a moment that hordes of barbarians were already right at the castle gate.

    "What is going on? What happened?"

    The ck-haired boy asked while ncing back at the small window of his chamber - but since there wasn''t actually any army waiting outside, he turned right back and asked in confusion.

    "You will not believe me if I just tell you. Pleasee with me and see for yourself! This is such a troublesome matter, I swear...!"

    Devios waved his hand sharply and dered in a dire voice before taking a step back and rushing down the hallway while beckoning at Zoemi to follow him - which the older boy did.

    With hesitation - it''s worth adding - but after all, he did tell Burushi that he would follow whatever the young heir of the Perserios family woulde up with.

    It would honestly be too much to change his mind yet another time, wouldn''t it?

    "Can I ask for a little head''s up for what I''m going to witness? I might have given off a different impression, but I am not too good with surprises."

    As they walked, Zoemi spoke up at Devios''s back as the younger boy was leading him through the maze of the same-looking hallways and passages.

    "We have an unexpected guest."

    Devios nced over his shoulder and exined, giving Zoemi a glimpse at his face...

    The younger boy was pale.

    Zoemi didn''t know him all that much but he was still quite sure that Devios had quite the same reaction when he and Burushi emerged from his shadow the day before.

    ...which should have been quite a scary experience without any preparation...

    And the blue-haired boy who kept rtive cool when something like that happened was now terrified of some visitor?

    "I apologize for getting to you before the scheduled time but once you see who are we dealing with you will agree that you are most experienced in appeasing a person like that..."

    "O-okay...?"

    Devios suddenly stopped before turning another corner and dered in a grim and extremely serious voice, making Zoemi stop right behind him and gulp down his saliva getting nervous.

    Was it connected with his past as an attendant?

    The ck-haired boy thought about it for a moment - it did make sense.

    He was taught quite extensively on how to deal with temper tantrums and anger issues of the potential monster...

    ...although thanks to that he was well aware that if a person who really wanted to be horrible showed up, there was no damage control in the world that could help...

    "..."

    Still, even with that in mind, Zoemi breathed out in preparation - after all he had some faith in the blue-haired boy in front of him.

    Devios was younger but did not give the impression of rash or hasty youth - if he thought that Zoemi was the right person for the job, then it meant that there was something that could have been done.

    "Good luck... I don''t know what to even think about it..."

    "Huh...?!"

    And yet, just as Zoemi was talking himself into calming down, Devios breathed out and nodded at him with an apologetic expression that forced a shocked gasp straight out of the ck-haired boy''s throat.

    |Good luck?! So, what, am I a convenient scapegoat?!|

    Zoemi''s eyes widened as he took a step back, staring at the younger boy inplete and utter disbelief after it sounded like the expectation and faith he had in him all crumbled because of that one sentence...

    "Please."

    Instead of giving any more information on the subject, Devios simply reached out for the nearest door - proving that he didn''t just randomly stop in the middle of the hallway and instead they already arrived at their destination.

    *click*

    Zoemi took another step back, instinctively sensing trouble, but Devios already grabbed the door handle and opened the door for him, exposing him to the people inside.

    "...aid before, I am just a volunteer mage from a fallen family that wants to be useful for our kingdom. They say that Perserios family is always weing troops, what''s the big deal?"

    A dark-haired girl wearing a tasteful one-piece dress was scoffing at the man sitting behind a desk under a small window.

    "M-m-mydy, but..."

    The poor man was cowering and literally trembling in front of her, even though judging by his uniform and the signatures he was supposed to be a high-ranking officer.

    "What, do you have a problem with me? Personally? Guide me to a first training ground and I will prove that my spells are more than enough to qualify me as a useful asset."

    The girl who had her back turned to the door raised her head and dered in a proud voice, with no intention of ever looking back as she was intending to make the officer in front of her submit to her demand.

    "P-pleas, mydy...! No one is doubting the power of your magic! The thing is..."

    "No one is? Good then~! Ohohohohohoho~! Enlist me then."

    The officer cried out but he was interrupted by the content voice of the dark-haired girl who her hand to her mouth andughed in the way that was reserved for the privileged, spoiled noble girls.

 Chapter 444 145 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 4)

    Chapter 444  145 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 4)¡¡¡¡"M-mydy... I... I cannot do that! You are the only heir of one of the most esteemed high noble families - not to mention that you are engaged to the first prince! There are rules, and protocols, in ce that bans me from ever enlisting someone in your position...! Ah...!"

    The man shook his head and dered while taking a pile of papers from one of the desk''s drawers, but he flinched and the words got stuck in his mouth when he looked up and met the re of the dark-haired girl.

    "My good man... didn''t I just tell you that I am a daughter of a fallen noble family who wants to enlist because she wants to save herself from selling her body for food? You are mistaking me for someone!"

    The girl''s voice lowered as she took a few steps toward the desk and the atmosphere in the room became a lot heavier all of a sudden.

    "D-didn''t you say that you wanted to help our kingdom...?"

    *tap*

    "One does not exclude the other and I can have more than one motive behind my actions! That should be obvious enough!"

    The officer froze and raised his brows before asking in confusion, but then the girl mmed her hand on the desk and dered in a heated roar...

    ...it was worth saying that although she did try to hit the desk hard for the better effect, she wasn''t using any enchantments at the moment and it turned out that she was only physically capable of producing a pitiful and utterly non-threatening sound effect - which she immediatelypensated with her own loud voice...

    "But... but...! Youngdy Espine, you have to understand that..."

    "My good man, although I am ttered that youpare me to the amazing, overwhelmingly intelligent, powerful, and breathtakingly beautifuldy Miriette Lisea Espine, I have already introduced myself as Mirienne Etwistrall. I won''t lie, it''s a bit simr."

    The officer tried a bit more direct approach but the dark-haired girl scoffed and spoke over him without the slightest bit of hesitation.

    "Ehem..."

    Seeing that Zoemi was frozen in ce, silently staring at the ridiculously confident girl, Devios elbowed him in the side and cleared his throat to force the ck-haired boy into taking action.

    Although Zoemi was stunned, he at least realized why he was brought there.

    Without him around to hold her back, Miriette was an absolute nightmare to deal with, and the very thing she was trying to aplish at the moment was the best proof of that.

    The dark-haired girl was not silly enough to actually think that someone would be fooled by the story about the daughter of the fallen noble family.

    What she was doing instead was tantly unting her higher status and forcing the officer to ept the story regardless of his opinion.

    Indeed.

    When Miriette was alone, the things could only go her way peacefully, or they could go her way after she overpowered everything else.

    With Zoemi around, she would at least allow the other side to properly exin why they believed Miriette''s approach wasn''t optimal...

    "The person coughing at me from behind... Wait. Your. Turn."

    Funnily enough, Miriette react to Devios''s cough but instead of gracing the two boys with her attention, she merely waved her hand in their general direction with a scoff that could hardly be differentiated from a threat.

    "Just sign my admission note. Even if I look simr and my name is simr it doesn''t mean that anyone wille here to look for the incredibledy Miriette Lisea Espine - after all, everyone knows that she is staying home in the Espine territory as her engagement to the first prince is under a reevaluation."

    Miriette took back her hand just to reach toward the officer in front of her and tap the single sheet of paper with her index finger.

    "..."

    For some reason, that gesture seemed to be

    the stimtion that Zoemi needed to return to reality as the moment the dark-haired girl demanded the officer toply he walked toward her with a serious expression.

    "Oh, thank goodne..."

    Seeing that, Devios breathed out and motioned at the man behind the desk that everything would be alright.

    But then...

    "Miri..."

    "Zoemi~! "

    *chuu*

    The ck-haired boy called out the girl''s name and she turned around immediately recognizing his voice - and as she was doing just the Zoemi leaned down and kissed her.

    "...eeEEHEHEHE...?! You! Turn around! Neither of us is seeing anything!"

    "YES, SIR!"

    As that happened Devios''s voice raised and fluctuated in panic-inducedughter before he shook his head and shouted at the officer while already blocking his own eye with one hand, and the man immediately straightened his back and turned around without a moment of hesitation.

    As the two people of the Perserios family were doing their best to not see the fianc¨¦e of the first prince wrapping her arms and legs around the ck-haired sage that was supposed to help them with the unceasingly increasing attacks from the barbarians from behind the border, the pair in question were sticking so close to each other as if they were attempting to melt together.

    As Miriette was literally attempting to climb onto him Zoemi embraced her with firm gentleness.

    His right hand caressed her neck and ended upbing through her hair that began curling around his fingers in the evidence of deep affection.

    "Shtupid, why are you being shy now?"

    His left hand traced her spine and ended up on her waist - or was supposed to, but the dark-haired girl pulled away just the slightest bit and murmured while y-biting his lip...

    ...and firmly grabbed his wrist and led his hand towards her butt.

    "Zoemi...? Zoemi. This is not what I brought you here for! That''s not how you were supposed to stop her! Weren''t you supposed to be the perfect attendant?!"

    Devios stepped inside the room and closed the door before calling out to the ck-haired boy without uncovering his eye.

    "I don''t know what you are talking about. I was an attendant of the most amazing youngdy Miriette Lisea Espine, this girl here is Mirienne Etwistrall. A bit simr, but otherwisepletely unrted."

    Zoemi lifted Miriette up and looked up at her mischievous smile with the evilest smirk.

    "WHAT?!"

    Devios gasped in disbelief, spreading his fingers to take a peek at the oundish ck-haired boy and the dark-haired girl.

    "Pffft...! OHOHOHOHOHOHO~! That''s right, that''s right. I''m Mirienne Etwistrall, there is nothing wrong with lord Banemor and me being in a rtionship here... on the other hand, if I was the cherished heiress of the esteemed Espone and the fianc¨¦e of the first prince of the Bellcephora kingdom - then having me elope with another man such as lord Banemor right here would be a huge deal. It would certainly be terrible for the young heir of the Perserios family, as the one in charge of the ce that enshrined the runaway lovers. Who knows, the crown might even order for that heir abdication...?"

    "...!"

    Miriette tilted her head to the side just enough to take a quick nce at the younger boy, and made one cheekiest expression at Devios exasperation.

    "Nothing like that would happen if I report it straight away...!"

    Devios shook his head and tried to y everything off, but it was toote - he knew just as well as Miriette did that in that game he was already on the losing side.

 Chapter 445 145 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 5)

    Chapter 445  145 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 5)¡¡¡¡"Don''t say it like that, young lord Perserios. After all your conscience will be spotless as long as it''s Mirienne Etwistrall staying under your roof~"

    The point that Miriette made showed a reason why the first prince Horeo nicknamed her the cunning fox.

    She knew the rules.

    She knew thews, traditions, and regtions.

    She knew it all and that''s why she could weaver and around them and bent those that she disliked.

    The thing she said about having a clear conscience was an example of that.

    "...is this really how you want this to y out...?"

    Devios sighed heavily and asked gritting his teeth.

    "I want to enlist to help our kingdom and save myself from having to sell my body in order to survive, is there a fault in my motives...?"

    Miriette nuzzled up to Zoemi while keeping an eye on Devios''s reaction - and did not back down on her own silly little story, making the younger boy clench his fists in an attempt to hold down his anger at the borderline disrespectful behavior.

    "You are really making it harder than it needs to be. Everyone knows that the barbarians are acting up more and more, making things difficult for your family and your troops. The only people trying to me you for not extensively checking the background of the magicians volunteering to join the fight would be able people who are working together with barbarians. Just make him sign it. I''ve heard that young lord Banemor married or engaged and I think I will try to use my feline charms to woo him... of course without that getting in the way of my new duties."

    Since the young heir of the Perserios family didn''t show any signs of calming down, Miriette rolled her eyes and straightened her back, speaking in a serious, matter-of-fact voice.

    ...and she did that without actually trying to change herpromising position in the arms of the ck-haired boy...

    "...youngdy... you really have the guts... the audacity, to say that we can get away with having you here shielding ourselves with the dire situation that makes us forego the extensive background check... WHILE YOU ARE THE SINGLE, MOST OF THE RECOGNIZABLE WING MAGE IN THE ENTIRE BELLCEPHORA KINGDOM?!"

    Everyone had a limit to their patience, and Devios found his own for the first time in his life - which caused him to raise his voice and stomp his foot in a splendid outburst of utter annoyance.

    His counterargument to Miriette''s solution was simple, precise, and to the point.

    The dark-haired girl was even more recognizable than some of the unique variant magicians.

    The moment she would use her magic anyone except some extreme country bumpkins ormoners who never left their vige would recognize her because of the well-spread information.

    It was the biggest demerit of being the fianc¨¦e of the first prince on top of looking different from the standard of the popce.

    "Then I will wear a big helmet. Wind magicians aren''t known for having good physical defense so wearing it on the battlefield would not surprise anyone."

    Miriette shrugged, leaning down and nuzzling against the base of Zoemi''s neck.

    "You will even wear it inside, in between the skirmishes?! That will get just as much attention!"

    Devios scoffed and waved his hand, showing off how strongly opposed he was to the idea.

    "Really? Because I saw soldiers wearing them inside as I walked here. Where''s the problem in me doing the same."

    The dark-haired girl waved her hand dismissively as if she already have won the argument.

    "The only ones who do that are the people on active guard duty! That is not an excuse!"

    "Yes, it is. Stop being such a little ba..."

    *nom*

    "Kyaah~!"

    Devios gasped, having a hard time believing someone can be that pretentious, to which Miriette was going to double down on - until Zoemi nibbled on her ear without any warning causing her to let out a sweet voice, stopping the dark-haired girl before she went too far.

    "Miri, you are going too far this time. Devios has a point."

    The ck-haired boy finally said something that approached the realm of what the blue-haired boy brought him there for, but that didn''t particrly satisfy the person in question.

    Too little toote, as one could say.

    "..."

    Miriette pouted and her eyes narrowed as she red at Zoemi.

    "...fine..."

    "Wait, really?! So you will leave as if nothing happened, right?"

    She ended up pouting even more and she looked away but she did give up and muttered all sulky - which in turn caused Devios to perk up and call out in relief.

    "No. Instead I wille up with an excuse that you could use - since it clearly looks like you are incapable of on your own. Let''s see..."

    "!!!"

    But Miriette only scoffed and faced the younger boy with a mocking expression, making him flinch as his eyes widened.

    "I will still join but you will straight up put me into a pair with Zoemi. With how many bad rumors about him are circting, no one should question why a poor young girl is taking a defensive measure in his vicinity."

    The dark-haired girl dered only after a few seconds of thinking about the subject.

    "..."

    Devios froze in ce, straight up staring at the prideful face Miriette was making as if expecting her to dismiss everything by saying it was a joke.

    "Yes, that sounds usible enough to work."

    "...!"

    But when Zoemi ended up nodding and apuding the n, the young heir of the Perserios family slouched and began massaging his forehead as he could feel the headache approaching him like a tidal wave.

    "You cannot be serious. That will not work - it cannot work! Why would anyone want to pair Zoemi up with some random recruit?! Even with one-tenth of his abilities avable, he already is far too much to handle for hour veteranmanders to put into a proper use!"

    Devios raised his head looking up at the two, especially focusing on Miriette - who was being the more outrageous one by far.

    "You are getting on my nerves."

    *click*

    All of a sudden, the dark-haired girl frowned in annoyance and snapped her fingers.

    "Gu-huogh...?!"

    *thump*

    At her movement, the officer who was minding his own business staring at the wall,plying with Devios''s orders gasped for air, grabbed onto his neck, and fell to his knees.

    "Don''t you think that it is too far?"

    Even Zoemi didn''t stay silent, and he actually put Miriette down and looked at her with disapproval.

    "No. Not really. I gave him an easy-to-follow n but he just chooses to be difficult. It''s hardly my fault. Can we continue to at least hug while your uncle-inw makes the right decision?"

    The dark-haired girl shook her head from right to left with a stoic expression and immediately switched back to the cute voice as she looked upwards at the ck-haired boy.

    "Seeing innocent people getting tortured isn''t something that sets the cozy mood for me - so, no."

    "Hmph..."

    But Zoemi put his foot down - in a figurative manner at least - and declined while pointing at the very problematic situation Miriette was causing.

    "Whatever spell you are using, just stop it! He is going to die!"

    Devios demanded in an urgent voice, while all of his strong will was going to not actually attack the indifferent dark-haired girl.

 Chapter 446 145 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 6)

    Chapter 446  145 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 6)¡¡¡¡"Wow, someone is clearly extremely biased. That man must be very important, right? Since, you know, you want me to help just him and all. Because that means it''s okay if I keep the oxygen level low for everyone else in the castle, you know?"

    "!!!"

    Miriette, clearly in a bad mood over Zoemi rejecting her offer, turned towards Devios and dered while crossing her arms - and the unfortunate heir of the Perserios family became pale as a ghost when he could not see any signs of the dark-haired girl lying...

    Even though he had no idea what oxygen was, it was self-exnatory that Miriette keeping them down was what was causing the officer next to him to have such heavy problems with breathing.

    And apparently, it wasn''t just him but everyone in the castle?!

    "Don''t worry. I know who is off-limits - no one whose death could bring me actual trouble would be affected~"

    Miriette added, only fueling the actual fear brewing up in the younger boy''s stomach.

    What about the troops?

    What about the staff?

    "How can you do this?!"

    Devios gasped in disbelief, gritting his teeth while ring at the dark-haired girl.

    "Because you and your underling dying right next to you do not want to make things go my way, obviously. You aren''t all that bright, are you, kid?"

    "!!!"

    "...hhhhhyyy...!"

    Miriette shrugged her shoulders dismissively while ncing at Zoemi to her side - the ck-haired boy waspletely calm, and silent but not because of worry or anything.

    Devios, on the other hand, was taken aback and was about to respond to what exactly he thought about the dark-haired girl, but was interrupted by the affected man whizzing while attempting to inhale.

    "..."

    "..."

    The younger boy looked at the ck-haired one, but Zoemi was looking out of the window as if the whole situation did not affect him in the slightest way possible.

    "...fine..."

    With no other way except actually attack the dark-haired girl, the blue-haired boy lowered his head and muttered.

    "What was that~?"

    Miriette''s face bloomed into the biggest of mocking smiles and she leaned forward, turning her left ear, towards the crestfallen boy.

    "I said...!"

    "I helped out with your little y, but you don''t have to go that far, alright?"

    Devios raised his head, about to shout that he agrees with Miriette''s demands, but that was

    the moment when Zoemi stepped between them and reached out to touch the dark-haired girl''s face.

    "Since when did you be such a good actress, Miri?"

    "...huh...?"

    The ck-haired boy snickered, pinching the girl''s cheeks, while the younger boy gasped in confusion at thement.

    "Little Air Emprerror, please show yourself and release that man. In that exact order, if you would."

    Zoemi nced over his shoulder at the boy and the man in the water bubble, and...

    "..."

    "What in the world?!"

    Devios raised his voice and stepped back when the air around the recruitment officer''s neck and legs turned vibrant green revealing the shape of a lengthy rope-like snake.

    "Devios, deactivated your bubble or this little fellow will take all of your mana on their way out."

    "...!"

    Zoemi added, motioning at the vibrant green snake unwrapping itself from around the utterly terrified man.

    "haaaaaa*

    The younger boy did release his spell and the mana ended up making a sound like a person breathing out.

    "Wait...! If that is the spell that was causing him to suffocate, then...!"

    "If you are talking about Miri taking an entire castle hostage - then it is as you think. She lied."

    As the spell slithered back to Miriette, Devios helped the officer up and pointed his index finger with usation at Zoemi - who promptly nodded, making a lighthearted expression.

    "But you already agreed to go along with my n, so you better do just that or I will make those lies turn into truth really fast."

    The dark-haired girl leaned to the side to show up from behind Zoemi and dered with certainty.

    ---------

    *cling*

    "He did that on purpose."

    Mirietteined while flicking her finger against the rather blocky and ufortable-looking helmet.

    She was in a room right next to ZOemi''s chamber, sitting in front of a makeshift desk while the ck-haired boy was standing behind her and brushing her hair like the good old times.

    "You made a terrible first impression on him, so there you have it."

    Her former attendant didn''t have much to add in that regard, as it was easy enough to see that the girl was correct in her assumption.

    The protective headgear still had the makings of a very quick and thorough cleaning, so it must have been literally pulled from some ancient stack afterying there around for years.

    There even were a few spots that must have had ayer of rust scrubbed off and hurriedly patched up, giving the helmet an even worse look.

    "Pshh...! He is an heir of a noble family. He should have taken the defeat with dignity and learned from his mistakes while looking up to my masterful deceit!"

    The dark-haired girl scoffed, crossing her as she made a grumpy expression.

    "Not to mention that it wasn''t our first meeting ¨C although it was the first time he actually experienced my personality as it is... hmph."

    Miriette grumbled while ring at the helmet with an ugly facete.

    "Oh, I see. Still ¨C you are at fault for not specifying anything about the helmet itself... All in all, if all it takes to make Devios feel like he broke even with you is a bit of maliciouspliance, then I guess that it''s not that bad."

    "Not that bad... hmph... yeah, sure ¨C that''s because you aren''t the one who will have to wear it all the time! It probably stinks too!"

    The ck-haired boy smiled refreshingly and nodded with approval ¨C but that certainly didn''t make the dark-haired girl feel any better.

    The opposite, actually.

    But, Zoemi did have a solution to that.

    "Hey, Miri~?"

    "Hmm?"

    He called out in a soft voice which made her turn her head up to nce at him curiously.

    *chu*

    And as she was in such a position, e went ahead and kissed her forehead.

    "..."

    "Don''t be mean to our allies, please."

    As the dark-haired girl turned bright red and she closed her mouth bashfully, the ck-haired asked gently while tilting his head to look into Miriette''s eyes.

 Chapter 447 146 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 7)

    Chapter 447  146 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 7)¡¡¡¡*knock* *knock*

    Even though it wasn''t very appropriate, Burushi carrying the tray of Zoemi''s meal used her foot to announce her presence.

    "..."

    No one responded so the ck-haired boy must have either been still asleep or gone to the bathroom.

    Considering that it was already time for breakfast and Zoemi literally never slept in - as far as Burushi knew at least - so thetter option was more probable.

    Theck of a private bathroom in each room was a big difference from what the blond girl got used to in the Academy andter in the Banemor mansion, but it wasn''t such a big deal for her. And the same could have been saying about the ck-haired boy.

    That said, the question now was whether he left his quarter unlocked or not...

    "(Do you want me to help you?)"

    "...!"

    Suddenly, the lightest pressure brushed against her mind and a voice of the sentinel guarding her resounded in her mind making her flinch.

    "You...! What''s your deal now? You have been silent for, like, ten months and now you pop up on every asion!"

    Burushi wasn''tfortable with having conversations with an actual conscious being all within her mind so she muttered her response instead of just thinking it.

    To that, the murky-ck sphere, below the average size of the normal sentinel, emerged from within the blond girl''s shadow and flew up to her eye level.

    "(Before I was supposed to protect you from physical harm from others, now we are working together to get master food. Since I already am teleporting the dishes made by grandpa Benevirau, I can also help you out with delivering it)."

    The small sentinel answered tilting itself to the side.

    "I will have you know that I am not so clumsy as to fail to open the door while carrying something!"

    Burushi scoffed and puffed out her already proud chest and turned to the side, aiming at the door handle with her elbow.

    *click*

    With admirable ease, she managed to push it down and it turned out that the door was indeed unlocked.

    "Hmph~! See?"

    "(Good job, miss. Call me when you need me.)"

    She scoffed triumphantly but the sentinel responded in a patronizing manner as it descended and sunk back into her shadow.

    "If! If, not when!"

    Burushi hissed after it, but the murky-ck sphere did not find it necessary to respond to her.

    "I swear... when did they develop a personality like that?"

    The blond-haired girl shook her head and grumbled to herself conveniently missing the fact that the little sentinel spent the most time with her.

    Nheless, the door was unlocked so Burushi pushed it open and entered.

    "..."

    "...eh...?"

    ...and immediately made eye contact with a soldier in a standardized uniform who for whatever reason was wearing a rather strange full helmet covering their face and all...

    "He..."

    "I''m terribly sorry! I must have messed up the rooms!"

    The soldier finished buttoning up their shirt and raised their hand in an awkward greeting but the blond-haired heroine blushed heavily and backed off the room with her head lowered apologetically before the soldier actually was able to say something.

    "You little rascal! Why didn''t you tell me this was the wrong room?! What if I walked in on that guy a minute earlier while he was still changing?!"

    Embarrassed to all hell and back Burushi left the room and was hurriedly walking away while hissing furiously at her shadow where a single darker dot was floating innocently.

    "(It wasn''t the wrong room though.)"

    "Eh...?!"

    She was about to continueining, but the sentinel responded in a slightly grumpy voice, making her stop in her track.

    "Oh? Good morning, Burushi, are you lost? My room is back there."

    As that happened, the freshened-up Zoemi walked in on them from around the corner and greeted her before pointing back at the exact spot she exited a few moments ago.

    "...?"

    The blond girl looked up at him and then back at the door of the room she didn''t close properly while escaping and her eyes widened.

    "Zoe... my lord...! There is some strange person in your room! It might be a pervert!"

    Burushi straightened her back and dered in urgency.

    "Pffft...!"

    But the ck-haired boy''s reaction was quite far from what she expected.

    After all, Zoemi snorted and had to block his mouth and nose with one hand to hold back theughter.

    "Why...? Why are youughing at that! This is serious! Guys can get molested too, you know?!"

    Burushi blushed a bit in embarrassment, but she did not let go of the subject and stomped her foot to make her deration even a little bit more serious.

    "Burushi, you are right. The thing is, in this particr situation your reaction is very entertaining because that is most definitely not the case. I promise."

    "Yah, they can! And what if...?! Eh...? What do you mean?!"

    Zoemi exined calmly, and the blond heroine who was in the middle of making a powerful statement flinched and blinked a few times in confusion.

    "Here, allow with me. I will introduce the two of you."

    Seeing her like that made the ck-haired boy smile...

    ...slightly evilly, but that could be how his face looked - except not.

    It was most definitely an evil smile, but Burushi could not have realized that as Zoemi passed her and beckoned to follow him without turning back.

    The two of them walked towards the room and the ck-haired boy stopped a few steps away from it, making the blond girl confused.

    "Umm...? My lord...?"

    She asked, leaning to the side to nce at the boy''s face.

    "...oh...!"

    But then she nced at the door and saw a hand gripping the doorframe and the slightly strange soldier hiding behind it while also ring at her.

    "Now, now. Miss Etwistrall, my attendant, and I would like to enter my room."

    "..."

    Zoemi said with the most cheerful voice and the helmet moved a bit like the girl wearing it adjusted the position of the visor to re at him.

    "~!"

    The ck-haired boy waited so that he was sure that she can see him and winked, before meaningfully ncing back at the hesitant blond girl by his side.

    "Hmph."

    Miriette scoffed and shrugged her shoulders pulling the door ajar as she got deeper into the room.

    "Do you secrete some sort of phenomenons that lure in girls like that?"

    Burushi bumped into Zoemi with her hip and murmured while squinting her eyes at the girl wearing a full helmet indoors.

    The two of them went inside too and Zoemi closed the door as Burushi put the tray with food on the nearest t surface.

    "Burushi, meet my partner for the foreseeable future, Miss Mirienne Etwistrall, a daughter of a fallen Etwistrall family, who chivalrously chose to help with the defense of our beloved kingdom from the barbarians threatening the border. Miss Etwistrall, this is my attendant, Burushi, a rare variant healing attribute user."

    The ck-haired boy, fully intending on pulling an innocent prank on the blond heroine, straightened his back and introduced the two girls with an unnecessary amount of theatrical ir.

    "..."

    Miriette stayed silent and merely raised her head a bit to send Zoemi an intrigued gaze, but then to her surprise, Burushi stepped in between the two of them.

 Chapter 448 146 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 8)

    Chapter 448  146 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 8)¡¡¡¡"Oh, I see now. A lone girl from a fallen noble family just so happened to be assigned to the same unit as you, my lord?"

    Burushi nodded her head with a strict expression and red down at the slightly surprised Miriette while crossing her arms.

    "Let''s make one thing clear, miss Etwistrall. My lord, Zoemi Benevi Banemor is already taken!"

    "...?"

    "!!!"

    The blond girl dered, puffing out her chest as if she wanted to use it to knock out the girl far inferior in the volume area, which made Zoemi raise his brow and Miriette straight up flinched.

    "Yah, you heard me right. Although not officially, lord Zoemi is in a rtionship with my friend and I will not allow some up-anding seductress to try and steal him away from her!"

    Burushi announced with unwavering confidence leaving the other two stunned.

    Although not for long...

    "Ohohoho~ is that so...? I would like to see you try and stop me from doing whatever you might be imagining, miss attendant~"

    To Zoemi''s great surprise the dark-haired girl didn''t swoon over the deration of friendship the blond girl unknowingly gave them. Instead, she sat down on the bed and leaned on it in a confident - provocative even- way and made her voice sound unnecessarily seductive.

    "You...! I knew it! My lord, chase away this heathen! She''s here with ulterior motives! Chivalry my ass!"

    Seeing her like this, Burushi took a deep breath and called out pointing at Miriette with usation while turning around and looking up at Zoemi, who was barely able to hold back the amusedughter.

    -------

    "Burushi, you don''t have to actuallye with us to survey the battlefield, right?"

    Zoemi said, looking to his left at the blond-haired heroine sticking closely to his side.

    "You say that now, but I am the only person keeping an eye on that girl. You are far too nice to everyone, you know? That makes you easy to exploit!"

    Burushi dered while leaning forward and ring angrily at the girl wearing a full helmet that was on Zoemi''s left side and didn''t pay any attention to her angry hissing the whole time.

    ...or at least that''s how it looked like from Burushi''s perspective...

    "Am I really easy to exploit? I thought that I always tried to make people feel like they control me to make them do what I want... although, considering how often that didn''t go my way maybe you are right..."

    "(Eh?! Master, you were doing that on purpose?!)"

    "(...pffft...!)"

    |...|

    The ck-haired boy wondered out loud, but since even his resident sentinels couldn''t hold back their feelings on the subject, he realized that maybe things didn''t look the same from others'' perspectives...

    "Hmhm~ That''s a part of your charm, I guess~"

    "!!!"

    Miriette hummed in a very content way but that only made Burushi tens up as her face froze in a murderous grimace.

    "Don''t you dare talk like that to him! Zoemi, if

    you don''t tell her off, I will tell on you to you know who!"

    The blond girl hissed furiously at the helmet-wearing one and then she looked back up at Zoemi and dered with a grim expression.

    "Is she really doing something inappropriate though? She''s just being friendly."

    The ck-haired boy said, leaning down towards the heroine and whispering into her ear.

    "I''ll have you know that she wears the helmet because she is worried about me. I thank you for being worried about me, but you might be overly conscious about miss Etwistrall... maybe if you observe her closely you will find that things aren''t the way you think?"

    He added seeing that Burushi was already opening her mouth to scold him for being so dense.

    "...haa..."

    "...?"

    But to his surprise, the blond-haired girl only sighed and shook her head before looking up at him with pity.

    "Kindhearted guys like you are really sweet, but that''s why you need someone like me to keep all the sluts away. If you think that she is afraid of you then you really don''t know how girls act... She wears a helmet because she is afraid of you - ha! as if! That''s how she wants to get to you! Seriously. I am doing this for her too, by the way. Miriette would chew her head off if she saw how she acts."

    Burushi breathed out and exined in a hushed voice.

    "Youngsters no matter how strong you might be being toox so close to the battlefield can be deadly."

    A tall man in full armor with blue mana stones embedded in his gauntlets spoke up, ncing over his shoulder at the trio.

    From his point of view, it must have looked like they all were flirting all lighthearted despite the ce they were walking through, and he was slightly irked because of it.

    "(What is his deal? There are no bad guys in a mile radius...)"

    "(Maybe the bad guys have spells that work over big distance?)"

    The first ones to react to the guide showing the trio to the closest contested point on the border were Zoemi''s resident sentinels. The thing was neither of them could quite understand the man''s worries.

    "(The barbarians have spells that work on different principles than the elemental magic we use, so they might as well be able to affect us like that.)"

    "(EEEEHHHH...?!)"

    "(They can?!)"

    The small sentinel residing within Burushi''s shadow joined in too and Zoemi''s sentinels gasped in shock before starting to pay more attention.

    "/The hexes and curses don''t have a range limit, but usually require an item that belongs to or was a part of their target if they can''t actually see them. As long as they don''t have anything that belonged to our masters, everything will be fine from that far away.\"

    Then the shrunk air emperor wrapped around Miriette''s helmet to prevent it from falling off no matter what happened joined in and provided a more detailed exnation.

    "(Ooohhh...!)"

    "(So clever!)"

    "(...excuse me, were you invited to the sentinel only talk?)"

    Zoemi''s sentinels gasped in awe but Burushi''s didn''t seem all that happy.

    "(It''s sentinel only?! But our master can hear us...!)"

    "(Master, are you a sentinel?!)"

    "(...)"

    The first sentinel gasped in shock while the other straight up asked the ck-haired boy while the small sentinel went silent either because it got really angry or very embarrassed.

    "Is that so? How often this spot is contested through the day?"

    Zoemi decided to not get involved in the talk between the sentinels and the air emperor and instead asked their guide curiously.

    "Day...?! What in the world do you think this ce is? This spot is attacked once every few weeks at most and usually when the barbarians are trying to distract us from another target. If this ce would get harassed as often as you thought, it would mean that the bandits have taken over and settled in the eight or eleventh outpost a few miles ahead."

    The armored man scoffed, shaking his head and pointing towards the northeast where a fort-like structure was clearly visible on the foot of a mountain.

    "Good to know. Then, how often the mates are taken over by the barbarians'' hexes? And what is the effective range of an average hex?"

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy asked and his question clearly surprised the armored man.

    "I keep forgetting that you centralnders learn about barbarians from textbooks and whatnots..."

    He sighed and shook his head before continuing to walk forward.

    "Listen up, youngsters. Hexes and curses are not the same at all, honestly, most of the barbarians we fight aren''t even capable of using them. They are basically the equivalent of ourmoners. They have a chance with magicians only because of the extensive use of cursed items, which are their version of enchanted gear. Each tribe has more than enough curse users to have at least one if not two and more in each group they sent to fight us. Now, everything changes when ites to hexes - that type of magic is impossible to learn and has to be passed through the bloodline. That''s why the hex users are usually the Chiefs and their direct descendants. There are only a few of them in each tribe - and a tribe can often count a couple hundred to a thousand people. Things tend to get really troublesome when hex users are involved - honestly, it''s straight-up scary because they can take control of weak-willed magicians without the protection of water magicians."

    The man exined in a serious voice.

    "...howe you are so sure that it''s impossible to learn hexes...?"

    "Because that''s the captured barbarians have told us after thorough investigation."

    Zoemi asked in confusion to which their guide answered with a shrug as if it was obvious.

 Chapter 449 146 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 9)

    Chapter 449  146 - Perserios territory - part 1- Settling in (part 9)¡¡¡¡"...this doesn''t seem right now, does it...?"

    Zoemi muttered to himself.

    The small-scale showcase of the nearest contested point continued and ended within the next few hours without any surprises.

    In the end, it was just like the armored man had said - that point wasn''t often contested.

    It was just not an attractive point to barbarians since if they focused solely on it without capturing most - if not all - outposts on the way there it would beughably easy to retake by the Perserios''s forces after surrounding it as itcked an advantageous terrain of the other locations.

    As the trio returned to the Perserios castle Zoemi left Miriette for a moment and took Burushi to the side.

    "Good, I see you want me to advise you on how to get rid of that helmeted..."

    "Burushi, it was fun, but seriously. That helmeted heathen is Miriette."

    The blond heroine nodded with a content expression and spoke in a satisfied voice but then Zoemi rolled his eyes and cut her off.

    "EEEEHHHH?!"

    Burushi gasped as her eyes widened.

    "Shush. Seeing you act so protectively towards me was funny in a heartwarming way and I would love to continue the joke, but honestly, I doubt that Miriette would tolerate it if you tried to ever stop us from any sort of skinship."

    The ck-haired boy waved his hand dismissively, hurriedly exining things because he wanted to get to his actual point.

    "Wait! Seriously?! That is Miriette?! Why is she wearing such a ridiculous helmet?! Why didn''t you tell me sooner?! I was this close to calling her a tchested thieving cat!"

    Even so, Burushi wasn''t all too keen to move on from the subject and gasped.

    "Dear heavens... good thing you didn''t do that - even with all the good will you earned yourself by protecting me from her, she would have at least punched you for calling her that."

    Zoemi leaned back and shook his head in shock.

    *smack*

    "Hey! What was that for?!"

    The next moment the blond-haired girl smacked him on the shoulder and he frowned in confusion.

    "Don''t you - what was that for - me, you asshole! I was seriously worried that some bitch tires to seduce you!"

    *smack* *smack*

    Burushi scored out in anger and continued the assault.

    "I said I was sorry, okay? Now hold on and listen."

    "...hmph...!"

    Zoemi let her channel some of her anger but then grabbed her wrists and made a serious expression, which caused the blond girl to look away with a grumpy expression.

    "The thing that Devios''s cousin has told us, about the hexes and curses, don''t you find it strange?"

    He asked while holding Burushi''s wrists as she was still attempting to hit him despite looking away.

    "Are you asking because you suspect something or just want to change the subject? Because if it''s thetter then just let go of me? I need to go and apologize to Miriette for not recognizing her."

    Burushi finally stopped trying to beat Zoemi up and grumbled in annoyance.

    "Huh? Wait. Why aren''t you mad at her?! She could have told you too!"

    The ck-haired boy was about to answer but then he frowned and asked, offended by the clearly not equal treatment.

    "Because you surely were the mastermind behind this dumb prank, not to mention that I would be angry if my friend couldn''t recognize me just because of some stupid helmet!"

    Burushi was fuming and she faced Zoemi with a furious expression.

    "How are you so sure of that? Didn''t you say that you didn''t have friends?"

    "SHUT UP!"

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows and asked, tilting his head, which made the blond girl be red from anger as she raised her voice at him.

    With her hands restrained, she tried to kick him, but Zoemi dodged the attempt without much trouble.

    "Alright, I admit, thest one was too far. But to answer your original question, yes, I am serious. Something doesn''t seem right here."

    The ck-haired boy apologized and released the blond girl who backed off and red at him for a few more seconds.

    "..."

    And then a few more.

    "Alright. What exactly is suspicious in your opinion? What our guide said that made you feel conflicted?"

    After she decided that Zoemi made himself look apologetically and self-reflecting enough, Burushi breathed out and asked, motioning at him with her chin.

    "Apparently hexes are a bloodline thing and cannot be learned, right?"

    "Yah. That''s what he said. It wasn''t mentioned in the game so neither of us can confirm or deny it though."

    Zoemi said and Burushi shrugged her shoulders dismissively.

    "Yeah? So why Arisu can use it?"

    He pointed out with a concerned expression.

    "I... eh...? Umm..."

    The blond-haired heroine flinched, taken aback by the statement.

    "You know? I might be overthinking things again, but having someone like Arisu using hexes since he was small makes me think that it isn''t so hard. After all, in one of his events he shared a story about practicing light attribute spells for over a year before he was able to use the most basic one. And my informant assured me that our white-haired capture target was hexing people before he was twelve."

    The ck-haired boy leaned back and shrugged his shoulders delivering more facts to the cautious heroine.

    "So as long as neither the queen nor lord Lazaram are of barbarian descent, we can agree that the bloodline part doesn''t make sense."

    He added, raising his brow and looking straight at the concerned girl in front of him.

    "Well, yah, I guess, but... you do know that your informant might be the one mistaken, right?"

    Burushi asked not knowing that the informant in question was the second prince Surou.

    "True, but to be honest I prefer to trust them instead of a person that spent most of his life on a battlefield in close proximity to the people who might have hexed him."

    Zoemi responded in a calm but stern voice, making Burushi close her mouth and lower her head deep in thoughts.

    "We need to learn more. Both from the perspective of the Perserios family and that informant of yours."

    She spoke without raising her head as she stroked her chin in concern.

    "Alright, so, since we made that clear, I will be off now to be lovey-dovey with Miri, alright?"

    "Eh...? EEEHHH?!"

    The ck-haired boy nodded in satisfaction and took a step to the side while pointing in the same direction that the dark-haired girl wearing a strange helmet went, which caused a shocked voice from the blond-haired heroine.

    "What?"

    Zoemi asked in confusion, raising his brows at his shocked friend.

    "You want to be like that here?! Are you out of your mind? What if someone would spot you?!"

    Burushi began scolding him without a moment of hesitation.

    "Oh, don''t be like that. The people who know her real identity are aware of the consequences of going against her, and the rest never saw her face and should believe the word of their leader. That being Devios."

    "Should...?"

    Zoemi waved his hand and assured her, but Burushi didn''t seem particrly convinced as she asked.

    "Who in their right mind would believe that Mirienne is Miri? Even you got tricked - and you know her."

    He added trying to make apelling argument.

    "Don''t bring my ability to read people into this. Need I remind you that I didn''t realize that you were also a reincarnated person despite all the signs? Listen, all I say is that if everyone else gets tricked like that, then maybe we have a problem and they are all brainwashed already or something... Though that would be outrageous, considering that if it was actually possible then the barbarians would have already taken over ages ago. Okay, forget that. You know what we should do instead of overthinking?"

    The blond heroine mumbled in annoyance before straightening her back and asking.

    "...it''s kind of weird being on this side... sure, what we should do instead?"

    The ck-haired boy blinked a few times before encouraging the girl to continue.

    "Let''s go to Miri, she should at least try to change her voice or the way she speaks even a little bit."

    "I already told her that, but she said the helmet was enough and I recognized her because I like her that much - but maybe she will listen to you."

    Burushi scoffed before deciding and grabbing the ck-haired boy''s arm and pulling him towards the same destination that Miriette had - Zoemi''s room - as the boy revealed with a soft smile.

 Chapter 450 147 - Perserios territory - part 2 - Dark clouds on the horizon (part 1)

    Chapter 450  147 - Perserios territory - part 2 - Dark clouds on the horizon (part 1)¡¡¡¡"Zoemi, we might have a problem."

    The blue-haired Devios called out to the ck-haired boy returning from the scheduled training and group orientation.

    Zoemi stopped and turned around to him attentively while a blond-haired girl and a girl wearing a full helmet slowed their pace while ncing over their shoulders to see what it was about.

    "Come with me. It''s okay to tell your friendster but it would be better if they will not follow you this time."

    The young heir of the Perserios family added, putting pressure on the words at the end of his sentence.

    "No problem."

    Zoemi nodded and looked back at the girls, smiling and waving his hand dismissively to show that it wasn''t anything important and to go on without him.

    The two boys then went through the castle and ended up in Devios''s office.

    "Please, take a seat."

    "..."

    The younger boy pointed at the chair in front of his desk before he himself sat down and pushed some papers to the side to make room for his elbows.

    "As I said, we might have a problem."

    Devios took a deep breath and dered.

    "Yes, I think so too. It has been two weeks already and not a single barbarian attack happened on ANY strategic spot. They must be preparing something in the background. Then? What''s the n? Miri, Burushi, and I are ready for some recon mission any time."

    Zoemi nodded in agreement and asked back with a serious expression, all rearing to go.

    "What? No! The barbarian attacks finally settling down is not a problem - things are just returning to how they were before. No. The problem we have at our hands are rumors spreading amongst the troops."

    Devios leaned back with a shocked expression and shook his head in denial. His eyes widened, but soon enough he managed to calm himself and drummed his fingers on the desk.

    Zoemi thought that he might be wrong, but he certainly did not expect such a turn of events.

    "...what are those rumors...? You will not tell me that the magicians here believe that I am permanently stealing their mana, right?"

    "That''s also a no. This rumor has nothing to do with the rumors about you being the ringleader behind the kidnappings - which, by the way, stopped since you arrived here. The kidnappings, not the rumors."

    The ck-haired boy asked, leaning into his chair and furrowing his brows, but the blue-haired boy waved his hand denying it and exining that part.

    "Then...? What it is about? Do they think that I get favorable treatment during training or something?"

    Zoemi asked rxed a bit and asked curiously.

    "...well..."

    Devios opened his mouth just to close them and looked to the side slightly embarrassed.

    "You see, the thing is that miss Mirienne''s identity is safe to the point of the other troops thinking that you were the one who found and brought her here... and that you, and she, and miss Burushi are using our castle as a convenient love nest and aren''t treating the whole barbarian threat seriously..."

    The younger boy found it very ufortable to talk about, but as an heir of the Perserios family he couldn''t get away from the responsibility he took upon himself - that being meeting Zoemi in on the gossip circting amongst the troops.

    "Wow. Who would have known that it would be worse than in a school full of horny adolescent kids... tell me, Devios, do you think that your underlings are too bored with theck of life-threatening fights?"

    Hearing the actual thing made the ck-haired boy roll his eyes and sigh.

    Jealousy.

    The reason for the new rumors brewing up was pure and simple jealousy.

    "I can''t deny that it is the most likely the case, yes... but since you don''t want to showcase your power during the training..."

    The blue-haired boy nodded, clearly relieved that Zoemi responded the way he did and not in a more violent way, but he also lowered his head slightly and shared a suggestion.

    "Devios. You were the one to tell me to not try and conquer thends beyond the border with my sentinels even though I exined to you that it can be done. Why does it sound you now have a problem with meying low?"

    The ck-haired boy frowned and moved forward, now also hovering over the desk, right in Devios''s face.

    The blue-haired boy tensed up but he did not move back, facing Zoemi head-on like a leader always should.

    "As far as I remember, you received an exnation for that too. Zoemi, we don''t want to conquer anything. That''s the thing. Thend on which the barbarians are living is literally worthless to us. Conquering them would only add to the burden our territory and by extension, our kingdom is facing."

    He stood his ground in an exemry manner and spoke in a calm andposed voice despite the fact that he wanted to actually move back and apologize.

    "Genocide is also out of the question... things are really problematic. Are we really spending less money on keeping an army to fend the barbarians off than we would on making thisnd a part of Bellcephora kingdom?"

    In the end, Zoemi was the one to back away and sigh heavily, returning to the talk they had before.

    "That is up to the royal family and the gathering of the high aristocracy to decide, not a decision that we at the frontline can make."

    The blue-haired boy also breathed out but in his case, it was in relief.

    "Alright. Why is this particr rumor a problem?"

    "Huh?"

    Still, the next question that the ck-haired boy asked seemed to catch Devios by surprise.

    "Why is that a problem? Burushi is supposed to be amoner and Mirienne is a daughter of the fallen Etwistrall family. We all knew that something like that might happen but the girls said it is better to let people think that I am in a slight rtionship with both of them. That way no one will try to hit on them - at least no one with a brain."

    Zoemi repeated and gave a bit more information about the circumstances.

    "O-oh... is that so...? Sorry for misunderstanding then... I just assumed you and your fitness wouldn''t like something like that being said behind your back..."

    For the first time, Devios fidgeted and seemed to act a little bit more like someone his age - at leastpared to how he normally was.

    "It''s okay. Honestly, I''m honored that you keep an eye out for anything that might bring any harm to us. Thank you for going out of your way. If that''s it then I will be on my way back."

    Zoemi nodded with a bright smile as he got up from the chair and walked towards the door.

    "But just in case - since I already mentioned barbarians preparing in the shadow, it would be best to put up more patrols and beef up the night watch duty."

    The ck-haired boy added, stopping at the doorstep and ncing back at the surprised Devios.

    "Do you have some information or clue that we are missing...?"

    The younger boy asked, making a concerned expression but Zoemi merely shook his head and shrugged.

    "Nah. I''m probably just overthinking again. Forget that I said anything."

    The ck-haired boy nodded apologetically and left.

 Chapter 451 147 - Perserios territory - part 2 - Dark clouds on the horizon (part 2)

    Chapter 451  147 - Perserios territory - part 2 - Dark clouds on the horizon (part 2)¡¡¡¡"[A GROUP OF BARBARIANS HAVE ATTACKED AND TAKEN OVER THE FIRST OUTPOST! I REPEAT! A GROUP OF BARBARIANS HAVE TAKEN OVER THE FIRST OUTPOST! THEY HAVE AT LEAST FOUR CURSE USERS AND A HEX USER! THEY ARE AIDED BY AN UNKNOWN MAGE USING AN UNKNOWN VARIANT, SPELLS THEY CAST ARE MELTING EVERYTHING THEY COME IN CONTACT WITH! EVERYONE ON STANDBY!]"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi woke up to the voice of the wind magician officer sending out the message to everyone within the castle.

    The ck-haired boy immediately jumped out of the bed and dressed up when...

    "{SHUT UP! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW FAR THE FIRST OUTPOST IS?! DO THEY HAVE LIGHT MAGES HELPING THEM TOO OR SOMETHING?!}"

    Another voice - this one far more powerful - drowned the announcement.

    "...toote..."

    Zoemi framed to himself and lowered his head in defeat, although he did leave his quarter and walked down the hallway.

    He passed a few bbergasted soldiers just looking around in confusion, unaware of who had just made their officer stop repeating the very important message.

    *knock* *knock*

    Within a minute, the ck-haired boy was in front of the right door and lightly tapped it before pushing his way inside as they were unlocked.

    "The auda-aaa-acity... of those people...!"

    Miriette was already wearing a helmet even though she barely put a shirt on, and was grumbling, deeply offended by the whole situation.

    "Miri..."

    "..."

    Zoemi sighed while approaching the girl who did not say anything and instead walked up to him and immediately went for a hug, pressing the hard and bumpy helmet into the boy''s chest and almost hitting his chin with it too.

    "...did you kill that other wind mage with the pressure of your message spell...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, gently stroking the girl''s back.

    "Hmph. No... They exined that in case of emergency an officer will be contacting everyone... and I reme-e-eeembered it just in time. He will live. And if we ask Burushi to help him out... then he might even hear again.

    Miriette nagged while clinging sleepily to Zoemi.

    "Scary. Alright, if he''s alive then all is good. Let''s dress you up and go to the briefing room as we did during the practice emergency. Okay?"

    "...shower..."

    The boy snickered but then he pulled away from the girl and walked straight to the old cupboard that had to do for a closet, as Miriette mumbled and moved in the direction where the bathroom in her dormitory room back in the Aspakeony Academy was.

    *thump*

    *thunk*

    "...eh...?"

    The girl reached out her hand to grab the door handle that wasn''t there and when she looked down to see why she didn''t grab anything, she ended up bumping her helmet against the empty wall and stumbled backward thrown in for a loop.

    "I might have seen it countless times, but having you unable to wake up without taking a bath will always be the most adorable thing."

    Zoemi smiled brightly as he returned to the helmet-wearing girl''s side with a fresh set of uniforms for her to wear.

    "And thank you for always making sure that she is wearing the helmet just in case."

    The boy added, ncing down at thepletely transparent air emperor coiling herself around Miriette''s neck.

    "..."

    The air emperor didn''t respond but nodded at Zoemi, making the boy snicker and nod back.

    "Zoemi... where did the bathroom go...? Did the barbarians take over it too...?"

    Miriette whose mind was still woozy, mumbled in an adorably pitiful voice as she turned to her former attendant and pointed at the empty wall.

    "Pffft...! No, they... Wait! Oh, dear goodness! The barbarians! Miri, you had a bath before going to bed, you will be fine. We need to get going!"

    Although his first reaction was to melt over the sleepy cuteness of the dark-haired girl, her half-sleeptalk brought him back to the reality that he momentarily lost contact with and he hurriedly helped her dress up.

    -----

    They were on their way to the way to the briefing room and judging by theck of people in the hallways they were runningte.

    |Please, open the gate for us.|

    "(Yes, sir~!)"

    Zoemi thought and his second sentinel answered yfully as the murky-ck shadow climbed the wall next to them, creating a menacing arch.

    "Miri, we''re taking a shortcut."

    "Nnn..."

    The ck-haired boy put his arm over the helmet-wearing girl''s shoulders and led her into the darkness as she let out an indifferent sound indicating that she was falling asleep again.

    ------

    "...!"

    As the pair emerged from a murky-ck spot that suddenly appeared on the wall instead of the door a little bit to the right, the briefing room becamepletely silent.

    Everyone just stared at the ck-haired boy casually strolling in with the helmet-wearing girl by his side...

    ...which made Devios close his eyes and hold back a sigh.

    Despite what he personally thought about the entrance of the two, he could not be left stunned by its entricity.

    "With that, everyone is here. This is what we know."

    The blue-haired heir of the Perserios family straightened his back and started speaking, getting back the attention of therge conference room''s worth of people.

    "As everyone has already heard, the barbarians have managed to capture the first outpost. Today at exactly..."

    As Devios was exining, Zoemi spotted Burushi slumped in the corner and made his way towards her together with Miriette, after asking his sentinels to cast muffle so that at least the sounds they were making would not bring more distraction than their sudden appearance already did.

    "Yo. I see you aren''t a morning person either."

    The ck-haired boy greeted the blond heroine in disheveled clothes with a smile as he motioned at the swaying, half-asleep Miriette at his side.

    "...yah... not to mention that I was dragged out of the bed to heal up that guy who got messed up by the message spell interruption or whatever..."

    Burushi scoffed, squinting her eyes at Zoemi, angry since she expected him to be mocking her.

    Index, the disorderly buttoned, tugged-out shirt, and the crooked cor alone made it look like she wasn''t just dragged out of the bed, but rather dragged all the way towards the patient.

    "...it was confirmed that although the front gate was melted by the spell of the unknown magical, the other one was opened by a soldier taken over by the hex user. Thest report from fifteen minutes ago states that the troops stationed there are getting pincered and the earth magicians will try to create an emergency exit. We haven''t received any update on whether that n worked or not. The second and third outposts are preparing to send in their troops, same with the fourth and seventh. As the ce we have the most reserves, we will send supplementary units to either help retake the first outpost or aid in defending the possible next target. As for..."

    "Well... I do hate to be right about my bad feelings sometimes... now if you excuse me."

    Devios wasposed and delivered the speech as if there was no doubt in his mind that the attack is not the reason to panic and it will be dealt with swiftly - to which Zoemi groaned to himself before reaching towards the cornered heroine.

    "Eh?! Now hold on! What do you think you are doing in front of everyone?!"

    As the boy''s hands were definitely moving towards her voluptuous chest of hers which was barely contained by the slovenly affixed buttons, Burushi blushed in embarrassment and tried to back off, but her back met the wall.

    "Right in front of Miri, too?!"

    She gasped in usation crossing her arms on her breasts to block the ess.

 Chapter 452 147 - Perserios territory - part 2 - Dark clouds on the horizon (part 3)

    Chapter 452  147 - Perserios territory - part 2 - Dark clouds on the horizon (part 3)¡¡¡¡Miriette wrapped her arms around Zoemi''s arm and leaned her helmet against his shoulder while staring at the blond-haired heroine.

    "...Buru, you look like a slob..."

    "Eh...?"

    The helmet-wearing girl mumbled sleepily causing the other one to gasp as her eyes widened with realization.

    "..."

    Zoemi''s expression was also telling her everything she needed to know about what was actually going on.

    "Burushi, you are a very pretty girl, but need I remind you that I had her in the most vulnerable state right next to me, and I never betrayed her trust?"

    The ck-haired boy added, motioning at Miriette, and went ahead with his original intention and began fixing the blond heroine''s disheveled clothes.

    He also made sure that he is properly blocking the view for anyone not paying enough attention to the briefing that the young heir of the Perserios family was in the middle of giving.

    "Not really - I was trying to seduce you since you woke up after saving me from those two scum. You are just really good at ignoring things."

    "Ah, right. Just like I''m going to ignore thisment of yours? I see. Good."

    Miriette was slowly waking up and functioning like normal, but she still said something that she would normally save for a different asion - and made Zoemi send her a grumpy look before shaking his head and continuing to help out his attendant.

    "...finally, Zoemi and miss Etwistrall will join the sixth squad that will provide support to the third outpost in case of..."

    The blue-haired boy looked over at the ck-haired boy and his entourage right in time to see Zoemi stepping back and revealing the perfectly dressed - and shockingly enough,bed - Burushi.

    "Commander, do you want us to just retake the first outpost?"

    He surely was going to add something more, but Miriette stretched before entertaining her fingers with Zoemi''s and asked in an indifferent voice.

    "...!"

    ...which ended up making the atmosphere in the briefing room go from tense to straight-up chilly...

    Except for the surprised Devios, literally, every person in the room red at her as if she had lost her mind.

    "That''s a simple question,mander. Do you want lord Zoemi and me to retake the first outpost? We sure can wait for the soldiers there to die and all to make it more of a dramatic revenge mission, but I was under the impression that you want to prevent as many casualties on our side as possible~"

    Miriette did not pay any attention to the attention she received and repeated herself, identally slipping into her normal, slightly seductive way of speaking.

    "Both sides, preferably. I would like to learn about barbarians'' reasoning and whether there is a way to makesting peace with them. But that''s for the future. For now..."

    The younger boy responded calmly and furrowed his brows, intrigued.

    "My lord - you can''t be seriously considering allowing them to try something like that!"

    The same person who was guiding the ck-haired boy, the helmet-wearing girl, and the blond-haired girl spoke up in exasperation and his fully visible face twisted in disbelief.

    "..."

    Devios closed his mouth and looked at him without the slightest change in his expression.

    Both Miriette and Zoemi could tell that the younger boy was holding himself back from rolling his eyes and groaning.

    In the first ce, Devios wasn''t going to allow such recklessness even knowing Zoemi''s power, and hearing about Miriette''s capabilities.

    But for whatever reason, his older cousin tried to make it seem like the blue-haired boy was all for it.

    |Little ones outside, does any of you is near the first outpost?|

    Zoemi sent out his thoughts to his sentinels roaming the world.

    "(AH! Master is cheating on us!)"

    "(Master! We can teleport you there right now!)"

    Interestingly enough, his resident sentinels didn''t particrly like the notion of their creator asking anyone else for help, and fired out in disbelief.

    |Shush, your task is to keep me safe and help me out. I will not send you away when I''m in a state that can get me incapacitated after casting a spell or two.|

    The ck-haired boy scolded them for cluttering his mind with unnecessary banter, but to the two sentinels, it sounded a bit different.

    "(Eheheh~ yes, yes. Master trusts us the most~!)"

    "(Master, we love you too!)"

    They responded all happily and when Zoemi nced down, he could see two dark dots dancing around in joy within the boundaries of his shadow.

    "(...I am sorry to intrude, but I am in the first outpost in the room with the barricaded Perserios troops...)"

    |!!!|

    Just as Zoemi was looking up, one of his free roaming sentinels contacted him back, sounding quite apologetic.

    |That''s perfect! First of all, connect a shadow gate to my current location and send them all back here and... umm...|

    The boy perked up and instructed the timid sentinel before realizing something.

    |While you are doing that, could you tell me how did you get there?|

    He asked, slightly confused about the circumstances that lead his summon spell to that situation.

    "(I''m sorry...! I was flying around but then the brainwashed people attacked the fort and killed some of the soldiers. The brainwashed people have a weird magician that melts everything and she is strong. Really strong. She can melt other spells, and I got scared, so when she trapped and finished off all the earth magicians, the other soldiers shouted to group up and hide, so I did...)"

    "Brainwashed people...?! No, first of all, the Perserios''s troops BARRICADED themselves inside an enclosed space WITHOUT any earth magicians to get them out of there when their opponent can melt things!? Sent them in right now, little one!"

    "Umm... Zoemi...?"

    "See? He''s crazy!"

    The ck-haired boy got something surprised that he switched from thinking, straight to speaking out loud which surprised Devios while making the blue-haired boy''s older cousin scoff with a half triumphant, half-annoyed expression.

    "(...you aren''t angry at me, master...? O-okay, I''m sending them...!)"

    The apologetic sentinel became slightly less timid and cheered.

    *WHOOM*

    *thump* x8

    "AAAHHH...! Huh...?"

    The next moment, Zoemi''s shadow expanded and became murky-ck - then it bulged upwards like an abscess and burst open spewing six men and two women in the soldier uniforms and various pieces of armor hurriedly affixed on top of them for protection - all of which shouted or cited in shock until they realized where they were.

    "Wha... what...?"

    Devios''s cousin gasped and his jaw dropped at the sight.

    "Squad three and part of squad five from the first outpost... report what is going on there. Immediately."

    Even despite the shock, the young heir of the Perserios family proved why he was bestowed with the future of their family and called at the survivors that Zoemi''s sentinel brought in.

    "Alright. Burushi, go and check up on them. Zoemi and I will go see what the big fuss is about. Zoemi, this gate can go both ways right?"

    Using the confusion, Miriette leaned back and said to Burushi - who had already begun walking towards the rescued soldiers - before tugging on Zoemi''s hand and trying to take a step forward into the murky-ck shadow in front of them.

    "...there is a magician there that can melt spells, objects, and people..."

    Zoemi pointed out, already strongly suggesting that the dark-haired girl should stay behind, out of the habit of protecting her at all cost.

    "Psh...! I want to see him try."

    Miriette scoffed proudly and her body began shining with the vibrant green light of wind enchantments Zoemi felt the gust of the wind shields grinding against each other in a protectiveyer around the two of them.

    "Apparently is a woman too."

    "Oh, then I am definitely going, I don''t need another rival."

    The ck-haired boy added, to which the helmet-wearing girl scoffed angrily and clenched clung to his arm a lot tighter.

    "Hey! What are you two trying to do?!"

    Surprisingly enough - or not - Devios''s cousin switched his attention from the survivors that were being inspected by the blond-haired heroine to the pair about to disappear.

    "With a mage that can melt everything let loose in the outpost, the chances of decreasing casualties on our side are disappearing with each second. Someone has to go there and at least chase the barbarians away unless the thing you all want to retrieve is a bloody goop residue."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and exined calmly, with a mocking smirk that made him look like a viin.

    That was actually just so no one would try to approach to stop them since Miriette''s wind shields didn''t differentiate friend from foe and would kill anyone unaware or stupid enough to try to detain them.

    And then...

    "We will get the outpost back, and you all will be able to return to peacefully gossiping about how we make love~"

    Miriette snickered in amusement and mocked the troops in the room before pulling Zoemi straight into his own shadow.

 Chapter 453 148 - Perserios territory - part 2 - Dark clouds on the horizon (part 4)

    Chapter 453  148 - Perserios territory - part 2 - Dark clouds on the horizon (part 4)¡¡¡¡*WHOOM*

    "Whoa...!"

    In a small, cramped room that could have been an emergency food storage at some point, a boy and a girl were thrown out of a murky-ck circle on the floor.

    The girl, who wore a rather silly-looking helmet almost lost her bnce and let out a surprised voice, but the ck-haired boy caught her just in time and pulled her close to himself.

    "Yeah. Since we didn''t travel like that a lot, I was going to remind you that the momentum is carried over when passing through the shadow gate."

    Zoemi smiled at the slightly embarrassed girl before pulling away just a bit and looking around.

    "Ah... I see - don''t jump in unless you are prepared."

    "Don''t jump in unless you are prepared."

    Miriette asked and Zoemi nodded while repeating after her.

    "(...was it okay to bring both of you here? I didn''t ask whether you are okay with it, master, but that girl was so confident and I just went with the flow and... I apologize!)"

    The apologetic sentinel cried out in a distressed and overly conscious voice bing more and more timid with each word it conveyed via the message spell.

    |You did a great job, little one. Hang around if you want or continue roaming like before. Thank you for the help~!|

    Zoemi smiled stealthily at the shadow on the ground and thought toward the apologetic sentinel.

    "(M-master, you are too kind for someone like me...! I-I will leave if that is okay...?)"

    The sentinel gasped and changed back from the gate into the murky-ck sphere that trembled slightly as it hovered towards the barred window.

    |Have fun out there - and be careful, you seem a bit too kind, don''t follow strangers just because they shout at you.|

    "(I...! I''m sorry, master! I will be careful from now on! I apolo... no, that''s not it...! Bye-bye, master!)"

    The anxious sentinel gasped and zoomed out of the room, turning into murky-ck mist and phasing through the window.

    "Cute."

    "Aren''t they?"

    Zoemi heard Miriette mutter and turned to her with a beaming smile.

    Both the helmet-wearing girl and the ck-haired boy nodded at each other and faced the only door.

    "You don''t mind me taking care of the barbarians, do you?"

    Miriette asked in a prideful and demanding voice, but it was rather clear that she was doing that on purpose.

    In the end, she was worried about Zoemi using magic.

    "I wouldn''t dare to try and stop you~"

    The boy''s smile became a lot softer and he properly bowed towards his former master, benevolently waving his hand towards the door as he dered yfully.

    "But, just in case - my sentinel said that most, if not all forces invading this outpost are brainwashed."

    He added, looking up at the helmet-wearing girl, awaiting her reaction.

    "Fine. I will adjust the strength of my spells ordingly."

    Miriette nodded while already lifting her hand and pointing her index finger at the door.

    "There is someone outside."

    Zoemi warned her, as his sentinels cast the ice armor, dding his body with a strong defensive spell that doubled as a physical enchantment.

    "I know."

    The helmet-wearing girl nodded and...

    "BOOOM*

    *CRUSH*

    *WHAM*

    ...flicked her finger, smashing the door apart and sending whatever was left of it right into the barbarians who were about to storm the storage anyway.

    The thing was, the spell that she used didn''t just stop on the door itself - the barbarians were all showered with splinters and chunks of wood while they were being thrown and held against the wall by the enormous wind pressure.

    *thump*

    "..."

    Zoemi leaned to the side and looked at the half a dozen men sliding down the wall, unconscious.

    "They are still breathing."

    Miriette nced at him and pointed out in reassurance, only slightly hinting that she went a bit too far with the first strike.

    Zoemi rolled his eyes and walked toward the passage, looking to the sides to confirm more hostiles.

    Interestingly enough, although originally there were eight people barricaded inside the room that Zoemi and Miriette appeared in, the six bandits that got knocked out by the girl''s opening spell were all who were in the entire hallway...

    "Peculiar... is one of them a hex user, then...?"

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows checking up on the knocked-out barbarians...

    "Say...How is an average barbarian supposed to look?"

    He asked while crouching by the most wounded one and freezing the open lesion with the outeryer of his ice armor.

    "Eh...? Well, depends. Since it was quitemon for themoners from our side to be rather friendly with them... I guess the most notable difference would be the love for intricate tattoos and face paint which our culture isn''t particrly fond of."

    The helmet-wearing girl answered after a moment of hesitation, before approaching the ck-haired boy.

    "What about it?"

    She asked standing by his side and ncing down at the bodies he was inspecting.

    "None of them have their faces painted or tattooed or anything. Not even makeup or anything."

    Zoemi pointed out each and every person.

    "...wouldn''t you say that their gear shows who they are much better than their faces, though?"

    The girl sighed and pointed at the body armor made from pelts and just normal wood, with glowing markings carved into it.

    The marking was simr, but not quite the same as the runes the Atreterve magic engineers would use to guide the mana out of the mana crystals.

    The most obvious difference from that was that the marking of Barbarians had, didn''t took power from mana stones, as there was not a single mana stone on any of the barbarians.

    "Don''t judge a book by its cover. Remember when I said that my sentinel reported the barbarians to be brainwashed?"

    Zoemi waved his hand dismissively and asked, slightly taking off the arm protector of the nearest bandit.

    "You can take souvenirster, someone must have heard the noise I made."

    "Let''s say this one is on the house."

    Miriette pointed out and turned her back to the dead-end of the hallway and her eyes narrowed in anticipation - but in contrast to her readiness, Zoemi merely shrugged his shoulders and...

    ...dropped the arm protector to the floor - but instead of bouncing off of it making some noise, the piece of armor sunk into the murky-ck shadow as if it was a puddle of ink.

    |Little ones, how good are you with figuring out different types of magic?|

    Zoemi asked while standing up and moving behind Miriette''s back to show her that he was going to follow her, without any unnecessary talking that could potentially rm the approaching enemy about their presence.

    "If you don''t mind I''m going to actually do what I lied about with Devios before."

    "Go ahead~"

    The helmet-wearing girl warned the ck-haired boy and received an immediate encouraging answer.

    With that, she smirked and raised her head with a mocking expression.

    Then, Miriette spread her fingers apart and...

    *WHOOOOOOSH*

    Zoemi felt that the pressure around him increased as if he was locked inside an invisible bubble - while on the outside of the said bubble, the air quake spread around in all directions.

    "You can differentiate friend from foe with that, right?"

    Zoemi added, but to that Miriette only shrugged.

    "It''s not a spell that kills, it''s the spell that knocks everyone out. Lack of oxygen will not be a serious problem for a moment few seconds, but it will incapacitate them nice and peacefully."

    She revealed and waited for the effect.

 Chapter 454 148 - Perserios territory - part 2 - Dark clouds on the horizon (part 5)

    Chapter 454  148 - Perserios territory - part 2 - Dark clouds on the horizon (part 5)¡¡¡¡"Is changing the oxygen levels an efficient way to spend mana?"

    Zoemi asked curiously as he and Miriette walked down yet another flight of stairs, searching for their way out.

    "It is, actually. I am not erasing or creating anything new, just pushing aside or bringing back what is already there. That said... how in the world are we not outside yet...?"

    The helmet-wearing girl answered confidently, before groaning and waving her hand in an unspecified direction.

    The building they were in should not be that hard to navigate through.

    Basically, the other day they were shown through one of the outposts and assured that every single one has been built in the same exact way.

    "This here should be the exit, right?"

    *knock* *knock*

    The girl asked tapping her knuckles against a solid rock wall at yet another dead end.

    "It really should..."

    Zoemi nodded and touched the wall with a concerned expression.

    He wasn''t just being nice or considerate to Miriette who had a poor sense of direction.

    ...mainly because she had no trouble navigating every space she was thanks to her magic...

    "..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and looked through the barred window

    The outside was silent, Miriette''s spell must have already put everyone else to a forced sleep...

    There really was nothing out of the ordinary to see there...

    "Why do they have to build every hallway and staircase to be the same?"

    *crack*

    The helmet-wearing girl scoffed in annoyance and stabbed into the wall with her magically enchanted finger, leaving a hole in the stone.

    "Tsk."

    She clicked her tongue and walked off without adding anything.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy frowned and followed her.

    "(Master, why is she angry? You can be lovey-dovey now to kill time!)"

    The first sentinel called out in a slightly confused voice.

    |Not at all, little one. Miri wants to be lovey-dovey with me after we retake the outpost. She told Devios and all of those troops that we will retake the outpost, but we ended up getting lost on our way out.|

    Zoemi smiled patiently and exined the misunderstanding that his sentinel seemed to have about their situation.

    "(Can''t we blow the wall or something?)"

    The first sentinel asked taken aback.

    "We don''t want to destroy the outpost..."

    Zoemi shook his head behind Miriette''s back and thought, but as he did, he already realized the simple mistake he fell for.

    "(Eh...? But we can destroy the wall and then fix it, though...? Can''t we...?)"

    "(We can!)"

    The first sentinel wondered with hesitation and got a quick and cheerful answer from the second one.

    "Miri. My sentinels can create an exit for us at any point."

    "...!"

    Zoemi, slightly red from the embarrassment that he didn''t realize such an obvious thing sooner, spoke up to the girl in front of him, making her stop in ce.

    "..."

    Miriette said nothing and only lowered her head as if she was upset about something.

    "Miri...?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, but that only made the girl sigh.

    "...I stabbed that wall to make a mark to confirm whether we were looping or not... I read it in a book and all..."

    Miriette ended up revealing, sighing so heavily that her shoulders dropped.

    "Wait. Hold on! What do you mean to check whether we were looping - we were walking down the stairs! This is a building and not some optical illusion drawing."

    Zoemi shook his head and backed off in surprise.

    "We probably took some wrong turn and..."

    He said, trying to not sound too harsh, and walked to the barred window - and his jaw dropped.

    From his perspective, most things looked just fine.

    The other building, the well, the outer wall of the outpost...

    But.

    A ray of sunshine decided to shine through the thick veil of clouds at that exact moment.

    And it was horizontal as if someone had tilted the sky.

    After a closer look, it became clear that the clouds were moving diagonally and not horizontally as they should.

    "I know it''s stupid but I couldn''t help myself from trying it out. I mean, our current circumstances are just like in that one novel and... Zoemi?"

    Miriette shook her head and admitted in an embarrassed voice, but as she turned around and saw the frozen boy she gasped and walked toward him.

    "What are you looking a... EH?!"

    She asked in a worried voice after not seeing anything particrly odd at the first nce, but then she noticed the particr way the clouds moved and also gasped.

    |Little ones, create an exit for us.|

    "(At once~!)"

    The ck-haired boy thought and his first sentinel cheered out.

    *rumble*

    *crumble*

    The next moment the wall trembled and broke apart, creating an arch through which Zoemi and Miriette could finally get out.

    *thump*

    "Whoa...?!"

    The ck-haired boy jumped out first, and as soon as his feet touched the ground he almost lost his bnce.

    When he turned around to look at the building he understood why was that the case.

    Everything was bent out of shape.

    The building he just left looked like some culinary reject, with wobbly walls and wave-like, almost circr structure.

    Simrly, the ground that the boy stood on, as well as the well, the other building, and the outer wall that he saw through the window wasically deformed and bent at an angle.

    "Oh my...! What in the world is going on here...?"

    Miriette leaned through the hole andmented on the world outside.

    "A very strong magician who can melt things... what''s worse, since this was clearly done on purpose, she must have expected us to show up."

    Zoemi said out loud, repeating what the apologetic sentinel had told him before transporting them to the outpost.

    "Aww~ hearing that form you would make me cry tears of joy ten months ago... but now it makes me want to vomit."

    Then someone responded to the ck-haired boy - but it was neither Miriette nor any of his sentinels or puppets.

    "!!!"

    Zoemi turned around and looked up.

    On the very top of the building melted out of shape stood a person wearing a set of ck and gray clothes that could be described only as a form-fitting hazmat suit.

    They even had a gasmask on - but instead of the filters, the essory had shining mana crystals attached to it.

    Actually, the mana crystals were embedded in the suit the person was wearing too, in at least twelve spots - the middle of the chest, stomach, hands, forearms, shoulders, knees, and ankles.

    |Sent a boulder her way, and freeze her while she defends.|

    "Is that so? What happened in such a short amount of time? Not to mention that it would be proper to start with an introduction. You know, since you''ve ruined your own element of surprise and all."

    Zoemi thought to his resident sentinels while speaking out loud somethingpletely different.

    "Pffft...! Sure, why not? Mirienne Etwistrall, the daughter of the fallen Etwistrall family. At your service."

    "...wha...!?"

    The girl at the top of the melted buildingughed and shrugged before performing a mockery of a curtsy towards the extremely shocked ck-haired boy.

    Zoemi''s eyes widened and he nced at equally shocked Miriette who was staring up at the girl whose identity she borrowed...

    "That''s right. It''s me~ but I''ve heard there is someone shamelessly using that name of mine... isn''t that right...?"

    The real Mirienne stared straight down at Miriette and snickered.

    But since she wasn''t looking...

    *RUMBLE*

    *WHOOOSH*

    A massive boulder tore itself from the ground right beside Zoemi and shot at the magic-hazmat-suit-wearing girl.

    *WHOOOO*

    At the same time, a torrent of ice-cold air descended upon her from above.

    *KSHHHHHH*

    But both of those attacks never met their target as the mana keeping them together with melted away long before they reached the real Mirienne.

    Since the boulder was made out of actual stone and mana only gave it momentum, itsted a bit longer, but not by much.

    The vibrant, neon pink mes covered the projectile and turned it into a dirty vapor that simply sttered below the girl''s feet and began dripping down the wall of the building.

    "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Weren''t you supposed to be a patient man, mister former perfect attendant? I wasn''t even done with my introduction."

    Mirienne clicked her tongue and shook her head at the tense boy, and wagged her finger at him yfully.

    "As I said. My name is Mirienne Etwistrall, daughter of the fallen Etwistrall family. A former wind magician who underwent an attribute changing experiment that went wrong... You see I was supposed to be a darkness magician or at least a shadow magician. What I got instead turned out to be... pure acid attribute~"

    The girl cleared her throat and revealed herself pompously, straightening her back and taking a stance that suggested she waited for the apuse...

    ...that never came...

 Chapter 455 148 - Perserios territory - part 2 - Dark clouds on the horizon (part 6)

    Chapter 455  148 - Perserios territory - part 2 - Dark clouds on the horizon (part 6)¡¡¡¡|Either put her for a time out in the darkness or teleport her away, little ones.|

    Zoemi thought to his sentinels, and they acted without hesitation.

    *WHOOOM*

    With a well-known to the ck-haired boy sound, a puddle of darkness spilled beneath the acid-attribute-wielding girl, ready to swallow her whole at a moment''s notice.

    *KSHHHHHH*

    "(OWWWWWWWW...!)"

    ...or at least it was supposed to.

    Right as the feet of the real Mirienne sunk into the murky-ck puddle, the darkness attribute mana began sizzling and burning away from the contact, sending the poor first sentinel away, crying.

    "(HUH...?! YOU...!)"

    The second sentinel gasped in confusion and their voice grew deeper in anger.

    *SHING*

    *KSHHH*

    *crumble*

    Without Zoemi having any time to formte a clear thought about the situation, the second sentinel emerged from within his shadow and unleashed an icy wind de.

    The spell did not harm the acid magician as it sizzles out and melted despite being much faster than the boulder from before.

    That said, the attack did have an effect.

    The wind de created by the furious second sentinel was toorge to bepletely annihted by the protective area around the acid magician and ended up slicing straight through the wall underneath her feet.

    And since the wall was already bent out of shape and holding together just because the material was solid enough, with the merely inch wide crevice suddenly appearing and dividing it, the whole construction began to crumble.

    "Tsk!"

    Mirenne clicked her tongue, nced forward at the ck-haired boy below, and jumped off to the side...

    *SHING*

    *KSHHHH*

    The helmet-wearing Miriette tried to use the chance that their opponent was showing them her back and unleashed a wind de on her own - but even without looking at it, the acid magician defended herself by melting all of the offensive spells away.

    *SPLASH*

    Miriennended on the ground below, and the earth beneath her feet turned into a gooey mass that cushioned the fall.

    "...not verydy-like behavior you are showing there. Masked miss... quite annoying. You do know that you are using my name? At least try to behave!"

    She scoffed aggressively, ring at Miriette who just so happened tond in Zoemi''s arms.

    "You have your priorities mixed up. Weren''t you killing people before we got here?"

    The helmet-wearing girl snorted while sticking close to the ck-haired boy.

    "This and that are different, you simpleton!"

    *ssh*

    "How so?"

    Mirienne shook her head and stomped her foot into the goo she created, sshing it around - to which Miriette shrugged and asked in a mocking voice.

    "I can tarnish my own name however much I please - no one gets to do that for me!"

    The acid mage responded, waving her hand to the side for a dramatic effect.

    "Oh. Zoemi, I like her. She knows what being an aristocrat is about."

    Miriette snickered and leaned towards the ck-haired boy''s ear, careful not to hit him with her helmet.

    "...so could you forgive her for harming your sentinel and not kill her...?"

    She added after a closer look at his face.

    "..."

    Zoemi''s expression turned bitter, but then it softened as he made eye contact with the girl in his arms before putting her back down on the ground.

    "Maybe."

    The boy nodded and...

    *BOOOOM*

    "!!!"

    Launched himself straight at the acid magician despite knowing what happened to each spell used against her.

    "Wait...! Did you say maybe?!"

    The helmet-wearing girl realized and gasped in disbelief at the boy''s back.

    *KSHHHH*

    Just as Zoemi expected, his ice armor began to sizzle and melt off at a certain distance - but the same couldn''t be said about his body.

    Even with the mana reservoir spilling each second, the only thing affected was the already active spells.

    *WHAM*

    Despite losing his armor that enhanced his movement, the ck-haired boy still had plenty of momentum going on, and he used it all to get to the acid mage taken by surprise, and punch at her gasmask.

    *CRACK*

    "GHHHH...! You brute...!"

    He cut his knuckles open, but he managed to shatter one of the mana stones and sent Mirienne stumbling back while gasping in utter shock.

    "Wha...?! Lord Zoemi would never hit a girl!"

    "...?"

    Mirienne groaned, touching the fragments of the mana stone still attached to her face essory.

    "I see that your outfit also hides the light of your enchantments."

    The ck-haired boy didn''t respond to the odd usation and motioned at the pinkish light visible from underneath the partially torn gas mask with his bleeding hand that he didn''t bother to ask his sentinels to heal.

    "It does. What about it? Having the enchantments active was never a point that we discussed."

    The acid magician backed off defensively while Zoemi was still well within her range.

    She did not attack back.

    At all.

    "Miss Etwistrall. What are you doing here? Why is a member of the nobility - even from a fallen family - doing, working with barbarians?

    Miriette called out from a distance as she preferred to keep a reasonable amount of space between herself and the real Mirienne.

    "Ha! Everything will start making sense soon. I am not fighting against the Bellcephora kingdom."

    The acid magician looked at the helmet-wearing girl and snickered, and as she did a line of droll spilled through her broken gasmask and fell to the ground.

    *KSHHHH*

    ...and immediately burned through the goop and the earth that the magician herself was standing in and on.

    "Say. My spell didn''t work on you as it did on everyone else because of that mask you are wearing, right? That means that if I drop the level of oxygen for you right now, you will be knocked unconscious."

    Miriette spoke up, doing her best not to nce at Zoemi because that could cause the easily distracted girl to remember to actually attack him back.

    Still, it wasn''t just a fake-out either, the helmet-wearing girl raised her hand and pointed her index finger at the acid magician...

    *WHOOOSH*

    Once again Zoemi felt as if got trapped in an invisible bubble, with the difference being that the air quake didn''t spread all around them, but was focused solely on the hazmat-wearing girl.

    "See? It''s not hard to ask like that. And the answer is no. My mask - and clothes, for the matter - do not protect me from the outside world."

    "...!"

    "..."

    Mirienne revealed with a short shrug and a nonchnt wave to the side.

    *KSHHHHH*

    As she did so, yet another drop of drool spilled out from within her Mas and sizzled in the ground, burning a hole into it.

    There was something wrong with that image - and not because of an adult girl drooling - or the fact that she could function perfectly while the oxygen was driven off from around her...

    When her magic was melting the spellsing at her, the vapors were all neon pink - but it was normal. The spells wereposed of mana.

    Then why Mirienne''s saliva was just like that too?

    On top of that, while the drool was traveling through the air, it was cashing the air to tremble slightly in its wake.

    It wasn''t a full-on air quake, but a stadium just before it.

    "Miss. You seem willing to talk. Your fellow brainwashed troops aren''t going to be up for a little while, why not take it easy?"

    "..."

    Zoemi spoke up, asking the acid magician in a friendly voice, making her look at him and raise her brows.

    The ck-haired boy was expecting that the spell that Miriette had cast had to take some time.

    Considering that the mana forming the spell wasn''t melted off, it should mean that Miriette had driven off the oxygen from everywhere around the acid-wielding girl.

    The only thing left was to wait for the air around her to stop providing the actual life-saving particle.

    "Pffft...! No, no, no. I mean, yes - but no."

    *KSHH* *KSHH* *KSHH*

    She snorted and started giggling and spewing neon pink drool everywhere - her sudden loopiness could have been caused by the spell the helmet-wearing girl had used...

    ...or it could not...

    "They will not be up at all. None of them. I mean... In preparation for your arrival, I have melted eeeeveryone except for the lot that hid in the main building~ they were all expendable anyway, so why bother?"

    She dered in a joyful voice, pointing at the structure Zoemi and Miriette emerged from.

    "..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and nced at Miriette.

    The helmet-wearing girl was concentrating and after a few short seconds...

    "...besides us three and the unconscious men inside there, there are no people breathing in the outpost..."

    Miriette gasped in disbelief and nced over at Zoemi.

    All of a sudden their situation became a lot more serious...

 Chapter 456 148 - Perserios territory - part 2 -Dark clouds on the horizon (part 7)

    Chapter 456: Chapter 148 - Perserios territory - part 2 -Dark clouds on the horizon (part 7)

    "Zoemi!" "Rx, it will not take lo-WHOAH...!" Miriette called out and caused the torrent of wind strong enough to pull the unaware boy from his spot and throw Ms toward the helmet-wearing girl.

    *SPLASH* *KSHHH*

    Just in time too, as not even a full secondter, a waterfall of neon pink substance materialized out of the thin air and poured at the exact spot where Zoemi was, and eat into the ground with a sizzling noise.

    "Aww... you made him dodge..." The acid magician groaned and rolled her eyes in an exaggerated motion that included her rolling her entire head.

    "Her passive defense works only against active spells, but that doesn''t mean her other spells work the same way. What were you even thinking?!" Miriette crouched and grabbed onto Zoemi''s hand, ready to fly away at any moment.

    "Sorry, that was my fault... her shadow was flickering as if she was on the brink of mane depletion and I just... huh...?" The ck-haired boy nodded apologetically but then froze in shock once heid his eyes back on the acid-attribute-wielding girl.

    Her shadow changed. Her UNIQUE SHADOW changed...! "Who the hell are you...?!" Zoemi asked, weirded out before he stopped himself from speaking to the

    enemy magician.

    "Zoemi... did you hit your..." "Raise Barn Efemare. The main ingredient used to change miss Etwistrall''s attribute. Oh, and I wasn''t paying attention - but in case she said that she doesn''t need to breath, she meant that I don''t need to breathe-"

    The acid magician introduced herself again, but this time in quite a different manner than before - and cut Miriette off in the middle of a question.

    "Efemare family doesn''t have an heir." Miriette pointed out, in a grim voice. "Well, of course not." The acid magician shrugged her shoulders and smiled awkwardly. "Since I was born with the darkness attribute, they hid my existence from the world. Honestly, judging from what my lovely parents always said to me, I was almost killed off because of that."

    The voice didn''t change, but the mannerism and intonation of the words did. If Mirienne was faking having a different personality, she deserved an award. "Kind of an inconvenience, wouldn''t you say? I was lucky to survive. The funny thing is, they started treating me a little better when the word came out about lord Zoemi here bing first an attendant, and the taking over the Banemor family. My lovely family was even moved enough to allow me to actually train my magic - as if I didn''t try to do that secretly for years." Although the acid magician looked more and more unhinged as they spoke, they continued nheless while swaying from side to side instead of walking around.

    "There was this rumor that said that once a darkness magician will be able to use a shadow gate, they will get contacted by the Ghosts of Bellcephora. You know, those traitors from three hundred years ago... they were supposed to offer great power to the promising darkness magicians... what bullshit. I would like to personally melt the bastard who spread it. I wasted so much time trying to meet the requirements for a stupid false rumor."

    The acid-attribute-wielding girl revealed, and her voice sounded so defeated and broken, that Zoemi started to feel genuinely sorry for her. "But then yet another rumor started spreading. That of you, lord Zoemi, sending people all over the kingdom to kidnap other nobles and steal their mane... with that betrayal, my most lovely family decided it was not worth keeping me around after all. So they sold me off the first chance they got. That''s how I ended up an ingredient."

    Continued to talk as she swayed from side to side like a pendulum. "Listen, Boise. It''s nice and all that you are willing to share the trauma and all, but why aren''t you unconscious already? There''s literally no oxygen around you. The content of carbon dioxide alone should have knocked you out five minutes ago."

    Miriette straightened her back and asked in a typical for her, spoiled noble girl

    The acid magician stopped her swaying so abruptly that it seemed like she was held down by an invisible hand, and focused her attention on the helmet-wearing girl. "Man... you must be stupid or something, I have already told you that I do not require oxygen or anything like that. Everything I need to keep Mirienne''s body alive is the vapors of our magic." The acid-attribute-wielding girl snickered, pointing at her broken gas mask leaking drool.

    "You are the dumbass here. What is the point of stalling?" Miriette asked while Zoemi was staying silent with a concerned expression. "Ugh. Straight to the point, eh? And I went only halfway through my exnation. Ah, who cares. I stalled you long enough it seems." *KSHHH* The acid magician groaned and rolled her eyes in annoyance, just to then giggle in the creepiest way, while spilling the corrosive saliva. "What...?" "Miri, I have lost connection with every single sentinel outside the Perserios territory..." The helmet-wearing girl scoffed, about to tear the acid-attribute-wielding girl a new one, but then Zoemi spoke up in a ghastly serious voice. "What do you mean you''ve lost contact with? Did they rebel against you? We''re they all destroyed?!" Miriette gasped in disbelief, asking hurriedly. "I am not sure... all of a sudden they just..." "I can answer that-"

    The ck-haired boy shook his head - and then got interrupted by the acid magician''s content voice.

    "The truth is I am too weak to actually do any real harm to you, at least judging by your performance during a certain tournament, but we really need you to stay in this territory as we massacre the Perserios''s forces, so we can pin all the me on you. Isn''t that nice?" Raise, speaking through Mirienne''s mouth announced, spreading her arms open for the grand reveal. "And how are you supposed to achieve confining me to this territory? By blocking my sentinels? I can use shadow gate and teleport even without them." The ck-haired boy scoffed at the acid magician, but that only made her more excited.

    "No. You can''t- you can''t because we cursed the entire territory alongside just the tiniest part of the mountains where we gathered our forces. Nothing can leave until the n isplete- neither people nor spells-" The acid magician revealed and curtsied splendidly towards the grim ck-haired boy. Suddenly a sh of gold blinded both Zoemi and Miriette. "You talk too much, Roiso." Someone said in a tired voice, and when the light faded away, the ck-haired boy and the helmet-wearing girl were the only people out in the open in the first outpost. "I got a bad feeling about this... really bad... we should confirm whether she was serious about the curse like that. It sounds way stronger than it should be possible."

    Miriette gulped down her saliva and clenched her fist on Zoemi''s arm. !Little ones... can you all confirm...?! The ck-haired boy thought to himself, gritting his teeth hoping that he will get a response from any sentinel outside the supposedly cursed area. "(Master...! There''s this weird barrier here, I can see another sentinel trying to get through too...!)" "(Master, I apologize! I can''t teleport to grandpa Benevirau - whenever I use the spell I appear at the edge of some field and can''t move any further...!)"

    "(Master...!)" x9

    Unfortunately, that wasn''t the case at all, and every sentinel that called back was confirming what the acid magician said.

    They were trapped within the Perserios territory....

    ? souoriThervss Hello there! If you like the style of this story,you might also like My other work - The Viiness and I, her Zombie - avable on this site too? I tagged this book,e and support me with a thumbs up! Creation is hard, cheer me up! Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation! Have some idea about my story?Comment it and let me knoll; Like it ?Add to library!

 Chapter 457 148 - Perserios territory - part 2 -Dark clouds on the horizon (part 8)

    Chapter 457 148 - Perserios territory - part 2 -Dark clouds on the horizon (part 8)

    Zoemi and Miriette returned to whatever was left of the main building and returned to the spot where the six unconscious men were stillying down motionless.

    "Now we have a dilemma on our hands..." The helmet-wearing girl sighed with annoyance. "Roiso said that she got rid of everyone except those here since they were unnecessary..." The ck-haired boy nodded and stood beside her, looking down at the barbarians they technically captured. "The hex users and even the curse users were supposed to be rare. I mean, I don''t doubt that Roiso would kill them off without hesitation, but would they really waste troops - however many they originally attacked this outpost with?"

    Zoemi said, making a hesitant expression. "It reeks of a trap." Miriette shrugged her shoulders and frowned. "Well, we already fell into one apparently, encountering another one right away is annoying but definitely possible. The only problem is, what kind of trap is this?"

    The ck-haired boy agreed before tilting his head with a concerned expression. "If the curse users and hex user are amongst those here, taking them back to the Perserios castle would be idiocy, pure and simple. The chances of them brainwashing people left and right after they wake up are too high." *thump* The helmet-wearing girl groaned in annoyance, kicking the closest barbarian''s arm t vent off at least a little bit.

    "The problem is that it might be the other way around, and the one barricaded outside were the Perserios''s troops dressed up as the soldiers and vice versa." "Oh, the problem doesn''t end just there." Miriette continued but Zoemi shook his head and talked over her.

    "What if the real hex user bewitched the soldiers that we brought back to react in a certain way after seeing these people here? Or if one of those is a hex user and there is a failsafe that causes the people he hexed to go on a rampage if something happened to them? Not to even mention my original worry, that being the curses and hexes not being all that special and rare, which would, in turn, mean that every single one of those is a potential threat, and should be exterminated as a precaution..." The ck-haired boy clicked his tongue and started walking around in the small hallway, stepping over the barbarians. "If thest one was true, would the perpetrators really allow so many useful pawns to get killed off?" "(Master, she is right. There is a lot more residue left by the melted corpses than they could feasibly fit into the outpost.)" As the helmet-wearing girl pointed out, one of Zoemi''s free-roaming sentinels trapped in the Perserios territory pointed out as it flew through the entrance that the resident sentinels created before.

    "Then? What should we do? Take them with us? Imprison them in whatever cell-like chamber we can find? Leave them be? Kill them?"

    Although Miriette didn''t have to mention their options, she sure did so anyway with a pompous grace as she counted on her fingers.

    As she did so, the newly arrived sentinel was hovering over the bodies of the unconscious barbarian, patiently waiting for the pair to make their choice.

    "Give me a moment."

    Zoemi spoke up, raising his hand to stop the helmet-wearing girl froming to any hasty conclusion, and focused on one of his sentinels.

    Not the one who was there with them and neither on the two resident sentinels within his shadow.

    !Little one. You said before that the melting magician came here with a bunch of brainwashed people. How could you tell?! "(...eh...? I...! I apologize, master...! The thing about being brainwashed - that

    was something that the Perserios''s troops were shouting as the fighting

    began...! I''m sorry! I should have to check it for myself before I told you about it...!)"

    The anxious sentinel that brought Miriette and Zoemi to the first outpost responded in an apologetic voice, almost on the verge of panic. It started frantically apologizing, and Zoemi could partially feel how it was squirming around, deeply ashamed of itself because of overthinking. ...yes, that particr sentinel was very simr to its creator... !How did the troops know...?! Zoemi asked, taken aback by the information and not by the way it was conveyed to him. "(I don''t know... I apologize...!)" The anxious sentinel cried out pitifully and even without concentrating on it in particr, the ck-haired boy could tell that it started flying around frantically unsure what to do. "(They just shouted to not kill them by ident because that''s not a part of the n, but then the barbarians and the melting magicians started killing them anyway, and everyone started shouting and running around and then... you know the rest already, master. I apologize for being such a...!)" !Hold on! First of all, you did nothing wrong and I am happy that you are alright. Second of all - did you just say that the troops knew the barbariansing and talked amongst themselves that they should not harm any of them, because that is a part of the n?! Zoemi shook his head and blinked repeatedly at the revtion. "(Y-yes, master. Word for word, actually... ah...! I didn''t mean to sound She I am making fun of you! I apolo...!)" !Thank you, little one. Stay safe.! The anxious sentinel confirmed and got flustered in the same breath, but the ck-haired boy was already cutting off their connection. "Zoemi? What did you learn?" Miriette who patiently watched the boy having a conversation in silence, asked in a tense voice, already expecting trouble. "They were traitors. Everyone in the first outpost knew that the barbarians wereing."

    Zoemi revealed, making Miriette flinch. "Little one, guard those here, do not kill them, but incapacitated them if they wake up and try to mn or harm you or themselves."

    "(As you wish, master!)" The ck-haired boy turned towards the murky-ck sphere hovering in the hallway with them andmanded, making the sentinel stop in ce and respond in a serious voice. "Little ones, can you take me and Miri back to the castle?" Zoemi ended up continuing to speak out loud while asking his resident sentinels.

    "(Shush! You should rest! Master, I can take both of you back!)" The first sentinel responded in a weak voice but was immediately interrupted by the angrily protective second sentinel. "(It''s nothing! I can be useful to master just fine...!)" The first sentinelined, but even that sounded more She a pained groan - and considering that it came in contact with the corrosive magic of the acid magician and had little time to recover from a brand new type of injury, that was understandable.

    "You are very useful to me, but you also got hurt while being useful so you deserve to rest."

    "(Exactly! I will take care of everything!)" Zoemi spoke up in a warm voice, trying to make the first sentinel feel a bit better, and was joined in by the second sentinel. "(Master, where do you want me to transport you? To the healing girl sentinel? Or maybe the one-eyed boy? I can also send you back to the same room we left from!)"

    Also, the second sentinel began speaking very fast as if it wanted to make sure that the first one will not try to fight it on the subject. "Which is a better choice to return to? Bumshi, Devios, or the briefing room?" The ck-haired boy leaned towards Miriette and asked hurriedly. "Briefing room. A room cannot go to a toilet and have us show up behind or in front of it." Miriette shrugged her shoulders and snickered.

    "Miff...! True. Little one. Get us to the same room as before." "(Alright-D" *WHOOM* Zoemi decided and his second sentinel cheered out as the puddle of darkness spilled under the ck-haired boy and the helmet-wearing girl..

    siimiummff

    Hello there! If you like the style of this story, you might also like my other work - The Viiness and I, her Zombie - avable on this site too? I tagged this book,e and support no with a thumbs up! Creation is hard, cheer me up! Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give we more motivation, Have some idea about my stoty?Comment it and let we know. Like it ?Add to library!

    Warms,rt the sto,,,me

 Chapter 467 153 - Plan in motion (part 1)

    Chapter 467  153 - n in motion (part 1)¡¡¡¡"Let me go."

    The dark-skinned girl with gray hair and eyes red up at the towering figure of a cold-faced gold-haired woman.

    "No."

    The gold-haired woman responded indifferently, unbothered by the carnage happening behind her back.

    Although she wasn''t caring about anything, the gray-haired girl certainly was.

    "Bellcephora, those are my students...! Let. Me. Go!"

    Aspakeony growled gritting her teeth, watching in horror how fifteen first-year students were showcasing a splendid show of magic, far above the strength of average magicians ¨C and still were losing to two fire sages facing them hand in hand.

    "Those are only some summon-type spells inhabiting corpses. What''s the big deal?"

    The woman called Bellcephora shrugged her shoulders and sighed without looking back.

    "They are self-aware! They have a conscience! They have every right to stay alive!"

    The gray-haired necromancer called out with tears in her eyes and struggled fruitlessly as shackles made out of whitish mana crystal were chaining her down to the ground while also stopping her from using any spells.

    "The sess of mydy''s n doesn''t depend on them."

    Bellcephora responded indifferently.

    "You...! You blind buffoon! They are the summon spells of the boy that the young princess has chosen! They would eventually aid him inpleting her n! That''s the same as being essential for the n!"

    Aspakeony growled, furiously pulling on the crystal chain that had no chance of breaking just with her physical strength alone.

    "No. They are not. Mydy shared her will with me. That boy will die if he will continue using magic, and she doesn''t want that. Even if those people here didn''t lure them out to kill them, I would have dealt with them soon enough."

    The gold-haired woman dered, causing the gray-haired necromancer to freeze in ce, staring at her with her mouth open.

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    The joint attack of two fire sages exploded into the sky as a massive pir of the raging inferno reached and evaporated the clouds.

    When the fire has subdued, there were only seven people wearing burnt uniforms left. Standing.

    "!!!!"

    Aspekeony felt as if her heart had broken in half.

    Sentinels or not, corpse puppets or not, those were her students.

    The students who were taken away from the Academy, and who she followed in order to save.

    But with the appearance of Bellcephora, the proxy of presence ¨C the closest being to god that their mana-filled world had ¨C taken away her magic and forced her to watch them die.

    "You are lying...! Even if the second princess doesn''t want Zoemi to use magic anymore ¨C she would not want to kill anything or anyone! I know how she was when she was alive! She was a kind and gentle girl, and would not...!"

    Aspakeony tried a different approach, as she spoke another three puppets died in the unforgiving fire burning white with its hellish heat.

    "You knew her when she was alive. Do you know what happened to her after she died? After her true power awakened and she was thrown outside of the time and then pulled back to the beginning of all creation? You speak with the experience of living through mere millennia ¨C mydy was forced to live in solitude for eons. Do not even dare to suggest that you know her."

    When the gray-haired necromancer paused, overwhelmed by more deaths, the gold-haired woman scoffed, for the first time changing her indifferent expression. Her face was twisted with disdain and disgust.

    "Bellcephora...! Please...!"

    Aspakeony cried, biting her lips so hard that blood started dripping down her chin.

    "What n does she have?! She is now so powerful that she can do anything! Why does she need Zoemi for?! And why does she need those children to die?!"

    The gray-haired girl wield as another puppet was imed by the mes.

    "You alone would be enough toplete anything too! Stop this! Or let me so I can stop them!"

    She continued, but her words fell on deaf ears.

    "...both me and mydy are far from omnipotent... there are things that neither of us can do ¨C mydy reversed times so many times trying to save herself... She failed every time. You are not aware of it, but this is not the first time the two of us have had this very conversation. I am tired already, and I stopped carrying. Ah. Close your ears."

    "..."

    Bellcephora''s response ended up shutting Aspakony up.

    And then there were only two puppets left...

    ---------

    "(Thitreen, Teenfif ¨C we can...!)"

    "SHUT UP! WE DON''T HAVE CONTACT WITH MASTER AND THOSE FUCKERS ARE AFTER ALL OF US! RUN! GET SO HIGH INTO THE SKY OR SO DEEP INTO THE GROUND THAT THEY WILL NEVER FIND YOU! THAT''S AN ORDER!"

    The free-roaming sentinels called out to the moss-green-haired boy and the amaranth-haired girl, but the boy roared at them as his body shone like copper as the mes crushed against him.

    "(But if we all attack them together...!)"

    "THEN WE WILL ALL DIE! IDIOTS! WITHOUT CONNECTION WITH MASTER, YOUR MANA DOESN''T REGENERATE! ONLY THE TWO SENTINELS THAT ARE GUARDING HIM COULD USE MANA FROM NATURE, SO AS LONG AS YOU CAN NOT DO THE SAME ¨C JUST FUCK OFF AND RUN!"

    The other sentinels in their innocence tried to be helpful, but that only sparked more anger from Thitreen.

    "Boss... I cannot regenerate man without drinking blood... and I''ve already spent my mana... just... leave me and run too..."

    Teenfif, the amaranth-haired girl whom Thitreen was protecting from the mes with his own body, spoke up in a shaky voice.

    "Shut up, it''s Thitreen. Moron."

    The moss-green boy scoffed at her without looking back.

    "...boss... everyone else is dead... our old gang members... the corpse puppets that were born from the monks... There''s no reason to sacrifice yourself for me... please... save yourself..."

    Teenfif muttered, trying to crawl closer to Thitreen, but it was far too difficult to do with both legs and left hand charred into stumps.

    "I told you to shut up. I am not going to leave you."

    The moss-green-haired boy scoffed and narrowed his eyes as the mes finally subsided.

    "Aww. Look at the little corpse puppet, they are so in love~ In your ce, I would be cursing that master of yours. If he wasn''t so convenient to put all the me on, we would never attack you."

    A handsome crimson-haired man waved his hand, chasing the remaining mes away, approaching the pair.

 Chapter 468 153 - Plan in motion (part 2)

    Chapter 468  153 - n in motion (part 2)¡¡¡¡"Fuck you, Vanterl. I always knew you are just a piece of shit."

    Thitreen scoffed and spat at the man.

    "...? Are you suggesting that we met before...?"

    Lord Vanterl stopped as the spit evaporated in the air in front of him, and raised his brow, looking at the moss-green-haired boy.

    "Odd... your face does seem familiar, but I would remember meeting someone with a curious attribute like transformation..."

    He tilted his head, squinting his eyes while trying to jog his memory.

    "Ha! We sure did meet! We even worked together for at least twenty years! Although I do not believe that you truly ever looked our way."

    "..."

    Thitreen grinned and said mockingly, making Vanterl furrow his brows even more, as now even the boy''s voice started sounding familiar to him.

    "Stop making that constipated expression and call that treacherous bitch of a granddaughter-inw that you have there. She would not want to miss what happens next."

    The moss-green-haired boyughed, motioning at the crimson-haired young woman who kept herself as far away from them as possible.

    "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Rude little boy, calling others traitors is in such bad taste. Don''t you know that in politics there are no permanent friends or foes?"

    Lord Vanterl giggled and clicked his tongue while wagging his finger at Thitreen as if he were a misbehaving child.

    "I would love to give you a proper lesson of good manners but... You will no longer need any of those. As they say ¨C for whom the bell tolls~"

    The crimson-haired man added, and his body became enveloped in ming armor just before an enormous fireball ignited above his head, ready to swallow both Thitreen and Teenfif whole.

    "You took those words straight out of my mouth..."

    "...what...?"

    The moss-green-haired boy snickered and nodded at Vanterl''s words, making him furrow his brows in surprise.

    "LAST BELL, YOU ROTTEN SCUM!"

    *DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON*

    Thitreen''s smirk grew into a wild grin as he smashed his hands into his chest, creating an unbearably loud sound that distorted everything within an earshot...

    --------

    "GUH-HUGH...!"

    The crimson-haired young woman ¨C the natural-born sage, Ehmi Gamemi Victureo, or rather Ehmi Gamemi Lazaram as she should be called since she did marry Arisu, fell to her knees and started coughing up blood.

    Her whole body was in so much pain that she could not remember feeling anything even remotelyparable in her whole life.

    Even with how far away she stood from the moss-green-haired boy who used the strange, sound-based spell, the effect was truly horrifying.

    To think that someone who wasn''t even a sage could do something like that.

    |I wonder if Arisu would be able to use it too, thanks to his attribute...? That would certainly be useful|

    The crimson-haired girl thought to herself, shaking her head and slowly getting up.

    In the first ce, Ehmi wasn''t there by ident.

    She was not under a hex either, as an overwhelming amount of mana was the best defense against that, and sages like her had plenty of it.

    No.

    Instead of any of that, she was simply let in on everything by her husband, Arisu, and made the decision to help him.

    In her eyes, it was the best way.

    The white-haired young man with the attribute that allowed him to use spells from other attributes knew that his mother was controlled by the Barbaria nation. What''s more, the Barbaria nation thought that they had Arisu in the palms of their hand too.

    Uknown to them, it was actually the other way around.

    Arisu would use the chance handed to him on a silver ter ¨C with the Barbaria nation taking over the Bellcephora kingdom and making him the king he would gain the status that he always deserved.

    Those who would notply would be dealt with ordingly ¨C and Ehmi wasn''t stupid enough to be on the losing side.

    "..."

    The crimson-haired girl straightened her back and looked over her shoulder.

    She could clearly see the tall gold-haired woman observing them from afar.

    If even Bellcephora, the sage who began the whole Bellcephora family line wasn''t doing anything to stop them, weren''t they in the right?

    "Esteemed ancestor, where are we supposed to...?"

    *crack*

    As Ehmi turned back and spoke up, she witnessed the true power and consequences of the spell used by Thitreen.

    The body of lord Vanterl, the crimson-haired fire sage, broke in half and turned into dust, revealing a lifeless statue made out of copper and another pile of ash right behind it.

    The copper figure was smiling wildly and triumphantly.

    "...wha...?"

    The crimson-haired girl gasped, staring at the screen with wide-open eyes, refusing toprehend the situation.

    -------

    "...how did you know...?"

    Aspakeony raised her head and put down her hands that she was blocking her ears with, and asked the towering gold-haired woman.

    "As I said, this is not the first time we are having this conversation. Simrly, this wasn''t the first time I''ve seen Thitreen use that spell either. It is so powerful that it almost managed toplete mydy''s n. Almost. I have already seen Zoemi copy it and destroy everything enclosed by the barrier mydy raised. s, since we are having this conversation, it should be obvious that it didn''t work the way it was supposed to."

    Bellcephora answered with a shrug.

    "...did you let all of them die because you wanted that boy to use that spell and kill Vanterl...? You didn''t, right? Not after spouting all of that crap about not caring anymore!"

    The necromancer asked in disbelief, staring at the gold-haired woman.

    "I only do things that are beneficial for mydy and her dream. Did you ever hear about killing two birds with one stone? I just simply assured that Vanterl never fights with Zoemi, and Zoemi will never try to use Last Bell."

    Bellcephora shrugged her shoulders and...

    "...?!"

    ...disappeared ¨C leaving the speechless Aspakeony behind.

    The crystal shackles binding the necromancer''s magic disappeared together with the gold-haired woman.

    "..."

    Aspakeony didn''t stand up ¨C instead, sheid low to the ground and observed Ehmi and her next move.

    Because of that, she saw members of the Light Order, a group created for the queen Hostersa, teleport in and escort the crimson-haired girl away.

    Only after that did the gray-haired girl sit up and breathed out.

    "...little princess, what in the world do you wish to achieve...?"

    She whimpered to herself, wiping off the tears from the corners of her eyes.

 Chapter 502 164 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 1)

    Chapter 502  164 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 1)¡¡¡¡"We all know how things like that go... But don''t worry, father, we wille up with either some heroic story about you standing up to an assassin from another kingdom to protect your dearest wife. Or maybe a tearful one about a long fight with a serious illness that you were too proud to talk about and her taking her life from despair after losing you. You know. The usual. Either way, do not be afraid ¨C your beloved wife will be joining you. Whether she actually wants it or not."

    Horeo sighed and raised his hand, waving it around nonchntly, speaking in a heartwarming voice while the orbs of golden light appeared one after the other around him, all ready to strike at hismand.

    Everyone''s eyes were literally glued to him, as despite his lighthearted tone and manners ¨C or maybe because of them ¨C his words were as grave as they could get.

    "Considering that we already have everyone important enough to be able to make such a decision, shall we vote for what option should be chosen?"

    *###########*

    The gold-haired young ma asked and a dozen orbsunched an instantaneous attack that engulfed the part of the table that the king and queen were sitting by, not giving them ¨C or anyone really ¨C any time to react at all.

    "...?!"

    But the attack didn''t wipe them out as it should.

    Instead, it was stopped by a tall, indifferent-looking woman, who actually - after closer inspection - had shared a lot of facial features with Horeo and his father.

    "L-ldy Bellcephora...?!"

    The king who had fallen off of his chair gasped and stuttered, looking up at the back of the tall woman, shaken both because of the attack and the sudden appearance of the progenitor of his enitre family.

    "This is not how things should be ¨C I didn''t interfere so much with the current timeline, to let you throw all that hard work straight into the dumpster."

    The woman didn''t shout, nor did her voice tremble from any sort of emotion as both her face and her voice remainedpletely calm...

    ...but she was most certainly furious, the aura surrounding her and the pressure her presence alone was putting on everyone in the meeting room was too bloodthirsty for it to be any other way.

    Not to mention, that she wasn''t talking to Horeo and none of the seated high nobles but...

    To Zoemi.

    Then, Bellcephora raised her hand and the air became oddly stale and the ck-haired boy felt as if his body froze in ce.

    "...?!"

    Zoemi once more experienced the extremely odd sensation of seeing things from twopletely separate points of view ¨C and realized that the time had stopped.

    With everyone elsepletely motionless, Bellcephora walked towards the ck-haired boy and raised her index finger, pointing it in the center of his forehead.

    "Now. Look at this ¨C this is the path you have to follow to fullyplete our master''s wish."

    She dered and lightly tapped the boy in front of her.

    --------

    |What is this...?|

    Zoemi thought, and his thoughts echoed through the endless darkness.

    |Little ones...?|

    He asked, but there was no answer aside from his own words returning to him.

    |Well this is awkward... what am I supposed to see here? Or did she kill me and the whole talk was some lousy bullshit?|

    Zoemi sighed, trying to look around but with murky darkness pressing onto him from all directions, there was no real sense of motion and it was simply impossible to tell whether he was actually turning or not.

    |This is pretty annoying...|

    |Tell me about it...|

    Zoemiined to himself and his own voice responded to him ¨C but not as an echo, but with a properly constructed sentence.

    |Oh, it''s you, mister original personality. Long time no hear.|

    Zoemi took a guess and went with it, asking in a casual tone although he had no guarantee that it was really the voice of the old artificial soul.

    |Hello, mister owner of the body. Please, excuse Bellcephora for her actions. She is almost as worried about our master as I am.|

    And as it turned out, he was entirely correct as his voice responded apologetically to him.

    |...of course you know who she is... Anyway. To grant her the forgiveness you are talking about, I first need to learn what she did to me, Where are we?|

    Zoemi breathed out and asked, once again trying to look around in the world where motion wasn''t even a proper concept.

    |We are in your head ¨C that''s why I can talk to you freely like this. As for what Bellcephora is doing... She wants to show you this.|

    The original personality responded calmly and all of a sudden something akin to a TV screen showed up right in Zoemi''s vision, causing the boy to close his mouth and furrow his brows at the scenes ying out in it.

    He saw himself and the people he knew in situations that he certainly had no memory of ever getting into.

    Well, most of the situations, at least...

    ~~~~~~~~~~

    *************

    ~~~~~~~~~~

    *thump*

    "Nnn...? Eh...?!"

    Miriette rubbed her sleepy eyes andzily raised her head over the pillow to check for the sound of the noise.

    Her eyes widened with surprise and she woke uppletely when she saw Zoemi sprawled out on the floor by her bedside.

    The ck-haired boy was clutching the mattress - or rather the bedsheet alone - with one hand and he was looking around disoriented.

    "Pffft...! Ahaha! Geez, Zoemi, you rolled off the bed? You are such a child sometimes!"

    Miriette covered her mouth with three fingers and was giving her best to not giggle too hard.

    "I-... What...? Why did I...?"

    Zoemi gasped and slowly started getting up from the floor, and then he looked at Miriette.

    "Ah! Miri! I''m sorry, did I wake you up?"

    He blushed and sat at the edge of the bed.

    "Oh, you know... You did change our morning routine but having augh at the start of the day isn''t so bad."

    Miriette hummed andid back down, she hugged the pillow and peeked at Zoemi from above it.

    "What happened? Did you have a bad dream?"

    She smirked and asked curiously.

    "I... I can''t really remember... there was something about you, and there was something dangerous there, and I think I couldn''t move..."

    Zoemi frowned and his forehead wrinkled when he tried to recall the nightmare.

    "Aww, don''t worry, it''s only a dream. You will always protect me, as only you can."

    Miriette reassured him in a sweet voice.

    "Hmhmhm...!"

    Zoemi smiled and reach his hand towards her head, Miriette smiled and stretched her neck to meet his palm and giggled without opening her mouth while Zoemi was gently petting her cheek.

    "I''m afraid, Miri. I couldn''t protect you from getting abducted... What if I fail again...? What if...?!"

    "Shush!"

    Zoemi was confessing his worries but Miriette stopped him, supporting herself on one arm and pressing her index finger to his lips.

    "Silly boy, it was you who found and saved me, right? I believe in you. You will always protect me."

    Miriette''s smile was full of self-confidence and pride and her eyes were filled with warmth.

    "...Right... if you are that worried, you should just get stronger, when you will be the strongest, nothing would be able to hurt me."

    But then she frowned for a moment, her expression got darker, and herst words sounded as if she forced herself to say them against her own opinion.

    "Miri...?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and asked in a worried voice.

    "..."

    Miriette hid behind the pillow refusing to answer.

    "Whoa, look at the time! It''s still way too early for you to be up! Though I should start getting ready..."

    Zoemi check the time on his pocket watch and he whistled surprised.

    "...Hnnnnn!"

    In response, Miriette put away the pillow and stretched her arms open towards him.

    "Miri?"

    Zoemi blinked in confusion.

    "Hnnnn...!"

    Miriette frowned in response and shook her open arms.

    "Mydy...?"

    But Zoemi, whether because he was sleepy or maybe still bothered by the distressful dream, couldn''t guess her intention.

    Miriette pouted and red at him.

    "Love me!"

    She demanded angrily, shaking her arms again for a greater effect.

    "Pffft-hah, haha!"

    Zoemi couldn''t hold back and snort.

    Miriette''s cheeks swelled dangerously and her re sharpened, but then Zoemi slid across the mattress straight into her embrace.

    With her goal achieved Miriette smiled and snuggled into him like a love-struck kitten starved for attention, and rubbed her cheek into Zoemi''s chest.

    "Stay."

    She asked sweetly, making Zoemi melt over her adorableness.

    "But Miri, I train with Grazio every day, I think I overreacted yesterday and I should apologize to him. Oh, and Ehmi''s attendant got hurt so someone has to make her food and..."

    "Stay...!"

    Zoemi was trying to exin to Miriette that he had to go but she locked him into a tight embrace, she even wrapped her legs around him, and stubbornly shut her eyes.

    "Today is a free day for everyone! They will understand, so stay with me...!"

    "Miri..."

    Zoemi sighed even though his face couldn''t stop smiling over the cuteness he was witnessing.

    That''s my Miriette, everyone has a free day... Does she even realize that this ''everyone'' she''s talking about epasses only the students and teachers? Attendants and other servants and cooks had to work like always...

    "My spoiled littledy..."

    Zoemi hugged her lovingly and kissed the top of her head.

    "Zoemi... Don''t go to them and just stay with me... Please...?"

    Miriette stopped facing the other way and instead raised her head, rested her chin on Zoemi''s chest, and looked up at him with a sad and pleading expression.

    She brought her heaviest guns, and let''s be honest, Zoemi''s resolve stood no chance.

    "As you wish."

    He answered and kissed her rosy lips.

    "Ohohoho...!"

    Miriette''s usual ojou-samaughter changed into a low satisfied giggle.

    "I win."

    She breathed out with satisfaction and her tense body rxed.

    "Does any other oue even exist to you?"

    Zoemi teased her yfully.

    "No. It does not."

    A straight-up answer was delivered with unwavering confidence, making Zoemi burst intoughter.

    Then...

    *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

 Chapter 503 164 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 2)

    Chapter 503  164 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 2)¡¡¡¡|What is this supposed to be? Miriette had been abducted and saved her? Why didn''t I stop her from getting abducted in the first ce?|

    Zoemi thought and his voice resounded through the murky darkness, but this time the original personality didn''t bother to answer.

    |Ah, sorry for that. You know as much as I do, don''t you?|

    |Exactly.|

    The boy realized and this time he got a response ¨C it sure sounded as if the artificial soul was sighing and rolling its eyes at him.

    |Still, don''t you find it strange ¨C even if Bellcephora wants us to follow this specific path, isn''t it already toote? That other Zoemi just mentioned Ehmi and Grazio to that other Miriette ¨C and since they both are very clearly in the dormitory in the Aspakeony Academy, then unless Ehmi became a teacher there, it is already toote for this timeline.|

    Zoemi pointed out, trying to motion at the screen-like rectangle in front of him, but he could not even see his own movement.

    |It looks that way ¨C see? The two we see now are younger than you and your Miriette are now... But this is not the end. Let''s watch it all y out, and maybe then we will see something that Bellcephora wants you to copy.|

    The original personality said after a moment of consideration, and his and Zoemi''s attention focused back on the events ying out on the screen...

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "EH?!"

    "HUH?!"

    Somebody knocked - or rather mmed, at the door making the two lovebirds jump out of the bed at once.

    "You in there? Open up!"

    Zoemi was so shocked hearing the voice of the visitor that he missed the shocked expression that Miriette''s face has twisted into.

    It was also the dark-haired girl who came to her senses first and managed to act convincingly enough for the ck-haired boy to not get suspicious.

    "Wh- who is that?"

    She asked and looked at Zoemi for answers.

    "I''ll check right away, mydy."

    The boy was unsure how she should act...

    He motioned at Miriette to stay put and approached the door - then unlocked and opened them in one swift motion.

    "Fina... lly...?"

    None other than the real headmaster, the chocte-skinned necromancer Aspakeony, basically jumped in but as soon as she saw Zoemi she backed away.

    She squinted her eyes and quickly nce over his shoulder at Miriette.

    "..."

    ...who was looking away with a stubborn expression, trying to ignore the re...

    "Aspie, what are you doing here in person...?"

    Zoemi tried to hide the necromancer from Miriette''s sight with his body which granted him only the scornful look from the necromancer.

    And while speaking about looks - at least the gray-haired girl was wearing something decent...!

    Zoemi found at least a good point in the whole situation.

    Indeed, it seemed that Aspakeony abandoned her usual nightgown and pantiesbo and was actually wearing the academy''s female uniform.

    The necromancer herself started frowning even more but seemed to have given up on something because she just sighed and shook her head.

    "Nevermind. Listen, there is a problem, a big one. A huge fucking problem."

    Aspakeony didn''t mince her words for sure, she didn''t care for how loud she was either.

    "Calm down! Miriette could hear you!"

    Zoemi clicked his tongue and while grabbing Aspakeony by the shoulders he started pushing her out of Miriette''s room.

    "Zoemi? Who is this? She cane in if it''s something important."

    "...!"

    Zoemi flinched and had to chew down a curse word that wanted to spring out from his mouth.

    Now, of all the times, Miriette was feeling considerate enough to invite aplete stranger to her room!

    "Oh, you don''t have to mind her, mydy. She is... the... headmaster''s niece...! She just transferred here because of family circumstances and I... I was asked by the headmaster Kross to show her around! That''s why I wanted to leave early.

    Zoemi was purposefully fidgeting bashfully making his stuttering voice sound more guilty than unsure.

    Aspakeony tilted her head and nced at him with disbelief, she put one hand on her waist and shook her head.

    Honestly, it was clear to anyone other than that particr Zoemi that Aspakeony didn''te to that room to talk with him at all, but he was adamant about making her leave!

    "Well, she looks like she has something to say. Zoemi, don''t be rude, let her in and we all can talk."

    Miriette shrugged her shoulders and casually invited the necromancer in.

    "But...!"

    Zoemi gritted his teeth.

    Now of all times, Miriette was in a hospitable mood! The ck-haired boy was at a loss about how unpredictable she could be...

    "Zoemi, if she is the headmaster''s niece, it would be very inappropriate to chase her away. High nobles have rules, you remember, right?"

    In a few words, Miriette delivered the answer he was searching for.

    It was all his fault!

    |If only I said that she was just some low-born student! Where have I even pulled that ''headmaster''s niece'' from?!|

    Zoemi wanted to punch himself and thought ¨C which was loud and clear to Zoemi and the original personality watching everything from the outside.

    "That''s right, sir Zoemi, if you will continue keeping me waiting at the door I doubt my uncle will take kindly to such offense."

    Aspakeony wasn''t taking kindly to Zoemi''s games and started tapping her fingers on her arms.

    "Juste in already!"

    Now even Miriette was frowning at the ck-haired attendant.

    But even so, Zoemi didn''t want to get Miriette pulled into some dangerous business.

    Aspakeony was not just in a bad mood, she was seriously worried about something.

    She kept on tilting her head and ncing at Miriette behind Zoemi which he misread as her being worried over getting eavesdropped on.

    "Oh, but nothing like that is necessary, isn''t that right? We are already runningte, we will just go. I''ll introduce you two properly some other time!"

    Zoemi lost his head for a moment and left the room dropping only some vague statement.

    "What the hell do you think you''re doing?!"

    Aspakeony was still able to contain her rage somehow and didn''t just punch Zoemi in the face, settling on pushing, or rather, attempting to push him away.

    Zoemi nced at the hand pressing on his chest and raised his brow.

    "That''s what you should tell me! What happened to your whole existence being a secret?!"

    He asked cautiously lowering his voice and casting the area of effect muffle spell.

    "...?"

    Aspakeony furrowed her brows and made a confused expression.

    "Why did youe in person...? Wait..."

    Zoemi was asking but Aspakeony only pointed at her ears and shook her head.

    |Crap! Did I make the range too small? This spell became so annoying to use after my attribute changed to shadow...|

    Zoemi clicked his tongue, recalled the original spell, and cast the new one with adjustments.

    "I''m asking why you came in person?"

    Although the mess-up with the spell wasn''t exactly a good thing, the breaking of pace that it caused certainly did help Zoemi partially regain hisposure.

    "It''s too dangerous for me to just stay alone in my office."

    Aspakeony shrugged her shoulders and pointed with her thumb at three people behind her.

    Zoemi didn''t even acknowledge their existence before, after all, they were just Aspakeony''s corpse puppets that had no will of their own anymore.

    There was the light magician pale-skinned woman, a burly brown-haired man with copper skin, and a youthful-looking woman with curly blue hair.

    "What does this mean? Weren''t you holing up in there because it was safe?"

    Zoemi didn''t want to waste time on something that could not have anything inmon with Miriette so he didn''t even try to think of a reason for the necromancer''s sudden love for strolling around the campus.

    "As of now, it has officially be too dangerous."

    Aspakeony waved her hand decisively.

    "First of all, tell me, do you know the spell that allows darkness magicians to gain all the mana from someone they killed?"

    She asked with a serious expression.

    Zoemi flinched.

    "I don''t..."

    "Listen, kid, I''m serious. I must know the truth, I''m not the only one who is in danger, that girl of yours is the same."

    Aspakeony interrupted him and pointed at the door to Miriette''s room.

    "So? Do you know of such a spell?"

    She asked in a stern voice.

    "..."

    Zoemi''s eyes stopped reflecting light making him look like a person dead for a long time.

    "If it''s you, we can work something out, I''m willing to even begrudgingly make a deal with you. But if it''s someone else then we need to do something fast. The thing I need to know before making the decision is - can you use such a spell or not?"

    Aspakeony stopped pushing her open palm against Zoemi''s chest and instead bumped against it with her fist.

    Zoemi looked away, he stared at Miriette''s door, sighed, and faced Aspakeony again.

    "I don''t know why you are asking me this... But, in fact, I do know about a spell-like that..."

    He started.

    "Ah...!"

    Aspakeony gasped and backed away, the blue-haired woman and the brown-haired man stepped in front of her acting like bodyguards.

    "...the thing is, I never managed to recreate it because I only know some bits and pieces of its structure from ingesting and converting mana from the member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora. You remember, don''t you? That time when you orchestrated the fake abduction."

    Zoemi didn''t even flinch and continued the exnation.

    "O-oh, I see, so that''s how it is..."

    The corpse puppets stepped away and Aspakeony showed herself with an ashamed expression.

    Then finally something clicked in Zoemi''s mind and he lost all his cool.

    "The event! Someone was assassinated! That''s why you are so cautious about me! Somebody was killed, right?! Their heart was pierced by a corrosive spell of questionable origin!"

 Chapter 504 164 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 3)

    Chapter 504  164 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 3)¡¡¡¡He pushed one of the puppets to the side even though it didn''t even stand in his way, approached Aspakeony, and grabbed her by the shoulders.

    It was hard to believe that anyone could talk about assassination with such a bright and pure smile on their face.

    And yet here was Zoemi, grinning from ear to ear, he was so ecstatic that it seemed he was going to hug Aspakeony from sheer joy.

    "Wait! You know?! Stop! I said, stop! How do you know what happened?!"

    The necromancer escaped from Zoemi''s grasp and hid behind her light magician puppet.

    She straightened her clothes that got roughed up by the evasive maneuvers and send Zoemi a weird look, she seemed like she was angry that she managed to get away that easily and not at all that shocked that Zoemi knew some details even though she didn''t tell him anything.

    "It''s so amazing! I was so worried about that one but it just happened so naturally! The rest of the events will be a piece of cake! This one was supposed to be so unexpected that I was losing sleep over how to prevent it, but here we are! Such good news!"

    This ending sure had to be weighing on Zoemi''s mind because he became so relieved he didn''t even care that he was speaking out loud.

    Yet'' at the words ''good news'' Aspakeony''s face crumpled in a bad expression and she clicked her tongue.

    "Better think twice before you start a party in the assassin''s honor. The one who fell victim was your brother-inw. Little Grazio."

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Brother-inw?! What in the world happened in that timeline?!|

    Zoemi was in disbelief, staring dumbfounded at the screen as the events were ying out.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "...!"

    Zoemi froze in ce as if he was hit with the ice spell.

    He stopped grinning and slowly looked at Aspakeony with dead eyes.

    "Grazio...? Are you sure...?"

    The ck-haired boy uttered as his heart dropped.

    This situation was something that he did not ount for.

    Because it was certainly shocking.

    One of the capture targets from the game died before his route came to an end... and yet nothing happened...

    When the heroine died the presence instantly rewinds time and scolded Zoemi for trying to end the game too soon.

    Were the capture targets not important...?

    And if they are as important as the heroine, howe the presence just allowed one of them to be killed, there was a whole ending yet to happen! And it was supposed to be the burning alive caused by the now-deceased Grazio!

    ...

    It could be that the burning alive will still happen... but who will do the burning...?

    It was easy for Zoemi to keep an eye on Grazio, but now...?

    "Sadly."

    Necromancer sighed and nodded her head, she certainly didn''t take it well and it must have been something more than just feeling bad for one of her students passing away.

    "Ah... I see. His body waspletely drained of mana. That''s why you said it''s too dangerous for you to hole up in the office and asked me about the spell."

    Zoemi nodded his head while dealing with the mess in his head.

    "But who did it... Haven''t you said that the Ghosts were done with gathering power?"

    He asked and the necromancer shuddered.

    "They said they were, but how trustworthy is the word of traitors who killed the royal family they pledged to protect?"

    Aspakeony hugged herself and shuddered.

    "...then we have a problem... Those so-called Ghosts threatened Miriette before... whether it''s them or...!"

    Suddenly Zoemi felt that his insides twisted into a giant knot.

    He knew who did that, it fits all too perfectly with the game''s lore and everything...

    Arisu.

    |No, it might not be him, there''s no actual evidence. It would be stupid to approach him and instead get ambushed by the Ghosts!|

    Zoemi stopped himself before jumping to conclusions.

    |It may seem perfect from the perspective of the game, but in the game, Xeonith wasn''t a disgusting piece of shit. But at the same time, it''s not impossible... I have to prepare for all possibilities...

    Zoemi sighed internally.|

    For some time Aspakeony was silently gazing at Zoemi, then all of a sudden her eyes lit up and she approached him vigorously.

    "You, you want to be stronger to protect your girl, right?"

    She said visibly excited.

    "...?"

    Zoemi red at her.

    He was conflicted about whether he should say that Miriette is his master or just go with Aspakeony''s flow and admit that he is together with Miriette.

    In any case, up until now the necromancer only helped him and seemed trustworthy, her proposition, although suspicious, wasn''t that out of ce.

    Besides, she spoke the magic words of protecting Miriette, Zoemi had a hard time just refusing a proposition regarding that subject without hearing it out first.

    "Miriette is the most important for me."

    He ended up agreeing.

    Aspakeony smiled from ear to ear.

    "Come with me then."

    She grabbed both Zoemi and the light attribute corpse puppet and disappeared in a sh of golden light.

    At the same time, Miriette took her ear off the door and stood up while biting her hand both angry and extremely worried.

    "That idiot necromancer! Presence''s scenario is falling apart and she tries to improvise!? ARGH! If something happens to my Zoemi I will kill them all!"

    It was impressive how Miriette could hold back from absolutely exploding in rage.

    She wanted to step up but she was in too deep.

    If she told Zoemi everything she knew now... she was too afraid of what would he do...

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |...it sure does look like Miriette from that timeline was involved in something problematic... Not to mention that I am a pure shadow magician ¨C so many things don''t match already...|

    |Seems like it. But let''s continue watching ¨C if this was the end of what Bellcephora wanted to show you, she would have let you know.|

    Zoemi thought with concern, and the original personality responded in an indifferent voice.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    The group of both living and dead appeared out of the blinding light right into the neatly clean corridor.

    Zoemi looked around carefully, he somewhat recognized the interior design, the exotic and expensive wood carved into delicate but somewhat pompous decorations couldn''t be mistaken by anyone who has seen them before.

    Still, Zoemi, in particr, was sure that he had never actually been to this part of the royal castle.

    Yes, Aspakeony apparently had some sort of a n and it demanded them to get into the Bellcephora''s pce.

    |This dumb little...!|

    Zoemi bit his lip and almost grabbed the necromancer by the throat.

    Almost.

    His hand stopped less than half an inch from the delicate neck of the millennia-old girl.

    The ck-haired boy wasn''t stopped by anyone since he acted faster than anyone else could react, he just decided it was better to give the necromancer a chance to exin.

    "Why...?"

    He hissed, his eyes cold and dead from the abhorrent amount of furry.

    "I-I...! Wh-what are you doing? I did nothing wrong?!"

    Aspakeony gasped and shoot him a terrifiedmb-like gaze.

    |She''s... not lying...?|

    Zoemi clicked his tongue and sighed.

    "Why did you teleport us into the most secure ce in the whole kingdom? You surely know what kind of punishment is deemed appropriate for anyone who''s not from the royal family and still dares to teleport here?!"

    He felt indignant having to exin something so obvious, he even started worrying that the girl''s actual age was acting up clouding her judgment.

    "Eh? Are you stupid or something?"

    Aspakeony groaned and detedpletely dispirited.

    "I was the one who forced this rule into existence! Of course, I am the one responsible for executing it! Aren''t you supposed to be smarter?"

    ...!

    Zoemi froze for an instant and then suddenly blushed and removed his hand.

    "Ah...I... I see... Please forgive me..."

    He actually bowed his head apologetically.

    "It''s just... Even though there''s Teo, and also your other puppets, that are supposed to guard Miriette, I can''t shake off this uneasy feeling... I should be the one protecting her."

    His voice was full of worry, Aspakeony made aplicated expression, something between a smile and a frown, and ended up patting the conveniently located head of the apologetic attendant.

    "Yes, yes, I know, you must protect your precious master..."

    She bobbed her head up and down with an understanding smile.

    At that moment Zoemi felt a sudden chill...!

    Something about that situation...!

    Something was...!

    There was something way too familiar about this exact situation!

    Without thinking Zoemi grabbed Aspakeony''s wrist and raised his head to look her in the eyes.

    His own eyes were pitch-ckpletely devoid of any sort of reflected light and seemingly unable to perceive light on their own.

    Those weren''t the eyes of someone alive.

    At the same time, a scene was ying over and over again in Zoemi''s head.

    --------

    Aspakeony, yes, it couldn''t be a mistake, Aspakeony looking the same as always was bending over him with a warm smile and patting his head caringly.

    "I seriously don''t understand why this brat begged me to do something with his daughter''s nightmares! Could you believe it, my little Zoemi? Me, a necromancer, ying a godmother for a child!"

    She giggled.

    "That said, I can''t wait for the two of you to finally meet! Though I''m worried that little Miriette will be afraid of your eyes..."

    She made a worried expression for a moment but then was all smiles again and her patting intensified.

    "Well, if she wouldn''t want you, you can always stay with me, pretty boy!"

    Aspakeonyughed and leaned so close to him that their noses touched.

    ...

    But it was all wrong! Allpletely wrong! With that scale, Aspakeony would have to be a towering giant! Or he, Zoemi, would have to be a toddler at that time, it was just...!

    ----------

 Chapter 505 165 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 4)

    Chapter 505  165 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 4)¡¡¡¡When Zoemi from the different timeline came to his senses he realized that even in real life his nose was touching the necromancer''s nose, and boy was her face hot, Zoemi could almost see the steam rising from the girl''s head.

    "Ah! I''m sorry!"

    Zoemi finally, let go of Aspakeony''s wrist and backed away bashfully.

    "..."

    The mighty necromancer, so much older and with much more life experience than him was looking to the side with a so-happy-that-almost-dumb expression and fanning her face with one hand.

    With the impossible memory still fresh in his head Zoemi cleared his throat and asked.

    "Aspakeony... Have we... Met before...? Could it be that you knew me before my mother passed away or something...?"

    He asked very carefully.

    Actually, this was the very first time that Zoemi thought about his parent from this world since he was picked up by Mizoe.

    Aaah... Such an ungrateful son this one was... He didn''t even know where that woman was buried...

    "Whaaat? Of course not! Silly!"

    Aspakeony''sughing voice pulled him right out of that train of thoughts and back to reality.

    She was waving her hand dismissively while fidgeting still giddy from the cute kiss-like gesture she received so unexpectedly.

    "Ah! Yes, of course, how stupid of me...!"

    Zoemiughed awkwardly and cleared his throat again.

    "A-anyway, wasn''t using here had something to do we me getting stronger to protect Miriette better?"

    Zoemi finally managed to push aside this weird daze the unrealistic vision has brought him and steered the conversation in the proper direction.

    "Of course! Follow me!"

    Aspakeony puffed up her chest and boasted, then she waved at Zoemi and marched towards the end of the corridor.

    "Which part of the castle is this anyway? Why are there no guards stationed here?"

    Zoemi asked confused, although there were no windows whatsoever, leaving such a big spacepletely unattended was not something that the well-paid pce guards were supposed to do...

    "Oh, that''s because it''s the way to the archives and treasury."

    Aspakeony shrugged dismissively.

    "That makes it even more of a problematic situation!"

    Zoemi couldn''t help but retort which made Aspakeony snort joyously.

    "It does, this whole corridor is spiked with barriers and defensive mechanisms, if any of those so-called guards would make a mistake they would end up blown to smithereens, and no one wants to cover for the cost of cleaning such a mess."

    And somehow her answer was even more unsettling than Zoemi could predict.

    "Let me guess, you were the one who set it all up?"

    He sighed knowing the answer already.

    "Of course, after all, there are some precarious things stashed here that I simply can''t let anyone else get their hands on."

    |Oh? She sounds so proud?|

    "Precarious? How useful they would be in the end? If they were that powerful, to begin with, you wouldn''t be shivering at the mere thought of the Ghosts of Bellcephora."

    Zoemi pointed out, and clearly, his pricklingment was so urate that it pierced through the inted balloon of the Aspakeony''s good mood and burst it quite splendidly.

    "M-maybe those treasures didn''t help me b-but in the right hands they will turn out to be super useful, you know?!"

    Somehow the great necromancer ended up on the verge of tears.

    Zoemi sure struck right where it hurt her...

    "I''m sorry...?"

    Zoemi tried to console her but the girl stepped away from him and pointed at the unassuming-looking door.

    "Go there and wait for me! You can talk with the librarian in charge of the archives, I don''t care! I have topose myself!"

    She dered theatrically to send Zoemi off.

    Zoemi''s expression turned cold for a moment, not being at Miriette''s side any longer than necessary was starting to get on his nerves.

    Well, the biggest dy up until now was caused by him but it didn''t really matter!

    "I need to choose the appropriate puppet you numbskull! I''ll be right behind you!"

    Aspakeony scoffed at him.

    "That guy was already notified by the security system that we arrived, chat him up for a moment so that he won''t get suspicious of me!"

    There were still many parts that Zoemi found missing from the exnation but decided to trust the necromancer''s words and left.

    As soon as Zoemi opened the door and disappeared behind them, Aspakeony slumped to the ground pressing both of her hands to her stomach that felt like someone was crushing her insides with a battering ram.

    "Why does he remember that....?! How can he even remember that...! It''s not possible! Not possible... Notpossiblenotpossiblenotpossible...!

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |It''s progress, I guess...? He ¨C or I from that timeline ¨C sure doesn''t seem to be aware of your existence.|

    Zoemi sighed to himself, which of course resulted in his voice resounding through the murky-ck space.

    |That''s because this is the only timeline where I truly awaken.|

    The original personality responded in a somewhat mncholic-sounding voice.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    The moment Zoemi passed through the door, he knew he messed up.

    Since he came here with Aspakeony with a head full of protecting Miriette he couldn''t fathom that there might be some protective measures active after all.

    But the moment he felt a slight tickling feeling as if passing through the thin film of unknown origin the world around him slowed down to a crawl.

    It wasn''t anything like the sudden appearance of the presence, the impossible cold assaulting his body from every direction was sufficient proof of that.

    It was clearly the work of an ice magician.

    |But when?! How?! Could it be that the murderer reappeared?!|

    Zoemi lost his head in the moment.

    He was done for, ice spellspletely freeze the mana in the magician''s body.

    Although shadow mana had a lot of unusual properties it still more or less falls under normal limitations ¨C no matter how much it can expand, if it cannot be forced into a spell in the first ce, it''spletely useless.

    And the worst part of this situation was that the one using such a terrifying element had incredible control over its power, Zoemi had no idea that ice magic could be used to influence the target''s perception of time.

    Yet here he was, trapped with no way of protecting himself.

    The surge of panic filled the boy''s body and made him use the first spell he could think of as helpful...

    "ENFLAME...!"

    He basically cried in a voice of a scared child.

    Zoemi''s pale blue lips trembled.

    It didn''t feel like this spellbination was preventing him from using mana, it felt as if he didn''t have mana at all.

    "Disturbing this archive without a previous notice is a crime enough out of itself but trying to use a fire spell to boot? Mind introducing yourself, intruder? Such stupidity is fully worthy of my attention because how someone like that managed to get here is beyond my deduction skills."

    The bored voice continued and Zoemi forced his nearly frozen eyes to finally look around the room and at the person talking.

    "...Huh...?"

    Zoemi gasped, at first, he couldn''t believe his eyes!

    The person talking to him, the blue-haired man who didn''t even raise his head from above the book he was diligently transcribing onto loose pieces of parchment... He... He was...!

    "T-teacher Erest?!"

    Zoemi managed to stutter clearly enough for the man to hear him over the sound of his chattering teeth.

    "Nn...?"

    The pen in the blue-haired man''s hand stopped and the man raised his head with a suspicious expression.

    Yet, his expression didn''t change no matter how much he stared intoZoemi''s face.

    "Alright, let''s add another question, why do you seem to know me?"

    His brow raised as he put the pen aside.

    "S-sir Vatlo Jora Erest! T-teacher, it''s me...! Zoemi! Y-you tutored me and my master and the first prince Horeo!"

    While talking Zoemi kept focusing all his will on adding the fire aspect into his mana turned out to be a good idea, Zoemi could feel that the murky mes slowly but surely engulfing his body were fighting off the numbness of the ice magic. Yes, the spell took some time to activate, but it did activate!

    The freedom was just a step away, the bashful mes were flickering on his skin...!

    "No."

    A bored sigh came from somewhere within the room and the air beside Zoemi turned into a liquid, drenching himpletely and erasing any trace of the fire, what''s worse the liquid instantly froze around Zoemi and the ck-haired attendant could feel the overwhelming and unyielding ice encasing his insides into a frozen prison from which not even a speck of mana could escape.

    "Teacher, it''s me, Zoemi!"

    |H-how is that possible?!|

    Zoemi cried pleadingly.

    He was hoping that it will be enough to jog his teacher''s memory.

    And indeed, there was a change in Valto''s behavior.

    Only not the one Zoemi was hoping for.

    Vertical wrinkles appeared between the man''s brows as he creased them in an angry expression.

    "Listen here, you impudent impostor, Zoemi you are trying pose as just so happens to be my favorite student, he''s a diligent well-behaved child and has the right side of his face disfigured by a fire spell..."

    Valto raised his hand and pointed and touched his right cheek with his finger.

    "The same type of magic that you were going to use just before, so that make''s you some type of fire magician, and Zoemi is a darkness magician. With that out of the way, I''ll assume you are not just some idental intruder but one with malicious intent."

    Valto raised his head and sent Zoemi a re full of cold fury.

    "Posing as my student... You wish for death..."

    "N-no...!Teacher, I...!"

    Zoemi had no idea what he was supposed to do!

    ~~~~~~~~

    ***********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Things are getting wild, wouldn''t you say?|

    |...|

    Zoemi asked the original personality, but he got no response as the other being seemed to be too focused on the events ying out.

 Chapter 506 165 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 5)

    Chapter 506  165 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 5)¡¡¡¡This sudden reunion that the Zoemi from the other timeline had with his teacher wasn''t something he could prepare himself beforehand, at all.

    Vatlo Jora Erest, the magic tutor to the first prince Horeo and his fiance Miriette and Zoemi, was just suddenly called for a secret audience with the king on thest day of tutoring the trio and never show up again.

    Not even Horeo knew what happened to the man as his father refused to tell him anything, passing it off as a piece of secret information.

    But to think that Valto would appear before Zoemi in such odd circumstances and with no knowledge of what happened to Zoemi to boot!

    It was especially odd considering that Zoemi made quite the show when he announced that he was actually a fire magician, he also had no scar at the time then too already! It wasn''t weird to think that every aristocrat in the kingdom knew about him! Yet somehow Valto who was apparently spending his days in the archive room of the royal castle no less didn''t know a thing?! It wasn''t normal!

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Did... did it just revealed in the story that I the other Zoemi was trying to pass off as a fire magician...?|

    Zoemi blinked repeatedly, shaking his head whilepletely bbergasted by the premise and the guts of the other version of himself he was watching.

    |It definitely did... I believe he might have tried to pass off being a shadow magician as being the transcended fire magician with so much mana that not only his hair and eyes became ck, but his spells too...|

    The voice of the original personality spoke in hesitation as if he was squinting his eyes trying to figure stuff out without taking his eyes off the screen.

    |Huh? Hey... that''s quite a wild assumption... How did you figure that out?|

    Zoemi asked and tried to turn towards the direction the voice wasing from, but once again the sense of motion was a foreign concept in the murky-ck world.

    |I believe I was partially awake during that supposed perfect timeline... That''s why the other you saw that dream ¨C it was a part of my memories.|

    The original personality responded and while he talked the hesitation disappeared from his voice as the artificial soul became more confident in his own knowledge.

    |You mean, the part of the memories of the other you.|

    |No. Although you, as a being that grew from my soul getting thrown into the other world, do have a different version of yourself living in different timelines, I am different. I am an artificial soul that got created for the sole purpose of protecting the second princess. Our souls are connected and exist beyond time and space.|

    Zoemi asked calmly but the original personality corrected him in a serious voice that honestly made the ck-haired boy speechless.

    "..."

    Completely lost and not knowing what to think, Zoemi simply turned his attention back to the screen when the events from a different timeline were ying out...

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    The blue-haired man frowned and raised his hand towards Zoemi and the boy tensed up in fear

    Yes, actual fear.

    There was something different about Valto, no, it wasn''t like that...

    When Zoemi was younger he always thought that Valto''s shadow didn''t match him at all. Valto was a very proud person, he was confident about his knowledge and took much pride in his ability, he also was a bit prejudiced, but in the end, he was a gentle person with a big heart who just needed to learn a bit more about the world to ept and wee it.

    The thing was, his shadow was always an extremely disturbing giant humanoid skull with four eye sockets spiked with icicles. Its imposing aura was much more threatening than both Miriette''s and Horeo''s shadows, even though the young first prince''s unique shadow was farrger than the teacher''s, as it straight up seemed to be thirsting for murder and destruction.

    ...and at the current moment, with Zoemi immobilized at the entrance of the archive and treasury could clearly see that Valto''s aura was finally matching his shadow perfectly.

    *rustle*

    "..."

    At the sudden noiseing from the hallway, Valto nced at the door and waved his hand to the side with a sigh.

    "So you were not alone, huh..."

    He clicked his tongue and Zoemi''s body slid to the side.

    "..."

    The boy wanted to say something but realized that his mouth got frozen shut.

    *click*

    The door opened and a young woman with bright green hair and an even brighter smile entered the room with a spring in her step.

    "Hey-o...!"

    "...!"

    *WHAM*

    Valto''s face became severe and he smashed his fist against the desk without even uttering a word.

    Before the green woman could even react, an ice-stake thicker than a man''s tight erupted from the floor in front of her and impaled her through the stomach, piercing her body against the ceiling.

    "Wh-wha...?!"

    The woman uttered with blood trickling through her lips.

    "Heferi Soklo Eruneo, second daughter of the great count Eruneo, cause of death - poisoned to death by her husband, supposedly buried in her family tomb."

    Valto dered and opened his clenched fist.

    With that signal, the green-haired corpse puppet instantly froze over into a crystal-like sculpture.

    "...!"

    Zoemi gasped but couldn''t make a sound no matter how much he tried.

    Aspakeony''s corpse-puppet got destroyed just like that!

    And Valto didn''t even flinch!

    "...Could it be... Shapeshifting...? Did I do something to offend the Ghosts...?"

    Valto muttered just loudly enough for Zoemi to hear, and the boy''s mind was blown.

    |Does he know that the Ghosts are still around?!|

    This shocked him almost as much as the next thing that happened.

    The next moment, in a sh of golden light a person appeared, it was the light-attribute corpse puppet, with her body glowing gold she was attacking from an extremely close range.

    She was aiming at Valto''s neck from his blind spot.

    Such a tactic would be perfect for dealing with a water magician or even an ice magician if they were taken by surprise.

    ...or rather, it was supposed to be...

    *crack*

    Right in front of Zoemi''s eyes, the corpse puppet''s hand turned into ice and shattered into thousands of pieces before even reaching Valto''s body, and the blue-haired man didn''t even turn around to look at her!

    Before Zoemi could truly take in what has happened, the whole light attribute corpse puppet was reduced to tiny pieces of shaved ice on the floor.

    The seconds passed inplete silence, seconds turned into minutes...

    "That''s it...? So it wasn''t Kirissu...? Or did she just give up?"

    Valto broke the silence and looked back at Zoemi.

    "I gather that you are the new recruit or something? You''re too naive to be one of the original members... Unless Elsby turned her shadow beasts into those... you can never be sure what the darkness attribute is capable of..."

    He frowned.

    Unfortunately, even though he really wanted to, Zoemi didn''t have any means to respond.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Is it telling us to get teacher Valto to help us? It looks like he possesses two attributes and is almost a sage.|

    Although the other timeline Zoemi was encased in ice, the one watching the events y out on a screen in the murky-ck world could say everything he wanted.

    |I don''t think that''s the case...|

    The original personality responded in a bothered voice.

    He sounded like he was doing his best to remember what exactly happened in the supposedly perfect timeline, but considering that he wasn''t truly awake during it, it wasn''t an easy task.

    |Can we both agree that if something happens to me in that timeline, we will stop sitting here patiently and try to get out?|

    Zoemi sighed and asked, trying to motion at the screen, but not really achieving anything since he wasn''t even sure that he had any limbs in that world.

    Maybe he just existed there as conscience and nothing else?

    |First of all, I believe that the second princess will not let us die.. let''s watch and see...|

    The original personality hesitated and sounded as if he bit his lips in hesitation.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "It is not the right time."

    "...?!"

    All of a sudden, with no prior indication, Valto turned his head sharply to the side and said in an annoyed tone.

    "I''m dealing with a very serious situation right now! Why would a king want me to...?"

    He shook his head and Zoemi realized that Valto must have been contacted by a wind magician and is having a conversation through a message spell.

    "Wha...!? Oh... Your highness... Ah... I see. I understand, your majesty... I see... I was too hasty... Yes, thank you, my lord."

    Even though he couldn''t be seen by the other person, Valto bowed apologetically.

    "...haaaaaa..."

    It seemed like the conversation was over because Valto turned to Zoemi with a very awkward expression.

    In an instant, Zoemi could feel the cold leaving his body and regained control of his mana.

    "Zoemi, I am terribly sorry for this misunderstanding..."

    As the ck-haired boy was rubbing his hands together to get rid of the numbness he realized that the blue-haired man was bowing his head to him now.

    "T-teacher, you don''t ha-have t-to...!"

    Even though the ice was gone didn''t mean that Zoemi would stop shivering.

    "Well then. In my defense, you''ve changed a lot."

    Valto raised his head, there was not even a trace of guilt in his eyes.

    That was much more like the teacher that Zoemi knew before.

    And he had so many questions for him!

 Chapter 507 165 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 6)

    Chapter 507  165 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 6)¡¡¡¡"Teacher... Where have you been all this time? What happened to you? How did you be so strong?"

    Although Zoemi''s concerns were mostly rted to him getting stronger. After all, he came here for exactly that, a way to get stronger.

    |Aspakeony sure does fumble a lot with her ns...!|

    He groaned internally.

    "Oh, I can''t tell you. Orders from the king."

    Valto waved his hand to the sides andughed off the question.

    "Still, you''re a fire magician, huh..."

    He frowned and his piercing look send shivers down Zoemi''s spine.

    "I see... so that''s it."

    Valto murmured as if he realized something.

    "Alright. Let''s go."

    Zoemi felt like aplete outsider even though he was the one that Valto was speaking to.

    Not even waiting for Zoemi''s reaction the blue-haired man pushed himself away from the desk and his wheelchair creaked with scorn for such a sudden movement. For a moment it looked like Valto will tip over and fall backward but he skillfully leaned forward and grabbed the big wheels and propelled himself turning the wheelchair around.

    He did that with a big smile stered on his face.

    "Teacher, you never change, do you?"

    Even though he was still shaken, Zoemi chuckled seeing the familiar scene y out.

    After all, Valto used to show off his wheelchair like that all the time when he was still teaching the youngsters as if he was saying ''can you do that with your working legs?''

    "Why would I? Let''s go, I think I know what you came here for, there''s no need to wait for your benefactor, I think I scared her away anyway."

    |Her?! He knows about Aspakeony too?! But then why did he attack and destroyed the corpse puppets so readily?!|

    Valto was always incredibly smart anyways, but now it seemed that his level of knowledge was on a whole another level.

    Zoemi could only gulp down his saliva and follow Valto like a duckling.

    The two of them were passing row after row of bookshelves, so many in fact that Zoemi started wondering how is that even possible since if his calctions were correct they already moved farther than the whole length of the royal castle.

    Just as that thought entered his mind he felt pressure on his skin just like when he entered the room in the first ce, only this time passing through the thin membrane didn''t cause the world around him to slow down but instead revealed a huge treasure room.

    Or rather a storeroom for precious artifacts... one or the other.

    "...!"

    At first, Zoemi was so taken aback that he stopped but quickly return to his senses when he realized that Valto didn''t slow down to wait for him at all.

    The ck-haired boy caught up to his teacher but still couldn''t truly focus because he was constantly assaulted by the incredible sights.

    Armors covered with magic runes that emitted a threatening aura, weapons that possessed unique shadows that constantly moved around, jewelry that emitted powerful mana, and paintings with mana crystals embedded in their frames that seemed to be alive. Once in a while, the pair would pass by an object so unique that Zoemi had no idea what was its purpose, or on the other hand, apletely normal object that seemingly had no ce in such an incredible ce.

    One such object made Zoemi stop in his track.

    Beneath one of the mysterious paintings portraying a little girl with tinum hair that was hiding her face behind a ck teddy bear, a plush bear that looked exactly like the one in the painting was sitting on a translucent crystal box containing what looked like a cut-off human arm, slender and slim with delicate features.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |WHAT THE HELL?! I RECOGNIZE THE PLACE! I HAVE SEEN IT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE BEAR!|

    Zoemi observing the events from the other timeline felt like jolting up, and he shouted in his mind, which filled the world of murky darkness with his urgent voice.

    |Exactly. This is where my first body is located in every single timeline. Standing guard on Kirissu''s arm, ready to eradicate any Ghost of Bellcephora foolish enough to try and recover it.|

    The original personality responded with grim seriousness as if he was ring at the limb showing up on the screen.

    |So Kirissu was the one who tried to kidnap the second prince and got her arm cut off by the squire wielding the wind attribute?|

    Zoemi asked, thinking that he already know the answer, recalling the story about the tragedy from centuries past.

    |The boy didn''t have enough power to harm her. The truth was, that when Kirissu was already holding the second prince, she realized that her son, Cherro, was not going to kill the second princess and instead was about to kidnap her... so she tried to stop him. Cherro was already using shadow gate, and it was closing too. You know what happens when that is the case ¨C Kirissu got her arm cut off while Cherro abducted my master... taking me with them identally.|

    |...|

    The original personality was revealed, leaving the ck-haired boy stunned and speechless once more.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    Subconsciously, Zoemi left his teacher and approached the bear.

    The toy was incredibly worn out and was stitched and patched all over, it must have been very old.

    But its eyes were pulling Zoemi in.

    Jet ck eyes that didn''t reflect any light whatsoever.

    It made the toy look way more menacing than it had any right to be.

    An unknown force made Zoemi raise his hand and reached for the bear.

    "Don''t touch Zoemi!"

    ''Huh?!"

    Zoemi was pulled out of the trance by Valto, who grabbed his hand just in time and started dragging him away.

    "T-teacher, what was that... thing...?"

    Zoemi shook his head but his mind was still foggy.

    "A cursed item, Zoemi, never ever try to touch it. It has some connection with primal darkness mana and will corrode the mind and devour the body if it''lle into contact with any living being. It imed many lives of people who didn''t know any better."

    Valto exined and Zoemi noticed that the teacher was actually sweating nervously.

    "Huh...? B-but, it has patches, that means someone did touch it, right?"

    Zoemi asked, still trying to regain a clear mind.

    "It was a normal toy before its owner, the girl on the painting had died."

    "Oh."

    The blue-haired man shrugged his shoulders and exined, making the ck-haired boy release a confused sound.

    "The thing is, after her death, the bear was found by her corpsepletely destroyed and already had the deadly properties."

    Valto looked like he wasn''t satisfied with Zoemi''s lukewarm answer so he continued.

    "Still, since it was the property of the second princess, it was scooped up and transported here, but not even a full day passed and the bear was mysteriously restored to the state you just saw."

    "Huh...?"

    The blue-haired man revealed, making Zoemi flinch and gasp yet another time.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |...if that''s the case, then who stitched you up...?|

    Zoemi from the world of murky darkness asked, gulping down his saliva.

    |Isn''t it obvious? The only person I ever wanted to be happy and safe ¨C the second princess herself. She didn''t use her time magic on me, and instead stitched me up herself the best she could. Every stitch is the mark of her feelings towards me and serves as a reminder to never forget my purpose.|

    The original personality sounded as if he puffed out his chest with pride and dered.

    |...she patched you up even though she was...dead...?|

    Zoemi asked in a hesitant voice.

    |My master was originally believed to be a normal light magician with a slightly different shade of hair ¨C her actual attribute and extent of her power revealed itself at the moment of her death, throwing her soul out of the time... if you want to know more, you will have to ask her, because I do not know anything else about it.|

    The original personality sighed in a bitter tone as if recalling the past events saddened him greatly.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "Zoemi. This bear belonged to the little second princess who was killed by the Ghosts of Bellcephora when they betrayed our kingdom."

    "Ah, I see..."

    No matter what Valto said, the aftereffects of approaching the cursed bear were too strong to just disappear on their own.

    "But if it''s so strong then... Isn''t this the thing I came here for...?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and asked slowly, giving his best to stay coherent.

    "Zoemi. That thing killed a Ghost. Someone who had way more control over darkness than you can even imagine. You are my favorite student, I''m not going to let you kill yourself in such a stupid way."

    Valto shot down the idea instantly.

    "Oh? Teacher, but I''m still nowhere near as strong as the first prince or my master."

    Zoemi tilted his head even more confused.

    "I''ve said my favorite, not the strongest. Hmm... Maybe we should go back and get you a healing potion...?"

    Valto nced at Zoemi''s face with concern.

    "Healing..? Ah! Healing!"

    Zoemi shouted and made Valto frown, but the next moment, when Zoemi''s body briefly shone with a murky light the frown changed into surprise.

    Zoemi, who filled his mana with the healing attribute and used a shadow of a healing spell was no less shocked.

    "Eh...? I actually got better? But the healing magic doesn''t affect the mind...? Was that attack actually purely physical?! How is that even possible?!"

    The ck-haired boy murmured to himself in disbelief over the situation, not really aware that he was speaking loud enough for the blue-haired man to hear him quite clearly.

 Chapter 508 166 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 7)

    Chapter 508  166 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 7)¡¡¡¡"A healing magic you say... Interesting..."

    Valto smirked but didn''t propel himself forward.

    "We aren''t going anywhere ¨C I have been informed that the item that you would find useful in your search for strength is right here."

    The man smiled and tapped Zoemi''s side before pointing back at the plush bear...

    "...?"

    ...which honestly shocked the ck-haired boy, until he realized that the former royal tutor was pointing at the crystal container that the toy was sitting upon...

    The translucent crystal was some kind of mana crystal and in itself possessed some sort of magic properties, but in and of itself, it wasn''t the main part of the whole set-up.

    The container on its own was resting on top of a pedestal that was fully covered with mana stones with runes carved all over them. Most of which even Zoemi recognized as the sealing runes.

    And although Zoemi from the murky-ck world focused on the severed human arm.

    Even before the toy, Zoemi from the supposedly perfect timeline focused on it only then.

    He could not help but think that it was somewhat still alive ¨C it looked too... fresh... just as if it was cut off only moments ago ¨C although there was no blood dripping from the part that was severed from the rest of the body.

    At first, the ck-haired boy wondered why would anyone keep such a thing there but then the realization struck him like lightning.

    "This...! This is...!"

    He gasped.

    "Yes. This is the arm of the vicemander of the Ghosts of Bellcephora, Kirissu. As you can probably imagine, it''s still partially connected to her, even after it was cut off. This is definitely what you are looking for."

    Valto nodded his head and said, as the boy greedily gulped down and stared at the arm.

    Zoemi became so much more powerful after devouring Oktria''s hair...

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Excuse me? In that timeline, the other me got stronger after doing WHAT?!|

    Zoemi called out in anger mixed with disgust.

    |Ghosts of Bellcephora abandoned their flesh and blood bodies and are basically made out of mana. I believe that is what they mean.|

    The original personality spoke up, trying to calm down the disturbed boy.

    |No! He clearly thinks that devouring the actual thing is what makes him stronger!|

    The ck-haired boy growled in fury, trembling from anger.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    He got so many useful spells from doing that, and Oktria was supposedly specialized in support abilities like tracking and localizing the enemy. From what he knew about Kirissu, she was an offensive type and apparently could shapeshift... If he could get those abilities plus the mana that woulde from converting the darkness mana remaining in the arm...!

    "Here."

    Valto pushed himself towards the container and cautiously unlocked the mechanism somewhere on the pedestal, which caused the front panel of the crystal container to sprung open, giving them ess to the severed arm.

    "Shadow emerge."

    Without further instructions, Zoemi stepped forward and his own hand became engulfed in a mass of pitch-ck darkness that looked more like a bottomless pit than a liquid-like cloud.

    With the pre-activated spell, Zoemi reached and grabbed the arm and made the darkness slither and wrap all over it, the moment the arm started melting a huge surge of mana hit him like a tsunami.

    It couldn''t bepared to the amount that he got from Oktria, even though she was threatening to kill him, she apparently didn''t use that much of her power, but in this case, it was so much that Zoemi felt scared.

    Wave after wave of mana crushed into him, he felt his body swelling from the sudden increase of power, and it wasn''t stopping at all.

    He fell to his knees clenching his stomach and his chest.

    Just like when he was still a child, and his magic was forcibly awakened byHoreo, he felt that his insides were pushed to the sides by the new organ that stored and produced mana.

    Only this time, it was swelling and swelling, and swelling indefinitely until Zoemi felt like he no longer had any physical organs, he waspletely full of mana... Composed of mana... He no longer felt like he was using the shadow.

    He...

    He WAS the shadow.

    But then his mind was assaulted by the streams of memories, so entangled and intertwined that even though they belonged to twenty different people it seemed like they melted into one.

    Just as Zoemi was on the edge of dissolving into the quagmire of different memories and personalities, a golden light appeared in his mind.

    "WHAT IS THIS?! NO! YOU ARE MINE! YOU HEAR ME?! MINE! YOU ARE MY TOY, ZOEMI, YOU BELONG TO ME AND I''LL CRUSH ANYONE WHO TRIES TO TAKE YOU AWAY!"

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Master...!|

    The original personality let out a longing cry and no doubt was reaching his hands towards the screen.

    Zoemi stayed silent, feeling slightly sorry for the moved artificial soul.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    It was the presence.

    Its light squashed the other personalities that were gnawing on Zoemi''s soul and cleansed thempletely.

    "Thank goodness. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

    Did...Did this voice really belong to the presence...?

    It sounded so concerned and genuinely worried about him that Zoemi thought it must have been some sort of a mistake.

    "Ah, whatever, my n is already ruined, I can as well just drop the act altogether! You see... Eh...? Uh-oh...! Ummm... Zoemi... You see... this time I was the one who messed up..."

    Suddenly the presence''s tone changed, it sounded like a child who realized their mistake but tried to act cutely to minimize the amount of scolding they would receive.

    "I hurried here to save you and identally released the seal... and now I can''t go back it seems... Tee-hee...?"

    "Seal...What seal...?"

    Zoemi asked confused.

    "Umm...You''d better hurry back to the academy, oh, I know, I''ll better transport you there myself, it will be faster. I''ll bring the double attribute magician too, he''ll definitely be able to help."

    "Wha-what are you even talking about?"

    Although it might have sounded like a dialogue ¨C the presence was just saying what she wanted while ignoring the ck-haired boy while Zoemi asked questions in confusion, not getting any of them answered.

 Chapter 509 166 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 8)

    Chapter 509  166 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 8)¡¡¡¡"I''m sorry, this one is my fault, and I can no longer reverse time because that bastard is already strong enough to oppose me. Sorry. But I believe in you! Fight hard, my protector!"

    The presence said in an urgent voice, cheering on the stunned boy.

    "Protector?! n?! You can no longer what?! What bastard?! What the hell is going on?!"

    Zoemi was shouting his lungs off but at the same time, he felt like he wasn''t speaking at all.

    "Only you can save me from him, Zoemi."

    As Zoemi''s body stiffened, the presence sounded as if it was smiling shyly...but more importantly, he recognized that tone. He wasn''t sure from where or when, but he knew deep within that he must do everything in his power to protect the owner of this voice.

    And probably nothing could make him more confused than that realization, because normally that sort of feeling was reserved solely for Miriette.

    Before he could voice any more questions, he felt that he was getting teleported away.

    And...

    Zoemi and Valto were transported right in front of the gates of hell.

    Simply said, that ce couldn''t be described in any other way.

    While the two of them were still standing on a soft, neatly trimmed grass, mere feet in front of them the earth was erupting and spitting fire in a primal rage.

    If not for the handful of magicians facing off with the zing inferno everything else would have already evaporated.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Whoa... I would make a bet that it is Vanterl''s doing... but since he wasn''t mentioned at all it might also be Ehmi. I don''t really care about the rtionship connecting the other me with that other timeline''s version of Ehmi. But considering what she did to my sentinels together with Vanterl and Arisu, I hope that she will die painfully and I will be inspired about how to make her suffer in our timeline.|

    Zoemi''s voice dropped and filled with ice-cold hatred at the sight of the crimson mes burning on the other side of the screen.

    |I doubt that is the reason that Bellcephora is showing us all of this.|

    The original personality already pulled himself together after hearing the direct voice of his master.

    |Maybe, but it shouldn''t harm anyone ¨C except trash who helped hunt down my poor little ones ¨C it should be okay.|

    Zoemi heard and understood him clearly, but was certainly not going to listen to the advice.

    If his body was visible in the borderless world of murky darkness, it would be easy to tell how agitated he was with just a single nce.

    |Wouldn''t it be more natural that Zoemi from the other timeline did his best to rescue her instead? He might have gone through a different experience but in the end, he is still you...|

    The artificial soul found himself in a situation where he wanted to calm down the ck-haired boy and pointed it out.

    |...true...|

    Zoemi sounded as if he rolled his eyes and sighed, focusing back on the screen that was bright red because of all the mes on the other side.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    In his confusion Zoemi looked around, they were in between the Aspakeony Academy...

    More precisely, the Academy''s dormitory building.

    At first, he was too stunned to move, but then it hit him.

    The people in front weren''t facing off against some sort of natural disaster approaching the Academy.

    They were protecting just the Academy grounds while SURROUNDED by the madness of raging fire.

    And those few in front weren''t the only ones there either, in a small distance from each other, hundreds of Aspakeony''s corpse-puppets were reaching their hands into the sky, each of them firmly holding a shining mana crystal casting a protective film over the academy walls.

    Only that was keeping the buildings and people from being turned into ash.

    Unfortunately, it looked like more and more corpse puppets were unable to hold on and slumped to the ground with their visages scorched by the extreme heat.

    ...they were losing...

    "...!"

    While Zoemi was wasting time merely observing, Valto rushed into action, his arms glowing icy blue, and even though they were in the center of a raging magic firestorm, Zoemi and everyone else started shivering.

    Within the next heartbeat, giant ice walls were erected into the sky, swallowing the existing thin barrier and creating a dome of security from the hellish heat.

    "You, you''re young Horeo, aren''t you? What is happening here?"

    Valto used the silence that has befallen the surroundings to push himself closer to the group, only his words made Zoemi realize that those people were actually a few teachers, maybe two or three familiar students, and the first prince Horeo in person.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Why isn''t Horeo using his actual power? Our Horeo might not want to show up, but he at least isn''t willing to die just to keep his strength a secret...|

    Zoemi let out sight and wanted to cross his arms, but he couldn''t feel a thing, as if he didn''t have a body.

    |It is possible that he didn''t awaken the same way that the one from our timeline. Bellcephora bloodline has the potential to be the strongest of all, but the chances of them awakening to it are actually astronomical.|

    |Is that so...?|

    The original personality informed him in a polite manner, making the boy let out a short, curious gasp.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    There were even more people there, three to be specific, but at first, Zoemi missed them because they were shielded by the rest.

    The heroine Burushitto was kneeling over Veo and Patishi and casting a healing spell on their heavily burnt bodies.

    "You idiot! If you use ice it will...!"

    But as soon as Horeo opened his mouth to answer another person, the blue-haired teacher Rokiana shouted at Valto in horror...

    *CRASH!*

    And she herself was interrupted by the ear-splitting explosion that shattered the ice and sent it flying everywhere as if a volley of deadly projectiles.

    "FUUUUUUUUUCK!"

    She shouted in a fit of powerless rage a split second before the power of the shockwave send everyone flying.

    Everyone except Zoemi.

    Even the icicles sharper than the strongest spear passed right through him and pierced the ground behind.

    But only he was left in a pristine condition, the rest suffered heavy casualties, the previously injured Veo and Patishi were, ironically in the best condition after Zoemi as both of them got shielded by the heroine and the first prince.

    "GHHHHHHGH...!"

    But because of that Horeo''s back looked like a hedgehog and Burushitto had her stomach and legs pierced by more than seven icicles, she groaned and spit out a mouthful of blood mixed with vomit.

    Teacher Rokiana got her left arm torn off by a particrlyrge piece of ice that also managed to crush the head of one of the other teachers.

    A red-haired teacher, whose right leg was twisted in apletely unnatural way was staring at the headless corpse with despair.

    "No...! You fool...! My sister is waiting for you, why would you...?!"

    All the rest was already dead or dying.

    "Well, isn''t that embarrassing..."

    Valto groaned and started crawling towards his wheelchair which tumbled away. His legs looked more like minced meat - a lump of frozen minced meat, mind you, he froze the wounds to stop them from bleeding ¨C but since he lost any feeling in them years ago, he didn''t find their current state particrly annoying. At least not more than usual.

    He was more ashamed that his spell got used against him.

 Chapter 510 166 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 9)

    Chapter 510  166 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 9)¡¡¡¡"T-teacher Erest... What are you doing here...?"

    Horeo asked while slowly standing up, to Zoemi''s surprise, the ice stakes that seemed embedded in his torso just fall off and shattered falling to the ground and hitting against each other, without leaving any open wounds or even bruisers.

    Horeo wasn''t called a prodigy by some mere coincidence.

    "And Zoemi... Why aren''t you with Miriette?"

    "Miriette? WHERE IS SHE?!"

    At the mere thought that his beloved master could be in danger, Zoemi freaked out and rushed to the prince. He grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently.

    "Where is she, she''s safe, right? Aspakeony took her to a safe ce, right?!"

    He shouted.

    "W-wait...!I-I don''t know what you''re talking about, what Aspakeony, like, the academy?"

    "Ah...!"

    Hearing Horeo''s genuine shock made Zoemi remember that the existence of the necromancer was a secret that was supposed to be known to the king and the royal magician.

    Here was the first prince but certainly wasn''t the king as of yet.

    Zoemi noticed a movement behind Horeo''s back and saw a new corps puppet appearing from the sh of golden light. The puppet, a gold-haired ten-year-old boy, nodded his head reassuringly to Zoemi and pulled out a mana crystal from his pocket, the next moment he raised it above his head and turned around to face the mes.

    "Phew..."

    Zoemi breathed out with relief, in these circumstances Aspakeony couldn''t signal him any clearer that Miriette was indeed safe.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |...excuse me? Of course, she could! Why didn''t she send another puppet that would exin things clearly?!|

    Zoemi groaned in disbelief trying to wave his hands in annoyance but that resulted in absolutely no visual change to the murky darkness.

    |Shush! It''s the fire sage girl.|

    No matter how shocking it was for him, the original soul shushed him while interested in the events ying out on the screen.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "Zoemi, it''s Ehmi!"

    The next thing the ck-haired boy knew, Horeo was the one holding onto his shoulders and shouting at him.

    "Huh? Where?"

    Zoemi naively raised his brows and looked around in search of the small girl.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Small...? Then... in that timeline she stayed possessed...?|

    Zoemi wondered, iming down and following the original personality''s example and focusing on the screen.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "There! It''s Ehmi! She caused that! It''s her spell!"

    Horeo shouted extremely loudly as if he thought that Zoemi went partially deaf from the explosion.

    "What are you talking about? Don''t be stupid, Ehmi''s a time magician, no matter what, she''s not strong enough to turn back time in the area to that extent."

    Zoemi pushed Horeo''s hands away with an annoyed expression, all that he wanted was to go to where Miriette was to ensure her safety and stay by her side.

    "What are YOU talking about?! EHMI IS THE STRONGEST FIRE MAGICIAN IN THE WORLD! And she went BERSERK RIGHT OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi stepped back and stared at Horeo in bewilderment and Horeo rewarded him with the exact same kind of look.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Ah. I was right.|

    Zoemi nodded and squinted his eyes, observing the events y out.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "No. Where did you even get that idea? She was always a time magician, it must be the work of someone else, like Ikarweth or something."

    Zoemi shook his head and turned his sights to Burushitto for help.

    The heroine just managed to pull thest projectile out of her body and was mending her wounds while continuously healing the first prince''s attendants.

    "Don''t look at me. Just like you, I know that little twerp only as a time magician."

    She spat out the rest of the blood in her mouth and red between the prince and the attendant.

    "I told you before, Zoemi, in the game that girl was mentioned very briefly."

    "And now both of you are talking nonsense!"

    Horeo clicked his tongue and refuted her in a sharp voice.

    "...!"

    Then, all of a sudden Zoemi straightened his back as if he realized something.

    "Buru...Heal Horeo."

    He said decisively.

    "Don''t, keep healing Veo and Patishi!"

    The prince strongly opposed it.

    "One of the stronger ones, if you can."

    Zoemi ignored the prince and rified."

    "Un."

    The heroine nodded and reached her hand towards the prince.

    "Mega heal."

    "I told you to not....!"

    Horeo frowned furiously but when the spell activated and the air around him shook, his expression changed in an instant from anger to shock to disbelief.

    "Huh...? How...?"

    He muttered.

    "So what is this about?"

    Burushitto raised her brow.

    "The effects of the time magic are registered by a body as the magic damage, and can be treated the same way."

    Zoemi exined.

    He didn''t feel the need to exin that just before transferring him here, the presence admitted that she messed up and she cannot create another seal or something.

    Zoemi simply realized that Horeo''s words must have something to do with that

    "What the hell? Why? I-I clearly remember meeting with Ehmi multiple times when we were younger, because she was considered another candidate for wife, just like Miriette... She was always introduced as the strongest fire magician...! I''ve met her so many times! She always had crimson hair and eyes! Who the fuck is that tinum-haired one?! That wasn''t Ehmi! What''s going on?!"

    Zoemi was hoping that the oue would bepletely different, he expected that the presence messed with everyone''s memories and made them think that Ehmi was the fire magician.

    But the truth was exactly the opposite of that.

    "But that would mean..."

    Zoemi felt the blood draining from his face.

    |That all this time I wasn''t talking with Ehmi... This whole time...!|

    "It was the presence itself...!"

    The ck-haired boy muttered under his breath and felt his insides turning inside out.

    He was yed with so much....! Why?! What for?!

    At the same time that Zoemi was fighting the panic and fury growing inside of him, a slender white hand reached through the mes and passed through the protective film of the Aspakeony''s barrier like it was nothing and grabbed the shoulder of the young boy corpse-puppet.

    The skin, clothes, and meat evaporated in an instant, not leaving even a puff of smoke, the charred bonessted only mere tenths of a second longer, before dispersing into fine ash.

    The magic crystal lost its shine and melted into a pathetic puddle that boiled over and evaporated.

    The mes breached the membrane and started spreading through the academy grounds like hungry snakes searching for their prey.

    And from beneath the veil of mes, a tall girl walked slowly.

    She was breathtakingly beautiful, her voluptuous body was filling the academy''s uniform to its absolute limits, and the fabric around the chest and waist area was especially prone to be ripped apart from the pressure building on them from the inside.

    The girl''s long crimson hair was reaching all the way to her ankles, although now she was grabbing onto them andbining them with her fingers in a nervous motion.

    Her big crimson eyes were full of tears that shone like liquid fire.

    No, her tears didn''t just look like a liquid fire...

    They were straight-upva.

    That girl WAS the embodiment of fire.

    She was Ehmi Gamemi Victureo.

    The true strongest fire magician, in not only the kingdom of Bellcephora but the whole known world.

    Noone was able to say anything. Even Valto who managed to get back into his wheelchair was lost for words.

    Real Ehmi''s eyes passed the dead bodies, injured, and alive ones alike, they only stopped when she located Zoemi.

    "Hubby...! Where is Grazio...?! I couldn''t find him, and I couldn''t find you, and I went looking for you because I thought that maybe you two are training again, but...! But...!"

    She cried and the tears ofva streamed down her face and as they did drop from her face they ignited the earth beneath her feet.

    She started running her fingers through her hair faster and faster in an increasingly unhinged motion.

    "I suddenly felt so ill that I fell down, and then... then... I-I realized that there was something wrong with my body! I was so small and it felt like someone was wearing me like a costume, but that someone was suddenly gone...! And my mana has run wild... and...! And...!"

    Ehmi hid her face in her hands and her shoulders started shaking.

    But as there was no response from others she slowly raised her head, her eyes shrunk and were burning with madness.

    "Did those people do something to you and Grazio? Hey, Hubby, is that why Grazio isn''t here"

    Her voice trembled and she looked at each and every person in front of her.

    "Hey, hey... Hubby... Don''t worry... EHMI WILL KILL EVERYONE WHO DARES TO MESS WITH THE THREE OF US!"

    Her voice turned into an ear-piercing shriek and the air around her trembled like water just to burst into a ming wall of death in the next second.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |It looks like that timeline doesn''t have a concept of a sage, considering that it dered Ehmi to be the strongest fire magician in the world... also...|

    Zoemi sighed after watching the crimson-haired girl appear on the screen.

    |Also...?|

    The original personality asked curiously as the boy hesitated.

    |Also, I guess that I am okay with that particr Ehmi getting saved. From what it sounds like, she really got the short end of the stick... I can rte to her in some strange way...|

    Zoemi sighed even deeper and admitted, trying to point out the desperate expression on the face of the girl shown on the screen.

    |...my master is a child that lived far too long, but ould not grow up since the time itself cannot affect her...|

    The original personality murmured, attempting to make an excuse for the path chosen by the presence in the timeline they were being shown.

 Chapter 511 167 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 10)

    Chapter 511  167 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 10)¡¡¡¡~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    It wasn''t a situation where Zoemi could just take his time and think over what the best option was, too many people have already died and the number of casualties would only increase if he did nothing, even now the bloodloss was slowly chipping at what''s left of the vitality of the few survivors.

    Though for Zoemi, what counted the most was the safety of his master.

    This wasn''t a situation where he could make any mistakes.

    Although... It was strange that Miriette wasn''t at the front lines considering how strong she was...

    "Where''s my master...?"

    Even when each moment was more precious than diamonds and gold, Zoemi asked the rest of the survivors.

    "Miriette...?"

    Horeo looked at Zoemi in disbelief, but the dead eyes of the attendant told him more than enough.

    For Zoemi everyone else except Miriette was just an extra.

    "...She decided that she will protect the other students inside the academy. As long as the academy building is safe, so is she, so DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT FIRE BITCH!"

    Apparently, the heroine was the one who had the better grasp on Zoemi''s thoughts in this situation as she was the one to shout the answer.

    "I see..."

    Zoemi nodded.

    He didn''t sense a lie in Burushitto''s words...

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Be honest ¨C am I just as big of an asshole as the me from the other timeline?|

    |Considering that the other you acts like that because he and I are not separated like we are, and my feelings and intentions are sipping through ¨C I would appreciate if you didn''t call it out so harshly...|

    Zoemi asked and was surprised by the embarrassed answer of the original personality.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    Even though that sort of behavior didn''t suit Miriette... As long as she was trying to protect something, Zoemi would do the same ¨C at least that much was obvious.

    The wall of fire was approaching them with no remorse, swallowing everything in its path like a gluttonous monster with not even an idea of what restraint means.

    But with that much of a light source, there were plenty of shadows to work around for Zoemi.

    Without even moving an inch he forced the darkness to erupt into a ck mist that solidified into a barrier.

    "...!"

    Horeo eyes widened and he red at Zoemi while biting his lip, he was clearly holding down what he wanted to say.

    After all, Zoemi''s magic looked more like earth or even ice magic right now.

    Well, it was both, and even two more elements mixed together on top of that.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |In that timeline, I am a proper shadow magician... which still makes me wonder what happened to Benevirau and why wasn''t he interested in a powerful shadow magician who sprouted out of nowhere and made his way into a high noble circle.|

    Zoemi windered, trying to tilt his head in concern, but that worked out just as much as it did all the other times.

    Actually, he began to realize that he doesn''t possess the body in that seemingly endless world of murky darkness.

    |As far as my connection to the other you work with at the moment, it feels like you never met him and no one ever mentioned him either. Same with Vanterl. On top of that, I don''t really recall ever hearing the word sage used in the same way that people in this timeline are using it.|

    The thoughts of the original personality resounded within the darkness, seemingly speaking from everywhere, all at once ¨C not to mention in the voice of the ck-haired boy.

    Meanwhile, the events from the other timeline kept ying on the screen...

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "What is this supposed to be, hubby? Why are you doing this? WHY EVEN YOU ARE TRYING TO HIDE GRAZIO AWAY FROM ME?!"

    The advance of Ehmi''s spell was stopped and that only fuelled her anger even more.

    *SHING* *SLICE*

    "Eh...?"

    But before she could add more power to the raging mes some sort of movement made her stop.

    Only that it wasn''t any in old movement...

    It wasn''t a movement that took away her attention but rather a ck wind de digging through her flesh and shattering her spine as it bisected her cleanly just above the waist.

    "Ghhhah...!"

    She gasped through her teeth as her torso fell forward while her legs began falling back.

    "Aaaaah...! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

    She screamed and cried while falling.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOING?!|

    |!!!|

    Zoemi roared in disbelief, sarin wide-eyed at the screen, refusing to further acknowledge the Zoemi from the other timeline to be another version of himself - but the original personality was too shocked himself to say anything back.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    Instead of the blood only fire erupted from the two halves of Ehmi''s body.

    "Tsk!"

    Zoemi clicked his tongue.

    "Wh-what''s happening?!"

    Horeo got to Zoemi and grabbed his shoulders.

    "This will be a bigger problem than I hoped for. She didn''t die."

    Zoemi shrugged and looked away from Horeo.

    "She didn''t die?! Y-you''ve tried to kill her just now?!"

    The first prince couldn''t believe his ears.

    "She''s your wife! Aren''t you supposed to at least ¨C try - to save her?!"

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |EXACTLY!|

    Zoemi shouted, trying to stomp his foot even though he couldn''t feel his body at all.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    The first prince shouted and shook Zoemi''s shoulders.

    "That''s quite rich, hearing about morals from someone like you, my prince."

    Zoemi snorted and smacked Horeo''s hands away.

    "If you think that I''m going to risk Miriette''s life over something that''s impossible, you''vepletely failed my expectations towards you."

    Zoemi red at the first prince with disgust.

    "Something impossible...? Who decided it was impossible to save her!?"

    While Horeo was speaking he continued to nce at his two unconscious attendants.

    "Someone who can''t even be of any help because his only useful spell in this situation would just destroy one-tenth of the whole kingdom can just shut up."

    Even though Zoemi knew where Horeo wasing from, he had no intention of humoring the lovestruck fool.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |...yeah, Horeo from the other timeline definitely didn''t unlock the same kind of power that ours...|

    Zoemi sighed, giving up on emotionally investing in the other timeline.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "You can just take those two and teleport away, there''s a chance there won''t be any kingdom for you to be the prince off before we''re done here, so you can just start over your life somewhere else."

    Zoemi pushed Horeo to the side and stepped forward to the ck barrier he created.

    On the other side, tens and hundreds of disgusting-looking handsposed of thin hair-like constantly moving fibers grew from the ckness and started violently whipping back and forth.

    With each such movement, a ck wind de was created and cast towards the momentarily incapacitated Ehmi.

    "AAAAAAAH! It hurts...! IT HURTS...! WHAT''S HAPPENING...?! GRAZIO...! ZOEMI...! PLEASE, SAVE MEEEEE....!"

    Ehmi''s screams of agony were loud enough to be heard through the deafening sound of mes ravaging everything they could reach.

    As confused as she was, Ehmi didn''t seem to understand that it was Zoemi who was atacking her and kept calling him for help.

    "..."

    Horeo clenched his fists in powerless rage.

    "Seems like killing IS his preferred way of solving problems..."

    The heroine shuddered at the memory of the cold obsidian de piercing her heart once before.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Is there a way for me to reach out and kill my other self from that other timeline? Or incapacitate him? From what I can see, a single sentinel could wipe him off the face of the earth even after he ate some hair and an arm.|

    |Once again, I apologize ¨C without being separated as we are now, my feelings towards my master are far too strong for anyone to handle... I do not care for the lives o others except my master, so the other you act as you can see...|

    Zoemi asked in a furious voice but surprisingly, the original personality spoke to him in a very apologetic voice instead of answering his question.

    |Hmph.|

    The ck-haired boy merely scoffed and didn''t say anything more, focusing back on the screen with disgust towards his other self increasing exponentially with each passing second.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    Rokiana and other survivors who were being treated by Burushitto could only look away and pretend not to hear anything.

    As for Zoemi, he put his hands against the ck barrier and was pouring whatever mana he had into it.

    That didn''t only end in the barrier getting stronger, many spells used by the abhorrent hands changed too, ck fireballs, ck thunders, ck boulders the size of a horse carriage, and ck icicles, were shot and crashed into defenseless Ehmi together with the wind des and torn her flesh apart.

    "Heelfmhee...!"

    Her body was torn to shreds, and her head was split in two but she was still sobbing for help that would never arrive.

    Yet even with all those horrible injuries, not a single drop of blood was shed by Ehmi, it was only fire.

    Endless streams of crimson mes poured out of the wounds and added to the inferno raging around.

    "Just die already!"

    Drops of sweat that had nothing to do with the hellish heat appeared on Zoemi''s forehead as he gritted his teeth.

    The other side of the wall erupted into an enormous flock of jet-ck swallows that circled above Ehmi and fell on her as an exploding avnche while at the same time the ground beneath was flooded with deep darkness from within which the obsidian des of darkness de spell thrust creating a path of deadly spikes.

    All of that could be summed up by a single word.

    Mistake.

    Using any form of darkness de or swallows was a mistake.

    "Zhoehmi...?"

    The scraps of what was left of Ehmi muttered in disbelief.

 Chapter 512 167 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 11)

    Chapter 512  167 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 11)¡¡¡¡"ZOEMI!?"

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    The pir of mes erupted from the ground, engulfing Ehmi''s remains and evaporating the darkness des, and preemptively detonating the swallows.

    "!!!"

    The voice that was heard howling his name sent chills down Zoemi''s spine.

    ...and then Ehmi stepped forward with a face twisted with ire.

    There was no trace of any injury on her in sight and her body waspletely d in ming armor all the way from head to toe.

    And not the dress one like the one the Zoemi watching it all through a screen saw during the tournament, but aplete set of menacing battle armor more suited for a heavy infantry unit.

    "...!"

    Zoemi gritted his teeth so hard he felt the metallic taste of his own blood in his mouth and continued pouring his mana into the barrage of spells but now, no matter what he threw at her it was either evaporated or simply deflected off the armor.

    This was the worst possible option.

    "Zoemi... What is the meaning of this...?"

    Ehmi''s cold whisper was even scarier than her ming shouts.

    Good thing that Zoemi couldn''t hear her through the sounds of the endless barrage of multiple spells.

    Thanks to that, he could focus.

    The remaining swallows retreated towards the wall and gathered into one ce, they kept oning anding until they began merging together, from that point it was easy for Zoemi to infuse them with another form and create the shiny ck egg.

    Yes, just like the one at his wedding.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |The other you cast the phoenix spell on his wedding and not the tournament.|

    |...|

    It almost seemed that the original personality wanted to make some small talk, but this time it was the ck-haired boy who stayedpletely silent, just watching the screen in silence.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "SKREEEEE!"

    The next moment, without announcing anything, the shell cracked and the ck phoenix was unleashed onto the world, shaking the space itself.

    "So it''s really you, Zoemi... Why are you attacking me...?"

    Ehmi muttered to herself as she extended her hand towards the oing phoenix.

    And as soon as the legendary bird''s beak touched Ehmi''s hand...

    "Skree~!"

    Phoenix stopped and cawed friendly, then it pped its ck wings and nested itself on Ehmi''s shoulder, and she petted its head as if it was just a normal animal and not a fearsome spell.

    "Trying to turn fire against me...? Why would my hubby be that stupid...? Hey, birdie, get rid of that annoying wall for me, alright?"

    She asked and the phoenix cawed eagerly and flew at the wall.

    "HOREO, TELEPORT EVERYONE AS FAR AS YOU CAN! NOW!"

    Zoemi shouted in utter panic.

    "H-huh...?!"

    "FUCKING NOW, YOU CRETIN!"

    Thankfully after that, the prince just grabbed every survivor and disappeared in the sh of light right as Zoemi passed him.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |PFFFT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! GOOD! I hope your pathetic weak-willed ass will get scorched into ash!|

    |!!!|

    Zoemi snorted andughed mockingly at his other self, making the original personality flinch and actually start to worry a little bit...

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    The attendant jumped into the air and his body simply exploded into the sea of darkness that crashed against the walls of the academy and flooded everything,pletely engulfing the building.

    Not even a fraction of a secondter the ck wall gotpletely obliterated and waves upon waves of ck and red fire spread through the earth cremating everything and anything it could reach.

    The raging inferno subsided andpletely disappeared.

    "Wow, hubby sure can make a strong fire!"

    Ehmi nodded to herself with a big smile.

    "But he sure is mean, teasing me like that... I bet he and Grazio agreed to prank me!"

    Her logic could not be even properlyprehended by a human anymore, her strength and pure mastery over fire mana made her almost undefeatable, getting her body shredded by spells was a mere trifle on the level of childish pranks.

    The crimson-haired Ehmi was that kind of monster, that was the only reason that the godlike existence-like presence could take over and use her body as a vessel. Or rather, it could use it as a vessel until Ehmi realized that something was wrong and put up her defenses.

    Because Ehmi Gamemi Victureo was a natural-born human with a mana level that was reaching the very limits of what was humanly possible, a single entity who, right from the moment she was born, possessed the amount of mana equal to that of the amount that all the members of the Ghosts of Bellcephora gathered through over two hundred years of a constant hunt for the strongest mages of the known world.

    Hmm? But aren''t the ones who possess so much mana supposed to have ck hair and eyes?

    Oh...?

    But that was a lie all along, though...

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Hold up... that''s right... sages don''t have dark hair and eyes as Miriette does...|

    |...|

    Zoemi momentarily lost his anger and thought to himself in concern ¨C as for the original personality, he certainly stayedpletely silent careful not to say anything.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    Everything in sight was equally charred ck, the only other color except ck was the blue of the sky and the red of Ehmi''s ming armor.

    "Oh well, hubby, you cane out now! Grazio, you too!"

    Ehmi called as she was approaching the ck hill that was slightly different than the surrounding t ckness.

    It looked almost... moist...

    "So he covered the academy with this to prevent it from burning? Silly hubby, as if someone could die from that little heat."

    Ehmi giggledpletely oblivious to the level of damage she has caused.

    Or rather,pletely not interested in said damages.

    After all, why would she be worried about anyone other than her loved ones? She always was strong enough to annihte anyone who stood in her way.

    Ehmi deactivated her armor and tapped the foot of the ck hill with her foot.

    The gross tar-like substance stuck to her hill and almost pulled off her shoe as it retracted.

    "Ugh..."

    Ehmi frowned and shuddered.

    "Hubby, you are no longer allowed to use this spell, it makes me want to throw up."

    Sheined.

    And then...

    "GHAAAH...! Sis-sister..! Help...!"

    "EEEEEHHHH?!"

    Something, or rather someone, suddenly came out of the ck tar.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |HE DID NOT JUST DO THAT! HE DID NOT!|

    Although he was concerned about the reason for Miriette having eyes and hair a different color than it should be possible, the things happening on the screen certainly demanded his attention and sparked great rage.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    The red-haired boy tried toe out but the sticky ckness was holding him back and preventing him from escaping its grasp.

    "Grazio!"

    Ehmi couldn''t hold her voice down when she realized who it was.

    She no longer cared for the tar and run straight to her younger brother, she lost her shoes on her way and the ck substance was slowing her down considerably. It turned out that even her mes could not affect it at all...

    Finally, she got to Grazio, trapped like a seagull in an oil spige, despite the struggle it took her.

    She couldn''t see his face clearly, but it was definitely his body and his voice.

    "Grazio! Your big sister was so worried about you!"

    Ehmi cried with a big smile and kneeled by the boy and hugged him despite him being almostpletely covered with tar.

    "Big sister...! I-I was so worried about you...!"

    Grazio also cried and threw his hands around Ehmi, locking her in an intimate hug.

    "G-geez... Grazio... You are not a little kid anymore... You shouldn''t hug big sister like that... What if Zoemi sees us?"

    Ehmi blushed but didn''t do anything to pull away.

    "Big sis... I missed you so much..."

    "~!"

    Something in his tone made Ehmi tense up expectantly...

    He slowly moved one of his hands lower, sliding down Ehmi''s back and ending up on her...

    "...You can''t tell Zoemi about this..."

    Ehmi blushed and whispered while burrowing her head at the base of Grazio''s neck.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Just... just what is going on there? Just how messed up is that timeline? Are we really supposed to use it as a reference? Sure ¨C if only as a negative example!|

    Zoemi felt like spatting to the side but he had already realized that he doesn''t possess a body n that world of murky darkness.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    *stab*

    "Eh...?"

    Ehmi gasped as she felt multiple sharp des entering her body and pouring some sort of foreign substance into her.

    "G-Grazio... what have you...?!"

    She jumped up at her feet, this time she was using her enchantments so the sticky tar wasn''t an obstacle anymore, and started touching her body.

    There were seemingly no entrance wounds...

    "Grazio...?"

    She trembled and looked at her brother still stuck in the sticky ckness.

    "Uuugh...!"

    Suddenly she copsed with a groan and started wing at her body.

    "It burns...? It buuuuurnnnns...! Grazioo! What have you done to me...?!"

    She cried.

    Not waiting for the answer she activated her me armor, but nothing helped, she could feel the ungodly burning spreading all through her body...!

    "What is happening to me...!?"

    She vailed.

    "Interesting thing, mana."

    "Eh?! Grazio...?"

    But she was interrupted by no other than the person she identified as her younger brother ¨C who, while still covered in tar, stood up without any effort.

    "We can use it to force the elements surrounding us to bend to our will or we can create them out of the mana itself... But did you know that if you create fire out of mana instead of pulling the heat from the surroundings, the fire you created won''t spread into the normal, non-magic, fire? It''s a fun fact that allows someone like me to make really amazing things."

    Grazio smiled...

    "What are you talking a... ugh...! It buuurns...! What did you do to me...?! I control fire...! How can I feel pain from burning...!?"

    Ehmi crumbled and fell face-first into the ck tar.

 Chapter 513 167 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 12)

    Chapter 513  167 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 12)¡¡¡¡The crimson-haired girl''s me armor started swelling up as if she was a drowner, bloated from staying in water for far too long.

    Grazio''s smile disappeared.

    The ck tar covering his face fused with him and his body changed its proportions.

    It wasn''t Grazio at all.

    "Zoemi...?!"

    Ehmi gasped as she wriggled in the tar like a trapped worm.

    "Do you know what acids are?"

    Zoemi asked, but Ehmi was too focused on fighting with pain to answer.

    "No matter. The thing is, there is a very nasty substance called sulfuric acid. As long as it has ''fuel'' it will melt and carbonize it... That''s how things work for it in nature, that is. That substance is a very scary thing. Now then, a quiz. Do you know what would the fuel be for the copy of sulfuric acid created with mana?"

    "AAARGH...! IT BUUURNSS MAKE IT STOOOP!"

    That was the only response.

    "The answer is... It will eat through mana and carbonize it, making itpletely useless. Thanks for using your spell so soon after I injected it into you. It helped spread it very evenly through your entire body."

    Zoemi bowed his head toward crying Ehmi.

    "I''m sorry. If that helps, I promise that the pain will end very soon."

    Zoemi kneeled by the red-haired girl whose body was swelling more and more with each second and patted her head.

    "I wish there was a better solution to this. I won''t ask for your forgiveness, but I sincerely apologize, I hope you meet Grazio in the next world. Goodby, my wive."

    For a moment his eyes regained life as he gazed at the pain-struck face of the crimson-haired girl.

    "Hu-bby..."

    *KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    She sighed and in the next moment she exploded, her remains erupted into a pir of carbon reaching all the way to the sky.

    "..."

    *CRACK*

    Zoemi closed his eyes and touched the pir, it instantly shattered and was scattered by the gentle winds in every direction.

    Zoemi slowly opened his eyes and looked into the sky with a solemn expression.

    He slowly touched his chest.

    "She wasn''t Miriette..."

    He muttered.

    "She wasn''t Miriette, and yet I''m..."

    "You damn toy! You''ve got in my way AGAIN! Who do you think you are?!"

    Before Zoemi could finish his sentence, someone broke through the ck tar from inside the academy building and was ring at Zoemi while keeping himself afloat in the air.

    It was Arisu. The white-haired capture target.

    With a tiny difference in his hair and eyes being green at the moment, he was using the wind magic to levitate.

    "Oh? Did you want to take her mana for yourself just like you did with her brother''s?"

    Zoemi turned toward his opponent and smirked.

    "Tsk! A mere toy! You''re just a mere toy, and still, you''re causing so many problems time and time again!"

    Arisu clenched his fists andnded. His hair and eyes returned to being white.

    "I can sense that Miriette is still inside the building. It seems you still have some survival instinct left in you."

    Zoemi mocked the white-haired youth.

    "Of course she''s safe! As are others who I protected! I am a hero, not a freak of nature like you!"

    "Pfft...! Hero? You''re calling yourself a hero even though you killed an innocent person? What, did Grazio also get in your way, hero? Or maybe he was secretly some grand viin? Tsk! At least have some decency and don''t try to act as if you''re in the right."

    "...!"

    Zoemiughed mockingly at Arisu who was getting redder the more Zoemi talked.

    "His death was necessary. Since m first life I was aware that sometimes sacrifices had to happen to create the best future. Therefore I killed him and took his mana, so he became a part of me. A part of a hero! If anything, he must have felt honored!"

    "..."

    Arisu''s response made Zoemi stopughing.

    Not because it made sense, mind you.

    "...I see. So you are a reincarnation too, huh...?"

    Until now Zoemi thought that Arisu simply wanted power to be the next king and that his mother was aiding him.

    But if he is a reincarnation...

    "That''s right! I am the chosen one! I walk this world again as a chosen hero to protect it and save my love from her curse!"

    He dered proudly, making the ck-haired boy stop and think...

    |That sounds... different than I expected... Did the presence abduct his lover or something...? Wouldn''t be its first time...|

    "Hey, Arisu, what''s so special about you?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and started slowly circling the white-haired ''hero''.

    "Ha! I''m a hero of course! One that reincarnated multiple times to prepare the perfect oue, the perfect world that I see fit to exist!"

    The white-haired boy was just brimming with confidence.

    Honestly, it was weird... Something was definitely not right... Arisu was good at pulling the strings from the shadows, so good in fact that it was annoying, but now... he was full of openings...

    Just as if he has already won and could drop boh the act and all cautiousness...

    As Zoemi was circling, the mountain of tar was moving and slowly getting absorbed back into him and therefore the academy was resurfacing.

    "Where''s little Ehmi...?"

    As it was uncovered so were the Aspakeony''s corpse puppets which Zoemi covered with his protection more out of panic than out of the good will.

    And now they were asking questions.

    "Dead. But now we have a bigger problem."

    Zoemi cut them off and pointed at Arisu.

    "Don''t tell me... Did he absorb her mana too?!"

    The corpse puppets were in panic.

    "No one got to absorb anything out of my wife."

    "Eh...?"

    "...?"

    Even Zoemi was surprised by how angry he sounded.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |I will not call out that other me on hypocrisy, because that part is not exclusive to him ¨C but a bit ofmon decency would be very much appreciated. What an absolute asshole.|

    Zoemi scoffed, sounding as if he was rolling his eyes.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "I made sure she will not fall victim to him."

    Zoemi exined a bit calmer, but he felt his insides getting colder.

    It was made to protect Miriette so that Arisu wouldn''t get even stronger and therefore even more dangerous, but it resulted in Ehmi departing from this world in great pain.

    Zoemi tried to finish her off as painlessly as he could but Ehmi was far too strong for him to do that. So his hand was forced.

    Though he certainly wasn''t happy about that.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |BULLSHIT!|

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "Zoemi...!"

    Just in time to pull the ck-haired boy away from his very grim thoughts, a voice he could recognize anywhere resounded.

    "...!"

    Zoemi turned his head and saw Miriette flying towards him from the academy.

    "Miri!"

    The cold feeling lingering within his insides remained but his spirit was lifted.

    Miriette was safe.

    Shended beside him and instantly wrapped herself around his arm.

    Zoemi could feel her shivering as she was ring at Arisu.

    It wasn''t her usual re full of confidence - she was scared - and that made Zoemi be even more cautious.

    |But he seems so... weak...!|

    Even though he was secretly activating more and more spellsying a thick defense and offense he couldn''t stop thinking that.

    Then something shed and Zoemi felt the presence of someone joining him and Miriette, approaching the two of them from behind.

    He didn''t snap back and attack, in fear of hurting Miriette, but he did quickly nce over the neer.

    It was the gray-haired necromancer, Aspakeony.

    She was scooting behind both Zoemi and Miriette''s backs with a fearful expression.

    "D-don''t look at me like that. You will protect her, right? So the safest ce to be is by her side!"

    The chocte-skinned necromancer exined even before he could ask.

    "But..."

    Heined.

    "Zoemi, it''s fine. Leave her be."

    Miriette squeezed his hand reassuringly.

    "...Fine..."

    "..."

    As the ck-haired boy gave in to the dark-haired girl''s words, Arisu was watching them with squinted eyes.

    "Zoemi...Zoemi always takes her away from me... In my original life, in all of my past lives, and even now... Zoemi... You sure are an annoying pest, aren''t you? Never mind, I don''t need this copy no matter how closely she resembles her, I''m after the real deal!"

    The white-haired young man called out, making sure that his voice would carry even past the trio, to assure he would be noticed.

    "...!"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi could feel both Miriette and Aspakeony tensing up.

    "Hey...Just to be clear. Who were you in your past life?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, nodding his head upwards, almost in a challenge, towards the white-haired young man.

    "Ah~ That''s right~!"

    Arisu grinned, seemingly very content with that question.

    "Now that I have enough mana, I can finally use that spell after all. There''s no reason to hold back anymore."

    He nodded to himself, then he waved his hands dramatically as his hair and eyes turned ck.

    "Shadow arise! Shadow gate!"

    He called and his shadow extended and raised from the already ck ground.

    Zoemi already prepared a spell to stop him from running away but Arisu''s next words left him stunned.

    "Mother! Father! Everyone! I''ve reincarnated and returned to you! It''s me Cherro!"

    "...?!"

    Zoemi, Miriette, and Aspakeony flinched together as from the small gate a concentrated mass of darkness poured out like some sort of diseased organ.

    And then it spilled into eighteen or so people.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |...now that''s something I didn''t expect...!|

    The events on the screen were so surprising that they shocked the anger out of Zoemi without him realizing it.

    |That guy, Arisu - or Cherro or whatever - is he a reincarnation in our timeline too?|

    He asked, thinking his question to the original personality.

    |Unfortunately I can tell you for certain, that Cherro is almost the same way as my master and I are. It''s always the same person, stuck in a time loop.|

    |!!!|

    The original personality was revealed, and if Zoemi had his body in that world of endless murky darkness, he would have to take a step back, wide-eyed.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

 Chapter 514 168 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 13)

    Chapter 514  168 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 13)¡¡¡¡Ghosts of Bellcephora came out together into the daylight in such great numbers for the first time in three hundred years.

    This simply couldn''t have ended well...

    |Oh, I don''t see Elsby and Oktria... I guess Elsby is indeed trustworthy. Not that just two people less makes that much of a difference...|

    Zoemi thought to himself bitterly.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Elsby was trustworthy in that world... good to know.|

    |Oktria too.|

    Zoemi thought and although this time it was clearly not intended as ament that was meant to be heard, the original personality pointed out seeing that as a chance to help the ck-haired boy calm down.

    |This isn''t about her.|

    Zoemi scoffed dismissively, too focused on the events ying out on the screen to put any additional attention anywhere else ¨C and not without a reason.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    The Ghosts were right in front of them, this could not be a more dangerous situation...

    Or could it?

    Before Zoemi could utter a warning to Miriette, everything in sight got swallowed in a blinding light.

    |Now the presence makes its move?!|

    Zoemi wanted to spit out with fury but his body felt as if it was frozen.

    Yet before he realized he could move again the light faded and he found himself...

    In Bellcephora''s Royal Castle''s throne room, right in front of two tall thrones for the royal couple...

    He instantly looked around to check on Miriette.

    She was there but not by his side but standing at the foot of the king''s throne.

    The same thing with Aspakeony, she was no longer covering behind his back but rather standing right by the empty queen''s throne.

    Indeed, only the queen''s throne was empty, and the king''s one was very much upied.

    Although the sight of WHAT was taking a seat there forced Zoemi to grit his teeth to hold back a shocked gasp.

    "Hold on..! What in the world...?!"

    It... It was a human...?

    It was actually had to say for certain after observing it for such a short amount of time, but nheless, it had to have been human at some point...

    Probably.

    Putting its origins aside...

    On the king''s throne, a mass of half-melted flesh and skins wrapped around what had to be a child''s skeleton was seated.

    Although seated was a term used loosely here ¨C more appropriate would be propped up, but s.

    The lump of flesh was staring at Zoemi from behind a minged mess of what was left of tinum hair.

    It was staring at him with a single tinum-colored eye, the other one had liquified a long time ago, judging by an empty eyesocket partly covered with melted skin.

    "Zoemi...~!"

    The flesh moved and moved an appendage that had to be a hand at some point, and waved it towards the boy.

    "Wee, good to see you in good shape, my beloved toy."

    The flesh spoke even though no part of its body parted to let the air move, although the pressure the words caused couldn''t be mistaken with anything...

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Master...! |

    |...|

    The original personality cried out in a heartbroken voice, and the ck-haired boy remained silent ¨C not because he was ignoring him, but rather because he wanted the other one to continue talking.

    |This is how I remember her originally ¨C when it all started, that is what was left of her physical body. As her soul was being pushed out of the boundaries of time and space as we know it, I managed to tear open Cherro''s darkness and ce her remains on the throne... her rightful ce...|

    And indeed, the original personality had something more to say.

    |Oh... so she wasn''t ced like that by the Ghosts to make a statement, huh...|

    Zoemi wanted to nod his head but that wasn''t really possible at the moment, and sighed.

    |They would be dead if they tired... actually, I regret that they didn''t... at that time I could have easily dealt with them all.|

    The original personality breathed out bitterly and they both returned to watching the events from the other timeline.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    "Presence."

    Zoemi unintentionally nodded his head towards the creature.

    At the same time, he tried to use the ghost spell and turn his body into a ck mist.

    "Oh?"

    The presence smiled, or rather her only eye lighted up as if it was smiling, and a ck thorny halo appeared above its head...

    No, it wasn''t a halo, it was the face of a clock.

    And just as Zoemi''s body was hanging into mist the hands of that very clock moved backward and Zoemi''s body changed back.

    "..."

    Zoemi frowned and stared back at the presence.

    The flesh moved again and a second appendage... no, this time it was almost a proper hand, only that there was no pinky finger, and the rest, aside from the thumb was melted together, and those melted fingers waved at him in a certain form of scolding.

    "Don''t do that... We have to talk... I wanted to y for a lot longer, but sadly, my ns got ruined because of that repugnant filth and his family..."

    "..."

    As the already familiar voice resounded in the throne room, Zoemi wordlessly activated the shadow connect spell, and a hair-width shadow shoot towards the throne, but again, the hands of the clock above the presence''s head moved backward and the spell got recalled.

    "I like how defiant you are, I really love watching you, you know? But now I really need you to do as I say."

    "..."

    The presence dered while Zoemi''s eyes darted towards Miriette and Aspakeony.

    Two girls were standing motionlessly with their heads down as if they were afraid to look him in the eyes.

    "..."

    Zoemi held back a groan, they could at least say something, their silence and inability to even face him were clear indicators that they knew everything that was going on behind the scenes all along.

    It was like a punch to the gut for Zoemi.

    A series of punches.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |...I wonder...|

    Zoemi hummed but did not follow it up with any additional remarks.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Miriette knew...? Did sheply willingly? Was she forced? Is she in danger?!|

    And even so, Zoemi could only think about the safety of Miriette first.

    And what was the most imminent danger in front of them right now?

    Presence.

 Chapter 515 168 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 14)

    Chapter 515  168 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 14)¡¡¡¡Not waiting for the presence next course of action Zoemi lunged at it activating multiple spells at once.

    And once again the clock above moved back...

    But this time a shadow of a clock appeared above Zoemi''s head and moved forward twice as fast not only causing the boy to not stop butunching him forward even faster than before.

    He moved so fast that he had barely any time to move his hand forward, a hand in which a spell most vile was browsing, a spell so disgusting it was eating on Zoemi''s hand while he was casting it.

    "NOOOOO...!"

    Presence squealed and shriveled with a squelching sound trying to protect itself with various spells and its deformed limbs.

    But there was no mercy in Zoemi''s eyes.

    "You can''t!"

    "!!!"

    But while Zoemi thought that Miriette was out of the spell''s st zone, the very person herself ¨C with her body glowing with enchantments ¨C stepped right in front of him!

    Every cell in the attendant''s body screamed in terror as the spell grazed the air inches from Miriette''s face and evaporated a few loose strands of her hair.

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    *RUMBLE*

    He had no other choice, he had to protect Miriette at all cost, so he swung his hand violently and the spell erupted not in Miriette''s and the presence''s faces but at the wall to their left.

    Aspakeony was lucky, she managed to jump over the queen''s throne andnded by Miriette''s feet mere moments before there was no wall, throne, or anything really.

    The throne room was cut cleanly in half and the part to the left of Mariette simply ceased to exist.

    Only a blinding brightness remained as if this throne room was suspended in the endless sea of brilliant light.

    "Z-Zoemi...! Your hand!"

    Miriette cried and grabbed Zoemi''s right arm, now a handless stump that was oozing with decaying darkness.

    "What does this mean...?"

    Zoemi spoke with his throat clenched by shock.

    "I''m sorry, Zoemi, I''m so sorry...! But you can''t kill her! It''s not her fault! Please, you must listen to us...!"

    Miriette was tearing apart her uniform and bandaging Zoemi''s wound as she was exining through tears.

    "Not this... Your magic... Your hair and eyes..."

    Zoemi raised his left hand and touched Miriette''s hair ¨C which turned from dark green into a vivid tinum color in a mere heartbeat.

    "Ah...! This... You can''t b mad at me for that!"

    Miriette''s blush and spoileddy response almost made Zoemiugh even considering the situation.

    "You..."

    Zoemi looked at the presence and words got stuck in his throat for a moment.

    God knows when, a ck teddy bear appeared before the cowering flesh, the same bear that was supposed to be in the archives protected by Valto.

    The bear''s lifeless eyes seemed to try to suck Zoemi in, but this time for some reason Zoemi felt no pressure, only a vaguely familiar feeling.

    He shook away the shock and continued.

    "Since Miriette wants me to hear you out, I will, but if she will be even marginally in danger because of you..."

    He gently took out his wounded arm from Miriettes hands and pointed it at the darkness.

    "You will end up just like that illusion of yours."

    "...uuu..."

    The presence shook and made a sound as if it was sobbing, it grabbed the teddy bear and hugged it tightly.

    "Don''t be mean to her..."

    "..."

    Aspakeony said in a weak voice but she instantly went silent as soon as she met Zoemi''s re.

    "Miri... The color change...?"

    Zoemi turned back to Miriette with a faint smile.

    "Zoemi, but your hand...!"

    Instead of answering the tinum-haired girl grabbed his arm again and tried to wrap up the wound, to which the ck-haired boy''s smile grow softer and the ck ooze started boiling.

    The next instant ck hair-like shadows grew from it and formed a vaguely hand-like wed paw.

    "Does that calms you down?"

    He asked and brushed the ck paw against her cheek wiping off the tears.

    "...It''s fuzzy..."

    Miriette murmured.

    The two of them stood like that in silence for a while, it was hard to tell whether it has been a few hours or only a single second, but they both ended up flinching and realizing that it wasn''t really a ce and time suited for such disys.

    "..."

    "...It was always like this...."

    Miriette finally decided to reveal, although she was being vague about what exactly was it about.

    "What do you mean?"

    Zoemi frowned.

    "My hair and eyes were always this color, I was simply using a spell to make them look ck."

    Miriette said with a sad smile and looked down at her feet.

    "What does that...?"

    "Zoemi... I was stopping the light from reflecting in a certain way, the same with my magic. I never used a wind attribute, my attribute isn''t even green, I used the same spell as for my eyes and hair. Zoemi, I am a variant magician and my true attribute is time."

    She confessed.

    Zoemi''s eyes widened.

    "Just like with Ehmi...?"

    His voice shook with wrath as he red at presence and the air around him started trembling from the influx of mana.

    "No!"

    Miriette shook her head and firmly stood in Zoemi''s way.

    "I''m not possed or anything... I was born like this... I... I am..."

    Miriette took a deep breath and looked straight into Zoemi''s eyes.

    "Zoemi, I am a copy that presence made of herself. I am her."

    She stepped to the side and revealed the sobbing flesh.

    But there was no melted flesh in sight.

    On the throne of the king, an adorable little girl - maybe nine years old - dressed in a fancy dress fit for a young princess was sitting properly, although she was hiding her face behind a ck teddy bear held firmly in a hug of thin pale arms.

    She was making the exact pose from the painting that the ck-haired boy saw in the royal treasury.

    "...uuuu..."

    The little girl sniffled and peeked at Zoemi from behind the bear.

    "It''s alright, my princess."

    Aspakeony said encouragingly and patted the child on the head.

    "I... I know..."

    The child that just a moment ago was a pile of melted flesh sniffled once more and nodded.

    And she showed her face.

    Zoemi''s head went nk and he fell to his knees.

    "Zoemi, meet the closest being to a God we have in this forsaken world. Presence. Murdered by the insurgent Ghosts of Bellcephora three hundred years ago, the second princess of the Bellcephora Kingdom, Miriette Aperaete Bellcephora."

 Chapter 516 168 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 15)

    Chapter 516  168 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 15)¡¡¡¡For a moment, nothing except the presence existed for Zoemi.

    It was the girl from his dreams, his heart twisted and started hurting as if pierced by the red-hot de.

    Drifting into the void, he outstretched his hand toward the one who reincarnated him.

    No.

    It wasn''t like that, was it?

    She didn''t bring him here from another world...

    She brought him back.

    Back to her.

    "You remember...!"

    The girl gasped and fidgeted nervously, she could obviously read what Zoemi was thinking without him voicing it out.

    Zoemi tried to say something but couldn''t.

    The presence in the form of a young girl spread her arms open towards him.

    She was no longer holding the ck bear, no, how could she hold the toy while it was still so far away from her?

    "Zoemi, return to me, my protector...!"

    |!!!|

    Presence cried pitifully and Zoemi responded.

    His short stuffed boneless limbs couldn''t move so he propelled himself with magic.

    |Master...! MASTER!|

    His mouth was just sewn on so he couldn''t speak, but he was calling for the tinum-haired girl with all his soul.

    His ss pitch-ck eyes devoid of light conveyed all of the longings that he had been bottling up for all this time.

    Presence was closer and closer.

    Finally, she embraced his plush body and hugged it tightly.

    Zoemi.

    The toy of the presence.

    The plush toy that gained a soul thanks to magic.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |He is asking good questions. Still ¨C is it him or you?|

    Zoemi performed the verbal version of crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall while thinking the question that resounded in the world of the murky darkness.

    |As much as I wish to say that it''s me ¨C unfortunately it was just the other you who gained ess to my memories and got momentarily overwhelmed and by them.|

    The original personality responded bitterly, clearly upset that it wasn''t actually him that was granted the honor of meeting his master face to face.

    |You know, part of me just wants to stay here and watch it until the grand finale of sorts, but at the same time, I wish to get out of here and immediately go to see my Miriette and ask her about the entire thing of her being the copy of the presence. As for her faking having a wind attribute, that can''t be the case in our timeline ¨C I have seen her use wind spells and drained her mana ¨C it was definitely a wind attribute.|

    The ck-haired boy pointed out clicking his tongue impatiently while only ncing at the screen from the corner of his eye.

    |Please, let''s stay a bit longer ¨C Bellcpehora will free you once she thinks you''ve seen enough. She means you no harm as you are the essential part of making our master n work out.|

    The original personality gasped hastily, and although his argument made sense, Zoemi could tell that most of it were just the artificial soul wanting to look at his master as much as possible.

    He couldn''t really me him for it, could he?

    The toy was literally created to serve and protect the girl who has turned into the closest being that their small portion of the world had for a god.

    |Just one question before I will stop ruining your moment.|

    |What is it?|

    The ck-haired boy asked and the original personality asked attentively, baited by the promise of him not interrupting events ying out in front of them.

    |If that is the perfect timeline, why do we even exist?|

    Zoemi asked, and even without a body, it was clear that he wanted to point at the screen.

    |...it''s like this because that is how master would want things to end... but the thing we are witnessing is not a perfect timeline ¨C only the most correct one of all the previous loops...|

    |...|

    The response came and made the ck-haired boy be silent, just as he promised beforehand.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Master...! My Master...! What happened?! Why was I taken away from you?! I''ve missed you so much...! Why didn''t you take me back sooner, why all those tricks and acting?|

    Zoemi cried inside his stuffed head, but the girl understood.

    She petted the head of the toy bear and let out a pained sigh.

    "Zoemi... Do you remember what happened before your consciousness go torn away from your body and sent to a different world? What happened before you became human?"

    She asked, and her tinum eyes revealed great sadness.

    |I remember the necromancer talking to me about my task. About my purpose, to protect you. I remember our tea parties. I remember warding off curses and bad dreams that vile people have had sent your way... I... I remember... You... In bed... and... That disgusting... vile... beast... that bastard... he snuck into your bedchamber time and time again... and... and I couldn''t...! I couldn''t...!|

    Zoemi''s thoughts grew restless, full of guilt, anger, and resentment.

    "Shh... It''s alright... There was no way for you to stop him from doing what he did..."

    She patted his head again.

    |But master...! He... He hurt you...!|

    Suddenly Zoemi''s thoughts grew even colder as the stagnant neigh-forgotten memory resurfaced in his toy brain.

    |It''s all his fault... He killed you...! He kidnapped you with sickening intentions but was too weak to run away and you died because of the darkness mana corroding your body...! Then I could act and kill him! The only thing I could do then was to ce you back on your rightful throne...! My Master...!|

    "I said it''s alright already."

    The little ck bear cried out in his mind, assaulted b all the visions he kept seeing while awake and asleep alike, but the tinum-haired girl ended up shushing him with another headpat.

    |Master... but howe you are here? And... WHY IS HE ALIVE AGAIN?!|

    Zoemi''s anger shook the still darkness surrounding them.

    "My death sparked something in me and revealed the hidden potential of my power. Simply said, just for a moment, I was thrown out of the time stream. Although, it was only a moment for someone from this world that is... For me... I have witnessed the birth and death of the universe... Countless universes... I no longer had a physical form I was bound to so I couldn''t die... I could only wait... I experimented a bit and realized I can manipte basically everything I want. If I willed the time to stop or flow back, it would do just that... If I wanted to possess someone, I just had to overwrite their existence in the same frame of time I wish to exist. Nothing easier. Your Miriette is one of the experiments too, you see? I wanted to reincarnate myself but all I managed was to create her. For the most part, she is basically me. But she is me withpletely different experiences so she''s basically a different person altogether. After that, in the endless stream of time, I managed to find myself at the right time ¨C it took countless tires but... I have finally felt your soul. I recognized you although you changed so much. You became human, but I knew it was you. You were my closest friend, even though just a toy, and since you gained autonomy, I didn''t want to just take you back..."

    Presence revealed and the stuffed toy bear was listening to her with the utmost attention.

    "I wanted you to be happy ¨C I have seen the brand new life you got and cheered for your future ¨C but at the same time, I needed you so much... Because, as you surely must have already noticed, he is also back... my tormentor... the bad human who hurt me... I-I am too afraid... I can''t do anything against him...! I never could! No one ever believed me when I said what he did...! They called me a liar! A child who knows nothing! Who misunderstood and mes a good person...!"

    Zoemi felt his heart being torn apart but he could only stay silent as the presence was pouring her heart out.

    "Why...?! Why, Zoemi...?! I was so scared! Why didn''t my parents act when I told them?! They died because of that! I tried to save them using the powers I gained after my death but it was all futile! He was there! He would stop me! I can''t, I can''t, I can''t! He''s too strong! I could not escape him no matter how many lives and timelines I went through! Zoemi, he wille for me...! He will hurt me again...! I don''t want him to touch me again...! Never again...! I don''t...! Help...! Help me...! Please, I can''t stand being alone anymore...! He wille...!"

    She cried and cried...

    |Master. I will defeat him for you. I will protect you. And this time I will kill him once and for all.|

    Zoemi dered but the presence only hugged him tighter while shaking from crying.

    "NO! YOU CAN''T HE IS TOO STRONG! HE WILL KILL YOU! HE WILL HURT YOU! IF I''M ALONE AGAIN HE WILL COME FOR ME!"

    It was no longer a cry it was an outburst of a panic attack.

    Her wounds were too deep and the pain they were causing was too powerful to let her see past the trauma.

    Zoemi moved...

    The darkness disappeared, they were again in the illusion of a destroyed throne room, and Aspakeony and Miriette were staring at them dumbfounded.

    For them, at one moment Zoemi was kneeling in front of the throne at which the presence was sitting hiding behind the ck teddy bear, the next, Zoemi was hoisting the presence up in his arms and lulling her as she was bawling her eyes out clinging to him like a child to a beloved parent, and the teddy-bear was gone without a trace.

    "...?"

    "...?"

    Two girls stared at each other in confusion, wondering what could have happened between the two...

    "It''s alright, master. Shhh... Everything will be fine. Your Zoemi will protect you."

    The ck-haired boy''s smooth voice was reassuring and full of warmth.

 Chapter 517 169 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 16)

    Chapter 517  169 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 16)¡¡¡¡"..."

    That made Miriette wriggle and a grimace of jealousy twisted her face momentarily.

    Zoemi saw that and smiled softly and he winked at Miriette to show that it was fine.

    "Master. Do you believe me?"

    He asked the presence.

    "I do... You are the only being that I trust..."

    Her muffled voice came out weak but she did respond properly so maybe the worst had passed.

    "Then that''s enough for me. I will wipe Arisu, the remains of that bastard self-appointed hero, from the world. Just for you."

    Zoemi dered.

    "Don''t! Don''t! You are too weak! You will die!"

    Presence cried and clung to him with all of the power that the weak physical form could muster.

    "I won''t. I give you my word."

    The ck-haired boy promised.

    "...you will...?"

    Presence asked meekly.

    "Of course. So you can just stay here together with Aspie and Miri and only send me alone back there."

    Zoemi said with a warm smile, looking at the timid girl, who despite witnessing so much didn''t actually manage to mature.

    For her and her alone, the time had stopped.

    "O-okay... Could you...?"

    Presence nodded bashfully and tugged Zoemi towards the throne, motioning at it with her little chin.

    "Ah, of course, Master."

    Zoemi instantly guessed her intention and he ced the little girl back in her rightful ce.

    "Aspie, Miri. y a bit with my master. She can be a bit scary and bossy, but deep down she''s a good child."

    "Eh..? Ah! O-of course!"

    Aspakeony shook off the shock and agreed a bit awkwardly, ncing at the presence with disbelief.

    It was an odd situation because she was the one who supposedly knew the young princess longer and better than the ck-haired boy...

    As for Miriette, she stayed silent, puffing out her cheeks clearly grumpy about Zoemi paying attention and being so nice to anyone other than exclusively her.

    "Oh, and Miri, my love. I mean it. Be nice to my master. I promise it won''t take long and I''ll be right back by your side."

    "!!!"

    Zoemiughed lightheartedly but his words caused a tremendous effect on Miriette.

    Her legs shook and she had to grab the throne to keep her bnce.

    That only made Zoemi grin and looked at the presence.

    The little girl gave him a little nod.

    "Then, I''m off!"

    "I will be waiting, my protector.

    He said and disappeared as the tinum-haired young girl waved her arm weakly muttering, still very much worried and straight-up scared.

    --------

    "Umm... If I may... Youngest, say, what was that about? Why did you suddenly get so weak-legged?"

    Aspakeony asked curiously, peeking over at the tinum-haired girl standing by the throne next to the young tinum-haired girl.

    "Silly."

    "...?"

    The one who answered her was the presence, the second princess sniffled and wiped her eyes and smirked a bit, regaining a tiny bit of her natural cheekiness.

    "Can''t you see? My toy has finally stopped thinking about this girl as his master. He dully separated me and her in his heart. With that, he can fullymit to loving her for who she is. She''s just super happy, and that''s."

    She exined.

    "EEEEEHHHHH?!"

    Aspakeony gasped and stared bergasted at Miriette.

    "...basically, yeah... she''s not wrong..."

    The girl in the spotlight blushed crimson red and looked away but then she nodded just barely enough for the necromancer to notice.

    "No way! But...! What about our deal! And the queue?!"

    "Sorry, it looks like the ns have changed... But... I hope my Zoemi will get away... he doesn''t need to win... just.. just... I''m so scared..."

    Once again it was the presence who answered, clenching her hands together in prayer.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Master began to smile again, she was still hopeful at that time...|

    The original personality let out a heartfelt gasp as he looked at the screen where the events were ying out.

    |Hey, think about it that way ¨C now we will see how the other me deals with Cherro and the Ghosts and we will be able to use it as a foundation of our strategy. You will see her smile in person.|

    Zoemi dered, and if he could reassuringly pat the shoulder of the artificial soul, he would have done that.

    |This is the first timeline in which I am truly awake ¨C I pray for your words toe true.|

    The original personality dered and they both focused back on the screen.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    Meanwhile, the group of Ghosts of Bellcephora who was happily reconciling with the reincarnated member back in the real world suffered a surprise attack...

    /Whates after is an utter andplete annihtion of the strongest force in the world of magic, Ghosts of Bellcephora.\

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |Oh.Okay...?|

    Zoemi let out a confused noise as he certainly wasn''t expecting an announcement like that shing on the screen.

    Still, if it happened, it must mean that the next parts were very important, at least in Bellcephora''s opinion.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    The Ghosts were so overjoyed about the revtion that Arisu was in fact the reincarnation of theirrade, Cherro, that they didn''t even notice the disappearance of the three people behind them.

    They were equally unaware of the sudden reappearance of one of the missing three, Zoemi.

    The ck-haired boy''s vile darkness magic emerged from his hands bubbling like a foul ck tar, it scooped down in strings of ck hair-like substance and formed two boiling des. The number of different types of magic, most of them that he invented on the spot, would boggle the minds of the mages who dared to call themselves the strongest.

    Above Zoemi''s head, a shadow clock appeared and its hands moved forward several times, augmenting his body and winding up for release.

    *...*

    Next was the silence.

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *SHIIIIIIIIIIIING*

    *HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*

    "!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

    Then an explosion shook the earth as three of the Ghosts got ughtered, chopped in halves, then beheaded, and the mana they gathered through the years suddenly unleashed vigorously sending everyone else flying.

    Instead of the usual sound of a person breathing out in relief, it sounded like an annoyed roar.

    The attack was so fast that the deafening sounds caught up only after a few seconds.

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    The next thing that happened was the sudden gust of magic wind sucking in all the free-to-take mana and it all got devoured by Zoemi.

    "Interesting."

    The boy muttered before his left hand extended like a tentacle and wrap around the closest Ghost.

    It was the big round woman who, in the moment of danger, sprouted giant ck wings from her back.

    The tentacle retracted and the round woman came flying towards Zoemi against her will...

    ...straight into the scorching spell that was ripping the flesh off of Zoemi''s own hand.

    *KSHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    The spell burned through the woman like a hot knife through butter.

    The shouts of other Ghosts that finally came to, were apanied by the sound of the round one''s fat sizzling and her mana getting transferred to Zoemi.

    "...!"

    Though after the few initial shouts of surprise, the Ghosts went silent.

    They couldmunicate far more efficiently telepathically than they could verbally after all.

    "Mother, it''s alright, I can fight, I''m a hero!"

    Arisu, or Cherro, or however he wanted to be called, tried to push past Kirissu who desperately tried to cover him.

    Zoemi didn''t even bother.

    He already covered the whole parameter with his decaying darkness and now he used the shadow of light spell to create a giant ball of murky gray light that created the same murky shadows connecting all of the Ghost to his darkness.

    Like flies in a spiderweb.

    The Ghostsunched a counterattack, various shapes and sizes of darkness stormed Zoemi, but he only stood there taking all the attacks head-on!

    Instead of deflecting or dodging, he was absorbing them all.

    His whole body was the decaying tar-like darkness and even when an attack tore a chunk out of him, that piece would just sloppily crawl towards him and connect back in its ce.

    "You are all but just too fragile when you try protecting someone, as expected of someone who can only kill everything, even their masters."

    Zoemi mocked the Ghosts.

    He knew that they possess enough power to destroy the whole kingdom if they wished so, but he also clearly saw that they weren''t eager to do so.

    Why?

    Because they were focusing on keeping Arisu safe.

    And Zoemi was going to use that weakness to its full extent.

    One of them, an elderly man tried to back away into the darkness, probably to unleash one of his spells.

    "Hmph~!"

    Unfortunately for him, that was precisely what Zoemi was counting for.

    The man disappeared but he was still connected to Zoemi''s darkness.

    The old man''s darkness and Zoemi''s darkness mashed together, one gaining the properties of the other, but Zoemi''s magic was like a deadly poison, spreading, contaminating, and taking over everything it touched, so ultimately it came on top.

    Thanks to the ck-haired boy, the decaying properties of the darkness mana were enhanced several thousand times.

    The elderly man died off stage and his mana was added to Zoemi mana reservoir."Just kill him already!"

    Carcassuss couldn''t stand the current situation, five of his precious family members were killed just like that.

    Actually, at the time he shouted his obvious order, another woman got nabbed by Zoemi.

    Countless spears of condensed ckness pierced her and then turned into wines that enveloped her body that proceed to wrought the life out of her.

    The wines sprouted buds and the buds blossomed into ck flowers - as the gust of wind caused by Zoemi ripped them apart and the petal storm whirled and turned into a tornado that swallowed and mowed down another Ghost, this spell worked like a meatgrinder - and with no time wasted, Zoemi gained even more mana.

 Chapter 518 169 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 17)

    Chapter 518  169 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 17)¡¡¡¡"FUCK!"

    Thergemander roared, the menacing ck de sprouting from his hand as he charged at happily smiling Zoemi.

    "Cupcake, don''t!"

    Kirissu shouted after her husband but he was already by the ck-haired boy.

    "Pffft...!|

    Zoemi spared him a nce and waved his hand dismissively.

    The ck tar boiled and from within a half-decayed body of arge brown-haired man emerged, his body glowing with the most powerful earth enchantments, and stopped themander right in his track.

    "What the...?!"

    Carcassuss tried to shake off the corpse but then another one emerged, a red-haired man with a ming spear, and he pierced his side.

    *SHIIING*

    After that followed a torrent of ice-spears created by another magician, and a wind-de of another corpse finally decapitated the leader of the Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    Carcassuss''srge body turned into darkness but instead of reverting into mana and getting sucked into Zoemi, it coagted and formed back into an unharmed scarred man.

    "Do you think your petty tricks would work on...! KHGGHH! UG-UGHUEE...!"

    Carcassuss growled but then he suddenly bent in half, heaving like a cat that got a hairball stuck in its throat before he dropped on all four and started violently vomiting the ridiculous amounts of ck tar.

    "Oh? Could it be that my petty tricks actually work on you? It certainly looks that way. Although not the copy of necromancy that I showed you just now. You willingly merging with my acidic magic, on the other hand? Well... it''s as you can see. You do have quite the resistance though, I must say..."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and waved his hand in an overly dramatic way.

    He gestured and send a single ck swallow towards the increasingly bloated body of themander of the Ghosts.

    "NOO!"

    And then he was charged by the vicemander, one-armed Kirissu.

    "Get away from my Cupcake!"

    She roared and her stump erupted into a giant ck arm that swatted the swallow away andunched herself at Zoemi.

    She clenched her monstrous fist and felt that she got Zoemi in her grasp.

    He had nowhere to run now!

    "What are the rest of you lot do...!"

    Kirissu growled but the words got stuck in her mouth when she saw the situation of the rest of the group.

    Each of the surviving Ghosts was being relentlessly attacked by at least a hundred corpses in various states of decay each.

    "You...! Just die!"

    Kirissu coolheadedly decided that it was best to just kill Zoemi off so that his magic would stop.

    *CRUNCH*

    And so she crushed the body in her hand.

    "Oh, even if I die, those guys would not stop attacking. They are enhanced by a ton of different magic..."

    "...!"

    Kirissu tried to back off when Zoemi suddenly shoved up, but it was useless.

    The ck-haired boy didn''t just appear out of the thin air in front of or behind her after all.

    His head sprouted out from her own giant arm like a scab and looked meaningfully toward the fighting Ghosts.

    "You see, getting them took some time... While your son was acting like a hero and saving the helpless left and right without carrying for a reward, I have already been amassing my forces, just in case."

    Zoemi smiled as he saw a group of decayed monks, one without a robe, only in his undergarments, another big and fat, together with a few others, dog-piling a short man with long spiky hair.

    "Honestly, his actions were a splendid cover for me. And I got a bunch of money for turning in heads of the dead wanted men."

    Zoemiughed as the few headless corpses ripped a middle-ageddy Ghost into pieces and her mana flew towards him.

    "Delicious."

    He giggled.

    "BASTARD!"

    *WHAM* *CRUSH*

    And Kirissu smashed his head into pieces like a ripe watermelon.

    "Just die already, vermin!"

    She growled and rushed towards herrades to help.

    "Cupcake, hold on just a bit longer!"

    She told her husband.

    "I-it''s fine, go Kiri...!"

    He responded with a forced smile, his body was still bloated but wasn''t getting anyrger at least for the moment.

    But just as Kirissu faced away, she felt a weird tingling at her back...

    "...eh...?"

    She turned her head back just in time to see a single ck swallow fly off in a captivating arch, circling them all before returning and colliding with her husband''s back.

    "...what...? Why...?"

    *KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    "..."

    His body erupted into a tremendous ck pir which turned into dust as fast as it appeared, while his wife could only watch, stunned beyondprehension.

    "Careless."

    "!!!"

    Kirissu heard Zoemi''s whisper in her ear and jolted, snapping around but the ck-haired boy wasn''t there.

    "Ah, and he was such a loving husband too, what a shame... From his perspective, it must have looked like you''ve attacked him. What a sad way to go..."

    The boy mocked her, still somehow whispering into her ear.

    "SHUT UP!"

    *WHAM*

    Kirissu wailed and smashed her fist into the ear that Zoemi was taking too.

    "GH-URGH...!"

    Her whole body shook as the ck blood erupted from the side of her head.

    "How dare you...! HOW DARE YOU!?"

    The ck-haired woman shrieked and unleashed her power.

    Kirissu didn''t use the ck hole, instead, thousands of jet-ck monster arms sprouted from the ground and attacked Zoemi''s corpses.

    There was no escape, and soon the rest of the Ghosts was free.

    "Let''s see how you''ll deal with us all now!"

    Kirissu, with the ck blood streaming down her head and neck,ughed triumphantly.

    "How? Easy. Like this."

    "...!"

    A voice sounded in her other ear and all of a sudden she felt that she can no longer control her spell.

    The hands wiggled and started moving on their own.

    The corpses were released and instead, the darkness de in form of countless hands grabbed the unsuspecting Ghosts and tore them apart piece by piece without a moment of hesitation.

    Oh, how pitiful the cries of the ones who thought they got betrayed were...!

    "YOU...!"

    Kirissu wept and attacked her other ear, basically crippling herself, making herself deaf and severely concussed.

    But she still could hear Zoemi mocking her.

    "Who would expect that the possession spell of your friend Kiorterell would be so effective! Amazing, isn''t it?"

 Chapter 519 169 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 18)

    Chapter 519  169 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 18)¡¡¡¡"What do you think now of my copy ability now? Do you still consider it useless?"

    *BOOOOOOM*

    "KHYAAAAAAAAAAAGHH...!"

    Zoemi asked and the Kirissu''s limbs exploded making her scream out in pain.

    Not every limb of hers was blown off, mind you.

    She lost legs and the giant darkness arm was no longer there but she still had one functioning arm.

    "Oh, and thank you for putting Arisu somewhere secure from where he cannot escape on his own, it really made things easy for me."

    "Eh...?!"

    Kirissu groaned at Zoemi''s unexpected words.

    She made sure to put her son in the safest ce she could think of.

    The room was made with a spell that all of the Ghosts conjured together, the sanctuary of darkness, it was impossible to track or attack it because it was on a different ne of existence. There was no way that someone without the understanding of true darkness could even dream of opening it up.

    Arisu was safe there, he would stay there until he would master the darkness and be ready to face this bastard Zoemi...

    Yes. For sure.

    That MUST have been the case...!

    "No. He is just a rat in a cage. And why do you think I can''t get there? You''ve clearly already let me in there. You know, together with Arisu."

    Zoemiughed as he emerged from the tar a few feet away from Kirissu, showing off his real body.

    He was never truly caught by Kirissu nor was he inside her arm.

    It was funny, actually, how Kirissu couldn''t recognize her own shape-shifting magic when somebody else was using it in a slightly altered way than she was.

    "Haa..."

    Zoemi breathed out as he slowly walked towards the one-armed torso.

    He crouched, and grabbed Kirissu''s chin, lifting up her head and looking her straight in the face with his lifeless eyes.

    "Do you know why I torment you so much instead of just killing you as I did with the rest?"

    He asked.

    "..."

    Kirissu couldn''t hear his voice but Zoemi was using the message spell at the same time just so she would understand him.

    "It''s because you, and only you, knew what your son did to my master and you stayed silent. Because you protected that scum, my master was treated like a liar when she was a victim!"

    He roared and let go of Kirissu.

    "I really want you to suffer for that. Just a little bit less than what I will do to your son."

    Zoemi stated coldly.

    "Spare him, please...! He was young back then... He didn''t mean to do anything bad...!"

    Kirissu pleaded and raised her body on her only hand.

    "..."

    Zoemi turned to her and looked into her eyes.

    For a moment she thought that she saw a light reflecting in his dead eyes.

    *STAB*

    And then Zoemi raised his hand, engulfed in darkness and wed like a wild beast, and gouged out her eyes.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    "No."

    He tly refused and threw away the crushed eyeballs as the woman wailed and wiggled in horrible pain assaulting her senses.

    Zoemi walked a few steps, he was now exactly at the ce where hest saw Arisu, and he turned back towards the helpless Kirissu.

    *click*

    He snapped his fingers and something shaped like a body of Carcassuss emerged from the ck tar that was still covering the whole ground.

    "...ughy... ught... e... eh...?"

    Kirissu stumbled upon it while crawling towards Zoemi.

    At first, she didn''t know what the new obstacle was but after examining it she gasped.

    "Cu-cupcake...? Cupcake, is that you...?!"

    She cried and dragged herself towards what she thought was the corpse of her husband.

    "Cupcake... I-I''m...!"

    Kirissu said in a tormented voice.

    "Shut up."

    *click*

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    Zoemi snapped his fingers again and the Carcassus''s body look-alike exploded.

    The force was so strong that it shattered all of the remaining windows in the academy building.

    When the dust cleared out there was nothing left in ce of the husband and wife, themander and the vicemander of the Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    "Hmph..."

    As Kirissu''s mana got absorbed by Zoemi he frowned.

    "I should have made her suffer more... No matter. I''ll make up for it with Arisu."

    His face twisted demonically as his body turned into ck mist and disappeared.

    -------------

    "What''s going on?! Anyone?! Please respond! Mother! Father! Fareliuve! Aunt Raseriat? Gramps Kiorterell?! Rethaq? Oktria? Somebody respond, please! Weirdo Elsby!"

    Arisu was scared.

    He was alone in an unknown endless void that even his night vision could see through.

    Or maybe there was just nothing to see?

    But in that case, why did his mother even send him to such a ce?

    They were attacked by someone who looked like Zoemi, but it couldn''t be him...! That bastard who had the same name as the teddy bear of the second princess was supposed o be just a weakling! He recently gained some power but it was preposterous to think that he could stand on the same battleground as the Ghosts, or he, Arisu, formerly Cherro, the current hero!"

    "What spell was used to cause such an explosion?"

    Arisu wondered recalling the events he witnessed just before his mother sent him away.

    Truth be told, he didn''t see much, he wasn''t even aware of how many of hisrades died from that initial strike.

    The opening attack almost knocked him out, and as soon as he came to, his mother pushed him into this strange room without an exit...

    "No matter, since it''s a darkness spell I''ll unlock it right away and return to the rest."

    The young man decided, nodding to himself with contentment.

    Suddenly he pped his hands together and his face lit up with realization.

    "Ah! Of course, it''s just a test! Mother and father are using that toy''s pitiful attack as a test for me! I bet that''s what the deal is. I have to get out of this room! Is that right?"

    He asked loudly as if expecting a confirmation.

    "Ha, of course, I''m right."

    Arisu nodded to himself despite theck of answer of any sort.

    His white hair turned ck, the same as his eyes.

    "Shadow connect!"

    Arisu called and his spell connected him with the surrounding darkness.

    "Weird... I feel nothing... Should I cast it again?"

    He muttered to himself surprised by the sensation that waspletely different than usual.

    "Darkness connect!"

    In the end, he decided to use a stronger version of the spell.

    "..."

    Still, no matter what, the results were the same as before. The connection wasn''t established.

    "...Strange..."

    Arisu grumbled.

    He got no information - nor where he was, what was this spell, nor how long the area it epasses stretches for.

    "Well, there''s one way to find out..."

    Arisu said and his eyes and hair became green.

    His body started glowing green and he dashed madly straight ahead.

    He ran and ran and ran...

    In this strange room, or rather, a strange world, there was no indication of the flow of time so he didn''t know whether he had run for five minutes or five days.

    When he depleted one-third of his vast mana pool he decided to stop.

    "So... The ce is very spacious... Or maybe I was running in circles the whole time?"

    He pondered, trying to look around but his sense of direction waspletely thrown off by everything looking exactly the same, with nothing to use as a point of reference.

 Chapter 520 170 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 19)

    Chapter 520  170 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 19)¡¡¡¡~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |...say... just a wild thought, but is the space he is in right now the same space that we...?|

    |No. look around ¨C he is surrounded by perfect, silk-like darkness, we are in the world of murky shadows. Also, if he was here, I would have torn him into shreds already.|

    Zoemi looked around the space they were in and asked curiously, but was interrupted by an angry-sounding original personality.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    *BUMP*

    "Wha...?!"

    *thump*

    Suddenly Arisu felt someone''s hands on his back and he was pushed violently.

    It was so sudden that he couldn''t keep his bnce and fell.

    "Loser."

    A female voice rang through the darkness.

    "Huh? Elsby?! Why did you push me!? Know your ce, you instinct weirdo!"

    Arisuined when he recognized the voice.

    But no response came...

    "...the audacity..."

    The young man stood up, on one hand, he was angry that Elsby was pranking him, but on the other hand, he felt relieved that he wasn''t alone.

    "Hey! Answer me! I promise I won''t get angry!"

    He took a few steps and suddenly he tripped on some rope.

    "Ugh... What''s going on...?"

    He groaned and started feeling around with his hand.

    What he had found were... strands of long hair.

    "O-Oktria...? Hey, it''s not funny at all you know?"

    Heined.

    *SNAP*

    "Ghh...!"

    Then the hair suddenly became alive, it broke free from his grasp and smacked him across the face like a whip.

    "Don''t touch me, scum!"

    Another female voice cussed him out.

    "Wha... Who are you calling a scum, Oktria?! I''m a hero!"

    Arisu retaliated.

    No response. Again.

    The young man frowned and his eyes and hair turned blue. He used the water to clean the wound on his face...

    *SLAM*

    "!!!"

    And then someone kicked him in the back of his head.

    Hard.

    "O-o...!"

    Arisu groaned, grabbing the sore spot.

    Whoever hit him wasn''t holding back at all...

    "To think that I was worried for a trash like you!"

    "A-aunt Raseriat...? Wh-why would you kick me?"

    "Why?"

    *WHAM*

    "Augh...!"

    This time an elderly male voice asked and Arisu was kicked in the teeth.

    "Ghamphs...?"

    The kick burst his lips so the words came out a bit distorted.

    "Because you are a vile scum, that''s why!"

    *THUMP*

    Someone else dropped their heel on Arisu''s back.

    "The little second princess. Princess Miriette, does that ring a bell?"

    *SLAM*

    A knee to the guts forced all the air out of Arisu''s lungs and send him tumbling across the darkness.

    "I-I don''t know what..."

    Arisu gasped for air.

    "Don''t know?"

    *TWACK*

    Another person kicked him in the kneecap.

    "You thought we won''t learn about it?"

    *SLAM*

    A punch to the side of the neck.

    "That you were harassing her?"

    *CRUSH*

    Someone stomped on his fingers with a heavy boot.

    "That you were stalking her?"

    Someone else grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back,

    "That you snuck into her room at night?"

    *SMACK*

    A p to the face.

    "That you snuck into her bed at night?!"

    *WHAM*

    A punch to the guts.

    "That you were touching her?!"

    *SMASH*

    A devastating kick to the groins.

    "A nine-year-old girl!"

    *THUMP*

    Someone swiped at his legs and Arisu came crashing to the ground.

    "It wasn''t like that...! I... I loved her...! And I still love her...! You must believe me...!"

    "You little...!"

    *BOOOOM*

    A kick to the guts so powerful it nearly split the Arisu in half sending him flying so far away that hitting the ground nearly killed him.

    *THUMP*

    "GHU-GHUACK...! GHUGH..! Ghugh...!"

    Arisu ended up on his back and he couldn''t stop coughing.

    "Fa-ther... I... I swear...!"

    the young man cried out in despair.

    "Arisu... Why would you do that...? Your father and I didn''t raise you that way...! Were we too soft on you...?"

    Kirissu''s crying voice sounded through the darkness.

    "...!"

    Arisu felt that someone is sitting on him and then he felt someone''s hands wrapping around his neck.

    "Arisu... No... Cherro. My baby. Why did you end up like this...?"

    Kirissu was crying, despite not seeing a thing, Arisu could feel the hot tears dropping onto his chest, at the same time the grip on his neck was getting stronger and stronger.

    "Mommy will take the responsibility... As I should have done from the very begging. Don''t worry Cherro... it will all end soon."

    "Mother...!"

    Arisu was being strangled with more and more force, he could feel his throat getting crushed little by little.

    "Shhh... My child... Mommy will make it all stop..."

    A calming voice of a doting mother.

    The mother that loved him above all else...

    "NO!"

    Arisu shouted.

    *WHAM*

    His eyes and hair became brown and his body shone with the strongest enchants, he threw off the shadowy figure and started coughing and gasping for air.

    "Ah....! A-Arisu...! How could you...?! Your own mother...?!"

    "!!!"

    An angry voice shredded through the darkness, Arisu shivered, it was his father''s voice, but he had never sounded so angry.

    "You''ve killed her! Your own mother! When she only wanted to help you!"

    Carcassuss roared and his shadowy figure appeared before Arisu.

    "K-Killed?! N-no...! I would never...! I didn''t want to...! B-but she attacked me...! She wanted to kill me...!"

    *WHAM*

    Arisu yelped, and then he felt a smack to the face so hard that it mmed him to the ground.

    "And what else would help such a worthless bastard such as you?! A death will be a blessing for the likes of you!"

    Carcassuss''s voice boomed in the space drowned in perfect silky darkness.

    "Father, no! I- I swear it''s not like this! I-I can exin!"

    "Exin what? How you abused the second princess!? How, when we clearly decided to kill off the

    royal family, you instead decided to kidnap her for your own twisted pleasures?"

    The shadowy figure of Carcassuss trembled from fury and his darkness de, the two-handed longsword, emerged from the top of his wrist.

    "B-but we were going to kill them! Why wouldn''t I take her for myself, I love her! I would lock her up and make her only mine! What''s so wrong with that?! It''s a better option than being killed! If she only admitted that she loved me I would even consider letting here outside with me once it was safe! But then she ended up dying in the darkness! It wasn''t my fault! She was too weak! She wanted to break free so I had to use more force! I thought that she would calm down if she''ll get a bit melted by the darkness! I didn''t mean for her to die! And then that stupid toy bear, Zoemi, killed me! Me! A hero who was trying to protect his princess!"

    Arisu snapped and started shouting at the shadowy figure of his father.

    "What''s the big deal?! We were going to kill them all anyway! Why wouldn''t I be allowed to y around with a little princess! I took away her toys and said that she has threw them away so she would think only about me, if not for that bear it would have worked! So what that I snuck into her room?! She was asleep, she never noticed me! And the same with touching! A little skinship never hurt anyone! So what if I was an adult and she was still a child!"

    Arisu was shouting, his eyes returned to being white but a few of the blood vessels in his eyes burst so his whites were now dyed red making him look like a demon, his hair became disheveled and he was fuming from the mouth...

    "Shut up."

    The shadowy figure of Arisu''s father disappeared, and so did all the voices of hisrades.

    The only one left was Zoemi standing above the half-mad Arisu, looking down on him with disgust.

    "YOUUUUU!"

    Arisu roared and threw himself at Zoemi.

    *SHING*

    The ck-haired boy sidestepped and leisurely waved his hand from which a darkness de Zweihander was still protruding and cut off both of Arisu''s arms.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGHHHH....!"

    Arisu wailed like a butchered pig and failed around spewing the blood from fresh stumps all over the darkness.

    "I said. SHUT. UP."

    Zoemi said coldly and both stumps and Arisu''s mouth froze solid in an instant.

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and looked Arisu in the face.

    "Hmph."

    *SHING*

    Then he frowned and shook his hand as if he was shooking off a bit of dirt and Arisu''s legs were blown off and the white-haired boy fell face-first into the pool of his own blood.

    His mouth was shut so while trying to scream through his nose he took a whole noseful of blood into his lungs.

    He started coughing violently, nearly coughing his eyeballs out.

    Zoemi frowned and helped him by holding his head still.

    With his foot.

    Down into the blood.

    Also, he didn''t remove the ice blocking Arisu''s mouth.

    Surprisingly, Arisu survived that.

    *WHAM*

    So as a prize, Zoemi kicked him up and sat him down into a half-sitting position.

    "Honestly, I''m not sure what to do with you, you know? I canpletely erase your soul right now so that my master will be finally at rest, but that would be too easy... For you, I mean, Because you deserve to suffer... Oh well... Even so, I shouldn''t let my master wait too long. She is a spoiled littledy after all..."

    *SHING*

    "!!!!!!!!!"

    Zoemi said and stabbed his wed hand into Arisu''s stomach.

    *RIIIIIIP*

    And then he pulled Arisus intestines out.

    The white-haired mage lost the remaining sanity he had left in him at the sight, he didn''t know that Zoemi was using healing magic, barely enough to keep Arisu alive, to prolong the suffering.

    Arisu was waving his stumps, his attempts to shove his insides back inside were as satisfying to watch as they werepletely useless. The only thing that the young man managed to aplish was to spray his surroundings with lots and lots of blood as Zoemi let the ice on his stumps melt.

 Chapter 521 170 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 20)

    Chapter 521  170 - The "correct" timeline that should be followed (part 20)¡¡¡¡"Hey..."

    *squelch*

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Zoemi said and stomped on his intestines which caused Arisu to wheeze and his eyes shed with whites, or reds, whatever.

    Zoemi used enough healing magic to make him stay conscious as he stomped on his pink insides.

    "Because of you, she had to suffer through the corrosion of the dark magic... Wouldn''t it be poetic to kill you the same way?"

    "Phweez...!"

    It was a miracle that Arisu managed to make a sound resembling a speech considering the state he was in, but well, as expected of a prodigy...

    *WHAM*

    Zoemi kicked the crushed intestines to the side and smiled.

    "As if I would allow you to resemble her in any way."

    He said and gripped Arisus face.

    At first, Arisu didn''t know what was happening, he realized that the ice blocking his mouth has melted off and he no longer felt the cold of the ice mana.

    "Puhweeeez...? Phuah...?"

    He wanted to plead to Zoemi but the moment he opened his mouth a puff of smoke came out of it.

    Wait?

    Smoke?

    "Huaaagh...?!"

    The insane heat that would make anyone mad kept rising.

    Arisu felt his stomach has turned into a furnace, the heat was spreading through his body.

    His bones were burning and his flesh was melting off from the inside, he wanted to scream but his tongue was already sizzling. He wanted to cry but his eyeballs burst into mes and melted out of the eye sockets.

    "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...!"

    The only sound he was able to make was a high-pitched wheeze.

    Zoemi waited.

    The ck-haired boy didn''t let go until all flesh was stripped and every bone was charred, he was immune to his own magic so the temperature didn''t bother him at all.

    Finally, when he was sure that Arisu''s physical body was dead, he let go of the charred skull, but before the skeleton could copse on itself, Zoemi moved his hand and darkness surrounded it and grounded it into nothingness.

    Zoemi looked at what was left.

    Arisu''s shadow.

    Zoemi sighed and the shadow got ripped apart.

    The ck-haired boy just watched it sink into the surrounding darkness merging into it...

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    |NOOOOO! YOU MORON! WHY DIDN''T YOU ERASE IT?! WHY DIDN''T YOU DEVOUR IT AND THOROUGHLY GET RID OF EVERY TRACE OF HIM! THAT''S WHY HE SURVIVED AND THE TIME LOOPS CONTINUED!|

    |!!!|

    The original personality howled, and Zoemi was sure that he caught a glimpse of the shadow of a massive bear-like being moving in the corner of his vision as if he was intending to grab the screen.

    |Now I understand what you meant by not being perfect... still, it doesn''t look like it''s the end just yet ¨C maybe he rectifies that mistaketer?|

    The ck-haired boy asked calmly, seeing that the screen was still there and the events kept ying out.

    |...it does not... I vaguely remember what happens next... but sure ¨C let''s watch it...|

    The original personality agreed in a defeated voice and sighed.

    ~~~~~~~~

    *********

    ~~~~~~~~

    There was nothing left to do but to return.

    Zoemi breathed out.

    It turned out just as he thought.

    The ck-haired boy thought that Presence wasn''t too weak to defeat Arisu.

    She also wasn''t too weak to just evaporate the Ghosts.

    But the thing was, she herself believed it was impossible for her to do so.

    Her trauma from the time she was alive was too powerful, her own mind bound her far better than any physical restraints ever could.

    As soon as Zoemi stepped out of the darkness he got surrounded by the blinding light and transferred to the fake throne room.

    "Zoemi! You did it! You actually did it!"

    As soon as he appeared their presence threw herself at him andughed and cried at the same time.

    "You did it! You did it! I''m free! I''m actually free...!"

    "Of course, didn''t I give you my word, master... Hmm?"

    As he was responding to the presence, Zoemi felt something wrapping around his waist.

    He looked down surprised and saw Miriette struggling to slither between him and the presence with a determined expression.

    "Miri... What are you doing...?"

    "I am your lover, so I should be the one to wee you first!"

    Sheined grumpily and made everyone elseugh.

    "Wh-what...?!"

    She asked red as a tomato, but even so, she didn''t let go of Zoemi at all.

    "Zoemi... You were the best toy, you know?"

    The presence said meekly.

    "Aha...! I was? Thank you, master."

    Zoemi responded a bit awkwardly but ended up with a smile.

    "Thanks to you I think I can finally do that."

    "Do what?"

    Zoemi asked a bit worried about what kind of crazy stunt his master will try to pull off this time.

    "I think that now I will be finally able to reincarnate myself properly."

    Presence said and silence befell the throne room.

    "Reincarnate... But... But you are like a god to our world! What will happen to us if our god will just disappears?!"

    Aspakeony came forward with a worried face.

    "Oh? Why would I be bothered about this?"

    """...!"""

    The collective gasp of the other three made presence tilted her head.

    "Oh, I see, you still don''t feel anything, right?"

    Presence realized andughed it off.

    "Zoemi gained around the same strength that I had at my peak when he defeated all the Ghosts, he will be a perfect recement for me. And also, so that my toy wouldn''t feel lonely I started transferring my power to the two of you."

    She pointed at Miriette and Aspakeony.

    "I''ll just spare myself enough for a reincarnation. Maybe I''ll pick the word that Zoemi was in before I summoned him back? I''ll choose some nice wealthy family or something."

    "Second princess... That''s... Being a god is not something that you can just drop on to others just like that...!"

    Aspakeony eximed.

    "Eeehh...? Why not? Actually, look I just did! Besides, this world has a proper god, just this small part of it that I contaminated with mana needs an overseer on its own. It''s nothing much."

    The little girlughed and took one hand away from Zoemi''s neck and waved it.

    "See...? Reincarnation in progress, my soul is being transferred."

    Her hand was getting translucent.

    No ¨C it wasn''t only her hand, her whole body was slowly fading away.

    Presence was disappearing from the world and moving on.

    "Zoemi... Miriette... Aspakeony... I know I was being a terrible terrible person to you all, especially to you Zoemi, my beloved toy... But I hope you can forgive me... And... Don''t forget me... alright...?"

    Her voice was disappearing along with her body.

    Zoemi could no longer feel her weight.

    "Master, don''t worry. Just do your best in your next world, I''ll be rooting for you!"

    Zoemi gave her a big smile.

    Miriette pouted a bit but also smiled.

    As for Aspakeony, she had trouble holding back the tears but somehow she managed to send the presence, the second princess she knew from her birth, off to her next world with a smile.

    "Oh! And don''t while you still can, say hello to that physicist we talked about way back for me!"

    Zoemi called as he remembered something.

    "Silly... That person has moved on ages ago..."

    Presenceughed and disappeared...

    ----

    And as she vanished the light surrounded the three of them and they were sent back to the academy grounds scorched to the ground and ravaged by Zoemi''s fight with the Ghosts.

    "So... We are gods now..."

    Aspakeony let out a heavy sigh.

    "Do you kids feel any different...? Like... Grander or something?"

    She asked and then she jumped up as she witnessed Miriette wrapping around Zoemi and kissing him passionately.

    "Hey! Not fair!"

    Sheined and stomped her foot.

    Miriette ignored her and gazed into Zoemi''s abyss-like eyes.

    "She has a point, there is something different. What about you Sir God? What are we going to do now?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and looked up at the clear blue sky.

    "Well... I think we will just figure things out as we go, truth to be told nning was never my strongest point."

    --------

    The young tinum-haired girl didn''t truly disappear nor did she reincarnate ¨C she merely phased herself from the timeline feeling extremely bitter.

    So close.

    This time it was so close...

    Her dream was almostplete, if only the ck-haired boy was more thorough with dealing with the white-haired young man...

    "...I can feel you...! We can be together...! Forever...!"

    "!!!"

    In the next moment, an eerie whisper sent chills down the girl''s spine ¨C she turned around and saw a mass of perfect darkness amassing right behind her, reaching out its tentacles towards her.

    Zoemi from the other timeline was wrong.

    She wasn''t powerful enough to erase Cherro ¨C that''s because Cherro became connected to her when she died and was thrown out of time.

    They shared a connection that neither of them could break.

    While the second princess wished to get rid of it, the son of the Ghosts of Bellcephora wanted to strengthen it as much as possible, going even further and merging their existences together.

    The only way to break free was to get help from somebody else ¨C and after countless retries, the only one who even came close to truly saving her was Zoemi.

    Tears clouded the second princess''s eyes, but she did not shed them ¨C tears were useless in her situation and she knew that better than anyone.

    "...I hate you..."

    The young tinum-haired girl whimpered, while trembling, staring at the lustful mass of perfect darkness approaching her, and closed her eyes.

    With a sh of a tinum light, she cast the only spell that she confirmed to keep Cherro away from her for a certain amount of time.

    She began yet another time loop, praying that this time things would be different.

 Chapter 522: 171 - Momentary peace (part 1)

    Chapter 522:  171 - Momentary peace (part 1)

    The murky-ck shadow gate appeared on the wall of the headmaster''s office in the Aspakeony Academy and a ck-haired boy escorted by two androgynous youths stepped in.

    Hisplexion was sickly pale and judging by the worried look of the other two, his condition couldn''t be any good.

    "Hmm...? I am pretty sure I asked you to take me back to the Banemor mansion ¨C grandpa is probably very worried... Unless he is still in the Academy?"

    Zoemi looked around and said in a hesitant voice, furrowing his brows.

    "You did say that, dad ¨C and grandpa did return home..."

    "But you also said that you are really worried about Miss Miriette and the others..."

    The two corpse puppet sentinels confirmed - the second one was more energetic while the first one was hesitant.

    "We are just passing through here, so you wouldn''t worry."

    "You need to have a proper rest."

    The two continued their exnation, making some fairly reasonable points.

    *thunk*

    "Took you long enough. Where have you been? Why do you look so wasted, and where did you lose the little first prince?"

    As the trio was talking, the drawer under therge closet opened, and a rather angry-looking necromancer poked her head from between the pillows and various plushies.

    She was very much annoyed, but it seemed like it was more so because Zoemi kept showing up in her office which was supposed to be her private sanctuary.

    It wouldn''t be so bad if the ck-haired boy was just visiting her, but he constantly was bringing someone over.

    "Aspie, Horeo isn''t a prince anymore ¨C he''s a king. And you should have seen how he kicked Bellcephora''s ass. He thoroughly overwhelmed her. It was amazing."

    "Wh-what...?"

    Zoemi''s face brightened up with a cheery smile as he recalled the exact screen in his mind, to which the gray-haired necromancer managed to only gasp in shock, getting wide-eyed.

    "Unfortunately, that showcase had stirred up so much mana that I couldn''t handle it anymore, so the young king had sent me away to recover while he handles the changing of power. Oh, and while I''m at it, could you maybe delegate some of your corpse puppets to search for the runaway former king and queen? Bellcephora shielded them from the initial strike and then they managed to flee somewhere while Horeo was pping Bellcephora around."

    The ck-haired boy added, and the two corpse puppet sentinels on his sides nodded their heads vigorously confirming his words to the speechless Aspakeony.

    "Did... did you just say that the young Horeo not only attacked his parents but also Bellcephora herself...?"

    The gray-haired necromancer asked, falling back into her plushies with the softest sound. As she was on her back, she kept staring at the ceiling not even daring to look at the ck-haired boy and his corpse puppet sentinels.

    "Yeah, I did. But, as I said, things didn''t go exactly as intended, so we need your help with finding and either detaining or killing the former royal couple."

    Zoemi rolled his eyes, feeling rejuvenated by the small talk with the millennia-old necromancer.

    There was something pleasantly refreshing about her utter shock and confusion.

    "Bellcephora will not allow for any of that to happen."

    Aspakeony dered in a stern voice, gulping her saliva in a hurry.

    "She doesn''t really get a say in it though? Horeo literally knocked her out in three hits and she didn''t even wake up when we were leaving the royal castle. It''s safe to assume that the new king is perfectly capable of holding her back."

    "He is!"

    "Dad''s friend is really strong!"

    Zoemi raised his brow and shrugged his shoulder, before looking between his two corpse puppet sentinels who smiled back at him in innocent joy.

    "..."

    The gray-haired necromancer plopped on her side and stared straight at the ck-haired boy without blinking or saying anything.

    It really seemed like she can''t process the information at all, just as if one of the unbreakable principles of the world had suddenly shattered right in front of her.

    "Is Miri and Burushi safe? I also hope that you didn''t make Mirienne, Roiso, or Metavicero ufortable, did you?"

    Zoemi breathed out and decided it was better to change the subject so that the gray-haired girl would be able to adjust to and confirm the news through her corpse puppets.

    "I... of course they are safe! All of them!"

    That strategy certainly did work out well, as Aspakeony got back up and scoffed at him with a frown.

    "The two variant magicians you brought with you did say some rather worrisome things about little Ikarveth, which prompted me to begin a little investigation for his recent frequent reques

    t for paid leaves... But I must find him first as he wasn''t in the ce he let as the spot to contact him in case of emergency."

    The girl added, shaking her head and getting up from her drawer, straightening her nightgown, and walking towards the desk, where she sat on the chair and pulled some documents closer.

    "Good thinking. On that note ¨C will you try to change the subject if I tell you that I know that the presence''s true identity is the murdered second princess Miriette and that you not only know about it but are actively trying to help her out?"

    "..."

    Zoemi nodded with a satisfied expression, beforeunching an unexpected question that made Aspakeony flinch and freeze in ce.

    The gray-haired girl was sitting so still that she didn''t even seem to be breathing...

    "Ah, I see. So in this timeline, you also know about all of that. Good to know."

    Even without her verbally confirming it, it was easy to guess that the ck-haired boy''s words had wlessly struck the bullseye.

    "I am not angry or anything ¨C all in all the original Zoemi, the stuffed bear you gave the young second princess, does live within my mind. Or maybe it''s the other way around? Anyway, the two of us had some bonding moments thanks to Bellcephora, you know? I am on board with helping out, as long as it will not involve the deaths of my family and friends."

    "..."

    Zoemi dered casually while Aspakeony remained silent, staring at the documents on the desk, but her gray eyes remained still betraying that she wasn''t reading anything at all.

    "Just so you know, you are included in the group of people I will not let be sacrificed."

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy added, making the gray-haired girl flinch and look up at him with a surprised expression.

    "I would love to stay and talk in more detail, but I really do feel horrible. Please, tell Miriette that if the whole copy of presence thing is real in this timeline too, I don''t mind it so she doesn''t have to worry."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi''s smile wavered, not because of what he said but rather because of the pain he experienced ¨C while Aspakeony tensed up, basically giving out confirmation to his suggestion.

    "...this room is filled with too much mana too ¨C if we drain it, the barrier would stop..."

    "...yes, and we don''t want that, do we?"

    As the ck-haired boy and the gray-haired girl were having a staredown, the corpse puppet sentinels looked at each other and talked in hushed voices, ncing at the back of the ck-haired boy with worry.

    "Dad will be angry if we will break this safe spot. Let''s forget about seeing others and head straight home."

    "I agree."

    They were having trouble controlling the mana within Zoemi''s body and their objectives changed on the spot as they immediately began prioritizing his health.

    "Bye-bye, miss necromancer."

    "You cane to visit dadter or contact him through us. Don''t contact him directly or he will get more sick!"

    "Eh...?!"

    The sentinels grabbed Zoemi''s arms securely and nodded at the confused Aspakeony.

    Before Zoemi could have any say in it, the three of them got swallowed by murky darkness and disappeared from the headmaster''s office, right in front of the necromancer''s eyes.

    "..."

    For a few seconds, Aspakeony was staring at the spot where Zoemi was standing just a moment ago.

    She blinked a few times and shook her head, before leaning back in the chair and letting out a huge sigh.

    "(Youngest, we have a certain situation at our hands.)"

    The gray-haired girl closed her eyes and used one of her wind attribute corpse puppets to connect herself with Miriette via the message spell.

    "[...why are you contacting me like that...? Zoemi can be here any moment.]"

    "(He already was here ¨C and he knows about you, me, and our connection to the second princess.)"

    The dark-haired girl scoffed without much interest and was about to cut off the connection but the gray-haired necromancer managed to sneak past a few words that changed that stance with ease.

    "[What is that supposed to mean? Are you telling me that he contacted you but not me?]"

    Miriette asked and her indifferent voice was dyed with easily recognizable fury.

    "(He wanted to check up on you and the rest, but was really weak and his corpse puppets took him back home ¨C wherever that is. Now listen! He knows that you are the copy of the presence!)"

    "[...]"

    Aspakeony scoffed, doing her best to deflect the anger of the much younger girl, and ended up stunning her speechless.

    "[He... he knows...?! HE KNOWS?! I must go and exin thi

    ngs to him! He will end up hating me for sure if I don''t tell him my perspective...!]"

    The dark-haired girl cried out, and although the message spell wasn''t transmitting vision, the gray-haired necromancer could easily guess that Miriette was running around her room in panic.

    "(He said that no matter what or who you are, he is okay with it! Our problem is ¨C how does he even know about it in the first ce!?)"

    Aspakeony waved her hand in annoyed dismissal, although ¨C or maybe because ¨C Miriette couldn''t see her.

    "[He... he is okay with everything...? Ohohoho~! Ehem...! I mean, of course, he is okay! He is my beloved Zoemi!]"

 Chapter 523: 171 - Momentary peace (part 2)

    Chapter 523:  171 - Momentary peace (part 2)

    When Zoemi opened his eyes, he was already in the master bedroom of the Banemor mansion ¨C not just the bedroom, but the king-sized bed too.

    He didn''t realize it, but at some point, he must have lost consciousness, because thest thing he remembered was his corpse puppet sentinels grabbing his arms and pulling him into the darkness.

    They certainly didn''t knock him out on purpose or anything ¨C but that was actually more problematic than if they attacked him.

    "...mana is poison..."

    The ck-haired boy spoke to himself, raising his hand over his face and looking at it.

    ...he couldn''t stop it from shaking...

    He was feeling extremely tired, but at least his stomach wasn''t hurting.

    When Metavicero froze his mana he actually felt unstoppable, but he also almost got severe frostbite from that, but this was different.

    Actually, even taking the feeling of exhaustion into consideration, this was the best he felt in a while.

    *knock* *knock*

    "...?"

    The sound of someone announcing their presence before opening the door to his room made Zoemi flinch with surprise.

    As the ck-haired boy lowered his hand and turned his attention to the turning door handle, the door opened and a brown-haired woman walked in, awkwardly carrying a tray with food.

    "Yes, yes ¨C hello, my almost cousin, and boss ¨C just checking whether you are awake and hungry as I already did every half an hour for the past five hours~"

    Arreta, the daughter of Zoemi''s adoptive father''s brother ¨C as confusing as it may have sounded ¨C hummed in a tired voice, before even looking up at the bed where the ck-haired boy had propped himself up.

    "Ugh, this room feels so weird each time I enter... aren''t they trying to make Zoemi feel worse with that? My head hurts just by stepping in..."

    She continuedining, furrowing her brows while clumsily trying to massage her forehead without dropping the tray.

    "...eh...?"

    Then, she finally looked up and met Zoemi''s politely curious eyes and let out a short gasp.

    "Good evening. I actually would appreciate some food, please."

    Zoemi nced at one of the windows to ess the time of day, before smiling encouragingly at his older cousin.

    "I... Ah...! Of course! Right away!"

    It took Arreta a moment to adjust to the situation, but when she managed to close her mouth and take a few deep breaths, she nodded and approached the ck-haired boy without further ado.

    Seeing the untrained movements of the brown-haired woman, Zoemi helped her out by putting the tray down on the bed and grabbing the tes himself just to be safe.

    "Say, I thought that you were more interested in gardening than the duties of a housemaid?"

    He asked more so to make some small talk than form actually being interested in the subject while grabbing the most appetizing dish and feeling his stomach rumbling in anticipation.

    "Because I am ¨C but the two that brought you here said that the people with a certain amount of mana cannot enter this room because that would destroy the whole point of creating the mana void. Apparently, they and sir Benevirau are amongst the people who will mess things up, and only I have a sufficiently low amount of mana to not make a difference..."

    Arreta nodded while making a very grumpy expression.

    "I am a transcended earth magician, you know? I have as much mana as an average fire magician!"

    She grumbled, lowering her head and looking to the side, sulking.

    "Don''t take it to heart. I am sure that they didn''t mean it in a bad way."

    "That''s part of the problem, though!"

    Zoemi chewed on the food and gulped it down before pointing out, but that just made Arreta roll her eyes and shake her head.

    "Honestly... Rokiana beat me to bing a bride, so I wanted to show her off and marry someone more powerful than her husband... I thought that sir Benevirau might be a perfect candidate because of how nice he is, but now I see that he doesn''t treat me seriously at all..."

    The brown-haired woman''s shoulders slumped and she sighed in defeat...

    "GH-UGH...!"

    "Young master...?!"

    Still, the thing she said made Zoemi choke on the food and if Arretta didn''t timely hand him a cup of juice to wash the bite down, this might have been a rather pitiful end for the ck-haired boy.

    "Huaa... thank you very much... still, you were aiming for grandpa...?! Even though you were so cautious about the age gap with Ikarve

    th?!"

    Zoemi breathed out in relief and put the cup aside, without looking away from his cousin''s face.

    "...? Pardon? What do you mean? Sir Benevirau looks young but if my research is correct he is in his thirties ¨C that makes him barely older than me, a perfect match!"

    Arreta furrowed her brows and tilted her head cluelessly staring at the ck-haired boy''s face.

    "Arreta... grandpa Benevirau is a sage ¨C sages are over a hundred and thousand times stronger than average light magicians, and do not age as a standard human does! Grandpa is at least a thousand years old! Didn''t you see his portrait with the first head of the Banemor family hanging in the hallway?!"

    Zoemi put the half-empty te to the side for a moment and massaged his forehead before asking in disbelief.

    "Pffft...! Now, don''t be silly! There''s no way that it''s true! The portrait in the hallway must be just his ancestor or something! Anyway, I am giving up on him anyway, so you don''t have to make up such stories to talk me out of it."

    The brown-haired woman snickered and her shoulders shook fromughter before she waved her hand dismissively and patted Zoemi''s forearm with understanding.

    "..."

    Zoemi looked at her, blinked twice, and then rolled her eyes and grabbed back the unfinished dish while making the fuck-it-I-tired expression stered all over his face.

    "Auequas family tried to bother you in any way since you took shelter here?"

    The ck-haired boy changed the subject just to put his mind at ease.

    "No... not really..."

    "...?"

    Arreta looked down and shook her head with a somewhat mncholic expression, to which Zoemi raised his brow as his hand with a spoon froze mid-way to his mouth.

    "Isn''t that a good thing though? They wanted to marry you off to some old guy."

    The ck-haired boy put the spoon back on the te and asked with a concerned expression.

    He didn''t have many heartfelt talks with his cousin since she arrived at the Banemor mansion ¨C which shouldn''t be surprising considering that half the time he was unconscious and for the rest, he was barely even there.

    "...well... yes, but I thought that maybe they would change their minds and would be willing to talk, or something ¨C I don''t know. Grandmother and father were always on my side so I thought that they will maybe miss me or... never mind..."

    Arreta fidgetted on her spot and exined, before turning bright red and waving her hands in an attempt to hide her face.

    "Say ¨C I was under the impression that you were a part of the military, just like your grandmother and so on. Howe you act even more like the sheltered princess than my Miriette?"

    Zoemi finally caught on to what was it all about and asked while continuing his meal.

    "Why are you saying it like that ¨C I am not spoiled or anything..."

    The brown-haired woman puffed out her cheeks grumpily and sulked as she red at the ck-haired boy.

    "And I don''t know why you make it sound as if in the military you weren''t put together with your rtives. The training is hard but in the time of peace, no one is going through the draconian exercises that grandma had to go through. You know, like the one where she kept her enchantments active even when she lost consciousness. Although that might soon change..."

    Arreta added, shrugging her shoulders and pointing out the differences between Zoemi''s assumptions and reality.

    "...huh... you know, considering that it was assumed that neither Miriette nor Horeo will ever enter the military as anything other thanmanders ¨C or rather at all ¨C our curriculum never epassed that subject... So this military ispletely different than the one I think of... makes sense actually, considering the firepower at the disposal of even the average magician..."

    Zoemi swallowed another mouthful of food and nodded with realization as Arreta was tilting her head, looking at him as if she was worried about his sanity.

    "Alright ¨C let''s put that all aside. Tell me ¨C did any news from the royal castle reached our territory already?"

    The ck-haired boy finished everything that was brought to him and asked, moving the fork and the spoon and cing them on the side so they would not slide off the te ¨C and consequently the tray ¨C as Arreta would be carrying it awayter.

    "Eh?! How did you know?! Even sir Benevirau was shocked when the royal wind magicians sent messages to all nobles that the spies from the enemy nation managed to hex the royal couple, and upon discovering it, they fled and took them with them! It''s a huge deal ¨C the first prince Horeo had to step in and step in charge of the nation

    . Then it turned out that the second prince went missing from the monastery he had been ced in, and it is believed that the enemy nation might have abducted him first and gotten the information that allowed their spies to infiltrate the royal castle, out of him by torture. It is a whole giant mess and everyone is worried about what will happen next! Think about it! The royal couple getting hexed and abducted?! Only a miracle would prevent arge-scale conflict from happening! After all, even if they will return, nothing guarantees that they would not be working for our enemies!"

    The brown-haired woman gasped and her tone changedpletely when she found a subject that interested her more than her own love life.

 Chapter 524: 171 - Momentary peace (part 3)

    Chapter 524:  171 - Momentary peace (part 3)The door closed after Arreta, leaving Zoemi alone with his thoughts...

    |Little ones ¨C connect me with Surou, please.|

    Not really though ¨C the moment that he was sure that the brown-haired woman left, he called out to his sentinels and gave instructions.

    "(Okay~!)"

    "(Ah! I get it!)"

    |...?|

    The first sentinel agreed without a moment of hesitation, but unexpectedly, the usually more easygoing second one called out suddenly, making Zoemi raise his brow.

    "(What did you get...?)"

    The first sentinel was no less taken aback than the ck-haired boy and asked for an exnation.

    "(We all were surprised when dad told us he thinks about all of us as his children, right? But since the beginning, he called us his little ones!"

    "(EH?! I always thought that he meant our size!)"

    The second sentinel revealed excitedly, and the first one gasped in disbelief mixed in with realization.

    |...I should have been more clear on that ¨C that was never about your dimensions, I just thought that little ones sound cuter than kids...|

    Zoemi looked to the side in embarrassment, happy that the two sentinels weren''t in the same room to witness his blushing face.

    "(Ahaha~! Okay, dad, I''m using our version of the message spell now~!)"

    "(Ah! Not fair! I was going to do that!)"

    The second sentinelughed cheerfully before dering ¨C which in turn made the first one cry out feeling cheated.

    "[I know this feeling... Zoemi? Are you contacting me?]"

    After a moment, even though the connection happened from the ck-haired boy''s initiative, the second prince Surou was the one to speak up first.

    There was a lot of hesitation in his voice and not without reason ¨C he could feel the pressure in his mind but no one began talking to him, making things very suspicious.

    Honestly, in his situation being careful like that wasn''t anything special, one could even argue that the blue-haired boy was too easygoing, straight up asking for Zoemi by name.

    "|Royto, my boy, how are things going on your side?|"

    Still, his words were what made Zoemi shake his head and speak up after the touching scene.

    "[So it''s really you, good. I will not have to forcefully drag you into this to help me out...]"

    Surou breathed out in relief, hearing the voice of the ck-haired boy in his head, revealing why he acted as he did at the beginning.

    "[What do you need me for? Do you want to finally hear an update on the situation in Atreterve?]"

    The blue-haired boy asked, sounding very mockingly, and slightly annoyed.

    Originally Zoemi put him up to gather information in the foreign country, but it didn''t really seem like he needed the information all that much.

    For Surou who wanted toy as low as possible, that wasn''t particrly bad, but after some time it began to bother him,

    "|Did the news about what happened in the kingdom of Bellcephora reach the Atreterve already?|"

    "(Pardon...? What news are you talking about?)"

    The ck-haired boy asked, making the blue-haired one ask back in hesitation mixed with confusion.

    "|Ah. So nothing, huh? You see, the official version known to the public is of course slightly different, but basically ¨C the queen was being hexed and controlled by the Barbaria nation this whole time, Horeo learned about it and decided to act, he almost killed the royal couple but was stopped bydy Bellcephora... whom heter defeated with shocking ease, by the way... unfortunately the former royal couple managed to flee and is expected to flee to a different nation, namely Barbaria. Meanwhile, king Horeo sessfully imed the throne after the support of the King''s Guard and the gathering of the nobles. Oh, and it appears that they have found out about your absence only now, and believe that you were kidnapped and tortured in order to get the information that would allow the spies to infiltrate the royal castle out of you.|"

    Zoemi nodded to himself and decided to not keep the second prince in the dark anymore, giving him thepact version of the news.

    "(...)"

    ...which obviously rendered the blue-haired boy speechless...

    "(...say... was that whole me being kidnapped and possibly tortured thing doesn''t really paint me in a particrly horrible light...)"

    Still, after being freed from the hex that was dulling his mind, Surou recovered within just a few seconds and asked in a cautious voice.

    "|No. It was all Horeo. I was unfortunately unconscious at the time as my health is getting more and more problematic. But putting aside the small stuff... You know what? I was going to reunite you with Burushi anyway, why not do that right after you will have a proper talk with your dear older brother. I am positive that he will be actually happy to see you act normal again after so long.|"

    Zoemi said casually, brushing off his own problems and focusing on the matter between the two brothers.

    "(You are having issues with your health? Considering our situation isn''t it possible that you got cursed? Those types of spells can be horrendously nasty!)"

    Surou ended up surprising Zoemi and instead of focusing on the matters directly involving him, he instead worried about the ck-haired boy''s wellbeing.

    "|True, they can ¨C and I believe that by now I can say that with more experience than you... but the most annoying thing is that if my problems were caused by curses, it would actually make dealing with all of that a lot easier... a whole lot...|"

    Zoemi sighed with a bitter expression, putting his hand on his abdomen even though he wasn''t experiencing any pain at the moment.

    "(That''s worrisome... Are you really okay...?)"

    Surou sounded as if the information bothered him greatly.

    "|I will manage ¨C rather than focusing on that, tell me are you fine with meeting with Horeo and Burushi ¨C or at least one of them ¨C and if you are, then when exactly. It can be just a talk too like we are doing just now, but I believe it would be better to have you talk things out face to face. That is just my opinion though. The final choice is yours.|"

    The ck-haired boy waved his hand dismissively even though the second prince couldn''t really see him, before shrugging his shoulders and giving Surou his options.

    For a moment there was silence. The blue-haired boy must have been considering his options carefully.

    Things were not really easy from his side, after all.

    He didn''t have a healthy rtionship with his older brother... to say the least...

    It might have seemed that after bing the king, Horeo was trying to show some goodwill by publicly announcing that Surou''s disappearance must have been a kidnapping...

    ...but on the other hand, the same information suggested that he was responsible for leaking invaluable information to the enemy nation...

    Unwillingly and after being supposedly exposed to torture, but still.

    The most problematic thing about that was that if Surou was still under the influence of the hex, he would surely believe that his older brother has only good intentions and immediately after learning the information try toe in contact with him.

    As for Burushi...

    Things weren''t all that different, honestly.

    Nowhere near as potentially life-threatening, but surely problematic.

    Surou as he was now didn''t believe that he was a person that Burushi wanted to meet.

    All of her direct contact with him ¨C including the outrageous engagement and apparently creating an engagement ring to boot ¨C happened solely because of the hex influencing the blue-haired boy''s thoughts and actions.

    "(Give me a few days. I am okay with meeting them both face to face, but I want to talk things out with someone who would love to visit our kingdom. They would need special permission though.)"

    Interestingly enough, despite all of that, the thing that the second prince seemed to be bothered the most was apletely different matter that Zoemi didn''t even seeing.

    "|Oh? Well... Is it perhaps that young wife of the ve market owner? I am not someone who would try to tell others how to live their lives, but as Burushi''s friend, let me tell you that there are better ways of rejecting people than showing up with a new lover.|"

    "(...huh...?)"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and rubbed his hands awkwardly before taking a deep breath and just saying what he had in mind about Surou''s announcement ¨C but apparently, he missedpletely with his interpretation...

    "|...that''s not the case...?|"

    The ck-haired boy asked nervously, feeling really stupid.

    "(I mean... you correctly guessed who I had in mind, but youpletely misunderstood my reasoning.)"

    Surou exined with a sigh and Zoemi could tell that the blue-haired boy was rubbing his forehead in disbelief at the rather outrageous assumption.

    "(You see, that girl is singlehandedly responsible for freeing dozens of ves already ¨C some of whom were the citizens of our kingdom who were about to be illegally sold under forged identities to make it less conspicuous. Anyway ¨C call me in three days, I should know everything by that point. Now I need to go because master is sick and I need to make sure the old fool eats something before taking his medicine. Make sure that Horeo will not try to imprison or kill me on the spot, and take care of yourself.)"

    "|Sure thing.|"

    The second prince said what he had to say and signaled to end the call, to which Zoemi agreed with nothing new to say.

    That left the ck-haired boy alone in the room.

    After everything that happened until that point, the peace seemed weird - almost unnatural.

    "(Dad, do you want to know who that girl is?)"

    "(You know, the one that the second prince was talking about!)"

    Sensing Zoemi''s mood change, his two sentinels tried their best to cheer him up and asked.

    "No, it''s okay. It seemed like Surou wanted it to be a big reveal of sorts, so we should let him have it."

    The ck-haired boy siled andid down pulling a nket up to his chin.

    "You should rest too, who knows how long this peace wouldst."

    He added, staring at the ceiling.

 Chapter ?525 Chapter 172 - Late-night chat (part 1)

    Chapter ?525 Chapter 172 - Late-night chat (part 1)

    *ng* *ng*

    "...?"

    It was already dark ¨C truth be told, it was almost dead in the middle of the night ¨C which was why the sound that rang through the darkness was that much more surprising.

    Someone was knocking on the window to Zoemi''s room, waking the boy up immediately.

    Whoever the intruder was, they knew just the right amount of noise to make to get the ck-haired boy''s attention.

    |Who is that...?|

    the Zoemi thought, raising his brow, directing his question to his sentinels...

    "(...? Umm... who exactly...?)"

    "(Dad, did you have a bad dream...?)"

    ...but the answer that he got was rather confusing, to say the least.

    "(Dad, there is no mana movement anywhere around your room - no spells, or other people.)"

    "(We would also be rmed about anyone with hostile intentions too... just go back to sleep...)"

    The two corpse puppet sentinels who were by far the most powerful beings at Zoemi''s service assured him.

    |...|

    Which unfortunately didn''t put the ck-haired boy''s concerns to rest.

    Mainly because there were some obvious ws in the logic of the two sentient spells.

    A person doesn''t have to be hostile to harm others...

    ...and no mana readings do not equal no one on the premise...

    Those two arguments weren''t just Zoemi''s own observations but were suchmon threats that things like that were taught during the attendant''s training that the ck-haired boy went through.

    |Alright ¨C sorry to bother you, rest well.|

    "(Same to you, dad~!)"

    "(Goodnight!)"

    Nheless, Zoemi sighed and mentally waved his hand at his sentinels who cheered out back happily,pletely clueless.

    That said, the ck-haired boy himself got off the bed and after confirming that his body isn''t particrly hurting at the moment, allowing him full mobility, he snuck his way towards the window.

    *ng* *ng*

    The knocking on the ss repeated in regr intervals, making it almost impossible to be something idental, considering theck of vegetation high enough to reach the necessary level.

    "..."

    Zoemi lightly brushed his finger against the curtain blocking the starlight from entering his room and used the minuscule opening to check who or what has showed up to bother him at such ate hour.

    "...!"

    And once he did, his eyes widened in shock, and he barely resisted the urge to pull the curtains and the window itself wide open.

    He really had to do his best to contain himself.

    Instead, he waited for the noise to repeat itself one more time...

    ----------

    *ng* *ng*

    A proud-looking dark-haired girl with a single tinum stripe growing within her basically ck, dark-green hair furrowed her brows with concern and pulled her hand away from the window.

    "...is he still asleep...?"

    Miriette muttered to herself, ncing up at her fringe and stroking the tinum stripe of hair with a bothered expression.

    Aspakeony had told her everything, and the dark-haired girl wasn''t willing to wait even a single hour to clear things up with the ck-haired boy.

    Since the cat was somehow out of the bag, there was no need to keep things a secret.

    Or rather it was the other way around ¨C Miriette was fully aware that if she tried to ignore the situation, things could escte in a rather horrible direction, and even cause her and Zoemi to drift apart.

    That was something she could never allow to happen.

    Ever.

    At the same time, if the ck-haired boy wasn''t responding to the noise she was making, there was a chance that he was so exhausted or worse, so sick that he was knocked out and blissfully unaware.

    If that were the case, Miriette would hold back her own anxiousness and wait for him to get enough rest.

    But still, she wanted to bepletely sure that it was the case.

    She was so bothered by thoughts like that that she missed the slight movement of the curtain and the gleam of the dark eye reflecting the light of the stars in the very corner of the other side of the window.

    Hoping that the ck-haired boy''s health isn''t in such a bad state that he can''t move, the dark-haired girl raised her hand, intending this one to be thest time she tried to get Zoemi''s attention for the night.

    With a heavy heart, she reached out and...

    *shuuuh*

    "...!"

    The curtain blocking the inside of the bedroom from the outside world was pulled open revealing the ck-haired boy trying to keep a serious expression, but unable to hold back a smile at the sight of thete-night visitor.

    If he was just smiling, then Miriette would manage to recover from being stunned by his face.

    The problem ¨C for the moment ¨C was that the ck-haired boy put up his left hand on the top of the window, but did not open it at all.

    Instead, after giving the girl a long nce gazing at her from head to toe and back, his right hand moved to his shirt and unbuttoned the first button.

    ...and then the second...

    ...and third...

    All with such mboyance and confidence as if he had no doubt in his mind that the dark-haired girl didn''t show up to talk, but rather just to watch the show...

    Off went, the fourth button, and Miriette couldn''t pull her eyes off of Zoemi anymore,pletely enchanted by the motion the young man was going through.

    And there was a lot to look at ¨C with no undershirt, the parting shirt was revealing the muscles honed to perfection by the countless hours spent on rigorous training enhanced by mantaining the proper diet and lifestyle that no amount of mana could change.

    Enhanced by the moonlight and starlight and looking more like the most beautiful statue of some ancient demigod, the sight of the ck-haired youth was enough to make others drool.

    *tap*

    When the fifth, sixth, and seventh buttons were released, the dark-haired girl unintentionally moved her hand, reaching out to Zoemi, and got stopped awkwardly by the panel of ss in the wooden frame ¨C the barriermonly known as a window.

    "!!!"

    By doing so, Miriette''s head cleared up enough to get so embarrassed that her face turnedpletely red ¨C something that wouldn''t be all that easy to see...

    ...if not for the ability to see perfectly well in the darkness that Zoemi possessed...

    *click*

    "Hey there, missy. Do you often show up at hoovering by the other people''s houses without using mana?"

    After having enough fun teasing her like that, Zoemi opened the window and leaned on the windowsill, ncing down at the ground below.

    Indeed.

    Miriette wasn''t standing on the ground.

    She was peeking into Zoemi''s room which was on the higher floor of the Banemor mansion.

    She wasn''t scaling the wall or grabbing onto it in any way either ¨C actually, she was almost three feet apart from it, standing on thin air as if it was nothing.

    That definitely should not be possible considering what Zoemi''s sentinels had told him mere moments earlier.

    "I am using mana though..."

    The dark-haired girl nced at the ck-haired boy''s face and shyly nced to the side.

    "I mean... I used mana to stop my mana as well as the mana present in the air right here, creating conveninent footholds just for me. I believe from the outside point of view, it looks like there is no mana in those spots here."

    She added, raising her hand and ying with the tinum stripe of hair that was slowly but surely taking over more and more space on her fringe, and it turned out that she wasn''t looking away from embarrassment, but rather because she was worried to look Zoemi in the eyes.

    "I had to make them this far away too because there is no mana to stop right next to the wall... but I believe it''s to help you heal..."

    And considering what she was talking about, there were multiple reasons for her to feel like that.

    She also moved her leg and tapped her toes on the space she was standing on to help visualize what exactly did she mean, and truth be told, seeing her foot being stopped by nothing was a rather surreal experience, all things considered.

    "Convenient."

    Zoemi nced at her leg and nodded his head without changing his expression, before straightening his back and reaching out his hand towards her as if he was helping her get out of the carriage.

    "We have some things to discuss, I believe. Care to join me?"

    He asked and his face lighted up with a reassuring smile.

    "..."

    Miriette instinctively reached out to him, but then hesitated momentarily just a fraction of an inch away from actually touching him.

    She had smugly dered to the gray-haired necromancer that it was not surprising that her Zoemi would not be angry at her no matter what, but that was just showing off.

    The truth was, the dark-haired girl was expecting to get severely scolded ¨C if not outright hated ¨C for keeping the circumstances of her true identity aplete secret despite all that happened.

    ...that was why, seeing Zoemi act just as she had said out loud that he would be like, was such a big deal...

    "Wait - hold on. Just to be sure - you said that you stopped your own mana... Will it still be okay to enter my bedroom like that? When Arreta brought me food before, sheined that she got a headache. If that was caused by the absence of mana, maybe it''s better for you to stay away..."

    Miriette''s moment of hesitation allowed Zoemi to realize a potentially problematic situation, and lean back inside the room, taking his hand away.

    "Eh...?! No! Wait! It will be fine!"

    Funnily enough, it turned out to be a push that Miriette needed to stop worrying.

    "!!!"

    And instead of walking, she ended up jumping the distance between her spot and the window, almost making Zoemi have a heart attack in the process...

 Chapter ?526 Chapter 172 - Late-night chat (part 2)

    Chapter ?526 Chapter 172 - Late-night chat (part 2)

    Knowing the actual extent of Miriette''s physical ability, Zoemi reached out his hands to catch her, or t least help her keep the bnce ¨C which was both a correct and incorrect decision at the moment.

    It was indeed the right choice because the dark-haired girl has barely made it to the window sill and her body tilted back almost immediately, threatening to fall at any given moment.

    "Urghhh...!"

    "Zoemi...?!"

    ...and it was the wrong choice at the same time, which was signified by the gasp of pain that thundered through the ck-haired boy''s body the moment he touched the girl.

    He didn''t let her go, and instead pulled her inside the room to safety ¨C but he let her go and stepped back immediately, as prolonging the physical contact felt as if he was being repeatedly hit with a sledgehammer by a transcended earth magician.

    Miriette''s face turnedpletely white from terror once she realized that she was the cause of the boy''s sudden aliment, and just as Zoemi moved back, she also stepped away.

    The dark-haired girl backed herself against the wall and nervously put her hands together as if to keep them in check in order to not hurt the ck-haired boy any further.

    "I see... even if you are fine with entering this room that was emptied of all mana, it doesn''t mean that it''s okay for me to be so close to you... I should have figured that out..."

    Zoemi backed off so much that he ended up tripping and falling onto his bed, from where he lifted his head and nodded it apologetically towards the very upset Miriette.

    "I guess that really means that the two of us will have to just talk, and nothing else. Sorry."

    He added, making an apologetic expression.

    "Don''t be sorry! It is me who should be apologizing! I thought that stopping my mana would be enough..."

    Miriette gasped and widely shook her hands and arms, losing whatever was left of her cool.

    The two of them became silent and looked at each other with equally bothered expressions.

    It was obvious to them that they wanted to be much, much closer, but Zoemi''s health taking a turn to so much worse there was nothing that they could do...

    "(Dad?! Where did that massive amount of manae from?!)"

    "(Mana attracts more mana! Dad, whatever it is, it needs to go away or else your bedroom will be filled with mana and you will not feel any better!)"

    Zoemi basically already figured out what was going on and what should be done to prevent the situation from escting any further, so the voices of his extremely worried sentinels were not surprising to him, at all.

    "My sentinels didn''t even recognize you and didn''t know you were here until we came in contact. You had no reason to think it was not okay to show up."

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy smiled gratefully towards the dark-haired girl who lowered her hands but was now grabbing the sides of her dress with two fingers so hard that it wouldn''t be weird for the fabric to start wearing off from the pressure.

    Miriette nced at the open window, and reached out her hand to it ¨C but instead of trying to exit the same way she entered, she simply closed it and walked to the door.

    "...I''m sorry for always acting so selfish..."

    Once the dark-haired girl was in the hallway, she muttered, lowering her head while keeping a safe distance even from the door itself, even though Zoemi was still on the bed, feeling nowhere near well enough to move around.

    "And I don''t mean just today ¨C I mean, I''m sorry for the whole thing..."

    She added, raising one hand and gesturing at herself.

    Zoemi was already opening his mouth to say something about that but ended up closing in and waiting to see whether the dark-haired girl would see it fit to say something more.

    "As you apparently know, I am just a copy of the second princess that was murdered three hundred years ago. Not even that, I literally exist only for two purposes ¨C as the princess''s, or the presence''s, however you wish to address her, an attempt at reincarnating herself back into the world. And to be a distraction for the reincarnated Cherro... Do you know about the timelines and stuff too?"

    Miriette indeed began exining stuff, affirming Zoemi''s judgment of the situation.

    "A bit. I know that the original Zoemi, ¨C the toy, I mean ¨C the presence herself, and Cherro to some extent too, are single beings that do not have different versions of themselves."

    The ck-haired boy dragged himself to the side of the bed so that he could have a clear view of the dark-haired girl and nodded his head in confirmation.

    "Well, I''m not like them. I do have the knowledge about the existence of other versions of me and whatnot, but I am meant to live as myself just in this timeline."

    Miriette breathed out with some extent of relief before her gaze became sharper and her expression hardened.

    "Makes sense. The other version of you that I saw was using the time attribute to pass it off as wind attribute, plus it was using her real attribute to make her hair and eyes look almost ck. But you do possess and use wind attributes, that''s for certain. Although... I do have questions."

    While she was bracing herself to say something more, Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and motioned at the tinum strip of hair in the girl''s fringe.

    "Pffft...! It''s amazing how perceptive of me you always are, but only when it is not about my affection towards you."

    The dark-haired girl looked at the ck-haired boy for a moment before snorting and shaking her head with a shortugh, while ying around with the tinum stripe in her fringe.

    "I got nothing to defend myself from that. Dense as a tinum b, as Horeo would say."

    Zoemi merely shrugged his shoulders again and smiled while resting his head on the mattress.

    "As for the attributes that I can use... I do not possess dual attributes. I, in particr, was supposed to be a wind magician, but since the second princess is absurdly fearful of the Cherro going for her again, she imnted the time attribute in me to use too."

    Miriette breathed out and looked at Zoemi with a soft expression.

    "That does sound like a dual attribute."

    Zoemi pointed out, raising his brow slightly at the revtion.

 Chapter ?527 Chapter 172 - Late-night chat (part 3)

    Chapter ?527 Chapter 172 - Late-night chat (part 3)

    "No. People with dual attributes have a single mana reservoir for them both. I have two separate ones. The problem is that those two types don''t mix together well. Time attribute requires a ridiculous amount of mana, and is so overpowering that each time I use it causes changes... that you can clearly see now."

    The dark-haired girl waved her hand dismissively and grabbed some of the tinum hair in two fingers and pulled it up for the ck-haired boy to see.

    "I actually used it a few times before ¨C but each time I just pulled off the tinum hairs so that you wouldn''t notice anything. But I guess this is too much to get rid of, it would ruin my hairstyle."

    Miriette smirked and let the hair fall onto her forehead ¨C which made Zoemi raise his brow in realization.

    The rest of Miriette''s hair, the majority that was so green it looked ck, was continuing to move around in response to her mood ¨C but the tinum stripe waspletely still and... normal...

    "Say... your hair moves ording to your mood because of the wind attribute, right? But once it turns tinum it stops..."

    "It does...? If you say so. I haven''t been paying attention to it, it was at most three or four hair strands that I pulled out immediately, so I can''t reallypare. Is something the matter? You like them lively?"

    The dark-haired girl smiled smugly and asked, winking yfully at the ck-haired boy.

    "I mean... didn''t you always want to have long straight hair...? Why not use this chance to make them all tinum and meek and start growing them out?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi asked curiously, and honestly, he looked rather interested, if not ta say excited, for the idea ¨C which caused Miriette to straighten her back and stare at him wide-eyed, momentarily speechless.

    "I guess that is true... but... You know, I was asking talking about my hair because I was trying to lighten the mood and all ¨C but to think that you would be so happy about the idea. And not for yourself, but for me. Do you remember everything that I told you? I''m pretty sure that I stoppedining about the forced limit on the length of my hair once I turned twelve."

    Miriette blushed and touched her dark hair, now all fluffy from the pleasant affection she was experiencing.

    "You did, but before that, you were sulking about it at least once a week. If I didn''t remember that, I would be negligent as an attendant."

    Zoemi snickered in response, poking fun at the prideful girl.

    "You... you really are okay with me being like that? A mere copy of someone else? I was created by the second princess ¨C it was said thatdy Espine cannot have more children after theplication during childbirth, but the truth is that it is lord Espine that cannot have children at all. Like I said. I wasn''t even born ¨C merely created and inserted into this world by the second princess."

    Miriette breathed out, making a rather pitiful expression, before revealing what was truly weighing down on her shoulders.

    "And I am a separate personality that developed after the artificial soul of the original Zoemi ¨C who is a to, mind you ¨C was reincarnated into a different world. Between the two of us, I am pretty sure that my circumstances are more messed up."

    Zoemi wasn''t bothered by the new information at the slightest ¨C after all, considering that Miriette turned out to be a copy of a being that could be considered a god, or rather a being that was close to the godhood, everything else was only a small addition.

    "Hold on... but if you are like that, does that mean that you remember when presence possessed Ehmi and was walking around as the young version?"

    "...?!"

    All of a sudden, Zoemi furrowed his brows, making Miriette flinch.

    "Eh...? wait... that''s what you are bothered about? Don''t scare me like that!"

    The dark-haired girl scoffed and rxed the tense muscles, shaking her head in disbelief.

    "Not only did I know about her, but she also came to talk to me from time to time. She didn''t want to be nowhere near Cherro, but she wanted to keep an eye on you, mainly because something about this timeline is different than all the others."

    Miriette breathed out and added, waving her hand dismissively.

    "The difference is that the original personality, the original Zoemi has awakened and is separated from my mind although still living within my head. He does not affect my decision making though."

    "And you still love me...?! Ah...!"

    The ck-haired boy announced casually, but Miriette gasped, showing a rather strong reaction.

    She literally gasped in utter disbelief and ended up holding her hands to her mouth to stop herself from saying anything else.

    "I..."

    "(DAD! Sorry to interrupt your rest but we are in BIG TROUBLE! The Ghosts are fighting amongst themselves! Can I hide Elsby somewhere around you?! Please! They will kill her!"

    Just Zoemi was about to respond with a serious expression, one of his remaining sentinels called out to him in a hasty and borderline panicky voice, crying for help.

    "I''m not happy about it, but bring her to the mansion."

    "...?"

    The ck-haired boy gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, but ended up approving the sentinel''s request ¨C to which Miriette furrowed her brows and tilted her head, not understanding how Zoemi''s words rted to her rather a clear question...

    "Sorry for the confusion. My feelings didn''t change in the slightest. That is not even a question. What is one, though ¨C is what is happening amongst the rank of the Ghosts of Bellcephora? One of my sentinels just contacted me and said that he will be bringing one of them here because otherwise she will be murdered."

    Zoemi gritted his teeth and tried to drag himself off the bed but only manage to roll himself onto his stomach.

    "...eh...?"

    Miriette''s reaction to that was exactly as one could expect.

    Confusion and worry.

    "(Dad! I got her into the living room! Tell grandpa Benevirau to not freak out, please!)"

    Meanwhile, the particr sentinel did not waste any time and his next message was not about confirming things, but rather announcing thepletion of the task.

    "...she''s already in the mansion..."

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired boy added, and Miriette''s eyes only got wider.

 Chapter ?528 Chapter 173 - Late-night chat (part 4)

    Chapter ?528 Chapter 173 - Late-night chat (part 4)

    With the sound of the crystal cane knocking on the floorboards with each step, the ck-haired boy walked down the hallway just in time to spot the tense dark-blue-haired man who was about to enter one of the rooms with a rather murderous aura surrounding him.

    "Grandpa, she isn''t an intruder, I allowed her to hide here."

    "...?"

    Zoemi followed by worried Miriette and preceded by the two corpse puppet sentinels called out to Benevirau, making the gray-eyed man stop in his track and slowly turn back towards him.

    "...do you know who that person is...? Because the mana I''m sensing definitely belongs to at least one member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora..."

    The dark-blue-haired man breathed out heavily and motioned back at the door with his head.

    The situation certainly wasn''t to his liking, and not without reason.

    After all, he was a target for an attempted assassination from the group of traitors, so in truth, theck of hostility would be more surprising.

    "I will not question your decision, but be extremely careful. The royal family from three hundred years ago trusted them without a shred of doubt and they paid the highest price for that mistake."

    Benevirau straightened his back and stepped away from the door.

    Then murderous aura around him did not disappear but it did lessen to a certain degree.

    "I don''t know if it will make things better or not, but the one that I chose to host in our home is Elsby. Something happened amongst the rank of the Ghosts of Bellcephora and she was about to get killed off. One of my little ones believes that she is someone worth bing our ally and hence we are in this situation. I am sorry for not warning you about what was going on, but the whole thing literally just happened."

    The ck-haired boy added, smiling apologetically at the dark-blue-haired young-looking man.

    "Are you feeling any better?"

    Benevirau rxed to a certain extent and the aura surrounding him changed into just a cautious one before he nodded his head in understanding and changed the subject.

    "Those kids are keeping the mana away from me, so I do feel some improvement in my state."

    Zoemi''s face hardened but he managed to make his voice sound upbeat and hopeful as he looked between his two corpse puppet sentinels.

    The problem with that statement was that it was only true on the surface level.

    The ck-haired boy was indeed feeling better with the two corpse puppet sentinels draining mana from his immediate surroundings but it was only because he experienced severe pain when he came in contact with Miriette.

    As long as he was still alive, it would be hard to not feel better than that.

    "That''s great to hear. If that''s the case, let''s met your guest... Is it okay for me to apany you during that meeting?"

    The boy''s acting was good enough to fool Benevirau, and the dark-blue-haired man moved on and asked, pointing at the door politely, not wanting to make Zoemi think that he is forcing him to ept his demands.

    "Of course, grandpa. My little one believes that she is harmless, but he is still just a naive child. If anything, I expect this to be a trap and your aid would be much appreciated."

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy grinned and nodded his head, making the dark-blue-haired man straighten his back and let out a deep breath of relief.

    "That said... you don''t mind Miriette being here too?"

    Zoemi asked, looking back at the uncharacteristically silent girl who kept herself back from him and his sentinels.

    "...pardon...? Is youngdy Espine supposed to join us at some point...?"

    To his great surprise, Benevirau only tilted his head and asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

    Zoemi blinked a few times and nced back at the dark-haired girl who looked back at him and flicked the tinum stripe of hair in her fringe up with her fingers.

    "Hello, lord Benevirau. I stopped my mana in time so you are probably unable to see me because of that. Sorry for the trouble and thank you for hosting me this lovely night."

    "?!?!"

    As Zoemi motioned at Benevirau with urgency, Miriette rolled her eyes and spoke up, causing the dark-blue-haired man to jolt up.

    It must have been centuries since someone managed to sneak up on him like that, and without even intending to do so in the first ce.

    "A guest of the young master is always weed, youngdy, but... what do you mean by ¨C stopping your mana...?"

    "We can have this talk a bitter. A Ghost in that room requires our attention right now."

    Benevirau slowly asked, deeply shaken and confused by the exnation, but Zoemi pointed out in a serious voice, nodding at the two sentinels to move to the door.

    "That''s... that''s is true. Please excuse that slip-up."

    "There''s nothing to excuse, it''s fine."

    The dark-blue-haired man lowered his head apologetically but it was just shrugged off by the ck-haired boy who smiled and assured him.

    Once the door was opened and the group entered the room, nothing looked particrly out of ce, at least not with the amount of light that was provided by the moon and the stars pouring through the windows on the opposite wall.

    Or it would be if not for the fact that Zoemi and his sentinels could see in the dark, Benevirau could sense mana movement, and Miriette had a spell that revealed the presence of creatures just by sensing them breathe.

    "Were you wounded on your way here?"

    Zoemi asked out loud, not stopping at all and approaching the far corner of the room together with his corpse puppet sentinels.

    Even though there was little need to do that, Benevirau turned out the light and the glow of mana stonemps chased away the darkness of the night, and the dark-haired girl was able to spot who the ck-haired boy was talking to.

    Backed off into the corner, a young ck-haired woman with skin the color of coffee with milk was sitting in a rather pitiful position, with her legs pulled up and her chin, resting her head on her knees.

    She was surrounded by a dozen threatening shadow beasts of various shapes and sizes, all with their jet-ck fur spiked-up defensively.

    Although it was hard to pick up at first, the young woman had another being with her ¨C a murky-ck sphere was sitting atop of her head, blending with her perfect silky ck hair almost perfectly.

    "Not physically."

    Elsby nced up at the ck-haired boy who asked her a question and answered in an indifferent voice although her expression was clearly showing that she was not okay at all.

    "You know, before, if I had to choose who I should be warier about ¨C you or my dubiousrades, I would pick them. We were all messed up in one way or another, but we spend enough time together that I started to believe that they have my back in some messed-up way. That the way they treat me is just how they show their affection."

    The young woman said in a t voice and reached out her hand to pat one of her shadow beasts.

    "I would love to push the me on you because apparently Kiroterell was able to overhear you talking about me ¨C but considering that he was literally plotting behind everyone''s back and messing with the kingdoms and didn''t even get a scolding and I would be executed if not for his guy, I can see where the real problem is..."

    She added, moving her hand fr[m the shadow beast to the top of her head and patting the murky-ck sphere perched on it.

    "Everyone turned on you?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi asked, raising his brows in honest surprise and the jet-ck-haired woman flinched because she immediately knew what he was asking about.

    "...yes... considering that she didn''t try to capture me but went straight for the kill, it is safe to assume that I and Oktria are no longer a thing..."

    Elsby bit her lips and nodded, before tightly hugging her knees, trying to hold back tears.

    "I imagine you would prefer to have a moment for yourself, but there is one matter that I would like to clear up..."

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy leaned on his crystal cane and asked, making the jet-ck-haired woman re up at him, very much upset but willing to listen.

    "Were you or any other Ghost approached by the white-haired variant magician named Arisu Karde Lazaram?"

    Zoemi asked, but certainly, the initial reaction wasn''t what he expected.

    "Ah, the other guy beside you that we were interested in? The thing with him was odd, at first, themander didn''t even want to consider him, but then he began showing some potential. He wasn''t talented but certainly tried to pursue the darkness magic with enough drive that he started reminding us of themander himself in his early years. Then you happened and then the odd white-haired guy straight up erased our most defensive member, and I thought that we would beying low for a few decades..."

    Elsby squinted her eyes and looked to the side trying to recall something before she blinked a few times and turned back to Zoemi.

    "Actually... I believe that even though we were told to not interfere with anyone, themander and Kiorterell brought that guy to our hideout... Yes, I definitely saw him hiding back behind themander just before I was used of treason and almost murdered then and there on the spot. Tsk... that show''s how much I was actually let in on in the group... that''s how much bullshit the whole talk about Ghosts being family was."

    The jet-ck-haired womanined clenching her fists and hiding her face behind her knees.

 Chapter ?529 Chapter 173 - Late-night chat (part 5)

    Chapter ?529 Chapter 173 - Late-night chat (part 5)

    "So you weren''t connected with them all for long enough to learn that Arisu is actually the reincarnation of Cherro? No wonder you are weirded out."

    Zoemi frowned and nodded his head in understanding.

    "..."

    For a few seconds, the room was silent as Miriette and Benevirau were looking at Zoemi with concerned expressions while Elsby was busy sulking, when suddenly...

    "EH?! Wait! Hold on! What did you say?!"

    Elsby jolted up and cried out in shock once Zoemi''s words sunk in.

    "Arisu is the reincarnation of Cherro. If everything is the same, then I believe that guy was the son of Carcassuss and Kirisu. He messed up your ¨C by that I mean the Ghosts as a whole ¨C n to assassinate the royal family three centuries ago because he was creepy as fuck and tried to kidnap the second princess instead."

    The ck-haired boy said, casually counting on his finger the things he learned by watching the events of the different timeline.

    "Oh, and he is messed up in the head and believes himself to be a hero. Did I get everything right or are there actually some differences?"

    Zoemi added looking away from his hand with extended fingers and gazing at the bbergasted Elsby.

    "That little sleazy creep is back...? Impossible...!"

    The pure disgust that was shown on the jet-ck-haired young woman''s face would be enough to convey her feelings about the mentioned youth even if for some reason her voice didn''t carry through.

    |I see. Good to know that she managed to stay true to herself.|

    While Zoemi was smirking, his own voice resounded in his mind, but the ck-haired boy wasn''t the one to think the words.

    |I was wondering when you will speak up ¨C I was beginning to think that you went into hibernation even though you were only a plush bear.|

    Although it weirded him out initially, Zoemi realized what was happening within a single heartbeat and cheekily snickered at the original personality.

    |I have slept enough, but I also don''t intend to interfere with your life unless a chance to help my master will show itself.|

    The original personality seemed to struggle with irony and sarcasm at the moment so his answer was on the serious side.

    |Ah, so right now you see an opportunity like that, then?|

    Zoemi asked curiously without looking away from the shaken Elsby ¨C which honestly just looked as if the ck-haired boy was giving her some time to process the revtion that was just bestowed upon her.

    |Look at this.|

    Instead of exining things by talking, the original personality showed the ck-haired boy two visions in quick session.

    The first one showed Elsby, who looked a bit younger than the one sitting on the floor of the room in the Banemor mansion. The vision was from a first-person perspective and judging by the point of view, it was what the toy bear carried by the second princess was seeing.

    The slightly younger Elsby was leaning down and patting the toy''s head with a gentle smile.

    The vision had no sound, but the ck-haired boy could vaguely make out what she was saying to the young second princes from the movement of her lips.

    Then, the next vision was also from the same perspective, but this time it was a chaotic scene of a massacre where members of the Ghosts of Bellcephora were murdering the royal family.

    Elsby was there too, she was fighting and killing like the others, but her expression was vacant as if she wasn''t really conscious of what she was doing.

    Thattter one was a direct confirmation of what Elsby had already told or very strongly implied to Zoemi during theirst, not-so-friendly meeting.

    |Alright. I will give her the benefit of the doubt ¨C but if things turn ugly, I am ming you.|

    |Feel free to do so.|

    The ck-haired boy sighed internally and grumbled in his mind, to which the original personality responded in casual confidence.

    "Cherro has been looking at you strangely, young princess. Even though he and I are in the same group, we aren''t friends. If you have any concerns about him, do not hesitate to tell me..."

    "!!!!!!!"

    Zoemi took a deep breath and said seemingly out of nowhere, making both Miriette and Benevirau look at him with concern ¨C but as for Elsby, her reaction was far greater than that.

    The young woman shuddered and almost fell on her back ¨C and would tumble like that if she didn''t support herself with her arms in a timely manner ¨C and even started backing off like that while staring wide-eyed at the ck-haired boy.

    "...was what you have said to the little second princess at some point. Did you not? It seems like you had your suspicion, but let me clear it out for you. Betterte than never, I suppose."

    Zoemi didn''t move from his spot and certainly wasn''t going to chase after Elsby ¨C instead, his words were enough to make her stop in ce and tense up, waiting for him to actually continue.

    "He was hurting her. Very, very badly. Enough for her trauma to persist even after she died, making it impossible to move on. And Kirisu knew all along. So by any chance, if you are in the mood for revenge and are willing to join forces, I will certainly wee you as an ally. This time seriously, with no strings attached... as long as you will not try to kill anyone important to me."

    The ck-haired boy revealed, without getting into much detail. It was unnecessary in the first ce.

    After all, Zoemi didn''t say out loud everything that he read from the lips of the younger Elsby in the vision.

    ---I know that look, I know those eyes, my own father, step-mother, and even my step siblings looked at me like that. I know exactly what that means. If he ever approaches you, contact me through this boy.---

    Those two sentences held way too much disturbing information that Elsby probably didn''t want to be revealed in front of others, so Zoemi kept it to himself.

    ...but one look on the jet-ck-haired woman''s face was enough to let him know that she realized that he does know ¨C or maybe it was just her intuition. Or instinct. One or the other, maybe even both.

    "..."

    Despite staying silent, the jet-ck-haired woman looked up as if she tried to nce at the murky-ck sphere at the top of her head.

    Although Zoemi didn''t have ess to her thoughts and was not going to ask the sentinel about it, he waspletely sure that the two were talking using the improved message spell created by him.

    "Grandpa, Elsby will be staying in the mansion. Are you okay with working together with my little ones and making sure that the Ghosts of Bellcephora will not bother her here? It would be preferable if they didn''t even realize she is here."

    The ck-haired boy nodded his head although nothing was actually being said and ended up turning to the dark-blue-haired young-looking man.

    "No problem ¨C although actually, it would be okay if you kept your sentinels close to you. I fended off the Ghosts in the past and I never stopped honing my skills. I will keep our territory safe, including everyone in it... as long as they do not wish harm upon the Banemor family."

    Benevirau nodded his head before straightening his back proudly and dering with confidence. Hisst words had definitely carried some degree of hostility towards Elsby, but at least it was a subtle threat and not direct aggression.

    While the dark-blue-haired man was announcing his stance on the subject, he also began to cast a defensive spell without any dy.

    A thick, milk-like fog began rising from the ground, enveloping the Banemor estatepletely basically erasing it from existence, while a bit thinner, and more normal fog covered thend outside, wearing thin and disappearing only near the borders of the Banemor territory.

    "Yeah... no wonder that Rethaq hated you so much, sir Benevirau. Your fog is so much stronger than hers was."

    Elsby sighed while peeking out of the window without standing up.

    "She and Kiorterell were directly in the death of youngdy Learen ¨C the young master''s mother. The only thing that I feel about that piece of trash is disappointment that I didn''t take part in her demise."

    "I shredded her from the inside while blocking off the ability to activate her darkness de. Comparing them both is an insult to grandpa."

    Benevirau shrugged his shoulders and red in the general direction of the jet-ck-haired woman, while Zoemi looked to the side, talking in a dismissive tone as if it wasn''t a big deal and only a necessity that had to be done.

    Elsby tensed up and raised her shoulders defensively, looking cautiously between the two men before cautiously ncing over at the dark-haired girl with the stipe of tinum hair in her fringe.

    "You have the guts to look for encouragement from the person who looks just like the older second princess if one of you didn''t murder her. I even have some tinum hair. What is your intuition telling you, Elsby?"

    "...?!"

    Unfortunately for the jet-ck-haired woman, Miriette was straight up furious ¨C funnily enough, the dark-haired girl wasn''t that much bothered about the thing she said. The only reason she said it was because she figured out that would be something that would upset Elsby the most.

    ...and she was right about that...

    But still, Miriette was actually so spiteful, because Elsby was a member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora, and obviously the Ghosts were responsible for the death of Zoemi''s mother.

    Miriette was a spoiled nobledy through and through and she certainly didn''t feel like acting as a bigger person and forgiving a member of said Ghosts even though Zoemi seemed to want to cooperate with one of them.

 Chapter ?530 Chapter 173 - Late-night chat (part 6)

    Chapter ?530 Chapter 173 - Late-night chat (part 6)

    Although it was already sote into the night, no one in the Banemor mansion was asleep.

    Besides Zoemi and his corpse puppet sentinels, Miriette, Benevirau, and the guest Elsby, even Arreta was pulled out of the bed by the noises they mentioned the group was making.

    "Miss Auequas, since you are awake anyway, how about making some tea for everyone?"

    The dark-blue-haired young-looking man noticed Arreta peaking at them through the barely opened door and called her out in a polite way.

    The young woman was being very stealthy, but she had no way of hiding her mana, which was how the blind water sage was perceiving the world.

    "...I... I am a gardener though..."

    Caught red-handed on eavesdropping, the brown-haired woman went inside and pointed out timidly. ncing curiously towards the jet-back-haired young woman surrounded by shadow beasts.

    "You are, indeed. But I clearly remember instructing you about all matter of the chores you could help with around the house, and we went through preparing and serving different kinds of beverages. Please, treat it as thanking me for going along with your request."

    Benevirau nodded in confirmation, but there was no trace of doubt or hesitation in his voice when he sent Arreta out despite her attempts to stay.

    "...is... is normal tea okay with everyone...?"

    The brown-haired woman breathed out in defeat and asked looking at the others.

    "It will be okay as long as you get the new snacks we got for the young master. Now off you go."

    Benevirau was far from the limit of his patience, but it was clear that he had something he wanted to talk or ask about that he didn''t want the young woman to know about.

    But for Arreta it sure seemed that she was being sent away like a scolded child, and moved towards the kitchen with her head hanging low.

    "She seems like a nice person. Naive, but cute..."

    When the brown-haired woman left, Elsby pointed out, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

    "She''s trying her best, but she grew up extraordinarily sheltered and it shows in some of her actions."

    Benevirau breathed out, raising one hand and massaging his temple with a tired expression.

    "Honestly, with her around, I feel more like a parent teaching a child the ways of the world than I did raising Mekirien..."

    The dark-blue-haired sage breathed out and snickered, reminiscing about the first member of the Banemor lineage who became a high noble.

    "Elsby, it''s okay if you want to stay like this, but there is no reason for you to sit on the floor."

    Zoemi breathed out in relief and said while sitting on the cozy couch while his two corpse puppet sentinels sat on his both sides.

    There was still a ce for one other person to sit there, but it was immediately taken by Miriette who was ring at Elsby as if threatening to not even think about getting close to the ck-haired boy.

    The dark-haired girl was pissed off enough about Elsby just being there, so she was barely holding herself back when she couldn''t even cuddle up to Zoemi because of his predicament.

    Still, it wasn''t like there were no other spots where one could get themselvesfortable ¨C and Benevirau pointed Elsby to therge, cozy armchair while sitting in another armchair of the same design.

    "I hope you don''t mind me changing the subject, but considering who you are and who you were hanging out with for most of your life, there is something I would like to ask you about."

    "...!"

    Zoemi nced over at Miriette, smiling at her reassuringly in an attempt to calm her down even a little bit, before turning to the hesitant Elsby, who jolted up in response to his question.

    The jet-ck-haired young woman hugged her knees tighter and looked up at the sitting boy while her shadow beasts huddled closer together forming something akin to a defensive wall.

    Miriette and Benevirau were watching the two curiously as honestly, Zoemi could ask about literally anything.

    "You all killed and taken in the power of quite arge number of magicians and sages alike ¨C by any chance do you learned or explored the possibility of permanently taking away someone''s mana without murdering them in the process? Or maybe some other Ghost had such spell in case one of you would betray the others or had to be cut off from the group for the sake of others?"

    "Ah...!"

    The ck-haired boy waited a little bit so that Elsby would have the chance to refuse to listen to him before asking ¨C and once he did, Miriette was the one to loudly gasp in realization.

    As for Benevirau, he didn''t gasp but he momentarily stopped breathing, holding his breath in disbelief.

    Elsby blinked a few times, looking at Zoemi as if she expected him to startughing and waving his hand dismissively while saying that he was only joking.

    But the ck-haired boy wasn''t saying things only for theughs and was keenly observing the jet-ck-haired woman.

    Elsny gulped down her saliva and looked down and then to the side, furrowing her brows and thinking deeply about something.

    After a few seconds she ended up standing up and sitting in the armchair she was offered before and even recalled almost all of her shadow beasts, leaving only a puffy-looking feline shadow creature the size of an average housecat, purring in contentment by her feet.

    Miriette leaned forward, looking as if she was about to say something, but Zoemi leaned forwards and made eye contact with her.

    The ck-haired boy nodded and smiled apologetically, asking the girl to bear with it without actually speaking a single word.

    Miriette rolled her eyes and made a sulking expression, but still nodded back and leaned back into the backrest.

    She continued giving Elsby an angry look but was ncing over at Zoemi to calm herself.

    -----

    "I have the... tea...?"

    Elsby was thinking for so long and everyone else in the room was staying so silent, that when Arreta actually returned with the tea and snacks she was sent to bring, she froze at the door with the tray in her hands.

    Even though she kind of realized that she was hardly weed into the conversation, now she actually felt that she was intruding on something she should not be a part of.

    "Thank you, Miss Auequas. Put it on the table and have a seat too."

    "Eh...?! I can...?!"

    Despite everything, Benevirau smiled and nodded benevolently in the general direction of the brown-haired girl who gasped in disbelief and looked between the three other people looking the most tense.

    ...that being Zoemi, Miriette, and Elsby ¨C the two corpse puppet sentinels sitting on both sides of the ck-haired boy and draining the mana around him looked as cheerful and easygoing as ever...

    The brown-haired woman walked in and followed the instructions given by the dark-blue-haired man.

    Then, once she put the cup with a steaming hot tea in front of Elsby, the jet-ck-haired girl looked at it and bit her lip.

    "Unfortunately, the only spells that have the permanent effect you are interested in, are the ones that involve killing the target."

    As if the beverage was the trigger that signaled her time to talk, Elsby breathed out heavily and said, reaching out and picking up the cup.

    "...I see... Thank you."

    Zoemi sighed, making a bitter face, and smiled gratefully, also taking the tea offered by Arreta.

    "As for the others having ess to such spells ¨C no one have ess to such power anymore. You see, when we still were stronger than average light magician but nowhere near the level of a sage, our minds were mashed together and I remember someone fearing that they would be shunned out of the group and left with no mana at all ¨C but the ones with the strongest will assured the rest that even though they could do that, we are a family and no one would be rejected... ugh... but now that I think about it, that must have been just a load of bullshit anyway..."

    Elsby wasn''t done speaking and exined after taking a sip of hot tea and grimacing from the bitterness.

    Zoemi raised his bor curiously and took a sip from his own cup.

    ...it wasn''t even the case of Elsby being a sweet-tooth, the beverage made by the brown-haired girl was so bitter that everyone who tried it simply had to wonder whether that was done on purpose...

    "...you don''t look too upset..."

    The jet-ck-haired woman raised her brow and asked, slightly anxious, and honestly, at first, Zoemi thought she might be talking about the tea before he realized that she must have meant her previous reveal.

    "Not really? You say at the start that you don''t know such spell, the rest was just added context ¨C unless you wanted to give me false hope?"

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and smirked at the woman.

    "..."

    Miriette didn''t say a thing but she squinted her eyes, and if the looks could kill, Elsby would be in deep trouble by that point.

    "Now I understand why were you gone for so long... Miss Auequas, you need more guidance in the art of preparing tea."

    Benevirau spoke up, taking at least some attention away from Elsby while making Arreta blush in shame.

    "...and I would need some practice with talking to people who can''t read my mind when I let down my defenses..."

    The jet-ck-haired woman murmured in an embarrassed voice rubbing her feet together while feeling extremely awkward.

    "Everyone has to start somewhere. How about we will leave it like that and call it a night? We can discuss whatever else wille to our minds at ater date and once everyone feelsfortable with it."

    Zoemi put away the cup without risking another sip, while Miriette and the sentinels didn''t even pick up theirs in the first ce.

    "That might be for the best. I will show Miss Espine to the quest room now."

    Benevirau agreed and stood up, walking towards the door with no dy.

    "It''s okay, sir Benevirau ¨C Zoemi''s sentinels can send me either to the academy or the room in our castleter."

    "...oh... oh, right..."

    Miriette turned to the dark-blue-haired man and assured him in a gentle voice ¨C to which he reacted in a rather surprising way.

    Benevirau straightened his back and took a deep breath as if he realized something.

    "...he meant me..."

    "?!?!?"

    Elsby raised her hand and said timidly, once again hogging all the attention.

    "Just like themander is the bastard child of the Bellcephora family, I am a bastard child of the Espine family."

    "Talk about a small word..."

    The jet-ck-haired woman exined, sounding almost apologetically and making Zoemi shake his head and mutter in disbelief.

    ...although it was said as ament on the interesting situation, the ck-haired boy wasn''t even thinking how real his statement was.

    The world they were living in was truly small when put intoparison...

 Chapter ?531 Chapter 174 - How long will the peace last? (part 1)

    Chapter ?531 Chapter 174 - How long will the peacest? (part 1)

    The next day Zoemi felt good enough to go to the dining room to have his breakfast.

    Of course, he had to be followed by his two corpse puppet sentinels who were making sure that there was no mana in a two-foot radius around him, but still.

    At least it was better thanying down in bedpletely alone while everyone else was living their lives as normal.

    "Say... you must be Lord Doregon''s daughter, right? Lady Misena is not really the type to sleep around ¨C at least from what I''ve heard."

    That said ¨C the ck-haired boy walked in on Arreta talking with Elsby with great interest.

    The brown-haired young woman sat by the table and smoothly closed the distance between herself and the jet-ck-haired woman who looked as if she could be her junior back in the Academy years.

    "Neither. I am the secret child of the second son of the Espine family, Kimero Loar Espine, and the foreign ambassador representing the Indic Alliance, Zio Vess''mat. Conceived and born during her stay in the Bellcephora kingdom. Unfortunately, she was assassinated soon after giving birth to me, probably by the order of Kimero''s wife who was not happy about her husband''s affair. This was a huge scandal back in the day ¨C to not make things even more difficult, my existence was not shared with the Indic Alliance, nor with the family of myte mother."

    Elsby wasn''t bothered by the question in the slightest and answered with honesty while taking a big bite out of one of the sandwiches that Benevirau prepared beforehand and left for the others to enjoy.

    "Hey ¨C it''s okay if you don''t want to say, there''s no need to make up a whole story..."

    "I am not making it up though...?"

    Arreta furrowed her brows and grumpily took one sandwich for herself before grumbling as she bit into it, to which Elsby tilted her head and blinked a few times.

    "Espine family had only lord Doregon as an heir, and even if it was some family issue, the Indic Alliance you were talking about broke apart three hundred and eleven years ago. Considering that some of the nations that were forming it no longer exist, there is no possibility that the kingdom of Bellcephora could host its ambassador."

    The brown-haired woman straightened her back and dered with an important expression on her face, proving that she was actually book-smart.

    ...only not very everyday-smart...

    "Good morning Arreta, Elsby. By the way, Arreta. She is telling the truth ¨C Elsby is one of the original members of the Ghosts of Bellcephora. You did not hear about the second son of the Espine family because the one she talks about was born three centuries ago."

    Zoemi entered the kitchen properly and spoke slightly louder than he usually would, making sure that the two girls would realize that he was there.

    "Oh, hello young master. It seems that you need some more rest because the thing you just said is simply not possible, humans don''t live that long."

    Arreta turned over to the ck-haired boy and greeted him properly, before casually rejecting everything he said with the simplest of shrugs and a strong-willed deration.

    "Also, Elsby is way too nice to be a member of the group of traitors that almost wiped out our entire royal family. At least when she isn''t trying to fool me."

    With the same casual ignorance, Arreta shrugged her shoulders and assured ncing confidently at the jet-ck-haired woman as if she one-upped her and saw through her ns.

    "Pffft...!"

    At first, Elsby thought that the brown-haired girl was only messing around, but after the proud deration, the jet-ck-haired woman could not hold herself back and snorted, going as far as having to look away because she almost blew a piece of bread through her nose.

    "Ah. And here I thought that grandpa was overreacting yesterday when he talked about you."

    "Eh...? What did sir Benevirau say...?"

    Zoemi shook his head while rolling his eyes which made Arreta furrow her brows in concern and ask.

    "While we are at it. Hello. Do you have something for me to do? If you feel like it''s too soon to give me some important mission I ampletely fine with some small-scale trust-building exercises and errands."

    Elsby pulled herself together and with no pastries trying to exit her nostrils, she turned back to the ck-haired boy and greeted him, trying to not be too awkward while she was at it.

    "Dad, those are safe for you to eat."

    "Yes! And they are delicious! We helped grandpa make them!"

    Before Zoemi responded to her, his two corpse puppet sentinels moved to the table and showed off the pile of sandwiches with so much pride as if it was a masterpiece that would shape history for future generations.

    "I must try them then. They look amazing."

    The ck-haired boy smiled and yed along with his excited spell children, reaching out and taking the sandwich on the very top.

    "Oh my...! They are delicious!"

    "~!" x2

    The ck-haired boy cheered out giving the appropriate reaction ording to the expectations of the corpse puppet sentinels watching him, making them extremely pleased with themselves.

    "Elsby, you barely escaped being killed by yourrades yesterday. It is okay to have some time off. Although if you want to keep your mind off the whole thing, you can help out Arreta with her duties... but otherwise, I have nothing nned out for you as of yet."

    Zoemi sat down and took another bite before raising his eyes at the jet-ck-haired young woman and shrugging his shoulders.

    "...eh...? Nothing...? You don''t even want to question me about the ns and secrets of the other Ghosts? Anything?"

    Elsby gasped, straightening her back in utter confusion, staring wide-eyed at the ck-haired boy peacefully enjoying his meal.

    "Consider it a day off to cool down after a previous, mentally taxing job. Or, as I said earlier, go around and help out Arreta. You could have a talk with grandpa Benevirau tomorrow to discuss the arrangement of your employment in our household. For now, though, try to take things easy."

    Zoemi assured her with a polite smile, making the jet-ck-haired girl so confused as if she never in her life had someone tell her to rx.

    The brown-haired woman was looking between the two of them and perked up once it sounded like she would get a coworker that would not be apletely serious person like Benevirau.

    "I... I... eh...? You really don''t need me to act out immediately?"

    Elsby fidgetted, looking around not really knowing where to look, as things were as far out of herfort zone as possible.

    Although, her idea of afort zone was very different from the average.

    "Little ones, did our king or some of his underlings try to contact us while I was out of it or recovering?"

    Zoemi was done with the subject of the former member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora, at least for the time being, and instead asked his corpse puppet sentinels.

    "Dad, you still are recovering. Your friends can wait."

    "Yes, even if he wants to invite you for the ball celebrating his coronation."

    The first sentinel answered in a tired voice while the second one tried to do the same, but ended up spilling a lot of information in the process.

    "What are you doing?! This was supposed to be a secret until dad will be able to travel!"

    The first sentinel really tried to be more serious, but only confirmed what the second one let slip.

    Zoemi smirked to himself and grabbed another sandwich.

    If things would go the way he expected, within the next few minutes his corpse puppet sentinels would indirectly tell him everything that they were trying to hide from him out of worry about his health.

    "Zoemi. You keep calling them little ones, which is cute, but why don''t you use their names? Is it because there are too many of them or something?"

    "...!"

    To the ck-haired boy''s surprise, Elsby spoke over the two quarreling sentinels, curiously asking them.

    "Eh...? We do have names though?"

    "Why wouldn''t dad name us all?"

    Still, no one was more surprised than the two sentinels, staring at the jet-ck-haired woman in utter confusion.

    "The cute considerate one trying to act proper all the time is Ettemi, and the cute straight-forward airhead is Oemir... as for all of them being too many for me to keep up with the names... it was never a problem..."

    The ck-haired boy introduced the two without batting an eye, before speaking out about his other sentinels ¨C the thousands that were destroyed and ended up increasing Arisu''s ¨C or rather Cherro''s ¨C mana reservoir, pushing him all the way to the sage level in an extremely short amount of time.

    "Ah... sorry for a rude question..."

    Elsby sensed that her choice of words wasn''t the best for the situation and realized that things must have taken a turn for the worse while she and most of the Ghosts weren''t paying attention.

    "No worries... but still, the two of you..."

    Zoemi shook his head slightly to put Elsby''s worries to rest before turning to his corpse puppet sentinels.

    "Although I should have mentioned your names before, I never said that you can''t introduce yourselves to others. Now that I think about it... does anyone besides me ¨C and Arreta nad Elsby too, of course ¨C know how to call you?"

    The ck-haired boy raised his brow and asked with a serious voice.

    "Huh...? Is there even a need to do that?"

    Oemir gasped, actually taken aback by Zoemi''s words.

    "To our defense, no one asked us about our names either."

    Ettemi pointed out, lowering their head timidly.

    "...wait... so you have a name too...?"

    Funnily enough, Elsby once again gasped in confusion, but this time it seemed like she wasn''t talking to anyone currently present in the dining room.

    ...because technically she wasn''t...

    *whoom*

    The next moment a murky-ck sphere jumped out of Elsby''s hair and sat atop her head as if it was always there.

    "Of course I do. I''m Immeri."

    The sentinel in their base form answered, sounding confused as to why Elsby was acting so shocked.

 Chapter ?532 Chapter 174 - How long will the peace last? (part 2)

    Chapter ?532 Chapter 174 - How long will the peacest? (part 2)

    After breakfast everyone went on to their duties ¨C Zoemi was free so he decided to stop by the garden, considering that the weather was quite delightful for the time of the year.

    It was also quite interesting to watch Elsby trot after Arreta, especially because the jet-ck-haired woman clearly had no clue about gardening and the brown-haired one was doing exactly that.

    "Dad, why didn''t you ask her more things?"

    Ettemi, the first corpse puppet sentinel, leaned forward and asked, cutely tilting their head as the three of them were sitting on the bench by the mansion''s wall.

    "Is it because you don''t trust her after all?"

    Oemir, the second corpse puppet sentinel followed up the first one, also leaning forward to see the expression that the ck-haired boy would make.

    "Immeri already knows most of that stuff anyway."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and motioned with his chin at Elsby who had a murky-ck sphere sittingfortably on the top of her head.

    "Besides, I really am being considerate towards her. The things she knows are limited to how other Ghosts acted before they reunited with Cherro. Considering that Kirissu was able to keep her son''s sins a secret even after what all of them went through during their pursuit for power, their modus operandi might changepletely."

    Zoemi breathed out and leaned onto the backrest of the bench, looking up at the clear blue sky.

    "It can...?"

    Ettemi asked in confusion and nced over at Oemir who made a troubled expression and shook their head to show that they don''t have a clue either.

    "It sure can. Elsby''s lover, Oktria, turned on her immediately, which was quite a shock for our new friend. I believe that, in fact, a lot of things were being kept hidden from her. I don''t doubt our new ally being an asset, but relying too much on the information she knows doesn''t seem like that much of a good idea."

    The ck-haired boy exined looking between the two sentinels with a patient smile.

    "Ooohhh...! I get it! She thinks she knows things but was being tricked by the people who didn''t like her!"

    Oemir gasped in realization, straightening their back and nodding their head while keeping their mouth open.

    "Exactly. Now then, please contact Horeo and tell him that I can talk to him whenever he will have some time. I can''t imagine that ascending the throne like that, and more importantly trying to get everything under control, is leaving him with too much time to spare on his hands."

    Zoemi breathed in the fresh morning air and stretched before looking back at his sentinels and requesting.

    "No problem. We can call anytime. That''s what he said himself before."

    "Yes, your friend said that you want to talk to him, we can contact him anytime, dad!"

    Ettemi and Oemir cheered in an adorable mixture of pride and excitement, surprising the ck-haired boy quite a bit.

    "He did? I need to remind him to not push himself too hard... Make the call, please."

    The back-haired boy furrowed his brows with concern, thinking about his best friend and cautiously looking over towards the sun ¨C or more importantly towards the shadow of a massive spell that was always in front of it.

    Zoemi didn''t see the Wrath of Light being activated the second time, and he also didn''t feel any tremors that it would undeniably cause, so it seemed like the gold-haired young king''s oratory skills were enough to hold the reins of power.

    "Connected~! Ha! First!"

    Ettemi hummed before lowering her voice and sneering triumphantly at Oemir, who made a grumpy expression and looked away.

    ...to hide a content smile...

    "|Hello? It''s Zoemi, is it true that I can call you anytime, my king?"

    "[You''re up already? Feeling any better? Your sentinels banning me from contacting you made it seem like it was some huge deal this time.]"

    The ck-haired boy felt the soft pressure of magic connection stirring up his mana ¨C thankfully not enough to cause serious difort ¨C and called out to his friend, who indeed responded immediately as if he was waiting for that exact oue.

    "|They are a bit overprotective, but they are good kids. How are things going on your end? I''ve heard some murmurs about a celebratory ball. That''s a bit worrisome, it sounds like you want to take people''s attention from something more troublesome going on in the background.|"

    Zoemi grinned at the thought of his sentinels doing their best to keep himfortable, before going to the subject of interest that bothered him quite a bit since he learned about it.

    "[You are not wrong in thinking that way. It is a distraction. The administrative division is barely keeping it together, but I''ve heard that the increase in pay made them almost as happy as executing their boss.]"

    "|Doing some cleaning up, I see?|

    Horeo breathed out, sounding very tired indeed, to which Zoemi nodded and said in understanding.

    "[I would have just fired the guy, considering that he was a member of the Vanterl family, so he was technically rted to me in some capacity ¨C but the absolute fool had the guts to openly defy me and refuse to acknowledge me getting the crown. Before I blew the head-shaped useless abscess of his shoulders I also learned that the former queen will not let things go my way, of course, he used a strongernguage, but that''s beside the point.]"

    Horeo snickered, and Zoemi was sure that his friend was shrugging his shoulders with a disgusting smile.

    "|Because of the circumstances you are in, ruling with fear can be good in the short term, but...|"

    "[Zoemi, spare me the talk. The guy was so incapable and undeserving of his position that everyone working under him cheered as his body hit the floor.]"

    The ck-haired boy made a troubled expression after hearing the revtion and switched into the helpful attendant mode but the gold-haired young king scoffed dismissively, filling in the missing piece of information.

    "(Oh... I see... Anyway. Are the troubles that make the administrative division overwork themselves now connected with you seizing the throne, or is it something else?)"

    Zoemi flinched, taken aback just a little bit, before shaking his head and steering the conversation back on the right track.

    "[Unfortunately it is something else. We were contacted by the Barbaria nation. They already know that the queen and king fleed the royal castle and realized that because of what they did in the Perserios territory they would have to do a lot of damage control unless they want theirnd razed to the ground by an unceasing magic barrage. Oh, and by the way, lord Lazaram escaped the kingdom too. So I guess that Barbarians were so quick to act because they learned about my Wrath of Light. I guess they can''t make the cursed totems fast enough to protect themselves from us.]"

    Horeo exined, not having a single doubt in his mind about the reason for the shocking friendliness of the nation that hid their presence and wanted to take over the Bellcephora Kingdom through scams and trickery augmented by hexes and curses.

    "(Then, they were not ready for war or anything? That sounds ridiculous... Even while having their hands on the queen, they weren''t prepared for failure. If they contacted you so fast then they either are scared of your hot-headedness and unpredictability or are panicking because they never considered their n to fail.)"

    "[Or probably both. It still might be a trap or a ploy to lower lull us into a false sense of security... to which we will be ready. The problem is that we need to somehow contain the outrage after the information about Barbaraia nation even being a thing would spread out. Turns out we don''t have just a few tribes, but an entire, functioning country as a neighbor from the side we thought to bepletely secure... Unveiling a new potential threat right after I ascended the throne, just my luck.]"

    Horeo breathed out heavily ¨C it was more than clear that he had a lot of things he had to deal with, so it was that much more meaningful that he was talking with hZoemi at that exact moment.

    "|You should keep in mind that making things that way might be a part of the Barbaria nation strategy ¨C if they make the mood in our kingdom unhinged enough, the nobles might step up to bring you down and push all the me on you while our enemies put the queen, or just straight up Cherro, on the throne instead of you.|"

    "[I know, I know... huh? And who in the world is Cherro...? Don''t tell me we got ANOTHER bastard to worry about...! First Arisu, then Surou''s disappearance, now some Cherro is showing up?]"

    The young king groaned in annoyance the moment he picked up on Zoemi speaking up the unknown name.

    It also made Zoemi realize that he probably should let his friend in on the whole thing about the Ghosts of Bellcpephora...

    So he did.

    -------

    "[I hope that you appreciate the extent of the trust I have in you.]"

    After getting so much information about another, even more, powerful threat dumped on him out of nowhere, Horeo sounded seriously done with everything.

    "[With all of that in mind, the ball is actually a really bad idea. Putting all of the important nobility in one ce sounds like a perfect opportunity for the enemies to strike... But if I don''t go along with it, the unrest within the nation will make people band up and start an uprising against my rule. We can''t have that."

    The young king sounded as if he began massaging his forehead in annoyance.

    "(That party. What date did you have in mind, to begin with?)"

    "[Exactly ten days, counting from today. The same day that the Barbaria nation peace delegation is set to arrive. The ball would also double as the official announcement about their existence. But if the Ghosts are behind them all along, things will get messy no matter what we will do, so maybe I should just start sting behind the mountain range and see where and what I will hit?]"

    Horeo was just done, and he certainly sounded that way.

    "(Not necessarily... I mean, we will be using everyone as bait, but if I bring all my sentinels, grandpa Benevirau, Elsby, and maybe Aspaekony, if she will be up to it, we could make a nasty surprise in store if someone would like to act up. Not to mention, you, my king.)"

    "[...]"

    Zoemi wasn''t sure whether his friend was joking or not, and he certainly didn''t want to check ¨C so instead he pointed out, hoping that the idea ofunching Wrath of Light at random would stop being one of the possibilities for the solution.

    "[...I get the King''s Guard and then some to help n everything out ¨C do not disconnect unless you will start feeling difort...]

    "(No problem~!)"

    The young king ordered after a moment of hesitation, making the ck-haired boy breathe out in relief.

 Chapter ?533 Chapter 175 - Preparation for the Grand Ball (part 1)

    Chapter ?533 Chapter 175 - Preparation for the Grand Ball (part 1)

    The framework of the n was already set, now it was time to work on the details.

    Benevirau and Miriette were easy enough to convince ¨C Zoemi merely mentioned that he needs their help and they both immediately agreed with no questions asked.

    With them, the only thing left was to exin what exactly they have to be ready for.

    Aspaekony was a slightly different matter though.

    "What? Hold on ¨C you want me to just go and take all of my corpse puppets and sent them to die or something? Ghosts of Bellcpehora are the single group that you don''t want to fight with numbers! Do you expect me to try and crush them with the overall weight of all my puppets or something? Because that would be the best shot, considering what those traitors have at their disposal!"

    The gray-haired necromancer scoffed and raised her foot above the plushies and pillows she was buried in and pointed her toes at the ck-haired boy with usation.

    "Come on. Please?

    Zoemi stepped towards her drawer and kneeled by it, grabbing her foot and holding it as if it was the girl''s hand, offering to be kissed.

    "I.. wha... wai... no.. wait... hold on...?"

    The sudden skinship seemed to shortcircuit the girl''s brain as she suddenly got incredibly embarrassed for some reason, and burrowed herself deeper in the plushies and pillows, so that only the upper half of her face with big gray eyes, and the leg that the ck-haired boy was holding, was visible above.

    |I kind of suspected it already, but it seems that our Aspaekony is the same as the one from that other timeline. She does have a thing for me~|

    |Say''s the man who has trouble keeping it together when she is around.|

    Zoemi thought to himself with relief, and the original personality scoffed at him in disbelief.

    |Hey! I... I don''t have anything to defend myself, so I will ignore the matter for now.|

    The ck-haired boy ended up also blushing slightly once his actions and feelings were pointed out like that, and he certainly wasn''t going to deny it, but he sure wasn''t willing to talk about it in detail.

    |I am not saying that it''s a bad thing. If it''s for my master''s sake, I don''t see anything wrong with any approach. Go on, boy. Seduce her to your heart''s content. Although...|

    |Alright! Seriously! I am not trying to trick her or anything ¨C I exined things like they are!|

    The original personality was very transparent about his intentions, although by the end it seemed that it was hesitating a little bit ¨C Zoemi was embarrassed enough as it was, so he didn''t let him finish and talk over him before returning back to the real world.

    "...h-hold on... I... it''s been a long time since I... I need time to prepare my heart..."

    "...?"

    And back in said word, Aspakeony was looking to the side with extreme embarrassment and muttered shyly while stealing cute nces at Zoemi''s face.

    At first, the ck-haired boy didn''t realize what it was about, after all, he didn''t expect getting her foot held was one of the necromancer''s kinks, but then he realized that while he was talking with the original personality inside his head, he was focusing on a single point.

    On the plushies and pillows-covered spot right by the base of the gray-haired girl''s leg...

    |Shit! I made I look like I am in heat or something...!|

    Zoemi gasped internally and used up a lot of his strong will to not pull back immediately after noticing.

    "Will you help me out, Aspie? I would be... more than grateful if you did."

    Bracing himself for what he was about to do next, he started leaning in toward the gray-haired necromancer.

    "You don''t need to risk your life or even all of your corpse puppet. What we need is more eyes to keep everyone safe. If the fighting will really start, we need someone to evacuate the entire royal castle immediately ¨C maybe even a part of the capital too. My sentinels are necessary during the fight and there are too few now to carry out that task... As for the King''s Guard, just them teleporting people away would also be too slow. But you and your corpse puppet are a different matter. You do have quite a lot of light magicians at your service, don''t you?"

    The ck-haired boy was leaning in closer and closer.

    He wasn''t pushing Aspakony''s leg in front of him, but after letting go of her foot he let her calf rest on his shoulder and was sliding closer and closer to the girl''s face...

    ...until he was supporting himself against the side of the drawer, mere inches away from therge silver-gray eyes gazing straight at him without even blinking...

    "...you... you can hire mercenaries ¨C or ask some nobles for help..."

    The gray-haired necromancer gulped down her saliva and hesitated, ncing down ¨C not in shame but rather at Zoemi''s body ¨C before speaking up in a voice that suggested she was only a few seconds from giving in.

    "Relying on all of them to act for themon good is not the wisest option. There will be at least a few that would try to use the situation to their advantage and leave their political opponent or just someone that they don''t like to die. In that case, the me would be pushed back onto us or even worse, Horeo. That is what we need to prevent. That''s why we need you. That''s why I need you, Aspie."

    "...!"

    Zoemi shook his head and looked into Aspaekony''s eyes, delivering lines with the perfect amount of theatrics but keeping it tame enough to not sound cheesy ¨C and judging by how the girl''s eyes trembled, it did work out as intended.

    "Aspie..."

    "F-fine...!"

    Carefully calcting his chances, the ck-haired boy gulped down his saliva and spoke in a low, raspy voice ¨C and as if it was the straw that broke the camel''s back, the gray-haired necromancer gave in and cried out, whilepletely burrowing herself in the plushies, hiding from the ck-haired boy''s sight.

    "Aspie?"

    Zoemi blinked a few times and asked, slowly straightening his back, wondering whether he should reach out and excavate the hiding necromancer from her soft and fluffy hiding spot.

    "I said I will help you out! If the Ghosts of Bellcephora will show up at the celebratory ball in the royal castle in a few days, My corpse puppets will teleport everyone to safety! You have my word!"

    Although it was muffled by the plushies and pillows, the voice of the gray-haired necromancer carried all the embarrassment that the girl felt without any drop of adorableness.

    If anything, the muffling effect made her even cuter.

    "Thank you ¨C if there''s anything that I can...!"

    *CLICK*

    "Dad! Metavicero and both Roiso and Mirienne said they will definitely help!"

    "But we will have to get them official ballroom dresses because those aren''t part of their current wardrobe!"

    Zoemi breathed out in relief and said without standing up from the drawer ¨C but then the door to the headmaster''s office opened with a soft sound and Ettemi and Oemir, Zoemi''s two corpse puppet sentinels, busted in with a cheerful expression, carrying the good news.

    "That''s great. I was hoping for that. They will definitely mess with the Ghosts if they show up."

    The ck-haired boy stood up a little bit too fast to not be suspicious, but he was able to keep a straight ace and a calm voice well enough.

    As for Aspakeony, she didn''t even move an inch, making it seem like the drawer was just filled with plushies and pillows and nothing else.

    "Dad, are you done talking with thedy you like?"

    "Yeah! Didn''t you say you want to go to the royal castle''s treasury as soon as you can?"

    The two sentinels asked, looking around curiously, even though they both knew full well where the necromancer was actually hiding.

    "...!"

    Funnily enough, the mention of thedy that Zoemi likes, caused some of the plushies and pillows to jump, which suggested the gray-haired girl flinched once she heard it, but Zoemi decided to not let her know that he noticed.

    "We do. I really want to check up if things are the same in that regard too... not to mention I want to test something out."

    The ck-haired boy took a few deep breaths and nodded, before turning to his corpse puppet sentinels and smiling at them.

    "We are indeed done here. We don''t have much time but we have to prepare the best we can."

    "We will~!"

    "Don''t worry, dad!"

    Zoemi dered and the two sentinels nodded their heads in unison, cheerful as always.

    "Aspie. See you around~!"

    Zoemi turned around and waved his hand at the drawer, but before the gray-haired necromancer had a chance to respond, the two corpse puppet sentinels activated their spells and made all three of them disappear.

    -----

    The ck-haired boy and his androgynous corpse puppet sentinels appeared in front of one of many passages in the royal pce.

    "Ah, perfectly on time. My pleasure, lord Banemor, lord Banemor''s entourage."

    As soon as they did show up, a studious-looking red-haired woman who dressed in a way that made her look like a nice elderlydy from the bookstore in a rural town, but was definitely far too young to have the same aura around her, approached them.

    "Lord Valto Yora Erest has been informed about your arrival and is expecting you. Now, if you may ¨C please follow me."

    The woman didn''t introduce herself at all but was already walking down the hallway without even looking back.

    Normally Zoemi would count that kind of behavior as rude, but seeing how tense her shoulders were and how much her knees were shaking while she was talking to him, the ck-haired boy decided there was no need to add to her stress.

    She will introduce herselfter if she wants to, for the time being, she was fulfilling her role of taking him to the archives and the secret treasury ording to the wishes of the new king.

 Chapter ?534 Chapter 175 - Preparation for the Grand Ball (part 2)

    Chapter ?534 Chapter 175 - Preparation for the Grand Ball (part 2)

    "Please slow down a bit now ¨C this one is pretty tricky and none of us wants me to mess it up."

    The red-haired woman with the fashion sense of a nice lovely granny reached out her hand and took a deep breath, Even though there was nothing even remotely suspicious in the corridor they were walking through.

    Nothing suspicious for normal people, that is.

    Zoemi with his ability to see the unique shadows of everything possessing mana allowed him to realize just how many deadly and destructive traps were installed on almost every step of their way towards the treasury.

    No wonder the red-haired woman was constantly reminding him to follow her exact footsteps ¨C it really did seem like one false move was going to blow up a quarter of the royal castle.

    The sheer amount of trouble that one had to go through just to her to the treasury the normal way made Zoemi feel respect towards his guide ¨C she must have kept in mind a way to deactivate and then reactivate every single trap, and even if she wasn''t in a hurry, this must have been extremely stressful for even the most confident person.

    "(Dad, it takes so long...)"

    "(Yeah, why couldn''t we connect to that room with darkness magic and go there by shadow gate?)"

    Ettemi and Oemir managed to read the mood and contacted Zoemi via the message spell instead of speaking to him directly, so as to not disturb the red-haired woman''s concentration.

    "|We could, but that would give teacher Valto a scare... I already shared with you how his unique shadow looks, are you okay with facing him in a battle where you cannot kill him?|"

    The ck-haired boy responded peacefully strolling after the cautious guide.

    "(...n-no...)"

    "...not, really... we''re sorry, dad...)"

    The two corpse puppet sentinels flinched and looked to the side awkwardly.

    They were powerful enough to hold their own against most of the opponents Zoemi could think of ¨C but that only counted the battles where they could go all-out.

    To prepare for the meeting with Valto, Zoemi shared the memories of seeing the events from another timeline with his sentinels.

    The former tutor of Horeo, Miriette, and Zoemi, should be a transcended magician, not quite the sage though ¨C but the trouble with dealing with himid with the impable control of his spells and ingenuity in their use.

    That alone made him a very difficult opponent to face, and once added his ice attribute into the mix, he jumped from the level of difficulty to a straight-up nightmarish opponent to face with any type of restrictions.

    With theints from the corpse puppet sentinels no longer being a thing, the rest of the way passed in silence.

    It took them quite a long to finally get to the same door that Zoemi remembered witnessing in the different timeline, but it was definitely worth it ¨C especially because of what happened next.

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "Lord Erest ¨C I brought the young lord Banemor and his... acquaintances..."

    The red-haired woman unlocked thest trap and knocked on the door, before turning around to nce at the ck-haired boy and the three androgynous youths following him, unsure about how she should call them.

    Zoemi was one thing, his title was clear enough, but for the two corpse puppet sentinels?

    The woman didn''t know what they were.

    She didn''t consider them anything else than human but from that point on, she had no idea.

    They didn''t look like bodyguards, and in the first ce, they didn''t act like servants either...

    ...so in the end, she settled on the safest option that should not hurt the pride of the person much more important than her...

    "Ah, Miss Tas, please, do let him in!"

    "...!"

    After hearing the voice of Valtoing from the inside, the red-haired woman straightened her back, and although Zoemi could not see her face, he definitely could see her ears and a part of her neck ¨C all of which were red from blushing so hard.

    |Aww ¨C teacher Valto not only has a coworker in this timeline. She is even having a crush on him!|

    Zoemi thought to himself feeling a lot better ¨C honestly, ever since he saw the version of his teacher from the other timeline looking as if he spent every waking moment of his life in the archives, he was really worried about the man''s health.

    Even as a royal tutor, Valto had the tendency topletely sacrifice himself for the job to the point of almost copsing a few times during their lessons.

    But thankfully it seemed that there was someone who would be more than pleased to help him out in need.

    They entered the archives and Zoemi was greeted by almost the same scene that Zoemi from the other timeline went through ¨C the blue-haired man on a wheelchair behind a desk, copying some sort of ancient texts.

    This time, though, the man was greeting the visitor with a bright smile right from the start.

    "Zoemi, I''m very happy to see you like this. I hope that all the security measures didn''t inconvenience you too much ¨C before lord Lazaram fleed the royal castle, he messed up with the inventions that he installed all over the ce, causing any sort of non-physicalmunication to get jammed. If it wasn''t for the fact that it is extremely troublesome, especially for Miss Tas over here, I would be willing to begrudgingly apud him for creating an artificial mana storm like that."

    Valto put down the quill and raised his hand, weing the ck-haired boy to his workce.

    "I''ve heard your life has been rather colorful as ofte ¨C I hope that you aren''t pushing yourself too hard."

    The man added, pushing himself away from the desk and then moving his wheelchair towards his student.

    "How are you, teacher? I could say the same thing to you. But, do you remember to eat well in between work?"

    Zoemi smiled and reached out his hand for a handshake that Valto reappropriated immediately.

    "I do not work all that much, I am not that young anymore. Miss Tas is very stern about the working hours we are supposed to abide by. She also recently picked up an interest in cooking, so whenever she makes too much food she shares it with me during the day. For which I am very grateful as everything she makes is delicious."

    Valto rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively, before turning to the side and nodding at the red-haired woman who instantly turned just as red as her hair.

    "L-lord Erest...! I-it''s nothing! I-I am just doing that because I can''t let my superior fall ill right before my eyes! Upkeeping the archives such as these is too much for one person!"

    Tas mumbled in an embarrassed voice and turned to the side, starting to organize a random pile of old documents and books.

    "It''s really refreshing to work with someone professional like her, it really helps me with focusing on the tasks we''re given."

    Valto turned back to Zoemi and dered proudly, although the moment he had his back on the red-haired woman, she looked at him with this sort of sad longing in her eyes that even the ck-haired boy recognized as a sign of a one-sided crush.

    "What exactly brings you here today? Our young king told me that it was something about preparing and getting stronger and that you are allowed to take any treasure that you will find to be helpful for your case ¨C but he didn''t go into any more details than that. What exactly do you need, and what are you preparing for?"

    Oblivious to the feelings of his coworker, Valto turned his wheelchair and began moving in the direction that Zoemi already knew to be leading to the hidden entrance to the treasury.

    Zoemi followed him, motioning at his sentinels to stay a bit behind for a moment.

    "There is a chance of a group very simr to the Ghost of Bellcpehora to show up and attempt to seize control over our kingdom. We believe they might be involved with the Barbaria nation, and that they will attempt to assassinate the king during the ball celebrating his coronation."

    The ck-haired boy decided to tell his teacher the truth ¨C at least for the most part.

    Instead of straight-up telling him that the original, very much still alive and more dangerous than ever, Ghosts of Bellcpehora were behind everything, he chose to go the safer route and merely spoke about them as a group sharing some traits.

    It technically wasn''t a lie either, because the Ghosts became far much powerful than the records ever stated, so one could argue they could count as a different group.

    "That would exin the King''s Guard being so busy these past few days."

    Valto took the information shockingly well.

    "You don''t want me to help out?"

    He added, ncing up at the ck-haired boy.

    "Who knows... are you counted amongst the treasures stored in here, teacher?"

    "Pffft! You worry about me too much, boy. You yourself are in a simr situation to mine, aren''t you?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders instinctively moving behind Valto and starting to push his wheelchair ¨C to which the blue-haired man snorted and shook his head, before looking down and sighing.

    "We do share many simrities now, aren''t we? That reminds me ¨C were you made aware of amoner girl who awakened to the healing attribute? Did you have a chance to get there to check up on your condition?"

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows a bit and tilted his head as he nced down and asked.

    "I did hear about her, but with all of my responsibilities down here, I never found the time to contact her. Go into that alley now, please."

    Valto shrugged his shoulders and pointed at the rows of books diverging from the path they were following.

 Chapter ?535 Chapter 175 - Preparation for the Grand Ball (part 3)

    Chapter ?535 Chapter 175 - Preparation for the Grand Ball (part 3)

    "Tha healing magician happens to be one of my close friends. If you don''t mind I can ask her when she would have the time to visit you. She is quite the amazing magician. She already did many amazing things, including removing my scars... although there are some things that she can''t help with, it is worth a try, if you want, that is."

    Zoemi said in a lighthearted manner, with no pressure involved.

    "I will keep that in mind. Stop for a moment."

    Valto nodded and raised his hand.

    Zoemi was about to o that anyway too, after all, the two of them reached the spot covered in a unique shadow of a powerful spell.

    It was a sealing type and for as much as Zoemi could tell, it only a little bit weaker than the seal around the headmaster''s office in the Aspakeony Academy."

    The blue-haired man silently activated a few spells at the same time, of which all interacted with the seal.

    Thanks to that, the air around them trembled for a moment, and instead of standing amongst the rows of bookshelves filled to the brim, the two of them were surrounded by various precious items.

    Most of them had shadows of their own, but there also were a lot of items that were just valuable and didn''t have any magical properties.

    "Sorry for your two other friends ¨C they will probably be confused about what happened to us, but there are some rules in ce that I cannot ignore."

    Valto apologized, motioning his head back to where Ettemi and Oemir were following them, giving the two of them enough space to talk in peace.

    "There''s nothing to apologize for."

    Zoemi waved his hand dismissively, trying to put the blue-haired man at ease...

    "It''s not that hard to enter..."

    "I think it is, though ¨C we only got in so easily because we copied dad''s friend."

    Oemir furrowed his brows and tilted their head unconvinced, but Ettemi shook their head vigorously and dered with a puzzled expression."

    "!!!"

    Considering that the two corpse puppet sentinels got through the seal in time to hear Valto talking about them was the best testament to their power.

    "Dad...?"

    Still, the question asked by the former tutor revealed that assumption to be wrong. The blue-haired man was clearly concerned about the people he had never seen or heard of before defeating one of the most powerful spells in use in the royal castle, but what bothered him the most was the way those people addressed his student.

    "Yes. Those two are my kids. Without them I would be in serious trouble, so please treat them well. On the right we have Ettemi and Oemir is on the left."

    The ck-haired boy didn''t go into any details except to give Velto his corpse puppet sentinel''s names.

    "Hello~"

    "Nice to meet you"

    Both sentinels kept the distance between Zoemi and his former teacher because no one told them it was okay to do otherwise, and instead raised their hands and waved cheerfully in a greeting.

    "Hello. My name is Valto Jora Erest, it''s nice to meet you too... Hmm... Zoemi, my boy, we have more catching up to do than I originally expected..."

    Valto blinked a few times before breathing out and turning back to face forward again.

    "That said ¨C don''t you think that it''s okay to tell me what exactly are you looking for? Or at least what you would like to achieve, to make the range of search a bit smaller."

    Still, no matter what was thrown at him, Valto managed to stayposed and the next time he spoke, he was back to his serious self.

    "Nothing much, I had two things in mind. I won''t get my hands on Kirisu''s arm to check whether we can set up something nasty for her ¨C that''s first. Second. I want at least take a look at Zoemi ¨C which should not be all that problematic, considering that he sits atop of the crystal box Kirisu''s arm is being kept."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and casually strolled forward, pushing the wheelchair with him, already knowing where he should be going thanks to his knowledge gained from watching the events of the different timeline.

    "..."

    Because of the silence between them, it was obvious that the ck-haired boy''s answer shocked the blue-haired man more than anything that was said and done up until that point.

    "Teacher, tell me ¨C is that plush bear just as menacing as before? It wouldn''t be that he suddenly lost the threatening aura around, would it?"

    Zoemi asked lightheartedly, but Valto did not give him an answer, and when the ck-haired boy leaned forward to check up on his former teacher''s face, he saw him frowning with great concern.

    "How do you know all of that?"

    Once they were only a single turn away from entering the alley in which both the cut-off arm and the deadly plush toy were, Valto breathed out and asked, turning back and looking up, straight into Zoemi''s vivid ck eyes.

    "...hmm...? Don''t take it the wrong way, but the expression in your eyes improved a lot..."

    The blue-haired man said out loud, looking as if he surprised even himself with that statement that didn''t seem to particrly fit the situation ¨C although in truth it was very much connected with everything.

    "I feel like you will not believe me if I will tell you everything, so I will not do that. Considering that I have the king''s permission to take the items anyway, it seems better to just leave that part of the conversation with this statement..."

    Zoemi tilted his head and furrowed his brows, trying to find a good enough answer that would not be too far from the truth, but also wouldn''t immediately make Valto think that he went crazy or worse, making fun of him.

    "My name isn''t the only thing that I have inmon with the favorite toy of the murdered second princess."

    Still, whether the answer he came up with after thorough consideration actually checked off any of those requirements was up to debate...

    "Is that so...? Well, the toy was being called the protector back in the day ¨C ording to the preserved documents from that period ¨C and the way you acted a few years back was very much along those lines too... but what interests me the most is how you managed to learn that the toy is a plush bear and that his name is Zoemi."

    Valto squinted his eyes and leaned into the backrest of his wheelchair and pondered, speaking his mind out loud.

    "Neither of that information was ever contained in any of the stories surrounding the events from three centuries ago, and I stumbled onto it byplete ident... I mean, before I began working here, of course. This ce contains every piece of information that was ever written within the royal castle, and even a fair selection of journals and financial books from all over the kingdom ¨C including the reports of the caretaker of thete second princess that you yourself mentioned."

    The blue-haired man added with interest, smiling to himself mysteriously.

    "It must have looked quite curious to you then ¨C Zoemi protecting Miriette. Funny coincidence, wouldn''t you say?"

    "Indeed ¨C although I had a hard time remembering why exactly I found your names intriguing. Once I remembered I decided to keep it to myself as it would be quite rude to tell you that you share the name with a toy. You were such a nice and hardworking child that it seemedpletely out of ce, no matter how interesting of a fun fact it was."

    Zoemi snickered and pointed out to which Valto nodded his head and smiled at the memories.

    "Back then your eyes would sometimes turn so dark it seemed as if they didn''t reflect light ¨C which as I learned after working here was another trait that you shared with the plush bear ¨C that wasn''t as much as a fun fact, but rather a disturbing and worrisome observation that did make me worry."

    The blue-haired man continued reminiscing making Zoemi wonder in his own thoughts too.

    |Back then you were still asleep and only parts of your memories and personality were leaking in, right?|

    The ck-haired boy asked himself.

    |That is correct. I believe that the version of you that Bellcpehora showed us acted as he did only because I was not properly separated from him.|

    The original personality responded without hesitation, confirming Zoemi''s assumption.

    "You know that you can count on me, right? Even if my problematic magic makes it troublesome for me to assist you on a battlefield, I am taking pride in my process of doing research. I also believe that you are underestimating how epting of the world I am. Earlier you said that I would not believe you if you told me everything, which honestly bothers me a whole lot."

    Valto took a deep breath and started speaking in a determined voice.

    "Not to mention, that this ce really has an abundance of reports and information not avable anywhere else. You know not only about the toy but about the cut-off arm of one of the Ghosts of Bellcephora, and you even know exactly to which one exactly does it belong... You want both of those items because you aren''t dealing with mere copycats or impostors, but the real deal, aren''t you?"

    The blue-haired man''s face turnedpletely serious and he asked the ck-haired boy, using a voice that didn''t sound even remotely doubtful.

    Basically, Valto wasn''t asking for confirmation, he was stating something that he thought of as a fact.

 Chapter ?536 Chapter 176 - Preparation for the Grand Ball (part 4)

    Chapter ?536 Chapter 176 - Preparation for the Grand Ball (part 4)

    |Pffft...! Why did I even try to keep things away from him?|

    |I don''t know.|

    Zoemi held himself back from snorting out loud, but he certainly didn''t do the same within his mouth where heughed, getting a straightced answer from the original personality.

    "We do."

    The ck-haired boy answered out loud with a faint smile.

    "We know that the Ghosts are nning something because they tried to kill one of their own ¨C a member that managed to escape and is currently under the protection of the Banemor family."

    He revealed, deciding to drop the pretense and just tell the truth.

    "Now I am quite content that you didn''t ask me for helping out during the potential fight."

    Valto breathed out in relief and waved his hand.

    "I am quite curious as to what exactly are you intending to use the requested item ¨C but before we get them, I have one piece of advice as a knowledgable keeper of the archives..."

    "Yes?"

    The blue-haired man nodded to himself before straightening his back and looking at Zoemi''s face ¨C to which the ck-haired boy responded with a nod on his own.

    "Be careful about the member of the Ghosts you are hosting in your territory ¨C the only one that is known to not get along with the rest is a dark-skinned bastard daughter of the Espine family, who at least back then went with the name Elsby. Although the only records I am basing that statement off is the journal of the caretaker of the second princess, who stated that Elsby was the only decent one amongst the group each time she wrote about the Ghosts."

    Valto warned him, but honestly, that warning only made the ck-haired boy feel better.

    "Well then, teacher. You will be very pleased to learn that Elsby is exactly the person I was talking about~"

    Zoemi hummed and began pushing the wheelchair again towards their destination, without even pretending that he doesn''t know where exactly they have to go.

    "Say, would it be okay to arrange a meeting between her and me? There are many unexined details about the time period that I would love her to clear up. Being able to talk with someone who lived through that particr time period would be overwhelmingly interesting!"

    Valto perked up with excitement when the love for research and all things schrly took over his judgment, making Zoemi have a hard time holding back a smile.

    "You haven''t changed much, teacher."

    "Was there even a need for me to do that?"

    The ck-haired boy chuckled and the blue-haired man shrugged his shoulders dismissively in response.

    "That said if you want to talk with someone with a lot of knowledge about the past, why not talk with grandpa Benevirau ¨C he is around a thousand years old, wouldn''t that make him an even better conversation partner?"

    Zoemi realized and pointed out, a few steps before the crystal box containing the cut-off arm of Kirisu would enter their view.

    "You mean if I wanted to have a conversation about the Banemor territory ¨C don''t get me wrong. I don''t doubt lord Benevirau''s knowledge, the problem is that he said himself that he left the territory less than ten times during his entire life ¨C and most of those times were when he was searching for the youngdy Learen... who turned out to be yourte mother..."

    Valto sighed and spoke in a disappointed tone, before flinching as his voice shook bing more awkward once he reminded who exactly he was talking to.

    "Oh, that''s right... grandpa did say something alongside those lines too, my bad."

    Zoemi didn''t feel like continuing the subject anymore so he nodded and hastened his peace.

    The two of them went silent until they got to the right spot.

    Arge portrait of a young girl holding up a ck plush bear to hide her face was overlooking the very same toy sitting on top of the crystal box sealing off the cut-off arm of the vicemander of the Ghosts of Bellcpehora.

    "Calling this plushie the princess''s protector started as a joke because apparently, she started shielding herself from the others with it right after she received it from her father. None of the sources avable here reveal the exact origin of that bear, but it is highly implied that it was an artifact created by one of the sages living in those times. Unfortunately, sages that didn''t fall prey to the Ghosts'' murderous spree could not tell me who exactly made it. But back then that toy definitely didn''t have the deadly properties that it showcases right now. In the records it is stated that at least a dozen of people died, having their life literally sucked out of them just by brieflying in contact with it."

    Valto took a deep breath and went straight into showcasing the bear, only briefly mentioning the portrait as it wasn''t the reason that Zoemi came there.

    "Yes... I think I get the gist of it."

    The ck-haired boy nodded, taking a step towards the crystal box, with no signs of being interested in the stuffed bear on top of it.

    For the moment, at least.

    "Little ones, if you may."

    After putting his hand on the rune-covered surface of the transparent box, Zoemi smirked at the cut-off arm and looked over his shoulder, calling out to his two corpse puppet sentinels.

    "Of course, dad~!"

    "...hmph..."

    Oemir cheered out and jumped forwards first, once again leaving Ettemi slightly grumpy.

    "If you allow me ¨C opening this device isn''t..."

    Seeing the two by the box, Valto reached out his hand, in order to provide the necessary help, but...

    *click* *hshaaaa*

    "...huh...?!"

    The corpse puppet sentinel barely touched the crystal box and its front panel twitched and slid open with the soft sound of something being hermetically sealed for a long time.

    Seal or not, those two sentinels have already proven themselves to be quite apt with dealing with any sort of inconvenience.

    "Uweeegh...~ It''s warm...!"

    Oemir reached out and grabbed the arm, taking it out of the box, and immediately their face twisted in a disgusted grimace as he expected the severed limb to feel quite different.

    "Of course it is. It is still partially connected with Kirisu, after all ¨C it would either be mummified or just turn to dust if it wasn''t. But that''s exactly why we can use it to set up something very nasty."

    Zoemi smirked and nodded at his corpse puppet sentinel.

    "Go ahead, take it to Roiso and Mirienne, we already discussed what needs to be done with it. Make sure to watch over it just in case, I''m counting on you."

    "Of course, I will~!"

    *WHOOOM*

    He added, making Oemir puff out their chest with pride and disappear into the shadow gate they conjured to form the surrounding shadows.

    "..."

    Valto stared at the spot where the corpse puppet sentinel disappeared, getting Zoemi''s attention.

    "Is something wrong? Should we not have done that?"

    The ck-haired boy asked in hesitation, seeing his teacher''s reaction.

    "Huh...? Oh.. no. Not at all. It''s just that this ce was supposed to block off every type of transportation spells. That''s why Kirisu could never show up here and grab her arm back... At least that''s what everyone thought was the reason."

    Valto flinched and waved his hand dismissively, although his voice still betrayed how shaken was he about the discovery.

    "Mister teacher, do not worry. We are just really strong. We need to be because we are the ones responsible for keeping dad''s mana in check."

    Ettemi trotted over and crouched by Valto''s wheelchair, putting their hands on one of the armrests and resting their chin on them, innocently looking up at the blue-haired man.

    "You keep his mana in check...? How so?"

    Valto asked, raising his brow before looking questioningly at his former student.

    "Well... you see our problems are a bit more different than you think, teacher."

    Zoemi tilted his head and leaned slightly to the side, turning away from the ck plush bear on top of the empty crystal box.

    "You have a problem because your mana constantly changes between the water and ice attribute and cannot settle properly. In my case, I am being poisoned by mana. The more mana I use the worse I feel. Not only that ¨C ever since a certain fight during a tournament organized by the Victureo family, but it also seems that my mana reservoir is broken and my mana regenerates constantly without a maximum level ¨C when that happens, my body responds the same way as when I am using spells. It is very much not pleasant and requires constant attention. That is why..."

    "That is why you want that toy..."

    The ck-haired boy cleared things up a bit further but got interrupted by Valto, as the blue-haired man realized exactly what Zoemi was about to say.

    "You don''t need it as a weapon against the Ghosts... you want to see whether it will get rid of your mana...! So you already know that the ones who died touching it first get their mana stolen before their lives were taken, is that it? That''s your reasoning?!"

    Valto gasped tensing up and looking at his former student in disbelief.

    "It is worth a try. We already tried draining dad''s mana using our spells, but it always just regenerates back. Dad is looking for something permanent."

    "...?!"

    Ettemi pointed out, making Valto flinch, as the blue-haired man actually forgot for a moment that they were crouching by his wheelchair.

    "What?! Why?! Wouldn''t it be normal to rather find a way to fix your mana reservoir? I can understand the longing for a life without pain, but the alternative is to never use magic again! Are you seriously okay with that oue?!"

    Valto let out a shocked voice, looking between the ck-haired boy and his corpse puppet sentinel.

 Chapter ?537 Chapter 176 - Preparation for the Grand Ball (part 5)

    Chapter ?537 Chapter 176 - Preparation for the Grand Ball (part 5)

    "Magic isn''t everything, teacher"

    Zoemi smirked and shrugged his shoulders, closing his eyes and momentarily letting his consciousness fall into the world of dancing shadow.

    Even with their unceasing movement, once the ck-haired boy forced himself to look up, pale lights up above were trying their hardest to shine through.

    "At least not for me."

    Zoemi added and turned back to the plush bear.

    |Hey, this is you, right? Make sure to not kill me, okay? That would e a pretty pathetic end.|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself - it was supposed to be a joke, but honestly, it was exactly what Zoemi was worried about the most.

    |You can see unique shadows of anything possessing mana, doesn''t the one right in front of you look familiar?|

    The original personality asked back in a calm voice.

    |It looks just like my own shadow.|

    Zoemi responded without hesitation.

    |No.|

    |Huh...?|

    The original personality sounded as if he shook his head and made Zoemi very confused.

    |Wha do you mean, no?|

    The ck-haired boy inquired.

    |I can see my own shadow right now, the two are the same! That''s not supposed to happen but I guess it... did...|

    Zoemi thought up, almost ready to pick a fight with the suddenly difficult-to-cooperate artificial soul, but then he himself had figured out what exactly the original personality meant.

    |You are always you in every single timeline... so by that logic, if you were in two different ces in the same timeline, your unique shadow would show up twice, making it seem that there are two identical shadows...|

    The ck-haired boy sighed internally, while on the outside he slouched and put one hand to his mouth, taken aback.

    |Exactly. This is not your shadow, it never was yours. You were never supposed to have mana so you should not have any unique shadow whatsoever. Your ability to use magic always came from me ¨C and that is why... This is my shadow. Go on. Grab my original body. See what happens.|

    The original personality confirmed the realization and encouraged the ck-haired boy.

    "Zoemi... No matter what, you should not try something so reckless, that item killed people before. We still have a few days before the ball, why don''t we try to figure out another way, toge... WAIT!"

    Valto saw Zoemi''s behavior and read it as the boy hesitating, so he decided it would be in his former student''s best interest that he stopped him altogether from doing something so dangerous, but just as he was finishing his talk, the ck-haired boy reached out his hand and grabbed the toy.

    "ZOEMI!"

    "Mister teacher. You are quite noisy, aren''t you?"

    Valto called out in terror, trying to move toward his former student to get him away from the deadly magical artifact shaped like an innocent toy, but he was stopped by Ettemi who held him down securely in his wheelchair.

    As for the ck-haired boy himself...

    "This is... quite underwhelming, honestly..."

    "?!?!"

    Zoemi breathed out, staring into the toy''s dead eyes not reflecting any light with great disappointment, making his teacher flinch and freeze in ce, utterly bbergasted.

    It wasn''t like there waspletely no effect, but as the ck-haired boy said so himself, they were nothing special.

    The moment that Zoemi held the plush bear, his vision suddenly split in two and he could see through his own eyes as well as the eyes of the toy.

    He could not control the toy''s movement ¨C it was just a shared vision and nothing else.

    |Did you know that it would be like this?|

    Zoemi sighed internally and asked the original personality.

    |I had a hunch, but it was still worth a try. I had hoped that maybe I could transfer my consciousness back into that body though. You know, move out of your head and take the ability to use magic with me...|

    The artificial soul responded, sounding every bit as disappointed as the ck-haired boy.

    |That would be nice... but you don''t sound like it worked out...|

    Zoemi thought moving the toy around, carefully checking the stitches and putting it together, and honestly, they looked a lot neater than the ones he saw in the different timeline.

    It seemed that the presence was learning how to sew in between switching the timelines.

    |Unfortunately, it did not.|

    The original personality sighed with disappointment.

    |I believe it became like this because I fully awakened...If I stayed half-asleep the sudden connection between our vessels would be bound to cause some sort of effect. As things are now, this is just an empty husk that has my aura and shows my shadow. Unfortunately, it also seems to have lost the deadly properties that your teacher talked about. Sorry. My original body is now just a plushie with a really bad opinion.|

    He exined and sounded apologetically enough that Zoemi couldn''t help himself and made the plushie in his hands bow its head to him.

    "Zo-Zoemi...? Is everything alright...?"

    Valto shook his head and managed to ask although his throat has dried outpletely because of how nervous he was.

    "It could be better, this little guy is no longer a threat ¨C but sadly it is also not very useful for what we are going to do... Ettemi, do you want it? Although it would have to be for the time being, because I am not sure how much the second princess is attached to just the body alone."

    The ck-haired boy sighed and shrugged his shoulders, turning back to his teacher and the corpse puppet sentinel, and asked while ying around with the bear just to keep his hands busy.

    "A plushie that feels like dad?! I want it!"

    Ettemi''s eyes widened and she stood up, spreading her arms open.

    "Then for now it''s yours ¨C if the second princess will ever contact us to reim it, you will have to give it back to her ¨C but if that happens I will get you a new one, so remember to stay calm and be a good kid."

    Zoemi smiled ¨C the expression was far from really satisfied, as the visit to the treasury wasn''t even half as profitable as the ck-haired boy wished for, but in the end, he was quite happy seeing such joy on the face of one of his sentinels ¨C and threw the ck plush bear to her.

    "Yaay~!"

    Ettemi cheer oud and jumped up to grab the toy mid-air and hugged it without a second of hesitation, despite knowing that it was originally supposed to be a deadly object that took the lives of many people.

    Still, they have trusted their creator without a moment of hesitation and certainly were not betrayed.

    "...could you exin what exactly happened to that toy...? Could it be that the dangerous spell it was cast upon it finally expired after all these years?"

    Valto asked, and even though he could see both Zoemi and the corpse puppet sentinel both touched it and were still alive, he moved his wheelchair back to keep a safe distance between himself and the plush bear ¨C just in case.

    "Yeah, you could say that. Although it is quite upsetting, I am not going to lie. Just really wanted to see Cherro shit himself at the sight of the very same toy that originally killed him, to be thrown at one of hisrades and eviscerating them... although... something simr can be arranged, not that I think about it..."

    Zoemi nodded, going back to his disappointed expression and walking to the blue-haired man before helping him turn the wheelchair around.

    "We can go back, teacher."

    The ck-haired boy said before motioning his head at Ettemi to follow them, this time without keeping the distance.

    "Sure. If you are okay with not taking anything else in ce of the bear..."

    Valto furrowed his brows, ncing once more at the toy in Ettemi''s arms and then turning his head the other way towards the direction of probably yet another artifact that he himself thought of as helpful for Zoemi''s case.

    "We are taking the bear though. It''s enough. I can see that nothing else here has even remotely enough power to help us out in case of battle ¨C unless you are willing to give me the seal protecting the ce. That''s a different matter altogether."

    The ck-haired boy assured his teacher with a lighthearted smile, snickering at the end.

    "...unfortunately that''s something I cannot do. The seal is a part of the castle embedded in the foundation and construction of the building as a whole. If I would allow it to be removed and taken away, the whole thing would fall down upon itself in one horrible mess. Sorry."

    And yet for whatever reason, Valto responded to the joke in apletely serious manner, making Zoemi quite embarrassed.

    "Teacher ¨C I wasn''t serious! The things we got are more than enough!"

    He assured the blue-haired man as they were moving past tens upon hundreds ¨C if not thousands ¨C of artifacts and valuable items.

    "Ah! You''re back! Eh...? Where is the other one...?"

    The red-haired woman, Tas, perked up at the sight of the returning Valto, but she furrowed her brows and asked in suspicion after looking up at Zoemi and his corpse puppet sentinel.

    "Getting lost in here is not only dangerous but also highly illegal and... ISN''T THAT THE KILLER TOY?!"

    Tas crossed her arms and began naggin in a stern voice ¨C at least until she noticed the plush bear in Ettemi''s grasp, andpletely flipped out, tripping on her own legs and falling on her but.

    "Miss Tas, are you okay...?!"

    Valto gasped and moved his wheelchair towards the fallen woman, reaching out to her to help her get up.

    "Teacher, that would be all from us for today. Thank you for your help ¨C I let you know when my friend would be able to take a look at your spine. Goodbye for now~! Ettemi, say goodbye too."

    Using the chance to slip away before being subjected to more questions that he didn''t feel like answering anymore, Zoemi waved at the pair of archive keepers and nudged his corpse puppet sentinel.

    "Mhmm. Kissing feels good, so have fun! Bye-bye~!"

    *WHOOOM*

    Ettemi nodded happily and waved, before activating the shadow gate that opened up beneath them both and swallowed them whole without a trace.

    "...?!"

    "...?!"

    The two people left behind in the royal castle''s archives were stunned and frozen, staring at the spot where the young high noble and his bodyguard vanished into.

    Although Valto was the one more stunned about Zoemi''s bodyguard being able to pass all the seals and defensive measures set up in ce within the ce, Tas was in distress because of something else.

    "That boy keeps attracting more and more interesting people around him..."

    Valto breathed out and turned back to the red-haired woman.

    "Miss Tas, sorry for the... Umm... is everything okay?"

    The blue-haired man nodded apologetically towards the woman, but when he looked up she noticed her fixating on his face - particrly on his mouth, so he asked, checking the corners of his mouth for the smudges of food or something else equally embarrassing.

    "N-nothing! It''s nothing!"

    Tas gasped and hurriedly stood up.

 Chapter ?538 Chapter 177 - Reunion (part 1)

    Chapter ?538 Chapter 177 - Reunion (part 1)

    Most of the preparation for the ball that could turn from the celebration of the new king''s coronation straight into a full-on battle with a bunch of three hundred-years old traitorous sages was already done. Of course there still were some details that required smoothing but all the key parts were in ce.

    But that didn''t mean that the few days remaining for the party would be a walk in the park.

    "(Is that so? Then we will definitely show up before the ball. Even though showing up there with the approval of the king would be in line with what my sponsor is hoping for, the risk outweighs the possible reward.)"

    Although there was some dy from the original time he was supposed to do it, Zoemi did contact Surou about the time he and the woman who gained quite a high position in Vexzi city in Atreterve.

    "|I understand the worry, although I can assure you that we made sure to prepare the best defensive measure we could. As long as the guests will not actively try to sabotage our actions, everything should go smoothly. Not to mention, we aren''t evenpletely sure that this kind of attack will even happen.|"

    The ck-haired boy was talking to the blue-haired second prince via the message spell while doing some light exercise to keep his body in the best shape he could.

    "(I appreciate the effort you all are putting into it, but relying on others toplete your own ns is just asking for something to go wrong. No thank you. Is it okay to arrange the meeting two days before the ball?)"

    Surou merely scoffed and even though the visuals were not transferred through the spell, Zoemi could tell that the blue-haired prince was shaking his head and hand dismissively while saying that.

    "|Sure, Horeo said it was okay anytime and to just notify him of our decision. Burushi said that unless she will get some emergency patients, she should have time before the ball too.|"

    Zoemi didn''t feel a particr need to argue with Surou so he simply agreed. He already was prepared for that oue, which was mostly due to his experience as an attendant ¨C even though he personally wanted something else to happen, a different oue could not mess up his ns just like that.

    --------

    The scheduled day arrived and with it came the anxiety about the ever-looming grand ball and the possibility of the hostile takeover of power.

    "You would not believe how many people suddenly try to contact me about changing their appearance. Some even try to mask it as an actual medical emergency!"

    Burushi was walking behind Zoemi, talking about the few past days in an annoyed and tired voice.

    "Do you know how infuriating it is to hurry to a patient after being told that she has suffered some internal injuries, just to learn that in fact you were only called in to be asked whether I can shrink the size of her waist...?! It''s even more annoying when they are acting clueless and innocent! They know what they are doing! Hell! How shameless can one get? I thought that the aristocrats were supposed to have some pride!"

    The blond-haired girl groaned, shaking her head in disbelief.

    "Some of them do, but it is often in the most negative twist you can think of. As for the rest... well, despite your usefulness, you are considered amoner. You will not get the same treatment as another member of the nobility."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and exined before stopping in front of one of the doors in the long hallway with the portraits of every heir of the Banemor family hanging.

    "You are the first to show up ¨C do you have any request for Surou and his guest to show up? Like, you know, calling at them from behind, waiting for them and being the first thing they see, or something like that?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, walking inside the cozy room prepared especially for the conversation between the five people.

    The round table with five sses and a few bottles of various beverages, the fivefortable chairs, the lighting that was more fit for the meeting of viins in some work of fiction than a reunion between acquaintances...

    "It''s fine. I''m not all that into theatrics like that anyway."

    "(Smells like bullshit~)"

    Burushi waved her hand dismissively and tapped Zoemi''s shoulder before taking a seat and pulling a ss and one of the bottles towards herself,pletely ignoring the voice of the small sentinels that poked half of its body out of her shadow and snickered.

    "Whew, juice. Lucky~! I was worried that you would serve alcohol."

    The blond girl opened the bottle and smelled the inside before her face brightened up in a relieved smile as she poured the amber liquid generously into her ss, filling it to the brim.

    "I actually hope that I will be done with talking before the king shows up. Knowing the customs and manners this world has, amoner like me would have to smash their face on the floor the moment his majesty shows up within half a mile radius or something."

    Burushi took a big sip of the juice and breathed out, looking up at the ck-haired boy.

    "I notified him about the meeting and he said that he will teleport here as soon as he can, so I cannot promise you anything in that regard."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, rubbing his chin in slight distress.

    "Nah, it''s okay. I was joking anyway. With you around, even if Horeo would want to show off, he will not be actually dangerous to me. Isn''t that right, bestie?"

    The blond girl snickered, leaning back in her seat, and motioned at the ck-haired boy with her mostly full ss.

    "There is also the number of favors you did for his two attendants, so I think that even without my intervention you will be fine."

    "Yah. True that."

    Zoemi pointed out and Burushi smirked and nodded with a proud expression.

    "(Dad! They say they are ready? How are things on your side?)"

    Just as Zoemi was about to sit down by Burushi to talk some more before the others would arrive, one of his sentinels called out to him via the message spell.

    "We are ready too, you can get them in here."

    "(Okay~!)"

    The ck-haired boy said out loud and his sentinel answered with excitement as if taking part in Zoemi''s ns was the best thing that could happen to it.

    "Bring them in. Let''s see the amazing woman who captivated the second prince after he has been freed from the mind-controlling hex, or whatever."

    Burushi waved her hand weingly, before unbuttoning her blouse one-third of the way through, unleashing the ridiculously disproportional chest.

    Liking theatrics or not, someone looked like she had chosen conflict.

    "He did say that it is not like that... although he is different than you remember him, without anything controlling him, he is just like he was in the game."

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva, feeling the threatening aura but being unable not to nce down at the dreadnaught-ss assets consciously and very proudly presented by the girl with a deadly-serious expression.

    "I know. You told me about it. I am not angry... just highlypetitive."

    The blond girl''s smile grew even more as she put down the juice, and used one hand to prop up her chest, exposing it even more while using her other hand to tuck a stray flock of hair behind her ear.

    *WHOOOM*

    "...?"

    Saving Zoemi the need to react to that, the entire wall in front of the two of them turned murky-ck, and a blue-haired youth passed through it in hesitant step, carefully looking around...

    "!!!!!!!"

    And stopping right in his track, frozen solid the moment that heid his eyes on the blond girl by the table.

    "Oh...? Zoemi, our guests have arrived, take your seat~"

    Burushi squinted her eyes for a split second before reaching out toward the ck-haired boy, grabbing his hand and pulling him down, making sure that his arm visibly rubs against his breasts.

    "Hmph~"

    And snickered to herself when she saw the look in Surou''s eyes.

    "Royto...? Is something wrong...?"

    But when ites to surprises, the one that the blue-haired second prince had in store for Zoemi and Burushi had an even greater effect.

    Because the person that came through the shadow gate after Surou, and called out to him using the fake name that he was living under in the city of Vexzi, was a familiar-looking blue-haired girl.

    She wore different clothes and her hairstyle has changed a lot, but Zoemi recognized her immediately, as the unpleasant memories tend to stick out more.

    Honestly, it was really close for Zoemi to react in an obvious way just like Surou did ¨C but it also seemed like Burushi didn''t recognize the girl at all.

    "Nah, nothing is wrong, Mrs. It''s nice to meet you though, I was not expecting such a nice, modest-looking woman..."

    The blond-haired girl was straight up going for the throat ¨C the modestment was made while Burushi was obviously staring at the other girl''s chest - and if Zoemi wasn''t so shocked, he would begin regretting letting the two meet just about then.

    "Meet me...?"

    But the girl was not only not bothered by the obvious provocation, she even tilted her head in confusion and asked in a worried voice.

    "Yah. It is. I''ve heard that you are using your position to help out a lot of people and..."

    For a moment, the blond girl lost the track of the mean-girl role that she had chosen for herself, and nodded her head with an honest expression, before she flinched and puffed out her chest even more.

 Chapter ?539 Chapter 177 - Reunion (part 2)

    Chapter ?539 Chapter 177 - Reunion (part 2)

    "Well... we haven''t been interacting all that much back then, so I am not surprised that you forgot me... I''m actually quite happy that you did."

    The blue-haired girl ended up not taking the bait at all and instead breathed out and smiled shyly with relief...

    "...?"

    But that seemed to have an opposite effect on Burushi, who tensed up and straightened her back.

    "I wouldn''t say that... I tend to put conscious effort into erasing people who bullied me from memory while treasuring those who were nice... if we indeed met in the past and I don''t remember you, I have some bad news."

    "...!"

    She dered, now genuinely angry without forcing herself to make a scene.

    "O-oh... I see..."

    The blue-haired girl flinched and cowered a little bit, lowering her head apologetically ¨C visibly feeling guilty, by what she basically admitted that she was one of the people who did bully Burushi when she still attending the academy.

    "If it''s okay, I will do the introductions..."

    "O-okay..."

    Surou managed to shake off the initial surprise and said after clearing his throat, to which the blue-haired girl nodded timidly.

    "Miss Burushiitto, lord Zoemi. My sponsor, and partner in crime of saving people from very ¨C miss Sifra, formerly from the house of Ralia."

    "H-hello..."

    The blue-haired boy stepped to the side to give all the spotlight to the blue-haired girl who lost all the confidence she had to take the first step through the shadow gate.

    "...hello..."

    Zoemi who had recognized her from the start closed his mouth and had to take a deep breath before even uttering back the greeting.

    "Sifra... Ralia...? Hold on ¨C is that you? The moron who tried to use Zoemi of raping her and got both banished from her family and was forced to leave the kingdom?! It''s you?!"

    Burushi twitched and asked, taken aback so much that she almost dropped the ss that she picked up to take another sip.

    "Y... yes... that would be me..."

    The blue-haired girl cowered even more, so much that it was hard to even qualify her current position as standing up and confirmed, clearly feeling terrible about it all.

    "We all made some mistakes in the past, wouldn''t it be best if we just forgot about it all and focused on the future?"

    The blue-haired second prince spoke up hurriedly and stepped in front of Sifra, shielding her from the looks of the other two.

    "Bold of you to say that, how about the ones actually affected by her actions will decide?"

    Zoemi was about to say ¨C but Burushi was not only faster, but she also delivered the line even more viciously than he was about to.

    "I... I''ll have you know that Mrs. Sifra has already helped a lot of people and..."

    "And! And none of those people was Zoemi, was it?"

    Surou straightened his back and spoke in a serious tone- but was talked over by the pissed-off blue-haired girl.

    "Listen here, mister Royto, or whatever name you have chosen for yourself, no one is doubting that she changed her idiotic ways. Considering what she went through, ending up wishing to make a difference is really admirable, honestly. The problem lies with your sorry white knight ass shielding the newdy of your heart the very second her past faults are brought to light."

    Burushi, scoffed, straightening her back and crossing her amrs under her chest, this time to not entuate it but just because she was furious.

    "You are notpletely right, Burushi. I am still quite mad here about trying to get me in serious trouble like that. Were you informed that I turned out to be the missing heir to the Banemor family? You do know that after receiving the title of a high noble I have full rights to pursue and punish anyone of lower status than mine for any serious nder or other breaches of etiquette?"

    "?!?!?!"

    The ck-haired boy reached out his hand in front of Burushi''s face and dered in a cold voice, looking past Surou and ring down at the cowering Sifra.

    "Z-Zoemi...?"

    Even Burushi was shocked by the reaction of the youth beside her and asked in a worried voice.

    "Sifra... do you have any idea how I felt when I got used of raping you? My friends and even the girl I love all heard about it... I was really holding back, back then, just because I was so worried sick about getting her in toruble..."

    "!!!!"

    "Lord Zoemi...!"

    The blue-haired girl started shaking in pure fear and was on the verge of tears, and the blue-haired boy''s face became pale as a sheet but he still stepped to the side topletely hide Sifra from Zoemi''s re.

    "Don''t you lord Zoemi me now, Surou... You have no right to tell me what I should think or feel in my own home."

    *WHOOOM*

    The ck-haired boy stared at the blue-haired former second prince ¨C and before others could react, the shadow gate on the wall disappeared making the well-known sound for others to know that it is no longer there

    "Wh-what do you expect from her, then?"

    Surou who felt directly responsible for bringing his sponsor to the Banemor mansion without informing Zoemi about her identity asked biting his lips while trying to find the best exit from this rather terrible situation.

    He was the one who insisted on not revealing Sifra''s identity ¨C he thought that it would be a surprise that would ease up the possibly tense mood - and now that very way of thinking came right around to bite him in the bit.

    He never expected that the supposed perfect attendant was just holding back the whole time and wasn''t just as peaceful and obedient as the others see him...

    At least not to that point.

    "I want an apology."

    "...!"

    Zoemi looked into Surou''s eyes and answered his question in a deadly-serious voice, to which both of the blue-haired youths flinched.

    "An apology... but I was told that she did apologize back in the Academy..."

    Surou gulped down his saliva and furrowed his brows, slowly moving his head and ncing at Sifra in suspicion.

    "B-but I did...! I even kneeled and..."

    "No."

    The shaken Sifra gasped in a trembling voice and said in distress, but was interrupted by Zoemi''s cold voice.

    "Eh...? But...!"

    She flinched and gasped, daring to step away from Surou and look at the ck-haired boy stone mask of a visage.

    "I do not want to listen to the wailing of a panicked child terrified of losing her way of life. I want an apology from someone fully aware of their actions and the consequences of such. I could not care less about your tears or kneeling, and I certainly do not want you to either cry or kneel now. I am giving you a chance that you and your friends didn''t even think of granting me back then... I consider you another human being, thinking and experiencing the same emotions that I do. Now it should be easier for you to do, considering that with my current position, I could erase you and your former family from the face of the earth and get away with it."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi said and his expression got twisted by a cruel smile that left the blue-haired girl speechless.

    "No? That is also fine. I expect that you came here with Surou to ask king Horeo for pardoning you and allowing you the return to the kingdom, maybe even reconcile you with your family... That also seems like a reason why you began freeing the ves and working together with Surou. I am grateful for what you already did, helping others, as long as it doesn''t harm them in the long run, is an amazing thing to do... But if I really am right about your reason for showing up here then I have only this to say to you..."

    *WHOOOM*

    The ck-haired boy raised his brow and shrugged his shoulder ¨C after he was almost done talking, he raised his hand and the shadow gate swallowed the wall once more.

    "What''s lost is lost. Enjoy your new life and keep up the good work."

    Zoemi pointed at the murky darkness with his index finger and waited.

    The fear in Sifra''s eyes changed into a burning embarrassment as she was seen through so ridiculously easy.

    "I am not helping others because I want to receive any benefits ¨C but I can recognize when I am not weed somewhere"

    She gulped down her saliva and attempted to speak in a grand tone but that resulted in her sounding like a child ying an adult.

    "Royto, I apologize for the trouble of trying to work things out on my behalf. I''ll see you tomorrow."

    Sifra turned right around, clenching her fists and stepping towards the shadow gate.

    "What? But...! Haa... That''s probably for the better... have a nice day, Mrs. Sifra."

    Surou flinched and initially tried to stop her, but realized that there really was no reason to do so, so he just waved her goodbye as she walked into the murky darkness.

    "Yah... I believe I also have seen and heard enough."

    "...?"

    Once the blue-haired boy turned back towards the table, Burushi sighed in a disappointed voice and reached into her cleavage, putting half of her forearm, aking aback Surou.

    The thing she took out from that questionably convenient hiding spot was a small blue box.

    "I just wanted to make sure that I am seriously over you, hexed or not. Thanks for this though ¨C it helped me out to go through some rough times, but the best less;n I took from all of that is that I should count on myself first... but that''s beside the point. Thanks anyway."

 Chapter ?540 Chapter 178 - Reunion (part 3)

    Chapter ?540 Chapter 178 - Reunion (part 3)

    Burushi put the blue box on the table and slid it towards the blue-haired boy, but she did it with too much force which resulted in the box falling off the table, opening and rolling towards Surou''s feet.

    "..."

    The former second prince leaned down and picked it up ¨C the box contained an engagement ring of peculiar design. A big diamond while two smaller blue stones were at the bottom, giving it the look of a water molecule.

    "Miss Burushiitto, you can keep it. I do not remember making it in the first ce."

    "Nah. I don''t want it anymore. I am not into memorabilia, and honestly, the world could use a few more people who can just give up and move on."

    Surou looked up from the ring at Burushi and said in hesitation, but the blond-haired girl scoffed and waved her hand in refusal, already turning away and moving towards the door.

    "Burushi ¨C about visiting my teacher to check up his back...?"

    "..."

    Zoemi also called out after her, but not with apletely different intention than Surou.

    "...why are you messing my cool exit, my dude? Of course, I will go see him! But that will have to wait until after the ball!"

    Burushi groaned grumpily before shaking her head and dering in a stern voice and exiting the room.

    "Thank you~!"

    Zoemi called gratefully after her with a big smile before turning back to Surou...

    "Now then, we wait for the king."

    ...and his expression switched back into a grim one as if someone suddenly turned off the light...

    "We can talk while we wait - you made some interesting allies ¨C did I make a mistake not putting you on a full-time watchlist? Was there anyone else toe in contact with you in that territory? Could it be that you actually ARE giving out secrets to the kingdom''s enemies?"

    The ck-haired boy leaned forward and put his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his hand.

    "Do I look dumb enough to try something like that and then show up here to have a talk with Horeo? I know how he is and what he can do!"

    Surou frowned, clenching his fists, upset about the baseless usation.

    "You were dumb enough to bring a girl who actively tried to cause me harm and decided it was okay to not consult me on the matter... So maybe you should be the one to answer that question."

    "...!"

    Zoemi tilted his head and asked, staring intently at the increasingly uneasy blue-haired boy.

    "Although to be fair, the two of us didn''t interact all that much before you got hexed so maybe I am being too harsh."

    The ck-haired boy''s point wasn''t to make Surou anxious or anything, so he breathed out to calm himself down and took his arm off the table.

    "..."

    "..."

    The two young men looked at each other in silence for a few minutes, neither one keen to break the awkward tense silence.

    Zoemi checked the time on the clock by the wall ¨C Horeo was gettingte, but being the king and all, especially one freshly ascended on the throne, meant that he had to deal with any trouble that popped up, no matter how unexpected and no matter what ns did he made prior to it.

    The ck-haired boy gulped down his saliva, realizing that his throat was actually pretty dry.

    He was about to reach for the bottle and pour himself a ss of juice but then he nced to the side at the mostly full ss that Burushi had left behind.

    The juice inside wasn''t the most expensive thing or anything, but it was good enough to make the ck-haired boy not waste it like that, so he grabbed the leftover ss and...

    "...!"

    ...noticed Surou flinching as he did that...

    "What is it?"

    Zoemi asked taking the ss and moving it towards his mouth while raising his brow at the blue-haired boy''s peculiar behavior.

    Why was he getting jumpy now? There was no chance of Zoemi attacking him or anything...

    "N-nothing... it''s just... sharing a ss with another person isn''t hygienic... and... you should be careful with your health and all."

    Surou tensed up and mumbled, crossing his arms defensively while also trying to act calm and leaning back into his chair.

    ...while continuing to steal nces at the ss in the ck-haired boy''s hand...

    "I can see where you areing from, but my condition isn''t like that ¨C this juice was drained of any mana and that is what''s important. Also, Burushi is probably the most hygienic person in the enitre kingdom, so there you have it."

    Zoemi scoffed and shrugged his shoulders and was about to take a sip...

    "Isn''t it kind of in bad taste to finish leftovers from your guests? If you will make a custom out of it, you could lose in the eyes of others...!"

    Surou tensed up and dered, staring intently at the ss without even making eye contact with Zoemi himself.

    "My house, my rules. Why are you, even so, bothered by..."

    The ck-haired boy scoffed, slightly annoyed by thement, and waved his hand to the side ¨C together with the ss ¨C and stopped talking the moment he saw Surou''s eyes closely following its movement.

    "..."

    As if that was some kind of experiment, Zoemi started moving the ss around just to have Surou watch it cautiously whenever it was.

    "What in the world...? Hold on ¨C are you bothered by the possibility of me indirectly kissing Burushi through this ss? Is that it?"

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired boy asked half-jokingly, but then the blue-haired boy jolted up and blushed deeply while biting his lips from embarassment.

    "...Okay... I was under the impression that you don''t have feelings for her and it was all just caused by the hex. So what is this supposed to be? Second-hand jealousy?"

    Zoemi asked, solving the issue by simply pouring the juice from one ss to another, and putting the ss that the blond girl used to the side.

    "Because I am pretty sure that was the case."

    Surou breathed out, looking to the side with a bothered expression.

    "What I think is happening is that the hex has left some changes in my mind that need time to return to normal. My feelings towards Buru included..."

    The blue-haired boy revealed, identally using the nickname only he used towards Burushiitto back when they were in the Academy together.

    "...ah, so that''s the case ¨C but, you do know that you were away from her, like, seven times over if not more the times you two even knew each other?"

    Zoemi pointed out taking a long sip.

    "That is an argument that speaks for my case, not against."

    Surou responded putting one hand towards his mouth and grumbling.

    "In that case, everything that you''ve done today was so you would get this exact oue, right? You knew that you can''t give up on her ¨C most likely because of the remaining effects of the hex ¨C so you made it so she would be the one to end it?"

    "Yes. You have witnessed my behavior yourself, I wanted her to keep the ring and all..."

    Zoemi asked and Surou nodded without hiding anything while tapping the blue box with the engagement ring with his index finger.

    "You know, you might not be such an annoying guy after all. But it still angers me that you couldn''t warn me about Sifra."

    The ck-haired boy smirked before leaning back in his chair and taking another sip.

    Surou smiled apologetically but didn''tment ¨C which was most definitely the correct choice in that situation.

    The silence returned, but at least this time it wasn''t nearly as awkward.

    The two of them has said what they wanted, and now they were simply waiting for the gold-haired young king to show up.

    Finally, after some more time has passed, a sh of golden light announced the appearance of king Horeo.

    Both Zoemi and Surou stood up and were about to kneel at the sight of the gold-haired youth but...

    "What in the world are you two trying to do here? Sit down."

    Horeo scoffed, breathing out with annoyance while massaging his forehead at the sight.

    "I''mte, and if I will note back within half an hour, there is a chance that the King''s Guard will send a search party after me despite knowing exactly where I went."

    The gold-haired young manined, sitting down immediately and grabbing himself a bottle of juice and pouting it generously into the ss.

    "Well then. I''ve been roughly exined why the rtion between the two of us soured to such a degree, younger brother, but I am yet to experience whether you want to change what has been the issue."

    Horeo downed the juice and put down the empty ss, asking straight-up without beating around the bush, looking strictly at Surou.

    "I do. Ever since lord Banemor saved me from the monastery I was working undercover in Vexzi in Atreterve and began to create awork of informants that could help our kingdom in the long run. Thanks to that I came in contact with a very useful ally that shed light on the illegal ve trade that is still going on between Atreterve and Belcephora kingdom despite the very clear policy of our kingdom about the act of enving others and treating them like property."

    The blue-haired boy didn''t waste time and straightened his back as he began his exnation immediately.

    "That''s right. That useful mysterious contact of yours... there were supposed to be more people here, weren''t there?"

    Horeo furrowed his brows and nodded, looking at the empty seats.

 Chapter ?541 Chapter 178 - Reunion (part 4)

    Chapter ?541 Chapter 178 - Reunion (part 4)

    "Burushi had to leave, as a healer she got her hands full, and to begin with, she was here just to have a talk with Surou. As for the contact... she turned out to be Sifra Ralia. She has been helping Surou out and even took a big part in stopping illegal ve trades and saving our countrymen."

    Zoemi as the host took upon himself the exnation.

    "But considering who she was, I asked her to leave."

    And the ck-haired boy certainly wasn''t going to hide what happened either.

    "Good choice. Surou, if she will still cooperate with you even after that, then I will think of some sort of reward."

    Horeo nodded and did not question Zoemi''s choice in the slightest.

    "She will. I know that she and lord Banemor have a difficult past together but she isn''t a bad person. She only wants to be able to return to her former life... at least as much as possible..."

    Surou put his hands together and nodded slowly, carefully choosing his words.

    "The thing with that is, Miss Sifra was never officially exiled from the kingdom though. She was only ever expelled from her family. If she wanted to, she could return to Bellcephora at any time, it''s only that her family suffered a serious blow because of her utterly stupid act that she basically did just for fun. I could talk to lord Ralia, but having her return to her family just because the king pressured her family into it might not be as good of an idea as she expects."

    The young king shrugged his shoulders and revealed, surprising both Zoemi and Surou.

    "Well..."

    "What is it?"

    The blue-haired boy fidgetted at the words of his older brother, which got the ck-haired boy''s curious reaction.

    "Sifra isn''t exactly a Miss now... she is the youngest wife of Cevira, the owner of the biggest ve market in Vexzi."

    Surou breathed out and exined slowly, cautious about the reaction that his words would cause.

    Not because he was responsible for such a turn of action or anything- just because not shooting the messenger was a good proverb but didn''t usually happen in the real world.

    "Ah, yes ¨C you did say that your sponsor was the marrieddy ¨C that''s why I didn''t consider Sifra to be it."

    Zoemi nodded his head in realization, not very bothered about it.

    "...that changes a lot though..."

    The young king furrowed his brows looking at the juice in his half-empty ss.

    "It does indeed ¨C I believe that Sifra''s saying that she wants to return to the Bellcephora kingdom and her former life, she means that she wants to cut the ties with her husband..."

    Surou nodded jumping on the slightest ray of positivity.

    "That too, but what I meant by that is as a wife of someone from Atreterve ¨C especially someone influential like that ve market owner ¨C Sifra became the citizen of Atreterve. Most of ourws don''t involve her anymore. We could try to work something out if she divorced the guy first, but if we tried to get her to move to Bellcephora without her husband''s knowledge, that would be considered a kidnapping. A kidnapping of a wife of an important person."

    Horeo breathed out and changed his point of focus from the ss to his younger brother.

    "Have you considered that this is all a part of the n that Atreterve conceived with the knowledge of the problems we have with the reappearance of the Barbaria nation? Maybe even it was all prepared in cooperation with the Barbaria, to begin with? If let''s say, Zoemi had been a kindhearted fool and I was an idiot and we would immediately agreed to fulfill Sifra''s wishes, that could lead to war ¨C or give Atreterve good enough reason to at least threaten us with war and put us into a very difficult spot."

    The young king asked, without taking his eyes off of his younger brother.

    "...that is something that came to my mind, yes. That is also why I wanted to get over her request as soon as possible. That is also why I didn''t inform lord Banemor about her identity so the exact oue that we got could ur... Although I did lose my cool a bit after I was called an idiot before I could exin my exact way of reasoning. Not to mention meeting Buru... miss Burushiitto, face to face... I was a bit off."

    Surou took a deep breath and exined, doing his best to brave through keeping eye contact with rather annoyed Zoemi.

    "I would love to believe that, because if so it would mean that my younger brother is really back. Pardon my doubts though, I have seen you doing some of the dumbest things that I have ever had the displeasure of witnessing."

    Horeo looked between the two and sighed downing the rest of the juice before refiling it in the same swift motion.

    "Please excuse the change in the subject but... that did sound like you wish to repair the rtionships that we had."

    The tension left Surou and he asked in a hesitant but soft voice ¨C it really did sound like he didn''t count on the chance to repair the brotherly bond that was basically severed by the actions that he did under the influence of the hex, but would love if it was a possibility.

    ...but unfortunately because of the current circumstances, despite being honest, did seem like the result of cold calctions...

    "That indeed would be quite weed. Although I can still get what I want with no allies whatsoever, having at least some people that I could trust would definitely put my mind at ease."

    Horeo nodded and smiled, although his smile was rather imposing for the things he talked about.

    "Let''s get back to our original objective though, shall we?"

    The young king waved his hand dismissively, showing off his teeth in a grin.

    "For the time being, I would advise you to stay away from the political scene. We expect that some rather unsavory individuals would like to seize the power in a simr way I did, albeit more bloody. Not that it would make much of a difference, but I would prefer if in the midst of that your faction would not raise its head to attempt a backstab."

    "I still have a faction supporting me?"

    Horeo announced, or maybe the better word for it would be ¨C threatened ¨C Surou, making sure that his point will go through to him, but even though it didn''t, the effect wasn''t exactly as the gold-haired youth wished for, but rather made the blue-haired one surprised.

    "Indeed, you do. Because of them, I decided to not only reveal your disappearance ¨C that wasn''t run by me, might I add ¨C from the monstery, but added some details that would keep them in check, or at least make them rethink coborating with the enemy."

    The young king confirmed without batting an eye and added, partially filling his younger brother on some details that he had no ess to.

    "That''s a bit reassuring. I was wondering why the information about me being abducted and tortured until I gave out some valuable information was added to the report about the former royal couple... I am relieved hearing that it wasn''t done just so you could capture and imprison me for treason."

    Surou said, although he never once sounded relieved or reassured while saying that ¨C just increasingly anxious.

    "Not imprisoning you is still up for debate, though."

    "...!"

    Horeo pointed out, and Surou flinched and became a lot paler.

    "If it wasn''t for Zoemi exining things about the hexing and all ¨C especially that piece of filth Arisu ¨C this meeting would not be as peaceful as it is."

    The gold-haired boy snickered, although the things he talked about were not aughing matter at all.

    "Th-thank you...?"

    "You''re wee."

    Surou flinched and bowed his head to Zoemi almost unconsciously, to which the ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and responded dismissively, not really feeling like it was very important.

    Well, rather than feeling, it was more of a certainty ¨C he knew full well when Horeo was serious, and when he was only acting... and at the moment, he was definitely just acting.

    Whether it was just for theugh of it to relieve the pent-up stress of being the king or was he getting back at Surou ¨C that was a harder division to make, even for Zoemi though.

    "Then, about the ball... Should I show up too...? Even incognito?"

    "Most definitely not."

    Surou asked, and got an immediate answer from Horeo ¨C this timepletely serious.

    "We can''t be sure what the Atreterve nation is nning, we can''t be sure whether the Ghosts of Bellcephroa will show up to wreak havoc, we can''t be sure whether Arisu will make a move together with Ehmi. O am not going to let you risk your life in the midst of that. And speaking of that couple of unreasonably powerful and equally annoying menaces... they somehow got Vanterl killed, but the Vanterl family still got their back as if there was no tomorrow, that might be something worth looking into. Not what I would expect."

    The gold-haired young king went out of his way and gave his reasoning for the decision he made, which was already a sign of major improvement in his rtionship with his younger brother.

    Maybe actually being reasonable and even a little bit helpful, and not making public demonstrations of overusing one''s power and status were really all that Surou needed to gain Horeo''s favor.

    "Mrs. Ehmi is a sage with a quite powerful ability that enhances her spells ¨C she can absorb any kind of mes, created by magic or not, and use it to not only replenish her mana but even gain more strength from it. Vanterl was a true beast in terms ofbat, but out of the two, Mrs. Ehmi seems like an ally who can be more useful ¨C as long as there are mes around, she cannot be defeated,"

    Surou spoke up, revealing that despite being stuck in Atreterve, he did have ess to some good information.

    "She''s just harder to defeat when she''s around the fire. She can absorb the mes, sure, but it''s not like she can do it subconsciously all the time. Out of the two, Vanterl would definitely be the better choice to pick for an ally."

    Horeo shook his head dismissively.

    "But Arisu is a sage now too, though. With them two together, that choice you are talking about gets a bit more difficult."

    "...true... together they make for a stupidly dangerous pair when you put it like that. Ehmi is a fire sage that can absorb fire and Arisu is a variant who can use different attributes as he wishes."

    Horeo nodded and silently offered to pour the drink to Zoemi, who seeing the motion pushed his ss forward.

    After the refill, the young king looked at his younger brother, who panicked and immediately grabbed the ss and pushed forward, so as to not gravely offend Horeo.

    "It looks like some difficult times are ahead of us. They do say that the beginning is difficult, but this is ridiculous..."

    The young king sighed and after pouring the juice to the other two, emptied the bottle into his own ss.

 Chapter ?542 Chapter 179 - Grand Ball (part 1)

    Chapter ?542 Chapter 179 - Grand Ball (part 1)

    Any party thrown in the royal castle simply had to be grand ¨C and a grand ball in celebration for a new king ascending the throne had to be something else or the gossip would not stop even after the next generation would take over.

    Horeo knew that, and even though everyone except his few friends was like ants to him, he was still going to make those ants experience a fraction of his greatness through the festivities in his name.

    That kind of benevolent man Horeo Marets Bellcephora was.

    Zoemi wanted to arrive silently, without getting too much attention, preferably ¨C but that was something that an attendant could allow himself to do.

    ...and not the head of the mysterious Banemor family and the friend of the king...

    "Head of the Banemor family, best friend of his majesty Horeo ¨C Zoemi Benevi Banemor!

    The herald at the door straightened his back and cheered out, barely able to stop his voice from trembling.

    "Continue, kind man, every member of my family is more than deserving of a proper introduction."

    Zoemi asked, as his eyes gleamed with an evil light as he smirked ¨C which was the act that he assumed ording to Horeo wishes.

    "O... of course..."

    The herald gulped down his saliva and nodded before taking a deep breath.

    "Ettemi and Oemir Benevirau! Lady Elsby Benevirau! Head butler of the Banemor household - Benevirau!"

    Following the young man dressed almost exclusively in ck with the only ssh of color being the green handkerchief sticking out of his chest pocket supporting himself on a crystal cane, was almost the entire Banemor household.

    His two corpse puppet sentinels were standing on both of his sides ¨C with their androgynous features only made harder to differentiate by their choice in wardrobe.

    Both were wearing ck pants that were the go-to choice for men during parties, but they also both picked the white short-sleeved shirts andcy ck corsets, paid longcy gloves ¨C which threw everyone seeing them for a loop.

    Theplete absence of makeup of any sort only added to the confusion.

    The two of them continue to keep the mana-free space in between them to allow Zoemi to feel asfortable as possible.

    Behind them was Elsby.

    Her choice of clothes was somehow even more eye-catching despite being tame.

    She went with a dress, but not the ballroom dress that would be a custom for, well, any ball really ¨C but rather sleek, silky one that entuated her slender line. Despite being a dress that didn''t cover much skin ¨C Elsby''s coffee-with-milk skin made all the sour-cream-skinned nobles was getting the most attention.

    Originally, Elsby wasn''t supposed to show up like that, but Zoemi and Horeo agreed that having her walk around out in the open might work out for them.

    Whether it will prompt the other Ghosts to reveal themselves sooner or deter their enemies from going with their ns ¨C both oues could potentially benefit them.

    As for suddenly adding her to the Banemor family ¨C was there an even better way of showing off her new allegiance? And not only to her formerrades but to every single sage who was around.

    With the rtively simple decision, anyone stupid enough to consider making the Banemor family their enemies would be forced to reconsider all of their life choices.

    As for Benevirau ¨C anyone even a bit interested in the local affairs would have heard that he was the servant of the previous head of the Banemor family and he singlehandedly kept the entire territory away from the Bellcephora kingdom for over fifteen years.

    His appearance alone was a reason for a bigmotion because it was well known that he almost never left the Banemor territory that he cherished over anything else except the Banemor family.

    As for his choice of wardrobe ¨C it was simple and didn''t differ from his usual choice.

    A perfectly ironed butler''s uniform ¨C the obvious choice for the head butler.

    Without even counting Zoemi who despite having the vastest mana reservoir out of the group, the other four had the firepower that equaled and even topped some of the nations ¨C even when counting every magician that wasn''t in the military.

    "That''s better."

    Zoemi snickered, without changing the slightly mocking expression and passing by the herald, walking down the stairs slow enough for everyone to have good look at him and all of his entourage.

    If the Ghosts of Bellcephora were watching, they certainly had enough self-control to note out of their hiding and attack their formerrade on the spot ¨C but truth be told, that was expected of the unit formerly known as the best assassins.

    To begin with, Ghosts showing up early would be one of the best oues because it would cause the guests to be evacuated, stopping or at least postponing any possible schemes that Arisu and Barbaria nation could try to pull off.

    But s, standing by in hiding, waiting for the right opportunity was the thing that the former assassins were remarkably good at.

    "We should have taken little Arreta too, she was quite bummed out that I could go but she had to stay and watch the house."

    Elsby looked around the grand ballroom of the royal castle where obviously the ball was taking ce and said lightheartedly while responding to some less-than-friendly gazes she was given with a proud smile.

    "She doesn''t believe how old I am and how strong is my magic, same thing with you, telling her that she was the best choice for guarding the Banemor mansion was simply easier. To begin with, would she even ept that she could be in extreme danger bying to the royal castle?"

    Benevirau smirked and despite his words being rather on the harsh side, there were some affectionate tones mixed in while talking about Zoemi''s cousin.

    "I have not known her for long but... I don''t think she would. Little Arreta would most definitely say something like ¨C But the royal castle is the most secure ce in the kingdom! - or something. Hey ¨C we should go ahead and help her find a date ¨C that should cheer her up, especially since that is all that she recently talks about. For someone who doesn''t believe who I am, she sure is keen on looking for partners together."

    Elsby rolled her eyes and sighed, sounding a bit tired because of the problematic behavior of the Banemor family''s gardener.

    "Did you tell her that you prefer girls? Or maybe it was her attempt at flirting with you?"

    "Flirting?"

    "Flirting!"

    Zoemi who was waiting for the two sages to take their sweet time with walking down the stairs asked and his sentinels perked up and gasped with interest.

    "As much as I would be honored to have such a cute littledy interested in me, it doesn''t feel like that was her intention. She''s just a cute innocent kid who thinks she made a friend in simr circumstances ¨C being single and almost thirty."

    Elsby scoffed, waving her hand in denial.

    Despite trying to keep the lighthearted tone, the jet-ck-haired girl dide off as disappointed.

    "I agree with miss Elsby''s assessment ¨C for some time even I believed that miss Arreta didn''t realize her own preferences in partners until I was the one to realize that she is looking for an ideal instead of a real person that she would be happy with. Apparently, the rivalry she feels towards youngdy Perserios who ¨C and I quote ¨C caught herself a good man, only cranked her own expectations all the way to twelve on the scale that should go to ten."

    Benevirau breathed out and allowed himself to rub his forehead to show off how worried he was about the brown-haired young woman under his care.

    "She did grow up sheltered, it is possible that we as the people closest to her at the moment, should sit down with her and have a talk about it...?"

    Zoemi wondered as theplete group walked towards the line formed to greet the most important person of the evening ¨C the young king in person.

    "I didn''t want to push myself into Miss Arreta''s love life, but if a talk like that could prove beneficial for her in the long run, I might reassess that opinion."

    "Aww~! Grandpa Benevirau is equally worried about all of his grandkids!"

    Benevirau tiled his head to the side and considered, causing Elsby to grin and elbow the young-looking man in the ribs.

    ...to which she got no reaction except the pain in her own arm...

    "I do. If you started acting like an adult ¨C even forgetting about acting our age ¨C maybe you would be the same."

    The dark-blue-haired shrugged his shoulders, effortlessly ending the conversation by making Elsby lower her head in embarrassment when her joke backfiredpletely.

    "Grandpa, please refrain from murdering our Elsby, you will have plenty of chances to do that to her formerrades ¨C if not tonight then in the near future."

    Zoemi went along with it and nced over his shoulder at the water sage.

    "I am restlessly awaiting such a chance to ur."

    Benevirau smiled and winked in the ck-haired boy''s general direction.

    The gray-haired man was seeing through mana, and despite Zoemi possessing a sizeable mana reservoir, the young head of the Banemor family was surrounded by a bubblepletely devoid of mana which slightly messed with Benevirau''s perception.

    "...that said, it is quite rude that no one is trying to make some small talk with us as we all wait for a chance to greet his majesty..."

    The dark-blue-haired young-looking man''s expression turned more serious and he pointed out in a hushed voice.

 Chapter ?543 Chapter 179 - Grand Ball (part 2)

    Chapter ?543 Chapter 179 - Grand Ball (part 2)

    That wasn''t just his imagination or overreaction, people lining up together with them were all conversing politely and exchanging rudimentary greetings while waiting their turn to have a few words with the monarch ¨C but not a single person approached Zoemi and his group.

    "It''s either that people became a lot shyer from thest time I was at a simr party... or they got a lot ruder."

    Elsby nodded to Benevirau and added on her own.

    "Even if it''s my fault for that turn of events, previously they at least had the guts to say that they feel disgusted by someone like me."

    She shrugged her shoulders and snickered mockingly.

    "Well, those ones here don''t know that you are an assassin s there you have it."

    "Eh...? What do you mean?"

    Zoemi turned to Elsby and guessedpletely serious, which took the jet-ck-haired young woman aback.

    "They aren''t disgusted because they don''t know you are an assassin."

    The ck-haired boy raised his brow and exined, surprised that he needed to do that in the first ce.

    "You think that people of the past were disgusted by me because I was an... assassin...?"

    Elsby asked, blinking repeatedly.

    "Yeah...? Nobles tend to look down on people they send to get their dirty job done."

    Zoemi nodded, confused about Elsby''s reaction.

    "...pffft...! Did I tell you that I adore how thick-headed you are sometimes, family head?"

    The jet-ck-haired woman snorted and had to block her nose to not burst out intoughter before nodding up at Zoemi with the biggest grin.

    "Dad is thick-headed?"

    "His head looks normal to me though..."

    Even if the other sentinels didn''t take after Zoemi in terms of cluelessness, both Ettemi and Oemir were the exception to that as they looked at each other and wondered.

    "Going back to the subject of not getting talked to ¨C technically speaking, as the ones in the higher position in the hierarchy, we are the ones who ca n choose whether we want to begin interacting with someone or not."

    Zoemi who still wasn''t sure what got Elsby in such a good mood said and turned around.

    "..."

    As he said that, he noticed a person in front of him flinch and nce back discreetly as of caught red-handed on doing something they should not.

    "Even though ¨C shouldn''t they be wanting to talk to you anyway? With Benevirau here being the only one without a surname, they should flock to him in hopes of getting introduced or at least noticed by you and chosen to have a conversation."

    The jet-ck-haired woman entertained the thought and then nced over at the dark-blue-haired man and pointed it out.

    "That''s also not so simple ¨C those who realize who he knows that his position is actually equal or even higher than mine, Those who have no clue most likely think that he is amoner ¨C because of his hair and eyes being different colors ¨C and are too proud to talk to a person of low birth like that. And finally, those who would be willing to try anyway are held back by the social pressure from everyone who keeps their distance."

    Zoemi''s face lighted up with a smile when he got the chance to unt the knowledge he gained during the time of his attendant training. Things weren''t easy for nobility ¨C especially the high nobles who had to constantly watch out for what they do, what they don''t do, and how others around them act.

    Well... they should do that as long as they didn''t want to get shunned out of their friend circle that is.

    "I see... things didn''t get even a slight bit annoying since thest time I was around..."

    Elsby scoffed lightly and shook her head.

    Zoemi smiled lightly and shrugged his shoulder, not choosing to talk to the noble in front of him even though the other one looked more than keen to talk to him as long as he got the chance.

    After all, the ck-haired boy was introduced as the best friend of the king, attempting a conversation was well worth the risk.

    As long as the topic wouldn''t be offensive, the worst thing that could happen to such a risktaker would be getting ignored.

    If someone wasn''t willing to at least do that, then their loss.

    Zoemi wasn''t a polite attendant who thought of others first anymore.

    ...he still thought of others first, but at least now they were his friends and family ¨C which was a major improvement...

    "Representing the Mojena family! Lord Vianee Dorraz Moyena anddy Aerena Poivre Moyena!"

    While the Banemor group conversed, the herald announced the arrival of another pair- this time the Moyena siblings that Zoemi briefly met and even dueled during his first time in Banemor territory.

    Truth be told, he never expected to see them like that ¨C usually, when the head of the family couldn''t show up, the first person in line to inherit the position would be chosen to represent the family. The rivalry among the Moyena siblings was always strong, but that turn of events couldn''t have a simple exnation. For the oldest out of Moyena brothers to miss a chance like that, something serious must have happened.

    On the other hand, though, Vianee and Aerena showing up together like that, with the youngest sibling offering his arm to help his sister descend the staircase and not trip on the troublesome ballroom dress, might have been an attempt to reaffirm the damaging rumor going around that those two see each other as something more than just brother and sister.

    "...now that I think about it, it is very usible that the oldest Moyena sibling is the one spreading those rumors..."

    "...pardon...? What rumors?"

    Zoemi muttered to himself, and Elsby picked up on it and curiously looked the way that the ck-haired boy was focusing his attention.

    "Ah, the Moyena siblings. Indeed, I briefly looked into them when they were bothering me in the Banemor mansion before your return, and that seems to be the case indeed."

    Benevirau didn''t have to turn around to check the mana signature of the entering pair to know what Zoemi was talking about, and nodded with a serious expression.

    "Every family has its issues, but there should be a limit to everything - isn''t gossip like that damaging to their name as a whole? What is the perpetrator thinking?"

    The ck-haired boy breathed out, watching the red-haired man and the blue-haired woman whisper to each other while going down the stairs.

    They both were ncing his way and must have noticed him right from the start.

    "What rumors and gossip? Can I be let in on the situation ¨C it sounds interesting."

    Elsby straightened her back and asked, ncing between Zoemi, Benevirau, and the Moyena siblings.

    "Aerena canceled her engagement, people think that it was because she is way too close with her younger brother and that their rtionship isn''t morally correct ¨C which is untrue ording to a trustworthy source."

    The ck-haired boy exined without taking his eyes off the pair that seemed to be aiming to skip the queue...

    "Lord Banemor. It''s nice to see you in good health."

    Although that guess was soon proved to be false when the pair stopped and the blue-haired woman curtsied and greeted the ck-haired boy first.

    "I would very much like it to be so, but honestly I''ve been better. It''s a pleasure to meet you,dy Moyna and your brother in a situation where you do not want to challenge me to a duel."

    Zoemi snickered and raised his crystal cane a bit to get the attention of the siblings towards it, before nodding his head at Aerena and then at Vianee.

    "We did not have the opportunity to apologize for that incident..."

    "...and we honestly don''t feel like doing so now. What''s done is done. You''ve beaten us up fair and square and maybe we could leave it like that?"

    Aerena furrowed her brows and tilted her head to the side troubled by Zoemi''s words, to which Vianee couldn''t stay quiet and stepped in protectively.

    "If that is what you wish for, then why not? I am not keen on making enemies."

    The ck-haired boy agreed without thinking about the matter too much ¨C the encounter between him and the Moyena siblings felt like it happened a lifetime ago.

    There really was no reason to keep bad blood between them while there was a chance for clearing things up...

    ...at least as long as the peace offer was sincere...

    "Wait... really...?"

    Funnily enough, Vianee was the most shocked person among them, despite being the one to propose swiping the matter under the rug.

    "See? Reo did say that lord Banemor is never the one to strike first unless he or people close to him are in danger."

    Aerena breathed out and smiled, tugging on her younger brother''s arm.

    "..."

    Still, that meek front she was showing at the moment certainly didn''t match her hotheadedness that she showcased in full during their previous brief meeting ¨C and Zoemi looked over at her with a slightly amused expression.

    "Ah, please, pardon the rudeness ¨C sir Benevirau,dy Elsby, young Ettemi and Oemir. It''s a pleasure meeting you here."

    The blue-haired girl could not withstand the gaze for too long and so she hurriedly changed the subject, trying to get the attention away from herself.

    "Likewise."

    The dark-blue-haired young-looking man raised his brow, to some degree amused by how calm and collected the two Moyenas were only because they weren''t aware that he was a sage.

    As for the other three, they all partially followed Zoemi''s suit and nodded lightly in response, but didn''t say anything out loud - for the moment, at least...

 Chapter ?544 Chapter 180 - Grand Ball (part 3)

    Chapter ?544 Chapter 180 - Grand Ball (part 3)

    "Excuse myck of knowledge, it is not by any means an attempt to be rude or anything ¨C but I was not aware of other members of the Banemor family being around... Is it okay for me to learn what exactly is your connection to lord Banemor?"

    "..."

    Aerena curtsied once more and asked, indeed sounding curious ¨C so Zoemi stopped himself from asking about Reo whom he didn''t meet or even briefly seen for quite some time already.

    They didn''t even manage to meet at the Academy ¨C for however briefly the ck-haired boy had returned there for, at least.

    "Dad is our dad!"

    "He is!"

    "!!!"

    The two corpse puppet sentinels cheered out without much thought or consideration ¨C causing a wave of shock to spread around anyone within audible distance.

    "O-oh, I see... then, by any chance are you the mother...?"

    Aerena looked between Ettemi and Oemir who judging by the looks alone had no possible way of being the offspring of the ck-haired boy, and then timidly turned to Elsby for confirmation.

    "Oh, no. Unfortunately no. I am merely a distant rtive that got found by young Zoemi and brought in ¨C same with those children. I didn''t know them before showing up at the mansion ¨C although I know their other sibling quite well. Having them adore him so much is only proof of how good of a person he actually is."

    Elsby didn''t skip a beat and exined without any trouble while a gentle smile never left her face.

    "I understand now, I apologize for jumping to conclusions..."

    Aerena didn''t flinch but her eyes widened slightly once she received a casual but polite answer to her question.

    "You said that you know their sibling though... are they here too?"

    The blue-haired woman didn''t want to leave the conversation on the rather awkward apology, so she asked, looking around acting more curious than she actually was.

    "Well..."

    Elsby smirked, tilting her head, and just for a split second, a murky-ck sphere popped up just the tiniest bit from the darkness of her hair.

    "As much as they wanted to, the situation called for their presence somewhere else."

    The jet-ck-haired woman said cautiously, looking over at the ck-haired boy slightly in front of her.

    "It does sound as if lord Banemor did his best to gather as many family members as he could."

    "...sister..."

    Aerena''s smile became a bit more somber, making Vianee nce at her with a worried expression.

    "I like the idea of having a big family ¨C the bigger the better. A little leftover wishes I harbored since the time I lost my mother."

    Zoemi had a very good idea why the Moyena siblings might have a problem with his way of thinking, but had no reason to hide it. He wasn''t going to force it on everyone else ¨C it was just what he felt like.

    "...one can only hope that you will not want to eat those wordster on..."

    Vianee muttered ¨C very clearly didn''t intend to be heard, but Zoemi''s hearing was always much better than average so he managed to catch every single word.

    It looked like things were worse than he originally thought...

    In the game, Reo''s bad end carried some heavy implications about the state of the Moyena family ¨C and unfortunately, it seemed that exactly that was going on in the real world.

    Things were probably worse in reality, actually ¨C at least judging by the behavior of both Vianee and Aerena.

    "Speaking about families. How is my dear friend, Reo, doing? I haven''t had the chance to meet him back in the Academy during my brief return and considering that you were announced as representatives of your esteemed family, I am not expecting to see him..."

    Zoemi decided to act as if he really didn''t hear the red-haired young man''s words and moved the subject along.

    He knew that neither of the two liked their youngest sibling, but the green-haired boy was the best subject to push the conversation forward without showing that the ck-haired boy knows more than he had any right to without nting a spy in the Moyena household.

    "..."

    "..."

    "...here...?"

    But as soon as he mentioned Reo, Vianee and Aerena looked at each other extremely troubled, to say the least, causing Zoemi to hesitate and look between them with a bad feeling in his stomach.

    "...what happened to him...?"

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired boy really tried to keep things civil, but somehow the question that came out of his mouth bore such immense pressure that everyone surrounding him ¨C from his own corpse puppet sentinels all the way to bystanders listening in to the conversation ¨C flinched and backed off in cold sweat.

    "You couldn''t have met Reo in the Aspakeony Academy even if you wanted to though..."

    Vianee tried to control how much he trembled while facing the overwhelmingly threatening young man, but he couldn''t even keep his voice in check, much less his hands and knees.

    "Reo''s back home under... house arrest... We... we don''t know much detail but it is apparently about something that he talked about with father and brother Teviran that got him in trouble..."

    Aerena gulped down her saliva and answered while cowering subconsciously.

    "Then I believe that neither of those two is worthy to rule the Moyena family. Little ones, in case things get too messy and that matter will slip my mind, remind me of visiting them after we''ve dealt with the current affair."

    Zoemi dered and his eyes gleamed coldly as if he was challenging the pair of siblings in front of him.

    "O-okay, dad!"

    "Y-yes...!

    It actually took a few seconds for Oemir and Ettemi to realize that the ck-haired boy was talking to them because of how shaken they were by the immense aura of hostility surrounding Zoemi like a veil.

    "H-hold on, what do you mean by that...?!"

    "Exactly what I''ve said."

    Aerena flinched and looked around in shock as if she expected another Moyena family unrted to her own to be the object of Zoemi''s unbound wrath, but got a cold shoulder as the ck-haired boy turned away, showing her and her brother his back.

    "What was that about?"

    Elsby asked looking back at the Moyena siblings that managed to shake off the shock and fear that Zoemi caused them enough to move to the back of the line and wait their turn to greet the young king properly.

    "Just another matter added to my to-do list. Actually, it might be worth to sent one of my other little ones to..."

    "Pardon the rudeness, young master, but you were the one to say that we barely have enough forces to pull off the n. Young Reo was a strong person, the matter can wait."

    The ck-haired boy hesitated and wondered, but the dark-blue-haired young-looking man patted his shoulder both reminding and trying to reassure him of the previously taken decision.

    "Grandpa... you''re right."

    Zoemi looked back at the serious expression Benevirau was making and breathed out having the tension leave him ¨C or rather lower to a reasonable degree that did not make him release so much murderous aura that other people couldn''t help but back off in fear.

    "Representing the Espine family ¨C Miriette Lisea Espine and her attendants!"

    It also happened just in time for another''s guest appearance and announcement ¨C an appearance that made almost everyone turn their heads towards the entrance and the staircase leading to it.

    Miriette showed up in a brilliant deep-green dress with ck ents and was clearly basking in the attention.

    She was a rather controversial figure that day especially.

    After all, everyone knew that her engagement to the current king was under reevaluation while thetter was still the prince.

    Officially nothing was canceled, but at the same time in those kinds of situations reevaluation always meant the brief period before breaking everything off.

    The girl being the center of attention only smiled confidently in response to the looks she got and moved a strand of her dark hair that broke loose from the intricate hairstyle back into ce with her gloved hand.

    The hairstyle was also interesting ¨C Miriette didn''t dye the tinum streak in her fringe but instead had it styled in a way that looked like a part of the essory adorning her head.

    As she descended the staircase with such confidence as if she was the most important person during the evening, she was followed by three other people.

    ¡­or four, depending on how one looked at it...

    They were in order ¨C Teo, the younger of the twins that were originally Horeo''s attendants, Mirienne / Roiso, the acid magician, and the pure-white Metavicero.

    Teo was dressed in a butler''s uniform, very official looking and more expensive than the ones she usually wore.

    Mirienne and Roiso wore a frilly pink dress that matched their neon-pink eyes ¨C at the same time, they certainly didn''t let go of their hazmat suit with magic stones embedded into it, so the overall look could make others confused... putting it lightly, that is...

    Metavicero were full-on white with a dress that looked sculpted from the delicate fresh snow ¨C which actually could be true, knowing what kind of variant attribute she possessed.

    The fact that the looks of the three girls passing off as attendants didn''t cause a huge uproar was the best showcase of how much presence Miriette alone had ¨C as always, she overwhelmed everyone and everything until she got what she wanted, whatever it was.

    The proud dark-haired girl looked around the ballroom benevolently, briefly locking eyes with Zoemi who shook his head discreetly.

    "..."

    That made Miriette furrow her brow the tiniest bit - originally, they were aiming to have the four girls enter right after the delegation from Barbaria nation - but the diplomats from the troublesome country have either missed their allotted timing by ident or were aiming for the dramaticte entrance.

 Chapter ?545 Chapter 180 - Grand Ball (part 4)

    Chapter ?545 Chapter 180 - Grand Ball (part 4)

    If it wasn''t an unfortunate timing, then the so-called diplomatic delegation wasn''t really set to show the goodwill of their country.

    With how things looked, it really did seem that something will happen during the celebration, the question was when exactly, though...?

    Zoemi was carefully watching the entire ballroom seeking unique shadows that would reveal the hiding enemies, but unfortunately, the number of people present was making it unbelievably troublesome.

    There were a few times when the ck-haired boy was about to rm the others about a person who might have been possessed by Kiorterell because of the elements of their unique shadow not matching most of its structure, only to realize a secondter that it was simply a part of another person''s unique shadow sticking through.

    The situation wasn''t improved by all of them gathered there either.

    Miriette with her magic switched into the time attribute mode had her unique shadowpletely block over a quarter of the ballroom, things were the same with Benevirau too.

    It was a bit better with Elsby, Ettemi, and Oemir ¨C those three could influence their shadows to some degree, making them stick together, and giving Zoemi the chance to properly observe.

    It wasn''t the perfect choice, but the decision had to be made between expecting someone to show up but not have everyone on hand and ready or having everyone ready and expecting something to happen.

    "..."

    "...?"

    Zoemi felt someone''s eyes on him and when he turned around he saw the brown eyes of Teo looking at him longingly.

    It has been quite a long time since the two of them had the chance to even see each other, not to mention talk ¨C or a least it felt like it.

    The short brown-haired girl in the butler''s uniform seemed to be so keen toe up to the ck-haired boy that it wouldn''t be odd if she just left her group and sprinted towards him.

    Thankfully that did not happen.

    "Ettemi, tell Teo that we will meet up afterward, so she better behave well and acts ording to n."

    Zoemi smiled and waved his hand at the short brown-haired attendant while tilting his head towards the first of his corpse puppet sentinels and whispering.

    "Okay~!"

    Ettemi perked up and dered with confidence, rying the message without showing it in any way whatsoever and keeping things conspicuous.

    After that Teo gulped down her saliva and backed off, and even started talking with the other two as they followed Miriette.

    Truth be told, all three so-called attendants were getting quite troubled because Miriette wasn''t just politely queuing up but going straight towards the very front as if everyone else was simply beneath her.

    ...which was what she did think ¨C she wasn''t as bad as Horeo, but she certainly didn''t see herself as being on the same level as the other nobles.

    "Lord Banemor, it''s a pleasure to see you, as always."

    The only stop that she made on her way to Horeo was Zoemi ¨C the dark-haired girl simply couldn''t stop herself and spoke up boldly, reaching out her hand for the ck-haired boy to kiss in an official greeting while the rest of the distraction group was fidgetting nervously behind her, trying to make eye contact with Zoemi to make sure that it was okay.

    But even as they did, Zoemi was looking only at Miriette.

    "Mydy. I am bothered by your surname ¨C we need to make sure you change it fast. Mine would suit you much better."

    "!!!"

    This was certainly not a part of the n, but simr to Miriette, Zoemi just couldn''t stop himself and dered with an extremely evil-looking smirk while bowing down towards Miriette''s hand and cing a light kiss on top of the green velvet glove she wore.

    The disturbance that this phrase had caused made such an impact on the other guests that for a moment both Miriette and Zoemi''s groups thought that the Ghosts of Bellcephora showed up.

    "Who knows? The king had a previous reservation though, you might want to discuss things with him first."

    Miriette responded yfully, immediately shutting everyone up.

    Not because her words were all that shocking- she did seem to lead the young man on, but she didn''t confirm nor denied anything ¨C it was just that everyone was holding their breaths waiting for the response that Zoemi would give her.

    Will he be upset?

    Worried that his joke didn''tnd properly?

    Get excited and do something unbelievably stupid like challenging the young monarch for a duel over the girl''s hand.

    "Why won''t we do that just now? Wouldn''t it be splendid? Getting a blessing from my cousin on that joyous asion would double the reason for festivities~"

    |...and would certainly make things more fun for Horeo too...|

    Neither of the choices was picked by the ck-haired boy, and instead, he straightened his back without letting go of the dark-haired girl''s hand and moved, guiding her towards the spot where she was already going in the first ce.

    "You could have pulled me over and steal a kiss ¨C it would be just like a scene from my romance novels"

    Miriette managed to control the smile forcing its way on her face but didn''t try to stop the blush while pointing out in an excited whisper.

    "Miri, if I did that then Arisu and Ghosts of Bellcephora would not be the first to blow up the royal castle ¨C the guests here would do that for them from collectively losing their mind."

    Zoemi snickered in response, leaning close and whispering into the dark-haired girl''s ear.

    "Not to mention that I prefer that author''s other book. The one you referring to is a tragedy."

    He added yfully while moving forward.

    "Hmph~! Maybe so."

    Miriette puffed ut her cheek slightly embarrassed, but her expression changed almost immediately.

    "Is it really okay for you to touch me like that? Wouldn''t that mess up your mana?"

    The dark-haired girl muttered in a worried voice, ncing down at their locked hands.

    "You received those gloves, especially for that reason but you are still worried? It''s okay, I promise. See?"

    For a moment Zoemi''s evil smirk turned into a happy smile and he raised their locked hands and gently kissed the tips of Miriette''s fingers.

    "...tease..."

    The dark-haired girl muttered and faced away bashfully, tightening the grip on Zoemi''s hand with their intertwined fingers.

    With their respective entourages following them with varying degrees of being troubled varying from person to person, the pair got in front of the line.

    "Thank you for your kindness."

    Zoemi nodded at the definitely not happy lord Derizno, who honestly looked as if he was being slipped in the face where the group cut into line right in front of him just about when it was his turn to officially greet the new king.

    "Calm down, child."

    "...!"

    It really did look as if lord Derizno would try to say something about the rude actions, but Benevirau used the chance and shut him up ¨C many people gathered in the ballroom knew that the dark-blue-haired young-looking butler actually wasn''t just a simple head butler of the Banemor family and immediately swallowed whatever words he wanted to use and backed off slightly green in the face.

    Lord Victureo and his wife ¨C the pair that just finished the greeting - nced back and nodded at Zoemi and Miriette without even attempting to get mixed in the situation and left off in the general direction of the buffet where most of the normal conversation and greetings were taking ce.

    "I see that while I was about to die out of boredom you found a nice way to keep yourself entertained while we wait."

    Horeo greeted them with a benevolent expression that hid the real amusement that he felt after witnessing everything that urred up until that point.

    "Always doing our best, your majesty."

    Miriette sickered and curtsied politely while everyone except Zoemi kneeled on one knee as was the custom.

    "You weren''t supposed to bring them though, remember?"

    The ck-haired boy wasn''t nearly as amused though and stealthily motioned at the two girls behind the young king.

    The first one was Veo, the older twin sister of Teo, the attendant who always stayed by Horeo side, while the other one was Patishi, the girl who turned from a kitchen hand to the personal cook of the future royal couple and then to the prince, and now king''s other personal attendant.

    Neither of them wore their usual maid''s attire and instead wore proper ballroom dresses fitting them so well that it was unthinkable to even consider they weren''t custom-made.

    "It''s best if people will get used to seeing them as much as possible, not to mention that I only said that I would not bring them if I will not be absolutely sure to keep them safe. I have no doubt about that though."

    Horeo shrugged his shoulders and pointed at two halosposed of twelve golden orbs each hovering over the two attendants.

    "Tell me if he is working you too hard, deep within he is a good person, but he also can''t understand people less talented than himself."

    Zoemi leaned to the side and spoke to the two girls who both looked at their young king, then at themselves, and then snorted at the same time.

    "Lord Zoemi, I am pretty sure that by this point we know more about master''s soft and hard sides than you."

    "..."

    Veo allowed herself a rather sleazy smile and Zoemi noticed that Horeo had to brace himself to not react in any way to her words, which in and of itself made him think...

    ...a lot...

    "Big brother Zoemi...!"

    On the other hand, Patishi fidgetted, ying around with the longish hair she painstakingly cared for and was growing out for over a year already.

 Chapter ?546 Chapter 181 - Grand Ball (part 5)

    Chapter ?546 Chapter 181 - Grand Ball (part 5)

    "Look! I got breasts now!"

    The one-year-younger girl eximed with excitement and moved her elbows towards her belly button to prove that it was not a lie.

    "Congrattions!"

    Zoemi cheered out smiling brightly, happy for Pattishi''s happiness.

    "..."

    While that happened, everyone from the group looked at Patishi''s chest too, but then for whatever reason, everyone except Zoemi got their gazes pulled over towards Miriette.

    "...pffft...!"

    Even the young king was the same, and as his eyes slid down from his former fiancee''s neck straight to her waist with almost no obstruction, even he couldn''t stop himself and snorted.

    "If you know what''s good for you ¨C stop right there."

    ¡­he did so knowing full well how much it would piss off Miriette, and judging by the dark-haired girl''s reaction, he waspletely right...

    Miriette breathed out and rxed the free hand that she was clenching into a fist to stop herself from covering her most modest chest and red at the gold-haired king.

    "I don''t know what you are talking about, youngdy Espine."

    "You are lucky I know you so well."

    Horeo shrugged his shoulders to which Miriette immediately responded with a scoff.

    "...where is the delegation from Barbaria nation...?"

    Surprisingly, Miriette used the chance to lean forwards and ask discreetly, making it look like she was embarrassed.

    "...that''s the problem ¨C they all got to their rooms to freshen up and dress for the asion, but none of them left. When I had guards check up on them, the rooms were empty but the Barabaria''s people belongings were still there. We are still looking for them."

    The young king reported without changing hisposed, benevolent expression although the matter he was talking about was very much serious and worrisome.

    "Wha...?! And you didn''t think about informing us about it?!"

    Miriette straightened her back, taken aback by the carefreeness of the gold-haired youth.

    "Are you sure that they didn''t run off or teleported away with the help of someone outside the ce? Or were secretly disposed of?"

    Elsby furrowed her brows and asked from her spot, getting the attention of others.

    "They did not and were not, I''m certain. That''s why I believe the Ghosts might be involved ¨C although I can''t really see the reason to remove someone working with them away from the castle. Unless they are trying to blow the whole things up..."

    Horeo turned to the former Ghosts member and answered, watching her carefully.

    "We have dealt with a whole bunch of troublesome officials back in our dutiful days ¨C this does sound like something we would do. You set up the shadow gate under the door and the target drops at the moment they enter their room, thinking the darkness at their feet is their own shadow or whatever. Although usually, the gate would close the moment the target was shoulders-deep in the shadow gate, swiftly beheading them."

    "..."

    The jet-ck-haired woman revealed, looking between the king and everyone listening to her exnation.

    "You know, to send a message."

    Elsby added, smiling obliviously without thinking about the weight of her words.

    "This suddenly does sound a lot more like they are going to blow the entire ce into smithereens..."

    Horeo''s voice turned a lot more serious and he squinted his eyes, making the countless lights of the massive chandeliers up in the high ceiling flicker.

    "We once wiped off an entire city like that too but it was in order to gain more mana from killing the citizens... hmm..."

    The jet-ck-haired woman added after a brief moment of hesitation.

    "What is it?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and asked, ticked off about the young-looking woman''s tone.

    "Abduction would make sense if they wanted to drain their mana first... but... that''s stupid. They are allied with the Barbaria nation, right...? Then why is my intuition telling me that it''s all done to make Cherro stronger...?"

    Elsby tilted her head and wondered, staring right into Zoemi''s eyes.

    "...almost all of my kids weren''t enough to get him to the limit...?!"

    The ck-haired boy tensed up and sew through his teeth, without questioning the former Ghosts'' intuition even for a moment.

    "Dad, don''t do that."

    "Dad, when you are like this, your mana spews out really fast and it''s hard to absorb it all."

    Zoemi''s corpse puppet sentinels cried out in hushed voices, approaching him from both sides ¨C Ettemi peeking over Miriette''s shoulder to have a good look at the young man''s face.

    "...oh... I''m sorry..."

    Zoemi bit his lip and nodded apologetically, before looking back at Horeo and realizing that even the gold-haired best friend of his had tensed up after the disy of the aura.

    "Since when did your eyes light up? I was aware of the opposite, actually, but this is something new..."

    Horeo breathed out and rxed as the dreadful aura dissipated and asked, motioning his chin at his best friend.

    "Wait... my eyes do what now...?"

    Zoemi blink a few times, taken aback by the observation, and nced over the rest of his group ¨C especially his two corpse puppet sentinels.

    "They sure did just now."

    "They definitely did have this ominous gleam about them when you pushed my sh... snow in."

    Horeo confirmed and Metavicero stepped closer and vigorously confirmed the king''s words by adding her own experience.

    "They do, dad."

    "Yeah, and it''s always when you use you move your mana around a lot!"

    Oemir and Ettemi also joined in, nodding their heads all serious.

    "...is that so...?"

    The ck-haired boy bit his lip and fell deep in thoughts...

    "Master, lord Arisu showed up together with his wife ¨C should I tell the guards to...?"

    Still, it was not the perfect time for that at all, Veo moved forward and informed Horeo while gently putting her hand on the gold-haired young man''s side while looking towards the entrance.

    "Representing the Lazaram family! Arisu Karde Lazaram and his wife Ehmi Gamemi Lazaram!"

    The herald did his job and announced the new arrivals properly introducing the pair. The tall and handsome Arisu was wearing a splendid white tuxedo with ck lining while Ehmi, only slightly shorter than her husband, had her long crimson hair hanging loosely all the way to her knees epassing her curvacious figure far better than the far too skimpy red dress she was wearing.

    Despite looking the part, the white-haired youngster certainly didn''t feel like waiting to get attention.

    As it turned out he was the type to try and get things himself first because he immediately descended the staircase and was basically pulling Ehmi together with him, beelining it for the king and the group greeting him.

    "..."

    Horeo squinted his eyes to hide the murderous re he was sending his step-brother, but Zoemi wasn''t as calm and moved in front of Miriette, shielding her from even the gaze of the approaching potential threat.

    "Young Horeo, fancy meeting you here!"

    Arisu tried to sneak a nce at Miriette, but gave up immediately and faced the young king the moment he saw Zoemi.

    "Nothing changed then ¨C you are as rude as you are stupid, mister Lazaram. Unless you believe I am really into collecting g and wearing fancy hats, you should recognize the object on my head ¨C not to mention you should be aware of the reason that the party you epted the invitation and showed up for is happening?"

    Seeing Zoemi not holding back all that much, Horeo also stopped carrying and straight up said his thoughts to Arisu out loud.

    "Now, now ¨C that was a little slip of the tongue ¨C insignificant mistake. Although to my memory, as the head of the Lazaram family, I never approved of your ascension to the throne."

    "Only insignificant mistake here is you being born ¨C which truth be told can be arranged to be corrected fast enough."

    Horeo definitely went overboard and broke a few rules of polite speech, but truth be told, he already hated Arisu with all of his heart and now he was taunted by him to boot...

    "I only jest. Your Highness. Together with my lovely partner, we brought you some gifts... please receive them and forgive my misbehavior from just now."

    Arisu merelyughed it off and waved his hand dismissively while ncing over at Ehmi by his side who was tensely observing the entire ballroom as if in anticipation of something.

    "...?"

    Horeo didn''t say a thing and only raised his brow, allowing himself a quick nce at Zoemi and Miriette who exchanged suspicious looks with him.

    "I believe that seeing them will alleviate some of the worries you carry with you."

    Arisu smiled, putting his hand forward and opening his palm towards the floor.

    *plop* *smack* *p*

    The next moment his eyes and hair became jet ck and a small circr shadow gate opened under his arm and three objects fell out and rolled under Horeo''s feet.

    ...the severed heads of the former king, queen, and the royal magician...

    "Do you li...?"

    *BOOOOOOOOOM*

    "...!"

    The moment that Arisu opened his mouth and spoke a ray of light shot out from the golden sphere that appeared next to Horeo''s shoulder, just materializing in the air and hitting the young man before his hair and eyes could get back to normal, leaving Ehmipletely stunned and wide eyed as her husband was thrown all across the ballroom and smashed against the opposite wall.

    Truly ¨C attacks done with the light magic were the fastest ¨C and it was nigh impossible to dodge them point-nk.

    "Whoa... hit hard! You might be tougher than I anticipated!"

    At first, the aristocrats present could not evenprehend what has happened ¨C only after seeing the white-haired young man stand up from the rubble and dust off his tuxedo with a mocking smile did they look back at the young king... and noticed the severed heads...

 Chapter ?547 Chapter 181 - Grand Ball (part 6)

    Chapter ?547 Chapter 181 - Grand Ball (part 6)

    For a few surreal moments, no one could trulyprehend what was actually going on ¨C the music was still ying some of the aristocrats present couldn''t even properly see what was under the young king''s feet... and some even missed the lightning-fast attack of the gold-haired young man on his half-brother.

    "Do you also agree that a celebration such as this requires more gifts?"

    *click* *WHOOOM* *thump* x 7

    ...but then Arisu''s hair and eyes became jet-ck again and at the snap of his fingers a few small shadow gates appeared right above the buffet table and more severed heads dropped from them straight into the food.

    "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

    Despite not even recognizing any of the faces, when a severed head suddenly drops into a te of tartines, sshing the various toppings around, there was no way that people within the ssh zone would remain calm...

    The music cut off immediately as most people activated their defensive spells, instinctively grouping ones with their loved ones and allies.

    ":...the delegation from Barbaria..."

    One of the few calmest people was of course the young king Horeo ¨C the gold-haired young man needed a single nce at the mutted body parts to recognize to whom they belonged and sigh.

    "So that is how you treat your allies? Peculiar. Although I do not expect intelligence from someone like you."

    Horeo scoffed dismissively and threerge spheres of light appeared next to him and started orbiting his body.

    One above his head, one right under his chest, and one below his waist.

    At the same time, the halosprised of golden spheres hovering above Patishi and Veo spread around, covering their heights and orbiting them at varying, uneven speeds.

    "They were never my allies ¨C they were a necessary evil that a hero such as myself had to work with to achieve my purpose. Now that I reunited with my real allies, it was time to wipe that evil from the face of the earth."

    Arisu brushed off the dust that got on his tuxedo and stepped forward, dering proudly in a confident and unwavering voice.

    "...Horeo..."

    Zoemi whispered and carefully checked the room for any trace of the Ghosts of Bellcephora ¨C who were not Elsby ¨C but for now, it seemed that they were not there.

    "...I will y along for now with this idiocy..."

    Horeo breathed out and nodded towards the ck-haired boy although he seemed to be very much annoyed.

    "Arisu ¨C think about what you are saying. How could you be sure that someone in Barbaria nation didn''t have a loose tongue and spread the information about you working together with them around? Are you nning on genocide? That doesn''t sound very hero-like to me."

    Although Horeo was quite good with acting, his current performance was not very convincing for anyone who actually knew him.

    That was most definitely not the question that the gold-haired king wanted to ask personally. It probably wasn''t even something that he wanted to ask about in the first ce, at all.

    But it was a part of the n that best matched the circumstances.

    "Genocide is such a strong word though. Think about it for a moment, almost no one in the Bellcephora Kingdom remembered or even knew that Bararia existed. Wiping them out changed nothing for anyone. Unless I will open a shadow gate and start stacking their heads in the courtyard, no one will be bothered in the slightest."

    "..."

    Zoemi, Horeo, and Miriette exchanged grim looks after listening to Arisu''s boasting.

    The variant sage wasn''t saying that as if he was nning on killing every single citizen of Barbaria nation ¨C he was speaking as if he had already done that.

    "...you met Carcassuss and the rest, didn''t you..."

    The jet-ck-haired woman in Zoemi''s group crossed her arms defensively and said in a grim voice, not really asking but rather stating a fact.

    "What an odd thing to ask about ¨C but I should expect that from a weirdo like you."

    Arisu nced at her and waved his hand dismissively as if Elsby wasn''t worth his attention.

    "Horeo, aren''t you happy about having one less problem to deal with? I would say that the entire Bellcephora kingdom owes me a favor. Those Barbarians wanted to start a full-blown war and I ended swiftly. Wouldn''t you say that''s how a hero should act?"

    The young man whose hair and eyes once again turned white looked back at the young king and smirked. Despite his handsome face, there was something unhinged about the aura surrounding him as well as the expression in his eyes...

    While the talk continued, the more than worried guests tried to leave at least the ballroom, preferably the royal castle and even the capital itself.

    Unfortunately, that wasn''t the case as the moment the doors opened they revealed a pitch-ck void that could not be entered or destroyed no matter the attempts ¨C even though there were quite many desperate ones.

    "Oh? Mom and dad promised to not show up before the grand reveal, but I guess they are right. Everyone should stay until the very end so they would not get the wrong idea."

    When the people began to swarm the window and one by one discovered that upon opening them the exact same void awaited them, Arisu chuckled and nodded his head with a pleased smile.

    "Lady Elsby, considering the babbling fool is off to his own world, could you exin to me why you think that he did encounter your former colleagues?"

    Horeo raised his brow, getting just a little bit annoyed about the whole hero talking from someone two years older than him, and turned towards the jet-ck-haired woman.

    "Exterminating an entire country all at once. At the tail end of our search for greater power when just killing strong magicians and sages was not enough, we did try it once or twice on nations past Atreterve. You know, to see whether gaining mana from multiple different sources all at once would push us past the ceiling of the human capabilities, young king."

    Elsby curtsied properly and satiated Horeo''s hunger for knowledge although in terms of good manners she only added the young man''s proper title at the very end of her exnation.

    "You... why are you ignoring me in favor of that dirty woman?"

    Arisu tensed up and asked, staring daggers at Horeo who didn''t look particrly worried.

    "..."

    The young king opened his mouth to answer but he furrowed his brows and made a sour expression looking at the white-haired man.

    *BOOOOOOOOOM* x3 *crumble*

    "!!!"

    At the very same moment, three light beamsunched consecutively and hit Arisu square in the chest, sending him flying at the wall, and with all of thembined they actually broke him through to the outside.

    The funniest part about it was that the initial shock of the bystanderssted only a few seconds because they realized that the brand new hole was not covered by the pitch-ck darkness and was actually leading outside.

    "Some questions don''t deserve to even be acknowledged, much less answered."

    "I like your way of thinking, young king."

    Horeo scoffed, ring at the hole in the wall, to which Elsby smiled cheerfully and breathed out a little less tense than a moment earlier.

    "Now then. Ehmi. You already did pick a side, but if you want to change your mind, this is yourst chance."

    "E-eh...?"

    Zoemi took a deep breath and stepped forward towards the tense crimson-red-haired young woman, who couldn''t a confused yelp leaving her mouth.

    "I want to be on the winning side..."

    Ehmi blushed at her own reaction and straightened her back trying to make herself look more confident, even though she really wasn''t.

    "Yeah, I figured ¨C that''s why I am asking... listen. I am only asking you that because I saw the other you getting majorly screwed over and I feel sorry. I alone have thousands of reasons to finish you off where you stand."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and nodded before noticing Ettemi and Oemir fidgeting nervously behind him and feeling sorrow and rage reignite in his core together with previously undiscovered deposits of unbridled hatred.

    Actually ¨C why was he even giving this Ehmi a chance?

    The one he felt bad about was Ehmi from a different timeline, the one who was possessed by the presence for months and lost control because of the death of her beloved younger brother.

    The one in front of him helped kill his sentinels, his children...

    "You have no idea what will happen from this point. No matter how confident you are, Arisu is stronger than you can ima..."

    "Alright, that''s a no then."

    The crimson-haired young woman bit her lips and dered ¨C and was cut off by the ck-haired young man who literally breathed out in relief that his proposition was rejected.

    "...?"

    Ehmi flinched and furrowed her brows not sure what to say next. She nced at the others from behind Zoemi, but no one seemed keen on attacking her.

    ...maybe beside Miriette who was ring at her, but that could be just Miriette being her jealous self...

    "Roi... hmmm... guess not... Miss Metavi. Would you take care of Ehmi for me? I believe I am too angry to properly resolve the situation with her. You on the other hand are the most coolheaded person here."

    Zoemi said but then gritted his teeth, changing his mind halfway and breathing out before directing the question towards the white-as-snow girl.

    "I... pfft...! Why are you so cute...?!"

    "Hey! Don''t you dare fall for him too!"

    Metavicero raised her brows before snorting and giggling ¨C if not for the side effect of the experiments done on her that left her skin permanently pure white, she would be blushing ¨C Roiso and Mirienne knew that so she tensed up and called out in a high-pitched voice.

    "You really have no idea what ising."

    The tension was definitely on the low side and it made Ehmi clench her fists and grit her teeth in anger at being underestimated.

 Chapter ?548 Chapter 181 - Grand Ball (part 7)

    Chapter ?548 Chapter 181 - Grand Ball (part 7)

    "No. I am quite certain that you are the one with no idea."

    Metavicero smiled and walked to the side, unting her incredible figure, that even Ehmi had a hard time matching, while a small piece of her dress detached from the rest and turned into a snowball that started rolling towards the wall next to the crimson-haired young woman.

    "I''ll take the sixth window and go early, okay?"

    The otherworldy white girl spun around and motioned towards one of the windows pried open by the people who tried to escape through it ¨C a window that was most definitely blocked by the darkness...

    ...that was no longer pitch-ck but rather murky ck...

    "You will take it? What is that supposed to...?"

    "Go ahead ¨C in case you will be in a tight spot. Run."

    Ehmi frowned, not amused by the behavior of the other girl in the slightest, but was talked over by confident Zoemi.

    "Thank you~ Now then. Dumbass redhead. Let''s go."

    Metavicero winked at Zoemi before ncing over at Ehmi as she walked towards the chosen window.

    "Who would react to that, you bi-KYAAAH?!"

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    Angered Ehmi nced over at the obviously hostile group but when no one else made a move she turned back to the white-as-snow girl and scoffed ¨C but just then the small snowball that Ehmi ignored, underestimating it as insignificantly weak, erupted into a massive avnche that hit and carried her all the way to the window, pushing her through right into the murky darkness.

    "Aaaaaand sealed~!"

    Metavicero nodded with augh and sped her hands together as the fresh snow turned out into hard as stone frozen mass blocking the window.

    *click*

    Oemir snapped their fingers and the frozen snow got engulfed in the murky darkness and disappeared, leaving only the normal window with the view of the outside of the castle lighted up by the few magic crystalmps and the moonlight.

    "Lord Banemor, if you hated that girl so much, you could have told me to deal with her. If that was my acid instead of big sis''s snow..."

    Roiso fidgetted, looking up bashfully at the back of the ck-haired boy.

    "Believe me, I was this close to asking you..."

    Zoemi said raising his right hand and straight up touching his index finger and thumb together to demonstrate his point.

    "...but knowing how much of a stuck-up moron I was in another timeline I chose this oue... All in all, Ehmi is out of the picture for now so... How about you will stop ying around and tell us your ns or whatever the third-rate viins that think they are heroes do? Cherro."

    The ck-haired boy breathed out heavily as if he himself was disappointed with his decision, and red at the hole in the wall where everyone other than them already evacuated through.

    "...you know about different timelines and even my real name... I knew that it could not be a coincidence that Zoemi always messed up my ns..."

    The white-haired Arisu ¨C or rather Cherro ¨C walked back inside the ballroom, taking off the ripped jacket and throwing it to the side while ring at Zoemi almost with the same amount of hatred that the ck-haired boy was looking at him with.

    "Ah, ah, ah... so annoying ¨C but I guess a hero is not a hero without a proper viin that needs to be defeated. It makes so much sense now. Zoemi keeps me from my true love time and time again, countless lifetimes, countless failures... It''s almost annoying how good you were with ying a clueless idiot up until now."

    Arisu was no more, the personality made up only to appease the people around him so that he could ascend the throne was dropped by Cherro the moment he thought that the secret was out of the bag.

    What was really surprising to Zoemi, though, was the fact that it sounded like the hero talk was not a part of the act at all and the white-haired young man really considered himself to be one.

    "You lulled me into a false sense of security with those fake darkness barriers ¨C but that''s about it. I just need to adjust. You have some fools with you ¨C even though I don''t need help dealing with them all, I want to show you the power of family and friendship."

    Cherro dered, spreading his arms open.

    For the third time that evening, his eyes and hair turned jet-ck...

    |...this guy didn''t just say that. He did not say that he has the power of friendship. Nope. I must have misheard him...|

    Meanwhile, Zoemi was doing his very best to fight the headache that Cherro had caused him with his previously unknown variant attribute ¨C talking.

    |Let''s erase him for good so no one needs to suffer him.|

    The original personality called out from the depths of the ck-haired boy''s mind, cheering him on with unceasing rage burning brightly in his artificial soul.

    "Ugh...!"

    "...?"

    While Cherro was concentrating Teo trembled and let out a disgruntled noise while backing off.

    "Yeah, I rte to that reaction, this guy is... huh...?"

    Zoemi breathed out and smirk at the short brown-haired girl in a butler''s uniform, only to then froze in ce, stunned.

    With the massive shadows o almost everyone in his group, Zoemi had a hard time differentiating the unique shadows that were in line with standard sizes ¨C such as the one that Teo had.

    Still, a second ago the unique shadow in form of a stone golem was just as it always was, but not anymore.

    Teo groaned in pain, grabbing onto her ear where a tiny ck spot reced the hole for an earring and her unique shadow suddenly grew a few pairs of arms and a second head.

    Only once did Zoemi see something simr.

    During the tournament for Ehmi''s hand, the judge possessed by Kiorterell had his shadow changed because of the Ghosts possessing him!

    "Metavi! Freeze her!"

    "Wha...? O-okay...!"

    The ck-haired boy roared, causing the colorless girl to gasp in shock before adjusting to the situation and reaching her hands toward the suffering Teo.

    *GUBLUB*

    "...!"

    Unfortunately, all of the reactions were toote. The ck spot on Teo''s ear spread out, engulfing her in the jet-ck darkness and the girl''s body turned into a puddle of jet-ck liquid that spread around, having everyone except Miriette jump away from it.

    The ck puddle then turned into a shadow gate and every single remaining Ghosts of Bellcephora emerged from it with more than confident expressions.

    All while the stunned group could only watch.

    "Teo...?! TEO!"

    *click*

    The disintegrated girl''s older twin sister, Veo cried out and tried to run towards the liquidy remains that got stepped on by the Ghosts but she was stopped by Horeo who looked at her and Patishi apologetically and snapped his fingers, causing the two to disappear in a sh of golden light.

    "Aww. Do you think that anyone is safe from us? Just ask that traitor over next to you ¨C it''s not how things work, little guy~"

    One of the Ghosts, a skinny woman with long hair that was almost the length of Oktria''s hair snickered at the sceene...

    *#######*

    "...eh...? GUH-HUAGH...!"

    ...just to have a massive hole shot through her chest with a light beam before she properly finished her sentence.

    "...that wasn''t nice..."

    The woman groaned and stumbled back but did not fall ¨C there was also no blood of chunks of flesh or internal organs getting flung around as the Ghosts were no longer beings made of flesh but concentrated darkness mana.

    "Pffft! Bravo~! It seems you think you might stand a chance! Why don''t we give you a chance and have like five minutes head start to let you try to...?"

    "Shut the fuck up and move away from her."

    Another person pped their hands together andughed ¨C but then was talked over by ice-cold Miriette who was pointing the index finger at the puddle while tracing a counterclockwise circle in the air with no other visible effect except for her gaining more and more tinum hair each time she repeated the gesture.

    "Her...? Oh! The portal base? Why? Was she important to you? A precious friend? A...?"

    "Did I fucking stutter when I told you to shut the fuck up?"

    The Ghostsughed amongst each other ¨C one of them went even so far to grind the sole of their shoe against the jet-ck liquid ¨C which obviously wasn''t going to sit well with Miriette, who lost all dark green from her hair and eyes and spoke in a calm, bloodcurdling terrifying voice.

    Both the new color and the words of the tinum-haired girl caused the Ghosts and Cherro to stop in ce in shock.

    "...my mana is getting drained like crazy... kill as many as you can...!"

    Getting stopped like that wasn''t just for show ¨C Miriette was literally using her second attribute ¨C time ¨C to capture every single one of their enemies in the moment of eternity cut out from the timeline.

    *click*

    _)(*&%^#$$%^&*(_

    Horeo raised his brows and snapped his fingers with a dry sound ¨C the next moment bringing golden light engulfed the entire ballroom, hiding whatever the others were doing.

    "AS IF I LET YOU!

    Despite everything, one Ghosts managed to break through the power of the time attribute spell and move ¨C a spot of jet-ck darkness in the sea of light.

    Kirissu, original Cherro''s mother and the vicemander of the Ghosts of Bellcephora, roared and a torrent of ckness erupted from her stump and wrapped her and a few closest Ghosts and Cherro in thick cacoons, protecting them from instant disintegration.

    [I...! I will not let it end like this...!]

    ...but that only caused the intensity of the golden light to increase a thousandfold and overwrite the darkness after everyone present heard a voice of a child scared to tears...

 549 Chapter 182

    When the light faded ¨C only Horeo and Carcassuss, the leader of the Ghosts of Bellcephora were left with others either erased or teleported away ording to n.

    "...you brats have the help of the presence, I felt her power in that attack...!"

    As Miriette''s spell wore out, the giant man with the massive scar going down his face and torso regained his ability to move and hissed furiously while ring at the indifferent young king who seemed to be too busy having the crown stay properly on his head than the threat in front of him.

    "You have more pressing matters to attend to than some emotionally underdeveloped almost god, royal bastard."

    "...so you know that she helped, huh..."

    After making sure the crown will stay on, king Horeo pointed out in a bored tone, making the royal bastard Carcassuss frown and clench his fists.

    "What if I do? Believe it or not, after I beat up Bellcephora she was kind enough to contact her creator for me. That kid is messed up, but helpful. But that is beside the point. Let me just show you why your inferiorityplex that pushed you into betraying the kingdom is not something in your head, but simply a fact."

    The monarch added, and his body began glowing with golden light like never before, not just adding some color to the young man''s body, but straight up making him look him look like a statue of solid gold.

    "Cocky brat... The trace of presence''s power is no more, so I can deal with you properly. You really remind me of my father ¨C especially that I will kill you just like I killed him. I can already imagine the desperation on your face the moment you realize that you can''t protect yourself against me."

    Carcassuss scoffed and put his right hand forward ¨C the next second an obsidian de matching the length of a two-handed sword emerged from the top of his wrist.

    The aura of death surrounding it was staggering ¨C Carcassuss darkness de had the simplest and most straightforward form amongst the Ghosts of Bellcephora, but it was also the strongest one amongst them all.

    A closebat spell made purely for killing and nothing else, no utility or defense ¨C only wiping off his opponent from the face of the earth for good.

    "Pfft...! You are so pathetic it almost makes me want to go easy on you~"

    Horeo snickered and instead of barraging the giant man with long-range light beams, he used a spell to create a de of light for himself to use.

    "Your funeral."

    Carcassuss scoffed and raised his darkness de.

    --------------------

    When Kirissu could see again, she found herself and two other Ghosts standing on a frozen in surrounded by snow-covered pine trees.

    "...that felt... odd... did the presence interfere...?"

    The woman thought to herself looking around cautiously.

    "Ghurgh...! Ffffffuuuucckkkk...! That huuuuuurts...! Why isn''t it healing upp...?!"

    Next to Kirissu, the long-haired woman who got a hole through her chest blown by Horeo''s light beam growled wing at the edges of the wound.

    "Krantha, Sveothirllo, can you contact the others? I don''t want to believe that this brat was powerful enough to get us all but... Cherro! Where is Cherro?!"

    The one-handed woman was acting like a vicemander should and began essing the situation before her motherly instinct reawakened and she gasped and started calling her son''s name while looking around in panic.

    "It huuuuurts...!"

    The woman with a hole through her chest cried out, too preupied with the pain to care for anything else.

    "I cannot sense anyone... I cannot sense even the two of you! What the hell is going on?!"

    The other Ghosts, a middle-aged pale woman with short curly hair answered the first part of Kirissu''s questions while looking around with a confused and almost fearful expression.

    Something like that never happened to the Ghosts of Bellcephora who thought themselves to be at the top of human capabilities.

    There were times when they were warded off but never were they so thoroughly messed up as they got this time.

    "We''re going back."

    After getting no response from her son that she was certain must have been still alive, Kirissu gulped down her saliva and dered.

    She waved her hand and the shadow that she cast thanks to the bright moonlight spread around and...

    *crack*

    p ...froze over and shattered into fine dust right under her feet...</anda>

    "Even mana can be frozen,dy. None of you are going anywhere."

    "...!"

    Two out of three Ghosts on the frozen in looked around in search of the owner of the voice find her not even trying to hide.

    Metavicero ¨C a pure-white girl wearing pure-white clothes was standing in front of them the whole time but it was just that she was mixing with the snow so well that as long as she didn''t move she was basically invisible.

    "Little bitch, what do you think you are doing?!"

    Kirissu roared furiously and activated her shadow de ¨C the darkness sipped down from her stump and formed a jet-ck monster arm muchrger than her other limb and almostically disproportionate to her body.

    "My job? I mean, I was kind of shoehorned in but I will notin about getting paired up with an actual water sage."

    Metavicero tilted her head and shrugged her shoulders acting surprised by the question asked by the unhinged vicemander of the Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    "Water... sage...?"

    "We meet again, Ghosts."

    Kirissu and the other Ghosts looked at each other when a person who was actually hiding his presence spoke up and revealed himself from behind the cover of snow and ice to the right of the jet-ck-haired sages.

    "Benevirau...!"<sub> </sub>

    Although Kirissu recognized the dark-blue-haired man too, the other Ghost was the first one to call his name out loud.

    "You... ummm... I don''t actually remember your name. It''s not important either, I only hope to deal with you fast enough to get a hand in killing Kiroterell."

    Benevirau furrowed his brows, trying and failing to remember details about the curly-haired woman whose mana signature and voice he couldn''t really recognize all that well.

    "Now then. Die."

    The dark-blue-haired man shrugged his shoulders and flicked his hand dismissively ¨C the next moment a thick fog rose from the frozen groundpletely engulfing the three Ghosts, blocking their view and erasing any sense of direction.

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    *SPLASH*

    "GHH...!"

    Next second a stream of highly pressurized water shot out of nowhere and Kirissu barely blocked it with her monster arm darkness de, letting out a furious gasp when even the deflected split streams ended up digging into the ground beneath her feet.

    "That... overconfident blind freak...!"

    "Fuuuck! It doens''t heal! It huuuuurts!"

    The curly-haired woman growled, actually offended that she wasn''t the target of the water sage''s attack while the one with a hole through her chest wailed in distress.

    "Shut up and focus, Sveothirllo. Krantha pull yourself together already too! I''ve got my son to protect! I am not going to lose him a second time!"

    Kirissu snapped at the other two and got even closer to them so that they would not get separated in the fog.

    Thankfully their darkness de spells worked pretty well together, so despite fighting an opponent who repelled their group in its full number in the past, Kirissu was still feeling pretty confident, although more and more impatient.

    "Tsk... I will be the one to finish him off."

    Sveothirllo clicked her tongue but wasn''t going to defy her vicemander''s order and activated her darkness de ¨C her hands got engulfed in liquid darkness that began pouring down onto the ground.

    "Do you recognize this, you old bling freak?! Rethaq had her mist while I have my water! I will show you why mine is stronger than yours!"

    The curly-haired woman snickered and the ck liquid started spreading around as if searching for the prey hidden within the fog...

    *crack*

    "...!"

    ... just to get frozen over and crumble into dust mere momentster when the manaprising it was frozen solid...

    "I get the feeling that you are forgetting about me. I don''t mind though, makes things easier."

    "OH, YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

    Metavicero called out through the fog causing Sveothirllo to growl in fury.

    "Krantha! Don''t stand there like that! Get rid of the fog with your darkness de!"

    "It huuuuuuuurts!"

    Sveothirllo roared but the woman with a hole through her chest wailed back, wing stronger and stronger at the wound.

    "Fucking useless...! Vice Commander, we can''t count on her to...!"

    *crack*

    "...ghhh...!"

    After the curly-haired woman cursed at her woundedrade under her breath, she turned to Kirissu toin but at the same moment, half of the monster''s palm broke off and shattered into icy dust causing the vicemander to let out a troubled hiss.

    *SPLASH*

    "FFUUUUUCK! LEAVE ME ALONE! IT HUUUURTS SO FUCKING MUUUUUUCH!"

    Before another second passed, a much weaker water attack got Krantha, but instead of wounding her it merely pissed her off as she got drenched and started screaming in fury.

    "UGHRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...!"

    "Finally!"

    The wounded woman roared and clumps of darkness began forming around her, causing Sveothirllo to breathe out in relief.

    *KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    "...AAAHKGJMGJHGBNHGNJHJNHGHJGBMVMHVJHMVJHGMVBJHMGJHVHMHVJG?!"

    "EH?!"

    Unfortunately for them, the feeling wasn''t meant tost because right after Sveothirllo breathed out, the sound of sizzling coupled with the awful stench filled the foggy air and the wounded woman''s roar turned into a barely recognizably growl of utter suffering as she copsed and started rolling in the snow trying to rip off her own skin.

    "Oh. You thought this fight was two on three? Sorry, it''s three on three."

    "Four on three, actually."

    Yet another voice resounded in the fog after Krantha started foaming from the mouth, short on breath ¨C and said voice added another sentence right after the first one was finished, although it was said in a slightly different mannerism.

 550 Chapter 182

    "Sveothirllo! Check up on what''s with Krantha! I will take care of them all."

    "But... urgh! Yes, sir!"

    Kirissu ordered, remaking her darkness de and looking around with a tense expression, to which the curly-haired woman agreed after a second of initial defiance.

    While the vicemander of the Ghosts of Bellcephora swung her monster arm to the ground and caused the darkness to spread around like roots of a massive tree digging into the ground, Sveothirllo walked over and kneeled by the howlingrade.

    "Shut up already! What they could do with water? Boil it? It can''t be that ba... OH, FUCK!"

    The curly-haired woman groaned at herrade andined before actually taking a look at the wailing woman and jumped away with fear and disgust as she felt actual fear for the first time in centuries.

    Krantha''s body was melting ¨C her entire front, face, arms, and what was left of her chest, stomach, and legs, were a mass of sizzling darkness that was disintegrating more and more.

    If it wasn''t for the fact that their bodies wereprised of darkness mana, there was no doubt that Krantha''s muscles and even bones would be exposed by now by the attack ¨C especially the near her face where her cries wereing out of a hole that was supposed to be mouth.

    "VICE COMMANDER! THEY GOT SOMEONE FUCKING WEIRD AS FUCK HERE! KRANTHA IS MELTING!"

    Sveothirllo roared getting as far away from her woundedrade as she could.

    "What...?!"

    *SPLASH* *SPLASH* *SPLASH* *SPLASH* *SPLASH* *SPLASH* *SPLASH*

    Kirissu gasped in shock and dodged the oing attack despite originally intending to block it like the highly pressured one at the beginning.

    *KSHHHHHHHHHH*

    The warning from Sveothirllo came just in time because as it turned out four out of seven attacks turned out to be the strange neon pink acid that began melting everything upon contact regardless of theposition of the material.

    Snow, earth, mana ¨C it all began sizzling and disappearing once the neon-pink liquid touched it.

    "VICE COMMANDER! DO SOMETHING! TRANSFORM OR WHATEVER TO CONFUSE THEM!"

    "BITCH! DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD BE USING FUCKING FOG IF THEY WERE RELIANT ON SIGHT?!"

    Sveothirllo screamed in panic which made Kirissu snap back in powerless anger.

    The vicemander of the Ghosts of Bellcepora bit her lips so hard she bit through exposing the jet-ck mana that reced her flesh.

    What they could really do? In a direct fight with opponents who knew what to expect and had ways to counter whatever they threw at them, while all of their spells were best suited for assassination... Things simply could not work in their circumstances! Assassins like them were like sitting ducks...

    The oue was already set in stone

    *crack*

    Kirissu didn''t even say a thing when her darkness de froze over and broke apart again just like every single attack or spell she or the other two used in the snowy ins.

    They had a chance...?

    Did she really think that at the start of the encounter?

    Water sage who literally cannot run out of mana, an odd snow-like ice magician who can freeze mana and cut off the source of their power, and another magician or two with unknown melting attributes who also affects mana even more than material tissue!

    The white-as-snow girl might have said she was shoehorned in on the job, but it was more than obvious to Kirissu that the group they were facing was handpicked to perfectly counter and overwhelm the three of them.

    The question was, how could anyone predict that to such a degree? Even with Elsby''s betrayal, could a bunch of brats really figure out which Ghost would survive the god-like attack and who will be in the range of her protection so they...

    "...wait...!"

    Kirissu flinched and tensed up in realization, gasping in disbelief.

    God-like attack...?

    If she still had a normal heartbeat, the one-handed woman would have her heartrate skyrocket at the moment of realization.

    She did feel the trace of the presence''s power in the attack that engulfed and killed almost all of her group before teleporting the rest.

    Yes, most definitely - she even pointed it to herself before they got attacked...!

    Could it...

    Could it be that the closest being to god that their world had was actually interfering with them?! After so long?! What was her purpose in doing so now?! She did y with time a few times, but never actually dared to affect the Ghosts directly in any way...!

    Regardless of that ¨C it was the most likely exnation ¨C presence interfering with them would exin why neither she nor her tworades couldmunicate with the rest of the remains of their group...!

    *SPLASH*

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    "!!!"

    The sound of both the acid attack and the pressurized water streaming her way jolted Kirissu from the depths of her own mind.

    "Hmp... h-hmmm...?"

    The vicemander was about to dodge but then found herself barely able to move as her body slowed down to a nightmarish sluggish tempo.

    [This is it for you, Mrs Kirissu.]

    A voice of a sad and scared child resounded within Kirissu''s mind together with an odd light that had no ce there.

    |P-presence...?! But...! W-weren''t you scared of us...?!|

    Kirissu''s mind was pierced by the cold de of fear as she saw in slow motion the two attacksing at her simultaneously.

    [...I am scared of you... but... even a mouse will try to fight for her life when cornered by a cat... although this is the first time I dared to interact with you to this extent... I... I really hate you...]

    The scared child was definitely shaking from fear as if shocked by her own actions ¨C but the meaning of her words was more than obvious.

    The being closest to god has personally chosen the Ghosts to die on that day.

    "...Cupcake..."

    *SPLASH* *SPLASH* *SPLASH* *SPLASH* *SPLASH* *SPLASH* *SPLASH*<sub> </sub>

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    *crack*

    Blobs of concentrated acid rained down on the petrified one-handed woman and dug into her body just to have the stream of highly pressurized water tear her apart into tiny charred pieces that got frozen over and shattered into fine icy dust in the wind as she whispered the nickname she used to tease her husband with...

    "VICE COMMANDER?! FUCK! SCREW THIS!"

    Sveothirllo shouted in panic when she witnessed the death of Kirissu and just bolted it through the mist leaving the half-dead Krantha behind without a second thought.

    *grab*

    "GHFIIIIIIIIIIIII?!"

    But before she could get away farther than a few steps, a hand clenched around her face, blocking her mouth and she got incapacitated by the dark-blue-haired man while standing.

    "You like water, don''t you? Here you are then."

    Benevirau said with an indifferent expression, causing a momentary confusion in Sveothirllo.

    "GHUWHU-GLUBGHLUBFGHLUBFGHGHGHLUBGHGUHGUGH...!"

    Before she knew it, the member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora got clear water pouring out of her nose, ears, eyes, and mouth causing her to go into a seizure.

    "Whoa...! A joint attack?! You really are going above and beyond to make me feel epted, mister Benevirau~!"

    Metavicero who tried to stay as close to the water sage since the beginning cheered out as she trotted through the fog and touched Sveothirllo''s forehead, turning her into an ice sculpture within a second.

    "It''s easy to ept capable people such as yourself, Miss. And speaking of..."

    The dark-blue-haired water sage shrugged his shoulders indifferently and his head to the side, causing the surrounding fog to dissipate back into the ground where it ascended from.

    "GHJUEGHUEGHUE... Ughue...? Ah..!"

    By doing so he revealed the maskless acid magician throwing up copious amount of neon pink acid and pouring it onto the quickly disintegrating remains of the third andst Ghosts they had to deal with on the snowy ins.

    "D-don''t tell lord Benevirau about what I just did! Okay?! Please!"

    "And don''t telldy Espine either!"

    The acid magician flinched and hurriedly put her gas mask back on while crying out pitifully using two different mannerisms one after the other.

    "Miss Mirienne, Miss Roiso, calm down. I didn''t see a thing and Miss Metavicero is already your friend. And... hmm...?"

    *crack*

    Benevirau assured the panicking girl and waved his hand dismissively, leaving it hanging in the air. The moment he let go of Sveothirllo''s frozen solid body, it shattered and turned into dust just like Kirissu''s remains.

    But that wasn''t the reason why he stopped talking ¨C instead, Benevirau closed his mouth because he felt something brushing off against his palm.

    "Miss Metavicero...?"

    The young-looking sage raised his brow and asked, he didn''t know what expression the white-as-snow girl was making at the moment, but he was sure that she just snuck her way under his hand and got herself a headpat.

    "...Metavi is fine... lord Banemor calls me that anyway..."

    If Metavicero could blush, she would be bright red just about now.

    The scene also looked quite interesting from Roiso and Mirienne''s perspective ¨C Metavicero was taller than Banavirau, so to get a headpat she was leaning down quite a bit, looking utterly adorable with the bashful expression on her face.

    "Speaking about lord Banemor! I know that the n had worked, but weren''t we supposed to be sent much closer to the pce? I thought that king has told us that he doesn''t have enough mana to actually teleport everyone more than a single territory away..."

    The acid magician showed off Zoemi-level of cluelessness and walked to the other two speaking in a bothered voice.

    "...haaah... your point...?"

    Metavicero breathed out in annoyance because of the disturbance and asked.

    "My point is this is definitely Perserios territory. Look, we can literally see the mountain where the free tribes settled!"

    The acid magician rolled her eyes and pointed out north.

    "...hmm... that definitely should be much farther than the king lead us to believe was possible for him... He must have been humble and just went all out when the actual time came."

    Metavicero reluctantly straightened her back and nodded, but wasn''t as bothered as Roiso and Mirienne.

    "We should get back to the castle ¨C it might be that we were sent so far away because we were the only ones who got to be teleported."

    Benevirau dered with a serious expression and turned towards the south.

    "Umm... sure. In a few days, unless we will find a light magician to teleport us, you mean?"

    Roiso took control over the body of the acid magician and asked rolling her eyes.

    "Are both of you good with heights?"

    The dark-blue-haired man asked without looking their way or acknowledging thement.

    "We don''t mind them."

    "I quite like enjoying the views... ah! I mean...!"

    Roiso shrugged her shoulders and answered for herself and Mirienne while Metavicero answered all fidgety but then flinched and stuttered worried about her phrasing.

    "Good, then. Miss Roiso, Miss Mirienne ¨C make sure to not melt me. Metavi, if I may."

    Benevirau nodded, satisfied with the answers, and turned around, grabbing both girls around their waists and...

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    Launching himself in the air by shooting water jets from his feet.

    -------------

 551 Chapter 183

    "Hmph!"

    Grazio didn''t even spare him a nce and looked away with his head held high.

    "Why would I believe the words of magicless trash like you?"

    "...!"

    "You...! Wait...? Eh...?"

    Zoemi went silent but Miriette clenched her fists and trembled in anger ¨C before suddenly flinching and looking around in utter confusion.

    Both the ck-haired boy and the red-haired one were young, they were literal children!

    "..."

    Miriette bit her lips and hurriedly looked at her own hands...

    They were tiny...

    She checked her hair and it was properly so dark green that it seemed ck.

    With that it was certain...

    Miriette somehow made it to the past.

    ...or worse ¨C the previous timeline got messed up and the presence started the next one...

    That left a question ¨C why did she, a copy of the presence, retain her memories even though it never happened before...?

    While the dark-haired girl was clenching the sides of her skirt so strong that she was about to start wearing the fabric down, thepletely unaffected Grazio just started to stroll around the garden.

    "Mydy...? Are you feeling alright?"

    "Eh....?"

    With her like that there was no possible way that the ck-haired boy who always observed her cautiously ready to help and protect her at the sight of the slightest inconvenience asked, making her gasp and blush when leaning in.

    He was so cute when he was young that Miriette almost fainted from being close!

    "Ah... um... ummm... we should, go after that jerk... I guess...?"

    Miriette remembered that originally she would stomp her foot and demand whenever something like that would happen. Even though she was unsure about the circumstances, she didn''t want to mess up the timeline...

    "..."

    ...even though she recognized the setting ¨C in the previous timeline it was the day when Grazio used the fireball spell on Zoemi and created the ugly scar on his face.

    "Zoemi, we need to go after him! But... you just stay by my side, okay? Don''t get provoked no matter what he will do!"

    Miriette grabbed the ck-haired boy''s hand and squeezed it, looking into his eyes to push the message through.

    "A... o... okay... mydy..."

    Zoemi opened his mouth and blushed heavily, lowering his gaze too bashful to meet the intense gaze of the emotional Miriette.

    |If I know what will happen, I can protect him ¨C even if I will be the one to get the scar!|

    The dark-haired girl thought to herself.

    After all, at that moment in time, she didn''t have proper control over her spells and couldn''t ess the time attribute either ¨C actually, she couldn''t be sure that she had the time attribute in this new timeline, to begin with.

    But even with all things considered ¨C she was not going to let harm befell her beloved!

    ------

    Young Miriette and young Zoemi were walking together holding hands, which honestly was something that the dark-haired girl always wanted to happen in her original timeline.

    |Why haven''t I tried it back then? He looks so shy but so happy~!|

    Miriette thought to herself after peeking at the expression the ck-haired was making and feeling her heart skipping a beat over the adorableness next to her.

    Meanwhile, the red-haired Grazio stopped his stroll only after reaching the training grounds of the castle''s guards, empty since the morning practice ended a while ago.

    "Hmmmm..."

    Grazio was carefully observing the stone shed that was locked away by a big lock.

    "Where''s the key?"

    The red-haired boy asked arrogantly ¨C but got no answer.

    "Hey! You two! Where''s the key?!"

    Being ignored didn''t seem to match with the likes of the young fire magician, so he got slightly red in the face and called out angrily.

    "...hmm? Eh? Oh, right, you are here too. We don''t have it. If you want it, you need to get back to the castle or something. Shoo."

    Miriette furrowed her brows reluctantly looking away from the timid ck-haired boy and scoffed in annoyance at the red-haired one and shooed him off with a dismissive gesture.

    "You...! Who do you think you are, you...! You weak wind! There are training swords inside, right? We have a simr thing behind our house."

    Young Grazio who must have never been talked to like that got even redder in the face from anger and embarrassment and responded hastily.

    "Lord Grazio...! Watch your word! You are in the Espine Estate, do you think that you can just try and bully youngdy Espine here?! Do you think that we are surrounded by Victureo servants?"

    "...!"

    Miriette thought that Zoemi will not act out of line unless Grazio will push a few more of his buttons, but instead she got pleasantly surprised when the ck-haired boy proudly puffed out his chest and stepped forward immediately to protect her honor.

    Honestly ¨C she almost started pping in awe.<sub> </sub>

    "...tsk...! You there!"

    Grazio bit his lips and trembled from anger, ring at Zoemi as if he was gravely offended ¨C but after a quick nce and confirmation of seeing only unknown adults, the red-haired boy started calling all the maids and knights that were watching them and started sending them to bring various things.

    "Sir Helke. You stay."

    "...?!"

    When the veryst knight was about to run to fulfill some unnecessary task for the young red-haired guest, it was the young Zoemi who reached out his hand and stopped him from leaving ¨C interestingly enough, that was exactly what Miriette herself wanted to do too!

    "Zoemi, this is an important guest and..."

    "Sir Helke, do you really want to not listen to me for a second time? Only now my father isn''t here to make the right call."

    "!!!"

    The knight nced over at the grumpy-looking Grazio and leaned down to whisper to Zoemi, but the ck-haired boy then climbed on his tiptoes and whispered back with an extremely serious expression, causing Miriette who overheard him say that perk up in amazement.

    "...ghh... listening to a slums-raised brat..."

    The knight muttered under his breath but ended up straightening his back and turning right around.

    "Lord Grazio, I willply with your request as soon as someone will return."

    Helke took a deep breath and dered in a loud voice.

    "Wh-what?! You''ve got to be kidding me! I will tell my father to fire you!"

    Seeing yet another thing go not along with his wishes, the red-haired Grazio threw a tantrum like a splendid spoiled brat, making himself look even more childish than his age would lead others to believe he was.

    "Go ahead ¨C I will tell my father to not listen to your father. Helke is employed by the Espine family, not Victureos."

    Miriette scoffed, shrugging her shoulders dismissively before turning around theatrically ¨C like a spoiled brat but on the good-guys team.

    "I...! Wha...! You...!"

    Young Grazio looked like he was about to boil over from the inside ¨C and honestly, it was one of the funniest things Miriette saw.

    "Helke, it looks like sir Victureo isn''t willing to y with us. Zoemi and I will return to the castle while you y around with him until he is done. It is not an Espine''s duty to babysit literal toddlers that can''t read the air."

    Miriette dered with a splendid viiness-like scoff and offered her hand to the ck-haired boy by her side.

    "Zoemi, babysitting isn''t your duty either. Escort me back to the castle instead."

    "Mydy...! It will be an honor!"

    At the girl''s words Zoemi''s face brightened up with pride over the maturity of his youngdy and he hurriedly took the girl''s hand like a proper gentleman and they both went on the way back, leaving the bbergasted knight and the red-faced Grazio who looked so angry that he could erupt at any moment.

    "WAIT! WHO ALLOWED YOU TO LEAVE?!"

    The red-haired boy moved forward, stomping his feet in rage.

    "It''s my home, I do whatever I want here, stupid."

    "!!!"

    Miriette nced over her shoulder with an annoyed expression and scoffed dismissively, causing Grazio to be lost for words.

    "You...! who are you calling stupid, you weakling! FIREBALL!"

    "!!!"

    Unfortunately, that was a step too far ¨C Grazio sapped and howled in anger, skipping a lot of steps from the previous timeline in favor of going straight to the spell that seriously wounded Zoemi in the past.

    Miriette tensed up ¨C it was her time ¨C Helke was too shocked seeing a son of a high noble family attack another child to react, and Zoemi was already gearing up to push her to safety.

    She could try to block the spell with her own, but honestly, in some twisted way she was really curious about how things would turn out if she was the one with the scar.

    The engagement with the first prince Horeo would surely be called off on the behalf of the wound, her status would suffer a major hit ¨C her pride... her pride would not change no matter what.

    On the other hand, Zoemi would turn even more doting for sure... who knows, maybe she could be even needier with the scar as an excuse?

    With a deformed face, probably the only person who would consider marrying her would be the very same person who would love her so much that he would be willing to die for her ¨C Zoemi.

    Wouldn''t that be a perfect set...

    *huuug*

    ...up...?!

    "Eh...?!"

    While Miriette was about to confidently step forward to face the fire spell and get away from Zoemi trying to sacrifice himself, the boy didn''t go for a saving push.

    What he did instead was to grab Miriette in a protective embrace and reach out his right hand.

    *WHOOOOO*

    The fireball hit Zoemi''s palm and crackled furiously attempting to burn the boy''s hand.

    "Law of Aries!"

    *TSSSSSS*

    "EEEEEEHHHHHH?!"

    Zoemi called out, clenching his fist, extinguishing the fireball and causing Miriette to gasp out loud in utter disbelief.

 552 Chapter 183

    "Mydy... Are you okay? Did I scare you?"

    The ck-haired boy faced the girl in his arms and asked with a worried expression.

    His usually dark eyes shone with the light of a clear starry sky.

    "Wha... what did you just...?"

    Miriette muttered in disbelief.

    "I have no mana, the same as my father, but that doesn''t mean I cannot protect you, mydy."

    Zoemi smiled and dered, showing off the unharmed right hand that should have been horribly scalded by Grazio''s spell.

    "Allow me to demonstrate why I am best suited to stay by your side and protect you."

    The boy''s smile became a bit more serious and he stepped away from the shocked dark-haired girl.

    "Zoemi! Zoemi, don''t!"

    The knight who stayed behind stepped in between the tense Grazio ¨C who seemed to be slowly realizing what grave offense he just made ¨C and the serious ck-haired boy.

    "He was intending on harming youngdy Espine, what kind of bodyguard would let that slide?"

    Zoemi asked dismissively and took a stance from some unknown martial art.

    "A hit for a hit. He almost hit mydy but was fully intending on doing so. If you wish, you can act as his shield and try to block my attack, sir Helke."

    "Calm down!"

    The ck-haired boy with the light of the stars burning brightly in his eyes announced and breathed out, causing Helke to nervously put his hand on the handle of his sword.

    "LAW OF ARIES!"

    "STOP!"

    Zoemi roared and kicked off the ground, causing Helke to shout and actually take a swing at him!

    "ZOEMI?!"

    *THUNK*

    Miriette gasped in panic when she saw the sh of the deing to meet the ck-haired boy who was going to protect himself with his bare hand ¨C but when the de actually met the skin, it barely graze it, not prating deep enough to even draw blood, and bounced off.

    Actually, Helke had lost his bncepletely, as if he didn''t just hit a young child but some unmovable boulder instead!

    "Serves you right!"

    "AAAAHHHH!"

    Zoemi roared and charged at Grazio whopletely lost his head from fear and raised his hands to protect his face...!

    "...alright, that''s enough, wouldn''t you say...? What was your name again... Kiorterell?"

    But just as the hit was about to connect, undoubtedly causing massive damage to the red-haired boy, Miriette breathed out and sighed loudly, rolling her eyes.

    "..."

    The world around her stopped in ce ¨C but not because of the time attribute spell being used.

    "Did Arisu, or Cherro, or whatever that degenerate is actually called, not tell you how strong my will is? You will not possess me, no matter what illusion you will show me, idiot."

    Miriette scoffed and brushed off a strand of tinum hair that got loose in herplicated hairstyle.

    She no longer was a child and instead turned back into an adult wearing the beautiful ballroom dress.

    "...I wanted to lock you up in perfect fantasy so it would be easier to control you, but I guess dabbing into too much of my own knowledge made it too obvious... How annoying. The only other option I have is to bruteforce my way in and turn your brain into mush. Broken dolls are no fun to y with. People will notice that something is wrong, but, oh well..."

    The world around Miriette began to crack and the jet-ck darkness was bing visible from the inside of the box that she was locked in.

    When the reality shattered and the darkness took shape of an enormous nightmarish monster, the beast opened its fanged jaws and spoke in a mocking tone.

    "Oh really?"

    Miriette asked, raising her brow without a trace of amusement.

    "REALLY! NOW DIE! YOU WORTHLESS SCU...!"

    The monster roared deafeningly and dived at the defenseless tinum-haired girl...

    ...just to stop in ce, staring at her in disbelief...

    "M-M-MOONSTEEEER!"

    Because the girl began growing all of a sudden ¨C within a few heartbeats she reach the height so unbelievable that the monster forgot any reason it had and began running away with its tail between its legs.

    "Pathetic."

    Gargantuan Miriette rolled her eyes and lifted her slender foot...

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    ...and with a graceful kick, she crushed the monster into a jet-ck pulp...

    --------------------

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHGHHGHBHBHBHBHBGHBHBHHBGH..!"

    "Hmm?"

    When Miriette came to, she was greeted by a tormented howl of a young man frothing from his mouth and rolling around so fast that it was impossible to recognize him.

    The stranger was coddling his head in his arms and crying, utterly terrified of whatever happened to him ¨C or rather, of whatever he thought happened to him.

    The tinum-haired girl got up from the ground and looked around...

    ...she did not recognize the location at all...

    ...mostly because she waspletely surrounded by really old ancient looking trees and she hasn''t been to many forests...

    "Where the hell was I teleported to? And why not with MY ZOEMI?!"

    Miriette pouted crossing her arms after confirming that there were no breathing humans other than her ¨C and the screaming Ghosts of Bellcephora rolling on the ground ¨C in a ten-mile radius.<sub> </sub>

    "I better finish him off, before I''ll move from here."

    The tinum-haired girl said to herself in annoyance and walked over to the mind-broken person.

    "Hey, Moron, stay still so I can kill you, understood?"

    Miriette sighed and raised her foot over the frothing man.

    "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH...! SHA-SHADOW GATE!"

    *WHOOOM*

    But the moment she did that, and the Ghosts caught a glimpse of her, he let out a high-pitched scream and scuttled to the side ¨C before diving into a puddle of darkness between the roots of the nearest three.

    ...disappearing and leaving Miriette all alone and stunned in silence...

    "Was... was that this whole Geroizen Tencelion or whatever Zoemi called him...? Since when he was a Ghost too...? Unless...!"

    Miriette put her foot down and wondered, before flinching and gasping in realization.

    "This just got really annoying...! Free flight!"

    The tinum-haired girl clicked her tongue and switched her attribute back to the wind beforeunching herself straight up, through the trees, and into the starry night sky.

    "Wha...?! Where the HELL am I?!"

    ...and roared after finding herself surrounded by unknownndmarks she didn''t even read about...

    "Am I a pigeon or something?! Am I supposed to fly around in circles and pick a direction based on the maic field?!"

    The tinum-haired girl groaned in annoyance and actually was bout to do exactly what she said -if not for...

    "BURIAL OF MANA..."

    "...AND DEATH OF HOPE~!"

    "A what now...?"

    *GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*

    Familiar voices rose into the night sky not that far away from Miriette''s position, and she tilted her head surprised by rather ominous things she hear ¨C just to be startled by an even more ominous sensation.

    The air quake caused by the unknown spell was so powerful that it made the area in ten-mile radius be blurry as if from a heatwave.

    The particles of mana itself got torn apart, causing an ungodly scream that could only bepared to the choir of tormented souls and erasing a huge chunk of forest.

    And it wasn''t limited to trees. If she wasn''t used to enormous heights thanks to flying, Miriette would have her head spin from peering into the chasm that was left after the devastating spell that could not be cast by just anyone.

    Even Horeo with his Wrath of Light would have to try to match the destruction ¨C especially since it was directed and controlled perfectly, with not a single tree or even a leaf damaged outside the parameter of the restricted area of effect.

    "If you are Zoemi''s allies then speak up!"

    Miriette shook her head, trying to get rid of the blurry vision ¨C the aftermath of the air quake that sent a shockwave through the night sky, and called out.

    "We are~!"

    "Yeah! Dad is our dad!"

    The tinum-haired girl didn''t have to wait long at all ¨C the two voices that shouted the name of the devastating spell before it turned out they belong to the corpse puppet sentinels that were always by Zoemi''s side.

    "Ettemi and Oemir, right? Is Zoemi with you? And why have you used caused something like that?"

    Miriette tilted her head, trying to remember the names of the androgynous pair as they flew up to her using the copied spell, and leaned to the side expecting to see the ck-haired young man somewhere near the edge of the brand new cliff.

    "No... we don''t know where dad is... We got sent here and there were a few of those Ghost people alive."

    "We asked them what happened to our dad, but they didn''t know so we got rid of them.

    The two answered, pointing at the chasm with a lighthearted shrug.

    "...how many did you kill, by the way...?"

    Miriette raised her brows and nodded, with a cautious expression.

    "Six, or maybe seven?"

    "I think six ¨C the seventh one was just a shadow puppet, or a clone or something."

    The corpse puppet sentinels answered with no restrain whatsoever, cheerful as always.

    "Did we do a good job, mom?"

    Oemir flew closer to Miriette and asked looking up at her expectantly.

    "...m-mom...?!"

    The tinum-haired girl shook her head and asked in a shocked voice.

    "Oemir! Don''t be like that! Miss Miriette isn''t dad''s wife yet ¨C you are being rude! We''re sorry..."

    Ettemi clicked their tongue and scolded the other sentinel before turning towards Miriette and bowing apologetically.

    "Now hold on, let''s not jump to conclusions ¨C the yet in not Zoemi''s wife yet is the key word! I was a bit surprised, that''s all. Go on, little ones, call me mom to your heart''s content!"

    Miriette raised her hand, stopping Ettemi from scolding Oemir, and dered with a flushed face.

    "See? I told you~!"

    The second corpse puppet sentinel dered happily proudly puffing out their chest.

    "My lovely little ones, mom is proud of you both, you did a good job! Now... do you think you can send us all to where our Zoemi is?"

    Miriette smirked with contentment and asked with a hopeful expression.

    "Of course, we can, mom~!"

    "Let''s go see him, m-mom!"

    The two sentinels perked up even more and cheered, grabbing Miriette''s hands before disappearing in a sh of murky light, leaving the empty ruined forest.

 553 Chapter 184

    A wolf-shaped shadow beast opened its jaws in a soundless howl of agony while strands of jet-ck hair squeezed until it turned into an inky pulp.

    Simr scenes were ying out within a mile radius ¨C countless shadow beasts, both canine and feline-shaped with sizes varying from a cub to a full-grown bear.

    The bigger shadow beast, mostly those with massive ws and fangs, was putting up a good fight against the vicious hair but it was tantly obvious that the other side was winning.

    "Okty! Why are you doing this? My instinct is telling me that you cannot contact the others! Let''s just stop this and talk!"

    Elsby shouted from the top of the head of an enormous shadow beast shaped like a dragon, its imposing jet-ck figure was towering over the lush valley she got teleported to.

    "You can shove that stupid instinct of yours!"

    A pale young woman with insanely long hair that was cascading down her waist and legs and spreading across the ground like a humongous spider web, shouted back in annoyance.

    "O-okay... could you at least tell me what did I do wrong? Weren''t we happy together?"

    Elsby leaned down, going down on her elbows to look from the side of her dragon shadow beast, and asked feeling her eyes sting from holding back tears.

    "Oh, I don''t know. How about your betrayal?! You were scheming with an enemy, nning to kill off the other Ghosts!"

    Oktria roared back and one strand of her hair whipped through the air and snapped at the shadow beast that Elsby was sitting on had to back off to dodge the lightning-fast attack.

    "Okty! Are you stupid?! Of course, that didn''t include you!"

    Elsby who fell t on the dragon shadow monster''s head in a desperate struggle to stay on called out as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world.

    "You are the only stupid one here! The Ghosts, no matter how wed, are the only ones who epted us, and you wanted to cut off our ties to them and kill them! Disgraceful! I thought that you were different, that you could change, that I could change you ¨C but it became clear that I was wrong!"

    Oktria shouted back and her hair began snapping around like crazy ¨C the small and medium-sized shadow beasts that were keeping up against getting strangled got cut in half by the jet-ck whips reaching ultrasonic speed.

    The dragon shadow beast hosting Elsby no longer had a valid option to dodge the attacks on the ground and jumped up, spreading its massive wings and escaping into the air from the hundreds and thousands of ceaselessly multiplying jet-ck strands trying to get it.

    "You can''t be serious! Were we connected to different groups or something?! Being reluctantly tolerated is not the same as being epted! How many times were we both cursed for liking each other? We were being sent on different missions because they didn''t want to work together with us because us even smiling at each other was making them sick?!"

    "At least they didn''t try to openly attack us!"

    Elsby shouted down and Oktria snapped back at her with both words and her darkness de.

    "They never tried because we were too strong and useful! Your endless hair is unparalleled in reconnaissance picking up and recognizing all sort of mana signatures and cannot be stopped by barriers. Neither Rethaq''s mist nor Sveothirllo''s water couldpare. My shadow beasts are like that too but with tracking. Correct me if I''m wrong but if we tried, we would get at least the same kind of treatment from whichever military organization we would try to join. Actually, I am pretty sure I found a ce that would actually ept us! My intuition is telling me that!"

    The short-haired young-looking woman shouted, sounding almost pleadingly while her dragon shadow beast danced in the air dodging the strands of jet-ck hair climbing higher and higher in pursuit.

    "Gah...! Again with that bullshit! Do you know how annoying you are always going on about that instinct and intuition of yours?! Oh, how special you are! Must be really nice to be always right ¨C oh, wait ¨C you are not!"

    Oktria roared, and her hair began attacking so furiously that it looked as if they were boiling over.

    The strands of hair were no longer snapping like whips towards the dragon shadow beast but instead straightened, turning themselves into spikes and shot out straight up in unison, forming a rising tide of jet-ck death.

    The only way to dodge them was going up, higher and higher ¨C so high that it was impossible for Elsby''s voice to reach Oktria anymore and vice versa.

    "But... I am right every time... does that mean... I am not special to you anymore, Okty...?"

    The short-haired girl whispered to herself feeling her throat dry out and a sensation of an ice-cold spike piercing through her heart.

    The ocean of spiky darkness was rising higher and higher ¨C the name that the pale-faced girl bestowed upon her original darkness de, endless hair, wasn''t just fancy but empty title.

    As long as Oktria had ess to mana, there would be no end to the number and length that her hair could reach.

    "Fly down."

    Elsby nced towards the oing attack and demanded, tapping the head of the shadow beast with her palm.

    "..."

    The dragon shadow beast breathed before slowly tilting its head from side to side in a slow version of shaking its head in denial ¨C only gently so that its passenger would not fall off.

    "Don''t be fussy. I know you like this body, but I can not only repair it but make you an even better one to use. Please? You know that Okty isn''t like that!"

    "...I merely know that you want to believe she isn''t like that..."

    Elsby patted the dragon shadow beast''s head and asked in an urgent voice ¨C and the dragon responded to her...!

    Although it certainly didn''t sound too happy or encouraging, that''s for sure.<sub> </sub>

    "Please? You don''t have to do it for Oktria''s sake, but will you do it for me?"

    The short-haired young woman leaned on the top of the dragon shadow beast''s head and peeked over the side looking the speel in a giant eye.

    "..."

    The dragon stared at her in silence for a moment and its murky-ck eye that was a clearly different shade from the rest of the body gleamed with a murk light and the shadow beast sped up its ascension.

    "Whoa-ah...!"

    Causing Elsby to let out a surprised voice and cling to its head that much stronger.

    The dragon shadow beast suddenly stopped at an altitude far above the clouds after gaining quite a satisfactory distance from the pursuing ocean of jet-ck spikes.

    "Is your intuition telling you that Oktria can be convinced to join us?"

    "...eh...?"

    The dragon asked, taking Elsby by surprise.

    "I believed in her too, before the other Ghosts learned that you wanted to betray them ¨C after that not so much. But I believe in your intuition. So tell me. Is it telling you that Oktria can be convinced to join us?"

    The massive shadow beast repeated itself, adding a bit of information to clear out the possible misunderstanding and clearly state its own doubts on the matter.

    "If you say yes. I will dive into that."

    The dragon added, looking at the approaching tide of millions upon billions of hair thatpletely took over the sky beneath them, blocking off the earth.

    p "..."</anda>

    Elsby remained silent, biting her lips with a truly pitiful expression.

    The answer to the dragon''s question was...

    No.

    Truth be told, the intuition or instinct, whichever name was preferred by Elsby at the time, was telling her to stop clinging to the affection she still harbored towards Oktria.

    Especially after thest words that the pale young woman spoke to her.

    But Elsby couldn''t stop herself from clinging to the hope, that the love Oktria felt for her matched her own and that this time her intuition was wrong indeed and Oktria will change her mind at thest second.

    "Ye... yes. Yes, my instinct is telling me that Okty can have a change of heart, I just need to try harder."

    So after a moment of hesitation, the short-haired young woman breathed out and lied.

    She lied in such an obvious way too, as if she didn''t want to lie, she even stuttered too and looked away from the dragon shadow beast''s eye.

    "I believe you, let''s do this then."

    "...sorry..."

    But despite that, the dragon spoke in a soft voice and pped its wings, positioning itself straight down ¨C Elsby could tell that her lie was found out and couldn''t stop herself from muttering an apology.

    "..."

    The dragon shadow beast didn''t say anything, acting as if it didn''t hear her, and instead dived straight down into the sea of jet-ck spikes.

    The endless sea of hair was the only thing they could see, it was getting closer and closer the faster they approached ¨C and, when either the dragon shadow beast or Elsby could tell apart the individual hairposing each spoke-shaped strand the dragon opened its jaw, bearing its massive jet-ck fangs.

    But the fangs themselves weren''t the weapon that would be used against the darkness de of the palest member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    Instead, a foamy murky-ck mist began forming by the corners of the shadow beast''s mouth as the foul liquid was building up in its throat.

    "GHUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELGH!"

    In a split second, before the jet-ck spikes would reach them, the dragonunched an attack.

    It was not a majestic and cool move... instead, it was straight-up horror fuel.

 554 Chapter 184

    The dragon shadow beast threw up an air-quake-causing spell thatbined the extremely high pressure of a water jet used by Benevirau and the insane melting properties of Roiso and Mirienne''s acid magic.

    The result?

    A hole creating an opening through the countless hair was blown up straight to the ground, and was only getting wider and wider the more strands were melting at a ridiculous speed.

    The melting process looking like a speed-up video ended up revealing the utterly furious Oktria, whose usually pale face was covered with a sickly-looking blush of anger.

    Creating a path for itself, the dragon shadow beast pped its wings again and dived straight in.

    The dragon and Elsby began their descent at a breakneck speed ¨C but that did not mean that they had an advantage.

    Even though they were incredibly fast, more and more hair would build up from the sides, away from the acid''s area of effect, and chase after them, sealing the hole fractions of a second after they dived into it.

    The jet ck walls and ceiling were closing in and if not for the night vision that both parties involved shared, it would be impossible to see a thing.

    "GHUU...!"

    "WAIT! DO NOT HARM HER!"

    With Oktria well within the reach of an attack, the dragon shadow beast trembled as another portion of the foul liquid was gathering in its mouth with a gurgling sound ¨C prompting Elsby to cry out in desperation.

    "(I know, but to have a talk, we need to get rid of all of those, unless you are into getting smothered by hair. Just hold on tight.)"

    With its throat full, the dragon responded by using an altered version of a message spell and...

    "...UEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELGH...!"

    ...sted another stream of acid while beginning to spin around like crazy, sending it in every possible direction except directly at Oktria.

    "!!!"

    Oktria flinched and raised her arms defensively, building up a defensive wall of hair in front of her ¨C but the moment it was grazed by the passing stream of highly pressurized acid, it disappeared right in front of the pale woman''s eyes, leaving herpletely defenseless.

    The long-haired member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora gritted her teeth seeing the rate at which her hair was dissolving shook her head, causing every stand over the length of her shoulders to get cut off.

    ...even though it was not necessary as the melting properties of the acid faded away in front of her feet.

    The dragon shadow beastnded, keenly watching the opponent with its murky ck eye ¨C it was highly not probable that the change of image would be followed by a change of hearts in this case...

    *puff*

    "Okty! Please, let''s just talk!"

    As the shadow beast and the pale woman were ring at each other trying to anticipate their next move, Elsby jumped down from the dragon''s head,nding on a furry shadow beast she created just to soften the fall, and began talking immediately upon getting up.

    "Please, think about it. I also wanted to believe that the whole family thing was a real deal! But that''s not how things should be! I know that you are angry at me, but I will do my best to make it up to you! But the Ghosts of Bellcephora are not on our side! I wasn''t given the right to defend myself ¨C if we really were a big happy family, they wouldn''t attempt to kill me off without hesitation! They would try to at least learn my reasons before making a judgment!"

    Elsby called out in a pleading voice, approaching Oktria in as not threatening pose that she could assume.<sub> </sub>

    "..."

    "...!"

    The pale woman looked at her and her expression changed into one of disgust and annoyance, causing the approaching one to tens up and stop in ce.

    "Elsby. You are probably the only one except for Carcassuss, Kirissu, and Cherro, to actually think about Ghosts being a real family. You really are such an annoying dense moron, you know? I thought I saw the limit of your idiocy, but here we are AGAIN!"

    Oktria covered her face with he hand and groaned with such annoyance that Elsby had no idea what to do.

    "..."

    The murky darkness in the dragon shadow beast''s eye swirled around as it nced over at its ally with worry...

    "Hmph~!"

    Oktria certainly didn''t miss that moment of weakness, in ash, her hair regrew and cascaded down her body like an avnche, joining up with the weakened but not destroyed remains of thest batch and shot out at Elsby and the dragon shadow beast.

    "(SLEAZY TRASH)"

    The dragon roared, sending its thoughts through the modified message spell as its jaws were the first target to seal off by the countless strands of silky perfect darkness. The hair was like a web, sticking to every part of the shadow creature, sealing off its movement and basically turning it into one big cocoon with only small insignificant parts of its body still discernable from the outside.

    "OKTY?! WHY?!"

    Elsby wasn''t any better off either ¨C although instead of being stuck in a cocoon, she ended up tied up in a rather inappropriate bondage outfit on top of her dress.

    "Why? Oh, for the love of... Elsby! Forget about that weird instinct of yours and think about our history together!"

    Oktria groaned, looking at Elsby through the spaces between her fingers.

    "We were happy together!"

    The bounded woman called back in desperation.

    "Happy...? WE were happy...?"

    Oktria swayed as if Elsby''s words physically harmed her.

    She even took a step back and slowly removed her hand from her face, revealing a hateful expression.

    "Screw this! I wanted to kill you off without exining shit because in your own creepy way you weren''t that bad for a half-bread scum. But fuck it!"

    Oktria started shouting, getting red in the face, about to have a meltdown.

    "I never wanted to be with you! The two of us were supposed to be just a hookup! Nothing more than a one-night stand! An experiment! An adventure that I could look back on when I was old and smile at how wild I was in my youth! But then you just started clinging to me like some sticky ooze and scared off everyone else! You locked me in a cage, damn it! I was trapped because of your filthy affection ¨C trapped with no way out! Luring me in deeper and deeper into the quicksand of your degeneracy! Do you think I needed to hear Kiorterell tell us what intel he gathered on you to jump on the chance to kill you?! I was nning to do that anyway! AND EVERYONE ELSE KNEW THAT TOOAND DID NOT CARE!"

 555 Chapter 184

    The long-haired woman roared and a mass of hair formed two enormous arms on each side of her.

    "But... Okty... why... why didn''t you tell me sooner, I...!"

    "SHUT, THE FUCK, UP!"

    *WHAM*

    Elsby gulped down her saliva and asked feeling tears streaming down her face, but that only acted as a trigger for Oktria''s rage to burst forth ¨C and one of the fists mmed against the incapacitated short-haired woman.

    "...gh-ugh...!"

    As the hand moved away, it revealed Elsby''s nose getting crushed but with no blood flowing, instead, the silky darkness was peeking through the torn skin as the young woman let out a pained gasp.

    "I AM A FORMER HIGH NOBILITY!"

    *WHAM*

    "A REAL, PURE-BLOODED ONE!"

    *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*

    "NOT A FILTHY HALF-BREED BASTARD LIKE YOU!"

    *WHAM* *WHAM*

    ''"My wishes and desire should be always easily discernable for the likes of you who should be nothing more than a servant to me! WAS IT THAT DIFFICULT TO RECOGNIZE THAT ALL THE -I LOVE YOU- AND -I CAN''T IMAGINE LIVING WITHOUT YOU- WEREN''T HONEST? WHERE WAS YOUR BULLSHIT INTUITION AND INSTINCT THEN?!"

    *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*

    After seeing Elsbypletely on her mercy, Oktria snapped and lost whatever she had left of her self-control, monologing and barraging the defenseless short-haired woman with an avnche of devastating punches that each and every single one was causing horrible damage.

    "The likes of you should know your ce and fuck off without forcing me to even mention it."

    Oktria dered, straightening her back proudly and ring down at Elsby''s beaten-up face and broken body held up only by the stands of Oktria''s hair.

    "I waited almost all three hundred years for this..."

    Oktria breathed out and her hateful expression got reced by an even worse, sadistic smile.

    She raised her pale hand and summoned back almost every strand of her hair ¨C going so far as to even take some away from the cocoon holding down the dragon shadow beast ¨C and created a single hand, so huge that it covered almost the entire sky.

    "This takes inspiration from Kirissu''s monster arm, but who cares? Me copying the skills of others is a revard and mark of honor for them."

    The long-haired woman snickered triumphantly, ncing up at her attack in its full glory before she looked back down at Elsby.

    The short-haired woman''s face was almostpletely torn apart, with her mouth and nose turned into an uneven mass of jet-ck darkness and just the tearful eyes looking at Oktria...

    ...Elsby''s eyes carried the looks of someone who was deeply sorry...

    She did not realize that her affection did that to Oktria and...

    "Now finally read the atmosphere, AND DIE!"

    While basking in the power she held over the Elsby, Oktria roared and waved her hand, causing the titanic arm to clench its fist and fall straight down to tten the former member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    *haaaaaaaaaaaa*

    "EH?!"

    But once the arm fell, instead of the deafening sound of the explosion, the sound of a person breathing out peacefully filled the air as the spell dissolved and released its mana into the air.<sub> </sub>

    "Wha...? Who?!"

    Oktria whose hair got shortened back to right above her shoulders gasped and took a step back.

    Her question wasn''t random ¨C she aimed it at the person who suddenly appeared by Elsby''s side.

    A tall humanoid figure made out of perfect silky darkness was leaning down to the short-haired woman and wrapping its left hand around her head so that its hand was covering Elsby''s eyes.

    The being''s other hand was raised up and it was hard to not connect the dots and figure out that it was the cause of the Oktria''s attack''s sudden disappearance.

    "...Immeri... please..."

    "Shhh..."

    Elsby cried out in a pitiful voice but the being of darkness shushed her and lowered its hand ring straight at Oktria with its murky ck eyes so different from its pitch-ck body.

    "Elsby, unfortunately, it is you who need to look at yourself and reflect, not Oktria. That girl is too far gone, too rotten, you will only drown in the filth while trying to dig for a better person inside of her. Because there is none."

    "..."

    The creature spoke sounding almost apologetic as if it was feeling bad for having to say something like that about Elsby''s beloved person.

    "You! You are that dragon! What the hell happened to you?!"

    Oktria managed to shake off the initial shock and growled, growing her hair back out preparing for a chance to strike.

    She was correct ¨C the dragon that should be sealed off in a cocoon of hair was no more ¨C and just based on the color skim of the humanoid being, it was easy to tell the connection between the two.

    "I could tell you, but instead I will treat your condescending hypocritical self just as you did Elsby... So... Shut, the fuck, up."

    The being of darkness breathed out in disappointment and dered while lightly flicking its right hand.

    "HOW DARE YO...?!"

    *haaaaaaaaaaa*

    Oktria stepped forward spreading her arms around taking direct control over the amassing jet-ck hair... only to suddenly disappear into the thin air while the particles of manaposing her entire being lost the connection between each other and dissipated into the night sky...

    ...wiping off the woman known as Oktria from the face of the earth...

    "O...Okty...? Okty! Say something...!"

    Elsby cried out and tried to shake off the hand of the being of darkness holding her back, but because of her broken-up boy, she was too weak to even lift her arms.

    "Immeri...! Immeri, please tell me that you didn''t kill her...! Please tell me that you just... locked her up in the shadow gate or something...!"

    Getting no answer from the long-haired woman, Elsby turned to the being holding her back.

    "...I could tell you that if you really want me to..."

    "...!"

    Immeri, one of Zoemi''s sentinel initially given control over the dragon shadow beast by Elsby, said in a sad voice, causing Elsby to flinch and tremble.

    "O-oh... oh no... Okty..."

    Elsby''s body was trembling more and more and she would have copsed if not for Immeri holding her up as she began sobbing uncontrobly over the demise of her former lover.

 556 Chapter 185

    "That was my little princess at work, wasn''t it? Has she finally hanged her mind and decided to open her sweet little heart for my boundless love~?"

    Cherro put his right hand to his chest as if touched by the action he was clearly misinterpreting to fit his twisted vision of the world.

    The young man''s hair and eyes changed from white to ck even though he wasn''t using magic as if he chose the darkness to be the default attribute of his just as it was in his original life.

    ...although, truth be told, he did that only to gain ess to the night vision avable for all darkness magicians...

    "Just you and me, Zoemi. A supposed protector versus me, the only person who can set the little princess free and save her. Now I see. My lovely Miriette~! It was that evil toy that has bound you to this terrible fate! You were always waiting for me to save you, didn''t you~?"

    Cherro gasped and his face lighted up in an ted smile as he reached his hands to the heavens up above.

    The location they were in wasn''t particrly special it didn''t seem to carry any other property except or fit the description of a deste.

    A lonely beach off the shore of a stormy ocean.

    Not even a nice sandy beach ¨C it wasposed mostly of gravel and whatever dposing and broken things the ocean mercifully let go of.

    There was no sight of a human settlement, although, behind the slight elevation in the terrain, there seemed to be a rarely used road there.

    "Although I would prefer a more grandiose location to finish off the demon lord holding my lovely princess hostage, I can appreciate the intention put into picking up this ce."

    Cherro continued to talk towards the cloudy sky,pletely ignoring the silent ck-haired boy within an earshot.

    "My little Miriette, you want me to finish off that viin in such a deste ce because of how lonely he made you feel through the endless stream of time! Fear not! I will get rid of him and leave him in this nowhere ce, right where he belo..."

    *thump*

    "...ngs...?"

    The young man cheered out triumphantly when a sudden noise made him hesitate and pause his self-indulgent monologue that had o basis in reality.

    As Cherro turned around and looked at Zoemi for the first time after they both got transported to the shore, he found the ck-haired boy to have fallen to the rocky ground, trembling in a fetal position as he was clenching his stomach.

    "...what are you doing? I merely thought about starting our one-sided fight, I haven''t actually done anything just yet..."

    Cherro raised his brows and tilted his head before deciding to walk toward the incapacitated opponent.

    Despite the words used, and the sound of the footsteps getting closer and closer to his head, Zoemi did not utter even a single word, gritting his teeth so hard that his gums began to bleed.

    "My, my... My, my, my! Could it be? The teleportation spell had caused this oue? AH! I see! I understand!"

    Cherro crouched by the trembling Zoemi and whistled in amazement as the smile on his face grew more and more, only to then raise up pumping his fist in a gleeful cheer.

    "You are a demon and my little princess is an angel! She has used the spell to teleport us to this location, but her holy powers were too much to handle for a creature of evil like yourself! Ahaha~! Do I need any more proof of my heroism? Truly a chosen hero handpicked by the loveliest of flowers in this world~! No, this universe! My beloved Miriette Aperaete Bellcephora~!"

    "...t up..."

    Cherro put both of his hands to his heart and boasted as if doing a heartfelt prayer upon the heavens, and yet, the only answer he got was a pained, barely recognizable murmur.

    "...what was that...?"

    The self-proimed hero tensed up and crouched back down, ring at the top of the head of the ck-haired youth defeated without a fight at his feet.

    "...the original personality... in my head..."

    "Hmm...? The original... personality...?"

    Zoemi groaned causing Cherro to raise his brow in confusion and ask, leaning slightly closer.

    "...it screams so god damn loud... it wants to kill you so bad... to rip you to shreds... and... I know it. I want it too... but... I.. can''t... my body... I... I am falling apart...!"

    The fallen young man breathed out through his clenched teeth straight into the gravel he was pressing his face in even the slightest bit offort.

    "Now, what are you talking about? I''m a hero, at least speak clearly to me."

    Cherro rolled his eyes and scoffed, grabbing Zoemi''s hair and lighting his head up to have a good look at his face.

    Zoemi honestly looked terrible.

    His usual devilishly handsome face was stained in blood, sweat, and tears on top of a grimace of unimaginable pain.

    Even the light in his eyes was dimmed.<sub> </sub>

    "That should make things better. Now. Say it again, and say it the way you should address a hero such as myself."

    Cherro,pletely spoiled and drunk on the position of power that he gained without as much as lifting his finger spoke, lightly shaking his head around, pulling more than just a few of hair from Zoemi''s head.

    "I... I..."

    The ck-haired boy spoke, gulping down his saliva mixed with blood while trying to focus his eyes on Cherro''s face.

    "I... GHU-GH!"

    *splurt*

    "What in the?!"

    Zoemi breathed in and suddenly his eyes turned perfect ck,pletely devoid of any light whatsoever and blood gushed out of his mouth, nose, and corner of his now lifeless eyes prompting Cherro to flinch and let go of his head in shock.

    "!!!"

    With a disgusting, gurgling sound foul darkness erupted from underneath Zoemi and swallowed him whole as Cherro jumped away to safety as a part of his hair turned brown, and armor made out of rock grew around his body thanks to the eath attribute mana.

    "...you... FILTH!"

    The foul darkness twitched and moved, raising up with a roaring straight from its beastly jaws.

    The creature of darkness that showed up had no simrities to the ck-haired boy that was swallowed by it.

    It looked kind of like a bear but not quite, a half-real-life animal and half-stuffed-toy that someone added the most terrifying twist to.

    "Wha...?! Ah...! AH! I RECOGNIZE THAT FORM!"

    At first surprise, Cherro gasped as his eyes widened and a smile returned to his face.

    "WELL, IF IT ISN''T THE SAME CREATURE THAT DARED TO CUT MY ORIGINAL LIFE SHORT! I RECOGNIZE YOU, ORIGINAL ZOEMI~!"

    The young man roared in tion and as he did, one of his eyes turned gold, the hair on the back of his head became green and blue, while the part that still was ck turned red.

    The change wasn''t just in the added colors ¨C his stone armor increased in size, gaining a ming right fist as his left hand turned into ance, the helmet appeared on his head but instead of being fit for the human head, it resembled the mandibles of a spider opened to swallow its prey.

    "Thank you for doing your duty, former protector, and giving me this chance! It''s time for the hero ¨C TO SLAY THE MONSTER~!"

    Cherro, with his body shining green from the wind enchantments, as a water bubble form-fitted on top of the stone armor for added protection,ughed and the stonence shone with golden light, creating a de of light changing thence into a gigantic sword one-sided longsword.

    When Cherro grabbed the hilt of his sword, another de formed right next to the golden one ¨C the new one being theplete opposite of the first, a pitch ck edge that no light could disperse ¨C to make it even more over the top, both the de of light and darkness were set ame momentster.

    "Going back to the basic and honing them into the most destructive of ways ¨C just as my father taught me ¨C although I added the little twist that my mother would approve of with basic being the six basic attributes instead of just one."

    Cherroughed as the beast stood up gruesomely in a twisted parody of a humanoid silhouette.

    "GHRRRRRRRRRRRRRR..."

    The whirr simr to the sound of a started engine escaped the creature''s jaws as each and every fang in its mouth turned into a different attribute ¨C some known, and some created on the spot by taking inspiration from the memories of the different world''s knowledge.

    Same with the ws, bare ws that were already massive without enchantments all extended towards the ground as the eyes were so ck they made the eyesockets look hollow and red with pure hatred and the urge to kill straight at the shining hero.

    "Hmph~! You can copy me however much you want. Justice will always prevail ¨C and I. AM. THE. JUSTICE!"

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    Cherro scoffed, took a stance with the sword, andunched himself forward, adding the power of the earth spell to the boost of the wind enchantments.

    Despite the might at his hand he wasn''t going for the kill ¨C instead, he wanted to toy with Zoemi, to make him feel sorrow and anguish that he never imagined possible as payback for killing him.

    Therefore, the hit wasn''t aimed at the beast''s head or torso ¨C but just one of its wed paws.

    What could be better than slowly and surely getting rid of the vile beast''s means of attack before finishing it off andughing at its suffering?

    *SHIN-* *THUNK*

    "HUH?!"

    The moment such thoughts were passing through Cherro''s head, his sword reached a bear-like beast''s paw, it was even making a good sound ¨C just to be interrupted by the monster moving its ws up and deflecting the de with enough power to stop all the momentum and almost knock the self-proimed hero off bnce.

 557 Chapter 185

    "You...! How did you...?! I AM A HERO!"

    Cherro swayed on his feet, regaining his bnce but losing hisposure beforeunching himself at Zoemi''s beastly form.

    "A fluke! THAT TIME MUST HAVE BEEN A FLUKE! I AM BETTER THAN YOU!"

    Cherro roared, swinging the overpowered de wildly as if it was a broom and he was swatting at some bug.

    No technique, no style whatsoever, the drop in his skill was staggering.

    "..."

    Because of that, each and every strike was parried with minimal movement of the beast whose shape did not suggest either theposure or technique it disyed.

    "SCREW THIS! DIE! DIE! JUST DIE! YOU...! YOU MONSTER...!"

    The more Cherro was swinging the de around and the more he could notnd a proper hit, the more desperate he was bing.

    By the end of another failedbo, his voice started cracking and a glimpse of Cherro''s real feelings was revealed.

    Fear.

    Cherro was scared out of his mind.

    His bravado and smile from before were nothing but a front he put up to give himself a boost in morale.

    The monstrosity in front of him, was the very same thing that killed him, tore his flesh apart with pure savagery and no hint of hesitation or mercy.

    It was unstoppable, and the part of Cherro''s mind that retained the memories of every single timeline he went through never forgot or even blocked the numbing, incapacitating terror the toy known as Zoemi imnted in.

    "DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

    Cherro cried, increasing the output of his mana, adding more power to his spells.

    The stone armor swelled up so that he became a giant golem ¨C a mountain towering over the beach ¨C the green light of the enchantments got almost blinding, augmenting every move he made so that even a step back caused a tornado to form, while the water enchantment turned into ice and causing the armor to grow spikes. The earthnce being the base of the sword grew into a tower, the des of light and darkness spread out into wings as the sword changed into a two-sided axe while the zing inferno surrounding it was evaporating the salty water at a staggering speed as if the ocean was nothingpared to its might.

    "You are shaking, filth."

    "...!"

    Despite going full swing about to crush the beast of darkness that looked like an ant, the moment Zoemi opened its jaws and spoke in an almost dismissive tone, Cherro flinched and stopped with the axe mid-air.

    "A hero this... defeat me that... Just die, just die, just die..."

    Zoemi continued to talk without even looking up at the towering figure that Cherro became thanks to thebination of his spells.

    "Have you not noticed it yourself? Just die? You can''t even squeeze -I will kill you- through your throat. You know why, don''t you? Because you know you can''t, so you hope and pray from me to hesitate and drop dead... pathetic..."

    The toy Zoemi dered and scoffed, flicking its ws as if getting rid of the dirt sprayed on by all the failed attacks Cherro threw at him.

    "I...! I AM NO AFR...!"

    Cherro gritted his teeth and roared down at the beast that raised its head at him for the first time...

    "GRAUGHFGHARAGGARGH!"

    "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

    *SPLASH*

    ...but when Zoemi spread its jaws and let out an overexaggerated beastly roar, Cherro let out a high-pitched cry of fear and backed off so fast that it tripped and the entire gigantic armor of his fell down into the ocean causing a rising tide to flood the beach and the road behind it.

    "Tha... THAT MEANS NOTHING! Th-the massive armor is impractical!"<sub> </sub>

    Cherro growled furious and embarrassed out of his mind, expelling the excess of mana and getting his armor and weapon to shrink back into a reasonable and easily manageable size.

    "I... I will defeat you! I will ovee my fear as a hero, and show off to my little princess in the showcase of true...!"

    *SWOOOOOOSH*

    The young man tried to act tough, but the very next second he realized that the beastly toy Zoemi raised its wed paw about to strike him, so he jumped back with all of his might, sending himself gliding on top of the ocean.

    *haaaa*

    He did that in thest possible frame of time too, because as he was escaping, toy Zoemi did attack and the reality got shredded apart by its ws, causing the mana in the air to evaporate with a sound of a person breathing out with relief.

    *splurt*

    As Cherro was away, the body of the monstrosity that became Zoemi fluctuated as if boiling from the inside and spilled apart from the side when the body of the unconscious ck-haired boy bleeding from his eyes, nose, and mouth almost fell out of the darkness.

    "Whoa there... we can''t have this now, can we? Without you, this will not work."

    The monster pped its jaws, as its wed paw gently grabbed the boy''s body and pushed it back inside its torso, where the foul darkness embraced him protectively.

    "...you just need to hold out for a little bit longer, while I will do my job..."

    Toy Zoemi said, patting its stomach while looking above the surface of the water towards the horizon, where the sudden explosion marked the spot where Cherro kicked off in order to return to the beach and reassume the fight.

    And the monster was ready.

    "I WILL NOT ALLOW THE FEAR TO RULE OVER ME!"

    Cherro roared and put all of his strength and mana, plus the power of the momentum that he gained, into a finishing move, an overhead chop with the two-sided ming axe of light and darkness.

    The attack was lightning fast ¨C a fraction of a fraction of a second...

    ...real-time, that is...

    Because the moment that shouting self-proimed hero showed up in front of the beastly toy made out of darkness, a shadow of a clock appeared behind the royal protector''s back, and on its face, the hands were frozen in ce.

    The power of Cherro''s attack was so humongous though, that even with that spell active, his axe was still moving, albeit at a snail''s peace.

    On the other hand, Zoemi wasn''t affected by it...

    "This ends today ¨C I know what I have to do to set my master free."

    The beast spoke and spread its arms around, showcasing the massive ws of the deadliest attributes in existence, substances, and elements so foul that there was no chance of a magician or a sage ever being born.

    "I hope you will have a good life... Zoemi."

    The toy smiled to itself and the next moment its counterattack began.

    With furious swipes it cut through and turned the Cherro''s weapon and armor into scrap, the sizzling remains of mana that even the world itself had no idea what to do with, as some were thrown out of the time and space, existing, but no, dead, but alive, stagnant, but in motion.

    Cherro''s body got turned into mincemeat that barely resembled the humanoid shape t was supposed to have, the bones shattered, and the internal organs burst apart.

    *thump*

    When the clock behind the toy Zoemi disappeared, the remains of the multicolored-hair young man crumbled onto the ground as he didn''t even get the chance to speak another world, having the brave words about not letting the fear rule over him being hisst.

    Truth be told, those were far too goodst words for a vile scum like him.

    "Now, perish. You filth."

    The beast grumbled and waved its paw dismissively, causing its ws to break off and break down,bining and forming a grayish, half-transparent cloud that began to slowly descend upon the remains of the defeated Cherro.

 558 Chapter 185

    "Master. You can show up. I know that you are watching us."

    Toy Zoemi spoke up, not looking up to the heavens like Cherro ¨C speaking to the unachievable perfection of the closest being their world had to a god ¨C but rather looking down, to the height at which proud but timid nine-years tinum girl would stand.

    "...I am sorry that I made you do that... m protector..."

    And just as if she was summoned by the call, a little tinum-haired girl appeared behind the remains of Cherro, speaking up in a fearful voice, unable to look up at her savior, too focused on the ripped flesh.

    To change that, the bear-like beast stepped over Cherro and approached the presence.

    As it did, the remains of its ws and its fully functional fangs retracted and its form changed into that of a giant teddy bear.

    Its eyes remained lifeless, but now they looked almost cute.

    Despite being over four timesrger than the tinum-haired girl, the creature was not threatening at all.

    "Zoemi...! The real you...! You finally fully woke up to return to me!"

    Presence breathed out and trembled, before looking up at the toy''s face and crying with happiness.

    "I did return... sorry for making you wait, master."

    The toy apologized, spreading its arms.

    "...!"

    Barely holding herself back from bawling her eyes out, presence jumped up into the toy Zoemi''s arms.

    "Master, I realized something... and as much as I hate to say it, I did so because of what the filth that harmed you had said to me... and your words just confirmed my theory..."

    "Hmm...?"

    As the little girl was hugging her beloved toy, reunited after countless failed timelines and literal eons past, the toy spoke in a sad voice, causing the girl to look up at it in confusion.

    "What do you mean...? What did you realize...?"

    She asked, tilting her head adorably, making a sweet clueless expression while being at total peace.

    "I am holding you hostage."

    "Eh...?"

    Toy Zoemi said, but instead of clearing things out it only made things harder for the presence to understand.

    "Master, through all this time, all those timelines, you were waiting for me to save you. All because you believed that only I can do that."

    The toy spoke in a gentle tone, trying to make its master realize the answer on her own.

    "And I was right. You did save me!"

    The tinum-haired girl cheered out and hugged the toy Zoemi closer, stuffing her face in its fluffy bodyposed of the softest, silkiest darkness.

    "No. But I will save you. Because I realized, that what I need to do as a protector, is not to shield you from the world and the hateful filth that harmed you but to show you the path. What you need to truly be saved is to grow and..."

    *THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK*

    "Z-Zoemi...?"

    The toy dered, gently patting the head of the murdered princess, where suddenly it flinched and froze in ce, causing the little girl to gasp, with the feeling of dread slipping into her heart.

    *thump*

    "Z-Zoemi!"

    As the toy fell to its knees, putting the tinum-haired girl down, she cried out in panic, as she started to back off, staring in disbelief into its lifeless eyes.<sub> </sub>

    *haaaaaaa*

    "!!!"

    The next moment the darknessposing its body dispersed, revealing the ck-haired boy hidden within.

    *thump*

    ...and when the boy''s body fell face forward to the feet of the tinum-haired girl, the next thing to notice was three jet-ck daggers sticking out of his back ¨C the dagger attached with fine jet-ck chains to the top of the wrist of a...

    "I... I did it...! I DID IT! I KILLED ZOEMI! AHAHAHAHA~! My little princess~! I realized how much you loved that toy ¨C so I killed it and took over all of its power and mana~! Isn''t that smart?"

    Cherro whose body got healed up to a perfect condition cheered out, crawling back up to his feet and jerking his right hand, tugging on the chains to retract the dagger.

    "See? I did it for you! Although I changed the way it looked because honestly, it was ridiculous and got on my nerves."

    Cherro dered with a beaming smile stered over his face as he spread his arms and caused the jet-ck darkness to burst forward, locking himself in heroic ck armor.

    "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

    Presence''s eyes widened and she straight up started running ¨C not even adding herself with mana, she just bolted it from the spot, running away like a scared animal that encountered a predator.

    Only after a few moments did she have some clearance and disappeared into a sh of light leaving the beach where she no longer had her beloved protector to save her.

    "Aww, isn''t she cute? She can''t handle the weight of my love for her~ But at least now..."

    Cherro snickered watching the tinum-haired girl disappear without pursuing her and put out his right hand.

    For just a second, a tin shadowy clock appeared on his palm before disappearing as he didn''t allow the spell topletely form.

    "I definitely need to thank father foring up with such an amazing spell... also... wow... the world sure looks different through the eyes of a shadow magician."

    Cherro breathed out, pping his hands together before looking around with a satisfied expression.

    "Everything that has mana has a unique shadow... so curious..."

    The young man made his helmet disappear, reviling that his hair and eyes turned back to ck, and nodded to himself before smiling at the body sprawled on the ground.

    He approached the fallen ck-haired boy and grabbed him by the hair again, lifting his head up to have a good look at his face.

    "Mhmm~ That''s what I wanted to see. Shadowless and dead. Not even a speck of mana left with that broken body of yours."

    Cherro giggled with satisfaction before turning around and taking a look at the scenery.

    His previous actions cause the ocean to flood the beach but now that the water had the time to settle down and receded, an inconspicuous elevation in the terrain was damaged by it, revealing the remains of some old shipwreck, with rotting nts taken over by the roots of grass and other weeds.

    "Pfft...! Isn''t that perfect? I was just thinking about what to do with this trash and a trash dump presented itself for me~! After all, heroes... DON''T LITTER!"

    *WHOOOSH* *WHAM*

    Cherroughed out loud, and stood up, pulling the ck-haired boy with him, before throwing Zoemi away ¨C sending him flying and crashing into the shipwreck.

    "At least your dposing body will nurture the local nature."

    Cherro nodded to himself with satisfaction before looking back towards the direction where the presence was running off moments before vanishing.

    "Wait for me a little bit longer, my lovely little princess, the next time we''ll see each other I will be the king. I will not make you wait long, I''ll just go grab my crown."

    The young man called out looking in the distance, standing still for a few more moments as if expecting to get some words of encouragement from the girl who was no longer anywhere near the ce.

    "Aww, she''s so shy, just as I always wanted her to be~"

    Cherro added with a rather creepy voice while a soft blush showed up on his cheeks, moments before the young man disappeared in the sh of the golden light.

 559 Chapter 186

    Miriette appeared back in the ballroom of the royal castle together with Ettemi and Oemir.

    They were the first to return ¨C or so it seemed.

    "...there really is no one here, just as I thought, but... something must have happened..."

    Miriette pointed out, looking around until her attention focused on the second hole in the wall, this one with a view of the city below the royal castle.

    It certainly wasn''t there before they all got teleported away, so it meant that someone was left behind and fought with someone else.

    The problem was, it was impossible to really say who fought with who, and with no one to tell the tale anywhere around, it was anyone''s guess...

    "Hmm..."

    Although the shes of light on the outside that looked just like lightning bolts but with no thunder following were a hint.

    "Ah, grandpa came back too~!"

    "Oh?"

    Ettemi cheered out turning towards the hole that Horeo created using Arisu ¨C or another Cherro ¨C making Miriette look that way too.

    And indeed, only a few momentster the dark-blue-haired man walked in carrying two variant magicians.

    Mirenne and Roiso that he was holding under his shoulder like an unconscious sack of potatoes, and Metavicero who was clinging to him with both of her arms and legs ¨C because of the difference in size, her legs were wrapped around Benevirau''s chest while her arms locked around the man''s head.

    That also meant that he had most of his head stuffed between the pristine white-as-snow breasts that could easily match the size of his whole head.

    "Youngdy Espine, Ettemi, Oemir, it''s good to see you all in good health."

    Benevirau muttered in a relieved voice muttered by the orbs of white.

    "Same to... you...? I guess? What happened to the girls? Was there someone else using mental attacks besides Kiroterell?"

    Miriette answered with hesitation, furrowing her brows seeing the state that two-thirds of the dark-blue-haired man''s group was in.

    "Not at all. It''s just that we flew back here and it must have been their first time."

    Benevirau tilted his head to the side while putting the unconscious acid magician on the floor and propped them against the wall.

    "Hold on ¨C you can fly? I thought that your powers extended to controlling the weather by finely adjusting the moisture in the air, not that you could actually affect your own body to such a degree... how exactly have you dealt with the low oxygen levels and the gravitational force?"

    Miriette raised her brows and spoke up, crossing her arms before putting one hand to her chin and asking with curiosity.

    "As for me I create a barrier around myself and whoever is with me so that the pressure can bnce out and not cause our blood to boil or something worse."

    She added her own take, being the most experienced person for the subject in the room.

    "I... I just brute force it with water jets... I apologize."

    The dark-blue-haired man raised his brows,pletely lost about the actual science that was behind Miriette''s spells, and admitted slightly embarrassed.

    He even blushed ¨C although he might have been blushing from the start, that''s beside the point.

    "Oh. Ohhh... that exins why the girls are like that. Metavicero looks like she would need more than just a get-well kiss to shake that off."

    "...kiss...?"

    Miriette raised her brows and looked at Benevirau with a mixture of disbelief and disappointment before looking at the acid magician on the floor and the snow magician still in the water sage''s arms ¨C funnily enough, at the sarcastic mention of kissing, Metavicero flinched and raised her head a bit, looking expectantly at Benevirau''s face.

    "We... we will discuss that matter at another time. Do we have any information about Zoemi?"

    Despite not being able to see the expression on the white-as-snow girl''s face, Benevirau could feel her gaze against his skin and hurriedly hanged the subject after a bit of a stutter.

    He wasn''t panicking though ¨C the topic he picked was very much relevant.

    "About that..."

    Miriette made a worried expression and turned toward the two corpse puppet sentinels behind her.

    "Dad is fine ¨C he is fighting with the bad guy."

    Ettemi looked back at the tinum-haired girl and answered sulking a little bit.

    "We told him that we will help, but he ordered us to stay away. It felt weird dad never shouted at us like that."

    Oemir added looking to the side, kicking up the air also distressed about the situation.

    "He sounded like dad but also kind of different..."

    Ettemi nodded, rubbing their forearm before pulling up thecy glove that started slipping down.

    As the talk seemed to get stuck at a dead end, another pair appeared in the ballroom in a sh of murky light.

    Elsby, with her dress, crumpled as if she was put through a wringer, and a jet-ck humanoid being of darkness with murky ck eyes, hugging her protectively.<sub> </sub>

    "Zoem...! No... who are you...?"

    Miriette perked up at the sight of the being of darkness thinking that it might have been Zoemi in his armor, but almost immidately backed off realizing her mistake.

    "Immeri!"

    "Immer, did you try to talk with dad too?"

    Although the others were confused and on guard, the two corpse puppet sentinels approached the being of darkness and asked them in worried voices.

    "I did... he told me to stay away. I was sure that he will take you with him though..."

    The being of darkness who turned out to be one of the remaining sentinels looked down at the short corpse puppet and nodded in confirmation, although their voice was rather grim.

    "We thought so too! But this whole thing is weird!"

    "Yeah! Why did the king send us all to different ces than he was supposed to? Why did he split us up in the first ce?!"

    Oemir and Ettemi clenched their fists and shook their heads fuming with anger.

    "About that... I believe he didn''t have much choice ¨C the presence definitely had a hand in this too."

    Miriette sighed and spoke up, waving her hand dismissively, steering the annoyance of the sentinels away from the gold-haired friend of hers.

    "...if you say so, mom..."

    "Where is he anyway?"

    "...?"

    The corpse puppet sentinels immediately listened to her and got back into sulking ¨C Benevirau raised his brow at the word mom used to address Miriette but didn''t say a thing as no one else seemed to be bothered by it.

    "That is a very good question."

    The tinum-haired girl pointed at Ettemi and furrowed her brows.

    "I would say that Horeo could easily be called the strongest amongst us all here ¨C except for the little ones, although I am notpletely sure about that... It could be that he had dealt with whatever opponent he was faced with and went straight to Zoemi to help him. Who knows, he could just straight up be teleported in the same ce and they are working together to defeat whatever opponents they have."

    Miriette pointed out as she began to pace back and forth because standing in one ce doing nothing while Zoemi was out there putting himself in danger was making her anxious and angry.

    "Speaking of which, who did you fight with? I had someone Kiorterell-like try to possess me but I sent him sorry as crawling back. Meaning I didn''t actually kill him though."

    She added, filling the others in.

    "What do you mean by Kiorterell-like?"

    Benevirau asked, trying to get his head away from Metaviro''s breast but the snow magician was immediately closing every gap of space that he created.

    "He was trying to possess me as I said, but when we got back he looked just like that Geroizen guy that we encountered in the Perserios territory... unless... now that I think about it, could it be that Kiorterell possessed Geroizen''s body and uses is as his host?"

    Miriette exined, and in the middle of her own sentence she figured out the answer.

    "That might be the case... having him alive and in the wild will be a problem... As for us, we fought and dealt with Kirissu, Sveothirllo, and Krantha. Although only the first two were a problem because Krantha was already almost dead."

    Benevirau agreed with Miriette''s assessment before telling the achievement of his group.

    "We killed six, although we didn''t ask them for names."

    "They were annoying so we eradicated them in one super cool attack~!"

    The two corpse puppet sentinels cheered out proudly, joining in on the reporting.

    "I..."

    "We killed Oktria."

    Immeri began speaking, but Elsby spoke over them despite having her head against their chest and having her words be muffled.

    Even if someone didn''t know about the rtionship between Elsby and Oktria, judging by the tone of voice the report was delivered made them stay respectfully silent.

    "Alright... I believe that I caught a glimpse of other Ghosts getting eviscerated in the sh of light that teleported us away, so if my guess is correct Zoemi and Horeo are fighting against Cherro and Carcassuss, more or less. Maybe with the runaway Kiorterell too... Anyway, it will all be over the moment that Horeo will lure his opponent to an open space, so we can rx. He will never let Zoemi be harmed."

    Miriette dered, breathing out in relief.

    "How can you be so sure about that...? I can''t be sure about Cherro, but themander is not an easy opponent. He is less of an assassin and more of a full-on brawler that has ess to some stealth spells."

    Elsby asked but didn''t move even an inch away from Immeri and just raised her head slightly to catch a glimpse of Miriette''s figure.

    "He can be whoever he wants, Wrath of light at full power can level cities in a heartbeat. Your formerrades will not even know what hit them."

    The tinum-haired girl snickered and boasted about the power of her friend as if it was her own.

 560 Chapter 186

    *WHAM*

    Just as Miriette closed her mouth, the wall to her left exploded and the gold-haired Horeo burst inside, breaking the stones with the head of the jet-ck-haired Carcassuss.

    As anyone in the way moved out of the way, the two hit the ground and the young king with his body shining pure gold dragged themander of the Ghosts of Bellcephora through the floor, breaking it apart and leaving a trail all the way to the podium where he was weing the guests at the beginning of the evening.

    "YOU...! FUCKING BRAT!"

    Carcassuss spat out inky darkness instead of blood while cursing at Horeo and clenched his fist, causing the broken obsidian-like de to regrow out of the top of his wrist, aiming to impale the young king''s face.

    "HMPH!"

    *GHYAAAAAA*

    Instead of dodging or even letting go of the man in his grasp, Horeo merely scoffed and headbutted the darkness de causing it to break apart as the dispersing mana let out a pained cry instead of the usual sound of a person breathing out with relief.

    "I was expecting more from someone sharing the same bloodline as me."

    "...YOU...!"

    Horeo scoffed causing Carcassuss''s face to twist in furious expression.

    "Shut up. You wouldn''t be a match for Bellcephora and there is no world in which you had a chance against me."

    "PFU-GUHUAGH...!"

    The young king dered with a bored expression and twisted his own de of light that was stuck deep within the guts of themander of the Ghosts of Bellcephora.

    As they both came to a stop Horeo straightened his back and pulled out his sword, causing more inky darkness to spill out of the Carcassuss''s beaten-up body.

    Without wasting his breath for saying another word, the young king threw his opponent up towards the ceiling...

    And pointed his index finger at him with a cold-blooded expression...

    *%^&#$%* x 424242

    Then, within a spawn of fewer than three seconds, dozens of spinning halosposed of twelve golden orbs each appeared behind the gold-haired youth andunched numerous beams of light eviscerating and straight up erasing every trace of themander of the Ghosts of Bellcephora with an unrelenting barrage of light.

    "Lasers are a man''s dream."

    After being sure that Carcassuss was dead, Horeo allowed himself to smirk and say out loud his favorite catchphrase from his early childhood ¨C the same one that always made Zoemi shake from holding back theughter.

    "...oh... you all returned. It seemed I was taking too much time dealing with that guy... hmm...? Where is Zoemi?"

    Horeo breathed out, releasing his enchantment and returning back to his normal appearance, looking over at the group of returnees and raising his brows, slightly confused and very much concerned.

    ------

    "This is problematic... Zoemi could not use magic properly, right? I am not doubting his swordsmanship or anything, but how in the world he is supposed to defeat anyone in that state?"

    After the group shared their information and discussed their situation, the gold-haired king made a bitter expression and pondered.

    "It''s Zoemi, he will manage. He will require extensive medical care afterward, but he will surely manage. I will definitely help nurse him back to health this time..."

    "..."

    Miriette dered in a t voice and Horeo was about to roll his eyes and scoff at her for saying stuff like that in this situation, but the moment he turned his head towards her he noticed that the tinum-haired girl was clenching her fists so hard that her shoulders were trembling.

    So he closed his mouth and said nothing, the young king was sure about one thing ¨C Miriette''s care for Zoemi was just as great or even greater than his own.

    The proud girl was simply doing her best to not fall apart and start panicking.

    Just as Horeo was about to speak some words of encouragement to Miriette, the tinum-haired girl started walking and ended up by the inky puddle that got a few shades lighter and did not carry any mana.

    "...I don''t reckon that Burushi''s magic can fix that..."

    Miriette crouched by the puddle and hesitantly dipped her finger in, confirming that it was a liquid and not a differently shaded shadow gate.

    Unfortunately, the optimistic scenario was not the one used in this case.

    "...it''s..."

    "Teo. You''ve seen what happened too, didn''t you?"

    Horeo furrowed his brows and asked at Miriette''s back and the tinum-haired girl nodded in confirmation, rubbing her index finger and thumb together.

    "..."

    Miriette breathed out and stood up in the silence that befell the group.

    Without speaking up about her intentions, the tinum-haired girl reached out her hand above the remains of her first actual female friend and gritted her teeth.

    The next moment a shining tinum clock appeared behind her back and right over the surface of the inky puddle. The hands of the one above the puddle began to slowly tick back in the counterclockwise motion.

    As minutes passed the surface of the puddle began bubbling and darkening, bringing back its pitch-ck darkness.

    Miriette bit her lips concentrating so deeply that even if Zoemi showed up by her side at that very moment, she would not notice him.

    "..e one... work...! Stupid Teo, who allowed you to die on... me...?!"

    The tinum-haired girl mumbled to herself, staring at the puddle before suddenly tensing up wide-eyed.

    "...eh...? Wait! WHY?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!"

    She gasped before gulping down her saliva and raising her voice causing the others to look between each other in confusion before Horeo walked up to her with concern as Miriette reached out her other hand above the surface.

    "Yo, cunning fox, care to exin what is going on?"

    The young king asked, tapping on the tinum-haired girl''s shoulder.

    "It''s... it''s Teo... she said to not try to bring her back..."

    "What?!"<sub> </sub>

    Miriette exined, making Horeo tens up and gasp in shock.

    "I am forcing her soul toe back with time magic ¨C but she asked me to stop... She said that it hurts and that she is sorry and can''t face us after being used as a conduit for the Ghosts appearance...! That stupid girl!"

    The tinum-haired girl exined while droplets of sweat were appearing on her forehead as her mana was being drained so fast as if her mana reservoir broke.

    "Listen here! Don''t you know who I am, idiot?! No one is ming you for anything! And more importantly, I did not give you permission to die! I will not let you...!"

    The proud girl gritted her teeth and shouted towards the ceiling directly above the puddle as if that was the direction the voice that only she could hear wasing from.

    "MIRIETTE!"

    "WHAT?!"

    Horeo raised his voice at Miriette and the tinum-haired girl responded back the same way but with much more annoyance in her voice.

    "Didn''t she say that she was hurt? Stop tormenting her with your magic! Wasn''t she your friend? Respect her decision."

    The gold-haired young man shook his head and scoffed at her in a calm and collected voice.

    "No, she didn''t mean it in that... eh...? You did...?"

    Miriette scoffed in annoyance, shrugging off Horeo''s hand but then flinched and teared up looking up as the soul of Teomunicated with her.

    "Miriette, just stop it."

    Horeo''s expression didn''t change but in his eyes, there was more sadness than Miriette ever expected out of him.

    "But... but... Besides you and Zoemi... she is the first friend I ever made... I... I don''t want her to be gone..."

    Miriette''s chin trembled and she lowered her head, trying to hold back the tears.

    "Unfortunately, being selfish in this case will only hurt Teo more. Please, release her."

    "..."

    The young king asked in a solemn tone and the tinum-haired girl''s body shook from a held-back sob.

    "...I am the one who is sorry, stupid... Goodbye..."

    Miriette muttered back to something that only she could hear and the tinum clocks faded away.

    She then lowered her hands and stood over the inky puddle in silence without raising her head.

    "..."

    Benevriau felt Metaviero hugging him tighter seekingfort, and this time he didn''t try to run away.

    Then, suddenly...

    *thump* *thump*

    "Immeri...? What happened, are you hurt...?!"

    The silence was broken by the sound of someone copsing and Elsby''s panicked voice full of concern.

    When the Horeo and Miriette looked over to see what was going on, they saw both corpse puppet sentinels, Ettemi and Oemir, slumped on the floor withpletely broken expressions, staring at the floor as if their world copsed.

    Simrly, Immeri, the being of darkness by Elsby''s side would have copsed too, but the jet-ck-haired young woman caught them the moment she realized something was wrong.

    "Li-little ones, are you all okay?"

    Miriette, still very emotional after saying her farewells to the soul of her friend, sniffled and asked, looking between three sentinels.

    "...mom..."

    Ettemi spoke up before suddenly breaking down in uncontroble sobbing.

    "Dad... dad is...!"

    Immeri picked up after them but also couldn''t finish the sentence before hugging Elsby and crying into her shoulder as she started gently patting their head.

    "...mom... just now... dad died..."

    Oemir grabbed onto their corset and held onto it with their trembling hands before looking up at Miriette and revealing.

    "Wh-what...? No. Come on, it''s not the time to joke around...!"

    The tinum-haired girl tensed up and took a step back before smiling nervously and scoffing at Oemir with a panicked voice.

    "..."

    But the corpse puppet sentinel didn''t need to say anything to rify what they said, their miserable look of utter despair alone was enough for the confirmation.

    "...no... impossible... how?!"

    Miriette shook her head and asked, clenching her fists and looking between all three sentinels.

    "I don''t kn..."

    "I killed him~!"

    Oemir shook their head with a heavy heart, but his sentence was interrupted by another voice.

    The voice of someone who appeared in the middle of the ballroom in a sh of golden light.

    ? "Greetings everyone, a hero and your true king have returned after ying the monster~!"

    Cherro donning the jet-ck armor cheered out, spreading his arms around with pride.

 561 Chapter 187

    *#$%^%$#@#$%^&^%$#@#$%^%$#@#$%*

    Horeo didn''t wait for anything, with no speck of hesitation he reactivated all of his spells, engulfing himself in a golden light, and with the wave of his hand countless halos of golden orbs filled the ballroom and shot out beams of light in unison, bringing out an hard to describe the sound that resonated deep within everyone''s bodies.

    The concentrated power of the numerous spells caused an air quake almost as powerful as the one caused by Ettemi and Oemir''s coolest ¨C which meant the most destructive ¨C spell.

    *WHOOM*

    That speed of the young king''s reaction surprised everyone - everyone except for Cherro, unfortunately - every single light beam was swallowed by a circle of darkness that would appear in front of the ck-haired self-proimed hero.

    "Now, now. That isn''t the wee I expected. Why are you all still alive? I was sure that my family would deal with you. Thanks for more mana though, much appreciated.

    When the barrage of light attacks stopped for a moment, Cherro rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively.

    All in all, taking mana from their opponent''s attacks was one of the basic abilities avable for the darkness magicians.

    With a sh of golden light, Horeo appeared right in front of the young man d in darkness, the golden sword of light in hand, and stabbed him in the stomach without as much as a mocking smirk.

    "Pfft...! What exactly do you want to achieve? Thanks to the powers of that insignificant attendant who somehow gained some status, I have perfected the absorption of foreign mana... so, once again. Thank you for the gift to celebrate my ascension on the throne."

    Cherro snorted in Horeo''s face and giggled, looking down at his abdomen where the de of light was disappearing without actually damaging him in the slightest.

    *?[€¡À?¡è?$€¡ê*

    Instead of responding to the taunt, Horeo raised his open hand and a cone of blinding light erupted from his palm, swallowing Cherro together with a big chunk of the wall behind him.

    "You are very stubborn, aren''t you?"

    *stab*

    "...!"

    Cherro''s voice came from the cone of light that had no intention of fading away continuing its unceasing attack - the words were not the only thing that passed through, though. A small jet-ck dagger attached to the matching chain burst forward and stabbed into the young king''s shoulder causing him to frown in annoyance.

    "That is not the only one~!"

    Cherro snickered and two more chained daggers emerged from behind the light.

    *stab* *stab*

    Although the daggers did sink into something, it was not the flesh of the young king this time, instead, they were stopped by two golden orbs that appeared out of the thin air.

    Horeo grabbed onto the jet-ck de burrowed in his shoulder and tore it out without even batting an eye, even though the dagger revealed itself to open up like a pinecone, creating a much bigger wound just by being extracted.

    Seemingly simple action resulted in the young king losing a big chunk of flesh from his shoulder while getting afflicted with severe blood loss.

    Hisplexion became paler but he did not let out a single sound, unfortunately...

    He also released the spell, causing the cone of light to fade away...

    "Getting desperate?"

    ...revealing the very healthy Cherro, with the only difference being a jet-ck helmet protecting the head of the self-appointed hero...

    As the jet-ck-armor-d young man mocked the gold-haired youth''s attempt to harm him, the bloody dagger jumped out of the young king''s hand and its chain retracted back to the top of the attacker''s wrist, while the other two stayed stabbed into the golden orbs draining them of mana like overgrown jet-ck mosquitoes.

    "..."

    Once again, the only reaction that Horeo graced Cherro with was a frown...

    ...and a wind-up for a clearly telegraphed punch.

    With his body shining pure gold Horeo stopped trying to get Cherro with long-range beams and instead turned their encounter into a brawl.

    "How many times do you want to try these futile attempts..."

    At first, it looked like Horeo''s whole fist would get swallowed by the darkness armor protecting Cherro''s body. Cherro himself even began trash-talking the young king''s inability to harm him- until...

    *WHAM* *CRACK*

    "UGH-OUGH...?!"

    *BOOOOM*

    The punch actually connected...!

    ? Instead of doing the obvious thing in this situation - that being block the oing attack and absorb the mana that it contained - the darkness manaposing the jet-ck armor gave way for the golden fist and Cherro received a bone-shattering punch to his ribs, the punch that sent him flying and crashing into another wall.

    "Bhastard...! What did you do?!"

    Cherro coughed up blood and crawled back up from the rubble that he broke off of the wall with his head because of the impact.

    The self-proimed hero''s helmet was falling apart, crumbling like an ice sculpture, and while Cherro himself was getting heated, his breath was turning into the mist because of the low temperature...

    "...huh...?"

    The misty breath was something that pointed Cherro to the right answer before Horeo would say anything - not that the young king had any intention of saying anything, to begin with.

    Both the dark-blue-haired man and the white-as-snow girl clinging to him like a baby ko bear were facing him, and the unsettling white eyes of the snow magician were ring at him with burning intensity...

    ...snow magician...?

    If it was the old Cherro, the one before absorbing Zoemi''s powers, he would not realize what was wrong, but thanks to the natural abilities of the shadow magician, the self-appointed hero could see the shadows of the spells the pair were releasing!

    "How dare you interfere in my fight?!"

    Cherro growled furiously, trying to get up and get rid of the pesky interruption, but as he was attempting just that, he realized how sluggish his body was.

    It was not possible for that to be the effect of just the ice-like magic the water sage and the snow magician were using. In the first ce, his armor still protected him from frost.

    As those thoughts were passing through Cherro''s mind, Horeo was already by his side.

    "Don''t you even da...!"<sub> </sub>

    *WHAM* x16 *?¡è???¡ê?¡À?$¡è??*

    *rumble*

    As the self-appointed hero was flinching in shock, the young king alreadyunched andnded a series of devastating punches and topped it off with a massive st of light that shoot a hole through almost the entire royal castle, causing a few rooms and passages to copse in its wake.

    "That... that is not... right...! I am strong! No one should not be able to stand up to me...!"

    Cherro slid down the wall that finally stopped him, utterly humiliated, and spat crimson blood to the side in anger as he used the copy of healing magic to put his broken body back together until he could stand back up.

    "...screw this... MOM! FATHER! SISTER OKTRIA! GRANDPA KIORTERELL! HELP ME!"

    The self-proimed hero cursed under his breath before straightening his back and shouting at the maximum capacity of his lungs.

    ...to no effect...

    "...what is going on...? Who is blocking me from contacting them? And who is hindering my movement? Is it really just those two with their mana-freezing spells...?"

    Cherro groaned in annoyance straightening his back and wiping off the blood that began dripping from the corner of his mouth.

    "I need more mana, that''s right. I can''t overwhelm them because I don''t have enough mana!"

    Cherro face twisted in an angry grimace as he saw the fresh red stains on his white tuxedo and he dered, beginning to look around.

    The solution to the problem he picked out himself was simple, after all.

    With a spell that allowed him to take mana and abilities of people that he kills, he just needed to do just that.

    "Since I will be the king, using the lives of the servants and guards from the pce is only obvious, right? Their lives already belong to me...!"

    Charro grinned and mumbled to himself, eyeing out the brightly lit door that opened because of the force of the impact caused by him mming against the wall and falling down has caused.

    "Subjects! Forfeit your lives to the new....!"

    Cherro dered swaying through the door and reaching out his hand with three daggers sticking out from the top of his wrist, ready to shoot out at whoever is the closest...

    ...but there was no one there...

    Only an empty servants'' quarter with the mana crystalmps still on.

    "Hmph. They must have heard themotion and ran away like rats."

    Cherro scoffed angrily and moved back, mming the door and moving back to the hallway.

    He checked a few more rooms and every single one was the same as the first.

    "..."

    "GAH?!"

    As Cherro was opening yet another one, the gold prince teleported in front of him once again and punched right at his face, causing him to panic and duck.

    Cherro''s body wasn''t feeling as sluggish as moments before anymore so he managed to react and doge in time, but he still felt the king''s fist brushing against the top of his helmet, ripping it apart with almost no effort.

    "Ghhhhhh...!"

    Cherro hissed and used the same spell that the prince surprised him with - he teleported away.

    As for his destination, it was back at the ballroom.

    Even though the young king was a problem, there definitely were weaker magicians there - which meant that there was a good source of mana there ripe for the picking.

    "Surrender your mana to one true he...!"

    As he thought he had the element of surprise on his side, Cherro called out triumphantly, only to find himself frozen mid-air.

    And not just frozen as if turned into an ice block.

    Cherro got pinned down and stopped mid-fall, unable to move anything besides his eyes, hovering above the floor thanks to outsides interference.

    "My little ones, call the Pissy prince back."

    "!!!"

    All of Cherro''s questions and then some were answered when the tinum-haired Miriette spoke up.

    There was no need to search for the shadow of her spell to realize what she was doing - the face of the clock with the hands standing still was clearly visible behind the girl''s back.

    "You Miriette-lookalike hag! Release me this instant!"

    Cherro growled in anger, but was unable to do anything else - being able to speak was already quite a feat.

    "Done."

    "So that shitstain came back here..."

    Immeri nodded their head, and the next moment annoyed Horeo appeared next to them in a sh of golden light...

    ----------

    *thunk*

    As the fight in the capital of the Bellcephora kingdom was about to be reignited, one of the rotting nks on the side of the uncovered shipwreck that Cherro smashed Zoemi through, detached from the crumbling construction and fell to the ground, bouncing off on a stone.

    The dirt, moss, and roots covering it got shaken off by the impact, revealing the faded letters.

    -Heavenly Star Nation''s 8th crown vessel.-

    -PRINCE AIDEN-

 562 Chapter 187

    "YOU KILLED DAD!"

    "YOU ARE DEAD!"

    Despite Immeri keeping it together quite well, Ettemi and Oemirpletely lost it the moment they saw Cherro.

    *WHAM* x2

    "GH-UAGH...!"

    The two corpse puppet sentinelsunched into the air and punched at the self-appointed hero''s stomach, smashing right through the jet-ck armor and turning his intestines into bloody jelly and fusing Cherro to throw up a fountain of blood.

    Although the two acted without consulting anybody else, no one was about to stop them.

    It really didn''t matter who killed the self-appointed hero after all.

    The important thing was that the person boasting about killing Zoemi would end up dead.

    Of course, the two corpse puppet sentinels were not satisfied with just a single punch each, they also didn''t intend to let Cherro live any longer.

    So they both backed off just a little bit to have enough of a runaway and charged at the incapacitated opponent in perfect sync, with their fists aiming straight at his head.

    But...

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    Just as their hits were about to connect, two pirs of crimson mes erupted straight from the floor and swallowed them whole before their attacks could reach Cherro.

    "Stop!"

    "...!"

    Metavicero shouted in panic and reached out her hand towards the me and Benevirau followed suit gritting his teeth.

    *WHOOOOOOOOO*

    But instead of the fire getting quenched with the water and snow spells subsequently, the mes began to burn with even more power and change their color first to orange and then to bright yellow.

    "ENOUGH!"

    Immeri roared unable to contain their anger and sprouted dragon wings from their back - and with a single p, they got to the horrendously hot mes and put their hands in, pulling both Oemir and Ettemi out of the yellow fire.

    Immeri didn''t fly back down as much as they fell and crashnded. Elsby run up to them and supported the being of darkness back as they ced the corpse puppet sentinel on the floor.

    Oemir and Ettemi were in terrible condition, both unconscious, with their bodies charred so much that half of them turned into literal charcoal...

    "This... this is more than troublesome..."

    *crack*

    Immeri breathed out and their arms crumbled into dust all the way up above their elbows.

    "Sorry... the truth is I am much weaker than those two..."

    The being of darkness apologized and fell to their knees, having Elsby wrap her arms around their torso, under the dragon wings.

    "Don''t be stupid! You did well! Just don''t get yourself killed!"

    Elsby shook her head, clinging to Immeri in desperation, worried to death that they will crumble into dust entirely.

    As that happened, the two pirs of firebined into one before getting sucked toward one of the windows.

    "Hey... aren''t you forgetting about someone? I told you that I picked the winning side - because every side that I would pick would be victorious!"

    The fire in the window got concentrated and condensed on itself until the silhouette of a voluptuous woman showed up.

    The next moment, Ehmi d in her own version of fire armor walked out and stepped down on the floor with the might and power of the strongest fire sage alive.

    Her me dress was burning yellow, showing off the much hotter than normal mes and her expression was far from peaceful.

    "..."

    *WHOOOOOO*

    Miriette gritted her teeth and red at her, but that merely caused Ehmi''s mes to burn brighter.

    "What the...?!"

    The tinum-haired girl got wide-eyed, the same magic that was stopping Cherro of all people, had no effect on the crimson-haired young woman...!

    "Cunning fox, focus on stopping that bastard for a bit longer, alright? I will deal with her."

    Horeo nced over at the severely wounded sentinels and stepped forward, with an expression best described as cold fury.

    "Horeo, you can try, but I am afraid that you will find out why it is futile."

    "Nobody asked."

    *^%$#$%^&*

    Ehmi dered with a mocking smile but the young king merely scoffed back andunched a barrage that Cherro managed to stop ¨C but the crimson-haired girl should not be able to...

    "What in the...?!"

    Unfortunately, the bad news just kepting ¨C Ehmi didn''t even need to dodge the attack, she literally stood there and took it ¨C and with each beam of light that struck her, her me dress was getting brighter and brighter.

    After the onught of light was over, the crimson-haired girl was left with the evolved version of her spell ¨C a pure-white wedding dress, almost exactly the same as the one that appeared after she intercepted Zoemi''s spell back during the tournament for her hand.

    "Well, well, well... look at this? And here I thought only lord Banemor would make me done a wedding dress aside from my husband. Speaking of which, where is Zoe? I want to match up against him myself."

    Ehmi checked out her new looks and chuckled softly raising her hand in a white fire glove.<sub> </sub>

    "..."

    "..."

    "What''s with the sudden silence...?"

    Miriette bit her lips and looked to the side and Horeo gritted his teeth outright stopping whatever spell he was going to use next, causing Ehmi to furrow her brows cautiously at theplete change of atmosphere.

    "Your husband apparently killed him. Zoemi''s sentinels confirmed that he is dead."

    "..."

    As no one else seemed to be keen on letting the crimson-haired girl in on the news, Elsby ended up taking a deep breath and informed her, while Immeri''s wings slumped down in sadness.

    "...eh...?"

    Contrary to her extremely aggressive behavior a momentter, Ehmi seemed to be genuinely shaken by the revtion. As her face became pale she let out a gasp and turned to look at her husband, Cherro ¨C or Arisu ¨C stopped in ce a couple of feet above the ballroom''s floor by Miriette''s time spell.

    "...wh-what...? what did you just say...?"

    "...?"

    The crimson-haired girl wasn''t the only one to be utterly shaken.

    There was someone else who initially missed Cherro''s boastful entrance.

    "You''re lying...! Lo... lord Banemor cannot be dead...! He can''t...!"

    The acid magician was knocked unconscious by traveling through the air together with the water sage finally came to, waking up to the possible worst news they could hear.

    The control of the body was immediately surrendered to Roiso with no hesitation from Mirienne.

    "...Dad died... and that scum is giving off the same aura as dad did... he killed him and took over all of dad''s power..."

    "..."

    Immeri looked at the neon-pink-haired variant magician and spoke in a pained voice ¨C Roiso stared at them and then at the person that the being of dakrness was pointing at with one of its dragon wings.

    *kshhhhhhhhhhhh*

    "Roiso...?!"

    The acid magician ¨C who already was sitting down with her back against the wall ¨C slumped down like a puppet with its strings cut off ¨C only to have the characteristic sound of her acid melting through mana and physical matter alike resounded through the ballroom causing Metavicero to call out in worry.

    "...he...? He killed my beloved lord Banemor...?"

    "ROISO!"

    Despite the sound of matter melting, there was nothing disintegrating in the vicinity of the acid magician ¨C at least not until she raised her head prompting the snow magician to cry out in terror.

    Roiso was crying.

    And her tears were so potent acid that they were melting off her own face and the gas mask she was wearing to protect the world from herself.

    "I WILL MELT YOUR FUCKING SOUL UNTIL THERE IS NOTHING LEFT, YOU MURDERER!"

    *KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    Roiso roared, stunning everyone, and the next moment she conjured a torrent of acid that carried her like a wave towards the frozen Cherro, melting absolutely everything in its wake.

    The acid magician was not in a condition to differentiate a friend from a foe so if not for Elsby and Horeo rushing and getting Immeri, Oemir, and Ettemi out of the way, all three sentinels would have perished then and there.

    "I am not going to let you kill my husband!"

    *click*

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    EMI managed topose herself in time and snapped her fingers, causing a pir of brilliant, hot-white fire to swallow both the neon-pink-haired magician and her acid wave.

    *KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    "THEN DIE TOGETHER WITH HIM, YOU CHEAP SLUT!"

    But despite the mes being much more powerful than the ones that knocked out both Zoemi''s corpse puppet sentinels, Roiso''s acid powered through, melting out the burning mana, overwhelming Ehmi''s spell.

    Not only that ¨C just as Roiso roar suggested, the wave of acid branched out and a part of it diverged and targeted the crimson-haired girl in the burning white wedding dress.

    "!!!"

    This was the oue that nobody expected ¨C especially not Ehmi.

    After receiving and proving superior over the gold-haired young king, a random variant magician that wasn''t anywhere near the realm of the sage was showing to actually be a grave threat to her life...!

    "We are getting out of here."

    Without waiting for the confrontation to reach its climax, Horeo dered and teleported everyone he could out of the royal castle.

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *WHOOOOOOOOO* *KSHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    "Wha...?! Why did you do that?! We need to stop her!"

    Metavicero was the first one to gasp and voice herint as their group in the almost full roster as they witness the destruction of the surface level of the most important building in the kingdom of Bellcephora as the brilliant white mes were battling and losing a neon-pink acid in one of the most violent chemical reactions their world had the misfortune to be exposed to.

    "I could attempt that and I''m certain to seed but that would wipe out that city from the map and kill your friend. Not to mention that I''m cheering her on."

    The gold-haired king announced in an indifferent voice, pointing with his thumb at the night view of the capital seen from the royal castle''s gate.

 563 Chapter 188

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *WHOOOOOOOOO* *KSHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    "Wha...?! Why did you do that?! We need to stop her!"

    Metavicero was the first one to gasp and voice herint as their group in the almost full roster as they witness the destruction of the surface level of the most important building in the kingdom of Bellcephora as the brilliant white mes were battling and losing a neon-pink acid in one of the most violent chemical reactions their world had the misfortune to be exposed to.

    "I could attempt that and I''m certain to seed but that would wipe out that city from the map and kill your friend. Not to mention that I''m cheering her on."

    The gold-haired king announced in an indifferent voice, pointing with his thumb at the night view of the capital seen from the royal castle''s gate.

    "What are you cheering her on?! Killing herself?! Her altered attribute is too powerful and her body cannot withstand it ¨C that''s why she is wearing that suit with all mana stones ¨C it''s not for protecting others ¨C it''s slowing down her own body from killing her! If her acid started melting through, it means she is on a timer...!"

    "Then I hope that she will kill Cherro and Ehmi before she dies."

    Metavicero shouted at Horeo, moving so much that even Benevirau had a hard time holding her ¨C but if she thought that she will receive a thoughtful and encouraging response... she had no idea what kind of tyrant she was dealing with...

    "Wh-what...?"

    The snow magician flinched and stuttered, thinking that she misunderstood the young king''s response.

    "If her death will erase the scum that killed Zoemi, so be it."

    Horeo rified what he meant, leaving everyone speechless as the battle between Ehmi and Roiso continued with the mes rising higher and higher and the acid chasing and melting through them.

    "You...! What would lord Banemor say to that?! Lady Espine, please tell him to...!"

    Metavicero''s anger boiled over and if she could get red in the face, she would ¨C but instead, she clenched her fists on Benevirau''s clothes and turned around expecting to see the tinum-haired girl...

    ...only to witness an empty spot...

    "Where is she...?"

    The snow magician gasped in disbelief before turning towards the quickly disappearing royal castle.

    "Miriette is the only person besides Zoemi that I believe in no matter what. She doesn''t need my protection in this case."

    Horeo''s next words only confirmed the unspoken suspicion.

    "YOU LEFT HER THERE?!"

    "Did I stutter?"

    Metaviceor shouted in terror mixed with blood-boiling fury, to which Horeo responded with bone-chilling annoyance.

    "You believe in her as you believe in lord Banemor...?! HE IS DEAD AND LADY ESPINE COULD DIE AS WE...!"

    *&^%$#@*

    The white-as-snow girl continued to shout and she actually managed to strike a nerve ¨C a single golden orb appeared above Horeo''s shoulder and a beam of light shot straight at the girl''s head.

    "...ghh...!"

    "Sir Benevirau...!"

    Metavicero had no chance of dodging, but she was also being carried by the dark-blue-haired water sage who reacted in time...

    ...well, he reacted in time to get her out of the danger but got his shoulder pierced straight through by the young king''s spell...

    "Zoemi and Miriette are the only two people that have my admiration. They cannot fail at any task they chose toplete. Zoemi, Miriette, Veo, and Patishi, are the only people in this world I care about, respect their opinions, and would die for."

    Horeo dered, not caring about the damage done to the water sage, moving his hand to the side and extending his fingers as he counted out the names.

    "As for the rest of you trash. I would not even notice if you all perished. Do not push your luck, or I will erase you myself. I haven''t wrath-of-lighted the capital only because Patishi and Veo believe that I care for the wellbeing of the ants sharing our world and that I will be a good and benevolent ruler for them."

    "...!"

    The terrifying reveal sent chills down the backs of everyone unfortunate to hear it ¨C even the former member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora, and the being of darkness, Immeri ¨C despite the zing inferno that the former royal castle had turned into.

    "...your majesty, if you don''t care about our lives, could I have your permission to help outdies Roiso and Mirienne?"

    "Sir Benevirau...!"

    Despite being wounded by Horeo''s attack, the water sage''s voice didn''t carry any anger as Benevirau asked, lowering his head to the gold-haired youth while the snow magician he was holding almost cried.

    "Was I not clear about how much I don''t care about anyone besides the four I named? Do whatever you want."

    "Thank you, your majesty."<sub> </sub>

    The young king didn''t even spare the water sage a single nce but the dark-blue-haired man still bowed his head deeply, before cing the teary-eyed Metavicero on the ground and activating his enchantments.

    -----

    Although outside the main battlefield things were quite troublesome, the center stage wasn''t much better.

    ...it was much, much worse, actually...

    Although Roiso''s attribute triumphed over Ehmi''s fire, Cherro was still alive and Miriette was continuing to hold him back with her time attribute spell standing on the only untouched remains of the ballroom floor ¨C which was also the only untouched fragment of the royal castle still standing.

    The reason for that wasn''t that Roiso''s acid wasn''t'' working on the time attribute mana, nor even that Mirienne had enough control over her body to stop Roiso from hurting her idol.

    ...it was just that Roiso''s eyes were melted off by her horribly acidic tears while the following spells ended up damaging her ears, resulting in her losing all sense of direction and causing her to attack wildly from whatever side she sensed danger or suffered an attack...

    And because Ehmi was the only person attacking her, she turned into the main target of the acid magician''s wrath by default.

    The acid attribute that Roiso and Mirienne were using was one of the attributes that toy Zoemi created their ws with during his fight with Cherro and was most definitely not supposed to appear in the world because of the damage to the user who would not survive the magic awakening in their childhood.

    To boot, Roiso''s mana acidity was only increasing as time passed. By the time the royal castle was in ruin ¨C which took a terrifyingly short amount of time ¨C her body fluids melted through most of her hazmat suit.

    But that only meant that they are around her that was melting off any potential danger was growing too.

    "WHY AREN''T YOU SUFFOCATING?! THERE''S BASICALLY NO AIR?! AND YOU SHOULD BE FRIED BY NOW TOO!"

    Ehmi was honestly panicking by that point, the enemy she faced seemed to crawl out straight from some kind of nightmare ¨C the hollow eyes of the melting skull shedding neon-pink tears were turning in whatever direction an attack crushed and melted against the sphere-like invisible barrier.

    During the confrontation that wiped off the royal castle, the fire sage haven''tnded a single proper hit even though she was sure that doing so would result in her immediate victory.

    That result came not from theck of trying ¨C the flights of fire swallows, the spell that got inspired by the spell that Zoemi used during the semi-final tournament fight ¨C were circling the area trying to find the weak spot of the acid magician''s barrier while pirs and hurricanes of fire were ravaging the area.

    Countless fireballs were raining down upon the already ravaged ground in an endless onught of fire magic entirely ¨C the very attack pattern that was the specialty of the fire magicians.

    All to no avail.

    *KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    All magic had to bow down and got melted by the neon-pink tide that carried the acid magician.

    *KSHHHHHHHHH*

    "..."

    Ehmi gulped down her saliva and backed off as the ssh of acidnded dangerously close to her and instantly created a deep crater evaporating the ground and stones as if they were cotton candy exposed to water.

    Unfortunately for Ehmi, Roiso didn''t need the air nor cared about the elements, the one affected by them was Mirienne, the original owner of the body that got her attribute forcibly changed during multiple experiments.

    Roiso was only an ingredient, the original girl known as Roiso Baru Efemare was long gone from the world with the personality residing within the acid attribute being the only proof that she ever existed.

    The truth that even the person behind the experiments that made Mirienne into the acid magician wasn''t aware of, was that Mirienne''s attribute wasn''t exactly acid ¨C her attribute was Roiso, because Roiso became the mana.

    It was extremely simr to how the original members of Ghosts of Bellcephora''s bodies changed from flesh and blood into darkness mana. Only with Roiso it was that she became somebody else''s mana.

    At least that was how it was until a few moments before when Mirienne was still alive.

    At the very moment, the being rampaging around was literally no different than the corpse puppet.

    Mana moving the dead lump of flesh.

    "BURN ALREADY!"

    Ehmi who was getting quite panicked shouted so loud that she hurt her throat ¨C the instant-immtion mes raged on shooting up into the sky turning the night over the royal capital into the brightest day.

    *KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    "!!!"

    But her unrelenting opponent burst through in the explosion of the neon pink acid, causing the crimson-haired girl to freeze for a moment in pure horror.

    The thing that was charging at her, riding the neon-pink wave wasn''t a wounded human, it was a corroding skeleton emanating the overwhelming neon pink light.

    *STAB* *KSHHHHHHHHH*

    "GH-AAAAAAAAAH...!"

    The moment of hesitation cost Ehmi dearly ¨C the skeleton''s bony hand sunk into her stomach and the acidic residue it was covered with began digging and melting her flesh without giving her a chance to escape.

 564 Chapter 188

    "LET ME GHOOOOOUGHEGH...!"

    Ehmi was on a right track to growl through the pain but her own melted intestines found their way through her mouth together with the bile rising up from the remains of her stomach.

    "Fhuck...!"

    The crimson-haired girl mumbled a curse clenching her fist while creating a white-hot de to cut through the skeleton''s bones and free herself ¨C but as she did, a sight of the neon pink substance condensing in empty space below the ribs of the skeleton where a stomach should be. The next second the substance followed the way between the ribs to where the esophagus and throat should be, only to spray at Ehmi''s face as the skeleton opened its jaws.

    *KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    "GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

    Ehmi didn''t even need to cut her way out, the spasm of horrendous, ungodly pain send her flying straight down into the inferno of her own creation while the was carried further away by the wave of acid.

    "Miss Roiso, miss Mirienne...! Heavens... how... who horrible, how can I reverse that...?!"

    That was also the moment that Benevirau, the dark-blue-haired water sage arrived and managed to reach the main battlefield after assuming that Metavicero would not attempt to follow him.

    The water sage promised the snow magician to save the acid magician...

    ...but there was barely anything left to save...

    And it was not like his looks were what caused Benevirau to say that ¨C the water sage was using the mana flow to recognize the world around him since he lost his sight in the battle with the now deceased fire sage Vanterl.

    And what he experienced through that ability was fading acid mana in the ocean of fire element raging by the corruption of space and time caused by the time attribute being extensively used.

    At least he confirmed that the youngdy Epsine was alive and fine, but when ites to his promise...

    "Miss! Can you perceive me?!"

    The white mes touched by the neon pink acid did not shoot back up so Benevirau could approach the disintegrating skeleton of the acid magician.

    His choice of words wasn''t random either ¨C he specifically meant perceiving through the mana flow ¨C which was the only sense that the being below him could possibly have ess to.

    "..."

    *crumble*

    *KSHHHHHHHHH*

    Unfortunately, even though for a second it looked like Benevirau could truly reach andmunicate with what was left of the acid magician, the very moment that the skeleton had turned towards him, its brittle bones crumbled into splinters that evaporated, melted away by what remained of the neon pink mana.

    "...rest in peace..."

    The water sage lowered his head in powerless disappointment and breathed out, about to turn around and go check whether there was anything he could do to help out the tinum-haired girl...

    "IF YOU FEEL SORRY FOR THAT BITCH, WHY DON''T I SEND YOU TO HER NEXT?!"

    "!!!"

    At that time, through the cover of the sea of scorching mes, the only natural-born fire sage in the world shot right up at thepletely unprepared water sage.

    Ehmi''s abdomen had a hole all the way through it and most of her face and neck were melted due to thest attack of the acid magician ¨C but on her right hand was a concentrated de of the purest fire that reached a state of aggregation outside of Benevirau''s expertise and knowledge.

    *SHING*

    "...oh..."

    The spell born out of desperation, hatred, and the will to survive of the crimson-haired girl sliced through the dark-blue-haired man''s body, cauterizing the wound as he let out a soft gasp.

    ...the problem was not the potential bleeding that got stopped though, but the fact that the cauterized wound was on both halves of Beneviaru''s body.

    "OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

    *SHING*

    Ehmi growled and lobbed off the water sage''s head from its diagonally cut neck, unintentionally sending it flying towards the castle''s gate.

    "NOW FOR THE WHORE THAT HOLDS MY HUSBAND HOSTAGE!"

    The half-mad fire sage roared and shot through the air and mes like a rocket.

    She was the absolute queen of mes and knew exactly how far they extended and where they ended ¨C which meant that she knew exactly where Miriette who protected herself from the fire with her spell was.

    Of course, she also knew where Cherro was ¨C although Miriette surely hoped that Ehmi''s rampage would finish the job for her, and kill the self-proimed hero, Ehmi''s control over her attribute had no ws.<sub> </sub>

    She didn''t want to kill her husband, so not even a single hair on him was burnt, nor he was even unpleasantly hot despite being stuck dead center of the raging hellfire.

    "GET YOUR FILTHY SPELL AWAY FROM...!"

    *^%$@#$%$#@#$%^%$#@#$%^%$#$%^%$#$%^%$#@#$*

    As the crimson-haired fire sage reached the tinum-haired time magician, about to end her just as she did with the fire sage moments earlier, everything turned to gold.

    For a brief moment, Ehmi thought that she was in the middle of being teleported ¨C shepletely lost her sense of direction, unable to even tell whether she was upright or upside down.

    Shepletely lost the connection to her mes, which further seems to confirm the teleportation theory...

    *CRACK*

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHH...!"

    Only when her bones began to break under the onught of unfathomably powerful light magic did she realize that it was not a teleportation spell but a fully offensiverge-scale light attribute attack cascading upon her.

    Just as suddenly as it started, the spell finished, leaving the wounded Ehmi half-buried in the steaming-hot crystalized ground with not a single spark remaining of her white fire.

    Truth be told, except for the ghastly-pale Miriette, Cherro d in jet-ck armor, and Horeo basked in golden light, there was nothing except the crystalized ground to see...

    The royal castle that disappeared during Ehmi''s fight with Roiso was one thing, but the entire capital disappeared too without leaving a single building or even a stone that would suggest that the area was ever anything other than a crystalized wastnd...!

    "It is quite a sight to see that not only that filth survived, but Ehmi too. I should have not held back."

    Horeo slowly descended through the air andnded by Miriette.

    "No, you definitely needed to hold back ¨C I almost died!"

    The tinum-haired girl gulped down her saliva and dered, barely able to control how much she was shivering after facing the attack of the young king.

    "You say that, but you are still holding back that scum."

    "Why the hell did you use the wrath of light for?! What happened with the whole benevolent king''s act?!"

    Horeo shrugged his shoulders and scoffed dismissively, but Miriette wasn''t going to let him get away without a proper exnation.

    "I used it for two reasons. First ¨C she killed Benevirau and I got worried. Oh, and, the necromancer managed to evacuate the entire city too. Only the property was destroyed, not a single civilian was lost."

    The young king breathed out and revealed, somehow stopping himself from rolling his eyes ¨C it was clear that the first reason was the most important one with the other being just the afterthought.

    "I also teleported all the others the moment that the snow girl lost it when Benevirau''s headnded in herp... and couldn''t really let Zoemi''s sentinels get hurt even more."

    Horeo added, tensing up at the mention of his best friend.

    "Understood. It looked like she was literally using every type of mana except acid to fuel her fire, even time attribute, so how did you work around it?"

    The tinum-haired girl gritted her teeth not wanting to mention Zoemi''s name and change the subject as she turned to watch the crimson-haired girl crawl up and slowly drag her feet towards the man she chose over her old way of life...

    ---------

    While all of that was happening back on the surface of the earth, up above high in the sky, right on the edge of the gravitational pull of the''s atmosphere a more one-sided duel was about to finish.

    "My little prince... why... why aren''t you restarting everything...? Isn''t that the proof of your feelings for me...?"

    An overwhelming mass of jet ck smoke-like substance looking like a sandstorm that could swallow the whole spoke ¨C or rathermunicated through magic ¨C with a young tinum-haired girl with downcast eyes, who looked like a speck of dust in front of the mighty fluctuating mass of darkness that would melt into the void of space if not for the unceasing movement that covered the light of the stars all around it.

    "I am about to connect with the actual flesh and blood body, the current timeline iteration of me, with that, our true reunion could truly..."

    "My Zoemi is dead."

    The-threatening darkness dered triumphantly but stopped the moment that the small girl mumbled a short sentence under her breath.

    "He is. The fraction of myself that I share bits and pieces of memories with managed to consume and process the very core of his existence. If you were worried about him dying, then you should have... separated him in two just as you did with me... But worry not, I know that it was all a test to see the extent of my love for..."

    The mass of darkness that turned out to be Cherro''s main consciousness that was anchoring the one back on the through all the timelines boasted triumphantly, although its message didn''tck the annoyance aimed at the tinum-haired girl''s actions.

    "...shut up... I didn''t get rid of you and was so desperate to have him kill you because during the original timeline when all of us died for the first time, pieces of yours and Zoemi''s soul got stuck together."

    The small girl shook her head without actually raising it to face the darkness, and spoke, clenching the sides of her dress s hard that she was about to wear the fabric thin.

 565 Chapter 189

    "I feared you, but I feared harming him more... and, now, he is gone... my Zoemi... there is no trace of him in any timeline Not a single one. As if he never existed outside the memories. He was just like me, the only one through all of time. Even the current you only remember him because your avatar merged with his remains."

    "..."

    Finally, the presence, Miriette Aperaete Bellcephora, looked up, revealing her tear-stained face to the speechless and terrified mass who was has be the original Cherro.

    "H-hold on...! My princess...! W-wait...! If the me back on the surface consumed him, doesn''t that mean that he lives in me and..."

    The darkness melting seamlessly with the void of space started panicking and fluctuated in a hurry, attempting to get away from the so-called closest being to god that the world that Zoemi lived in had, but the being''s sheer-like mass made it unable to reach the satisfying speed.

    "No, it doesn''t. He is truly gone. Perish."

    Presence raised her thin hand and pointed a single tiny finger at the terror that had haunted her for countless lifetimes, far longer than anyone else would be willing to brave through...

    "N-noooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOO...!"

    The existence cry out as its message changed from a normal voice to a high-pitched squeal as a continent-sized hole was punched straight through its entirety due to the little girl''s power.

    Without letting the original Cherro have even one more word in, the murdered second princess moved her finger in a counterclockwise motion, causing the gaping hole in the existence''s smoke-like body to twist...

    No, it wasn''t the wound that was twisting ¨C it was the entirety of the original Cherro being ripped out from the inside.

    Before the tinum-haired girl blinked, the entire-sized mass of darkness was gone without a trace, leaving her all alone up on the outeryers of the atmosphere of the she was born at.

    "...is this a part of me growing up that you wanted to achieve...? You stupid toy... Haven''t you realized that I wasn''t just running? I wanted to save you too..."

    The little girl''s shoulders slumped down as she looked back down on towards the''s surface.

    It looked simr enough to the world that she found Zoemi''s soul in ¨C of course, it had its fair share of differences...

    ...the main one being around two-fifths of the world has been cut off from the rest by a mana barrier that gathered superstorms on both sides...

    The line of death.

    Only a handful of people ever crossed it and lived long enough to tell the tale... just to die within a few years after anyways.

    The presence was the being that spawned that barrier into existence.

    The rest of the world didn''t have mana ¨C the truth was that mana originated as a bacteria that infected both the organic and inorganic tissue causing it to mutate.

    There was no line of death to contain it in the timeline that the presence originated from, but molding the to her whims was easy after she had eons to perfect the method ¨C much to the dismay of the actual god in charge of that world.

    "Umm... oh great primordial? I see that you''ve dealt with the pest troubling you..."

    And speaking off, as the tinum-haired girl was staring nkly towards the surface of the world, another being showed within her line of sight andmunicated with her timidly.

    "As you can see."

    The tinum-haired girl nodded and blessed the being with her attention.

    Funnily enough ¨C the gray-haired necromancer, Aspaekony, waspletely right in calling the presence the closest being to god their world had.

    Although it was only about the part of the world separated by the line of death ¨C and that the presence was something more than just a mere god.

    In the timeline she currently upied in her physical form, she was the very power that spawned the concept of time into existence. She was the origin of everything. The great primordial.

    ...who knew what kind of insane feats were possible to be achieved as long as one fully mastered their talents...

    The creature in question didn''t look like much, it was actually simr in shape and size to the presence herself ¨C a form that the creature chose and molded itself after attaining godhood in apletely different world, far, far away.

    The only major difference between the two beings was that the creaturepletelycked a face of any sort.

    "...if I am allowed to ask... what are your intentions from now on...?"

    The faceless deity asked anxiously rubbing its hands together.

    "I already told you before that I am not interested in the energying from this ce."

    "Then...?"

    Presence wiped her teary face and shrugged her shoulders, causing the faceless being to perk up with cautious excitement.

    "I don''t feel like have any connection left there. I will erase myself from this timeline. Don''t bully my people or I wille back to punish you."

    The tinum-haired girl sighed and reached out her hand.

    "O-of course not...! I would not dare...! Oh, great primordial!"

    The faceless being flinched and backed off ¨C despite having no eyes, it was clear that its attention was focused solely on the movement of the little girl...

    *click*

    "!!!"

    The presence snapped her fingers and the being raised its hands defensively, unable to hold back its fear.

    "...?"

    But as it felt no damage being done to it, the faceless being began looking around in search of changes.

    When it finally looked over at the at its feet...

    "The line of death...?!"

    The being gasped, seeing that there was no trace of the barrier that was blocking the world of mana

    from the world that it was ruling over as a benevolent god.

    " I almost forgot ¨C that world is in the middle of its catastrophic event, so if you want to prevent it from bing a barren world instead of a mine, you might want to aid the mana users."

    The presence added dismissively as if it wasn''t that important and went silent...

    "Wait...! Oh great primordial, are you... eh...?"

    The faceless deity wanted to make sure that the presence was serious, but when it moved its head up, it found the space empty.

    The great primordial, the presence, of the murdered second princess, Miriette Aperaete Bellcephora, was already gone, with no word or sign to signal her departure.<sub> </sub>

    But she was indeed gone, taking all of her powers with her...

    "EH?! EEEEHHHHH?! HOLD ON, SHE WAS ACTUALLY SERIOUS ABOUT THE CATASTROPHIC EVENT?! NOOOO! SHE WAS! THERE''S A DEMON-LORD-LEVEL THREAT RAMPAGING IN THE MANA USER''S TERRITORY?! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET A HERO FROM ANOTHER WORLD IN TIME TO BATTLE THAT?!"

    The faceless god stared at the empty space where the presence should be and then back at the world that they were ruling over and panicked as the information that was held back from them, flooded their brain...

    "Eh...? There already are two candidates there?"

    The faceless god flinched and gasped, as it turned out that things weren''t as bad as they looked at the first nce.

    "AH! ONE OF THEM IS A CHILD OF MY STAR POWER USER TOO?! YES! THAT''S IT~, YOU WILL BECOME MY CHAMPION! WAKE UP CHOSEN HERO! IT''S NO TIME TO BE DEAD! YOU GOT THE DEMON LORD TO KILL!"

    ----------

    "...eh...?"

    *thump*

    Miriette''s eyes widened and she suddenly dropped to her knees as her hair and eyes turned so dark green they looked almost ck.

    "What the hell? What happened, you cunning fox?"

    Horeo looked away from Ehmi and the incapacitated Cherro, staring at Miriette with a worried expression.

    "...the.. the time attribute...! It... it is gone...!"

    ''IT''S WHAT?!"

    Miriette gasped, breathing heavily, staring in disbelief at her trembling hands, causing the gold-haired king to shout, taken aback.

    "Odd... why does it feel like something gone missing inside of me...? That certainly is intriguing, but expected nheless ¨C fate always favors heroes."

    "!!!"

    Although it was an obvious oue considering the dark-haired girl wasn''t joking, Cherro speaking as hended safely on the crystalized ground made Horeo tens up and slowly turn back to face the self-proimed hero.

    "...ghhh...!"

    Before bing ghastly-pale and swaying on his feet too.

    "Eh...? And why are you looking like that?!"

    Miriette gulped down her saliva and summoned back her nobledy high and mighty attitude, scoffing in disbelief at the gold-haired king.

    "...I... don''t know... most of my mana suddenly disappeared... uuu... uuuuuuuh...! Zoemi...! You cannot be dead...!"

    <o>,m Horeo shrugged his shoulders before his chin started to tremble and he... began to cry...</o>

    "What in the world...?! Wait... no... are, are you suffering from mana depletion?! NOW?!"

    "S-sorry... It''s just.. Zoemi... our Zoemi...!"

    The dark-haired girl went wide-eyed and shouted, causing the mana-depleted Horeo to apologize and start sobbing uncontrobly.

    "That''s something I was not expecting... both of your shadows suddenly shrunk... and I haven''t done anything for that to happen..."

    Cherro raised his brow and looked between the dark-haired girl and the gold-haired boy.

    "...h-hey... hubby... since the fight... seem to be on hold... could you, you know... heal your lovely wife...?"

    Ehmi whose wounds were already getting better of her breathed out and asked, trying her best to smile despite the damage that Roiso''s acid has done to her.

    "Ah, right, I almost forgot about you, old hag."

    "...hubby... I asked you to not call me that. Arent you over a month older than me...?"

    Cherro scoffed, rolling his eyes at the crimson-haired girl, visibly upsetting her, which at that point was like kicking a person when they were down.

    "Do not talk over me."

    The self-proimed her o groaned in actual disgust in his voice and shook his head.

    "I was actually thinking about what to do with you though."

    He said unexpectedly, making Ehmi perk up just a little bit.

    "...hubby~! I knew that you wouldn''t just leave me like..."

    The crimson-haired girl let out a relieved voice and breathed out in relief...

    "I am ending this rtionship."

    "...that..."

    Cherro dered, causing Ehmi to stumble back and still finish her sentence despite receiving mental damage that she was not expecting in the least.

    "You... you want a divorce? Now? After all, I''ve done for you?"

    Ehmi asked in a broken voice, half-hoping that it was some poorly-timed joke... which it was most definitely not...

    "Divorce? Goodness, no! Of course not! A divorced hero doesn''t sound like a hero to me. A widowed hero, though ¨C that sounds like solid character development."

    *STAB* *STAB* *STAB*

    Cherro scoffed waving his hand dismissively as if he thought his wife''s statement was outright silly ¨C the thing was, that as his arm moved, three chained jet-ck daggers shot out embedding themselves in Ehmi''s forehead, throat, and heart consecutively.

    *thump*

    "Don''t worry ¨C you will forever be a part of me, your magic will, at least."

    Although the crimson-haired girl''s body has hit the crystalized ground already, the self-proimed hero still spoke as if Ehmi was alive.

    "...I better be reunited with Zoemi after I die..."

    Miriette who was the closest one to have a sound mind in that situation straightened her back and breathed out, closing her eyes prepared for what had to being next...

 566 Chapter 189

    Zoemi''s heart stopped beating and by the standards of the medicinal practices of the world he was currently in he has been dead.

    He had to be, otherwise, Cherro''s spell that allowed him to steal the ck-haired boy''s mana and powers would not work.

    But there was a little catch.

    In the first ce, Zoemi could use magic only because of the original personality of the artificial soul residing within his body.

    Truth be told, said mana was bing a severe problem for the ck-haired boy, as his body was actively fighting against the poison of mana as if it was any other infection.

    It wouldn''t be all that bad if not for the fact that mana was literally coursing through Zoemi''s entire body which resulted in his life-threatening condition

    That said, the ck-haired boy was dead so even though there was no more mana poison polluting his body what could that change?

    As for the ce that Cherrobeled as a trash dump - that being the wrack of the destroyed ship washed ashore and buried for more than twenty-five years...

    Just as the name on the broken-off nk stated, it was a ship that came from thend beyond the line of death, Heavenly Star nation.

    The birthce of Wiliam and Goerger''s father, where magic did not exist and people used spiritual energy to channel the star power through techniques calledws.

    If he was alive, Zoemi would surely find it interesting that his body hasnded beneath something called a star power chart carved in the wooden wall that barely withstood his body weight because of the years of corrosion.

    The ck-haired boy would definitely be surprised to see that star powers separated into twelvews - thews that corrted directly to the twelve zodiac signs in the form of the western astrology of his old world.

    Even the names were the same!

    Although maybe he would not be all that surprised - he did face off against William and George, so he heard at least a few of those names being used.

    As for why such a chart was carved on a wall inside a ship - it was because the vessel in question was a warship, and the room Zoemi''s body ended up crashing into was a meditation room for the soldiers serving their duty on board.

    Normally, that would be it.

    Unless someone would happen to stumble upon the uncovered shipwreck and bother to search it, fate would dictate Zoemi ending up as a skeleton against the inactive star power chart.

    But, it just so happened that just then and there, a certain presence dissipated from the world and a certain faceless god cheered out somewhere in the upperyers of the''s atmosphere.

    Before any of the bottom feeders living in the shipwreck realized there was a Zoemi-shaped feast waiting for them, every single star carved on the star power chart activated on its own, filled with the god''s power, and lighted up with an unearthly ephemeral glow making the ck-haired boy''s body bask in it too...

    -------

    "What in the...?! HE ALREADY HAS UNLOCKED THE ARIES''S POWERS ALL THE WAY TO SUPERNOVA?! WHAT KIND OF DEMIGOD ARE YO...?! Ah...! Pull yourself together, Guide, you are a god of this world, act like it! Ekhem! Oh, beloved child of Aries, lost in the world of mana users, answer the call of your people''s Guide!"

    The unknown voice resounded in Zoemi''s head, pulling out his consciousness from the endless abyss. Despite sounding rather distressed and not being able to keep its cool, the voice had a certain regal and otherwordly ring to it.

    "...I... feel so empty... Wait, what...? What the hell is going on? Where am I? Where is that bastard Cherro? And... why can''t I sense the original personality anymore? What did you do with him?"

    Although he was not fully aware of what was going on, Zoemi''s mind sprung into action trying to connect the dots and confronted the new voice in his head.

    Having frequent guests in one''s head should not be amon urrence but here he was alreadypletely used to it.

    "I did nothing. The parasi... ekhem, the being you call original personality has been killed by the mana user called Cherro ¨C someone ssified to be a demon-lord-ss threat to this world... My condolences."

    The faceless voice answered thest question asked by the ck-haired boy, holding on to the other ones for a moment.

    "As I said before, your people call me Guide and I am a god in charge of this world. We could not get acquainted any sooner because you happened to be living in the area that the great primordial upied for... well since she created time. She decided to erase herself from the timeline so here we are."

    The faceless voice added, revealing that guide wasn''t just a title or a job, but its actual name.

    Guide also dropped a very important piece of information that Zoemi did not expect to hear.

    "My people...? Urgh! It can wait! Just to be sure, is the great primordial that erased herself from the timeline the being we call presence..?"

    The ck-haired boy''s mind asked, trying to clear everything out as he pushed out the question that wasn''t important for the immidiate dangerous situation.

    "I don''t know how the mana users you grew up with are calling her. If that helps, thest form she took on before moving on was of a tinum-haired human child."

    Guide''s voice was full of hesitation while exining, but the faceless god seemed really eager to fill Zoemi in.<sub> </sub>

    "It does help a lot, thank you. That definitely was presence... so she and the original Zoemi are gone... wait... what about Cherro...?! You said he''s a what? A demon lord? Did I hear that correctly?"

    Zoemi gasped trying to stand up only to realize that his physical body ¨C wherever it was - wasn''t actually connected with his consciousness at the moment...

    "Ah! I see we are getting to the main point already!"

    Guide cheered out and despite not showing himself to the ck-haired boy, it was very obvious that they rubbed their hands together in excitement.

    "Although this is not how things are supposed to go ording to the manual, I will be spending a lot of energy to unlock the star power potential within your body. Things will be a lot easier than I expected because you already have quite some punch behind you... you are okay with that?"

    The faceless god asked nervously as if they weren''t used to requesting people to do things for them ¨C which was definitely the case. After all, Guide was only a rtively young deity and the that Zoemi was brought into was the first world they governed.

    "You are giving me power other than mana that will let me get rid of Cherro for good? Yes, please. As fast as you can. I got a horrendously bad feeling about what is going on."

    The ck-haired boy''s mind waspletely clear ¨C in the first ce, there could be only one answer to the Guide''s question.

    If both the presence and original Zoemi were gone and the timeline clearly didn''t reset, something must have gone right. The problem now was that whatever it was, it did not get rid of Cherro...

    It wasn''t hard for Zoemi to guess why he felt so empty ¨C the origin of his very soul was gone, and it took his ability to use mana.

    It must have been the spell that allowed the Ghosts of Bellcephora to take mana of anyone they killed.

    "Great! Just to be sure, you are my investment, beloved child of Aries! Now for the unlocking part... hmm..."

    Guide definitely pped their hands as they cheered before letting out a hesitant voice.

    "All stars of Aries constetion, checked. Nothing to do here. Virgo and Aquarius... hmmm no talent whatsoever, was there an eclipse or something when you were born? Capricorn... quite good, but literally nothing for Taurus... Scorpius and Sagittarius... Even I can''t do anything about that... Pisces, Gemini, Cancer, Leo... less than nothing... AH! There is a potential for Libra! You can use it to bnce everything else out! This can work! Here on, I, Guide, the guardian god of star power unlocks the potential of Capricorn and Libra in your body! And by the rule of thew of Virgo, I restore you to life! Be prepared ¨C I will drop you straight to the demon lord Cherro''s location!"

    The faceless god went on a rant as if they forgot that Zoemi can hear them, at the beginning it did not sound like they were happy, but in the end, it seemed like they were content and gave very broad instructions to the ck-haired boy''s consciousness.

    "Hold on! I have been using magic my whole life ¨C how do I activate star power andws?!"

    As Zoemi''s mind began experiencing the feeling of getting pulled down by insanely strong gravity, he managed to shout in the realization that came a bit toote.

    "Aries is endurance and toughness but you should already know that. Capricorn is all forms of physical movement, reflex, and sense of bnce. Libra is more spiritual ¨C select two things that have at least one thing inmon and equalize the values that interest you. You can use it on thew of Capricorn or better,w or Aries and one otherw to be able to use it! As for how to activate them... set your soul ame and let the stars guide you! Now go, before the demon lord takes over the world!"

    "IGNITE MY SOUL?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LITTLE THIS TELLS ME...?! THAT''S WHY YOU GODS ARE SO ANNOY...!"

    From the exnation provided, it became clear to Zoemi that he was dealing with some hopeless optimist to whom confidence is half the victory, which immediately set off his rage.

    That mattered very little at the moment because before his furious rant could fully reach the faceless god, the consciousness of the ck-haired boy was sucked back into his body in the shipwreck.

    -----

    The dark, wet, and musky interior was basked in an ephemeral light of the stars as Zoemi''s body rose above the floor, as the gentlew of Virgo restored it into perfect condition.

    "..."

    The eyelids of the ck-haired boy trembled, but before he could open them, he disappeared into the thin air, leaving the shipwreck dark and empty.

    *creak*

    A few secondster the rotten floorboards creaked as a severely wounded person stumbled their way inside.

    The visitor had jet-ck hair and yes and their legs were fullyposed of the smoke-like darkness.

    "...what the hell was that light...? Shit, so he wasn''t dead and got away?!"

    Kiorterell possessing the body of George cursed in anger looking around the empty room.

    "Hold on... could this be...?"

    His eyes widened as thanks to his night vision, an inborn ability of the darkness mages, he noticed the star chart on the wall.

 567 Chapter 190

    "...!"

    When Zoemi opened his eyes, forced awake by the roar of the wind in his eyes ¨C the thing was, he wasn''t just exposed to the elements...

    The ck-haired boy was falling down from an unbelievable height as his body was dropped from the atmosphere and the howling of the wind was actually the insane pressure of his body descending to the ground.

    The thing was, he was so high up that the thickyers of clouds fully blocked the earth below him!

    "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

    Zoemi roared, although that action made him realize a few things.

    First of all, he could scream and hear, although he should be hardly able to do either while descending from such mind-bogglingly high altitude.

    At the same time, the feeling of fullness and the weight that appeared during his magic awakening werepletely gone.

    Despite the troublesome situation he was faced with, Zoemi never felt that light and free.

    At the same time, he felt oddly empty.

    The missing weight must have been mana, without it he did feel better, but it left the hollow emptiness that felt unbelievably alien and unnatural after all those years.

    "WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?!"

    The ck-haired boy roared, but just as he expected, the god of the stars, Guide, didn''t answer his furious call.

    "SCREW THIS! LAW OF ARIES! LAW OF CAPRICORN!"

    With literally nothing else to try, Zoemi did the only thing that he knew was amon practice of both star power users he met ¨C he roared the names of thews he wished to use...

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    "HUH?!"

    And to his own shock ¨C it worked.

    As Zoemi channeled his anger and panic into the call, within the emptiness of his mana-free insides he experienced a feeling of a spark igniting a zing inferno that filled the gap without adding any weight.

    While the mana was weighing him down, the new energy was making him feel even lighter and far, far more powerful!

    "YES! Wait...! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?!"

    After the initial tion because of the discovery that indeed, he can use the star power, he was not fully aware of how to use it...

    Thankfully his previous experience gave him enough of an idea.

    During their fight in the Vitureo tournament, William used thew of Capricorn to run on air! If he could do that, why Zoemi, someone chosen by the god of stars, wouldn''t be able to do the same?

    "Come on! WORK!"

    The ck-haired boy amped himself up before kicking the air behind him ¨C and amazingly, despite literally nothing standing in his way, Zoemi''s foot connected with something that felt like an invisible tform.

    Kicking it made the ck-haired boy gain even more speed on his descent.

    As for why he didn''t use it to slow down...

    Guide already told him that they would send him to where Cherro is, and there was very little doubt n Zoemi''s mind that wherever Cherro would be, Miriette and Horeo would be too, trying to stop him.

    He had no time. At all.

    "First of all, I need to get through the clouds to get the idea of my location."

    Zoemi thought to himself out loud, putting together a n of action.

    After that, he gritted his teeth and began kicking the air, gaining more and more speed with every single move.

    He had to hurry. Even a single second of Cherro being allowed to run free was a potentially life-threatening danger for Miriette and his friends...

    Especially after Cherro''s power got augmented by all of the mana that Zoemi umted until the big fight with the self-proimed hero.

    -------

    "That''s not an appropriate expression for the moment. I don''t want you to be at peace with your fate. A viiness like you isn''t worthy of such an end."

    Cherro snickered and raised his hand into the sky causing it to turn gray as the thickyer of clouds created with mana appeared out of nowhere.

    "Squirm and cry in terror as the mana storm tears your body apart... together with your ex-fiance of yours. He at least knows how to act."

    The young man d in jet-ck armorughed mockingly pointing at crying Horeo suffering a severe mana depletion.

    "Shut up! You don''t get to call me a viiness!"

    Miriette clenched her fists and scoffed, proudly raising her head and ring at the person who took almost everything from her.

    "Of course I do. I am a hero after all! Everyone who is against me automatically bes the viin!"

    Cherroughed. Spreading his arms as the heavy magic clouds unleashed a torrent of heavy rain and howling wind that would be better suited for the deadly ocean storm thannd.

    The shing of lighting and the thunder resounding over the crystalized wastnd only added to the atmosphere.<sub> </sub>

    With another sh of lightning right behind Cherro''s back, even Miriette thought that he looked like a demon lord from more action-packed novels that she read.

    Only that, in her novels, the hero would sweep in and save his love interest, even if she was painted as a viiness.

    Unfortunately, this viiness''s hero was already dead.

    "THEN LET ME SHOW YOU HOW A VILLAINESS FACES HER DEMISE! I MIGHT NOT BE A SAGE, BUT I WILL SHOW YOU THE POWER OF THE STRONGEST WIND MAGICIAN! YOU WILL REGRET TRYING TO USE STORM AGAINST ME"

    But it was Miriette we are talking about ¨C her spirit could not be broken!

    With a roar that pierced through the raging mana storm, she raised her hand to the sky, just like Cherro, and her body shone with the green light of the wind enchantments as she braced herself for the power of her own counterattack.

    "IT''S TIME FOR YOUR REINTRODUCTION, MY AIR EMPER...!"

    The dark-haired girl drenched with mana-infused rain called out, calling forth her summon ¨C and before she even finished, a zing meteor-like object pierced through the clouds, disintegrating them and clearing the sky and erasing the storm in an instant.

    p "Wh-WHAT?! HOW CAN YOU STILL HAVE SO MUCH POWER?!"</anda>

    The disy was so outrageous that Cherro gasped, taking a step back while staring in disbelief at the spell that destroyed his own creation.

    "Wait.. no... that thing doesn''t have a shadow ¨C it''s not something made out of mana! YOU! WHAT DID YOU SUMMONED, YOU VILL... huh..?"

    The self-proimed hero growled in fury, clenching his fists and ring own at the dark-haired girl, only to have his words stuck in his throat once he saw her expression.

    Miriette was just as shocked and confused at the sight of the iing object as he was...!

    "TSK...!"

    Still, Cherro had no time to search for the answer ¨C whatever it was, the burning meteor erasing all mana in its wake was definitely aimed at him, and the jet-ck-armored young man had no choice but to dodge!

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    *CRACK*

    The self-proimed hero didn''t even consider blocking the unidentified object and insteadunched himself away with the power of the multiple enchantments stacked together ¨C as he did, he barely dodged the impact that smashed the crystalized ground into pieces, sending the shards flying and then raining down into devastating downpour.

    "!!!"

    Cherro gritted his teeth, with his heart beating so fast it felt as if it was about to jump out of his chest.

    His darkness armor swallowed all the debris flung his way, but it didn''t change the fact that the object just smashing into the ground turned the entire crystalized surface of the former capital city of The Bellcephroa kingdom into a crater that could swallow up the entire city many times over...!

    "WHO DARES TO CHALLANGE ME?! ANOTHER SAGE?!"

    As the sharp crystal rain continued to fall down, the self-proimed hero shouted out trying to mask his nervousness...

    *CLANG* x65432

    "!!!"

    Only to have the unknown object gettingunched right at him through the falling crystal shards, breaking them as they went.

    "AS IF I...! Y-YOU...?!"

    Cherro jumped back and shouted, nervous but confident in his armor''s ability to absorb anythingunched at him ¨C at least he was confident until he saw what the object turning the shards into crystal dust was!

    The devilishly handsome ck-haired young man whose evil grin could not be mistaken!

    Zoemi whounched himself back to the earth''s surface bounced off the ground thanks to the power of thew of Capricorn and was channeling the eleration into a single punch!

    "STEEL WALL!"

    In his panic at seeing the face of the person he was certain to be dead, Cherro called conjuring the additional barrier between himself and the attacker.

    *GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*

    But that effort perished in vain as the substance born of mana wasposed of mana ¨C and star power was the fiercest opposite of it.

    When the fist channeling thew of Aries elerated by thew of Capricorn touched the protective spell, the escaping mana released a hurtful cry of a tormented soul, breaking apart and fading away ¨C in the same manner, the jet-ck armorposed of a shadow gate spell that should swallow anything and everything gave way and left Cherro''s abdomen perfectly exposed.

    *WHAM* *SPLASH*

    Before Cherro could let out a tearful cry, the punch connected, sending a wave of spiritual energy right through the self-proimed hero''s stomach ¨C causing the remaining jet-ck armor on his back to bulge out and burst, releasing fireworks of the crushed internal organs mixed with gallons of blood.

    As the fireworks should, the gory mass exploded in the air adding a tinge of red and pink to the crystal rain.

    "GHRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    Cherro howled in harrowing pain that assaulted every remaining part of his body, pushing out every single sane thought.

    The possibility of using healing magic to numb the pain and heal up did not ur to the halved young man.

    Instead, he reverted to the most primal instinct of prey hunted by the apex predator.

    Run and hide.

    At all costs.

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    wing his hands at the ground, Cherro turned around, with tears and snot dripping from his face as he cast the shadow gate spell.

    His shadow turned inky ck and spread underneath him, and his body sunk into the puddle of darkness, softly muffling the pathetic whines of pain.

    "Where do you think you are going?!"

    "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

    Zoemi asked, ring down at Cherro, causing half of the young man to let out a high-pitched sound and swing his hand at the ck-haired boy.

    *SHING* *SHING* *SHING*

    *haaaaa* *haaaaa* *haaaaa*

    The three jet-ck chained daggers shot out of Cherro''s wrist but even though they reached their target and hit Zoemi''s head, neck, and heart, they all turned into dark mist as the manaposing them lost its shape and dissipated aftering in contact with the ck-haired boy''s ridiculously tough skin.

    "Law of Aries. Increases general toughness and endurance. Apparently works really well against mana too."

    Zoemi exined without changing his expression while raising his hand for a follow-up hit.

    "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

    Despite the ck-haired boy taking his time, not a single sensible word came out of Cherro''s mouth as hepletely lost it and tried to waddle into his darkness gate just a little bit faster.

    "Moron."

    Zoemi scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief over the detail overlooked by his terrified opponent.

    Shadow gates wereposed of mana.

    And the spiritual energy filling Zoemi''s body at the moment was breaking apart the spellsposed of mana.

    As much as Zoemi liked to be helpful and show others better use of their spells, this case was not the same.

    Just as Cherro''s head was about to disappear in the darkness, Zoemi reached out and grabbed him by the hair, lightly brushing his knuckles against the surface of Cherro''s shadow gate...

    *haaaa*

    "!!!"

    With the sound of a person breathing out in relief, the spell released, cleanly severing the connection between the upper half of Cherro''s head ¨C more specifically right in the middle of his nose ¨C and the rest of his body.

    "As I was saying. Moron."

    Zoemi scoffed, lifting up the part of the self-proimed hero''s head and turning it towards himself to look him in the eyes.

    "...!"

    For a couple of seconds, Cherro''s eyes did indeed move, as his brain did not fully register that there was no body left to keep it alive ¨C funnily enough, the young man''s eyes still widened in fear as they met Zoemi''s dark eyes reflecting the light of the stars above.

    *plop*

    "..."

    But that expression soon ended when Cherro''s brain dropped onto the crystal-rubble-coated ground because of theck of any support, and the self-proimed hero''s eyes rolled into the remains of his skull.

    Zoemi raised his brow and scoffed, dropping Cherro''s leftovers and...

    *CRUSH*

    Grinding them into a pulp with his heel.

    "That... seemed a little too easy... AH!"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, looking around as the crystal dust began to settle down, as the tension lowered, the fire in his soul was put out and the spiritual energy settled down, not to mention that his attention was taken by something much more important to him personally.

    "...!"

    Up in the air, high enough to dodge the power of the impact with which the ck-haired boy arrived at the surface creating the meteor-like crater, a certain dark-haired girl was floating thanks to her free flight spell.

    The girl was carrying an unconscious gold-haired king, but despite the young man''s high status, she was holding him by the scruff of his clothes like a stray kitten.

    Just as the ck-haired boy was looking up at her, she was looking down at him.

    For a good few seconds, Miriette didn''t even budge.

    Zoemi was alive. Despite what Cherro and even Zoemi''s sentinels have said, her beloved was standing right there over the insignificant stter of blood and gore ¨C the only remains of the self-proimed hero that nearly ended it all.

    The only reason Miriette didn''t rush at Zoemi was that the overwhelming relief that spread through her body made her feel faint and lightheaded.

    If Zoemi was there, nothing could go wrong.

    With that in mind, the dark-haired girl slowly floated straight down to put the unconscious Horeo down first.

    It would be extremely troublesome if despite putting out an amazing fight all this time, the young king died of something like hitting the ground after getting dropped from the too high altitude.

    As for Zoemi himself, he didn''t rush at Miriette despite having the full power of thew of Capricorn that allowed him to run freely into the sky, using the air itself as convenient footholds because of quite a different reason.

    He was not nearly as overwhelmed as Miriette was, but although he was incredibly happy and relieved seeing her well enough to use her spells.

    "...Ghh... I knew it was too easy..."

    No.

    The thing was, he couldn''t move because of the dark mist raising from the ground and climbing around his body, attempting to invade his body.<sub> </sub>

    [I... I am a hero...! HERO! I will not die someone like you...!]

    The voice from the dark mist transferred straight to Zoemi''s brain.

    "Ah, there we have it... shame that you are just as dumb as before...!"

    Zoemi gritted his teeth, breathing out to push the mist away from his mouth.

    [Surrender yourself... to me...!]

    The remains of Cherro that existed within the darkness where his body disappeared, growled within Zoemi''s head.

    "As if... Do you think that just because you''ve turned into a vapor of darkness the star power stopped working on you?"

    The ck-haired boy snickered as the ck mist became denser and more visible even from afar.

    [It is working...! Don''t fool yourself thinking otherwise ¨C I will take over you!]

    Cherro''s will scoffed wrapping itself around Zoemi in order to swallow him whole.

    "Law of Aries."

    *GHAAAAAAAAAA*

    [AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHH!]

    As the ck-haired young man clenched his fists and called out, the core of his body reignited into the zing inferno fueled by the spiritual energy ¨C the scream of manaposing the ck mist was almost deafening, but the scream of Cherro''s consciousness being burned away and disintegrated resounded even louder within Zoemi''s mind.

    The pieces of the mist tore themselves away to escape annihtion, but the ck-haired boy was already winding up to get every single one of them with his fists...

    "ZOEMI~!"

    "!!!"

    Unfortunately, that was the time when Miriette, clueless about the surviving remains of Cherro, chose to cry out to the ck-haired boy as she ran down the slope of the crater, stumbling on the debris.

    She wasing to Zoemi, ignoring everything to be reunited with her beloved.

    "MIRI! STOP! DON''T!"

    Zoemi''s tension skyrocketed at the sight of her and he shouted while chasing the pieces of darkness before they would manage to hide from him.

    When he lost mana, he lost the ability to see the unique shadows, so he could only rely on his own eyes to spot the whisks of ck mist.

    "...eh...?"

    The dark-haired girl flinched and looked around, confused as to why the ck-haired boy was still so panicked despite turning his opponent into a bloody mess.

    "...Ekhe...! Ugh...!"

    And then, as she opened her mouth and let out a confused sound, the final whisk of ck mist slipped through her lips, causing Miriette to flinch and start coughing.

    "MIRIETTE!"

    Now it was time for Zoemi to call for the dark-haired girl and rush to her in panic, catching her before she slipped and fell on her back while choking on the darkness mana invading her body.

    "Urghh...! Ah... now I get it why you wanted me to stay back...! I can hear that bastard inside my head."

    Miriette groaned while frowning, visibly struggling as Zoemi held her in his arms with a worried expression.

    "So annoying... doesn''t he know who is he dealing with? Ghh...! He is going all in, I see... it doesn''t matter, I will not let some delusional bastard take over my body!"

    The dark-haired girl scoffed although Zoemi could clearly feel how much her body was trembling as she struggled to fight off Cherro''s possession.

    "Miri...! What am I supposed to do now?!"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva in panic.

    He had thew of Aries and thew of Capricorn at his disposal, but what that could do? Was he supposed to punch the fragment of Cherro''s consciousness out of Miriette?!

    Nonsense! Without her physical enchantments - that would not work against the spiritual power in the first ce ¨C Miriette was far below average in terms of physical strength and endurance!

    What else could Zoemi do...?

    "Ah...! Law of Libra! I could use the otherws with it...!"

    "Zoemi... it''s not the best time to... you now... speak crazy..."

    Miriette scoffed at him, gritting her teeth as she struggled with the fierce internal battle.

    "No, I''m serious! It''s like with that guy, William, remember? I will use thew of Aquarius to cleanse your body of all mana. You will get hit with a terrible mana depletion, but Cherro would be gone too!"

    The ck-haired boy exined, clenching his hands on the dark-haired girl''s shoulders,

    "Tsk...! He is nothing...! If you want to help me out... why don''t you kiss me? That will definitely... give me a boost in mental power..."

    Miriette frowned and scoffed again, clenching her fists while grabbing onto Zoemi''s already torn and slightly burnt clothes.

    "Not much of sedation if you ask me, but we have nothing else. Alright, concentrate on twows... Guide, this better work... Law of Libra - Law of Aries to thew of Aquarius. Law of Aquarius!"

    ''Wait, really...? Dear goodness, ya-mmmmmng~!"

    Zoemi raised his brow and snickered, propping Miriette up while he murmured to himself leaning down to the girl in his arms ¨C Miriette was so shaken that she momentarily forgot about the strain in which her body was as she was fighting Cherro, and pulled herself up to meet his lips with her own.

 569 Chapter 191

    The sensation felt superior to their previous kisses and was more wild and lustful ¨C maybe because having her mind away from the proper behavior and manners, Miriette let herself go wild.

    Despite Zoemi being the one wanting to get the whisk of darkness out of her, Miriette was the one to have her tongue enter his mouth in a hungry deep kiss.

    *haaaaaaaaaaaaaa* *GHAA*

    With that action serving as a trigger for the activation of thew of Aquarius, Miriette''s mana evaporated with a soft sound of the person breathing out in relief while the small fragment of Cherro''s consciousness got evaporated with the woeful scream of a tormented soul.

    Unfortunately for Miriette, that was also the time that her consciousness was cut off because of the mana depletion.

    She was probably the first person to suffer such severe consequences of mana depletion ¨C but truth be told no one before suddenly got their mana wiped out so suddenly.

    All in all, she could end up worse - much worse, even - considering her position.

    In turn, she ended up slumping limply in Zoemi''s arms while the thin line of drool still connected her lips to the lips of the deeply blushing ck-haired boy.

    "..."

    Zoemi breathed out trying to calm down ¨C in all seriousness, the passionate kiss pushed out the worry and tension right out of the young man''s mind.

    Miriette was safe.

    Unconscious but definitely safe. Her steady breathing was enough proof of that.

    As Miriette''s head slumped against Zoemi''s chest, making him smile, the ck-haired boy raised his head to look around.

    "I wonder how far from the capital are we...? This ce looked like a wastnd even before Inded..."

    Zoemi thought out loud to himself while beginning to walk up the slope to get to the unconscious gold-haired boy that Miriette put to the side before running off to him.

    *thump*

    "...nnng...? Huh...? Zoemi...? Oh, and Miriette is with you... So I guess we all died...? Nooo... If I die, Patishi and Veo will be sad... I don''t want to leave them all alone...!"

    As Zoemi sat down heavily by Horeo, the unconscious young king actually woke up and started mumbling after having a single look at the ck-haired boy''s face.

    "...heavens above...! Horeo... you... you are actually drunk off of mana depletion?! Weren''t you a sage?"

    Zoemi raised his brows and gasped, immediately recognizing the reason for the rather loopy behavior of his gold-haired best friend, even after loosing the ability to see the unique shadows.

    "I... I am not sure... I suddenly got lightheaded at the same time that this cunning fox lost her time attribute... Zoemiii...! I can''t believe you dieed...!"

    Horeo mumbled, sniffling and grabbing onto his friend''s arm.

    "Well... I am actually alive right now, and so are you and Miriette, though... But I appreciate the sentiment."

    Zoemi patted Horeo''s shoulder back with a cheeky smirk while ncing at Miriette making sure that she isn''t ufortable in her sleep.

    "Wait... you alive...? But then... wouldn''t that mean that I and the cunning fox are alive too...?"

    Horeo looked at Zoemi''s hand and furrowed his brows looking up at the ck-haired boy''s face.

    "Yeah, you are. Look at her, alive and as cute as ever."

    "Nnng...?"

    Zoemi nodded and propped Miriette a bit higher before poking her cheek with his finger, making her let out a confused groan.

    "...oooohhhhh.... what about Arisu...? Or Cherro... however it was supposed to be...?"<sub> </sub>

    Horeo sat himself up with great trouble and tilted his head, looking around, taking in the full view of the carnage for the first time.

    "Oh, no. He is definitely dead. I am reasonably sure about that."

    Zoemi assured him, letting out a relieved sigh while smiling at Miriette''s sleeping face.

    "...good... He deserved that... Teo, Benevirau, that acid magician ¨C Roiso and Mirienne ¨C I''m sure they will beughing at him and that traitor Ehmi from above..."

    "...wait... all of them... died...? They weren''t just teleported away or...? Wai... they were killed by the Ghosts of Bellcephora they were paired together with?!"

    The young king breathed out and nodded with a solemn smile ¨C under the mana depletion he acted like he truly was, this kindhearted personality was normally buried and hidden even deeper than his tyrant persona ¨C still, the information he shared certainly shook Zoemi to the core.

    "Not at all. Everyone won their respective fights. I was led to believe that the bunch of old traitors are already gone. Miriette fought with Kiroterell, Your two sentinels annihted, like, six others. Elsby and the other sentinel got rid of Oktria, I finished off Carcassuss... Benevirau, Mirienne and Roiso, and Metavicero got three, including Kirissu."

    The young king started counting, and had to take break to catch a breath.

    "The problem started when we got back and Ehmi broke free to help her husband... She killed most of them, just to be killed by the guy she was married off to... While we speak about heartbreaking disappointments... Miss Metavicero... she surely will hate me after everything I said tonight... I will have to apologize. Alternatively, if you could use that fancy time magic and bring our fallen allies ba..."

    Horeo shook his head, before slowly raising it and looking hopefully at Zoemi.

    "I can no longer use magic. I don''t have even a speck of mana to use anymore."

    Zoemi''s expression turned nk as he stared bitterly into the distance.

    "Oh... well, happens. But, if you don''t have mana, does that mean that you aren''t in pain anymore?"

    The young king nodded in disappointment, but instead of ming Zoemi orining about the disappearance of convenient ability, he looked back at the ck-haired boy and smiled in reassurance.

    "Yeah. Now everything is fi-GH-UHGH...!"

    *st*

    "ZOEMI?!"

    Zoemi smirked and nodded, when his body suddenly trembled and he spat out a mouthful of crimson-red blood, causing Horeo to shout and get up to his knees in shock.

    "...GH-OUGH...! Wha... what ish ghoing on...?"

    Zoemi coughed up even more blood again and asked, feeling the metallic taste fill his mouth while he could feel a tickling in his nose.

    "ZOEMI, YOU ARE BLEEDING!"

    Horeo o panicked and hurriedly tore off his shirt and put it to his friend''s face.

    "Wha...? Frhom where...?"

    "Your mouth and nose! You are hurt after all! And really seriously too!"

    Zoemi asked unable to swallow all the red liquid in his mouth, getting Hroeo to panic even more.

    "N-no? I... I don''t think so... I... ah... Mana is poison... they all said that to me at some point, didn''t they?"

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and mumbled in confusion, before realizing something and freezing up.

    "Mana is poison? But, isn''t mana literally everywhere around us? In air and ground and Miriette an me?"

 570 Chapter 191

    Horeo gulped down his saliva and asked, sobering p despite not recovering nearly enough amount of mana.

    "...yeah... exactly..."

    Zoemi muttered nodding his head, while the blood streamed down his lips and chin.

    "[MY CHILD, WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU DEACTIVATE THE LAW OF ARIES?! DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH!? YOU ARE MY INVESTMENT! I CAN NOT LET YOU DIE, NOT AFTER YOU RESOLVED THE CATASTROPHIC EVENT FOR MY WORLD!]"

    "...huh...?"

    The ck-haired boy flinched and his eyes widened as the voice of the faceless god, Guide, resounded in his brain.

    "[I AM TAKING YOU OUT OF THIS CURSED LAND. I WILL PUT YOU BACK IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE HEAVENLY STAR NATION SO YOU COULD RECOVER IN PEACE WITHOUT ANY OF THIS POISON AROUND!]"

    "N-no... wait... what about Miriette? Will she be okay there?"

    Guide decided, making Zoemi ten up and ask while he hugged the dark-haired girl in his arms a bit tighter.

    "[The environment is too different because there is none of that poison polluting the earth and air in the rest of the world, she would be unable to recover her mana at the normal speed and fall into mana depletion far easier than she ever was here. If you don''t want her to suffer, leave her with the gold-haired guy.]"

    The faceless god seemed to calm down a little bit, as their exnation was spoken softly ut clearly so that the ck-haired boy would be able to understand everything.

    "...I don''t want to leave her though... If she can''t go... then I don''t want to go either...."

    Zoemi dered, trying to gulp down his saliva, but gulping down a nauseating mouthful of blood instead.

    "[Out of the question. I am sending you away from here whether you want it or not. You are my chosen hero and I have the right to do that at least once ¨C normally that one chance would be spent on bringing you to my world but that was already done for me by the great primordial - so one at my disposal is still valid and I am using that privilege right now! I will not let such a promising child as you die! Although I will be taking your masteries of thew of Capricorn andw of Libra away from you for the transwer to happen. Fear not, their pathways will remain open, but you will have to train to achieve the same level of strength as you disyed during the fight with the demon-lord-ss enemy. And you will definitely have the opportunity to train them all until mastery because - YOU NOT DYING AND ARE DEFINITELY LEAVING THIS PLACE!"

    Guide had no intention of backing off from their decision and raised their voice to make it clear to the bleeding boy.

    "...but..."

    Zoemi sniffled ¨C which only got more blood to pour from his nose...

    "[Listen, the line of death is gone so the mana can leave and spread around. Things will change, there is a chance that someday either you or she will be able to see each other. Right now you have a choice to leave her here and let me send you away so you can recover to live long enough to see what the future of this world will be, or be sent away together with her, and watch her suffer unable to adapt to the immediate change. There is no third option ¨C I will not allow you to die! Now pick!]"

    "Zoemi, I need to take you to themoner girl so she could heal you up! Huh...?"

    Horeo, who could not hear the heated voice of Guide, called out but then got utterly confused when Zoemi pushed Miriette into his arms.

    "[Good choice. As I said, there is a chance for you two in the future and you picked the right path for that oue. Go on, say your farewells now.]"

    Guide breathed out in relief, while Zoemi remained silent, looking pitifully at the girl he loved the most in the world.<sub> </sub>

    "Wh-what are you doing...?"

    Horeo looked at the sleeping Miriette and then looked up at his teary-eyed best friend.

    "Tell her that I will never forget her and that I will do everything in my might to one day be able to stand by her side... as long as she will still want me, of course."

    Zoemi smiled through the tears and blood and said in a trembling voice.

    "Wait, what? Where are you going? There is no one here except me to use the telepo... Whoa...!"

    Horeo shook his head and stepped forward, almost dropping Miriette, but recovering at thest second.

    "We will meet again. Be a good king, okay? Don''t go overboard with the tyrant persona. And once again, I will do my best toe back."

    *whoosh*

    "Once again, where do you think you are go...? HUH?!"

    Zoemi smirked and looked up from Mireitte''s face over to the distressed Horeo, who raised his voice only to flinch and be wide-eyed.

    Because right when Zoemi finished thest word, he suddenly vanished.

    Not with the sh of light as if he used the light attribute, nor as if he sunk into the darkness or not even as if he dived into the earth beneath his feet.

    The ck-haired boy simply disappeared into the thin air, leaving the short trail of droplets of blood on the grounds as the only evidence of his existence.

    "..."

    *thump*

    Horeo mouth''s moved like a fish suddenly pulled out of the water, but not a single sound escaped his lips before he suddenly dropped to his knees, barely able to hold onto the unconscious Miriette.

    After a few more minutes the members of the King''s Guard, the corpse puppets of the gray-haired necromancer, and the surviving members of the Zoemi''s group brought back by Elsby, began to appear on the silent battlefield one by one.

    --------

    After Zoemi''s disappearance, Horeo and Miriette were recovered from the devastated site of thepleted catastrophic event and escorted to safety ¨C and the story they got to tell to the others took everyone''s breaths away.

    Despite the win over the Ghosts of Bellcephora and the sinister treacherous bastard of the former queen, who ended upmitting both patri and matricide with the full intention of following it up with fratricide that was nothing less than attempted regicide, the peace and quiet were only a faraway dream.

 571 Chapter 191

    Back in the shipwreck in which Zoemi was found out by the faceless god, Guide, a certain person walked through the darkness...

    Kiorterell, thest living member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora stuck in the body of the half-breed spirit power user that he possessed, bit his lips holding his breath, and approached the star chart on the rotting, moss-covered wall...

    He was sure he knew what it was, although George had never seen it, he was told about it by his father.

    A star chart allowed the star power user to gain ess to the teachings of whicheverw they had the potential in, giving the adept the instructions for training on the appropriate level.

    There were only a few of those in existence, and all of them were created for the ships transporting active soldiers ¨C despite being extremely hard to create, the star charts were a better investment than actually letting powerful teachers leave their sects and risk their lives out in the uncertain sea expeditions.

    ...at least while the line of death was still in ce...

    "...this brat had been checked by his father, but never actually touched a star chart to make sure..."

    Kiroterell muttered to himself, reaching out his hand and touching the base of the chart from which thin lines connected every star in each constetion.

    The moment he did that, the star chart came alive and started glowing with a faint ephemeral light.

    Some of the constetions remained dark, but not all.

    The ones which George''s body had the potential to use light up indicating the mastery he could achieve.

    Gemini shone the brightest, with only two stars remaining dark.

    Taurus and Capricorn were lighted up half on half...

    But Kiroterell was focused on a very specific constetion whichw would help him immensely at the moment.

    "...ah~!"

    And just as he hoped for, the Virgo constetion shone with two stars.

    "Haha... AHAHAHA~! Yes! I knew it, that brat''s father was the one with no talent in thew of Virgo, that''s why he could not pass on any teachings about it! I might be stuck in this body, but old Kiorterell didn''t say his final word yet!"

    Thest remaining member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora trembled to form the relievedughter and cheered.

    "Now then, how were you supposed to make the star chart share its teaching..."

    Kiorterell muttered to himself and closed his eyes, searching through George''s memories.

    "...there it is~ Keeper of the stars, Guide, away from their home, this lost child seeks your help!"

    Thest Ghosts snickered and dered, putting his other hand directly on the two lighted-up stars of the Virgo constetion.

    ------<sub> </sub>

    The first order of business ¨C after pushing the me for the property damage onto the easiest and most sinister scapegoat, Cherro - had to be confirmation of the fate of the Barbaria nation. Many aristocrats didn''t want to believe the extent of damage that the single bastard enlisting the help of century-old sages was able to decimate the entire country- and destroy the entire capital of the Bellcephora kingdom - but that turned out to be a fact and not just lipservice putting the king in a slightly more favorable light.

    Truth be told, the confirmation of the Barbaria nation''s demise helped convince some of the more stubborn nobles that Cherro''s threat wasn''t just a small-scale incident ¨C and dealing with it became one of the cornerstones of the trust in the new monarch.

    Unfortunately, that was one of the few grossly problematic events that the hard work of the young king and his advisors ¨C the group that included his former fiancee, Miriette Lisea Espine, and the former member of the Ghosts of Bellcephora who was officially acknowledged as the part of and a representative of the Banemor family until the return of the young lord Zoemi ¨C managed to put a positive spin on.

    The aftereffect of destroying the entire city ¨C the capital of the kingdom no less ¨C had left thousands of people without homes or even food ¨C most of those people had trouble readjusting to the new way of life and often straight up demandedpensation despite being lucky they even survived the incident in the first ce.

    Despite being given shelter and food ¨C which already put a strain on the kingdom''s treasury, countless letters ofint would flood into the royal castle bothering the already overworked king.

    And those letters ofint and reports of increased banditry ¨C iming that some of the bandits were magic users.

    As every piece of evidence avable suggested, those weren''t just some rouge Ghosts of Bellcephora impostors or abandoned bastards seeking revenge, but the fallen nobles that chose to regain their fortune through less thanwful and justified means ¨C mainly stripping travelers from their belongings and often taking their lives.

    ? It was truly a kick in the guts for the new ruler.

    The restoration and rebuilding of the capital was a huge operation that enlisted the help of every avable earth magician, showcasing the earth attribute to the public eye and making it one of the most respected ones amongst themoners who could return to their normal lives in no time.

    The public favoring an attribute that normally was mocked as being the least noble was a blow that many sons and daughters of lower noble families were unable to take while also facing financial problems whilemoners seemed to thrive ¨C which made it even easier for them to chose violence and the path of crime.

    That problem became so severe that the King''s Guard, an elite group meant only for protecting the royal family was turned into a rapid-response team solely for dealing with the magic-using bandits, which wasn''t met with a warm embrace by some of the members used to fighting and dealing with serious threats instead of chasing low-life-turned mages through muddy woods and damp caverns.

    Many members of that previously elite group ended up submitting resignation letters but not before adding to the pile ofints with their own lengthy reports.

    And staying on the subject of troublesome reports - numerous sheets of paper written with no spaces left kept arriving from all around the coastline of the Bellcephora kingdom informed the king and his about the sudden disappearance of the uncrossable barrier, line of death ¨C and to make it even more shocking, the repeated sightings of ships sailing on the horizon where there should not be any humans alive, let alone thriving enough to built aid ships.

    There were definite differences in the shapes of the ships and sails they used, not to mentionpletely unknown and never seen before the gs they sailed under.

    Some even suggested the existence of other inds or even continents and asked for mary help to found the exploratory expedition into the unknown, but that had to be put on hold because of the diminishing amount of mana in the air and water the farther away from the previous line of death a ship moved.

    The royal treasury could not afford the expense, but both the house of Banemor, Espine, and the remains of the Perserios family did not hold back and pumped a generous amount of gold into the exploration ¨C they reasoning was simple.

    The faster they discover the newnd, the higher the chance of finding Zoemi.

    After crossing the area of the former line of death, the sailors on every ship that left the shores of the kingdom of Bellcephora wouldin about the mana-depletion-like symptoms despite not using any magic, which would get more and more severe the further they sailed which turned out a problem that had to be dealt with in order for their mission to seed.

    While that happened, the ships from the other side also were trying toe closer and closer, but they would always turn back at some point, proving that the sailors from Bellcephora were not the only ones dealing with some never before encountered phenomenons.

    Still, with the determination clearly on both sides, it was only a matter of time when someone two parties would meet.

    In those uncertain times that were about toe, the only thing that seemed definite was that the people of thend of mana would have to prepare themselves for the changes that will soon enter their portion of the world that just opened up for all the new mysteries.

    ...and while they were at it, the people who knew Zoemi all prayed for his safety, quick recovery, and even faster return home...

 572 Chapter 192

    *ching*

    A small bell ring out refreshingly as the door to a small but beautifully kept flower shop opened and a single man in a martial arts uniform walked inside.

    The man was tall and his short hair was dark blond while his eyes were so dark brown that they looked almost ck.

    The man looked like someone important, and yet he was not a magician at all, but it was not strange at all, after all, the flower shop was not in the Bellcephora kingdom.

    "I will be right there, dear customer, just finishing up thest flower arrangement for today''s anniversary!"

    The owner of the flower shop called out without showing himself only using the sound of the bell as an indication of somebody''s presence.

    "..."

    Just by hearing the voice, the martial artist straightened his back and gulped down his saliva, as he clenched his fists.

    "Thank you for the patience, what can I..."

    After a few minutes, a small bouquet of flowers was tossed up on the counter, joining dozens of other arrangements ¨C each one unique with no two identical ones anywhere in sight ¨C and the dlower shop owner revealed himself, standing up while carrying empty buckets that the flowers cut solely for the purpose of bing the bouquets were brought.

    He was a man in histe thirties ¨C or that was how his appearance suggested. He was wearing simple clothes that he covered with an apron. The most discerning part of him was that he had pure-white hair and jet-ck eyes.

    *thump*

    "Great teacher! Please, his highness the Spirit Emperor sends his regards and sends a message through this unworthy student!"

    At the sight of him, the dark-blond-haired marital artist dropped to his knees and kowtowed on the spot without a shred of hesitation.

    "...stand up, boy, I am just a humble florist, your actual teacher would be ashamed seeing you lowering your head to me..."

    The white-haired man sighed, shaking his head while taking the buckets to the back of the shop.

    "My teacher and my teacher''s teacher are surely rejoicing amongst the stars that I was granted the privilege of delivering a message to you, great teacher!"

    Despite the florist''s words, the martial artist did not raise his head even a fraction of an inch, pressing his forehead firmly on the floor of the flower shop.

    "Out of respect for you, your teacher, and your teacher''s teacher I humbly take the praise. Stand up, boy, if you help me out deliver the flowers I will listen to his majesty''s words."

    "This student is humbled by your grace, great teacher!"

    The white-haired man breathed out and gave up, putting down the buckets and pointing at the flowers ¨C to which the marital artist responded with a grateful cheer, and began to stand up.

    <o>,m "I must request that you will stop calling me the great teacher though, the locals do not know who I am and I wish for it to stay that way."</o>

    The florist said in a stern voice while carefully picking the flower arrangements from the counter.

    "As you wish, Heave..."

    "Boy, do not even dare to speak that title out loud!"

    The martial artist put his hand together in front of his chest and bowed his head before speaking up, but the florist cut him out instantly with a strictness that made the martial artist flinch and tremble.

    "...excuse this outburst, boy... Just for the time you will join me on this delivery, address me simply as William. For my sake."

    "This unworthy student will obey your request."

    William breathed out and returned back to collecting the bouquets while the tense marital artist bowed his head even deeper before straightening his back and joining the florist.

    *ng*

    The bell above the door rang once more as the two men left the shop, the white-haired man put the armful of bouquets on a hand-pulled cart, piling them up on top of hundreds of others, motioning at the marital artists to do the same.

    "Gear... umm... W-William, allow me to pull the cart for you."<sub> </sub>

    The man offered anxiously, stepping towards the front of the cart right after cing down the flowers he carried.

    "No. This is my duty. It''s the least I could offer to the brave children who followed me and whom I was unable to keep safe."

    "..."

    The white-haired man shook his head, reaching out his hand to stop the martial artists before taking stepping up to the cart and beginning to pull it.

    The martial artists followed him respectfully silent.

    "William! It is that time of the year again, isn''t it? Thank you for always remembering."

    "I could never forget."

    An elderly man sitting on the porch of his house looked up at the road and greeted the white-haired man as he passed.

    "Young William, did you remember that my daughter..."

    "Loves forget-me-nots. Of course Mrs. Teresa. Look, this one is just for her."

    An olddy looking out of the second floor of the next house spotted the white-haired man with his cart and called out in a worried voice ¨C to which William responded reassuringly, reaching his hand into the pile of bouquets and pulling out a delicate violet-blue arrangement.

    "May the stars bless your kind soul, deary."

    The woman gulped down her saliva and dried off her eyes with a handkerchief with a forget-me-nots motive stitched into its right corner.

    "William..."

    "Your husband doesn''t like fancy flowers, but greatly enjoys the smell of wild lc, right?"

    "Y-yes...! Thank you... Thank you so much...!"

    This time it was a middle-aged housewife carrying a bucket full ofundry ¨C she called out to William, and he responded with a soft smile, taking out the correct bouquet just like the two previous times.

    "Mister Will! Did you have time to..."

    "The tea roses for your parents, just like your mother''s bouquet on their wedding day."

    Simr scenarios repeated again and again, no matter what, the white-haired man would respond with a gentle smile to whoever called him.

    As they continued their journey, the martial artist by the cart''s side was looking increasingly miserable but did not say a thing.

    It was not like he was getting tired or annoyed at the slow pace and getting stopped every few steps for William to have a few words exchanged with almost every passerby though...

    "...W-William... by any chance...?"

    "Your older sister preferred simple dandelions over the roses her suitors would send to your house. Don''t worry. This one is for her."

    The dark-blond-haired martial artist reached out to his cart and pulled out a simple but beautiful arrangement of wildflowers where dandelions were the center of attention.

    "You know, every flower has its meaning, but I believe that people should be gifted whatever they fancy without being bothered by the weight we humans try to give nature."

    "..."

    William said with a stoic expression, looking forward, allowing the martial artist to cry without feeling ashamed.

    After some more time, the two arrived at the cemetery set in a remote location ¨C that despite being out of themonly used road was upkept perfectly.

    After leaving the cart in front of the gate, William grabbed a handful of bouquets and entered the graveyard, and began distributing the flowers ¨C one arrangement each for every single grave ¨C while the blond-haired martial artist waited outside feeling his eye sting from holding back even more tears.

 573 [Bonus Chapter]Chapter 192

    After he was done, the white-haired man walked towards the very center of the cemetery, to the massive monument hosting a parlor with the giant photorealistic painting of the fallen whose graves were adorned with his bouquets.

    "Your sister is one of the people whose bodies were never retrieved, boy. I apologize that leaving the flowers on an empty grave is the best I can do for your older sister and herrades.

    Hearing the footsteps of the approaching martial artist, William spoke while looking at the faces on the paintings.

    The thing was, he, William, was painted in the very center of the group of hundreds of people, and although the date beneath the painting clearly stated it was over-created twenty-five years old, the white-haired man was exactly the same as he was now.

    Not a single wrinkle more, not a shade on his face that would suggest his actual age.

    *thump*

    "Great teacher, this unworthy student offers you his deepest gratitude!"

    The blond-haired marital artist fell to his knees and kowtowed to the white-haired man.

    "There''s nothing to be grateful about. I was supposed to lead and protect them but I failed. My overconfidence brought their demise while only I was spared from the rage of the line of death. I should have at least enough shame to die together with them, but..."

    "Great teacher! Don''t say that! They all knew the dangers of the expedition and willingly took the risk! No one mes you for the oue!"

    The martial artist called out, interrupting the white-haired man''s self-deprecating speech.

    "...the current Star Emperor wants to repeat his grandfather''s mistake and set out the expedition past the line of death, isn''t he? And on the day of their death''s anniversary... That''s the message you were supposed to deliver, right? Thank you for taking your time to help me out today, but my response to his majesty''s request is... no. I will not lead more children to their death."

    William gulped down his saliva and dered, turning around and walking past the marital artist.

    "Great Teacher! That is not at all the message! The line of death disappearedpletely and we came in contact with the citizens of thend of mana! Because of the report that you made after using thew of Pisces lead the Star Emperor to seek a peaceful approach. That''s why we need you! The only living human who mastered all twelvews and received the title of Heavenly Star! This is not a call to war, but for peace!"

    "..."

    The martial artist raised his voice and called out pleadingly, making the white-haired man stop right behind the cemetery gate.

    "...so... the message...?"

    William turned around just a little bit so the martial artist would not be able to see the awkward and troubled expression on his face that would surely ruin the image the white-haired man built up with his grand behavior up until that point...

    "Yes!"

    The martial artist stood up and put his hands together in front of his chest before bowing his head in preparation for speaking out ¨C no matter who was he talking with, the words of the Star Emperor could not be repeated while a messenger was on their knees.

    "His highness says ¨C ording to your report, you announced that our Heavenly Star nation will attempt to conquer thend known as the Kingdom of Bellcephora through violence in presence of many aristocrats, not to mention that you did so after losing to a boy not even eighteen years old. I am giving you a chance to fix that mistake. Arrive at the Star Pagoda at your nearest convenience."

    "..."

    The more William heard, the more droplets of sweat ran down his face.

    Despite being only his astral projection sent out thanks to thew of Pisces, and hence only being a fraction of his power, a part of him faced the first loss in decades which made him very angry.

    Thinking that crossing the line of death would never be possible in the first ce, William spoke some rather hostile words to the ck-haired boy standing victorious over him, and everyone who could hear him...

    "...?"

    Speaking about the ck-haired boy, the proud look in his eyes and the wicked smirk that was befitting of a bonafide viin made him flinch.<sub> </sub>

    "Great teacher...?"

    The dark-blond-haired martial artist asked in confusion when William suddenly walked back to the cemetery and passed him without saying a word, before stopping in front of the painting of the deceased once more.

    His eyes focused on the youngest person in therge group.

    The boy was in his early teens, and he was standing out next to the adults surrounding him.

    His honey-blond hair and bright blue eyes were enhanced by the devilish smile that carried the promise of the boy bing a heart-stealer in the future.

    "This... this must be a coincidence, right...?"

    William squinted his eyes, reaching out his hand and putting it to the painted figure''s head.

    If the colors of eyes and hair were different then...

    "Great teacher...? Ah, yes, the loss of so many star power users was a huge blow to the sects, but the one to suffer the most was most definitely the Great Ram sect. This boy was handpicked by the sect leader to inherit his position. I still remember seeing him fight and win the right to participate in the expedition in the tournament twenty-seven years ago... Nathan Ramis, the beloved child of Aries."

    The dark-blond-haired martial artist smiled, looking at the same person that William was focusing on.

    "I was already older than him during that time but I struggled with getting bullied by my seniors. Seeing a kid scrawnier than me never give up and win fight after fight ignited my soul and pushed me to reach greater heights... I... I wanted to spar with him at least once and thank him... He was just like my sister, wasn''t he? They never recovered his body."

    The martial artist breathed out and smiled solemnly at the silent William who looked as if he was considering something...

    "Yes... that''s right."

    The white-haired man nodded, taking back his hand and turning his back to the painting.

    "Here."

    "...?!"

    William took a deep breath and threw a small key towards the martial artist, who caught it easily but with a surprised expression.

    "Take the cart back to the vige and leave the key with the settlement administrator. I will go straight to the Star pagoda."

    The white-haired man exined, taking off his apron and looking to the west.

    "Law of Capricorn."

    He called out without waiting for the marital artist''s response and ran straight up into the air before dashing off into the distance.

    "...How in the world a kid like that convinced the geezers from all the sects to actually seek a peaceful solution...?!"

    William pushed the uncanny simrities between the youngest member of the failed expedition and the ck-haired nobleman that his astral projection fought during the tournament in thend of mana to the back of his mind.

    What was the most important now was making sure that the disappearance of the line of death isn''t a sign of the oing cmity - as for the meeting with people of thend of mana... whether peaceful or not, could honestly wait a bit more.

    For William at least, the safety of the citizens of the Heavenly Star nation was the most important.

 574 Chapter 193

    Deep in the heart of the woods, in a small lumberjack vige, a little boy pushed open the door to the cozy little shed and walked inside, looking around attentively.

    "AHA!"

    He called out with usation once he spotted a pile of nkets stuffed between spare axehandles and newly carved axe-hafts, and jumped right at the unsuspecting bundle.

    "Wake up, sleepy head! You are going to miss the morning practice!"

    *WHOOSH*

    As the little boy dered, kneading the bundle with his knees and trying to unravel it with his hands, arge arm erupted from beneath, reaching out towards the child''s head about to crush it in its monstrous grip oozing with threatening aura.

    *tap*

    "Gyaah...!"

    But instead of doing that, the hand ended up affectionately tousling the boy''s hair¨C but the speed at which it appeared and the sudden contact that the child did not expect caused the boy to let out a surprised yelp.

    "Chris, sweetie, didn''t I already tell you? I have no talent in thew of Taurus. Nothing at all. There''s no need for me to join the meditation part, I can do it on my ownter. Let me sleep in, I promise I join you during the physical exercise..."

    The man with a soothingly deep voice that made others want to listen to him more murmured sleepily without untangling himself from the nkets while continuing to pat the little boy.

    "...could you... could youe with me to the morning practice...?"

    As the initial surprise passed and the words of the resting man reached him, the little boy''s shoulders slumped down and he asked pleadingly while putting his lips and tugging on the nkets.

    "...why...?"

    The bundle moved around as the man beneath rolled around to catch a glimpse of the child''s face through the nkets.

    "...everyone else ising to the morning practice with their dads... only I am always alone... mom is always busy and she doesn''t practice thew of Taurus anyway and... and Max is alwaysughing at me...Wh-whoa...!"

    *rustle*

    Chris looked to the side with a pitiful expression but didn''t stop tugging on the nkets ¨C that suddenly moved and made him let out another surprised voice, this time slightly tamer because he could feel an arm firmly supporting him as he was picked up in the air.

    "Alright. I don''t know how useful I will be, but I can at least apany you. Let''s tell your mother and go to the vige square."

    "Really?! Hurray~!"

    The man shook off the nkets and smiled at the young boy perched on his forearm, causing the child to cheer out in happiness.

    The two left the shed and walked past a small log cabin with one of the windows wide open, revealing a small office where a pretty brown-haired woman with dark green eyes was sitting by the desk and writing in an ountant book.

    "Mom! We''re going to the morning practice!"

    "...? Oh, dear..."

    Chris cheered out, making the woman raise her head and look at him, before rtions a bothered sigh and taking off her sses.

    "I am so, so sorry for the trouble my boy is causing you... I had no idea that he would actually ask you to go with him."

    Chris''s mother made a troubled expression and bowed her head apologetically to the man carrying her son on his forearm.

    "It''s no problem at all. I am free anyway and helping Chris train is the least I could do for you providing me a roof over my head. Mrs. Greenwood."

    The man whose face was hidden from Chris''s mother by the frame of the window she was looking through waved his free hand dismissively and smiled reassuringly at the dispirited boy.

    "No, no. You have already done more than enough to deserve the gratitude of the entire vige! And please, just call me Mary, don''t make me feel older than I am."

    Chris''s mother shook her head and smiled, yfully tapping the rims of her sses on her lips.

    "I do not mean it in a bad way, honestly. Back from where I''m from, we have very strict rules about the social hierarchy, and old habits die hard. For now, we''re off."

    "Aww... have fun."

    The man sidestepped the flirty remark quite literally and continued walking, leaving the slightly disappointed woman to her work as he left with her son to the vige''s square.

    -----

    "Oh-ho? My sweet boy, it''s quite surprising to see you up this early without the vige being in danger. Was I not informed about the monster threat?"

    An elderly white-haired grandma slouched by the weight of the years also happened to be walking in the same direction as the two, supporting herself on a sturdy wooden cane with iron lining on the handle, looked to the side and called out with an intrigued expression.

    "Chris, say hello. Not at all,dy Bridget, the local animals already know to keep away, they are way smarter than the ones back in my homnd. By any chance, are you also showing up for the morning practice?"

    The young man who bowed his head toward the elderly woman nudged the boy on his arm before shaking his head and looked beside the other log cabins towards the great forest where even the smallest tree was thicker than the old well down the road.

    "Morning, grandma Bridget!"

    "Hello sweetie, be good and remember to train diligently. I might drop by, but honestly, as long as they will not implement some stretching into the program, I will stay back and watch the youth''s progress from the sidelines."

    Grandma Bridget smiled at the young boy before looking back at the man carrying him and patting her old back, bent like a shrimp.

    "Off you go, don''t bete because of me."<sub> </sub>

    "Bye-bye!"

    "Call me if you need something, mydy."

    The elderly woman shooed them away and both the little boy and the polite man left with a few words of farewell.

    "My, my. There is something about this charmingd, no wonder Mary started dressing up so nicely~"

    Grandma Bridget cackled to herself watching the wide back of the leaving ck-haired man.

    "Still,beling monsters of the Ancient Sea of Trees as local animals... he really is something else."

    She breathed out, subconsciously reaching up and stroking the brown fur of the six-legged bear  beast lining her cardigan.

    "..."

    Chris climbed back on the man''s shoulder and looked back at the old woman they passed.

    "Oh? Something picked your attention?"

    The ck-haired man asked, showing his teeth in a rather viinous-looking smile.

    "Zoemi, aren''t you afraid of the monsters from the forest?"

    The little boy returned to his ce ad looked up at the face of the devilishly handsome ck-haired young man with obsidian-like eyes.

    "Hmm... you know I was lost in there for a year and a half right? They tried to hunt and eat me many times, it was rough. I can''t see in the dark anymore, after all."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and tilted his head, trying to not make his experience sound too scary for the child while also not portraying it as a lighthearted stroll to not make the boy get some dangerous ideas about venturing out there on his own.

    "H-how did you manage to get away from them? Is yourw of Capricorn really good?"

    Chris asked in a tense voice, clenching his fists at Zoemi''s clothes.

    "Nope. Apparently, I''m at something called supernova level with thew of Aries though. Those funny-looking six-legged bears, winged tigers, and horned wolves tried to bite and scratch me but met with a nasty surprise~"

    Zoemi hummed reminiscing the part of his life that he left behind a few weeks earlier after encountering the lumberjacks'' vige ¨C the first human settlement he found on the unknown continent that the faceless god of stars, Guide, sent him to for recovery.

    ...although recovery was a big word while the only thing that happened was Zoemi suddenly finding himselfying at the edge of a cliff with a vast ocean on one side and the ridiculously massive wilderness on the other...

    "Aren''t you making that up, Zoemi...? Mom said that there is no supernova level."

    Chris tilted his head and made an expression as if he thought the ck-haired man was making fun of him.

    "Well, if your mom says so. Anyway. I am strong enough to help out with protecting your vige from monsters. Of course, I will be leaving with the next passing merchant caravan."

    "You''re leaving?!"

    The ck-haired man smiled softly and shrugged his shoulders changing the subject without trying to argue with a small child, but the subject he picked made Chris jump up and gasp in disbelief.

    "Yes. I already overstayed my wee here, monsters were already instructed to stay away, and I need to be in ce with a more reliable information flow. I want to get back home as soon as a chance for that appears."

    Zoemi''s expression turned serious and he nodded, not hiding a thing from the child who lowered his head dispirited.

    "Wh-what about the king of the forest? Isn''t it a dragon? What if it will attack?"

    Chris gasped in a worried voice - although the boy was clearly more worried about Zoemi leaving then about some monster attacking.

    "Pffft...! Sweetie, this part of the forest doesn''t have a dragon as the top monster. The one in charge is actually very reasonable and doeasn''t mind humans, as long as they will keep a respectful distance. I took care of the talks already."

    The ck-haired man snorted, unable to stop himself and exined with an amused smile. He looked as if he was reminded of some fond memory...

    "You did, whoa...! Ah... waut, but then... then..."

    The little boy gasped in amazement only to flinch as he realized that although cool, the exnation rendered his argument useless...

    "Do you have to leave the vige, though? You don''t need to kill monsters... Can''t you stay here with me and my mom...?"

    Chris asked pitifully, ncing up at Zoemi''s face.

    "No. The ce I belong isn''t here and I have someone that I want to return to. Oh, look, they are almost starting."

    Zoemi shook his head and refused without even batting an eye, but he did provide some exnation to the child ¨C before looking up, noticing the gathering in the vige square, and hastening his peace.

    The group of people has gathered in the small vige square as always, taking over itpletely.

    They were already lined up in order of arrival, while a sleepy-looking young man with heavy eyelids was looking over them from a small wooden podium.

    "Alright everyone,e up to me. We are continuing the meditation training, I will be using thew of Taurus and sharing my spiritual energy with you so your talent in thatw can be stirred up. After receiving a hit, return to your spot and concentrate on the changes within your bodies."

    The unenthusiastic-looking man ina martial artist outfit dered, opening his heavy eyelids just a bit more while looking over the crowd.

 575 Chapter 193

    Everyone participating in the morning practice at the vige sqare would wait their turn to walk up to the sleepy-looking martial artist and get punched in the stomach after telling him their roughly estimated mastery of thew of Taurus and whether or not they dabbled inw or Aries.

    The punched people would return to their spots and sit down cross-legged, contemting the energy that passed through their bodies.

    That was supposed to go for an hour and then would be followed by physical training before everyone went off to their duties.

    In Zoemi''s opinion, it was a rather crude method ¨C the getting punched part, that is ¨C especially since he himself began to be able to channel the spiritual energy within his body and was quite sure it was possible to pass it to another person without actually attacking them. Still, no one from the crowd of people seemed to find it troublesome.

    On the other hand, the ck-haired man could tell that the dangers connected with living in close proximity to monsters that would not refuse human flesh for a meal if such an opportunity presented itself for them would make the vigers try everything to be stronger and hence increase their survivability.

    Including getting punched to toughen up

    *WHAM*

    "...ghh...!"

    "...hmm~..."

    "..."

    Although, the glimpse of satisfaction in the leading marital artist''s eyes when he punched someone and caused them to take a step back and grimace in pain was certainly a red g in Zoemi''s eyes.

    "Psst...Chris."

    "Yes...?"

    The ck-haired man continued to observe the martial artist in charge of the training and tapped the shoulder of the young boy he put back down on the ground with his finger.

    "I know that you want to get stronger, but if that guy hits you too hard, tell me immediately, okay?"

    Zoemi looked over to the child and asked with a serious and even slightly worried expression.

    "Okay... But I will be fine!"

    Chris nodded his head bashfully before straightening his back and dering with an innocent conviction.

    *bump*

    "Thank you, teacher."

    "Remember to meditate diligently."

    A little girl around Chris''s age bowed her head and thank the marital artist who waved his hand dismissively and shooed her away before turning to her father and...

    *WHAM*

    "Hurgh...!"

    "...hmm~..."

    Forcing him to back away, holding his stomach with a pained grimace on his face.

    It was almost their turn, the child and their father in front of Zoemi and Chris received a light tap and a powerful sounding hit respectably.

    "..."

    That made Zoemi breathe out and rx just a little bit. Whether Zoemi''s feeling about the martial artist in charge of the training was correct or not, the man was leaving kids out of the area of his interest.

    "Teacher, I''m already at a second-star level!"

    As they stood in front of him, Chris dered proudly, looking up with sparkling eyes ¨C only not at the martial artist, but at the ck-haired man by his side.

    "Already? And you are eight at most! Isn''t that amazing~? Law of Taurus consists of nine stars, to get on to the second one at such a young age it''s increadible~"

    The marital artist livened up, revealing that his heavy eyelids weren''t the usual part of his appearance but simply evidence of hisck of sleep the previous night, and he did so by opening his eyes widely.

    The man crouched down by Chris and began patting his head with an overjoyed smile.

    "What was your name, boy?"

    The martial arts teacher asked, even though he honestly should know literally everyone in the vige as he lived there for over a year and the ce wasn''t particrly big, to begin with.

    "Do you know that for thew of Taurus, if you will be able to reach the third star level before you are ten years old, you will be able to join a sect as a gifted student? If you will work diligently and reach that point, I would be delighted to introduce you to the Raging Bull sect that I myself am a part of. We are specializing in thew of Taurus and our sect leader is at its eighth star level already. Of course, you should ask your parent whether that is a... oh..."

    The martial artist aid in a happy tone, properly introducing the young boy to the idea of joining his sect before looking up at the person he thought was the boy''s father only to meet Zoemi''s eyes.

    The ck-haired man wasn''t ring or anything, if anything, he found it amazing that Chris was shaping up to be a prodigy ¨C no, the problem was on the martial artist''s side.

    "...there are no monsters here to y, wanderer, haven''t you said that you have no business training in thew of Taurus?"

    Clearly annoyed marital artist stood up and red up at the taller man''s face.

    "Don''t make a scene here, Seth. I didn''t take over your post on purpose. I just happened to be killing beasts that attacked me anyway. The energy transfer?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders not even attempting to get pulled in by the marital artist''s provocation and patted Chris''s head while tilting his head with a pleasant smile.<sub> </sub>

    "Hmph. Of course."

    Seth''s eyes gleamed with angry light but he only nodded back and focused on the little boy.

    *bump*

    "Thank you, teacher!"

    Zoemi was prepared to pull Chris back at the slightest sigh of the martial artist trying to get some petty revenge on him through the child he apanied, but Seth was not angry enough to even think about something like that ¨C and lightly tapped on Chris''s stomach making the boy bow to him cheerfully not experiencing even the slightest bit of difort.

    "I will talk with his mother about the idea of joining your sect. Do the gifted students learn for free?"

    While already guiding Chris around to return to their spot, Zoemi said, looking over his shoulder at the grim martial artist starring daggers at his back.

    "Huh? Wait...you will...? That would be... appreciated, much appriciated, actually. And yes. As long as the gifted students will train diligently and keep getting good results, the sect will take care of their every need, that''s why every sect has only a limited amount of spots avable each year."

    The ck-haired man''s words surprised the martial artist who furrowed his brows and fidgetted awkwardly, trying to push his personal animosity to the side for the good of his sect.

    "So it''s nothing certain even after he achieves the third star level, I see. Thank you for the heads up~"

    Zoemi nodded with a solemn expression before smirking and nodding at Seth as he followed behind Chris.

    "...annoying, can''t even properly hate the guy... Everyone, if someone will have trouble controlling the flow of energy, speak up and call me immediately! Especially those of third star level or higher!"

    Seth murmured to himself scoffing at Zoemi''s back before calling out for all trainees to hear.

    For the next hour, the vige square waspletely silent with the meditating vigers sitting silently cross-legged right on the ground.

    Although he did not receive any spirit energy from the marital arts teacher, Seth, Zoemi was also doing basically the same thing as the rest.

    Only in his case, he was concentrating on separating and guiding the flow of a power that was already within him.

    Already knowing how useful thew of Libra was, being the technique that helped him deal with Cherro and save Miriette, reaching the first out of six stars in the Libra constetion was the ck-haired man''s focus.

    Back when Guide send him to the manalessnd they indeed took away the supernova-level of mastery over thew of Capricorn and Libra, leaving Zoemi''s star power at the same level as it was before the faceless god''s interference.

    Those being ¨C Law of Aries at Supernova ¨C whatever that level actually meant, as Aries was only supposed to have six stars, Law of Capricorn at the five out of eleven stars, and Law of Libra at zero out of six.

    Guide did not deceive Zoemi by telling him that although they take the mastery away from him, the pathways to achieve the same level would stay open.

    In short, Zoemi did not require the guidance of a teacher like Seth to meditate.

    Although unfortunately, he only learned about a proper way of meditation when he encountered the people of the lumberjack''s vige ¨C hence, even after all the time spent killing monsters while traversing the manalessnd his star levels didn''t change much...

    After learning the proper meditation method he managed to increase his masteries in thew of Capricorn to the sixth star, but he did not have the same luck and meditation speed with thew of Libra.

    He could not wait for being able to reach the starting point and utilize the bncing power of Libra, even though barely achieving the first star level out of six would mean that it would not be nearly as efficient as he remembered ¨C obviously.

    But it would already be a great help.

    That''s why Zoemi focused his meditation efforts on thew of Libra instead of thew of Capricorn.

    Being able to ess the purification of thew of Aquarius and recovery of thew of Virgo became his number one priority the moment he did not have to fight his way through the monstrous fauna of the manaless world, as either would make his return to thend of mana ¨C and more specifically, the kingdom of Bellcephora ¨C that much more feasible.

    ----

    And so, the hour was gone in a sh.

    One by one the trainees would open their eyes and stand up ¨C one hour a day of meditation with the use of the spiritual power was the utmost a normal person could take before their bodies would start to feel the burn of the star power. No one was entirely sure about the reason for the phenomenon, but it was the same experience for basically everyone...

    "Zoemi...?"

    Chris, who also was already done with the first part of the morning practice, furrowed his brows and looked at the silent, deeply focused ck-haired man.

    *tsss*

    "OWW..?!"

    As the boy touched Zoemi''s hand, he was immediately burnt, scalding his finger on the ridiculously hot skin of the ck-haired man.

    "Hmm...? Oh dear, sorry, sweetie. It has been an hour already, I see... Not good. I don''t want to start a fire..."

    The yelp of pain of the little boy snapped Zoemi out of a trance-like state and the ck-haired man stood up, fanning his clothes to disperse the heat of his body.

    "Are you okay?"

    "Y... yeah..."

    Zoemi asked worriedly and Chris nodded his head, hiding his hand behind his back.

    "...he would not stop if the boy didn''t cry, what a ridiculous endurance, I must make another report for the sect leader..."

    Seth muttered to himself as he finished circling around the trainees, making sure that everyone is fine and did not encounter any problems during meditation.

 576 Chapter 194

    "Mrs. Greenwood, I''m off for the patrol around the woods. You must have heard the ruckus right during the night. Well, the hunters have reported the traces of skirmishes of martial artists nearby, and Seth just confirmed for me that his sect did not receive any information about other sects training in the area."

    At the break of dawn, Zoemi showed up at Chris''s house''s doorstep and passed on to the boy''s mother in a hushed voice so that the child would not wake up and notice him.

    "Martial artists intruding on the grounds protected by another sect''s territory without permission... but... Only dark sects do that...!"

    The half-asleep woman who was making sure to show a lot of skin in order to seduce the younger man straightened her back and let out an exasperated gasp.

    "So it seems."

    That made Zoemi frown with a bitter expression.

    The concept of sects and dark sects wasn''t exactly hard to grasp but it still bothered the ck-haired man.

    Apparently, the dark sects practiced the samews as the normal sects but used human sacrifice to gain more energy, making the speed of their members'' training exponentially faster than those ofwful sects.

    The premise reminded Zoemi of Ghosts of Bellcephora and that connection certainly wasn''t giving him a sense of security.

    He was going to leave the small lumberjack vige anyway, but he definitely wasn''t going to let any of the vigers who showed him kindness to end up as power boosters for a bunch of bloodthirsty martial artists, blinded by their hunger for power.

    "You can''t go alone! Either I or mister Seth can use thew of Pisces and contact someone from the Raging Bull sect ¨C the threat of the dark sects isn''t a small one, they are sure to send a force to investigate and deal with the threat...!"

    The worried woman fixed her clothes and dered, looking around nervously as if a dark sect member could jump at them from around the corner at any given moment.

    "He already did so, first thing after making sure that no otherwful had members sent on expeditions around this parts."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and looked over his shoulder where the grim-looking martial arts teacher was checking out his uniform before clearly intending to go for a patrol too.

    "Then..."

    "There are not enough high-levelw or Capricorn users to make it in time here. The help would be here at most in a week. If we don''t act now, the risk of you vigers getting hurt skyrockets."

    The woman spoke up in a worried voice but the ck-haired man shook his head and cut her off in a decisive voice.

    "We already talked with the vige''s administrator ¨C morning practice and the daily duties are canceled out for today. Chris will surely be disappointed because he is making amazing progress recently, but make sure to keep him indoors. You are the administrator''s right hand, if the vige will be attacked they will go for the administrator first, and then for you, so stay home too. No walking around trying to ask others whether they are fine. Okay? Not until Seth or I am back."

    The ck-haired man put his arm at the doorframe above the woman''s head and asked in an urgent voice, making full use of his good looks to prevent Mary''s dutiful nature take precedence over her own safety.

    "O-okay..."

    The young mother looked up at the devilishly handsome ck-haired man and blushed bashfully, backing off into the house.

    "If someone from the vige will start acting weird and trying to lure you out of the vige, do not follow them. Apparently, thew of Gemini users from the dark sects can influence others to follow their will as if they were hexing them."

    Zoemi added cautiously, raising his index finger before turning his back towards the woman who generously provided him the roof over his head.

    "Hexing them, what is that?"

    "Magic. Don''t worry about it, that has nothing to do with this situation."

    Chris''s mother, Mary, stopped in her track of retreat and asked, peeking out from behind her house''s door, but the ck-haired boy merely waved his hand dismissively and smiled apologetically before leaving.

    ----

    "Are you prepared o face dark sect''s martial artists, wanderer? It''s nothing like hunting down some monsters, and from what I''ve seen, your fighting style is rather... crude."

    Zoemi joined with Seth and the marital artist raised his brow and asked, sneaking in a snarkyment.

    "That''s because as a knight I was taught the basic unarmed fighting style in case I lose my primary weapon. It doesn''t have the pretty flow of your martial arts but its point is to keep me alive and do the opposite to my opponent. It doesn''t have to look pretty or have a fancy name."

    Zoemi responded with a dismissive shrug as they left the vige and rushed towards the closest spot where the lumberjacks spotted the traces of unknown marital artists.

    Broken trees and ground caved in many ces caused by the fight between unknown parties were scarily close to the vige, far too close forfort.<sub> </sub>

    "Tsk... look at this damage... thew of Taurus on at least fourth star level... and... not good. We got aw of Sagittarius in the mix too."

    Seth clicked his tongue, examining the recent battlefield and pointing at the way the massive trees were split apart and the holes in both the wood and ground.

    "Then we got a long-range star power user in the mix, huh... weren''t those a big deal?"

    Zoemi stood on the outskirts of the area, listening in to the sound of the forest, before turning his head towards Seth and asking to make sure.

    "Although not asplex as eitherw of Pisces or thew of Gemini, thew of Sagittarius certainly requires a lot of control and practice to master. As you realized yourself, this isn''t a grunt''s work..."

    The martial artist assigned to the lumberjack''s vige tilted his head from side to side as he nced in the direction they came from.

    "Seth, tell me. If your sect would want to hunt down the guardian monster of this area, they would have told you about it, would they not?"

    "Huh? And where that question even came from...?"

    The ck-haired man asked, causing the martial artist to furrow his brows and asked in a tense voice.

    "This. The color is quite distinctive. Someone is hunting our local furball down..."

    Zoemi responded, picking off a tuft of brown fur with amazing golden luster and waving it for Seth to have a good look.

    "I swear on my teacher and my teacher''s teacher that the Raging Bull sect did not have a hand in that. Think about it, wanderer. Upon death, the deceased guardian monster''s body will release a pheromone that would lure the other beasts towards it. As they get closer and closer they will get mad and frenzy before they start fighting amongst each other until the new guardian would be rampaging its way to victory. That alone is dangerous, but the new guardian would then walk around their new territory marking it as their own and subduing all the remaining beasts to its will. As you can imagine, humans are not keen on living under a monster''s rule, so the new guardian usually kills them, if it is powerful enough. With that in mind, killing a guardian in an underdeveloped area such as this would be equal to leaving all viges in it to get massacred."

    The martial artist gulped down his saliva and dered with a deadly-serious look in his eyes, clenching his fists as he tried to hold back the anger.

    "The only people who would benefit from it would be an enemy sect trying to take over our territory... or the dark sect trying to stay low and disguise their vile acts as monsters attack."

    Seth said, staring at the golden-brown tuft of fur in Zoemi''s hand.

    "I will contact my sect and make them send someone immediately and warn the other viges. For now, let''s return to the vige. As much as I would like to chase after the bastards and stop them preemptively, leaving a barely-guarded vige behind is pure idiocy."

    The martial artist breathed out but did not rx his fists as he began to walk away.

    *rumble*

    "...!"

    "..."

    As he did, the faraway sound of the continued skirmish resounded vaguely from the exact opposite way ¨C exactly from the direction Zoemi was facing in silence as Seth talked.

    "Wanderer... don''t..."

    The martial artist breathed out, raising his hand and reaching it towards the ck-haired man as if he was a dangerous beat that needed to be calmed down.

    "You are on second star level in thew of Capricorn, right, Seth? Go back now. I am on a sixth star level. I will see what I can do, and if shit hits the fan, I will be able to make it back before you. Law of Capricorn"

    "Wh-what level?!"

    *WHOOOSH*

    Zoemi dered, with a deadly-serious expression, andunched himself forward as he channeled the spiritual energy into star power, leaving the shocked martial artist in the dust.

    He honestly could lie about his star level, but saw no merit in doing so.

    Seth wasn''t exactly a friend, but definitely showed himself as an ally of the vige, and it was enough for Zoemi.

    The ck-haired man didn''t see a reason to hide it, to begin with ¨C if anything, spreading the information about himself could aid him in returning to the Bellcephora Kingdom, or at least announce his presence in the area to any ally or friend attempting to explore the manaless world.

 577 Chapter 194

    Two martial artists stood side by side looking around nervously.

    The Ancient sea of trees was considered to be the absolute boundary of the Heavenly star nation ¨C an unexplored endless forest filled to the brim with dangerous monsters.

    Even though it was assumed to stretch for a ridiculous distance, no one ever managed to reach anything that could be considered a boundary ¨C be it a mountain or a seashore ¨C even after months of traveling.

    Although that could be written off as the forest creating a naturalbyrinth ¨C it was big, whoever went there would simply lose their way after a few days of exploration.

    Still, mapping out the sea of trees was not the purpose of the two cleanly shaved martial artists with brown and dark brown eyes.

    "I hope the heir will be done soon, this ce gives me the creeps."

    The one with brown eyes muttered nervously, ncing towards the path that theirrades taking on a massive monster created.

    "Then concentrate on upholding thew of Aries and pray that this thing will not decide to replenish its energy by snacking on us."

    The martial artist with dark brown eyes responded angrily, just as tense as hispanion.

    "I wouldn''t dream about stopping it..."

    "Shh...! Dd you hear that?!"

    The first one scoffed, rolling his eyes after being reminded of something he already knew all too well when the other martial artist raised his hand and shushed him with a tense expression as he turned his head to listen in to the sounds of the forest.

    "What? No, I don''t hear a thing, you must be even mor-HUGHRUGH...!"

    *WHAM*

    "!!!"

    The brown-eyed martial artist looked around and after not noticing anything more suspicious than the two of them, he snickered and mocked hisrade ¨C just to get taken down a spread arm of a ck-haired man who came out of nowhere.

    "...ghyyyy...!"

    *thump*

    Getting hooked by Zoemi''s elbow, the brown-eyed marital artist let out a hushed hiss while blowing out foam from the corners of his mouth even before he fell off and slumped on the ground amongst the moss andst year''s leaves.

    "Wh-WHO ARE YOU?! LAW OF ARIES! LAW OF CAPRICORN! LAW OF TAURUS!"

    The dark-brown-eyed man jumped away in shock before activating threews, taking a defensive stance, ready to intercept anything that the unknown opponent would throw at him.

    "I should be asking that."

    *WHOOOSH* *WHAM*

    "GHH... hyyy..."

    *thump*

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and the next moment he was already by the martial artist ¨C even on full alert, the dark brown-eyed man could not dodge the attack and received the full brunt of the punch straight to the face.

    A punch that knocked him out and embedded the back of his head into the tree trunk, pinning him to it ¨C a nice effect that didn''tst long as only a few secondster the unconscious man fell down and sprawled on the forest ground not far away from his simrly knocked-out friend.

    "You are lucky. If I kill you, I could be used of being a part of one of the dark sects. And I do not need that kind of reputation following me."

    The ck-haired man scoffed at the bodies, before going back toplete silence as he listened for more opponents.

    "It doesn''t sound as if the main fight will end soon... better take care of all the people keeping guard."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, squinting his eyes towards the direction of the loudest ruckus and not going straight towards it.

    "Hmph."

    Zoemi scoffed in annoyance and pounced towards another pair that was paying more attention to the big fight further in and missed the takedown of the martial artists in front of them.

    ----

    "Call for Zoey, quick! We must withdraw! We are under attack! H-huh?!"

    *SLAM*

    A serious-looking dark-haired martial artist with a pencil mustache roared and turned around to face the ck-haired man that wiped down their entire force, just to stand up face in the face with the man in question and got knocked out with an elbow to the temple.

    "...hiuuu..."

    *thump*

    The pencil-mustached man let out a funny whistling-like sound and met the ground like a freshly cut tree.

    "..."

    Despite dealing with everyone not partaking in the loudest skirmish in the area, Zoemi could not shake off an odd feeling ¨C especially after hearing a name that was rather simr to his own.

    Has he already taken down that Zoey, or was it someone waiting in the background, some sort of a triumph card that those dark sect people brought with them just in case...?

    Of course, it was very usible that the said Zoey was simply the person duking it out with the monster ¨C and speaking of...

    "GHHRRRRRRRRRAAGHH!"

    *SLASH* x25

    A seven-limbed bear-like monster with its brown fur shining gold in the rays of the sun sipping through the openings in the thick forest after the destruction of several ancient trees stood up roaring in anger and unleashed a flurry of attack with its five wed arms.

    "Khh...! That is quite annoying...!"

    The youngster looking a bit younger than Zoemi facing the beast gritted their teeth and lowered their arms slightly.

    The martial artist outfit they wore was already torn into pieces, but only thin red marks on the otherwise pale skin signified the damage dealt by the golden-brown monster bear with too many limbs even considering its own species.<sub> </sub>

    The youngster had shoulder-length ck hair that they put into a high ponytail with a white band, and their eyes were steel-gray, oozing with determination.

    Their face was pretty, but in a casual way that didn''t make others lose their breath at a single nce.

    *WHAM* x4

    "GHH!"

    The youth blocked the oing strikes of four bear paws with their head, both arms, and right leg ¨C rising their knee and receiving the hit to their shin ¨C hissing out through their teeth, getting visibly distressed.

    If the youth''s opponent was just a normal six-limbed bear, that defense would be sufficient because even if the beast tried to bite, it would have to take back at least one massive arm away to make some way for its sizable head ¨C but that was not the case for this particr specimen.

    After all, the golden brown bear had an additional arm on its right side...

    *SLAM*

    "GHU-UGH...!"

    *thump*

    The swipe of the fifth paw hit the unguarded right side of the ck-haired martial artist and sent them flying and crashing into the branches of the ancient trees, just to fall pitifully on the root-covered ground beneath.

    "...oo... Law of A-Aries..."

    The youth let out a pained cry as they struggled to get up ¨C thest hit got them good, the martial artist had to even reactivate their defensive star power which meant that their concentration was broken.

    "A... real man doesn''t cry...!"

    The youth, on all fours with their limbs trembling like a leaf on the wind, gritted their teeth and uttered trying to catch a breath while holding back tears of pain.

    *GRRRRRRRRAOR!"

    The monster bear certainly didn''t care about the inner turmoil of the human that picked up a fight with it and simply used the chance to delier another blow at the martial artist''s exposed underbelly.

    *WHAM*

    "GHAAAAAAH!"

    *SMASH*

    The ws did break through the skin but didn''t manage to rip through the muscles of the back-haired youth''s abdomen, instead mming them at the base of the massive tree.

    "...ghuuuegh...! D-damn it...!"

    The transferred power of the hit forced whatever food the youth ate out of their stomach, which made the martial artist curse before looking up at the approaching beast.

    "GRRRRRR..."

    At first, the monster approached slowly, with a surprising amount of cautiousness, as if it expected the martial artist to spring back into action right away but got confused by theck of movement.

    "...ROAAAAARGH!"

    The beast didn''t ponder the possibility of trickery or ambush for too long, though - it roared, going down on all seven, and charged at the ck-haired martial artist.

    "Law or A-Aries...!"

    Seeing the gruesome fags dripping with salivae to approach them at a terrifying speed, the martial artist cried out pitifully, already knowing that they would not survive the crushing power of the monster''s jaws clenching on their body, but trying to protect themselves as best as they could anyway.

    The martial artist crossed their arms in front of their face defensively and closed their eyes, not wanting to see the beast''s mouth that would turn out to be their ultimate demise...

    *CRUNCH* *crack*

    "..."

    The next moment the bear-like monster''s jaws mped down on the human flesh and a sound of breaking bones resounded, making the ck-haired marital artist tremble from nausea as the goosebumps covered their entire body...

    "...huh...?"

    Only after a second the martial artist in question realized that the goosebumps covered their entire UNHARMED body, and let out a confused gasp.

    "GRAAAAAAOOOOORGHHH...!"

    *THUMP*

    That realization was followed by the pained growl of the seven-limbed bear and soon after the earth trembled as it fell back in an attempt to retreat.

    "I was considering letting you get torn apart, but I realized that even someone like you might have people wanting to avenge you."

    "W-wait, what...?!"

    A deep, pleasant for the ears voice scoffed at the exhausted marital artist, causing them to gasp in shock as they opened their eyes and lowered their arms...

    "I mean that if I let this guardian monster kill you, someone from your circle, a friend, family member, or maybe teacher, might want to y the beast that ended you. And we can''t have that."

    The stunned ck-haired marital artist received the answer quite easily ¨C although it was not exactly the answer they were asking for...

    "Hmph."

    *thump*

    Facing them, the ck-haired man in simple viger clothes, scoffed and grabbed something stuck to his shoulder and threw it at thep of the trembling martial artist.

    "....huh....?"

    The object turned out to be... a broken off fang of the seven-limbed bear...!

 578 Chapter 194

    "Wh-who are you...?"

    The gray-eyed martial artist wanted to pick up the monster''s fang but their hand stopped mid-air and they looked up to ask staring in fear at the ck-haired man.

    "A guardian of the guardian, I suppose."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders nonchntly and smirked mockingly at the shock in the martial artist''s eyes.

    "GRAOOORRGH!"

    *SLASH* x5

    Before any of them could say another word, the frenzied golden brown bear-like monster growled horribly and stood on its hind legs to unleash a flurry of attacks with its odd-numbered arms.

    *THUNK* x5

    "!!!"

    The thing was, unlike how it was with the grey-eyed marital artist, thebo ended with only one hit each, as even without taking a defensive stance, the ck-haired man''s body turned out too sturdy for the beast''s w to leave a mark.

    Far from it ¨C Zoemi didn''t even budge, causing the monster to be the one getting damaged from the failed attack.

    "GHRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUGH...!"

    *thump* x2

    Two massive ws from the upper left and middle right paw that got almost torn out and hung on thin strings of skin and fur broke off and fell on the ground and the beast yelped in confusion mixed with immense pain.

    "What can''t recognize me? Have you damaged your eyes during the fight?"

    Zoemi scoffed in annoyance, turning his head slightly to catch a glimpse of the monster''s movement.

    "I... I have never seen you in my life... I am quite sure..."

    The gray-eyed martial artist trembled, gulping down their saliva, and backing themselves against the tree trunk to stay somewhat upright.

    "...?"

    "...?!"

    Zoemi raised his brow and red at them with borderline disgust causing the martial artist to flinch and realize that the ck-haired man might have not been talking to them...

    "GRAAAOUGH!"

    The bear monster roared again, reminding the tense marital artist about its presence ¨C this time the beast did not attack immediately as it continued to do thorough the entire encounter with them.

    It looked just as if the creature feared the ck-haired man...

    The man turned his back to the marital artist and faced the beast.

    "GRRRR...! Rrrr... GRAUGH! Ggraourgh..."

    The golden brown seven-limbed bear began acting even weirder ¨C it was breaking from the bursts of pure anger and loud growls into softer whimpers the moment it encountered the cold re of the cold obsidian eyes of Zoemi.

    "I thought you were a smart boy. What is going on? Have those trashy people hurt your mate? Where did this rampagee from?"

    The ck-haired man began asking, approaching the unpredictable beast as if it was the friendliest of dogs.

    "Ghraugh, graugh, grauuugh, grrr... graugh! GROAR! G-graugh..."

    The most bewildering part of the scene ying out in front of the weakened marital artist ¨C who waspletely sure that they started hallucinating ¨C was that the golden brown seven-limbed bear began letting out short pained growls as if it wasining...

    At one point the martial artist was even sure that the monster leaned to the side only to point at them with its snout while the anger took over and the beast roared before looking back at the ck-haired man and yelping.

    "I wish I could understand what exactly did you say, but what I get from your tone is that this martial artist did something to you that made you really angry.... right?"

    "Graugh!"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and said with a concerned expression pointing his thumb at the defeated youth by the tree, and the monster growled shortly in response ¨C very clearly confirming the guess...!

    "...what in the world is happening...?"

    The gray-eyed marital artist gasped to themselves in disbelief.

    "Now, now. Everything will be okay. I will make sure that those low lives get what they deserve. Alright? If you return to your favorite resting spot, I will bring you some nice food and medicine to take care of the wounds. Alright? Oh, and I took care of everyone in the immediate vicinity, but be careful on your way, as there might be more. People like that are like cockroaches, extremely bothersome to get rid ofpletely."

    Zoemi stood a mere foot away from the beast, way within its range, and instead of being cautious, he merely reached out his hand to pat the monster''s head.

    "Graugh..."

    The beast did not back off, but as the human hand began brushing against its golden brown fur, the seven-limbed bear released a bothered growl, looking up at the calm ck-haired man.

    "Don''t look at me like that ¨C I really don''t know what you are saying. But just in case, those guys are not a part of the sect that protects the human settlement on your territory. Those are some really awful people who want to pick a fight with them. You know, use you to mess with the ones who respect you."

    "...graugh..."

    Zoemi breathed out and answered with a soft smile on his face, visibly putting therge monster at ease.

    "Hey! Stranger! You got the guts to dare to badmouth my sect right in front of me! Who do you think...?!"

    As everything seemed to be going smoothly, the gray-eyed martial artist regained enough strength to be bothered about the words spoken by the ck-haired man ¨C and express their annoyance at the words spoken by the ck-haired man.<sub> </sub>

    "GRAOOOOOOOORGH!"

    "..."

    As if the shout was a lynchpin, all the work that Zoemi put into repressing the monster''s rage fell apart and the golden brown bear roar filled the still air of the forest''s depth, making Zoemi grit his teeth and frown in annoyance.

    "AH...!"

    The marital artist realized their mistake but it was toote, the creature''s ws and fangs were already well on their way to tearing Zoemi to shreds.

    *CRUSH* *crack* *SLAM* *WHAM*

    But with just minimal movement, the ck-haired man passed under the hits and delivered a devastating kick onto the monster''s rear right leg, breaking its knee and throwing the beast off bnce ¨C ramming his elbow into its nose on the way down, adding to the impact with which the monster hit the ground.

    "GHRO-ouugh..."

    The seven-limbed bear let out a growl that turned into a yelp and curled up into a trembling ball, holding its hurting ck wet nose with the top front paws.

    "..."

    "...!"

    The gray-eyed martial artist bit their lips, cowering under the furious re that the ck-haired man send them as he turned away from the defeated but very much alive monster.

    "I... M-my sect is not one to be badmouthed by the... likes of... you..."

    The marital artist tried to act tough but the moment that Zoemi began walking their way, all courage left the beaten up youth and their voice trembled and got timider and timider.

    "...you... you will regret... speaking ill of... IT?!"

    The youth tried to back off even more but the three supporting them were in the way ¨C so when the ck-haired man''s hand grabbed the front of their beaten-up uniform and picked them up effortlessly so high that their feet lost contact with the ground, the gray-eyed martial artist could only yelp in a high-pitched voice.

    "What did you do to our guardian monster? That furball would ever attack other so viciously!"

    "H-huh...?!"

    Zoemi pressed the martial artist against the tree and asked in annoyance, causing them to flinch and ask in confusion.

    "Don''t huh me, you and your low-level goons showed up on the territory of the Raging Bull sect and tried to kill the guardian monster of the area. What did you do to our furball, and how many others are they beside you and the twenty guys that are already taken down?"

    Zoemi asked in an ice-cold voice, shaking the youth and making them grab onto his arm in an attempt to escape or just lessen the strain on their body.

    "No...! No, that''s not what...!"

    *thunk*

    "...?"

    The ck-haired man could clearly see panic growing in the marital artist''s eyes as he filled them in when the struggle of the youth caused a certain item in their pocket to fall out and roll under Zoemi''s feet, causing him to stop in ce forgetting even to breathe.

    "I... We would never...!"

    *THUMP*

    The gray-eyed martial artist was about to try and reveal something, but Zoemi was not in the mood ¨C so he simply pulled them closer before mming the youth against the tree trunk, knocking the already weaken person out like a light.

    "..."

    Zoemi put down the unconscious martial artist and instead picked up the item that fell out of their pocket.

    A small crystal bottle of a recognizable shape, with the tiniest amount of blue liquid, was still left inside.

    The ck-haired man unsealed it and sniffed out whatever smell still remained.

    "What the hell?! Why a star power user would have the use for a mana potion?! How did a dark sect get its paws on it?! And why?!"

    Zoemi called out in shock when the smell that he knew all too well tickled his nose.

    "Wait..."

    The ck-haired man flinched and gulped down his saliva before turning back to the incapacitated seven-limbed bear and then nced at the tiny crystal bottle again.

    "Oh, I will definitely have to question you all before sending you off to the Ragin Bull sect for judgment."

    He dered, clenching his hand on the empty bottle and putting it safely into his pocket.

    Momentster he was already dashing towards the closest workspot for the lumberjacks and found a suitably long piece of rope.

    Zoemi borrowed it and tied up every single martial artist he knocked out and pulled on it...

    "Hurrrgh...! I bet that with thew of Taurus, it would be way easier...!"

    He groaned to himself, as thebined weight of the twenty-one people almost broke his back as the rope dug into his shoulder.

    "Hey, furball, don''t get yourself killed by another creature while I''m gone."

    "...graugh..."

    Zoemi called out to the guardian monster still curled up and trembling and got a weak growl in response which was enough to reassure him before he went on his way dragging the defeated enemies after him.

 579 Chapter 195

    With thebined power of the Law of Aries and the Law of Capricorn, Zoemi managed to get the defeated martial artists back to the vige before any one of them regained consciousness.

    But unexpectedly, he returned in time for something else too...

    *WHAM* *SLAM*

    "GHH...!"

    Seth got punched in the stomach and smashed into the wall of one of the buildings, having air being forced out of his lungs.

    "See? That''s as far as relying on brute strength will get you."

    His opponent, a dark-blond-haired martial artist in a different colored uniform than Seth, snickered, wiping off the blood from the corner of his mouth.

    Despite talking big, it looked like he went through a hard time.

    "...piece of... shit..."

    Seth spat out blood too, but instead of normal fluid, his was murky red in color and almost granted in its consistency ¨C as if diseased.

    "You should not have messed with the Great Ram sect~"

    The enemy snickered and his green eyes gleamed with cruel excitement.

    "...bull... shit... You might be Zoey from the... Great Ram sect... but... ptfu...! You never showed the world a seventh star level of Law of Scorpius!"

    Seth groaned, forcing himself to stand up, and spat out even more diseased blood to the side before wincing in annoyance.

    "Tsk. A clever one, aren''t you? Shame... I was considering leaving you alive if you haven''t figured out my star level so easily..."

    The dark-blond-haired green-eyed martial artist called Zoey spoke ¨C but the wide grin on his face was proving his somber words to be false.

    "...you were taken in by the Great Ram sect as a gifted student... they gave you so much support despite falling in ranks through the years... and you still had the gull to betray them and join a dark sect?! Where is your honor?!"

    Seth, stood up on wobbly legs, gritting his teeth, and roared at the grinning Zoey, clenching his fists in an offense-oriented stance.

    "Honor? I lost it when an idiot who dared to call himself my teacher went ahead and selected a mentally unstable girl as the representative of our sect even though she was so much weaker than me! And then he even went ahead and made me her bodyguard so I could have a chance to experience the Academy life with all the best students from other sects!"

    The smile disappeared from Zoey''s face, reced by an ugly grimace of anger, as the dark-blond-haired man took a step forward, raising his trembling fist to express his unbridled rage over the unfairness of the situation.

    "...?"

    The more Seth learned, the more confused he looked ¨C after the heated deration from his opponent, he straight up raised his brow and blinked repeatedly looking baffled, to say the least.

    "Hold on... you... how old are you...?"

    He asked, having increasingly more problems taking as his body was going numb starting with his mouth.

    "Twenty-six. And I already achieved fourth star level of thew of Aries ¨C I should be hailed as a prodigy in the sect specializing in thatw, and not y second fiddle to some brat!"

    At first, Zoey''s answer was to keep things together, but it got more and more unhinged the longer it went.

    "You... moron...!"

    "Huh? What it is now, you dying weakling?"

    Seth scoffed, causing Zoey to tense up and ask back in an ice-cold voice.

    "The Heavenly Star Academy that our nation is founding is meant for the best of the best... cream of the crop from every sect... the ones with the brightest future... And it''s meant for youth with outstanding abilities... youths that are below the age of twenty-one. You idiot... your teacher must have really loved you but you... you just threw all that love into the trash because of some useless pride... I''m sorry for speaking about honor to the likes of you... you clearly have no idea what it even is!"

    The marital artist of the Raging Bull sect scoffed, swaying on his feet, the poison of thew of Scorpius had spread all around his body, numbing it and blocking his spiritual power from transforming into the star power.

    "It''s unfair, that''s what it is ¨C the bratty Spirit Emperor merely didn''t want to acknowledge the strength of anyone older than him and nothing else. But now... it all doesn''t matter. The loony girl and the nsmen will die facing the guardian monster. Morons all believe that a seven-limbed bear is just a rare variant beast that a student needs to y as a requirement for admission to the Academy. "

    Zoey dered and a momentter a mad grin returned, so wide that it seemed to be splitting his face.

    "Killing two birds with one stone... I see... You want to use the vigers to further fuel your cultivation... and mask their deaths as the result of the monsters'' rampage... Tough luck... they all got away..."

    Seth frowned, faltering on his feet and leaning against the wall of the building behind him ¨C but he managed to show the traitor a triumphant smile.

    "Got away? No."

    "...!"

    Zoey raised his brow a the bold statement and snickered, causing Seth to grit his teeth.

    "Those ingredients that will soon fuel my ascension to power merely ran out of their houses and slogged into the forest~ What, the best of them is on a mere first star level in thew of Capricorn? Pathetic. I will catch them one by one ¨C I allowed you to talk this whole time because I had to be sure that you will not use thew of Pisces to contact anyone from the outside world."

    The traitor of thewful sect scoffed and chuckled seeing the weakened protector of the lumberjack''s vige.

    "Pffft...! Underestimating people will get you in trouble... I am not quite done yet...!"<sub> </sub>

    Seth snorted, knowing full well that there was another person proficient with thew of Pisces enough to send a long-range message and call for help ¨C but just to make sure that Zoey will not figure that out, Seth bit his lips and straightened his back resuming the fighting stance.

    "You fools of the Raging Bull sect simply don''t know where to give up. It makes a lot of sense that you are allied with those fools I left behind. All idiots."

    Zoey shook his head, rolling his eyes in an amused but also annoyed expression, and clenched his fist.

    "Say, wouldn''t it be poetic? Killing you by using your belovedw of Taurus? It would also look more like you got mutted by a beast than if I let you sumb to poison of thew of Scorpius..."

    "You mean... if you will be able to touch me..."

    He tilted his head and squinted his eyes at Seth who was barely holding himself up but still didn''t show any sign of yielding.

    "Law of Aries, Law of Taurus, Law of Capricorn."

    "!!!"

    Although Seth was not able to keep up the mocking expression any longer as Zoey spoke up, activating threews at once.

    "What? Surprised? Did you think that the dark sect members could only use on or at most twows at once because of the elerated growth speed? I was a prodigy taken in as a gifted student by the Great Ram sect. I am different from some nobodies!"

    *WHOOSH*

    Zoeyughed at Seth onest time, beforeunching himself at him, with his hand raised for a decisive hit.

    Just as Seth saw his death approaching, his brain made it seem like the world around him had slowed down.

    The defender of the lumberjack vige could clearly see the hand of the enemy brimming with star power that was about to end his life...

    ...Zoey''s eyes gleamed with cruel joy...

    ...the fist of the ck-haired wanderer mming against Zoey''s chin...

    Wait... What...?

    *WHAM*

    "GHHHHY...?!"

    *BOOOOM*

    A split second before Zoey''s attack reached Seth, Zoemi sprung into action with bothws of Aries and Capricorn active and intercepted the enemy at thest possible moment, mming the dark sect member into the ground causing an explosion of dirt and dust.

    "W-wanderer...?!"

    Seth gasped in disbelief, staring at the figure of the ck-haired man ring grimly at the convulsing Zoey in the crater of his creation.

    "What''s with that reaction? Are telling me that you didn''t know I was listening to this guy''s viin speech and was this cheeky just because? We should hang out more, I like people with that type of personality."

    Zoemi looked over at the shocked martial artist and raised his brows in confusion before smirking and patting his shoulder.

    "Huh...?"

    *thump*

    Seth let out a short gasp and slumped to the ground.

    "You okay there?"

    Zoemi asked in a worried voice and looked over his shoulder.

    "Lady Bridget! Could you check him up?"

    "Of course, my boy. Wasn''t that why you catch up to us and brought me over?"

    The ck-haired man called and an elderlydy with her back bent like a shrimp walked from behind the closes tee at the vige outskirts and approached the two supporting herself on a metal-augmented cane.

    "You had time to catch up to the escaping vigers and even bring this granny back...? How long... were you watching...?"

    Seth who didn''t die nor lose consciousness despite his dramatic fall, groaned, slowly looking up at the easy-going ck-haired man.

    "Since that guy kicked your derriere and you had that great reveal talk... This sure makes things a bit awkward..."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and answered, rubbing his chin with an awkward expression as he nced back towards the forest.

    "What... do you mean by that...?"

    "Sit still, Raging Bull boy, Law of Virgo."

    Seth furrowed his brows and asked, but got shushed by grandma Bridget using a healing star power on him.

 580 Chapter 195

    "And... you did all of that? Not the guardian monster?"

    Seth, supported by another viger that managed to return in time that the grandma Bridget managed to prevent the premature death of the martial artist from the Raging Bull sect, asked in disbelief staring at the bundle of twenty-one people unconscious because of varying amounts of trauma.

    "Oh, no, it was all me ¨C except the youngest one. They got messed up by the guardian monster first... That said, we need to help that furball heal too ¨C look, poor thing ripped out two ws and a tooth when it was in a frenzy and now needs healing. Oh, and I broke his leg too... Lady Bridget, will you be able to help with that?"

    Zoemi shook his head, shrugging off the question, and pulled out the ws and fang he mentioned before asking the elderly woman making her way to the knocked-out group.

    "I''ll do what I can, my boy."

    Grandma Bridget smiled benevolently and nodded her head as if receiving a request about healing a monster was apletely normal thing for her...

    "This is... you... you are talking about a guardian monster of this area, right? The seven-limbed bear that already has its fur turning gold because it is on the verge of ascending to a golden eight-limbed bear? The same one?"

    Seth started coughing, choking a bit on his own spit as he grabbed the monster''s parts from Zoemi''s extended hand and looked between them and the ck-haired boy in utter bewilderment.

    "Yeah, he had this golden glow on otherwise brown fur."

    Zoemi confirmed lightheartedly, not really bothered by whatever Seth was freaking out about.

    "You do understand that to tank a hit from that beast you need at least fourth star level of thew of Aries, right? You, do right? And you are saying that you... you know, never mind. I have evidence in my hand. I will be reporting everything that you just said to my sect, so if you want to take anything back, this is yourst chance, wanderer."

    The martial artist faltered and would actually fall if not for the viger supporting him. Seth had a very hard time taking it easy but it definitely seemed like he was at least feeling indebted to Zoemi.

    If he wasn''t, he wouldn''t even mention reporting anything to his superior, much less actually suggesting that he would be willing to withhold some information on Zoemi''s behalf...

    "I told you from the start that I''m at supernova level with thew of Aries. The only otherws I can practice are thew of Capricorn and thew of Libra ¨C which makes only three I could ever learn. It makes things fair, don''t you think?"

    Zoemi breathed out andined, making it sound as if the marital artist was the one making trouble for him, not the other way around.

    "No it doesn''t, there are plenty of people who can''t learn more than threews anyway! And there is no supernova level! Aries constetion is made of six stars and there are only sixth star levels of mastery! Do you have any idea how dumb I will sound if I actually repeat something so outrageous as another star level to the guild leader?! I will get withdrawn from this spot for being too gullible!"

    "Raging Bull boy, calm down or thew of Scorpius poison that I worked so hard to contain will start messing you up again."

    Seth growled in annoyance and got immediately scolded by the elderly woman.

    "This time you aren''tpletely right. Believe it or not, the moment that wanderer touched me, my mastery of thew of Aries broke to the fourth star level. I will be able to bicker around a lot more before anything happens."

    The martial artist dered confidently, even mustering enough strength to puff out his chest with pride.

    "Oh, my. So that''s why you never reciprocated the affection of Mary, my boy? You had touching sessions with the Raging Bull boy ¨C intriguing... I am ashamed to say that I never considered such a turn of events... so exciting~!"

    Instead of being impressed, grandma Bridget let out a joyous giggle and her eyes shone like those of a youngss as she gasped.

    "Pfft! Oh no, you got me there,dy Bridget."

    "Do not encourage the likes of her, wanderer! I swear, one day I will meet someone with proficiency in thew of Virgo who is not a degenerate... but obviously, it is not today."

    Zoemi snorted seeing Seth''s changing expression and nodded at the elderly woman before the martial artist rolled his eyes and scoffed shaking his head in annoyance.

    "Stop derailing the conversation ¨C no matter what, we have a huge problem on our hands."

    The marital artist assigned to protect the lumberjack''s vige groaned and pointed at the bunch of tied-up people.

    "Not really? They are all alive and they are the ones who got themselves deceived by a scum from a dark sect. I believe that at first when you were convinced that I was involved with a dark sect you did try to kill me. The ones in trouble are them, not us."

    Zoemi tilted his head and send Seth a confused look.

    "Things only worked like that for you because you are a wandering martial artist without a sect. Of course that your ridiculous power at such a young age would raise a couple of brows."

    The martial artist from the Raging Bull sect graned, trying to bury the memory deep in his mind.

    "You are lucky to get away so lightly after posing such a serious usation."

    Zoemi pointed out, wagging his index finger at the suddenly grim Seth.

    "You broke BOTH of my arms!"

    The martial artist called out in disbelief.

    "Honey, thest person who made a false im under my name, begged me for forgiveness on hands and knees crying their hearts out, got expelled from her family, and banished from her homnd."

    "...just who are you exactly, wanderer...?"

    Zoemi scoffed and let out a lighthearted but somewhat condescendingugh making Seth gulp down his saliva and back lose all of his gusto.

    "..."

    After thest question, Zoemi looked up at Seth with a somber expression and sighed.

    "Just a guy who apparently saved the world and got punished for it ¨C depending on how you look at it."<sub> </sub>

    The ck-haired man said after a moment of silent hesitation.

    "Speaking of punishment ¨C I would really like to know why we are supposed to be in trouble for everything that urred instead of them... and him."

    Zoemi shook off the mncholic expression and asked, pointing at the unconscious members of the Great Ram sect and the traitor amongst their ranks, Zoey, who was bound by metal chains at an appropriate distance from anybody else just in case.

    "Because my sect and their sect are in close rtion and one will want to cover the other''s back ¨C even at the cost of wiping out one measly vige. Having over twenty pupils beaten up by just a single nobody doesn''t make the situation better in the slightest."

    "..."

    Seth exined with a bitter expression and the fact that grandma Bridget made confirmed that the martial artist was not joking around.

    "Ridiculous, so are the supposedwful sects so corrupted that they prefer to sacrifice innocent lives just to not be shown in a bad light?"

    Zoemi straightened his back and asked in disbelief.

    "Zoey would get interrogated and dealt with ordingly, but having someone as important as a gifted student betray the sect and turn to the dark sect... that would be such a heavy blow to the already weakened reputation of the Great Ram sect that they would never recover. If someone given the maximum support still ended up turning his back on them and started iming innocent lives in pursuit of power, what would stop the others who were worse off from doing the same?"

    The martial artist from the Raging Bull sect lowered his head apologetically while putting everything out clearly.

    "...and what do you think about it, Seth? I believe that you spoke to that guy about honor. Does anything you just said support the idea of honor?"

    "..."

    The ck-haired man asked making a sour expression while the martial artist lowered his head and said nothing as his answer.

    That silence said more about his stance on the subject than any attempts at exnation ever could.

    Of course, he disagreed, but he would follow the orders from his sect.

    End of the discussion.

    "Lady Bridget, can yourw of Virgo heal multiple people at once?"

    Zoemi sighed and shook his head looking disappointed before turning to the elderlydy with her back bent like a shrimp and asking.

    "Most of them are about to regain their consciousness anyway, so I believe I could help those who would not."

    The old woman smirked, ncing over at the traitor who joined the dark sect ¨C it seemed that she figured out exactly what the ck-haired man had in mind when asking her about the level of proficiency in thew of Vigo.

    "Wanderer, I have to report everything that happened to my guild..."

    "And so you will make the report after what will happen here next. If Raging Bull is in good enough rtion with Great Ram to keep want to wipe out the innocent vige to protect their reputation, then they will shut the hell up after what will happen here next."

    Seth spoke up without raising his head but got interrupted by the annoyed Zoemi.

    *WHAM*

    "GU-HUAGH...!"

    "!!!"

    After exining it, the ck-haired boy approached Seth supported by a viger with a very worried expression and punched the member of the Raging Bull sect almost knocking him out and deeply shocking the other man.

    "Luke, put him by that wall and return to the vige. Thanks in advance."

    Zoemi smiled at the viger and pointed at one of the buildings.

    "Lady Bridget, you know what I will ask of you now?"

    The ck-haired man asked the elderlydy while approaching the chained-up dark-blond-haired martial artist and freeing him from his bounds.

    "Of course, my sweet boy."

    Grandma Bridget smiled benevolently and trotted her way to the middle of the scene where shey down on the ground half distance between the bound martial artists and the member of the dark sect.

    She grabbed some dirt and rubbed it into her clothes and face...

    "The range of healing at my level isn''t all that great."

    "Thank you for the dedication,dy Bridget, it works out perfectly."

    She exined to the ck-haired man who nodded to her with a cheerful smile.

    "Law of Virgo~"

    Grandma Bridget put her head on the ground and hummed in excitement, making her star power flow in two opposite directions, nourishing everyone back to health.

 581 Chapter 196

    "...ugh... wh-what happened...?"

    Zoey groaned, his whole body was sore from the blow that came at him out of nowhere. If he didn''t know any better, he would assume that he was taken down by some sort of moving mountain.

    The traitor of the Great Ram sect was slowly climbing up to his feet, already connecting that the words of the martial artist from the Raging Bull sect meant that he was not alone when...

    "...?!"

    He spotted someone new standing over the twitching body of the other martial artist.

    Someone who did not look like he came to rescue anyone...

    "Ah~ Already up? The guy you wanted to help didn''t prove to be a challenge, so we should continue. Just the two of us~"

    The ck-haired stranger with the eyes like obsidian yfully unclenched and clenched his fist back, staring straight at Zoey with a viinous grin that some members of dark sects would be jealous of.

    "I... tried to help...?"

    The dark-blond-haired ex-Great-Ram-sect-member shook his head in disbelief and gasped.

    He got hit hard, but not so hard enough to actually lose memories of what he did before getting knocked out cold.

    Why was this stranger acting as if...?

    "Zoey! Help! That crazy guy attacked us all!"

    "Knock that guy out and help us!"

    "ZOEY!"

    He was already opening his mouth to ask the ck-haired man what kind of bullshit was he spouting when the familiar voices called at him from behind...

    "!!!"

    ...and it turned out to be every single person that Zoey had fooled into fighting the seven-limbed bear ¨C all tied up and with visible bruises and broken limbs, but very much conscious and outspoken...!

    "...what the hell is going on...?!"

    The dark sect member faltered, shaking his head, trying to piece together the chain of events that must have urred for him to get into this exact situation.

    The only semi-usible answer was that he switched between paralleled words like some of the practitioners of thew of Pisces imed to do.

    The problem with that was ¨C Zoey had no talent in thew of Pisces...

    *WHOOSH* *WHAM*

    "HUARRRGH...!"

    *SLAM*

    "ZOEY?!"

    "Didn''t you hear when I said I want to have a fight, little hero?"

    As the dark-blond-haired man was standing still trying to deal with his confusion, the ck-haired man was already by his side and sent him flying and crashing into a tree opposite the house that Zoey originally knocked Seth against.

    ----

    "It was already annoying that some weaklings walked in on my training ground ¨C they managed to confuse a guardian monster with a normal seven-limbed bear ¨C but when a somewhat worthy sparing partner appears, he is distracted by said weaklings."

    Zoemi sighed, making a disappointed expression and shrugging his shoulders theatrically while the Great Ram sect members were shouting words of encouragement to the person that secretly betrayed them all and even set it up for them to be killed, while not realizing that the supposed viin with an evil grin was on their side.

    "You...!"

    Zoey crawled his way back up to his feet, clenching his hands on his abdomen which felt as if it was hit with a red-hot iron.

    Truth be told the less Zoey would speak the better ¨C especially since when the push came to a shove Zoemi realized the many ws of his n.

    Still, things were already in motion...

    ...and so was he once more...

    *WHOOOSH*

    "LAW OF CAPRICORN!"

    *CRUSH*

    Zoemi was by Zoey in a blink of an eye, but this time the dark-blond-haired man managed to activate his own star power and escaped the punch that created a clean, fist-sized hole in the trunk of the ancient tree... EXACTLY at the spot where Zoey''s stomach would be if not for the quick evasive movement.

    "You know, I really did you all a favor. If I didn''t stop you from messing with the wrong seven-limbed bear like some idiots, you would be responsible for killing a guardian monster at the territory of the sect that this guy over there is a part of. Could you convince your friend to up his game? This is embarrassing."

    The ck-haired man was using the time that he gained by scaring off the dark-blond-haired member of the dark sect by chatting up the people from the Great Ram sect.

    Which of course didn''t earn him any warm words ¨C and it was not the point in the first ce ¨C but what it did quite well was to make them assume that what they were about to do before Zoemi wrecked them was extremely dangerous.

    Both physically for them, and then on a higher level, to their guild as a whole.

    "LAW OF ARIES, LAW OF CAPRICORN, LAW OF TAURUS!"

    *BOOOOOM*

    Zoey was so angry that the only words that left his mouth were the activation for the star power that his spiritual energy got converted into ¨C and made a sizable crater as he kicked the ground to charge the impudent ck-haired man speaking nonsense.<sub> </sub>

    There still was time.

    Zoey just needed to deal with the stranger and then he would be sure that no one else could pose an actual threat to him anymore.

    In the first ce, using another martial artist''s life to cultivate using the techniques of the dark sects was far a lot more effective than doing the same using lives of mere vigers right out of some backward settlement.

    "Didn''t you already have this active earlier?"

    *WHAM* *CRUSH*

    "AAAARGHHHH...!"

    Zoemi had enough time to ask that but still, he did not move an inch and let the attack reach him ¨C which resulted in Zoey shattering his bones on the ck-haired man''s face and letting out a growl of pain.

    "You know what else you could use your time instead of screaming? Dodging~"

    *BOOOOOOM*

    Zoemi grinned wildly and raised his foot ¨C the stop wasn''t a part of any technique ¨C it was certainly not abat move or anything ¨C but if the dark-blond-haired member of the dark sect didn''t dodge in time, he would end up as a messy stain...

    *CRACK* *SMASH*

    The unfortunate tree that got in the way of Zoemi''s leg got cut down and fell down away from the vige, causing everyone watching the fight to jump.

    |Enviroment with no mana really does wonders to my physique... isn''t this already better than most enchantments?|

    Zoemi thought to himself, looking at the panicking dark sect member scrambling to get his wits together with his arm dangling limply by his side.

    "Law of Capricorn... LAW OF SCORPIUS!"

    "!!!"

    *WHOOOSH*

    As it turned out the answer that Zoey came to in the end, was to try to mess Zoemi''s ns ¨C which he didn''t know at all, but it sure felt like it was a thing to the ck-haired man in question ¨C and used the one star power that he did not train extensively before betraying his original sect.

    *CRUSH*

    And even with that, the only effect that the attempt had was to incapacitate Zoey''s other arm, which funnily enough became visually simr to the tail of a scorpion ¨C with how much the broken bones bent it out of shape, that is...

    "Huh? Wh-what? Ho...GHHHHHHHHRRAAAAUUUUUGHHHH!"

    The amount of time it took Zoey''s brain to register the pain flowing through his disfigured limb was enough for him to start talking while staring in disbelief at his own bone marrow, cleanly exposed through the ripped-out flesh ¨C but in the end, it hit him and the animal-like cry escaped the tractors mouth while he fell to the ground to sumb into agony.

    "L-L-A-AW OF LEO! LAW OF ARIES! LAW OF VIRGO!"

    "Oh?"

    ...or so it seemed, but the next moment Zoey managed to stutter the name of another star power upon which activation granted him enough clearance to start the recovery process.

    "Interesting. Nothing worth writing home about though."

    *SLAM*

    "...!"

    Zoemi nodded with approval before unceremoniously pping the dark-blond-haired man down, cutting his consciousness off with no effort whatsoever.

    "That''s really it...?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and asked in disbelief, a bit underwhelmed ¨C to say the least.

    "Mister, who is your teacher?"

    The only person who did not say a single thing spoke up and asked ¨C it just so happened to be the youth that ording to Zoey''s scheme was supposed to die while fighting the guardian monster.

    "Don''t really have one... Though I could say that my journey with star power was kick-started by a white-haired guy with ck eyes who seemed to want to stir trouble in my homnd."

    The ck-haired man turned to face them and shrugged, not actually mentioning William''s name just in case he was someone well-known who could get him in trouble.

    "..."

    Still, judging by the reaction of the youth, it seemed that they actually caught on to something. They were the most problematic person, others from their group were knocked out cold before the seven-limbed bear was chased off. Not that one. Thinking that they were a part of the dark sect, Zoemi ended up spouting some wild assumptions loud and clear to them before knocking them out...

    "Why did you bring us all here after you had your fun?"

    Interestingly, the youth asked quite a good question that would help Zoemi flesh out his story ¨C which needed to happen if anyone were to believe him.

    "Because there are monsters in the forest, obviously. I want a good fight, not tomit murder."

    The ck-haired man shrugged his shoulders and exined.

    "Is that something that white-haired man you mentioned has told you?"

    "..."

    They asked, making Zoemi close his mouth and observe them with suspicion.

    "Even if it''s true, why does this matter...? Huh...?!"

    *blub*

 582 Chapter 196

    *blub*

    Zoemi realized that he could actually be falling for whatever the youngest member out of the Great Ram sect was nning and certainly didn''t like the idea... but his doubts soon turned into shock when the defeated dark sect member at his feet started literally melting, and his gtine-like flesh began making strange sounds as it was stripping itself out of his bones!

    "What the fuck?!"

    Zoemi gasped in genuine shock, moving back away from the rather gruesome sight.

    "What did you do to him?!"

    "Shut up, Bob. You are talking as if you never saw someone get consumed by thew of Scorpius before."

    A man from the Great Ram sect shouted in terror

    at the confused Zoemi but got instantly silenced by the youth that did not seem to be particrly bothered by the demise of theirpanion...

    "But... "

    "I told you to shut up."

    The man called Bob tried to argue, but the youth cut him off without sparing him a nce.

    The youngest member of the Great Ram sect''s group was staring straight at Zoemi instead.

    "We almost killed a guardian monster for this region. We could do some mental gymnastics to me this wanderer for hunting down other seven-limbed bears so that only one left matching the description ¨C given by Zoey to boot ¨C was a guardian monster... But look me in the eyes and tell me that the other sects would believe it and not think that we have fallen so low as to push the me on some stranger with no means of defending himself."

    For a moment, the youth hesitated but then a sudden gleam lighted up their eyes and they turned to their people.

    "Ah...!"

    That argument resonated with not just Bob, but everyone, no matter how angry or troubled they looked over being suddenly beaten up and waking up to witness the death of theirpanion.

    Honor seemed to be a big thing for the sect members, and if not for the rapidly dposing corpse by his side, Zoemi would haveughed at the simrity.

    "But what if he is from a dark sect?"

    Finally, one of the tied-up martial artists asked the question that was worrying the ck-haired man the most...

    "Then why is that the only person dead is someone who killed himself using aw that was clearly too dangerous for him to attempt?"

    "..."

    Once again, the youth came up with the answer for him, and honestly ¨C Zoemi was feeling quite content.

    The problems seemed to be solving themselves right in front of his very eyes without him needing to speak a single word.

    ...but that in and of itself was bound toe with its own set of trouble...

    "Wanderer. Innocent or not, you are partially responsible for the death of my bodyguard... which obviously left me with none. You also ended up attacking me other pupils of the Great Ram sect, which unfortunately cannot be ignored."

    "...there it is..."

    The youth turned back to face Zoemi and spoke with an almost obnoxiously confident face, causing the ck-haired man to let out a sigh.

    It was only to be expected ¨C no one would be that helpful to aplete stranger who beat them up if they didn''t have some ulterior motive...

    "As I said, I lost a bodyguard. I of course could make a big deal out of it back in my sect, but why not make things simpler and just put you in that position?"

    "Young Miss, you don''t mean that!"

    The youth revealed with a triumphant expression, but their idea certainly didn''t sit well with her group...

    "Who is a Miss, moron. I''m a man, obviously."

    The youth red at the first person that misgendered him and proudly puffed out their chest... A chest that despite being on the modest side, was giving apletely opposite to his statement.

    "Huh... even without seeing the unique shadows I got the feeling. That aside, young man, your proposition is intriguing, but not in a good way."

    Zoemi smirked to himself before making a more serious expression and raising his brow at the young martial artist.

    "Oh, don''t wimp out now. You have nothing to lose here, wanderer. You aren''t connected with anyone from that vige, are you? If it''s the hunting ground for training, I can assure you that practice duels with other martial artists are far more efficient than hunting monsters."

    The youngster dered with a proud expression ¨C his pride seemed to be steaming from the reaction that his words caused the ck-haired man to express.

    Zoemi gritted his teeth and red coldly at the young member of the Great Ram sect.

    <o>,m The words that the youth have used...</o>

    He wasn''t helpful or naive ¨C the youth was clearly ckmailing Zoemi to join him using the lives of the vigers as a bargaining chip...

    "Cheeky one, aren''t you? You are lucky that I like strong-willed people or I would have knocked you all again and ran away."<sub> </sub>

    The slightly irked-off ck-haired man snorted and approached the tied-up group, reaching his open hand towards the youth''s face.

    "Aww, thank you. But since you are clearly not doing that, does that means that you ept my proposal?"

    The youth giggled in contentment, thinking that things are going his way.

    "What''s with that hand though? Do you think I am a cat and want to pet me? Quite condescending, don''t you think?"

    He added, ncing at Zoemi''s palm beside his face.

    "When traversing the forest for one and a half years my most used method of killing monsters was crushing their heads."

    "...!"

    The ck-haired man did not threaten the youth directly, but the implication that his words and his extended hand were making was enough to wipe off the confident expression on the youngster''s face. Although to the youth''s merit ¨C he did not look away from Zoemi''s cold re.

    "You! Don''t; you dare to try and harm the young Mi... young master!"

    The angered members of the youth''s group raised their voices in exasperation.

    "You are telling me to stop but not actually doing anything to stop me yourselves though?"

    Zoemi looked away from the staring contest with the youngster and furrowed his brows specifically at the martial artist that shouted.

    "Ghh...!"

    The could only grit his teeth as clearly none of the star power at his disposal was enough to break through the thick rope that was normally used by the lumberjacks to make it easier to transport the ancient trees that they cut down.

    "If that''s the average strength of a marital artist in your sect, I kind of see why you want to outsource your bodyguard, young man."

    "Shut up. Great Ram sect specializes in thew of Aries which is the pure defensive power. It''s not surprising that my sect members cannot break through it."

    Zoemi scoffed, shaking his head and sending a mocking smile at the youth, who despite being annoyed at his group was certainly not going to let others badmouth them in his presence.

    "No. Law of Aries id toughness and endurance ¨C both of which can be used offensively. From my perspective, your words are words of a cker."

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired man shrugged his shoulders, angering the youth so much that he ended up being at a loss for words.

    "With that, I assume that your offer is no longer viable, isn''t it?"

    Zoemi breathed out, turning his palm to the side, about to knock out the apparent young master of the Great Ram sect.

    "Huh? No. If anything, you just proved to be even more fitting for the role I have in mind for you."

    "...what...?"

    Truth be told, Zoemi was about to incapacitate everyone from the Great Ram sect''s group and carry them far into the forest so that the vigers would be given a chance to evacuate if they would be willing to, so the confused tone of the surprising answer that he received was that much more bergasting.

    ------------------

    "Since you agreed on bing my bodyguard, the introductions are in ce. I am n Ramis, eighteen years old, currently the only son of the second son of the Great Ram sect''s leader Bennedict Ramis."

    As the Great Ram sect''s group was leaving the lumberjack''s vige with one less gifted student but one more hired wanderer, the youngest martial artist of the bunch said to the ck-haired man walking by his side.

    "..."

    The introduction that n made caused more than half of the martial artist in his group to roll their eyes or scoff, but still, no one dared to actually say anything to the youngster''s face.

    "Nice to meet you, n. My name is Zoemi Benevi Banemor. I''m quite interested in why you were so keen on hiring me. And while we are on the whole hiring thing ¨C we need to discuss my pay and benefits."

    Zoemi nodded his head at n and introduced himself politely before adding with a very serious expression.

    "Hmm... Long name, not very long introduction, even I told you more about myself... Although I get that you are worried about your livelihood... let''s just say that I will cater to your every need as long as it will be something within my power."

    "I will have to have it written down."

    n furrowed his brows, tilting his head and making a bothered expression before going back to smiling confidently ¨C to which Zoemi responded with a coolheaded statement.

    "Sure, once we get back to the sect."

    The young man didn''t seem to be particrly bothered by theck of trust and just agreed with a dismissive shrug.

    "While we''re at it... what are your talents, Zoemi?"

    n seemingly could stay quiet for too long, especially not while having Zoemi prime for questioning in such close proximity.

 583 Chapter 197

    "General housework like cooking and cleaning and so on, swordsmanship. Ipleted a full attendants training and was serving as one for more than five years, so I''m capable of both taking care of the trouble and your schedule however busy it would be."

    Zoemi never before considered bing an attendant for anyone besides Miriette, but the moment he caught a glimpse of his old life he found himself advertising his abilities as if he never wanted anything else.

    "...umm... I... okay... Not really the definition of the attendant that I am aware of but it''s cool... Still, I meant talents as in the star power. You know? Thews that you can train. Maybe even their star levels if you arefortable with sharing them..."

    Zoemi''s eagerness caused n to move away, slightly taken aback by the unexpected reaction, before he rified what exactly he meant with his question.

    "Oh... of course. I only have a talent for threews. Law of Libra ¨C which I haven''t reached even the first star level yet. Law of Capricorn, which I''m at the sixth star level. And thew of Aries, which is at the supernova level."

    The ck-haired man straightened his back, but aside from the small gasp of realization, he didn''t let it show how embarrassed he was and answered without holding back any information.

    "Huh...?

    Umm... are you sure about all of that...? I mean, you said that you didn''t have an actual teacher... did you perchance find a star chart and confirmed any of it...? I mean, if you don''t want to tell me, it''s still okay ¨C you did take us all down and all..."

    Truth be told, n was not very good at hiding their disbelief, and no matter how he worded it out, it was still very obvious that he doesn''t believe a single thing that the ck-haired man said, and was even slightly upset at the idea that Zoemi would choose to lie instead of just shrugging the question off.

    "Not really. But for sure Guide was upset with just those talents too ¨C still, Libra is apparently good enough to cover for those weaknesses so there you have it."

    Zoemi tilted his head before shaking it and adding after a bit of hesitation.

    "...Guide as in, the god of stars, Guide...? Tsk. Fine, geez, I''m sorry for asking. Keep your secrets, I already know that you are stronger than me and it''s enough for now anyway."

    Well... it was more than certain that n does not like that answer ¨C the young master of the Great Ram sect clicked his tongue and moved away from the ck-haired man, visibly upset but trying to y it cool.

    "For your information, I am fine with you knowing my strength."

    The youth dered from the distance.

    "I have talents in ¨C in diminishing order - thews of Aries, Leo, Virgo, Aquarius, Taurus, Capricorn, Cancer, and even Sagittarius. I concentrate the most on thew of Aries and Virgo so I''m confident with my stamina and endurance... although as you knocking me out cold so easily clearly proved, I need to work on the toughness a lot more."

    n proceeds to reveal quite an impressive-sounding list before scoffing and turning away from Zoemi.

    He did not reveal the exact star level, which coupled with his reaction to Zoemi''s answer made the ck-haired man think that maybe everyone back in the lumberjack''s vige was odd, for speaking openly about their star levels. Even Seth was not holding back in that regard.

    "Say, wasn''t plenty of people not capable of learning more than threews?"

    Zoemi asked curiously, looking not only at the young martial artist but the rest of their group too.

    "That''s true, but when someone like you ims that he''s the same as an average citizen is a bit... you know... It''s one thing to want to hide one''s power, but there''s a limit on..."

    "Shut up, Bob."

    One of the martial artists answered tilting his head from side to side but was immediately silenced by the annoyed n.

    "How are we going to leave the forest ¨C Because of some dangerous monsters there are a lot of paths that lead to nowhere and some rocks and really old trees can store star power which ends up confusing the travelers. You need a skilled guide to leave this ce in a reasonable amount of time... is what I''ve been told, at least."

    After over an hour of silence, Zoemi spoke up curiously wondering whether anyone else was worried about being lost in the sea of trees like he was for a little more than a year and a half.

    "You''ve been told the truth, it is like this. Although by a skilled guide your informer meant someone with talent in thew of Sagittarius."

    n nced at him, initially still sulky because of his belief that Zoemi was taking him for a fool.

    "It is difficult to master and one can''t actually shoot out the concentrated star power until achieving eleventh star level, but in exchange, the early ones give the user a hue boos to a multitude of abilities incredibly useful for hunting... one of which is finding one''s destination even while going through the ces such as this and... hold on... you are just making fun of me, aren''t you?"

    But even so, he ended up filling the ck-haired man in, until the youth stopped and frowned.

    n''s reaction was justifiable. Wanderer or not, there was hardly a person in the entire Heavenly Star nation, so the young man thought that he was wasting his energy on exining obvious things while Zoemi was secretlyughing at him.

    "Not at all, master n. I know as little as one could about thews and star power... Law of Capricorn is for movement, Taurus for strength, Aries for toughness and endurance, Libra for equalizing two selected values, Aquarius for destroying mana, Gemini for creating a copy of oneself, Virgo for healing, Scorpius for killing yourself in a gruesome way, Pisces for disappearing from the arena after dering that the Heavenly Star nation is nning an invasion. Oh, and sending messages too, apparently ¨Cw of Pisces, I mean. The rest is a mystery to me."<sub> </sub>

    The ck-haired man shook his head and gave the young martial artist an apologetic nod before listing his knowledge.

    "...Zoemi, wrong ce, wrong time..."

    Not only the answer from the ck-haired man seemed to calm down n, but the youth also ended up flinching and grabbing onto Zoemi''s shirt and shaking his head with a worried expression.

    "..."

    Zoemi looked at n indifferently before ncing over at the rather grumpy group of twenty martial artists from the Great Ram''s sect walking with them.

    ? "Master n, you said that you do have a talent in thew of Sagittarius, does that mean that you are our guide?"

    The ck-haired man changed the subject without trying to dig deeper into the reason for n''s anxiety.

    "N-no... At the first star level that I am, figuring my way through the sea of trees ispletely impossible."

    The topic he ended up picking ended up not being one that n was fond of, as the young man made a grumpy expression while his cheeks became rosy from the blush of embarrassment.

    "So it is a big deal after all. Who is it then?"

    Zoemi nodded with a stoic expression and asked looking over all the martial artists.

    "It''s...ugh... Bob. He''s at the ninth star level of thew of Sagittarius..."

    n rolled his eyes and answered looking annoyed as ever.

    "Thank you mister Bob, having someone skilled leading the way is surely reassuring."

    "Oh...! I... well... You... you''re wee, mister Banemor."

    The martial artist called Bob flinched and for a moment looked as if he was shocked to hear words of gratitude.

    "Shut up, Bob."

    Still, Bob was immediately put down by one of his colleagues shaking their heads in annoyance.

    "Master n."

    "...h-huh...? What is it...?"

    The ck-haired man leaned towards the young martial artist and spoke in a low voice so that others would not hear him, which just so happened to make n flustered.

    "It is rude to say ¨C ugh ¨C when calling out someone''s name. It''s a trait of a puny side viin that gets kicked out of the story in the prologue. I barely know you and I already know that you are a bigger man than this."

    When Zoemi switched to the attendant mode, he switched to the Attendant mode. Miriette was always too proud to even need correction, but it did not mean that the ck-haired man wasn''t taught how to make sure his master will always show their best side.

    "I...I... w-what...?"

    n went wide-eyed and gasped in confusion trying to wrap his head around the concept of his bodyguard teaching him manners.

    "The words you used back in that vige suggest that the Great Ram sect has its own deal of trouble involving honor. The best way to counter that is for you to act as proud and grand as possible, so no more ugh-ing at your allies."

    Zoemi shook his head from side to side before smirking at the bewildered n.

    "Hold on... It seems that you are not getting it. I already act with pride, the little thing with Bob is just an inside joke that everyone partakes in. Great Ram sect members are supposed to pride themselves in endurance, you can say that it''s a part of the training. There''s no need to be upset about it..."

    "Puny. Side. Viin. Talk."

    The young martial artist faced the other way and grumbled defensively, to which the ck-haired man scoffed, shaking his head with a disappointed expression.

 584 Chapter 197

    "Why would there be a power that would allow you to endure the hardships and stay silent while others berate you? Is it a special power just for those born in eternal servitude? For me, it''s plenty obvious that thew of Aries is meant to give its user power to prevail and triumph over anything in their way and not fold down to the environment and other people or even the gods."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and scoffed with a mocking smile that looked especially viinous because of the shade that the thick forestation provided on their way.

    "What''s the difference?!"

    n frowned angrily and asked, clenching his fists.

    "The difference is that mister Bob doesn''t talk back and just shuts up when he is told to do so."

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired man answered, pointing his finger at the

    man in question ¨C and the said man flinched, raising his brows in shock.

    "Huh?! But then, that is entirely his fault then, isn''t it?! Why am I getting the puny side viin treatment from you?!"

    n gasped, stopping in ce and angrily confronting Zoemi.

    "Because you and the rest of your group are making yourself feel better by putting down someone far superior to your puny selves. Ninth star level in thew of Sagittarius. Who else is even close to that?"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi and n''s talk has changed from exchanging whispers to talking out loud openly, and the words of the ck-haired man seemed to resonate with everyone as they all tensed up, lost for words.

    "If we''re talking about equivalent, then most of us have aw that they are as proficient at as Bob is with the Law of Sagittarius."

    Someone from the group fidgetted in anger before pointing out in a voice that sounded a lot like an usation.

    "Incredible. Then go and use thatw at which you are so proficient to lead us out of this forest. In fact, we can all split up considering that everyone is good at something."

    "...!"

    Zoemi graced that particr martial artist with a benevolent smile of a demon as he spread his arms inviting the man to lead the way, which obviously caused the martial artist to take a step back with a scared expression.

    "So what, are you telling us that we need to hail Bob as our savior until he will guide us out of this ce?!"

    n frowned and stepped up to Zoemi, taping his index finger on the ck-haired man''s chest.

    "I am d that you were the one to ask it, master n. No. Instead of making fun of him to keep him in check, YOU be a leader that HE would WANT to follow."

    "?!?!?!?!?!"

    Zoemi''s smirk bloomed into the most viinous grin and he returned the tapping notion to the young man who jumped away from him as if the contact with the ck-haired man''s index finger has scalded him even through the fabric of the uniform he donned.

    "Mister Bob, where did you set our destination to?"

    Zoemi turned away from the embarrassed n and spoke to the probably most shocked martial artist in the group.

    "Wh-wha...? I... Well, as it was... umm... asked of me, we are going towards the closest settlement on the verge of the sea of trees, and from there we would move straight onto the Great Ram sect''s territory. Our first destination is two weeks away and the final one is another week on top of that."

    Bob responded, unsure of how he should act towards the ck-haired man who gave off such an intense aura that it was basically impossible to ignore him.

    "We are changing ns. Please make sure that we are moving directly towards the west of the lumberjacks vige for at least three days."

    "Wh-what?! Why?!"

    "Hey! Who gave you the right to give orders?!"

    The sudden decision wasn''t met with a warm wee, but that was only to be expected.

    "Master n, you were trying to hunt down the seven-limbed bear for a reason but failed. I vaguely know the location of monsters that are of simr strength to that furball, and it is the ce where I asked mister Bob to take us... Unless you are okay with not fulfilling whatever goal has pushed you toe here, then just give the order yourself."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and his grin turned back into a mocking smirk as he looked at every single martial artist around him before focusing on the red-faced youngest one.

    "As for my right to rule... I am just scheduling things for you in a way that would be most optimal. Since you don''t fire me outright I assumed that it is okay to do. While I remain in your services, if you are not okay with any of my decisions, I can always beat you up once more and drag you along anyway... of course as long as in the end, you will gain more than you lose. "

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired man added, reminding everyone to get caught in the heated moment about who are they talking to.<sub> </sub>

    Everyone present had theirws of Aries active when Zoemi attacked them, although some didn''t want to admit it.

    "...I want to join the Heavenly Star Academy, and one of the requirements for it is to defeat a monster that possesses the strength of a martial artist on the fourth star level of thew of Taurus or equal power in the measurement of anotherw. Alone."

    n gritted his teeth and revealed something that Zoemi was already partially aware of thanks to listening in to Zoey''s viin''s speech.

    "Great. So the final choice is yours, master n. Stay a puny viin, or try to be a bigger man. As you are now, no matter where you go you will be humbled, or worse ¨C humiliated ¨C and return to your dwelling with tail tucked between your legs."

    The ck-haired man dered, stepping back and shocking the unprepared youth by pushing him straight into the spotlight as every single person in their group focused on him.

    "D-despite being annoying, and unnecessarily scary... I... I agree with your suggestion. We are already here, returning empty-handed while the admissions for the Academy are open for just one more month is uneptable. Bob, ug... ekhem! Bob. Please incorporate the instruction given by Zoemi into our travel n."

    n straightened his back and spoke after gulping down his saliva, doing his best to act more confident than he actually was.

    "A-as you wish! In this case, we should go in this direction."

    The shocked marital artist gasped and immediately turned the other way from which they were moving before.

    "With Miriette I wouldn''t have to threaten to actually harm her to do the right thing..."

    Zoemi let out a subconscious sigh under his breath

    |Hold on... I got way too into this, haven''t I...? I just wanted to learn how the mana potion that n had came into his possession. Did I miss my old life THAT much?!|

    Zoemi tensed up and groaned internally in realization.

    A wrong one at that, but it would still take some time for him to figure out his real feelings.

    ------------

    "..."

    As the group was walking through the busy town and the ck-haired man was looking around curiously, the young martial artist by his side kept ncing at his right hand with a rather bothered expression.

    It really did seem as if something just wouldn''t leave his head.

    "Master n, I did tell you that crushing the monster''s head was my preferred method of dealing with the aggressive ones. What is the big deal?"

    Zoemi, who certainly didn''t miss the nces that n was sneaking at him, breathed out and asked, lifting his arm up to his chest and opening and closing his fingers.

    "Y-yeah, you did but... May I?"

    The young man tensed up after being caught on staring, but after realizing that the back-haired man was not angry, he reached out towards the extended hand asking for permission to touch it.

    "Sure."

    Zoemi didn''t find anything wrong with the request and soon his n was being meticulously examined by the surprisingly delicate fingers.

    "It''s just that witnessing you crush a Bull-ape''s head as if it was an overripen apple is somethingpletely different than merely hearing you say it."

    n revealed, tilting his head to the side while raising Zoemi''s hand to have a better look at the armament of the monster''s demise.

    The young martial artist was getting sofortable with the examination that he ended up putting his own palm to Zoemi''s andparing their sizes.

    "Whoa...! Your hands are so big...! AH...!"

    n gasped in amazement before looking up and meeting the friendly smile of the ck-haired man and suddenly blushing heavily and taking his hands back.

    "Sorry. That must have been ufortable."

    "Not at all, master n. As your employee, I will do my best to fulfill all of your reasonable requests."

    The young martial artist apologized, facing the other way while the ck-haired man shook his head and reassured him without the slightest trace of difort or annoyance in his voice.

    The other martial artist surrounding them didn''t even bother toment about the exchange ¨C it has been three over three weeks since Zoemi became n''s bodyguard and interactions like that were getting more and moremon as the young man was getting morefortable around the ck-haired man.

    As for Zoemi himself, it didn''t seem as if he changed at all, he was always open and friendly with his interactions, with the asional strictness and passive aggression used for correcting the improper behavior of his employer.

 585 Chapter 198

    "Master n, the closer we get to this town, the tenser you''ve be... isn''t this the ce where your sect is based at? A home of yours, so to speak... I believe that gate over there is the entrance to the estate owned by the Great Ram sect."

    "...!"

    After passing another interesting and colorful street, the ck-haired man ended up looking at the young martial artist again and asked, causing n to finch.

    "The statement you''ve made is factually correct..."

    n fidgetted nervously and nodded, without looking Zoemi in the eyes.

    "Ah. I see. Something being a fact doesn''t hold much power over how you feel about it. As your attendant, I will aid in upkeeping your mental and physical stability to the utmost of my ability."

    The ck-haired man spoke in a calm voice, staring at therge emblem of the ram''s head hanging over a gate painted in grayish white.

    "...why did you start speaking so officially...?"

    n got embarrassed and asked timidly ncing up at the much taller man.

    "Because you started speaking like that first, master n. As long as it will not lead to self-destruction, I will follow up on whatever decision you will make... Unless it will be a stupid one, then I will set you back on the right track."

    Zoemi responded with unwavering pride and gave the young martial artist a reassuring smile while clenching his fist, implying that it will be used to the mentioned setting back on the right track.

    Their group began walking through the gate of their sect but for some reason, it looked like the young man wasn''t very keen on doing the same thing and was handing out in the back.

    Of course as a proper attendant ¨C and bodyguard ¨C should, Zoemi was staying back with him.

    "...Zoemi, by this point you surely realized that despite being a man, my body is that of a woman..."

    n breathed out and spoke staring at his feet while rubbing his left arm with his right hand.

    "Yes. Things like that happen. If it makes you feel any better, a girl who I consider to be my younger sister was born a boy."

    The ck-haired man nodded with a stoic expression as there was nothing surprising to him in his employer''s words.

    "Still, the way you speak... It is not me that you are worried about."

    As n continued staring at his feet and rubbing his arm, Zoemi straightened his back and pointed out to move the conversation along.

    "You are speaking the words of reason. It is almost scary howfortable I can be with my real self when you are around..."

    The young martial artist''s right hand stopped above his left elbow and he nodded, allowing himself a little smile.

    "The thing is, if they are just students lower than me in the hierarchy, like the group we travel with, I can make them call me n and treat me like a man, but... but that is not the case in the actual sect. I was born to parents who gave me the name Alice. They don''t ept my real self and it''s the case with, well, basically everyone. You will see, even the members of the group we traveled with will start calling me Alice once I set through that gate."

    n exined and then his right hand started rubbing his left arm twice as fast as before.

    "What I am trying to ask of you is... Could... could you keep calling me n even when others will use that deadname? Please?"

    The young man gulped down his saliva and raised his head, making eye contact with the ck-haired man before gathering enough courage to ask.

    "Master n. As far as I am concerned, I never met that Alice you speak of. I have no reason to treat or call you any different than during the almost month we traveled together."

    Zoemi didn''t break the eye contact even for a split second and dered with no change to his tone of voice.

    Things were simply that obvious for him ¨C the only way for him to change the way to address n would be if the young man himself asked him to do so.

    "Thank you."

    n blushed and looked towards the gate. He took a deep breath and stepped forward to the estate owned by the Great Ram sect.

    "You''re a good guy, n. Law of Aries,w of Capricorn."

    Zoemi responded with a smirk and followed up with the young martial artist, activating twows even with no immediate threat in sight.

    "Umm... What are you doing...?"

    n furrowed his brows and asked, confused about the behavior of his bodyguard.

    "This is your home, master n, not mine. I don''t want to get sucker-punched the moment I stepped over the threshold unannounced."

    "Ah...! True... they might even try to capture you... Zoemi, this is an order from your employer ¨C do not kill anyone from the Great Ram sect."

    The ck-haired man sickered, shedding some light on his actions and making the young martial artist gasp in realization. As the young man was already getting used to the pattern of behavior of his bodyguard, he hurriedly used whatever authority he had over his employee and pointed his finger at him.

    "Okay. I won''t. Unless they will keep attacking me no matter what ¨C I do not take responsibility for idiots killing themselves."

    Zoemi nodded in agreement although he still threw in some additional conditions.

    "Hmm... I can''t argue with that... Alright, I will not ask you to not fight back at all or protect yourself from harm, but let''s just make it so you will not attack anyone first, okay?"<sub> </sub>

    n tilted his head, making an expression as if he was deeply pondering his previous order and adjusting it on the fly.

    "As I already said, okay. As long as me and you will be treated with the basic amount of respect a human being should be treated with, I will beying low."

    The ck-haired man nodded and smiled reassuringly.

    With that out of the way, the two of them passed the gate.

    "Law of Aries! Law of Taurus! Law of Capricorn!"

    *WHOOSH*

    The very moment that n ced his foot on the Great Ram sect''s ground one of the martial artists training in the courtyard in front of the main building loudly activated threews and rushed straight at the young man.

    The particr set of star power he chose could not be mistaken for anything other than attempted assault.

    "H-huh?! Lw of Aries...!"

    *WHOOSH*

    n flinched and called out, raising both arms to protect his head ¨C but just as he did, a dark shadow passed by him and a mountain separated him from the attacker.

    ...or at least that was how it felt like at the moment...

    "Hmph!"

    The mountain protecting n turned out to be none other than Zoemi ¨C the ck-haired man rushed forward at the first sight of danger, and his hand shot out at the attacking martial artist''s head.

    *CRUNCH* *WHAM*

    Zoemi changed his target at thest second and settled on grabbing the shoulder of the offender...

    ...grabbing and crushing it, breaking every single bone within his grasp, before mming the marital artist to the ground.

    "...h-huh...? Wha...? Gh... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHH...!"

    It took about a second or two for the defeated man to realize what has happened, but once the shock passed and he nced at his limp arm and mutted shoulder, his scream carried through all the courtyard and well into the town...

    "Shut up, or your jaw will be next."

    "MPFGH!"

    As the vail of pain was getting quite annoying, the ck-haired man red down at the wounded martial artist bawling his eyes out, and announced, moving his hand over the man''s face ¨C which caused the martial artist to cover his own mouth with his healthy hand.

    One thing was sure, at least his survival instinct was working fine despite the trauma he suffered.

    "What is the meaning of this? What kind of person attacks his fellow sect member? Are you the traitor or someone hired by another sect?"

    Just as other marital artists were about to rush at the unknown ck-haired man who severely wounded their fellow nsmen, the very same man releasing an overwhelming aura asked his victim.

    "Mggg-gggg!"

    The wounded man still blocking his own mouth mumbled while shaking his head from side to side so vigorously that his tears sprinkled around him.

    "Z-Zoemi! Wh-what are you doing?! Stand down!"

    "..."

    n leaned from behind the ck-haired man and gasped in panic, grabbing onto the arm extended in a threatening manner and digging his heels into the path to pull it back ¨C to no visible effect.

    "As you wish."

    The ck-haired man nced at his employer and nodded, rxing his shoulders and taking a step back, assuming a position by the young martial artist''s side.

    The wounded man used that chance to scuttle away like some sort of bug, still blocking his mouth so as to not release a cry that would further annoy the overwhelming ck-haired man.

    "Members of the Great Ram sect were instructed to use forceful methods to help reeducate my daughter, mister Banemor. She was attacked because she entered the sect''s ground wearing male clothes."

    While it felt as if the single man was releasing enough pressure to hold back every single marital artist in the courtyard, another person showed up.

    Another marital artist ¨C a beautiful woman wearing martial artist''s robes of much better quality than those who stepped to the side to amodate her arrival.

    "...?"

    Zoemi raised his brow and looked questioningly at the young man by his side.

 586 Chapter 198

    "M-mother?! When has something so ridiculous be a thing?!"

    n gasped in disbelief, not only shocked about the instruction that he never heard about before but also embarrassed over the fact that it made him look as if he wanted Zoemi to mess up his fellow sect members.

    "Your father and I decided upon it shortly after you left. Right after we were informed that you forced everyone in your group to treat you like a male."

    "...you... you put someone to SPY on me into the group?! Even after you said that you will not send anyone with the talent in thew Pisces with me?!"

    The woman revealed with a smug expression, causing the young man to gasp in disbelief.

    "Even before the report I knew that you will try the same farce again ¨C I only care about my daughter, not some n."

    "...!"

    Although from the bored tone of the woman it sounded like this wasn''t the first time she said it, n still flinched as if he received an actual physical hit when his mother said something like that to him.

    "I want to make one thing clear."

    At that moment Zoemi raised his brow and motioned with his chin at the beautiful woman.

    "I''m listening."

    She responded and her expression became softer as she looked away from her child and at the ck-haired man.

    "You clearly knew who I was, you even addressed me by my surname... why in the world didn''t you warn others what will happen if they will threaten me or my employer?

    Zoemi asked, pointing his index finger in the direction that the wounded martial artist scuttled away.

    "!!!"

    His observation caused the young man by his side to straighten his back and look between him and his mother in shock.

    "You were either underestimating me or don''t care about the other members of the Great Ram sect in and simple. Which honestly, is very bad for you either way."

    "...?"

    Zoemi pointed out with a devilish smirk heavily leaning into the mocking side ¨C but for some reason, instead of getting offended, the beautiful woman blinked a few times in confusion, leaning forward as if she noticed something on the ck-haired man''s face.

    "Have we met before...?"

    The woman asked hesitantly, walking forward to have an even better look at the ck-heart mn''s face,

    "Mrs. That is theziest change of subject possible. No. We definitely did not meet. Unless you have been roaming the sea of trees past this year and a half."

    Zoemi didn''t back off even an inch and his expression didn''t budge either.

    n tried to walk in front of him and block his mother''s approach but was stopped by Zoemi reaching out his hand to the side without even looking back.

    "Is that so... Well then, my name is Vi Ramis, daughter of the leader of the Great Ram sect and the wife of the vice-leader of the Great Ram sect. Mister Banemor, henceforth you are released from your duties to my daughter."

    The woman stopped in her track before the distance between her and the ck-haired man would be a bit too inappropriate, and introduced herself, right before shrugging her shoulders and waving her hand dismissively, pointing at the gate behind Zoemi and n''s backs.

    "WHAT?! YOU CAN NOT DO THIS! HE IS M-PFGH...?!"

    That of course made n gasp and shout in disbelief mixed with fear, but the next moment his jaw was pushed up and his lips were sealed with the decisive move of the same hand that was blocking his way.

    "Of course, she cannot do it. She is provoking you."

    "...mmmg...? Oh...Oooohhh...!"

    The ck-haired man looked at his employer and nodded at him with a stoic expression before putting down his hand to receive a gasp of realization from n.

    "That statement is hardly true, mister Banemor. As Alice''s mother, I have the full right to rectify her mistakes. Although your name and the extent of your power are already known to me, with no pedigree so to speak, you cannot be trusted with being her bodyguard. Especially after what happened to her previous one... not to mention thepleteck of empathy to how he ended up as."

    Vi scoffed, changing her approach immediately after the initial attempt failed and directed her jabs at thepletely unphased ck-haired man.

    "How old one needs to be to be considered an adult in thisnd?"

    "Sixteen."

    "As long as she wants to live under the Great Ram''s roof, she will do as she is said."

    Zoemi asked and got two quite different answers.

    "Mother?! What does it suppose to mean?! You cannot act like this! Grandfather is the leader, not you or dad! You cannot just throw others out!"<sub> </sub>

    n certainly didn''t expect an answer like that toe out of his mother''s mouth, but there it was anyway, leaving him shaken to the core.

    "My father went into a closed-door cultivation training two weeks ago, and left the decision-making to my husband and me."

    Vi announced, giving her child even more of a shock.

    "With that in mind, whatever deal you have with Alice is off. Because you have already proven that you really wanted to protect her though, there will be no punishment for hurting our sect''s member."

    The beautiful woman then turned to the ck-haired man and announced in a high-and-mighty voice.

    "I cannot argue with that. I hereby break off any contract that I had with a girl called Alice Ramis. That said, I am interested in joining your guild."

    "Huh?!"

    "Hmm...?"

    Zoemi stopped in a moment of consideration before ncing at the young man by his side and then back at his mother ¨C his serious expression soon turned back into a devilish smirk that surprised both people he was talking to.

    "What''s the problem? You have a vacancy ¨C I''ve witnessed you lose a member who was a gifted student. There is a vacancy, right?"

    The ck-haired man shrugged his shoulders and motioned at Vi with his chin rather provocatively.

    "..."

    While that was going on, n lowered his head and stepped back, away from Zoemi, doing his best to not let his expression show how devastated he was by the betrayal.

    "There is no falsehood in your statement... but even so, that doesn''t mean that you can just be taken in. First and foremost, you are already too old to be enlisted as the gifted student, new ones must be under the age of ten and already achieve a second star level of thew of Aries."

    Vi squinted her eyes and looked at the ck-haired man with suspicion.

    "I don''t want to be a new student, I want to take ce of the deceased one. He was twenty-six, so more or less six years older than I am. And I am at the supernova level of thew of Aries, so I would say that it''s a really good deal for you.''

    Zoemi shook his head with that devilish smirk of his and lightly shrugged his shoulders as if his statement was the most obvious.

    "There is no such thing as a supernova level, but you do seem to possess an exceptional talent in thew of Aries ording to the reports I got... it seems like you are at least at the fifth star level though, and also a quite high level of thew of Taurus too..."

    Just like everyone before her that heard Zoemi reveal his mastery of thew of Aries, Vi did not believe him at all. Even so, she did have her own take on his capabilities.

    "I do not have an ounce of talent in thew of Taurus though?"

    "...what...?"

    The ck-haired man corrected the beautiful woman immediately, which made her stare at him with wide eyes.

    "You surely were already told that I only have talent in thew of Aries, thew of Capricorn, and thew of Libra. That''s it. Supernova, sixth star, and no star as of yet ¨C in that order."

    Zoemi said in an indifferent tone, kind of already bored with people not believing him.

    "If it will convince you that I am not joking, we can have a duel. Unless defeating someone like you isn''t even worth a ce in the Great Ram sect~"

    He added with a soft, gentle smile that certainly didn''t match up to the meaning of his words.

    "...there is no need for a duel, no matter how deserving of a beating you are."

    Vi frowned and her face scrunched up as if she smelled something disgusting.

    "Here in the Great Ram sect, we have a star chart in our possession. One touch and the truth will be revealed. Follow me, if you are really interested."

    She straightened her back and began to turn around on her heel, but not before scoffing and waving her hand at the ck-haired man, beckoning him to follow her.

    Zoemi stepped forward without the slightest hesitation, leaving the dispirited n behind.

    "Who is your teacher?"

    As the beautiful woman and the devilishly handsome man entered the main building and took the steps down instead of the pompous staircase leading to a higher floor, Vi asked without looking back at Zoemi.

    "I already answered that question when your child asked me. I do not have a teacher."

    Zoemi answered casually, ncing over his shoulder to make sure that n was safe, but the young man already went off somewhere else, most likely in his room.

    "In that case, where did you manage to get your hands on a star chart so that you could reach the star levels of thews you im to have achieved?"

    While the stairs down were turning to the left as they were leading them deeper and deeper underneath the main building, Vi asked, sounding a bit off ¨C as if she was holding back with her words.

 587 Chapter 199

    "I didn''t. I believe that it was the environment of my homnd that caused thew of Aries to level up so much on its own, as for thew of Capricorn, I''m pretty sure it was stirred up by the match I had with a certain rude white-haired man with ck eyes. For thew of Libra, since I cannot use it, it''s obvious that I didn''t achieve even the first star level yet."

    Zoemi shook his head and answered straight, with almost no dy.

    "If that is the case then how can you know about whichws you have or don''t have a talent in?"

    Vi asked, and this time there was usation in her voice ¨C as if she just caught Zoemi lying right to her face.

    "God of stars, Guide, told me so. I already had the maximum

    affinity for thew of Aries, but he opened up the pathways for thew of Capricorn andw of Libra."

    "..."

    Once again, Zoemi said the in truth without adding even a single grain of falsehood, but even so ¨C or maybe because of exactly that ¨C the beautiful woman in front of him tensed up and said nothing.

    As their conversation was stopped dead in ce, they finally arrived at the bottom of the stairs, where a massive sturdy door made out of ancient wood and thick metal tes was embedded straight into the wall.

    "Law of Taurus."

    *CREEEAAAK*

    Vi activated her star power and opened the heavy door, revealing a rather small cave lighted up by a single torch. The entire wall opposite the door was filled with the star chart depicting the twelve constetions of the western Zodiac that Zoemi had already known ¨C at least to some degree.

    "Go in and put your hand at the base of the star chart to prove that your words are truthful."

    Vi stepped aside, making way for Zoemi to pass by her, and pointed her hand towards the inner parts of the small cave.

    "That''s it? This is my first time using something like that."

    The ck-haired man nced inside and asked curiously.

    "Nothing more. That is all."

    "Okay then~"

    Vi nodded and waved her hand again as if she was trying to shovel Zoemi inside without actually touching him, to which the ck-haired man merely smirked and moved forward, entering the ce.

    Truth be told, Zoemi did encounter a star chart once in the past, but it was when he was already dead so he couldn''t have any memory of it ¨C and to begin with at that time the star chart reacted to the power of Guide and not the ck-haired boy''s talents.

    After entering the cave, Zoemi could tell that it was much taller than he originally expected ¨C it wasn''t spacious or wide, but its ceiling was high enough to not get reached by the flickering light of a single torch down below.

    Zoemi looked around, wondering whether this was some sort of an ambush or a trap and the door would close behind his back the second he entered, but that was not the case.

    ...for now...

    With the cautious eyes of Vi following his every move, Zoemi stopped by the star chart carved into the wall and put his palm on the convenient spot smoothed out by countless hands touching it thorough Guide-knows how much time.

    As soon as he did, the star chart came alive, and the ephemeral line began to crawl its way up through the lines connecting the stars of all constetions.

    Not all though.

    Only the ones making up the Aries, Capricorn, and Libra constetions were glowing.

    The entire constetion of Aries began burning with a blinding light and it seemed that the entire cave was exposed to the full power of stroboscopic light.

    That made it hard but not impossible to check out the rest ¨C Capricorn had the first six stars glowing brightly but even so the lines connecting the individual stars were moving past the lighted-up stars, indicating that the pathways are already open.

    Same thing with the Libra constetion ¨C despite not having a single star shining, the lines and therefore the pathways were glowing with the soft ephemeral light.

    "Tsk! Just as we thought!"

    *SLAM* *click*

    While Zoemi was gazing upon the bright star chart with amazement, Vi clicked her tongue and mmed the door shut and locked it, imprisoning the ck-haired man inside.<sub> </sub>

    "Something like that simply isn''t possible! You''re a member of a dark sect trying to infiltrate our sect! You will wait here until someone from the Star Pagoda wille to interrogate and deal with you ordingly! Don''t worry ¨C it won''t take long ¨C they were already notified about your arrival! Law of Capricorn!"

    The beautiful woman shouted through the door and the sound of her footsteps on the stairs soon disappeared after she aided herself with star power.

    "So it ended up being locked away. Since she didn''t do that from the start, I assumed that she had someone hide in the dark under the ceiling to attack me when I don''t expect it. Definitely counts as a high offense against someone of my status, still."

    Zoemi sighed, rubbing the back of his head with a slightly disappointed expression.

    "Since n is within the premise, I should not act too hasty... How much head start I should give them then...? She said that someone will be here soon to take care of me... I wonder how will they try to judge me considering I''m innocent? Oh, well. If no one will show up within an hour, I will get out on my own. Thirty-six hundred. Thirty-five hundred ny-nine. Thirty-five hundred ny-eight...."

    The ck-haired man thought out loud, crossing his arms and tilting his head with a devilish smirk.

    ...and began the countdown...

    --------

    "Mother! You don''t understand, Zoemi isn''t a dark sect member! If you want one, then Zoey...!"

    "No. YOU don''t understand a thing, Alice. You will get to the main building wearing the clothes prepared for you, or you will be seized by other students and forcefully dressed up before getting dragged there."

    n shouted at the door leading out of his room, but his mother interrupted him before he could properly finish what he wanted to say.

    "We can use this entire thing as you luring the dark sect member into a trap! This will immensely help our reputation, not to mention that the head magistrate of justice at the Star Pagoda is the old friend of my father and just so happens to have a son of a simr age to you. As long as we will y our cards right, we will put the Great Ram sect back in its rightful spot in one fell swoop!"

    Vi dered,pletely deaf to her child''s calls.

    "An unmarried son of simr age to me... Wha...?! Mother...! I don''t want to marry now! What about the Heavenly Star Academy?! I worked so hard to be put on the waiting list and I already killed a Bull-ape on my own to fulfill the requirements!"

    n said in surprise then gasped in realization and cry out in disbelief at how far his own goals were from the ns that his mother was making.

    "Your father and I only agreed to allow you to try and get in that ce so that maybe some other sect woulde up with a marriage proposal after seeing your prowess in star power. That will no longer be necessary if you will be able to marry a son of a head justice magistrate."

    Vi scoffed shaking her head although n could not see it.

    "Huh?! Wait a second, mother! You and father told me that when I will get into the Heavenly Star Academy I will be able to improve our sect''s status ¨C there was nothing about me searching for a marriage partner!"

    The young man took a step away from his door and pointed out, clenching his fist because of the very ufortable feeling in his stomach.

    "Yes. And you told us that you were a man, even though you are clearly not ¨C as long as you are lying to us, we should be free to lie to you as well. No?"

    "...!"

    *thump*

    For Vi, it was just an angry remark that she believed to be obvious, but for n, it felt as if he was punched in the stomach.

    The mental hit that he received was enough to make him stumble and fall to the ground with a nk expression.

    "Dress up in the clothes provided. Be at the main building in ten minutes ¨C the martial artists from the Star Pagoda will be here in less than half an hour to deal with the dark sect member you so foolishly brought back. And while they are here don''t you DARE to b out that you wanted to hire him as your bodyguard!"

    Vi walked up to the door and dered, knocking on it with her fist after each sentence to add more gravity to it.

    "..."

    n turned his head towards his bed, where n top of the mattress someone spread a full set of especially feminine-looking set of martial artist uniforms.

    Normally, unless someone made a conscious choice of adding some essories, there was no difference between the male and female uniform for the Great Ram sect members, but this one was a custom-made piece no doubt ordered by n''s mother.

    "You have nine minutes left before I will send other students to get you. Oh, and this room is being observed so don''t try sneaking out."

    Vi dered in a strict voice, not even waiting for her child''s response, and walked away, already ncing towards the main gate through the hallway''s windows, busy with worrying about the important peopleing to their sect.

 588 Chapter 199

    "..."

    n gulped down his saliva and slowly inched his way towards his bed without getting up from the floor.

    "...a true man isn''t bothered by the clothes... It''s just a costume, actors wear them all the time... I am still myslef..."

    He closed his eyes and chanted while reaching for the feminine marital artist uniform.

    Exactly eight minutester a young man looking just like a pretty girl with a long braid of reddish-brown hair resting upon her left shoulder left his room and walked the walk of shame from the living quarters all the way to the main building.

    "Good, you didn''t try anything stupid with the clothes at least. You should have done something else with your hair, our guests are important ones, and your appearance will y a huge role in helping our sect."

    As n made his way and passed the open wide main door, his mother approached him and nodded with a benevolent smile.

    "I was given a tight time schedule."

    n responded without looking back at his mother and gently moved his hand alongside his braid.

    "Remember to act properly, Alice, none of that n idiocy."

    A handsome middle-aged man with a stylish beard and mustachebo who was undoubtedly n''s father approached them too and added in a tired voice.

    "...of course, father..."

    n responded in a dead voice and lowered his head even more.

    "Don''t slouch. You are a proud daughter of the Great Ram sect. A powerful, outspoken woman. Act like it."

    "..."

    Vi sighed, shaking her head at her child''s dry act, but it certainly didn''t make n suddenly burst into a smile and act as

    if everything was okay.

    "Just to make sure ¨C your mother and I have heard that a part of your contract with that dark sect member was to fulfill his every need. Did he request for a dual cultivation?"

    "He isn''t a member of a dark sect, father."

    The handsome man asked in a concerned voice to which n shook his head from side to side and spoke in a t voice.

    "That wasn''t my question. You are a grown woman already and can y around with whomever you like as long as they are not involved with dark sects. If you did bed him and the impure star energy is polluting your body while the subjugation force from the Star Pagoda will show up..."

    "Steven, she didn''t do anything ¨C a shame, because it may be something that would awaken her feminity."

    n''s father groaned and red at his child, exining things slowly for there to not be any misunderstanding between them, but then his wife answered him instead.

    "..."

    At first, n gritted his teeth and clenched his fist so hard that he almost broke off his fingernails, but then as he was about to start shouting and vailing in a tantrum, a mocking grin of a ck-haired man showed up in his mind.

    Puny. Side. Viin. Talk.

    The words echoed in the young man''s mind and somehow colled his head instead of fueling his anger.

    "Ah, but of course. An act of relentless coption to make me a woman. Sure, it''s worth a try ¨C why don''t all the male members of the sect line up to have their time with me? It can bebeled as special training, and since we already have people from the Star Pagodaing over too, why not invite them as well? Maybe when it will all inevitably fail to achieve the goal of turning me, a man, into a woman, you will have no other choice but to face the truth?"

    n straightened his back and spoke in a calm,posed voice, slowly putting his arm to the side as if giving the way for his parents to go along with the n oozing with debauchery.

    "...!"

    "...!"

    For a moment, both Vi and Steven became speechless at thepletely new behavior their child showed them...

    "Stop spouting nonsense. This is not what I had in mind when I said that you should act outspoken!"

    After shaking off the initial surprise, Vi scoffed and shrugged n''s words off as if nothing happened ¨C although the look on Steven''s face suggested that he might realize something.

    "Exactly, Alice. Listen to your mother properly."

    Still, it didn''t take long for him too to return to his earlier act following his wife''s example.

    "...but of course, father..."

    n nodded his head obediently, but his heart was aflutter.<sub> </sub>

    It was the first time that he was not openly scolded or outright punished for speaking out in his own defense.

    "That said, father, mother. I know that both of you are convinced that Zoemi is a member of one of the dark sects but in an off chance that he is not... wouldn''t our Great Ram sect get in trouble with the Star Pagoda for calling them unnecessarily?"

    Using the chance, the young man asked cautiously with only the good of his sect in mind.

    "Of course, he is a part of the dark sect. How else could you exin someone of his age havingpletely mastered thew of Aries and reaching the sixth star of thew of Capricorn? He must have been a normal viger that the dark sect kidnapped and brainwashed. At least that''s how it looks considering his affinities."

    Vi said in a serious tone, for once it didn''t seem as if she was dismissing the opinion of her child, but rather wanted to be reassuring.

    "But... what if he was telling the truth? Didn''t you tell me stories about one of the members of our sect who received the title of the beloved child of Aries? He also didn''t have many talents..."

    "NATHAN IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CASE FROM SOME RANDOM WANDERER!"

    "!!!"

    Although until that point things seemed to be going well and they were allmunicating properly, once n mentioned the beloved child of Aries, his mother blew up so suddenly that even Steven got shocked.

    "Ugh... Sorry. Sorry. That one was on me..."

    Seeing the reaction of both her child and husband, Vi managed to calm down and began massaging her forehead.

    "Alice, this and that are twopletely different cases. People like the beloved child of Aries that you mentioned are the prodigies few and far between. Some marital artists get lured into the dark sect because they want to be like them. The difference is, when a martial artist uses the energy of another human being to cultivate, they are gaining levels far too fast which makes their spiritual energy and therefore their star power unstable. Most dark sect members die just because their star power turned against them. It''s like the unlucky use of thew of Scorpius but enhanced many times over. You will see. If that ck-haired man will face an actually powerful opponent, his own body will break apart from the bacsh of the star power he isn''t ready for."

    Steven stepped in and took over the talk to give his wife a moment topose herself.

    "Father, I have seen him fight. His power is real."

    n breathed out and dered, looking straight into his father''s eyes.

    "Only because you faced some monsters. You will see."

    Still, it didn''t seem to work, as his father merely smiled benevolently as if his heart was warmed by his child''s naivety, and shook his head while promising.

    "I can see that you are worried bout our sect, but you are putting too much faith in a man that broke off the deal you two made so easily."

    "..."

    Vi returned to the conversation with a sigh, and n barely stopped himself from blurting ¨C BECAUSE YOU MADE HIM! - out loud.

    "A delegation from the Star Pagoda is at the main gate!"

    While the family of three was having the most peaceful conversation in a long time, a panting marital artist ran up to them and announced

    "Don''t make them wait! Let them in!"

    "...here..."

    Steven lived up and waved his hands at the messenger while Vi moved to his side and beckoned her child to stand near her as they began walking to meet the guests.

    "I only hope that the dark scent brat didn''t make too much of a mess."

    As they walked, Vi leaned toward her husband and breathed out in worry.

    "It''s only been an hour or so, I bet he spent that time trying to futilely break through the door that can hold a seventh star levelw of Taurus user instead of nning anything."

    Steven reassured her with a confident smile.

    ---------

    Meanwhile, in the small cave-like room underneath the main building of the Great Ram sect...

    "Two hundred ny-seven. Two hundred ny-six..."

    The ck-haired man was continuing the countdown with his arms crossed and his back leaned against the brightly shining star chart.

    ---------

    The Star Pagoda was not messing around with the threat of the dark sects, the delegation sent by them counted fifty highly trained martial artists of which every single one was powerful enough to lead a moderately-sized sect.

    The two most important people there amongst them were the steel-gray-haired man with a strict expression ¨C the head of the magistrate of justice who arrived at the Great Ram sect to both deal see to dealing with the dark sect member and discuss the possibility of his son marrying the daughter of the diminishing sect that was one of the most prominent ones in the past.

    The other one was a bored-looking boy in a slovenly uniform that for some reason seemed to be getting respect even from the much older man of a very high position.

 589 Chapter 200

    "Chief magistrate. It is a pleasure to see you in good health."

    Steven walked up to meet the group and bowed his head to the steel-gray-haired man and his wife and child followed suit.

    "Greetings, Ramis family. Is Benedict still training?"

    The man nodded back with a smile and asked, looking towards the entrance to the special training grounds in the Great Ram sect''s inner courtyard.

    As a long-time friend of the leader of the Great Ram sect, the head of the justice magistrate was almost as familiar with the whole estate as he was with one owned by his own sect.

    "He is, chief magistrate. This time he said that he is sure to reach the sixth star level with thew of Aries."

    Steven bowed again and dered with respect and pride clearly audible in his voice.

    "Gramps Daniel, sixth star level in thew of Aries is super hard to achieve and it makes the user insanely tough, right? If this Benedict person really will get there, will I be able to train with him?"

    The bored boy by the steel-gray-haired man''s side livened up and asked, reaching out and tugging on the much older man''s sleeve.

    "Pardon the rudeness but is this youngster...?"

    The vice leader of the Great Ram sect raised his brow and looked between the boy and the head of the justice magistrate before putting out a hesitant question.

    "This is a pride of my sect. Aaron. The beloved child of Sagittarius with immense secondary talent in thew of Taurus. Despite being fourteen, he already reached thirteenth star level in thew of Sagittarius and sixth star level in thew of Taurus."

    "Is that so...! Greetings, Aaron."

    "Hello."

    The steel-gray-haired man revealed with a proud smile, patting the bored boy''s shoulder, which made Steven gasp and hurriedly bow to the child too, to which the beloved child of Sagittarius responded with a short nod.

    "Hey, you. How strong are you? Do you want to train with me?"

    Aaron didn''t pay much attention to the vice-leader of the Great Ram sect but he sure seemed intrigued by n.

    "It would be a pleasure to face a beloved child of stars. I''m at the fourth star level of thew of Aries, the fourth star level of thew of Virgo, and the second level of thew of Capricorn."

    n responded with a polite bow and revealed his strongest talents.

    "Oh... Sorry, please forget that I asked. I don''t want to hurt you."

    The younger boy''s shoulders slumped down and he shook his head with a disappointed expression.

    "Don''t take it

    personally, miss. At his star level, the power of Sagittarius seeps into all of his attacks. Although you could tank and heal through hisws of Taurus, thew of Taurus negates the damage done by the concentrated star energy only from the fifth star level."

    The head of the justice magistrate, Daniel, hurriedly exined his protegee''s act, although in the first ce Aaron was very polite about and it looked like he was the one needing the words of encouragement.

    "No offense taken. I will do my best in cultivation training so that one day we may face each other."

    n shook his head slightly and nodded toward the younger boy with a friendly smile.

    "That said. Let''s deal with the dark sect member first. He s down in the grotto. Bring him out. Aaron, get ready just in case, this one gained full mastery of thew of Aries."

    The steel-gray-haired man pped his hands together and said waving his arm towards the main building of the Great Ram sect making the marital artists that arrived with them move out.

    "...but if he gets there through murder, then he will burst open with one shot..."

    The beloved child of Sagittarius mumbled, and his face shoved a boring expression once more.

    It was quite chilling for the Ramis family ¨C it definitely wasn''t the first time for that young boy to fight and kill members of the dark sects and yet he was so unphased by it as if it wasn''t a dangerous mission but some mundane chore.

    ------

    "Two. One."

    At the same time as the line of skilled martial artists from the Star Pagoda began walking down the stairs, the ck-haired man patiently waiting at their destination finished the countdown and approached the massive door.

    "Alright, time to go~! Law of Aries. Law of Capricorn."

    Zoemi cheered with a smile and wed at the metal, digging his fingers in as if it was soft butter.

    -----

    *CREAAAAAK* *THUNK*

    "...what the hell was that...?"

    The odd sounds reached the descending group and the second martial artist in the line asked the one in front of him.

    "I''m not sure... hold on... Are those footsteps...?"

    The first one furrowed his brows in confusion before raising his hand and turning his head to the side to listen in on the rapidly approaching sound.

    "Everyone who didn''t already do it, Activate your star power! The dark sect members have... OH, WHAT IN THE GUIDE''S NAME?!"

    The leading man called out, ordering everyone behind him before suddenly a massive doorpletely filling the avable space suddenly rushed them from below...!

    *WHAM*<sub> </sub>

    "GH-UGH?!"

    ...hitting, swiping the man off of his feet, and pushing him back so easily as if it didn''t meet any resistance at all...!"

    ------

    "RETREAT!"

    "!!!"

    A call from the marital artist that didn''t even manage to get onto the staircase confused and rmed the five people peacefully walking towards the main building.

    "What do you mean by retreat, why?"

    The head of the magistrate of justice called out to his men in surprise...

    *FLUMP*

    "GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

    "!!!" The answer arrived before the marital artists could respond ¨C from down below, a mass of people was pushed out from the staircase and sent flying by a single man pushing up a massive door in one hand, creating a piston-like motion creating a rather funny sound.

    Marital artists sent into the air crushed into and actually broke through the roof and walls of the building as the running ck-haired man jumped up all the way to the ceiling still holding onto the door as if they were made out of paper.

    "LAW OF SAGITTARIUS!"

    The first to react to the insanity in front of them was Aaron, the beloved child of Sagittarius ¨C the fourteen years old boy lived up to his title and shot used his strongest star power, aiming his hand at the new arrival andunching the concentrated beam of star power straight at him!

    "HMPH!"

    *WHOOOOSH*

    Still, loudly calling out the name of the power he was going to use before attacking was enough of a warning for the ck-haired man to twist in the air and throw the entire door right at the attack.

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    When the star energy and the door made of ancient wood and thick metal collided neither was victorious as the energy dissipated and the door broke apart in a huge explosion that shook the entire building and broke more than a few eardrums of the unprepared marital artist within the Great Ram sect.

    "Oh...! THIS ONE WILL BE FUN! AW OF TAURUS! LAW OF CAPRICORN! LAW OF SAGITTARIUS!"

    As soon as the pieces of the door burst apart, Aaron''s bored expression was reced by a wide grin of excitement,unching himself forward with the burst of the concentrated star power.

    Thew of Sagittarius seemed to augment not only the physical attack but the movements too!

    "Someone new?"

    Zoemi raised his brow, watching the young boy sprint at him.

    Using thew of Capricorn the cked-haired man used the limited amount of time he could create a foothold out of the thin air avable at his star level and rushed to meet the new opponent head-on.

    "Ha! Fool. Someone who cultivated with the spiritual energy stolen from other people could never dream of measuring up to a..."

    The steel-gray-haired man scoffed with a confident face, watching the two sh with each other ¨C the grinning boy punched at the face of the ck-haired man who seemed to be aiming for a headbutt for whatever reason and...!

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *WHAM*

    "...beloved child of... stars...?"

    As the punch powered by thew of Taurus and further enhanced by thew of Sagittarius connected with the ck-haired man''s head, Aaron was faced with such an enormous bacsh to push him back and zoom right by the head of the chief magistrate and crush into the small building by the wall surrounding the Great Ram sect''s estate.

    "WHAT?!"

    The head of the justice magistrate shouted in disbelief, turning around and staring in disbelief at the clear loser of the sh ¨C the pride of his sect, the beloved child of Saggitarius, Aaron!

    "Tsk. Locking me up with a room without anymodities and sending a literal child to fight me? There is a limit to the rudeness, don''t you think?"

    Zoeminded on the ground a few feet away from the Ramis family and the steel-gray-haired man and scoffed, ring in anger at the ghastly pale V.

    "And you even dressed up my master as a girl! The audacity of you people!"

    Zoemi leaned to the side, looking at n in shock and dering, sounding really pissed off.

    "Wh-what...?"

    The steel-gray-haired man blinked a few times, feelingpletely lost because of the words of the ck-haired man.

    "AHAHAHAHA~! IT''S FUN! IT''S FUN AGAIN!"

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    Before Daniel received an answer to his question, Aaron got back up from the debris of the crumbling building with the most brilliant smile and eyes burning with excitement andughed with joy destroying even more property as heunched himself back at Zoemi.

    Erupting with concentrated star power like some sort of star-powered fireworks the boy got to the ck-haired man and unleashed a series of devastating punches at his stomach.

    "Ghhh...!"

    ...all of which hurt only him while leaving his targetpletely unphased...

 590 Chapter 200

    *WHOOOSH*

    The beloved child of Sagittarius was so focused on attacking, that he didn''t even notice the hand of the ck-haired man cutting through the air and locking his head in a w-like grip.

    "Kid. If I promise to y with youter, will you be a good boy and let the adults have a talk?"

    Zoemi asked, easily picking up the boy.

    "HEY! TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!"

    *BOOOOOOOOOM*

    "...!"

    Aaron growled in anger after realizing that he can''t pry his opponent''s fingers open no matter how much he tried ¨C as punching the wrist of the ck-haired man was also useless, the boy picked the second best option and punched himself.

    Although extremely reckless, that strategy worked and the Aaron managed to free himself.

    "...wh... why aren''t you taking me seriously...?"

    After thest exchange, Aaron''s approach to the situation shiftedpletely from the joy at the discovery of someone who could withstand his attacks, to the devastation over the fact that nothing he does phases his opponent in the slightest.

    It was the first time in Aaron''s life that he faced a hurdle like that ¨C the problem was that it wasn''t some speed bump in the road ¨C a whole mountain range appeared in front of him out of nowhere.

    ? His whole life he was told that he is someone special, a giant amongst the martial artist.

    But this fight?

    Within only a few seconds Aaron realized that it wasn''t a meeting of two giants.

    It was him, a small child, against an unmovable object.

    A pebble against a literal mountain.

    His whole world was flipped on its head.

    "Is there even a need for me too? A man who hired me asked me to not kill anyone from the Great Ram sect."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and responded in a casual voice.

    "Huh?! But I am not from the Great Ram sect!"

    Aaron gasped, getting wide-eyed, and clenched his fist.

    "Kid, are you trying to tell me you want me to kill you...?"

    "M-maybe...!"

    The ck-haired man asked, raising his brow questioningly to which the boy trembled and stuttered with no conviction in his voice.

    ---------

    "What in the world is going on?! Who is that man?! Who hired him and for what?!"

    The head of the justice magistrate growled, looking around trying to get an answer from literally anyone.

    "H-he is a member of the dark sect that we contact you about..."

    The vice-leader of the Great Ram sect gulped down his saliva and responded in a fearful tone, sweating buckets.

    "Are you insane?! If that was someone from the dark sect, do you think that our nation would still exist?!"

    Daniel red at him as if Steven was out of his mind and pointed at the ck-haired man.

    "WHO IS HE?!"

    The steel-gray-haired man roared.

    -----------

    "I came here to kill you! Stop treating me like a child!"

    Aaron''s pride was deeply hurt and his mouth run way faster than his head...

    "..."

    *WHOOOSH*

    "!!!"

    The

    light in the obsidian eyes of the ck-haired man gleamed coldly and the next moment Aaron''s head was in his grip, shocking the younger boy to the core.

    *BOOOOOOOOOOM*

    "H-huh...?! But it workedst time...?!"

    Without wasting tie on hitting his opponent, Aaron immediately punched himself to escape just as he already managed to once before...

    ...and fail...

    "You didn''t break freest time. I released you because it looked like you could hurt yourself. But since you are not a part of the Great Ram sect, said to not tea you like a child, and you dered that you came here to kill me and are ready to die..."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi lifted Aaron up to his eye level and told him in a cold, matter-of-fact voice.

    There was no threat ¨C it was simply a piece of information about the definitive fact ¨C and it was the scariest thing that the beloved child of Sagittarius experienced in his whole life.

    "Face the consequences of your own decision."

    Zoemi added and his grip tightened on Aaron''s skull.

    "N-noooooooo...!"

    It wasn''t like an iron grip ¨C it felt as if a whole mountain was pressing against his head ¨C there was no doubt or misced hope ¨C it was the end and the boy could only burst into a pitiful cry while kicking his legs in the useless struggle.

    "ZOEMI! STOP! DON''T KILL HIM!"<sub> </sub>

    At the moment when all seemed lost and Aaron''s skull was about to shatter, n stepped forward and shouted in desperation at the ck-haired man.

    "As you wish."

    Zoemi nced over at him and nodded, gently putting down the bawling boy.

    "G-grandpaaaa....!"

    Aaron cried, bawling his eyes out, and run up to the steel-gray-haired man and hid behind him, pressing his face into his back.

    "..."

    "..."

    "...you better have a good exnation for all of this..."

    As Vi and Steven were staring speechless at their child and the ck-haired man, Daniel put his hand protectively on Aaron''s back and red at them.

    "Master n, I haven''t been your attendant for nearly long enough to cause you to forget how to dress up. What''s up with those clothes?"

    Zoemi smirked and motioned with his chin at the young marital artist dressed up in the custom feminine uniform.

    "Sh-shut up! Didn''t you say that our deal is canceled?!"

    n flinched and took a step back, surprised by the warm response.

    "As per your mother''s request, I canceled my contract with a girl named Alice, haven''t I? It was pretty strange though, considering that the only deal I made was with you, master n.."

    "Huh...?"

    The ck-haired man shrugged his shoulders and exined, causing the reddish-brown-haired marital artist to freeze in ce and let out a shocked voice.

    "What? Did you think I canceled my contract with you? Even after the talk, we had outside the sect? I feel hurt. I try really hard to keep my word, you know?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and asked, gasping theatrically and covering his mouth in an exaggerated movement.

    *thump*

    "...pfft... I... you dumbass...!"

    n plopped on the ground, staring dumbfounded at Zoemi before letting out a snort and shaking his head with a warm feeling growing within his chest.

    "Alright, let''s get you to your room and put your clothes in order. I don''t want to hurt your pride, but in this arrangement, you can''t even me others for mistaking you for a girl. Up you go. I don''t know where your room is."

    The ck-haired man nodded with satisfaction and approached his employer, offering him his hand to get up while looking around the courtyard devastated by his fight with the beloved child of Sagittarius.

    "I DEMAND ANSWERS!"

    While n was getting up with Zoemi''s help, the head of the justice magistrate shouted with fury as if he was on his home turf.

    "Yeah, me too. First of all, why you are making a child kill people, you fucking pervert? If you won''te up with a satisfying answer until I will deal with my master''s wardrobe malfunction, you are the one getting beaten up."

    "...!"

    Zoemi turned around and shut him up with a single re, but then went a step further and dered, pointing his index finger at the steel-gray-haired man threateningly, making him subconsciously take a step back.

    "Hmph."

    Satisfied with the reaction, the ck-haired man nodded and moved and started walking away together with n.

    "Lw of Sagittarius!"

    Embarrassed over his own fearful action, Daniel activated his star power andunched the concentrated energy right at the back of the leaving Zoemi.

    *tsss*

    "..."

    The attack reached its target, but the energy of thew of Sagiatrius merely dissipated without dealing any damage to the ck-haired man whatsoever ¨C that said, not being harmed did not mean that Zoemi wasn''t pissed off about getting shot in the back.

    "...old pervert... If you don''t start acting like a respectable human being, I will kick your shit in so hard that it will break your teeth on its way out..."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi stopped only for a moment and just to inform the steel-gray-haired man about the consequences of his actions if he will choose to continue the annoying behavior.

    Just as Aaron up until that point never met someone so overwhelmingly stronger than him, Daniel never met anyone who respected him less than the ck-haired man.

    "Zoemi, you really shouldn''t speak like that towards the head of the justice magistrate from the Star Pagoda..."

    n grabbed onto the ck-haired man''s clothes and whispered with a worried expression.

    "He is in such an important position and still shoots people in the back? Master n, give it to me straight. Is the Heavenly Star nation extremely corrupt or something? Because that''s how things look like from my perspective."

    Zoemi shook his head in disbelief, making sure that n is shielded from any attacks that could be shot their way.

    "What?! Of course not! Mister Danel is a respectable man!"

    "...who shoots people in the back and makes his grandson attack people... I will definitely need to have you exin your definition of respect to me, master n."

    The young martial artist gasped and dered with conviction ¨C a conviction that fell t in Zoemi''s skeptical eyes.

    "About the clothes... my mother said to not alter them in any way..."

    Right before entering the right door, the young man looked back and spoke apologetically.

    "We will not do that. Not permanently at least. And we will have to change that hairstyle of death too. It''s a bit unnerving that it suits you..."

    "A... a hairstyle of death...?"

    Zoemi nodded and gave the young man a reassuring smile before pointing at the long braid of reddish brown hair resting on one of his shoulders, confusing n to no end.

    "Don''t mind me, we will change it anyway, as I said. Alright, sit down, show me to the brush andb and see the magic happens~"

    Zoemi waved his hand dismissively and after entering the room, he pointed his employer at the first seat he noticed and asked of him with a visibly increased excitement.

 591 Chapter 201

    "Zoemi, did you really n on killing Aaron even though you didn''t know that he was a powerful martial artist?"

    n asked, sitting by the bed while the ck-haired man was brushing his hair and stylizing it carefully, trying to figure out what looks the best.

    "I was attacked right after getting out of a literal cell and then got threatened with death by a star power user. If you woke up and there was a salivating monster about to bite into your neck, would you just chase it away and went about your day?"

    Zoemi asked took a deep breath and let out a long sigh while scraping thest hairstyle and starting on making dozens of small braids that would be put into arge ponytail and then curled to resemble the wool of a sheep even just a little bit.

    "You consider star power users as monsters...?"

    "Everything in thisnd is a general threat to the people of my homnd. So, yes. I guess you could say that I do."

    n asked, thinking that there will be a gasp of realization or a proper clearance that it was just a matter of speech, but instead, the ck-haired man nodded his head and admitted without ever stopping moving his hands, even for a moment.

    "If that makes you feel better, then let me tell you that I know for sure the people of my homnd, and even my homnd itself is in general more dangerous for you than all of you are for them."

    |Mana is poison, after all.|

    Zoemi exined with a little smirk, quite happy with how the hairstyle was working on the young man sitting in front of him, although he still finished the sentence only in his mind as he didn''t feel like revealing exactly where he came from.

    "If that is the case, there''s no wonder that you became so strong... Is everyone in your homnd like you then? Strong, I mean."

    n raised his brows, intrigued.

    "nning a little conquest on your own, young one? Don''t bother yourself with me and my homnd for now. Alright, hairstyle ready ¨C now for the less pleasant part... We should go back there and have a talk with the pervert."

    Zoemi''s smirk grew into a grin and he patted n''s shoulder, already moving towards the door and opening it for the young man to walk through.

    "I see... and you know? You should really not call someone so important a pervert in their face. The Great Ram sect without my grandfather is in no position to bicker with the head of the justice magistrate."

    <o>,m n rolled his eyes over the dismissive answer, before furrowing his brows and saying in a worried voice as he stood up and got up to the ck-haired man.</o>

    "If he wants respect then he should act respectable, no? What, is he inclined to be treated like an authority just by existing? If not for my clothes getting ruffled, I would not realize that I was hit, so not only he is weak, but considering that he is using children to fight his battles, I doubt he is of any reasonably good moral standing either. Let me guess, he was born into the position and did not achieve it with his own merits?"

    As the young man passed him, Zoemi closed the door ad followed after him at a close distance that would allow him to jump if his employer needed protection.

    "He is the leader of the prominent Heavenly Archer sect, and he reached the seventeenth star of thew of Sagittarius."

    n leaned back and pointed out as if that was clearing some things out, but the ck-haired man chose to be stubbornly uncooperative in that single instance...

    "Then I am just that strong, this isn''t about me. Maybe he should have worked harder on his first impression-making skill instead?"

    Zoemi scoffed and threw his hands up in a theatrical hissy-fit.

    "To his defense, he arrived here believing that he will be subjugating a dark sect member."

    Even in the potentially dangerous situation, they were in, n could not help but snicker at Zoemi''s reaction before hurriedly making sure that the ck-haired man isn''t actually angry for real.

    "And is that supposed to be my fault? I didn''t call him up on myself and was quite transparent about having no connection with any dark sect, to begin with."

    Zoemi raised his brow and asked in a slightly irked voice, barely stopping himself from saying more than just one or two bad words addressed to n''s parents.

    "I know, I know. Was your first encounter with anyone from the dark sect back in that small vige in the sea of trees?"

    "Obviously, do you think that such a small settlement could have a... Oh, you clever boy..."

    n asked lightheartedly, without even looking at the ck-haired man following, making him slip up and spew the truth that he was hiding ¨C Zoemi realized his mistake but by that point, he could only smirk and shake his head,

    "Where did you realize that Zoey was a dark sect member?"

    The ck-haired ma asked carefully observing the surroundings as they were passing to make sure that they are not being eavesdropped on. Luckily, the building seemed empty whether it was because of the inhabitants being busy with duties and training or for some other reason.

    "Right from the start. The bacsh on thew of Scorpius that he suffered was waaaaay too much for the supposed second star level that he should have been on."<sub> </sub>

    n shrugged his shoulders and stretched having one of his words extend together with his joints.

    "There is no normal way to go beyond the talent that you are bestowed at birth ¨C that''s why not everyone chooses the path of martial arts. If your path ends at the second star, it stays there. That''s it. Honestly, Zoey was either overconfident or stupid in picking thew of Scorpius to cultivate. If it was aw of Capricorn or Taurus, it would take years for anyone to notice a thing."

    The young man exined while in an excellent mood over the remark he read as apliment.

    "But he probably believed that the danger of both thew of Scorpius and the danger connected with cultivating using the spiritual energy of other human beings would be offset by his star level of thew of Aries. Once again ¨C either overconfident or a foolish assumpti..."

    n hummed stepping lightly through the hallway leading to the courtyard of the Great Ram sect, when suddenly he felt Zoemi''s hand on his shoulder and turned around wide-eyed."

    "...on...? Is... is there something wrong?"

    The young martial artist asked in hesitation, worried by the look on the ck-haired man''s face.

    "It is. Stay behind my back and do not move an inch. Activate the samews you did when hunting the Bull-ape."

    Zoemi nodded, stepping in front of the young man, straightening his back and ring in pure anger at the door out, even though they weren''t open...

    ...the door that was getting closed only at nighttime was shut even though it was still a lot of time until dusk...

    ...not to mention that the entire building was conveniently empty allowing both him and Zoemi to have afortable talk...

    "Law of Aries. Law of Virgo. Law of Taurus... Zoemi, there''s no way that...?"

    n first followed Zoemi''s instructionpletely and only then questioned it afterward when...

    *BOOOOM* x99999

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    The concentrated volley of star power ERASED the building they were about to exit from existence, and kept going until the umted power caused a spectacr explosion that shook many other structures ¨C not even just within the Great Ram sect but the city surrounding it too.

    ----------

    The head of the justice magistrate, Daniel, lowered his hand and tall the forty-eight martial artist he came with followed suit as the dustcloud their synchronized attack caused.

    "..."

    The beloved child of Sagittarius, Aaron, the only one from the group who did not partake in the attack, was standing on the side looking rather upset.

    "It is hard when a family member turns away from justice and steps onto a path of the dark sect, but you have made the right choice."

    "It''s what should have been done"

    "We believed that something can be done, but as you could see, the dark sect sent one of their most powerful members...

    Daniel said to Vi and Steven, n''s parents, who came up with some rather oundish responses.

    "Who knows, that ck-haired man could even be a vice leader or even a leader of one of the dark sects...? You might have withheld some information but considering it involved your only daughter and that you ended up revealing the truth when you realized how strong the man manipting her was, it''s all pardoned."

    The steel-gray-haired man spoke with a profound expression, speaking loud enough for the shocked members of the Great Ram''s sect who were ordered to evacuate the building shortly before it was wiped out from existence.

    The thing was, their shock actually had little to do with the destruction and more with the exchange between the vice-leader of the Great Ram sect and the leader of the Heavenly Archer sect instead.

    Because only a few minutes earlier, right after Zoemi and n left the young man''s room, Daniel was shouting at Vi and Steven.

    Many threats about the consequences of tricking the justice magistrate, putting a false dark sect member warning, and then humiliating him, the leader of the Heavenly Archer sect were brought up...

    ...until Vi came up with an excuse...

 592 Chapter 201

    The ck-haired man must have not been a mere grunt who wanted to infiltrate their sect, but one of the executives that tried to pull their daughter into the path of evil.

    With something like that being brought up, the act of the head of the justice magistrate changedpletely.

    As he was someone who dealt with the dark sect members through most of his life, Daniel knew more about them than someone like Vi for whom those evil-doers weren''t an object of interest and she would rather not know about them at all.

    That was exactly why the beautiful woman had no idea that she hit the jackpot.

    The knowledge that the executives of the dark sects are going around recruiting marital artists wasn''t well known ¨C but what

    was a deeply guarded secret was that those people did not face the bacsh of star power like the grunts did.

    Daniel knew about that because he was one of the people who were responsible for making it a secret and safekeeping it.

    The knowledge that it was possible to gain incredible strength by killing people and not facing any repercussions was deemed far too dangerous for the public to know.

    The ck-haired man''s strength suddenly got a convenient exnation and the loss that the beloved child of Sagittarius suffered from his hands was no longer so humiliating.

    There was also a clear target ¨C a big fish from the dark sect out there prime for getting rid of.

    "It is a bit disappointing though, I am not going to lie here. If I was aware of someone like him showing up, I would have brought more powerful people to capture and interrogate him, but, oh well. The most important thing is that he is no longer alive to corrupt inno-GBUGFH...!"

    *WHOOOOSH*

    *CRUNCH* *SPLAT*

    The steel-gray-haired man nodded his head, looking back towards the site of destruction ¨C just to have closing-in hand be thest thing he saw in his life as the next moment the ck-haired man that Daniel and everyone else so foolishly presumed dead crushed the older man''s head as if it was an overripe apple.

    "!!!"

    "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

    Steven backed off, too shocked to let out a sound, but when Vi noticed the brain matter smeared on her clothes, she let out a loud scream...

    *WHAM* x2 *thump* x3

    A scream was cut short by Zoemi knocking her and her husband out with a single punch each, and their bodies hit the ground at the same time that the beheaded corpse of the justice magistrate.

    "Anyone who isn''t from the Great Ram sect and still wants to live, sit down so I know not to kill you..."

    The ck-haired man straightened his back and shook off the bloody mess with pieces of steel-gray hair off and growled in a low, utterly terrifying voice.

    "...!"

    *thump*

    While he spoke, Zoemi was looking straight at the beloved child of Sagittarius, Aaron ¨C and the effect was instantaneous. Whether the boy was still scared after their fight in which he lost so thoroughly, or was it because his survival instinct kicked in in full power, Aaron sat down so fast that it was almost funny.

    ...but the situation was not humorous at all...

    "Sect leader!"

    "He killed the...!"

    "Don''t stand there like that! Surround him exterminate him!"

    Unfortunately, the other marital artists that arrived at the Great Ram sect together with the deceased man did not follow the example given by the young prodigy.

    ¡­unfortunately for them...

    The thing was, many of the marital artists that now surrounded and were attacking the ck-haired man had a higher star level in thew of Capricorn, making them faster.

    But that was exactly what Zoemi was used to.

    Basically, every single monster that tried to ambush or attack him head-on during the time he spent lost in the sea of tees, was faster than him.<sub> </sub>

    So what?

    As long as they kepting back, trying their luck, they would inevitably end up as a corpse.

    This was no different.

    "He isn''t that toug..."

    *CRUNCH*

    A martial artist scoffed, rushing behind the ck-haired man to attack him from the blind spot, getting his stomach grabbed and torn open by the insane grip of the man merely reaching his hand to the side.

    "HHHHHHHHHRGUAAAARFGHGH...!"

    "ROGE...!"

    *CRUNCH*

    Another one slipped on the intestines that fell out of hisrade and got his brain to make an emergency exit from his skull in paste form.

    "Kid."

    "...!"

    Zoemi spoke up, and even though it didn''t cause the marital artist to stop or anything, Aaron trembled while looking up at him, knowing that the words were addressed to him.

    "Close your eyes. It will only get worse."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi smirked although there was not even a trace of happiness in his eyes glowing with the power of the stars, and Aaron listened to him before he even realized it himself, not only shutting his eyes but also covering his ears with both hands.

    "Aww. He is a good kid."

    *WHAM* *crack*

    "AAAAARRRGH...!

    *CRUNCH*

    The ck-haired man smiled warmly and crushed the throat of a martial artist that broke his hand punching at his ribs.

    "Why not surrender and minimize the trauma that he will get because of today?"

    Zoemi asked, opening his hand and letting go of thepressed piece of gore that plopped to his feet, right where the bodies started to pile up.

    His offer was not received well, if anything, it made the other marital artists even more vicious.

    It was also the first recorded encounter of the martial artists from the Heavenly Star nation with a true unmovable object.

    ...and it was a messy one...

    -------

    The stealthy man in charge of surveilling the mission trembled in his hiding spot high atop the tallest building in the town ¨C the Star Market Pagoda.

    What he was witnessing was o unbelievable that he didn''t even count on his superiors to believe his reports once he would make it.

    How could they?

    The harder the martial artist from the Heavenly Archer sect was hitting the ck-haired man, the more damage they suffered themselves...!

 593 Chapter 201

    Just in the amount of time it took the observer to make notes about the marital artist that died from falling prey to the monstrous grip of the ck-haired man, two more got their arms and torsos burst open just because they used a high-levelw of Taurus on him...!

    Some people joked that the best offense is a good defense, but this was taking it to a whole other level!

    As the observer gulped his saliva, holding back nausea, some other martial artist tore his own leg off by attempting to roundhouse kick the ck-haired man''s head.

    No ¨C it was not an attempt ¨C thew of Taurus-augmented kick was executed perfectly and it connected right where it was intended to.

    Still, the result was what it was.

    The ck-haired man didn''t even budge, even his hair didn''t get ruffled ¨C but the entire leg of the kicking marital artist got turned into a bloody mess and detached from his body, making him a prime target for the unrelenting grip that ended the wounded martial artist''s suffering.

    "The explosive power... it seems on pair with the void star level, but somehow even more wild and violent... Could it be that Guide took on a human form and descended from the firmament to punish us all for trying to step out of the bounds he set for us...?"

    The observer''s hand stopped as he voiced the line he was about to write down and shuddered.

    If in the morning, someone showed him the report that he was writing now, he would have a goodugh, ridiculing it to death.

    While the man on the rooftop was having a mental crisis, the martial artists down on the ground changed their strategy.

    Closebat was clearly not working out ¨C even augmented with thew of Saggitarius energy increasing the capabilities of otherws.

    If they attacked too lightly, they got hurt by the bacsh.

    If they attacked too strongly, they died.

    If they got caught, they died.

    So instead of continuing the insanity ¨C the survivors switched to rangedbat.

    "Law if Sagittarius!"

    *BOOOOM* x 4765

    The concentrated volley of star energy pierced the air ¨C all attacks aimed perfectly, with not a single beam going astray.

    "I''ve heard of death by thousand cuts... but for it to happen, you need to be capable enough to cause a cut to your target. Give up or run away. I will not pursue."

    The ck-haired man that looked slightly worn out, not because actually getting tired but just because of his clothes getting crumpled from the star energy phasing through them,ughed.

    He took thew of Sagittarius''s attack from the thirty remaining marital artists and LAUGHED about it.

    "Guide protect us...!"

    The observer gasped, and felt faint, dropping the brush that he was writing the report with.

    The viinous smirk adorning the devilishly handsome face of the ck-haired man should not be as terrifying as it was and yet...

    The most unsettling part was that the ck-haired man seemed to be serious about giving his opponents a chance.

    He did not chase anyone. From the start of therge-scale battle ¨C or rather a one-sided ughter ¨C he did not make more than a dozen steps.

    Although it was the reason why the surviving martial artists switched to attacking from a distance, they failed to realize that they could have stopped the fight at any point by simply disengaging frombat.

    The beloved child of Sagittarius that sat down immediately after that option became avable waspletely unharmed ¨C physically, that is...

    "Don''t listen to him!"

    "Law of Sagittarius!"

    *BOOOOM* x 4765

    "HMPH!"<sub> </sub>

    The marital artist continued still, repeating the same attack ¨C the one to do something else this time around was the ck-haired man. He waved his hand at the oing beams of star power...

    *CLANG*

    *BOOOOM x42

    ...AND MANAGED TO RIQOSHETTE SOME OF THEM RIGHT BACK AT THE MARTIAL ARTIST THAT SHOT THEM OUT...!

    "GHAAAARGH...!"

    Five unfortunate marital artists hit with the returned star power died on the spot with their vitals pierced through while six more were in hardly any condition to continue the fight.

    "So it can be done like this too...? Someone''s in trouble~"

    "He is still learning?!"

    The ck-haired man murmured and his lips were read by the observer on the rooftop, gasping in disbelief.

    How was such a thing even possible ¨C that person wasn''t yet fully aware of the extent of their power?!

    Then, he waved his hand not knowing that it will return the beams?!

    Insanity...

    Pure insanity...

    "Hey, kid. Can you use thew of Aries? If yes, do it now."

    "...?!"

    "?!"

    Then the ck-haired man spoke making the beloved child of Saggitarius flinch, as well as causing the observer to realize why he originally reached out his hand...

    ...the ranged attack this time around wasn''t nearly as focused as the original volley ¨C the man wasn''t trying to attack or return the attack ¨C he was protecting

    the boy from the friendly fire...!

    "I can, but only at the first star level... Law of Aries."

    Aaron flinched and answered with hesitation, before really using the star power.

    "Perfect. Now, I''m kidnapping you~"

    "...?!"

    The ck-haired man smirked devilishly and the next moment he was already rushing back into the dustcloud the unfocused volley of thew of Sagittarius caused, carrying the young marital artist by the scruff of his clothes like a little, extremely confused kitten.

    "HUH?!"

    The part that made even the skilled observerpromise his position and call out in shock was that when the ck-haired man emerged on the other side of the duscloud he was not carrying one but two people ¨C the beloved child of Sagittarius, and a young reddish-brown-haired man wearing a carefully stylized uniform.

    "Where is he nning to go? Isn''t he slower than some of those... MEN?!"

    The observer gasped to himself, just to have his eyes bulge out when the speed of the ck-haired man increased exponentially as if he suddenly gained a few star levels in thew of Capricorn.

    "What now?! Was he holding back his real strength or was he MEDITATING WHILE FIGHTING?! WHO IS HE?! THIS... this is terrible...! This endangers every single n we have in moton...!"

    The observer gave up any pretense of secrecy and stood up, shouting after the ck-haired man who disappeared into the distance, sessfully abducting two people.

 594 Chapter 202

    "Liar! That was not the speed of someone at the sixth star of thew of Capricorn!"

    Far from the human settlements, on the side of some rarely used road, n stomped his foot in anger while Zoemi was patting the back of Aaron who was throwing up.

    "Don''t tell me that after all of that you actually are a member of the dark sect!?"

    The young man gasped, taking a step back from the ck-haired man, as his face became pale.

    "No, I''m not. It is just that during the fight I managed t achieve the first star in thew of Libra. What you experienced was the speed of the sixth star level of thew of Capricorn equalized with the supernova level of thew of Aries."

    Zoemi nced back at n, only to roll his eyes at the young man and exin before turning back to the sick boy.

    "Now, now. Everything will be alright. I imagine that getting carried like that isn''t actually veryfortable. Sorry for not being more considerate."

    The ck-haired man apologized, rubbing Aaron''s back like a doting parent ¨C or at least that one drunk friend at a party that bes worried about everyone after drinking too much.

    "How did you manage to mediate while fighting? And don''t you think that all the gore is a more likely reason for his state?"

    The slightly hesitant but almost calmed young man breathed out and motioned his head at both the ck-haired man and the vomiting boy.

    "Master n... why do you even know that there was any gore there whatsoever? I believe to have advised you to stay hidden until I make sure that the escape is possible. Did you think that blowing up an entire building was only a small mistake and they weren''t intending to kill you too just to get me?"

    Instead of answering the question directly, Zoemi looked at n from over Aaron''s back and questioned back, slightly angry.

    "..."

    n closed his mouth and backed off looking down to the side with his shoulders raised up defensively.

    "...I wanted to confirm that it was the case... Doesn''t change the fact that what you showed there was messed up... Now there is no way for you to escape the stigma of the dark sect member. Painting things that way will be the only viable way for my parents to salvage whatever is left from the honor of our sect..."

    The young martial artist stepped even further back, distancing himself from the ck-haired man.

    That... really was quite a problematic situation.

    Fleeing from the scene left everything in the hands of the remaining party ¨C which could not turn out well.

    "I am terribly sorry to remind you that in this case, there is no I, only WE. You might not want it, but you don''t have an out anymore. Not with parents like that."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi returned to patting Aaron''s back and said in an indifferent tone, causing n to flinch.

    "Even if I had left you there, you would not get away without some serious punishment. Who was that back-shooting pervert again? Head of the justice magistrate and the leader of the Heavenly Archer sect?"

    He asked as if didn''t remember everything perfectly.

    "Now that I think about it, I think I achieved thew of Libra''s first star after I got him... Hmm...Wait...!"

    With no response from n in sight, Zoemi tilted his head and considered before sensing something odd about his power.

    "...it is on the second-star level already...? Huh...? That doesn''t sound right..."

    The ck-haired man moved away from the sick boy and sat cross-legged on the ground, where he started meditating without any dy and immediately made a shocking discovery.

    "What?! How did you jump on the second star level from zero?!"

    n gasped, relieved because of the change of subject that honesty was very ufortable for him.

    "How am I supposed to know? I have barely any knowledge about spiritual energy and star power."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and scoffed without opening his eyes.

    "...it''s... it''s because you killed grandpa Daniel... He was at fifth star level of thew of Libra, after all..."

    The shocking answer came from the trembling boy still tormented by nausea.

    "Sounds like something a dark sect member would do."

    n blinked a few times before nervously ncing at Zoemi and taking yet another step back.

    "Aaron, could you exin what exactly you mean by that? I really am not a dark sect member, why would I gain star level by killing others?"

    The ck-haired man opened his eyes and stood up just to move a few steps and kneel by the trembling boy and asked in a calm voice.

    "..."

    Aaron closed his mouth, looking up fearfully at Zoemi and then ncing worriedly at n...

    ...and that seemed to be it. The boy did not reveal anything, simply looking down and staying quiet.<sub> </sub>

    "What are we supposed to do now? Unfortunately, you are probably right about me and you being marked as the dark sect members, so depending on how fast the news is spreading, we will be hunted down the moment someone from anywful sect recognizes us in any of the human settlements."

    n sighed at the silence and looked up at Zoemi, moving on to the matter at hand as there was no use crying over the spilled milk.

    "You kidnapping the beloved child of Sagittarius must have looked like a good strategy, but with him around we will be more recognizable. We can''t return him for the good-guys points because we will still get executed on the spot and, as I already said, we will be easily recognized with him around..."

    The young man continued the sigh and motioned at the curled-up boy with his chin.

    "Master n, we are not leaving Aaron."

    Zoemi scoffed shortly, shaking his head and dismissing the idea on the spot.

    "Why? He knows something about your gaining levels but doesn''t want to share it. He is not on our side. We got into so much trouble and you are telling me we should drag a potential enemy along?!"

    n rolled his eyes so much that his entire torso traced a circle and pointed out while ncing to the sides as if he already expected the martial artist potentially chasing them to start popping up.

    "Listen, it is more than certain that eventually we will get spotted anyway, why not...? Hmm?"

    Zoemi waved his hand dismissively, about to reveal his reason when suddenly he stopped with his hand up, listening in to something...

    "What? What is going on?"

    n asked, straightening his back and looking around all fidgety, worried that someone giving chase did show up already.

    <o>,m "I can hear something... it''s... it sounds like digging...?"</o>

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and turned his right ear towards the surface of the earth, furrowing his brow in confusion.

    As he said, a dozen of feet away, the ground bulged up and a moderately big molehill showed up, as the creature beneath was slowly but surely digging its way up.

    "Oh. Have you heard that? How good is your hearing?"

    n, Zoemi, and even Aaron looked at the molehill, and the young man breathed out with relief before nodding at the ck-haired man.

    "Master n, why are you so calm, that... that is huge, are you telling me you have moles the size of foxes around here?"

    Zoemi wasn''t as calm as the younger man, and asked, pointing at the mound of earth still increasing in size.

    There definitely was a big disparity between the molehill that the moles the ck-haired man knew made and the one raising up in front of his eyes.

    "Then you not only don''t know much about star powers but monsters too? This is clearly a great mole, a usually peaceful monster that eats bugs and other small creatures living underneath the ground. It doesn''t see very well, so it eats vegetables too, making it a big problem for farmers, as even a single one can ravage an entire field in no time if not discovered in a timely manner."

    n raised his brow and exined, crossing his arms, taking the role of Zoemi''s bestiary.

    "Is it actually not harmful? Most creatures from the forest looked harmless but would always turn out the opposite."

    The ck-haired man asked, cautiously moving forward, shielding both n and Aaron and taking a defensive stance.

    "Oh, this one is the opposite actually. It got these big ws on its front paws, but rarely uses them to attack as long as we will not bother it, it will not attack us."

    n assured him with a confident smirk.

    *PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS*

    "Zhhhoo...! Zzzhhhhoooo...!"

    "!!!"

    The young man said that, but when the head of the supposedly peaceful monster popped out from the earth. The moment two sets of two massive grayish-ck ws pierced the earth, a ckish smoke escaped into the air with a whistling sound, and the next moment the creature popped up seemed...

    The great mole did share some traits with the animal that Zoemi was familiar with, but was not just an upscaled version of it, although it shared the dark-brown, almost ck color with its smaller version. Its head was much bulkier and the jaw was much wider and stronger. The front paws were almostpletely covered with thick keratin carapace that was extending into shovel-like ws that were exposed to the outside world.

    "Zhooo...Zzzhhhhhoooo...!"

    Still, the one specimen that showcased itself, could not be doing well, its thick furcoat was mated and the creature was gasping for air, letting out short, spasmatic breaths and gargling noises as cloudy saliva was dripping out of its mouth.

    The bloodshot beady ckish eyes were looking around erratically, sometimes shing their whites.

    "E...! What in the world...?! Is... is it rabid?! Why does it look like this?!"

    n shivered and scuttled to the side, hiding behind Zoemi''s back and ncing nervously at the sick creature.

    "Oh, so that''s not the default look then? Good to know."

    The ck-haired man gulped down his saliva and nodded, trying to decide between just escaping or killing the monster while it was still rtively calm...

 595 Chapter 202

    "Why is it... smoking...? Did it got poisoned?"

    The young man grabbed onto Zoemi''s clothes and asked in a bothered voice, his face twisting with disgust at the sight of the drool leaving the monster''s mouth in copious amounts.

    "No idea about the smoke. It might be rabies-like you said... although it is really disturbing that not that virus exists in this world, but that monsters can catch it... Could you imagine something like the seven-limbed bear getting infected with it? How many viges would get wiped out?"

    "Zhoooo... Zzzhhhhhooooo...!"

    Zoemi took a deep breath and said without taking his eyes off of the creature that was clearly in pain.

    "Don''t say something so scary out loud! We need to kill that thing and dispose of the remains so something like that would not happen!"

    n flinched with disgust and fear and pped Zoemi''s side with an angry expression.

    "Yeah, you don''t have to say it..."

    "Zhoo... eehhhhmiiiiii...!"

    The ck-haired man''s expression turned serious and he nodded at the young man by his side ¨C but then the monster whizzed and turned directly towards him, its beady eyes focusing for the first time since its emergence.

    "...did... did it just...?"

    "ZHHHHHHHHHHHRAAAAAAAGHHHHHH...!"

    *WHOOOOO*

    n gulped down his saliva and uttered wide-eyed from disbelief, but the rabid great mole didn''t seem keen on waiting and whizzed again ¨C this time its gunt turning into a squeal of pain as its beady eyes turned bright red for a second and a raging ball of me formed within its jaws causing a continuous stream of fire to st towards the shocked marital artists.

    "HMPH!"

    Zoemi let out a scoff and lowered himself to the ground, putting his arms together and scooping out the scalding mes, blocking even a single flick from touching the two people behind him.

    The next moment the ck-haired man rushed towards the creature...

    "GAHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

    ...that stopped breathing fire and instead began squirming in frenzy ¨C the rabid great mole did not attempt to use the fire attack again and instead rushed out at the approaching man iling its ws widely like some sort of fans.

    It really didn''t seem like an attack, more like a desperate struggle instead.

    "Zzhoooeem-HURGH...!"

    *WHAM* *crack*

    The ck-haired man grabbed its paws easily, and as the beast was letting out another whiz, he kicked up with his knee at its throat, delivering a devastating hit that both crushed its throat and shattered its spine, causing the monster''s head to flop down limply, ending its suffering.

    "..."

    Zoemi raised the creature with one hand, looking at it with a grim expression, carefully examining its corpse.

    "Master n... tell me... Great moles aren''t supposed to breathe fire, are they?"

    The ck-haired man asked, even though it sounded like he already knew the answer.

    "O-of course not! What part of fire breathing does sound peaceful to you?! What in the world even was that?! That... that was like magic or something! Completely insane!"

    If Zoemi was disturbed n lost his coolpletely and started shouting, grabbing onto the shocked Aaron and shaking the already sick boy.

    "Yeah, figured out that much... its mouth and throat arepletely burnt, there''s no way that its a creature that evolved to have that ability..."

    "Zoemi... did... you know... before it died... didn''t it sound like that monster was calling out... your name...?"

    As the ck-haired man was nodding to himself, n gulped down his saliva and asked nervously unable to pull his eyes away from the limp corpse that Zoemi was holding up by one of its paws.

    "Correct. Again. That''s how it sounded like indeed."

    Zoemi nodded slowly turning the monster around as if expecting some new detail to reveal itself.

    "What does that mea... wait? Again...?"

    n gasped nervously before flinching and changing his question in confusion.

    "The ability it used. It wasn''t just like magic. It was magic. That creature used mana to produce fire. It simply must have."

    The ck-haired man cleared out what he meant.

    "Huh...? H-how do you know that...?"

    The young man hesitated and asked cautiously, subconsciously leaning closer to the boy next to him while asking the ck-haired man.

    "My clothes. They got charred but did not catch on fire. That is because there is not even a trace of mana in the air or the clothes themselves, making it impossible for the element created out of mana to spread. It could hurt me, but the moment that the monster ran out of its own mana, the heat stopped. If it was natural, I would be rolling on the ground as my clothes would be aze."<sub> </sub>

    Zoemi exined, putting the monster''s corpse down and walking towards the spot where the beast emerged from.

    The same spot from where the mysterious ck smoke erupted at the monster''s arrival.

    "..."

    The ck-haired man bit his lips, staring at the molehill, there was no longer a trace of the ck smoke there, but he kept ring at it as if thinking about something deeply.

    "Law of Libra. Law of Aries andw of Aquarius. Law of Aquarius."

    As he opened his mouth again, he used the power of his newly acquiredw of Libra to gain ess to the cleansing power of thew of Aquarius and used it immediately too.

    The star power emerged from within him, creating a sphere that spread outwards, purifying everything it touched both within and outside both the ck-haired man''s body as well as the ground.

    Still, because of the low star level of thew of Libra, the range of thew of Aquarius at Zoemi''s disposal wasn''t satisfying at all.

    "It''s... it''s good that you did that, but we still should burn that monster so no other beastes here and eats it just in case..."

    It was clear that n had many questions, but he decided to ask only the one that was the most important at the moment.

    "Were you serious about the magic fire not spreading out if there is no mana around? Howe you know about magic and mana?! Who are you really, Zoemi?!"

    ...still, the curiosity and concern were too much for the young man to just stay quiet and made him ask out loud immediately after...

    "And how in the world did that monster have mana?! Isn''t it poisonous in the first ce?!"

    n added, pointing at the monster corpse next to Zoemi''s feet.

    "Yes. Mana is poison. A least for the humans of thisnd..."

    "Huh..?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi nodded, causing n and Aaron to flinch and look at him in shock.

    "Why are you looking that shocked, master n? You literally had this on you when we first met, and you clearly fed it to the seven-limbed bear!"

    The ck-haired man scoffed at the looks he was given, and angrily pulled out the empty crystal vial that formerly hosted the mana potion that Zoemi could recognize anywhere.

    "This...!"

    n gasped and hurriedly checked his pockets even though he was in a different outfit form back then ¨C and didn''t have pockets in this one in the first ce.

    "Wait! What does that have to do with anything?! It is a bait for monsters that Zoey... that Zoey gave me... Zoemi... what exactly was inside?"

    The young man gasped and got worked up, but as he spoke he began to talk slower and slower realizing that he himself missed a few important details, and ended up changing his tonepletely.

    "Mana potion. A concoction that causes the bodies of magicians to regenerate mana at an increased rate. It is highly ineffective and is useful only for the weakest mages. It was considered a novelty item and fetched a high price for collectors, but nothing more. The question is, how did it make its way into the hands of a confirmed dark sect member?"

    Zoemi answered holding up the vial as his expression became darker and darker.

    "I don''t like where this is going.... honestly, I hate it. I hate it and I fear that my overthinking is actually just the truth."

    "Seriously, what do you mean?! And again, why do you know those things?! Who are you?!"

    The ck-haired man started to massage his forehead, slowly breathing out the air from his lungs, making n clench his fists in anger and ask in an usatory voice.

    "I am a champion of your god of stars, Guide. Someone that they selected to get rid of the demon-lord-level threat upon his world. The task which Ipleted. That I thought that Ipleted... but with how things look like, I fear that I ended up not doing a thorough enough job."

    "Wh... what...?"

    Zoemi lowered his hand and revealed, looking straight at the speechless n, and this having Aaron let out a shocked gasp.

    "I mean, this might really be just my overthinking it, with just one monster making noises that sound vaguely simr to my name... but then... why would a beast from thisnd have mana in the first ce? On the other hand... Cherro was using mana and even merged with it by the end... If it''s his influence that has caused this, how could he survive here in the first ce...?"

    The ck-haired man smiled apologetically at the tense boy and shrugged his shoulders.

    "You know, it might not be the guy I''m talking about. Despite being the strongest one around, there were plenty of messed up evil beings around my homnd."

    Zoemi breathed out and tried to make it sound less threatening andpletely failed in that regard...

    "Ah, yes, the homnd you mentioned more than a few times... Wait. You know little to nothing about the star power but you seem knowledgable about magic... You can''t actually mean that..."

    n took a deep breath trying to calm down but ended up only working himself up even more.

    "Thend of mana. More precisely, the Kingdom of Bellcephora. That''s the ce where I was born and grew up at."

    Zoemi confirmed the yet-to-be-spoken suspicion that the young man had...

 596 Chapter 203

    "You know what really bothers me? Was that monster there on purpose or was it just some really hardcore coincidence? How fast are the normal great moles?"

    Soon after dusk when the three people were sitting by the fire that Zoemi set up after they found a suitable area with materials that could be used for setting up a makeshift camp.

    "...I wish to have problems like you..."

    n looked up at him with an usatory look and scoffed.

    "And the great moles'' aren''t very fast. There was one crazy leader of the Lion''s Pride sect who actually did some research in that regard and found out that they can keep up with an average human leisurely walking speed."

    He might have been angry, but the young man ended up answering the question to the utmost of his knowledge.

    "Then as long as it wasn''t teleported in, it must have been in the area. That''s more disturbing... was my movement predicted or... or are there more beasts like that just hanging around?"

    Zoemi nodded with a solemn expression and breathed out, eyeing out the remains of the fire that he burnt the potentially diseased monster''s corpse at, a safe distance away from their current location.

    "Maybe. I don''t know. And you don''t know either, right? For the moment, the most important thing is to n out our next move. Like, do we just camp out in the wild until this disaster blows over, or do we try to hang out around the small viges without many martial artists around? We could even go and return to that lumberjacks vige we met. There was literally only one marital artist from the Raging Bull sect, right?"

    n shrugged his shoulders before rubbing his legs with both hands and straightening his back to dere with conviction.

    "Yes, it would be best if you did something like that, n. I on the other hand must look into this."

    Zoemi nodded at the young man''s words while sitting straight and staring into the crackling fire.

    "Hold on. You didn''t call me master, and did you just suggest that we should split up? Where did the WE from before go?"

    n picked up on the slight differences in the way that Zoemi addressed him and asked in a wary tone.

    "ns have changed. Completely. If the great mole from before was influenced by Cherro, the demon-lord-level threat that I thought Ipletely erased from this world, then I can''t just hang around trustworthy people and take things slowly."

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired man spoke I great seriousness, causing the young man to flinch.

    "The mana potion you got from the traitor that joined the dark sect, for whatever reason wasbeled as a monster lure. Now we encountered a monster that was using mana... The dark sects were already ears-deep into evil business, it doesn''t sound all that farfetched to me that one of them encountered the surviving strain of consciousness and is foolishly trying to use it to increase their might even more... If Cherro will find a way to resurrect... Tsk."

    Zoemi began speaking, tilting his head from side to side while biting his lips before clicking his tongue and looking to the side, greatly disturbed.

    The increasingly worse scenarios kept ying inside his head, making him anxious and adding the feeling of dread to the already enormous longing for returning to his homnd and more importantly Miriette''s side.

    ".."

    "..."

    n and Aaron looked at each other in silence.

    The beloved child of Sagittarius kept quiet and just looked away ¨C as he did since Zoemi killed the rabid monster, but the young man from the Great Ram sect couldn''t just sit there.

    "What is your n there? Don''t underestimate the martial artists from the Heavenly Archer sect, they definitely will be able to recognize you and put up a wanting poster. In case of another encounter, you will again be forced to either kill or flee from them. The problem is the more you kill the more will show up next time for revenge and in no time it will not be just the Heavenly Archer sect but the entire army of the heavenly star nation."

    The young man sighed, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on his hands.

    "Since everything I do will be risky to some degree, why shouldn''t I go for the potentially most straightforward option?"

    "That being?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders but n cut in his talk with a rather tilted expression...

    "Joining the dark sect. Having the information at its source would be the most efficient way of finding out what exactly is going on."

    "..."

    The ck-haired man exined, leaving n speechless and staring at him as if he sprouted another head.

    For someone who lived his life in awful sect, a deration like that was nothing sort ofplete idiocy.

    "Have you lost your mind?! You already killed people in self-defense, but now you want to try your hand at killing innocents or something?! It''s pure luna..."

    "They will not reach out to you in the first ce."

    n breathed out, hiding his face in his hands, before looking up and scoffing at Zoemi with a furious expression when even Aaron decided to chime in for the first time in a while.

    "Yeah! They would not... wait, what? They wouldn''t? How do you know that?"

    The young man nodded his head vigorously at the boy''s words before flinching and asking in confusion after the meaning of the words spoken had fully settled in his mind.

    "You are aplete outsider with no information on you. The first time you ever surfaced was today, killing some bigshots and running off to who-knows-where. Plus your age. If the strength you wield is taken into consideration, you are ridiculously young. Anyone from the dark sect with even half of a working brain would think that you were someone thewful sects or even the star pagoda brought up and nourished inplete secrecy to infiltrate their ranks and wipe them out from the inside."

    Aaron briefly nced over at n before looking up at Zoemi and revealing in a t voice while rubbing his hands together nervously.

    "Well... when you put it like this it does make sense... but still you are aware how important the head of the justice magistrate was, right? Would the people from the dark sect think that the star pagoda or any sect would be willing to lose someone like him just for a chance to infiltrate their ranks?"

    n breathed out again and straightened his back, carefully analyzing the situation at hand.<sub> </sub>

    "You don''t need to believe me."

    Aaron merely shrugged his shoulders and looked away...

    "...huh...?"

    Just to be faced with the ck-haired man who walked up to him and sat down by his side without the boy realizing it happen.

    "In that case, what do you think would be the best way to infiltrate their ranks? I believe that you are the most knowledgable person amongst the three of us, so I would really appreciate the help."

    "Zoemi... huh...?"

    Zoemi said with a serious expression, making Aaron bit his lips and start staring at his knees ¨C n rolled his eyes and called out to the ck-haired man with a tired expression but was silenced by a quick shake of the man''s head.

    "The dark sects will not fall for the mysterious insider strategy because it was used against them once in the past. But there is a chance of you getting picked up if..."

    Aaron took a deep breath and clenched his fists even harder before looking up at the calm ck-haired man and motioning with his head at n on his other side.

    "...if he will help. Back in the Great Ram sect, you did say that you have talent in thew of Leo, did you not?"

    The boy asked the young man.

    "I... I do. In fact, in terms of my talent in it, thew of Leo is my second best, but I didn''t focus on it too much being a member of the Great Ram sect and all. It just doesn''tpliment thew of Aries."

    n nodded his head hesitantly, raising his brow at the seemingly not-connected points.

    "If used by the dark sect member, the unstablew of Leo can extend its control over a weakened human being that''s close to dying. He alone will never manage to meet with a higher-up of any dark sect, but if you, awful sect member with a rather questionable reputation will show up at their door, the oue might bepletely different... especially if we will try to pull off the same thing with me."

    Aaron said looking around nervously, not being able to keep eye contact with either n or Zoemi.

    "After all, I was kidnapped by someone far stronger than me. Why wouldn''t I get seriously beaten up and have my mind exploited when at my weakest?"

    The boy added with a shrug and a faint smile that he hurriedly hide by lowering his head.

    Zoemi and n exchanged bothered looks.

    No matter how they looked at it, that must have been a trap, right?

    "I know of a few potential locations where the dark sect members gather as well as one entirewful sect that is suspected to have strayed from thewful path. If we go to any of those ces and sue the n I suggested, you might get what you want..."

    Aaron added, really trying to make his strategypelling.

    *Trap.*

    n made eye contact with Zoemi and mouthed silently.

    It was more than obvious that the beloved child of Sagittarius was trying to trick them and simply be put into a situation where he could escape or be saved by his own sect.

    Maybe because of his inexperience in the matter, his intentions were almost painfully obvious.

    *I know.*

    Zoemi nodded and mouthed back, making the young man breathe out in relief...

    "Sounds like a n. The best one we can use in our situation at least."

    "!!!"

    "~!"

    ...and even s, the ck-haired man ended up walking into the trap, making n flinch in shock while Aaron twitched with excitement.

    "Yes! I''m sure we can make it happen! But we will have to disguise ourselves a bit ¨C almost every ce I talked about is being watched by the observers from the Star Pagoda, we cannot be reckless!"

    "..."

    The boy perked up and eximed with enough excitement to make n stare daggers at Zoemi for doing something so obviously stupid.

    "Then our first destination should be some vige or small town where we could get clothes and hopefully some dyes as well. It is surprising how rare thepletely ck hair is around those parts."

    Zoemi responded with a bright smile that fooled Aaronpletely.

    "Should we really be drastically changing our looks? We do want at least me to be recognized, right?"

    n graned but ended up making a follow-up to the ck-haired man''s show.

    "True... how much are you attached to your long hair?"

    "You don''t mean...!"

    Zoemi nodded at the young man''s words and asked, squinting his eyes at the reddish-broen hair he styled himself, to which n gasped trying as much protectively as unsucessfully to hide the mass of hair with both hands.

 597 Chapter 203

    "I get a feeling we are overdoing things. Like, by a lot."

    n said with a mixed expression, carefully examining his hair that turned from sheep-like puffiness into the wild lion''s mane. As for the clothes, the stylized uniform that was forced upon him by his mother was changed to the simple martial artist uniform although the feminine uniform did find some more use to make the clothes stand out more the floaty shawl was rolled up and turned into an extravagant belt.

    His hairstyle and wardrobe wasn''t the only thing bothering him though.

    In his hand, he held two leashes both connected to the cors adorned by both Zoemi and Aaron.

    Cors as in dog cors.

    "I thought we were supposed to keep a low profile ¨C and the opposite will happen if anyone sees us like this... people might get ideas about us..."

    n let out an uneasy voice and shook the leashes before ncing at Zoemi and hurriedly looking away blushing.

    The ck-haired man himself changed his own hairstyle too ¨C his hair was naturally wavy but now he curled it as much as the length allowed and settled on some tasteful highlights here and there to make it look lighter than it really was. He pondered about it a lot but in the end, he left the short stubble even though normally he would clean shave his face.

    As for his clothes ¨C well, although Zoemi himself could recall it clearly, there was almost no one who remembered him looking that disheveled ¨C and all who did were in apletely different part of the world. Aaron went on ahead and intentionally messed with the same basic martial artist uniform that n got. All in all, it got him really savage vibes, but that was exactly the point.

    As for the youngest member of the trio and the n''s creator, after getting his hair dyed brown by Zoemi he clearly wanted to go for the same kind of look that the ck-haired man had but in his case the strategically torn-up uniform merely made him look like a child that forgot themselves and yed outside WAY too much.

    "In our case, maybe more is less. I mean, who with a rational bone in their body would ever think that we would be parading outside literally trying to be seen instead of holing up in our dark sect''sir?"

    "Yeah, exactly! That is what I thought too!"

    The ck-haired man tilted his head and pointed out ¨C to which Aaron joined in immediately nodding his head vigorously...

    To which Zoemi and n exchanged bothered nces.

    There was no doubt about it, Aaron was nning something, and that one wasn''t even Zoemi overthinking it but a simple in truth. The question was, what exactly he was nning?

    Beforehand the young man had already assured the ck-haired man that he knew about the location of the Heavenly Archer sect and most of their cities and viges, so if the overly eager boy would try to lead them there, he would drop all pretense.

    For the time being though, both the vige they bought their change supplies and the town that was their destination were safe from the surplus of the Heavenly Archer sect''s members.

    Quite opposite really, both were within the Raging Bull sect''s territory, and apparently the two sects did not like each other very much as not only they represented two types ofbat ¨C ranged and mele ¨C but some people were pushing the idea that the augmentation that thew of Sagittarius gives the body of its user is better and more useful than the increase in strength granted by thew of Taurus.

    "With our disguisesplete, it''s time for us to go! The town where suspicious individuals were reported talking about recruiting people into the dark sect is just a few hours away, we should get there before dusk, maybe even faster if Zoemi will carry us like before!"

    Aaron bounced up all hyped up, making himself look like an overexcited small dog.

    "Sure, it would make sense that someone having two martial artists on a leash would use at least one of them as a transportation method. Now, if you''ll excuse me..."

    Zoemi nodded, seamlessly lowering himself and cing both n and Aaron on his shoulders before dashing toward the beforementioned direction.

    "Law of Aries!"

    "Lw of Aries...!"

    Both of his passengers, although baffled at first, managed to activate the defensive star power before adjusting their position to face the wind.

    "Hold on...! Zoemi, you didn''t activate anyws yourself! How are you doing this?!"

    After taking a moment to adjust, n gasped in realization and leaned down to ask the ck-haired man.

    "It''s just like with spells, you focus enough on your training, you don''t need any incantation. The only difference is that instead of forcing mana to move to my will I simply ignite my soul."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders together with the people atop them, not taking his eyes off the path he took.

    "What is that supposed to mean?! How can you ignite your soul without calling out on the star power''s name?"<sub> </sub>

    "It sounds like you are hiding something, Zoemi."

    Although the ck-haired man told the truth, his passengers didn''t quite believe him...

    "You got me. The truth is I never deactivate the star powers. I''m doing extreme endurance training because I want to return to my homnd where mana is literally everywhere so I would have to have thew of Aries constantly active."

    Zoemi wasn''t in the mood to repeat himself so he just came up with a random excuse that seemed to be more in line with how the world worked for n and Aaron.

    "That''s also impossible though! Just like with meditation and cultivation, if you keep the star power active for too long, your body will overheat. The ignition of a soul can be literal, you know?"

    n rolled his eyes and had to hold onto Zoemi''s head to keep his bnce, but even so, he managed to point out why the new exnation could not bepletely true.

    "Oh, that part I know. I pissed off the water dragon by unintentionally starting a few fires in the forest at the beginning of my stay in thisnd."

    "You... wait, what? Water dragon? What are you talking about?!"

    The young man gasped as his eyes widened at the unexpected information.

    "A boss monster for the part of the forest by the sea. Don''t worry, I didn''t kill him. Although I didn''t know about boss monsters back then, he was such an interesting creature that I only pped him around a bit until he calmed down and then let him go."

    "You... What?! Wait, no. You are making it all up, aren''t you? I know that you were lost in the sea of trees before, but there''s no way that you actually fought with the lord monster!"

    n shook his head, having a hard timeprehending everything that the ck-haired man was saying.

    "The forest in question is the sea of trees? Then of course he is lying ¨C none of the numerous expeditions sent to explore the sea of trees have ever reached its end, and there is no information about the ocean. That''s what I''ve been taught by the Heavenly Archer sect."

    Aaron leaned closer too and joined the conversation while making an important expression.

    "Cool. The thing is, I did not want to explore anything. I was literally sent to the edge of the forest by your god, Guide, with not a single word of advice or even a direction. Any of which would be helpful and weed as they would allow shortening the year and a half of me beingpletely lost."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders once more, responding to the boy''s words, before ncing over at the grumpy n.

    "Also, no, the water dragon is not the ruler of the forest. None of the dragons are, though I bet they are ttered about how much you are cheering them on. Unfortunately, they have no chance against the real ruler of the forest."

    "...?"

    Zoemi''s next words confused the grumpiness straight out of the reddish-brown-haired man, making him stare nkly at the ck-haired man''s head as he jumped over and terrified a stray monster.

    "So... just in case, are you using thew of Libra right now to enhance yourw of Capricorn?"

    Aaron raised his brows and changed the subject, clearly not believing a word that left Zoemi''s mouth.

    "Not really..."

    The ck-haired man replied with two words.

    This time it wasn''t that he was bored with the conversation, instead, his attention was taken by a vige that they were approaching and would soon pass.

    It was not their destination by a long shot, but there was something different about that particr settlement.

    Mainly, there was a makeshift wall protecting it made out of what looked like everything that the vigers had to spare ¨C tables, chairs, benches, old carts, and so on.

    Despite having monsters live nearby, walls and such were a rare sight ¨C normally the overseeing marital artist would patrol the area and take care of the danger, and if they cked off, the duty would be passed on to hunters if there were any.

    The thing was ¨C the vige surrounded by the makeshift barrier did have a marital artist ¨C a beaten up, severely wounded person with both hands seemingly broken was standing atop the roof of a barn and looking in the direction that the trio was already going towards.

    Not only that, there were some vigers by the wall too, everyone looking tense.

 598 Chapter 204

    "I wonder what all of that is about...?"

    n noticed what Zoemi was looking at and voiced the question that was bothering the ck-haired man too.

    "Whatever they are dealing with, it''s the Raging Bull sect territory and they should be the ones to..."

    "AAAAWWOOOOOOOO!"

    Aaron scoffed with the expression of someone thinking they are superior, but his sentence was interrupted by a roar of a monster.

    And not any monster either.

    The creature that suddenly charged out of the nearby forest was a massive wolf-like monster whose entire body was covered by stone armor, making it look almost like an animal earth golem.

    "WHAT IS THAT?!"

    "Why is it covered in stones?!"

    "..."

    n''s shout of shock as well as Aaron''s confused gasp was good enough confirmation of Zoemi''s suspicion.

    The ck-haired man didn''t even need to see the ckish mist that the wolf monster was breathing out to know that it was using magic.

    Luckily for it, it wasn''t the self-destructive spell like the fire breath the unfortunate great mole used, but what was a good thing for the monster, certainly wasn''t good for humans ¨C especially the citizens of the Heavenly Star nation.

    "Brace yourselves for a tiny detour."

    Zoemi dered, shifting to the side, beelining it to the magic-using monster.

    "What?! But...!"

    "I am not asking. I am informing."

    Aaron tried to protest, but the ck-haired man had none of it.

    *WHOOOSH*

    Zoemi''s speed increased dramatically, causing his passengers to cling to him to keep their bnce.

    "AAAAAWOO...?! ZHOOOEEEEMIIIII...!"

    The armored wolf monster was mid-howl when it spotted the rapidly approaching man and immediately attempted to say his name ¨C which of course did not work out so well considering its mouth wasn''t meant for human speech.

    "HEY! RUN AWAY! THERE''S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT THING!"

    The monster wasn''t the only one to notice Zoem''s approach ¨C the wounded marital artist did too, and called out at the top of his lungs to warn him.

    "..."

    Zoemi did not respond to the friendly call at all, instead using thew of Capricorn to get himself footholds in the thin air, gaining altitude over the monster.

    "ZHHHHHOOOOO-EEEEEE-MMIIIII...!"

    ...the monster barked out, following his movement with its bloodshot eyes and making its stone armor turn spiky, undoubtedly for the increase in the raming power.

    Still, despite immensely increased defense, the bulk and weight of the armor cost the creature its ability to jump and nimbly change directions, making its movement pattern predictable.

    "GHAAA?!"

    "HUUUH?!"

    That said, all of a sudden Zoemi''s foot seemed to miss the next foothold and the ck-haired man dropped down like a rock, causing n and Aaron to cry out in shock as their descent toward the danger began.

    "ZHHHHOOO-ghyaw...!"

    *CRUNCH*

    The monster opened its jaws again, trying to call out the ck-haired man''s name for the third time, but this time Zoemi''s foot met its armored head, tearing it off cleanly and turning it into a mushy mess of blood and mud within a heartbeat.

    As if it was nothing special.

    "IT WAS DISEASED! USE THE LAW OF AQUARIUS ON THE CORPSE BEFORE BURNING IT OR MORE CREATURES LIKE THIS MIGHT SHOW UP!"

    Zoemi jumped over the headless body that run for a few more steps before tripping on its own paws and tumbling to a stop a dozen feet further...

    "...wha...?"

    ...which caused the wounded marital artist to falter and gasp dumbfounded trying toprehend what in the world he just witnessed.

    "Yeah... so two out of two monsters using magic are calling out my name upon seeing me. I certainly don''t like this trend. I hate being right in situations like this."

    Zoemi scoffed in annoyance, striking a wlessnding and continuing his run as if nothing happened.

    "How did you do that!? Did you use thew of Libra to get aces to thew of Taurus?!"

    Despite not believing him earlier, Aaron let out a shocked voice, asking the ck-haired man while staring at the monster corpse they left behind.

    "Not at all. If anything I deactivated thew of Libra and just took it out with just thew of Aries."

    Zoemi shook his head and exined with a smirk.

    "...this is insanity...!"

    "You''ll get used to it."

    Aaron breathed out in shock to which n shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head with an awkward smile.

    "Hey, it''s not my fault that none of you martial artists believes me when I say that myw of Aries is on a supernova level."

    Zoemi pointed out rushing through the grass to clean his shoe from the residue of the monster''s brain, blood, and fur.

    "Law of Aries only has six stars..."

    "Whatever you say."

    n sighed and repeated the same thing he would always say whenever the supernova level was mentioned by Zoemi, and the ck-haired man simply nodded his headpletely unbothered by the stubbornck of trust.<sub> </sub>

    Still, the rest of their travel went on without meeting another ck-mist-infused monster using magic, and the trio entered the town just on the edge of the Raging Bull sect''s territory.

    A single tall man that was not oundishly buff but still was able to easily carry two people on his shoulders got a lot of attention.

    And then even more after the dog cor and the attached leash were noticed...

    "Well then. Where exactly the people talking about recruiting others into the dark sect were seen?"

    n, not really used to attract that much attention, lowered his gaze bashfully and leaned closer towards Zoemi''s head to ask Aaron perched on the other shoulder.

    "Local tavern, but the people n question showed up only after dark, because of Zoemi''s speed, we still have some time.."

    Aaron took a deep breath and responded, looking around cautiously as if searching for something.

    "Good evening, good sir..."

    "UWAAAAH?!"

    As that happened on an elevated level, Zoemi literally reached out his hand to the side and grabbed a random passerby, and lifted him up to his eye level as if the other man was merely a puppet, causing the poor man to cry out in shock.

    "My master is tired after a long journey, perchance you would be so kind and point us in the direction of the nearest tavern?"

    The ck-haired man asked with a viinous smirk while Aaron, n, and the unfortunate townsperson were left speechless.

    "Please?"

    Zoemi added, moving the man in his hand''s reach and then winding up his other fist for a hit.

    "OI! Leave him alone! Law of Taurus!"

    Before the man could even utter a terrified sound, someone else shouted and inserted themselves into the conversation quite explosively, to say the least.

    The new person turned out to be an overeager marital artist whose uniform bore striking resemnce to the one that Seth was wearing, making Zoemi assume that this one was the member of the Raging Bull sect in charge of the settlement.

    *BOOOOM*

    The marital artist rared the name of thew they used andunched themselves at Zoemi, who didn''t even look their way...

    *WHAM* *crack*

    The punch aimed at Zoemi''s side made a great impact and a sonorous sound...

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHH!"

    ...when the martial artist splendidly shattered every single bone in their arm on the ck-haired man''s body and bounced off of himnding on his back under Zoemi''s feet, screaming his lungs off.

    "Shut up, there''s a need for only one town''s guide."

    *CRUNCH*

    *SMASH*

    Zoemi scoffed in annoyance, lifting one leg slightly before putting it down on the martial artist''s knee, breaking it so hard that the entire person was lifted up and mmed their face on the ck-haired man''s previously prepared fist.

    *thump*

    As the martial artist''s face turned into a bloody mush with their nose crushed as a tomato and teeth smashed into pieces, the unfortunate fellow dropped back to the ground with a surprisingly soft sound, luckily losing consciousness before the sensation of the new wave of pain registered in their brain.

    "Now, where were we?"

    "THE TAVERN! YES! YES, OF COURSE, I-I WILL LEAD YOU THERE STRAIGHT AWAY!"

    The townsperson in Zoemi''s grasp who had the VIP seat for the utter destruction of the marital artist in charge of their town regained his speech and became unbelievably helpful within a heartbeat as the ck-haired man greeted him with a refreshing smile, as only a few drops of blood sprinkled onto his face...

    "You heard that, master? Worry not, you will be able to have a proper rest. I imagine my shoulder isn''t veryfortable. Especially with all that shaking and whatnot~"

    "G-good..."

    Zoemi nodded at the man and nced up at the ghastly pale n who managed to muster only a one-word response as he did not trust his own voice.

    On their way to the town, Zoemi did say that he will act rather wild, but this...

    n and Aaron both realized far toote that they should have inquired the ck-haired man about his exact definition of the wild behavior.

    Because if they knew what he had in store, they would definitely try to stop him.

    "I-if you put me down I will..."

    "No."

    The terrified man said nervously but was interrupted by the happiest refusal that he received in his life.

    "Huh...? Wh... Then, h-how am I supposed ¡­?"

    "Point. I will carry you until we get there."

    The man gasped and fidgeted in confusion to which Zoemi responded in the most carefree way possible.

    That was a bit too much for at least one of his passengers though...

    "Z-Zoemi... B-behave..."

    n ended up tugging on the leash attached to Zoemi''s cor and murmured timidly while blushing.

    "As you wish."

    The ck-haired man adjusted his behavior immediately and released the captured townsperson.

    "With my master''s benevolence, you have the freedom of movement. Better use it to guide us, or else..."

    "F-follow me...!"

    Zoemi smiled at the trembling man, although by the end of the sentence his smile dimmed, which prompted the man to tense ups and hurriedly move in the opposite direction he was going before getting caught and bowing his head repeatedly.

 599 Chapter 204

    "...I... I know that showing off was my idea, but... isn''t this a bit too much...?"

    Aaron gulped down his saliva and whispered, leaning down to Zoemi''s ear.

    The boy was also the one to suffer the brunt of the ssh zone, having his clothes stained with the blood of the poor marital artist that did not know who are they going against.

    "We want to attract people recruiting others into the dark sect. Being ruthless should be the requirement, don''t you think? At least that''s how I understood the information we had on them."

    The ck-haired man made an indifferent expression and followed the panicking man at a brisk pace.

    "Just in case... do any of you have money to actually buy something in the tavern or should I...?"

    "I have the money! You can stay put from now on!"

    Zoemi whispered inconspicuously, to which n hissed at him,

    smacking his side with his heel.

    "As you wish. Just watch out for that leash. Remember to not actually try to pull me away, because then it will snap."

    The ck-haired man agreed without a dy and reminded the young man while flicking the thin stipe of pressed leather with his fingers.

    n and Aaron''s feet touched the ground only at the tavern''s door and only because t would be way too awkward for Zoemi to enter the establishment with the two of them sitting on his shoulders.

    The person guiding them ran off as soon as the ck-haired man stopped paying attention to him, but that was not important ¨C he fulfilled his purpose and henceforth became obsolete.

    "A table for three, please."

    "...?"

    As they entered, the ck-haired man took lead once again and called out to the barkeeper, who raised his brows at the peculiar clients.

    Zoemi acted as if the ce was some high-end establishment with a reservation required, while in truth it was merely a small town inn where everyone would sit wherever they liked as long as the spot was free.

    "By that I mean we want a table for just the three of..."

    "Zoemi, enough!"

    The ck-haired man smiled maliciously and stepped towards the confused barkeeper who was still blissfully unaware about who was he dealing with ¨C but this time Zoemi was immediately stopped by the sharp tug on his leash enforced by n.

    "..as you wish, master..."

    Zoemi nced back at him and breathed out seemingly pissed off, even though that was merely an act.

    "We would like to order some food and drinks, what do you have to offer?"

    Slightly relieved about thecent behavior of the ck-haired man, n took the lead, holding Zoemi''s and Aaron''s ashes short, and asked the barkeeper who only then noticed the dog cors and the setup that the trio presented.

    "...yeah... so today we have..."

    Although clearly weird, clients were clients, and seeing the ready-to-bust purse that the young man pulled out of his clothes made the initially hesitant man be more weing...

    ---------

    After the meal, the trio stayed at the table and observed the other patronsing in and out of the tavern.

    "..."

    In particr, Aaron seemed to be the most impatient one, as his leg was bouncing up and down in a nervous movement as he was staring at the door barely blinking.

    "...do you want to make a bet...?"

    "...what kind of bet...?"

    Zoemi and n could not have ignored the poor self-control on the side of their youngestpanion, and the ck-haired man whispered conspicuously to the reddish-brown-haired man who responded curiously, also whispering.

    "...if you win, I will fulfill one wish ¨C any wish ¨C as long as it''s within my power..."

    "...and if I lose..?"

    The ck-haired man smirked devilishly, making the younger man be flustered.

    "...you are considering losing? Oh well, we can make it equal ¨C if I win then you will be the one to fulfill my wish if it will be within your power..."

    Zoemi snickered but then his expression softened and he suggested without batting an eye.

    n had to consider things for a few seconds, before squinting his eyes and staring at Zoemi with suspicion.

    "...what are we betting on...?"

    It turned out he was not opposed even with the variable stakes that could be nothing special to basically everything within their possession.

    "...is our young friend who seems to be thinking that he is outsmarting us actually waiting on the dark sect''s recruiters that he talked about, or is he waiting for the reinforcements from his sect? Maybe a step further and warriors from the Star Pagoda will show up in bulk to avenge the head of the justice magistrate...? The bet is who of the three parties will show up."

    Zoemi tilted his head to the side and pointed at Aaron with his chin before shrugging his shoulders as if thest two options he mentioned weren''t utterly terrifying.

    "...if he is waiting for thetter, then he underestimates the distance between the Star Pagoda and this town. Even if the Heavenly Archer sect''s observers had thew of Pisces and our location was revealed, it would be impossible for either the Heavenly Archer sect or the Star Pagoda warriors to show up here unless they were conveniently stationed nearby..."<sub> </sub>

    n furrowed his brows and began exining his thought process in a hushed voice.

    "...then, you are thinking that the dark sect''s recruiters will be the ones to grace us with their presence instead of the other ones..."

    "... hey, don''t put words into my mouth...!"

    The ck-haired man smiled and raised his brow, to which the young man turned the other way fuming.

    "...then...?"

    Zoemi rolled his eyes before leaning closer to n and inquiring.

    "...someone from the Heavenly Archer''s sect will show up, but not in bulk. Only a few martial artists will arrive, maybe fewer... The next day though... It''s when we can expect both Heavenly Archer sect AND Star Pagoda mustering more forces to take us down..."

    The young man breathed out and dered, not sounding very enthusiastic about the prospect he himself came up with.

    "Oh-ho! Quite an insightful guess I would say. As for me, I am betting that either someone from the Raging Bull sect or the Great Ram sect will pay us a visit instead."

    "Huh?! When was that an option?!"

    Zoemi''s devilish smirk returned on his face as he announced, straightening his back and leaning into his seat, causing n to flinch and raise his voice in anger.

    "Why are both of you so noisy...?"

    As their talk stopped being only an exchange of whispers and reached the volume of a heated quarrel, Aaron looked away from the door and looked at them as if they were embarrassing him.

    "Sh-shut up! Grown-up things!"

    "Ugh...!"

    n''s face turned red and he shushed the boy while pulling onto the leash attached to his cor, making Aaron let out an ufortable voice while being tugged sharply towards the table.

    "Grown-up things...? Alright... what were you going to have me do if you would win...?"

    Zoemi only nced over at Aaron, focusing more on n and especially on what he had said...

    "N-nothin...!"

    "THE VILLAIN THAT SAVAGELY ATTACKS OUR SECT MEMBER! COME OUT WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE OR WE WILL DRAG YOU OUT!"

    The young man flinched and gasped, gettingpletely red in the face ¨C but thankfully for him, someone began shouting shockingly loudly from the outside,pletely drawing out his response and taking all the attention away from him.

    The tavern wasn''t empty and every single patron was staring in disbelief between the group of travelers amongst whom the target of the shouting must have been a part of, and the entrance of the tavern.

    Everyone waited for the reaction.

    Will someone from the group stand up ande out, or will the members of the Raging Bull sect barge in first?

    "Owner. Go and tell the annoying fellow that if he wants to talk, then he needs toe in..."

    Zoemi sighed and waved his hand at the bartender, whose eyes be wide like saucers.

    "...because if I will be forced to leave this building, he and whoever he came here with will need an eight star levelw of Virgo user ¨C at least ¨C to be able to walk again."

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired man added as his face lost any trace of kindness and his re became so piercing that it sent chills down the spine of anyone unfortunate enough to witness it.

    "..."

    Still, the bartender did not budge, frozen in ce, ncing nervously at the door.

    At least he did not request Zoemi and the other two to leave, because that would be a whole lot more dangerous for him...

    *thump*

    "Alright! You had the chance to leave on your own two feet!"

    Either way, it turned out that the loud person outside was not a patient type, and barged into the tavern the very next moment.

    The person in question turned out to be a rather spunky-looking youngster that seemed to be only slightly younger than n.

    The Raging Bull sect uniform was a given, but the pompadour hairstyle that the blond-haired marital artist was rocking definitely made Zoemi do a double take because of the shock.

    "You! The ck-sheep-looking guy! You''re the one I''m looking for, aren''t you?!"

    The delinquent-like martial artist looked around before locating Zoemi and shouting while pointing his index finger at the ck-haired man.

    "Nope. You got the wrong guy, sorry."

    Zoemi merely scoffed and shook his head, having a hard time stopping himself fromughing at the image that he never expected to see in that world.

    "HUH?! No! It must be you!"

    The pompadour-rocking marital artist shouted, stomping his foot in anger before shaking his head and dering.

 600 Chapter 205

    "Nah. You are looking for someone who savagely attacked one of your fellow sect members. I merely acted in self-defense after being jumped at while asking for directions."

    The ck-haired man shamelessly dismissed the im by literally admitting to the deed as if it was the most normal thing to do.

    "Bullshit! I bet you are somehow involved in the disappearance of the monsters from the area!"

    *WHAM*

    The pompadour-rocking marital artist scoffed, stepping towards the table where the trio was seated and mming his fist against it while adding some new usations to the list to make it sound more valid.

    He did not activate anyws because otherwise, the furniture would end up in splinters, so even though he was trying to scare the others, he didn''t seem to actively seek a fight.

    "Besides, Emilia would have not done such a thing, not without a reason! And even if she did, how could you do something like that to a girl?!"

    The martial artist raised his voice in anger returning to his main point of interest, to which both n and Aaron looked over at the ck-haired man curious about his response this time.

    "Ie from a differentnd. Back there, we, the knights, do not differentiate opponents by gender. An attacker is an attacker, and they will receive as much respect as they give."

    Zoemi took a deep breath and repeated almost word-by-word the answer that one of the instructors of the knight training gave to the certain gold-haired prince a couple of years back.

    Honestly, it was quite rude for Zoemi to say that. In the end, objectively speaking he was the one in the wrong in that situation.

    "...!"

    Nheless, the answer given seemed to shake up the pompadour-rocking martial artist...

    "...?"

    So much that he took a step back... and noticed the whole get-up that the ck-haired man was sporting.

    "...what''s with the cor and all...?"

    The martial artist asked in confusion before looking at the young man to whom the leashes of both Aaron and Zoemi lead.

    "Am... am I supposed to talk to you about this whole thing...?"

    The martial artist asked in a hesitant voice, clearly feeling very awkward about the scene he stepped into.

    "Would be nice if it was true. Despite looking like a herbivore, this pet of mine is quite bloodthirsty and free-spirited. I wish that I could discipline him, but his talent in thew of Aries is terrifying, honestly. I can make him say that he is sorry if that will help. I will not do anything more though, or I might end up as his next prey."

    Although he flinched at first, n took a page from Zoemi''s book and leaned back, speaking in a proud, confident voice that was quite convincing ¨C all while ying with the leash attached to Zoemi''s cor.

    "It could have been the case if you had won the bet, master, ~"

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired man''s face lighted up with a devilish smirk as he faced the young man, which caused the pompadour-rocking marital artist to back off wide-eyed.

    Aaron was left alone for the spectacle for obvious reasons, but the aura surrounding the two became extremely dangerous ¨C in more ways than one...

    "Any other questions? If not, you are free to leave. Wish that Emilia of yours a fast recovery on my behalf and have a nice day."

    Zoemi turned back to the martial artist and waved his hand at him dismissively as if every single problem he had been graciously solved.

    "What?! Did you even listen to...? Argh! Who cares! Everyone! He is hostile! Law of Taurus!"

    The pompadour-rocking man was so taken aback that he ended up calling out outside to whateverpanions he came to the tavern with and activated his own star power...

    ---------

    "No one wanting to recruit us into a dark sect has ever shown up, huh...? Should we spend the night here and then go to the next location the next day?"

    As the shadows of nine bodies embedded into the wall of the tavern by their heads were bing longer, Zoemi yawned with a bored expression and motioned at Aaron and n with his chin.

    "...did you arrange them into a Taurus constetion on purpose or...?"

    The young reddish-brown-haired man who did not pay attention to Zoemi''s words at all and instead was staring at the result of thepletely one-sided battle asked gulping down his saliva.

    "They had the perfect numbers, I just used the chance to be a little bit cheeky."

    The ck-haired man smirked, patting n''s back reassuringly.

    "Then are we staying the night here or not?"

    "Wait, what?! Here?!"

    Zoemi breathed out and asked again, having n looking at him now and all, but as it turns out the young man seemed to have a problem with reentering the establishment the outside wall was adorned with human ornaments.

    "Yes, is that a problem? Aaron, what do you think?"

    The ck-haired man shrugged his shoulders, failing to see the problem with the course that he set on.

    "Zoemi, n, let''s go."

    Aaron also didn''t really seem to pay attention, at least judging by the fact that he was facing the other way, then he suddenlypletely turned and started walking down the street, waving his hand at the other two to follow him.<sub> </sub>

    "Hngh...!"

    "Whoa?!"

    ...at least he tried, because the leash firmly attached to his cor stopped him right on the track, as he forgot about its existence and unintentionally choked himself a bit while surprising n.

    "Are you alright? What it is about?"

    The young man approached him and asked in a worried voice while the embarrassed boy was rubbing the sore spot on his neck.

    "Ghe...! Ghe...! I saw someone from... Ghe...! From the dark sect. We should follow him."

    Aaron coughed a few times, all teary-eyed, before discretely motioning his hand towards one of the small alleys in between the otherwise connected buildings.

    <o>,m "Huh? You saw someone from the... but how do you know it''s...?"</o>

    "Master, it''s no time to sweat the small stuff. Our target might get away."

    n furrowed his brows, indiscreetly looking in the pointed direction, but the doubts that he was about to voice were cut short by Zoemi approaching them and urging forward by pushing on the backs of both the young man and boy.

    n sent him a scowl but the ck-haired man closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head.

    Zoemi didn''t trust Aaron, but something in the boy''s behavior changed. The previous impatience and jumpiness were no more, reced by tenseness and surprise.

    Just as if something that the beloved child of Sagittarius did not anticipate happened, making him change whatever n he had.

    Aaron nced at them and nodded, before moving forward again, and this time Zoemi and n both followed without any mishaps.

    The townspeople were separated into two groups ¨C the ones that saw or heard what happened and stayed away from the trio as far as possible, and the ones who were simply not aware of their strength but who were bothered by their looks enough to get out of their way just in case.

    The small alley was even tighter than anticipated, and although Aaron and n had little problems with moving through, Zoemi had to walk sideways unless he wanted to start breaking the buildings with his ridiculously sturdy body.

    "Are you sure we are not walking into a trap...?"

    n breathed out, asking the boy at the front.

    "I am not. Activate the defensive star power just in case. That person should not be here and I don''t know what is going on. Law of Aries. Law of Sagittarius"

    Aaron shook his head and responded without looking back, focused on the pathway, doing his best to catch even a glimpse of the target that had to pass through the same ce they were at right then. He even activated his strongest star power to get ess to the boost in abilities that it provided.

    "..w of Aries,w of Virgo..."

    n exchanged nces full of suspicion with Zoemi and murmured the names of the defensivews.

    As for the ck-haired man ¨C he already had star powers active after dealing with the pompadour-rocking martial artist and his friends, so the only thing left to do was to follow the other two.

    "!!! Law of Capricorn!"

    *WHOOOSH*

    "AH! No! Aaron!"

    Then, a human figure passed by the other side of the alley, and Aaronflinched before running off so suddenly that n dropped his leash and caused him to cry out.

    But the boy did not listen at all, charging after the figure.

    "Zoemi...!"

    n looked back at the ck-haired man helplessly, about to tell him it would be best to retreat because it MUST have been a trap...

    "Now then."

    "...huh...?"

    *RUMBLE*

    But the ck-haired man had another idea and with a devilish smirk on his face, he went ahead grabbing the young man''s waist, and charged forward, bulldozing through the bricks of the buildings on both sides so easily as if they were made out of foam.

    "!!!"

    n clenched his teeth, trying to hold back the panic, and just put his arms in front of his face to protect his head just in case.

    The two of them burst onto an empty square of a courtyard-like passage that was very clearly an oversight on the architect''s part as there were no doors or even windows in the surrounding buildings to ess it...

    Surprisingly, Aaron was there too, looking between two passages where the person he was following could have gone to.

    "DAD! WAIT!"

    "!!!"

    Shocking them even more, the boy teared up, clenching his fists nervously, and cried out like a lost child.

 601 Chapter 205

    "You heard that?! He IS leading us to the Heavenly Archer sect''s ambush!"

    "..."

    n groaned covering his eyes with one hand, but Zoemi only squinted his eyes in suspicion.

    "Wha...?"

    The next moment he was already by the boy, locking his arm in a vice- grip-like grip, causing him to flinch and let out a whimper.

    "NO! LET ME GO! IT''S MY DAD! I KNOW IT! LET ME GO!"

    After an attempt to tug his hand free, Aaron barely hold himself back from bursting into tears and started screaming while iling wildly...

    "LET ME GO! LET ME GO!"

    ...all to no effect...

    "Let me go...! Please...!"

    As no amount of strength was going

    to help him, Aaron crumbled down onto his knees and sobbed.

    "I don''t know about you, but I feel like once again, both of us were wrong."

    The ck-haired man''s smirk disappearedpletely, reced by a concerned expression as he looked over at the bewildered n.

    "Aaron, you are trying to get to your dad, right? So that means that you are leading us towards the Heavenly Archer sect''s trap, aren''t you?"

    The young man breathed out and asked with a serious voice.

    "No! Dad is not from the Heavenly Archer sect!"

    The boy cried out pitifully, trying to pull his hand free once again but it had just as much effect as before. None.

    "Then what? Is he an official from the Star Pagoda or..."

    "NO!"

    n raised his brow and his eyes widened at the suggestion he made himself, but Aaron immediately refuted it while shaking his head and gritting his teeth.

    "Dad is from a dark sect! The Blood Star sect! I was in the Havenly Archer sect only because they killed my mom and kidnapped me from the Blood Star sect!"

    The beloved child of Sagittarius cried, hunching over and clenching his fist.

    "The people from the Heavenly Archer''s sect thought that they wiped off my memory and made me forget, but I remember it all! That''s why...! DAD! Dad...! It''s me...! Please wait...!"

    Aaron sobbed while exining, before turning towards the two alleyways and crying out in a miserable voice.

    "...yeah, so if that''s true then thewful sects do not sound so good anymore, don''t you think...?"

    Zoemi raised his brows and turned towards n, motioning with his chin at the emotional boy.

    "I... No. This needs more details. First, we should really check whether the person who you saw really was your father, then we will start from that point."

    The young man took a deep breath and decided, straightening his back and nodding.

    "Aaron, you are the beloved child of Sagittarius, aren''t you? Did you manage to read his spiritual energy to track him down?"

    n said, looking between the two possible routes their target might have gone to.

    "I did... but then the readingpletely disappeared right at this spot... It never happened before..."

    Aaron looked up at him and nodded just before lowering his head in defeat.

    "Well... if he is from a dark sect I bet he has his methods to conceal himself..."

    n sighed, rubbing his left arm with his right hand.

    "We will just have to pick one at random, I guess..."

    "What''s his name?"

    The young man sighed, not really happy about the oue and still very much worried about this whole thing being one big trap when the ck-haired man released the boy''s arm and started patting his head instead to help him calm down.

    "Rh-Rhodes..."

    Aaron sniffled a few times before answering, looking up at Zoemi with reddened eyes.

    "Okay. I will be very mean now, but don''t worry, no matter what I say I will not actually hurt you, okay?"

    "Oka... wait, what...?!"

    Zoemi whispered with a reassuring smile and Aaron almost agreed to his words before their meaning fully settled in his mind ¨C and when it did, he was not so keen on cooperating, but it was toote...

    "AAAHHHH?!"

    Zoemi''s grip closed on Aaron''s skull and the ck-haired man lifted the up effortlessly, causing him to scream in shock.

    "RHODES! I KNOW THAT YOU CAN HEAR ME! IF YOU DON''T WANT TO LOSE YOUR KID JUST LIKE YOU LOST YOUR WIFE, YOU BETTER SHOW UP HERE RIGHT NOW!"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi''s voice was so booming in the enclosed location that n had to cover his ears because the volume honestly gave him a headache.<sub> </sub>

    But the ck-haired man wasn''t even done...

    "YOU ARE A FAST ONE, SO TEN SECONDS WILL BE ENOUGH FOR YOU, RIGHT? AT ZERO, AARON''S HEAD WILL GO POP! TEN!"

    "N-no...!"

    Zoemi roared and started the countdown immediately while Aaron yelped, hopelessly wiggling his legs while grabbing onto the ck-haired man''s wrist to keep steady.

    "NINE!"

    "...I am here. Let go of the boy or I will put a hole through your chest..."

    Zoemi barely started the countdown when a voice from above interrupted him.

    "!!!"

    When the trio all looked up on one of the rooftops stood a fair-haired man with piercing blue eyes. His stance was that of an archer, and although he didn''t wield an actual bow, the fluctuating dark energy was forming the shape of one as he was aiming it right at the ck-haired man.

    "DAD!"

    After spotting the man, Aaron wiggled even more, but Zoemi did not let go of him quite yet.

    "I can see from whom our young friend got the talent in thew of Sagittarius."

    "You know shit. Put him down, now. I will not waste my time with countdowns, this is your one chance."

    Zoemi smiled, observing the rather different disy of thew of Sagittarius then he saw until that point, but the man with piercing blue eyes didn''t seem eager to y around.

    "I wonder. The spirit power you are using seems more impressive than the one your son can use. But just so you know, myw of Aries is at the supernova level, you are in no position to negotiate."

    "...again with that..."

    Zoemi''s confident words even in the serious situation made n let out a bothered sigh. Once again the young man wanted to remind his ck-hairedpanion that thew of Aries consists only of six stars and...

    "...you''re bluffing...!"

    "...huh...?"

    ...and yet still the man on the rooftop faltered and took a step back as his eyes widened in shock as he tensed up.

    n was the first to notice the way Rhodes behaved.

    Aaron''s father said that Zoemi was bluffing, not that it was impossible. Quite the opposite really.

    "I would not be standing here with your kid''s head in my hand if that was not the truth. Now back to our negotiations...e right down here, or I will squeeze out his gray matter just as I did with the head of the justice magistrate."

    Zoemi smirked and scoffed before his face turned deadly serious as he lifted up Aaron for Rhodes to have a better look at.

    "Like you did what...? Are... are you saying that you killed the leader of the Heavenly Archer sect, Daniel Hunter?"

    "Are you telling me that the news didn''t reach this far yet?"

    Rhodes asked lowering his hands and the dark energy bow and gulping down his saliva as Zoemi answered his question with another question.

    "He did, dad! I''ve seen it with my own eyes! That gramps took me with him to deal with someone suspected of being a dark sect member, and Zoemi was there. His strength is insane ¨C I''ve seen people kill themselves with their own star power while trying to harm him!"

    "..."

    Aaron called out, although in Zoemi''s opinion it was unnecessary.

    "What sect do you belong to, mister Zoemi? Aside from the prodigy from the Great Ram sect, Zoey, I have not heard about anyone with a simr name to yours... and considering the star level you im to have reached, that seems very unlikely..."

    Rhodes raised his brow and asked, not recalling his energy bow and not getting down from his advantageous position.

    "I am not from these parts. I was born and raised in thend of mana. More specifically, the kingdom of Bellcephora."

    The ck-haired man was in a good mood since for the first time his star level in thew of Aries wasn''t ridiculed as not existing, so he revealed his origin to Aaron''s father.

    "..nd of mana... so you are not a martial artist but a magician then? Does that mean you are one of the scum trying to take over ournd? "

    Rhodes lowered his gaze repeating the words spoken by Zoemi all while nodding to himself as if molding over something...

    "Aaron, brace yourself!"

    "D-dad...?!"

    Then, all of a sudden the man raised his hands and released a spectral arrow from his energy bow while calling out to and surprising his son.

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *RUMBLE*

    Theunch projectile reached the chest of the ck-haired man before he could react and the power of the hit caused the surrounding walls to crack and crumble releasing a shocking amount of dust.

    "Aaron! Are you alright?! Don''t get yourself captured by the magician''spanion! I''ming down to help you!"

    Rhodes called out and jumped down to his son before the dust even settled.

    "Aaron? Damn it! It was supposed to be a piercing arrow, why did the energy disperse like that...? Arron, don''t worry, dad is here!"

    The man bit his lips, mumbling to himself while waving his arms around in search of his son or at least the ck-haired man''s remains.

    The problem was, it was odd ¨C the passage was rather small ¨C no matter how much dust there was, finding another person should not be all that difficult for thew of Sagittarius user...

 602 Chapter 206

    "...ah...! What if the other man got him just as the magician died...?!"

    Rhodes flinched and straightened his back in a morbid realization.

    With the dust still blocking his vision, the martial artist from the Blood Star sect moved forward in search of a wall and...

    *WHOOOOSH*

    "!!!!"

    The still air was pierced through by a hand that shot out at Rhodes out of nowhere, grabbing his head from the side and locking it in a monstrous grip...

    *WHAM* *BOOOOOM*

    "GHHHFHAA...?!"

    Before Rhodes know it, his body was lifted off the rubble and mmed against the wall he searched for a moment earlier ¨C and the strength of the impact blew off any and all dust away from the passage, clearing out the view.

    And what a sight to behold it was.

    A grim-faced dusty ck-haired man was grabbing unconscious Aaron with one hand and holding the twitching, barely conscious Rhodes against the wall with the other one.

    Behind his back, he had a crunching young reddish-brown-haired man, pale as a ghost...

    ...and the only evidence of being struck with the spectral arrow was the perfectly round hole in the clothes in the middle of his chest.

    That was it.

    The ck-haired man''s skin at the spot where the arrow hit bore not a single trace of damage.

    "We have a lot of things to discuss, Rhodes. You are the third being that managed to hit me and had their attack not dispersepletely. In that sect of yours, you are not a mere grunt, are you?"

    Zoemi''s face twisted in a furious grin that sent chills down the spine of the captured man while also chasing off the mist that was about to swallow his mind into unconsciousness.

    "Fh-fho ahrr you...?"

    Rhodes asked, with his face mushed against the partially broken wall.

    "Zoemi Benevi Banemor. Chosen champion of your god of stars, Guide."

    The ck-haired man announced grimly, keenly observing the captured man, ready to react to the slightest movement he would make.

    "...chosen...? Then... you...? Have you really reached the supernova level...? Ugh...!"

    Rhodes gasped in shock, but before he could say anything more, blood gushed out of his nose and his eyes shed whites as he fell unconscious.

    "Too much pressure I guess?"

    Zoemi raised his brow and pulled Rhodes away from the wall, looking between him and Aaron.

    Father and son, both knocked out cold.

    "Master n, climb on my back, we are getting out of here."

    "Huh...? Oh...! O-okay...!"

    The ck-haired man looked back at the young marital artist and dered, having his employer flinch himself back up to his feet and slowly approach him on wobbly legs.

    "...that was scary... this guy must have fully mastered all neen star levels of thew of Sagittarius..."

    As Zoemi crouched down for n to take his spot, the young man leaned fully on hisrade''s back, resting his head on the ck-haired man''s shoulder and whimpering in a vulnerable voice.

    "Maybe, or maybe he is even stronger. We will wait for him to wake up and ask. Like I said before, he and I have a lot of things to discuss. Now hold on tight, and not just the leash. Law of Capricorn is no free flight spell, if you fall, I might not be able to catch you in time... not without breaking one of those two''s necks."

    "...y-yeah... Okay..."

    The ck-haired man pointed out with a serious expression and n blushed and wrapped his arms around his neck tightly.

    It was especially embarrassing for n because the bandages keeping his chest in ce loosened.

    "...?"

    "Don''t worry, getting a piggyback ride will not affect your manliness. You are in no condition to move, master n. Knowing when to ept help is important."

    n nced up at Zoemi to check for his reaction to the softness on his back, but the ck-haired man didn''t seem bothered in the slightest and only smiled reassuringly in response to the worried look of his employer.

    "...I know... we can go now..."

    The young man blushed even harder and burrowed his face in Zoemi''s shoulder to hide it before murmuring.

    --------

    As the part of thend didn''tck rocky areas, it was quite easy to find a convenient spot to make a case for hiding.

    Yes.

    Make one.

    "..."

    As n was carefully put down back on the ground next to the unconscious father and son duo, Zoemi dug into a solid rock with his bare hands as if it was sand.

    "Nothing much, but should be enough for the night."

    The ck-haired man stepped outside after a few minutes of digging and shoveling out the debris and dered with an apologetic expression.

    "Zoemi... I just want to say that... watch out for what that guy will say, okay?"

    As he did, n hurriedly straightened his shirt and started talking very fast while pointing at Rhodes.

    "If he really is from a dark sect then I do not believe him to be trustworthy at all... even with all of what Aaron has said."<sub> </sub>

    The young man fidgetted, still a bit ufortable, and nced up at Zoemi to gauge his reaction.

    "Did I make it seem like I trust him? That is not the case at all."

    The ck-haired man tilted his head and wondered out loud before smiling reassuringly.

    "That said, it might be true and you could be the one with the bias of the environment you were brought up in speaking through you."

    He added tilting his head to the other side.

    "Members of the dark sects kill people to use their spiritual energy for cultivation, Zoemi. That''s bad."

    n breathed out, holding back from rolling his eyes.

    "True, I''ve heard Zoey speaking about using the vigers'' lives to further his cultivation. Still, I wonder if Aaron was serious when talking about the Heavenly Archer sect kidnapping him and killing his mother. Because if that is something awful sect would normally do then... you know. Pots and kettles."

    Zoemi nodded, walking over to the unconscious two and tapping his foot on the older man''s leg to check for a reaction.

    "Didn''t you just say that you don''t trust Aaron?"

    "Yeah. I do not."

    n asked slightly irked off to which Zoemi merely shrugged his shoulders and nodded with confirmation.

    "..."

    "...what is it...?"

    Originally, the young man was going toment on the behavior of his ck-hairedpanion, but the man in question suddenly straightened his back and looked to the side with a frown, causing n to ask in a worried voice, also looking the same way.

    "Nothing much. Let''s get those two to the cave, keep an eye on them but do not try to heal them with thew of Virgo unless their state will get worse."

    Zoemi shrugged the question off before hurriedly picking up the two unconscious people and jogging with them to the cave before backing n to follow him.

    "Oh, okay, because that doesn''t sound suspicious at all..."

    The young man muttered under his breath and yet he obediently followed the ck-haired man''s instructions.

    "Alright,e in too. So, what are we hiding from?"

    After entering the surprisingly cozy shelter, n stuck his head out and motioned with his head for Zoemi to get inside.

    "Something big that I have a bad feeling about. Don''te out until I say it''s safe."

    "Wha...?!"

    *THUMP*

    The ck-haired man shrugged his shoulders dismissively while picking quite a sizable boulder and pushing it against the cave''s entrance, blocking it.

    "Zoemi?! What in the world are you doing?!"

    n got on all fours and shouted at the small gap between the boulder and the edge of the entrance to the cave.

    "I just don''t feel like having an audience. Be a good boy and stay there in silence. I m not fast enough to protect you with the numbers they have."

    Zoemi responded calmly, leaning against the boulder and looking around as the rustling sounds of arge number of creatures approached.

    "Huh?! Who?! Are the members of the dark secting to save theirrade? Or is it the Star Pagoda or Heavenly Archer sect people?!"

    n did not stay quiet as Zoemi requested and instead asked in a worried voice.

    "Those don''t sound like humans. So shush. I will be busy, call me only if I will miss something trying to get into the cave."

    The ck-haired man denied the guess that the young marital artist have made and put his index finger to his mouth even though n could not see him.

    "...wait... so...!"

    "Monsters."

    n gasped in realization and this time Zoemi nodded in confirmation.

    "..."

    The young man had little choice in the matter anyway, so he bit his lips and backed off into the cave.

    The gaps between the boulder blocking the exit were just enough to let air and the faint moonlight in.

    "Hmm~"

    With one thing less to worry about, Zoemi smirked and moved away from the cave in a casual stride.

    ...and then the monsters began to show up.

    Mole-like, fox-like, wolf-like, bear-like, owl-like, crow-like, rat-like, deer-like...

    The best way to separate the myriad of different types of beasts was to say that they were all woond creatures with a monstrous twist. The size, multiple limbs, talons, ws, scales, and fangs existed solely to survive in the environment with creatures that had the same arsenal at their disposal.

    Every single one of them was grueling, staring right at the only human in sight.

    Zoemi.

    But, none of them attacked.

    "None of you look possessed, but that means..."

    The ck-haired man furrowed his brows, observing the hundreds - if not thousands ¨C monsters that swarmed the ce, surrounding him from all sides.

    Then, after a minute or so, one side of the encirclement opened as the monsters obediently moved to the sides to make a way for the final one.

 603 Chapter 206

    A massive golden bear with eight limbs bulldozed his way through the area, knocking down trees in its wake as if they were twigs.

    What was the most distinct about that creature was that its eight limbs were made out purely of golden light that matched the color of its brilliantly glowing fur shining like the miniature sun.

    "ZZZHHHHOOOO-EEEEEEEE-MMMIIIIII...!"

    The creature breathed out dark mist and focused its bloodshot eyes on the ck-haired man.

    "...hey there, furball... say... Is it my fault? I beat you up so hard that the filth managed to take over you...?"

    Zoemi sighed, recognizing the monster as the same one he chased off when he first meet n ¨C the boss monster ¨C the creature also recognized him, but not in the same way...

    "ZHHHOOOEEEMMIIII!"

    The eight-limbed golden bear growled, salivating heavily as the monstrous jaws were trying to articte a human speech.

    "And you even brought all of your underlings to make me face a rampage all on my own after I will kill you... It makes me wonder... Can the scum possessing you can see and hear me?"

    Zoemi raised his brow with a grimly amused expression and asked, nodding up at the massive salivating beast.

    "GHHHRRRRAAAAARGH...!"

    Whether it was the golden bear''s attempt at saying something or just a beastly growl was up there for debate, but it still made the ck-haired man smirk.

    "You were watching me, weren''t you? That''s why you got this furball to bring all of his little friends. I am not sure why you want the people around me dead but... nah, I imagine that you just want to get under my skin, don''t you? Cherro?"

    Zoemi''s smirk turned into a grin and he asked directly the being pulling the strings on the monster puppet.

    "GHRAAAAUUUUGH!"

    "Yeah, I thought so."

    The golden eight-limbed bear roared and the ck-haired man nodded with understanding despite not understanding a shred of meaning behind the sound.

    "Let''s get it over with then, shall we? Law of Aries."

    Zoemi snickered and reactivated the star power that he deactivated to let it cool down even a bit before the encounter.

    *WHOOOSH*

    Then, he charged at the monster and his hand shot out through the air, aiming straight at the creature''s head...

    ----------

    "..."

    n was sitting down hugging his knees right by the gap between the entrance of the cave and the stone blocking it.

    It was difficult for him to tell the exact time, but the sounds of the battle from the outside simply did not stop.

    How many opponents there were?

    Judging by the different cries there must have been a lot of different species of monsters there, and their numbers must have been staggering.

    n did hear Zoemi speaking to one of the creatures, and as the one involved, he figured out what was going on.

    The ck-haired man must have been facing a boss monster.

    That, in turn, would mean that even if Zoemi won, he would have to face the full brunt of the rampage ¨C and that seemed to be the case.

    The young man hugged his knees tighter, staring into the gap from which a faint warm breeze was pushing its way into the cool cave.

    Unfortunately, when ites to rampages, the strength of the monsters wasn''t the most dangerous factor.<sub> </sub>

    No.

    The biggest threat for anyone in the vicinity of that natural disaster was the sheer number of bloodthirsty monsters attacking anything in their battle for supremacy.

    n worried about Zoemi''s power ¨C he already saw him overwhelm enough opponents already.

    ...but the natural limit of the active use of star power was a different thing...

    The ck-haired man joked about doing some endurance training to use thew of Aries for a prolonged time, but the truth was that as long as the star power remained active and used up the spiritual energy of a user, it will begin generating heat.

    And the jump would not be gradual ¨C after constant use of spiritual energy for upkeeping thew of Aries even a minute over an hour would generate enough heat to scalding the user.

    Even with the mastery of all six star levels of thew of Aries the longest time someone kept it active was one hour and ten minutes, and it was recorded that after that time that martial artist''s clothes caught on fire.

    "...it must be over an hour already, right...? Will he really be okay...?"

    n couldn''t help himself and let out a bothered sigh.

    *whoooooo*

    "...huh...?"

    As if in response to n''s worries, the area he could see through the gap suddenly lighted up and the heating from the outside suddenly increased exponentially.

    The young man hidden for his own safety clung onto the boulder blocking the exit and pressed his face against the cool stone in an attempt of catching even a glimpse of what was going on.

    But instead of seeing anything, his other senses picked up on some disturbing things.

    The smell of the smoke, of the burnt fur and searing flesh.

    The surface of the stone got warmer and warmer with each second.

    The pained screams of dying beasts.

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    A wolf-like monster running for his life was swallowed by a pir of fire that was clearly shot at it, turning into a charred corpse as soon as the mes passed.

    "What in the world is going on there...?! Is it another magic-using monster!?"

    n flinched and let out a worried yelp, moving away from the gap, back into the rtive safety of the shelter dug out in stone by the ck-haired man.

    Mana is poison.

    That much was obvious so the young man''s fear waspletely justified.

    "Shh."

    "?!?!?!"

    As he was backing off, n bumped against someone who should not be awake ¨C Aaron''s father, Rhodes.

    The man grabbed n and covered the young man''s mouth with his hand, whispering into his ear.

    "Seeing that we are locked and not exactly in a situation in which escaping would be a smart option, why don''t you tell me about yourself and more importantly the ck-sheep guy that''s absent? Also... how the hell do you know about monsters using magic?"

    The dark sect''s member asked, feeling n tensing up in his grip.

    "Do not scream, not that it matters because the outside is so loud anyway, but my son needs more time to recover and it''s better to not disturb him."

    Rhodes added and slowly took his hand off n''s mouth.

 604 Chapter 207

    "I see..."

    Rhodes nodded with a concerned expression although in the small cave where only the unknown light flickering through the gaps between the exit and the boulder blocking it was easing up the darkness.

    "If that''s true then it exins quite a bit... huh...? Urgh...!"

    The man breathed out ¨C but then he suddenly choked and started coughing, protecting his face and nose with his arm.

    "Wha the hell?! What is this disgusting smoke?!"

    He growled waving his hand around, trying to chase it away from his still unconscious son.

    "Ugh...! I have no idea...! M-maybe something from the outside? If that''s a monster using fire magic, maybe the smoke it produces is poisonous too?"

    n coughed and hid half of his face in his clothes.

    "That''s it, my son barely got away from the Heavenly Archer sect, I am not letting him die in a ce like this!"

    Rhodes gritted his teeth as the cave began filling with jet-ck mist so dark that it was distinguishable from the darkness of their shelter.

    "Law of Taurus, Law of Sagittarius!"

    The dark sect member used two star powers toplement each other and grabbed onto the boulder blocking the exit without hesitation.

    *tssssss*

    "GHHHH...!"

    He already realized as he approached it, but the surface of the massive rock was already extremely hot ¨C and touching it turned out to be just as bad an idea as one could expect.

    Still, it was either this or suffer from smoke poisoning, and for Rhodes the choice was obvious.

    "H-hold on...! Zoemi said to wait until he says it''s...!"

    "HMPH!"

    With Aaron''s father acting up, n gasped and tried to stop him ¨C without actually being too pushy because the smoke was bothering him greatly too ¨C but in the first ce, Rhodes wasn''t going to listen to him.

    *WHOOSH*

    "Ghh...!"

    "Urgh...! W-wha...?!"

    The Blood Star sect member picked up the boulder with both hands and hurled it to the side, and as he did, the inside of the Zoemi-made cave was hit with a ridiculous amount of heat that forced the two conscious men to back off in pain.

    As their eyes got used to the brightness and extreme temperature of the outside, they managed to see what was going on outside.

    There, amongst the zing inferno stood a single man holding up a twitching muddy six-legged bear by its massive head.

    The bear in his hand was the only monster still alive in the area.

    The surrounding trees were crumbling down, burnt to a crisp, and the protectiveyer of mud covering thest remaining beast was drying up as if it was a speed-up video.

    "Oh? Didn''t I say to not get out until I say so?"

    Zoemi noticed the movement by the cave and spoke to the people standing at the exit while raising his brow...

    *CRUNCH*

    ...and casually crushed the monster''s head as if it was made out of wet paper...

    *WHOOOO*

    As he did, the mes engulfed the monster''s corpse, erasing any evidence of the skirmish from the face of the earth.

    "ZOEMI?!"

    n gasped in disbelief and tried to run up to the ck-haired man, but was unable to, as moving forward even a single step was equal to stepping closer to the zing hearthstone.

    "Don''t worry, n. If that guy will try something, I will burn him to a crisp."

    Zoemi smiled reassuringly and nodded at the worried young man before looking towards the dark sect member.

    "The only option that doesn''t involve you dying miserably is cooperation, so don''t try anything stupid, Rhodes~"

    The ck-haired man hummed mischievously and shoved the older man with a devilish smirk.

    "I... wha...? Wait... Huh...? You... aren''t you...?"

    Rhodes was about to respond but hesitated as his train of thought was interrupted by a shback...

    ~~~~~~

    "The only option that doesn''t involve you dying miserably is surrendering, so don''t try anything stupid, you thugs."

    A honey-blond boy with striking blue eyes smirked devilishly at the pair of marital artists leading a group of tied-up crying children through the wilderness.<sub> </sub>

    "Tsk! And here I thought it was something serious. Catch him."

    "Yes, leader! Law of Taurus! Law of Aries! Law of Capricorn! Law of Sagittarius!"

    The taller marital artist clicked his tongue and motioned at the other one, who bowed his head submissively and immediately activated four different star powers revealing himself to not be just any random thug at all.

    "Your choice,w of Aries~!"

    As the martial artist was about to charge him, the honey-blond-haired boy''s smirk turned into a sinister grin and in response, he activated just a single star power.

    "I will teach you to not put your nose into our sect''s business, brat."

    *BOOOOOM*

    The martial artist scoffed andunched himself at the boy without giving him a chance to respond.

    *WHAM* *CRUSH*

    But despite being much, much faster, the moment that the man''s fist reached the boy''s stomach, it was the attacking martial artist''s flesh and bones that lost in terms of durability and burst apart in bloody fireworks...

    "GHRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH...!"

    Causing the man to stumble back, holding onto the stump that was his right arm mere moments earlier.

    "Should have used thew of Sagittarius to enhance your hearing, mister thug~"

    The boy shook off the blood that sprinkled onto his face and grinned, clenching his fists and taking a step forward while throwing a punch.

    *SLAM*

    "...ghh..."

    The hit thrown by a young unassuming boy ended up being so powerful that it sent a shockwave through the vegetation.

    For a few seconds, the wounded martial artist that received the hit was standing still, biting his lips in pain.

    ? "Roger...?!"

    The more important martial artist gasped, taking a step towards his colleague.

    "...s-sect leader... I''m... sor..."

    The wounded man turned around looking at the other marital artist with tears in his eyes and...

    *BURST* *SPLASH*

    As he could no longer control the violent spiritual energy within his body, the man got blown up in half raining down his blood and shredded guts everywhere around.

    "I did tell you that giving up is your only choice."

    "!!!"

    The honey-blond boy went back to a devilish smile and turned towards the remaining marital artist.

    "Now then, mister thug sect leader. What''s your choice?"

    "LAW OF TAURUS! LAW OF ARIES!"

    *BOOOOOOOM*

    The boy asked nonchntly, making the much older man roar in fury, kicking off the ground and flying straight at the young opponent.

    *WHAM*

    "Urgh...!"

    The older marital artist hit connected, and his hand didn''t get blown off - but only because the boy had caught it and grinned at the older man, before forcing him down and grabbing his neck with one hand.

    "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

    The downed and captured man growled, frothing from the corners of his mouth.

    "Me? I''m only a void star levelw of Aries user... ah, wait, old man Ramis told me to not say that anymore..."

    "...?!"

    The honey-blond-haired boy boasted before furrowing his brows and scolding himself while looking to the side while the older marital artist had his bloodshot eyes almost bulging out of their eyesockets...

    "I am the Great Ram sect beloved child of Aries! My name is...!"

    ~~~~~~

    "Nathan...?!"

    Rhodes gasped, staring at Zoemi''s smirk in utter disbelief while standing in front of the cavepletely defenseless.

 605 Chapter 207

    "No? What, were you not listening when I introduced myself? It''s Zoemi Benevi Banemor."

    Zoemi''s smirk turned into a weirded-out expression as he gave Aaron''s father a confused look.

    As he did, he breathed out deactivating his star power, and the moment he did, the heat that Rhodes and n felt stopped raising.

    "But... but you look so... No. Nevermind... You are too young and from thend of mana anyways."

    Rhodes flinched and shook his head, massaging his forehead with a bothered expression.

    "Yeah, that was not an odd thing to say at all... Anyway, Do you want to cooperate and help me deal with the fire so it will not spread any further, or do you prefer to get knocked out again?"

    Zoemi scoffed, rolling his eyes at the rather confusing behavior of the dark sect member.

    "I''ll... cooperate."

    Rhodes nced over at n and his unconscious son before straightening his back and nodding.

    The stopping of the fire consisted of a bit of preventive deforestation ¨C Zoemi would simply uproot the trees while Rhodes destroyed them with the ranged burst of star power.

    After they were done they returned to the small cave where n was keeping an eye on Aaron...

    ...although instead of inside, the young man chose to get the unconscious boy outside of the shelter...

    "Did I identally make you ustrophobic?''

    Zoemi asked in a worried voice, tilting his head and looking at his employer.

    "...not really... but... better check what it''s like inside now..."

    "...?"

    n nced down, blushed, and looked back up before fidgeting and motioning at the cave with his chin without taking his hands off of Aaron''s side as his star power was healing up the boy, making Zoemi even more surprised.

    As he was instructed, the ck-haired man leaned down and put his head inside the cave he dug out himself...

    *crack*

    ...immediately upon doing that he tensed up and the hand he put on the edge of the stones clenched into a fist, crushing the rocks into a fine powder.

    "..w of Libra... Law of Aries andw of Aquarius. Law of Aquarius."

    Then, without exining anything, Zoemi used his fledgling star power of his to gain ess to the cleansingw that he used immediately.

    "Law of Aquarius."

    As he stepped away from thepromised shelter, the ck-haired man approached n and the still unconscious Aaron and used the same star power once more.

    "Umm... why are you...?"

    "Ugh-huaaagh...!"

    The young man furrowed his brows, momentarily lost because of his bodyguard''s behavior but before he could even ask the full question the boy by his side sat upright gasping for air as a drowning man pulled out of the water.

    "The same power that began to take over the monster was gathering there too. It seems that it wanted to take over a human this time. Piece of shit."

    Zoemi held back on a more verbose response and simply shrugged his shoulders making a face like he was chewing on something disgusting.

    "Aaron! How are you feeling?!"<sub> </sub>

    "Dad!"

    While that was going on, Rhodes ran up to their group and kneeled by his son''s side getting teary-eyed.

    Even when angry, Zoemi motioned at n to step aside for a moment to give at least the minimum of privacy for the family reunion.

    Not that he would let down his guard and allow the two to slip away from his grasp, of course...

    "Yeah... what exactly happened here?"

    The young man sucked in some air trying to get the courage to speak up and finally asked, looking up at his ck-hairedrade.

    "The ck mist took over a wounded boss monster and forced it to get all of its subordinates toe here. When I killed it a rampage started as I had to deal with it."

    Zoemi exined without taking his eyes off the father and son catching up.

    "Sorry, it took so long. It took a while before I got ess to ranged attacks."

    "...?"

    The ck-haired man continued speaking while the expression that the young marital artist by his side was making was bing more and more confused.

    "I just find it funny on the personal level that the fire is the element that I have ess to. It''s impossible to tell nowadays, but I used to have a ratherrge burn scar here after taking a fireball to the face back when I was a kid."

    Zoemi snickered to himself, running his fingers through the stubble covering his cheek.

    "YOU had a scar? Dear Guide, how strong is magic?!"

    Despite it being a lightheartedment, n reacted to the information with a fearful gasp.

    "...I don''t believe that I was actively using the star power back then. I mean, I definitely didn''t erupt into mes. Although I am not really sure about the science revolving around mana and spiritual energy influencing each other..."

    The ck-haired man stopped for a moment and considered his next words before shrugging his shoulders dismissively and shaking his head with a faint smile.

    "Y-yeah... umm..."

    n nodded, sneaking another nce down and immediately gettingpletely red in the face and turning the opposite way.

    "What''s going on, n? You seem to be distracted. I was expecting you to ask me more about the ability to use fire that''s not magical. Is something the matter?"

    The ck-haired man furrowed his brows and asked with worry clearly resounding in his voice.

    "...I-I... n.. n-no...? N-nothing''s wr..."

    The young man flinched and began to slowly turn back towards the considerate bodyguard of his... and inadvertently having his eyes dart down and staying focused at a certain point as the blush was iming not only his face but his ears and even neck as well.

    "Nghyaaaah...!"

    n ended up letting out a high-pitched sound of embarrassment and covered his face with both hands, while bashfully turning away again and even crouching down to make himself look as small as possible.

    "n...?! Waht is...?!"

    Zoemi gasped in shock, taking a step forward and...

    "Zoemi...! How long do you want to stay naked?! Are you a pervert?! I mean, I can see why you would be proud of yourself, but my heart isn''t ready for that much!"

    The young man trembled and nced back ¨C his eyes followed the swaying motion as the ck-haired man approached him ¨C causing him to let out a flustered cry and hide his face again.

 606 Chapter 208

    "Before I will lead you to my sect as I promised, I want you to answer my question."

    Rhodes protectively put his arm around his son''s shoulders while looking at the ck-haired man putting together some makeshift clothes from what others have to spare and whatever else they had on hand.

    p "Ask away."</anda>

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders while making sure that he isn''t exposing himself while moving because f theck of fabric in certain areas.

    "You weren''t just using the heat generated by the spiritual energy being transformed into star power for too long, were you? You actually gained control over fire. That''s why you said that it took a while for you to gain ess to the ranged attacks."

    "?!?!"

    "...!"

    It was more of a deration than actually questioning anything, and it sure did shock both n and Aaron listening in on the conversation between the two older men.

    "Listen... it''s enough that people don''t believe me when I tell them about the supernova level. Adding control over one of the elements would be a step too far."

    Zoemi scoffed, shaking his head with a mischievous smile.

    "So, that''s a yes."

    Rhodes raised his brows and nodded at the ck-haired man.

    "What it is about? Oh, and just a reminder ¨C I can punch through you at any given moment. So maybe don''t test my patience with some random questions?"

    Zoemi straightened his back and his lighthearted expression turned into a grim one in a second.

    "You also know to keep quiet about the use of elements... say, who is your master? They cannot be anyone considered normal by thisnd''s standard."

    Instead of backing off or getting scared, Rhodes perked up and his eyes shone with interest.

    "I don''t have a master. But my journey with star power was kick-started ¨C or rather punch-started ¨C by a certain white-haired ck-eyed man who appeared in my homnd."

    Zoemi answered without changing his expression even a little bit, sounding almost mechanical ¨C as if his exnation, despite being a bit on the humorous side, was something that he read out something from a dictionary.

    "Hey, it''s basically the same thing that you told me, isn''t it?"

    n joined in the conversation and asked with a hesitant voice.

    "But... now that you said that you are from thend of magic... You do realize that the ONLY possible person that matches the description you gave and would have the power to at least appear in the mana-contaminatednd is the Heavenly Star Warrior, William?"

    The young man pointed out, and from the skeptical look in his eyes, it was obvious that he thinks it was simply one of Zoemi''s lies. The tone of his voice suggested that he believed to catch the ck-haired man red-handed.<sub> </sub>

    "A white-haired ck-eyed man calling himself a simple florist took part in the tournament for the hand of Ehmi Gamemi Victureo organized by the Victureo family. Until the semi-finals during which the two of us met he won with a single punch. Truth be told, the same happened with me ¨C but at the time I had another personality and a unique shadow of a vengeful murderer living in my body so the two took over while I was out. The fight was ridiculously spectacr. After that, he revealed himself without a scratch at apletely different part of the arena and dered that the Heavenly Star Nation will hold back the invasion until it will be ready."

    Zoemi turned towards the reddish-brown-haired man and dered without batting an eye.

    "I was unable to take part in the final match because of what at the time I believed to be an injury. But after seeing watching how the Raging Bull sect trains I realized it was simply that Willliam ended up identally passing some of his star power onto me which resulted in me awakening the predisposition for spiritual power. I thought that my mana reservoir broke, but it was clearly spiritual energy trying to push away mana from its rightful spot."

    The ck-haired man continued without any break, not even to take a breath.

    "...my head hurts... did you say that you had another personality and a... unique shadow ¨C whatever that is ¨C of a vengeful murderer in your body...? I thought that you were exining stuff, not making everything even more outrageously unbelievable!"

    n groaned, hiding his face in both hands before raising his head back up and exploding into an angry rant.

    "Don''t get fooled. n. I don''t know how much of it is the truth, but he isn''t willing to exin a thing. Everything that he just said, he said to not answer my question. Who is your master? Even a mage should not be able to figure out howws and elements are connected."

    Rhodes nced at the young man and shook his head with a soft smile before breathing out and reving, not backing off even under Zoemi''s furious re.

    "Huh?! Wait... but he did answer...? Or not...?"

    n flinched and frowned, looking to the sides trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

    It bothered him greatly, to tell the truth ¨C he knew the ck-haired man far longer than the member of the dark sect that they met literal hours earlier, but for some reason, it felt like that man has already a better grasp on Zoemi''s personality than he did...

    "You have been lost in the sea of trees for over a year and a half, right? Perchance you met your teacher there? For example, a monster capable of hu..."

    Rhodes pushed on with the questioning, but then his eyes moved from Zoemi''s face to his right hand ¨C the ck-haired man''s fingers were constantly moving as if they had minds of their own and every single one was yearning for crushing something into nothingness ¨C that something being Rhodes''s head.

    Immediately, the older man swallowed his words and shut his mouth with buckets of cold sweat drenching his clothes.

    "I don''t know what are you talking about. I was lost, in and simple."

    Zoemi let out a heavy sigh, pushing out the anger together with his breath before he crossed his arms as if even he himself didn''t trust himself to not attack Rhodes otherwise.

    "...I see... Let''s go to my sect now..."

    Aaron''s father, humbled without actually having anything done to him, nodded, gulping down his saliva with an uneasy expression.

    "Let''s."

    Zoemi nodded in agreement.

 607 Chapter 208

    "...Zoemi...?"

    After walking for three days straight through the wilderness and ins alike, n tugged on Zoemi''s clothes and asked in a timid voice, looking up at the much taller man.

    "What can I help you with?"

    The ck-haired man slowed down and adjusted his speed to match his employer.

    "Past two days we were moving somewhere, but as for today..."

    The reddish-brown-haired man sucked in some air before pointing at a tree split in half by what must have been a bolt of lightning or some angry monster.

    "...we passed this exact spot three times already within fifty minutes..."

    n whispered, ncing meaningfully at the back of Rhodes, the member of the dark sect that was leading them to their base.

    "I know, I have activated thew of Aries on the second loop."

    Zoemi nced at the particr tree and nodded before smiling softly and revealing.

    "Are we being watched?"

    "You have no idea how much I would like to answer that withplete certainty... unfortunately I cannot give you a definitive answer. Maybe? It''s either that there is no one around, or that whoever is watching us is stealthy enough to escape my detection skills."

    The young man shivered and looked to the sides to which Zoemi could only respond with a heavy sigh and an apologetic shrug.

    "That''s unfortunate..."

    n mumbled, biting his lips and moving closer to the ck-haired man, subconsciously clinging to the safest ce he could think of ¨C that being Zoemi''s side which was already a proven shelter.

    "If you are talking about the tree, please do not be rmed ¨C the Blood Star sect is a dark sect after all. If we weren''t cautious, we would already be erased."

    Even without actually hearing what the two were talking about, Rhodes noticed the exchange between the two and spoke out loud in an apologetic voice.

    "We already moved past three different guardposts and still have to go through two more. Sorry for the inconvenience but I ask for your patience and cooperation."

    The man bowed his head to the side so that n and Zoemi could see it and exined.

    "..."

    The young man didn''t look convinced at all and he nced up at Zoemi one more time to check for his reaction...

    "We can either go right now or by the next loop I will burn the neighborhood to the ground."

    The ck-haired man noticed the way n was looking at him and took it as a plea to do something ¨C which heplied with without skipping a beat, with apletely serious expression.

    Rhodes flinched and instead of going to the right side of the three, he lead the others right by it, walking off of the beaten path.

    Two hourster all four were standing in front of an unassuming wall of the cliffside.

    "Law of Sagittarius."

    Rhodes let out an almost disappointed breath and put his hand on the seemingly random ce while activating his star power.

    It took quite a moment for anything to happen, to the point of the man guiding the rest became uneasy and started ncing over at Zoemi as if expecting him to blow up in anger.

    Still, the ck-haired man waited patiently with his younger employer huddled beside him as if he was a pir.

    *rumble*

    After an embarrassingly ¨C for Rhodes ¨C long time, the part of a cliffside trembled and moved to the side revealing a passage wide enough for an average hunched-over person to barely fit.<sub> </sub>

    "Is this a joke? Law of Aries."

    Zoemi scoffed in annoyance and reactivated the star power he was letting cool down as they progressed.

    Then, without waiting for the dark sect member to lead the way, the ck-haired man simply walked through the passage...

    *CRACK* *CRUNCH*

    ...without adjusting his posture and making the passage fit him instead of the other way around...

    "This is ridiculous... He does that kind of thing often?"

    Rhodes blinked repeatedly, staring at the Zoemi-shaped, and asked Aaron and n who were just as surprised as he was.

    "...he didn''t even have a running star... he is just passing through... What kind of principle is he operating on?! Is that still star power?!"

    n shook his head, but even with his own shock, he started following the unpredictable employee of his while studying the marking in the solid stones made by the ck-haired man bulldozing through.

    "Unreasonable is quite a good descriptive for the supernova level."

    Rhodes smiled with unease and let out a bothered sigh, making his son look up at him with confusion.

    "...dad... it kind of sounds like not only that whole supernova level is real, but you know someone else who has reached it...?"

    Aaron asked cautiously, keenly observing his father''s reaction.

    "You are correct in both cases. Look."

    Rhodes nodded and his smile warmed up quite a bit before it wavered as the man pointed at the passage...

    *RUMBLE*

    With Zoemi and n already inside, the tunnel began to lose up, but only to its previous, not-Zoemi-shaped state.

    "A few months after the Heavenly Archer sect have taken you the previous sect leader of the Blood Star sect got reced. The new leader made us move the sect''s base into a more secure ce that she created with the earth element that she gained ess to thanks to reaching the supernova level of thew of Taurus. Let''s go, she keeps it open for us."

    Rhodes exined and tapped his son''s shoulder before walking first into the tunnel.

    "Wait, so this whole thing opening and all isn''t a contraption or something?!"

    Aaron gasped, taking a step back and staring in disbelief at the cliffside.

    "It''s not, the sect leader creates a way in and out anew every time someone wants to move between the sect and the outside world."

    Rhodes shook his head and revealed while beckoning his son to follow him.

    Despite being hesitant about the passage, Aaron didn''t want to separate from his father whom he barely reunited with so he run up and followed him closely.

    As the youngest and smallest person in the group, Aaron didn''t have to hunch over even with the passage returning to its original shape.

    "What''s the new leader''s name? Do I know them?"

    The boy asked, gulping down his saliva while trying to not seem as worried as he actually was.

    "You should. It''s Chloe."

    "WHAT?!"

    Rhodes nodded, making his son let out a shocked voice.

 608 Chapter 209

    "So there has been a change in the Blood Star sect''s leadership and the new leader is someone called Chloe."

    Zoemi nced back towards the faint light of the entrance and spoke to n without slowing down his advance through solid rock.

    "How do you...? Wait, are Rhodes and Aaron talking about it right now? How good is your hearing?"

    The younger man gasped, ncing back over his shoulder and shaking his head.

    "Better than average."

    "Even with ears full of debris?"

    The ck-haired man answered with a smirk and his words prompted an immediate snappy response.

    "Getting anxious I see. Rx, man. Even if there will be a cave-in, I will protect you."

    Zoemi chuckled and said in a soothing voice while waving his hand, breaking through the surrounding rocks as if they were seafoam to demonstrate his point.

    "Don''t even say that! I would very much prefer not to require being saved!"

    n cried out, huddling close to Zoemi''s back and squinting his eyes to make sure that the ceiling and walls aren''t crumbling down on them.

    The ck-haired man didn''t add anything on top of that and just continued moving forward, erging the passage for the young man,

    It continued for a while and n was getting more and more anxious.

    "Say... you would tell me if something was wrong, right? We aren''t walking in circles under some mountain or something, are we?"

    The reddish-brown-haired man asked tugging on Zoemi''s apparel with a pitiful expression.

    "Be not afraid, youngster. We are almost out."

    "Wait... we are?!"

    Zoemi assured him, and n gasped with some color returning to his previously ghastly pale face.

    For a moment Zoemi felt the urge to be mean and tease the vulnerable n by saying that he wasn''t serious, but with one more step, his feet broke through the rocks as he reached the other side of the cliffside.

    "Oh, thank the...! G-Guide...?!"

    As he did so, n burst from behind him, breathing out in relief before sucking the air back in once he realized that the passage lead to a massive cave.

    "Did you expect the area to be open?"

    Zoemi raised his brow and motioned at the younger man with his chin, asking him with a concerned expression.

    "Nnngh..."

    "Law of Aries, huh... it''s my first time seeing another martial artist on a supernova level."

    n flinched and let out a rather funny sound but right after him another person joined the conversation, and it wasn''t either Rhodes or Aaron but rather someone waiting for them on that side of the cliff.

    "...?!"

    n flinched and jumped behind Zoemi without a moment of hesitation, and only from the safety of his bodyguard, he tried to check and see who has talked to them.

    "By any chance are you Chloe, the new leader of the Blood Star sect, youngdy?"<sub> </sub>

    Zoemi didn''t lose his cool seeing a girl that must have been the same age as Aaron.

    The young miss had dark-blond hair with a faint powder-pink hue to it ¨C for the clothes, she wore a martial artist uniform very simr to the design that the Raging Bull sect members would wear, only with a few expensive essories added on top of it.

    Her piercing pale-blue eyes were staring straight at the ck-haired man who bowed his head the slightest bit.

    "That''s right. It''s me. I sensed mister Rhodes''s spiritual energy, but you showed up. Seeing that you aren''t actually hostile, care to exin what is going on, mister stranger?"

    Chloe nodded her head in confirmation, before crossing her arms and unintentionally causing the stones underneath her feet to break into a fine dust.

    "My name is Zoemi Benevi Banemor and this is my employer, n. Mister Rhodes agreed to take us here after we reunited him with his son. They should be here soon too."

    The ck-haired man introduced himself and the young man took cover behind him, before pointing at the passage with his thumb.

    "...you... you brought Aaron back from the Heavenly Archer sect...? KYAAAH...?!"

    The young girl gasped, taking a step back and falling knee-deep into the rocks as even that small movement became a showcase of her strength.

    *WHOOSH* *BOOOM* *WHOOOOOOOOSH*

    "UWAAH...?!"

    In the next few short moments, a few interesting things happened.

    Zoemi reached out his hand with great speed to catch the falling girl, who in turn panicked and tried to move away, causing even more damage to the ground and unfortunately the walls to the point of the passage beginning to crumble apart. The ck-haired man wasn''t scared by that and ended up grabbing her hand and pulling the insanely strong girl back upright.

    ...all while n fell back on his butt, pushed aside by the power of the shockwave generated by the movement of the two...

    "...eh...? You aren''t getting torn to shreds...?"

    Chloe gasped staring in disbelief at the hand holding her own.

    Although the line could be misunderstood as the girl being upset, the reality was quite different.

    "Yeah, so, there exists a whole deate about what would happen if an unstoppable force met a movable object... thankfully we don''t have to bother with it at all. You aren''t unstoppable."

    Zoemi smirked mischievously before letting go of the dark-blond-haired girl''s hand and turning back to n to help him get back up now.

    "Miss Chloe, you can turn off your star power, right?"

    Seeing that the girl can not shake off the shock of somebody surviving physical contact with her, Zoemi raised his brow and asked in a hesitant voice.

    "...sometimes I can... Bu-but that''s beside the point!"

    The leader of the Blood Star sect who was most definitely too young for ruling over a dark sect blushed and murmured while looking to the side before realizing how she was acting.

    Once she did, she deactivated her star power and backed off normally without causing any more destruction.

    "Sect leader. I see you already meet with Zoemi."

    Her actions were timed perfectly with Rhodes walking out of the passage with Aaron following him.

    "Unfortunately I cannot say that he is on our side without it weighing down on my conscience. But in my defense, trying to go against his intentions would bring far more trouble than it would solve."

    The man dered with conviction, keenly waiting for thest member of the group to join them.

 609 Chapter 209

    "Sect leader."

    Rhodes appeared out of the passage right in time to take the attention away from the smirking ck-haired man.

    Or rather, the person that showed up right behind him has immediately be Chloe''s center of attention.

    "Aaron!"

    The young girl gasped seeing the boy her age following his father. She took a step forward, looking as if she was about to run up to him, but then stopped herself from taking another one and her expression became tense.

    "H-hey, Chloe. I''ve heard you became the sect leader. Congrattions."

    Aaron waved his hand at her rather awkwardly, not sure how he should act in the situation he found himself in.

    "..."

    "Ah...! No! Wait, stop! I take that back!"

    Whatever the case, Chloe froze and her chin trembled which Aaron picked up immediately and called out in panic, moving past his father and even walking by Zoemi and n who were watching him with interest.

    "Mom and dad... and even Eve... we were ambushed by the people from the Star Pagoda. They all got severely wounded and dad say that they will not make it anyway, but I still had a chance."

    Chloe looked down at her feet and spoke in a quiet voice.

    "Blood ritual went well, even a bit too well if you ask me, and I was able to get away with no problem and return to the Blood Star sect.

    "I am so sorry..."

    Aaron lowered his head, cowering and bing the very description of the word apologetic.

    "I didn''t want to be the leader, actually. It''s just that the previous sect leader didn''t want to move to a more secure location and I knew it was a necessity."

    Chloe nced at the boy and send him a troubled smile.

    "My family wasn''t the first victims of the warriors from the Star Pagoda. The location of our sect waspromised and they were getting rid of us one by one."

    "Chloe..."

    The girl revealed while her face became serious with a powerful conviction to which Aaron could only gasp.

    "I would like to learn more about the blood ritual you just mentioned, young miss. I am personally interested in dark sects ¨C especially when ites to their distribution of those little things."

    Zoemi showcased the denseness of a ck hole and spoke up in a slightly usatory voice while showcasing a crystal vial that formerly contained the mana potion.

    "...mister Zoemi, right...? Putting the blood ritual to the side, you need to be more specific about the thing you want to learn about. What exactly is that little bottle supposed to be?"

    Chloe straightened her back, raising her head and ring at the ck-haired man with a rather annoyed expression.

    "I see.... so it''s one of the three options."<sub> </sub>

    Zoemi tilted his head back, sending the young dark sect leader a grim re.

    "One ¨C you are ying the fool. Two ¨C since you became the leader of the sect not that long ago and aren''t even an adult yet, you were not let in on the transactions that your sect is working on in the background. And finally three ¨C your sect isn''t involved in the business involving this little very characteristic thing."

    The ck-haired man counted upon his fingers without breaking eye contact with the young sect leader.

    "If it''s the first one, you better stop. For your own good."

    He added with a deadpan expression that sent chills down the spines of n, Aaron, and Rhodes.

    Chloe visibly held back an angry pout, and instead puffed out her chest to seem more intimidating.

    "Mister Zoemi, I''ll have you know that you surviving the contact with me without getting injured doesn''t mean that you would have an upper hand in case I decided to use my full strength against you."

    She dered proudly, raising her chin so high that she could barely see the ck-haired man''s face.

    "I am fully aware that you didn''t use your actual strength. If you did, you would tear yourself apart. Remember me mentioning the unstoppable force and the immovable object? You aren''t unstoppable, but I am immovable ¨C at least for you."

    Zoemi scoffed and a viinous smirk bloomed on his face, showcasing how true pride looks.

    "..."

    The young dark sect leader couldn''t control her expression anymore and she pouted like a spoiled child that didn''t get what they wanted, which was honestly a little more fitting for someone her age than the high-and-mighty attitude she was trying to pull off before.

    "If it makes you feel better, I believe that you would give the earth dragon from the sea of trees a run for its money in thebat situation. Nothing more than that though."

    "...eh...? Earth dragon? Why do you make it sound as if there are more of them?"

    The ck-haired man snickered and added another mockery, but its impact didn''tnd properly as the young girlcked some crucial information to fullyprehend it.

    "Sect leader, I do not doubt your strength, but with Zoemi''s case, I would not advise holding him up to the usual standards. He ims to be the Guide''s chosen champion as well as someone who was born and grew up in thend of mana."

    Rhodes cleared out his throat and picked that exact moment to rejoin the conversation that he was excluded from right at the very start.

    "Also, he spent well over a year within the sea of trees and might have encountered something..."

    "Do you think that bringing that subject again in my presence is not going to annoy me just because you aren''t directly pestering me about it?"

    Aaron''s father added, but he went a bit too far with that and Zoemi warned him while preemptively clenching his fist.

    "...understood..."

    Rhodes gulped down his saliva and backed down not even attempting to pick that gauntlet.

    "And in the first ce. None of you seems to know about different types of dragons, but are at least aware of something more powerful than them lurking in the sea of trees, what is that about?!"

    Zoemi scoffed angrily, shaking his head in annoyance.

 610 Chapter 210

    "It''s the other way around, Zoemi."

    Rhodes shook his head with an awkward expression.

    "The dragon living in the forest is supposed to have human-like intelligence and should be capable of using the star power. That''s what we were all referring to..."

    He exined sounding very troubled over the misunderstanding.

    "Is that so...? If it''s just that then I have no problem telling you how it really is."

    Zoemi raised his brow and scoffed with a mocking smirk.

    "Every dragon is capable of using human speech although some are not very keen on doing so. Saying that a dragon is able to use star power is an understatement ¨C every one of them is capable of using it to the point of controlling the attribute that thew they specialize in is connected to. Now to the more important stuff. Is your sect connected in any way with the distribution of the mana potion andbeling it as a monster lure?"

    The ck-haired man rolled his eyes over the trivia he gave, before shaking the vial in his hand again to bring the attention back to it.

    "...?"

    "...?"

    Rhodes and Chloe exchanged equally surprised nces, but even though they looked genuinely shocked, it was hard to say whether it was because of Zoemi''s attitude, the fact that he seemed to know more about the dragon ¨C or rather dragons ¨C living in the sea of trees, or the distribution of the mana potion he wanted to know about.

    "Everyone knows that mana is poison, right? Although I called the liquid the blue liquid that was previously filling up this tiny bottle a mana potion, it is not something that contains mana. It merely forces the body of the person drinking it to increase the speed of mana recovery ¨C not by much, but still. It''s useful for the magicians with the least amount of mana. But for the monsters, it doesn''t really lure them ¨C it straight up throws them into a frenzy. Mibeling its effects and selling them as something else sounds just like something up the dark sects alley."

    Zoemi wasn''t affected by the initial reaction and continued talking moving a little bit while making sure that n isn''t in harm''s way.

    "The dark sects aren''t as bad as thewful ones make it seem."

    Chloe pointed out with a frown but didn''t exactly direct the look at the ck-haired man, making it seem like she didn''t exactly have a clear conscience.

    "You might rethink whether it''s a good idea to lie to me. In case the Blood Star sect is the one in charge of putting mana potions out there, your blood ritual ¨C whatever it is about - will be useless with the blood of all of your members sttered on the walls floor and walls of this little hideout of yours."

    "Zoemi?!"

    The ck-haired man mocking smirk turned into an annoyed frown within a heartbeat as he towered over the present martial artists ¨C to the point of n grabbing onto his clothes and calling out in shock despite being someone who definitely didn''t have any sympathy towards any of the dark sects.

    "No, wait. The Blood Star sect really doesn''t have anything to do with that thing."

    Rhodes raised his hands showing off that he wasn''t willing to pick up a fight and spoke in a forced calm voice despite whatever feelings he was keeping in check.<sub> </sub>

    "..."

    Aaron fidgetted nervously while looking at the crystal vial in Zoemi''s hand, but said nothing, staying back as his father stepped forward.

    "A guy who betrayed the Great Ram sect and joined one of the dark ones gave it to n knowing full well of its real effects, intending the frenzied monster to kill him. Zoey was also intending to use the spiritual energy of the innocent people from the nearby vige to increase his cultivation. Are you going to tell me that he was an outcast of your sect too?"

    Zoemi asked in disgust, unleashing an overwhelming aura of might that one would feel standing at the foot of a gigantic mountain.

    "I can assure you that no one from the Great Ram sect, much less someone under the name Zoey, has joined our sect in recent years. We are not exactly out there recruiting people from the importantwful secs, it''s too dangerous."

    Rhodes breathed out, seemingly in relief, having something that he could have his answer anchored to.

    "Oh really? Why were some people from your sect out and about babbling about having to recruit more members in a tawer, in in sight, obnoxiously enough to have the people from the Heavenly Archer sect and the ones from the Star Pagoda learn about it?"

    Zoemi raised his brows and snorted, waving his hand dismissively.

    "What are you talking about? Everyone who wants to leave ore back to this ce must go through me and I know for a fact that no one here would be stupid enough to make such a ridiculous mistake."

    Choe blinked a few times before answering,pletely baffled by the ck-haired man''s words.

    "Zoemi, I can''t say for sure whether this wille as a surprise for you, considering your background, but there are two different types of dark sects."

    Rhodes put his hand to the side, blocking the way for the young sect leader toe up to Zoemi.

    "The original ones, like the Blood Star sect, which secret cultivation methods are rooted in the sacrifice of life. And then there are the dark sects that were created in order to lure the criminals and vile people to join and get killed... all in hopes of the original dark sects to reveal themselves to get ughtered."

    The older man gulped down his saliva, staring at Zoemi without blinking a single time as he spoke.

    "Then, you are saying that the new dark sects were actually created by..."

    Zoemi said slowly, getting this uneasy feeling in his chest.

    "The Star Pagoda and the Heavenly Archer sect."

    Rhodes nodded his head, finishing the line that the ck-haired man was about to say himself.

 611 Chapter 210

    "Although rooted in the sacrifice of life, the way of cultivation that the original dark sects have would be far more alluring for the average marital artist than themonly used methods ¨C and that is something that the people in charge of the Heavenly Star nation cannot allow themselves to happen. Our ways are far too efficient ¨C the powerful martial artist that would be unable to be controlled would show up far too often for their liking. Sect leader here is one of the examples of that."

    Rhodes took a deep breath and continued, moving his hand and presenting the slightly uneasy Chloe.

    "...what I get from that is that the Heavenly Archer sect and the Star Pagoda would not refrain from doing some really messed up things to get rid of the sects like yours..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, turning his head to the side as if he was listening to something.

    "Exactly. That person you mentioned, the one who betrayed the Great Ram sect and offered your friend that dangerous potion disguised as a monster lure. He must have been coaxed into joining the fake dark sect. Simrly, the distribution of that potion must be something that either the Heavenly Archer sect or even the Star Pagoda itself is responsible for. Which makes sense considering that they are the ones with established connection with thend of mana."

    Rhodes nodded his head, breathing in relief as it seemed that the ck-haired man had an open mind unlike most of the Heavenly Star nation poption that has been fed lies for decades.

    "...I hope that I am overthinking it, but wouldn''t that mean..."

    Zoemi raised his head and muttered under his breath, ring between Rhodes and Chloe straight at the silent Aaron when...

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    *RUMBLE* *CRUSH*

    Before another word was spoken by either side, the echo of the unbelievable explosion reverberated through the surrounding rocks and ground, causing a partial cave-in.

    "NOOOOOO!"

    Chloe cried out and reached her hand towards the mass falling onto the buildings she created herself but she was a moment toote and even though the rocks and ground lifted up, many lives were already lost...

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    The initial explosion outside wasn''t thest of it, and soon a series of sts caused even more chaos and destruction upon the Blood Star sect.

    "Wah...?!"

    *WHOOOOOOOOOSH*

    Zoemi didn''t wait for the signal to evacuate, he picked up n like a small child and ran away ¨C not into the closing tunnel that Chloe created for them, though.

    For everyone else, it seemed as if he panicked and charged off in a random direction after losing his cool.

    "Sect leader! Aaron! We need to...!"

    "Aaron, run away, I will...!"

    Both Rhodes and Chloe called out to the boy standing behind them but stopped in confusion feeling Aaron''s hands on their back, stopping them from retreating.

    "Law of Sagittarius."

    *STAB* *STAB*

    "...eh...?"

    "GH-UGH...! S-son...?!"

    The girl stabbed through the chest and let out a small gasp before falling face-first onto the ground ¨C as for the older man, the concentrated star power ripped a hole through his stomach so he did not die immediately which gave him the time to ask while coughing up a fountain of blood.

    "To think an outsider would realize it sooner than the cautious big-shots of the elusive Blood Star sect."

    Aaron shrugged his shoulders, ncing to the side after the ck-haired man who already managed to disappear from his sight.

    "...but... but... why...? Aaron... your mother... you..."<sub> </sub>

    "Dark sect members must die."

    While Rhodes was struggling to utter just a few more words, Aaron dered with a stoic expression.

    ...no, the boy''s expression wasn''t exactly stoic...

    The more fitting description would be... nk.

    He raised his hand and aimed it at his father''s face.

    "Law of Sagittarius."

    *STAB* *thump*

    The st of spiritual power blew a hole clean through the man''s face and his lifeless body fell back and hit the ground while the entire cave crumbled, burying everyone in a grave the shelter that turned out to be their grave.

    "Law of Aries. Law of Taurus.

    Law of Capricorn."

    Aaron said before the mass of earth and rocks fell on him too s the barrage from the outside continued.

    -------

    "Did you activate your defensive star powers?"

    Zoemi asked pushing through the debris burrowing everything so easily as if it was a spring drizzle.

    "...yeah..."

    n muttered in a muttered voice because of being pressed into the ck-haired man''s chest.

    "...he... I caught a glimpse of Aaron... he used thew of Sagittarius against the other two..."

    The young man trembled, clinging to his protector, and muttered in a devastating voice.

    "It looks like he never broke away from the control of the Heavenly Archer sect or something. Be prepared, it might get hard to breathe for you, just don''t panic, everything will be alright."

    "...okay..."

    Zoemi embraced his employer a bit tighter, making sure that his head is protected, and said before ramming right into a wall of the cave on the almost opposite side of the cave that they arrived in.

    "...!"

    The scariest part of that way of traveling ¨C to n at least ¨C was the ease at which Zoemi was breaking through the earth and rocks.

    Each time the debris brushed against the young man''s body he could feel the sturdiness of it, but the ck-haired man carried him through it with no resistance. If not for the asional bumps, n wouldn''t be able to tell the difference between being carried on the surface and to the surface of the earth.

    As for the breathing that the ck-haired man was concerned about, well...

    n felt maybe not exactlyfortable but definitelypletely safe, and let''s just leave it at that without pointing out the reasons.

    Underground, it was very difficult for n to say where exactly they were going and for how long too. Honestly, Zoemi might have been carrying him to the center of the earth at the very moment and the young man would have no way of knowing.

    But s, before dark thoughts like that caused the panic attack that Zoemi was worried about, the ck-haired man pierced through the surface of the earth, and the hot air filled his and n''s lungs...

    ...hot air...?

 612 Chapter 211

    It turned out that Zoemi and n jumped out from the crumbling underground shelter right into the heart of the raging forest fire.

    "LAW OF SAGITTARIUS, YOU MURDEROUS SCUM!"

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOO*

    An enraged shout came out of nowhere, simrly, a concentrated beam of star power that coated itself in fire, turning into a zinget simply appeared right in front of the grim-faced ck-haired man.

    "HOW ABOUT YOU FUCK OFF?!"

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    Zoemi''s face twisted in anger and he waved his hand causing the air at the tip of his fingers to ignite and erupt into a pir of fire that dwarfed the opposing attack, swallowing it whole and negating any iing damage.

    "GAAAAAH?! WHAT IN THE GUIDE''S NAME?!"

    Zoeminded softly on the ground and immediately dashed through the burning forest while the faceless voice cried out in pain and growled in anger.

    "Z-Zoemi...?! What?! How?! It hasn''t been an hour though?! And you are not hot...! I mean, you are but not in that sense and...!"

    n gasped in pure confusion, stretching his neck to see past Zoemi''s torso.

    "Thank you, also, I was lying about the time constriction. As I said, I never trusted Aaron or Rhodes. Why would I tell them the truth about my abilities? Try to not speak too much now, you might bite off your tongue. Law of Libra."

    The ck-haired man snickered before activating another star power and merely thinking up what he wanted to use it on...

    *BOOOOM*

    "!!!"

    The next moment his speed increased dramatically as even a single kick-off caused the earth under his feet to erupt, giving n quite a scare.

    "IS THAT HOW WERE ARE PLAYING, HUH?! STARFALL~!"

    The voice definitely didn''t take to heart Zoemi''s words ¨C or maybe did and was now responding in kind...

    *WHOOOO* x888

    Whoever was attacking them was clearly enjoying themselves to the fullest ¨C especially when they summoned a rain of fire upon the runaway two.

    "I am not going to repeat myself... I gave them a chance..."

    "...huh...? Z-Zoemi...?"

    The ck-haired man gritted his teeth, sounding actually pissed off for once and making the young man in his arms tremble.

    "Close your eyes or you might go blind."

    "...!"

    Zoemi advised and n first went wide-eyed just to hurriedly shut them and burrow his face in the ck-haired man''s chest for increased safety.

    "Red star."

    *&^%$$%^&^%$#%^$#$%$#@*

    Zoemi actually had to concentrate to pull off the next attack ¨C he made a quick judgment of where their opponent was and spoke up the name of the attack as if it was the incantation of a spell ¨C what followed was a reaction of the scorching hot crimson sphere that turned itself into a single-use projectile andunched itself at locked-on location while making an unearthly sound...

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    "...!"<sub> </sub>

    Once it encountered some sort of obstacle that it wasn''t able to immediately burn away, it exploded causing a massive shockwave that propelled Zoemi and n far faster and further than they would get on their own, but also managed to put down the spreading fire in one go.

    Still, although the young man experienced overwhelming pressure, the ck-haired man didn''t stumble or trip and continued running the moment his feet connected with the ground.

    "Wh-wha-what was that...?!"

    n asked after finally being able to catch a breath of air that wasn''t trying to fry his throat and lungs as they gained some much-needed distance.

    "An attack hopefully powerful enough to take down whoever was attacking us. If that didn''t manage to at least incapacitate them I got nothing ¨C anything stronger than you, my friend, would end up a pitiful burnt french fry."

    Zoemi answered, ncing over his shoulder cautiously, watching out for more oing attacks.

    But thankfully, the sky was clear, as both the smoke and even clouds got blown apart by the aftereffects of the explosion.

    "...I don''t want to end up a french fry... whatever it is..."

    n trembled and muttered in a pleading tone that lifted Zoemi''s mood.

    "It''s actually a type of food ¨C one that I could prepare given the right ingredients, it''s delicious, actually."

    "...now you are just bullying me..."

    The ck-haired man pointed out, clearing the possible future misunderstanding but only making n blush and cling to him that much harder.

    After they gained even more distance and there still was no revenge attack from their faceless opponent, the young man regained some of hisposure and asked straightening his back a little.

    "Zoemi... you said that anything stronger would be dangerous for me... that means it wasn''t your most powerful attack...?"

    Zoemi released his head and then n wrapped his arms around the ck-haired man''s neck for a morefortable position and asked.

    "Who knows?"

    Zoemi merely smirked and shrugged his shoulders lightheartedly as he carried the young man into safety...

    -----------

    "Was that someone from the Blood Sect or the unknown ck-haired marital artist...?"

    A short copper-haired man with sift facial features and a voice so low it did not fit him in the slightest, called out as he stood up and shook off the hot ashes that the shockwave covered him with.

    "Everyone, report in! What in the world was that attack? How many were injured... Guide damn it... how many conscious people we have left...?!"

    He called out, looking around over the group he lead all the way to the middle of nowhere to take down the dark sect.

    No one answered him ¨C although at the moment it was hard to tell whether hisrades were dead or just unconscious.

    *THUMP*

    "!!!"

    Just as the copper-haired man was walking through the mound of ash reaching his knees, braving it to get to the closest body, something fell right next to him straight out of the sky!

    "...fuuuuuck...!"

    The fall was rather dangerous and even therge amount of ash cushioning wasn''t able to absorb nearly enough force to make it not painful ¨C which was soon confirmed by the weak groan from the created hole.

    "Bevan?! Bevan, are you alri...! Dear Guide...!"

    The copper-haired man shouted in shock and his deep voice reverberated through the area as he hurried over to the crash site and actually had a look at the object - or rather person - that had fallen.

 613 Chapter 211

    Right there, amongst the ash, a beaten up, burnt man in histe thirties, with dark brown hair and gray eyes, was sprawled over. The bottom of his marital artist uniform held on fine but the upper part got devastated, hanging on his left shoulder by a threat.

    But his attire wasn''t the part that suffered the most.

    ? The fallen man''s right hand, shoulder, and a big part of his right side were gone, pulverized by the ridiculous heat that not simply burnt it, but straight up crystalized the tissue, stopping all possible bleeding from urring.

    "Clint... didn''t you say that the Blood Star sect has only one Supernova level marital artist... and that she has reached the supernova level in thew of Taurus...? Does this look like it was caused by earth element...? GUH...!"

    The wounded man called Bevan groaned, gulping down his saliva with great difficulty and trying to get up but merely tumbling over, not used to having one less limb.

    "If you canin then you are fine. And don''t try to push the me on me ¨C I was working with the information gathered by the Star Pagoda and the Heavenly Archer sect. Also, you were told to not engage the unknown ck-haired man."

    Clint let out a relieved breath before scoffing at Bevan.

    "You know how far away that guy was? Ugh...! I barely saw the movement and reacted to it!"

    The dark-brown-haired manined, inhaling a mouthful of ash and spitting it out immediately after.

    "Also, don''t make it seem as if there is a time when I can''tin. I wouldin even on my deathbed. And I will definitelyin to William about what happened here. Urgh... Law of Virgo."

    Bevan added sounding oddly proud of himself and activated the healing star power.

    "If there is a stray marital artist capable of doing that to you of all people in the wild, then it definitely is a valid reason to bother the Heavenly Star warrior about. The big shots have to update that guy''s threat level."

    Clint nodded his head at the other man and reached out to help him get up on his feet.

    "Shut up... if I had more time to practice thew of Aries I would have been fine. Urgh... now that position of the headmaster that I was offered doesn''t sound so bad... do you think they''ll still hire me?"

    Bevan scoffed grumpily before taking the hand of the copper-haired man and asking with a heavy sigh.

    "You''re quick to sack your career as a martial artist, don''t you think? Isn''t yourw of Virgo on..."

    "It''s not regenerating."

    The copper-haired man shook his head and smirked at the dark-brown-haired man while helping him up, but his words of encouragement were interrupted by a dry statement.

    "Whoa there, maybe give it some time, alright?"

    Clint''s eyes widened and he looked up at the taller man, trying to figure out whether it was just Bevan''s usualining or was he serious this time.

    "I have been injured before, Clint. Even lost limbs more times than I will ever admit. This feeling... My right arm isn''ting back... also... I think... It''s more serious than I thou..."

    The taller man shook his head and started swaying to the sides, unable to keep his bnce. All of a sudden, even though he was talking just fine moments earlier, his eyes shed whites and he fell forward.

    "Bevan?!"

    He would have fallen face-first into ash, but Clint reacted in time, catching him immediately.

    "...yeah... let''s get you somewhere safe first..."

    The shorter man patted the unconscious man''s back and nodded with a heavy sigh, looking towards the sky with a worried expression.

    -----<sub> </sub>

    "...ghhhh... grhhhhh...!"

    A deer-like monster with reddish stripes over the yellow body was breathing heavily while drooling buckets.

    It stumbled its way out of the woods and moved towards the human settlement visible in the distance.

    Despite having the body of a herbivore, that particr species was not only carnivore but venomous as well.

    Although there was clearly something wrong with that one specimen.

    As it was breathing, a thin ck mist was getting pushed out of its nostrils just to be inhaled again without dispersing.

    "...fhind him... gheth shthrongher... khill... Zhooeemii...!"

    The deer-like monster let out a specific series of noises that were almost legible ¨C the problem was that the clearly human speech wasing out of a beast''s mouth.

    "...shthrongher... khill humansh... ghet sthrongher..."

    *WHOOOOSH*

    The possessed monster neighed and a sphere of condensed wind appeared between its prongs, howling furiously about to be unleashed in some sort of wind magic attack.

    "Khi...? Iill...?"

    As the monster continued its walk, something shed in the sky over its destination, causing the normally cautious creature to look up in search of potential danger ¨C or dinner ¨C and...

    *THUNK*

    *haaaaaa*

    A translucent ice sphere stabbed straight through the deer-like monster''s skull, killing it and pinning it to the ground in one shot while the spell it was conjuring released into the air with the soft sound resembling a person breathing out in relief.

    After a little while, a blue-haired young man with a strict expression approached the carcass from the direction of the human settlement the creature was originally aiming for.

    "...hmm..."

    The young man furrowed his brows, grabbing onto the spear and lifting it up together with the monster''s head for a closer examination.

    He had a particr pair of eyes ¨C one was blue, just like his hair, while the other waspletely ck ¨C not just the iris, the entire eyeball waspletely ck.

    Murky ck to be more specific.

    "L-lord Perserios...! Please wait...!"

    While the blue-haired man was inspecting the creature in silence, someone else came running from the same direction and joined his side.

    A green-haired young man.

    "You suddenly created and threw that ice spear out of nowhere! You should at least give me a warning! I didn''t know what to tell the people escorting us! Ugh...!"

    The manined, giving the blue-haired young man a disapproving look before moving his attention towards the dead monsters and shivering from disgust uponying his eyes on it.

 614 Chapter 212

    "I preferred when monsters stayed in fairytales..."

    The green-haired man breathed out, facing away from the deer-like monster whose mouth continued leaking saliva even after its death.

    "Sir Moyena, our preferences have nothing to do with the reality of the world we know nothing about."

    The blue-haired young man shrugged his shoulders and dropped the ice spear, letting the monster''s head fall back onto the ground.

    "Lord Perserios, you don''t have to use my surname, I have no chance of bing the heir of my family and certainly have no intention of returning to them after finally gaining my freedom, Reo is enough."

    The green-haired man became flustered and bowed his head toward the shorter man.

    "And I told you that as long as we are not in the kingdom of Bellcephora, it''s okay to just call me Devios. Don''t expect me to go along with something you are not willing to do yourself."

    Devios Elef Perserios, the head of the Perserios family, shrugged his shoulders and dered with an indifferent expression.

    "...we might be in a different country, in apletely different part of the world, but it doesn''t change who we are, my lord."

    Reo lowered his head and muttered in a troubled voice.

    "We aredy Miriette''s eyes and ears in thend of martial artists using the excuse of enrolling into the Heavenly Star Academy to search for any traces of Zoemi. Seems like we are very much equal."

    Devios pointed out with a serious expression that made Reo fidget nervously.

    "Lady Miriette saved me. I want to find young master Zoemi, but if it was not fordy Miriette''s request, I would have never dared toe to this ce."

    The green-haired man revealed, facing the other way, not wanting to look the blue-haired man in the eyes.

    "So you''re here because of a debt. That''s the same for me ¨C only that I am here to pay my debt to Zoemi and Mizi."

    "Eh...?"

    Devios spread his arms open and smirked without even the tiniest bit of positive feelings behind it, causing Reo to gasp and turn to him.

    "If not for the sentinel that Zoemi left with me ¨C that would be Mizi - I would have died nearly two years ago when the marital artist showed up in my territory. My injuries were so severe that Mizi had to fuse with me in order to save my life. Poor little fellow became my missing eye, sacrificing themselves so that I could live."

    The young man put his hand to his different colored eye and spread open his eyelids to better show up the murky-ck sphere that took ce the blue mana stone that was always there before.

    "Even ifdy Miriette wouldn''t ask me, I would have ventured here to search for their father if the opportunity presented itself."

    He exined before putting down his hand and shrugging his shoulders.

    "And you still im that we are the same?"

    Reo blinked a few times as his shoulders dropped after listening to the deration from the blue-haired young man.<sub> </sub>

    "I do."

    Devios confirmed before his expression became softer.

    "I was told that Zoemi always wanted a big family. He already has a younger sister that he somehow expected, but he has no idea about the younger brother that was recently born."

    The young man smiled and said looking towards the clear sky.

    "Spoken like a proud uncle. Now then... Is it only me who finds it weird that our escort isgging behind? I did not use any augmentations and my speed leaves a lot to be desired."

    Reo nodded sounding eager to change the subject to the one that bothered him more.

    Indeed. Both Reo and Devios were on their way to the newly constructedplex under the banner of the Heavenly Star Academy, they were a part of a slightlyrger group of students that were picked to stay in the Heavenly Star nation for between one to three years.

    The requirement for the students from thend of man - as the martial artists would call the area within the former line of death ¨C would be the age below the age of twenty-one, willing to participate in the exchange, and highly resistant towards the environment thatcked any mana whatsoever.

    That''s it.

    Apparently, the marital artist that wanted to enroll in the Heavenly Star Academy also had the age limit imposed on them, but their other requirements were some actual challenges.

    That said, the delegation that Reo and Devios were a part of was being escorted by a group of a supposedly powerful martial artists ¨C and it seemed like not even a single one was going to look for the two students that left the group.

    "Oh, do not worry, we are under constant surveince. The only question I have for the people watching us is ¨C why didn''t you kill that monster first?"

    "...!"

    Devios waved his hand dismissively at shocked Reo and then turned around, looking toward the trees not far from the ce where the deer-like monster first showed up.

    "...to our defense, that vige has its own marital artist taking care of it, although I must admit that the moment the Vivid Buckian started casting a spell, at least I was stunned. Mana is poison in thisnd. At least, it should be ¨C for monsters too. Please, don''t hold it against us..."

    With their cover blown, one of the martial artists escorting the group from the Kingdom of Bellcephora stepped out in the open and started exining in a not-so-honest apologetic voice while approaching the two men.

    It was a tall, man in histe twenties at most, with short blond hair and calm azure eyes, he was giving off the aura of reliability, although whether it was deserved was another thing.

    "Not to mention you suddenly cast a spell yourself without the immediate threat to your life, we were at a loss what could be happening."

    The man added, and this time it seemed like he was slightly more honest.

    "Understandable, although you have some ways of countering mana, I have some tested and true methods of rendering them useless."

    "..."

    Devios nodded his head with an indifferent expression as if his words weren''t containing a serious threat that sent chills down the spine of the blond-haired martial artist.

 615 Chapter 212

    "I''m back."

    "Wee h... ugh, took you long enough"

    A white-as-snow young woman weed the returning Reo and Devios with a strict look and a pose with crossed arms that was suggesting that the two were in trouble as she responded to the blue-haired man''s greeting.

    "Lord Perserios, you are not giving the others a good example, even though you are the one with the highest position in our little group."

    She furrowed her brows, doubling down on the blue-haired man in particr.

    "I merely killed a monster about to go on a rampage that was in the middle of casting an offensive spell. I was not aware that protecting human lives is doing something bad, miss Metavicero."

    Devios responded by straightening his back and ring up at the young woman trying to scold him.

    Still, even if he went on his tiptoes it wouldn''t make the situation look any better, the blue-haired man with one murky-ck eyeball''s head was at best at Metavicero''s ample chest level.

    "Excuse me, but it would be best to refrain from using a phrase such as monster rampage. You see in thisnd when monsters start a rampage it means that the boss monster of the area had died and all of its underlings will start viciously fighting amongst each other for the freed spot. It usually brings forth many casualties amongst the human poption, so you surely understand why it''s best to not speak about it without a valid reason."

    As Devios and Metavicero were confronting each other, a blond martial artist that was the one to talk with Devios and Reo during their little side quest stepped forward and said with an apologetic expression while ncing to the sides whether the conversation was overheard by someone bystander.

    "You might want to point something like that out during the briefing before the sea fare or during it next time, would be more useful than boasting about all the ways a martial artist can stop or relinquish mana."

    "..."

    The blue-haired young man turned over at the blond man and dered in a voice that was far more like an order than a suggestion, which made the martial artists escorting them frown with barely disguised enmity.

    "Do note up with new information to talk about when you clearly do not bother to remember the ones that were present. We were told about preserving mana because of the drastic drop in the speed of our mana reservoirs being refilled."

    Metavicero shook her head in annoyance and stepped in front of Devios, blocking his view and making him turn his attention back to her.

    Which wasn''t that hard of a task toplete.

    The whole group was offered sets of martial artists'' uniforms to wear for blending in and not gather too much attention on their way to the Heavenly Star Academyplex. Everyone except for Metavicero went along with it ¨C only the white-as-snow young woman decided to wear a fittingly pure-white one piece dress and strapped white sandals and would not budge on her choice.

    "I do not take orders from anyone other than the monarchs I pledged my allegiance to, and his highness Horeo Marets Bellcephora and his wives did tell me to resolve all matters that will ur here in the way I see fit. What you talk about were mere suggestions that do not affect me, to begin with."

    Devios snorted and tilted his head, putting his hand to his face and pulling down his eyelid to show the murky-ck eyeball in a gesture thatcked only the showing of one''s tongue to be offensively mocking.

    "Your status might be the highest amongst the ones here, but let me remind you that you aren''t the only one with the authority from the king. Watch your mouth or I will be forced to put you down, even though you are low enough."

    Metavicero scoffed, raising her head and ring at the shorter man with a mocking smirk.<sub> </sub>

    "Is that a challenge I hear, little miss? Because for me it really sounds as if you want me to knock you down off your high horse and pound some respect into you."

    Devios''s martial artist uniform suddenly became tight as the anger spoke through him and he took a step forward, ready for a brawl.

    "Oh, dear heavens, get a room already! This is embarrassing to watch!"

    As the sh between the two seemed imminent, another magician ¨C a young earth magician that looked to be the age of a second-year student in the Aspakeony Academy - groaned, shaking his head at the two.

    "..."

    "...!"

    Devios didn''t even budge, but Metavicero looked away and stepped down, possibly troubled because of the statement.

    "Hmph. Mind your tone, Noex. I invited everyone to be more familiar with me and each other, but there is a time and ce for everything."

    Seeing his opponent back down, Devios rxed, but not before scolding the brown-haired boy.

    "Ah... I... I apologize..."

    The boy gasped in realization and lowered his head apologetically, blushing in embarrassment.

    "Can we go already? It''s already bothersome enough that we were not provided with carriages and have to travel on foot while being unable to use mana..."

    Another magician joined in the conversation, a slim boy with yellow hair and eyes who looked like he was too young to even be in the group from the kingdom of Bellcephora.

    "That being said, why weren''t we provided with carriages? Do you not have horses or domesticated horse-like monsters that would be able to make it easier to travel long distances?"

    The yellow-haired boy breathed out forcefully before looking at the blond-haired martial artist with a nk expression.

    "Huh? Oh! Well, you see, in the first ce the Heavenly Star Academy is roughly within the distance that every martial artist runs during their training to stay fit and..."

    "Oh, wow. Wow, those uniforms work better than expected! Noex, you''ve heard that? Even our escorts think we are marital artists!"

    The blond man surprised by the question shook his head and answered a bit awkwardly, but the yellow-haired boy did not let him finish, instead turning away and talking to the earth magician who got scolded without changing his expression at all.

    "Alright. Enough of this. I apologize to everyone for the dy. Let''s go now."

    Devios sighed and waved his hand to get everyone''s attention before lowering his head and announcing.

 616 Chapter 213

    "Excuse me?"

    It was only a few days after the group of magicians arrived at the Heavenly Star Academy ¨C a grandioseplex built by the Star Pagoda with the help of almost every singlewful sects founding ¨C and the morning of the first official day of the lectures already brought a big surprise for Devios and the others.

    "Were... were you not informed about the five exposition duels...? One-on-one, no repeated participants, the person who steps outside of the arena loses?"

    A worried-looking female martial artist gulped down her saliva and asked in an uneasy voice.

    "I was not. Miss Metavicero!"

    The blue-haired young man shook his head to the sides before spotting the pure-white figure and called out to her, raising his hand to get her attention.

    "D...! Lord Perserios! I was looking for you!"

    Metavicero''s white eyes lighted up for a split second only to be dim as she run up to the shorter man and the female martial artist.

    "I didn''t sleep on the part when they informed us about some sort of exposition duels during the briefing, did I?"

    As she approached, Devios furrowed his brows and asked her in a bothered voice.

    "Of course not! I was just told about those duels myself!"

    Metavicero scoffed decisively, waving her hand to dismiss the Devios''s self-doubt and assured him.

    "You heard that? Call off that event."

    The blue-haired man nodded ad turned to the timid martial artist.

    "I... I can''t...! It was approved by the vice-principal even before mister Bevan took the position of the headmaster!"

    The woman gasped and backed off cowering.

    "The... the only way for you all to get away from fighting would be if you forfeited from the duels..."

    "..."

    "..."

    She added, seemingly trying to be helpful, but Devios and Metavicero only exchanged grim looks.

    "So that''s how you martial artists want to y? Miss Metavicero, let''s go gather the rest."

    Devios scoffed at the woman and turned towards the white-as-snowrade of his.

    "So, the forfeit...?"

    "Of course, we will not back down from a challenge, who are you taking the magicians of the kingdom of Bellcephora for?!"

    The marital artist fidgetted with unease and asked expectantly, unable to hold back her real feelings towards the people from thend of mana, but that get her an annoying scoff from the blue-haired young man.<sub> </sub>

    "Those shameless bastards... exposition matches... yeah, right. They clearly wanted to take us by surprise so that we would make fools out of ourselves and make it seem like we were scared of the mighty martial artists!"

    As the pair of magicians moved away from the woman, Metavicero lowered her head and muttered towards Devios.

    "Don''t underestimate their n. They definitely made this n knowing that our mana regenerates at a terribly slow rate. They must have ounted for that even if we will fight and win, at least one of us will suffer the mana depletion and embarrass the others in the process."

    "...the audacity...!"

    Devios breathed out in annoyance and revealed his own take on the subject of the duels, causing Metavicero to gasp and grab his arm with a tense expression.

    "The two of us must participate, that one''s a given, but what about the other three? We have no knowledge about the strength of our opponents, we can face literally everyone with the random mixture of twelve differentws."

    While on their way to the dormitory section, the white-as-snow young woman said her thoughts out loud without letting go of Devios''s arm.

    "Reo said that he has a lot of artifacts if we want to preserve our mana, remember? Still, wind enchantments are amongst the weakest, especially his, so he might not want to participate, as for the rest... I''ve heard that Noex participated in the knight''s training for almost the whole duration. I have no idea whether hepleted it, but even an attempt suggests that he has some experience with fighting that doesn''t rely fully on mana... as for the fifth one... I have nothing. Let''s ask who behaves the most normally under mana depletion and let them go all out. Maybe there is someone like my brother-inw who acts with such dignity that they would make the martial artists'' n to shame us backfire on them."

    The blue-haired man responded with a rough n.

    Less than a quarter of an hourter the magicians from thend of mana were discussing it in more detail.

    "..."

    Reo was biting his lips, clenching his fists, and staring at his feet in silence while the others were looking at him.

    No matter how one looked at it, to their knowledge, the green-haired young man was the best candidate after the physically strong and trained Devios and Metavicero.

    Wind enchantments were weak defensively, but the speed that the user gained made them good for dodging and running away ¨C the rest could be potentially resolved with a well-ced wind trap pushing the opponent out of bounds, winning the duel ording to the set rules.

    "Let''s give him a bit more time to consider. As for the other two..."

    Devios said, bringing the attention back to him and looking at one of the earth magicians.

    "I had you in mind for the fourth spot, Noex. You do know at least a little bit about fighting without the use of mana, don''t you?"

    The blue-haired man asked in a serious voice.

    "If you are referring to the knight training, I only tried it out for fun because I''ve heard lord Banemor and even his highness the king had gone through it. Honestly, I''m probably below the average..."

    "..."

    Noex straightened his back but ended up waving his hand dismissively, causing Devios''s expression to turn even more serious.

    "..although if it''s just throwing the opponent out of bounds, I have an idea that should work and as long as the arena is sturdy enough, it should not take too much of my mana. If it works, I would out-mock them."

    The brown-haired boy added hurriedly and even smiled cheekily, making others think that he might be a good pick after all.

    "Good enough. As for the fifth one..."

 617 Chapter 213

    "I volunteer."

    Since deciding to not force anyone into participating n the exposition duels, Devios was about to ask the others about their behavior under the influence of the mana depletion when a wild volunteer just raised their hand on their own.

    It was the yellow-haired boy who looked far too young to fit within the imposed age limit for entering the Heavenly Star Academy or even the Aspakeony Academy.

    "You are... Terez Kallerte... Well, with her majesty''s rmendation backing you up, I believe there is nothing I should be worried about... that said, do you know how you act under mana depletion?"

    The blue-haired man nodded, squinting his eyes trying to remember the name of the boy he met the first time ON the ship crossing the ocean to the Heavenly Star nation.

    "My mom said that I be really cute and adorable to the point of others wanting to spoil me rotten, but I can''t confirm it since I usually don''t remember it happening anything from that."

    Terez revealed tilting his head to the side and putting his index fingers to his cheek while his expression remained kind of nk.

    "...does... does it happen often? By that I mean do you have low mana?"

    Devios furrowed his brows, focusing on the shade of the boy''s hair and eyes.

    Usually the paler the color the lower amount of mana at the user''s disposal, and honestly, Terez hair was almost blond and not even gold suggesting that he was a really weak light magician...

    "I am not the strongest, but I will do my best. Mana is poisonous for the people of thisnd, right? I will make sure to be thest man standing."

    Terez straightened his back and assured sounding positively confident about his chances.

    "...you do have her highness''s rmendation... Alright. We will be counting on you."

    Devios repeated himself as if he was trying to remind himself about the fact, before agreeing on the boy participating.

    That left Reo to either confirm or reject participating in the tournament, there was very little time to decide so the attention shifted back to him, making him shift in unease.

    "...before we proceed, I would like to tell something to everyone..."

    The green-haired man took a deep breath and said, pulling out a small box from his chest pocket.

    "I have broken off any connection with the house of Moyena so there is no longer to keep it a secret, although I was doing that because I was afraid of what kind of reaction everyone would have."

    He said, looking at the magicians surrounding him with an upset expression.

    "You do love to talk a whole lot, prankster. What''s with the build-up, get on with it."

    Noex rolled his eyes with a groan as if he was already well acquainted with the green-haired young man''s behavior.

    "Well, you see. Myte mother was a magician, but her mother was someone from the Atreterve nation. People from the Atreterve nation do not possess mana in the same sense as people from the kingdom of Bellcephora do. They are more attuned to using the mana stones and creating artifacts with them..."

    Reo gulped down his saliva and raised the box in his hand a bit higher so that everyone could see it properly.

    "Hold on..."

    "..."<sub> </sub>

    "..."

    The brown-haired boy furrowed his brows looking at Reo with unease while Devios and Metavicero exchanged surprised looks.

    "You see, in truth, I inherited most of the bloodline of my grandmother. I do not have mana. I have been using this device the whole time to alter my appearance to make it look like I am a wind magician this whole time... Also, all the pranks I''ve been pulling out with the wind-like spells were caused by the small artifacts that I came up with and created myself."

    "NO!"

    Reo announced which caused Noex to straighten his back and exim in the most genuine overreaction that anyone from their group has ever seen. The brown-haired boy seemed so invested in what the green-haired young man was saying as if it had been affecting his worldview as a whole.

    "This is how I really look..."

    The green-haired young man nced with confusion at the devastated Noex and bowed his head apologetically to the others.

    He opened the little box and took out the green mana stone hidden within.

    As he did...

    *BOING*

    ? He shrunk by a lot, bing shorter than Devios and Noex, but what he lost in the height he gained in the volume of his chest and the length of his hair that changed the color from green to brown.

    As it turned out ¨C or rather, as it was revealed for the group, Reo wasn''t a man at all, but a brown-haired, green-eyed young woman who was staring at her feet while nervously clenching her hands on the artifact that was hiding her real appearance up until then.

    "...! ¡­! !!!"

    Noex took a few steps back, greatly disturbed by the change, opening and closing his mouth while moving his hands to his head and then pointing them at Reo repeatedly.

    "...that artifact influenced more than just your hair color..."

    "...?!"

    Devios took a deep breath and pointed out ¨C as he did, Metavicero red at him in disbelief before ncing over at Reo, or more specifically her chest, and immediately puffed out her own chest before ncing over at the blue-haired young man while making a sulky expression.

    "This artifact is a lot moreplicated than the ones I was allowed to research, the appearance that I was turning into was not of my design."

    Reo said apologetically without raising her head.

    "It is what it is. My question and the n do not change. You are still the best candidate for ourst representative. Even slightly better now as with yourck of mana, you can''t enter mana depletion."

    Devios didn''t dwell on the matter for any longer than a second or two and went back to the most pressing subject.

    "...I can''t promise you that I will win..."

    "Don''t worry about that. I can''t say that about myself either. What matter is that we will not back down from a challenge."

    Reo breathed out apologetically, but Devios only shook his head and assured her.

 618 Chapter 214

    "Okay... I will do my best."

    The short young woman gulped down her saliva and nodded, bashfully looking up at herrades.

    "!!!"

    "...do you need some help...?"

    She wasn''t a stunning beauty that would grasp the hearts of everyone, but no one could dismiss her innocent charm ¨C still, Noex''s reaction was so overblown, again, that Terez approached him and asked with a confused expression.

    With at least one problem being solved, the entire group moved towards the ce where the opening ceremony was going to take ce...

    --------

    After being sent to the person responsible for the event and informing them about the order in which they will be fighting, the five representatives moved to the waiting spot while the rest of the magicians was guided to take their ce amongst the audience of other new students.

    "I am Bevan former member of the Twelve Heavenly Guardians of the Heavenly Star nation. Taking the position of the principal of the Heavenly Star Academy, I would like to wee all of you promising youngsters who decided to pick up a new challenge!"

    A one-armed man walked over to the podium and addressed the gathered students, causing a smallmotion.

    It looked like basically, everyone from the Heavenly Star nation knew who Bevan was but basically, no one knew how and when he lost an arm and stepped down from his spot amongst the Twelve Heavenly Guardians.

    "It hasn''t been long since the dissonance of the line of death, giving us ess o the fablednd of mana and vice versa! After long negotiations and hard work put in by both sides, the Heavenly Star Academy was created and a delegation of students from thend of mana was able to join us in their pursuit of knowledge and strength unknown to their homnd! As we are a nation of warriors and martial artists what''s a better way to wee than then exchanging blows in a friendly exposition duel? Without further ado, I leave the rest in the capable hands of the teachers who organized the whole thing!"

    Bevan announced with a very much forced excitation and stepped down while grasping his right side missing an arm and frowning, clearly fighting the pain.

    "Hmm... I guess their equivalent of healing magic can''t regrow limbs."

    "So it seems."

    Terez pointed out innocently while looking at the one-armed man who seated himself among the group of much older marital artists meant to be the teachers, to which Devios discreetly breathed out and nodded.

    "I believe that everyone can''t wait to see fabled magic in action so let''s leave the bothersome introductions and details to the side for now and just start!"

    A middle-aged marital artist with graying light-brown hair stepped on the podium after Bevan announced and the students baffled by the one-armed principal responded with a cheer.

    "For the first out of five duels ¨C Miss Reo Serentii from the kingdom of Bellcephora will face the rising star of the Raging Bull sect, mister Roger Hooves!"

    The teacher announced and a portion of the audience from the Raging Bull sect erupted in cheers hyping up their representative.

    "Rx, if something will happen I will take care of it."

    Terez patted the nervous girl''s shoulder speaking with a reassuring voice without changing his nk expression.

    "If he hurts you just give up. If anyone will have a problem with you, I will make them see reason!"

    Noex approached Reo from the opposite side and dered without being able to keep proper eye contact with her.

    "Umm... umm... th-thank you...?"

    The short young woman responded to the two younger boys'' support with confusion while nervously taking out and putting back the various artifacts that she stuffed in her clothes beforehand and hurried to the arena while clenching one magic device in her trembling hand.

    Reo''s opponent was already waiting for her.

    It was a muscr young man with short blond hair and blue eyes. Just in the terms of normal strength, even without the augmentation ofws or spells, Reo stood no chance.<sub> </sub>

    "Let''s have a good fight."

    "L-lets..."

    Roger bowed his head politely from his side making Reo fidget in unease and respond in a bashful voice.

    "Begin!"

    The teacher called out for the start of the duel.

    "Law of Aries! Law of Taurus!"

    Roger began with immediate activation of his star power, while Reo..."

    "HNNGH!"

    ...bit her lips and threw the artifact she held on to at him with a focused expression.

    "Your aim is off!"

    Roger called, winding up his fist for a hit ¨C it looked like he was intending to break the attack with his bare hands.

    "NO! WAIT! DO NOT HIT IT!"

    "Hmph!"

    Seeing that, Reo panicked and shouted but she was toote as the young martial artist have already punched her artifact...

    *crack* *WHOOP* *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH* *WHAM*

    "!!!"

    As the artifact broke apart under the power of the attack it unleashed a bright green light and a sound of violently sucking in the surrounding air ¨C after which thepressed air was unleashed in a massive wind erruption that sent Roger flying into the audience that barely moved away in time as he mmed into the ground creating a crater, like some sort of human meteor.

    Everyone was speechless, both the martial artists and the magicians.

    "M-miss Reo wins..."

    "Mister Rogires!"

    The teacher announced the result in a stunned voice, but Reo was already halfway through the arena, calling out in panic to her defeated opponent.

    She jumped off the tform and hurried towards the crater from which the very much confused young man was climbing out off.

    "Mister Rogires! I am so sorry! The thing that I used was filled with a pressure-sensitive magic trigger! It was meant to only cause a small wind-bomb-like burst of air that would make you trip and fall, but since your attack was so strong the spell gained far too much power! Are you alright?!"

    The short young woman cried out apologetically while grabbing the martial artist''s arm and helping him stand back on his feet.

    "I... umm... I see. Don''t worry about me, myw of Aries is firmly at the third star, I was just... Taken by surprise..."

    Roger looked at Reo''s face, then at her breast pressing onto his arm, then back at her face and responded while blushing, reassuring the clearly worried girl.

 619 Chapter 214

    "Miss Reo, please return to your spot."

    "Ah! S-sorry...!"

    The teacher in charge of the event cleared his throat and addressed the young woman who flinched, and moved back to her side of the arena but not before bowing apologetically towards her opponent one more time.

    "...those magicians might not be bad at all..."

    "Sure, sure... Rogeris! Pfft...!"

    Roger said looking at Reo''s back to which one of his sect members nodded at him with a smirk and snorted at how the girl from thend of mana misspelled his name.

    "Yooo! You prankster! You had something so amazing in store and you acted as if you would have trouble winning, you! That was amazing!"

    Noex was the first person to wee Reo in, cheering over her victory while tousling he hair as if they were friends for ages.

    "It wasn''t meant to go this way, it''s a good thing that it didn''t end up harming anyone."

    Reo blushed in response to the prise and fidgetted, lowering her head, not knowing how to respond to the price.

    "You know, it was a good thing that she was the first one to fight."

    From the side of the wee, Devios nodded with a soft smile while speaking to Metavicero.

    "I can also act thoughtful and motherly."

    "..."

    The white-as-snow young woman murmured in a sulky voice which made the blue-haired man try to discreetly bite his lips to hold down the wide smile that was forcing its way on his face.

    "What is it?!"

    "Nothing."

    Metavicero noticed that and scoffed grumpily at Devios doing his best, to which he responded immediately with a short shrug and a head shake, wlessly returning to a serious expression.

    "With that, we can go straight to the second duel. Mister Noex from the kingdom of Bellcephora will face the elite member of the Virtuous Maiden sect, miss Christine Lassier!"

    "...why does it look like she isn''t well-liked even amongst her own group...?"

    Noex who barely stopped praising Reo furrowed his brows looking towards the opposite side of the arena. For Roger, his sect members present cheered on him loudly, but with Christine, not only she did not receive the same level of support, some of her sect members straight up looked away as if they didn''t want to be associated with her.

    "She looked this way and licked her lips as if she saw something tasty... that might be one of the reasons..."

    Terez pointed out with an indifferent expression.

    "She... she might be excited to test her strength...?"

    Noex felt uneasy with the fact and said, trying to justify the behavior...

    "Maybe, but she licked her lips looking at me. Ah, and now she winked and did a kissy face at me again. I feel strangely threatened."

    "Wait, hold up. What?!"

    Terez responded without changing his tone but as he reported he continued to steadily back off and hide behind the shocked Noex''s back.

    "Noex, you are making it seem like you are stalling. Get out there."<sub> </sub>

    Devios rolled his eyes and give the brown-haired boy a verbal push.

    Noex got up to the arena, observing the young woman who seemed to be disliked by her own sect members.

    There was nothing in her appearance that would suggest the reason. She was pretty, quite tall with brownish-gold hair that went all the way to her thighs, and seemed like a properdy with the prudent way she walked...

    "Hey... if I win, will you introduce me to that small cutie? This big sister wants loves to teach young boys like him a thing or two about the pleasures of being an adult~"

    "!!!"

    ...but that positive image shattered when Christine opened her mouth and spoke, continuously licking her lips while looking over Noex''s shoulders straight at the uneasy Terez, which sent chills of disgust to the back of the young earth magician.

    "Yeah, so that''s one of the questions answered."

    Noex shuddered and breathed out while noticing that one girl from the same sect as Christine straight up covered her face with her hands in shame.

    "Hey, you aren''t as old as I thought, now that I look at you. How about you give up and then both you and that little friend of yours will go with me to y? Or you can just give him up and I will hook you up with a girl of your liking?"

    "...you..."

    "Begin!"

    Christine focused on Noex for a moment and offered with perverted intent written all over her face, making the boy''s expression darken just in time for the duel to officially start.

    "Law of Virgo! Law of Aries! Law of...!"

    *RUMBLE*

    Christine used the chance and began activating her star power, but when she was on the third one Noex flicked his hand and the entire arena shook almost nocking the pervert out of bnce.

    "Eh...? EEHH...?!"

    Christine gasped, looking around in confusion as the surface of the arena began to tilt toward her side.

    "Did you just ask me to GIVE UP MY FRIEND?!"

    Noex roared in fury, raising his hand, and with that motion, the entire arena flipped from horizontal to vertical position with him standing firmly on the side in the air.

    "Wait! Wait! Wait! NOOOOOOO! Uhn..."

    Christine panicked and tried to cling to the suddenly impossibly steep surface going as far as wing at the tilesposing it with her fingers ¨C with all her attempts ending up useless and her sliding down onto her butt with a pitiful yelp.

    "SAY THAT AGAIN! TELL ME TO GIVE UP MY FRIEND ONE MORE TIME SO I WILL BE ABLE TO BRING THIS WHOLE THING DOWN ON YOUR HEAD WITH CLEAR CONSCIENCE!"

    Noex''s voice boomed over the entire area while he raised his hand over his head and the arena edge which he stood on was lifted into the air and moved over Christine as he red down at her.

    "HIIIIII! I''M SORRY! I''M SORRY! I WILL NOT APPROACH ANY OF YOU!"

    "THE DUEL IS OVER! NOEX WINS!"

    The urgent voice in which the teacher ended the duel suggested that he wanted it over before the representative of the Virtuous Maiden sect would embarrass herself and the other marital artists, but unfortunately, he was a split second toote and Christine managed to crawl back at all fours while shouting in panic as she ran away from under the levitating arena.

    "Hmph. I will keep you on that word."

    Noex scoffed angrily, ring after the escaping marital artist, and lowered his hand, carefully cing the arena back in its original ce.

 620 Chapter 215

    "This one is on me. I should have taken into the ount the possibility of the participants having some sort of past that once triggered by a certain phrase would throw them into a wild rage."

    Although the duel ended up in favor of the magicians, Devios sighed, shaking his head over the way it was won.

    "Don''t be too harsh on yourself. Look, even if he is under mana depletion, he is taking it extremely well.

    Metavicero waved her hand dismissively and reassured the blue-haired young man.

    "That said, I should be next, right? I will make sure to not give you a headache."

    "You better be. If not you will be the one responsible for nursing me back to health."

    The white-as-snow young woman breathed out and straightened her back with a confident smile, to which Devios responded lightheartedly.

    "Pfft, yeah, you wish."

    Metavicero snorted, seemingly unbothered.

    While that happened, Noex returned to his group where he was greeted by a bouncy Terez who still kept his indifferent expression.

    "Yay~! Thanks for protecting me!"

    Terez cheered, putting his fist out.

    "Shut up. I would have defeated her even if she wasn''t perving over you."

    Noex scoffed, looking to the side to hide his embarrassment but he bumped his fist against Terez''s anyway.

    "Noex! Congrattions on winning! Are you okay though? You must have used a lot of mana, aren''t you feeling worse? Do you want to sit down ory down?"

    As the two moved a bit further back to where they had a bench provided, Reo who was upying the spot perked up and asked with a worried voice.

    "...I''m... I''m fine..."

    Noex blushed, ncing at Reo''sp as if it was a spot included in the offer, and stepped to the side, sitting a respectable distance away from the young woman.

    "Te-he~ I see what''s going on~"

    "Shut up!"

    Terez teased his friend without his indifferent expression ever budging, making Noex blush even harder.

    "The third duel will be between miss Metavicero and the youngest high-ranking disciple of the Unyielding Pride sect, mister Lionel Diorenn!"

    From the slightly bothered voice of the teacher announcing the next matchup, it was easy to tell that things weren''t going exactly ording to the overall n ¨C and honestly, that was like a soothing melody for Devios''s ears.

    "I''m off."

    "Have fun."

    Metavicero moved first, even before her opponent, and entered the arena after nodding at Devios who nodded back encouragingly.

    Once she was in the arena, she was the first emember of the magicians'' representation who made the watching martial artists start murmuring amongst each other.

    Reo looked normal for their standards, the same with Noex. Brown hair and green eyes and brown hair and brown eyes weren''t umon in the slightest, but then there was Metavicero.

    A person without a trace of color in her body.

    If she stood in front of a freshly snow-covered field, she would disappear.

    She literally looked out of ce in the world brimming with different colors.

    And there was the case of her favorite white one-piece dress and sandals that were almost as out of ce as her color.

    Then, her opponent showed up.

    Despite having the title of the youngest high-ranking disciple of his sect, he was at least eighteen or neen, he was tall, muscr, and had this wildness in deep-brown eyes. His hair was so gold that he could be mistaken for a light magician given the proper distance.

    "I am looking for a proper fight that would challenge my abilities, and you aren''t even taking it seriously."

    Lionel''s first words towards Metavicero were aint.<sub> </sub>

    "What makes you think that?"

    The white-as-snow young woman tilted her head and asked, raising her brow in confusion.

    "The way you are dressed. It''s not proper attire for a fight. Unless you are a master in thew of Virgo and take pleasure in exposing yourself."

    The young man dered with a serious expression while taking a well-practiced stance in preparation for the official start of the duel.

    "Sounds like you aren''t really strong, what a shame."

    Metavicero responded with a disappointed sigh and a light shrug.

    "...what is that supposed to mean...?"

    Lionel frowned and asked without breaking his focus.

    "If you are bothered by an attire, you clearly haven''t practiced enough, not to mention underestimating your opponent like that... All of that is an easy way to an embarrassing defeat."

    Metavicero exined lightheartedly looking to the side as if the gold-haired marital artist was not a threat at all.

    "Begin!"

    "Law of Leo! Law of Capricorn! Law of Aries! Law of Taurus!"

    The teacher called out and Lionel activated hisws without dy andunched himself at the white-as-snow young woman, stopping right in front of her with his hand raised for a devastating punch.

    "And now I will show you how wrong you are in everything you just said!"

    The young man abandoned the prime chance to strike to inform his opponent in a mocking voice.

    "No. You will not."

    Metavicero dered with a grim expression, raising her hands and taking a battle stance on her own.

    "SHOW HER WHY OUR SECT BEARS THE NAME OF UNYIELDING PRIDE, LIONELL!"

    "Hmph~!"

    The current contestant seemed to have vocal supporters this time around as voices from the audience raised to encourage him ¨C to which he led confidently and attacked, throwing together an entirebo...

    *THUMP*

    Just to m unconscious at Metavicero''s feet secondster withoutnding a single hit.

    "Wha...!?"

    Even the teacher watching over the duels could not believe what he just witnessed.

    "Wow. Geroizen would be ashamed to see the pathetic state of the so-called high-ranking disciples of his father''s homnd."

    Metavicero shook her head while shaking her hands as her knuckles became pink afternding repeated lighting-fast hits upon thew of Aries''augumented hits on Lionel.

    "Teacher~? Can you announce the result? Or should I use magic to make it more obvious?"

    The young woman looked towards the middle-aged martial artist and asked lightheartedly, but it seemed that the man had a problem with epting the oue this time.

    It was because it looked like Metavicero had defeated a martial artist... with martial art and not magic, beating him at his own game.

    There could hardly be a more humiliating way for that fight to end...

    ...or was there...?

    "I only ask for a fair trea..."

    "..w of.. Aquarius..."

    *WHOOOSH*

    While Metavicero stepped away from the defeated opponent and addressed the teacher, Lionel did manage to regain at least a shred of consciousness and activated another star power that expanded from his body and hit against the talking young woman.

 621 Chapter 215

    "...Unyealidng Pride sect... never... gives up... How do you like it... with no mana...?"

    Lionel muttered reaching his hand out and grabbing Metavicero''s ankle, clearly intending the fight to continue.

    "METAVICERO! NO!"

    Devios roared in horror and rushed to the arena before anyone could stop him as the young woman swayed and was about to fall on her back.

    "...serves your... huh...?"

    *THUMP*

    Lionell grinned in a triumphant smile but that expression soo changed into shock when Metavicero merely stepped back instead of falling and sharply raised her leg with enough strength fling her opponent back up.

    "Wha...?"

    *WHAM* x 42

    Before Devios was halfway, Metavicero started punching the opponent,nding hit after hit so fast that Lionel''s body didn''t have the chance to fall back to the ground.

    "METAVICERO! METAVI! STOP!"

    Before Devios ¨C who was the first one to react, mind you ¨C managed to reach, grab, and pull Metavicero back, the white-as-snow girl was sprinkled with the crimson-red blood of her victim.

    *thump*

    The fleshy sack of broken bones and blood that used to be Lionel fell heavily onto the arena, sshing even more blood around while Metavicero was doing her best to break free from Devios''s hold to continue the onught, even though her white skin hadpletely peeled off of her knuckles at that point.

    "What are you all waiting for? Go and start healing the kid while he still breathes!"

    The one-armed principal, Bevan, stood up in silence and roared at the motionless marital artist around him.

    "You!"

    "...!"

    He also pointed his index finger at the teacher in charge of the duels, causing the man to flinch and look at him in shock.

    "Are fired. Get the fuck out of my Academy, you ipetent imbecile. Law of Sagittarius. Now"

    Bevan dered without holding back his fury and activated the star power that created a ming bow right in front of him, with the arrow already aimed at the marital artist who not only didn''t stop the duel when it rightfully ended but straight up stood there and watched a student get beaten up to a pulp.

    "Lw of Capricorn!"

    At the sight of the ming bow, the failure of a teacher cried out in panic and escaped with all of his might, getting away from the arena and the Heavenly Star Academyplex as fast as he could.

    "...needless to say, miss Metavicero wins..."

    Bevan announced, lowering his hand while the ming bow disappeared into the thin air.

    "Dear guests from thend of mana. Please ept my apologies for the failure of upholding the rules we''ve set ourselves."

    "..."

    The principal breathed out and lowered his head to Devios and Metavicero who still tried to break free in her frenzy, but that only caused the blue-haired man to re right at him in fury.

    "I will make sure to inform my nephew about it as soon as we meet."<sub> </sub>

    "...?"

    Devios dered, and Bevan didn''t quite understand the threat, but the moment he saw the murky-ck eye of the enraged magician, his wounded right side red up with pain.

    -----

    "This was an eventful day and hopefully all of us will be able to learn from the experience..."

    Soon after Lionel was taken out of the arena and began receiving treatment from the very same marital artist he mocked as perverts, Bevan once again spoke to the unsettled audience.

    "Principal, I don''t think that ending the event here is necessary, there are still two duels supposed to take ce. Leaving it here would be unfair to the previous contestants."

    Although the one-armed man was fully intending to stop then and there, another marital artist stood up and called out to him.

    The person talking was a serious-looking reddish-brown-haired man in histe thirties.

    "...Vice principal Marcus... you can''t be serious right now."

    Bevan furrowed his brows and stepped back to talk with the other man on the side.

    "This event has been nothing but an embarrassment to the Heavenly Star nation as a whole, and it was all nned by you, learn to cut your losses."

    The one-armed man spat through his teeth ring the other man down.

    "There are still two chances for us to redeem ourselves, no? Also, the embarrassment you speak of will fall on the sects of the marital artists who failed in the simple task of defeating the mana users. A member of the Heavenly Archer sect and the representative of the Star Pagoda are yet to set a foot on the arena."

    Marcus shook his head and dered stubbornly without budging under the pressure from the former Heavenly Guardian.

    "Is that the will of the Heavenly Emperor?"

    Bevan asked, raising his brow and trying to call out Marcus''s bluff.

    "It is the will of the new leader of the Heavenly Archer sect and the guardian of the Star Pagoda."

    The vice-principal responded, still holding his own ground.

    "Tsk. Trying to restore some face after losing the precious sect leader to the ambush from the dark sect member? Pathetic."

    "It is not my ce to respond to that, but it is well within my power to keep the event going."

    Bevan clicked his tongue and shook his head at the other man, who merely shrugged his shoulders and dered with an indifferent expression as if nothing that was said did affect him.

    "I''m going to see thew of Virgo users. Do what you want."

    The one-armed man scoffed, gripping his wounded right side and leaving the podium without informing the confused audience about what have urred.

    "The principal Bevan has to leave due to health issues, but the remaining two duels will take ce after a short break while a new teacher is selected to watch over it."

    The vice-principal stepped up to the podium and announce, confusing a great deal of the students'' body.

    "...if this is not just an open deration of hostility towards our nation, then those idiots are the worst diplomats in the world..."

    Listening to it from the area for the participants, Devios scoffed in disbelief at the announcement.

    The blue-haired man was sitting on the bench, and Metaviero was sitting in hisp while hugging him so tight that it must have been hard for him to breathe, and hiding her face between his neck and shoulder.

 622 Chapter 216

    "Aww, you are sharing your mana with her, that''s so cute~"

    "...?"

    Terez approached the blue-haired man and said happily with his unchanging indifferent expression, causing Devios to furrow his brows and look at him a bit confused.

    "I mean... I am, but how would you know that...?"

    He asked wondering how the boy figured out that he was able to share mana in the first ce, as it wasn''t something that usually could be done.

    "I''ve got my ways~"

    Terez hummed happily before turning his back on Devios and facing the arena.

    "The fourth duel will be between mister Terez from the Kingdom of Bellcephora and miss Elizabeth Kingyer from the Star Pagoda!"

    The break ended and the new teacher announced the next matchup.

    "...and don''t worry, if she will feel sick afterward, I will heal her up after my fight."

    "...?!"

    Terez added, ncing back at the stunned Devios.

    "Heal...? Terez...? Terez! Your attribute is light, right? Terez?!"

    "...ugh..."

    The blue-haired man felt extremely nervous over the choice of words of the yellow-haired boy, but with Metavicero in a weakened state in hisp, he could not chase after him.

    Devios didn''t get the answer from the unbothered boy either.

    Terez was instead interested in his opponent.

    A serious-looking girl with dark-blond hair put up in a high ponytail.

    While Terez''s expression remained nk and impossible to read, as usual, hers was that of no bullshit all focus.

    "Begin!"

    The new teacher in charge seemed to want the thing to start and end as fast as possible, so he didn''t give the opponents time to exchange words before starting the duel.

    ------

    "Noex! What is Terez''s attribute?! It''s light, right?"

    Devios called out urgently to the brown-haired boy who was cheering out his friend loudly.

    "Oh? That guy? Light? No way, his attribute is..."

    ------

    "Law of Capricorn!"

    *WHOOSH*

    The moment that the signal was given, Elizabeth rushed at her opponent, activating her star power while already in motion, giving herself a massive burst of speed.

    Before the audience could gasp in marvel over her speed, she was already by the nk-faced boy, grabbing his hand and twisting her own body to perform a throw ¨C aiming to fling her opponent out of the arena just as the first two duels ended like.

    *SQUELCH* *SPLASH*

    "!!!"

    ...that''s why she suddenly stopped in ce with her eyes widened in terror as instead of sending the seemingly much younger boy flying, she had ripped off his arm from his shoulder...!

    "I... what...?"

    The dark-blond girl with her face sprinkled with the young magician''s blood gasped in a trembling voice slowly turning towards her opponent.

    "You are so fast!"

    Terez cheered out with excitement, for the first time changing his expression while the blood from his ripped-out shoulder was spraying all over one side of the arena.

    His face distorted by emotion was really something ¨C conventionally beautiful but with a twist.

    The unexpected part was his shark-like triangr and very sharp teeth that he never showed before, exposed in full glory for the disturbed world to see.<sub> </sub>

    "It was so cool Ipletely forgot to use magic!"

    The boy roared, pumping his hand into the air in amazement.

    -----

    "Healing."

    Noex revealed to the speechless Devios staring at the gruesome scene straight out of a horror story.

    ------

    "Sorry for the dy. Rigor Mortis~"

    Terez apologized lightheartedly keeping p the smile, and said his incantation out loud.

    "We... we need to get you to the..."

    Elizabeth, who was a few seconds before losing her cool and starting to panic, said in a trembling voice without being able to take her eyes off the Terez''s uniform getting dyed crimson ¨C but before she was able to say another word, the ripped off arm in her hands turned cold and struggled out of her grip...

    "HGHHHNHHGHH...?!"

    ...and went straight for her neck, presenting a grip so powerful that it almost choked the life out of the serious girl.

    *CRUNCH* *thump*

    "GHH-UHUAAAAGH...!"

    Elizabeth managed to break the bones of the limb trying to kill her and threw it down while gasping for air, massaging her neck with a ghastly pale face.

    "Was it a bit too much? Sorry, I didn''t want to scare you. Hold on. Miracle of restoration."

    Terez bowed his head apologetically although his expression did not show any remorse, and cast another spell ¨C this time on himself.

    His body became engulfed in soft yellow light and the next moment a new bone sprouted from his wound, followed by blood vessels, the nervous system, muscles, tendons, and finally the skin and fingernails, ending up recreating the arm that he lost and that was still on the arena.

    "!!!"

    Elizabeth flinched and took a step back.

    Regrowing of limbs was possible with the mastery of thew of Virgo, but it would take at least a few weeks if not months of constant care. And there was a big if, whether the regrown limb would be fully functional.

    "Say. Magic is poison for you all, right? Does that mean that my healing magic is extremely dangerous because it prates deeply into the cells of the body?"

    Terez titled his head, making a curious expression, and asked rubbing his chin with the newly restored hand.

    "I... but.. wait... no... NO! Hold on...!"

    The martial artist flinched and started backing off without even realizing it while extending her hands in an attempt to keep the boy away.

    In a sh, everyone forgot about the gruesome duel between Metavicero and Lionel as something far more disturbing had shown up.

    "Why don''t we test it?!"

    "!!!"

    Terez cheered and started running, Elizabeth flinched again but it became clear that her reflexive response wasn''t actually to run away, but to fight, as despite being pale as a ghost she took a step forward taking a stance.

    The next moment, the yellow-haired boy jumped, throwing himself at the girl...

    "HAA!"

    Elizabeth did not waste the opportunity that her opponent gave her by throwing himself senselessly toward her and kicking at his exposed torso.

    *CRUCH* *SQUELCH* *SPLASH*

    "?!?!?"

    What she did not expect was that her kick would not swat the boy away, but instead straight-up tear him in half!

    "WH...?! NOOO! I didn''t use thew of Taurus or anything?!"

    The martial artist who did not mean for the attack to be deadly, cried out in horror looking up at the upper half of the magician''s body.

 623 Chapter 216

    "MIRACLE OF RESTORATION!"

    But while she was distracted by the false assumption of her victory, Terez roared out his spall''s name, and his bottom half was restored while he was still in the air.

    ...although without clothes...

    "KYAAAAAAAAAH!"

    Seeing a pantless boy falling onto her, crotch-first, was enough to break Elizabeth''s concentration and the extremely embarrassed, crimson-faced marital artist closed her eyes and waved her hands intending to show the offender away when...

    *bump*

    "...eh...?!"

    Something pushing into her from below ¨C and when she nced down she saw the shirtless Terez with only his pants and shoes on, tackling her down.

    *THUMP*

    "...ghh...!"

    Pantless Terez and shirtless Terez managed to throw Elizabeth off bnce and pin her down to the arena.

    As the girl mentioned before, she did not use thew of Taurus ¨C once caught and taken by surprise there was little to nothing she could do with just thew of Capricorn.

    "AREA MEGA HEAL!"

    Still, despite the rather easygoing act, Terezs were not going to risk her getting away ¨C so the spell they used epassed the entire arena, leaving only the outside as a safe spot.

    *WHOOOOSH*

    The next second a pir of soft, yellow light burst towards the sky, causing a great number of students in the audience to back off as fast as they could in fear of getting caught up in the burst of magic.

    "Ghugh...!"

    As the light faded away, it revealed the trio in the same position, only with Elizabeth bleeding from ears, nose, mouth, and even eyes.

    "Miss Elizabeth, I do not want to make it seem as if I am underestimating you, but this was not my strongest spell by far. I am a healer and don''t enjoy seeing people in pain. Would you consider giving up?"

    Pantless Terez asked in a hushed voice, making sure that only the injured girl would be able to hear him.

    "Who needs your mercy, pervert?! LAW OF CANCER!"

    The martial artist embarrassed to high heavens shouted dropping the pretense and using thew that she was excelling at.

    "!!!"

    Terezs could not hold their captive for long, the vapor of spiritual energy left her body and floated upwards which was already harmful enough for the split magician to get injured ¨C but that was not the end.

    The spiritual energy that left Elizabeth''s body formed a moon-like sphere above her and at the same moment, her body went through a change.

    She suddenly bulked up and a thick fur grew out of her skin, ripping off her uniform into shreds.

    Her face elongated into a wolf-like snout and her hands and feet grew powerful razor-sharp ws...

    "Miracle of restoration."

    Terez wasn''t idly waiting for the transformation to conclude and used the regeneration spell for the third time, although this time it was without him suffering a gruesome wound.

    "It''s not working!"

    The monstrous half-humanoid half-wolf beastughed mockingly, putting her hand forward and moving her fingers as if to enjoy the reflection of the moon-like sphere in her ws.

    *WHAM*

    "GUH...?!"

    Without any of the two Terezs responding to the provocation, the third - this onepletely naked - Tereznded a devastating kick at the back of transformed Elizabeth''s knee, causing her to kneel down and yelp in surprise.<sub> </sub>

    "WHAT?! HOW?! WAIT...! YOU...!"

    The marital artist growled, but then her wolf-like eyes widened as she realized that the hand she ripped out of the young-looking magician was gone, and connected the dots.

    "You want me to show you something even better? EMPOWER!"

    *SWOOSH*

    The naked Terez grinned and shouted, causing his body to dissolve into the particles of yellow light ¨C just in time, it''s worth adding because instead of answering,

    Elizabeth swung her wed hand at the magician and said attack would definitely end up in a spectacr gore-fest if it connected with flesh instead of light.

    That said, the other two Terezs also turned into light, making the arena look like some fantasy garden.

    Then, each and every particle gathered and condensed, creating a basis for a tall young man with long yellow hair, piercing yellow eyes, and sharp shark-like teeth.

    Basically Terez, but how he should look at the age of eighteen.

    Somehow, this time he was notpletely naked, wearing every part of his bloodstained uniform, only that it was far too small for him now.

    "Oh? What''s with that face? You thought only you could transform?"

    Terez grinned, raising his head to better show off the teeth that were almost more threatening than the werewolf''s fangs.

    "Are you stupid? Do you think that no one else is practicing thew of Cancer?"

    Elizabeth scoffed, regaining herposure even if only a little bit, and taking a low stance, readying herself to pounce at the very confident young man.

    "Stop! Pause the duel for a moment!"

    The teacher put in charge of overseeing the duels after the earlier disaster of his predecessor raised his hand and called out in a loud voice while stepping into the arena.

    "...?"

    "..."

    Elisabeth tilted her head in confusion while Terez''s expression turned indifferent once more as he closed his mouth, hiding his sharp triangr teeth.

    "Vice headmaster, do I have full decisive power in the matter of the duels?"

    To the surprise of everyone, both the students and teachers, the man in charge asked Marcus, the vice headmaster.

    "You do."

    Marcus nodded his head with a rather suspicious expression.

    "I understand. Then, with that in mind, I judge that with having the health of both contestants as the top priority, this duel is a draw!"

    The teacher in charge then dered without a moment of hesitation, causing quite a stir among the martial arts students who saw this as losing a good chance for a redeeming victory.

    -----

    "Good to know that there is at least one person who can make hard decisions despite their own desires."

    Devios took a deep breath in smiled with relief as the teacher in charge did not change his decision despite loud protest and sent Elizabeth and Terez back to their respective groups.

    "I did not win. I apologize, I should not y around as much as I did."

    Terez''s first words toward his friends were that of an apology.

    "If you want to apologize for something, apologize for not correcting my mistaken assumption that you were a light attribute magician. But first - you did not lose, good job."

    Devios scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief before smiling and nodding at the yellow-haired young man.

 624 Chapter 217

    "...oemi~!"

    A hot and bothered whisper was carried from a man-made cave by the gentle breeze towards the forest where it dissipated before getting heard by anyone.

    Well, almost...

    "...?"

    A tall ck-haired man returning to the cave with arge fish-like monster with meaty lobster legs and ws raised his brows with a rather concerned expression.

    "..."

    He looked up to see the position of the sun through the branches and shook his head, holding back a long sigh that would definitely carry the words of ¨C it''s so early and yet...

    "n, I''m back with the food!"

    Nheless, Zoemi held back thement to himself and instead cleared his throat and called out from a distance that would allow the young man in the cave to scramble himself together without having to brave through an embarrassing scene.

    "!!!"

    Although no actual sound was made in the response to his voice, Zoemi could hear the panicked rustling that followed it, and awkwardly looked to the side.

    "Zoemi! Y-you''re earlier than usual!"

    Zoemi was already next to the cave, putting together the firece to start cooking the meal when the young man with reddish-brown hair in disarray popped up from inside and greeted him with a flushed face.

    "..."

    The ck-haired man with his back turned towards the cave bit his lips to not respond with some choicement about doing things earlier than usual and just shrugged his shoulder.

    "I was lucky and encounter a guy that you should be fine with eating. Everything else around here is so poisonous you would suffer from a wide arrangement of symptoms that you would not want to experience."

    Still, it was not like he could remain silent without making it obvious that he knows, so he pointed his thumb over his shoulder and said.

    "Oh? Eww...!"

    n raised his brows and gasped with interest before finally noticing the monster corpse to his far-right ¨C which once seen, caused him to let out a disgusted voice.

    "What? Are you allergic or something?"

    Zoemi lighted the fire and nced back with a question.

    "Huh?! No, I can eat all kinds of food just fine. It''s just that this... particr beast doesn''t look too appetizing..."

    The young man flinched and stared at the ck-haired man as if he was crazy, shaking his head only a momentter and exining gesturing vaguely in the direction of a creature whose looks could certainly pose a few questions about its edibility.

    "Lobsters and fish are delicious in their own right, I personally look forward to how it will taste."

    Zoemi didn''t seem too bothered about n''s doubt and moved towards the in creature.

    "Hold on, so you are not sure whether...?!"

    "GAROOOOOOOOAAAAARRRGHHHHH!"

    The young man gasped and his face became pale as he realized that he might be forced to eat something disgusting or go hungry, but his worries about food were immediately reced by fear when a deafening roar of some new and very much alive beast resounded through the area.

    "What in the world?! Is it a boss monster?! Or maybe a rampage started?! We need to get out of here! Zoemi, leave that thing, and let''s get away from here!"

    He called out, stepping out of the cave, revealing rather disheveled clothes, and grabbed onto Zoemi''s arm with a terrified expression.

    "Zoemi...?"<sub> </sub>

    n repeated fearfully, looking up at the ck-haired man''s serious expression.

    Zoemi was listening in, squinting his eyes as if deeply pondering about something.

    "Hey, we need to go, right? Zoemi? Say something...!"

    n pleaded with concern, pulling on Zoemi''s arm that did not budge even a little bit no matter how much strength the young man used.

    "It is not a rampage, but it is a boss monster."

    "Huh?! Really?! I wasn''t serious!"

    The ck-haired man said hesitantly, causing the young martial artist to cower fearfully and look back expecting some massive beast to bulldoze through the trees to get to them.

    "You should be safe with me, so try to rx. Though it bothers me that this fellow is here..."

    "What do you mean by that...?!"

    Zoemi reassuringly patted n''s hand that was already on his arm but ended up only recing one concern with a different one for the young man.

    "Well, for one he ising this way."

    The ck-haired man added as a massive shadow loomed over the trees and n clung to him for safety, pressing his forehead into Zoemi''s back.

    *THUMP*

    "!!!"

    That might not have given him the sense of safety that he counted on, because not seeing the thing that made such a loud noise whilending was even scarier than facing it.

    "...!"

    So n braved through the barrier of fear and took a peek.

    The creature definitely deserved the name of a dragon, but it didn''t look exactly like the ones described in the books.

    It was a gargantuan winged lizard with a long neck and tail, four powerful limbs, and a torso wider than a pagoda, but when it came to wings, the particr one had two pairs, one bat-like made of scales and skin and the second one covered with owl feathers.

    "Vile dragon."

    "Unbreakable."

    "?!?!?!?!"

    Zoemi and the monster greeted each other calmly while n slumped and the ground as his legs turned into jello when the baritone of the dragon''s voice reverberated through the area.

    "Nexivroh, you are the only one of your kin who I would expect toe to visit me without a reason... but that is not the case, is it?"

    The ck-haired man put one hand on his hip and motioned at the vile dragon with his chin.

    "You are correct, unfortunately. Although I wanted to seek your advice on the matter of the so-called darkness magic, I am here now because of the order of her highness, the princess."

    The dragon nodded its head and responded, before lowering himself to the ground and extending both the bat-like and the owl-like wings for the easiest ess to its back.

    "Something disgusting is lurking in the soil, Unbreakable. Whatever it is, it made itsir so deep beneath the surface that not even Tetrion could not get to it. The unknown evil is slowly corrupting the weakest creatures to do their bidding. All of the beasts under its charm seek you."

    The dragon revealed, raising its head and staring into the distance looking very profound.

 625 Chapter 217

    "I know it mighte as a surprise but..."

    The monster turned its head and stopped talking, realizing that the ck-haired man was no longer there.

    Instead, he had already taken a seat on his back, securely holding the terrified young human who looked as if they did not like the idea of mounting a dragon.

    "I know what you are talking about, I already killed like three of the infected creatures. I also know what is the identity of the entity you talk about. Take us to her highness."

    Zoemi dered, patting the dragon''s back as if it was a trusted steed, and motioned toward the sky.

    "Nothing phases you, huh...? As expected of the Unbreakable! ONWARDS!"

    Nexivroh roared with contentment before smacking the ground with its two sets of wings and rushing into the air while n was doing his best not to bite off his own tongue.

    "H-how are you not scared...?! We are so high up! What if we slip and fall?!"

    As the dragon reached a height that was impossible for normal marital artists or monsters to reach its flight became more steady which allowed n and Zoemi to have a little talk.

    "He is quite slow, you should meet the girl I love ¨C she can break right through the sound barrier like it''s nothing~"

    The ck-haired man snickered and boasted as if the achievement was his own.

    "What''s a sound barrier and... hold on, you have someone you like?! And it''s a girl?!"

    The young man gasped, putting far more attention to the detail he did not originally ask about.

    "Didn''t we talk about it before? Miriette Lisea Espine, the daughter of a duke. I was her attendant since I was seven and she was the fiance of the first prince. I became a high noble and her engagement was broken ¨C the only thing that tore us apart was that I lost mana and would have died of mana poisoning if Guide didn''t transport me into thisnd."

    Zoemi nodded, looking to the side with a mncholic smile.

    "Before I was sent here, I promised her that I will return t her if she will still want me... it has been two years since then. So long for me, but so short overall. Oh, and I mean, she was unconscious and I asked the king, my best friend, to tell her I said that and all. Hope he did tell her that, he had a crush on me too for quite some time. Got my first kiss too ¨C you would not believe how difficult it was to act clueless and dense. I mean, back then I was a low noble with no prospects of ever reaching their social standing so I had to act dumb or both of them would do something incredibly stupid ¨C I worked so hard and they still would call me dense as a tinum b, would you believe that?!"

    He added with a snicker before suddenly going into serious mode and furrowing his brows whileining.

    "Unbelievable, some people don''t know how good they have."

    "RIGHT?!"

    The dragon nced back and scoffed with disbelief to which Zoemi straightened his back and nodded his head vigorously.

    "I... I don''t know what to think anymore..."

    n muttered, hiding his head on his shoulders with a confused expression.

    "Ah, to be young again! Unbreakable, your situation reminds me a bit of my own youth ¨C back then I, and Intran fought constantly over the territory that neither of us actually wanted."

    Nexivroh hummed blissfully.

    "Hey, you did not tell me anything about it before! Isn''t Intran your mate?"

    Zoemmi gasped like a housewife hungry for fresh juicy gossip.

    "Yes, she is~! Like I said, back then we were fighting non-stop over the territory we didn''t want ¨C but that was only my perception of what was happening."<sub> </sub>

    The dragon bellowed and n could feel how the monster trembled from excitement at the memory.

    "The thing is, different breeds of dragons have VERY different courting rituals. Vile dragons, or Chimera dragons, for example, are shockingly tame, we take it from the griffin''s side of our genes. When a dragon from my species wants to impress the member of the opposite sex, they usually perform all sorts of amazing aerial acrobatics and if the other side is interested, she or he will join in and dance in the air sealing the deal."

    Nexivroh exined, talking without ever slowing down the speed of his flight.

    "I think I know where this is going, and it will be adorable~!"

    "Mm...! Mm-hmmm..."

    Zoemi grinned and unintentionally hugged n who already was in his arms anyway, making the young man blush heavily as he nodded, trying to act as if" it was nothing.

    "Turns out that for the fire dragons the courting ritual is far more personal. The interested side will challenge their potential partner and battle it out ¨C once both sides will think that they are equal the deal is done."

    The vile dragon revealed proudly.

    "All that time Intran was doing her best to get me to approve her! I would be none the wiser if one day after the skirmish that ended up in a draw I scoffed and tried to fly away but she could not bare it anymore and bit my tail, holding me down to the ground. -You said that I am the only other dragon who could match you! WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS LEAVING AFTER AFTER I COURT YOU?! OVER AND OVER AGAIN, WHY ARE YOU LEAVING ME?!- she cried in such a sweet voice, and my view of the world shattered."

    Nexivrohughed, doing his best to make his voice go even deeper while slowing down and lifting his tail, showing off the deep fang marks at the tip.

    "I believe that the human equivalent of what she thought I was doing was leaving her right before saying -I do- Anyway, the misunderstanding was resolved and now we are very happy."

    "Aww~! Ah! Sorry, n, I didn''t squish you too hard or anything?"

    Nexivroh finished the story which made Zoemi gasp with a wide smile ¨C until he realized that he was holding his employer a bit too hard and asked in a worried voice after rxing his rather tight grip.

    "N-no at all... Mister dragon, do you have more heartwarming stories like that?"

    n shook his head, hiding his face before calling out to the creature carrying them with a hopeful voice.

    "I do, but it''s sadly not the right time, we are almost at the heart of the sea of trees, and the princess is not someone who''s used to waiting."

    Nexivroh confirmed but then shook his head while already lowering his altitude, preparing fornding.

    "Unbreakable, how do you rate the flight? Did the experience improve from thest time?"

    As its feet touched the ground, the vile dragon asked curiously, looking at the two humans on its back.

    "It''s not on a free flight level yet, but seeing that n didn''t voice anyints, it seems like it''s passable. You will be able to transport humans if the princess would wish for theirpany."

    Zoemi tilted his head before giving his honest evaluation and jumping down the dragon''s torso with the young man in a princess carry.

    "Wee back. I was worried that Unbreakable didn''t recognize you and beat you up."

    Another dragon approached them, calling out in a voice so low it made the ground tremble. The new dragon was much bulkier and more muscr than the vile dragon, with an incredibly thick neck and massive jaws, and with only one set of wings that seemed to be barely able to uphold her weight.

    "His memory isn''t that bad, Intran, also, I''m back~!"

    Nexivroh cheered enthusiastically, trotting over to his mate.

 626 Chapter 218

    "The princess awaits you."

    "I know the way, you love birds can go have some quality time~"

    The fire dragon''s voice thundered over the area, to which Zoemi merely grinned wildly and shooed both the fire and the vile dragons away with a hand gesture.

    "You know the way to where? There is nothing here..."

    n pointed out looking around the clearance in the surrounding trees of which each was wide as a building.

    The ck-haired man did not say anything back, knowing full well that the young man spent most of the flight with his face stuffed against his chest, so instead ofining or making fun of him, Zoemi simply grabbed n''s shoulders and turned him around.

    "O...ooohhh... Yeah, that make''s more sense."

    The young man looked at the white tower piercing into the sky andpeting with the surrounding trees with its height and width.

    "Let''s go. The inside is quite cozy, the dragonewts are keeping everything clean."

    Zoemi patted n''s shoulder and motioned at the tower with his chin before going on ahead.

    "D-dragonewts?! The race of draconic people? Aren''t they just a myth?!"

    The young man gasped, before looking back towards the direction the two dragons disappeared to and hurrying after the ck-haired man.

    "I don''t know what''smon for thend of marital artists, you are the one who grew up here. But the dragonewts are very much real. See? Hello, Sove''thar! Good to see you."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and pointed at a humanoid lizard wearing an old-fashioned tuxedo with holes for wings and tail who just walked out of the white tower.

    "Lord Banemor! I''ve heard that her highness asked for your presence, but I was honestly doubtful that you would show up considering how you departed..."

    The lizard''s wings sprung up happily and the dragonewt called Sove''thar raised his hand to greet Zoemi.

    "I apologize for the mess, but her majesty went too far."

    "I understand and don''t think that we haven''t realized how much you held back on our behalf when she impersonated your lover. On the behalf of her highness''s subjects, thank you for not killing our princess."

    Zoemi bowed his head slightly and smiled apologetically, but Sove''thar went on and bowed his back in a full ny-degree bow, exposing the back of his neck and the base of his wings to show his sincerity.

    "Let''s leave the past in the past. Her highness is in her chamber?"

    The ck-haired man grabbed the dragonewt''s shoulder and smiled at him once he straightened his back, before asking while looking towards the very top of the white tower.

    "But of course, she just had her morning tea and is restlessly waiting for you and... oh? You brought a friend this time? Greetings, human. It''s not often that we host one of your kind here. Please tell me, what is your name and what sect do you belong to?"

    Sove''thar confirmed with a nod before turning his attention to the very timid young man peeking at him from behind Zoemi''s back.

    "n Ramis, from the Great Ram sect. Nice to meet you, mister Sove''thar."

    n gulped down his saliva and since the spotlight was already on him, he could just as well step into it, so he moved forward and bowed his head to the dragonewt.

    "Oh! I see, the Great Ram sect recognized lord Banemor''s perfect mastery of thew of Aries and made him a teacher then? I can''t say I am surprised. Were you two training when lord Nexivroh arrived to pick you up?"

    Sove''thar sped his hands and his lizard face lighted up with a bright expression as he looked between the ck-haired man and the reddish-brown-haired young man.

    "Almost. More like called me a dark sect member, tried to get me killed by the Heavenly Archer sect, and kind of forced to be a fugitive, hence the different hairstyle."

    "..."<sub> </sub>

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and cleared out the misconception the dragonewt had, while n lowered his head in shame.

    "You, my lord? Forced to do something? Has the princess changed her mind?"

    Sove''thar''s eyes widened and he gasped, making it sound as if the hell froze over, more shocked by Zoemi''s choice of words than by what actually happened.

    "Pardon the joke, a lot of foolish people must have died and it''s not aughing matter. s, I have my duties and you have the princess to appease. See you around, lord Banemor, n."

    The dragonewt cleared his throat and bowed his head apologetically before moving along towards his original destination, waving towards the two humans.

    "That was a lot more normal conversation than I expected..."

    n let out the air that he was holding because of nervousness and pointed out while Zoemi started walking towards the tower''s entrance again.

    "Sove''thar is at the sixth star of thew of Aires and the eighth star of thew of Taurus, by the way. Not sure about his other talents but still."

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired man revealed as if it was nothing while effortlessly pushing the massive door open.

    "Sixth and eighth...?! Dragonewts can use star power?!"

    n gasped in disbelief and turned around widely, staring at the back of the dragonewt disappearing amongst the trees.

    "Not only can, but they also have a far easier time mastering thews than humans do. And that''s not even a secret. You might not have known that dragonewts are real, but about their proficiency. Actually, I am pretty sure that when Rhodes was talking about the monsters with human intelligence capable of using the star power, he was referring to them."

    Zoemi smirked and said keeping the door open until n made his way inside the spotlessly clean circr entrance hall with the spiral staircase climbing up the pir in the very middle of the construction.

    "I remember. You weren''t too keen on even letting him finish what he wanted to say, though."

    The young man nodded, reminiscing about the moment.

    "That''s because I did not trust him. It''s not required to be a genius to figure out what would people try to do to dragonewts if they were certain that they exist. Still, it''s not like just anyone could waltz right into this ce to confirm their existence."

    Zoemi added with a lighthearted shrug while approaching the spiral staircase and beginning the ascend.

    "Say... is the princess..."

    n nodded before raising his head and looking up at the staircase that was definitely far too long for his liking.

    "At the highest room of the highest tower. Yes, she certainly is."

    Zoemi finished his sentence with augh, happy that he could use the line.

    "Oh, and by the way... who in the world is the princess? Is it like, an actual royalty or something?"

    The young man suddenly straightened his back and gasped as if he was reminded of something important, which honestly made Zoemi chuckle at the sight.

    "I was wondering when you will ask about that."

    He said between the spasms of held-backughter.

    "The princess is the great lord of the forest or the boss monster of the entire sea of trees. She rules over the dragons, who hold the most territory and have the greatest number of weaker creatures under theirmand. She isn''t actual royalty though, not in the meaning of the word that you and  I have in mind, but her family line does seem quite regal. Just don''t get disillusioned once you met her."

    Zoemi instructed, looking to the side quite awkwardly as if he wasn''t sure how to describe the so-called princess, which in and of itself was quite a telling sign already.

 627 Chapter 218

    Zoemi and n climbed up all the way to the top of the spiral staircase and found themselves in front of a shockingly in door.

    *knock* *knock*

    The ck-haired man raised his fist and tapped on the wood, announcing their presence to the being inside.

    "Fuck off!"

    "!!!"

    An annoyed growl came through in response to the knocking, causing n to flinch in shock.

    "Don''t worry, it''s just how she is. She ims it''s connected to her species and I have no way of disproving it."

    Zoemi smiled reassuringly at the worried young man and pushed the door open, entering the chamber in the most casual manner.

    "I told you to fu...! Oh! Well, look who the dragon dragged in!"

    The owner of the voice spotted the ck-haired man and their demeanor changedpletely from an utter annoyance into amusement.

    n stayed right behind Zoemi for safety, but could not stop himself and peeked over from behind his protector and held back a gasp.

    The room was filled with cute and girly decorations that were all pure white, and in the very center of the whole area stood a queen-sized bed with four columns and draperies at the top of it.

    On the said bedy the beautiful girl so stunning that anyone who looked at her could not turn their gaze away.

    baster-like skin without a single blemish, slim but womanly figure covered only by the minimal amount of whitece, long blond hair cascading onto the fluffy pillows, almond-shaped blue eyes that sparkled with the beauty and might of the ocean...

    ...and a pair of long knife-like ears that perked up from excitement...

    Simply said ¨C an elf.

    "I see that you could not stay angry at me for long, which let''s be fucking honest, was not unexpected at all. After all, fucking look at me. I''m fucking gorgeous! Who could resist me? No one, that''s who!"

    Still, the unearthly beauty opened her mouth again and the foul words brought down her charm enough so that n could shake his head and back off to cool down.

    "Red star."

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    "!!!"

    While n was doing his best to remain calm and not do anything stupid, Zoemi simply put his hand to the side and unleashed a fiery attack that melted right through the wall and disappeared into the distance.

    "Who told you I am not angry anymore? I only agreed toe here because Nexivroh said that you want to talk about the repugnant filth lurking underground and infecting monsters."

    The ck-haired man scoffed and red at the unearthly beauty, not affected by her looks in the slightest.

    "...fucking hell, dragonewts barely finished the renovations after thest fucking time..."

    The elven woman murmured, lowering the arms that she raised by reflex to protect herself.

    "Is it really worth getting so worked up? You even brought a new girl with you this time! Mode ¨C Kopia!"<sub> </sub>

    Seeing that the ck-haired man is done taking aggressive actions, the princess of the white tower scoffed, forgetting to curse, and waved her hands and chanted the ability''s name.

    "HUH!?"

    A spell that transformed her body into that of n... or rather Alice.

    "...this one has bigger tits, that''s for sure, but is hiding them for some reason... Do you prefer petite girls and made her hide those puppies?"

    While the elf''s body transformed, her clothes did not, which resulted in a rather steamy sight ¨C which she didn''t hold to herself at all.

    "..."

    n lowered his head and looked to the side, slouching and crossing his arms to hide as much of his body as possible.

    He wasn''t embarrassed, instead, he felt as if someone punched him in the stomach.

    "As you can see, this particr princess possesses the unique ability to copy the physical appearance of whatever and whoever she wants, without the need to even see the person. Last time I almost cut off her head because she dared to impersonate my Miriette."

    Zoemi turned to n and exined without the slightest change to his indifferent expression.

    "I apologize for not warning you about that unbelievably annoying ability, but I foolishly believed that she had learned her lesson already."

    He added as his hand opened and closed as if it had a mind on its own and was yearning to crush something into a paste.

    "...fucking hell,edy is dead..."

    The elven woman sighed, trying to act indifferent as she deactivate her ability and returned to her own shape ¨C but despite her best efforts, she could not stop herself from ncing at Zoemi''s hand with fearful eyes.

    "Now that you decided to stop insulting me and my MALE friend, let''s start talking about the reason you summoned me. Cherro."

    Zoemi breathed out, rxing his arms, and dered with no intention of exining things further.

    "You too."

    The elf raised her brow and smirked cheekily, trying to lighten the mood she soured herself with a joke.

    "When the so-called evil energy that burrowed itself underground was still in a human form, his name was Cherro. A piece of shit darkness magician who believed himself to be a hero. I thought I killed him and erased every trace of him, but as it turns out I must have missed a piece that now regenerated enough to start causing trouble."

    The ck-haired man continued without as much as batting an eye at the attempt atedy.

    "Since his original target is no longer in this ne of existence, it seems that he just wants to take revenge on me ¨C which you and your dragons must have already realized with the infected monsters attempting to say my name in a creepy manner."

    "...wow... I have asked Nexivroh to bring you here because I wanted you to help me learn what exactly we are dealing with, I did not expect you to be actually connected with the issue... That whole Cherro... the fucker was a magician, so he should run on mana, right? That would exin the monsters getting empowered by magic but... why the hell didn''t that fucker reappear in thend of mana? Wouldn''t that be an obvious choice?"

    The elven woman actually became serious after listening to the ck-haired man''s exnation and furrowed her brows in concern.

    "That I don''t know. Not for sure, at least, but maybe it has something to do with how deep underground he burrowed himself ¨C Nexivroh said that not even earth dragon could get to him, which honestly, should not be possible either."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders before pointing out.

 628 Chapter 219

    "Mind exining what you mean by that? What do you think is the case?"

    The elven woman sat up on her bed and looked at the ck-haired man with intrigued expression.

    "This is just a take from an outsider ¨C this world, and I mean whole, both thend of star power and thend of mana, is and like from a fantasy novel. To be honest, even before I learned about this part of the world, I was shocked that there are no monsters there ¨C I mean, what''s the use of magic? It was never something necessary for the survival of the people living there, so why was it there in the first ce?"

    Zoemi waved his hand to the side and tilted his head with a devilish smirk as the breeze from the hole in the wall he melted ruffled his curly hair.

    "Truth be told, at the very beginning I believed that magic was just something that the Presence created, causing the time loop..."

    He said, looking between the young martial artist and the elf, closing his mouth instead of continuing.

    "But...?"

    The princess of the white tower leaned forward and asked with an impatient expression.

    "If that was the case and mana and magic were just creations that did not belong in this world, the monsters infected by Cherro would simply die. After all, mana is poison, right? But then why is it not poisonous for monsters?"

    The ck-haired man asked, continuing to look between the two as if he was a teacher doing his best to keep his ss engaged in the lesson.

    "I would say that it''s because they are monsters, but you don''t seem to share that sentiment."

    The elven woman rolled her eyes and sighed heavily as she didn''t seem to enjoy the impromptu lecture.

    "Quite opposite, actually. You are very much correct and I do agree with you. It''s exactly because they are monsters."

    "...eh....?

    "..."

    Zoemi nodded in confirmation, causing the elf''s eyes to widen as she let out a shocked gasp, while the young marital artist furrowed his brows and looked to the side deep in thought.

    "Zoemi, correct me if I''m wrong, but by any chance are you suggesting that mana and magic were something exclusive to monsters...?"

    n gulped down his saliva and slowly raised his head before asking while making eye contact with the brightly smiling ck-haired man.

    "Indeed, that is what I think."

    Zoemi confirmed without a moment of hesitation.

    "On one hand we have monsters wielding magic and casting devastating spells, on the other hand, we have humans who fight back with star power that directly counters mana. Things were pretty simple until at some point the Presence began a time loop and created magicians ¨C humans who could use mana, like monsters, which bnced itself out with some monsters gaining the ability to use star power... And by that, I mean dragons and to some extent dragonewts."

    The ck-haired man raised both his hands and moved them up and down as if he was weighing something invisible.

    "Even if that is true, what does it has to do with the evil filth creeping below the ground?"

    The elf scoffed, smacking the mattress with one hand while clenching the other one into a fist.

    "My guess is that because of the disappearance of the line of death that kept thend of mana sealed, mana itself is returning to the world. Just like an underground stream, mana is slowly permeating the earth, returning to the ce it always belonged to. Our problem is that said stream of mana was polluted by Cherro''s consciousness and he is messing up the already tangled up and convoluted situation of our world."

    Zoemi shared his thoughts, pointing towards the outside.<sub> </sub>

    "Then, you are saying that earth dragon''s power can''t reach that whole Cherro because he is in that whole mana stream?"

    The elven woman breathed out and asked.

    "Then our next move should be obvious ¨C We should call for every dragon, dragonewt, and maybe even some martial artist with particrly impressive talent in thew of Aquarius, and cleanse that fucking shit right up! If it''s mana, then thew of Aquarius with deal with it easily."

    ...and then she dered,ing up and announcing the answer to her own question.

    "I mean, yeah, sure ¨C it is worth a try, please do give out the appropriate orders ¨C but if eradicating the mana from the world was possible in the first ce, then I dare say that it would be long gone before the presence even started the time loop. Do you know? If magic-wielding monsters were a thing then humans with star power would have most definitely tried to get rid of them once and for all."

    Zoemi nodded seemingly in support of the decision but then added offhandedly, making the princess of the white tower frown and re at him.

    "Then what do you suggest? I mean, you wouldn''t critique my n if you didn''te up with a better alternative, would you?"

    The elf asked in an usatory voice.

    "I don''t. That''s why I encouraged you to go with that n. Because honestly, If I''m right in this case, we are majorly fucked, me in particr. Basically, the whole thing would turn against a fight against an entire."

    Zoemi stopped smirking and shook his head, with a particrly serious expression.

    "...fuck... it is that serious...?"

    Seeing that reaction, the elven woman straightened her back, realizing the gravity of the situation.

    "Hopefully ¨C no. But I would not advise clinging to that hope too much."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

    "I will get my dragons and gather the dragonewts, I will have you and your friend pass the information to the marital artist, there should be a few humans strong enough to be of help. The Heavenly Star Warrior in particr."

    "H-hold on...!"

    The princess of the white tower got out of her bed and ruched towards the closet where the only change in the wardrobe she made was putting on a cape before speaking in amanding tone to the ck-haired man and the young martial artist.

    "...was I not clear enough...?"

    The elf asked coldly, ring at n as if he was a major annoyance.

    "Understanding your request is not the issue here ¨C the problem is that for the outside world Zoemi and I are considered members of the dark sect and will be hounded by basically everyone. We can''t really get out there and request a meeting with the strongest martial artist in the nation!"

    The young man braved the nervousness and exined.

    "~!"

    "!!!"

    To which the elf smiled evilly, causing n to flinch and hide back behind Zoemi.

 629 Chapter 219

    "The final duel will be between mister Devios from the kingdom of Bellcephora and mister George from the Heavenly Archer sect!"

    The teacher announced in a loud voice and even the loud students dissatisfied with the previous draw went silent with anticipation.

    "Well then. I''m off."

    The blue-haired young man with one murky-ck eye smiled at the particrly pitiful-looking white-as-snow woman who was sitting timidly on a bench.

    "Come back soon."

    She asked him in a voice so vulnerable and sweet that for a second Devios was going to forfeit the match just to take care of her.

    But s...

    "Sorry, I don''t intend on killing my opponent, so it will probably take a little bit. I will make it up to you afterward."

    The duty called, and as the person to whom everyone from the group of magicians looked up to as their leader, Devios could not show any weakness.

    "You better do that, stupid Vio."

    Metavicero murmured without looking the young man in the face.

    After a sendoff like that, Devios walked onto the arena with a serious expression, and only after looking into his blue eye, anyone would be able to figure out in how much good of a mood he was in.

    "...!"

    Unfortunately, that good mood did notst long ¨C and neither did Devios''s conviction to not kill his opponent.

    Why?

    Because despite the young man''s eyes and hair bing ck, Devios RECOGNIZED him.

    "GEROIZEN TENCELION!"

    The blue-haired young man roared and even without the official signal, the air around him trembled as dozens of ice spears formed around his body.

    "Eh...? Big brother Groizen...?!"

    Even Metavicero raised her head and gasped in shock at the sight of the person.

    "Huh? Howe that the two of you...?! Wait...! WAIT!"

    A jet-ck-haired young man with jet-ck eyes, wearing a ck martial arts uniform straightened his back and asked before his eyes widened as the memories of his physical body flooded his mind and his ace became pale.

    "Student Devios, using your techniques before the start of the official duel is a... severe offense... You... have... los... lo... l... l... Wh-wha-what is g-go-going o-o-on...?!"

    The teacher in charge scolded the magician and was going to give the victory to the other party, but the sound of his own teeth chattered from the severe cold that enveloped the Heavenly Star Academy.

    "YOU HAVE DARED TO SURVIVE?! AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO MY FAMILY? AFTER TAKING PART IN A PLAN THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO WIPE OFF MY ENTIRE BLOODLINE AND MOSTLY SUCCEED, YOU STILL DARE TO SHOW UP IN FRONT OF ME?!"

    Devios, the source of the bone-chilling cold that caused not only the other students but even the teachers to suffer from hypothermia, roared reaching out his hand in usation towards the ck-haired man.

    "I thought that you two have died for sure too. Still, nothing that can be fixed right n-FGHHHH?!"

    Mocking words came out of the ck-haired George''s mouth ¨C but then they were almost immediately followed by a tip of the ice spear piercing his heart.

    Not one around Devios though, but one that the young blue-haired man condensed behind his opponent''s back when he was not paying attention.<sub> </sub>

    *THUNK* x200

    Only after the surprise attack went through, the spears at the ready allunch themselves at the child of the marital artist and a magician, tearing him into shreds.

    "...that felt too easy..."

    Devios clenched his fist and red at the shreds of a ck marital arts uniform being torn to shreds.

    There was no blood.

    So either George''s body was parading around naked, or that was not the real one.

    "YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN HIDE FROM ME?!"

    Devios straightened his back and roared, doing his best to use the moisture in the air to detect any sort of movement from the real half-blood man.

    "Student Devios! Cease this foolishness at once, or as the member of the Heavenly Archer''s sect I will take your action against our pupil as a deration of war!"

    The vice headmaster of the Heavenly Star Academy raised his voice and waved his hand in a threatening manner from his spot.

    He was one o the very few people that looked to be rtively fine with the temperature that dropped dozens of degrees below the water freezing point.

    "You two are in the same sect? WERE YOU DEAF WHEN I ANNOUNCED HIS CRIMES? HAVING GEROIZEN AMONGST YOUR RANKS AND CALLING HIM A PUPIL MAKES YOU HIS ACCOMPLICE. IF YOU WILL NOT EXPEL HIM IMMEDIATELY AND REVEAL HIS CURRENT LOCATION TO ME, THEN I WILL TAKE IT AS THE HEAVENLY ARCHER SECT DECLARING A WAR AGAINST THE PERSERIOS FAMILY!"

    The calm Devios was no longer there, the blue-haired man transformed into a frozen demon of vengeance ¨C as he pointed at the vice headmaster with usation, a demonic-looking ice armor grew around his body,plete with a horned helmet.

    "...ghh...!"

    The vice headmaster bit his lips which were bing blue from the cold as the temperature dropped even lower.

    "...what kind of monster you...? Ice dragon? Dragonewt in disguise? Why isn''t thew of Aquarius getting rid of your spell''s effects...?"

    The mind growled through his teeth before faltering and falling onto one knee as the ice magic got to him despite his best efforts.

    "I warned you lot that I know ways to get to you that you could not stop. For myself, I am human, the only monster here is Geroizen!"

    Devios scoffed, spatting to the side and having his saliva turn into ice before it reached the frosted ground.

    "COME AND GET ME IF YOU CAN! I''M RIGHT HERE!"

    Suddenly, George showed up at the roof of the dormitory''s building, waving his arms around to get Devios''s attention.

    "No, you''re not ¨C it''s another copy created with thew of Gemini."

    *CRACK*

    But the blue-haired man merely shook his head from left to right and breathed out while George on the rooftop became an ice sculpture and crumbled into pieces because of the ice spell.

    "Tsk... if that''s the case, I will have to deal with you the old-fashioned way!"

    "!!!"

    After that, with no other warning, a lump of dark mist rose from the ground and a hand with a short jet-ck de sticking out of its knuckles emerged, aiming straight at the blue-haired man''s throat.

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    The attack was too fast and thrown out of the blue-haired young man''s blind spot...

    "...!"

    Only to miss...!

    "Huh...?!"

    Devios gasped in shock ¨C he did not dodge the attack at all, what happened was the hand was forcefully pulled back into the darkness mid-swing, having the tip of the darkness de cut through the empty air.

    It honestly looked as if the darkness forcefully sucked George back in. Not only that, the dark mist dissipated into a thin air leaving no trace behind only a heartbeatter.

    "What the hell is...?! GEROIZEN! SHOW YOURSELF YOU...!"

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    Devios roared furiously, but before he could speak his mind about the ck-haired half-blood martial artist, an unidentified object fell down onto the arena, breaking it into unrecognizable pieces ¨C exactly at the spot where George appeared and disappeared the moment earlier.

    "Tsk... I missed him."

    From amongst the dust, a melodic deep voice, pleasant to the ear like none other, expressed its annoyance even before the dust dissipated.

    "Hmm. There isn''t enough dust in the air so there should be no explosion... It sure is cold here though, n will freeze his nose off if I leave it like this. Oh, well ¨C hey, students and staff of the Heavenly Star Academy, move around a lot if you want to be a piece of burnt bread."

    *click* *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    The same voice mumbled in a bothered tone before giving a loud warning as if the person that it belonged to knew exactly where everyone was ¨C the sound of someone snapping their fingers was followed by the howl of a wild fire erupting and spreading through the entire facility.

    The half-frozen people trembling from cold weren''t even grazed by the mes but instead, their bodies grew pleasantly warm as if the person responsible for the elemental attack hadplete mastery over it.

    A few momentster, the mes went down revealing a single man with curly ck-haired man with light highlights wearing extravagant clothes in a style that no one in that world have ever witnessed before.

    "My name is Zoemi Benevi Banemor, I arrived here because I was told that someone close to the Heavenly Star Warrior is a headmaster of this ce..."

    Zoemi put his hand to his chest but didn''t bow down or even nod his head toward the crowd of speechless martial artists.

    "Are you the headmaster?"

    "Law of Sagittarius!"

    *BOOOM*

    Zoemi looked up at the shaken man near the podium, causing him to flinch and back off before suddenly pushing out his left hand and unleashing his star power at the seemingly unprepared man.

    *CLANG*

    "I guess that''s a no... or the Heavenly Star Warrior doesn''t mind being friends with weaklings."

    Zoemi swatted the attack with his bare hand as if the scorching-hot energy arrow was nothing more than an annoying fly and throw shade at the vice-principal Marcus.

    "You...! You are that unknown marital artist! Everyone! That''s a dangerous member of one of the dark sects!"

    Seeing his strongestw being ineffective, the pale as a ghost man called out, sounding shockingly desperate.

    "DARK SECT MEMBER?!"

    "Zoemi!"

    "WE NEED TO KILL HIM!"

    "Dad!"

    "WE NEED TO RUN AWAY!"

    The reaction of the crowd was so loud that the voices of the few mages present were suppressed by the mixture of panic and fury.

    "...no way..."

    ...or they would be, if not for Zoemi''s hearing ¨C the ck-haired man turned around and his eyes widened from shock after seeing the colorful hair and eyes and more than a few familiar faces.

    "SEIZE HIM!"

    "Shut up. Red star."

    Marcus shouted an order towards every marital artist present, but in response he received a bone-chilling re from Zoemi as the ck-haired man raised his hand, extending his index finger and creating a small crimson orb that emitted such unbelievable heat that approaching him became impossible.

    "Wh-what are you waiting for?! Those with talent in thew of Sagittarius, pelt him with projectiles!"

    The vice-principal growled while covering his face with both arms to protect it from getting burnt because of the heatwaveing from the crimson orb.

    "Martial artists of the so-calledwful sects. What evidence of me being a dark sect member do you have? A single man who''s on the verge of soiling his pants calls me that and you all go crazy. I am not a member of any sect and I will defend myself from your attacks."

    Zoemi smiled apologetically towards the magicians who were not spared from the heatwave and all backed up behind Devios and Metavicero protecting themselves with ice and snow, before calling out to the martial artists amongst whom many were already activating their star powers.

    "What proof do you have of not being a member of dark sects?!"

    Someone called out from amongst the students.

    "Are you an idiot? What proof do I have of NOT being something? What, am I supposed to pull out a document certifying nothing?"

    Zoemi scoffed rolling his eyes at the young martial artist who dared to speak up.

    "If anything, the duty of backing up his usation belongs to that guy over there."

    "...!"

    Zoemi added, moving his index finger to point at Marcus and causing the crimson orb to move and the heat increase over on that one side.

    "YOU ARE A MEMBER OF A DARK SECT BECAUSE I AM SAYING THAT YOU ARE! YOU KILLED THE LEADER AND MULTIPLE MEMBERS OF THE HEAVENLY ARCHER SECT AT THE GREAT RAM SECT!"

    The vice principal of the Heavenly Star Academy clenched his fists and growled while backing off from the heat that made the saliva evaporate right out of his mouth.

    "They were the ones to attack me. On a side note, dear martial artist of this Academy ¨C did you hear? He knows that I will fight back and I''m strong enough to effortlessly dispose of a sect leader, but still want you to throw yourselves at me. He is telling you all to die for his sect''s sake."

    "GHH...!"

    Zoemi scoffed, smirking mockingly and talking to the surrounding people, causing Marcus to clench his teeth so suddenly that he ended up biting his tongue.

    The ck-haired man wasn''t outright denying everything - what he was doing was something he picked up from a certain high noble girl.

    He was presenting his faults with such unwavering confidence as if they were virtues instead and waspletely shameless while doing so.

 631 Chapter 220

    "Still, since I am not a bad guy I will offer you the proof that I do not belong to any of the dark sects, and even to thisnd."

    Zoemi snickered, actually releasing the crimson sphere and letting its heat barrier dissipate leaving only the heated ground and walls of the buildings as a reminder of its presence.

    "There is no proof like that!"

    Marcus scoffed, about to make another call for all the present martial artists to stand against the ck-haired man.

    "Oh? But I do? Those magicians right there."

    "...?"

    Zoemi scoffed and pointed his hand benevolently at the group from the Bellcephora kingdom, causing even the vice principal to hesitate in confusion.

    What a martial artist not involved with the Heavenly Archer Sect or Star Pagoda could have to do with magicians? No one else had yet managed to establish a proper connection with the habitants of thend of mana ¨C and Marcus knew that better than anyone else.

    "I already revealed my full name, but it just so happens that I have omitted an important detail. Representants of thend of mana, could you fill in the gaps for me to prove my point?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and stepped to the side as if conceding the spotlight to the magicians.

    At his words, Devios who was the leader of the delegation twitched as if he wanted to be the one to go up onto the remains of the arena but ended up stopping himself.

    His outburst ¨C even though justified in his own opinion ¨C wasn''t making him the best candidate for the most convincing person present.

    Unfortunately, the same thing could be said about the Metavicero at his side ¨C the white-as-snow young woman had not shown herself from the best side either.

    That made the selection pool a bit smaller, although if anyone was willing to spare a moment to think about it, there was a single person out of the group of magicians that had the best chance of not being doubted.

    And funnily enough, she wasn''t even an actual magician.

    "..."

    A brown-haired girl with green eyes was clenching her hands together as if in silent prayer while gazing upon the nonchnt figure of the ck-haired man.

    Without her noticing a thing, the eyes of everyone in her group and then an increasing number of martial artists who noticed those looks concentrated on her, but she still did not budge.

    Finally, when even Zoemi turned her was and his eyes became rounder from curiosity about why Ririe ¨C a girl from his own territory who served as a maid in the Banemor mansion for a short period of time - of all magiclessmoners was standing amongst the group of representatives of whom everyone could wield mana.

    "...!"

    That look of his was what made Reo move, she gulped down her saliva, lowered her hands, and stepped forward, standing in front of Devios and Metavicero as everyone''s attention focused on her.

    "...my name is Reo Serentii Moyena..."

    Reo gulped down her saliva and bowed her head politely. For the people present it might have looked like she was introducing herself to add validity to what she was going next, but what she was actually doing was revealing her real identity to Zoemi who never figured out the secret behind her appearance-changing artifact.

    "..."

    The ck-haired man did not flinch or change his expression, but the aura around him did change to a slightly more vulnerable one.

    Just a bit though.

    "You are all standing in the presence of lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor ¨C the head of the Banemor family, a high noble of the kingdom of Bellcephora, best friend of the current king, his highness Horeo Marets Bellcphora, and the fiance ofdy Miriette Lisea Espine. Lord Banemor is hailed as a hero of the kingdom of Bellcephora ¨C he defeated a rampaging traitor of a magician who conspired against the royal family and wiped off the previous capital of our kingdom from the map and was responsible for the ughter of a neighboring nation. It''s an understatement to say that all of us are even alive thanks to him."

    "...!"

    The words of a single girl shook the hearts of the marital artists who started to murmur amongst each other, unwilling to make a move against the ck-haired man anymore.

    After all, the doubts about his strength were gone the moment he was revealed to be the hero from thend of mana who protected an entire kingdom.

    It became obvious that he had to be insanely strong.

    With the new pieces of information present, the vice principal of the Heavenly Star Academy paled and took a step back.

    He was not well versed with thews or hierarchical structure of the kingdom of Bellcpehora or any other nation within thend of mana, but the elders of the Heavenly Archer sect did leave him with one crucial order that he swore to abide by at all cost.

    Do not insult any member of high nobility or the whole carefully crafted n will crumble into dust.

    But, as it turned out, it was already toote for that.

    Marcus bit his lips and clenched his fists.

    He wanted to im that it was impossible for the ck-haired man in the destroyed arena and the hero of the kingdom of Bellcephora to be the same person because before the disappearance of the line of death there was no interaction between thend of mana and thend of martial artists ¨C but he knew that was not true.

    He even considered dering that since the ck-haired man is capable of using star power, it would be impossible for him to survive in thend of mana because mana and star power are opposites that cancel each other out ¨C but everyone already saw that George, a member of the Heavenly Archer Sect which was also the sect that Marcus belonged to, end up using a technique that definitely wasn''t a star power by the end of the fight before his disappearance.

    It was truly best to shut up and deny everything, iming to be unaware of the circumstances.

 632 Chapter 221

    "...does everyone in the group of exchange students from thend of mana confirms the identity of this person...?"

    That''s why Marcus swallowed his pride, his anger, and his fear, and instead straightened his back and asked trying to make it seem as if he was someone following his own sense of justice.

    "Of course!"

    Noex cheered out, pumping his fist.

    "My lord! Look this way, please!"

    Some other magicians waved their hands and called out like a bunch of excited fans.

    "In such case... lord Zoemi Benevi Banemor, please ept my deepest apologies for an outrageous im under your name. The threat of the dark sects is ever present in thisnd and as a member of the sect that is heavily invested in theirplete eradication I have evidently grown too hasty in my judgment."

    The vice principal lowered his head towards the indifferent ck-haired man ¨C more so to hide his face with a hateful expression stered all over it than in genuine apology, but that was something that no one else was aware of.

    "I acknowledge that you apologized but it doesn''t change the fact that being in such a rush to kill the dark sect members cost the lives of your sect members dying by my hand, not to mention all the innocent marital artist who wasn''t strong enough to defend themselves before the Heavenly Archer''s sect rushed judgment."

    "...!"

    Zoemi scoffed, raising his head and ring down at the exposed neck of the vice principal who flinched and bit his lips so hard he drew blood.

    "Hold on! You...! You are the guy who beat up the members of my sect!"

    Someone from the audience called out, pointing at Zoemi.

    The person calling turned out to be Roger Hooves, Reo''s opponent from the first duel.

    "You defeated all of them easily but they didn''t actually receive any serious damage! And now that I think about it... weren''t you the one that the sect leader''s son, Seth, told us to not mess with if we ever encounter you...?"

    Roger added, furrowing his brows and lowering his hand in mild confusion.

    "Seth is the son of the Raging Bull sect''s leader?! He never said anything about it!"

    Zoemi turned right around to face the marital artist and gasped in shock as he never pictured the man in charge of the small vige in the middle of the sea of trees to be someone so important.

    "So it IS you! Senior, this junior is giving you his respect!"

    "We''re giving you our respect!"

    Roger straightened his back just to put his hands in front of him and bow towards the ck-haired man and the other students from the Raging Bull sect followed his example.

    "In case there are some doubts still, the Raging Bull sect is vouching for senior Zoemi''s not being involved with dark sects!"

    After he straightened his back, Roger turned towards the area where all the teachers were seated and dered in a confident voice.

    "Pfft... and here I thought that Seth hated me, but look at that. What a tsundere~"

    Zoemi raised his head to his face to hide a smirk as he snorted in a hushed voice.

    "Like this brave, handsome, and undoubtedly powerful young man from the amazing Raging Bull sext has said, the only people that suffer deadly consequences of fighting me are the ones with the clear intention of killing me or anyone under my protection."

    Zoemi cleared his throat and announced, being overly affectionate towards the marital artist who supported him.

    "That said, I know where the misunderstanding of me being a member of the dark sect came from."

    "You do...?"

    The ck-haired man added, which made the vice principal flinch and became even more pale ¨C which did not escape Zoemi''s or Devios''s attention.

    "Some time ago I became acquainted with a member of the Great Ram sect who was unlucky enough to be a target for a Great Ram sect''s traitor who was indeed a member of a dark sect. I believe that it is because of that traitor''s ploy that the boy whoter asked for my help became wronged and ndered. The traitor was originally a gifted student from the Great Ram sect named Zoey ¨C with my first name being Zoemi I understand how the information got twisted and the very unfortunate misconception was born."

    "..."

    Zoemi

    revealed, observing curiously how the vice principal''s face was regaining some color as if his worst fear did note to fruition which was rather... thought-provoking...

    "I... I see. That does make sense. If I may ask, lord Banemor, what happened to that traitor?"

    Marcus took a deep breath, doing his best to act as if the whole thing was already a closed case and he was merely interested in tying up the loose end.

    "Died hen a seventh star levelw of Scorpius rebound onto him and melted off his flesh."

    Zoemi answered without any need for altering or hiding the truth.

    "Hmph. Serves him right ¨C a fitting end for a dark sect scum."

    The vice principal scoffed angrily and nodded his head to show off his deep hatred towards the viins of the continent.

    "Good thing that we got everything cleared out because the boy from the Great Ram sect is about to arrive too."

    Zoemi also nodded, before announcing and looking up expectantly.

    Following his action, almost everyone else did the same, raising their heads towards the sky to...

    "KYUGRAOOORGH!"

    "!!!"

    Be startled by the sight of a dark-green dragon with outrageouslyrge wings descending towards the ground and announcing its presence with a high-pitched growl that sounded almost like a bird''s chirp.

    "Little Kaaraal! It''s okay tond!"

    "?!?!?!"

    Zoemi raised his hand to his mouth and called out while waving his other arm to get the massive beast''s attention ¨Cpletely shocking speechless everyone witnessing the scene.

    *thump*

    "Geez, took you long enough, Unbreakable."

    The dark-green dragonnded shockingly softly in the very center of the arena and folded its humongous wings which actually made it look at least six times smaller, before scoffing at the ck-haired man and causing a small gust of wind to caress his curly hair.

 633 Chapter 221

    "Little Kaaraal, don''tin like that, you are the wind dragon, you are supposed to like flying, right?"

    "I DO like flying, what I DON''T like is waiting!"

    Zoemi chuckled to which the moved away its long neck all the way behind its back in what looked like a very exaggerated pouting...

    "WHOA...!"

    Until the dragon moved back, carrying a scared reddish-brown-haired youth in its mouth like a kitten.

    "Did I make little baby girl upset?"

    Zoemi leaned forward and asked as if there was no one else around.

    *thump*

    "Ough...!"

    "YOU JUMPED OFF MY BACK WHILE WE WERE WAY ABOVE THE CLOUDS! OF COURSE I GOT SCARED ABOUT YOU! IDIOT UNBREAKABLE!"

    In response to the mockery, the dragon dropped the marital artist it was carrying and opened its jaws to shout at the easygoing man, so angry that it spread its massive wings fully to appear more threatening...

    ...despite it being adorably worried about Zoemi...

    "...what it is with him and strong-willed wind-rted females...?"

    "I do believe that he confirmed the first part of your statement was his type..."

    The mages murmured amongst each other surprisingly calmly about a massive monster casually conversing with a high noble from their country as if they were on equal footing ¨C which caused every marital artist in the hearing range to be startled and stare at the ck-haired man in disbelief.

    "Aww~ Aren''t you the cutest?"

    "Hmph! Call for me when you are done ¨C I will hear you even whispering my name so don''t bother shouting."

    *WHOOOSH*

    Zoemi''s smile widened and he approached the dragon, gently patting the side of the base of its neck Which caused the creature to get embarrassed and look away while dering before lifting off with a single swat of its gargantuan wings.

    "Alrigh~! Make sure to not eat too many feathered beasts ¨C you know that they give you indigestion!"

    Despite hearing her clearly and understanding what she meant, Zoemi still raised his voice to talk to the deep-green dragon.

    "SHUT UP! STOP EMBARRASSING ME, STUPID PAPA! I AM NOT A LITTLE CHICK ANYMORE! I HATE YOU!"

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    ...which caused the creature to visibly tremble before getting teary-eyed and shouting as she pped her monstrous wings and created a tempest to leave the area as fast as possible.

    "Z-Zo-Zoemi... did... did that monster just call you... papa...?"

    Devios raised his trembling hand and asked, shaking so much that he couldn''t stop stuttering as he pointed between the ck-haired man and the winged beast that was now only a dark dot on the horizon.

    "Ugh... I know how you feel, I was shocked too and I''ve seen him doing some ridiculous things."

    The young martial artist who was dropped by the dragon stood up, massaging his lower back, and nodded with understanding at the blue-haired man.

    "That was Kaaraal, a dragon I ended up helping to hatch. She imprinted on me and wouldn''t leave my side for the first few weeks before bing independent. Wasn''t she adorable? Right after hatching, she was only the size of arge carriage ¨C it''s amazing how fast a dragon can grow in a mere year ¨C not to mention she already entered her rebellious phase! She... hmm? What''s with those faces?"

    Showing off that his denseness wasn''t actually just an act, Zoemi took a deep breath sounding proud about the deep-green winged monster''s development ¨C before furrowing his brows at the looks the people around were giving him.

    "Hello. My name is n Ramis, it seems that you know that outrageous guy. Say, how in the world were you able to keep up with all the insane things he does as if it waspletely normal? Honestly, having most of the dragons treat him like a higher being and one literally thinking of herself as his daughter, I am on the verge of a mental breakdown."

    n walked up to Devios who still had his hand up and give him a firm handshake and a smile of a broken person.

    "And it''s always something so unexpected with him that itpletely shatters my view of the world."

    Haha... Next thing I''ll know he will say that he has actually stumbled into this world by crossing the dimensions like some high-levelw of Pisces users im to have done..."

    The young man let out a nervousugh and didn''t seem to be aware of his environment at all.

    "Actually..."

    "NO! NO, DON''T YOU EVEN DARE! NO! STOP! CEASE! LET ME ADJUST BEFORE YOU... huh...? Hold on... this... isn''t this the Heavenly Star Aca...? Fuaaah...!"

    "?!?!"

    At n''s words, Zoemi straightened his back and looked awkwardly to the side ¨C to which the young man started shouting pointing his index finger at the ck-haired man with usation, only to then realize where he actually was and... fainting, slumping limply into startled Devios''s arms.

    "Haaah... don''t you all think that the martial artists have a surprisingly low mental fortitude for people sharing thend with thousands of species of monsters?"

    Zoemi breathed out and smirked at the group of mages amongst every single one looked as if they could easily rte to how n was feeling.

    "Let''s find some cozy ce to catch up and exin a few things. Okay? Oh, and while we will be at it, dear martial artist, please make sure to call the headmaster for me. It''s regarding the Heavenly Star Warrior."

    Zoemi pped his hands to snap the group from the state of shock and proposed while turning towards Marcus who still stood there speechless staring after the wind dragon who was long gone by that point.

    ------

    "It sounds like you are not telling us everything, Zoemi."

    Devios refused to sit down with the rest and instead put his against it and leaned towards the casual ck-haired man.

    "Because I am withholding a lot of information that doesn''t have anything to do with what is currently going on and would make you all only worry about me a whole lot more than necessary."

    Zoemi crossed his arms and dered looking up into Devios''s face.

    "Instead of recalling my experiences in thisnd, I would much prefer getting caught up to date with the events back home, how are you, and so on."

    Zoemi rolled his eyes before moving his hand as if he was shoveling the things that weren''t interesting for him in favor of the more important things.

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    "Your eye... It''s Mizi, isn''t it?"

    Zoemi''s face became serious as he motioned at the murky-ck eyeball of the blue-haired young man.

    "...! Yes. Mizi saved me by merging with the mana crystal that was serving as an additional mana pool.

    Devios flinched and raised his hand towards his face before stopping himself and nodding.

    "Cherish the life that one of my children saved."

    Zoemi dered in an ice-cold voice that even Devios and Metavcero couldn''t handle.

    "That said... You were seriously using an artifact to hide your gender because of your messed up family, huh?"

    The ck-haired man breathed out as if trying to get rid of the dark emotions that got a hold of his heart and turned towards the brown-haired girl with green eyes who was keeping herself away from him as if too ashamed to approach him.

    "...I''m sorry..."

    Reo murmured, lowering her head apologetically, not daring to raise her head.

    "No. I''m sorry. I tried to hook you up with yourself?! Why didn''t you say anything?!"

    Zoemi leaned forward and ended up hiding his face in his hands as if embarrassed over the things he said and done without knowing the real appearance of the Reo Serentii Moyena.

    "I... I didn''t know how you would react and... you know..."

    Reo stuttered, inching towards the door as if she wanted to escape semi-stealthily.

    "I didn''t know and still don''t know! Hell, Xeonith! You were Reo''s childhood friend! Did you know that she was a girl?!"

    The ck-haired man groaned, shaking his head before suddenly straightening his back and calling out to the young brown-haired earth magician, Noex.

    "No! Not at all! Didn''t even suspect a thing! All those years I thought that he... she didn''t like sleepovers or just was a bit strict with her sleeping schedule. And she revealed herself only a... uh-oh..."

    Noex shook his head and groaned, throwing his hands up as if relieved that he had someone who finally understood his anguish ¨C before he froze realizing that almost all magicians from the group are staring at him, including Reo who seemed to be especially shocked.

    "...master Zoemi.. why did you call Noex with Xeonith''s name...? Didn''t he die back in our second year at the Aspaekony Academy...? And... Noex.. why did you answer as if it was normal and... how do you know about me chasing people out of my room at night?"

    Reo tensed up and backed off until her back touched the doorframe as she lowered her head without looking away from the pale younger boy.

    "...that''s what I get for not pulling you to the side and exining everything..."

    Noex bit his lips, looking to the side in shame and sending Zoemi an apologetic look.

    "Noex. Do exin. I wasn''t a student then but the news of lord Xeonith Zarble Derizno''s death at the hands of a vicious killer targetting the aristocrats... Zoemi... is it the same thing as with my family...?"

    Devios straightened his back and sent the younger-looking boy a worried look before ncing over at the upset-looking ck-haired man.

    "No. Xeonith, or rather Noex here, isn''t a result of a borrowed-time sentinel."

    Zoemi shook his head, leaning back into the chair and supporting the side of his head with one hand.

    "And do not be angry at him, I fully understand why he would prefer to keep his previous incarnation a secret while living his new life."

    He finally dered without changing h upset expression.is

    "Previous incarnation...?! Then... it is Xeonith?!"

    Reo clenched her hands together and cowered, even more, putting up her shoulders defensively while staring at the ashamed brown-haired boy.

    "No. He is the unique shadow of the dead Xeonith that I brought back with necromancy and who then ended up forced into a dead body he now made his own."

    Zoemi shook his head and exined ¨C although judging by the expressions of his listeners, almost no one seemed to understand what was the difference.

    "Noex you... you were Xeonith this whole time and...!"

    "..."

    Reo gritted her teeth and took a step forward which caused Noex to lower his head, even more, backing for a choice selection of berating words.

    There was no doubt in his mind that others will think of him as some creepy undead puppet ying alive. A mere spell that isn''t human and only looks and sounds like one...

    "You absolute moron! You never told me that you were okay! I cried so much after you were murdered, even after everything you did, but you just decided it was okay to just shun me?! Weren''t we friends?! I thought my heart would break! Stupid! Bastard! You even had the guts to act as if boarding the ship to this continent was our first meeting!"

    *whack* *thump* *whack* *smack*

    "!!!"

    The brown-haired girl rushed at the shocked boy and began pping the exposed back of the head and shoulders of the shameful boy while crying, extremely upset.

    "You''ve already changed back when we became second-year students, but this is too much! Letting me cry so much even when you were back! What, am I that untrustworthy that you thought that I would expose you?! Heartless bastard! You were my only friend for so long and still...!"

    Reo poured her heart out while continuing to smack the brown-haired boy but her attacks were getting weaker and weaker the longer she spoke and the longer she shed tears.

    "..."

    "...!"

    *THUMP*

    Finally, she backed off, with her chin trembling uncontrobly, and red at Noex until he raised his head and looked back at her ¨C and when he did, she ran away, mming the door behind her back.

    "...I apologize... I will need some sort of medkit before I excuse myself."

    Noex sighed and bowed his head towards his fellow students and then informed Zoemi.

    ? "Whoa, did she hit you that hard?"

    The yellow-haired young man with sharp teeth gasped in disbelief without changing his expression, approaching the brown-haired boy and slouching down to put his arm around his shoulders, treating him exactly the same as before the revtion.

    "No. This body is way sturdier than normal ¨C she is the one who got hurt."

    Noex shook his head and smiled softly at his friend.

    "I am not deaf nor stupid. I heard clearly why she is upset with me. It will be best if I exin myself as soon as possible."

    The brown-haired boy added and his smile became a bit warmer.

 635 Chapter 222

    "Cool. Then here. Go."

    The yellow-haired young man nodded with an indifferent expression before putting a small box into his friend''s hands and giving him a push toward the door.

    Noex nodded to Zoemi before leaving and did not look back at the others, probably too worried about their reactions.

    "Just so you know I will not forgive anyone who will try to bully Noex for anything that Xeonith did or for being who he is now. Oh, and I am one of dad''s spells, a sentinel whose body was artificially created by my mother, the healer magician, Burushitto. It''s me dad, Terez. The small sentinel who you put in charge of keeping mom, that is Burushitto, safe."

    Terez dered without ever changing his expression until thest moment when he smiled cheerfully at the ck-haired man, exposing his shark-like teeth.

    "I''m so d to see you alive...!"

    Without a moment of hesitation, Zoemi stood up from his seat and locked the yellow-haired young man into an affectionate embrace.

    "Yes, I am~! Same to you! We all were so worried when the connection to you gotpletely cut off!"

    Terez returned the hug and rested his chin on Zoemi''s shoulder.

    "Although mom Miriette will be angry at me for hugging you before her, so we should better stop~"

    The yellow-haired artificial human giggled while somehow keeping the straight face and pulling away from the man who created his core.

    "Ah...! The healer Burushi...! So that''s why you were vouched for by her highness Patishi!"

    "...did I show up at a bad moment...?

    Devios''s gaps of realization messed with the touching atmosphere between parent and child ¨C just in time too, because the door opened again and this time someone wasing in ¨C the one-armed headmaster of the Heavenly Star Academy, Bevan, in person.

    "Quite opposite, really. I just offhandedly learned that my little sister became a queen, so my mood improved by a few magnitudes. Come in, good man, speak about what bothers you."

    Zoemiughed sitting back in his seat but now instead of his normal position, he made himself look like the book example of the spoiled young nobleman.

    "..."

    The sight of the ck-haired man leaning back with his legs crossed on the edge of the table, speaking to him in a magnanimous voice whilebing back his curly hair rendered Bevan speechless for a good few seconds.

    The principal of the Heavenly Star Academy was already informed of the identity of the ck-haired man ¨C and Bevan would have to be extremely dense or in stupid to not realize that Zoemi was the person who cost him a limb.

    But, the image he had in his head and the actual person right in front of him certainly did not match, even in the slightest.

    "Since our guest seems like he needs a moment for himself, I got a question that you in particr should be capable of answering."

    Because the silence was already prolonging itself awkwardly, Zoemi shrugged his shoulders without any visible disturbance and waved his hand toward the blue-haired Devios.

    "Ask away, I will do my best to aid you in whatever problems you might be going through."

    Devios straightened his back and dered, suddenly very official.

    And not without reason ¨C after everything that Zoemi revealed to their group, whatever was bothering the ck-haired man must have been heavily involved in the safety of the entire world.

    "My father and mother. How are they?"

    "...huh...?"

    Zoemi leaned forward and asked, putting his elbows on the table and hiding his mouth behind his hands asked in an extremely serious voice, causing Devios to go wide-eyed and gasp.

    "How are my parents? Are they well? Did... my family expand some more...?"

    Zoemi expanded on the question that he wanted to be answered, staring intensely at the younger man who was technically his uncle.

    "They became happy parents of two ¨C their first child, a lovely girl, Rozea Erall Perserios, is already over one year old and the second child, a boy, Vanira Terro Perserios will turn two months old in a few days. My sister and brother-inw can''t wait for you to return and met them. Oh, and my sister took over the position of the head of the Perserios family for a moment, with Mizoe as her right hand. You probably already know but your father has an amazing sense as a leader., surprisingly, he might be even better suited for the role than Rokiana."

    Devios shook off the initial surprise and revealed, even smiling a little bit over the surprising normality of the otherwisepletely not ordinary ck-haired man.

    "Two already?! Oh my gosh, and they are both so young! I never had a sibling that young before?! How should I even act around small children? No, wait, in the first ce, will they even still be small when I''ll finally be able to safely return home?"

    Zoemi gasped, all aflutter from imagining how his siblings would react to him.

    "Oh, and there is this whole thing with getting rid of Cherro before that scum willpletely merge with the and return the monsters to their most original state... This brings us back to our dear guest. You, seem to be the headmaster, are you not?"

    The ck-haired man managed to talk himself back into the most pressing subject and revealed that his denseness might once again have been only just an act after all.

    "Indeed, that''s me. I was informed that..."

    "Stop."

    Bevan nodded, quite satisfied with the situation turning into more of what he originally expected it to be like, but just then Zoemi frowned and shut him up with a gesture.

    "...is something the matter...?"

    The one-armed principal of the Heavenly Star Academy flinched and gulped down his saliva ¨C all in all, no matter how calm he could act in the presence of the person who cost him an arm, the retired martial artist was a human after all.

    "Could you say -w of Sagittarius - for me? Without activating thew, of course."

    Zoemi''s face turned grim and he lowered his head just a bit to scowl at the tense man.

    "... thew of Sagittarius..."

    Bevan already realized what the ck-haired man became so wary of, but ended upplying with the request, doing his best to not act overly anxious.

    "You are lucky I was thinking of n''s safety back then. If I used a yellow star, you would be a puff of steam chased away by the wind."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi scoffed, motioning his chin at the armless side of the retired marital artist, causing Becan to tense up and bit his lips but remainingpletely silent otherwise.

    "You all bothered to check for the survivors or just left after copsing that tomb?"

    Zoemi added, not bothered by the confused and curious looks that others were giving him, only focusing on the principal of the Heavenly Star Academy.

    "I expect that you want to know the fate of Heavenly Archer sect young genius, the beloved child of Sagittarius, Aaron..."

    "I expect you to not bother my friends and fellow aristocrats with some useless trivia that could harm them in the long run."

    Bevan tried to gain an upper hand with the conversation, but it immediately became obvious that he stepped on andmine after a literal gust of bloodlust unleashed by Zoemi blew past him and caused him to shiver and lower his gaze.

    "Well? What about that kid?"

    Still, even though he threatened Bevan so directly, Zoemi still wanted to hear the answer ¨C just without the fluff and useless bickering ¨C which honestly was the most Miriette-like he ever acted and it waspletely subconscious too.

    "I had to leave the spot to get treatment, but I have been told that his body was not found. Unfortunately, it looks like his corpse was simply not retrieved as of yet."

    Bevan answered, this time without trying to y any games, and grabbed the wounded side with his arm.

    "What about Rhodes and Chloe?"

    "Their deaths have been confirmed as far as I know."

    The ck-haired man nodded and asked and got the information he wanted without any dy.

    "...I don''t like where this is going... But anyway!"

    Zoemi muttered in annoyance before straightening his back and smiling devilishly, dispelling the threatening aura around himself and gazing upon Bevan with a seemingly favorable expression.

    "You are supposed to have a way of getting me to get in contact with the Heavenly Star Warrior. I require his cooperation."

    The ck-haired man revealed his reason for arriving at the Heavenly Star Academy and extended his hand to the facility''s principal.

 636 Chapter 223

    Zoemi and n walked down the peaceful street of a rather peaceful settlement. It was quite picturesque and tranquil, a smallmunity where everyone seemed to know and help each other out.

    "Zoemi... If you don''t mind me prying into your private affairs... You didn''t seem to ask those magicians back in the Heavenly Star Academy about that beloved girl of yours..."

    The young martial artist who kept stealing nces towards the ck-haired man finally managed to gather enough courage and ask the question that seemed to bother him since they left the facility with all the information they needed.

    "That''s because I have learned everything that I needed to know just by my friends introducing me."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders with an indifferent expression while looking around the cozy little houses and shops that they were passing.

    "Pardon me, but I fail to realize how that would... wait...!"

    n furrowed his brows and tilted his head, lost in Zoemi''s thought process but then the realization suddenly fell on him like some sort ofw of Capricorn-empowered attack.

    "That magician said that you are the fiance ofdy Mariette Lisa Espine or something. You never mentioned that you actually were in such a serious rtionship with your beloved!"

    The young man gasped andined as if he was being hurt over the lie by the omittance of truth from the ck-haired man.

    "Her name is Miriette Lisea Espine, good memory there, buddy. The thing is, I didn''t propose to her ¨C the exnation I am choosing to believe is that she was the one to dere our rtionship like that because she indeed chose to wait for me ¨C and since she did, that''s all I needed to know."

    Zoemi nodded and smiled benevolently at hispanion as if he was a teacher praising a student for a well-performed task, and exined while waving back to a child that was gazing at them passing by the window of their house.

    "Isn''t that still a bit cold though? Aren''t you worried about her? Her health, how is she doing, is she bothered by some annoying suitors who want to make use of your absence to take advantage of her?"

    Despite his earlier words, n did start to pry into Zoemi''s private affairs and asked some choice questions while staring at the ck-haired man from the corner of his eye.

    "If you have met my Miriette, you would understand why I am so calm."

    Zoemi snickered and sent the younger man a devilish smirk that caused him to blush and look away unable to withstand it.

    "Once Miriette sets her mind on something, she will achieve it no matter what. She is only willing to consider changing her ns because of her loved ones but even then it''s not certain that she will actually deviate from her original path. I have my full confidence in her... although..."

    Zoemi''s grin bloomed into a smile as he raised his gaze upon the clear blue sky and boasted about the girl he cherished the most in the world.

    "Although?! Ah...! I-I mean..."

    His hesitation at the end was something to which n clung as if it was his only lifeline, before realizing how desperate he sounds and slowing down to make some distance between himself and the ck-haired man.

    "Shockingly enough, Miriette is extremely lenient with her friends. To the point of agreeing at one point on making an arrangement with her first friend to... ehem... share me under the condition of Miriette being my first ¨C most important ¨C wife."

    Zoemi revealed, still looking into the distance, greatly impacted by the memory ¨C although judging by the face that n was making his words were misinterpreted.

    "...huh... so how many girls wait for you back home exactly, mister wolf in sheep''s clothing...?"

    The young man asked, getting all pouty for some reason and giving the ck-haired man a jealous upwards nce that only Miriette couldpete with, which was definitely the first time.

    "Only Miriette. The friend I mentioned, Teo, and Roiso who was living in Mirienne''s body died. All killed during the original fight with the filth that we need the Heavenly Star Warrior to deal with."

    "...!"

    Zoemi''s smile dimmed and his expression turned grim making n tense up and look down, ashamed for running his mouth ¨C he got o bothered that he didn''t even inquire about the one person supposedly living inside the body of another.

    "Hey, look at that. A flower shop... and here I was thinking that this whole humble florist thing was just a way to mess with others, but our guy really seems to have opened up a business like that."

    The ck-haired man changed the subject as they actually arrived at their destination ¨C a shop with a disy full of various nts and blooming flowers.

    "That''s right. I was surprised to learn about it from mister Bevan, but... Zoemi, you did know about Heavenly Star Warrior''s cover identity, didn''t you? Same with his appearance. Because back when you were describing the person who put you on the path of the cultivation, you most definitely described mister William, the florist thing and appearance and all, and only purposefully omitted his name."

    n readily epted the change of the ufortable subject and pointed it out, reciting one of their previous conversations back in the day.

    "I believe he used thew of Pisces to show up at the tournament I happened to take part in. He erased a friend of mine and threatened ournd before disappearing. I hope you will understand that I do not have the most favorable opinion of him."

    Zoemi scoffed and said while reaching out for the door, making sure to put just the normal amount of strength to open it instead of breaking it apart.

    "Hmm...? Closed? Even though it''s only noon...?"

    That''s why he was so surprised when the door did not budge.

    Upon closer inspection ¨C or rather simply looking inside through the nt-filled disy window ¨C it turned out that the shop was empty.

    "Esteemed martial artist, you two showed up a bit toote. Will has already departed to the cemetery for the memorial service."

    "...?"

    An elderly man sitting at the window of the opposite building noticed the pair and called out to them in a somber voice.

 637 Chapter 223

    "Memorial service?"

    Zoemi raised his brow and nced over at n hoping for an answer.

    "Memorial... Oh. That''s right. Today is the anniversary of the failed exploration expedition led by the Heavenly Star Warrior almost thirty years ago. A bunch of sects worked together to put up their best marital artist and set sail towards the line of death. It was believed that with the power of the Heavenly Star Warrior they will manage to cross the boundary and reach the newnds ¨C thend of mana. Basically, mister William was the only actual survivor ¨C there were some people who survived the original incident but died soon after being recovered from the ocean because of severe mana poisoning, and the bodies of many others were never recovered at all."

    And indeed, n did not disappoint, giving Zoemi''s the information from the top of his head.

    "The Great Ram sect was hit particrly hard ¨C the extremely talented disciple who was appointed by my grandfather to be the sect''s next leader was one of the people lost to the line of death."

    He added, nervously rubbing his left arm with his right hand.

    "Now that I think about it, the symbolic cemetery for the lost martial artist is a bit of a treck from this ce... I guess that it''s not a coincidence ¨C after all mister William stepped down from the spotlight after the return. I had never seen it in person because, you know, I wasn''t even born at the time, but even though our sect was devastated by the loss, it was nothingpared to the anguish that mister William went through. Apparently, the Twelve Heavenly Guardians barely stopped him from killing himself in an act of remorse."

    n gulped down his saliva and added, looking up at Zoemi''s face.

    "Sounds like an idiot."

    "HUH?!"

    The ck-haired man scoffed, shrugging his shoulders, leaving the young marital artist speechless.

    "Mister, my friend and I are on the way to pay respect to the fallen too, but it''s actually our first time here, could you point us in the right direction?"

    Zoemi turned away from the shocked n and asked the helpful elderly man.

    "It''s nice to see youths keeping the memory alive... Follow that road, once you move past all the buildings, you will be able to see the necropolis in the distance, can''t miss it."

    "Thank you for the help."

    The elderly man breathed out and wiped the tear that appeared in the corner of his eye before waving his hand towards the opposite direction that Zoemi and n came from, to which the ck-haired man nodded and smiled at him gratefully before departing.

    The cemetery was indeed an easy spot to locate ¨C it was also shockinglyrge that its scope has definitely put into perspective Zoemi''s expectations about the size of the expedition forces put forth by the Heavenly Star Nation.

    "Over there, it must be him."

    When they passed the cemetery gate, n nudged Zoemi''s side and pointed at the silhouette in the distance walking from grave to grave, leaving something that seemed to be a small bouquet on every single one of them.

    "Let him finish the service... and speaking of which ¨C although I have little to no intentions of praying for the souls of the people who would most likely try to ransack my homnd if only the expedition was a sess ¨C you said that the original heir to your sect was amongst the dead. You want to visit his grave?"

    Zoemi frowned, ring at the white-haired man who did not show any reaction to the new arrivals and continued putting flowers on the graves, and said to hispanion.

    "I should, shouldn''t I? Normally we have a small ceremony in his name back in the sect, so I visited this ce only once together with my grandfather and parents back when I was seven, and only because we were visiting a friendly sect from the area."

    n nced up at the scowling ck-haired man before nodding and fidgeting awkwardly, sharing a tiny bit of information about his life.

    "I remember that the separate gave for mister Nathan was somewhere over there... Since you don''t want to pay your respects but don''t want to interrupt the memorial service, why don''t you take a look at the painting over there while you wait?"

    The young martial artist put one hand to his chin and wondered, before gesturing toward the center of the necropolis where a ridiculously long painting was presented under a roof protecting it from the elements.

    "You sound as if you expect that without something to do, I will lose my temper and actually try to mess with the ce."

    "..."

    Zoemi snickered and turned to n, obviously joking, but to his surprise, the young man was looking at him all tense ¨C he didn''t even have to say anything, his bodynguage told Zoemi that n was indeed worried about the exact scenario happening.

    "Shouldn''t you be more worried that I will burn that thing down? With more luck on their side, all those people would turn into invaders in my homnd, and you know it, don''t you?"

    "Zoemi..."

    The ck-haired man smirked mockingly and spread his arms as if he wanted to epass the entire necropolis, which visibly upset n.

    "...don''t make that face, it was only a stupid joke..."

    Zoemi couldn''t stand the sight of n''s eyes getting foggy as they teared up and ended up reaching his hand and patting the young man''s head with a reassuring smile.

    "I will give that painting a look while I wait for you. I give you my word that I will not mess with the memorial for your countrymen."

    "Thank you."

    Zoemi sighed and pledged, and only after he did so, n nodded and left in search of the grave of the dear student of her grandfather.

    "This is quite the impressive work of art."

    A few minutester Zoemi was by the long painting, gazing upon it genuinely impressed. The painting was photorealistic and despite the years spent outside it still looked as if it was finished only a few days prior.

 638 Chapter 224

    "Huh... that guy looks simr to Seth... I wonder if he was a member of the Raging Bull sect...?"

    The ck-haired man began moving from one end of the painting to the other, stopping andmenting to himself upon seeing somewhat familiar faces.

    "..."

    Around the middle of the painting, he stopped, staring at the image of a strict-looking man in his twenties who definitely tried a little bit too hard with making a good pose for the painting.

    But the pose itself wasn''t something that picked Zoemi''s attention the most.

    "...he is simr to George... n did say that most of the bodies weren''t recovered and George''s father was supposed to be a castaway washed up on the shores of the Tencelion''s territory..."

    Zoemi bit his lips and reached his hand towards the image, but stopped himself from actually touching the painting.

    "And apparently George showed up here, but with ck hair and ck eyes... not something that a dead person should be able to do in the slightest...."

    He breathed out taking a step back and ring into the painted man''s eyes.

    "So troublesome..."

    Zoemi shook his head and began inspecting the rest of the painting until...

    "...?"

    A familiar devilish smirk that looked so familiar as if he was put in front of the mirror immediately got Zoemi''s attention, and the ck-haired man stopped right in his track.

    But it obviously wasn''t a mirror ¨C the devilish smile belonged to by far the youngest person included in the painting.

    His honey-blond hair and bright blue eyes were enhanced by the devilish smile that carried the promise of the boy bing a heart-stealer in the future.

    "I''m done. Have you found the portrait of mister Nathan? He was supposed to be the youngest member of the expedition... force..."

    Zoemi was standingpletely motionless, staring at the boy''s image for so long that n done with the memorial service approached him from the side and called out ¨C ncing over at what captured the ck-haired man''s attention and stopping in ce.

    "...? ?!?"

    n furrowed his brows and began looking between the figure of the honey-blond boy and the ck-haired man in front of him, getting increasingly confused.

    "I know there are some wild coincidences in the world or it just could be my imagination but... aren''t the two of you, like, really, REALLY simr...?"

    The young man took a step back and pointed between Zoemi and the image of the honey-blond boy.

    "...do you want to hear something even weirder...? ording to myte grandfather, I look extremely simr to myte father who was an orphan turned traveling merchant at a young age... The only differences between me and him were supposed to be the colors of our hair and eyes. I inherited mine from myte mother, while my father..."

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and made eye contact with the shocked n.

    "...my father was supposed to have honey-blond hair and bright blue eyes..."

    "But...! There is a limit to coincidences...!"

    The ck-haired man finished his sentence not taking his eyes off n who gasped and look between him and the boy in the painting.

    "You are trying to say that mister Nathan managed to survive in the line of death and ended up in thend of mana? But...! Mana is poison!"

    "...and you said that he was the beloved child of Aries..."

    n shook his head and pointed out, to which Zoemi did have an answer.

    "Hold on! Even if that''s the case, what about the thing with martial artist''s body bing increasingly hotter until bursting into mes after using the star power for too long?!"

    The young man pointed out, giving a very reasonable argument.

    "If the martial artist is surrounded by mana, the process of the body protecting itself from it will prevent thebustion or even the slightest increase in temperature. Mana is not just poison, it is something opposing and hampering the star power directly ¨C heating up is getting stronger, and abundance of mana prevents it."

    "!!!"

    "..."

    The pair were approached by the white-haired man with obsidian-ck eyes who gave n an exnation for the question bothering him without being asked directly, and his presence rmed the young man while Zoemi merely red at him in silence.

    "I''ve overheard your conversation, and it seemed that my suspicion was correct. Young magician, you are Nathan Ramis''s son, are you not?"

    William, the Heavenly Star Warrior dered, motioning with his chin at Zoemi.

    "There is a chance for that to be true. It would honestly exin a lot, everyone whom I would rust for the confirmation of that is dead, and making at least one of them talk would take some time."

    "..."

    The ck-haired man tilted his head and nodded while shrugging, showing his own cluelessness on the subject.

    "Although Nathan Ramis and Neramis as my father was called ording to myte grandfather does match the way people of thend of mana mispronounce the names of the marital artist."

    Zoemi added with a sigh.

    One thing he did not expect to learn in thend blessed by the stars was the identity of his father whom he thought to be just amoner-born traveling merchant who happened to be childhood friends with the daughter of a high noble family...

    "Despite my inquiries about you, I was not informed that you would be amongst the members of the exchange program in the Heavenly Star Academy, magician. You should already know that your kind is almost as much in trouble here as marital artists stranded in thend of mana. If you perchance nning to start something, remember that not only you will not be able to disy the full extent of your abilities, but also that mine arepletely unrestricted without the limiter of the astral projection."

    "His kind...? Wait, you don''t know that Zoemi can''t use ma-mnph...?"

    William squinted his eyes ring inquisitively at Zoemi while voicing his suspicions about him, and his information seemed to be outdated and straight-up wrong.

    n wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but his lips were sealed by Zoemi''s hand as the ck-haired man got behind him and wrapped himself around him as if he meant to never let go - which instantly caused n''s face to turn bright red and his eyes could not focus on any point in particr as the closeness of the ck-haired manpletely overwhelmed his remaining senses.

    "...and you even dare to take a hostage in front of me...?"

    William''s eyes narrowed even more and he hissed, sounding more pissed off than when he was proiming the hostility of the Heavenly Star Nation back during the tournament in the kingdom of Bellcephora...

    "n, activate your defensivews."

    "Mpfghh...?"

    Zoemi whispered hurriedly, causing n to let out a muffled sound of confusion and surprise.

    "If you know what''s good for you, step away from that martial artist. I am not against talking with you, as long as you don''t intend on causing trouble in thisnd."

    William''s tone became slightly softer since he consciously tried to ease the situation while negotiating the release of whom he thought of as a hostage.

    "What are you..?!"

    But the next moment the ck-haired man curled up together with the young martial artist, causing the white-haired man to raise his voice in shock when...

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    ...a major explosion swallowed up the center of the necropolis, and the following shockwave destroyed the rest of the spot.

 Chapter 638 224 - Heavenly Star Warrior And The Betrayal (Part 3)

    "Huh... that guy looks simr to Seth... I wonder if he was a member of the Raging Bull sect...?"

    The ck-haired man began moving from one end of the painting to the other, stopping andmenting to himself upon seeing somewhat familiar faces.

    "..."

    Around the middle of the painting, he stopped, staring at the image of a strict-looking man in his twenties who definitely tried a little bit too hard with making a good pose for the painting.

    But the pose itself wasn''t something that picked Zoemi''s attention the most.

    "...he is simr to George... n did say that most of the bodies weren''t recovered and George''s father was supposed to be a castaway washed up on the shores of the Tencelion''s territory..."

    Zoemi bit his lips and reached his hand towards the image, but stopped himself from actually touching the painting.

    "And apparently George showed up here, but with ck hair and ck eyes... not something that a dead person should be able to do in the slightest...."

    He breathed out taking a step back and ring into the painted man''s eyes.

    "So troublesome..."

    Zoemi shook his head and began inspecting the rest of the painting until...

    "...?"

    A familiar devilish smirk that looked so familiar as if he was put in front of the mirror immediately got Zoemi''s attention, and the ck-haired man stopped right in his track.

    But it obviously wasn''t a mirror ¨C the devilish smile belonged to by far the youngest person included in the painting.

    His honey-blond hair and bright blue eyes were enhanced by the devilish smile that carried the promise of the boy bing a heart-stealer in the future.

    "I''m done. Have you found the portrait of mister Nathan? He was supposed to be the youngest member of the expedition... force..."

    Zoemi was standingpletely motionless, staring at the boy''s image for so long that n done with the memorial service approached him from the side and called out ¨C ncing over at what captured the ck-haired man''s attention and stopping in ce.

    "...? ?!?"

    n furrowed his brows and began looking between the figure of the honey-blond boy and the ck-haired man in front of him, getting increasingly confused.

    "I know there are some wild coincidences in the world or it just could be my imagination but... aren''t the two of you, like, really, REALLY simr...?"

    The young man took a step back and pointed between Zoemi and the image of the honey-blond boy.

    "...do you want to hear something even weirder...? ording to myte grandfather, I look extremely simr to myte father who was an orphan turned traveling merchant at a young age... The only differences between me and him were supposed to be the colors of our hair and eyes. I inherited mine from myte mother, while my father..."

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and made eye contact with the shocked n.

    "...my father was supposed to have honey-blond hair and bright blue eyes..."

    "But...! There is a limit to coincidences...!"

    The ck-haired man finished his sentence not taking his eyes off n who gasped and look between him and the boy in the painting.

    "You are trying to say that mister Nathan managed to survive in the line of death and ended up in thend of mana? But...! Mana is poison!"

    "...and you said that he was the beloved child of Aries..."

    n shook his head and pointed out, to which Zoemi did have an answer.

    "Hold on! Even if that''s the case, what about the thing with martial artist''s body bing increasingly hotter until bursting into mes after using the star power for too long?!"

    The young man pointed out, giving a very reasonable argument.

    "If the martial artist is surrounded by mana, the process of the body protecting itself from it will prevent thebustion or even the slightest increase in temperature. Mana is not just poison, it is something opposing and hampering the star power directly ¨C heating up is getting stronger, and abundance of mana prevents it."

    "!!!"

    "..."

    The pair were approached by the white-haired man with obsidian-ck eyes who gave n an exnation for the question bothering him without being asked directly, and his presence rmed the young man while Zoemi merely red at him in silence.

    "I''ve overheard your conversation, and it seemed that my suspicion was correct. Young magician, you are Nathan Ramis''s son, are you not?"

    William, the Heavenly Star Warrior dered, motioning with his chin at Zoemi.

    "There is a chance for that to be true. It would honestly exin a lot, everyone whom I would rust for the confirmation of that is dead, and making at least one of them talk would take some time."

    "..."

    The ck-haired man tilted his head and nodded while shrugging, showing his own cluelessness on the subject.

    "Although Nathan Ramis and Neramis as my father was called ording to myte grandfather does match the way people of thend of mana mispronounce the names of the marital artist."

    Zoemi added with a sigh.

    One thing he did not expect to learn in thend blessed by the stars was the identity of his father whom he thought to be just amoner-born traveling merchant who happened to be childhood friends with the daughter of a high noble family...

    "Despite my inquiries about you, I was not informed that you would be amongst the members of the exchange program in the Heavenly Star Academy, magician. You should already know that your kind is almost as much in trouble here as marital artists stranded in thend of mana. If you perchance nning to start something, remember that not only you will not be able to disy the full extent of your abilities, but also that mine arepletely unrestricted without the limiter of the astral projection."

    "His kind...? Wait, you don''t know that Zoemi can''t use ma-mnph...?"

    William squinted his eyes ring inquisitively at Zoemi while voicing his suspicions about him, and his information seemed to be outdated and straight-up wrong.

    n wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but his lips were sealed by Zoemi''s hand as the ck-haired man got behind him and wrapped himself around him as if he meant to never let go - which instantly caused n''s face to turn bright red and his eyes could not focus on any point in particr as the closeness of the ck-haired manpletely overwhelmed his remaining senses.

    "...and you even dare to take a hostage in front of me...?"

    William''s eyes narrowed even more and he hissed, sounding more pissed off than when he was proiming the hostility of the Heavenly Star Nation back during the tournament in the kingdom of Bellcephora...

    "n, activate your defensivews."

    "Mpfghh...?"

    Zoemi whispered hurriedly, causing n to let out a muffled sound of confusion and surprise.

    "If you know what''s good for you, step away from that martial artist. I am not against talking with you, as long as you don''t intend on causing trouble in thisnd."

    William''s tone became slightly softer since he consciously tried to ease the situation while negotiating the release of whom he thought of as a hostage.

    "What are you..?!"

    But the next moment the ck-haired man curled up together with the young martial artist, causing the white-haired man to raise his voice in shock when...

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    ...a major explosion swallowed up the center of the necropolis, and the following shockwave destroyed the rest of the spot.

 Chapter 639 224 - Heavenly Star Warrior And The Betrayal (Part 4)

    "I warned William to side with us. The progress cannot be stopped, and if someone isn''t supporting us, they are against us."

    A tall tanned woman standing on thin air above the sight of the massive explosion scoffed and lowered her hand.

    As she did, the fiery mane around her head sizzled out returning her hair to its default state of being curly and powder-pink.

    "Sounds like you want to convince yourself ¨C we all already know it."

    A silver-haired fox-faced man squatting beside the fire-wielding woman snickered while carefully observing the subsiding smoke that covered the sight of the cemetery.

    "Shut up, Guardian of the Aquarius."

    The tanned woman gritted her teeth and scoffed at the fox-faced man.

    "So official! We are not in front of his Heavenly Highness, you know, Camelia?"

    The guardian of the Aquarius giggled, waving his hand dismissively without ever facing the woman.

    "We are on an official mission given by his majesty''s advisor, Guardian of the Aquarius."

    The woman called Camelia frowned, ring at the back of the man''s head, and didn''t budge on the way to address him in the slightest.

    "Are you sure that we''ve used enough power? Those two are probably fried, but besides them, it''s old William we are talking about... was it even his real body?"

    The fox-faced man waved his hand dismissively and his voice turned more serious ¨C he sensed no movement below, but that didn''t mean that their targets were dead. Visual confirmation was necessary.

    "I am confident, not even a fire dragon would survive my mes, if you want to see for yourself so much, why wait? Just blow away the smoke and dust with your wind."

    Camelia crossed her arms and turn her head away as if upset that her strength was questioned.

    "So you say, but I think that you went easy on..."

    "WATCH OUT!"

    The guardian of the Aquarius furrowed his brows and stroked his chin with one hand ¨C when all of a sudden, a young white-haired girl appeared between the two and pushed them aside in panic.

    As the girl pushed the two Heavenly Guardians away, a barrier of water formed around her locking her in something that looked just like the defensive water bubble of water magicians, only much, much thicker.

    "Yellow Star."

    *&^%$#@#$)(^%$#@#$%()_$#*

    The young girl did both of those acts just in time for a low, furious growl toe from below ¨C the next moment, the smoke and dust evaporated under the hellish heat of an energy beam so bright that it dyed the entire area yellow.

    The attack was instantaneous and the girl who saved the two Heavenly Guardians had no chance of dodging it.

    "KYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH...!"

    Her barrier turned out to be only good enough for her to let out a scream of pain as her body began melting under the unbelievable heat ¨C the yellow beam passed through, and only a split secondter, there was not even dust left from the water-wielding girl.

    "LIN?!"

    "Little guardian of the Pisces is fine, that was only her astral projection. But that attack, it wasn''t something that William should... ah..."

    Camelia shouted in terror, staring at the spot where the girl who saved them evaporated, but the guardian of the Aquarius calmed her down before looking down and... letting out a troubled gasp, opening his eyes for the first time.

    Back down amongst the debris stood a ck-haired man protectively holding a reddish-brown-haired girl in his arms.

    A wounded reddish-brown-haired girl ¨C Camelia''s fire burnt off their clothes and should have turned their bodies into charcoal, but it was only the girl who was wounded - with severe burns on her arms and legs.

    "Camelia! Victor! What is the meaning of this?!"

    As it turned out, William did survive the attack too ¨C not only survive, with the mastery in thew of Pisces he tapped into the control over the element of water and created a protective barrier that spared not only his body but even his clothes.

    "Yellow Star."

    *&^%$#@#$)(^%$#@#$%()_$#*

    "!!!!!"

    While the Havenly Star Warrior wanted to get some answers before taking action, Zoemi clearly wasn''t in the mood for it andunched another attack that immted the air in its wake.

    Although the guardian of the Aquarius did lounge to the side, he was not the target ¨C The ck-haired man was focused only on the tall powder-pink-haired woman.

    "GHHHH...!"

    Camelia managed to partially dodge the attack ¨C even being able to fly thanks to the help of the wind-wieldingrade she ended up being too slow. She tried to create a shield of fire to block the attack and it did help her survive...

    ...to some degree...

    It didn''t deflect the attack, but before getting destroyed, it did gave her enough time to move the rest of the way from the yellow beam''s width.

    "...me...? The Guardian of the Leo... burnt...? But... I govern fire...!"

    Camelia muttered to herself, stunned in shock, staring at her terribly burnt arms with crispy skin peeling off the medium-rare-done muscles.

    "Yellow..."

    "HOLD ON! Lord Zoemi, right?! We can talk this out!"

    The ck-haired man opened his mouth, ring straight at the sitting duck in the sky, but before he could finish the shortmand, the fox-eyednded right by his side and eximed in a panicked voice.

    "Guardian of the Aquarius, I heard what you two were talking about up there after blowing up this ce."

    "...!"

    Zoemi turned around so that n''s body was out of sight for the others, and said with an evil smirk causing the fox-faced man to tense up and almost take a step back.

    "I guess that your name is Victor Windfallen, I was told to get your help as a master of thew of Aquarius on the Supernova level, but I see that you are already helping out the other side."

    The ck-haired man scoffed, shaking his head in annoyance, barely holding himself back ¨C and ONLY holding himself back because of the unconscious and wounded n in his arms.

    "...I was already bbergasted upon seeing the magician who destroyed my astral projection with such ease here... but now you two are here and did what you did... I want some answers."

    William looked around the destroyed necropolis, clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white, but managed to keep his voice calm.

 Chapter 640 225 - Heavenly Star Warrior And The Betrayal (Part 5)

    "THE ANSWER IS THAT AN ANTIQUE LIKE YOU STANDS N THE WAY OF THE PROGRESS!"

    The guardian of the Leo got over the shock but her first action wasn''t to stand down or retreat, but a straight-up attack with the attribute assigned to thew she mastered.

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    As her hair turned into a fiery mane, the zing inferno became conjured and erupted from her feet, vomiting the devastating napalm-like attack upon the people down below.

    "CAMELIA! DON''T...!"

    "Yellow Star."

    *&^%$#@#$)(^%$#@#$%()_$#*

    The guardian of the Aquarius shouted, but his scream was interrupted by the furious low voice of the ck-haired man who unleashed a counterattack while protectively hugging the wounded friend.

    The Yellow Star was too strong ¨C the napalm-like strike that should envelop the entire area of the destroyed necropolis got swept by the bright yellow light.

    The stronger me swallowed up the weaker one and annihted it together with the woman who unleashed it.

    "...Camelia...?"

    Victor, the guardian of the Aquarius muttered, releasing the defensive wind shield that he pulled up in response to hisrade''s frenzied attack, gasped in shock, staring into the empty air where the guardian of Leo was still only a second ago.

    "Mister humble florist... you sure have guts saving people who are openly hostile to you, you know?"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi lowered his head and said without actually turning around ¨C although he didn''t move, Victor certainly twist his head so fast that he almost broke his neck just to look at the white-haired Heavenly Star Warrior.

    And indeed, the ck-haired man wasn''t teasing or pulling some underhanded trick ¨C William was still standing in the same ce as before, but now he was holding an unconscious powder-pink-haired woman in his arms.

    "...thank Guide..."

    *thump*

    Victor let out a relieved gas and slumped all the way down to the ground.

    "I said that I want answers, how do you expect me to get them out of dead people?"

    The white-haired marital artist scoffed at Zoemi before ring at the guardian of the Aquarius.

    "That progress little Camelia was shouting about... is it the same thing that his heavenly highness tried to coax me into a year ago?"

    "...what else could it be...?"

    William then proceed to ignore the ck-haired man and ask the pale silver-haired man who bit his lips and looked away before answering.

    "There''s nothing more dangerous than children with great strength ying around with the forces they don''t fully understand... You show up here, was it an order from his excellency?"

    William frowned, closing his eyes and sighing with disappointment.

    "No. His highness''s advisor Theodor entrusted us with dealing with you the moment you wille in contact with the ck-haired Aries''s monster over there. I am willing to speak about it in more detail, but first, we need to treat Camelia''s wounds."

    Victor also shook his head, but despite his shrewd appearance, he turned cooperative while constantly ncing at his unconsciousrade in William''s grasp.

    "Aries''s monster...? Hold on. I think that you are mistaken here, that person over there is a magician, I am quite convinced that the attacks we just saw were just cleverly-named spells meant to confuse... us..."<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    The white-haired man furrowed his brows and looked at the fox-faced man before ncing down at the wounded woman in his arms... and his eyes widened.

    "Law of Virgo... huh...? There''s no trace of mana poisoning...!"

    William whispered and gasped in shock.

    "What is the meaning of this?! You were a magician thest time we fought!"

    The heavenly Star Warrior raised his voice and called at the annoyed ck-haired man.

    "I don''t care for your misunderstanding, it''s not like I wanted to trick you, we were just interrupted before I could exin anything. But since you already pay attention to me ¨C why don''t the two of you lend me some clothes."

    Zoemi scoffed, smirking devilishly before shaking his head.

    "Why are you looking at me like that? Are you both deaf? Strip."

    The ck-haired man raised his brow and demanded when his initial request was not fulfilled immediately.

    "There''s no need to get angry, young magi... young man. I will leave you and yourpanion clothes and even heal her up for you as long as you will not show any more aggressive actions."

    William frowned and nced at the two guardians before looking back at the ck-haired man and changing his way of speaking into a more gentle one.

    "n is a man, and you should hurry with the clothes because of you even glimpse at his body, I will gouge out your eyes and burn them to a crisp before forcing them down your throat. How about that? Peaceful enough?"

    Zoemi spat to the side and scoffed.

    "...I see you care about thatpanion of yours a lot, in that case, it would be best to hold back on the temper tantrums, young man."

    "Said the man who dered ns for an invasion of my homnd right in my face after I dealt with his astral projections. You are helping people who were sent here and actively attempted to kill you and more importantly me and n. Take that high and mighty attitude and shove it up your hypocritical ass."

    William breathed out and tried to take higher ground but was immediately knocked down by a mocking scoff from the pissed-off Zoemi.

    "...dering an invasion...?"

    "...!"

    The guardian of the Aquarius opened his eyes in shock and turned towards the Heavenly Star warrior in disbelief, which made the white-haired man flinch and avert his gaze.

    "About the healing though..."

    "Law of Libra, thew of Aries, andw of Virgo,w of Virgo."

    William cleared his throat and tried to change the subject, but Zoemi simply used his star power to gain ess to thew with the power of healing, shutting up the supposed humble florist.

    Despite both William and Zoemi using thew of Virgo on the two conscious people, only the one in the ck-haired man''s care started getting better.

    Despite what it might have appeared to be, it wasn''t because Zoemi gained ess to the star level that was higher than William''s mastery.

    Not at all.

    "This looks very bad."

    While still not giving the requested clothes to the ck-haired man and his recoveringpanion, William bit his lips looking at the woman in his arms whose injuries remained exactly the same despite the star power he poured into them.

 Chapter 641 225 - Heavenly Star Warrior And The Betrayal (Part 6)

    "Sorry, this might be above my abilities with my currentw of Libra star level..."

    Zoemi sighed apologetically towards the still unconscious n whose wounds began to heal properly but were still a way off from disappearing.

    "Kaaraal, dad needs your help."

    The ck-haired man added, sending his whisper into the passing gust of wind.

    "William, today I act as the representative of the princess of the white tower. Even at this very moment a repugnant filth is recovering and gathering strength deep within the ground. It''s a remnant of a so-called demon lord ss adversary that even the god of stars, guide, wanted to get rid of. The princess deemed your power to be useful for aiding us in dealing with it."

    "...!"

    After that, Zoemi looked back at the trio of martial artists and dered ¨C one of the two conscious people amongst them flinched.

    And it wasn''t William.

    Instead, the guardian of the Aquarius, Victor, looked down and then back up as if a realization hit him in the head like a brick.

    "As I said, I want to get some answers first, and you just added another one. Howe you of all people know about the white tower and the princess?"

    "..."

    Wiliam asked and his voice made Victor tense up and fix his shocked expression in a hurry ¨C it should be something that the heavenly Star Warrior could have noticed, but it seemed that he was too focused on the ck-haired man for that to happen.

    Or he simply ignored it for a moment.

    The Heavenly Star Warrior was loyal to the Heavenly Star Nation, that was one trait that could never change no matter what. He might have doubts, he might have disagreed, or even refuse to take andplete an order even from the Heavenly Emperor or the emperor''s advisors residing with him in the Star Pagoda. He might have fought with some of the Heavenly Guardians over some trivial matters.

    All of that did not matter if he was faced with a potential threating from the outside.

    When faced with new information, William''s default way of doing things was to side with the Heavenly Star Nation and its people over some outsider ¨C and it was clear in the way he was acting at that very moment.

    Guardian of the Aquarius and Guardian of the Leo attacked him while working under an order from the official from the Star Pagoda but Zoemi was the only one being questioned as a high priority. Funnily enough, that did seem to make Victor slightly ufortable, as if he was feeling bad that even despite being obviously betrayed and abandoned by the nation, the Heavenly Star Warrior''s resolve didn''t falter.

    "Mister guardian, here, return this to thewful sect that distributes it ¨C I know that you are theirpdog anyway, so do me a solid, alright?"

    All this time while protecting n, Zoemi had one of his fists clenched, but when he motioned at the fox-faced man, he threw whatever he was holding on to at him.

    ? The action came out of nowhere and seeded in confusing the others.

    "Wha...?!"

    Victor gasped and reached out his hands ¨C not for catching the item, mind you, but to create a wind barrier thanks to the control over the element that his mastery in thew of Aquarius had given him.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    The item was expelled away from him and fall on the burnt ground between him and William.

    It turned out to be a little crystal vial ¨C it was empty but had a particr, easily recognizable shape.

    "Now, now. What''s the big deal? Until now I only returned what was given to me ¨C did you think that I would attack? Pfft."

    "...!"

    The ck-haired man smirked and winked at the fox-faced man who gritted his teeth in annoyance over being mocked.

    "Don''t make meugh, do I look like the errand boy for the Heavenly Archer sect?"

    Victor scoffed, deactivating the shield and kicking the crystal vial away, making the ss flicker in the light as it tumble away.

    "No, of course not. You are one of the twelve Heavenly Guardians. It''s obvious that you are the protector of the heavens... and heavens only, as it''s clear that you do not care for the people of the nation. Shame."

    Zoemi''s face darkened as he sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.

    "And now you''re implying that a simple monster lure that you can buy on the market is threatening the people of the Heavenly Star nation... you are not making yourself look any better, that''s for sure."

    William furrowed his brows, looking at the vial before shaking his head in disappointment.

    "...avable on the market you say..?"

    Zoemi asked honestly confused.

    The whole scene with the vial was only a little trick. He wanted to buy some time before his dragon daughter arrives as he continued healing his unconscious friend.

    While keeping up thew of Libra which allowed him to gain ess to the healingw of Virgo, Zoemi was vulnerable to a wide arrange of attacks because of the low level of the bncing star power, the star level of hisw of Aries decreased momentarily from its supernova status.

    And yet, the diversion meant to only keep the marital artists from realizing the momentary weakness, turned out to be a great way to confirm the suspicion that the ck-haired man had.

    There were two types of dark sects after all.

    The original ones, and the fake ones created by the Heavenly Archer sect and the Star Pagoda ¨C Zoey, the traitor of the Great Ram sect who gave n the mana potion saying that it was a monster lure, he... he might not have got it from the dark sect at all.

    It might have been because on his journey up until that point Zoemi didn''t browse the markets thoroughly, the ones he was in were only the ones in smaller towns and viges which all might have resulted in him not encountering the mana potion disguised as the monster lure in the wild. That originally made him assume that it was something that only the dark sect members had ess to and shared in secret.

    And yet the dismissive tone in William''s voice suggested that the potion wasn''t anything special, just amon item.

 Chapter 642 225 - Heavenly Star Warrior And The Betrayal (Part 7)

    Zoemi could only me himself for this oversight ¨C he never inquired n or any other martial artist about the matter.

    That whole n about finding a dark sect and learning the big secret turned out to be a massive waste of time and lives that would not be lost if the ck-haired man just did the most obvious thing.

    Ask.

    "William, if you will be interested in saving not only the Heavenly Star nation as it''s being led into ruin by people not knowing what forces they are messing with but our whole world, I invite you toe to visit the Sea of Trees. Just entering that territory will get you a ride on a dragon all the way to the white tower where the princess awaits. Victor, you are invited too."

    Zoemi breathed out heavily as the memory of mind-controlled Aaron killing his own father and childhood friend weighed on his conscience.

    "You are making it sound like you will leaving... and that there is something wrong with your head. There is no white tower amidst the Sea of Trees. I had been a member of the expedition that explored most of that wild region and never encountered anything fitting the name. Not to mention dragons and..."

    *WHAM* *RUMBLE*

    William frowned and shook his head at the disheartened ck-haired man ¨C but his spiel about the Zoemi telling lies to get out of the troublesome situation was interrupted by a suddennding of one of his supposed lies.

    The green dragon with massive wings didn''t seem to be notified about its nonexistence so it presented itself in all of its glory as the earth trembled upon the impact.

    "Daddy! I''m here, you don''t have to worry anymore!"

    "...!"

    "Ghhh...!"

    The monster shielded the ck-haired man and his woundedpanion with its body and dered folding its massive wings and causing a gust of wind so powerful that it forced back the guardian of the Aquarius while the Heavenly Star Warrior stared at it utterly dumbfounded.

    "Sweetie, get us away from here. Those people are rude, refused to offer us clothes, and two out of three of them are involved in conspiring with that piece of shit, Cherro. I''ve told the Heavenly Star Warrior the princess''s message so take us to report to her."

    Zoemi was done with his job as a messenger for the princess ¨C he used thew of Capricorn and jumped on his dragon daughter''s back before ring at all three martial artists and informing her, not only not lowering his voice but rather speaking even louder to make sure that he will be heard.

    "Eh? You don''t want me to beat them up? That silver human has the aura of wind around him, and even if it''s really weak, I would like to..."

    "Kaaraal. Daddy is in apromising situation right now with no clothes on while hugging his also naked friend."

    The green dragon groaned in disappointment and started sulking, but Zoemi merely nudged its side with his knee and exined.

    "Okay..."

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    Kaaraal didn''t try to pursue the matter and the next moment she already smacked the ground with her wings,unching herself high into the sky so fast that even Miriette would be impressed.

    *WHOOOOOOOOSH*

    With another motion of her massive wings, the green dragon Kaaraal shot through the sky and became a small dot on the horizon only a few momentster.

    "William... that could have been an illusion, or maybe the monster of Aries encountered a monster of Cancer or something, and it is their form after the transformation..."<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    Victor, the guardian of the Aquarius nced over at the Heavenly Star Warrior and attempted toe up with a convincing excuse for what the two of them just witnessed, seeing the face the man was making.

    "Victor, I really was a member of the expedition aiming to explore the Sea of Trees. We''ve met the fire dragon, the ruler of the forest... But that fire dragon despite being on par or even stronger than the void star and supernova level martial artists was much smaller and less imposing than the creature that just showed up."

    "That''s what I''m talking about ¨C I and Camelia also know only about the small fire dragon! There''s something wrong ¨C maybe that creature is something that came from thend of mana together with the Aries''s monster!"

    The white-haired man gulped down his saliva and reveled, which caused the fox-faced man to straighten his back and start speaking very fast while being visibly relieved that the conversation was taking this particr turn.

    "I see now there are a lot of things I need to discuss with the young Emperor and his advisors. Take the guardian of the Leo and go check whether the guardian of the Virgo will be able to heal her up. I''m going straight to the Star Pagoda."

    William shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the shock and clear his mind before putting the unconscious woman in Victor''s care.

    "Yes, that will be for the best."

    The fox-faced man nodded hurriedly seeing the opportunity that was jumping into hisp on its own as a chance to redeem himself and Camelia after failing to aplish the orders given to them.

    "Law of Capricorn."

    Wiliam activated his star power and run up into the empty air as thew allowed him to find a stable foothold wherever he wanted.

    But e didn''t just run off, leaving the guardian of the Aquarius and the guardian of the Leo.

    "Before I''ll go... Victor, that boy you call the Aries''s monster... I didn''t feel any hostility toward our nationing or our people from him. He also only responded to the attacks and didn''t attack first despite having more than enough firepower to easily kill both of you."

    The Heavenly Star Warrior said while looking down on the fox-faced man who tensed up once again.

    "He was used of being a member of the dark sect by the Great Ram sect and when the Heavenly Archer sect arrived at the sight to help them deal with him, he murdered over thirty people including the then sect leader and the acting magistrate of justice not to mention kidnapped the beloved child of Sagittarius. He then had a fight with the Raging Bull sect members and shamed them after easily beating them. Just recently he terrorized the newly opened Heavenly Star Academy and by taking the student''s life as a bargaining chip he threatened the vice principal and the principal to reveal your location to him."

    Victor hurriedly revealed, making sure to paint Zoemi in the worst light possible while also leaving a door open for pushing the me away from the Heavenly Archer sect onto the smaller sects.

    "I see. It''s my mistake then."

    "Pardon?"

    William''s expression darkened before he looked to the side and let out a bothered sight surprising Victor.

    "Before I stepped down, being a member of the dark sect alone wasn''t enough to sentence someone to death - there still needed to be proof of their techniques being used to harm innocents. But after the mantle of leading the army fell into the hands of the people from the Heavenly Archer sect, every dark sect member would be killed on the spot because of the decree that the previous Heavenly Emperor agreed upon."

    The Heavenly Star Warrior exined without changing his expression.

    "Children with too much power left unsupervised will always get themselves in trouble."

    William sighed again and only then he left, rushing in the direction of the Star Pagoda - the opposite direction than the one that the Aries''s monster disappeared together with his friend on the back of the green dragon.

 Chapter 643 Timeline Break

    Zoemi was riding on the back of Kaaraal, the wind dragon, continuously using thew of Virgo so that n''s state would improve.

    "Daddy, what happened?"

    Kaaraal asked, so worried that she forgot to act rebellious.

    "The n didn''t work. Not only my talk with the Heavenly Star Warrior was interrupted by two Heavenly Guardians who were set on killing us all but also the Heavenly Star Warrior took their side. Could you believe that? Those two blew up the cemetery and loudly spoke about how they wanted to kill him, but that guy was acting as if they were innocent children trying to pull a prank on him! The audacity!"

    Zoemi exined, full of disappointment, leaning slightly to the side to look at his dragon daughter''s profile.

    "..."

    Surprisingly, he got no answer ¨C Kaaraal looked as if she was so stunned that she froze in ce without even blinking.

    "Huh...?"

    No.

    It wasn''t like Kaaraal was simply stunned ¨C she literally stopped moving!

    "What the hell?!"

    Zoemi gasped, looking around in utter shock.

    The wind wasn''t blowing, clouds didn''t move, and the sun seemed to only be painted on the canvas of the sky.

    Something was horribly, horribly wrong with the world.

    "n, sorry for not giving you full medical attention but..."

    Zoemi apologized to the young man in his arms and released thew of Libra, cutting off his ess to thew of Virgo, and instead giving his all into activating thew of Aries.

    Nothing changed.

    To make things more disturbing, the ck-haired man spotted some monsters and martial artists in the middle of the battle down below.

    Frozen in ce, looking like statues in the art museum.

    One of the martial artists was using thew of Sagittarius and shooting the concentrated star power at the deer-like monster that was spitting poison in retaliation.

    Even so, both attacks stopped mid-air before either could reach its target.

    "...time magic...? PRESENCE!"

    Zoemi''s eyes widened in realization and he eximed before standing up on the dragon''s back and widely looking around in search of the silhouette of a young tinum-haired girl.

    But what he found instead was...

    "...I''m... sorry..."

    A tall, imposing-looking woman whom Zoemi did meet before...

    "Bell... Bellcephora...?! What is going on...? Wait...! What is happening to you...?!"

    The ck-haired man gasped in disbelief.

    He was shocked to see the proxy of the presence right in the middle of the territory with no mana whatsoever, but he was far more concerned seeing the state she was in.

    Even when fighting with Horeo the imposing woman never looked so miserable ¨C it looked like something was devouring her from the inside, she was pale and skinny, with sunken cheeks and hollow eyes.

    Her long hair was in the middle of turning jet-ck and as she opened her mouth to speak a ck-ink-like substance pured out of the corners of her lips.

    "I''m... sorry... I... should... have... asked... for... help... He... he is too strong...!"

    Bellcephora cried out and ck liquid poured out of her eyes like some gruesome tears.

    "He...?! Cherro?! No! Impossible! He is only gathering his strength trying to take over the core of the! He can only take over weak or wounded monsters and pollute them with...!"

    For a moment Zoemi felt as if he was a young boy getting beaten half-to-death by Edung, his insides felt as if they were pierced by an icicle, and he shook his head trying to use arguments and logic to oppose the facts that were too ridiculous to be true.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "...no..."

    But Bellcephora was unable to calm him down, not to mention too weak to try to shout over him ¨C yet what she did was even more effective.

    She merely whispered, shaking her head to the sides while clenching her own stomach.

    "Cherro''s actions in thend of star power were a mere diversion... he knew that you were transported here and created a n to keep you away..."

    Mustering all of her remaining strength Bellcpehora exined more and more ck liquid pouted from her mouth while her hair and eyes were darkening with each seecond.

    The world was frozen but the darkness would not stop taking over her...!

    "He... he knows that I still hold on to a fragment of my master''s power.... he wants me to use it to bring her back... But... I''d rather die and take him with me... But... this timeline will be destroyed in the process...!"

    The woman took a deep breath and revealed as her eyes shone with a powerful resolution.

    "Wait! It doesn''t have to be this way! That''s why you showed up in front of me, right? The princess from the white tower and I are working together to get rid of Cherro! We...!"

    "It''s toote."

    Zoemi clenched his fists and called out desperately ¨C but it was all to naught, Bellcephora showed him a sad smile and shook her head.

    "I will not let that scum get his filthy hands on my master ever again... I showed up in front of you to apologize... What I''m about to do will surely mess up your ns...But... my master is more important than anyone..."

    Bellcpheora added.

    "That messed up toy sacrificed itself for her and now you want to sacrifice the entire world to do the same even though she abandoned you!"

    Zoemi shouted in helpless anger.

    "Your soul spawned out of his ¨C I know that you understand..."

    "Why are you even telling me all of that?!"

    Bellcpehora smiled which caused Zoemi to howl in fury.

    "...my master wished for you to live a fulfilling life... but because of her, me, and her protector, it was all taken away from you... That''s why... I want you to... do your best to live for yourself... this time around... GHU-UGH...!"

    The woman didn''t stop smiling, but then a spasm of pain bent her in half and forced her to vomit a ridiculous amount of the inky-ck liquid.

    "Please..."

    "WAIT!"

    She added, raising her head and pleadingly smiling at the powerless ck-haired man.

    But...

    The decision was made ¨C before Zoemi could finish his sentence, the reality shattered apart and one of the countless timelines was erased from existence.

    Then, just as easily as thest one disappeared, a brand new one spawned into existence...

    Whether by design or mistake, the memories of Zoemi from the destroyed timeline found their way into the body of his incarnation in the new one...

    "The shipwreck that we hid almost ten years ago has a special artifact called Star Chart. If my son doesn''t awaken to magic until he is ten, lead it to it. He must touch it and say the phrase ¨C Keeper of the stars, Guide, away from their home, this lost child seeks your help ¨C Understand?"

    "...?"

    Zoemi regain his consciousness, startled awake by an urgent voice that he never heard before ¨C but he couldn''t look around to see who was speaking as his view was obstructed by a nket.

    "Lord Neramis... What are you saying?! The house of Banemor will not fall!"

    Another voice responded to the first one ¨C but unlike the first one, Zoemi recognized it even though he was much more used to hearing it in his head...

    |...Ludier... Gmroze...? Wait...! Did he just say lord Neramis...?! Wasn''t that my father''s name...?!|

 Chapter 644 226 (Part 1) The Begining In The Shadow Of Despair

    Zoemi thought in disbelief and tried to get the nket away from his face, but to no avail ¨C his body felt weaker than ever and there was no trace of even a drop of spiritual power within him.

    His limbs were also weirdly short just as if...

    ...he became a child around three years old...

    "Ludier. You are my closest friend and are soon to be a father too. You should already know how am I feeling. I will not change my child''s life when Espines are storming the mansion! They have twice as many soldiers as we do and Doregon and Misena are BOTH on the frontline! None of our people can win against two transcended magicians, especially as powerful as those two! I must join father and Learen so we at least have a chance. But I cannot risk Benevi''s life!"

    Neramis said in an urgent voice, causing both Ludier and Zoemi to flinch even though for two different reasons.

    |My father, mother, and even grandfather are all alive but...Espines are attacking Banemor territory...?! What the hell is going on in this world?!|

    The boy thought, unable to shake off the shock.

    "My lord...! I...! I am a transcended ice magician! You and the people of the Banemor house are basically my families! Forget the Espines, I will challenge the royal family for you!"

    Ludier dered in a feverish voice.

    "No. You and your wife are expecting a child, neither I nor Learen wish to drag the Gmroze house into this war. With you taking care of my son, I will be able to go all out and I''m sure that Vizta and Learen feel the same."

    "...!"

    Neramis dered ¨C at that exact moment Zoemi managed to deal with the nket covering him.

    As it turned out, he was already in Ludier Gmroze''s arms and Neramis, his father, was smirking devilishly at his best friend.

    "Benevi, you woke up..."

    Neramis raised his brows seeing his son''s stunned expression.

    "My son. Your father, mother, and grandfather must deal with some troublesome guests, uncle Ludier will take you for a little trip, okay?"

    The honey-blond-haired young man who was only a year or two older than Zoemi was in the previous timeline when everything disappeared, smiled, and kissed his son''s forehead.

    "Don''t cause trouble for him and... be good, okay?"

    "..."

    Neramis, or rather Nathan Ramis asked, looking his son in the eyes, but the child was too stunned to be able to squeeze a word out of his clenched throat.

    "My lord..."

    "Ludier. Not in front of Benevi. Be on your way. Oh, and take young Mizoe with you. He is a good kid and went through enough after dropping out of the Aspakeony Academy. Help him enlist for the knights'' training or something ¨C I''m sure he will be an asset to you."

    "...!"

    Ludier let out heartwrenching gaps, but Neramis cut him short, offhandedly dropping some information that caused Zoemi to jolt up in shock.

    "Lord Neramis.. no. Nera. Promise me that you will survive."

    The ice magician closed his eyes and breathed out before looking straight into Neramis''s face and demanding.

    "Hey, who do you think I am? Despite all that mana messing with my spiritual energy, I am still a void star level martial artist. Who knows, with the help of my wife and father-inw we might turn this whole territorial dispute around and get rid of Espines altogether!"

    Neramisughed and put his right fist to his heart.

    ...but he didn''t make a promise that Ludier wanted him to...

    "...you''re a fool, Nera..."

    "You know me too well, Ludier."

    The ice magician gritted his teeth and Zoemi could feel him tremble, but Neramis merely shrugged his shoulders and turned around.

    "Young Mizoe is already waiting for you with the horses. Don''t make him wait, things will get messy soon."

    "..."

    The honey-blond-haired man stopped on his way towards one of the two doors leading out of the chamber they were in and advised ¨C Ludier bit his lips and looked away with a pained expression.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    It was more than obvious that Neramis had it all already nned.

    Banemors as they were today had no chance against the power of duke Espine.

    "I will keep Benevi safe."

    Ludier dered, also turning around and going for the door on the opposite side of the chamber.

    "I know you will but... it might be better to change his name just in case."

    Neramis nodded, ready to leave with a clear conscience when...

    "Father...! Father don''t...!"

    "...!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi climbed on Ludier just enough so that his head poked over the ice magician''s shoulder and called, reaching out his hand towards the honey-blond-haired man who flinched and turned around with a troubled expression.

    For a moment it looked like Neramis''s resolve would falter, but only a momentter his face brightened up with a devilish smirk and he waved toward Zoemi.

    "Grow up strong and grasp the happiness with your own hands, my son."

    Neramis dered and left.

    Without him, there was no reason for Ludier and Zoemi to stay in the chamber any longer, and so the ie magician left carrying the boy.

    The night was dark ¨C thick clouds and deep fog were covering the area making it hard to navigate even through the rtively small back courtyard of the Banemor mansion.

    "...lord Gmroze...! Here...!"

    "...!"

    Then the fog cleared out just a bit, revealing a much younger Mizoe than Zoemi ever remembered, beckoning them to approach while holding rains of a pair of ck horses.

    "That fog is your doing?"

    Ludier asked, raising his brow while hurriedly straddling the first horse.

    "Not all... I don''t have enough mana to pull something on that scale but... but because of it, I was able to secure a small opening in the encirclement of the Espine forces. The spell I used was too weak to pick their attention."

    Young Mizoe shook his head and exin, lowering his head in embarrassment despite clearly seeding in what he wanted to aplish.

    "Keep it up. If something goes wrong I will take care of it. Let''s go."

    Ludier nodded in understanding and lightly smacked the reins of his horse after making sure that Zoemi will not fall off.

    The two horses trotted through the fog without making much noise, after a few minutes the fog cleared out and the tiro was out of immediate danger...

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    Before either Ludier or young Mizoe was able toment on the situation, a gigantic pir of fire erupted far behind their back, chasing away the fog and clouds and basking the area in a few-mile vicinity in crimson light.

    "...firestorm... a ridiculous spell that duke Espine and his wife came up with when they were still students in the Aspakeony Academy...

    The ice magician clenched his fists on the reins so hard that his knuckles turned white, making Zoemi look between them and the pir of fire.

    "Lord Grmoze, the Banemor house...!"

    "We have our instructions. Let''s move."

    Young Mizoe gulped down his saliva and muttered in a tense voice but Ludier merely shook his head and hastened his horse.

    ¡­it was a new timeline, with new opportunities, but the noble family that Zoemi had been born in had already fallen, leaving him the only survivor before he was able to do anything about it...

 Chapter 645 226 (Part 2) The Beginning In The Shadow Of Despair... And The Ray Of Hope

    "I would prefer to take you to my territory, but as the things are now it would not be safe. The head of the Derizno house is looking at my family''s mines with greedy eyes. Instead, I will leave you and young Mizoe here under the care of my friend. He is a newly appointed noble and his territory is by the border with a small city-state far away from thends of the high nobles. I am afraid that the head of the Derizno family hearing about what happened in the Banemor territory will follow Espines'' path and try to im mynd for himself any day now."

    Ludier nced at Zoemi withpassion and tried to smile reassuringly even though his words weren''t exactly encouraging.

    "I mean...!"

    All of a sudden the ice magician flinched as he realized that it definitely wasn''t something that he should have said to the child because he clearly suggested that something happened to the Banemor family.

    "Tell me... do really strong magicians called sages exists?"

    But he wasn''t actually dealing with a child, not someone with a mind of a child, at least ¨C Zoemi nodded his head with a somber expression and asked in hesitation.

    "...ah... one of Learen''s bedtime stories, isn''t it...?"

    Ludier''s reaction certainly wasn''t promising.

    "Sages of whom each created a single high noble house. It is a nice story but... in the end, all sages were simply human, when the time came, theyid to their final rest like everyone."

    The ice magician was doing his best to put the child''s expectations to rest as slowly and gently as possible. From his choice of words, it was easy to guess that he tried using vague phrases so that the young boy would not catch on to the real meaning, but that obviously had no effect.

    |Sages existed but are all dead... that''s why Benevirau didn''t show up and chased away the enemies...|

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and leaned back against Ludier''s torso.

    This... really was a different timeline, wasn''t it?

    While the people seemed to be the same, the setting was obviously different and the rtionships and interactions worked at least slightly different than in the timeline Zoemi originated from.

    But... if that was the case then...

    |...Miriette is gone... my Miriette is gone...|

    The realization hit the boy like a truck ¨C or rather like a motorbike that had imed his life in another world.

    Before he knew it, streams of tears poured down his face and the droplets fell on Ludier''s arm, getting the man''s attention.

    "Benevi? Benevi, why are you...?!"

    Ludier gasped in shock and hurriedly picked up the boy, not knowing how he should react in such a situation ¨C after all, his child wasn''t born yet, and he had no experience with dealing with children.

    "..."

    Zoemi didn''t say a thing, merely biting his lips and crying his heart out.

    Back in his timeline, right before the god of stars, Guide, forcefully transported him into the Heavenly Star nation''s territory, Zoemi was ready to throw away his life to stay with Miriette.

    After he found himself in thend of the star power, he was doing his very best to survive just so he could at met his beloved at least one more time.

    But now...

    Even if Miriette existed in this timeline, it wasn''t his Miriette.

    Apletely foreign girl who would merely look like her but know nothing of him.

    Such a timeline... such a world...

    It wasn''t worth livi...

    *WHOOM*

    "MY LORD, WATCH OUT!"

    "Huh?!"''

    as the dark thoughts were sucking Zoemi in like quicksand, an odd pearl-colored circle appeared in the middle of the road that the three people on two horses were traveling, causing young Mizoe to call out moving forward while Ludier gasped in shock.

    Mizoe pulled out a simple training sword and Ludier raised his hand conjuring an ice spear, ready to unleash it if the situation called for it, while watching the circle erge until it had a sizerge enough to epass an average human.

    *WHOOM*

    A momentter, the circle shimmered and turned transparent ¨C but instead of showing the road behind it, it turned into a window peering into a white space.

    Suddenly, the curtain of white fell down, revealing a single teenager.

    ...a somewhat androgynous youth whose looks alone stunned Ludier enough to release his magic, and shocked Mizoe to the point of him dropping his sword.

    The stranger had ck hair fashioned in a spiky haircut, although it looked like it wasn''t their original hair color. They had a devilishly charming face, even though one of their pearl-colored eyes was covered with a big eyepatch.

    A crop-top ck shirt with long sleeves, a rugged cape, trousers with lots of unnecessary ck leather belts and knee-high ck boots were all included in the outfit the teenager was donning but didn''t epass it all. After all, the stranger also had bandages randomly wrapped around the exposed parts of their body, wherever they decided was the coolest spot for it.

    At that one moment, even the despairing Zoemi was too bewildered by the sight to think about anything else.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "...!"

    Despite their edgy looks, the teenager seemed surprisingly shy ¨C their face became pink from embarrassment and they raised their hands as if they wanted to excuse themselves and back off.

    "..."

    But then they identally made eye contact with the ck-haired boy and their face became serious.

    The stranger raised thier hands to thier face and struck a ¨C supposedly - cool pose.

    "I am the Demon Lord Mirienne! Zoemi! Miriette was also a part of the Presence just like Bellcpehora! Her memories are currently locked away, but they will return sooner orter as long as you be her attendant again! She is your Miriette, so don''t you dare give up before you will defeat the impostor demon lord, the trash named Cherro, and achieve a happy ending!"

    "!!!"

    The teenager dered, causing the eyes of the ck-haired boy to bulge out as he jolted up in disbelief.

    "Th-that''s all that I had to say for now...!"

    The self-proimed demon lord stuttered and hurried to the side, disappearing by the edge of the pearl-colored portal...

    *WHOOM*

    ...that ended up closing and disappearing into the thin air a split-secondter...

    "Huh...? What in the world was that?!"

    Ludier shook his head and was the first one to get over the bizarre situation.

    "Mizoe, that weird kid looked to be around your age, do you know them?"

    "N-no..."

    The ice magician called out to the pale-blue-haired boy, but Mizoe shook his head just as confused as he.

    "I don''t know anyone named Zoemi, but the daughter of Doregon and Misena Espine is called Miriette... we need to get away from this ce as soon as possible! Benevi, hold on tight, it will shake a lot."

    Ludier gulped down his saliva before deciding and smacking the reins of the horse he was riding on, forcing the animal to gallop while securely hugging the ck-haired boy...

    |Demon lord Mirienne, huh... You better not be lying!|

    Zoemi clenched his fists and thought to himself.

    A sudden ray of hope.

    The Miriette from this timeline is his Miriette...!

    Now, with that information ¨C no matter how unreliable ¨C he could not allow himself to sumb to despair, could he?

    |Her memories will return eventually, as long as I be her attendant... so be it!|

    Just like a drowning person clinging onto anything whether it resembled a lifeline or not, the ck-haired boy stuck to the idea and chose to run with it then and there.

    "...Ludier... just like my father asked me to... I will grow strong and thrive..."

    As the horse was carrying them like the wind, Zoemi spoke up, getting the ice magician''s attention.

    "Umm... yes, that''s what your father wished for."

    Ludier agreed, slightly confused about the timing of the child''s words.

    It might have been a trap, it might have been some sort of illusion - it didn''t matter.

    What it did was give Zoemi a reason to keep living and that was all that mattered.

    |Wait... before demon lord Mirienne showed up, Ludier said that he is going to eft me and Mizoe in a small terriotry near the border of a city-state... But, wouldn''t that... be...?|

    "Are we going to the vige near the Marigotiee kingdom...?"

    Zoemi thought and then asked in a shocked voice.

    "Huh? Well, why, yes! That''s right! Someone has been serious about his studies I see!"

    The question surprised Ludier, but he ended up using it to change the subject and praised the ck-haired boy.

    |Wasn''t that ce the home of Teo and Veo in the previous timeline...?|

    Zoemi thought to himself, closing his mouth and dropping the subject.

    And their travels continued...

 Chapter 646 227 - Guides Guidance (Part 1)

    Zoemi, Ludier, and Mizoe had quite some road ahead of them still, and the ck-haired boy had some time to think things through.

    |In this timeline my family and Espine families are enemies, so it will not be easy to be Miriette''s attendant...|

    "Uncle... could you tell me about magic?"

    First things first ¨C even though he was expecting that without the original personality living inside of him he would not awaken to magic, his ck hair and eyes would make others believe that he was a darkness magician.

    What the ck-haired boy was doing, was doing was asking in a very roundabout way about the treatment of the darkness magicians.

    "That''s a nice question and a good way to kill some time."

    Ludier looked at the child before nodding his head with a content expression.

    "Our continent is filled with an energy called mana. Mana is everywhere, in the air we breathe, the ground we walk on, the water we drink, and the food we eat. It is also coursing within our bodies thanks to the organ called mana heart."

    "...?!"

    Although Zoemi expected to get just the basic exnation, Ludier clearly set himself up for a full-blown lecture ¨C and dropped an equivalent of a bomb right at Zoemi''s shocked head out of nowhere.

    |Mana heart?! What hell is that?!|

    "Besides mana heart, each person is born with a mana reservoir ¨C its size determines whether it is possible for that person to awaken as a magician. That''s what separatesmoners from aristocrats. It is historically known that only aristocrats have mana reservoirs vast enough to be able to bend reality to their will and cast spells. Let''s just say that if a child is born out of twomoner parents and that child does awaken to magic ¨C it means that at least one parent is hiding something, be it an affair or secret identity."

    Ludier exined sneaking a yful nce at the bright-red Mizoe who got embarrassed after hearing about marital infidelity.

    "My lord...!"

    The light-blue-haired boyined, motioning at the ck-haired child sitting right in front of the

    pale-blue-haired man.

    "He doesn''t know what that word means, rx."

    Ludier waved his hand dismissively andughed at Mizoe''s innocence.

    |...is it the same as how it was back in the previous timeline...? Because that would mean that Burushi was a secret love-child of some noble...|

    Zoemi not only knew what the other two were talking about but also came to a surprising conclusion.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "But let us not get sidetracked. Magic is separated into six basic branches. Every magician is locked in the branch they awaken to. Those branches are ¨C Light, Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Shadow."

    Ludier shook his head and then started lifting his fingers away from the reins while counting.

    "The order in which I just revealed them isn''t idental, on average, the light magicians have thergest mana reservoirs while the shadow magicians have the least. Still, it is possible for the shadow magician to have more mana than a light magician ¨C only that in such case that shadow magician will be called a transcended magician."

    The pale-blue-haired man continued as theck-haired child was staring at him dumbfounded.

    "Everything is more or less based on those six branches... but now you may think to yourself ¨C but uncle Ludier, you are an ice magician! And you would be correct!"

    "..."

    The pale-blue-haired man joked nudging Zoemi but the ck-haired child was too busy staring at him to react.

    "That is because each basic branch can evolve into its higher form. Shadow evolves into darkness, earth evolves into necromancy, wind evolves into sound, water changes into ice, fire transforms into lighting, and light bes space maniption. It is a phenomenon that doesn''t have anything to do with the amount of mana at the magician''s disposal and ispletely separate from it so they do not count as transcended magicians ¨C some called them evolved magicians, but mostmonly used term is just saying the name of the evolved attribute."

    The ice magician revealed, raising his head proudly as if expecting an awestruck gasp.

    "There are necromancers just running around contorling dead people?!"

    But what he got instead was Zoemi''s bewildered yelp.

    "No! Of course not! I mean...dy Aspakeony, the head of the Apsakeony Academy does have a group of dead magicians under her control, but she is a special case ¨C she is one of the founders of the Bellcephora kingdom and her corpse puppets are hundreds of years old. She didn''t add a new one in centuries! No, the necromancers are controlling the bodies of animals and monsters."

    "...monsters..."

    Ludier hurriedly exined not wanting to scare the child but ended up only making him more worried instead.

    "Do not worry, monsters pop up in the wilderness from time to time, but we have their poption under control."

    The pale-blue-haired man assured Zoemi.

    "Where was I...? Ah! Yes, still those twelve attributes aren''t the only possible ones. Sometimes the basic attribute can diverge from the normal path. Water can be blood or mist, the earth turns into metal or golem creation, the wind into mind control or weather control, and so on... the possibilities are numerous, but it happens extremely rarely. In a case where the magician wields an attribute that isn''t one of the basic six or their evolved forms, they are called variant magicians. The mana of each attribute has its own color and dyes the hair and eyes of the user in it, which sometimes leads to misunderstanding ¨C for example, a blood magician can be mistaken for a fire magician because blood mana is amaranth and fire is crimson... and that covers the bare minimum of knowledge about magic. I could tell you about what each magic specializes in, but I honestly cannot speak about it without being heavily biased... so I will leave it at that until some more suitable teacher will show up. That said, did I miss something?"

    Ludier hurriedly moved back to the previous subject and finished his exnation before turning to Mizoe and motioning at him with his chin.

 Chapter 647 227 - Guides Guidance (Part 2)

    "No, my lord. That was great."

    The boy hurriedly shook his head and assured.

    "Is... is any attribute discriminated by the public...?"

    Zoemi felt as if his head was about to explode, but he still asked, this time much more directly, about what he originally wanted to know.

    "Not really? Just like me, many people are biased in favor of their own attributes, and there is not a single person who would like everyone so some sort of form of discrimination is bound to happen ¨C but nothing o the level of open hatred or ridicule or anything..."

    Ludier furrowed his brows thinking about the question but in the end, he shook his head and dered, clearly biting his own tongue at the end as he was going to add some venomousment about the attribute that he personally despised.

    "Still, it might be that you will not have to worry about any of it because you took after your father who was a martial artist."

    The pale-blue-haired man pointed out with a serious expression.

    "While we have mana, people living in another continent behind the ocean use something called spiritual energy to fuel the star power. Still, even though your father tried to exin it to me in detail, I... did not understand or memorize a single thing... sorry. All I know is that spiritual energy is a counterpart to mana and star power is the counterpart of magic. Magic gets weaker in their continent and star power is weaker out here, but they still can coexist fine. You might have been sleepy and missed it, but your father left me with a set of instructions as to what to do in case you will not awaken to magic ¨C and they are directly connected with star power."

    |...and there is no line of death, the knowledge about thend of martial artists is well known, apparently mana isn''t poison, and there doesn''t seem to be a war between the two continents as of now... this.... this might be interesting...|

    Zoemi''s eyes turned round as Ludier continued to talk.

    "Uncle...! Can we go see the star chart?"

    "You... weren''t half-asleep then, huh..."

    The ck-haired child pleaded, grabbing and tugging on Ludier''s shirt, making the pale-blue-haired man sigh with a bothered expression.

    "Your father said that it should wait until you were nine so it would be certain that you would not awaken to magic... but on the other hand, that whole star chart is only supposed to tell you your predisposition and pass on some knowledge only if you have said predisposition... we are quite close to the ce the wreck is hidden anyway..."

    Ludier took a deep breath, looking to the side as if judging the distance...

    It was a good thing that in this timeline Ludier didn''t turn murderous and stop trusting everyone ¨C as he was now, it wouldn''t be wrong to call him reckless.

    "Well... I am not going to tell you the way to activate the star chart anyway, and while we go there we might check out whether we could take that thing from the wreck anyway. If I remember it right, we buried the whole thing as it was, and I can''t imagine that storing it that way is the rmended method of preservation... Mizoe, a slight change of ns. We will take two days detour before we go to my friend''s territory."

    The luck was on Zoemi''s side, Ludier seemed to not know that the star chart was toorge for them to transport without a cart, and built-in one of the ship''s walls, so he caved in and agreed to the boy''s request.

    "I understand, my lord."

    Mizoe nodded, not really in the position to question the pale-blue-haired man''s decision.

    ---------<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    |Huh... this ce really was in the Banemor territory...|

    Zoemi thought to himself as they arrived at the deste beach that he vividly remember from his fight with Cherro in the previous timeline.

    Yes, it was definitely the ce where his original personality, the second princess''s protector, a toy bear Zoemi sacrificed himself to free his most cherished master from the burden of his existence.

    "Mizoe, this terrain elevation is man-made, use your magic to gather moisture at this spot, it can be just one inch wide, but make sure it prates through all the sand and ground."

    Ludier get off his horse and took Zoemi with him before motioning at the light-blue-haired boy.

    "Of course."

    Mizoe furrowed his brows, looking at the spot pointed out by the pale-blue-haired man with suspicion, but ended up nodding and jumping off his mount.

    The boy walked to the spot and put his hand against the already wet sand.

    "Water gathering."

    He closed his eyes to concentrate and muttered ¨C since the fact that he had very little mana didn''t change between the timelines, the single spell took a lot out of him. Not enough to push him into the state of mana depletion, but definitely enough to tire him out.

    "It''s ready. There really is something underneath here."

    "Of course there is. My memory might not be the best, but even I would have a hard time forgetting hiding an entire ship to protect the origins of my best friend, you know?"

    The boy breathed out honestly surprised, to which Ludier scoffed, letting go of Zoemi and grumpily putting one hand on his side while reaching the other one towards the resting ce of the shipwreck.

    *click* *SHINK*

    Ludier snapped his fingers and in an instant, a growing circr frame made of ice created a pathway through the earth and sand leading to the nted doorway leading under the deck.

    Of course, the door wasn''t originally nted ¨C it was just that the old wood began giving up under the pressure of the soil and started bending out of shape.

    "Yeah, it was the right choice. Just look at it, in five or six years most of it would be gone."

    The pale-blue-haired man dered, waving his hand to the side and shaking his head.

    "..."

    Zoemi nced at him and used this chance to trot his way into the wreck.

 Chapter 648 227 - Guides Guidance (Part 3)

    "Young lord...!"

    "...!"

    Although Ludier wasn''t paying attention at the moment, Mizoe certainly was ¨C the boy immediately noticed the child''s movement and tried to catch him, but Zoemi anticipated that and dived head-first under his arms and rolled into the shipwreck.

    "Benevi! What the hell?! It might be dangerous, think about the whole thing crumbling down!"

    Ludier reacted ¨C with a dy, but still ¨C and rushed after the cheeky runaway.

    The only time that Zoemi was in that particr shipwreck was in the previous timeline and he was actually dead or as close to death has it was possible, so even when he got himself under the deck, he still had no idea where exactly he should go.

    Not to mention that he definitely didn''t have night vision in this timeline.

    The ck-haired child realized that his daring n to get to the star chart before Ludier or Mizoe would catch him was destined to fail from the very start...

    ~...here...~

    "?!"

    Or was it...? A slight pressure brushed against his mind as if someone was trying to connect with him via the message spell and a word beckoning him to follow tickled his ear.

    "Guide."

    Zoemi whispered and turned towards the direction the vice seemed to being from.

    ? "Where did he...?! Hey! Are kids always so unpredictable?!"

    Ludier stopped a few steps in and groaned feeling increasingly uneasy, turning back and questioning the young Mizoe.

    "I... I don''t know, my lord...!"

    The light-blue-haired boy flinched and shook his head apologetically.

    "Gah! Is he a shadow magician? Can he see in the dark? He isn''t just running around blind, is he?!"

    *click*

    Ludier didn''t actually want an answer and scoffed, loudlyining before snapping his fingers and instantly creating a few ice mirrors that worked together reflecting the light from the outside and lighting up the previously pitch-ck inside of the buried shipwreck.

    "It definitely seems like he knew where he is going..."

    Ludier squinted his eyes, ring at the tiny footprints on the mushy and dusty floorboards.

    "Stay here and call me if anyone shows up, no matter whether they would look dangerous or not, understand?"

    "Yes, my lord!"

    The pale-blue-haired man pointed his finger at Mizoe and the light-blue-haired boy straightened his back and responded without hesitation.

    With that, Ludier nodded and followed Zoemi''s footsteps, creating more mirrors as he went.

    "Keeper of the stars, Guide, away from their home, this lost child seeks your help."

    "WHAT?!"

    The ice magician ended up being toote to do anything, but also fast enough to hear Zoemi say the words that would activate the star chart from another room that was yet to be illuminated by the ice mirrors.

    And even without the mirrors, the room ended up brightening ¨C Ludier arrived at the door and had to squint his eyes because of the light that arge star chart embedded into the wall gave off.

    Zoemi was touching the base of the artifact from the Heavenly Star nation with one and, raising his head and gazing upon it with disbelief.

    Because instead of only three constetions lighting up - that being Aries, Capricorn, and Libra ¨C all twelve constetions with all their stars began burning with an intense glow.

    "Benevi! Get away from there!"

    Ludier called out and tried to rush inside to take the child away but...

    *bump*

    "HUH?!"

    An unknown invisible force blocked his way, making him bounce off and let out a shocked voice.

    "That''s... what in the world...?"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva unable to take his eyes off the fully lit-up star chart.

    *haaaaa*

    Suddenly the aura in the room changed, the heavy damp stench of dust and mushy wood was reced by the smell of ozone and an inexplicable feeling filled the child''s heart.

    Before he could take his hand away and back off from the star chart, his view was obstructed by a white one-piece dress...

    "...?!"

    His eyes widened as a tinum-haired girl materialized between him and the wall out of a thin air!

    A single heartbeatter Zoemi managed to take a step back and look up at her face but...

    The girl wasn''t the presence, the murdered second princess ¨C it was the physical form of the keeper of the stars, Guide.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    A faceless god descended and revealed itself to the ck-haired child!

    "BENEVI! GET AWAY FROM THAT THING! IMPALER!"

    Meanwhile, Ludier roared so loud that he hurt his own throat and went straight to his most powerful spell.

    *RUMBLE* *SMASH*

    "?!?!?"

    The forming of the gigantic ice stake destroyed the shipwreck and uncovered its remains to the outside world to the pure shock of Mizoe who was not expecting anything like that to happen but remained clear-headed enough to run towards the horses and hold them down.

    Then, the gigantic ice stake rammed into the invisible barrier, but it shattered into sparkling mist without achieving its purpose.

    ~...I was waiting for you...~

    The barrier around the room with the star chart persisted regardless of the ice magician''s actions and the faceless god spoke in Zoemi''s mind, reaching out and hugging the child, taking Zoemi by surprise.

    ~...my champion... the one destined to master all twelvews... the next Heavenly Star Warrior...~

    "!!!"

    Guide''s voice was filled with tame but genuine joy, and they lowered their head towards Zoemi''s face until their foreheads touched.

    ~...grow up strong, my champion, because there will be a time when I will require your help... a demon lord is gathering his strength... the world will be peaceful for the time being, but you mustn''t take it for granted... I believe in you...~

    Guide nuzzled their forehead against Zoemi''s in a very affectionate manner before letting go of him and moving away at arms'' reach.

    ~...train, gather allies, and prepare... my champion...~

    The faceless god tilted their head and despite having no mouth or eyes that would indicate it, Zoemi could swear that the being in front of him was smiling.

    "I... I will... I promise...!"

    In this timeline Guide seemed a lot more god-like and grand than in the previous one ¨C so much, in fact, that Zoemi felt shy and intimidated at the same time and could only bow his head while sneaking bashful nces at the splendor of their existence.

    ~...thank you...~

    *haaaaa*

    As if the mere words of the ck-haired child were everything that the Guide needed, the faceless god nodded and disappeared, dissipating into the thin air as suddenly as they appeared.

    "BENEVI! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! WHAT DID THAT CREATURE DO TO YOU?!"

    Together with Guide, the barrier around the room disappeared and the panicked Ludier was able to approach Zoemi ¨C and he did so while shouting, extremely worried.

    |Creature...? Ludier sure has some guts speaking like that about a god...!|

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, ring at the pale-blue-haired man who grabbed his shoulders and shook him trying to get a response.

    "Uncle, don''t shout. I asked for Guide''s help and that''s what I received."

    The ck-haired child pouted and scoffed while continuing to re at Ludier, deeply upset.

    "G-Guide...? Like, the star keeper in the... SO THAT WHOLE STAR CHART WAS SUPPOSED TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! For fuck''s sake! Why didn''t Nera warn me then?! I thought I will have a heart attack when that thing grabbed you!"

    The ice magician straightened his back and raised his voice one more time before cursing and angry and shaking his head in annoyance while massaging his chest as if he really felt that something was wrong with his heart.

    "My lord...! Is the young lord alright?! Also.. what was that ice spell that you used! Because it was our doing, wasn''t it?!"

    The young Mizoe ran up to them and asked in a worried voice, but after making sure that Zomei was indeed alright, he immediately turned to Ludier and asked him with sparkling eyes.

    "...guh..! Nothing. It didn''t work anyway. Forget you saw it."

    Ludier flinched and waved his hand dismissively while furrowing his brows in annoyance.

    "Benevi, if you ran off like that again, I will seriously beat your ass."

    The pale-blue-haired man grabbed the ck-haired child by the scruff of his clothes and dered while lifting him up effortlessly.

    "...I understand..."

    Zoemi was about to scoff in Ludier''s face but ended up turning away his re and nodding ¨C as he did, he saw the star chart crumble away into a pile of useless pieces of mushy wood and mold.

    All in all, Zoemi definitely didn''t ount for how the ice magician must have felt, so the reaction and the threat he received were understandable.

    "Hmph. Alright. Let''s get away from here. Even if we weren''t followed before, we would definitely get a lot of attention if we just stay here... the star chart is gone anyway, so there''s no reason to dwell in this ce anyway."

    Ludier breathed out and nodded before ncing at the pile of wood and turning around, carrying Zoemi back towards the nervous horses that were still waiting for them in the same spot only because of Mizoe''s timely reaction at the time of the shipwreck''s destruction.

    As they got on their mounts, Zoemi immediately closed his eyes and began meditating, just as he learned in the previous timeline. He now had ess to all twelvews, but still picked thew of Aries as his first without a shred of hesitation.

    The endurance that it provided was simply too good as a base to just dismiss it in favor of literally anything else.

    "Just look at him, he went straight to sleep as if nothing happened! That kid, seriously...!"

    Ludier red at the child and shook his head in disbelief while Mizoe merely shrugged his shoulders with a troubled expression.

 Chapter 649 228 - The Calm And Peaceful Border Village (Part 1)

    The vige at the border was a nice ce, a small buddingmunity that had a good chance at growing into a town or even a prosperous city given the chance.

    A single horse carrying a pale-blue-haired boy and a ck-haired child arrived at the ce together with the sunrise.

    The many vigers were already awake and going about their business but the vige wasn''t at its busiest as of yet.

    "This should be the ce, young lo... umm, Benevi. Benevi...?"

    Mizoe looked around with a worried expression and lowered his head to speak to the child who appeared to be asleep.

    "...I know that the safety of lord Gmroze''s family is most important to him, but... what''s with the idea of leaving me with a child? I don''t know how to take care of him...!"

    After not getting a response from the peacefully breathing younger boy, Mizoe let out a sigh full of worry and difort.

    A few days earlier after spending the night in a local inn, Ludier announced that he must return to his own territory. The ice magician didn''t give any specific reason except his general worry about his pregnant wife and nothing that Mizoe said convinced him to change his mind. The pale-blue-haired man kept ncing at the calm ck-haired child even after they parted ways, but Mizoe didn''t think that it was anything other than the man''s worry about his best friend''s child.

    "You will do just fine. I am a child, but not a baby ¨C I can eat normal food and there are no diapers to change."

    "...!"

    All of a sudden the ck-haired child said without opening his eyes, causing Mizoe to flinch in surprise.

    "Young lord! I didn''t mean it like that...!"

    Mizoe stuttered blushing with a flustered expression.

    "This won''t do. We are hiding, think about it as a knight''s mission. You can''t be calling someone like me young lord without getting making others suspicious about us. Also, the name Benevi isn''t safe to use either."

    The ck-haired child opened his eyes and turned on the saddle to look up at Mizoe''s face.

    "This might be a bit much for you, and feel free to refuse toply with this idea, but I was thinking that we could use your background as a way to hide my presence from the Espine family in case they would want to finish the job and get me too."

    The child added, making a serious expression that didn''t quite fit his cute little face.

    "I... I''m listening..."

    Mizoe bit his lips and nodded cautiously.

    "I''ve heard that you were expelled from the Aspakeony Academy and then your family cut off their ties with you..."

    "...that''s correct..."

    Zoemi pointed out and the light-blue-haired boy nodded his head with a bothered expression.

    "I was thinking that we could put a twist into it ¨C change my name to Zoemi, and im that I am your child and..."

    "EXCUSE ME?!"

    The child began to unveil his n but the boy interrupted him with a shocked, high-pitched scream and his face turned bright red from embarrassment.

    "...yeah... that''s the reaction I expected..."

    Zoemi breathed out and nodded, awkwardly looking away.

    "My idea was to make it seem like you were thrown out of your family because you had a secret love child with a maid or some vige girl or something who died during childbirth. You refused to abandon me and go thrown out as a result. But I guess that would be too dramatic and would get far more attention than necessary which could have the opposite effect on what I want to achieve."

    Still, the ck-haired child ended up finishing what he wanted to say, even though he did not even try to make eye contact with Mizoe.

    "I-I''m supposed to act as your f-father? But I didn''t even h-held hands with a girl yet...!"

    Thankfully, it turned out that Mizoe''s initial reaction wasn''t because of his pure aversion to the idea, but rather because of the pure-heartedness and innocence of the light-blue-haired boy.

    "Well, yourck of experience certainly doesn''t show as much as you think ¨C by the way, have you noticed that the girl back in the inn was doing her best to get your attention?"

    Zoemi held back a smile and asked curiously, looking up to have a good look at the reaction of young Mizoe from this new timeline.

    "Huh...? Are you perhaps talking about that girl who had those unfortunate idents with her clothes? No, no way, she was just unlucky. Unnecessarily reading into it would be preposterous."

    "...pffft..."

    Zoemi barely managed to hold back augh ¨C Mizoe''s denseness seemed to be a trait that transcended time and space! The unfortunate idents he talked about was the innkeeper''s daughter''s ample breast bursting her shirt apart andter her skirt flipping up and exposing her shapely butt ONLY to Mizoe. Like, it was not even subtle.

    Yeah.

    Complete idents, after all, she didn''t smile at the light-blue-haired boy or wink at him each time it happened.

    Oh, no. Wait. She did.

    "Excuse me, my good man, could you point me to the house of the person in charge of this ce?"

    Unaware of the reason for the child''s sudden good mood, Mizoe stopped the horse and asked the passingmoner carrying a rake.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "Taran family lives in the newly built part, their house is right next to the granary."

    The man examined the light-blue-haired boy and the child in hisp before turning right around and pointing toward the roof of the biggest building in the vige, visible even more behind other houses.

    "Thank you very much."

    "It was nothing."

    Mizoe nodded at the man and themoner waved his hand dismissively and went on his way without looking back.

    "I really hope the letter will be enough..."

    After making sure that Zoemi is seated properly with no chance of falling off, Mizoe made the horse move again and breathed out in a worried expression while subconsciously reaching his hand to his chest pocket where a sealed envelope that Ludier gave him as a parting gift.

    He was changing the subject, but the also his anxiety was real so Zoemi stopped himself from prolonging the teasing session.

    "It will be, father."

    "Father...?"

    The ck-haired child shrugged and nodded, causing the light-blue-haired boy to gasp.

    But it wasn''t exactly shocked gaps ¨C it sounded more as if an echo of a distant Memory responded to the situation, even though it wasn''t properly remembered.

    Zoemi''s eyes turned round, something in the young Mizoe''s eyes make them seem like the eyes of his adoptive father who took him in despite the punishment he had to suffer.

    "Huh? Oh, sorry. I don''t know what got into me. Let''s go to meet lord Gmroze''s friend now, Zoemi."

    Still, after Mizoe blinked and shook his head, that peculiar aura dissipate without a trace and the light-blue-haired boy spoke softly to the ck-haired child.

    "Yes, let''s..."

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and nodded back, turning around with an odd sensation in his stomach.

    |Demon lord Mirienne said that Miriette''s memories are sealed and are supposed to be unlocked as long as I be her attendant... but what if it''s not exactly exclusive to her...? Maybe being rted to the presence isn''t the only condition for memories from the other timeline to return to the incarnations...?|

    The child thought to himself ¨C although the thing with Mizoe might have been aplete misunderstanding on Zoemi''s part, it was still something that he wanted to keep in mind going forward.

    Actually, couldn''t he check it out in the very location they were currently at?

    After all, that very vige should be the home of Teo and Veo ¨C although the two of them should have other names. The ones that Zoemi knew the girls under were given to them by king Horeo while he was still the first prince... after he and Zoemi found them in one of the royal castle''s pantries.

    With that in mind, Zoemi began to keenly look around, searching for the two girls.

    It was still very early, but some older kids were already up and about helping their parents or doing chores while the younger ones must be either still sleeping or staying in their homes.

    The twins should be only around one year older than Zoemi, so they definitely were counted amongst thetter group.

    |Oh well, as long as we will stay here for a bit, I will get the chance to meet them.|

    Zoemi thought, leaning back into Mizoe''s stomach.

    "...everything will be okay..."

    That action surprised the light-blue-haired boy but after the initial surprise, he only smiled, taking his hand away from his chest pocket and cing it on the ck-haired child''s head and assured him in a quiet voice.

    A short rideter, the two arrived at the house that should belong to the Taran family that was granted control over the newly established territory.

    The house wasn''t all that much bigger than the other houses ¨C it wasn''t a mansion and definitely not a castle, and actually, it was the first time that Zoemi had a chance to visit a family house of a lower noble.

    "It kind of gives off a feeling that good people live there, doesn''t it?"

    Surprisingly enough, Mizoe whispered to Zoemi before dismounting the horse and taking the child with him.

    The light-blue-haired boy didn''t make the mistake of leaving the child on the saddle, but he certainly did not ti down the horse itself ¨C but it seemed that this time it would not cause any trouble.

    "Hope that they are already awake."

    Mizoe smiled down at Zoemi before taking out the envelope from his chest pocket and knocking at the door.

    "Coming...!"

    "Coming!"

    "...!"

    The response was immediate, just as if the two young-sounding voices were waiting for the chance to respond - they sounded familiar enough to make the ck-haired boy straighten his back and stare at the door in suspense.

 Chapter 650 228 - The Calm And Peaceful Border Village (Part 2)

    "Good morning!"

    "Good morning...?"

    The door opened and Mizoe and Zoemi were greeted by two identical brown-haired girls wearing matching dresses, each of them could be four or five years old.

    |...mana reservoir big enough to allow a person to cast magic is a sign of nobility...|

    The ck-haired child gulped down his saliva in realization.

    Back in the previous timeline, he believed that the twins being able to use magic was the cause of the enormous strain and mental trauma that awakened their hidden potential, but the reality was far more cruel to themon folks than that.

    "Leveo, Teofee! I told you so many times to not open the door without asking the guest to introduce themselves! What''s the matter...? Oh? I don''t believe you are our subjects."

    The girls might have opened the door, but their mother ¨C a short brown-haired earth magician with a sharp re - followed right after them, scolding the two before looking up at Mizoe and furrowing her brows.

    "...?"

    For some reason, Zoemi felt as if her re became even sharper when she noticed that Mizoe was a water magician.

    Perhaps she had something against that particr attribute...?

    "Good morning, madam. My name is Mizoe Auequas, I have a letter from lord Ludier Gmroze to his friend who is supposed to be the ruler of this territory."

    The light-blue-haired boy straightened his back and reached both of his hands towards the woman, offering her the envelope even before confirming her identity.

    "...and what is your rtion to either Ludier or Modari...?"

    The brown-haired woman nced at the envelope but did not take it and instead focused back on Mizoe''s face, carefully studying his expression as the two girls hiding behind her were peeking at the ck-haired child and the light-blue-haired boy curiously.

    "Lord Gmroze helped me out after my family disinherited me and threw me out, he said that his friend became a ruler of the newly established territory and that we could try starting a new life here."

    "..."

    Mizoe said with a mncholic smile while patting Zoemi''s head... Meanwhile, the ck-haired child had to pinch himself to not show how shocked he was. Only a few minutes earlier when he introduced the idea of hiding his identity, Mizoe acted shocked and bbergasted, but now the light-blue-haired boy was showing a professional actor ss performance!

    "You were thrown out, wh...? Ah..."

    The woman frowned with suspicion but then her eyes darted toward the ck-haired child innocently clinging to the boy''s leg and let out a gasp of understanding.

    "It wasn''t the only option, but I couldn''t abandon my son."

    Mizoe nodded and confirmed the woman''s guess without raising his head.

    "As for the Modari person you mentioned, I, unfortunately, don''t know them... but I expect that it''s the name of lord Gmroze''s friend? Lord Gmroze had urgent matters to attend to and ended up not mentioning his friend''s name, only giving me the letter before leaving."

    The light-blue-haired boy added, bowing his head even more and acting all apologetically, and pushing the envelope closer toward the brown-haired woman.

    "Pardon me for interrogating you like this at the door, sir Mizoe,e on in."

    The woman''s expression became gentler and she stepped to the side, taking the letter off Mizoe''s hands and motioning at him to enter the house.

    "I don''t want to be a bother...!"

    *guuuuuu*

    The light-blue-haired boy shook his head and was about to step back, but just then a loud grumble came out of Zoemi''s stomach getting everyone''s attention.

    "...sorry..."

    The ck-haired child lowered his head and apologized while blushing as he stared at his own feet.

    "My husband is out on a little errand of his and left me in charge ¨C and I want to hear more about your story. We can discuss it as well as your amodation and potential job in the vige during a meal. I was already preparing breakfast anyway. Be my guests."

    The earth magician announced waving her hand in a domineering manner, dismissing Mizoe''s prudent hesitation.

    "My name is Eothar Taran, by the way. Wife of Modari Taran, the ruler of this territory ¨C but that one you already figured out."

    She added after walking further in and ncing at Mizoe over her shoulder.

    "Follow me to the kitchen. Girls, y with the... what''s the boy''s name?"

    Eothar beckoned at Mizoe and motioned at her daughters before stopping in realization and asking while looking at the ck-haired child.

    "Zoemi Auequas."

    Zoemi decided that acting shy would be the best course of action, so he yed along ordingly and muttered after taking a quick nce at Eothar''s face with just the right amount of hesitation and cautiousness.

    "y with young Zoemi for a bit."

    The woman nodded and led the young Mizoe away, leaving the ck-haired child with two brown-haired girls.

    "Hello."

    Zoemi breathed out in relief and turned towards the twins, raising his hand in a greeting.

    "Where are you from?"

    "..."<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    One of the girls trotted toward him almost immediately and asked, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the house with no hesitation at all while the other one stayed behind, wary of the new child.

    "Auequas territory."

    Zoemi answered, grabbing the door and closing it as he and the first girl walked over to the doorstep.

    "The man with hair like daddy is your daddy, right? Where is your mommy?"

    The girl holding his hand asked with innocent curiosity.

    "My mother is no longer alive."

    The ck-haired child answered, lowering his head this time actually upset.

    Although it was not confirmed from the unbiased source, the bits and pieces of information that they got their hands on during the travel all pointed to the Banemor family being wiped off and their territory being split between the Espine family and the royal family of Bellcephora.

    There was a time when his parents and him lived together in the same world, same continent, same country, and same house.

    This new timeline was the best chance to meet them face in the face and learn about them first-hand.

    But this chance was taken away from him...

    ...this was not something that Zoemi who spent almost two years in thend of martial artists in the previous timeline would just forgive and forget ¨C even if the people responsible were Miriette''s parents.

    "Sorry... Our daddy often leaves home to see the other woman he got a child with, and mommy often says she will kill him."

    "...huh...?"

    The girl holding his hand made a sad expression before suddenly changing the subjectpletely, making a mental leap sorge that shepletely lost the ck-haired boy who could only let out a bewildered voice.

    "Mhmm. That''s right. Mommy looked like she didn''t like you and your daddy, right it was because she thought that you were daddy''s children too."

    The girl nodded her head vigorously and added.

    That certainly was very informative and all, but what in the world was she thinking revealing something like that to a person she literally met a few minutes earlier?!

    "Leveo... mommy will scold you, again."

    The other twin, the one who kept away from Zoemi and her sister, mumbled grumpily while fidgeting in unease.

    "Only if you or Zoemi will tell her that I told him!"

    The girl by Zoemi''s side responded with a naughty smile and giggled.

    |Their names...|

    That interaction reminded the ck-haired boy about the thing that bothered him from the moment he heard the girls'' names being called out by their mothers.

    Leveo and Teofee ¨C Veo and Teo, probably.

    It could be that their names were basically the ones that Zoemi knew them under in the previous timeline because of a coincidence... still, it was possible for something quite different.

    Leveo could be Teo and Teofee could be Veo ¨C without the ability to see the unique shadows at his disposal, Zoemi had no way of telling them apart with the same certainty as before.

    Truth be told, the ck-haired boy expected Leveo to be Teo. Honestly. With the possibility of the memories from the previous timeline awakening in the incarnations of the people, he certainly expects Teo to be the one to cling to him, or at least be more fond of him than her sister.

    "Don''t mind her. Teofee is scared of the darkness and shadow magicians. You have ck hair and eyes so she is afraid."

    "No, I''m not!"

    Leveo assured Zoemi in a conspicuous voice to which Teofee blushed and stomped her foot all flustered.

    Although, she did nce at Zoemi with worried eyes as if expecting that the ck-haired boy would try to attack her at any moment.

    ...while doing that, she ended up raising her hand and grabbing one of her ears, with which she picked Zoemi''s attention.

    |...if it was just the echo of the terrible experience in their childhood, both of them should be afraid of the dark, but if it''s about the way that Teo died...|

    The ck-haired boy bit his lips, focusing his gaze on the uneasy Teofee.

    How could he stir up her memories without triggering her trauma...?

    |...why am I thinking so deeply about it? They are both four at this moment, they won''t look for a deeper meaning in my words anyway!|

    Zoemi ended up realizing and scolded himself for being overly cautious in a situation where there were basically no stakes.

    "Teofee will not get anyone in trouble, she is a good girl."

    Zoemi ended up dering with a confident smile and reached out his hand as if he wanted to pat the girl''s head.

    "...!"

    Just by the Teofee''s reaction, he picked the correct approach ¨C the brown-haired girl''s eyes widened at the words he spoke and she immediately focused her gaze on the boy''s hand, as if it was already a well-established habit, she lowered her head to provide the most head-pattable angle and even leaned forward.

    "...it is you..."

    Zoemi breathed out and patted the girl''s head with a warm smile.

 Chapter 651 229 - Time Doesnt Wait For Anyone (Part 1)

    "Mydy, in the end, I can''t really approve of the idea."

    A twenty-years old Mizoe let go of the saddle and turned around to talk to the brown-haired woman onest time.

    "Didn''t you agree with me that our territory needs knights? You and your son keep talking about the knight''s training course for the past two years... isn''t it the perfect opportunity? You want to stay in our territory after all, why not be one of the knights that we need so much then?"

    Eothar Taran smirked and sent the young light-blue-haired man a look that anyone even slightly less dense would immediately recognize as coquettish.

    "I want to stay here and protect the home you have given me and Zoemi ¨C that is precisely why I am hesitant to leave. The sightings of wild monsters in the area had increased at an rming rate... and I don''t dare to even mention the ridiculous threats and usations from that rude neighbor at the border..."

    "...!"

    Mizoe walked over to the brown-haired woman who was now much shorter than him and leaned down towards her ear to speak in a conspicuous voice ¨C the action that took Eothar by so much of a surprise that she became flustered for just a moment before her gaze hardened with a steel-like resolve.

    "Marigottie kingdom can bark all they want. They will not dare to thread on thends of the kingdom of Bellcephora. You can freely go and im the knight title ande back here. Still... I don''t see a reason why Zoemi couldn''t stay behind here... My daughters adore him to bits, it would be no problem at all for me to take care of him when you would be gone. He''s such a helpful sweetheart anyway."

    Eothar smirked, puffing up her chest proudly before leaning to the side and ncing o er at the seven-year-old ck-haired child already in the saddle waiting for his father to join him and take the reins.

    "That I cannot agree on. If I''m going away to be a knight, Zoemi ising with me. It''s a promise between the two of us."

    The light-blue-haired young man''s eyes widened and his expression turned even more serious than it already was as he shook his head and dered without leaving any room for discussion.

    "Haa... Mizoe, after youe back, there is something I want to discuss with you. Alright?"

    The brown-haired woman''s face turned a bit pink and she had to take a deep breath before saying another sentence.

    "I''m always ready to hear you out, mydy, but if you believe that now isn''t the best time to have a conversation on the subject that interests you, so be it."

    Mizoe lowered his head and said while putting his right hand to his chest.

    "J-just go already! And don''t forget toe back. No matter if you will get knighted or not, you can even make a fool out of yourself and bring shame upon your name ¨C Taran territory is your home and I order you toe back no matter what!"

    Eothar could hold back the blush that engulfed all of her face and she turned right on her heel and dered while stomping her way back to her house, doing her utmost best to seem more annoyed than embarrassed.

    The young light-blue-haired man was making her feel the way that no honorable married noblewoman should have towards a man who wasn''t her husband.

    "Thank you, mydy. I will!"

    Mizoe called after her with a face lit up with the most heartwarming smile.

    *WHAM*

    Still, the answer to his words was only the loud m of the door as Eothar hid in her house ¨C with that, the light-blue-haired young man got back to the horse and saddled up.

    "Sorry to keep you waiting, son."

    "Nah, it was an interesting show."

    Mizoe nodded towards Zoemi who shrugged his shoulders and snickered, smirking mischievously.

    Mizoe took the reins and the horse trotted away on their way towards the closest territory that hosted the knight training ¨C Tara''s one was too small and poor to be able to organize such an event, at least for now.

    "...!"

    As always when Zoemi had even a little bit of time to himself, he closed his eyes and entered the meditation state, but it didn''t take him long to flinch and turn his head towards the foresty area they were passing on their left.

    "...monster or bandits this time...?"

    Mizoe didn''t even budge and his face turned grim as he asked, without even looking at the boy in hisp.

    "Sounds like humans."

    Zoemi opened his eyes and answered with a disgusted expression.

    They haven''t even traveled for half an hour ¨C with that in mind, the conclusion was obvious, as long as the humans hiding in the forest werepletely lost and unaware of the location of the border vige, they could not have any good intentions.

    "Tsk. That''s why I don''t want to leave the Taran territory for too long."

    Mioze clicked his tongue with annoyance and jumped down his mount and walked it towards the side of the road, tying the animal''s reins to a low hanging branch before picking his son up and helping him down.

    "Cheer up, dad. If the bits and pieces of information we''ve gathered from the others are true, then it might be one of thest if not thest raid attempt until the Marigottie kingdom will seed at taming monsters. Still, those might be just normal bandits, we can''t be sure until we will get rid of them."

    Zoemi smiled brilliantly at the light-blue-haired man and nodded his head reassuringly.

    "That''s absolutely correct. Are you ready?"<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    Mizoe returned the smile after which he took out a long dagger from the bag at the horse''s saddle and offered it to the boy.

    "As always. Law of Aries. Law of Taurus. Law of Capricorn."

    The ck-haired child took the weapon that looked like a shortsword thanks to his small frame and nodded in confirmation before breathing out and focusing on channeling his spiritual energy into star power.

    "They are between the middle and longer range in that direction... you could give them a warning shot and throw an ice spear or something. It would be more honorable."

    Zoemi pointed in the exact direction he heard the sounds of the people who had no right to e in that exact location at this time and smirked at his father.

    "I am not a knight yet, my honor isn''t worth more than the safety of the people that helped us."

    Mizoe took out his sword and announced, as his eyes shone with a cold glow and thin pale-blue lines spread all over his body like some luminescent veins.

    *WHOOOSH*

    Powered up by the variation of enchantment spell that he came up with himself, the light-blue-haired man dashed into the woods with the de in his hand.

    "Hey! Not fair!"

    *WHOOOSH*

    The ck-haired boy called out after him and kicked off the ground doing his best to follow his father, but neither his small body nor the level of star power was big enough to catch up in time.

    "WHAT IN THE?!"

    *SHING* *SHING* *SHING*

    The supposed bandits were not some run-of-the-mile thugs and reacted immediately upon the light-blue-haired man''s arrival at their secret camp ¨C but the three men closest to the ce that Mizoe burst forth from weren''t fast enough to escape or defend from the ice-cold sword that cut through the air and flesh with equal efficiency.

    *TSHHHRRR*

    The wounds inflicted by Mizoe''s weapon would immediately freeze over ¨C but instead of it being a good thing, stopping the bleeding and all, the ice would spread through the victim''s veins freezing their blood, which in turn led to the veins bursting apart.

    And considering that the first three bandits were shed in the throats, the deadly chill made its way to their brains killing them right as they were trying to get back up in the position to retaliate.

    "FIREBA...!"

    The one hooded bandit who looked past the death of hisrades and began the counterattack turned out to be a disguised fire mage, as he reached out his hand and shouted an incantation as the air ignited and began coiling within his palm...!

    *SHING* *SWOOSH*

    But before the spell was fully formed and deployed, Mizoe swung the ice-cold sword and unleashed a crescent of frost that extinguished the forming mes and froze the bandit''s hand.

    *crack* *thump*

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHH...!"

    *SHING*

    The fire magician wailed in agony as his frozen fingers broke apart and fell to the ground, but his shout was cut short as Mizoe already got to him and ended his suffering by shing his throat with a short, precise movement.

    "DON''T JUST STAND THERE LIKE THIS! GET THIS FUC-GHAAARGH...!"

    *WHAM* *CRACK*

    Another bandit appeared to try to take charge andmand the rest, already drawing a bow about to release an arrow at the light-blue-haired man''s chest, but he was unable to finish the task because a ck-haired boy fell at his from the treetop, mming the pommel of the heavy dagger right into his temple ¨C which cracked the bandit''s skull like an eggshell.

    "HOW DID YOU KNOW?!"

    "HMPH!"

    "HAAAA!"

    Mizoe scoffed and Zoemi shouted whileunching himself at the remaining bandits who lost their heads and panicked, which made dealing with them a lot easier.

    A few minutester the light-blue-haired man and the ck-haired boy both sat on the ground in the middle of the bandits'' camp, surrounded by corpses, and breathed out in relief at the same time.

    "...those... were both a lot tougher and a lot easier than all the other groups we faced until now, weren''t they...?"

    Zoemi dropped the heavy dagger by his side and wiped the sweat from his forehead before looking at his father and asking.

 Chapter 652 229 - Time Doesnt Wait For Anyone (Part 2)

    "I know exactly what you mean... Those weren''t just your run-off-the-mile hired thugs, just someone who disguised themselves as bandits... Their technique was great, way better than mine, but they were using equipment that they weren''t used to at all..."

    Mizoe nodded, nudging the closest body with his foot.

    "...like this one... he swung that mace as if it was a shortsword and threw himself off bnce because of its weight, giving me a chance for a clean hit. Or that one with the bow. I am willing to bet that the only time he held a bow was during some mandatory practice ¨C if at all ¨C even if you didn''t show up, he was more likely to wound one of hisrades than me."

    The light-blue-haired man shook his head before motioning at the man taken down by Zoemi''s initial ambush.

    "Hmm...? Law of Sagittarius..."

    The ck-haired boy nodded before furrowing his brows, recing the battle-rted star powers and activating the support one that enhanced his hearing even further.

    Dad, more people areing ¨C but it is from the direction of the vige.

    Zoemi pointed out, backing off behind Mizoe.

    "..."

    The light-blue-haired man straightened his back and faced the rustling sounds that he also picked up on, without sheathing his weapon.

    Was it a group of viges who picked up on the ruckus of battle and bunched up to check what was going on, or was it a bandit returning to their camp after checking out the vige?

    "Sir Mizoe! Is that you? Is it safe to show up?"

    A voice called out from between the trees and a few local hunters whose faces were known even to Zoemi came out from hiding after one of them asked with worry.

    "...friendly..."

    "...ok..."

    Seeing them, Mizoe breathed out and nodded, to which Zoemi whispered back and stealthily handed the heavy dagger back to his father and clung to his leg like a scared child that certainly didn''t take part in any of the killings.

    "It is now, but I think my knight training will have to wait. There was something suspicious about those bandits."

    Mizoe hid the dagger behind his belt and sheathed the shortsword before motioning at the scared hunters to approach.

    "Umm... sir Mizoe, madam Taran sent us out to check what was going on and told us that in case you would encounter and deal with either monster or more bandits, she still demands you to go on your way. She seemed adamant about that."

    The hunter whose face became ghastly pale at the sight of all the corpses surrounding the light-blue-haired man and his cared child stuttered and spoke in an apologetic voice as if he was worried that he would get shouted at for contradicting Mizoe''s ns.

    "..."

    Mizoe bit his lips and his expression turned grim, he certainly didn''t like the sound of that. There were too many suspicious things going aroundtely.

    "Madam also instructed us to remind you that lord Modari is supposed toe back today with the young Misses and bring a few mercenaries with him to help with the safety of the vige until you can return with the knight title and take charge."

    The hunter added hurriedly terrified that Mizoe might use him of making things up to endanger the budding territory.

    "...we will leave after thoroughly searching the camp..."

    In the end, Mizoe breathed out, shaking his head in annoyance, and motioned at his son to help him out.

    After fifteen minutes they were basically done, the bandits this tie were far more thorough with hiding any evidence linking them to their potential employer and the search ended up yielding no result.

    After giving some more instructions to the hunters, Mizoe and Zoemi left the area, returned to their horse, and went on their way ¨C their destination, the Victureo territory.

    Not only it was the closest territory that provided nights training, but it was also one that provided the best instructors and training program of them all ¨C the Victureo family head being the general of the kingdom''s army from generation to generation had put a lot of pressure on them to uphold the highest standard.

    A week-long journey went by with no blood-pumping encounters like the one within the initial hour, so the father and son could spend the time leisurely enjoying the scenery and food along the way ¨C but that was also something that made the two feel uneasy.

    There were bandits and monsters around the Taran territory, but the neighboring areas were safe as if all the bad things were concentrated on the small border vige.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    The answer seemed to be obvious ¨C the mountainous city-state calling itself the Marigottie kingdom, in the previous timeline they were the ones responsible for destroying the vige that the twins lived in, and in the current timeline they were clearly plotting to achieve a simr oue.

    Zoemi didn''t even have to hint Mizoe about the danger from their neighbor like he did to Ludier back in the day ¨C the light-blue-haired man figured it out himself immediately after searching the belongings of the first band of bandits that he, lord Modari, and Zoemi encountered while overseeing the process of creating farm fields.

    Mizoe might have been dense when ites to love and romance, but it seemed that thanks to that, his intuition when ites to battles and intrigues had been heightened to a ridiculous degree.

    Hence, the uneasiness that both the light-blue-haired man and the ck-haired child felt while arriving at their destination and going straight for the registration area for the knight training area had a lot to do with how the events yed out from there...

    "The knight training in the Victureo territory upholds the highest standard in the entire kingdom, the brave men and women whoplete it are sure to find their ce in the personal guard of the nobles no matter if they possess magic aptitude or not! But that''s also why we take only the best candidates! It has been decided that from this year onwards, everyone who wishes to participate must prove their strength in a duel against an instructor instead of just paying the fee upfront as it was up until this point! The payment would be taken only after the participant would be approved! There is bound to be danger involved and many will end up injured! Because of that, a rule about the age of the participants had been implemented! Anyone below the age of fifteen is forbidden from participating except for special exceptions that have a referral from one of the noble houses!"

    ...was the announcement that Zoemi and Mizoe were greeted by at the gate in front of the training area on the city''s outskirts.

    The two of them looked at each other with confused expressions ¨C Mizoe did a fair bit of research to confirm that there would be no age limit preventing Zoemi from participating in the training too, and Zoemi himself certainly didn''t remember any sort of restriction preventing anyone from enlisting being a thing in the previous timeline.

    Before, everyone could attempt toplete the course after paying the fee, but most would quit to being able to keep up and only a few would actually get to the end of it and receive the title of a knight.

    Not having an age limit and allowing everyone to enlist was also a good way of earning a fair bit of money as the fee they would pay upfront would not be returned if they would drop out or quit...

    All in all, it was a bizarre decision to say the least.

    "If I knew this would be the case, I would askdy Eother for the referral for you... I doubt they will ept the referral of some expelled reject like me... although I will try to think something up."

    Mizoe furrowed his brows before sighing and shaking his head apologetically.

    "It''s not your fault, dad."

    Zoemi patted the light-blue-haired man''s side and smiled reassuringly.

    "I do wonder though, what made them make such a change... it doesn''t make sense if you look at it objectively."

    The boy looked back towards the gate and the man on the podium making the announcement and his face darkened. Honestly, he was somewhat expecting this turn of events to be rted to him directly, although he did not say it out loud.

    "Eh? Wait, you wanted to be a knight? Aren''t you, like, six or something?"

    "...?"

    "...?"

    Out of nowhere, someone behind the father and son duo gasped, causing the two to turn around.

    The person turned out to be a teenage blue-haired girl, thirteen or fourteen years old at most.

    "There were no rules against that before. I don''t see your point."

    Zoemi raised his brow and shrugged his shoulders feeling something familiar from the girl but not recognizing her. If the girl wanted to stir him up to get some sort of an angry reaction, she chose the wrong target for sure.

    "Kids like you should y in the mud or something. Knights'' duty is to their master and their territory ¨C which involves killing people. Children should stay out of this... No matter how much you look up to your older brother!"

    The girl puffed out her chest and put her hands on her hips to make herself more respectful while dering.

    "And you, mister older brother ¨C taking a boy so young to the..."

    "I am his father. Not older brother, Miss."

    The girl looked at Mizoe, looking as if she was about to give him a whole lecture, but the light-blue-haired man cut her off with a cold re that froze the words right in the girl''s throat.

    "I appreciate your concern, but it is wasted on the two of us. Please leave us alone. Goodbye."

    Mizoe nodded at the stunned girl and moved towards the gate, reaching out his hand and pushing at Zoemi''s back to make him walk alongside him.

 Chapter 653 230 - Nothing Can Keep Them Apart (Part 1)

    "Dad...?"

    The ck-haired boy looked at the light-blue-haired man in confusion and murmured a question.

    "She talks about keeping kids away from life and death battles while she has an aura of someone experienced in the killing. It is concerning that someone like her didn''t develop a sense of recognizing people like her yet. She certainly isn''t someone we should associate with."

    Mizoe shook his head slightly and whispered an answer while ncing back at the blue-haired girl who was still frozen in ce from shock.

    "She''s used to killing...?"

    Zoemi raised his brows in shock and looked back forgetting about being stealthy about it and staring right at the girl ¨C right in time to see her lower her haze at Mizoe''s back, blush crimson red, and lower her head with eyes teared up from embarrassment.

    "I get a feeling that she isn''t a bad person though..."

    "I didn''t say that she was an enemy."

    Zoemi tilted his head and say to which Mizoe smirked and pointed out while patting the boy''s head.

    After that, the father and son duo got in the line to enlist, when their turn came they entered a small office right behind the gate and approached the green-haired, nk-eyed woman at the desk.

    "Name and age, please."

    The woman said in an unenthusiastic voice.

    "Mizoe Auequas, twenty years old."

    "Zoemi Auequas... ehem... fifteen years old!"

    "..."

    Mizoe said calmly when Zoemi suddenly dered clearing his throat and trying to make his voice sound deeper ¨C to which the woman''s hand holding the quill stopped and she looked up at him with a look of an exhausted overworked night-shift worker.

    "Zoemi Auequas, fifteen years old. People tell me I look far too young for my age."

    The ck-haired child repeated, this time without stuttering, and kept eye contact with the woman.

    *creaaak*

    Without saying another word, the wind magician pushed a magic device in front of her toward the edge of the desk.

    "We shall see about that."

    She sounded so done with all the bullshit she had to deal with that she didn''t even try to confront and argue about the obvious lie said straight to her face.

    "Please ce your hand over the artifact. In turns."

    The woman said, pointing at the magic device and waiting with her quill ready.

    Mizoe reached out his hand and the device lighted up with a green light ¨C at the same time the eyes of the wind magician behind the desk also shone with the same kind of light.

    "Twenty years old, low mana, attribute, i¡­ ICE...?! Ekhem... atribute, ice. No problems here, sir Mizoe, you have been sessfully registered."

    The woman began speaking out loud while noting everything she said on the parchment in front of her ¨C she flinched and gasped in shock at one point but she hurriedly cleared out her throat and returned to her tired expression before nodding at the light-blue-haired man.

    "Now. If you may."

    Then she stared at the ck-haired boy and motioned at the device that stopped glowing the moment Mizoe took back his hand.

    "..."

    Zoemi''s expression turned sour but he still put his hand forward anyway.

    "Age... seven. No mana. No attribute...?"

    The woman sighed the moment the artifact and her eyes shone with green light ¨C she still said the rest of the information even though the age of the ck-haired child had been revealed.

    She certainly furrowed her brows and nced at the matching ck hair and eyes, very much confused that those aren''t the signs of shadow or darkness attribute magic.

    "I''m sorry, young sir, ording to the new ruleset, you cannot be registered as long as you will not present a referral from one of the noble houses of the kingdom of Bellcephora.

    "..."

    The woman shook her head and crossed out something she had already written down on the parchment, and Zoemi''s expression soured.

    For just a short moment, he wanted to do something very stupid and dere that he is thest serving member of the Banemor family and as the only member and defacto an heir to it, he is referring himself for taking part in the knight training, but he didn''t entertain that thought for more than just a second.

    "Hey, age is just a number, it''s not like it matters for a corpse puppet like you anyway... you wouldn''t be a puppet for the gorgeous miss Aspakeony, would you? We happen to have a history together, she and I... I remember everything well, I hope she does too..."

    "?!?!"

    Instead, he went for something even worse ¨C he jumped and sat right on the desk and leaned forward, showing off the most devilish smile and seeing it reflected in the widened eyes of the wind magician.

    The ck-haired boy did what he did precisely because he recognized one of the puppets of the gray-haired necromancer. Aspaekony was close to the presence and Bellcpehora in the past timeline, and if some incarnations of people from the past timeline were capable of regaining their past memories, then Aspakeony was definitely among that group.

    "Zoemi, you are being rude."

    Mizoe rolled his eyes and picked the boy up by the scruff of his shirt and got him off the desk.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "Please, don''t mind my son''s behavior. He''s just upset about the new rules."

    The light-blue-haired man lowered his head to the shocked wind corpse puppet and backed off the room without waiting for a response to his son''s outrageous statement.

    "...what kind of history could you possibly have with the headmaster of the Aspaekony Academy...?"

    Already outside, and at a safe distance, Mizoe breathed out and asked with a grumpy expression.

    "...she visited the Banemor mansion a time or two ¨C I remember her talking with my grandfather.. they seem to be friendly with each other, so I thought that she would be willing to help me out a bit..."

    Zoemi came out with a lie in less than a second and exined while looking up at Mioze with innocent eyes.

    "And if that corpse puppet doesn''t belong tody Aspaekony? Or if she actually does butdy Aspaekeony is on Espines'' side and will recognize you just to have you killed off?"

    "...!"

    The light-blue-haired man rolled his eyes in disbelief and scolded the ck-haired boy in a hushed voice, causing the child to flinch in realization.

    He... didn''t think of that oue at all.

    Did... did he messed everything up...?

    "Well, it''s not like we can do anything now. If that corpse puppet really isdy Aspakeony, he has dozens of corpse puppets at their disposal and would be able to get us before we even leave the city. Might as well just stay and see how things would y out."

    Mizoe breathed out seeing the shocked face of his son and patting his shoulder before standing up and looking towards the area where the first duels were already taking ce.

    The ce looked different than Zoemi expected it ¨C the one where he trained in the past timeline had no stands for the audience to watch on one side, for example.

    "Oi! Don''t block the road! If you are waiting for participants or just want to watch, go sit down at the tribunes!"

    "...!"

    The two of them were then shouted at by a passing armored man who definitely felt that he was much more important than everyone else.

    Still, his words weren''t wrong ¨C the father and son duo weren''t exactly blocking the way, but they were making it inconvenient for others to move along.

    The two of them looked at each other and ended up walking towards the stands and taking a seat at the nearest avable spot.

    "Oi! Go for a break."

    The armored man who shouted at Mizoe and Zoemi before entering the arena and waved at the instructor who just finished a duel and was giving advice o the defeated participant on what he should improve.

    "...sure..."

    The previous instructor frowned, looking at the armored man with an annoyed expression but ended up nodding and seeing off the participant before leaving the area.

    "Next! Korilwas or whatever!"

    The armored man raised his voice even more, not bothering to remove his helmet while he spoke and a muscrmoner with brown hair and gray eyes stepped up to him.

    "Pffft. No chance."

    *SLAM* *crack*

    "AAAAARGHHH...!"

    The armored man shook his head and scoffed, swinging his sheathed sword at themoner without properly announcing the beginning of a duel and creaking the unsuspecting man''s arm.

    "Get that fool out of here! NEXT! Itwinoa, or something!"

    The new instructor scoffed at the man wailing in pain at his feet and shouted over the disturbed whispers that filled the area.

    "What in the world are they thinking...?"

    Mizoe furrowed his brows, ring at the armored man who wounded the next participant with yet another surprise attack.

    The rate at which the new participants were disposed of increased immensely as the armored instructor was getting rid of them without even giving them a chance to show off.

    "...so weird..."

    Zoemi sighed in disbelief, agreeing with his father''s bewilderment.

    There was something seriously wrong going on there.

    "See? Father told you that it would be too dangerous to enlist, are you convinced now?"

    "...?"

    As yet another unfortunate person was carried off the area after getting brutalized by the armored man, Zoemi picked up on a familiar-sounding voiceing from a few rows above him.

    He turned around but still had to move quite a bit to notice the person who said that.

    There were three hooded people seated in the second highest row of the audience stand, they all looked to be children, and all the adults seating right around them seemed to be focused on their surroundings far more than the duels taking ce in front of them.

    ...which would mean that they were all in charge of protecting the hooded children.

 Chapter 654 230 - Nothing Can Keep Them Apart (Part 2)

    "It was not bad at all until that person showed up...!"

    The child on the right leaned over the one in the middle and said to the one on the left.

    "...could you get out of my face? It''s bad enough that you insisted that wee here, Grazio..."

    The child in the middle got annoyed and grabbed the face of the one leaning over them and pushed them back in their ce.

    As they did, long strands of ck hair with green luster arose from under the hood and bristled like needles showing off the anger of the middle one...

    "...!"

    Zoemi''s eyes widened.

    Even without seeing her face or hearing the other two saying her name out loud, he knew who she was.

    Somehow, Miriette ended up being in the same ce at the same time as Zoemi.

    Surprisingly, it seemed like in this timeline she would keep her hair long despite its liveliness and unruliness that always gave her so much trouble before.

    The ck-haired child had to use all of his strong will just to not rush to her side.

    He had to be strong. She doesn''t remember him. Until her memories return just like the demon lord Mirienne said, he will not approach her with that kind of ulterior motive.

    Zoemi once sealed off his feelings and focused on being just the attendant to the dark-haired girl, and this time he was going to do the same.

    Hell, he was actually ready to support her happiness even if her memories from the past timeline never return and she would choose to be with someone else.

    Just seeing her safe and happy, just being able to see catch a glimpse of her ¨C it was already worth more than his life...

    "Shut up with themotion over there! You with the fucked-up hair! Silence!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi came to peace with his inner self, but just then the armored man turned towards the audience and shouted at the group making a ruckus.

    "You...!"

    "Not here...!"

    At first, it looked like the girl with the bristled hair would say something back, but the child on her left grabbed her hand and shook their head.

    "I will make sure that papa will punish this guyter, okay?"

    "...hmph... make sure that he will get punished, Ehmi..."

    The child on the left asked to which Miriette answered grumpily, grabbing her bristled hair and forcefully pulling them down and stuffing them all back into her hood.

    "..w of Aries,w of Taurus,w of Capricorn..."

    *shing*

    "Zoemi...? ZOEMI!"

    Despite Miriette not blowing up and throwing a tantrum, the ck-haired boy who witnessed it all was already in motion. Before his father could stop him, he already activated the battle-oriented star powers and snatched the heavy dagger from the sheath on Mizoe''s back, jumping down from the stands onto the training grounds next to the armored man.

    "Tsk...! Get that brat away from here!"

    The instructor merely clicked his tongue and scoffed, waving his hand at the others to handle the matter for him but...

    "A FILTH LIKE YOU CALLING HER HAIR FUCKED UP IS GOING TO PAY WITH HIS LIFE!"

    *BOOOM*

    Zoemi roared and kicked off the ground with enough power to create a crater in the ce of hisunch.

    *WHAM* *CREAAAK* *CRUNCH*

    "GHAAAARGHHH...?!"

    The next moment Zoemi was already right in front of the armored man ¨C the boy punched at the metal-d knee of the idiot who dared to insult Miriette in his presence and the strength of his star-power-infused fist bend the metal, breaking the instructor''s knee and throwing him off his feet, falling face first into the ground...

    *STAB* *SHING* *SPLASH*

    Where the de of Zoemi''s heavy dagger was already prepared to sink into the gap between the chestte and the helmet of the armored man, stabbing into his throat and slicing through his flesh unleashing a fountain of blood that gushed out like a geyser.

    "...huuuh...?"

    *CLUNK*

    Thest words of the fallen man let out a shocked gasp right as his body hit the ground with the deafening tter of metal.

    "EVERY INSULT TOWARDS THE YOUNG LADY ESPINE WILL BE TREATED AS A CAPITAL OFFENSE AND PUNISHED ACCORDINGLY!"

    *WHAM* *KHRRRRRRRRRR*

    Zoemi howled in fury, not satisfied with the swift end of the fight, and kicked the body of the armored man, sending it tumbling like a ragdoll to the very middle of the arena where ity getting bled out like a butchered pig in the absolute silence that befell the training ground.

    "Don''t stand like that! Somebody capture him!"

    The staff working at the training ground was the first toe to their senses and call for action.

    "...!"<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    ...and honestly, Zoemi could only me himself ¨C he focused so much on not rushing to Miriette''s side that there was no willpower left in him to hold back his wild urge of decimating everything even remotely inconvenient for her...

    *thump*

    That way, standing there alone while a dozen adults were running towards him, all with their enchantments active, he merely shook his head towards Mizoe, signaling to him to not rush to help, and dropped the heavy dagger stained with the crimson blood of the murdered instructor.

    |I only hope they will not kill me on the spot... as long as I can live, I can get stronger by cultivating and escaping whatever prison they will put me inter on.|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself and smirked, looking towards the audience stands where the two red-haired siblings were trying to hold back the dark-haired girl from rushing towards the arena...

    "Huh...?"

    Zoemi''s eyes widened ¨C Miriette''s hooded cape untied and the girl activated her enchantments, juping towards the middle of the arena while young Grazio and Ehmi fell on their backs with her cape in their hands.

    "WHO ALLOWED YOU SCUMS TO APPROACH MY ZOEMI?!"

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

    "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

    *WHAM* *CRUSH* *SLAM*

    Miriette roared, her face crimson red from anger while her hair bristled up like a forest of needles, as she waved her hand in fury and unleash a devastating wind spell around the ck-haired boy and send all the people trying to capture him flying.

    "!!!"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and reached out his hand which Miriette grabbed onto beforending softly right in front of him.

    "I...I remember you now...!"

    "!!!"

    The words that the ck-haired boy prayed with all of his heart to hear one day was spoken so easily during the first meeting between him and Miriette in this new timeline.

    Miriette''s hair settled down for a moment just to curl up and start coiling around Zoemi''s hands and face as if it too had will on its own and longed for him just as Miriette did.

    "Y-youngdy, please... get away from that individual, he is dange..."

    "WIND BLADE!"

    *SHING* *SPLURT*

    "GH-URGH...!"

    Some of the bodyguards from the audience made their way down and one of them was foolish enough to approach Miriette and try to take her away from Zoemi ¨C for which he paid immediately by having his torso split open by the wind spell.

    "Whoever dares to even CONSIDER harming MY ZOEMI is going to die!"

    The small girl roared as half of her hair remained curly and lovingly wrapped around the ck-haired boy while the other half bristled in pure fury.

    "..."

    Then, she turned back around and hugged Zoemi and staring into his eyes.

    "...you left me with Horeo and got sent away who-knows-where, I waited and waited, then the timeline got destroyed... you know what that means? You broke your word and didn''t return to me in that world ¨C that''s why I will never let you go away now that I found you in this one."

    Miriette''s re grew intense and she dered clinging to Zoemi with all of her might ¨C thankfully she deactivated her enchantments just before doing it, or Zoemi''s current level of thew of Aries would not be able to withstand her strength at all.

    "Oh no. I guess I have no other choice but to ept this heavy punishment."

    Zoemi smiled and promised, returning the hug while teasingly whispering in Miriette''s ear.

    "Say, you are friends with Victureo siblings in this timeline?"

    The ck-haired boy asked curiously ncing over the dark-haired girl''s shoulder and watching the two panicked red-haired children attempting to get down the audience stands while their bodyguards were doing their best to prevent them from doing something so dangerous.

    "Their father does want to have the best possible rtionship with the family of the supposed future queen, after all."

    Miriette''s hair slumped down a bit as she sighed and answered in a bothered voice.

    "Engaged to Horeo even now?"

    "Yeah... hey, what''s with that tone...?"

    Zoemi scoffed in annoyance and anger ¨C so much of it in fact, that Miriette furrowed her brows and inquired.

    "Banemor family is rted to the royal family ¨C but that didn''t stop your parents from attacking our territory and killing my family. I hope you aren''t too attached to them, by the way, because I am going to execute revenge once I''m strong enough."

    The ck-haired boy revealed with his expression darkening at the thought of the events of four years past.

    "Wait... what...? You cannot be serious...! They... wait... eh...? Did they...?"

    Miriette gasped in shock ¨C but didn''t move even an inch away from her beloved ¨C and her expression went through about half stages of grief before she bit her lips and lowered her head.

    "Oh, and just in case ¨C don''t think about killing them yourself. This is probably the only exception I would ever have from sharing my everything with you. I have to be the one to get them."

    Zoemi reached out and lifted Miriette''s head by her chin and made her look at him.

 Chapter 655 230.5 - Nothing Can Keep Them Apart (Or Can It...?)

    "By the way... I kind of messed up with all that show... neither of us should go as far as we did and, honestly, we might get in trouble because of it. Speaking about trouble, my dad looks like he''s about to get in a fight with the staff of this lovely event that tries to surround us."

    The boy pointed out, making Miriette o wide-eyed.

    "Your dad...? But didn''t you just... ah...! Mizoe! That''s right, I haven''t seen him at the castle!"

    She followed Zoemi''s gaze and gasped in realization after seeing the light-blue-haired man with one foot on the fence separating the stands from the arena.

    "By the way ¨C we practiced together a lot and his strength is nothing like how you remember it. Let''s not make him fight or the death count will skyrocket."

    "Alright, leave everything to me then."

    The ck-haired boy added hurriedly, to which the dark-haired girl nodded her head with a serious expression.

    The two children stepped away from each other although they were now holding hands instead, refusing to separatepletely.

    "I came here especially to watch whether the candidate for my attendant will be epted into the knight training, but I got insulted instead. Ehmi, Grazio, that impudent man, who dared to insult my hair, who only got served justice because of the swift action of my future attendant was someone serving under your father, wasn''t he?"

    "...!"

    "!!!"

    Miriette raised her voice and used her magic to empower it so that it would boom over the area ¨C but it was not the volume but the meaning of said words that caused everyone to stop and tense up.

    "What is it then? Does Victureo family want to keep friendly rtions with the Espine family, or do you wish to be our enemies? Because from what I am seeing now... those audacious fools are waiting for a chance to capture the only person here who rushed to defend my honor as if he was some kind of criminal. Do I really need to express how upset that makes me?"

    The dark-haired girl scoffed, her hair stuck halfway to bristling like a forest of needles she looked down on everyone even though she was the shortest person in stature by far in the immediate vicinity.

    "Youngdy, that is not the case at all ¨C the thing is this dangerous brute...!"

    "Dead air."

    It might have been because of the physical age of the dark-haired girl, but her words were not immediately takenpletely seriously. Alternatively, the idiot daring to speak might have misunderstood that because she is a child, Miriette might be talked out of whatever she has decided on ¨C whatever the answer was it all ended up in the man speaking up to have a tiny index finger of the young girl being pointed at him, as she cast a spell with a tired expression.

    "...?"

    The man''s immediate reaction was to activate his enchantments and raise his hands defensively, but the magic this time wasn''t so direct so he got surprised by theck of impact that he had braced himself on a moment''s notice.

    "As I said, without a proper notice this... this... gh-yyygh...? No-notice... uh-hyyyyygh...!"

    The man encouraged by what he thought was Miriette being just a spoiled child who''s willing to listen to reason, said, but after just a few words his eyes started bulging out and his lips turned pale.

    The fool reached out to his throat as if there was an invisible cor tightening around his neck, but his fingers encountered only his own flesh.

    *thump* *THUMP*

    It took only five more seconds for him to falter heavily, trying to catch a bnce by stepping forward, but he lost bnce instantly and toppled with a loud noise.

    "Mass dead air."

    Miriette wasn''t even looking at the victim anymore, she instead focused on Ehmi, loudly and clearly pronouncing the name of her next spell.

    "...!"

    "...yyyyyyghhhh...?!"

    At first lost, Ehmi trembled once everyone except her, Miriette, Zoemi, and Mizoe, faltered and reached out to their throats ¨C including her very own younger brother, Grazio."

    "They call you the only queen of fire. It always annoyed me, you know? I''m getting the boring strongest wind magician title, while you get an imposing nickname?"

    Miriette smirked, nodding to herself, while Ehmi didn''t know what she could do and watched helplessly her brother''s lips turning pale and his eyes bulging out as theposition of the air he was breathing changed so drastically that there was no possible way for his lungs to process it.

    "M-Miri... why are you doing this...?! I thought we were friends!"

    The crimson-haired girl cried out, trembling in anguish ¨C the thought of fighting against the dark-haired girl not even crossing her mind for a second.

    "...that is a good question. Are you trying to awaken her memories too, or is it just you being you...?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and nced at Miriette curiously.

    "Fell free to pick whichever option you think is more attractive and go with it."

    The dark-haired girl snickered evilly, giving a clear enough answer that not including Ehmi within her spell and making her question reality was simply the disy of her overwhelming pettiness.

    "MIRI! HE''S DYING!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The nonchnce of the two was directly contrasted by the panic the crimson-haired girl felt as her brother was wing at his throat getting more and more blue in the face.

    "Good. It''s the least he and everyone else here can do to repent for insulting me."

    "...pffft..."

    The dark-haired girl nodded, breathing out with relief as if satisfied that her work was getting appropriately rewarded...

    ...which made Zoemi unable topletely hold himself back and let out an amused snort...

    "Ah! You''re not holding yourself back anymore?!"

    That reaction made Miriette gasp and go wide-eyed with excitement.

    "I don''t know what you are talking about, Miri, but maybe let go of them already. Being overwhelming is one thing, killing one or few as examples are within what the nobility is expected to do, but killing a whole bunch of people including the son of the Victureo family would make too much of a mess."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders dismissively, but the devilish smirk on his face gave him outpletely ¨C thats'' why the ck-haired boy cleared histrhout and pointed out, gently touching Miriette''s cheek with his free hand.

    *click*

    "GU-HUUUAAAAGHHH..!

    As if this was a trigger, Miriette clicked her fingers, and the unison sound of dozens of people breathing in the life-supporting air carried over the area.

    "Let it be known ¨C I will not be trifled with, and by extension, the Espine family will not be underestimated. Know your ce."

    The girl looked away from her beloved, and the moment her eyes lost sight of him they turned sharp and cruel before she dered with overwhelming superiority.

    "..."

    "...?"

    Suddenly, she twitched and bit her lips as her expression darkened, she clenched Zoemi''s hand, making the ck-haired boy confused.

    The change was simply too sudden.

    "Zoemi, there are still a few things I will need to wrap up, so I will have you and Mizoe leave. If you want to take part in the knight training, go to the Perserios territory, it''s the best choice for now."

    The dark-haired girl''s expression turned serious as if she decided on something ¨C once that happened, even Zoemi would be unable to make her change her mind.

    "My presence would be a problem for now?"

    "It would. But I will bother you a whole lot with message spells ¨C so much that you will never feel lonely."

    Zoemi didn''t want to leave her side, but Miriette was the person he trusted the most in the world ¨C so with one question answered with a short nod and a promise, he let go of her hand and took a step back.

    "If anyone will try to bother that boy and his father, I will kill them. Not the Espine family. Me. And you should be aware that even my mother isn''t able to stop my dead air spellpletely."

    On the other hand, Miriette took a step forward and dered, raising her hand and pointing at the surrounding people, making sure to not look directly at Zoemi.

    "Dad. You heard the young miss. Let''s go. Please."

    "...indeed... thank you for your grace, youngdy..."

    Zoemi called out to his father and Mizoe, who was probably even more shocked by the behavior of the ck-haired boy than anyone else, considering who the girl he lost his head for was, agreed, giving a respectful bow to Miriette before joining his son and leaving together.

    "..."

    Miriette didn''t watch them leave, she didn''t even budge from her spot, as if holding everyone else hostage until the departure of the father and child... but her expression faltered, and her eyes momentarily showed how upset she was.

    But she had to keep her cool ¨C if Zoemi knew what was going on and what kind of message Miriette received from her mother,dy Misena, he would never leave her side no matter what she would tell him.

    After all, the only person who came close to being as stubborn as Miriette was precisely Zoemi.

    "I was not aware that you knew youngdy Espine."

    The first words that Mizoe spoke to Zoemi as they left the city on a horseback were ones of suspicion.

    "You do know that she is the fiance of the first prince Horeo, right? The truth is, before that she was supposed to be my finance. We met and liked each other very much. But her family wanted to annex the Banemor territory as their own immediately upon our marriage, which was something my family didn''t agree and the talk broke off. Against mine and her''s will."

    Zoemi looked at Mizoe and bit his lips ¨C he didn''t want his father to make that kind of face when talking to him, or when mentioning Miriette, so he came up with a convenient lie that was firmly rooted in truth.

 Chapter 656 231 - The Journey Continues (Part 1)

    "Ah...! I... I''m sorry."

    The light-blue-haired man gasped in shock, and his expression changed immediately over to embarrassed and remorseful as he apologized.

    "But while we are on the subject of reckless decisions... I am pretty sure that I saw some light-blue lines appear on your hands... dad, you were going to jump right in to help me even though you thought I was incredibly stupid, weren''t you?"

    Zoemi breathed out in relief, and directed their conversation in another direction, giving the light-blue-hiared man a nudge to the side.

    -----

    "[Hello? Zoemi? There unfortunately might be someing after your life. They will most likely try to get you whenever you will stay for the night, or even right after it will get dark.]"

    Mizoe and Zoemi were on their way to the Perserios territory ¨C despite the initial aversion to the idea, the light-blue-haired ice magician ended up agreeing to follow Miiette''s idea ¨C and the soft pressure brushing against the ck-haired boy''s mind was followed by a rather worrisome message.

    "|I thought as much too, although it''s nice knowing that we still have a few hours of peace.|"

    Zoemi didn''t let Mizoe notice that he was having a conversation with the daughter of the Espine family and even bit his lips to not let out even a peep ¨C identally or not.

    "|...are you in trouble...?|"

    He added clenching his fists on the very edge of the shadow while lowering his head.

    "[Not at all, but you, Mioze, and whoever you two are associated with are ¨C mainly the Auequas family will be receiving some heat. Not that you should care about that.]"

    Miriette snickered, and nothing in her voice suggested that her words were anything but the truth.

    "|As long as they will not try to mess with the Taran family. Dad and I kind of have our home there now.|"

    Just as Miriette assumed, Zoemi could not care less for the state of the Auequas family as it was now... although as he was thinking that rather dark thought, he was reminded that Arreta wasn''t a bad person at all, on the contrary, she was quite innocent and naive, and only following the whims of the main family...

    "[Taran territory...? Well, if the memory serves me right and the events will y as they did in the previous timeline, it will be safe for two or three years but after that...]"

    "|Miri. Veo, and Teo live there. Although their names are Leveo and Teofee. Teofee seems to be having shbacks to the past timeline.|"

    Miriette didn''t have ess to Zoemi''s every thought so she only focused on his words, taking interest in one particr part ¨C the part that Zoemi was more than happy to reveal to her.

    "[...! I guess that I must make sure to keep the Taran territory safe too then.]"

    "..."

    Miriette''s voice tensed up for just a split second, she also put a little too much pressure on the word ''too'' which instantly got Zoemi''s attention ¨C but even so, the boy remained silent.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "[Once I will arrange for you to be my full-fledged attendant, I will make sure to visit there a lot. Teofee Taran, eh... it suits her.]"

    Miriette''s voice became much gentler as she thought of the first person besides Zoemi and Horeo whom she befriended. An actual female friend that she made on her own without being approached first.

    "[...tsk... I need to end. I will bother youter, my knight. I love you.]"

    "|Take care.|"

    Without any warning, Miriette clicked her tongue and ended the connection of the message spell before Zoemi properly said his already short farewell.

    The ck-haired boy stopped biting his lips and instead closed his eyes and began focusing on meditation ¨C as he was now, he was nothing but a burden on Miriette who was surrounded by some of the most powerful mages in the kingdom. He had to get much, much stronger, and as fast as possible too.

    A few hourster it was already getting dark and there was no sign of any city, town, or even a vige on their way, which meant that they would have to camp outside.

    Both Mizoe and Zoemi had a talk about potential threats that coulde their way ¨C the ck-haired boy outright admitted that he received a message spell from Miriette informing him of the attack that wasing their way ¨C so seeing the setting sun had made them both wary.

    The light-blue-haired man was looking around, both for the best ce to set the camp and the most usible ce for the hired thugs to wait for them.

    The attack coulde from anywhere really, judging by thepleteck of human settlements in the area, the pursuers should being literally after them ¨C from the direction of the city that they left...

    ...but at the same time, despite not being spoken out loud, no one would be surprised if a high noble family like Victureo had some hidden forces here and there ¨C and contacting them with a message spell could not be easier...

    "...the person following us on the horseback increased their speed, they should catch up to us in a few minutes..."

    Said Zoemi, who was sharpening his already great hearing with the augmentation of the second star level of thew of Sagittarius.

    "Then we might as well just stop here and set out our camp."

    The light-blue-haired man nodded and pulled the horse off the road before dismounting it and helping Zoemi down.

    "...oh... they slowed down..."

    Zoemi twitched and furrowed his brows when he realized that the speed of the other traveler seemed to be directly linked to their own.

    "I see... the chances that they are just a random traveler on their own way are disappearing as we speak."

    Mizoe sighed putting one hand on the hilt of his sword, which caused it to be frosted over with a thinyer of scruffy ice.

    Zoemi didn''t respond to that verbally, but he nodded ¨C it still could be someone unrted, but the tactic of bandits sending in a spy to decrease the cautiousness level of the group they were about to ambush was as old as time.

 Chapter 657 231 - The Journey Continues (Part 2)

    After the exact amount of time that Zoemi predicted, the sound of the horse''s hooves announced the presence of the other traveler who kept tagging behind them for a good few hours.

    By the time they arrived, the two had gathered some wood and set u the small bonfire.

    The crackling fire was just a normal bonfire that would serve well for cooking and keeping them warm, but it also served as a distraction.

    It pulled the attention away from the frosted grass surrounding Mizoe who had already augmented his sword and was ready to activate his special enchantment at any moment.

    As for Zoemi, the boy was sitting cross-legged on a small pillow-like piece of monster fur and meditating with his eyes closed.

    Thew he was concentrating on at the moment was thew of Aries ¨C so even if he could not react in time for the hostile action that would or would not be taken against them, he had the highest chances of survival in case things would not go well for him and Mizoe.

    The rider god down their horse and approached the two on foot, holding their mare''s reins in one hand.

    "Good evening..."

    The individual wore a cape and had a hood covering their appearance, but the voice betrayed them to be that of a rather young girl.

    Actually, the voice sounded vaguely familiar to Zoemi, and even Mizoe furrowed his brows as if he remembered something.

    "...perchance there is a ce for one more person besides the fire for the night...?"

    Even though her reception was rather cold, the hooded girl braved the heavy atmosphere and asked.

    She was doing quite well for herself ¨C she was not showing too much nervousness, although she was trying really hard to sound more mature and confident than she was.

    "Perhaps there is."

    "..."

    Zoemi remained silent while Mizoe''s face turned serious and he nodded ¨C the cold aura around him became more overbearing and actually caused the crackling fire to falter and tremble as if it was about to get snuffed out.

    The hooded girl stepped aside and tied up the reins of her mare next to Mizoe''s and Zoemi''s horse and then sat down near the outer edge of the ring of light cast by the fire.

    "You can sit closer. If you stay as far away as you are, you would be better off not bothering with the fire at all. You could also tell us your name."

    Mizoe''s eyes glistened coldly and even the reflection of the crackling fire in them seemed to be frozen solid as he spoke to the mysterious girl.

    "If you ask for somebody''s name, it''s good manners to introduce yourself first."

    The girl proudly puffed out her chest and dered the rather embarrassing phrase without stuttering, probably believing it to be cool.

    *shhhhh*

    "DAD, DON''!"

    Mizoe responded immediately ¨C the light blue lines shone all over his body and the glowing de of his sword left the sheath with a deadly whisper.

    Zoemi could only react in time because he reacted to that very sound.

    ...although he didn''t open his eyes even while standing up and reaching out his hand to prevent the light-blue-haired man from slicing the hooded girl in half.

    "Eh... KYAAAH!"

    *thump*

    The girl that was a step away from dying let out a confused voice and looked over to the shouting boy just to realize a fraction of a secondter that the boy''s father had stopped himself mid-swing and the sword in his hand was less than a foot away from her torso ¨C which made her freak out and let out a panicked scream, trip over her own feet, and then promptly fell on her butt.

    The impact and the girl moving her body wildly to keep her bnce caused the hood to slide off her head revealing the blue-haired teenage girl who spoke to Mizoe and Zoemi before the registration process in the city of the Victureo territory.

    "Wh-what the are you doing?! I...! I warn you ¨C I am a trained soldier, and even if you will get me, my family will not let you get away with it...!"

    The girl''s eyes were jolting between the tip of the sword so cold its aura was sending chills down her spine and the light-blue-haired man whose body was shining with strange enchantments.

    "If you are a trained soldier of the kingdom of Bellcephora then our nation is doomed."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...!"

    Mizoe frowned, lowering his weapon and getting out of the battle stance ¨C despite shaking his head in disappointment at the trembling teenager he did not deactivate any of his spells either.

    The girl bit her lips and lowered her head visibly upset.

    "...hmph... I knew it. You are not normal, there''s no way that a child would be that scary if the parent wasn''t even more of a monster!"

    "Haah...? What a mouth on this one..."

    The girl scoffed, trying to scramble herself up while acting tougher than she was, but unknowingly she stepped on andmine...

    "Miss. If you knew what you were talking about, you would have cut off your tongue right now and written an apology with all of your blood."

    "...!"

    Truth be told, even Zoemi didn''t know that his acting father could be that scary ¨C for a moment, Mizoe became the very essence of his attribute, uncaring coldness that no one can survive.

    The blue-haired girl in her attempt to protect her honor disrespected Zoemi''s real parents ¨C Learen and Neramis, a pair that took Mizoe in and gave him home when his real family abandoned him.

    *tsss*

    "...nnngh...!"

    The unfortunate girl''s body tremble from the sheer cold that extinguished the campfire ¨C one thing should be given to her though ¨C even while her chin trembled violently and the tears froze in the corners of her eyes, she didn''t start apologizing or begging for mercy.

    She was stubborn.

    Although... a single pitiful yelp did escape her lips before she bit them.

    "DAD, THEY''RE COMING FORM BEHIND!"

    *WHOOOO*

    *SHING*

    *tssssss*

    The few next things happened so fast that the blue-haired girl barely registered them.

    First, the ck-haired boy jumped on his feet and shouted.

    In response to that, the light-blue-haired man who was already raising his de against the girl turned right around on his heel and swung his sword down, unleashing a crescent of ice-cold air that sliced through and extinguished a fireballing at from a ce that was in his blindspot a second earlier...

    ...yes, a fireball...

    "GHAAAARGHH...! MY FINGERS...! THAT FUCKER FROZE MY HAND...!"

    "Didn''t dodge or block in time... they aren''t above our strength."

    A pained howl of a wounded man came from between the shrub-infested part of the forest area and made Mizoe smile with satisfaction as he unsheathed a long dagger and threw it towards the ck-haired boy ¨C who caught the weapon and nodded, opening his eyes for the first time in a while thanks to which they were used to the darkness of the night.

    Just as if the blue-haired girl stopped existing, the father and son ignored herpletely and instead rushed towards the area where the voice came from.

    "F-fireball...? Was someone trying to help me...? No! No one knows that I''m here!"

    The girl gasped in disbelief, but soon shook her head and tried to stand up, only to realize her legs turned into jelly.

    "Come on, Rokiana, you were trained as a soldier and want to get a knight title to prove that grandpa is right! Move...! MOVE!"

    She bit her lips and hit her unresponsive legs, then gritted her teeth and growled, punching the ground and getting up on one knee.

 Chapter 658 231 - The Journey Continues (Part 3)

    "Go out there, you can fight. You fought with monsters, you fended off bandits together with grandpa too. You can''t just stand there, that''s not who you are. Water bubble."

    The first thing that Rokiana Grea Perserios, the thirteen years old eldest daughter of the Perserios family did after standing up was to activate her defensive spell while adding the twist her grandfather personally taught her before taking her with him on many monster hunts and turned herself invisible by reflecting the light in a certain way off the bubble''s surface.

    "GHYAAAAAA...!"

    "G-GET AWAY FROM M-BFGHRAAaahhh..."

    "DON''T SPLIT UP! BUNH UP AND GET HIM TOGETHER!"

    The first thing she saw after that was the screams dying screams of an unspecified group of people that made her flinch and step back in fear.

    The difference between this situation and all the other life-threatening dangers she went through until that point, was that thorough every other encounter, she always knew who her allies and enemies were.

    This time, it was different.

    The bloodlust given by the light-blue-haired ice magician was so thick that the blue-haired girl almost choked on it.

    She was clearly hated ¨C although it was definitely her own fault if she would just keep her mouth shut, it was very usible that the ice magician''s anger would never focus on her.

    Rokiana also realized that the father and son duo was expecting the attack ¨C it made her feel really stupid too, she acted as she did because she felt offended that someone was suspicious and hostile to her without any immediate reason...

    ...well, getting a fireball shot at your back was definitely a reason for wariness...

    |If I will help them pacify the thugs, they should forgive me, right? In the first ce, the child didn''t seem to treat me as a threat!|

    Rokiana sneaked her way to the line of trees and thought to herself, pulling out a saber fit for her height and arm''s length and nodding to herself.

    |...hold on... he wasn''t wary of me at all... did... did he think that I wasn''t strong enough?!|

    Suddenly another thought came to her mind and the blue-haired girl straightened her back as her expression hardened.

    She entered the forest and...

    "...?"

    Became confused at how silent her surroundings became.

    Only a few momentster the air was filled with the bustle of metal hitting against metal and the voices of humans, but now...

    The light of the stars and the moon passing through the leaves was barely enough to allow Rokiana to see what was in front of her.

    As her eyes were only getting used to the darkness, each shadow looked like a potential threat.

    "...!"

    *shing*

    One looked so much like a human hiding behind a tree to jump her that she actually swung her saber at it!

    *stab*

    Which resulted in her sinking the de of her weapon into the chest of a corpse...

    Hold up...

    "?!?!?!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Rokiana jolted and pulled back the saber.

    The deadman didn''t even budge ¨C he appeared to be stuck, frozen to the tree by the wound on his throat that waspletely covered in pinkish ice.

    The blue-haired girl shook off the initial shock and cautiously leaned toward the corpse.

    She kind of recognized the person ¨C he was one of the people that enlisted for the knight training but didn''t have the chance to duel the instructor!

    |...this isn''t right... Since when do bandits want to be knights...? Or... Did he turn to banditry in order to pay the fee for the training...? Wait...!|

    Rokiana furrowed her brows and thought to herself before flinching and looking over her shoulder.

    |How did he even get here before us...?! He didn''t even leave the training ground as I was leaving...!|

    She thought to herself in shock, realizing that there was more than one thing off about this whole situation.

    At least she now knew where one of the bandits ¨C but not really bandits ¨C was, but what about the rest?

    "The voices she hear before suggested multiple people being in the group ¨C not to mention, the dead one is just amoner. There was no way that he could be behind the fireball aimed at the light-blue-haired man."

    "?!?!?!"

    The ck-haired boy jumped down a tree andnded next to the blue-haired girl, causing her to almost trip from shock.

    In the first ce ¨C he should not be able to know where she was. That was the whole point of the water bubble spell making her invisible!

    "Your water bubble might make you invisible and mask your heat signature from the fire magicians, but you don''t stop making noises... also..."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and pointed at the spot near Rokiana''s feet with the end of the clean heavy dagger''s de.

    The blue-haired teenager, who was now even holding her breath just to not make another noise, looked down, just to realize that the because of the contact with the frosted ground and nts, the edges of her water bubble began to freeze over, very clearly indicating her position.

    "...whew... so? What happened with the others? Did you and your dad capture them all?"

    Rokiana breathed out and dropped the defensive spell and breathed out, before rubbing her forehead and asking.

    "Capture them? Like, alive...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and looked to the sides awkwardly.

    "Yes ¨C there''s no blood on either your dagger or clothes so you didn''t kill anyone this time. Clearly only the most threatening ones got killed."

    The blue-haired girl rolled her eyes and pointed out as if it was obvious, and pointed at the corpse stuck to the tree behind her with her thumb.

    "Oh. Umm... no. You are right about me not killing anyone ¨C but it is because I was too slow, dad got to them all first. I need to master at least one if not two more star levels in thew of Capricorn to be able to overtake him. I am just making sure that no one escapes."

    "...star level..."

    The ck-haired child made an awkward expression and exined ¨C although judging by Rokiana''s expression, his answer didn''t seem believable to her.

    "Anyway, you are making it sound like your father isn''t going to let any bandit survive, but how are you going to learn about their motives if that would be the case?"

    Rokaiana waved her hand dismissively and dered with forced confidence as if she felt the need to show off that she is smarter than the ck-haired child.

 Chapter 659 231 - The Journey Continues (Part 4)

    "...found you..."

    "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHH...!"

    "!!!"

    A calm voice was followed by a bloodcurdling scream that sessfully stopped Rokiana from patronizing Zoemi.

    "Wh-what is going on...?"

    The blue-haired girl asked, taking a step back while shivering from the cold ¨C before she noticed the temperature drop enough for her breath to be visible as a puff of steam.

    "Who knows? It might be that my dad is learning about the motivation pushing those people to attack us... but it also just sounds like he is hunting them down."

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders before smiling.

    "It''s hard to believe that dad has only as much mana as an average earth magician, don''t you agree, miss Rokiana?"

    "How do you know my name?!"

    Zoemi snickered, straightening his back and raising his head proudly, causing the blue-haired girl to tens up and point her saber at him.

    "..."

    Zoemi looked at the trembling tip of the de and then slowly looked up at the girl who was gradually losing herposure.

    "I heard you giving yourself a motivational speech earlier."

    The boy pointed out while tapping one of his ears with his index finger.

    "Law of Sagittarius enhances the body with star energy. At the early star levels at least. My other senses get heightened too but my naturally good hearing gets the greatest boost... Oh...?"

    Zoemi added before his brows shot up and he turned in the opposite direction that the girl arrived from.

    "I wonder if dad got both the light and fire magicians?"

    "There was a light magician here too?!"

    The boy wondered as his smile turned more sinister, causing the blue-haired girl to gasp in shock.

    "Of course. How else do you expect a group from the city we left behind suddenly ended up in front of us? Although... there is a big chance that they were just transported in and the light magician dropped out, not wanting to be a part of what was going to happen... that sounds like a more usible answer, now that I think of it. If they were still here, they would either pick us all from a safe distance or at least illuminate the area giving theirrades a chance for survival."

    Zoemi nodded in response and a wide smile never left his face, even when he came to a realization.

    *rustle*

    As he went silent, the sounds of hurried footsteps, the rustling of the frosted nt life, and heavy spasmatic breathing became loud enough for Rokiana to pick on it too.

    "Hiiii...!"

    A few secondster a roughed-up red-haired man emerged from the bushes and let out a muffled scream when seeing the ck-haired boy.

    The man holding his side seemed to be charred by the fire...

    ...and he seemed to be crying too...

    "H-huh...?!"

    But then he realized that the boy had a saber pointed at him, and his eyes widened with hope as he looked over to the person wielding the weapon just to be confused seeing the blue-haired teenage girl.

    "M-miss...! wh-where is the rest of your group?! We need to get help! There is a vicious murderer on the loose and...!"

    "Wow, you used one of your spells against yourself to get rid of the ice? You are quite clever, aren''t you?"

    The fire magician gasped, biting onto his pale lips that were slowly turning blue and waving a hand that was missing three fingers ¨C but his hushed words got interrupted by Zoemi''s whistle of admiration.

    "Good idea, but you should have used at least a fireball. Enme and ember can deal with my dad''s ice on the outside, but just as it is with humans ¨C it''s the inside that counts~"

    Zoemi apuded the magician''s ingenuity, but then hummed in amusement and shook his head at the half-assed attempt.

    "Wh-what do you m-mean...?!"

    The fire magician asked, petrified with fear, stuttering as his body continued to be shaken by more intense shivers as his skin was turning more and more blue.

    "I mean that you had a chance of survival right after you got wounded, but because you were too afraid of hurting yourself with your own fire, you will die now."

    "...!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Zoemi exined calmly, causing both the wounded fire magician and the young water magician to stare at him in shock.

    "You... YOU...! FIREBA...!"

    As expected, the red-haired man desperate to keep his life was not going to ept his fate ¨C he became enraged and raised his voice, pointing his hand at the calm child and howling an incantation of the spell...

    *stab* *stab*

    "...hurgh...!"

    ...but got interrupted, pierced from behind by the ice-cold shortsword, and...

    "...you were with them too...?"

    The fire magician gasped, turning his head a bit...

    ...and from the front by the saber wielded by the blue-haired girl...

    *haaaaaaa*

    *thump*

    The fire mana already coiling in the man''s palm dissipated, releasing the sound of a person breathing out in relief, and the fire magician fell to the side, and his glossy unseeing eyes reflected the night sky visible from behind the branches...

    "Eh...? EH?! Why did I do that?!"

    The sound of the body hitting the frosted ground made Rokiana shake her head and step back, gasping in shock at her own action she apparently performed subconsciously.

    "Why indeed."

    The light-blue-haired man who appeared after the fire magician had toppled over nodded, keenly observing the blue-haired girl''s movement.

    "..."

    Under the cold re of the light-blue-haired man, Rokiana clenched her fists and took a deep breath.

    "M-my name is Rokiana Grea Perserios. The eldest daughter of the Perserios territory. Originally I wanted to participate in the knight training in the Victureo territory so that my father would not try to stop me, but after what happened and was said there, I decided to return home and talk things out with him. And since you two appeared to be going there too, I wanted to suggest that we could travel together. It''s safer to travel in a group..."

    Without being directly asked for it this time, the blue-haired girl introduced herself and even gave her motivation for following and approaching Mizoe and Zoemi earlier.

    "..."

    "...I understand. Let''s go back to the horses..."

    Mizoe exchanged nces with Zoemi and then nodded, shaking off the blood from his sword and sheathing it.

    "Are... are we not going to bury them before we return to the camp...?"

    Rokaina asked timidly as the two passed her without acknowledging the corpses in their immediate vicinity ¨C not to mention the others that must have been in the area too.

    "The person who got them all here might show up here at any moment ¨C and with reinforcements too - we need to get away from here. No camp, no sleep. Understand?"

    "Y-yes, sir!"

    Mizoe merely shook his head andmanded, causing Rokiana to respond affirmatively out of habit.

    The duo-turned-trio returned to their camp and gathered their stuff n a hurry before saddling the horses and rushing the dark road.

    "How many thugs were there in total?"

    "Only seven including the fire magician leading them, no surprises, all dead now."

    "...!"

    Zoemi asked his father, and Mizoe responded with a shrug, making Rokiana who was listening in from behind flinch and go wide-eyed.

    "...howe an ice-magician with as much mana as an average earth magician can be this strong...?"

    She mumbled to herself not expecting to be answered at all.

    "It''s because dad is ridiculously dedicated and stubborn."

    "...!"

    Still, Zoemi did hear her clearly and leaned from behind his father''s torso and snickered right into Rokiana''s face.

 Chapter 660 232 - The Journey Continues (Part 5)

    Most of the trio''s travel went by without encountering any trouble on their way. No more bandits or people disguised as bandits appeared, and for quite a good distance there should be no monsters in the area either.

    "Dad... If that isn''t a problem, I would like to request going through the Efemare and Tencelion territories?"

    Maybe because he was feeling uneasy about things working out too well, or because he was starting to feelcent, Zoemi tugged on his father''s shirt and asked.

    "Tencelion territory isn''t a problem at all ¨C from our current location it would actually be more difficult to not ride through it, but... Efemare territory is a far..."

    Mizoe tilted his head and looked up, thinking about the roads they would have to take and pondering out loud.

    "Is it the youngdy again? Did she ask you to check something or are those two territories the safest ones to go?"

    The light-blue-haired man looked back down on his son and inquired with cautiousness.

    All in all, he still didn''t quite trust the girl from the Espine family.

    "No this is something different. Back in the mansion, I overheard things that mother and grandfather were discussing when they thought I was asleep and I wanted to check them out since the opportunity arrived. Actually, I also want to visit the Hontreu territory but..."

    "...it is on the opposite side of the kingdom."

    Zoemi shook his head before exining and breathing out in unease, having Mizoe finish the sentence for him.

    "Exactly. I want to think that I still have a few years before I would have to interfere... nheless, it is a ce where I definitely want to check out."

    The ck-haired boy added, biting his lips and hoping that he didn''t make a mistake in his ns.

    "I understand. Alright. Youngdy Rokiana, since we have been traveling together up to this point, what is your take on the matter?"

    Mizoe leaned to the side and threw a question to the wind.

    The teenage blue-haired girl was hunched over her saddle while focusing deeply on the spell she was constructing.

    Although things could work outpletely differently than they did in the previous timeline and Rokiana could very well not end up as Zoemi''s stepmother at all, the ck-haired boy decided it was okay to give her some hints about improving her magic.

    ...that''s why there was no answer to Mizoe''s question...

    "..."

    Mizoe kept looking at the girl for a few more seconds before raising his hand and spreading his fingers apart.

    After a few moments, specks of moisture swirled in his palm and became snow, forming a puffy snowball.

    A snowball that the light-blue-haired mand ever s gently lobbed at the blue-haired girl''s head.

    *puff*

    "HIYAAAAAH?!"

    *haaaaa*

    As the snowball wasn''t very solid, it ended up bursting at the moment of impact ¨C which in turn resulted in a mass of snow going under the hunched girl''s cor and causing her to let out a high-pitched voice of surprise as whatever spell she was conjuring ended up dispersing with a soft sound.

    "You...! You''re awful! What do you want?!"

    Realizing she wasn''t in any danger and that the snow was simply a prank, Rokiana waved her hand to remove the melted snow from her clothes and scowled at the light-blue-haired man.

    "Zoemi wants us to make a detour and go through the Efemare territory before crossing through the Tencelion territory while on the way back to yours. What is your take on that? Do you want to go with us or go the rest of the way alone?"

    Mizoe smiled innocently and asked, not remorseful in the slightest.

    "Hmph. Efemare and Tencelion families are in good rtions with the Perserios family. If you ask me nicely, it will be possible to even stay at their main estates!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Rokiana scoffed but then puffed out her chest and boasted.

    She didn''t really mean what she said wanting only to get back at Mizoe and see him be flustered ¨C but instead...

    "You would?! Law of Capricorn!"

    The ck-haired boy was the one with the strongest reaction ¨C he gasped loudly and activated his star power before jumping from one horse onto another before Mizoe could stop him.

    "Please~! Pretty please~! It would be simply perfect if you could do just that, there are some things that I have to make sure of! Please~!"

    Zoemi showed no shame at all, not only did he invite himself in front of Rokiana, but he also snuggled up to her and looked up at her face with puppy-dog eyes while asking.

    "I...! Uhh..."

    "..."

    The blue-haired girl was so taken aback that she actually looked at Mizoe for help, but the light-blue-haired man simply looked away as if it was none of his business.

    "Please...?"

    The ck-haired boy went ahead and make use of his cuteness ¨C he even added some tearful tones to his voice to make the older girl''s heart waver.

    "F-fine! I will see what I can do!"

    Rokiana didn''tst long against that form of attack and ended up tapping out and agreeing to the boy''s request.

    "Thank you! You are the best~!"

    Zoemi''s face lighted up with the most adorable smile a child his age could make...

    ? ...before he jumped back on Mizoe''s horse and hide his face from both his father and the blue-haired girl...

    Because as he did that, his pure smile changed into a devilish smirk.

    Things seemed to be going really well.

    "Seems like there is no problem with indulging you a bit."

    Mizoe nodded and patted Zoemi''s head.

    "Although, I would prefer if you told me what exactly it is that you want to do in those territories."

    "...yeah, that''s right...!"

    He added, identally causing Rokiana to realize that something was quite suspicious.

    And things were even more suspicious to her since unlike Mizoe she basically didn''t know Zoemi and was convinced that he was Mizoe''s actually blood-rted child.

    "There are people I would like to be friends with in both of those families. Namely Geroizen Tencelion and Roiso Baru Efemare."

    Zoemi revealed not really feeling the need to keep it a secret.

    "If I remember correctly, Georizen is the son of the youngest daughter of the Tencelion family. But that Roiso... I am pretty much certain I never heard of..."

    "...I see..."

    The blue-haired girl said after a brief moment of hesitation.

    Her words ended up making Zoemi bit his lips in unease...

 Chapter 661 232 - The Journey Continues (Part 6)

    Efemare territory was remarkably well off, although they did not bother themselves with trying to organize knight training. Simply said, they knew better than topete with Perserios territory and their top-of-the-lines instructors that were known to host private lessons for high nobility.

    What the Efemare family would do instead was get their knights trained in their neighbor''s territory and create a friendly rtionship. Because of that policy, the previous head of the Efemare family became friends with the previous head of the Perserios family.

    In short ¨C Efemares were smart and sneaky.

    If only they had a male heir that was close enough in age to the daughter of the Perserios family, they would definitely receive an offer of marriage ¨C they were just that close.

    And if that scenario would be the case, then having the Perserios family lend some of the instructors to the Efemare territory could not be easier.

    Yes.

    In the end, despite seemingly not being interested in hosting the knight training, the Efemare family wished for that sweet sweet revenue but didn''t want to risk the loss that a directpetition would bring.

    But s, forget about the direct male heir close to Rokiana''s age, the Efemare family didn''t have an heir at all...

    ...at least not officially...

    -----

    "Youngdy Perserios! Wee! It is such an honor for you to visit us! What brings you and your servants here?"

    A jovial-looking light magician weed the trio at the door himself, there was no doubt that the servants informed him ahead of time about their arrival.

    "Lord Efemare, it is an honor for you to greet me personally. I happen to encounter those two on my way back from a little errand for my grandfather and chanced on meeting them two. A father and son with remarkable talent that I want to support in receiving knighthoods."

    Rokiana curtsied and exined after a short greeting.

    "...ghy...! Ghy...!"

    Zoemi shivered and let out a muffled cough into his father''s torso.

    "As you can see, the boy ended up getting a bit sick... pardon me for being so bold but could I ask you for a warm bed and some medicine for the child?"

    Rokiana nced at the shivering boy with pity and asked.

    "..."

    For just a split second the jovial expression of the gold-haired man turned into a scowl.

    ~You''re asking me to waste my money on some lousy brat?~

    ...that kind of face...

    Although the head of the Efemare family became all smiles again as soon as the blue-haired girl turned back to him.

    "But of course! If a daughter of the Perserios family believes him to be a talent, we simply cannot risk the boy''s health!"

    The gold-ahired man dered and his voice exressed only the purest of intentions.

    "I''ll send for a medic right away."

    "I would be much obliged."

    He added, to which Rokiana breathed out in relief and curtsied again.

    Was there a need for such theatrics in the first ce?

    That was the question both Rokiana and Mizoe asked when Zoemi exined his n the moment he felt his throat getting sore.

    That''s right ¨C Zoemi actually got sick, that part wasn''t an act at all.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He developed a sore throat, headache, and so on. In the end, the second star level of thew of Aquarius did not protect him from illnesses. Although... he could have gotten rid of all those symptoms with his one-star level of thew of Virgo.

    But, it was that exact sickness that got him a rather nasty idea.

    Nasty for the people on the other end of it, of course.

    Although there was something that Zoemi didn''t ount for...

    "It was a good call for getting the child to see a medic. If you kept traveling, the boy''s life could be in danger."

    "...?!"

    ? After checking up on the child, the medic exined to Mizoe and Rokiana who both got shocked ¨C still, it was Zoemi who was the most surprised.

    "I will prepare the medicine that should help, made sure that the boy stays in bed and drinks a lot, the fever is both good and bad for his body right now. But if he gets hotter than now, make sure to cool him off."

    The green-haired medic instructed the worried light-blue-haired man who nodded his head in a tense expression while the blue-haired teenager looked at the flushed face of the ck-haired child.

    "...are you sure that you will be fine...?"

    Rokaina asked, sitting by the boy''s bed.

    "Phuaah...! Of course, why wouldn''t I? It''s just a sore throat."

    Zoemi breathed out releasing the star power that he kept active for close to forty minutes by that point ¨C as he did, his body temperature returned to normal in no time.

    "Eh...?"

    Rokaina let out a surprised voice and looked Mizoe...

    "How did you even do that?!"

    ...who was just as shaken as she was ¨C the light-blue-haired man was really worried about his son after all, especially after hearing the medic''s words.

    "If I keep the star power active for long enough, my body will heat up ¨C it''s not as bad here because of the mana that keeps suppressing the spiritual energy though. I guess I mistimed the activation... it would be bad if the medic wanted to see me a second time."

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and exined before furrowing his brows and looking at the window.

    It was still early afternoon, it was impossible for him to act out his n.

    Although, he had plenty of time to check things out...

    "In case he wants to check again... ghy...! Ghy! I-it must be no earlier than thirty minutes from now, okay? Law of Sagittarius."

    Zoemi dered even though he had a coughing fit in the middle of his sentence.

    The fever might have been a lie, but the other symptoms were not.

    "Seriously, why do you keep worrying us like that? It''s not funny!"

    Rokianained, sounding a lot more familiar with the ck-haired boy than he ever did before, there was almost something motherly about her tone.

    "I''m sorry, but now - shhh... I''m listening for where she is."

    Zoemi smiled and apologized but then put his index to his lips and shushed the blue-haired girl.

    "...I hoped that she will have a good life, but... she is still trapped here. Roiso."

    The ck-haired boy breathed out in worry and closed his eyes.

 Chapter 662 232 - The Journey Continues (Part 7)

    "We will get in so much trouble if you will get caught on snooping around the Efemare''s mansion..."

    Rokiana breathed out and worried while watching Zoemi peek through the crack in the door.

    "No. We will get in trouble. My son and I, you, youngdy Perserios, will simply have to push the me onto us. I am willing to rough up a few guards to show them that there was nothing you could do about me."

    "Eeehhhh...?!

    Mizoe shook his head and cleared out ¨C but for some reason, despite having the best of intentions, he made the teenager let out a shocked and disappointed voice before pouting.

    "We''ve traveled together and neither of you seems to be wary of me or anything...! I would even say that we are quite a good match! Why are you suddenly acting as if I''m not a part of this group?!"

    The blue-haired girlined, scowling at the light-blue-haired man.

    "Because you a..."

    "I''m going. Dad, girls remember stuff you tell them, so maybe just exin the reasoning behind your words instead of just being stubborn. Lady Rokiana, on the other hand, you should think about what my father has told you ¨C the answer to your question is in there if you think about it without getting defensive."

    Mizoe opened his mouth to drive his point in, but Zoemi interrupted him mid-sentence while opening the door wide enough so just him could pass.

    "See youter."

    The ck-haired boy added, not waiting for the response, and left the room, closing the door behind him and stealthing his way down the hallway.

    The Eemare''s mansion was big for themoner standards, but it could notpare to the Benemor mansion in the slightest.

    Zoemi was moving around, pleased that the actual interior matched the one he pieced together in his mind after listening in to the daily noises of the building''s inhabitants.

    After going through two flights of stairs and a couple of doors, and having a few close encounters with the tardiest servants who were barely finishing up their tasks, the ck-haired child arrived at his destination.

    A wine cer where the ruby liquid was resting inrge barrels, waiting for the right asion to be drunk.

    Not all barrels were full, some were waiting to be refilled ¨C still, one of them would never fulfill that purpose.

    Why?

    Because it was actually a secret door to a hidden room.

    |I heard the faucet''s squeak, but what exactly was done to it...?|

    Zoemi wondered ying around with the part, testing the possible movements it was capable of.

    He certainly didn''t want to touse thew of Taurus and break it apart, that would cause his actions to be discovered way sooner than he hoped for.

    It took him a while, but after fidgeting with the part for a few excruciatingly long minutes, the kc-ahired boy discovered that after opening the fucet at the three-quarters of its capacity, the entire part could be twisted counterclockwise.

    *click*

    As he was exploring that movement, a metallic sound ¨C exactly like the ones he heard while listening in ¨C announced his patience has paid off.

    The barrel opened up on the perfectly hidden hinges and revealed another ¨C much sturdier ¨C door.

    Zoemi''s sense of hearing didn''t betray him this time either.

    The ck-haired boy was sure that there was no key necessary for gaining ess to the hidden room, and he was correct ¨C the only thing separating him from whatever was hidden in there was a heavy b of metal.

    "Law of Aries. Law of Taurus."

    Zoemi muttered and despite being a seven-year-old child, he easily moved the piece of metal that required two adult servants of the Efemare family to remove.

    "Huh... I wonder..."

    Zoemi muttered, taking a step back and taking a magic stonemp from the wine cer with him before opening the door and stepping inside the secret chamber.

    In the previous timeline, he never actually met Roiso ¨C not in the actual physical sense, that is.

    He was only talking to her through the proxy of Mirienne''s body.

    ...Mirienne the mage from the previous timeline, not Mirienne the demon lord who showed up in a pearly portal in the current one...

    If things were to be the same ¨C and they seemed to be that way ¨C Roiso should be a darkness magician whom the Efemare family was deeply ashamed of.

    So deeply, in fact, that in the previous timeline they ended up selling her off as an ingredient.

    Not even a debt ve or human coteral like it was with Mirienne.

    A mere thing.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Anyway, since Roiso should be able to see in the darkness as clearly as during the day, the ck-haired boy couldn''t help but to have a look at her too.

    That''s why...

    *creaaak*

    The heavy door let out a moan just like they were supposed to and the ck-haired boy stepped in, carrying themp in the front to illuminate the chamber.

    "...!"

    ...he wavered taken aback.

    The room was basically empty if not for a single chair.

    Of course, the chair was taken ¨C but the girl around the age of Zoemi, who was tied up to it while wearing cheap-looking clothes didn''t have ck hair as darkness and shadow magicians should.

    Her hair and eyes were both neon pink.

    The color of the poison attribute... no... the color of the Roiso attribute!

    That certainly wasn''t right! Back then, Mirienne only received the attribute after she and Roiso got experimented on ¨C for the current Roiso to simply wield the extremely corrosive attribute was just...

    "... outrageous..."

    Zoemi gasped, stepping in further and approaching the neon-pink-haired girl.

    Despite thete hour, she was still awake ¨C or maybe she just woke up because of the noises Zoemi made while getting to her.

    Her face was...

    Pretty, but in amon way. A cute kid with a slightly unusual hair color.

    But that wasn''t all, unfortunately...

    The bonds tying her to the chair were also neon pink, and it made the boy realize that they were literally made of the girl''s hair ¨C the unevenly cut hair of hers was also confirming it.

    But by far the most disturbing part of it all was that...

    Roiso''s mouth was sewn shut with her own hair too.

    That''s right.

    Sewn shut.

    Someone actually took a needle, attached the little girl''s hair to it, and then pierced her lips repeatedly to stop her from opening them.

    What kind of cruelty and degeneracy was that?

    "Do you know who I am?"

    No matter how shaken he was, Zoemi didn''t rush into things and asked, raising his hand with the magic stonemp to illuminate his face properly.

    Since Roiso attribute was the same as it was in the previous timeline already after meeting him, there was a big chance that her memories were intact too.

    It would definitely make things a lot easier.

    "...nn-nn..."

    But to Zoemi''s shock and disappointment, the neon-pink-haired girl merely shook her head from side to side and let out as much of a noise as she could just through her nose.

    "My name is Zoemi Benevei Banemor... doesn''t that ring a bell?"

    "...? Nn-nn..."

    Zoemi introduced himself and asked, but the neon-pink girl only raised one of her brows in confusion before letting out the same sound of denial.

    That was... problematic...

    but not to the point where the ck-haired boy''s ns would have changed.

    "Do you want me to get you away from here?"

    "Mm-hmm!"

    Zoemi barely managed to utter the question and the neon-pink-haired girl perked up and nodded her head vigorously while nodding her head as fast as she could.

 Chapter 663 232 - The Journey Continues (Part 8)

    "Just so we''re clear ¨C the freedom I offer you isn''t unconditional."

    "...?"

    Zoemi pointed out and Roiso red at him while raising her brow, silently demanding an exnation.

    "You will need to stay by my side. Always. The Efemare family hid your existence from the world and should not give us any problems in public, but they surely try to either kill you off or get you back in the shadows."

    The ck-haired boy leaned down and dered, staring deeply into the wide-open neon-pink eyes.

    "I will make you strong, protect you until you are able to live without fear, and then I myself will need your help with saving the world."

    Zoemi continued, leaning closer and closer in ¨C at one point he put his hand on the backrest of the chair too, which resulted in a situation that Miriette would love to find herself in.

    Roiso did not look away during Zoemi''s speech, even though her eyes didter and she tremble when someone she met for the first time got so close to her. Normally the servants that came to take care of her did their best to stay as far away as they could because of the ridiculously corrosive properties of her attribute.

    "...hmmhnn...?"

    The neon-pink-haired girl forced some noises through her nose and it sure did sound as if she wanted to inquire about some part of Zoemi''s speech.

    "Yes. Saving the world."

    The ck-haired boy wasn''tpletely certain that it was the part that the neon-pink-haired girl was bothered about, but he went with it anyway.

    "You see, I don''t have mana. What I use is the spiritual energy that fuels the star power the same way that mana fuels magic. You might or might have not heard about marital artists from another continent who wields star power, but I am one of them. Although not exactly the same ¨C I have been chosen by the faceless god, Guide, the guardian of the stars, to be the next Heavenly Star warrior and defeat the evil that is the demon lord Cherro."

    Zoemi said, revealing something that he didn''t even share with Miriette, not even mentioning Mizoe or Rokiana.

    "That filth''s awakening is still set in the undetermined future, but I need to prepare the best I can for it. Star power counters mana you see, and Cherro uses mana. That''s why I wish you to be my first ally against him. Because your attribute corrodes mana."

    The ck-haired boy grabbed the neon-pink-haired girl''s shoulders and dered with might.

    "I already lost a world because of him. Help me protect the current one. You might be hating it, but I promise you that if you cooperate with me, I will show you that this world is worth living in."

    "..."

    Truth be told, Zoemi didn''t have to bring such heavy entirely of arguments to bring Roiso to his side ¨C but he did, and it worked splendidly.

    To the point of the neon-pink-haired girl ending up starry-eyed at the end of his exnation.

    "Now then, I will ask you again. Roiso Baru Efemare. Do you still want me to free you knowing full well what I am going to involve you in?"

    "MM-HMM!"

    Zoemi asked with an extremely serious face and Roiso nodded her head so vigorously that the chai that she was tied up to trembled.

    "That''s what I wanted to hear~ Pleased to make you myrade, Roiso."

    "!?!?"

    The ck-haired boy smirked devilishly, causing the unprepared heart of the neon-pink-haired girl to skip a beat.

    "Let''s get you out of this mess..."

    Zoemi added, subconsciously patting the girl''s head while inspecting the ropes made of her own hair.

    ¡­

    "Lord Efemare, I cannot thank you enough for the kindness. I will make sure to repay it in full!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    In the morning, right after sunrise Rokiana curtsied to the sleepy gold-haired man who got out of bed only because a servant hastily informed him that the youngdy Perserios and her servants were nning on leaving.

    "It''s the least I could do for the daughter of our ally."

    Lord Efemare rubbed his eyes and shook his head before smiling benevolently and nodding back at the teenager.

    "I was informed that the boy''s fever went down but it wasn''tpletely healed... Feel free to stay until he recoverspletely."

    The gold-haired man recalled some trivial information to keep the conversation going although there was nothing he wanted more than to chase the trio away.

    After all, although Rokiana was the eldest daughter of the Perserios family, she wasn''t the designated heir to her family... The light-blue-haired man who traveled with her and was supposed to be strong had a ridiculously low amount of mana for a water magician, and his son didn''t have mana at all.

    ...the twost pieces of information came from the medic who was also a rather efficient spy ¨C although as it turned out, employing him just to look into the duo was a waste of money.

    Then there was the money lost on the medicine that the magicless brat drank to get better...

    Such a troublesome situation...

    "We are eternally grateful for such a kind offer, but it would be rude to impose on you any further."

    The blue-haired girl motioned at Mizoe, or rather at the child wearing a warm hooded cape which also was a gift from the oh-so-kind-and-benevolent lord Efemare, sitting in hisp.

    "I respect your choice, youngdy Perserios. I wish you a peaceful journey. Farewell."

    Lord Efemare nodded, trying to not leak any of the thoughts that were swarming his mind, and merely waved his hand as a goodbye and returned to his mansion.

    "Farewell~"

    Rokiana curtsied at the man''s back and got on her mare ¨C a few minutester her group left the Efemare''s estate and the capital city of their territory while on their way to their next stop.

    The Tencelion territory.

    After traveling for a few hours and making sure that they weren''t followed, the trio stopped on the edge of a small vige to have a meal in the local rundown inn.

    As they took their seats and waited for their orders, the door opened and a lone ck-haired child entered the building and walked straight to their table, seating himself next to the hooded child by Mizoe''s side.

    "How are feeling, Roiso? Does it hurt anywhere? If the wounds in your lips start sitting or letting out a funny-smelling substance, tell me immediately, it might be a sign of infection."

    The ck-haired boy leaned in and reached under the hood of the child traveling with Mioze and Rokiana and said with concern.

    "...haaaah... you could at least say something to us too, don''t you think?"

    The blue-haired girl let out a heavy sigh and asked, furrowing her brows.

    "Dad is capable enough for the both of you, and since you are here safe - it means that the n worked without a hitch, what''s the big deal? Roiso here on the other hand is my precious ally that I promised to protect."

    Zoemi red at Rokaina before protectively hugging the hooded girl who was snuck out of the Efemare estate right under her own father''s nose and scoffing.

    "Tsk!"

    Rokiana merely scoffed and red at Mizoe as if he was responsible for his son''s response...

    "...I... am fine... thank you... Zoemi..."

    "Ah! She can talk?!"

    The hooded girl fidgeted in Zoemi''s embrace and spoke quietly in an embarrassed voice, causing the blue-haired teenager to let out a shocked gasp.

 Chapter 664 232 - The Journey Continues (Part 9)

    "...talking back then... would be a bad... idea..."

    Roiso exined while leaning into Zoemi''s hug, there was no doubt that despite Mizoe and Rokiana helping to snuck her out of the Efemare estate, the ck-haired boy was the only person she trusted.

    "True... forget I asked that embarrassing question."

    The blue-haired girl raised her brows before furrowing them and looked away slightly pink in the face. That expression might or might not have something to do with the calm and collected light-blue-haired man sitting next to her and observing the conversation without butting in.

    "Dad, did you order something for me too?"

    "Hold on! Are we not going to discuss what to do with her?!"

    Zoemi, satisfied with the oue, asked Mizoe, but instead of him responding, rokaina''s head snapped right back and the blue-haired girl gasped in disbelief.

    "Excuse me? No one will do anything with Roiso against her will as long as I am here. There''s nothing to discuss because both of us already agreed on what should be done."

    The ck-haired boy''s expression darkened and he unintentionally hugged the hooded girl a lot tighter while ring at Rokiana.

    "Son, you surely understand why youngdy Perserios said what she did. She got involved quite heavily in the whole rescue operation and she doesn''t even know what was the reason. Honestly, I share her viewpoint this time... What exactly do two children of your age n to do?"

    This time Mizoe did get involved and asked before the pouting Rokiana could respond to the ck-haired boy''s deration.

    "Grow up strong. Roiso is a powerful variant magician who can be unparalleled if guided and trained the right way. Her attribute corrodes every other kind of mana, melting it into nothingness."

    "!!!"

    "..."

    Zoemi revealed and his words made Rokiana and Mizoe flinch which in turn caused Roiso to cower, greatly upset.

    "Before you will start exining how dangerous it is to have her around, let me remind you that you traveled with her and nothing happened although it most definitely should."

    The ck-haired boy added hastily ¨C truth be told, he was kind of making a show out of the reveal, but he realized that his way of presenting things was too effective in the worst way.

    "You see, just as I exined to you before, mana and spiritual energy oppose and suppress each other. Roiso and I tested it before getting out of the secret room ¨C just as the surrounding mana suppresses my star power from spontaneouslybusting during training when I use it on Roiso, her passive corrosion is suspended."

    Zoemi said and smiled at the neon-pink-haired girl who was looking up at him with awestruck eyes despite already knowing everything that he was talking about.

    "...sounds like you two are meant for each other..."

    "...!"

    Rokaiana raised her brow and pointed out, to which Roiso immediately turned red and fidgetted.

    "It''s not as nice as you put it, unfortunately. I am the one who benefits the most from this solution."

    Zoemi shook his head and admitted with a guilty smile.

    "You see, when I use any of the shareable star powers on Roiso, I train that star power, causing it t be stronger as its star level will eventually advances. But it''s not the same for Roiso ¨C her magic doesn''t get stronger while suppressed. She might not be melting things unintentionally either, but she is also losing the passive mana shield that she normally would upkeep without even realizing it."

    The boy exined, ncing at the neon-pink-haired girl with an apologetic expression.

    "...don''t be like that... that''s why you promised... to protect me..."

    Seeing him act like that caused Roiso to actually return the hug and assure him as if she was greatly bothered about making him worry.

    "Still! What do you n to do?! Growing up strong is just as vague as saying that you want a fun and fulflling life! It''s nice and all, but we asked you about your literal next step. Do you have any sort of n? An actual one."

    The moment''s fluffy atmosphere was broken by the blue-haired girl who pped her hands and demanded a grounded answer not polluted by some idealism.

    For a few seconds, Zoemi stayed silent looking down at the table as if thinking deeply about the answer. During that time none of the other three had said anything, focused on the ck-haired boy, waiting in curiosity.

    "Our next stop is the Tencelion territory. I specifically want to visit the domain of the youngest daughter of the family. Who I am interested in is her partner and child both of whom should be martial artists just as I am. I want to train with them for a while, so if things go well while dad anddy Perserios will undertake the knight training, Roiso and I will stay with them."<novelnext></novelnext>

    When Zoemi raised his head and looked at hispanions again, his expression was determined and his eyes shone with an unspecified inner light that was simr to that of the stars in the night sky.

    The silence that befell the table was different than the one from before the ck-haired boy''s announcement. It was filled with apletely different kind of tension.

    While Roiso was looking up at Zoemi in sheepish admiration, Rokiana was looking at Mizoe and her expression clearly portrayed how worried she was.

    "You don''t want toplete the knight training anymore?"

    The light-blue-haired man took a deep breath and asked.

    "Of course, I do, dad. I just won''t do it at the same time as you. Sorry for purposefully missing on a bonding activity like that, but it has everything to do with the future..."

    "Are you perhaps already gathering allies to execute the revenge on the people who robbed you of your family andnd?"

    The ck-haired boy was speaking calmly but the light-blue-haired man interrupted him with a ridiculously insightful question.

    "..."

    Even though Zoemi was fully aware of his father''s incredible intuition in anything that did not involve romance, he was still shocked by his words.

    Although, the surprisested only for a moment.

    "I will not lie to you here."

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired boy was not aware of it, but at the moment his face lighted up with a smile that was not natural for someone so young.

    It wasn''t just some devilish smirk ¨C it was a full-on diabolical grin of a bloodthirsty tyrant who takes pride and joy in crushing his enemies into a bloody pulp.

    "Paying them back will be a stepping stone for the future. After all, if I won''t be able to annihte some measly nobles, I will never be able to destroy the filth that gues the timelines."

    Zoemi dered with might.

    ...although Roiso was the only one who had the idea about the filth that the ck-haired boy was talking about...

    "Wait. Stop. Hold on...!"

    Rokiana raised her hand as if she was in a ssroom and spoke up while rubbing her forehead with the other hand.

    "That kind of sounded like you two aren''t actually rted despite calling each other father and son!"

    The blue-haired girl pointed out, staring between the two.

    "Whoops...?"

    The sudden change of peace got Zoemi out of the vengeful mood and he snickered while ncing over at Mizoe.

    "We shall discuss it after we eat. See? Our food ising."

    The light-blue-haired man cleared his throat and pointed at the innkeeper hurrying over to their table with tes in his hands.

    "So you ordered something for me~!"

    Zoemi smiled with satisfaction...

    "...I ordered a big portion... so we could eat... together..."

    Roiso fidgetted and revealed while the parts of her face visible from under the hood as she lowered her head turned pink from the intense blush.

 Chapter 665 233 - The Journey Continues (Part 10)

    It was the middle of the night, thick clouds were covering the sky so no moon or starlight illuminated the earth.

    A pack of wolf monsters was circling in on a small group of humans.

    The unaware travelers gathered around a campfire, not knowing that they entered the monsters'' territory.

    Two adult humans and two human children, two horses.

    Just enough for the pack of twenty hungry wolf monsters ¨C but it would do.

    It would definitely do...

    Creatures of their kind were known to form packs that counted into dozens and even hundreds of specimens, so their current number didn''t seem all that impressive.

    But this particr pack had something that most of the other ones could notpete with.

    Even with their species being highly attuned to earth magic and therefore having simrly-sized mana reservoirs to human earth magicians, every single member of the pack had enough mana to oust an average water magician in a duel of endurance.

    Even the four cubs, tagging safely in the back.

    The leading male had more mana than an average human fire magician, and his stone armor had already brushed off countless attacks from the magicians hopelessly trying to defend themselves from him and his pack.

    The leading female wielded a unique variant attribute and controlled salt.

    After scouting the area and confirming that there were no humans other than their prey around to help, the pack leader growled amand, and all the wolves activated their magic.

    The ground trembled as the earth and stone armors formed on top of the dark brown fur as the spells that give their species their name activated.

    The armored wolves.

    A pack like that one could easily dispose of a muchrger predator such as the seven-limbed bear, as long as a specimen wielding light magic would not appear.

    The humans and their feeble bodies stood no chance.

    The leading female''s armor was made out of salt, giving her an otherworldy, almost ghostly appearance that was bound to strike fear in the hearts of mankind ¨C but she didn''t just count on that as a factor.

    The very next spell she used was an enhancement spell that covered her mate''s and all of her children''s fangs with salt.

    There were a lot of humans who could withstand the bites, but the smart monster learned that almost none of them expect a secondary bite of the salt stinging their exposed flesh.

    Such things happening more often than not led to a window of opportunity which gave the pack a one-hundred percent sess rate in their hunts.

    That pack was so efficient, that only vague stories about them circted the human society.

    Most humans living within their hunting ground thought about them as a myth ¨C and in a situation where they were faced with said myth, it would be already toote for them to realize their mistake.

    After another low growl, the packpleted their encirclement and got in position.

    There was no chance for the humans to escape now.

    They were bound to be nothing more than the wolf monsters'' feed.

    "Kafff...!FHSHA...! FHSHA!"

    Suddenly, the wolf in charge of watching over the young cubs not getting in the way started sneezing uncontrobly, getting louder and louder with each spasm.

    "FHSHA! FHSHA!"

    "FHSHA! FHSHA! FHSHA...! FHSHA!"

    "...?"

    Out of nowhere one after the other, all of the wolves began to sneeze, causing the leading pair to tilt their heads in confusion.

    "FHSHA! FHSHA!"

    "FHSHA...!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The confusion was soon cleared out as they experienced what their young felt ¨C their nostrils started filling with water.

    Not just getting runny or anything ¨C literal water began condensing into their sensitive noses out of thin air causing the violent reaction.

    The hunt was beingpromised... no...

    It was clearly an attack!

    "AWOOOOOOOOOO!"

    The pack leader dropped the silent act and let out a bloodcurdling howl, filled to the brim with killing intent.

    The four humans all jumped up at their feet and rushed to the horses in panic, but that was of little concern to the wolves at the moment.

    *click*

    "HAWOOOO?!"

    With a sound of a snap, the water stubbornly flowing into the beasts'' nostrils turned into ice causing the creatures to yelp in pain and shock.

    They all tried to get rid of the ice, but it was of no use.

    Within the next few minutes, more than half of them dropped onto the ground suffocating as only the leading pair and three strongest wolves out of the pack managed to fend off the attack.

    Surprisingly enough, the four cubs were unaffected by the ambush, although all of them were trembling in the bushes with their ears low and their tails between their legs, too scared to even let out a yelp.

    *WHOOOSH* *WHOOOSH* *WHOOOSH*

    "GWAAUU...!"

    *thump*

    Before the monsters had the time to trulyprehend what was happening, three crescents of freezing-cold air erupted from amongst the trees at their back ¨C four adult wolves were able to dodge them in time, but the fifth one was too slow, getting hit by a single one, and his body was cut in half and fell onto the grass, frozen solid.

    "GRAAAARGH!"

    *RUMBLE*

    *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB*

    "!!!"

    The leading male roared and a wall of earth grew between the direction the attack came from and the remains of his pack, but just then four water spears shoot at them from the side, impaling and instantly killing another one of them.

    "AWOOOOOOOOOO...!"

    The pack leader let out another howl ¨C this one was full of fear, an order of immediate retreat.

    The pack encountered an enemy that they were not prepared for and had no way of countering.

    But the leading pair, one more adult world, and all four cubs were still alive.

    There was still a chance for them!

    "...acid... pond..."

    "...?!"

    *plop*

    The quiet sound of a human voice caused the wolves'' ears to perk up, but it was toote for one of them.

    Thest of the original three adult wolves suddenly found the ground he was standing on turning into a neon-pink goo and submerged into it unable to react.

 Chapter 666 233 - The Journey Continues (Part 11)

    *KSHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    "GRAAAAARGH...! GRAaaa..."

    The unfortunate creature managed t paddle its way back to the top, but as it resurfaced, the acid has already corroded its entire armor and most of its fur and skin off ¨C the beast howled for help, but it died within seconds as it was melted alive by the horrifying liquid.

    After something like that, the leading pair''s hearts were filled with fear and despair. If there weren''t four trembling cubs hiding away in the bushes, the two would have fled right there and there.

    "...they''re... staying...?"

    The same voice that preceded the appearance of the deadly pond ¨C that was still sizzling and releasing a foul-smelling vapor ¨C breathed out and a small human wearing a hooded cape came out of the woodwork.

    "...!"

    "WRAAAARRRRGH!"

    The leading male found it extremely suspicious and hesitated, but the leading female blinded by the rage of losing her children rushed at the human cub with a vengeful howl, the fangs growing longer and sharper with crystalizing salt.

    *CHOMP*

    *KSHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    "?!?!?!"

    The leading female was by the human cub in no time, and mped her jaws on the tiny torso ¨C but the moment her magically-enhanced fangs pierced the fabric, a cloud of stinging vapor burst forth as they melted before they could put even a single scratch on the feeble body.

    "Hawoo...?! GHWAIIGH...?!"

    The shocked female jumped back and retreated ¨C but then let out a confused yelp that turned into a pained howl as the corrosion didn''t just stop on the salt ¨C her actual fangs and jaws began melting off as the corrosion spread across her body.

    "Saliva... no... acid ball."

    Meanwhile, the human cub straightened its back and raised its hand ¨C while a line of neon-pink drool leaked out of the corner of her lips, she chanted the spell''s name and the liquid gravitated out of her mouth towards her hand when it formed into a sphere that she then ever so lightly lobbed at the female wolf monster that started to roll on the ground trying to do something about the pain of her flesh being corroded.

    *ssh*

    *KSHHHHH*

    The leading male jumped in the way of the projectile just in time and intercepted it with his armor, the spot that got hit released a cloud of vapor, but the corrosion didn''t spread the same way it did throughout the salt armor and body of his partner.

    "AWOOOO!"

    Seeing that he has an upper paw, the leading male let out a vengeful roar and rushed at the human cub.

    He did not aim for the bite as his mate ¨C he focused on making his armor tougher and thicker, fully intending on ramming the human cub and crushing it into a pulp with just the mass of rocksposing his magic barrier.

    "Law of Aries,w of Taurus... LAW OF CAPRICORN!"

    But just as the monster was pumping itself up, something ¨C or rather someone ¨C hiding in the tree over the hooded human roared and jumped out, falling in such a way that it was bound to sh with the charging wolf.

    The beast didn''t even consider stopping or changing direction, the armor covering his body turned him into a moving fortress and there was not even a shadow of a doubt that he would be victorious no matter what would be thrown at him!

    "ACID FOUNTAIN!"

    *GUSH*

    *KSHHHHHHHHHHH*

    "!!!"

    But all that said, the hooded human cub didn''t just stand there watching ¨C it reached out its hands and raised its voice before a massive ball of neon pink liquid condensed in front of it and burst forth, sshing all over the beast.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Some of it got into the creature''s eyes, burning them out in an instant, but even so, the monster''s charge did not stop ¨C the creature was dead set on wiping off the small human out of the face of the earth as his final did.

    But then...

    *WHAM*

    *CRUSH*

    The wolf monsterpletely forgot about the being that jumped out of the trees ¨C unfortunately for him, it was exactly what that being wanted ¨C when a small fist met the wolf''s armor weakened by acid, the stones crumbled apart like a piece of stale bread.

    But the attack didn''t stop its momentum ¨C as the monster experienced in its final moment, such a small hand carried over an outrageous amount of power.

    *SPLAT*

    with enough strength to not only stop the charge but actually send the monster''s body flying, a being that turned out to be just a young ck-haired boy, punched the beast''s head apart, blowing its brains out before striking a perfectnding afterward.

    "We have a lot of things to work on, but it was a good test. The pack was distracted by those other travelers so it was easy to sneak up on them. Things would turn bad if those wolves could use ranged spells, but we managed,... all in all... It was an amazing job, Roiso~"

    The ck-haired boy took out a handkerchief and cleaned out the specks of gray matter and viscera from his fist and face before turning right around and approaching the hooded girl.

    "That was nicely done, although if I can be honest, I thought I will have a heart attack when your littledy friend got bit by that creepy wolf with whiteish armor."

    A few momentster Rokiana and Mizoe got out of their respective hiding spots too and the blue-haired girlined, massaging her chest with a pale expression.

    "I must say... Despite believing in you, son, I go scared for a moment... thatst monster was strong. Almost too strong. I am shocked that no one put up an extermination request on those things. Sorry for doubting you."

    Mizoe breathed out and finally deactivated his special enchantments.

    "How about you will abstain from that sort of test and training in the future? For my sake..."

    The light-blue-haired mana added with a weak smile.

    "Sorry for making you both worry. If I will figure out a better practice method, I will implement it without dy."

    "..."

    Zoemi said while leaning towards Rosio and wiping off the line of corrosive saliva from her chin which made her fidget and blush.

    "Law of Virgo."

    Then, the ck-haired boy concentrated and activated his star power on the neon-pink-haired girl, temporarily suppressing her passive acidity.

    "Now then. I didn''t have a chance to use that star power before, but apparently, it gives its user the power of the creature they tame, and the high-level one can even control other humans... I didn''t exactly n on this, but I am not someone who skips on an opportunity to train."

    After smiling at Rosio and giving her a head pat, Zoemi dered while turning around and walking towards the bushes where the four cubs wereying down inplete silence, too terrified to even make a sound, not even mentioning attempting the escape.

    "Hey there, little ones. If we were another pack, you would all be getting torn into shreds. I am willing to give you a chance of survival though. How about it?"

    "..."

    Zoemi crouched by the bush and gently spread apart the twigs to have a look at the trembling cubs.

    It just so happened that the clouds started to clear out, and the moonlight hit the boy''s face, so the young wolves clearly saw his devilish grin.

    "No yelp of rejection? I''ll take it as a yes. Let''s test it out. Law of Leo."

    The ck-haired boy nodded with a satisfied expression and dered while reaching out his hand towards the cubs.

 Chapter 667 233 - The Journey Continues (Part 12)

    When their group rode into the first vige in the Tencelion territory, they instantly became the center of attention.

    Well, in particr one of them.

    ? A teenage aristocrat wasn''t that much of an umon sight to cause such a reaction ¨C but a light-blue-haired man riding a horse together with two children, and a wolf pup on each shoulder and the third one perched on his head was apletely different thing.

    On a side note, there was a fourth wolf pup there, just so it was ying the role of apdog and getting petted by both of the children.

    "...!"

    The pup on the man''s head perked up and started sniffing the air, no doubt smelling the lovely aromaing from someone''s kitchen as it was time for a meal.

    "Nnn... nnn...!"

    The puppy started to let out pitiful yelps and leaned down, looking at the unbothered light-blue-haired man.

    "Nnn!"

    "Nn! Nnn...!"

    The puppies on his shoulders also caught the wind of the delicious smell and started yelping too, bumping their wet noses against the man''s neck.

    "..."

    Without saying anything, the ck-haired boy and the hooded child ¨C as well as the fourth puppy ¨C slowly turned around and looked at the man''s face expectantly.

    "I can see the tavern''s sign from here, I guess we can stop by."

    "~!"

    "...pfft..."

    Mizoe didn''t even nce at all of the younglings, but still ended up sighing and announcing ¨C which caused all the wolf pups to start wagging their tails like crazy, the hooded Rosios brightened up, and Zoemi could notpletely stop himself fromughing, and ended up snorting while trying to hold back.

    The light-blue-haired man simply couldn''t act strict.

    "Didn''t we eat less than two hours ago though? If we keep stopping so often we will never reach my family''s territory."

    Rokiana who saw and heard everything groaned, shaking her head with disapproval.

    "Eh...? But those children are still growing and need to eat a lot...! Look at this one, Roki, doesn''t she look hungry...?"

    Roiso gasped and turned towards the blue-haired girl and said pleadingly while hugging and lifting up the puppy from herp to show it off.

    The little wolf knew exactly what it should do and made puppy dog eyes towards the teenager doing her best trying to act responsibly.

    "I...! Uh... Z-Zoemi! You have a connection with them, don''t you?! Are they actually hungry or just acting spoiled?"

    Rokiana flinched when the cuteness hit her like an actual punch, and she struggled to answer before making eye contact with the ck-haired boy and throwing the metaphorical hot potato his way.

    "Well... those kids do believe that they are hungry."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and smiled while scratching the hopeful wolf monster cub on the side and causing her hind leg to start kicking uncontrobly.

    "That''s not how hunger works and you know it! Them wanting something doesn''t mean that they need it! You are spoiling them too much! Sometimes in our territory, we do tame monsters so I can tell that you all are spoiling them too much! It has been like what? Two and a half weeks? And they are already acting like house-pets!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Rokaina puffed out her chest and dered grumpily.

    "Hmm...?"

    Mizoe''sposed expression broke and he smiled while getting the three puppies from his head and shoulders and cradling all of them on one arm, readying to get down from the horse.

    "They will get plenty of training in your territory though. Youngdy Perserios, you were the one to inform us that your family began a trial run for the monster training facility."

    "...why are you not on my side again...?"

    The light-blue-haired man gave each wolf a gentle pat and then looked over a the blue-haired girl who blushed and started sulking.

    Still, they all entered the tavern anyway.

    Unsurprisingly they took over an entire table and two benches too, as it seemed like they managed to arrive just before the rush hour for mealtime.

    Mizoe put down the pups on the bench next to him and all of them stood up on their hind legs and supported their paw against the tabletop, wagging their tails with enough strength to create a gust of wind.

    On the opposite side of the table, their sister was doing the same thing just from between Roiso and Zoemi, so her tail was bumping into both of the children with a snappy sound.

    "Umm... dear guests... are you going to have your pets around during the meal...?"

    The barmaid approached them and asked ¨C since she didn''t even ask about their order first, it seemed like the presence of the animals wasn''t exactly weed there.

    "Yes, we do. Some of the food will go to them too. Is that a problem?"

    Mizoe raised his head and fully faced the young woman for the first time since they entered the facility and nodded to her with a serious expression.

    "..."

    For a second, the barmaid''s brain seemed to shortcircuit and she stared at the handsome young man with her jaw dropped.

    "EHEM!"

    "N-no...! Of course not! What is your order, my lord...?!"

    Rokiana pouted before clearing her throat rather loudly and moving closer to the light-blue-haired man while ring at the barmaid, which caused the young woman to snap back into reality and ask while heavily blushing.

    "[Zoemi... my parents are bothering me more than ever... I identally showed off during a tutoring session and they think I am some kind of genius...! Comfort me...!]"

    While Mizoe was ordering food, Zoemi''s felt a slight pressure brushing against his mind and the cry of exhausted Miriette resounded in his head.

    "|Oh? And how would my lovely princess want to beforted...?|"

    Zoemi closed his eyes acting as if he started the meditation training and responded yfully.

    "[...nnngh... no, stop the princess thing. Horeo doesn''t remember our past life so our interactions only add to my stress, and calling me that reminds me of it...]"

    Miriette let out a tormented groan and asked while surely covering her face with both hands back in her bedroom.

    "|It''s that bad? I kind of assumed that he would be feeling bad by not awakening yet while you can wield magic like a veteran, so he would not bother you all that much...?|"

    Zoemi thought in confusion.

 Chapter 668 233 - The Journey Continues (Part 13)

    "[Well, that was a case until a month ago. The royal family was doing somemunity service or whatever, visiting the poverty-stricken areas of the kingdom and when they got back, Horeo demanded to bring one of the orphans to the castle with him.]"

    "|Hold on...?! Seriously? Wait... orphan... Miri, by any chance...?|"

    "...?!"

    Hearing Miriette''sint Zoemi flinched ¨C causing Roiso sitting next to him to jump in surprise ¨C and thought hurriedly.

    "[Yeah, it''s just like you suspect. His highness stumbled upon one of his wives from the previous timeline. Your lovely younger sister, Patishi.]"

    "|!!!|"

    Miriette revealed, giving Zoemi quite a shock.

    The ck-haired boy didn''t forget about Patishi, it was just that he had no idea in what part of the kingdom the orphanage she would be put in was supposed to be.

    Zoemi was thinking about a n of action for finding her, but as it turned out it was unnecessary, which made him feel incredibly relieved because he remembered Patishi mentioning that she was being bullied even back then because she wasn''t born a girl but dared to act like one.

    "[Horeo is bringing her everywhere. She also doesn''t remember a thing about the previous timeline, but she didn''t change all that much. She was trying to act like a boy and all, but I never saw anyone be so happy when I offered to y dress up with her. Well, she did get even happier when Horeo saw her in a dress and called her cute though.]"

    Miriette recalled with a giggle.

    "|This doesn''t sound bad... then is Horeo actually such a pain in the ass...? Or is it some nasty tutor who thinks he can abuse the kids who he teaches?"

    Zoemi pointed out curiously before asking in a grim voice, feeling the anger boil deep within him.

    "[Nothing like that. You see, because I was kind to Patishi, she now adores me and calls me big sister. She also wants to visit as much as possible and Horeo isplying with her wishes. But since he also shows up, his guards show up, and sometimes his mother shows up and the tension goes through the roof as she tries to pressure me into acting lovey-dovey with her precious boy and it makes me want to choke her out. I honestly preferred when she was the bitchy old hag that Horeo hated because as an overprotective tiger mom she is going to make me lose my mind.]"

    Mirietteined and it really did sound like she was pouring out all the bitterness she could not withstand anymore.

    "|You did say that Arisu didn''t exist in this timeline and her majesty didn''t seem to have a secret rtionship with lord Lazaram... turns out that a good thing like that ended up being a bother huh...?|"

    "[Uuuuurghhh...!]"

    Zoemi thought and got answered by Miriette''s annoyed groan.

    "[Pamper me.]"

    The girl sulked and asked in distress.

    And so, while Zoemi and Miriette were all lovey-dovey on the inside, their outside appearance didn''t show a thing.

    Still, at least for Zoemi who wasn''t alone in his room, being perfectly still in the tavern while the food was put in front of him was rather concerning for some of hispanions.

    Roiso got right in front of the ck-haired boy ¨C so close that she could feel his breath on her face and stayed there for a few seconds.

    "...uncle, Zoemi is doing the thing again..."

    After poking Zoemi''s cheek, the hooded girl turned around and said with concern towards the light-blue-haired man.

    "Wait, is he meditating even now? There should be some limits, right? It is a training for the martial artists."

    Rokiana chimed in and nced between the ck-haired boy and the light-blue-haired man.

    "Zoemi wants to be stronger as fast as possible ¨C I tried to talk with him about slowing down a bit, but the effects of it are as you can see."

    Mizoe breathed out and smiled awkwardly while waving his hand at hispletely focused son.

    "Nnn, nnn...!"

    Roiso ended up picking up the puppy that was sitting between her and Zoemi and raising it to the boy''s face where it started to lick his face while letting out concerned yelps as there was no reaction.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Roiso, don''t do that."

    "But he ignores me..."

    Rokiana scolded the neon-pink-haired girl who slumped down with the wolf puppy in herp and pouted.

    "He should be somewhat aware of his surroundings so he should be back in a few minutes, let''s start eating anyways, the puppies don''t look like they can hold back any longer."

    Mizoe nced at the three young wolves sitting all over him and made a decision.

    The puppies were yelping while all fidgety, looking towards the food but even so, none of them tried to sneak a bite in without permission.

    Only after the light-blue-haired man allowed them, they all rushed the food while their tails wagged so much it was hard for them to keep bnce.

    The rest began their meal too, although Roiso was distracted by Zoemi''s stillness, after a few minutes while others were already almost finished and she had still more than three-quarters of her te full, she ended up picking up a spoonful of her gosh and poking it against Zoemi''s cheek leaving a big stain on his face.

    "Oh,e on! Roiso!"

    immediately upon noticing it, Rokiana rolled her eyes and shook her head at the pouting girl who was doing her best to get the ck-haired boy''s attention.

    "Let me just..."

    "No, Mizoe, she will do it."

    The light-blue-haired man pulled out a handkerchief and reached over the table to clean his son''s face, but he was stopped by the stern blue-haired teenager who grabbed his hand, took out the cloth from his hand, and handed it out to the hooded girl.

    "..."

    Roiso started pouting even more, so much that her cheeks began to look as if they were about to burst, but she took the handkerchief and turned to the ck-haired boy.

    *m*

    "...!"

    But instead of using the cloth on the food stain, the neon-pink girl leaned up and licked the boy''s face clean instead.

    "...ummm...?"

    "?!?!?!"

    The thing was, that exactly when she was doing that, Zoemi opened his eyes, so he was fully aware and confused as hell at the sudden sensation of the girl''s tongue brushing against his face.

    Even so, the most shocked and embarrassed person must have been Roiso herself.

    Noticing the boy''s reaction, she immediately pulled away and started pulling her hood over her face with so much force that she moved the entire cape.

    "...pffft...! See? That''s what you get for messing around."

    Rokiana snickered and pointed out while the girl was getting sauteed in her own shame while Zoemi was rubbing his cheek, wondering what in the world must have happened while he was pampering Miriette to result in such a situation.

    "Thanks for the food..."

    The ck-haired boy said awkwardly while bringing the only te that still had untouched food on it and starting to eat.

    He didn''t know how to respond to being licked ¨C if it was Miriette, things would bepletely different, mainly because Miriette had her memories from the previous timeline.

    As for Roiso who was very much in the dark, things werepletely different.

    Therefore Zoemi made the executive decision to ignore the matter entirely and stuffed his face with food.

 Chapter 669 234 - The Journey Continues (Part 14)

    Zoemi and four wolf puppies were waiting for Mizoe, Rokiana, and Roiso''s arrival at the edge of the forest a fair distance away from the next vige.

    "...!"

    When the sounds of two horses'' hooves became audible, the puppies'' ears perked up and they all turned towards it.

    "You need to be more attentive, you noticed them far too slow ¨C if they were monsters or enemies they would alreadyplete the encirclement."

    The ck-haired boy dered while cleaning monster blood from under his fingernails with the end of the heavy dagger without raising his head.

    The puppies flinched and their tails stopped wagging and lowered at the scolding.

    "I will not always be with you to keep watch, so you need to start paying more attention, you know? Stone armor and earth wall are good spells, you have a lot of mana too, but you musn''t think that it alone can guarantee a victory. This guy had more mana than all of youbined and still let himself be ambushed. See what it got him?"

    Zoemi added, tapping his hill against the corpse of a five-limbed bear that he and the puppies hunted.

    The ck-haired boy was sitting on top of it while the young wolves were helping themselves to the bear''s flesh getting their jaws and paws stained with crimson blood.

    The five-limbed bears were a far inferior, early stage of the seven-limbed bears but still were dangerous predators.

    The one that Zoemi and the puppies killed was not really on the level of the boss monster, because in the first ce the boss monsters didn''t have the chance to appear in thend of mana, but it was still the strongest beast in that particr part of the forest.

    While Zoemi talked, the horses carrying his father, the blue-haired teenager, and the hooded girl appeared on the road and the boy finally raised his head.

    He smiled and waved at them while putting down the heavy dagger that didn''t get much use during the earlierbat.

    "Whoa... you look like you lost."

    Roiso gasped, looking at Zoemi from head to toe after the group stopped by the boy, the puppies, and the monster bear corpse.

    The girl''sment was on point, Zoemi''s clothes were torn to shreds and he was doused in blood.

    "What can I say? Keeping up with thew of Virgo,w of Sagittarius,w of Taurus,w of Aries,w of Capricorn,w of Leo, andw of Cancer active is putting a strain on me. They might all be still considered low-level, but I am what, like, seven and a half? Eight years old?"

    The boy shrugged his shoulders and checked the wounds on his chest and stomach that have already healed up and looked like mere scratches by that point.

    "That does sound like a lot."

    Rokiana nodded her head, looking between Zoemi and Mizoe trying to get a point of reference.

    The thing was, Zoemi was the first martial artist that she ever met so she couldn''t tell whether having seven star powers active at the same time was impressive or not.

    It sure sounded impressive, and the effects spoke for themselves, but still ¨C the ck-haired boy didn''t sound or looked as if it was worth any attention.

    "Do you think that the viges will buy it off us?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, patting the thick fur of the in monster.

    He dragged the corpse towards the edge of the forest so that it could be discovered sooner rather thanter, but still, left for too long, a body of a monster was supposed to lure a more powerful monster into the area.

    "We can try to sell it. Youngdy, if you please."

    Mizoe nodded and nced over at the blue-haired girl.

    "I already told you many times to call me by my first name...!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Rokiana pouted, frowning at the light-blue-haired man but waving her hand and a puddle of water appeared under the monster''s corpse, raising it an inch above the ground.

    *click*

    Which was enough for Mizoe to snap his finger and turn the puddle into ice.

    A few minutester, after getting the rope from their bags and providing Zoemi with fresh clothes and water to wash off the monster''s blood, the four people and four wolves rode into the vige while towing therge bear behind them.

    As always, Zoemi was riding together with his Mizoe and using every spare moment to cultivate.

    That''s why he had his eyes closed, although, with the continuous use of thew of Sagittarius and his naturally good hearing, he was well aware of his surroundings even during meditation.

    The ck-haired boy could hear how shocked the vigers were at their sight and the dead five-limbed bear they brought with them had everything to do with it.

    It seemed that there was some gathering at the center of the vige.

    Funnily enough, the vigers appeared to be gearing up to hunt the monster that was making it hard to go into the forest, which was a big problem for the hunters and lumberjacks, not to even mention how dangerous it was for the local children that would go foraging or simply ying anywhere near that area.

    "Greetings, good people, my son and his tamed monsters hunted down this sizeable creature. We would like to sell it, either money or travel ratios are fine."

    "?!?!?!"

    Mizoe didn''t try to hide who killed the beast and straight up revealed it in a casual voice, and Zoemi almost snickered when he heard themotion amongst themoners caused by the light-blue-haired man''s words.

    "My lord, your son has done a great service to our vige then. I would like to thank him and all of you on the behalf of thismunity."

    Despite being shocked, the vigers didn''t forget the proper manners ¨C all, at least one of them didn''t.

    "...?"

    Zoemi felt something different about the man who stepped up and thanked his father, and it had nothing to do with the sounds he was making.

    The ck-haired boy opened his eyes to be faced with a tall light-brown-haired man with grayish-blue eyes.

    What the boy recognized immediately was that the man was built and held himself up like a warrior. Not a hunter or a soldier, but rather a martial artist.

    He was not in a battle-ready stance but had this cautious aura around him that suggested that he was always vignt and ready to respond to danger in the blink of an eye.

    "I am not a person deserving the title of a lord, the one who deserves that respect is the youngdy right here, the daughter of the Perserios family who travels with us."

    While Zoemi was assessing themoner, Mizoe shook his head and presented Rokiana to the vigers, which caused them all to immediately lower their heads in front of her.

    "We are on our way to our territory and were nning on paying our respects to the Tencelion family, rasie your heads, it''s not an official visit or anything."

    The blue-haired girl exined and waved her hand dismissively.

    "...mister, you are the husband of the third daughter of the Tencelion family, aren''t you? Why are you acting so estranged?"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi breathed out and said while observing the light-brown-haired man, and got a confirmation to his words in form of the man going wide-eyed and staring at him in disbelief.

 Chapter 670 234 - The Journey Continues (Part 15)

    "Roiso, if you will be a good girl and not fight that person, I willply with a single wish of yours. As long as it will be in my power to fulfill it."

    "...?!"

    Zoemi leaned towards the hooded girl and whispered into her ear without taking his eyes off the shocked martial artist...

    ...he was so focused on the man, that he paid no mind to the sudden jolt that shook the small body of the neon-pink girl.

    "...my lord, mydy... it is especially strange to me that the child in yourpany is the one to recognize me... What is the actual reason for your visit?"

    The man slid one of his legs slightly back, not to escape but so that he could take a battle stance.

    Honestly ¨C such a reaction caused Zoemi to smirk ¨C a devilish smirk that slowly bloomed into a viinous grin.

    "Dad, youngdy, Roiso, little ones... please, wait a moment."

    The ck-haired boy giggled maliciously while dropping down the horse''s side before Mizoe could stop him.

    "What is the meaning of this?"

    The martial artist asked, furrowing his brows and looking between the light-blue-haired man and the blue-haired girl.

    "Sorry for that. I do not know what this child is nning, but be careful around him."

    "It seems that his appetite for battle was stirred by the monster. You look plenty capable of handling him, kind sir. Think about it as a way to repay him for dealing with the beast that terrorized this lovelymunity."

    Rokiana sighed and apologized while shaking her head and Mizoe raised his hand and nodded at the martial artist.

    None of the two even attempted to do something about the ck-haired boy who started doing some light stretches as if there wasn''t anything strange about his words and actions.

    "You wouldn''t be a part of the expedition if you weren''t plenty strong, mister. This is a perfect opportunity to actually learn about the martial artists and their strength levels..."

    |As I never felt any difference no matter who I faced back in the past timeline.|

    Zoemi said out loud the first part just to shut his mouth and finish it in his mind while observing the man''s reaction.

    "I see... Are you a shadow magician, young lord? I will give you a warning, martial arts aren''t something your attribute can copy."

    George''s father nodded and motioned at the other vigers to make room for whatever was going to happen while assessing Zoemi with cold, calctive eyes.

    "Law of Aries."

    The man said and his eyes lit up just a little bit.

    "Law of Aries. Law of Taurus. Law of Sagittarius. Law of Capricorn. Law of Cancer. Law of Leo. Law of Virgo."

    "..."

    Zoemi said lightheartedly as if teasing the older martial artist ¨C and it did seem to have some effect, the man squinted his eyes and seemed about to scold the child for being too lighthearted.

    *BOOOM*

    "!!!"

    ? *SHING*

    But right as the man was opening his mouth again, the boy kicked off the ground, adding even more speed by finding the foothold in thin air, and wed straight at the marital artist''s throat.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You are a bit slower than I expected... I thought that you may be having thew of Capricorn active in secret already, but I was clearly overreacting."

    Zoeminded softly on the ground, right by the well at the center of the vige square, and clicked his tongue in disappointment while shaking off a drop of blood from his fingernails that have transformed into ck ws.

    "You...?!"

    The wide-eyed man gasped, clenching one of his hands to his neck, where a thin pink line appeared after the boy''s w came into contact with his skin.

    "Have you not been training while you were here? The abundance of mana makes training a bit harder, but it also allows one to train a lot longer... ah. Wait. I think I understand."

    Zoemi tilted his head and pointed out, a little bit confused and very much disheartened but then he suddenly perked up and his evil grin became a lot beastly as his teeth had be sharp like fangs.

    "Law of Taurus. Law of Capricorn. I figured out that the Blood Star sect and the Great Ram sect would catch wind of their prodigy sooner orter, but to think they would catch wind of me too and even send someone to get me... Or are you from some other sect?"

    The light-brown-haired man activated two more powers and asked in an annoyed voice, observing the boy''s reaction.

    "Oh. A well-informed gentleman, I see. You surely know that the beloved child of Aries, Nathan Ramis, had already been disposed of... If you knew about him, why didn''t you extend a helping hand?"

    Zoemi''s face darkened and his wolf-like grin became actually threatening, which should be impossible for a child his age and stature.

    "He knew about me but didn''t do anything despite knowing my circumstances. Why would I even lift my... finger...?"

    The man shook his head and scoffed mockingly, but he hesitated by the end of the sentence, as a sudden wave of chill hit him.

    The ck-haired boy was ring at him all right, but then, standing behind the boy, was a light-blue-haired man whose body lighted up with a strange form of enchantment as he grabbed the handle of his shortsword.

    "Mizoe...?!"

    The youngdy of the Perserios family tensed up and approached the ice magician, grabbing onto the sleeve of his sword-wielding hand, but got no reaction out of him, as Mizoe was too focused on the freezing-cold hand of anger grasping his heart.

    "Oh, dear. Now you''ve done it."

    Zoemi nced over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of his father and shook his head at the other marital artist.

    "What did I do?"

    The martial artist also eyed out the light-blue-haired man, but still ended up scoffing dismissively.

    *SHING* *SPLAT*

    "!?!?!"

    "You looked away from an opponent of whom you had no information whatsoever. That''s for a start."

    Zoemi exined while pulling out his bloodied hand out of the man''s guts after using the perfect window of opportunity and rushing him while he wasn''t paying attention.

    "...urkhh...!"

    The martial artist hasped and swayed - two vigers rushed towards him to catch him before he falls down.

    "It''s only a clone made with thew of Gemini, but it still seems kind of weak."

    "Huh?!"

    The ck-haired boy pped his clean hands together while the two vigers grasped at nothing when the body made out of the star power dissolved back into spiritual energy.

 Chapter 671 234 - The Journey Continues (Part 16)

    "So he wanted his copy to handle the five-limbed bear... quite confident of him considering how weak that copy was."

    While both the vigers and most of the group that arrived in the vige were stunned at the disappearance of the man''s corpse, Zoemi merely sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

    "We are not enemies, just so you all know. With that in mind, could you point us in the direction of that man''s house?"

    The ck-haired boy added, after returning to the horses and taking his spot thanks to a bit of help from thew of Capricorn.

    Less than five minutester, they were on their way.

    The vigers didn''t seem to trust the boy at all, but they knew better than to try to deceive the nobledy from the Perserios family.

    "They had this aura about them as if they were selling out one of their own."

    Roiso shifted her position to lean against Zoemi and said in a conspicuous voice.

    "They weren''t deaf and blind, they heard and saw me. They surely think that I want to kill that man."

    Zoemi raised his brows at the girl who was a bit more forward than usual.

    "You don''t want him dead though... Haaa, what a bunch of useless people."

    Roiso let out a theatrically long sigh and looked to the side as if mourning the naivete of the vigers.

    "That martial artist seemed to be one of the people you knew about from before? What is his name?"

    Mizoe, keeping his eye on the road and constantly watching for the house the vigers described to them, asked with interest.

    "I... Have no idea. I only know that he was taking part in the same expedition that my father arrived here with, and that he married the sickly thirddy of the Tencelion family. I am interested in him instructing me in martial arts and stuff, since despite having the knowledge about star power in my brain, having a sparing partner would be preferable. Don''t take it the wrong way, dad, but your ice is a bit too overwhelming and I still have a long way before I could actually take one blow from you."

    The ck-haired boy closed his mouth for a moment before nodding apologetically at Mizoe.

    "Hmm... truth be told, I was not aware that the third daughter of the Tencelion family was married in the first ce... I believe her name is Fountrein... I honestly thought that she was of such poor health that she had no chance of ever finding a husband."

    Rokiana tilted her head and revealed in a bothered voice.

    "Well. Not only did she achieve that, but she also managed to safely give birth to a child, and said child is actually older than me."

    Zoemi said hesitantly ¨C his information didn''te from the conversations of his parents that he managed to overhear before the Banemor territory was raided and taken apart but from the past timeline.

    There were some major differences between the previous and the current one so he could not bepletely sure about everything. Still, up until that point despite the circumstances of some people being different, at least everyone he was aware of was alive up until that point.

    "So... answer me honestly, are we just stopping by so that you could make a friend?"

    After receiving that piece of information, the blue-haired teenager squinted her eyes and asked with a hint of usation.

    "Not exactly just a friend. An ally. Hopefully a reliable one."

    "...I knew it..."

    Zoemi corrected the slight misunderstanding and ended up nodding which caused Rokiana to roll her eyes and sigh.

    "Big brother Geroizen will be a great help! He is ridiculously loyal once he thinks of you as his family!"

    "..."

    Roiso perked up and whispered in Zoemi''s ear all excited ¨C to which Zoemi''s eyes widened but the boy stopped himself from saying anything.<novelnext></novelnext>

    After a few minutes the group seemed to have found the house, or rather a summer residence of the Tencelion family ¨C the thing was, they didn''t seem to be the first people there.

    "This should be the ce, but it seems they have guests over... huh...?"

    Mizoe nodded to himself with satisfaction, but then his brows furrowed after he had a closer look at the carriage parked by the gate.

    "Son... please correct me if I''m wrong, but doesn''t this carriage looks like the one lord Modari usually takes while going on his business trip...?"

    The light-blue-haired man stroke his chin while tilting his head and lightly nudged the ck-haired boy in the side.

    "I am not imagining it, am I...? Look, those are definitely the horses from the Taran stable..."

    Mizoe shook his head and actually rubbed his eyes as if he could not believe what he was seeing.

    "You are definitely not wrong, dad... What is going on...? Were you aware of Taran family being in contact with the Tencelions?"

    Zoemi confirmed his father''s suspicion while scratching his head in confusion.

    This time things didn''t have anything to do with the events of the current timeline matching the past ones.

    The current situation wasn''t making any sense in the current timeline!

    "If that helps, I also wasn''t aware that Tencelion and Taran families had anything to do with each other."

    Rokiana looked between Zoemi, Mizoe, and the carriage that was the focus of their attention and chimed in.

    "Roki, you also didn''t know thatdy Fountrain and Paluous were married."

    "And now even you are against me, Roiso?!"

    The hooded girl shifted in her spot to have a better look at the blue-haired girl and pointed it out, which caused the devastated teenager to gasp in disbelief.

    "Anyway. No matter what business lord Modari has with Tencelions, it doesn''t change our ns..."

    "True."

    Zoemi ended up taking a deep breath and shrugging his shoulders to which Mizoe nodded and dismounted the horse and helped the children and the wolf puppies get down.

    "Ah, but Leveo and Teofee might be in the carriage since lord Modari took them with him thest time, I''ll check."

    With his feet firmly on the ground, Zoemi perked up and announced, already turning towards the parked carriage.

    He didn''t even realize that Roiso was following right after him

    *knock* *knock*

    "Teofee? Leveo? Are you in there?"

    The ck-haired boy knocked on the carriage''s door and asked in a loud voice.

    *rustle*

    There was a response, although no one said anything, the keen-eared boy clearly heard someone fidgetting.

 Chapter 672 234 - The Journey Continues (Part 17)

    "Pfft... Leveo, are you trying to pull off a prank on me again?"

    Zoemi snickered shaking his head ¨C this would not be the first time when the older twin tried to give him a scare.

    *click*

    Therefore, without a bit of hesitation, the ck-haired boy grabbed the handle of the door and opened it with a bright smile he intended to greet the two girls with...

    "Ah...!"

    "...wh-wha...?"

    The single person on the inside flinched and cowered, seemingly in embarrassment ¨C although it wasn''t that obvious.

    After all...

    The child on the inside, a girl around or slightly older than Zoemi, had pure-white skin without even the slightest bit of color, the same with her hair and eyes. Because of herplexion, it was impossible for her to blush.

    When Zoemi surprised her by opening the door so suddenly, she fidgetted and pulled down on a straw hat she was wearing as if she didn''t want to reveal her face, and she shifted towards the window while her white one-piece dress rustled revealing even more pure-white skin.

    "Big sister Metavicero?!"

    Roiso didn''t even have to let out a shocked voice to reveal the other girl''s identity.

    There was literally no one else on the who could be mistaken for her after all.

    "Umm... I... I''m sorry..."

    Meavicero fidgetted and nced at the stunned Zoemi and the surprised Roiso before lowering her head apologetically.

    "Umm... I... You seem to know me but... I do not recognize either of you..."

    The white-as-snow little girl bowed her head even deeper while holding on to her straw hat.

    "...Sorry for surprising you, Miss Metavicero, but... could you tell us what are you doing here? Isn''t this the carriage of lord Modari Taran...?"

    Zoemi bowed back to the bowing girl and inquired, taking into consideration that by some wild coincidence some other person has the same-looking carriage pulled by the same-looking horses like the ones belonging to the man in charge of the territory he and his father were taking refuge in.

    "N... no...? I came here with my friend and her father... lord Kallerte. I''m sorry"

    Metavicero shook her head lightly with the perfect mannerism and even apologized even though she wasn''t at fault at all in the situation.

    "Ugh..! I see... umm, sorry for the inconvenience there and..."

    Zoemi let out a sound as if he received a ht and started backing off ¨C it really seemed like this it was his mistake but...

    "Wait... Kallerontte...? Where did I hear that family name before...?"

    "...?! I don''t... I don''t know..."

    Suddenly the ck-haired boy flinched and straightened his back, causing Metavicero to cower even more while getting teary-eyed.

    *click*

    "No, no. It''s nothing. My daughter didn''t do it for money anyway."

    As the three children were talking, the door to the summer house opened and a blue-haired man exited the building while looking over his shoulder and shaking his head while refusing something.

    "See? It''s lord Kallerontte."

    The white-as-snow girl perked up and pointed a the blue-haired man in a relieved and hopeful voice, happy that a distraction showed up.

    "...no matter how I look at him, though, it''s clearly lord Modari Taran..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...eh...?"

    But then the stunned Zoemi who was the first to react to the sound of the door opening said and made Metavicero gasp in confusion.

    Still, Metavicero in the Tarans'' carriage and father of Teofee and Leveo exiting the Tencellions'' property weren''t the ends of the surprises at all.

    *thump*

    "Thank you...! Thank you so much, youngdy!"

    The sound of someone going on his knees and thanking someone else still inside the house.

    "Now, now. Sir Paluous. Go back in and join your wife and son in celebrating her recovery. Let''s go back to the carriage, sweetie."

    Modari turned around full and waved his hand dismissively with augh before reaching his hand back inside.

    "My family will never forget this great debt...! My son, George, I will train him to the best of my abilities so he would one day be the faithful servant of this noble youngdy."

    "That I will take your word for."

    The same voice called out and Modari''s eyes shone with excitement as if that turn of events was exactly what he hoped for.

    "Until next time. I''ll close the door, go to your wife."

    The blue-haired man added before pulling his arm back and assuring the man inside.

    "Huh...?!"

    Zoemi could not keep his voice down and gasped when he saw who was holding lord Taran''s hand.

    It was...

    "You did a good job there, sweetie. With your attributes, you will be more famous than kings and queens. We need to get you the best bodyguards before we reveal you to the world."

    "I know. Thank you, papa~!"

    Modari breathed out and smiled at the blue-eyed little girl at his side and she nodded with a proud expression and shook her head, making her lush blond hair sway in the breeze.

    "Now then... I heard some gossip about a child from the Efemare family, apparently, it awakened to such a destructive attribute that its family hid it away. We should visit there too since it is close by, now, our coachman should be back any minute... ah...!"

    The blue-haired man nodded with a smirk and looked towards his carriage and the words got stuck in his throat when he spotted the ck-haired child standing in front of it.

    "!!!"

    Immediately, his eyes darted to the side and once he spotted the light-blue-haired Mizoe ring at him from outside the gate, his face became ghastly pale just before turning greenish from the wave of nausea that hit him like a speeding truck.

    "Papa...? Private visit."

    The blond-haired girl looked up at her father''s face and tilted her head before using one of her spells on him.

    "...hmm... no signs of any actual sickness, but your symptoms are... EH?!"

    She tilted her head and thought out loud before her eyes wandered off and randomly made contact with Zoemi''s obsidian eyes, causing her to let out a shocked voice.

    "Burushi?!"

    Zoemi called out in disbelief.

    "Wha...?! Wait! HOW COME YOU ARE EVEN ALIVE?!"

    Burushi shouted back in utter disbelief.

 Chapter 673 234 - The Journey Continues (Part 18)

    "Sweetie...?!"

    Lord Taran gasped in shock when his daughter let go of his hand and rushed towards the ck-haired boy.

    "What the hell, man?! Banemor family was executed for some sort of treason and their territory was split apart! I was sure that you died!"

    The moment that Burushi reached Zoemi, she grabbed his shoulders and hissed while shaking him around.

    "Oi, healing skank, let go of him or I will melt your fucking arms off!"

    The next moment, Roiso grabbed one of Burushi''s arms and growled while raising her head just enough for one of her neon pink eyes to show a glistening form underneath the hood she was wearing.

    "And you even got the acidic yandere bitch with you."

    The blond-haired girl raised her brow without being either threatened or impressed while looking at the furious neon-pink-haired girl.

    She did let go of Zoemi''s shoulders though, and as she did, Roiso rxed her grip too.

    "Alright, I see that you have your memories back ¨C both of you."

    "...!"

    The ck-haired boy nodded before giving Roiso a side look that caused her to blush and fidget in unease.

    "Yah, I was minding my own business living peacefully under queen Patishi protection when all of a sudden I woke up in the body of my three-year-old self."

    Burushi responded with a short nod and an annoyed sigh.

    "Sw-sweetie... you... you know those children...?"

    Lord Taran approached them in a hurry while nervously looking at the extremely judgemental-looking Mizoe who remainedpletely still except for his eyes that were stuck on the blue-haired man.

    "Ah, shit. We will have to talkter... Yes, papa!"

    Burushi groaned and looked between Roiso and Zoemi before turning around and switching into a little girl mode and acting all cheerful towards her father.

    "They are my friends!"

    She added all happily.

    "O-ohh... Friends... so... umm... oh dear..."

    Modari Taran let out a bothered noise and his voice started to be more and more high-pitched as he spoke.

    It was a behavior of a righteous man caught red-handed on doing something that he knew full well was bad.

    "Hello, lord Modari."

    "..."

    "...hello, Zoemi..."

    The ck-haired boy greeted the blue-haired man and the hooded girl bowed her head too, to which lord Taran responded with a heavy sigh while getting even more green in the face.

    "Eh? Papa, you know Zoemi...?"

    Burushi blinked a few times before furrowing her brows and staring at her father who fidgetted in unease.

    "Y... y... ye... yeah... I do... Umm... Zoemi and his father live in... umm.. territory... m... my territory..."

    The unfortunate man seemed to be losing hisposure with each second in which he was talking.

    "Kallerte territory?! Wait, so you were living so close by and didn''t even think about visiting my vige even with your memories back?! Here I was getting as far out of my way as possible to check up on you and you didn''t care at all!"

    The blond-haired girl gasped and huffed angrily at the ck-haired boy.

    "Not at all..."

    "Zoemi, why don''t we go and talk with your father for a bit and...?!"

    Zoemi opened his mouth and Modari instantly tried to talk over him...

    "My dad and I live in Taran territory, after all."

    ...but Zoemi merely waited a bit and finished what he wanted to say anyway...

    "..."

    "...papa...?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The blue-haired man closed his mouth and eyes and took a deep breath while his daughter looked up at his face and asked in a shocked voice.

    "... I will go talk to Mizoe before he will get so angry on his own that he will kill me..."

    "EH?!"

    Modari breathed out and dered while turning full ny degrees all of a sudden and walking away while Burushi gaped in shock.

    "What the hell is going on?!"

    The blond-haired girl shook her head and turned to the ck-haired boy for answers.

    "That''s what I want to know! Are you telling me that you are the love child that lord Modari has?!"

    "What the fuck do you mean a love child?! Papa and mama are married! They can''t officially reveal it because she is amoner, but with me having two attributes, one of which is healing, things can turn around!"

    Zoemi raised his hands and called out in a hushed voice, to which Burushi scoffed furiously before waving her hand in a domineering way.

    "...oh... umm... sorry to be the one to tell you this, healing skank, but in the first ce, there is now or tradition that would forbid lower nobles from marryingmoners. Many do that, actually, unless, of course, they are born with an especiallyrge mana reservoir or powerful variant attribute. If he doesn''t want to make it official then... you know..."

    Roiso flinched and started to awkwardly rub the back of her head while giving some much-needed exnation and context.

    "...oh... ooohhh... uuu..."

    Burushi stared at her wide-eyed as the realization dawned on her and her chin trembled before she gritted her teeth.

    The blond-haired girl then turned towards her father who had her back turned on them and raised her hand.

    "...water sprout..."

    *ssh*

    "WHOA...?!"

    She murmured and a stream of water condensed out of thin air and hit against the blue-haired man''s back, causing him to jump and let out a choked voice.

    "PAPA! I HATE YOU!"

    Burushi cried out with a face red from fury and rushed inside the carriage...

    "Meta...! Papa is a cheater and a liar! Uuuuu...!"

    ...where she dived into Metavicero''s embrace and cried in a hurt voice...

    "I can... beat him up for you..."

    The white-as-snow girl gently patted her head and then awkwardly suggested as she was unable toe up with anything better to say.

    "I must say, getting Metavicero was a good choice, although I am surprised you didn''t turn to Miriette."

    "Hmph!"

    Zoemi merely nced at the soaked noble before walking towards the carriage and leaning in while saying, but that only made Burushi scoff.

    "I went for you first, but the only thing I learned was that you are most likely dead. And do not underestimate my survivor instinct ¨C if you were dead because of the Espine family, I didn''t want to be anywhere near their territory when Miri''s memories return and she would kill everyone even remotely responsible for your death."

    The blond-haired girl turned her head to show her face to the ck-haired boy and dered grumpily.

    "...yeah, no, Ipletely understand and agree. She would do that ¨C thankfully, I was the one who triggered her memories to return. Although, it also gave her a big deal of trouble as she is under constant surveince from her family, and she doesn''t want to do anything risky out of consideration for the people who help me."

    After maybe a second of hesitation, Zoemi nodded his head vigorously as it was impossible to not agree with Burushi''s point. The ck-haired boy did add some things that the blond-haired girl wasn''t able to get information on.

    "Hold on... so the mess in Victureo territory was caused by you?!"

    Burushi sat up, moving away from Metavicero''sp, and asked in shock.

    "Yeah..."

    Zoemi nodded with an apologetic smile.

    "Tsk. What a wasted opportunity...! If I know that you were alive and contacted you, we could arrange so either Grazio or Elsby would get injured, and then I could swoop in and heal them! I definitely want to get on Elsby''s good side!"

    "...!"

    Burushi clicked her tongue andined, causing Metavicero to lean back in shock.

 Chapter 674 234 - The Journey Continues (Part 19)

    "So, what you are telling me, is that papa isn''t a Kallerontte but a Taran, and that I am half-sister to Veo and Teo... hmm... I wonder if Teo in the past timeline knew about it and that''s why she hated me so much...?"

    After some more catching up, Burushi ended up breathing out and wondering.

    "I can''t say for certain, it would be best if she regained her memories andmented on that on her own... because honestly, you are already being hated even though neither of the twins or their mother met you in person."

    Zoemi made a bothered expression and tilted his head in unease.

    "Oh... oh, great."

    The blond-haired girl flinched and groaned in a tense voice.

    "That said... it seems that in this timeline, you have properly unlocked both of your attributes. That is impressive."

    The ck-haired boy changed the subject as the atmosphere didn''t have to stay so heavy.

    "Nah. It was easy. Actually, this time around I woke up to the water attribute and then gained the ess to the healing one simply because I was already so used to it... that said... Private visit."

    Burushi shrugged her shoulders and said dismissively before reaching out her hand and casting one of her spells.

    "...!"

    Zoemi raised his brows feeling a slight itchiness spreading throughout his entire body. It wasn''t anything pleasant butpared to the pain that it would bring him during the past timeline, the improvement was simply tremendous.

    "Whoa... your physical capabilities are on the same level they were when I started treating you in the past timeline! Did you get a cheat and wake up with the same strength?"

    Burushi let out a short approving gasp and nodded while reading something out of something that only she could see.

    "That''s a hard question. I kind of did and didn''t at the same time. I can use star power ¨C it''s not on the same level as before, but also now I have ess to all twelvews instead of being locked at just three."

    Zoemi revealed with a frown while rubbing his chin. Things would definitely be easier if he was at the supernova level of thew of Aries from the start, but being able to use all twelvews was nothing to scoff about, especially since in most cases they would synergize with each other enhancing one another in ways that he originally didn''t even think of.

    "Nice. Though I can see that as a trade you don''t have even a drop of mana... which must be amazing while dealing with the yandere bitch. She has nothing to passively melt... although... you are doing something to suppress her mana, aren''t you?"

    The blond-haired girl nodded with approval before ncing over at Roiso who was talking engaging Metavicero in a conversation all excitedly.

    "Continous cast of thew of Virgo. It''s a star power that heals the user or the target and until now it didn''t show any side effects. If anything, Roiso''s case is another proof confirming that in this timeline mana and spiritual energy aren''t destroying each other relentlessly, even though they suppress each other. Which honestly is a great thing because it means I and other marital artists can survive in thend of mana."

    Zoemi exined with a smile, spreading his arms open and smirking devilishly while his ck eyes were shining with a star-like glow.

    "Yah, but... I think that as a bncing factor, this our world is now filled with monsters. Have you encountered any up until now? They are creepy as hell."

    Burushi squinted her blue eyes and pointed out before motioning with her head towards the forest in the distance.

    "Not only encountered, with thew of Leo I even tamed four of them. This little one is an armored wolf puppy and her three sisters are with by my dad''s side."

    "Eh? Really?"

    "Nn...? Nnn... Nnn...!"

    Zoemi boasted and grabbed the puppy from hisp, showing her off to the intrigued Burushi ¨C the little wolf didn''t seem too eager and started yelping while looking back at the ck-haired boy with puppy-dog eyes.

    "With them around, I can efficiently train thew of Leo and I believe that they even influence myw of Cancer transformation in some way, which is simply amazing."

    Zoemi added, actually boasting while putting the puppy back on hisp and scratching her behind the ears which calmed her down.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...say... you wouldn''t be willing to part with one of them...? I am kind of gathering a bodyguard team and someone blindly faithful and with keen senses is exactly what I have been wanting..."

    Burushi spoke cautiously, carefully observing the boy''s face and trying to feel out his reaction.

    "I mean, you have the acidic yandere already, and honestly, you having five obedient bitches around will definitely piss off Miriette... so give me one of the armored wolves."

    She added lightheartedly.

    "You know, I don''t know if it''s a friendly banter or are you and she actually hates each other for real...."

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and sighed.

    "What? Of course, it''s friendly banter! I love animals!"

    "Pfft...!"

    Burushi opened her eyes wide and dered with fake feverishness, making Zoemi snicker unable to hold back.

    "If anyone likes you back, feel free. But keep in mind that they are quite intelligent creatures that can control their instincts pretty well, so it will not exactly be easy to properly train them if you will be using ordinary methods."

    "I will keep that in mind... all that said... Are you here for George too?"

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head and shrugged before giving the blond-haired girl a warning and she nodded and asked back, changing the subject.

    "Hmm... I would be lying if I said no. I mostly wanted to train with him and his father to be a stronger martial artist. Still, having him by my side when demon lord Cherro will appear in this world would be appreciated as a backup... but it is not like I need to have him around all the time."

    Zoemi considered and said a momentter.

    "Eh? Lord, Zoemi, you want to train with big brother Geroizen and his father? WHat about going to the Persersios territory with Roki and lord Mizoe?"

    Roiso suddenly turned right around and asked as if she was a part of the conversation from the very beginning.

    "Yeah, about that... My knight title will have to wait. Dad and youngdy Rokiana should go, but I will stay behind with you... though, Burushi, I will dly employ your help in persuading Paluous to let me stay. I kind of destroyed his clone and might not be weed."

    The ck-haired boy nodded to the neon-pink-haired girl and then turned to the blond-haired one expectantly.

    "Yah, sure. You will be making my future bodyguard and or attendant stronger in the process, so there is no problem on my part."

    Burushi didn''t hesitate even for a second before nodding and standing up from her seat.

    "Umm... my lord... If I remember things correctly, this is the first time you speak of this n... does lord Mizoe knows about it?"

    Roiso bit her lips and asked kind of nervously.

    "Nope, he doesn''t... but I am nning on leaving him two puppies so he would not feel lonely, so it should be okay."

    "That is not what I am talking about!"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders with a confident smirk but Roiso didn''t seem to share his confidence.

    "No. Seriously, it will be fine. Now then."

    The ck-haired boy assured her and stood up to leave the carriage.

 Chapter 675 235 - Knight Training (Part 1)

    Two years passed as if there were mere moments ¨C Mizoepleted the training in the Perserios territory and returned to the Taran territory as an official knight, while Zoemi stayed behind in the Tencelion territory training every day with Paluous and Geroizen...

    Or rather, Paul and George as their names should be pronounced.

    "HMPH!" *RUMBLE*

    The ck-haired boy scoffed and stomped his foot, breaking the ground apart and causing two brownish-ck-haired boys to lose bnce.

    *WHAM*

    Just as that happened, another ck-haired boy grabbed the hands of the brownish-ck-haired boys, mming them together and causing one of them to dissipate into the spiritual energy, ending the sparing thatsted for over an hour.

    "Guh...!"

    The remaining brownish-ck-haired boy let out a pained groan and fell to his knees.

    "Come on George. I have seen your talent in thew of Gemini, don''t stop just on two clones!"

    "Not to mention,  yourw of Taurus andw of Aries also suffer quite a bit from your body being split, we need to work on that."

    Both ck-haired boys stood over the fallen one and spoke with concern.

    "Th-that''s how it''s supposed to be until you break through the conventional star levels though! Yourw of Gemini is just weird, Zoemi!"

    George wiped out the tears that gathered in the corners of his eyes and dered grumpily while leaning back and sitting heavily on the ground.

    "That''s because it''s not just thew of Gemini, but thew of Pisces and thew of Libra. The synergy is amazing."

    "!!!"

    The two ck-haired boys looked at each other and smirked before both of them disappeared into spiritual energy and a third one approached the brownish-ck-haired boy from behind, causing him to jump in shock.

    "Huh?! Wait...! So I wasn''t even fighting the real you?!"

    George turned around without standing up and supported his torso with both hands.

    "Son, you need to pay more attention to your surroundings. The real Zoemi and his familiar were training with me."

    "Dad?!"

    The brownish-ck-haired boy couldn''t even catch a break from the surprises because his father, Paul Tencelion, approached him too and pointed out while being followed by a big wolf wagging its tail like a housedog.

    "...I''m doing my best..."

    George murmured under his breath, clenching his fists.

    "I know. You are born under the Gemini constetion and, honestly, I would not be surprised if you were actually a beloved child of Gemini. That''s why I can''t go easy on you. Your potential is just too good."

    "...wh-wha...!?"

    Zoemi nodded and patted his shoulder before helping him stand up ¨C which caused the older boy to let out a shocked gasp and blush from the unexpected praise.

    "Hmm-hmm! Of course! George is my pride!"

    "~!"

    Paul raised his head up high and boasted, which caused his son to fidget and blush even more, unable to hide how happy it made him.

    "But there''s something I need toin about, George... you are still holding back, aren''t you?"

    "...!"

    "Huh? What do you mean?"

    Zoemi suddenly made a serious expression and looked George in the eyes, making the older boy flinch and tense up, while his father furrowed his brows and inquired.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "George can actually use mana."

    "WHAT?!"

    The ck-haired boy announced, causing Paul to shout in disbelief.

    "George, is that true?!"

    The light-brown-haired man gasped, dropping to one knee and grabbing his son''s shoulders.

    "W-well... it''s not exactly as he said though, dad... I don''t have an attribute like mom, but I can use thew of Gemini to copy and use a spell...w of Gemini..."

    *WHOOOO*

    George fidgeted nervously and raised his hand before chanting the name of the star power and having a zing fireball ignite above his palm.

    "This...! This is amazing! Incredible! How did you even... wait... a fireball...?"

    Paul gasped in awe, staring at the crackling mes that did not go out no matter what, but then he furrowed his brows and questioned.

    "Paluous, you didn''t think I would not train with our little boy?"

    "Ah...! Fountrein...!"

    A window of the summer house opened ajar and a pastel-red-haired woman leaned outside and snickered at the light-brown-haired man.

    "He can''t copy more advanced spells, but we will get there~!"

    Fountrein snickered, reaching out her hand and using a spell without casting it out loud.

    *hiiiiisssssss*

    A string of ming rope coiled around her wrist like a snake and stayed there without harming her pale skin.

    "Lady Tencelion! Your creativity never ceases to amaze me!"

    Zoemi gasped and was the first one to move by the window to gaze upon the curious spell.

    "It''s because I don''t have much mana, I need to be creative ¨C especially now that I don''t have an excuse for being of fragile health~!"

    The pastel-red-haired woman snickered, showing off her teeth in a lovely smile.

    "Wait...! Then, you really were holding back during training, George! Why?!"

    That said, Paul turned right around and asked his son who shook his hand causing the fireball to dissipate into thin air.

    "That''s because..."

    George gulped down his saliva and sulked a bit before answering.

    Even so, the other three waited patiently for him to give them a proper answer.

    "Wounds caused by mana don''t really heal well on Zoemi... what... what if I would hurt him?"

    The brownish-ck-haired boy ended up revealing before turning around to hide his face.

    "...ah...! That''s true... And not just for Zoemi but me and other marital artists too.... wounds caused by fire magic are notoriously difficult to heal with thew of Virgo... If your finger or ear got blown off, that''s it. At least with water, earth, and wind magic you can use thew of Aquarius to get rid of mana and then heal it slowly over time, but something about fire magic messes it all up."

    Paul blinked a few times before nodding and even turning to Zoemi to give him a more detailed exnation.

    "I understand, still, myw of Aries should already be strong enough to protect me from a fireball. As long as you will not try to ambush me when we aren''t training, it will bepletely fine to use it! Not to mention, it would be best for you to get used to using that ability inbat!"

    Zoemi nodded, acknowledging the good will of both Tencelions, but he also was aware of the progress that he made during those two years he spent in their territory.

 Chapter 676 235 - Knight Training (Part 2)

    "And if you are so worried, then you can just copy Cat''s stone armor."

    Seeing that his earlier words didn''t seem to convince George, Zoemi smirked and pointed at the big brown wolf that approached him wagging its tail while waiting to be patted.

    "Huh?! Hey! That''s right!"

    George gasped and jumped up as if he never considered that an option before.

    "Eeehhh...? You don''t want to use mommy''s magic?"

    "Moom...!"

    Fountrein asked teasingly, which made George blush andin, ncing at Zoemi as if afraid that the ck-haired boy will start making fun of him.

    "But... if you really don''t want me to use other attributes..."

    Still, George ended up looking to the side before speaking awkwardly kicking the ground.

    "I''m just joking, sweetie~! Although Cat''s spell might be too advanced for you to copy at this point... Armor spells are notoriously difficult for mages to master. Give it a try though, mommy is cheering you on!"

    The paster-red-haired woman waved her hand dismissively and smiled gently.

    "Just don''t start sulking if he will do it on his first try after everything you said."

    "Hey! Don''t make it sound as if I''m some petty person!"

    Paul snickered at his wife which made her gasp and blush while she red at him.

    "AH! Zoemi! Are you done with the training for today?! You promised to go around the vige with me to shop around before we depart!"

    Suddenly, the neon-pink-haired Roiso popped up by Fountrein''s side and asked Zoemi in excitement...

    Around one weekter, a carriage with the crest of the Tencelion family''s crest arrived at the capital of the Perserios territory.

    Despite Tencelions being only lower nobles, both children of the current head of the Perserios family showed up to greet them.

    When the carriage door opened, it was revealed that only two children were inside ¨C a ck-haired boy and a neon-pink-haired girl.

    "Zoemi, Roiso~! You both grew up so much!"

    "Youngdy Perserios."

    "Hello, Roki~!"

    Rokiana weed them with a bright smile and both children responded in a simr fashion.

    "This is my younger brother, Devios Elef Perserios, the heir of our family. He really wanted to meet you both after everything I told him about you."

    The blue-haired girl reached out towards a light-blue-haired boy with one murky-ck eye and announced with pride.

    "...! It is an honor, young lord."

    Zoemi''s eyes widened at the sight of the younger boy.

    Was it the same thing as with Roiso and Metavicero? In the previous timeline, Devios was born with only one eye and the missing one got reced with a mana stone. Later on, one of Zoemi''s sentinels would rece that mana stone in order to save Devios''s life.

    And it seemed that it became a permanent part of the young blue-haired boy in the current timeline too.

    "Please, just call me Devios. After everything I''ve heard it feels like we are basically family already."

    The eight-year-old Devios shook his head before winking at Zoemi while making sure that his sister wouldn''t see it.

    |He remembers!|

    The ck-haired boy realized instantly and his smile became even wider.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Fa... family...?! Devios...! Sir Mizoe and I aren''t like that yet!"

    Rokiana might not have noticed the winking, but she sure did hear what her younger brother said and started blushing.

    "Sis, I didn''t say anything about Zoemi''s father though?"

    "...!"

    This time Devios really did tease his older sister and snickered, making her flinch and blush even more as she realized that she dug her own grave.

    "A-anyway...! Devios, both of them will be staying with us while Zoemi will be participating in the knight training."

    "Just like Grazio and Ehmy Victureo and youngdy Espine?"

    Rokiana cleared out her throat trying to regain herposure and said, to which Devios tilted his head and asked to confirm.

    "Exactly. I bet you two must be surprised hearing that those three are here too."

    The blue-haired girl nodded and nced over at Zoemi and Roiso.

    Both of them nodded their heads as if too surprised to squeeze a word in, but in truth, Zoemi knew about this turn of events from the very start as Miriette revealed it to him the very moment it was decided upon. The ck-haired boy wasn''t going to keep his neon-pink-haired friend in the dark either.

    Still, it seemed like in this timeline, Espine and Victureo families were especially close.

    "Hmm... Victureo family introduced an age limit to their knight training, probably to prevent their son to try and participate in it, but somehow they still sent him here for it...? They are quite an odd bunch."

    Zoemi tilted his head and raised his brow at the silliness of the situation.

    If Grazio''s parents were going to fold on their stance on their son''s participation, why didn''t they let him do it in their territory where they could influence the oue without being too obvious?

    "I don''t know, you will be able to ask them yourself. Oh, by the way, did sir Mizoe tell you that he set some records while training here?"

    Rokiana shrugged her shoulders and pointed out before smiling as if the achievement of Zoemi''s father was her own.

    "What kind of record?"

    The ck-haired boy didn''t really feel like continuing the subject of the Victureos anyway, and dly asked back with interest.

    "He actually defeated every singlebat instructor that we have ¨C including my grandfather!"

    Rokiana boasted in excitement.

    "Nobody died?"

    "Wha...?! Of course, nobody died! They were just practice fights!"

    Zoemi asked, causing Rokiana''s eyes to widen as she gasped in response to the shocking question.

    "Ah, so his control improved this much! He really is amazing, isn''t he?"

    The ck-haired boy smiled and nodded, raising his head with pride.

    "He is! With that, even though he was banished from his family, dad has no problem with letting me marry hi...! I...! I mean...! My father would like for him to visit us a few times!"

    The blue-haired girl clenched her fists and jumped up from excitement before suddenly realizing that she was getting ahead of herself quite a bit and hurriedly looked away.

    "...hah, some things never change... And speaking of which ¨C I haven''t had the chance to talk withdy Miriette, does she has her memories back just like you and me?"

    "Hey! Me too."

    Devios smirked, ncing at his older sister before turning to Zoemi and asking him ¨C as he did, Roiso stepped between him and the ck-haired boy and dered grumpily.

 Chapter 677 235 - Knight Training (Part 3)

    The chance for Zoemi to meet with Miriette without being suspicious about it happened very soon ¨C as Rokiana''s guests they would be having it together with the Perserios family... Same as the important young guests such as both children of the Victureo family and the only daughter of the Espine family.

    Despite having talked with Miriette every single day thanks to her message spell, Zoemi was still having a hard time controlling himself to not run up and sit right behind her the moment they entered the dining room.

    "Oh. It''s that traitor fire whore."

    "!!!"

    Roiso''s words were like a bucket of cold water and made Zoemi jolt up in realization.

    Up until that point hepletely forgot about Roiso and Ehmi''s history ¨C he didn''t see it himself either, but Mirienne and Roiso were the only ones capable of standing up to fully powered Ehmi with her inborn me absorption ability that apparently evolved into spell absorption and mana conversion.

    When Zoemi first met Ehmi in the current timeline, she didn''t regain her memories, and ording to Mireitte, nothing changed from that time.

    But would it stay the same after standing face to face with the monstrosity that would have killed her if only she was given more time that was Roiso?

    "I will kill her now, okay? Before she will get a chance to betray us."

    "Roiso, please do not do anything hasty."

    The neon-pink-haired girl leaned towards Zoemi and whispered into his ear, making him be pale and shake his head from side to side.

    "This is not me being hasty, I just try to prevent that charred slut from bending over and spreading for the demon lord Cherro once he shows up in our world."

    Roiso scoffed but since she didn''t take any offensive action, Zoemi breathed out in relief.

    "You don''t have to get along with her, just do not attack her, okay? Could you do that for me?"

    Just to be sure, the ck-haired boy grabbed the neon-pink-haired girl''s hand and whispered back.

    "...okay..."

    Which ended up making her blush and nod.

    "Father, dear guests. This is Zoemi, sir Mizoe''s son, and his friend Roiso. Zoemi will be taking part in the knight training that starts tomorrow."

    Rokiana introduced them ¨C Zoemi bowed his head while Roiso curtsied elegantly, which was the result of her learning proper manners fromdy Fountrein Tencelion.

    "Mizoe''s son? You will have quite big shoes to fill then, boy. I can vouch that none of our instructors are petty enough to have revenge after being bested by your father, but I can''t promise they will not hold ou to a much higher standard than the resto of the participants."

    The man who must have been the current head of the Perserios family raised his brows andughed jovially.

    "I would be more worried about them, my lord."

    Surprisingly, the one to responded to Lord Perserios''s words was the red-haired Grazio. And intriguingly, he didn''t sound particrly bitter... although while others looked at him in confusion, Zoemi and Miriette exchanged nces already knowing what would happen next.

    ? No matter the timeline, young Grazio was, after all, someone who held grudges and did not think highly about anyone else.

    "Why is that? Young Grazio, do you know young Zoemi?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Just as Grazio hoped for, Lord Perserios asked him to exin ¨C which the red-haired boy could not be happier to do.

    "This is not the first time that this boy is trying to join the knight''s training. He attempted it two years ago in our territory but since he was too young he was not allowed. Still, he ended up killing one of our instructors by ambushing him."

    Grazio dered while motioning at himself and his older sister, so proud of himself that he wasn''t even looking around.

    "Grazio..."

    Ehmi raised her hand to her face and rubbed her forehead in disbelief while Miriette stayed silent for a few seconds, giving the red-haired boy ample time to take back his words.

    But when it was obvious that he would not do that...

    "Young lord Grazio forgot to mention that the instructor in question disrespected me, and Zoemi was the only person acting to protect my honor. And, pray tell, Grazio. What part of shouting a warning, waiting for the opponent to turn your way, and only then closing the distance of dozens of feet do you recognize as an ambush? Following that logic, you will im that every duel that you will have in your life will be an ambush from the other party?"

    "!!!"

    Miriette scoffed and went straight for the jugr,pletely stunning the red-haired boy who was sure that after the years that they knew each other thought that Miriette would be on his side.

    "Lord Perserios, please forgive this minor inconvenience but considering that we haven''t started eating yet, I would like for my seat to be moved to the other side of the table, together with Zoemi and Roiso."

    Miriette added, not even waiting for an answer, stood up from her spot and marched right to where the ck-haired boy and the neon-pink-haired girl were seated after Roiana led them to the table.

    "Mydy."

    As she was approaching, Zoemi didn''t hesitate for a second and gave his spot to her while the head of the Perserios family frowned and motioned at the servant to move the chair and cutlery that the dark-haired girl was supposed to be using.

    "Thank you, Zoemi."

    Miriette''s hair curled up into lovely waves as she epted Zoemi''s hand and seated herself on his former spot.

    "...?"

    When she did that, a peculiar bracelet brought the ck-haired boy''s attention.

    It was made of silver and had peculiar cloudy-white crystals with run-like scribbles embedded in it.

    "...don''t worry about it..."

    "???"

    Miriette noticed his confusion and just shrugged her shoulders before letting go of his hand and hiding the bracelet under her sleeve, only confusing the boy more.

    "Sup Roiso? I''ve heard that you regained your memories. I hope you do remember that the spot of Zoemi''s first and most important wife is indisputably reserved for me."

    While Zoemi was thanking the maid who prepared a new spot for him, Miriette turned towards Roiso and asserted her dominance.

 Chapter 678 235 - Knight Training (Part 4)

    "But of course. I am not an idiot and remember our first meeting very well. I like the oxygen now and would like it to stay in the air that I am breathing."

    "It makes me d to hear that we understand each other so well."

    The neon-pink-haired girl reluctantly nodded her head to which the dark-haired girl responded with a graceful and benevolent smile.

    "You are not going to ask me do I know what is going on with Mirienne?"

    Roiso nced at Zoemi, making sure that he doesn''t hear it, and asked.

    "No. I found out on my own."

    Miriette expression darkened for a moment and she shook her head while clenching her fist.

    "Alright. I''m just d that you cared for her that much. She would be overjoyed to learn that."

    Roiso breathed out in relief and patted Miriette''s shoulder.

    "Hmph... If you say so. That said, Zoei said something about someone who was calling themselves Demon lord Mirienne, do you know anything about it?"

    "Only that Zoemi mentioned them a few times, something about encouraging him to move forward and not losing hope because you were waiting for him. Honestly, sounds like our Mirienne, but apparently, they looked too different to match her."

    Miriette scoffed under her breath before ncing over at Zoemi and Roiso answered with a sigh.

    While that part of the table was upied with the conversation, the other one had a rather different mood.

    "Are you proud of yourself?"

    Ehmi was making a strict expression while ring at her younger brother.

    "B-But...!"

    "I asked if you are proud of yourself. Our parents and I barely managed to patch up things with her and her family and you just go ahead and remind her of what that fool said! Go ahead and cast a fireball in her face while you are at it!"

    Grazio fidgetted and stuttered but Ehmi didn''t give him a chance to exin himself and just continued the scolding.

    "I thought that you were smarter than this, Grazio. She called him her knight, and our father mentioned that he learned that she requested her parents to make him her attendant in the future. What did you imagine would happen if you suddenly tried to make him the bad guy? You need to stop looking down on people or you will give our family trouble!"

    The crimson-haired girl shook her head and fumed angrily at the apologetically cowering red-haired boy.

    "I''m sorry..."

    "That''s not something you should be saying to me."

    Grazio said but his older sister shrugged her shoulders and pouted.

    "And just to be clear ¨C you should forget about apologizing to Miri today, she already showed how she feels. If you try to go to her room after the meal, she will m the door in your face if you are lucky, and straight up choke you out if she will be pissed off enough. Do you know what you should do? Since both you and that boy start the knight training tomorrow, you should try having a healthy rivalry with him. If Miri will see you treating him normally with no prejudice or ill will, then she should allow you to apologize to her."

    "...I understand..."

    Ehmi advised and Grazio agreed, lowering his voice just enough to not make his grumpiness obvious.

    The siblings ended their conversation just in time for Zoemi to be seated again and the meal could begin.

    "...Zoemi...?"

    By the end of it, Roiso put down the dessert fork and tugged on Zoemi''s sleeve making him lean towards her.

    "Yes?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The ck-haired boy asked curiously.

    "Are you sure that the treacherous charred slut doesn''t remember the past timeline?"

    Roiso whispered in a bothered voice.

    "Miriette is sure of it, and I believe her."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and pointed out without a shred of hesitation.

    "Yeah... Well, fuck me, am I right?"

    Roiso frowned and returned to her dessert all grumpy.

    "That''s not what I meant. Could you tell me what bothers you about Ehmi?"

    Zoemi closed his eyes so that Roiso would not see him roll them, and then he was the one to lean towards the neon-pink-haired girl and ask.

    "...hmph... She keeps looking your way kind of longingly. I learned that before betraying our side and getting chummy with Cherro she had a thing for you."

    Roiso scoffed a bit but ended up revealing what she noticed, causing Zoemi to raise his brows.

    "She is doing that...? How odd... before we started eating I heard her scold Grazio about being openly aggressive against me, but it didn''t sound like she had other motives besides the good of the Victureo family..."

    "Wait, you were listening in to their conversation?!"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and wondered to which Rosio gasped turning to him wide-eyed.

    "Yeah, with the help of thew of Sagittarius. You know I use it all the time because it takes ages to level up and I want to get it to at least tenth star level."

    The ck-haired boy nodded while exposing one of his ears to the stunned neon-pink-haired girl.

    "!!!"

    "...?"

    As Zoemi did so, he ended up looking towards Ehmi and caught her red-handed of doing exactly what Roiso have used her of ¨C gazing at him kind of longingly.

    The moment she was spotted, she blushed and hurriedly looked away with no intention of owning up to her deeds.

    Still, all in all, she wasn''t doing anything inappropriate or illegal so Zoemi simply didn''t pursue the matter in any way.

    "Whose man does she think she is ogling...?"

    "...!"

    Enhanced by thew of Sagittarius or not, Zoemi''s hearing was far better than an average person, so when Miriette murmured furiously under her breath, the ck-haired boy heard and looked at her in surprise.

    "Zoemi, due to the restrictions of our current physical forms I cannot be as close to you as I want, but I demand that you at least will act as if you were my officially appointed attendant whenever we can''t show how close we are in public."

    The dark-haired girl noticed his look but did not feel bothered by it in the slightest and just casually added, finishing her dessert and reaching out he hand towards him.

    "And now I require you to lead me back to my room."

    She demanded not even attempting to make it an illusion of choice - a choice that Zoemi didn''t even want in the first ce.

 Chapter 679 236 - Knight Training (Part 5)

    "[If he will still act like yesterday towards you, shatter his pride.]"

    Was the message from Miriette when her spell brushed against Zoemi''s brain as they parted.

    Perserios territory''s knight training wasn''t taking ce in an arena with stands for the audience to watch and the non-participants could not stay by to enjoy the show.

    Mainly because it wasn''t any show but actual training.

    "...hmm~"

    The ck-haired boy snickered, following the dark-haired girl walking away with Ehmi with his gaze.

    It just so happened that the crimson-haired girl nced back as if she felt the gaze and their eye met, resulting in her face turning bright red from embarrassment and hastening her peace.

    That was a rather curious behavior for someone with no memories of the past timeline, but it honestly didn''t bother Zoemi all that much.

    Miriette could protect herself well, and in case Ehmi already had her mana absorption ability, there was always Roiso who was the natural counter to her hanging around them too.

    No, definitely, the bigger problem was the younger one of the Victureo siblings.

    "You have ck hair and eyes. That mean''s that you are a shadow magician, or maybe a darkness magician. If you can and want, you can copy my enchantments to keep up with me."

    Speaking of which, the red-haired Grazio approached Zoemi from the sidelines and said instead of a greeting.

    "Don''t take it the wrong way. I am not doing that because I want to help you. It''s just since we are the same age, I don''t want to beughed at when you fail because of the rule of association.

    Grazio added hurriedly, crossing his arms and looking to the sides.

    |Ah, that''s right. He was supposed to be a tsundere, wasn''t he?|

    Hearing the line delivered in such a specific way Zoemi realized and instantly almost startedughing out loud be managed to stop himself in time.

    "Thank you for the offer, young lord Victureo."

    "But...?"

    The ck-haired boy bowed his head politely and said, making the red-haired boy fidget in unease as he asked.

    "No, my lord, there is nothing I want to add. I appreciate your willingness to help very much."

    Zoemi smiled softly and lightly shook his head from left to right. He already decided that as long as Grazio will actually try to be nice to him, he will be nice back.

    Maybe the Grazio in the past timeline was such a menace as a child because he didn''t have any actual friends who didn''t want to use him ¨C besides his older sister, of course ¨C and it was a chance to help the current timeline Grazio improve as a person?

    The initial day was the prelude to the first three months of training that would be taking ce ¨C simply assuring that all the participants are on the physical level appropriate for the course.

    Some might say that three months was too short, and others could im that it was too long, all in all, that''s how things worked in the Perserios territory.

    And so, that was the first day ¨C endurance training.

    Of course, it stared with runningps.

    Grazio activated his fire enchantments instantly, which was necessary if he wanted to keep up with the rest of the group which consisted of only adults with the exception of Zoemi.

    |...not good...|

    That solution certainly wasn''t a good one in Zoemi''s opinion.

    If it wasn''t Mizoe''s special enchantments or star power, such body augmentation would not actually benefit the user in the long run which was the point of the training.

    Enchantments worked kind of like some sci-fi exoskeleton ¨C they would take the weight and strain away from the actual muscles and tendons,pletely nullifying the benefits of the physical activity.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A perfect example of that would be Miriette being so weak that her ps felt like being tickled.

    "[You were thinking something rather rude there, weren''t you?]"

    As if she was listening in, Miriette''s usatory voice resounded in Zoemi''s brain.

    "|Not really? I was just getting restless thinking about how I would like the time to pass faster.|"

    The ck-haired boy thought while Grazio was gaining more and more distance over him.

    "[Is it that boring? I thought you like moving around?]"

    Despite not being able to see her, Zoemi could tell that Miriette tilted her head while saying that and the mental image made him smile.

    "|No, no. I do like working out. I am restless because I can''t wait for us to get old enough so I taste those sweet lips of yours~|"

    Zoemi exined himself calmly, holding back the inappropriate giggle building up in his chest.

    "[Hmph! I don''t remember being naive or bashful enough to abstain from kissing even at this age. All you have to do is ask... Nuzzling together while reading a book would be nice too...]"

    Miriette voice was prideful, but it definitely got softer by the end showing off her own longings.

    "|Ah! True! Kissing! Ipletely forgot about kissing~!|"

    "[Eh...? What do you mean, you forgot about kissing...? You just say you wanted to taste my...]"

    The ck-haired boy gasped and nodded internally to the dark-haired girl''s proposition ¨C which made her very confused.

    "[...]"

    Miriette wasn''t saying anything, but the connection o the message spell was still in ce and the pressure on Zoemi''s brain was proof of it.

    "[ZOEMI!]"

    "|Ahaha haha~!|"

    Her embarrassed scream felt like it shook Zoemi''s entire head but even that could not stop the outburst ofughter that the reaction had caused.

    The connection was cut off and Zoemi could focus on running again.

    He felt refreshed after teasing Miriette but he was also deadst, dragging so far behind the rest of the knight training participants that the fastest one of them was about top him.

    "Watch out,ing by you on the left, kid."

    A somehow smug brown-haired knight-to-be called out to Zoemi getting ready to pass by.

    "..."

    *STOMP*

    Zoemi looked over his shoulder, sending the man an annoyed re, and elerated all of a sudden.

    "...?!"

    The sudden burst of speed from a child took the brown-haired man by surprise, but he didn''t try to chase after him.

    "Ah, a shadow magician, huh."

    ...he nodded to himself in realization, thinking nothing about what just urred.

 Chapter 680 236 - Knight Training (Part 6)

    The thing was, Zoemi wasn''t actually using any sort of augmentation, now of Capricorn, now of Sagittarius, or even the power up from the transformation from thew of Cancer.

    The speed he was catching up with Grazio in a ridiculously short time was his current physical capabilities that were built up together with his mastery over the star power.

    Except for Mizoe, such a feat was impossible for the current magicians butpletely normal for the martial artists because of the differences between spiritual energy and mana.

    "!!!"

    Grazio who was keeping an eye on Zoemi that whole time experienced quite a shock seeing the turn of events.

    The red-haired boy turned pale and started sweating, not wanting to get passed, but it seemed to be a futile effort.

    |Hmm... Alright, think about adult Miriette...|

    Considering that Zoemi didn''t want to upset Grazio like that, he decided to throw him a bone and focus.

    In no time, the ck-haired boy''s face became flushed, as it did, he opened his eyes and slowed down his run by a lot, so much so that Grazio who was already almost at the hands-reach distance away from him started to get away again.

    "Y-young lord Gra... Grazio...! Ple... please wait a bit...!"

    "...?!"

    Zoemi put his acting skills to a small test and yed the role of an exhausted runner, shortening his breath, gasping, and gulping down his saliva in a way that suggested that he was having trouble with keeping up, which definitely made Grazio jolt and look back at him in shock.

    "When...! When I copy a spell...! I can use it once... and I.. have to copy it again...! Because I am not that good at it...!"

    The ck-haired boy spoke up with an excuse he thought of as appropriate for the situation while making the most innocent expression that he could muster.

    "...huh...?"

    Grazio let out a small gasp,pletely taken aback. There was a hint of suspicion in his eyes, but the ck-haired boy dismissed it as somethingpletely natural.

    "I can only use it in bursts because I don''t have much mana... although it also means that I can regenerate it pretty fast, so... am... am I allowed to copy your enchantments again ¨C they are amazing for a fire magician...!"

    "..."

    Zoemi said, gulping his saliva for the tenth time in a few sentences, but still got no response from the frowning Grazio.

    |Was I buttering him up too much...? In the past timeline, he would definitely not realize that anything was wrong...|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself tensing up.

    "Do whatever you want. I am not such a petty person that my permission to copy my enchantment is limited by time or number of uses."

    It seemed, though, that Zoemi was worried over nothing as the next moment Grazio shrugged his shoulders and turned his head away from him in a very tsundere-like motion.

    "Ah! Thank you very much, young lord Victureo!"

    Zoemi breathed out in relief internally while showing child-like happiness on the outside.

    Things seemed to be off to a good start, now he just had to keep up such an act for the rest of the training.

    -------

    "It''s way too dangerous for us to be seen acting lovey-dovey. I am sure that my parents sent or paid off at least one spy in the Perserios castle. Knowing them, it''s way more than one or two."<novelnext></novelnext>

    After a month have passed, Miriette seemed to be getting impatient ¨C despite saying something that sounded like a strict reminder, she kept ncing at Zoemi expectantly.

    The two of them were in the hallway of the Persersios castle, that despite not being hidden or anything, provided enough cover for the two children to have some privacy and a convenient excuse of they were caught together.

    "But...?"

    Zoemi raised his brows, feigning ignorance, and asked innocently.

    "But... but... you know... there is a limit to how much we can hold back... even something small and innocent can ease up the building.. stress..."

    Miriette lowered her head and blushed as her lovingly curled-up hair covered her face.

    "..."

    As Zoemi didn''t respond and simply continued gazing at her, the dark-haired girl fidgetted and pulled her hair behind her ear showing off her rosy cheek before she nced at the ck-haired boy again.

    "You know... innocent and sweet...?"

    She added, moving her head so that it was obvious what she wanted.

    "Well, I don''t know... I mean, look over there, there''s a servant looking at us right now."

    "EH?!"

    Zoemi breathed out and wondered, pointing out towards the other side of the hallway which caused Miriette to gasp in disbelief and look that way instantly.

    "...eh...?"

    But there definitely was no one there... actually, she didn''t even have to check with her eyes, she started the conversation because she was sure that their surroundings were safe for some cute lovey-dovey action!"

    "You...! Stop toying with me like that! Hmph!"

    The dark-haired girl turned grumpy and scoffed, about to leave, but right as she was turning around.

    *chuu*

    "!!!"

    Zoemi went in and sneaked a quick kiss on her angrily puffed cheek, stunning Miriette to a stop.

    "Fufu~! Please forgive me, mydy. It seems that the age of my body is affecting me more than I thought. I can''t seem to stop myself from teasing the girl I like~ Now then, pardon me as I have some additional, self-imposed training to do."

    The ck-haired boy chuckled before taking a step back and bowing deeply and leaving the hallway.

    *pomf*

    After he left, Miriette raised her hand and touched her face, covering the spot that Zoemi kissed with her palm before leaning against the wall.

    Her face slowly turned more and more red and a messy love-struck smile crept its way on her delicate face.

    "Uwaah... Not good... I love him so much that it is getting scary...! He knows me too well...!"

    She mumbled to herself, feeling her heart beating so fast that it felt as if it was about to jump out of her chest and chase after Zoemi in order to receive even more of his affection.

 Chapter 681 236 - Knight Training (Part 7)

    Zoemi arrived at the training ground in an excellent mood ¨C no need to exin why exactly ¨C greeting the other participants.

    That year hosted one of the best batches of knight training participants in a long time ¨C merely two people dropped out because they couldn''t keep up the intensity of the exercises and both did so during the first week.

    "Good morning, young lord Grazio."

    The ck-haired boy greeted the red-haired one cheerfully as always.

    "...yes... Hello."

    Despite being the one who wanted to gain forgiveness, Grazio''s way of greeting was as cold as usual. Zoemi didn''t particrly care, although if he was not aware of the tsundere tendencies the other boy had, he would also not suspect that something was up.

    After all, the difference in their status could exin everything ¨C and that did not exclude giving the other party a cold shoulder.

    "My sister asked me to pass on her thanks. You were right about that one issue with the spell."

    Unexpectedly, Grazio didn''t just turn around and walked away but instead, he spoke up seemingly attempting to engage in small talk.

    "Youngdy Victureo is too kind, someone like me doesn''t deserve her kind words."

    Zoemi bowed his head politely and responded lightheartedly with the right amount of bootlicking to not get on Grazio''s nerves.

    "So you say, but you did find a fault with the construction of theplicated spell. You must be proud of yourself."

    The red-haired boy shrugged his shoulders but his eyes never moved away from Zoemi''s expression as if he was only waiting for him to show some change.

    What kind of change, though, remained a mystery for Zoemi.

    "You are giving me too much credit, my lord. I merely chanced upon your esteemed sister practicing her magic and used my attribute to copy whatever spell she was focused on. I could not construct it properly and had to experiment so it could be cast. It just so happened that I stumbled upon the solution. Far from being something to be proud of, I would be a very shameful person if I tried to hide the discovery away from her."

    The ck-haired boy backed off while shaking his arms denying the honors that Grazio was pinning onto him.

    He was obviously lying too. After all, he didn''t have a drop of mana in him in this timeline, but his experience with magic from the past timeline didn''t just evaporate from his memory.

    The spell in question wasn''t even thatplicated, to begin with, it was bound to work after applying the principles of earth magic to the fire attribute.

    Still, that way of thinking wasn''t something that other magicians were used to trying, hence the overblown reaction.

    "Say, you said that our mana reservoir is limited... by any chance, did you consider a career as a schr instead? You might be weak ¨C too weak to be a knight, at least at your age ¨C but you are smart. Why not make use of your talents in that direction instead of trying to be a knight?"

    The surprises didn''t stoping! Grazio seemed to be warming up Zoemi and showed him a lot of respect with that question... although it was preceded by some backhandedpliments...

    Although it was done with some crude words, the heir of the Victureo family was giving him credit for his intelligence ¨C despite his age, those did not appear to be just empty words.

    "My father got expelled from his family because of me, so we have basically no money and the territory that took us in is in a critical moment of development so it cannot invest any funds in someone with no obligation to stay there after pursuing higher education."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Zoemi feigned a sad smile and lowered his head as he exined his circumstances rather bluntly.

    "If you will hang around my older sister more instead of making sweet eyes towardsdy Miriette, maybe she will tell my father a word or two and he will put you on a schrship."

    Grazio scoffed and turned around so Zoemi couldn''t tell his expression.

    "She has a soft heart, father trusts her, and we already have enough soldiers and knights ¨C but our territory could use a lot more schrs."

    The red-haired boy pointed out, raising his head triumphantly as if it was something to be proud of.

    "Thank you, my lord. I might go that way, but for now, I am focused on continuing the knight training. It would be a shame to drop out at this point when I am starting to get a hang of things."

    It was a legitimately interesting offer and Zoemi had to stop and think about it for a while, but ultimately he decided to put that idea to the back of his mind.

    There was a path that he had already nned out and was working out just fine.

    "Hey, I know that you are sneaking out at night to train, but honestly, you should see that there are barely any improvements to your strength. It''s better to know your ce."

    Grazio scoffed, pointing out.

    "..."

    His tone certainly wasn''t to Zoemi''s liking ¨C it might have appeared that he was doing it out of good intentions, but was so condescending about it that no one, no matter how self-conscious, would listen to his advice.

    ...not to mention that the sneaking out that took ce was the time when Zoemi could do some actual training that reallymade him stronger...

    As for the exercises and activities during the preparatory part of the knight training, the ck-haired boy would be careful to always end upst.

    At first, he was trying for that to happen, but then he began cultivating star powers that didn''t augment his body strength and stamina by meditating while running and keeping himself busy enough to look as if he was struggling.

    Thanks to that, he was close to raising the levels of every single star power at his disposal, which was an outstanding feat considering that he could use all twelve at this point.

    "Thank you for the advice, young lord Victureo."

    The title itself wasn''t all that important ¨C bing a certified attendant before Miriette would go to the Aspakeony Academy topped it without even being on the horizon ¨C but wasn''tpletely useless either.

    It could open a few more doors that he would have to break open otherwise ¨C but, that was something for the future.

    |Hmm... Law of Pisces and Law of Scorpio. I better not butt into somebody.|

    Zoemi thought to himself as the training started as always ¨C with the morning run.

 Chapter 682 236 - Knight Training (Part 8)

    "...hurgh...! And... And you are telling me that Mizoe figured it out in less than a week...?!"

    Devios''s body was shaken by nausea as he was crouching on the ground.

    "What can I say? His stubbornness is on another level."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and smirked boastfully at the younger boy.

    Both of them were standing in the middle of the clearing deep within the forest at the foot of the mountain chain. The sky was clear and so the light of the moon and stars was just bright enough to allow forfortable movement for those who got used to it.

    That ce was the secret training spot for the ck-haired and the blue-haired boy where they could actually train without getting unnecessarilyrge attention.

    For Zoemi it was because at least for the moment he was iming to be a shadow magician, while Devios who remained fused with Zoemi''s sentinel from the past timeline had the mana reservoir of a sage ¨C despite the concept of a sage not existing in their current timeline.

    "You can do it, you just need a sufficient level of focus."

    The ck-haired boy instructed while stretching ¨C his body was a bit sore because the whole time that Devios was attempting to make the spell work, he was meditating for three star powers at once.

    "No, seriously. Is it even possible? Enhancements exist to strengthen the whole body creating a protective shell out of mana. The concept of shrinking the area of their circumference and concentrating on tendons rather than muscles is outrageous in and of itself! The stress that it would put on the body of the caster would break them into pieces!"

    The blue-haired boy shook his head violently from left to right and dered spreading his arms apart.

    "You want to leave muscles alone ¨C that''s how they will grow stronger while you use mana to pull your body around. You have witnessed my father, his body didn''t look like it was falling apart, did it?"

    Zoemi breathed out and change his tone into a lecture appropriate for scolding a sulking child.

    "Maybe you are trying to pour too much mana into your enchantments and there''s where the strain ising from?"

    "Listen, I...! Huh...? I didn''t think about lowering the mana input into the spell... That makes a lot of sense - if the enchantments are too strong, the unprepared muscles will not be able to put up with the sudden strain causing the pain. I should have figured it out long ago!"

    The ck-haired boy pointed out to which the blue-haired one groaned about to retort but then his eyes widened in realization and he mumbled to himself.

    "..."

    The next moment he closed his eyes and his whole body began shining with blue light. After a few seconds of silence, his expression changed ¨C his brows furrowed and he started biting his lips while clenching his fists.

    And then, the blu light began changing ¨C some parts of his body were lighted up while some were not anymore as the glow seemed to bepressing.

    Slowly but surely the overall glow was bing lines spreading through the whole body but not epassing it all like a normal enchantment.

    "Gah...!"

    But before the thickness of those glowing lines became anything less than seven times the width of the ones of Mizoe''s special enchantments, Devios groaned and fell to his knees, releasing the spell and gasping for breath while drops of sweat were dripping from his face.

    "Now, you are finally on the right way. Keep up the good work ¨C I will go hunt a bit with Cat and we can have a sparing afterward."

    Zoemi nodded with a satisfied smile before turning around and throwing Devios a smile over his shoulder.

    "S-sure..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Cat,e here, girl~!"

    After Devios''s weak response, Zoemi called out and within seconds a happy brown wolf burst forth from between the trees, wagging its tail like crazy.

    "Did you track that annoying smell? Was it really a unishark?"

    "Nnn... nnn..."

    The ck-haired boy asked while scratching the wolf behind its ears and the monster whined while digging into the ground with its front paws in unease.

    "Ah... So it already grew up into a bishark? No, you were not a coward, it was a good thing that you didn''t try to fight it alone at night. Unless it is a variant, a normal bishark would have a darkness attribute. Definitely too dangerous for a gentle puppy like you."

    Zoemi nodded in response to the whines and gently stroked the wolf''s head.

    "Let''s take it down together. Alright? Law of Aries,w of Taurus,w of Capricorn,w of Sagittarius,w of Leo,w of Cancer~!"

    ? The ck-haired boy smirked devilishly and activated a whole bunch of star powers at once.

    His body release a faint glow and changed to some degree.

    His teeth sharpened into fangs, his fingernails grew into ck ws, and even his ears turned sharper while his posture became more hunched over as if the joints in his legs changed their location and the rest of the body adjusted ordingly.

    "Graugh!"

    Seeing him like that caused his wolf to bounce up and bark in excitement.

    "Hmm... I should be careful with that one, but I also need to train it a lot more... ah, it''s worth the risk. Law of Scorpius."

    Zoemi thought in consideration before shrugging his shoulders and using yet another star power ¨C this one caused his ws to turn oddly shiny as if covered with some sort of vapor.

    "Cat, lead daddy to the bad bishark that scared you~"

    "Graugh~!"

    Zoemi straightened his back and said after briefly admiring his right hand and his wolf barked.

    That bark, funnily enough, was Cat''s spell incantation, and the next moment the earth trembled a bit when various rocks were pushed towards the surface where they became parts of her stone armor, forming a rather intricate head-piece that looked more fit for a demon than an armored wolf.

    After the human and the monster nodded at each other, both rushed between the trees, leaving Devios to his own devices.

    "...wait, wasn''t bishark a natural predator of the seven-limbed bears...?"

    The blue-haired boy was about to try casting the special enchantments again when a realization hit him and his eyes widened.

    "Then, is it the mysterious creature that wiped out the vige of the hignders...?!"

    He added in disbelief.

 Chapter 683 237 - Knight Training (Part 9)

    "What''s with the long face?"

    As the entire group participating in the knight training was following a mountain path being led by a few instructors, the red-haired Grazio waited for the tardy Zoemi and his wolf to catch up to him and asked.

    "Young lord Grazio... I just thought that the whole point of having the knight training in the Perserios territory was to not leave the territory for the duration of said training ¨C we barely started the second month of the preparatory period and somehow are already being led into the mountains that are beyond the borders of not only the Perserios territory but the kingdom of Bellcephora as a whole."

    Zoemi took a deep breath andined ¨C although he never actually spoke his actual grief, that being separated from Miriette when she was so close.

    "And why are we even going whenever we are going? Is this a part of the course? Don''t think, shut up and follow orders? That''s the core of being a knight? Correct me if I''m wrong, but that doesn''t really fit the job''s description."

    The ck-haired boy added, actually angry because none of the instructors informed them about the reason for the sudden expedition-like outdoor activity.

    The whole situation was rather suspicious, to begin with, a few days earlier a group of knights led by the head instructor ¨C that being Rokiana''s grandfather himself ¨C departed towards the mountains too.

    They didn''te back but a group of trainees was now being sent after them ¨C how could anyone make sense of it with no additional information?

    Even Devios had no clue what it was about after Zoemi asked Miriette to grill him about the exnation.

    "I have never seen you so agitated... I never even thought that anything could get to you like that."

    Grazio raised his brows and said in an intrigued voice.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy closed his eyes to not re at him and just grit his teeth in silence.

    "I don''t care anymore. They don''t y by their own rules, why should I? Cat,e here."

    "Huh...?"

    All of a sudden Zoemi scoffed in annoyance and motioned at his wolf to get even closer, causing Grazio to let out a confused groan.

    Not really caring about his ¨C or anyone''s ¨C opinion, the ck-haired boy got on therge wolf''s back andid down resting his head on its neck.

    With the size discrepancy between the human and the monster, the nine-year-old child could easily use the wolf as a mount, especially since the beast was far stronger than its animal counterpart, making the task childishly easy.

    "Zoemi...! Instructors said that a march is also a form of endurance training!"

    Grazio gasped and pointed out.

    "Well, I don''t have either the endurance or mana to make up for it anymore. As long as they don''t want me to slow everyone down or leave me behind they better ept this solution."

    Zoemi scoffed angrily and red at the group at the front.

    "You...! Tsk. Do whatever you want."

    For a second Grazio''s face twisted with anger but the red-haired boy shook his head and said rather calmly before moving away from Zoemi and his wolf.

    ------

    "[Zoemi, apparently there is some uknonwn monster that showed up in the mountains near the Perserios territory, and my parents are making me return home.]"<novelnext></novelnext>

    During the second day of the expedition-like excursion, Zoemi felt the pressure of the message spell brushing against his brain, and Miriette''s voice resounded in his head.

    "|What? Does that mean that Ehmi goes back too? But Grazio is right in front of me ¨C if both of you are being taken back, what about him?|"

    The ck-haired boy gulped down his saliva and thought while switching his position on Cat''s back.

    "[No. It''s just me. Ehmi was told to wait for Grazio''s return... I will contact you immediately after I learn anything more, until then it will be better for me to not contact you. Don''t feel lonely, okay? I love you.]"

    The dark-haired girl sounded just as worried as Zoemi began to feel at that very moment and cut off the connection.

    "..."

    Certainly, things were getting more and more annoying for the ck-haired boy...

    ------

    Although at first only Zoemi was dissatisfied with the situation. After marching for five days straight and camping in the mountains without proper equipment each night, most of the group was sharing his opinion.

    Then, something peculiar happened.

    In the middle of the sixth night, everyone except Zoemi and his wolf sleeping at the edge of the improvised campsite was woken up and ordered to continue the travel.

    None of the participants expressed concern for the ck-haired boy and obediently left with the instructors.

    "Shh..."

    The wolf opened its eyes and was about to stand up, but its master shushed it without opening his eyes so the monster continuedying down as if nothing happened although it could not stop its tail from twitching nervously once in a while.

    "Did you heard you hear or smell someone following us these past few days?"

    Zoemi murmured, barely moving his lips still feigning being asleep.

    "Nn... Nnn...!"

    The wolf let out a peculiar soft whine as if it was holding itself back from making any loud noises following the boy''s example.

    "Yeah, me neither... But right now I can clearly hear someone approaching. And I do not recognize those footsteps."

    Zoemi informed the wolf, opening his eyes glowing with the intense light of more than seven star powers stacked n top of each other.

    "Listen, Cat, when I give you a sign, dash away as if you were abandoning me."

    "Nnn.. nnn...! Nnn...!"

    His next words made the wolf twitch and yelp in a heartbroken way.

    "Yes, but not for the reasons you said. You aren''t too weak, but if you will attack them, whoever they are, they will have a perfect excuse to hunt you as a dangerous beast. Be a good girl and stay away while daddy deals with the nuisance."

    Zoemi said, slowly raising his arm as if he was moving around in his sleep and gently patting his wolf''s head.

 Chapter 684 237 - Knight Training (Part 10)

    The boy and the monster continued to lie down for some more time while the mysterious footsteps were getting closer and closer.

    Four... no, five people.

    They all were incredibly stealthy, but Zoemi''s hearing augmented with thew of Sagitarrius revealed that they were all heavily equipped.

    Too heavy for it to be normal for travelers or even a standing army.

    Those people must have had a purpose and not a peaceful one at that.

    Although thatst part was rather Zoemi''s intuition speaking than anything else.

    Once the mysterious five entered the perimeter of the abandoned camp, they briefly stopped as if confirming each other''s position in relevance to the sleeping boy and wolf duo.

    "Run."

    "...!"

    Zoemi mouthed while pressing on Cat''s neck and the wolf instantly stood up and ran away, leaving the site and the stunned group.

    "What the hell...?!"

    "Shut up, the armored wolf is a second-priority target."

    One of the unknown people gasped but was immediately shushed by hisrade.

    Their interaction told Zoemi everything he needed to hear.

    Not even the most naive part of the ck-haired boy''s brain believed that the mysterious group sneaking around had good intentions, but now he had solid proof for that.

    "Activate your spells and prepare, let''s get this over with."

    The same person who scolded hisrade earlier ordered, and Zoemi could hear the rustling of people unsheathing and gripping their weapons.

    The ck-haired boy didn''t move around, only his eyes shifted in the direction of the voices ¨C the darkness over in that direction brightened up with brown, blue, and green lights of enchantments.

    |Magicians, but no light or fire ones... they are not afraid to make noise as long as there are no shes that would really rm the local poption.|

    Zoemi thought and his upper lip twitched in a tic of a hungry beast exposing the sharp fangs.

    The boy''s hands and feet were now securely on the ground, the ws on both fingers and toes were digging into the soil for the maxim grip and his muscles were twitching in anticipation of the extreme strain.

    "..."

    *rustle*

    "...!"

    No one from the group gave a verbalmand, but Zoemi picked up on the rustle that he instantly recognized as one person motioning with his head, and he took it as a signal!

    *WHOOOOSH*

    "Wha...?!"

    For a second the group of people who thought themselves to be the hunters was frozen in ce as their supposedly sleeping target disappeared from their sight...

    *KHHHHHH*

    "GHAAAAAAARGHHH...!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "?!?!"

    While their brains were trying toprehend what was happening, the ear-piercing shrill of the metal being ripped apart followed by the blood-curdling scream of one amongst their group confused them even more.

    *SPLASH* *thump*

    As some hot sticky liquid gushed at the four, their fifthpanion fell silent and dropped to his knees before keeling over, not to move ever again.

    "FUCK, IS THE ICE MAGICIAN WITH HIM AFTER ALL...?! NO! IT MUST BE THE ARMORED WOLF! GET INTO A DEFENSIVE POSSI...!"

    The man who must have been the leader was the first one to take action ¨C he shouted and backed off, but the words got stuck in his throat.

    He only caught a glimpse of it, scraps of the figure that suddenly just appeared in front of him.

    The glowing eyes full of hate, the beastly fangs bared in a monstrous smile stered on the human face, a raised fist that was only an inch away from his armor-d abdomen...

    *WHAM*

    The deafening sound of crushed metal filled the man''s ears and the figure suddenly got really far away.

    But it wasn''t like it was the one to move ¨C after all, the man could clearly see his lower half gushing out blood firmly standing in the same position.

    "...h-huh...?"

    *SLAM* *ssh*

    It took the man a moment toprehend what was going on, but just as he did, his back hit the tree. The force of the impact pushed out the air from his lungs alongside the intestines that poured onto the ground creating a gory sight.

    While the light was disappearing from his glossy eyes, the reflection in them showed the near-instantaneous death of the remaining three people, all of which ended up mauled into pieces without a chance to retaliate.

    The group of five hunters ended up as something far less than prey ¨C cannon fodder was a much more fitting description.

    "Hmph."

    The ck-haired boy scoffed, kicking the head of one of the attackers to the side while wiping his bloody hands against his clothes.

    "They mentioned dad, I think. Could it be that Victureo family has not given up on getting back at me for the incident two years ago...?"

    Zoemi thought out loud, tilting his head while his wolf cautiously returned to the site, sniffing around and listening in for more enemies.

    "If so, they are acting in a rather confusing way... Grazio, for once, appeared to warm up to me, I''m sure of it... If someone were to inform their family about me, wouldn''t that rather be Ehmi...? Her treacherous tendencies might stay the same. And while Grazio might have not told about me to his parents, he would definitely talk a lot with his beloved older sister... On the other hand, literally, no one, including Grazio even asked for the reason they are leaving me behind.... not to mention, wouldn''t all of it be impossible without the participation of the Perserios family? Tsk. Talk about an annoying turn of events..."

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head before clicking his tongue while his expression darkened as countless scenarios rushed through his head.

    "Cat. Come, we need to check out some things."

    "Graugh!"

    Zoemi straightened his back and called out to which his wolf responded with a decisive bark before both of them disappeared between the trees.

    ------

    The group of knight training participants arrived at the hignders tribes vige and the instructors leading them informed them about the ce being their destination where they would meet up with the group of knights that left the Perserios territory before them.

    Said things did happen, although...

 Chapter 685 237 - Knight Training (Part 11)

    "What is the meaning of this? What in the world are a bunch of recruits doing here?"

    The previous head of the Perserios family, a blue-haired elderly man who despite his age was keeping up the impable physical prowess scoffed after seeing the group.

    "As per your instructions, we have arrived so that the participants could observe the monster subjugation..."

    "That''s what I mean. I didn''t give you ridiculous, brain-dead instructions such as this! Observe the monster subjugation?! A bunch of greenhorns on the sight is making things ten times more dangerous for everyone else!"

    The instructor in charge of the group reported while saluting and got instantly berated by the blue-haired man whose face started turning bright red from anger even though he was doing well controlling his voice.

    "Huh...? But...! But, my lord...!"

    "Shut up. If you don''t want me to execute you for acting on your own, getting the lives of the recruits under your care into danger, and abandoning your post,pile a coherent report and submit it to me within an hour."

    The instructor turned pale and stuttered but old lord Perserios didn''t give him a chance to exin himself verbally and gave a decisive order.

    "You are lucky. If the corpse of the monster in question wasn''t found yesterday, you wouldn''t have this chance, so better get moving."

    "!!!"

    Old lord Perserios dered, looking down on the instructor, causing the man to scramble himself and rush away, undoubtedly in search of a piece of paper and a quill.

    "My lord... what do you mean the body of the monster...? Don''t you mean that you tracked and killed the beast with the rest of the knights you brought here?"

    Another instructor from the newly arrived group called out hesitantly, fearful about sharing the dubious fate of the man in charge of them until a few moments earlier.

    "No. Two days ago a group of local hunters spotted tracks of multiple armored wolves that must have migrated through this area. Just to make sure that they weren''t gearing up to stay the hignders followed the trail, only to find traces of fiercebat and a partially eaten corpse of a bishark."

    "Bi-bishark?!"

    The elderly man shook his head and dered, causing a panicked murmur spread amongst the recruit.

    "The armored wolves are pack monsters, intelligent, but not that much. When encountering enemies, they always assume that their opponents also live in packs ¨C that''s why a pack that is n the move will never settle in a ce where they encountered a powerful monster of another species even if they managed to kill it. They always expect that there are more creatures they encountered lurking around. As for bisharks, they are extremely solitary creatures that do not stick around each other even during mating season. Conclusion ¨C Despite the pack being powerful enough to kill a bishark without losing any of its members is a problem worth looking into, they already left towards another mountain and will note back anytime soon."

    Old lord Perserios finished his exnation and turned around, returning to where he came from.

    The confused group of participants and instructors followed him and after a short walk, they were exposed to the corpse that he talked about.

    Bishark was a fearsome creature, the body of a great white shark that grew six rhinoceros-like legs was already creepy and nightmare-inducing as it was, but that particr kind of monster would also grow two long spikes from the base of its throat.

    The horns weren''t weapons per se, even though they were plenty sharp to impale smaller creatures, but rather were magic conduits and the point of origin for the darkness attribute spells that the monster was capable of casting.

    Mainly the muffle and shadow walk spells.

    Yes, despite having the strength and the speed to overpower a good amount of thend monsters, bisharks were ambush hunters.

    Well, the specimen in question certainly was unlucky ¨C it had its spikes broken off with teeth and w marks all over the stumps meaning that the wolves who did it were aware of the danger of darkness attribute and dealt with it appropriately.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A bit of a shame too ¨C when taking into ount the monster parts that were worth the most, the horns of the bishark were definitely the most expensive part of the fearsome creature.

    "..."

    While the group was staring at the corpse, old lord Perserios was observing them.

    "...hold on, where is the ck-haired boy? Wasn''t he son of young Mizoe...?"

    The blue-haired man furrowed his brows and asked, with an angry glow in his eyes.

    "He said that he can''t keep up and that he is returning back to the Perserios territory...!"

    "...and you let him do that...? Alone...? When you knew there was some dangerous monster lurking nearby...?"

    The instructors fidgetted and came up with an excuse, but it only infuriated the old lord Perserios even more.

    "I-it wasn''t like that! He had that wolf of his with him, and...! And he left right at the beginning of the first second day!"

    "Yes! He did, right everyone?!"

    "That''s right!"

    The instructors all started panicking anding up with excuses one after another doing everything to cover each other backs.

    Some of the recruits joined them too, although not everyone.

    "... irresponsible... Rest for today, tomorrow we are all returning back to Perserios territory. When we get back, you all get straight back to instructor training. This seems to be a good batch of recruits, you are making them waste their time."

    The blue-haired man scolded the instructors and shook his head in disappointment.

    ----

    "I think we''ve heard enough... Cat, we''re going back to the Perserios territory. After all, apparently, we got back there several days ago."

    "Nnn...!"

    Zoemi backed between the trees surrounding the vige, breathed out, and deactivated thew of Sagittarius before ncing at therge brown wolf next to him ¨C which got him a hushed whimper of agreement.

    "At least we know that Perserios family, well, Rokiana''s grandfather, wasn''t in on the whole thing."

    "Graugh!"

    The ck-haired boy ended up rubbing his head and adding ¨C as he did, the pressure around him lessened and his wolf barked enthusiastically, no longer fearful, and started wagging its tail.

 Chapter 686 238 - Knight Training (Part 12)

    Zoemi returned to the Perserios territory in a record time. The thing was, he didn''t go right back to the Perserios castle and instead spent some time hanging out in its closest vige.

    The ck-haired boy wasn''t hiding, not really, but whenever someone looked at him as if he recognized him, the child would simply get out of their sight.

    Still, Zoemi was apanied by therge brown wolf which wasn''t nearlymon enough to make him conspicuous.

    The ck-haired boy did have a certain n in mind, but honestly, he did most of that out of anger.

    Each day when going to rest he would put thews of Sagittarius, Leo, and Cancer active and listen in for the new assantsing in for him.

    One day he received a secret note sent from Devios ¨C the blue-haired boy was inquiring him about what was going on, but the Zoemi did not give him any answer whatsoever, didn''t think much about it, and decided to just tell exin him everything at a better time...

    *gulp*

    Not bothering with burning the note, Zoemi simply chewed on the paper and swallowed it to get rid of the evidence about to move to his other side and rest.

    Another day had passed without the group of knight trainees returning to the territory and the ck-haired boy was getting kind of annoyed already.

    It was the night of the new moon and Cat wasn''t there with him as she was doing her own thing, hunting down the potentially dangerous monsters around the human settlement ¨C which was both useful for the humans and served as a solo training for her.

    Another day and night without contact from Miriette...

    |She doesn''t have to be that stubborn, I don''t care if she finds something out about the whole situation or not. I just want to hear her voice...|

    "...haaa..."

    Zoemi breathed out cleaning his mind from the bothersome thoughts and closed his eyes.

    It took him no time at all to fall into a light sleep where his mind remained cautious for the slightest sound and smell around and his body was more sensitive to vibrations than ever before.

    *whooom* *clench*

    "!!!"

    That''s why, half an hourter a puddle of inky-ck darkness spilled under him and two pairs of arms burst forth, coiling around his neck and legs to pull him down into the spell, he was shocked but not early enough to lose his head.

    Zoemi was slowly sinking into the puddle of darkness, but it was not nearly as fast as it should be for someone without a drop of mana in him.

    The reason for that was of course all the spiritual energy fueling the star powers that he had already active.

    Things weren''t working out too well for whoever was after him, but neither of the two attackers seemed keen on giving up and leaving.

    |Your loss! Law of Aries,w of Taurus!|

    "!?!?!"

    Zoemi thought and began standing up despite the constraint, feeling ¨C but not hearing ¨C the panic spreading through the arms of the darkness magician holding his neck.

    Because of how the ck-haired boy was standing up, the person pulling him down and strangling him was the first one to get forcibly fished out of the puddle of darkness they thought for their own territory.

    Unfortunately, Zoemi was also helping them abduct him a little bit ¨C every action had a reaction and while the boy was getting up pulling one of the darkness magicians with him, he was causing the one holding his legs to have an easier time getting him to sink.

    That could not stay like that.

    |Fuck it, I don''t care who you people are!|<novelnext></novelnext>

    "LAFF OFH AQUHARHIUS...!"

    Despite being choked, the ck-haired boy wheezed the name of the star power that spread outwardly from his body, encasing him in a protective sphere.

    A sphere that onceing in contact with mana, would cleanse ¨C that meaning erase ¨C all traces of it within that area.

    *haaaa*

    *thump* *thump*

    As the shadow gate disappeared into the darkness, everything that was still within the spell got separated from what sticking outside.

    Long and bloody story short ¨C the magician holding onto Zoemi''s legs lost their arms as they fell on the floor of the room the ck-haired boy was staying in, while their more unfortunaterade who got pulled out a bit more got bisected.

    *THUMP*

    Their body took a bit longer to fall down as it was still hanging onto Zoemi for a few moments before it realized it was dead and slumped limply to the floor.

    "Yeah... I imagined it would be obvious to have darkness attribute wielding assassins."

    Zoemi breathed out, pressing one hand to his neck.

    In their dying moments, the magician whose one-third of the body was spread next to the ck-haired boy activated his darkness de and tried to slit the child''s throat.

    Thankfully, the spell only nicked the skin, because otherwise, it would be over.

    It would be over if the attackers used that spell from the beginning... Why didn''t they do that, then...?

    "..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows in concern, crouching by the body of the masked magician.

    "...? And who is that supposed to be...?"

    For some reason, Zoemi expected to recognize the assassin, but after removing the cloth covering their face, the ck-haired boy found himself looking at some unknown man he never encountered in the previous timeline.

    "Well, can''t do anything now. Hope that Cat won''t mind ate-night snack after shees back."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders sitting back down next to the mutted corpse and closing his eyes.

    "Law of Virgo."

    He said aiding his body in closing the wound on his neck and healing it up.

    Still, there like most mana-induced injuries, even a small wound like that would leave a scar on the body of a martial artist like Zoemi.

    The night continued but wasn''t exactly calm.

    One other event happened to mess up the peacefulness of the resting time for most humans.

    While Zoemi was keeping his eyes closed, focused on meditation, the fragment of the body of the unknown darkness magician started moving...

 Chapter 687 238 - Knight Training (Part 13)

    It started with a slightly deeper shade of darkness outlining the corpse ¨C then slowly but surely, a tenth of an inch or less every few seconds, the body began sinking into the floor without making any additional sound.

    It honestly was good stealth ¨C a body getting pulled into the darkness all of a sudden would end up stirring up the air and rming the witnesses, in this case, a single witness, that something was wrong ¨C but the solution taken by whoever was extracting the dead magician from the site was still not optimal.

    *WHOOOSH* *WHAM*

    Up until that point, Zoemi was sitting cross-legged with his arms crossed and his eyes closed ¨C then in a split second, he was already by the corpse, tearing it up with ws that his fingernails turned into, extracting the corpse and mming it against the opposite wall.

    Unfortunately what the boy was hoping for didn''t happen ¨C whoever was attempting to get the body of theirrade wasn''t actually pulling it down physically but rather letting it sink at its own peace, so no one emerged from the darkness after the body was thrown around.

    But!

    The much darker spot remained in ce which meant there was still a connection between the room Zoemi was staying in and whenever the other darkness magician was operating.

    If they were concentrating enough, they could both hear and listen to what was going on in there.

    "I don''t know if you are loyal to your little friends or just stupid."

    Knowing that the ck-haired boy scoffed shaking his head in annoyance.

    "I don''t mind it either way because both traits can be useful. It''s toote for the bisected guy, but the one who lost their arms can be healed up. Go look for the girl with the healer attribute"

    He casually grabbed the bleeding arms off the floor and strolled towards the edge of the puddle of darkness where he dropped them after a moment of consideration.

    "Quit this job. You must be told it will be an easy task, killing one weak kid that disrespected a few people, but as you already realized ¨C you have been fooled. I am not going to give up my life and will not hesitate to dish out the punishment for those who try topromise that."

    After dropping the limbs that began sinking into the darkness, Zoemi continued the stroll around the room and grabbed the corpse he has thrown around earlier.

    He took and dragged it towards the puddle too.

    "I believe that you were hired to get rid of me so I will not hold a grudge if you quit now. Everybody has to earn a living somehow."

    Zoemi added, watching the body and the limbs disappear into the spell.

    "...you are a scary kid, anybody told you that already...?"

    Suddenly the surface of the darkness was disturbed by something akin to a gust of wind and a voice that Zoemi was unfamiliar with resounded thorough his room.

    "It''s like my third time when I''m aware of it, what else would you expect?"

    "...huh...?"

    Zoemi rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, leaving the darkness magician talking to him in an even more awkward situation.

    "The healing magician isn''t a joke, by the way. Law of Aquarius."

    *haaaa*<novelnext></novelnext>

    Zoemi added before using the star power to cleanse the shadow gate spell out of existence, dispersing it and causing the disappearing man to release a sigh simr to a person breathing out in relief.

    The moment he did so...

    *WHOOSH*

    He never deactivated all the star powers that he used to augment his body so he broke into a dash, rushing off the building and running off in a seemingly random direction.

    It took him mere seconds to leave the vige behind.

    He was also leaving his wolf, but that wasn''t of much concern ¨C Cat could find him easily as on top of her excellent smell, they share a connection because of thew of Leo.

    At that moment Zoemi didn''t care about how much attention his mad run would bring ¨C he was focused on one thing and one thing only...

    -----

    It was a quiet and peaceful night. The blond-haired Burushi was peacefully sleeping in a cozy bed in her small room.

    The armored wolf that usually would sleep right beneath the bed got in trouble with the girl''s mother by bringing the carcass of the monster it hunted into the house so it was spending the night outside.

    Simrly, the bed on the other side of the already small room was also empty.

    A girl with no traces of color in her body would be there usually, but she and Burushi ended up in an argument the other day, and she was sulking in the other room.

    That was exactly why when the darkness spilled from under Burushi''s bed and climbed up epassing her bed, there was no one to warn the girl who always slept like a rock.

    With the faint light of the stars shining through the window, a pair of hands emerged from the darkness, and softly wrapped around the girl''s face.

    Funnily enough, that did not stir the blond-haired child awake at all...!

    Maybe because of that, the darkness magician grabbing her felt a bit more calm and confident enough to fully show themselves while lifting up the sleeping girl.

    By doing that the darkness magician revealed themselves to be a woman in theirte twenties wearing a rather bothered expression.

    "Healthy kid. Wish I could sleep that dip."

    While the woman was holding the blissfully unaware and drooling Burushi, another person emerged from the darkness.

    This one was a tall but skinny man who still had a cloth covering most of his face.

    Well, it would be hard for him to remove it casually, considering that his arms were cut off and the stumps were covered inyers of thick bandages to stop the bleeding.

    Interestingly, the man had what looked like his missing arms on him ¨C handing over his shoulder as if it was just a normal thing.

    Nothing in the tone of his voice suggested that he go so severely wounded mere hours earlier.

 Chapter 688 238 - Knight Training (Part 14)

    "Don''t waste your strength on saying stupid things!"

    The woman scrolled him in a hushed voice and nced down at the blond-haired girl in her arms.

    "Hey... Hey...? Young miss... we need your help..."

    She whispered softly, trying to shake Buruhi awake.

    "Hngh...? eh...? My... help...?"

    As if that was the keyword that got to her, the blond-haired girl trembled and groaned while still half-asleep.

    She stretched in the ck-haired woman''s arms and...

    *CRUSH*

    "KYAAAAH?!"

    "?!?!?!"

    *WHAM*

    "!!!!"

    The window of the room suddenly shattered apart as a beastly figure of something akin to a hairless humanoid wolf barged inside with no regard for how many things it was breaking.

    While Burushi let out a panicked scream, the figure already was by the armless darkness magician, grabbing the side of his head and mming him against the wall as if he was a ragdoll.

    "GRAUGH!"

    "BURUSHI! I HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND... WHAT IN THE....?!"

    Within seconds, the room got really full because the humanoid monster was almost immediately followed by a furious armored wolf and at the same time the door was kicked open and a white-as-snow girl wearing a full-body fluffy bunny-shaped pajama barged into the room and called out before freezing in shock.

    "Nh... nhnhnhnhn...! Ahahaha~! Full mastery of basic star levels of thew of Capricorn~!"

    The monster responsible for most noise and taking down one of the two darkness magicians in the room giggled before bursting out into a peal ofughter, raising its wed hands up in a triumphant pose.

    "HACHIKO, TAKE CARE OF THAT THING! AND YOU! RELEASE BURUSHI OR I WILL FREEZE YOUR INNARDS FIRST!"

    Metavicero didn''t dwell on the questions and moved on to solutions ¨C shemanded the armored wolf before rushing at the female darkness magician who was backed up against a wall with Burushi in her arms.

    And yet, even though she moved, the wolf ended up staying in the same spot ¨C what''s more, it started wagging its tail as if it was some friendly dog... even though its master was clearly in danger!

    "Miss magician. If you try to run away now, I will relieve you of your mana, and you should already know how those things go for darkness magicians."

    The humanoid monster bellowed while straightening its back.

    "As if! That''s my line! I will...!"

    "Metavicero, I am not talking to you, so... Shut. Up."

    The white-as-snow girl scoffed furiously but one re of obsidian eyes filled with an unearthly glow forced the words right back into he throat.

    "Wait...! You... Aren''t you our previous target?! But you were in the Perserios territory just a few hours ago!"

    "...?!"

    The woman holding securely Burushi''s face trembled as her eyes widened while she took a closer look at the beast.

    Because the beast was no beast at all ¨C it was Zoemi, although that could only be confirmed since a few seconds earlier when he recalled thew of Cancer transformation and his body returned to normal.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I am. And the answer to the question that bothers you is simple ¨C I ran over here for a chance to talk without being followed. It was a big risk and it had little to no chance of sess, but hey. Can''t argue with a result~"

    Zoemi smirked devilishly and dered shortly before picking up the armless darkness magician and shaking him a bit so that the female darkness magician would turn her attention there.

    "Release my friend and we can discuss the conditions of healing him up. Metavicero, go tell Burushi''s mother that everything is okay ¨C she is bracing herself to go up here with a knife."

    "Eh...? Oh! O-okay...!"

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head and said in a t voice before furrowing his brows and motioning at the snow-white girl, who flinched and nodded before leaving the room in a hurry.

    "...you are a scary kid..."

    The darkness magician holding Burushi muttered through her teeth.

    "Yeah, your fourth colleague who is absent right now said the same thing. You really should think twice before epting contracts on the heads of children. A warning light should automatically start shing in your head. Now let Burushi go or I will pop his head like a ripe watermelon."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders unaffected by her words and change his grip on the woman''srade.

    "Just so you know, I was about to cause your body to shut down."

    The released blond-haired girl didn''t even run away, she merely red at the darkness magician over her shoulder and dered coldly before slowly and confidently walking over to the ck-haired boy.

    "Did you seriously send some unknown Ghosts-wannabes to my house?!"

    Burushi put her hands on her hips and began scolding Zoemi while leaning forward to look up at his face.

    "I scratch your back, you scratch mine."

    "Tsk. Show me him. I just need to reattach his arms, right?"

    Zoemi smiled brilliantly to which Burushi clicked her tongue and turned her attention to the armless darkness magician, doing her best to ignore her own blushing face reflecting in her closet''s mirror.

    "Now then. Since your friend''s health is set on the road of improvement, why not have a nice talk, Miss magician."

    The ck-haired boy left the patient in the capable hands of the healing magician and sat on the edge of the bed, tapping the mattress next to him to invite the darkness magician.

    "What do you want to know...?"

    Still, the woman didn''t move from her spot and asked, squinting her eyes suspiciously.

    "Who hired you all to get rid of me? Victureos or Espines?"

    Zoemi wasn''t too pleased with the woman keeping her distance but ended up asking anyway.

    Interestingly, the reaction he saw wasn''t one that he expected...

    "Victureos or E... Espines...? What sort of enemies do you have, kid?! Our contractor is the Efemare family! Originally we were supposed to kidnap you so your freedom could be exchanged for the missing daughter of the Efemare family!"

    ? The woman stuttered before shaking her head in disbelief and exining.

    "Oh? Oohh... that is a lot less dramatic turn of events than I thought."

    Zoemi raised his brows and leaned back taken by surprise.

    "...is what I would say if your other, deceased,panion wasn''t trying to turn that kidnapping into a murder when he realized he cannot pull me into the shadow gate..."

    The ck-haired boy was about to lie down on the bed but his torso stopped above the mattress as his head bounced up and he started ring at the darkness magician.

 Chapter 689 238 - Knight Training (Part 15)

    "N-no...! it was definitely only kidnapping! That guy...! He must have lost his cool or something...!"

    The woman backed off against the wall even more and at that point, it looked as if she was attempting to climb it...

    "Hmm... Is that so...?"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi bounced on the mattress and stood up closing the distance between himself and the darkenss magician fast enough to startle her into activating the darkness de.

    She didn''t use it though.

    "You are still getting used to this line of work, aren''t you? Sudden career path change?"

    Zoemi nced at the obsidian de extending out of the clenched fingertips of the magician''s left hand and his expression softened when he looked up at her face.

    "...?!"

    She didn''t respond but the dtion of her pupils was rather telling...

    ...or was caused by the eeriness of the situation, one of the two...

    "It''s not maxed out yet, but you seem to be weak-minded enough..."

    "Excuse me...?!"

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head and his soft expression bloomed into a devilish smirk ¨C the darkness magician felt the need to cover her body defensively and gasped, bbergasted at the inappropriatement.

    "Law of Leo~"

    ...was the child''s amused response as the otherworldly glow in his obsidian eyes intensified...

    -----

    The two unconscious darkness magicians were leaning against each other with their backs against the wall. Honestly, the sight was somehow romantic...

    "I can''t find any changes in the physical condition of either of those two... are you sure that whatever you''ve done to them worked?"

    Burushi threw herself back onto her bed and asked, peeking at the ck-haired boy from over the covers.

    "It did on some level... I am sure I can feel a faint presence of their minds just outside my own even now. It''s much weaker than it is with the armored wolves, but it is there. Although... I don''t know what good will there be of it, I am fairly certain that I will not be able to influence them the same way."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders falling onto Burushi''s bed and ending up perpendicrly to her.

    "Is that so...? Private visit."

    Burushi breathed through her nose and squinted her eyes before reaching out her hand and touching the side of the boy''s abdomen to cast a spell.

    "...alright doc, give it to me straight..."

    Zoemi raised his brow looking at the pale hand on his stomach and said while gazing upon Burushi''s face.

    "I remember you mentioning that you could share power with the creatures under that wholew of Leo, something about thew of Cancer too if my memory''s correct... Since the connection between you and those magicians was established I was searching for traces of mana appearing within your system."

    The blond-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and exined without taking back her hand.

    "...aaaaand...?"

    Zoemi rolled over to the side and propped up his head on one arm while striking a pose as if he wanted to be painted and smiled devilishly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "N... nothing... Maybe it''s just too early. But I would like to monitor you so remember to drop by from time to time."

    Burushi took back her hand and turned the other way because her face was getting hot ¨C she even stuttered while doing the tiny kicking motion to turn herself around, imagine that~

    "Hmhm~ okay, I will see what I can do about it~ Law of Taurus,w of Capricorn,w of Aries."

    Zoemi grinned innocently before umping back up on his feet and grabbing darkness magicians and walking with them to the broken window from where a cool night breeze was entering the room.

    "Hachiko, fix that for today with your magic. And do not leave Burshi''s side just because her mother gets fussy. You are Burushi''s bodyguard first and a housepet second... if at all."

    "Nn... Nnnn..."

    The ck-haired boy was stopped by the armored wolf who lowered its head and whimpered apologetically.

    "Alright, be a good girl while I''m gone."

    "Nnn~!"

    "Okay... eh...?"

    Zoemi''s expression softened and he dered while booping the wolf on its cute wet nose... and got a response from both the monster and the blond-haired girl observing him from the bed.

    Burushi realized a bit toote that the ck-haired boy wasn''t talking to her, and when she did, her face turned bright red and she burrowed herself under the bedding.

    |Well then...|

    Zoemi decided that it was one of the moments that were better left withoutment and dragged out the unconscious darkness magicians before going on his merry way.

    --------

    "That''s the gist of it. What do you think? Was I overthinking everything and instead of the whole thing with the knight training group leaving me behind wasn''t perpetrated by either Victureo or Espines but by the Efemare people getting desperate?"

    Back in the vige, he rushed out so fast the previous night, Zoemi turned towards his armored wolf after finishing the story.

    "Nnn... Nnn...?"

    "Of course, I will not drop my guard! Even if that theory is correct and Grazio is innocent, there still is undeniable proof that the instructors and a whole bunch of trainees got paid off by the Efemare family!"

    The wolf lowered its head and whimpered giving the boy a worried look to which Zoemi responded with a proud scoff.

    "That said, thank you for worrying about me. While we are at it, you said that you saw the Perserios group returning a few hours ago... did they stop in the vige or went straight towards the castle?"

    The ck-haired boy ended up smiling and leaning down where he started to affectionately pat the wolf''s head and back before inquiring without stopping his hand movement.

    "Nnn~!"

    While the monster''s hind leg was kicking up from pleasure the wolf whimpered happily and rolled over on its back, exposing its soft belly.

    "To the castle? I see. Good job letting me know, we will go there after a meal... now, Cat... who is the best girl? Who is?"

    "Ghraugh~!"

    Zoemi nodded while giving the beast all the scratches it wanted and causing it to bark happily while brushing the floor with its tail.

    Just as the ck-haired boy announced, the two of them returned to the Perserios castle within an hour...

 Chapter 690 239 - Knight Training (Part 16)

    "Recruit Zoemi, what is the meaning of this?"

    Upon his arrival, the ck-haired boy was called out by the head instructor who seemed more than just irked off about seeing him there.

    The man was overentuating his every move and word ¨C but there was a clear reason for it.

    After all, he and Zoemi weren''t in the room alone. Right there in the corner an elderly blue-haired man was sitting and observing them quietly.

    "I didn''t like the pointless training exercise so I turned back. What''s the big deal? You didn''t stop me. Neither you nor any of the other instructors even gave me a warning. You all were just ¨C oh, you have your wolf, you will be fine, don''t bother us."

    The ck-haired boy red at the man coldly, checking him out from head to toe with the obsidian eyes of his.

    "...!"

    The man''s eyes widened ¨C without actually confirming what really happened back then, he tried to scare the boy into staying silent... And yet lo and behold!

    The kid was fully confirming the story that the head instructor told old ord Perserios!

    There were some not-very-ttering details here and there, but that wasn''t important for the big picture!

    "..."

    Zoemi clearly saw the excitement in the man''s eyes and had to grit his teeth to not show too much disdain on his face.

    If he didn''t want to make sureter on that the people after his head were sent by the Efemare family, he would have buried the career of the head instructor right then and there.

    "Tsk. What''s wrong is that you overstepped your boundaries as a recruit! It is not recruit''s business to question the actions of their superiors and..."

    "You are talking about being a soldier. I humbly request you to take a second look at the documents regarding me, sir. I am taking part in knight training. If blind obedience is one of the requirements then we didn''t make it that far into the curriculum."

    The man clicked his tongue and straightened his back about to start scolding the child, but the ck-haired boy took a deep breath before leaning into his chair and presented the most respectful disrespect ever showcased within the walls of the Perserios castle.

    "You might be thinking you are being smart by saying that, boy, but insubordination like that is a valid reason for removing you from the training course. In the first ce, your results were subpar, and if not for young lord Victureo''s pleas you would have been kicked out a long time ago."

    The head instructor squinted his eyes and instead of blowing out at Zoemi, he merely leaned back and tapped a stack of papers on the side of his desk.

    That, funnily enough, caused Zoemi to smile...

    |Aww... Grazio is a tsundere after all. I knew he liked me~|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself not feeling worried about what the oue of the meeting might be.

    The knight title would be a good thing, very weed even ¨C but all in all, the only necessary thing for Zoemi was thepletion of the attendant training.

    Truth be told, being kicked out from the knight training could even act as a backstory and a smokescreen for the real ¨C and very dubious ¨C reason for the ck-haired boy picking up the path of a servant.

    Broken dreams and settling for the next best career, such an exnation would shut a lot of yapping mouths.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It seems that the burden of expectations was too much for my fragile little shoulders."

    Zoemi''s shrug was very light for someone crushed under such a burden and his reaction certainly wasn''t to his conversation partner''s liking...

    "We can always put you into that course."

    "If you want me to quit, then yes, you can try."

    The head instructor scoffed in annoyance but got ridiculed in response.

    "I am not an abandoned child that the Perserios family graciously took under their roof and I''m at your mercy bound by some obligation. When you''re done with that farce do send a servant to inform m whether I am removed from the training course, if not, see you tomorrow morning during the practice."

    Zoemi really felt annoyed. The ck-haired boy''s mind was more mature than the others imagined so the psychological tricks and threats did not work against him, but if there was an actual child in his ce the poor kid would be trembling in fearpletely devastated.

    That made Zoemi angry enough to stand up from his seat and dere ring at the silent old lord Perserios in the corner whilepletely ignoring the head instructor.

    ...and leaving the office without a grain of hesitation within his system...

    "...?"

    "...ah...! Umm... I wasn''t..."

    As the ck-haired boy closed the door, he almost walked right into the neon-pink-haired Roiso who was eavesdropping and didn''t back off in time.

    "No, sorry, I was... Is everything okay? Should I pack my things?"

    Roiso fidgetted for a moment before lowering her head with a guilty expression and asking timidly.

    "Not yet. We are youngdy Peerserios''s guests, my participation in the knight training doesn''t change a thing about it. Although we might be leaving within a week or two."

    Zoemi raised his hand and patted the girl''s shoulder with a nod as he passed her.

    "I was already gathering information about attendant courses and both Ralia and Helterose are looking shockingly good. I knew that during the previous timeline, the head butler at the Espine estate was someone trained n the Helterose territory but I had no idea that they were an actual number one in the industry. With a referral from them joining there should be no problem with me getting employed in Espine family... at least not from the qualification standpoint."

    "Yes, that''s right!"

    He added lightheartedly and the neon-pink-haired girl breathed out in relief seeing that he wasn''t nearly as bothered by the situation as she expected him to be.

    The rest of the day passed without Zoemi receiving any message or information regarding the knight training, so she did show up to the morning practice as if nothing happened.

    The other participants were acting a lot colder than ever before, but that much was to be expected.

    "I''ve heard they will start making the training a lot harder now."

    The red-haired Grazio did approach him as usual though, with the awkwardness of someone hiding his true feelings.

 Chapter 691 239 - Knight Training (Part 17)

    "I am grateful that you are worried about me, my lord. I will try my best to keep up."

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy''s lovely smile brightened his face just as the tsundere worrying about him brightened his day, to which Grazio flinched and hurriedly looked away only adding to the charm of his character type.

    The physical exercises really did increase in intensity, being the length and tempo of the run and or the duration of physical exertion the trainees were exposed to.

    It got to the point where people with a low amount of mana would start losing significantly to the more powerful magicians.

    There was a certain limit to what a physical body of amoner or weak magician could do, after all.

    But then, there was Zoemi.

    At first, he wanted to just hang out in the back, but he didn''t want Grazio''s head to get too big...

    Grazio, being the only fire magician might wield the second weakest enchantments ¨C being better than only the copied shadow enchantments ¨C but in terms of the amount of mana, he could oust every single person, instructors included, on the training grounds.

    Knowing how the red-haired boy could start acting if the overconfidence would cloud his judgment, Zoemi ended up slowing down and holding at a wider margin between himself and the young noble, but he also would pass everyone who started dropping off like flies.

    Before the instructor called for the morning run to the end, the two boys were the only ones still moving.

    "My lord... I know it will sound sappy, but... seeing your back made me keep pushing myself... I wouldn''t be able to make it if not for you, so... Thank you...!"

    Zoemi who maxed out the basic star levels of thew of Capricorn the other day and didn''t actually break a sweat from the little jog, sat down heavily making it seem as if he was out of breath, and beamed at the red-haired boy who was swaying on his feet because of the mana depletion.

    "..."

    His face was flushed bright pink but Grazio didn''t say a thing and merely turned around as his glossy eyes glistened in the sun.

    |Waah, cute~|

    Zoemi awwed internally as the clearly disappointed instructor called everyone to prepare for the next exercise.

    The next few days yed out the same or at least a very simr scenario to the point that the ck-haired boy started thinking that if not for the status of the red-haired boy, he would dere himself his best friend openly.

    One thing led to the other, and surprisingly Zoemi was asked by Grazio toe to meet him at the training ground after sunset.

    "Cat, you worry too much."

    The ck-haired boy chuckled and patted the side of therge brown wolf that didn''t want to leave his side.

    "Grazio did say that he wants to train his body without magic and it would be embarrassing for others to see, that''s why he picked out such ate hour."

    "Nn... Nnn..."

    Zoemi added giving Cat the scratches but the armored wolf didn''t sound too convinced with her whimpers.

    "It''s because wolves don''t have the concept of tsundere. Call it a national tendency, but my people have a weak spot for people like Grazio."

    "...nnn..."

    Zoemiughed and got only a quiet, confused whimper in response.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It will be fine, I promise. Are you that worried because I said I will hold back on thews for the evening? If it will make you feel better I will use thew of Sagittarius. I can finally use it to enhance my body with star power, nothing much yet but if it will ease your worries..."

    "Graugh!"

    The ck-haired boy assured the wolf once more but when neither its ears nor tail haven''t perked up he tilted his head and proposed another option which met with enthusiastic bark of agreement.

    "Whew, I am lucky that Roiso can''t understand you or you two would have me under constant survance~"

    Zoemi chuckled as the two of them turned the corner and entered the training ground by the Perserios castle, lit up with torches where Grazio waited.

    Surprisingly enough, despite saying that he wants to keep things confidential, the red-haired boy wasn''t alone.

    He was apanied by a few other participants in the knight training as well as two normal instructors and the head instructor too...!

    "Zoemi! Sorry for that, sister Elsby caught me sneaking away and did not let me go without escort..."

    Grazio walked up to Zoemi and the cautious armored wolf and lowered his head apologetically while exining.

    "My lord, if you don''t mind then neither do I! Let''s start with some basic stretches and light exercises."

    "Let''s!"

    The ck-haired boy assured him with a friendly smile and they walked towards the side of the area while Cat sat down and cautiously observed the adults who were supposedly there as Grazio''s bodyguards.

    "Although for magicians mana and magic are the most important, being physically strong simply can only be a disadvantage when underestimating an opponent while overestimating oneself. Therefore, with a proper understanding of one''s limits, physical training can be only beneficial!"

    Zoemi said enthusiastically while showing Grazio the motion he should be going to prepare his body for the workout.

    "..."

    While having his body turned, Zoemi didn''t pay too much attention to Grazio''s silence writing it off as the other boy merely focusing on keeping up a proper form.

    "So annoying. Fireball."

    "Yeah and... wait, what did you...?"

    That''s why when the red-haired boy finally spoke, at first Zoemi acted as if it was something about training and realized that something was wrong mid-sentence as he started to turn around.

    *BOOOOM*

    As he did, for a split second he saw the silhouette of Grazio that was instantly reced by a bright outburst of fireing straight from the young lord Victureo''s palm at point-nk range.

    "GHRAUG!" *rumble*

    *thump*

    While Zoemi''s body was thrown into the air like a broken toy, The armored wolf went into a frenzy, casting the stone armor spell with a wild growl even before its master''s body hit the ground.

    "GET THE WOLF! IT'' WENT BERSERK, KILL IT!"

    While Cat was rushing toward the unmoving body of her master the supposed bodyguards of Grazio sprung into action too, shouting someplete bullshit.

 Chapter 692 239 - Knight Training (Part 18)

    Those without mana pulled out concealed weapons while magicians all started casting their most powerful magic.

    A few initial spells crushed against the stone armor merely slowing the beast down a bit, but soon a few lucky ones managed to get under it, severely wounding the creature.

    "...!"

    But the armored wolf didn''t care about the injuries, she was focused solely on the ck-haired boy. She had to make sure that he was fine.

    *WHAM*

    "GU-HUAGH...!"

    Cat passed the red-haired boy, merely brushing against him and sending him flying in the process while a water spear pierced through her left hind leg.

    "...nnn... nnn..."

    It hasn''t been long but the number of spells Cat took damaged her severely, still, she limped her way toward Zoemi.

    "...nnn...!"

    The first nce made the wolf tremble and let out a heartwrenching whimper ¨C the spot where the boy''s head should be was all bloody with asional spots of white bones and the whole thing was steaming as if still simmering from the fire attribute mana.

    "Dragon breath!"

    *WHOOOOOO*

    "!!!"

    To make things worse, Grazio who managed to scramble his way up from the ground reached out his hand and unleashed a cone of crimson fire that heated Cat''s stone armor to a scorching temperature.

    And yet the monster didn''t budge from the spot despite her fur being burnt off and her flesh getting cooked alive.

    Cat stood tall protecting what she thought of as the remains of her master with her own body.

    *STAB*

    Just as the mes went away and the wolf tried to cast off her armor to rece it with another one, one of the instructor''s spells ¨C a water spear ¨C make use of the window of opportunity and pierced right through the beast''s neck.

    "Nnnn...!"

    Cat yelped and her feet crumbled down.

    She wanted to protect her master, but that was no longer an option.

    She was barely strong enough to crawl her way towards his body and snuggled her head under one of his hands as if wishing for thest one headpat...

    The armored wolf rested her head against Zoemi''s body and...

    *bu-dum*

    "...!"

    The sound of her beloved human''s heart filled her ear and her tail wagged onest time.

    |Alive...|

    |At least he... was still alive...|

    Thest thoughts shed in Cat''s brain before she sumbed to her injuries and died...

    "His head should have been cleanly blown off, hurry and use dead wolf''s jaws to make it seem like it bit it off. We don''t have much time before the rest of the castle shows up."

    The head instructor dered, ordering others around while approaching the pale Grazio.

    "Young lord Victureo, are you okay...?"

    He asked cautiously, putting his hand on the boy''s shoulder.

    "Hmph, of course. This is how you deal with nuisances, nothing like that abandonment n you made us try before."

    Grazio scoffed raising his head proudly and crossing his arms.

    "...!"

    "What, I only said the..."

    The red-haired boy felt the man next to him flinch in shock so he tried to make some high and mighty speech but then he began turning around and actually saw what caused the head instructor to freeze.

    The ck-haired boy with more than one-third of his face blown away, with the bloodied exposed teeth and jawbones on his right side, was sitting upright while staring nkly at the mangled corpse of the armored wolf by his side.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Wh...?! How is he still alive?! It was a fireball at a point-nk range, a manalessmoner has no chance of...!"

    Grazio''s face turned pale as a fresh sheet and he gasped in shock while taking a step back.

    As he did...

    *WHOOOSH*

    "Huh...?!"

    The horribly wounded ck-haired boy simply disappeared from the spot leaving only a gust of wind that ruffled the dead monster''s fur.

    "WHERE DID HE-GBLURGH...!"

    *SHING* *st*

    "...?!"

    The head instructor by Grazio''s side raised his voice but went silent after only a few words, at the same time Grazio got drenched by something wet and hot causing him to freak out, trip and fall.

    "Disgusting...! What is this? H-huh...?"

    *thump*

    The red-haired boy tried to shake get the liquid off when the upper half of the head instructor plopped onto the ground right under his feet.

    *WHOOOSH* *SHING* x12 *WHOOOSH*

    Before the scream of fear built up in Grazio''s throat, all the torches lighting up the area were extinguished by the blood and viscera flying everywhere.

    In mere seconds the only beings left alive there were Grazio and a humanoid beast with half of its face horribly mutted by mes, its obsidian eyes burning up with the otherworldly light of the stars.

    "F-fireball!"

    Grazio backed off on all fours but the body of the head instructor was blocking his way, so the red-haired boy had no other choice but to attack.

    *WHOOOO*

    The mes coiled in his palm and a bright red fireball shot at the creature that didn''t even seem to register the attack...

    *tssss*

    "!!!"

    As it turned out, it didn''t even have to ¨C the fireball reached its target, smashed against the monster''s head, and...

    ...did not add to the damage the creature has already suffered whatsoever...

    *WHOOOSH* *clench*

    The very next second the monster disappeared from its spot again and with a gust of wind caused by its movement it appeared right in front of the shocked Grazio, grabbing his arm by the wrist.

    "...?"

    "~!"

    The red-haired boy looked up at the creature, too scared to even let out a sound, and the monster responded with a smile...

    ...or rather the fangs in the exposed jaws glistened in the moonlight...

    *RIIIIP*

    "GHRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH...!"

    Then the creature ripped out the child''s arm as if the limb was made out of soft y, causing the red-haired boy to howl like a butchered animal.

    But the monster didn''t stop there.

    It grabbed the boy''s head, making sure that he is watching, and raised the torn-off limb to its face, opening its jaws at full width and...

    *CRUNCH*

    "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

    ...biting into it, adding a whole lot of psychological trauma on top of the physical one.

 Chapter 693 239 - Knight Training (Part 19)

    *thump*

    "Ghuuu...! Uuu...! Uuuurghueeghuehhh...! Uuu...!"

    The monster released Graizo who was on the verge of bleeding out and started to crawl away while choking on his own tears and snot.

    After he managed to crawl a few feet away from the beast...

    *clench* *RIIIIIIP*

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

    The beast grabbed one of his legs and tore it off too.

    The monster was crying, but because of the wound exposing its fang-filled jaws its expression look like that of a cruel joy.

    Unfortunately, that was not the case as the monster''s heart was full of anger and sorrow.

    ...said monster was none other than Zoemi after all, and the boy could not stop cursing himself for misunderstanding Grazio''s behavior to that ridiculous point...

    Tsundere?

    Forget it, the red-haired boy just hated him!

    But something as insignificant as that didn''t matter anymore because Grazio of the current timeline was about to lose his life.

    The red-haired boy was crawling in the mud made from the mixture of dirt with his own blood and vomit and Zoemi was about to test the limits of his endurance by ripping off his entrails through his back when...

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    A horizontal pir of orange fire erupted from the castle gate, swallowing Zoemi''s upper half in its zing inferno.

    "GET MY BROTHER AWAY FROM THAT THING!"

    Ehmi showed up at the training ground leading the people of the Perserios family andmanding them efficiently despite how shaken she was about the sight.

    *tsssss*

    "...haaaa..."

    "?!?!?!"

    She released the spell thinking that the beast must have been done already but the moment the mes subsided Zoemi merely shook off the charr and breathed out, causing the air to whistle through his exposed fangs and stunning the crimson-haired girl with that sight alone.

    "me dr...!"

    *WHOOOOSH* *WHAM*

    *tsss*

    Ehmi shook her head and put her hand to the side taking a pose while casting her spell, but Zoemi reached her in no time at all and cut her incantation short with a single punch to the gut.

    The mes that were already gathering around the youngdy Vctureo got extinguished before they could form a protectiveyer on her body and the girl dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings snipped off.

    *khrrrrrr*

    "...!"

    Zoemi was standing over Ehmi contemting finishing her off, but that wasn''t in the cards ¨C he felt his body getting numb and immediately began hearing the sound of the ice climbing up his legs.

    "!!!"

    Without the element of surprise, he had no chance at all with the number of people that showed up!"

    "AQUARIUS!"

    *CRASH*

    Cutting the activation phrase short, the ck-haired boy stopped the spell and then used his own strength to break through the still rtively thinyer of ice.

    *WHOOOOSH*

    There were some shouts and screams but the ck-haired boy had no intention of trying to figure anything out.

    He messed up, but he would make things much worse if he just stayed there and undone hisw of Cancer transformation.

    So he ran away...<novelnext></novelnext>

    *STAB*

    "AQUARIUS!"

    As he was scaling the wall at the edge of the Perserios estate a water spear reached him and pierced through his left leg, but the ck-haired boy got rid of it immediately with another short activation of star power before disappearing into the night.

    "..."

    Amidst the panic that ensued, the neon-pink-haired Roiso found her way to the dead wolf and gently stroked the mangled fur.

    Honestly, from what she knew, it didn''t take long for her to figure out what really happened. Unlike Zoemi, she didn''t have a positive bias toward Grazio, after all...

    For a second she wanted to use her magic and cover the entire territory with her acid, melting away anyone even remotely involved before going to the Victureo territory and melting it away too but...

    She could still feel thew of Virgo that Zoemi used on her suppressing her mana, and the people around her still hadn''t figured out a thing.

    What''s more, they seem to be looking for the ck-haired boy and treating him like one of the victims instead of a culprit or even a suspect.

    Both of those things meant that Zoemi was alive and his reputation and therefore future could be salvaged.

    And she, Roiso, was the only person who could put things that would assure a favorable oue into motion.

    "Roki...!"

    Leaving Cat''s corpse with a heavy heart, the neon-pink-haired girl approached Rokiana and grabbed onto her hand.

    "Sorry, Roiso, not now... this is such a mess...! If a child of a Victureo family will actually die in our territory then...!"

    "Roki! Zoemi is friends with a girl who has a healing attribute! I know where she lives too! We need a light magician to teleport him, it''s the only way to save him now!"

    The blue-haired girl bit her lips and shook her head at the younger girl, but Roiso didn''t step back and instead pulled Okiana down and dered.

    "What...? But...!"

    "Get us a light magician as fast as you can! If I''m wrong then we can teleport him away. It''s not like he survives any longer if we left him here and sprinkle him with herbs!"

    Rokiana hesitated, but Roiso didn''t back down even an inch.

    "Grandpa! I know what that girl is talking about! You know too, right?! Remember that report?!"

    "!!!"

    Rokiana was still unconvinced, but that was when young Devios ¨C who should not even be there ¨C called out to old lord Perserios stunning the others.

    "WIND MAGICIANS, CONTACT EVERY SINGLE LIGHT MAGICIAN THAT YOU KNOW OF!"

    The former head of the Perserios family made the decision without wasting any more time and ordered.

    Things ended well...

    The light magician showed up within a minute and after Roiso''s detailed description teleported together with the profusely bleeding red-haired boy who was barely hanging onto his consciousness.

    Roiso made a good call and didn''t say a word about the insides of the house so the light magician was forced to appear in front of it and call for help from the outside thanks to which he was not immediately attacked by either the armored wolf or the white-as-snow girl standing guard in her room.

    Burushi, being herself, responded to a distress call without dy, and Grazio''s life was spared.

    Not only that - with the knowledge she already has she started a long-term treatment that would regrow the red-haired boy''s limbs within two to three years!

    The thing was, she was told that Grazio fell victim to a wild monster that descended the mountains and attacked the Perserios territory ¨C which was part of Roios''s n to keep Zoemi''s name out of it¨C so she had no idea of Zoemi''s involvement in the incident.

    ...if she did, well, the oue of the young lord Victureo''s treatment would have been a lot different...

    That didn''t change the fact that because of deep mental trauma Grazio could not actually recall what happened that night, all the memories were dyed in absolute terror and the distorted image of a flesh-eating monstrosity that tortured him.

    Seemingly everything was fine...

    ...despite one detail...

    Zoemi was announced missing with a strong suggestion that he was dead, killed by the same monster that attacked Perserios territory.

    Roiso imed that he was still alive, but her only argument being that her mana isn''t wreaking havoc and melting everything passively was just shrugged off by the adults not taking her seriously.

    As for Zoemi himself...

 Chapter 694 240 - The Attendnant Named Aku (Part 1)

    *poke* *poke*

    "Kierul... do not touch him...! We need to tell somebody...!"

    While a young red-haired girl was nudging an unmoving body of a ck-haired boy with the tip of her shining ck loafer, a green-haired girl was crying out for her to stop while hiding behind a tree.

    "Do that, then. Didn''t you bother me all the time with your message spell after you finally managed to learn it?"

    The red-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and continued nudging the unmoving body.

    "Kierul...! Pleeease stop it...! He''s dead, we need to get away from here!"

    The green-haired girl cried out, too afraid to actually look or even point at the ck-haired boy that her friend was prodding with her foot.

    "Oh, that''s why you are so worried? He isn''t dead."

    "Eh...?!"

    Kierul raised her brows, finally understanding why her friend was acting like that and shrugged her shoulders before waving her hand dismissively, taking the green-haired girl by surprise.

    "How... how can you tell...?"

    The fearful wind magician asked hesitantly although she did lean away form the tree a bit more and nced at the body of the boy who must have been around their age.

    "Fire magicians can use something called heat vision. Apparently, it''s some difficult magic, but I ¨C just like lord Grazio anddy Ehmi from the Victureo family ¨C was born with it."

    Kierul straightened her back and boasted pridefully puffing out her chest.

    "His body isn''t stopping generating heat and I can even faintly see the movement of his heart. He is weak but very much alive."

    The red-haired girl smirked devilishly and crouched by the boy, poking the exposed left cheek of his cute face.

    "Then... then that is even more reason for us to contact someone and get help!"

    "And I clearly already told you to do just that. Seriously, Senria, I am going to stop being friends with you."

    The green-haired girl trembled and muttered to which the red-haired one only rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.

    "Wha...?! K-Kierul, you don''t mean it, right?! My parents would...!"

    Senria gasped as Kierul''s words terrified her more than the unknown unconscious boy.

    But the red-haired girl stopped paying attention to her friend and instead decided it was okay to mess with the ck-haired boy instead.

    "Hmm~"

    Kierul smiled devilishly and her body shone with the fire enchantments. She grabbed the boy''s shoulder and pulled him up.

    "KYAAAAH!"

    By doing so, he ended up exposing a terrible wound ¨C the whole right side of the boy''s face was terribly burnt and basically, all of his teeth and jawbones were exposed and even charred a little bit ¨C the mere sight of it caused Senria to let out a high-pitched scream and run away as fast as she could.

    "...nngh...?"

    The scream ended up acting like some sort of trigger and the boy twitched before letting out a painful noise.

    "Oh...?"

    Kierul, who didn''t even budge at the sight of the wound smiled and leaned down just to have a better look at the boy''s face.

    "...?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The scarred boy''s eyelids trembled and he slowly opened them.

    His obsidian eyes met the red eyes of Kierul and widened.

    "Are you a shadow magician or darkness magician?"

    The red-haired girl didn''t waste any time and asked omitting the basic pleasantries.

    "...? None...? I am not a magician..."

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows and informed, doing his best to sit upright.

    He started to look around but from his expression, it was easy to figure out that he has no idea where he is.

    "Amoner, huh? Well, it doesn''t matter, you look messed up, but if you survived whatever happened to you it means that you are tough. Oh, and while we are at it, what happened to you? I''ve heard there is an outbreak of fire-breathing giant moles... Is that what got you?"

    Kierul nodded her head with an amused expression before motioning with her chin towards the remains of a massive molehill that the boy must have crashed into.

    "I... don''t know...? Are... are fire-breathing giant moles... amon thing around here...? And... where is here? And... and... huh...?"

    The boy tilted his head and wondered in confusion. He raised his hand to the right side of his face but instead of the soft skin of his cheek, his fingers met with exposed bones and teeth.

    "Yeah, that''s what I talked about by saying you look messed up. Moles or not, whatever got you, got you good."

    "...?"

    Kierul snickered, reaching out her hand and touching the boy''s wound as if it was the most normal thing to do.

    "Like I said... mistermoner, you must be tough to survive something like that... and that..."

    She then added gently moving her fingers across the burnt tissue and finally pointing at the gaping hole in the sitting boy''s thigh.

    "What is your name, mistermoner? And how about a family? Do you have one?"

    Kierul continued asking, greatly invested in the wounded boy for some reason.

    "Name...? Family...?"

    "Yeah."

    The ck-haired boy furrowed his brows, still trying to wrap his brain around the horrible wound and waking up in an unknown ce.

    "I am not sure about the family... I think I have one but... Maybe I don''t...? My... my head is hazy..."

    The boy tilted his head from side to side as if trying to stir his brain into working, but it didn''t seem to want to cooperate with him at the moment.

    "Oh, don''t mind that, they must bemoners too, not to mention most likely dead."

    Kierul scoffed dismissively, not caring in the slightest about being ignorant, cold, and way too blunt while speaking to an injured person.

    "How about the name, at least? Evenmoners have names, don''t they?"

    The red-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and asked.

    "Name... Yes... I remember that much. I am Aku. Kuro Aku. Aku is the given name... I think..."

    The ck-haired boy frowned trying to remember even the most basic information about himself and finally nodded and said with remarkable confidence.

 Chapter 695 240 - The Attendnant Named Aku (Part 2)

    "Kuro Aku...? But Aku is the first name? That sounds so foreign and... Wait...! Are you perhaps someone from the Heavenly Star Nation?!"

    Kierul tilted her head looking at the ck-haired boy with suspicion when suddenly her eyes widened and she gasped with excitement.

    "Huh? I... don''t know...? Am I...?"

    Aku raised his brows taken aback and stuttered unsure about the truth.

    "I always wanted to have a servant that''s a martial artist! Let''s test it out!"

    "???"

    Kierul trembled in excitement and got up, moving a few steps away from the confused ck-haired boy.

    "Ember!"

    *whooo*

    She pointed her hand slightly to the right of the spot where Aku was sitting and chanted, causing a small flickering me to appear on the ground.

    "Whoa?! Is that magic?!"

    Aku gaped in shock, leaning forward and staring intently at the dancing fire.

    "It is! Now, I''ve heard that martial artists use spiritual energy within them just like magicians use mana, but with the difference being that instead of using whatever spells they can think of, they are locked into twelvews. Let''s check whether you are a martial artist or not! Law of Aquarius is supposed to get rid of mana, so try using it to get rid of my spell!"

    Kierul dered withpletely unfounded confidence, puffing out her chest proudly and giving orders as if it was the most natural thing to do.

    "...I am not sure about that..."

    "Aku. If you are a martial artist then I will make you my servant. You don''t know who you really are or whether you have a family or not. Not to mention I found you, so I am your savior, which means you have to listen to me. Now do what I say."

    The ck-haired boy hesitated, but the red-haired girl overwhelmed him with her pushiness and confidence that only a spoiled nobledy could show.

    "..."

    Aku could not understand it himself, but he ended up sensing something incredibly familiar about the way Kierul acted and going along with it.

    "Aquarius."

    *haaaaa*

    That''s why he reached out his hand toward the flickering me and said. Honestly, he didn''t expect anything to happen but then he felt something stirring up deep within his body, and some kind of energy burst forward, causing the girl''s spell to disintegrate and release a sound simr to a person breathing out in relief.

    "AH! AHA! You ARE a martial artist!"

    Seeing the result, Kierul jumped up from joy and skipped towards Aku who was in deep shock himself, staring at his hands in disbelief.

    "Aku! From today onwards, you are mine! I, Kierul Berra Helterose am your master, understand?"

    The red-haired girl grabbed Aku''s hands and dered in a fiery voice that perfectly befitted her attribute.

    "..."

    Aku felt incredibly overwhelmed by the situation. He realized that there was something wrong with his memory as he could not recall anything except his name...

    And yet, at the same time, the pushiness and hotheadedness of the red-haired girl in front of him were giving him this familiar feeling that carried this odd sense offort he could not exin.<novelnext></novelnext>

    |...maybe... maybe if I go along with her whims, my memories will return...?|

    Aku thought to himself and gulped down his saliva, making a decision...

    "...as you wish, mydy..."

    "That''s what I like to hear!"

    The moment he thought to, he knew exactly what kind of words and tone of voice to use, making Kierul''s face light up with a prideful smile.

    "Alright, I will guide you back to the mansion. I kind of sneaked out together with a girl whose parents forced to be my friend, but as you can see she got cold feet and ran away. If she is useful, she will call for someone to help us... hopefully not my big brother..."

    The red-haired girl nodded and dered while motioning with her head towards a well-trimmed hedge in the distance.

    "Huh? You don''t like your older...? Urgh...!"

    *thump*

    Aku furrowed his brows in confusion while trying to stand up, and as he did a jolt of pain pierced both his face and his thigh causing him to fall down.

    "...yeah... that''s what I expected..."

    Kierul breathed out and nodded leaning down to help the ck-haired boy get back up as he struggled with the pain.

    Sentria did indeed get the help and a few hourster Aku wasying in bed in the Helterose mansion after getting his wounds cleaned up, washed with medicinal herbs, and bandaged while Kierul was literally having a fight with her parents about keeping the wounded boy.

    The sun was already setting when Kierul sneaked into the room Aku was staying, without knocking of course.

    "Ku-ro A-ku~! I have good news~!"

    "Mydy?"

    The red-haired girl got to the boy''s bed and grabbed his hands, intertwining their fingers and making some dance-like motions.

    "I convinced my parents to send some people to search the area where I found you and they discovered a carriage destroyed by the giant moles~!"

    Kierul hummed excitedly, beaming with joy.

    "They found the remains of two adults and a child, all with dark hair just like you~! Their belongings suggest that they were originally form the Heavenly Star Nation~! They must have been your family~! And since they are dead, you really have no one else besides me so it''s okay to make you my servant~!"

    "Wha...?! I... so... my family is dead...?"

    The red-haired girl was ecstatic about the news which was clearly traumatizing for the ck-haired boy.

    "Yes~! Do you know what that means? I can keep you~!"

    Kierul giggled happily continuing the dance-like motion not interested in Aku''s feelings.

    "I... I... don''t know what to say..."

    The boy gulped down his saliva feeling something akin to a ball of ice forming in his stomach.

    "You don''t have to say anything... well, except for ¨C thank you, oh great youngdy Kierul~! I''ve done some researched and found out that amongst the star powers that your people can use thew of Virgo is supposed to be responsible for healing. Go on and try whether can you use it or not, because once you are feeling better, you will start the attendant training so you can be a proper servant for yours truly ~!"

    Kierul boasted pridefully, letting go of Aku''s hands and starting to y with her hair all smugly.

 Chapter 696 240 - The Attendnant Named Aku (Part 3)

    "Healing... so... my face can be restored?"

    "Hmm... I''m not sure, magic inflicted injuries are supposed to be problematic for your people."

    The ck-haired boy asked, touching the thick bandages covering his face to which the red-haired girl shrugged her shoulders dismissively.

    "...alright... Virgo."

    Aku took a deep breath and focused, trying to repeat whatever he did before with thew of Aquarius.

    "And...?"

    Kierul leaned forward, putting her hands on the mattress and looking expectantly at the boy''s face.

    "...I am not sure, mydy... My face feels numb... but my leg started to itch a little bit... I can''t tell whether it''s working or not..."

    Aku lowered his head apologetically and sulked.

    "Meh. Apparently, the wound in your leg will heal up by itself anyway and should not hamper your mobility too much, that''s the only thing that matters. As for your face... I will find a solution for you so don''t think about it."

    Kierul scoffed, waving her hand dismissively, and got off the boy''s bed.

    "Mydy...!"

    "Hmm?"

    Having said everything that she wanted, the red-haired girl walked towards the door but was stopped by Aku''s timid voice.

    "Thank you... I will do my best to be a good attendant."

    "That much is obvious, Aku~ After all, everyone would love to serve me~"

    The ck-haired boy took a deep breath and dered, to which the red-haired girl snickered and shrugged her shoulders before leaving the room.

    Aku soon discovered that thew of Virgo that Kierul told him to use did work ¨C partially.

    Thanks to it, the hole in his leg closed up and healed within a week ¨C but unfortunately, there was no change to his face.

    His jawbones and teeth werepletely exposed and he had to relearn how to eat to not spill out food from the right side of his face.

    Although it wasn''t an easy thing to do, he began getting the hang of it within a week.

    Within the said week, Kierul would visit him all the time to check on his health and make sure that he will be up for the task of starting the attendant training.

    "You see, my territory is well known for training the best attendants, maids, and butlers in the whole kingdom. I might be just the fourth daughter of the fifth son of the Helterose family, but it is absolutely unthinkable for me to have a subpar attendant. That''s why I expect you to perform better than anyone else"

    Kierul informed Aku while putting on a white mask that would cover the whole face.

    The mask had a somewhat fox-like shape and didn''t actually have holes for eyes, mouth, or nose.

    It was basically a white ceramic te.

    "Mydy...?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Aku reached out and took the mask, raising his brow and looking at Kierul for an exnation.

    "I said that I will do something about your face, haven''t I? You said that you discovered that your ears are so sensitive that they can basically rece your eyes so this should be perfect... or were you lying just to impress me? I do not like empty boasts from my servants, Aku..."

    The red-haired girl exined while squinting her eyes, leaning forward and ring at the ck-haired boy and tapping on the white mask in his hands.

    "I waspletely serious, mydy."

    "Good."

    Aku straightened his back and dered to which Kierul smirked and nodded with satisfaction.

    The ck-haired boy looked at the mask one more time and then put it on, adjusting it so it would be a good fit.

    "Whoa, I kind of expected it to look odd, but this might surprisingly be right up my alley~"

    Kierul tilted her head and her eyes widened when Aku faced her very clearly waiting for her opinion.

    "Learn to eat without taking it off or at least to eat in such a way that you don''t need topletely remove it. Also, I notified the head butler that you are starting the attendant training tomorrow so don''t bete. It''s time for you to learn how to earn your keep."

    "As you wish, mydy."

    The red-haired girl instructed wagging her finger at Aku and the masked boy bowed towards her without a second of hesitation.

    --------

    Therge ballroom was decorated in the most pompous manner to the point that only the parties in the royal castle couldpete with its splendor.

    Such a thing was both a deration and a challenge ¨C the up-anding Helterose family was extending its power and reaching toward the title of one of the great families.

    After all, even though there were no records of the six great families ever-changing their members, at the same time there was now or tradition forbidding any additions...

    ...not to mention that the sixth great family ceased to exist a few years prior...

    Bellcephora, Banemor, Espine, Derizno, Victureo, Moyena... amongst them the Banemor line was extinguished because of the alleged treason and rampant corruption, leaving a nice vacant spot that Helterose was eyeing out hungrily.

    As for the reason the party was organized in the first ce ¨C it was a joyous asion, the eleventh birthday of the youngest child in the Helterose family.

    Youngdy Kierul Berra Helterose.

    Normally, a fourth daughter of a fifth son would not get nearly as much recognition nor money put into a celebration under her name, but Helterose''s family head was desperate to show off to other nobles.

    Truth be told, youngdy Kierul was destined to y second fiddle at her own birthday, if to gather any attention at all.

    All of her older siblings and cousins would use the opportunity to make contact and hopefully befriend the youths from other noble families.

    ...and even before she had her grand entrance people were already whispering amongst each other pointing at her father and talking nonchntly with the current family head.

    Honestly, not being apanied by the male parent while that parent was alive and well during a female''s birthday was the ultimate sign that the family had no hopes for the girl.

 Chapter 697 241 - The Attendnant Named Aku (Part 4)

    "Give it to Helteroses. They are doing well for themselves, throwing a party and then basically ignoring the person that the party was thrown for."

    Thriteen-years-old Ehmi whose figure was already putting most young adult women to shame, scoffed, ncing with disgust at the snack table where two lords Helterose were drinking wine and making small talks with the representatives of the great families.

    The mildly disgusted girl shook her head causing her long crimson hair to cascade through the air gathering the attention and longing looks of most of the male demographic ¨C no matter their age.

    "They are so dull and have no ss or honor. The decision is up to my parents but in their current form, personally, I would be against them joining the six great families."

    A prideful girl with long dark hair that stayed in an intimidating hairstyle without any visible pins or hairbands shrugged her shoulders and supped on the juice from the long ss she was holding up elegantly while leaning against the table with desserts.

    Despite being around two years younger than her voluptuous friend, the dark-haired girl was definitely a close second in terms of the amount of attention she was gathering.

    The two could be described as the brilliant jewels in the crown of the party.

    Ehmi Gamemi Victureo in her flowy ballroom dress and elbow-long silky crimson gloves and...

    Miriette Lisea Espine in a splendid emerald dress with ck frills and wrist-long ckcy gloves.

    In terms of jewelry, the youngdy of the Victureo family donned an intricate ne made of countless red, orange, and yellow gems that together imitated a raging me, and delicate earrings with three gems in the same color variation as the ne.

    On the other hand, the only heir of the Espine family decided on silver bracelets withrge chunks of milky crystals embedded into the chain links and a cor-like tightly-fit ne with the same kind of gems cascading down her shoulders. Her earrings also had milky-white crystals and were perfectly visible in the background of her lovely waist-long dark hair.

    None of the two were adults yet and yet the number of marriages towards them their families received wasrger than the collective amount of invitation that was sent to every other female present at the partybined.

    "Harsh. That''s why the first prince cried to his mother to break off the engagement with you."

    Ehmi discreetly raised a folding fan to her face and opened it to hide the mean smirk that crept its way on her face.

    "You are trying to make it sound as if it wasn''t exactly what I wanted. The way he is now, the pissy prince is just pathetic."

    Miriette smiled softly looking down into her ss as if contemting having another gulp.

    "Is that so...? You would not mind if I snatch him away? He has a lot of mommy issues and I dare say am plenty motherly. Who knows? Maybe I will raise him into a proper man that even you will be jealous of?"

    The cirmson-ahired girl chukled without putting down her fan and straingtened her back, putting one hand under her already impressive bust to excentuate it even further.

    "Honestly? Go for it. Although do mind that you mind need to learn to change diapers even before conceiving your first child. I am not calling him the pissy prince without reason."

    "Eh...? E!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The dark-haired girl nced at her friend and shrugged her shoulders dismissively but in the end, her expression turned mean as she parted with some secret knowledge that made Ehmi gasp and frown in disgust.

    "Alright, maybe I will hold on to the idea of bing the queen until I will be sure that his highness can control his bowels."

    Ehmi shook her head and snapped her folding fan close while ncing towards the young gold-haired boy in a whit,e gold-incrusted tuxedo taking with her younger brother wearing very simr clothes but with red ents instead of gold, and two more boys, one green-haired and one brown-haired that seemed about a year older than them.

    "But then... if you don''t like Helterose family and you aren''t here to patch things up with the first prince... Why did you show up to this party, Miri? Your mother over there is by far more than that new money deserves."

    The cirmson-ahired girl leaned against the table with desserts just like her dark-haired friend and asked curiously while ncing meaningfully towards a tall distinguished woman that both adult Helterose present desperately tried to keep in a good mood.

    "Helterose family got wealthy because of their best quality servants, haven''t they? And I''ve heard that the best of the best is serving under today''s special girl. I happen to know a lot about perfect attendants so I wanted to check him out with my won two yes... and nose..."

    Miriette lowered her head again as if the juice in her long ss became even more interesting than before and she exined with a soft sigh full of longing.

    "Nose...? You are not going to try to grab and start sniffing him, are you?"

    Ehmi raised her brow and hurriedly opened her fan, waving it with quick movements of the wrist as if she needed an ear.

    "Of course not."

    The dark-haired girl sent her an annoyed re and shook her head in disbelief at the audacity of the suggestion.

    "You know, you could always ask me. That boy is a martial artist so the moment the news about him started surfacing my father looked into him... and I just so happen to get y hands on thepiled report~"

    The crimson-haired girl raised her head in pride so high that her chin was almost pointing towards the ceiling...

    ...it was obvious that she wanted the other girl to ask her for the information she had...

    "Aku Kuro. The only survivor of the monster attack from the emigrant family of four. Found by ident by youngdy Kierul when she sneaked out of her family mansion. Just as it is normal for the people from his homnd he can''t use mana and instead utilizes spiritual energy to gain ess to star power. Quite an exotic thing around our parts, but even so, by far the most special thing about him is his incredible talent as a servant. Mastering and clearing out the attendant training with the perfect score within less than a month of being saved he is now the number one candidate to be the next head butler of the main Helterose family. Even more interestingly, after being sent to the Derizno branch family for a trial period that every attendant has toplete, the Derizno family is adamant about convincing him to work for them, going as far as offering the same yearly payment a member of the King''s Guard cash in... Despite having amazing offers like that avable to him, he continues to refuse them each time they are made, hiding behind his loyalty towards the girl who saved him. Oh, and he is the same age as me and the pissy prince. He might be hiding his face behind a mask without fail, he isn''t all that mysterious you want to paint him as, Ehmi."

    "..."

    But Miriette quickly brought her back to reality by proving that she and her family have ways of gathering intel that is in no way subpar to those of the Victureo family.

    "Tsk... you know how to mess up my fun."

    Ehmi scoffed in annoyance, making a sulky expression and reaching out for a cupcake to sweeten up the bitter defeat.

 Chapter 698 241 - The Attendnant Named Aku (Part 5)

    "Hold on...!"

    The crimson-haired girl already bit into the cupcake when she suddenly furrowed her brows and turned to her friend with cream in the corner of her mouth.

    "If you know so much about him, then why do you need toe to see him? Don''t tell me you want to steal him away from Kierul, and on her birthday no less!"

    Ehmi gasped in disbelief, leaning towards Miriette and making her frown and lean back in order to keep up the distance between them.

    "I am not going to steal anyone, so get off of me already!"

    "Ah...! Sorry..."

    Miriette ended ups spilling a bit of the juice on the floor which made her scoff angrily at her crimson-haired friend who reflected upon her actions and backed off politely.

    "In the first ce. If my intuition is correct then it will not be considered stealing, but retrieving lost property."

    "Eh?!"

    The dark-haired girl muttered under her breath, but Ehmi did catch at least some of what she said.

    Ehmi was dying to learn what Miriette meant, but her curiosity had to wait.

    Just as the crimson-haired girl was turning towards her friend, the massive door opened for the entrance of the guest of honor, the birthday girl herself.

    As mean-spirited and borderline cruel as it may sound, everyone gathered there knew that the asion or the person isn''t of importance so most of them just turned around intending to ignore the youngdy Kierul...

    "NOBLE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT''S THE PERSON YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING TO SEE AT THIS SPLENDID EVENING~!" x20

    ...but it turned out to be apletely impossible task when twenty masked boys descended the staircase and their identical voices boomed over the ballroom, synchronized to the point of sounding as one, so loud that the musicians entertaining the people were overwhelmed.

    They all were wearing identical high-quality tuxedos and donning white porcin masks thatpletely covered their faces with no spaces for ears, nose, or mouth, and they all had slick ck-haired pulled back into an elegant hairstyle.

    "THE YOUNGEST STAR ON THE FIRMAMENT OF THE HELTEROSE FAMILY! KIERUL BERRA HELTEROSE~!" x20

    Just as if they were a single person, twenty boys got down on one knee and pointed at the top of the staircase and chanted, literally forcing everyone present to follow their instructions because of the borderline ridiculous amount of charisma.

    Then, Kierul showed herself apanied by hand by yet another identical masked boy.

    The birthday girl looked lovely, her shoulder-length hair was curled up cutely, softening up her sharp-looking eyes and giving them a gently look, her dress was in great taste too, not overly fluffy nor extravagant, a tasteful white dress with a few bright red ents to truly showcase the color of the girl''s eyes and hair.

    Interestingly, as for the choice of jewelry, youngdy Helterose showed a rather minimalistic take ¨C two small obsidian earrings and a simple ne with a single obsidian shard with filed edges.

    "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YOUNG LADY KIERUL~!" x20

    The score of boys once again overwhelmed the ballroom with their voices and immediately began pping their hands in a celebratory ovation, purposefully breaking the harmony and creating a dissonance creating the illusion of the whole room pping.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Actually, most people were so shocked that they did join in, and hence, the girl who was supposed to be ignored became the absolute center of attention.

    "Thank you, everyone. I humbly wee you to my birthday party, please eat, drink, dance, and enjoy yourself to the fullest in my name~"

    Kierul spoke gently and puffed out her chest looking around the bewildered crowd, the corners of her mouth trembled upwards when she localized her family, especially her oldest cousin, the first daughter of the current head of the Helterose family.

    That annoying girl in her third year in Aspakeony Academy was shaking from bottling up anger and jealousy which made for such a delicious sight that Kierul could barely stop herself from licking her lips.

    "Mydy, is my performance satisfactory so far?"

    "Top quality, keep up the good work~"

    Aku''s muffled whisperer flew out of his mask and Kierul honored him with a soft smile.

    The two descended the staircase, and with each step, they took a pair of other masked boys who would stand up and follow them...

    ...but when the nobledy and her masked attendant reached the bottom of the stairs, they were followed by no one, as all the masked boys turned out to be Aku''s copies created by thew of Gemini and dissipated into spiritual energy upon the star power release, further stunning the already bbergasted crowd.

    "Aku~ Once again you are proving yourself to be far toopetent~!"

    Once their feet touched the floor, the two children were approached by a sixteen-year-old red-haired boy who seemed very keen on ignoring Kierul and messing up her moment and tried to achieve so by pulling the masked attendant away from her.

    He was rather pushy too, cing his hand on Aku''s shoulder and trying to get him to let go of Kierul''s hand.

    "Aquarius. Leo. Pisces."

    "...!"

    The masked boy didn''t even budge though and merely let out a sigh without even looking at the older boy whose eyes suddenly became unfocused.

    "Big brother Urtervia~! How is the party going for you?"

    Seeing the red-haired disruptor sway, Kierul smiled and took a step forward, letting go of Aku''s hand and politely curtsying to her eldest brother and offering him her hand.

    ? "Kierul...?"

    While Aku was standing in the back, using his master as a shield, Urtervia blinked a few times staring at the girl''s hand, and then shook his head before smiling brightly at his younger sister.

    "Oh, dear me. I must have helped myself to one ss of wine too many. My lovely sister, happy birthday~!"

    Without any warning, the red-haired boy dropped to one knee and lowered his head to kiss the top of Kierul''s hand.

    "First of all, please forgive me, I do not have a presentation prepared... Because no matter what I checked out, everything seemed too insignificant to convey how much I care about you, my beloved sister. I could wish you a good husband, wealth, and happiness, but I know that you will seize it all with your own strength regardless of the whims of fate. Therefore the only wishes I offer you are that of health so that you would stay as the pir of our family for decades toe~!"

 Chapter 699 241 - The Attendnant Named Aku (Part 6)

    Urtervia put his other hand on top of Kierul''s hand and lowered his head deeply toward her just as one would do to the new head of the family.

    "Big brother Urtervia, you are too kind~ Thank you for the kind words. Your feelings are worth more to me than any present ever could."

    Kierul put her free hand to her chest, acing deeply touched, and smiled brightly at her older brother.

    While all the guests from outside the family were busy marveling at the heartwarming rtionship of two siblings, the members of the Helterose house were looking at each other in consternation.

    Urtervia was Kierul''s eldest brother, that was a fact, but forget about the friendly or heartwarming rtionship ¨C the two actively hated each other, which involved bullying to the point of actual physical violence.

    Kierul would literally sneak out of the mansion at every opportunity when Urtervia was back from the Academy just to stay away from him if she didn''t have some revenge n in mind.

    Actually, the reason she snuck out of the mansion and found Aku was that she overheard Utrervia was looking for her.

    They went through all that and now that happened...? Unthinkable!

    Something must have been going on, and none of the young generations of the Helterose family liked it.

    "I will stop holding back the line. Once again, happy birthday, little sister."

    "Thank you, big brother. Be careful with the wine from now on, you might be an adult, but you need to be aware of your limits."

    Not minding the reaction of their family, the pair of siblings exchanged a few more words and the red-haired boy stood up and stumbled towards the snack table where he was immediately approached by his very confused father.

    "That was so sappy... I love it~!"

    "d to hear it, mydy."

    Kierul followed her brother''s back with her eyes for a moment before nodding with satisfaction and leaning back just a little bit to whisper towards her masked attendant who stepped forward, breathing out after releasing the star powers he was using to control the mana-depleted red-haired boy.

    With the chain of peopleing to greet and wish Kierul happy birthday started, the masked attendant didn''t have much to do. He would merely hang out behind his master and put his hand to his heart whenever someone important walked over.

    He did not engage in any conversation nor did he want to ¨C for all intense and purposes, his role at the party has ended, unless the security would turn out to bepletely useless and let something dangerous on the Helterose''s estate''s perimeter.

    Watching the quests approaching Kierul was quite fun, truth be told.

    The most amusing ones were the ones who clearly haven''t prepared any presents but were scrambling toe up with something.

    Long story short, manydies would all of a sudden opt for more frugal looks, losing earrings and nes.

    Seeing the nobles struggle to think of a reason why said jewelry they were regifting wasn''t in a proper package made Aku treble once or twice while he held back the burst ofughter.

    Nheless, Kierul would always ept the gift, smile, thank the person, and then pass the gift to Aku for safekeeping.

    One of the few who actually came with a proper present was the mother and daughter pair from the Espine family.

    Really, really important people.

    The Espine family held so much power at the moment, that when the first prince canceled his engagement with their heir, it was the royal family who lost quite a bit of respect and was now struggling to make up for it.

    "For a studious nobledy."

    "Th-thank you, mydy...!"

    Duchess Misena handed Kierul a small slim package, she was calm and her voice was gentle but she had such a strong aura surrounding her that the red-haired girl started stuttering while dodging eye contact.

    Nheless, Kierul ended up unwrapping the package on the spot and found out it was a beautifully crafted golden fountain pen.

    "Mydy, I promise you will not regret giving me this...!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The birthday girl grasped the pen and dered, clenching it to her chest.

    "Now, now. You don''t have to be so serious about it. Happy birthday."

    Lady Espine smiled benevolently and assured the girl.

    "Happy birthday, youngdy Kierul."

    "Thank you very much, youngdy Espine!"

    Miriette also had her turn, but since her mother was the one hand the present, she only had to say a few words...

    *thump*

    But she went a bit further and actually grabbed Kierul''s hands as if they were friends, surprising everyone, including Kierul who didn''t manage to pass the fountain pen to Aku and ended up dropping it.

    "AH...!"

    "Mydy, allow me."

    The red-haired girl panicked and was about to throw herself on the floor after the presentation, but she was stopped in a timely manner by her masked attendanting in from behind.

    "I beg your pardon, mydy. Youngdy."

    The ck-haired boy then bowed towards the mother and daughter from the Epsine family and crouched, reaching for the dropped pen.

    That was it. Nothing much, nothing special.

    Servant lowering his back in front of the nobility.

    That was all there was to it, Aku thought, but then, as he was standing up...

    *rustle* *sniff* *sniff*

    The youngdy''s spine took a discreet step forward, having her dress rub against Aku''s tuxedo ¨C which would be quite odd in and of itself, but then it was followed by two long whiffs that were perfectly audible for Aku with his incredible hearing.

    "...?"

    The masked attendant stood up and bounced off to his spot a little bit disturbed.

    |...did... did youngdy Espine just sniff me...? Why....?|

    Aku thought unable to wrap his head around the peculiar situation.

    It definitely wasn''t coincidental. The dark-haired girl definitely stepped forward to position herself in such a way she could smell his scent. There was no doubt about it...

    |BUT WHY?!|

    The concerned boy tilted his head, feeling his face getting hot under the porcin mask.

    Somehow, despite being unable to see a thing, Aku could feel that the youngdy Espine was looking at him.

    For whatever reason, he could tell that it was her gaze.

    Which was a rather strange thing to know for sure.

 Chapter 700 241 - The Attendnant Named Aku (Part 7)

    "...Pisces..."

    That pushed him to use one of his star power, in its more advanced form.

    Low levels of thew of Pisces allowed formunication at great distances very simr to the message spell used by the wind magicians, but more advanced levels gave the user ess to the astral projection and sending out part of one''s spirit to scout out things and areas without actually ever taking a step there.

    And at the moment, Aku was using it to confirm whether the girl from the Epsine family was indeed looking at him, or was it just his wild imagination...

    "!!!"

    The moment Aku gain ess to vision outside of his mask, he noticed the dark-haired girl and felt as if his body was struck by thunder...

    |SHE''S SO CUUUUUTEEEEEE!|

    The masked attendant stumbled back, grabbing onto his chest, covering his heart as if terrified it would jump out of his chest.

    "Aku...?! Is everything okay...?"

    before the boy know it,dy Epsine and her daughter already left and Kierul was standing right in front of him, looking at the spot on the mask where his eyes should be in concern.

    "I... I... ehem...! Yes, mydy. I apologize, I was too focused on the presents and forget there are stairs right behind me."

    Aku hesitated before clearing out his throat and assuring, straightening his back to prove that he is fine.

    "True... stairs don''t make any sound when no one is walking on them... Watch out for yourself first, but try not to damage the presents..."

    Keirul furrowed her brows and nodded with a serious expression before ncing back at the remaining people waiting in line and leaning closer toward her attendant.

    "We will be selling them to get the funds for the next part of the n, remember?"

    She added anxiously.

    So anxiously that it was unlike her, it seemed that standing face to face with people from the Epsine family shook her just as much as Aku... although for apletely different reason.

    "But of course. Let''s continue, mydy."

    Seeing his master in such a miserable state made Aku pull himself together and find a resolve to calm down ¨C or the closest thing to it...

    "I was observing you... you really did sniff him!"

    After the official greeting and gift-giving were one, Miriette returned to her spot by the dessert table and was immediately approached by the amused Ehmi.

    "I don''t know what you are talking about."

    The dark-haired girl sulked and looked away.

    "Eeehhh...? What''s with that reaction? What, did he not smell how you expected? What, too sweaty? Not sweaty enough?"

    The crimson-haired girl raised her brows before leaning in and asking curiously.

    "Don''t make it weirder than it already is. He... he doesn''t smell like my Zoemi..."

    Miriette scoffed while ring at her friend before pouting.

    "His scent is simr enough to make my heart skip a bit, but then also different to make me worry..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    She added, picking up a cherry cream cupcake and biting into it.

    "Your Zoemi...? Oohh, him again...! Wait! You still haven''t given up on that boy? He''s dead. Poor guy got eaten by the same monster that got Grazio''s arm and leg two years ago..."

    "HE ISN''T DEAD!"

    Ehmi gasped in realization and shrugged her shoulders while shaking her head, but immediately shut her mouth when Miriette clenched her fist, crushing the half-eaten cupcake, and screamed getting the attention of at least a dozen people.

    "Yeah, yeah. That one pink-haired girl says that she still feels his star power working on her or whatever. You know that she is lying to get you and that boy''s father to give her money for the so-called search."

    The crimson-haired girl groaned, shaking her head in disbelief, and pointed out.

    "..."

    Miriette noticed her mother''s scolding stare and closed her mouth despite the urge to respond to Ehmi''s words just as strongly as before.

    "Now I get it. That''s why you came here, you think that the masked attendant is the boy who promised to be your knight... Miri, you need to let go. The boy you want was a shadow magician ¨C people from the Perserios territory and the remaining instructors and participants in the knight training confirmed that. This boy here is a martial artist. Twopletely different things. Or do you think that he was using shadow magic?"

    "..."

    The crimson-haired girl continued nodding and helped herself to another cupcake while Miriette was cleaning off the remains of the cherry cream one from her hand in silence.

    "Do you?"

    Ehmi asked again, pointing the cupcake in an usatory manner right in Miriette''s face.

    "Haaa... No. I do not believe that Aku is using shadow magic."

    "There you have it. You need to get over that Zoemi, and you definitely cannot go around sniffing other people. Your family is powerful, but once bad rumors about you start spreading, that''s it."

    Miriette breathed out and admitted, to which Ehmi nodded with satisfaction and began munching on the dessert.

    "...is what they were talking about..."

    Aku whipped to Kierul''s ear as the two of them were by the snack table.

    "I''ve heard about the incident they mentioned. A monster descended the mountains and killed a bunch of people in the Perserios territory, not to mention gravely wounded lord Grazio. If not for the help of the literal miracle worker, a healer magician, it would be over for him. But that girl managed to not only save his life but restore his limbs. See, that''s lord Grazio right there."

    The red-haired girl pondered and pointed at the red-haired boy talking with a gold-haired first prince and two other young nobles.

    Young lord Victureo did indeed have all of his limbs attached, although it seemed like he was still adjusting to having his arm and leg back and fully operational. It was recognizable in the slight hesitation in every movement of his.

    "Impressive."

    "Do you want me to arrange for that miracle worker to take a look at your face"

    Aku leaned and gasped which prompted Kierul to ask him.

    "Maybeter. I can''t imagine such service would be cheap and we need every coin to make your n work... after you will be the head of the Helterose family though... then, then we can talk."

    The masked boy didn''t dwell on the proposition for more than a heartbeat and refused it with a light shrug.

 Chapter 701 241 - The Attendnant Named Aku (Part 8)

    "Eeehhh...? You are right, but also, you don''t have to be shy. Without you my n is worthless, I want to keep you happy."

    The red-haired girl wondered out loud prodding a cube of ham with a toothpick.

    "Self-reflection? Mydy, did you eat something weird?"

    "Pfft...!"

    Aku jokingly took a step back and gasped which caused Kierul to snort.

    "You know what? Even though you aren''t that whole Zoemi - since you smell simr to him, you might have a chance to get close to youngdy Epsine... Normally she is a fortress, but that dead guy seems to be her weak point... If we y our cards right, she might end up supporting me in bing the future head of the Helterose family."

    Kierul went silent for a moment before suddenly her face brightened up with a cunning smile as she revealed her idea.

    "As you wish, mydy. I will do my best!"

    "Eager, aren''t we~?"

    The masked boy turned right around to face the dark-haired girl by the dessert table which made his master snicker once more in amusement.

    -----

    "...then if you are really interested in snatching the pissy prince you... eh...?"

    Miriette was about to advise Ehmi on the tactic that would work on the first prince Horeo when she spotted the masked attendant sneaking out of the ballroom.

    The greeting was done so he must have been sent a way to put all the presents in a safe ce...

    ...and more importantly, he was alone.

    This was a perfect opportunity for Miriette to make sure whether Aku was indeed her Zoemi or not.

    "Excuse me for a moment."

    "Eeehhh?! You can''t just leave before revealing the most important part!"

    That''s why the dark-haired girl took a deep breath and walked away from the dessert table, giving her crimson-haired friend quite a shock.

    "Miri, stop being a tease!"

    Ehmi took a step forward and grabbed Miriette''s wrist.

    "Toilet."

    The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes and groaned, ring at the hand stopping her from following the ck-haired boy.

    "Oh! Then me too, we can talk more about..."

    The crimson-haired girl gasped in realization and smiled, not letting go of her friend''s wrist but instead taking the lead.

    "Ehmi. Serious business."

    "Eh...? Oohh... okay. I will cover for you."

    That cheeriness was annoying but Miriette managed to control her expression and instead whispered, making her voice sound desperate ¨C which brought exactly the effect she wanted, Ehmi''s expression turned serious and she promised while stepping back and finally letting go of the dark-haired girl''s wrist.

    Miriette was so worried that she will lose the masked attendant trail that she ended up using her enchantments to get around the people faster.

    She went through the door that she saw the boy taking and after passing it she found herself in a straight hallway.

    "..."

    She bit her lips wondering whether she should start opening the door and going alongside the opposite wall at random...

    *creak*

    "...!"

    ...but just as she was about to start, she noticed the second-tost door was actually not properly closed!

    With a heavily beating heart, the dark-haired girl approached the entrance and swung the door open while taking a step forward.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "AH!"

    "...?!"

    By doing so, she almost knocked the masked attendant over, not to mention her loud joyous cheer made him flinch and take a step back.

    "Sorry, sorry, I didn''t mean to startle you... you are a lot jumpier than before... Were you not expecting me? Why are you blocking my message spells? Did you discover some dangerous secret and don''t want to put me at risk...?"

    Miriette closed the door and leaned against it. Before she herself realized it, she was alreadyining in a tearful voice reserved for the upset lover.

    "???"

    The masked boy didn''t know what to say, like, he turnedpletely speechless ¨C he could only tilt his head hoping that the gesture would convey how bewildered and confused he was.

    "You are Zoemi. Aren''t you? My Zoemi. Please, even if you are doing it for my good, my heart can''t take losing you again...!"

    "...?!"

    Suddenly Miriette started moving again, she approached the masked boy and forced him to back off against the wall.

    With no way of escape, Aku got leaned on while the young beauty was dampening his shirt with her tears while her long dark hair started lovingly coiling around him as if it wanted to lock him in a protective cocoon.

    "Zoemi..."

    Miriette sniffled a few times and cried, burrowing her face into the boy''s chest.

    "...youngdy Espine... I am terribly sorry, but I don''t know what you are talking about..."

    "...!"

    The masked attendant grabbed the nobledy''s shoulders and pulled her away at the arms ¨C and hair''s - reach.

    He felt her flinch and thanks to thew of Pisces, he saw her face which became only more adorable stained with heartfelt tears.

    "I wish I was the person you are long for but... My name is Aku. Kuro Aku. Unfortunately, I do not know your Zoemi."

    "...no...!"

    Aku took a deep breath and said apologetically, although his heart felt like being sliced into pieces when he saw Miriette''s chin tremble and her eyes fill up with even more tears.

    "No... you are lying...!"

    The dark-haired girl muttered and some of her hair turned normal, dropping down her face and dress instead of coiling around Aku''s arms.

    "I am sorry about your dead sweetheart, but I am not Zoemi. I''m just Aku."

    "!!!"

    The masked boy lowered his head apologetically before straightening his back and dering in a serious voice, causing Miriette''s eyes to widen and tremble.

    "You... you are teasing me again...! There''s no way that Zoemi could die... he is my Zoemi...!"

    "..."

    The dark-haired girl shook her head and cried out in denial, making Aku feel especially bad.

    "I''m sorry."

    The masked boy apologized for something he had no control over.

    "...!"

    Miriette''s chin trembled uncontrobly and she lowered her head, biting her lips, only to raise her head again with a desperate light filling her eyes.

    "Take off your mask...! It will be the definite proof!"

    She dered staring up at the slightly taller boy.

 Chapter 702 241 - The Attendnant Named Aku (Part 9)

    Aku felt a chill run down his spine ¨C he could not really exin it himself but the prospect of the dark-haired girl seeing his messed up face terrified him to no end.

    In his imagination, he could already see Miriette''s face twisting with horror and disgust as the girl would look away immediately regretting asking him to show her his face.

    "I refuse."

    Aku said in an ice-cold voice before he even realized it himself.

    "...wha...?! Then... Doesn''t that mean that you are my Zoemi and you don''t want to get me involved in something you discovered?!"

    Miriette''s eyes widened and she took a deep breath before dering, trying to close the distance created by Aku between them.

    "No, I want to hide my face from you because half of it was melted off to bare bones and I don''t like to show it around."

    The masked boy shook his head decisively while doing his best to hold the pushy girl back without hurting her.

    "That''s a lie!"

    But instead of giving up, Miriette gritted her teeth and dered.

    "!!!"

    *crack*

    Her body shone with the wind enchantments as she pulled her hand free and yanked the porcin mask right off the boy''s face while one of her earrings shattered into fine dust without any explicit reason.

    The thought of the dark-haired girl using spells against him never urred to Aku ¨C for some reason ¨C and the boy ended up taken by surprise and unmasked.

    In a desperate attempt to hide his disfigured face, he lounged to the side while hiding his visage with both hands.

    *thunk*

    "Zoemi, stop with those games. I can protect myself so you don''t have to go that far to shield me from danger. This is childish."

    Miriette wiped off her tears and dropped the porcin mask on the floor while approaching the cowering boy.

    "Let''s get over it."

    While reaching towards him and grabbing his wrist to pry his hands away from his face, the dark-haired girl scoffed feeling this weird mixture of relief and annoyance.

    |Zoemi is definitely worrying about me way too much!|

    She thought to herself while using her enchantments to overpower the young attendant and...

    "What I hate the most are people forcing their way on me, only because they are of a higher social standing, youngdy."

    "Eh...?!"

    But the moment of questionable truth waspletely ruined ¨C upon pulling the boy''s hands apart, instead of the expected face of her beloved person Miriette saw another porcin mask and was greeted by emotionless scoff, both of which caused her to gasp and pull back for a moment.

    "Hm-hmph...! I am going to make you pamper me so much aspensation for being so mean to me...!"

    Miriette''s will was too strong to be broken just yet and with a slight stutter she leaned forward again and reached out for the second mask to get rid of it too.

    "Youngdy, if you will try it again, I will use force to defend myself..."

    "?!?!"

    Just as the dark-haired girl felt the smoothness of the porcin under her fingertips the masked boy dered coldly and he turned into a cluster of silver mist that then phased through the wall while the stunned girl could only stare at the empty spot in shock.

    "...?!"

    She hurriedly turned around to the first mask that she removed from him, but it was gone.

    "...wait... it was just a copy... just like during Kierul''s entrance...?!"

    *bump*

    Miriette stumbled back and actually tripped, falling onto her but and blinking repeatedly trying to understand the situation.

    "..."

    At the same time, back in the ballroom Aku who never left Kierul''s side straightened his back after some barely noticeable silver mist floated to him and settled down on his body.

    "!!!"

    The very next second, the few people closest to the snack table the master and servant felt an overwhelming dreadful pressure weighing down on them.

    "...Aku...? Please tell me you didn''t kill youngdy Espine..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Kierul, being the closest one to the center of the monstrous aura, felt the chills down her spine and asked after taking a deep breath.

    "...of course not..."

    "...whew..."

    Aku lowered his head and denied it, making the red-haired girl breathe out in relief and rx as the pressure disappeared.

    "...she did try to take off my mask though. Even after I exined the reasons I didn''t want to show my face and explicitly asked her to not touch it. Twice."

    The masked boy stepped closer to his master and exined in more detail.

    "Hoo...? What a bitch. Forget about the n to get closer to her. You have my permission to stay away from her unless the opposite would be absolutely necessary, or a king''s order."

    "Thank you, mydy."

    Kierul and Aku said and exchanged a discreet fistbump.

    "Although, I can''t say I really hate her. She is almost unbearably cute..."

    The masked attendant leaned to the side and tilted his head before adding yfully.

    "...although she seems to have a lot of issues. We will probably see her again during your next birthday, mydy, but I wouldn''t mind waiting a bit longer and seeing how she will act in the Aspakeony Academy after maturing a little bit. You and her will start it the same year, right?"

    But then his voice turned serious again as he turned his head questioningly towards Kierul.

    "..."

    The red-haired girl looked at his solid porcin mask and furrowed her brows, carefully considering something.

    "Mydy...?"

    Aku asked in confusion and actually nced over his shoulder despite being unable to see anything because of his mask.

    Despite that, his ears immediately picked up on the footsteps he recognized as Miriette''s.

    The dark-haired girl returned to the ballroom, and judging by the sound her feet made, she wasn''t feeling all too confident.

    She was also constantly messing around with one of her ears.

    "Her earring is broken... I hope this isn''t because of your self-defense, because we both will be in trouble if it is... If her reputation was worse, then we could slither our way out of trouble, but with things being as they are..."

    "I don''t know how she will try to present it, but that earring of hers broke when she used her enchantments to pin me down."

    As it turned out, Kierul really was looking beside Aku which she confirmed by pointing out the sulking Miriette and making the masked boy hurriedly exin himself.

    "That little bitch did what...?! Who does she think she is?!"

    In a sh, Kierul''s expression turned furious as she growled angrily ring at the dark-haired girl.

    Just as if it was Kierul''s vengeful wish being granted, Miriette''s mother approached her and the two had a short conversation.

    Short but definitely important, because a few minutester they announced their departure and left the party long before it was supposed to end.

    "...are we in trouble...?"

    Aku asked Kierul conspicuously, watching the backs of the mother and daughter pair leaving and exiting the ballroom.

    "I can''t really say for now... Just in case, let''s hold back for the rest of the day. The seed was sown and needs time to sprout. Tsk. Whoever came up with the idea that ady cannot dance at parties until she is thirteen, and even when she is it''s only with her fiance or family members until she is fifteen, should go get themselves eaten by monsters."

    The red-haired girl shook her head and breathed out bitterly, ncing longingly towards young lord Victureo and his group of friends which included the first prince Horeo as well as young lord Derizno and young lord Moyena.

    "Mydy, shouldn''t you be happy? I vividly remember being stepped on more than once even during thest dance lesson. You could use more time for practice~"

    "Pffft...! Cheeky asshole~"

    The masked attendant teased his master, but instead of getting angry or embarrassed, Kierul snorted and yfully tapped his arm.

    The party was a great sess for Kierul, it was merely the first step in her n to be the next head of her family.

    It might not look like much, but just putting herself out there and making an impression on the guests who before the party could not even be bothered to remember her name already put her in a better position than one-third of the young generation of Helterose family.

    She still had a long way to go, but in a world where appearances and connections were just as important as one''s magic power - if not more - the youngest child of the Helterose family''s insatiable hunger for power and recognition had no equal.

    With an outrageouslypetent aplice like Aku by her side there was no reason for her to bully others just to feel important~

 Chapter 703 242 - Family Business (Part 1)

    The carriage with the crest of the Helterose family was moving alongside the forest route. It was already long past its best years and could use a lot of maintenance which suggested that whoever was riding inside wasn''t of great importance to the noble family.

    Nheless, the journey was a peaceful one, not a single monster or bandit showed up to slow it down...

    ...although that in and of itself was a bit suspicious too...

    "..."

    The coachman gulped down his saliva and nced back at the carriage nervously.

    Then, he took a deep breath and pulled on the reins, taking a turn and getting off the well-maintained road into a wild path that didn''t seem to get much traction.

    The road he picked was rough and the old carriage was making sounds as if it was about to break apart at any moment, but surprisingly the people inside of it didn''t voice anyints, making the coachman breathe out in relief.

    After a few minutes, the surroundings turned really wild and the horses started neighing in unease, picking up on the smell of monsters lurking nearby but the experienced coachman kept them at bay.

    Finally, after recognizing andmark, the man pulled on the reins and stopped the carriage, and pulled out a red handkerchief.

    He nced back at the carriage one more time and waved his hand, waving the handkerchief like some sort of g.

    *rustle*

    At that signal, a dozen or so rough-looking men came out of the woods with nasty expressions.

    Every single one of them had a nasty look on their face and all were staring at the carriage while surrounding it.

    One of them nodded at the coachman and the coachman nodded back, climbing down his seat and walking off to a safe distance.

    "We stopped... Hey, if we are at our destination, why aren''t you opening the door?"

    A voice of a young prideful girl came from the inside of the carriage and the men around it exchanged nasty smirks, amused by the naivety they were faced with.

    "Hey. Are you deaf? What kind of bandits-wannabes are you? Seriously, you better be Noelletta''s people, because if you are the best big brother Urtervia can muster, then I will be sorely disappointed in him..."

    "!!!"

    Still... the girl continuedining in exactly the same tone of voice but her words wiped the smiles right off the men''s faces and caused the treacherous coachman to turn ghastly pale.

    *click*

    While the thugs were bing uneasy, the door to the carriage opened and two masked boys exited it in silence.

    They both reached out their hands and helped an eleven-year-old red-haired girl step outside.

    "Hmm..."

    After the graceful entrance, the red-haired girl was offered a folding fan by her masked attendant and she opened it and partially hid her face after epting and opening it.

    "Fortify~"

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    After ncing to the sides with her eyes glowing dangerously from above her fan, the red-haired girl snickered and hummed, casting a spell that erected a wall of mes around the dozen bandits and the trembling coachman who hid behind a tree.

    And yet, the spell despite being impressive for someone so young didn''t worry the men surrounding the carriage.

    Why would it?

    What the fire magician did was merely enhance their own encirclement, cutting her way of escaping.

    Not to mention that the spell would disappear at the moment of her death, which would be in minutes if not seconds.

    With some not even sparing a nce at the raging fire behind their backs, the bandits raised their weapons and started approaching the girl and her attendants.

    "Oohhh~? Silent and tough, aren''t we? You all seem like professionals, which means that your services are rather expensive~ How lovely~! I really hope you epted the payment upfront and drained as much money away from either of those morons as possible~!"

    "Shut up and die!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Annoying brat!"

    The unwavering confidence that the young girl showed managed to unnerve two bandits who shouted and rushed at her...

    *snap*

    "Aku. No mercy."

    In response, Kierul closed her fan and her expression turned dark as she gave an order.

    *WHOOOSH* x17

    "!!!"

    Without a word of confirmation or any additional warning, the two masked attendants at the girl''s side multiplied into a whole group and charged at the approaching men.

    "GET THE-hurgbrh...!"

    *SHING*

    The bandits panicked but didn''t falter and one of them, most likely the leader, shouted ¨C but then his face and the entire head were sliced apart by a heavy dagger that one of the masked attendants pulled out from behind his back.

    Despite losing their leader, the other bandits managed to endure the initial wave of attacks and were locked inbat with the masked attendants.

    *STAB* *STAB* *STAB*

    Those unlucky to get ganged up on would end up dying shortly after when multiple daggers stabbed into them.

    *STAB*

    "HA!"

    It wasn''t like the masked boys would suffer no losses, in actual group battles there are no absolutes and so some of them would fall and bandits that killed them would release a triumphant cheer.

    "...huh...?"

    *SHING*

    "GHAAAARGH...!"

    Before the bodies of their victims would turn into silver mist and t away and they would get their weapons and limbs sliced in half by another opponent.

    "Richness of swallows~"

    *WHOOO* *FWEEEEE* x48

    In the midst of the chaotic battle, Kierul lowered her fan and cast another spell ¨C a nest-like fire burst in front of her, and dozens of bird-like mes shot into the sky and began circling around the area enclosed by the wall of fire.

    "Descend~"

    *FWEEEE* x48 *BOOOM* x48

    At her excitedmand, all the spells turned into heat-seeking missiles and homed onto the bandits below...not!

    Instead, they all swooped towards the trees outside the ring of fire and exploded upon contact with hiding people...

    *THUMP* x4

    Four charred bodies of archers hiding in the branches fell to the ground with a loud noise while the body of the fifth one was hanging down, with the corpse''s foot stuck on the cracked bark.

    "Aku. I said no mercy. Stop ying around."

    Satisfied with the oue of her spell, Kierul nudged the one masked attendant who never left her side and furrowed her brows grumpily.

 Chapter 704 242 - Family Business (Part 2)

    "Let me fix that mistake really quickly, mydy."

    "Cancer." x9

    The masked boy nodded his head apologetically and the next moment every single masked attendant still inbat dropped their heavy daggers which disappeared into thin air beforeing in contact with the ground and instead chanted, causing their fingernails to grow into ck ws.

    *RIIIIP*

    After that, the remaining bandits who had no way of escaping got torn to shreds unable to defend against the onught of wild attacks.

    The battle turned into a one-sided massacre and after mere seconds the only victorious party was the blood-soaked masked attendants standing above the gory battleground.

    But even they disappear into a thin silver mist and returned to the ck-haired boy by the red-haired girl''s side.

    And yet, even after the battle was done, Kierul didn''t release the barrier spell.

    "Aku. Tell me, what kind of punishment would be fitting for a treacherous servant who betrays his master and leads them into an ambush?"

    The red-haired girl crossed her arms and asked her masked attendant, leaning her head towards him.

    "...!"

    At her words, the coachman hiding behind one of the trees hoping and praying to be forgotten and spared flinched and felt his knees give out.

    "Why, mydy, the answer is obvious. Death."

    Aku shrugged his shoulders and pulled up the sleeves of his shirt in a menacing manner.

    "True... but just his own...?"

    "...!"

    Kierul nodded approvingly but then tilted her head and inquired hesitantly, causing the hiding coachman to start to tremble uncontrobly.

    "Not at all. A bad ingredient can spoil a whole pot. In case he has family working for the same master, all of them should be executed as an example."

    "!!!"

    The masked boy shook his head and dered, to which the hiding coachman froze in terror.

    "Say... how are our dear coachman''s son and wife doing?"

    "One of my copies is helping Mrs. Ivenoa with theundry while another one is by Kevenar tending the horses."

    "..."

    The red-haired girl asked innocently and the masked boy answered her politely while all blood drained away from the coachman''s face.

    "Both of them are doing rather dangerous activities, don''t you agree?"

    Kierul continued asking, although her innocent voice was turning rather malevolent.

    "Mrs. Ivenoa isn''t feeling the best at the moment, she could easily faint and drown at any moment and my copy would be helpless. Same with Kevenar. If the horses he tends to would get scared of something, they could trample him, or just kick him in the face and kill him... so, yes, you are very much correct, mydy. Very dangerous activities indeed."

    Aku continued nodding his head while his voice was turning colder and colder with each word he spoke.

    "P-please wait...! I could not ignoredy Noelletta''s ord...!"

    *WHAM*

    "GU-HURGH...!"

    The coachman could not stand it anymore and crawled from behind the tree to beg for mercy, but what greeted him was a kick to the stomach, delivered from the side by yet another copy of the masked attendant.

    Then, the copy grabbed the breathless man by the hair and dragged him towards Kierul and the original Aku, and threw the coachman at their feet.

    "No, no, no. You don''t get to say a word. I was the one who hired you. You aren''t getting paid by the Helterose family but by me. Same with your family. And here you are trying to say that my cousin''s order takes precedence over my own? Aku, start with his wife."

    Kierul shook her head in disapproval looking down at the man before sighing andmanding her made attendant.

    "Ah. Oh, no! Mydy, Mrs. Ivenoa slipped and fell into soapy water! She''s sshing around so much, my copy doesn''t know what to do!"

    "STOOOOOP...!"

    *WHAM*

    "GHU-URGH!"

    Aku straightened his back and gasped, causing the coachman to crawl up and scream ¨C but his outcry was cut short when Aku''s copy kicked him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him tumbling to the side.

    "What a shame. If only you were an honest man not tempted by greed this wouldn''t have happened."

    Kierul breathed out with a heavy heart, looking away from the struggling coachman.

    "Y-youngdy Kierul...!"

    The man managed to crawl back on all four and gasped with tears streaming down his face.

    *THUMP*

    "I...! I WILL GIVE YOU BACK ALL THE MONEY THAT NOELLETTA GAVE ME AS WELL AS RETURN ALL THE MONEY THAT YOU GAVE! PLEASE! I WILL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING THAT I OWN AND WILL NEVER BETRAY YOU! I BEG YOU! PLEASE SPARE MY FAMILY!"

    The coachman mmed his head against the ground and cried out prostrating himself in front of the red-haired girl.

    "We shall see about that. For yours and your family''s sake, you better not be lying~"

    Kierul face bloomed into a beautiful smile and she nodded at her masked attendant.

    "Aku~"

    "My copy helped her out. Mrs. Ivenoa was really embarrassed over being so clumsy and went to change the soaked clothes. She''s a nice person."

    She hummed benevolently and Aku immediately straightened his back and reported.

    "Th-thank you...! Thank you, mydy!"

    The coachman cried out in relief raising his head, unintentionally presenting therge cut he afflicted upon his forehead.

    "...huh...?"

    And while blinking repeatedly to get rid of the blood dripping down and blocking his vision, he gasped in shock seeing Kierul''s hand reaching out expectantly.

    "Pay up then~"

    "...!"

    The red-haired girl eximed cheerfully, stunning the man.

    "M-mydy... I... I don''t have all those money with me right now..."

    The coachman stuttered, confused about Kierul''s actions.

    "Eh? You don''t? Then you can''t be trusted with your words... What a shame. Aku."

    Kierul raised her brows in shock before sighing in disappointment and turning to her masked attendant.

    "Oh no! Mydy, the horse that Kevenar was taking care of suddenly went and kicked him! It looks really painful, I hope that poor guy didn''t break anything...!"

    "Wh-what?! NO!"

    *WHAM*

    Aku suddenly takes a step back and gasped in shock, causing the coachman to raise his voice in shock and anger... just to be silenced by yet another kick from Aku''s copy.

 Chapter 705 242 - Family Business (Part 3)

    As the man was busy trying to gasp for air, then the boy''s copy grabbed him by the hair and forced him to look up and face Kierul crouching over him.

    "You already betrayed me, it means you get no trust whatsoever, no benefit of the doubt, nothing. It''s up to you to prove to me that you are worth anything at all because the only alternative is for you to get your family killed shortly before your own life will be over. I hope this makes it clear."

    The red-haired girl enlightened the traitor, making sure that he understands the consequences of his actions.

    "Now then, you better think about coughing up all the money you promised me or the turn of events will turn from bad to horrible... who knows? Aku is quite inventive, your family might actually beg for death after the next incident~"

    Kierul stood up and hummed while walking back towards the carriage where her masked attendant helped her to get up inside.

    "Check the bodies for valuables."

    "Already doing that, mydy."

    As she was standing in the open door, Kierul leaned back to Aku and reminded him to which he responded smugly, pointing at multiple copies of him searching through the remains of the dead bandits.

    "Great minds think alike~"

    The red-haired girl hummed with contentment and let herself fall on the pillows that weren''t the original part of the carriage but instead were additions that her thoughtful attendant prepared.

    "Hey mister traitor, Aku was done with looting before yourzy ass gets back to your job! We have ces to be!"

    "!!!"

    After a few minutes during which the coachman was struggling to get up, Kierul called out from inside the carriage and cased the coachman to crawl his way to the driver''s seat in pure terror.

    Only a few momentster the old beaten-up carriage with the blood sprinkled on the Helterose family''s crest was back on the main road riding towards their original destination.

    "Hmm? Now, look what we have here~! Isn''t that amusing?"

    Kierul''s eyes widened as she picked up a delicate golden ring with a small diamond from amongst the pile of valuables that Aku had repossessed from the deceased bandits back in the depths of the forest.

    The red-haired girl raised the ring up watching the gem glisten in the sunlight illuminating the inside of the carriage and a rather devilish smirk crept its way onto her face.

    "What exactly, mydy?"

    Aku tilted his head and asked unable to see his master''s expression but picking up on the tone of her voice that it really was something worth attention.

    "Either my dear cousin is in really big financial trouble or she didn''t think things through too much~! What we got here, Aku, is the engagement ring that Noelletta kept even after her fiance broke up with her a week ago~!"

    Kierul giggled flicking the ring into the air and catching it, clenching her fist securely around it.

    "I was not aware that we needed more evidence against her..."

    The masked boy pondered, tilting his head a little bit confused.

    "Of course, we don''t, but it will serve for such good evidence though, don''t you think?"

    "Ah~! It will make things so much easier for me!"

    The red-haired girl pointed out and the ck-haired boy gasped, pleasantly surprised.

    "How long until we arrive at Noelletta''s summer house?"

    Kierul shuddered from excitement and asked while leaning towards the window and peering through as if expecting to see their destination.

    "We should arrive before lunch, mydy... so around two more hours."

    Aku stopped moving for a bit before straightening his back and answering with confidence.

    ------

    Two hourster Kierul''s carriage did indeed arrive in front of the summer house of the only daughter of the second oldest brother of the current family head.

    The second they stopped the trembling and ghastly pale coachman jumped down and hurriedly opened the door of the carriage, bowing down so much that a sharp pain pierced his back.

    "Mydy."

    Aku was the first one to step out and as an attendant should he offered his master a helping hand which the red-haired girl gracefully epted.

    "Y-youngdy Kierul...! Wee... Wee! Pardon me, youngdy Noelletta said that you will arrive a bitte so I''m only now going to town to buy the ingredients for the meal...!"

    It just so happened that as they were approaching the house, a housekeeper holding an empty bag was locking the door ¨C the poor older woman almost fainted when she turned around and saw the guests and immediately kneeled down and began apologizing profusely.

    "Granny, what are you doing~? Please stand up, there''s nothing to apologize for~!"

    Kierul face turned cute as sheughed and trotted over to the old woman, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up.

    "I was the one who hurried everything up because I was too worried about big sister Noelletta! Is she still holing up in her room after her engagement with the eldest son of the Moyena family was canceled?"

    The red-haired girl smiled reassuringly to the old housekeeper but then her smile turned into a worried expression as she nced towards one house.

    "Youngdy Kierul...!"

    The housekeeper trembling hands grasped the red-haired girl''s hands and the old woman''s eyes filled with tears of gratefulness.

    "I always knew you are such a good child...! Despite being only a cousin you treat her better than her own brothers...!"

    The woman''s chin trembled and she cried very moved by the girl''s words.

    "Youngdy Noelletta barely gets out of her room... she is having such a hard time after the breakup... I am sure that she will be happy to see you. She doesn''t want to open her door for me, but she should wee you! I am sure that you can help her recover from the broken heart...!"

    She added with a surprising amount of energy for someone her age.

    "Just a moment ago I made some tea for the youngdy Noelletta and left it by her door, I''ll fetch another cup for you and..."

    "If it''s already ready and we only need a cup, please leave it to my attendant. Aku is verypetent and will find his way to and around the kitchen with no trouble."

    The old housekeeper didn''t seem to want to let Kierul get a word in, but the red-haired girl managed to talk over her with a charming smile.

 Chapter 706 242 - Family Business (Part 4)

    "Don''t worry about a thing and continue your duties... or maybe you want Aku to assist you?"

    Kierul said ncing toward the masked boy waiting a few steps away behind her.

    "Oh, no. Youngdy, I wouldn''t dare to take your attendant away...! I may be old but I am still quite able to fulfill all the housekeeping duties including daily shopping! Now then... with your permission, I shall go. Please, feel at home in this house."

    The old woman backed off, shaking her head hurriedly before raising her arm and flexing her wimpy muscles after which she bowed her head and started walking off, leaving the key in the masked attendant''s care.

    "I will~! See you soon~!"

    Kierul smile widened and she waved the housekeeper goodbye while Aku passed her already opening the door.

    "Do you think that Noelletta has heard us and tries to escape?"

    The masked boy asked cautiously while focusing on hisw of Sagittarius enhanced hearing to check whether the summer house was already empty or not.

    "It very well might be the case~ Ahaha~ Imagining her desperately running towards the forest in her pajama just to be torn to shreds by some random monster ambushing her makes me...~!"

    Kierul hummed, bobbing her hips from side to side while blocking a wild grin creeping her way on her face with one hand.

    "No, I need to stop myself, I don''t want to awaken to some strange fetish."

    Still, the red-haired girl managed to pull herself back together and after shaking her head to clear her mind her expression became serious.

    "Anyway, the kitchen is over there, get that second teacup for me. It would be a shame to waste all the tea."

    "As you wish~"

    After the pair got inside the house, Kierul immediately pointed Aku towards the right room while she herself went straight to her cousin''s bedroom with so much confidence as if she owned the house and knew every nook and cranny of it.

    The masked boy walked in on her standing in front of the correct door, tilting her head and observing the tea set on the cupboard.

    "I have a nice idea of how we should y everything out~"

    The red-haired girl whispered mischievously and her masked attendant nodded back without saying a word.

    Kierul grabbed the door handle and pushed it, but the door didn''t budge ¨C as expected...

    "Nanny...? I told you that I don''t want anyone to enter! I don''t care about the tea getting cold!"

    "~!"

    ...but almost immediately after an offended voice of a young woman responded to the attempted entering and caused the smile on Kierul''s face to turn into a full-blown grin.

    Noelletta not only didn''t run away, but she also didn''t even realize who wasing to visit her~!

    *tap*

    The red-haired girl patted her attendant''s shoulder and stepped back, giving him some space.

    In response the ck-haired boy took off his porcin mask, revealing a really messed up face and eyes shining with cold decisiveness.

    Aku put down the second teacup on the tray,pleted the tea set, andid down his mask on the cupboard next to it.

    As he crouched down by the door, he nced through the keyhole and a devilish smirk lighted up the uninjured half of his face.

    The ck-haired boy pulled out a piece of folded parchment from his inner pocket and slid it under the door after spreading it out.

    After that little preparation wasplete, he took out the heavy dagger from the sheath on his back and pushed the de into the keyhole, pressing on the key and...

    *ching*

    ...lightly pushing it out...

    "Nanny, I told you to go away!"

    When Noelletta scoffed angrily through the door none the wiser, Aku already retrieved the parchment which ended up having the key on it.

    "There you go, good job~"

    "Mydy."

    Kierul snickered and affectionately messed with Aku''s hair while praising him as the boy looked up at her offering her the key before standing up.

    "Ready?"

    "Whenever you are, mydy."

    Kierul readied the key and nced over her shoulder seeking confirmation, which the attendant who put his mask back on and grabbed the tea set hurriedly did.

    *click*

    "Nanny?! How did you...? EEHH?!"

    Kierul unlocked the door and pushed it open confidently walking in, causing the young woman inside to call out in shock.

    Noelletta was was a very pretty girl with straight blue hair, currently messy after staying in bed for too long.

    Kierul''s cousin had proper, not to say old-fashioned, pajamas on, although either because of her messy way of sleeping or justck of care she was wearing it rather slovenly ¨C and her getting up too fast and tangling up in her own nket only added to a messy image.

    "Big sister Noelletta~! It has been too long! Thank you so much for inviting me!"

    Kierul cheered out with a refreshing smile and greeted her cousin with excessive cheerfulness that was almost creepy...

    ...it also didn''t help that she didn''t approach her and instead walked by and sat next to an elegant coffee table...

    "Thank you, Aku~"

    Her masked attendant followed her without fail and was already pouring her a cup of tea and offering it to her the moment she took the seat.

    "Mmm~ What a lovely aroma, it''s nice to be able to afford the good stuff, don''t you agree, big sister Noelletta?"

    Kierul closed her eyes and enjoyed the lovely fragrance of the beverage before taking a sip, but not before taking a shot at her cousin.

    "...!"

    Noelletta flinched and gulped down her saliva, subconsciously ncing toward the pitifully empty jewelry case on her vanity table.

    "You... you arrived earlier than expected, little Kierul... Did... did you have a pleasant journey...?"

    The blue-haired girl stuttered while trying to y it cool, but judging by how glossy her face had be, her stress-powered sweat nds were going into overdrive.

    "Yes~! Aku made sure that I am safe andfortable, as always~! Recently he even started to teach me some self-defense!"

    Kierul enjoyed another sip of the tea before she cheered out emanating happiness and excitement.

    "Tha... that''s good... very good..."

    It seemed though, that it was very troublesome news for Noelletta as the older girl lowered her head and red toward her empty jewelry box biting her lips so hard she almost drew blood.

    "~!"

    That detail didn''t escape Kirul who also bit her lips - but instead of being furious, she was holding back the wild grin from blooming on her face.

 Chapter 707 242 - Family Business (Part 5)

    "Big sister Noelletta, you don''t look so good... You need to get over young lord Moyena..."

    Kierul managed to control herself and even made her voice sound as if she was genuinely caring about her cousin.

    "...wha...? Ah...! I, I know, but... you would never understand what I am going through...."

    The blue-haired girl remembered that she was supposed to y the role of a heartbroken victim and slouched, turning away from her younger cousin all theatrically.

    "Oh, I know what will make you feel better~! Here, take a look at this~!"

    Kierul put down her teacup for a little bit just so she could take out a white decorative envelope and hand it to Noelletta.

    "...?"

    That certainly took Noelletta by surprise, the blue-haired girl furrowed her brows in confusion but ended up taking the envelope and turned it around a few times as her younger cousin returned to her tea.

    "...isn''t that one of...?"

    Noelletta''s consternation only grew as she looked between the envelope she was given and the drawer of her vanity table.

    "Where did you get it from?"

    The older girl breaathed out, lowering her hands and staring at the red-haired girl politely sipping her aromatic beverage.

    "Hmm~? Oh, don''t be like that~! You act as if you were the only one who could buy and use envelopes of that design! I assure you, what matters the most is on the inside~!"

    Kierul hummed looking up before gasping and assuring Noelletta, turning the blue-haired girl''s confusion into suspicion.

    "It''s not sealed or anything, go take a look~!"

    "..."

    The red-haired girl encouraged her older cousin making her face turn serious and taking out the letter...

    Noelletta went through a whole bunch of expressions in a very short amount of time.

    She went from annoyed, to shocked, to disturbed, to finally settled at being angry.

    "What is the meaning of this? What is this bullshit? Who can''t live without that cheating bastard?! Why are you showing me someone''s suicide note?!"

    Noelletta raised her voice, clenching the letter in her hands and about to crumple it, but as she did, the decorative envelope slipped out of her grip and fell to the floor.

    And it dropped instead of floating down ¨C the reason for that was revealed when upon contact with the fluffy rug, a delicate golden ring with a small diamond fell out glistening.

    "...wha...?!"

    Noelletta froze in ce, staring at the ring that she used to pay for a bunch of thugs to kill the very girl peacefully drinking tea in front of her.

    "Haaa... seriously. Instead of getting angry at the content of the letter, shouldn''t you be more bothered that it was written in your handwriting? Are you sure that we are rted?"

    Kierul breathed out in annoyance causing her older cousin to take a step back and take another look at the letter still in her hand.

    "?!?!?"

    The blue-haired girl''s eyes widened in shock when she realized that Kierul wasn''t messing with her ¨C the words of the letter containing somebody''sst goodbye were indeed indistinguishable from her own handwriting.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You little...! Who do you think you are?! Do you believe that someone like you can...?! Eh...?"

    Noelletta''s face immediately turned red from anger as she shouted at the calm andposed Kierul, just to stop mid-sentence to look around with a bad feeling spreading through her stomach.

    "...where is your atten...?"

    "Scorpius."

    Noelletta''s red face turned pale in realization but once again she was interrupted, this time by the voice of the masked attendanting exactly from behind her back...

    *tap*

    ...a voice that was followed by the light touch brushing against her nape.

    "?!?!"

    The blue-haired girl immediately jumped to the side, throwing the letter away and reaching to her neck in panic while turning away just to stare at the young attendant who didn''t even manage to lower his hand yet.

    "What did you do?!"

    Noelletta asked furiously as the spot on her body that was touched turned ice cold.

    "WHAT DID YOU...?! WHAT DID HE DO?!"

    Noelletta began shouting but with absolutely no reaction from the masked attendant she turned to his master while the coldness turned into a stinging pain that began to spread across her whole body.

    ...it first took over her torso, then caused her limbs to twist and be paralyzed in a strange position...

    "Aku? Why, he did nothing at all. You see, just as you stated in the heartfelt, desperation-filled letter, you took your own life with poison after not being able to stand the pain of losing your fiance of five years."

    Kierul finished her tea and smirked devilishly from over the empty teacup.

    *thump*

    As she did, her cousin was no longer able to stand up and fell face first on the floor as her body was convulsing uncontrobly while the poison of the onlyw that had no other function besides assassination was shutting off her internal organs one after the other.

    "I honestly find it funny, you know? Both of us actually thought about killing each other at the same time. Unfortunately for you, I actually have apetent friend on my side."

    "~!"

    "KHHHHGHHFRRRRHHH...!

    The red-haired girl put down the teacup and snickered, motioning at the masked attendant who puffed up his chest proudly while Noelletta was foaming from the mouth as her eyes shed white.

    "Aku''sw of Scorpius is on a level where it can kill a five-limbed bear within minutes, so your agony won''t take too long, dear big sister."

    Kierul stood up and walked over to the convulsing older girl and reached out to her pocket while continuing to stare at her face twisted in agony.

    "Conveniently, there actually is a poison pill that works in a close enough way to that star power, and I just so happened to get my hands on it ¨C just for yo...! Aaaaaand she''s already dead, isn''t she?"

    The red-haired girl pulled out a small ss vial with a single green pill and began gushing over it, but stopped and sighed in disappointment when the foam flowing out of the blue-haired girl''s mouth turned red and she stopped moving.

 Chapter 708 242 - Family Business (Part 6)

    "Well... It''s not like she was even able to hear my exnation anyway."

    "Yes. The moment she started frothing from the mouth her senses were already shutting down."

    Kierul shrugged her shoulders sounding a bit disappointed that she could not finish her monologue and Aku agreed with her in an amused voice.

    After that exchange, Kierul unsealed the vial and took out the pill, and... ground it between her fingers, making sure that most of the powder stays on her hand while only a tiny bit ends up back in the vial.

    When she did that, she leaned down and pushed the vial into one of Noelletta''s twisted hands.

    Without straightening her back, the red-haired girl then put her finger into her dead cousin''s mouth and rubbed some of the powered pill onto her mrs, and left just a speck on her lips.

    "...it''s such a waste of money... Enme."

    *WHOOO*

    Kierul stood up and sighed, watching her hand burst into mes that swallowed all the remaining poisonous powder in her hand, getting rid of all the evidence.

    "It is, but it was already extremely risky to even purchase it. Keeping it around as an asset for the future and risking being discovered would not be worth the possible benefit."

    Aku assured his master in aforting voice.

    "I know, I know. But the money..."

    Kierul breathed out with dissatisfaction as she walked towards the vanity table and left the vial''s cork on top of it.

    "Ah, right."

    The red-haired girl rolled her eyes and returned to the corpse.

    She picked up the letter and the envelope and while she was at it, she grabbed the delicate golden ring and put it into Noelletta''s other hand.

    Then, she put the letter back into the envelope and sealed it shut, leaving it right by the vial''s cork.

    As Aku was waiting for Kierul by the door, tea seat in hand, ready to leave.

    "Aku~"

    "But of course. Gemini"

    Kierul passed him and hummed making him lower his head and... an exact copy of him stepped out from behind his back and took the key from the door.

    *click*

    As the original Aku and his master left the room, the copy closed and locked the door behind their backs, dissipating into a thin silver mist after his task waspleted, leaving no trace andpleting the closed-room murder mystery scenario.

    "How''s the situation outside?"

    Kierul turned around and faced the locked door, leaned her head towards her masked attendant, and asked.

    "Our less than trustworthy coachman is too busy trembling and worrying about himself and his family to pay attention to any noisesing from the house, and Noelletta''s nanny is almost done with the shopping, she is admirably fast and efficient."

    Aku answered her politely, to which she nodded with a soft smile.

    "That said, mydy, I want to confirm something if you don''t mind."

    "What is it?"

    The masked boy said while patiently holding the tea set, making his master nce at him curiously and give her permission.

    "Do you really think I ampetent enough to brag about me being your friend?"

    Aku wondered in a hesitant voice.

    "...?"

    Him saying that made Kierul slowly look over at him with a face full of disbelief.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Whoa... we need to work on your low self-esteem. I had no idea it was this bad."

    The red-haired girl breathed out, shaking her head with a worried expression.

    "I just... Mydy, the nanny is at the door already."

    Aku fidgetted, a bit embarrassed over the confidence that Kierul had in him, but all of the hesitations disappeared the moment he heard the old woman returning.

    "Time to make the show, eh?"

    Kierul expression turned serious and she stepped towards the door, raising her fist and...

    *BAM* *BAM* *BAM*

    "BIG SISTER NOELLETTA?! ATE YOU THERE? IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?!"

    ...she started pointing at the door with all her might and shouted loud enough to be heard outside...

    "Y-youngdy Kierul...?! What''s the matter?!"

    The olddy basically barged inside the house, dropping the bag and letting all the ingredients she got a spill on the floor as she made her way to the pair of children.

    "Granny...! Big sister Noelletta isn''t responding to me at all! She said something about a broken heart and then I heard a loud noise as if something fell down and...! And she stopped responding!"

    Kirul burst into tears and fell into the old woman''s arms, exining as her voice trembled in desperation.

    "?!?!"

    *CRASH*

    The old woman''s face turned ghastly pale and without saying anything she moved the red-haired girl aside and pushed past the masked attendant, knocking the tray out of his hands and causing the tea set to shatter on the floor.

    *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*

    "YOUNG LADY?! YOUNG LADY, PLEASE RESPOND!"

    The granny shouted in panic, mming on the door and shouting in basically a manic episode.

    The old woman dropped to the floor, pressing her face to the space under it trying to catch even a glimpse of the young aristocrat in her care...

    ...and she did catch a glimpse ¨C a pale twisted hand holding a small ss vile...

    "LADY NOELLETTA?!"

    The woman backed off as if the door scalded her and let out a harrowing scream, trembling as if struck by a sudden illness.

    "AKU! GO GET HELP!"

    "At once!"

    Kierul yed along and ordered her attendant, making the boy run out of the house to get more witnesses to the suicide and cementing their innocence~

    The cover-up n went out without a hitch. The group ofmoners that Aku led back entered the locked room through the window to the fresh corpse of the only daughter of the second oldest brother of the current head of the Helterose family.

    Every piece of evidence ced by the Kierul was discovered, the vial with the remains of the poison, the suicide note...

    The fact that the dead girl was clenching her engagement ring made it so much more heartwrenching...!

    The very same day Noelletta''s father arrived at the summer house questioning everyone who happened to be at the sight - he might have suspected something but had literally no valid reason to start throwing out usations.

    Hence, the poor, traumatized children - that being Kierul and Aku, were sent back to Kierul''s parents'' residence with words ofpassion...

    ...and one less rival to the family head position in the red-haired girl''s way...

 Chapter 709 243 - Causing Trouble On Purpose~ (Part 1)

    The party thrown in celebration of youngdy Victureo''s fifteenth birthday was a grand event that every single lower noble dreamed to be invited to.

    But.

    It was also an exclusive event that even some of the higher nobles couldn''t get a chance to witness.

    Ehmi Gamemi Victureo was turning fifteen right before the beginning of a school year in the Aspakeony Academy which honestly saved her family a great deal of potential headaches.

    After all, Ehmi was proud, but she was also cheerful and approachable person. In case she would indiscriminately make some friends of the lower status and wanted them to show up at hering-of-age ceremony... well... things could turn unpleasant.

    Especially if one of the potential friends was of the male species and Ehmi, being herself, would be delighted to finally put her dance lessons to good use and gave that male the honor of dancing with someone she knew before someone more important.

    ...yes... it seemed that her parents could breathe out in relief...

    "Happy birthday, youngdy Victureo. Please, ept this humble gift~"

    The thirteen-year-old Kierul Berra Helterose greeted the crimson-haired girl while curtsying splendidly while her masked attendant moved forward with a simple white box that didn''t give much hope about the value of its content.

    "Thank you very much, youngdy Helterose, mister Aku. I''ve heard that you two have been quite busy recently."

    Ehmi bowed her head politely in response to the greeting while one of her servants took the box off of the masked attendant''s hands.

    The crimson-haired girl could not see it, but her servant certainly didn''t have a nice expression which not only was unprofessional, but straight-up rude.

    Whether it was because she didn''t think about the master and servant pair to be of much importance or simply loosened up because the masked boy could not properly see her was up to debate but her face showed how bothersome and annoying she believed the cheap-looking present to be.

    It was easy to guess what she was thinking ¨C this girl was the only one from the young generation of the Helterose family to get invited but couldn''t show up with a good gift?!

    ~...no wonder that her older brother bribed me to embarrass her...~

    Thest part wasn''t exactly guessable, but it was actually what the servant was thinking as she turned around and...

    "...ah...!"

    *thump*

    Tripped, rather convincingly, letting out a small shocked gasp as the box fell out of her hands and spilled its content for everyone to see...

    "Wha....?!"

    "Wait, isn''t that...?!"

    "It couldn''t be...? Could it...?!"

    "...?"

    The servant allowed herself a mischievous smirk after the well-done job of exposing the cheap ne that was supposedly in the simple white box ¨C but when she heard the reaction of the people still waiting their turn to greet and give the birthday present to her master, a shadow of confusion took over her face.

    "?!?!?"

    The servant''s eyes widened in shock when she saw the walnut-sized semi-translucent crystal with something glowing within its core.<novelnext></novelnext>

    *thump*

    "?!??!"

    And then the servant almost had a heart attack when her master kneeled down without any hesitation, not caring that she was bowing down in front of the youngest child of the Helterose family, and scooped the crystal with both hands.

    "Y-youngdy Kierul...! are... are you sure you want to give it to me?!"

    Ehmi gasped bushing heavily, clenching the crimson crystal to her chest and actually shaking from excitement, leaving her servant speechless.

    "Youngdy Victureo, please don''t even ask about it~! The moment that Aku dealt with the fire elemental and its heart shone through its sizzling remains I knew that you, the pride of all fire magicians, are its rightful owner."

    Kierul merely smiled softly and curtsied one more time while giving the exnation that stirred even more of a reaction than before.

    Fire elemental''s heart!

    A crafting material that was considered a holy grail for all fire magicians.

    Elementals were one of the rarest monsters that basically never showed up in the Bellcephora kingdom territory ¨C no matter what attributes those creatures were associated with, their hearts could be used to create conduits that improved the control of the mana of said attribute.

    Normal magicians prayed and dreamed about owning a wand with an elemental heart, even though it wouldn''t make much of a difference to them.

    People who did need them were the transcended magicians, the mages that had far too much mana to even know what to do with it which sometimes led to unexpected problems and overcharging of spells.

    The ingredient that was not avable for them, originally, in the previous timeline, could reach outrageous prices that only the rarest of mana crystals could have.

    One of Ehmi''s greatest pet peeves was she didn''t have a personal wand despite being an incredibly strong magician born in one of the six great families.

    "B-but, wouldn''t you want to keep it for yourself?"

    The birthday girl was still in a state of disbelief.

    An item that her family spent a small fortune on finding made its way into her hands as a gift FROM ANOTHER FIRE MAGICIAN.

    The hearts of the elementals were the only part of the dead elemental that could be used for anything at all and it was impossible for one elemental to have more than one heart. Adding to that, all elementals were solitary creatures that were sustaining themselves by eating mana crystals and staying within their own territories. They did not procreate ¨C a new elemental would be born out of the umtion of mana the moment another one died keeping their numbers unchanging through the hundreds and thousands of years.

    ¡­.which meant it was also impossible to encounter two of them at the same time...

    Kierul Berra Helterose and her attendant Aku really came across such a rare creature, not only survived but managed to kill it, and now they were giving away its heart without a shred of hesitation...?!

    "Youngdy Kieeeruuul...!"

    *pomf*

    Ehmi teared up and stepped forward, hugging the younger girl in an affectionate, heartfelt hug.

    "Thank you! Thank you so muuuuch~!"

    The crimson-haired girl cheered out seemingly trying to crush the younger girl out of sheer gratefulness.

 Chapter 710 243 - Causing Trouble On Purpose~ (Part 2)

    "Even if someone else gifted her the fire elemental''s heart, thanks to Urtervia''s help we will stille out on top~"

    Kierul hummed triumphantly after she finally managed to tear Ehmi away from herself and was walking away with her masked attendant.

    "I really hate how he talks about you, are you sure it''s okay not to kill him? Mydy?"

    Aku breathed out in a significantly worse mood than his master, adding the official title only to keep up the appearances after noticing they were about to pass rather curious individuals.

    "He is annoying, but just as we witnessed, his simpleton ns give us more chances to show me off in positive light."

    "That''s not what I was talking about."

    The red-haired girl tried to dismiss the masked attendant''s worries with a light wave of a hand but the boy was not appeased.

    "I think that he has more brain in that head of his than to be serious about even half of the things he talks about. Cheer up. I am already learning self-defense from you on top of improving my spells. Have some faith in me~"

    Seeing him like that made Kierul snicker and nudge at him with her hip as they walked.

    "My trust in you is just fine, it''s just that creeps like him make my blood boil."

    Aku grumbled and let a bit of his bloodlust leak outside causing the closest attendants guarding their masters to tense up in readiness for an attack.

    "Haaa... Alright. Aku. Stop it. If everything we learned about youngdy Victureo is correct then you still have a big role to y in today''s n. Focus on that. Not on me. You worry too much."

    "..."

    The red-haired girl took a deep breath and said decisively which made her attendant stop voicing his worries but definitely not rx.

    "Hmm... Oh, here''s something to take your mind off my older brother~!"

    Kierul started pouting seeing that her attempts to lift Aku''s mood were in vain, but then something caught her eyes and her expression brightened.

    "Pay attention to our right. I believed that no one from the lower nobility was invited but that was clearly wrong information. The one and only dual attribute healer and water magician is here too! What was her name again...? Burushi Kallerontte or something? She even got two attendants with her~ They look like the famous snow magician and the martial artist that can use magic."

    The red-haired girl leaned towards her attendant and snickered with eyes shining with interest.

    "So, it looks like the Victureo family didn''t forget about the girl who saved their son. Let''s go to them. After all, lord Grazio will eventually be my husband, there''s nothing wrong with getting to know his benefactor."

    "Okay."

    Aku didn''t want to make Kierul worry about him even more than she already did so he made sure that his voice expressed enough eagerness to put her at ease.

    With that, the two walked towards the blond-haired girl and her two attendants minding their business.

    "...!?"

    But only a few steps in, Aku froze in ce tensing up and releasing a bloodthirsty aura.

    "Aku?"

    Kierul stopped too and asked in a grim voice ¨C her attendant wouldn''t have acted like that without a reason after all.

    "Someone was trying to use some sort of spell on us. I am not sure whether it was aimed at you or me but whatever it was a lot of mana was put into it."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The masked boy spat through his teeth, releasing so much pressure that the attendants and even some aristocrats started looking around in fear searching for the source of it.

    "...tsk... I noticed the healer girl mouth something just before... Talk about ack of manners! Using a spell on another aristocrat and her attendant without permission or a word of warning, does she know no shame?"

    Kierul clicked her tongue after realizing what was going on and shook her head in disgust.

    Noticing her reaction the two attendants of the blond-haired girl moved forward, shielding their master from Kierul''s sight...

    ...unfortunately for them, that was equal to admitting their crimes and only added fuel to the anger of the master and the masked attendant...

    "Aku, you can concentrate and direct your bloodlust toward them, can''t you? Make them soil themselves in fear."

    "As you wish."

    Kierul said in a strict voice, to which Aku agreed readily.

    "Leo."

    *WHOOOSH*

    The masked attendant activated additional star power that mere passive effect had half of the ballroom on their toes and the concentrated spiritual energy that he released created an effect simr to the gust of wind.

    Only that it wasn''t an actual wind but mana in the air being pushed aside.

    Funnily enough, as thew of Leo was activated and directed towards one spot, the pressure released by it disappeared from other spots, causing the bystanders to breathe out in relief.

    "!!!"

    "Hurgh...!" *thump*

    As the spiritual energy hit its targets, the brownish-ck-haired boy lowered his head, cowering and trembling like leaf in the wind while the white-as-snow girl dropped on her knees putting both hands to her face to block the bile that was climbing its way up from the stomach squeezed from pure terror.

    "...eh...?!"

    The mental attack was so urate that the healer magician standing directly behind her attendants didn''t feel a thing but that only caused her shock to be that much bigger when she saw their reactions.

    "..."

    "..."

    As Kierul and Aku were approaching both of the healer magician''s attendants looked more and more miserable, looking away too scared to even try looking up at the pair.

    "Since I don''t want to mess with youngdy Victureo''s party I will leave it like that. I just let you know, Miss Kallerontte, you have sorely disappointed me. Don''t try anything like that again, or I might not be able to stop Aku from retaliating. He is extremely sensitive about the unauthorized use of spells against either of us."

    "...!"

    Kierul stopped a few steps away from the blond-haired girl and informed her in a cold voice, causing her to tense up, and lower her head.

    "Hmph. That''s what I thought."

    The red-haired girl scoffed and turned away, no longer interested in conversing with the healer magician...

 Chapter 711 243 - Causing Trouble On Purpose~ (Part 3)

    "Enjoying bullying others, youngdy Helterose?"

    ...just to meet face to face with the dark-haired heir of the Espine family, Miriette ¨C who was definitely not there for a peaceful conversation.

    "Hello, youngdy Espine. The opposite actually."

    "..."

    Kierul curtsied and responded to her without missing a beat and it certainly wasn''t to Miriette''s liking.

    "Listen, I''ll have you know that...."

    The dark-haired girl furrowed her brows and pointed her index finger into Kierul''s face, but as she did that the masked attendant stepped in front of his master and grabbed her finger with one hand without a word.

    "..."

    At first, Miriette became speechless, then her face became slightly pink...

    "..."

    With Aku doing nothing more besides holding her index finger, Miriette''s face slowly turned bright red as she gazed upon the porcin mask of the silent attendant.

    "Aku, I''m feeling peckish. Let''s grab a bite."

    Satisfied with the oue, Kierul moved past the masked boy, tapping his shoulder.

    "As you wish, mydy."

    Aku nodded letting go of Miriette and following his master leaving the crimson-faced girl still holding her hand up behind.

    "So you are the type that teases the girl you like?"

    As they moved away and reached the table with snacks, Kierul snickered at her attendance.

    "...I don''t know what you are talking about, I merely picked the most efficient way to not let the situation elerate in the wrong direction..."

    Aku mumbled defensively facing the other way.

    "Mhmm, yes, of course~!"

    The red-haired girl giggled while reaching her hand for a treat.

    "...no, I''m serious. Right now they are talking about me being that whole Zoemi again."

    Aku shook his head andined grumpily.

    "And you don''t like it because you want her to pay attention to you and notpare you to some other guy."

    "...shut up..."

    Kierul pointed out what made the masked boy grumble.

    "Pffft...! Ahahaha~! I''m on point again~!"

    The red-haired girlughed triumphantly, nudging her attendant''s side.

    "The greeting and gift-giving are almost over. Time for the real show."

    As it turned out, she wasn''t merely teasing him as the nudge was followed by the observation that made the masked boy straighten his back.

    Just as Kierul pointed out, thest person handed the birthday girl their present, and the party could move on to the next part.

    The adult girl''s first dance.

    It was traditionally reserved for either the father of the girl or her fiance ¨C with youngdy Victureo, it was her father, the General of the Bellcephora kingdom''s army.

    The variant lightning attribute magician wearing an official military uniform could not look prouder about his daughter.

    Their dance was well choreographed and received appropriate apuse for its gracefulness.

    Still, no matter how good it was, it was its end that everyone was looking forward to ¨C because with it done, the birthday girl could finally dance with whomever she wanted.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The moment that lord Victureo let go of his daughter''s hand a bunch of male aristocrats approached her asking for a dance ¨C Kierul''s uncle, the current head of the Helterose family was ¨C of course ¨C amongst them too.

    They all might have asked, but at the same tie, everyone knew who the crimson-haired girl would pick.

    The gold-haired first prince Horeo of course.

    Not only did youngdy Victureo like him, but it was a well-known fact that the Victureo and Bellcephora families were in the middle of discussing the engagement of the two.

    "She is looking this waaay~"

    Kierul hummed triumphantly somehow managing to keep a straight face as the crimson-haired girl turned around ncing over all the men surrounding her, clearly in search of someone else.

    "She would surely not ignore the first prince though. Forget about making a mess, that would basically turn into a scandal."

    Aku shook his head lightly, reminding his master of the reality.

    "Not at all, she merely needs to give everyone else a convenient excuse for her actions... and we already gave it to her on a silver tter. See? Speak of the devil~"

    The red-haired girl snickered and shrugged her shoulder lightly watching as the youngdy Victureo curtsies towards her suitors apologetically and moves past all of them including the gold-haired first prince.

    "Your intuition is a scary thing, mydy."

    "It''s not intuition, it''s called doing your research."

    Aku breathed out slightly worried about what would happen next while Kierul corrected him in an amused voice.

    "Youngdy Kierul, mister Aku."

    Soon after that, being the absolute center of attention, Ehmi Gamemi Victureo stopped in front of the master attendant pair and spoke up.

    "Youngdy Victureo."

    "..."

    Kierul curtsied in response and Aku put his right hand to his heart and nodded his head lightly in silence.

    "Mister Aku, I believe that youngdy Espine said before that you were the one to fell the fire elemental whose heart she gifted me. I did not mishear her, did I?"

    Ehmi faced the masked attendant and asked loud enough for everyone interested to hear.

    "You are correct, mydy."

    Aku''s answer was polite and to the point.

    "I knew it~ I could not be happier about a gift like that. Youngdy Kierul, I hope that you don''t mind me rewarding your attendant for his efforts?"

    The crimson-haired girl brightened up, nodding her head in satisfaction before looking towards the boy''s master.

    "It would be an honor, youngdy Victureo."

    "Ehmi is enough, aren''t we friends already?"

    Kierul spoke without raising her head to which youngdy Victureo smiled at her and asked.

    "It''s an honor, youngdy Ehmi."

    The youngdy of the Helterose family curtsied again with a polite smile.

    As she was straightening her back she catch a glimpse of the face that her uncle hidden amongst the men who asked Ehmi for a dance was making...

    "~!"

    ...seeing the anger mixed with disbelief was the most delightful feeling~!

    "Mister Aku. Do you ept this reward?"

    While Kierul was having her little moment of triumph, Ehmi offered her hand to the masked attendant and asked in a delightfully coquettish voice that came to her as naturally as she breathed.

    The right thing to do for the attendant of basically amon origin would be to bow down to the nobledy''s feet and back off, refusing the honor of the dance and giving face to all the other much more important candidates...

 Chapter 712 243 - Causing Trouble On Purpose~ (Part 4)

    "I can''t see a reason to refuse, mydy."

    But doing the right thing would go against the n that Aku and Kierul came up with, so the masked boy not only epted the offer, taking the crimson-haired girl''s hand but also made a pun about his porcin mask blocking his vision.

    "~!"

    Ehmi seemed to be delighted while a disapproving murmur spread across the ballroom.

    As the music picked up the peace, all eyes were focused on the pair.

    The masked attendant was shorter than the well-developed crimson-haired girl but that only put him in a more enviable position from the perspective of all female asset''s enjoyers.

    "Hey, hey, I bet that he will step on youngdy Victureo''s foot and embarrass himself.

    "No way, she will be the one in the lead, no doubt."

    "Hmhm~"

    Kierul hummed mischievously while picking on the whispers of the jealous men that moved aside to make way for the supposed shameful act that her attendant would provide for them.

    Those fools were in for so much of a surprise.

    After all, Aku was a perfect attendant, perfect in every sense of the word.

    Howe someone like that could not dance?

    "...?"

    Ehmi experienced it firsthand when she found herself in his arms.

    None of her dancing instructors or practice partners, not even her father during their opening dance just a few moments earlier, made her feel like she had to try.

    Being graceful and straight-up gorgeous was her second nature ¨C she lead and made others follow her as if she was the spark of hope leading them through the night... but also could lead them astray...

    A wild me that was to be admired and feared but would burn anyone who dared toe too close.

    And yet, the moment this boy younger than her by two years held her hand while his other hand couped her waist she felt the difference between herself and him.

    An urge to be led, to entrust herself to him, those surprisingly strong arms gave her the feeling that her strength wasn''t the only thing she could count on.

    There he was, someone that she could trust to take care of her in her moment of need.

    Someone who...!

    "Mydy, that truly was the best reward I could ask for. Thank you."

    Before she even noticed it, the song was over and the masked attendant let go of her hand and nodded his head while expressing his gratitude.

    "...eh...? Eh...?"

    Ehmi gulped down her saliva and blinked in confusion.

    It was over? Their dance was over?

    Already?!

    When?!

    How?!

    "...!"

    Seeing the masked attendant turn his back on her, the crimson-haired girl unintentionally took a step forward and reached out her hand after him, already opening her mouth to call after him before she came to her senses.

    "My,dy. I would be honored if..."

    As if they were vultures waiting for the animal to take its final breath, all the men swarmed her again asking her for a dance and walling out the ck-haired attendant who returned to his master.

    "Ah... yes... of course..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Seeing all of them made Ehmi regain herposure and nod, taking the hand of the gold-haired first prince.

    Still, Ehmi''s mind wasn''t there. Even while dancing with the man was supposed to fancy her eyes would wander off in search of the clear porcin mask of the attendant of the youngdy of the Helterose family.

    "...ah... I hope he isn''t Miri''s Zoemi..."

    The cirmson-haired girl found herself muttering under her breath feeling her heart beat faster.

    "Ehmi? Is there something wrong with my dancing?"

    "O-of course not, Horeo"

    The first prince asked discretely failing to understand the situation in which he wasn''t the center of attention, to which Ehmi shook her head and smiled absentmindedly reassuring him.

    But her eyes still wandered away...

    "Mydy, you are grinning a bit too much."

    Aku stopped in front of his master and offered her a folding fan which she epted and immediately opened.

    "Ah, I can''t believe I was worried that you will mess up because of stage fright~! Did you take a peek at youngdy Victureo''s expression? Are you sure you didn''t wipe out her mana with thew of Aquarius? I can guarantee you that eighty percent of the people here would kill to have someone look at them the way she looked at you~!"

    Kierul cheered out in a hushed voice while fanning her face flushed from excitement.

    "It is true that the best way to capture the fire magician''s heart is through dance~!"

    "..."

    She added while her attendant conveniently not reminded her that she was also a fire magician.

    "That said, we seemed to seed on all fronts~"

    Kierul did not stop grinning but she covered most of her face with the fan while looking toward the other end of the ballroom.

    There the healing magicians and her two attendants were hard at work trying to appease the furious youngdy Espine.

    The long hair of Miriette was all spiky, but instead of the forest of needles, because of their length, they looked like the forest of swords.

    "She looks even lovelier when she''s angry and jealous like that~"

    Aku chuckled, clearly using thew of Pisces to have a look.

    "No, no, no. No fawning over her. We want her to stop hanging around Ehmi and distance herself from the Victureo family. Without us saving the situation, the Espines will ept the marriage proposal from the Victureo family because of how close Miriette and Grazio appear to be."

    *tap* *tap* *tap*

    Kierul suddenly scoffed and closed her fan, patting her attendant with it as a warning.

    "Hmph, you are the only one who thinks that I fancy youngdy Espine."

    "Because I know you the best~"

    Aku grumbled to which Kierul snickered nudging him in the side with her fan.

    "Hey, you know? Youngdy Espine can''t calm down because youngdy Victureo keeps ncing at you longigly~! I can''t believe this part is working out so well~! Kyaaah~! Should I start practicing calling her big sister Ehmi?!"

    "Now you are jumping the gun. How many times did you even talk with lord Grazio?"

    The red-haired girl caught the crimson-haired girl''s gaze upon her masked attendant and giggled uncontrobly, causing her attendant to sigh in distress.

    "...? What''s a gun?"

    Kierul froze for a moment and asked, looking up at the boy.

    "Huh...? I... I don''t know... How odd... why did I say that...?"

    The masked attendant tilted his head, just as confused as his master.

 Chapter 713 244 - Fateful Night (Part 1)

    "Kierul, I''m going out to hunt. I am leaving one copy at one-third strength to make sure you are safe so continue sleeping well."

    Aku whispered to his sleeping master while perched on the windowsill while the copy he was talking about was waiting right by the window waiting to close it behind him.

    Both of them were already fourteen and the ce they were staying at was actually a small residence that Kierul bought from the money they earned by hunting monsters on the side.

    Unfortunately, despite Kierul''s protests to her parents and even the family head, not only were they given additional staff by the Helterose family, but they were provided with an unnecessarilyrge number of them.

    In short ¨C spies and informers whose only purpose was to keep an eye on the youngest child of the Helterose family who suddenly became growing in power leaving her siblings and cousins in the dust...

    But back to the room and the leaving servant...

    "You worry too much, leave just the weakest stand-in. What if you will encounter something strong? Do you expect me to sleep well when my best friend could die?"

    "...your ability to fake being asleep leveled up again, I see..."

    Kierul answered her masked attendant, rolling to the side to face him, and opened her eyes, to which the ck-haired boy sighed heavily actually taken by surprise.

    "You wouldn''t be trying to calm down your conscience by informing me about doing something if it was just hunting for monsters. What do you n to do?"

    The red-haired girl pulled down her nket and propped herself up on the pillow just so she could look as condescending as possible.

    "..."

    "Aku."

    The masked boy looked away, not wanting to answer but that only made Kierul''s expression and voice be strict.

    "... because of Urtervia, we couldn''t go to youngdy Espine''s birthday party... I know that we sent her an appropriate present but... But I also bought something for her... And just to be clear, I do intend to go hunting! One of my copies will make the delivery!"

    Aku started brooding but he did exin himself properly and even made sure that Kierul knew that he wasn''t lying to her ¨C notpletely, at least.

    "If you would want to do it any other way you would severely damage the trust I have in you."

    The red-haired girl breathed out shaking her head in annoyance...

    She didn''t say or do anything that she would even suggest that she wants to stop her attendant from going with his n.

    "Well? Everything you said doesn''t change what I said ¨C leave just the weakest copy here to keep up the pretense and go do your thing. I can protect myself~"

    Kierul scoffed, waving her hand dismissively and dering, raising her head proudly.

    "I am your attendnat. The purpose of my presence by your side is so that you would not have a need to protect yourself by yourself."

    "You seem to be underestimating how well-guarded the Espine estate will be. Do not get us in trouble because you have a crush on the spoiled littledy."

    The masked boy pointed out but was easily countered by his red-haired master.

    Kierul was right and Aku knew that she was right, but he still didn''t want to leave her with no one reliable enough to have her back in case of trouble.

    The coachman that they terrorized intopliance was doing everything in his power to prove hispetence and loyalty, but saying that he had either the master''s or the attendant''s trust was an enormous stretch...

    "...fine... Gemini."

    In the end, Aku gave up, breathing out in defeat. As he did, the one copy waiting to close the window dissipated into a thin silver mist that returned to the masked boy, and then, at hismand, a brand new copy stepped down from the windowsill and took the ce of the previous one.

    "I can hear you sulking. Come on, at least tell me what are you abandoning me to give her~"

    "Don''t even say that as a joke. I will never abandon you, idiot."

    Kierul giggled, joking around, but was surprised by how angry her attendant sounded at her humor.

    "I know, I know. I''m a big meanie~ Now. I am honestly curious what would you give er. She seems to like those tacky jewelry made out of mana crystals. Did you decide to buy her a recement earring after, like, what, three years?"

    The red-haired girl waved her hand a few times to appease her agitated attendant and asked with a soft expression.

    "..b..."

    "...excuse me...?"

    Aku fidgetted, muttering so embarrassed that even his copy faced the other way, making Kierul tilt her head in confusion.

    "She has lovely hair and... and I... well...st month you were browsing through the wares of the traveling merchants I saw a jadeb and bought it on a whim... Well, not a whim... I thought about her so... you know... Hey! I can see you grinning at me!"

    The masked boy revealed the surprise he had in store for the youngdy of the Espine family but ended up getting all grumpy at the reaction of the red-haired girl.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Sorry~! Now go, When will you return? Espine territory is almost half a kingdom away so... two days? Three?"

    Kierulughed openly before taking a deep breath and asking lightheartedly.

    "Hmph. I will make it back before breakfast ¨C remember, my copy doesn''t have to make the trip back and I will be exploring the mountains outside the Perserios territory. You are getting moody if we don''t eat together, so wait for me, bothersome master."

    Still very much embarrassed Aku pointed his index finger at the resting girl and scoffed proudly.

    "I will~"

    "Hmph~"

    Kierul nodded in confirmation which made Aku let out a satisfied sound and finally leave the room.

    His copy carefully closed the window and moved to the corner where he was about to sit down and remain on guard duty until the original return...

    "Hey... Hey... Aku~ how about a little dance lesson before I go back to sleep?"

    "...!"

    A whole hour have passed when Kierul who Aku''s copy fully believed to be deeply asleep spoke up without moving, giving him a scare.

    "I don''t mind. Just a reminder though, this copy isn''t connected directly to my original body but its memories will transfer upon its expiration."

    Aku shrugged his shoulders, standing up and informing his master.

    "I know and I don''t mind. I personally asked you to leave the weakest copy behind ¨C this and that are connected... also, you heard yourself talking about youngdy Miriette, didn''t you?"

    "...yes... but I don''t see the connection you are trying to make..."

    The red-haired girl stood up, straightening her pajama and fixing her hair while Aku''s copy tilted his head in confusion.

    "I''m simply d that we are so simr~"

    "...?"

    Kierul snickered, offering her hand to the copy of her attendant. He took it and moved his arms around the red-haired girl, ready to rehearse the steps, but his adorably tilted head very clearly conveyed that he still has no idea what Kierul was talking about.

    "We both feelfortable about our bond. I want my future husband to be exactly like you, but not you. And you, well, you have a thing for stubborn spoiled bitches. What else can I say? Miriette and I fit in the same category, although I guess she is more refined... on the outside. What I want to say is, I am happy that we will never be romantically involved with each other but will kill anyone who tries to harm the other person."

    The two started moving in the rhythm of the song which tunes didn''t have to resound through the bedroom for them to follow it and the red-haired girl exined herself, or at least she tired.

    "Oh my~ We really are simr, I thought the same ¨C although honestly, I would prefer if you said it to my face instead of saying it to my face."

    Aku''s copy chuckled and agreed as they were going through the motions that captured the heart of Ehmi Gamemi Victureo during her birthday.

    "Splitting your mind like that causes your brian to work in the strangest ways, idiot."

    "Nah, I just spent too much time listening to your delusions about marrying lord Grazio, idiot."

    Kierul shook her head and sighed, but once again she wasn''t the one with the final word.

    ---------

    "Haaah... I didn''t activate a direct connection with the copy I sent out to youngdy Espine to not do anything stupid... But wasn''t I just being a coward?"

    Two hours after leaving Kierul''s residence, the original Aku breathed out looking at the starry sky.

    The masked boy was sitting on top of a dead wyvern the size of a house, kicking up his feet bothered by the feelings inside of his heart.

    "Anyway! This guy chased off or ate all the other mosnters from this peak so I might as well call it a day and carve him apart into materials~"

    Still, his mncholy didn''tst long and Aku jumped down and was about to activate his star powers when...

    *crack*

    An odd sound came from above and got his attention.

    "...h-huh...?"

    And when Aku looked up, his eyes widened in shock.

    ...the sky was breaking apart...

 Chapter 714 244 - Fateful Night (Part 2)

    "I''m underestimating the security of the Espine estate... yeah, right."

    Aku''s copy scoffed to himself while climbing up the wall of the Espine''s castle after breaching the walls and sneaking past the patrolling guards withughably little trouble.

    "Let''s just hope that youngdy Espine didn''t switch rooms..."

    The masked attendant sighed under his breath holding onto the windowsill of the ¨C hopefully ¨C correct bedroom with one hand while taking a neatly wrapped package with a little card attached to the pretty green ribbon.

    Aku''s copy ced the present on the windowsill in a way that it would get noticed after someone would open the window and leaned out to look around.

    The only thing to do now was to make someone do just that ¨C so the masked boy began reaching out towards the ss to knock on it and rm the tenant, when...

    *creak*

    "!!!"

    "..."

    The window opened fully and a furious-looking girl wearing a cute green frilly pajama stepped forward with her long dark hair bristled like a forest of swords startling the masked boy stunned.

    This particr copy could use thew of Pisces to see past his mas and was using it at the moment hence the enhanced reaction.

    "..."

    "I-I''m just a copy! No matter how many masks you remove, there will be another one underneath...!"

    The dark-haired girl reached out towards Aku and the masked boy immediately protected his head with one arm and exined hurriedly.

    "...ah... so that how it works... I was really pissed off that you pulled such a stupid trick on me..."

    Miriette''s hands stopped and the dark-haired girl breathed out and scoffed. It almost sounded like she wasn''t as annoyed as a moment earlier.

    "Well? What brings you here, mister Aku?"

    She added and it sounded as if she crossed her arms in an angry pose, which made Aku''s copy lower his arm and nce at her timidly.

    "Umm.. you see..."

    The situation was so off the rails for the young attendant that he didn''t know how he should act.

    First of all, why was youngdy Espine wasn''t acting even a little bit confused or shocked at his presence? It was as if she expected him, but that could not be the case... even Kierul wasn''t certain about Aku''s actions before he confirmed the timing with her!

    Secondly, why isn''t she calling for help about an intruder, or dealing with him herself ¨C Aku wasn''t dangerous, for her, but if this kind of behavior was actually a pattern, then Youngdy Espine was putting herself in danger all the time!

    "Hey. I asked you a question. What is a boy who didn''t show up to my birthday even after receiving a NAME INVITATION doing at my window weekster?"

    Miriette asked coldly, ring at the masked attendant who squirmed under her gaze...

    "I... hmm...?"

    Aku''s copy took a deep breath about to direct Miriette''s attention to the present he left for her and which she did not pay attention to, too busy sulking when suddenly he noticed something.

    Despite the girl''s hair being all prickly and intimidating, it was not the case for the entirety of her hairstyle.

    As odd as the description may sound... some of the hair swords turned into lowly curls while the youngdy was talking.

    |If I remember correctly, curls mean that...|

    "Mydy... are you perhaps happy to see me...?"

    Aku thought and said before he could stop himself.

    "Hmph! That''s what I tho..."

    Miriette seemed to be anticipating some form of apology and was already acting high and mighty but only a second or twoter she froze in ce mid-blinking.

    "..."

    "..."

    Then, she gulped down her saliva and slowly faced the silent masked attendant.

    "...Am... am I happy to...?"

    The youngdy Espine''s face turned red and she stuttered, trying and failing to hide her embarrassment.

    "Wh-wh-wh-where did y-yo-you got th-th-that f-f-f-from...?"

    She started trembling and her face started getting so hot that it wouldn''t be that odd to see steaming out of her head in the cool night breeze.

    "I mean..."

    Aku leaned from side to side before pointing his finger toward the curly strands of dark hair that betrayed the girl''s feelings.

    "?!?!?!?!"

    Miriette noticed her unruly hair too and panicked silently. She ended up grabbing the curls and pulling them down, forcefully straightening them while lowering her head.

    "Shut up! Don''t notice those small things! I am doing my best to be angry at you! Eh...?"

    The dark-haired girl growled in the most adorable hushed way, which was the best evidence of her not wanting the masked attendant to be spotted and end up in a serious predicament.

    Then, when she finally opened her eyes she ended up spotting the present that the boy left for her and ended up closing her mouth knocked off bnce once again.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...what is this...?"

    The dark-haired girl asked bashfully, making a face as if she was holding herself back from being more affectionate and trying to be more grumpy.

    "...a present..."

    The masked boy answered.

    "...your master is trying to appease me with additional gifts?"

    Miriette asked, this time actually grumpy...

    "Not really... this one is from me... personally..."

    "...!"

    Aku shook his head and revealed all embarrassed, making the dark-haired girl twitch and barely stop herself from releasing a happy squeal.

    Still, her hair betrayed her once again, turning from the forest of swords into a curtain of lovely curls as she picked up the present.

    It was too dark for her to actually read the words n the small card attached, so instead of even trying or turning on the magicmp and endangering the masked attendant to being spotted, she simply put it safely into a chest pocket of her pajama as she unwrapped the main thing.

    "Ah~?!"

    Her eyes widened as she gasped at the sight of the jadeb.

    She picked it up carefully and raised it up for the moon and starlight to see it in more detail.

    "My oh my... Would you look at that~"

    "...?!"

    All of a sudden Miriette''s demeanor changedpletely as her heart - and something else - took over her reason and she jumped through the window, sitting on the windowsill right in front of the bewildered masked boy.

    "Ohohohoho~!"

    The youngdy Espine let out a hushed ojou-samaughter while putting her hand pinky-finger-first to her face and crossing her legs.

    She leaned forward, jadeb in hand, put her elbow against her knee, and then rested her chin on her other hand.

    "All that pretense to keep me in the dark and one thing that outs you out as MY ZOEMI is your adoration of my hair~"

    She dered triumphantly smiling, kicking up her leg slightly to tap at Aku''s chest with her toe.

    "?!?!?!"

    ...all while the masked boy was too embarrassed to even move, not to mention speak up...

    "Now, now. Don''t get cold feet now, Zoemi. You told me before that while using thew of Gemini, you actually split yourself and you improved on that even further with otherws... that means that whatever I do the you in front of me, the original you will feel it too... Now then... This little nobledy wishes for her lover to keep herpany and make this lonely night a..."

    Miriette was heaving the time of her life teasing the masked attendant to her heart''s content, she even went as far as to move her leg up and raise his chin up with her foot...!

    *crack*

    "...eh...?"

    But the moment she did that, a cobweb of cracks appeared on the porcin mask, which made her jaw drop.

    *crumble*

    "!!!"

    "..."

    As the lower half of the mask fell apart showing the bone-deep burns on the boy''s face and causing the dark-haired girl to pull back with all her might, the ck-haired boy let go of the windowsill and fell to the ground.

    *whooosh*

    But just before sttered below, his body dissipated into a thin silver mist that flowed away in a seemingly random direction.

    *thump*

    "OOOOWWWWW...!"

    Meanwhile, Miriette actually ended up knocking herself off bnce and tumbled back into her room, hitting the innocent floor with the back of her head.

    "Ah, theb?! No! Zoemi?!"

    The dark-haired girl gasped checking whether the present she received was intact, but immediately after confirming its safety, she bit her lips flustered and rushed back towards the window.

    "Uuuuh... I knew it, he''s gone..."

    One look was enough for her to confirm the troublesome situation.

    "Not only did I show him my indecent side but somehow managed to do one thing that he hated so much thest time?! How the hell did I manage to break his mask?! I can''t even use mana right now to enchant myself!"

    Miriette cried out while slumping down like a pitiful pool of goop dropping back down andying on the floor.

    "...or maybe he do that to the mask himself because he was disgusted by my perverse act and just wanted an excuse to get away...? NOOOO! THAT''S SO MUCH WORSE!"

    She trembled imagining the worst-case scenario and covered her face with both hands before starting to roll around in embarrassment.

 Chapter 715 244 - Fateful Night (Part 3)

    "YOUNG LADY! RUN AWA-hghr...!"

    "...!"

    "...!"

    Kierul and Aku''s copy froze mid-practice dancepletely taken aback.

    The scream... that desperate shout cut short... wasn''t that the voice of the untrustworthy coachman...?

    As the master-attendant pair looked towards the window in shock ¨C despite thete hour an unknown light source was making it brighter by the second...

    "AKU, dodg...!"

    "..."

    *shove*

    Kierul''s eyes widened as thanks to her inborn heat vision skill she recognized what wasing and grabbed the masked boy copy''s shoulders but instead of getting away with her, Aku''s copy violently pushed her aside.

    *CRACK* *WHOOOOOOOOO*

    Less than a heartbeatter the window broke apart and a fire spell burst in, engulfing the masked attendant in a cone of fire upon contact.

    *THUNK* *THUNK*

    Before he or Kierul trying to get back up managed to do anything against that, the fire spell was followed by two water spears that pierced and nailed Aku''s copy to the opposite wall as the mes were burning away his body.

    The copy purposefully made with the least spiritual energy possible turned into a thin silver mist that floated away, leaving the red-haired girl all alone with the unknown assant.

    "...fuck...!"

    Kierul cursed under her breath, clenching her fists in anger, biting her lips so hard she drew blood.

    "Who dares to attack ME?!"

    She growled, pushing herself to stand up and rushing to the door.

    *creak*

    "!!!"

    But someone was faster than she was and opened the door from the other side. A tall young man with red hair and a body glowing with powerful fire enchantments.

    "Good evening~"

    The young man snickered nastily and the next moment he was already holding Kierul up by her slender neck.

    "HGHN...!"

    The red-haired girl''s legs lost contact with the floor and she had to grab onto the attacker''s arm to not get choked out immediately.

    "My poor stupid little sister... you have be quite cheeky haven''t you?"

    The young man scoffed, enjoying the pained expression of the younger girlpletely at his mercy.

    "If you just stayed put and yed along, I was considering letting you live, maybe even making you my concubine or something..."

    "A what...?! Urtervia, you fucking bastard you can''t be seriou-ugh...?!"

    The young red-haired man breathed out speaking words of regret with an extremely creepy expression which made Kierul tense up and growl in fury.

    "Shhh-shhh-shh~ Shush, little sister. Can''t you understand what''s going on? Your perfect attendant had it enough with you, revolted, raped you, and then set fire to your house to get rid of the evidence~!"

    Urtervia strengthened his grip on his young sister''s throat and hushed her unable to hold back triumphant tones from creeping their way into his voice.

    With her throat getting crushed, Kierul could only respond with a hateful re.

    "Tsk. Come on, we don''t have much time, I want to see that proud face of yours twist in despair! What? Do I have to desecrate the body of your little frie... huh...?"

    Urtervia clicked his tongue annoyed about the reaction of his little sister and turned towards the wall where Aku''s copy had been pinned to before ¨C and then he became speechless at the sight of the charred wall with no actual body anywhere in sight...

    "...so it was just a copy? Oh, well, nothing changes. I enlisted the help of some really powerful magicians just for today. Aku will not be a problem... and even if he somehow survives, he still will make for a splendid scapegoat. Now then..."

    The young man scoffed but ended up shrugging his shoulders before grabbing onto his younger sister''s pajama shirt.

    "Time to nt some evidence~"

    He snickered with the most disgusting perverse smile stered over his face.

    |...this is... how it ends...|

    Kierul gritted her teeth feeling the fabric of her clothes be torn apart.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ----------

    *CRACK* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    The sky broke apart into a hollow void above Aku''s head and fragments of reality were falling down to the ground like a crystal rain.

    In that situation, the masked attendant could only take a step back and gaze upon the might of the attack that had caused such unimaginable damage.

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    Before Aku could truly wrap his head around what was possibly going on something came out of the void behind the cracks, a massive shadow pped its four wings, two scaly ones and two feathery sending shockwaves through the air almost uprooting the few trees that managed to grew up high on the mountain''s peak.

    "Ha ha! Ha ha! Ha ha! See Nexivroh?! I told you that something as insignificant as the erasure of one dimension will not be a bother! It wasn''t my first time, timeline hopping after all~!"

    "?!?!?!"

    Aku picked up on the voiceing from above without any trouble as the speaker wasn''t trying to be conspicuous or anything. Still, theughter that sounded just like a dog''s barks and the tomboyish but definitely feminine voice that followed it didn''t quite seem to being from the throat and mouth of the enormous four-winged dragon that made its way through the hole in the sky.

    The shocked ck-haired boy focused on hisw of Pisces and sent out his astral projection up to scout ahead.

    What he found was that someone was actually riding on top of the dragon''s head.

    No... not really riding.

    A young woman with deep-blue skin and long hair the color of coagting blood was standing on top of the dragon''s head, wearing simple hunting gear while holding a worn-out ornamental baseball bat across her shoulders, grinning as she proudly took n the view.

    "Princess Strawberry, where are we? I do not recognize thisnd..."

    "?!!????"

    The next thing that happened made Aku almost have a heart attack ¨C the four-winged dragon actually spoke, and its bellowing voice was so deep it churned the boy''s insides despite the distance between them.

    "I am not that sure, actually... I said it wasn''t my first time hopping timelines, but thest one ended so abruptly that I couldn''t really make any preparations. We are on the same and in roughly the same time period as thest one. That one I''m certain of."

    The blue-skinned woman tilted her head before sniffing the air and saying words that made Aku even more confused and cautious of her and her dragon.

    "Is that so? Maybe we should ask that human who hunted a lesser draconid below us? He doesn''t seem to be running away so a conversation should be possible."

    "!!!!!"

    The dragon bellowed and Aku who thought that he was safe hiding his presence and staying quiet felt his heart drop.

    Maybe it was his instance, or maybe it was one of the passive effects of thew of Leo, but the masked boy could tell that he is no match for either the monster or the young woman with blue skin.

    ...and honestly, the woman with the baseball bat was making him feel a lot more worried ¨C to not said terrified ¨C than the massive dragon...

    *RUMBLE*

    Nheless, the four-winged dragonnded... although a more correct description would be ''dropped'' and its sheer weight caused the entire mountain to tremble but neither it nor the blu-skinned woman on its head seemed to be affected by the impact of the sudden descent.

    "..."

    Aku gulped down his saliva and waited, tensing up from cautiousness...

    The house-sized wyvern''s corpse lookedughably tiny inparison to the beast from the hole in the sky...

    ...hole that was slowly closing up on its own, by the way...

    "Good evening, little guy. Say. What date it is and what part of which kingdom or country are we at?"

    The blue-skinned woman sat down cross-legged on her dragon''s head and asked lightheartedly as if she and the masked boy were already acquaintances.

    Aku hesitated, but he answered her... unfortunately it seemed that she didn''t like something about the information he shared with her.

    "...Mountains at the border of the Kingdom of Bellcephora...? This doesn''t make sense. Nexivroh shouldn''t you be having trouble staying alive with all the poisonous mana in the air?"

    The woman nced down and tapped her dragon''s forehead with her foot.

    "I am also confused about it, princess... It really feels like there is mana in the air but... it doesn''t seem to be actively fighting the star power..."

    The dragon bellowed in consternation.

    "Of course, mana isn''t poisonous for the star power users. How would I be alive if it was any other way?"

    Aku straightened his back and pointed out with a serious voice.

    He was fairly certain that he would lose against the pair in abat situation, but that didn''t mean that he was going to prostrate himself in front of them.

    "Haa?! Is that so? I see! It must be the difference between the dimensions! That''s so nice~! Hey, little guy, what is it about your mask? Is it some sort of tradition amongst your people or just a random fad? Should I get a mask like that if I would like to blend in?"

    The blue-skinned woman cheered happily before tilting her head and motioning at the boy with her chin.

 Chapter 716 244 - Fateful Night (Part 4)

    "I wear the mask because half of my face was melted off by monsters when I was a child. And when I say melted off, I mean it. You could clearly see my teeth and jawbones, it is an ugly sight so I hide it."

    Aku exined without a moment of hesitation, although it was a question that would always unnerve him whenever someone asked him so he couldn''t hide the annoyance in his voice.

    "..."

    "..."

    Both the blue-skinned woman and the four-winged dragon started to give off the aura of confusion that honestly confounded the masked boy.

    "Did I say something wrong?"

    Aku asked while using thew of Pisces to find the best escape route in case things were to go south.

    "Hey, Nexivroh, doesn''t our little friend remind you of someone...?"

    All of a sudden, the blue-skinned woman murmured to her dragon.

    "He does smell and give off awfully simr feeling to Unbreakable, doesn''t he, princess Strawberry? But... there''s something od about him too..."

    The four-winged dragon bellowed in confirmation, lowering its head and leaning towards the masked boy to take a better whiff of his scent.

    "Little guy... by any chance, aren''t you Zoemi Benevi Banemor?"

    The woman stroked her chin and asked, squinting her eyes as if she wanted to see through the porcin mask protecting the boy''s face.

    "No. My name is Aku Kuro. But you are the second person who believes I am that whole Zoemi."

    Aku shook his head and dered, clearing up the misunderstanding.

    "...I am not buying it... There is something about you that I don''t quite like... something too much... godlike... And considering I cannot return to my own world because of a certain god, I hope that you will understand my feelings."

    "...I literally have no idea what you mean..."

    The blue-skinned woman shook her head and frowned, ring at the masked boy who gulped down his saliva and was readying himself to escape the mountain with all his might.

    "Haaa... Well, sometimes the memories from destroyed timelines can awaken in people in new ones so let''s try it first. Mode: Kopia."

    The blue-skinned woman sighed heavily before looking to the side with a slightly concerned expression and chanting.

    As she did her body went through a change.

    Her blueplexion turned into baster-like skin without a single blemish, while her slightly curly blood-red hair changed into long straight blond hair cascading onto the dragon''s head. The previously sharp green eyes became almond-shaped and blue, sparkling with the beauty and might of the ocean. And on top of that, the ears that previously didn''t even show up from underneath her hair turned into a pair of long knife-like ears that seemed to be moving ording to her emotions.

    "How about it? Do you recognize this form by any chance?"

    "Umm... No. Sorry, but, not at all..."

    The woman in her elf form asked proudly raising her head, but the ck-haired boy had the same reaction to her new looks as he did to her original one.

    "..."

    The elven woman pouted, furrowing her brows at the cautious boy.

    "Take that fucking mask off and look at me properly!"

    "!!!"

    She suddenly shouted aggressively startling Aku.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Will you let me go if I do that...?"

    The masked boy asked in hesitation.

    "Listen, if you aren''t the Unbreakable that we know then I have no business with you. And even if you are, the most I will do to you is take a good look at your body and try to figure out whether the god who messed up with you is the same one that is responsible for my involuntary exodus."

    The dragon princess rolled her eyes and exined, tapping her dragon''s head to make it lower it and let her get off without jumping.

    "Alright. I hope you are someone who keeps their word, princess Strawberry."

    Aku breathed out and reached out to his mask using the same title and name that the dragon referred to the woman.

    He really was just going to remove his mask and -hopefully- be done with the dangerous situation...

    "...!"

    ...but then a whisk of silver mist floated from the direction of Kieurl''s house and merged with him, causing the ck-haired boy to freeze in ce.

    *WHOOOOOSH*

    "HAAA?!"

    Then, he just turned around and madly dashed away down the mountain''s slope as if his life depended on it, causing Strawberry to let out an annoyed gasp.

    "There is something going on here, why would Unbreakable worry about showing me his face? Is he ACTUALLY involved with that bastard Perseverance?!"

    *BOOOOOOOOOM*

    Strawberry gritted her teeth so hard that her transformation wore off and she returned to her blue-skinned bloody-red-haired form she kicked the groundunching herself after the runaway boy with enough speed and power to destroy the very peak of the mountain...

    "PRINCESS, STO...! She''s gone... better follow her..."

    Nexivroh bellowed after her but it was far toote to do anything, not to mention it lost its bnce after the rocks he was sitting atop all crumbled into gravel.

    With resignation, the dragon pushed itself into the sky and pped its massive wings to follow after the boy and the girl chasing him.

    |Urtervia...! It must be that deviant!|

    Aku''s brain was showing him the most gruesome images of what was going on at Kierul''s house now that he was gone and had no reliable way to return there within less than an hour which was a terrifyingly long time considering the events that must be ying out...

    Showing his face? AND WHAT?! WASTE MORE TIME AND LET KIERUL BE RAPED AND KILLED BY THAT PIECE OF SHIT HUMAN TRASH?!''

    LITERALLY, EVERY SECOND COUNTED!

    The trees and rocks were all a blur that the asked boy could dodge only because of his sensory expansion thanks to the unified power of thew of Sagittarius and thew of Pisces.

    |Faster...! FASTER!|

    The speed was the only thing on his mind, Aku wasbining all of thews that could physically aid him and even then he was pushing them and his body to the absolute limits but the anxiety in his heart was gnawing at him.

    It was not enough. NOT ENOUGH!

    "...huh...?"

    All of a sudden, he felt a change within his core and his body began glowing!

 Chapter 717 244 - Fateful Night (Part 5)

    The amount of spiritual energy fueling thew of Capricorn suddenly increased despite Aku thinking that he was already giving it everything it could possibly take.

    But with the change within himself came the change with his environment ¨C all of a sudden he realized that he doesn''t have to dodge the trees and the rocks...

    ... because he could make them get pushed away by merely thinking of the earth moving around...

    |Wha...?! What is that?! A level above the normal star levels?! Is that a thing?! GOOD! I CAN REACH KIERUL FASTER NOW!|

    Not even realizing that he had broken into the void star level of thew of Capricorn and tapped into the dominion over the element that saidw corresponded to, the masked attendant clenched his fists and continued rushing ahead utilizing this new power for increasing his tempo even more!"

    Now, he really had a chance to get to Keirul within...!

    "Little fucker."

    "?!???!!?!?!?!"

    As an inkling of hope sparked within Aku''s heart, the blue-skinned woman appeared in front of him without any traces of being tired or strained and scoffed at him, swinging her baseball bat and unleashing a devastating attack right at the boy''s head...

    *)#^%$@#!&)* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    Aku dodged the brunt of the attack by the skin of his teeth but the kic energy and the shockwave that the hit unleased flung him away like a ragdoll while the entire mountain top was cased to exist, shaven off by the single swing of a baseball bat.

    *WHAM*

    The masked boy broke through a couple of dozens of trees and finally stopped, embedded into the inner side of the natural cave that he involuntarily broke into.

    "GH-AGH...!"

    Aku spat out a mouthful of blood inside of his mask and his head hung down as the impact momentarily knocked him out.

    Still, only a second or twoter thew of Virgo''s healing power brought him back to his senses and he began to excavate himself in a hurry...

    "Hey. I only asked you to remove your fucking mask. If I was more like my mother I would already blow your fucking head off."

    "!!!"

    Aku''s feet just barely managed to touch the ground when he jolted up at the sound of Strawberry''s pissed-off voice.

    Despite the distance that the masked boy flew, carried by the shockwave, the blue-skinned woman found him within seconds without giving him a moment topose himself.

    "Well, to tell the truth, if I was more like my father, you would be dead from the start..."

    "I need to..."

    *WHAM*

    Strawberry tilted her head and breathed out reflecting upon herself which gave Aku a shade of hope that she would hear him out ¨C the ck-haired boy was even reaching out to his mask to remove it as was originally what the blue-skinned woman wanted, but within a timeframe so short that Aku didn''t even register it, Strawberry was already right in front of him, hitting his chest with the base of her baseball bat...

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    Even the idea of making a sound was oundish when the wood connected with the boy''s star-powers-augmented body causing an explosion that not only erased the cave but created a massive crater in the side of the mountain.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...weird... Thest time we fought hitting Unbreakable sent jolts of pain through my arms that made me want to vomit... Is it the wrong guy after all...?"

    Standing in the very center of the crater right by the twitching body of the masked boy with his chest caved in, Strawberry tilted her head and pondered.

    "Princess! Did you already forget what date it is in this dimension? Unbreakable is younger than when we met him previously!"

    "IF it is him."

    The four-winged dragon finally managed to catch up with its master and bellowed at her from above ¨C although she dismissed it with a shrug.

    Then she raised her bat above the boy''s head and let her arm fall down naturally.

    *THUMP* *crack*

    The business end of the baseball bat caused a cobweb of cracks to cover the porcin and after Strawberry raised it again and her weapon on her shoulder the bottom half of the mask crumbled first, revealing the horribly wounded half of the face.

    The left side looked bad enough with blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, but his right side which didn''t even have any skin and muscles, to begin with, gave off a truly unsettling image.

    "..."

    Seeing the injury, Strawberry furrowed her brows as if holding back ament that the Unbreakable she knew would suffer such a wound.

    "...!"

    And her patience was rewarded when the rest of the mask crumbled down revealing the full face of the sobbing boy.

    "Yeah, that''s definitely younger Unbreakable... Why is he so weak though...?"

    "!!!"

    Strawberry took a good look at the face of the boy barely hanging to his life and nodded with a confused expression ¨C her words caused even more tears to gather in the corners of his eyes just to flow down regretfully.

    "Princess... See? He IS younger than when we first met him in the previous timeline of this world. It looks like he simply didn''t achieve that level yet..."

    "...oh... oooohhhh... Whoops...?"

    The four-winged dragonnded by the blue-haired woman''s side and bellowed repeating itself which finally seemed to get through its master''s thick skull causing her to make a ditzy expression.

    "He will be fine! Let me just check whether Perseverance messed with him or not~"

    Still, her remorse didn''tst long ¨C if she even felt it to begin with ¨C and Strawberry reached out her other hand above the boy''s body and her eyes shone with faint white light.

    "...nope... that''s not our fucker... But it''s weird... The only part of Unbreakable that Perseverance has messed with seems to be his memories... Like, the majority of his experiences and memories seemed to be just taken out! Why would the god in charge of this world do that?"

    The blue-haired woman took back her hand and furrowed her brows, deeply concerned.

    "...hmmm...?"

    She looked up, tapping her chin with her index finger and her brow shot up when she noticed a speck of green light shoot through the hole in the sky at thest second before the crackpletely sealed itself breaking the connection between two realities.

 Chapter 718 244 - Fateful Night (Part 6)

    "Hey, Nexivroh, was anything other than the two of us even alive in the previous timeline when created a pathway for us?"

    Strawberry asked curiously while watching the speck of green bing bigger and bigger as it undoubtedly was heading their way.

    "Unfortunately no, even my mate, Intran, didn''t survive and both of us were at the peak of how powerful a monster in that world could be... I simply cannot imagine another creature being able to withstand the...

    "HOW DARE YOU BULLY MY PAPA!?"

    *SHING* x657

    "..."

    *THUNK* x657

    A slender green dragon with disproportionallyrge wings howled furiously and unleashed a flurry of wind des all aimed at the vile dragon and the dragon princess ¨C still, none of them had any effect as Strawberry simply jumped up in silence and intercepted every single one of them with her baseball bat.

    *whoosh*

    As she get back to the ground, Strawberry stepped aside and made Nexivroh do the same to make way for the new dragon tond ¨C which the green dragon did, surprisingly softly too, by the way.

    "PAPA...! WHAT DID YOU DO TO PAPA, STUPID PRINCESS, AND STUPID NEXIVROH?!"

    The green dragon with massively oversized wings got over Aku defensively and roared furiously at the blue-skinned woman and the four-winged dragon.

    "PAPA! PAPA, ARE YOU OKAY?!"

    With the other two backing off the green dragon cried out and lowered its head, nudging the trembling body of the ck-haired boy with its snout.

    "...gh..."

    With his chest caved in and his organs crushed, it was still impressive that Aku managed to make a sound like that, although a lot of blood came out through his disfigured face.

    "PAPA! USE THAT THING, THE SCALE THING, AND THEN THE CONNECTION THING!"

    "Young Kaaraal..."

    Seeing the state of the human boy the green dragon''s voice grew desperate, in response to that Nexivroh bellowed trying to approach the younger creature but was stopped by a grim-looking Strawberry.

    "Princess...?"

    The four-winged dragon bellowed in confusion.

    "She''s telling him to use thew of Libra to gain ess to thew of Leo."

    "What would it even change?"

    Strawberry nced to the side and exined but her four-winged dragon seemed to be unable to figure out what exactly did she mean.

    "At a high enough level, thew of Leo would not only share power between the user and the target but also make the tamer peek into the mind of the tamed beast. This means that if Unbreakable would use it then he would gain ess to little Kaaraal memories which in turn could help recover the missing memories..."

    The blue-skinned woman rolled her eyes and reminded Nexivroh of something that it should honestly already know of...

    "Umm... princess, I am aware of the mechanics of thews, but... isn''t what you just said impossible for the Unbreakable as he is now? I mean... Hisw of Aries is clearly far below the supernova level he boasted previously..."

    "...ah... that''s what you meant..."

    The four-winged dragon bellowed awkwardly while pointing out and made the blue-skinned woman make a surprised expression.

    "Ha ha...! Well, wasn''t that a rotten brain moment, eh?"

    Strawberry let out a short, embarrassedugh and raised her hand moving it slightly back to pat the side of her dragon''s head.

    "...Leo..."

    "EH?!"

    Maybe because she stopped paying attention to the green dragon and the boy it was protecting, the barely audible whispering from the dying child made her let out a shocked gasp.

    "...?"

    Strawberry faced the other two again just to see the wounded boy raising his right hand to the green dragon''s head and gently patting it while the dragon closed its eyes.

    The two of them stayed like that sharing a touching-looking moment...

    "Fuuuck, what a touching moment. For a second I thought that he was capable to straight up using otherws without the crutches of thew of Libra!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Strawberry breathed out in relief and smiled..."

    "...wait..."

    Suddenly she flinched and her expression clouded.

    "Why would I feel relieved about something like...?"

    She gulped down her saliva and looked at the dragon and the dying human.

    The ck-haired boy seemed to be losing all of his strength and his hand slipped down and fell to the ground...

    "...Cancer..."

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    Right as his hand actually touched the ground the ck-haired boy managed to whisper and the already damaged mountain got even more broken as another explosion urred, engulfing both the human and the green dragon in a cloud of dust and smoke.

    "...hey... what the fuck is that supposed to be...?"

    The blue-skinned woman growled in extreme annoyance, lowering the baseball bat that she raised defensively.

    *WHOOOOSH*

    "Eh?! Papa?!"

    The dustcloud was dispersed with a single p of the massive wings of the green dragon that seemed to be the most surprised about the sight of the human beneath it.

    "..."

    The still very much wounded Aku was standing up straight with a hollow look in his eyes.

    But before anyone else said or did anything, a silver mist-like vapor raised from his damaged body and floated up above his head forming a moon-like sphere.

    As the miniature silver moon formedpletely...

    *CRACK*

    The crushed ribcage reformed itself with a chill-inducing sound making the boy''s torso look like it suddenly inted ¨C and that wasn''t the end of the changes.

    The boy''s skin turned coarse until the soft tissue became rows upon rows of scales that darkened until they reached the same color as his hair.

    Within seconds the boy''s body transformed into something that could roughly be ssified as a draconid ¨C not an actual dragonewt but instead, some failed dragon-human hybrid straight from the horror movie.

    Despite his face growing longer, the damaged right side did not recover so two rows of sharp fangs werepletely exposed, and his fingernails turned into massive obsidian ws gleaming in the starlight...

    He even grew a tail, but interestingly enough, it was just a rather cute baby-dragon tail instead of an actual one.

    Finally, his pupils turned vertical, erasing thest semnce of humanity from his monstrous appearance.

    "Ohhh... I think I get it... You got a blessing from the god in charge of this world but it took your memories in exchange for giving you more options! Did I get that..."

    *WHOOOOSH*

    Seeing the boy in such a creepy state made Strawberry snicker, but as she was speaking and happened to blink, the transformed human charged straight t her with truly monstrous speed!

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *CRUNCH*

    Still, even mid-blink the blue-skinned woman reacted and countered the punch ¨C the scaly arm met the baseball bat and ended up breaking in several ces to the point of the shattered bones ripping through the flesh.

    "Hmph, what do you think you''re...?"

    *throb*

    Strawberry scoffed in annoyance but she flinched and her eyes widened the moment she felt a sharp pain spread through her own arm.

    "Do truly believe that I would leave it at that, princess...?"

    *SQUELCH*

    "!!!"

    The left side of the monstrous boy''s face twisted in a grin that matched his horribly injured right side and at the same time, the muscles and tendons of his broken arm moved erratically as if they were boiling over and his limb ended up growing exponentially to a disproportional size.

 Chapter 719 244 - Fateful Night (Part 7)

    Because of the sudden growth of his arm, the monstrous boy ended up grabbing the baseball bat instead of just touching it, and while the blue-skinned woman''s expression was turning furious, he stuck out his wed index finger and...

    "Sagitarrius."

    *%@#!#@@^$%!#* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    He said as his pupils turned into thin vertical lines and an eruption of spiritual energy sted right into the blue-skinned woman''s face, pushing her back into her four-winged dragon and then sending both of them flying back.

    "..."

    The monstrous boy nced at his oversized arm and frowned.

    He might have pushed the princess and the dragon back, but he didn''t manage to hold onto the baseball bat and his broken fingers were the best proof of that.

    Still, the flesh bones, and ws all mended back into ce within a heartbeat as thew of Virgo that the boy never deactivated was doing a far better job than ever before.

    *SQUELCH*

    With another bone-chilling sound one of the boy''s legs also grew to a disturbing size as he put it forward, clearly aiming to walk to the disheveled Strawberry standing up on Nexivroh''s paw using its wed fingers to support herself.

    The dragon princess didn''t look wounded in the slightest, the energy st didn''t manage to leave even a scratch on her blue skin but even so, she seemed utterly bewildered bout what happened.

    "What''s with that face? In my little Kaaraal''s memories, I was throwing you around like a ragdoll that one time you picked a fight with me."

    The monstrous boy snickered, showing off three rows of teeth as the dragon transformation progressed steadily.

    *SQUELCH* *thump*

    The cute tail lengthened a dozen times and mmed onto the ground instantly making the boy look much more like an actual dragon than a human.

    "Hmph. That was in a different timeline, don''t get cocky just because you managed to surprise me once."

    Strawberry scoffed, clenching her fist on her baseball bat, ready to counterattack when all of a sudden the night filled with the distinct ozone smell, and a strange pressure caused the air to tremble.

    All four beings present tensed up instinctively agreeing to a truce without actually voicing anything.

    As they did a fifth being simply appeared right next to the transforming ck-haired boy as if it had always been there and it was the only ce it belonged to.

    A faceless tinum-haired girl in a simple dress.

    The guardian of the stars. Guide.

    "Ah~ My Heavenly Star Warrior you are growing at a much faster pace than I hoped for. How is it possible for you to keep impressing me like that~?"

    Guide tilted its head and its voice simply appeared in the minds of everyone around it as it reached out its slender hands and touched the boy''s monstrous face.

    Despite being the faceless god itself, the aura that Guide was giving off at the moment was brimming with warmth and happiness.

    "..."

    The vertical eyes of the ck-haired boy expanded into big circles and despite not saying a thing, the miniature silver moon above his head disappeared causing the beast transformation to revert.

    The next second the ck-haired boy with an injured face and ragged clothes continued to gaze upon the expressionless visage of the guardian of the stars.

    He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but at that exact moment something unlocked in his brain ¨C a single memory returned to him.

    A situation much like the one they were all in right now.

    ~He was running somewhere full of hate and fury and a horrible pain spreading from his freshly wounded face was only fueling it more.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He tripped and fell down face-first, increasing his agony, but when he was crawling up the air already smelled like ozone, and the girl without a face was crouching in front of him.

    Just as she was doing to the present him, the faceless girl reached out and held his face.

    "I''m sorry. It will be a while until you realize why I am doing this, but I promise you it is for our future."

    The faceless girl''s thought appeared in his mind back then and all of a sudden a strange void appeared in his mind as his memories disappeared in a sh.

    "...my stomach already hurts at the thought of how jealous I will be just watching from the sidelines, my Zoemi..."

    While he was losing consciousness another thought appeared in his mind and the faceless girl pressed the ce where her lips should be to his forehead.~

    "...!"

    "Don''t say it out loud."

    The ck-haired boy in the present flinched and was about to gasp but Guide pressed its finger to his lips and shushed him yfully.

    "I am pleased with your development so I will not return the rest of your memories yet. Keep up the good work."

    The faceless god pulled the boy''s head down and climbed up on its tiptoes and pressed the ce where its lips should be to his forehead before letting him go and turning around.

    "Princess Strawberry. I ask you to not bully my Heavenly Star Warrior. In exchange, I will look into a way to locate Perseverance."

    "..."

    Guide said to the blue-skinned woman but she only bit her lips and stared at it in response.

    "My position amongst the gods is low so I hope you will give me some time. Maybe go and establish yourself at the white tower in the meantime?"

    The faceless god tilted its head and its thoughts resounded in everyone''s heads.

    "..."

    But the blue-skinned woman didn''t respond and merely squinted her eyes in suspicion carefully observing the otherworldly being.

    "I could crush your skull so much that it would take all of this world''s energy for you to recover. I also like crushing skulls of liars and imposters."

    Strawberry''s expression turned even more severe and she dered while resting her baseball bat on her shoulder.

    "That information will not make me change a thing."

    Guide was not intimidated in the slightest and even puffed out her chest while responding.

    "...pffft... You got guts, little girl. Fine. I shouldn''t have teased Unbreakable, to begin with anyway so I will take my leave. Nexivroh."

    "Yes, princess."

    Strawberry snickered and shrugged her shoulders before jumping up andnding gracefully on the four-winged dragon''s head.

    "In case I will be needed, I will be in the white tower."

    *WHOOOOOOOSH*

    The blue-skinned woman dered before she and her dragon left the other three in the crater on the side of the mountain.

 Chapter 720 244 - Fateful Night (Part 8)

    "...I better leave too... You have somewhere to be, don''t you...?"

    The faceless god turned a bit towards the ck-haired boy and its thoughts resounding in his brain sounded as if it didn''t want to leave his side at all.

    Still, as the boy blinked, Guide disappeared without a trace and the ozone smell dissipated from the area.

    "..."

    "Papa?!"

    As that happened, the boy''s legs buckled in and he slumped down to the ground causing the green dragon to cry horribly worried.

    "I''m... I''m fine, sweetie... I need to go help my friend.. do you mind taking me there...?"

    As Kaaraal lowered her head the ck-haired boy leaned against it and asked while sharing the directions via the connection of thew of Leo.

    -------

    Traveling through the sky was far faster than running even with the ck-haired boy''s spiritual-power-enhanced physique.

    Thanks to that Kaaraal got him back to Kierul''s estate within minutes, but...

    *WHOOOOOOO*

    The mes were visible from afar ¨C the house, small stable, and even the wall crumbled down because of the fire.

    "...Kierul...? KIERUL!"

    The ck-haired boy was too stunned to speak at first, but as the green dragon descended andnded right in front of the raging mes waling off the structures he dropped down her back and howled with a face paler than a ghost.

    "PISCES!"

    While already using his augmented senses to locate the whereabouts of the red-haired girl, the ck-haired boy sent out his astral projection so search through the mes.

    Still, that only confirmed what his hearing picked up on... the sizzling of the charred corpses left in the main building...

    All of them were already burnt beyond the point of recognition and...

    *thump*

    The boy dropped to his knees with tears streaming down his face.

    "...you... idiot... Why did I listen to you...?"

    "...papa..."

    He cried powerlessly and Kaaraal who didn''t even know Kierul but was worried about him sniffled.

    *rustle*

    "Oh, wow. You think that I''m dead and THAT''S how youment over it? At least curse at my enemies and pledge to take bloody revenge for their crimes!"

    All of a sudden something moved and dropped down one of the trees just outside the burning walls and an annoyed red-haired girl wearing a ruffled pajama shook her head and scoffed.

    "K-Kierul?!"

    The ck-haired boy gasped wide-eyed and jump right up at his feet.

    "You know how annoying it is that you immediately assumed that I died? You were the one to tutor me in magic and self-defense and you still thought that I wouldn''t be able to defend myself."

    Kierul shook her head, fuming in disbelief before activating her enchantments ¨C as she did thin red lines spread alongside her skin and only a few secondster their color turned from red to orange.

    "I''ll have you know that I not only MURDERED THE SHIT out of that pest Urtervia but I also ANNIHILATED the so-called capable magicians he brought with him. You can now start showering me in praise and adoration."

    The red-haired girl puffed out her chest and boasted, raising her head so high that her nose was basically pointed straight into the sky...

    "You absolute idiot, why would you make me worry about you so much?! If you are alive show yourself from the start!"

    "Hey, who do you think you are talking...! ...eh...?"

    The ck-haired boy shouted in anger to which the red-haired girl blushed from agitation ¨C but then her words got stuck in her throat as her attendant suddenly approached and hugged her.

    "I hate you. I am definitely going to make fun of you in front of the young lord Victureo...!"

    The ck-haired boyined while burrowing his head between Kierul''s neck and corbone.

    "...g-geez... you don''t have to act like that... you got in trouble too, I see? But you seem to also adopt a dragon. If you are its papa then I am its godmother, right?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Kierul got so embarrassed she released her enchantments and changed the subject, averting her eyes from her attendant and turning towards the suddenly timid green dragon.

    "...papa, what''s a godmother...?"

    Kaaraal got even more timid and confused because Kierul was the first human beside her papa to not freak out at the sight of her, so she unintentionally went along with whatever the red-haired girl was saying.

    "I will exin it to youter, sweetie. First, we need to figure out what should we do next, so be a good girl and behave, okay?"

    "Okay."

    The ck-haired boy breathed out and stepped away from the embarrassed Kierul turning towards the green dragon.

    "Ah! So she''s a girl dragon! She is so cute, Aku!"

    The red-haired girl cleared her throat and smiled still trying to act as if she wasn''t moved by her attendant''s actions.

    "Oh. About that..."

    "...?"

    Hearing her say that, the ck-haired boy flinched and started rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, causing Kierul to raise her brow.

    "You know how I lost my memories? Well, I remembered only one thing... My name doesn''t seem to actually be Aku... It looks like I actually am Zoemi. You know... the Zoemi."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi revealed and Kierul tensed up, clenching her fists without even realizing it.

    "I-is that so...? Wh-what exactly does that change...?"

    All of a sudden her embarrassment was gone and she was trembling on the verge of tears.

    "Oh, it changes a lot."

    "...it... it does... of course it does..."

    Zoemi tilted his head and sighed which made Kierul lower her head to hide her expression...

    "Yes. I mean, with that I can actually get close to youngdy Miriette and get her to support you for the position of the next head of the Helterose family! Isn''t that just perfect?! We can go with our original n!"

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired boy boasted with excitement to which Kierul suddenly straightened her back and looked at him with utterly shocked, tearful eyes.

    "...you... you will not leave me...?"

    "HUH?! Why would I?!"

    She asked in a trembling voice which made Zoemi take a step back in shock.

    "...pffft...!"

    Seeing his reaction to her reaction made Kierul snort.

    She shook her head and turned around, showing Zoemi her back.

    "You know what, Aku... no... You know what, Zoemi? We are changing our ns after all."

    Kierul breathed out and started swaying from side to side as her mood improved immensely.

    "...whyyyyyy...?"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and asked prolonging the word hoping that he will catch on to the hints but ending up with nothing.

    "Oh. Just because of a little thing. Right after I burnt off Urtervia''s arms and legs but just before I gutted him out I learned that our father supported him behind the scenes and was the one to introduce him to the unsavory people that ended up joining tonight''s attack."

    Kierul stopped swaying and exined lightheartedly.

    "A father like that... don''t you think that as a good daughter, I should remove him to prevent him from staining the family honor even further? I mean, who would he end up supporting next now after the beloved fruit of his loins is gone? My third cousin? The fifth one? Or maybe even my eldest sister? Disgrace upon disgrace upon disgrace upon a pile of shit that dares to call itself aristocracy. No. This has to stop."

    The red-haired girl nodded her head a few times before looking over her shoulder and showing her attendant the most beautiful smile he had ever seen her make.

    "Let''s weed out the trash out of my Helterose family before I take my rightful ce as its head~"

    She hummed as the zing mes reflected in her yful eyes.

 Chapter 721 245 - To The Academy (Part 1)

    The gold-encrusted carriage with the crest of the Victureo family entered duke Espine''s estate and stopped before the stairs to the castle.

    The coachman jumped down from his seat and opened the door for the passenger and a tense-looking red-haired youth wearing an elegant white uniform with ck lining stepped out.

    On his chest right above his heart shone a silver badge in the shape of a closed flower bud - a mark of a first-year student of the Aspakeony Academy.

    The fifteen-years-old Grazio Mera Victureo.

    "...keep it together..."

    The boy muttered under his breath, straightening his back and clenching his fist in anticipation of what was about toe.

    The coachman had already rushed to inform the people in the mansion about the young lord''s arrival so waiting patiently was the only thing that the boy could do...

    Still, one minute passed, then two... five... and then ten...

    Fifteen minutester, the door to the castle finally opened and a sad girl with long almostpletely ck hair with a green luster came out.

    "..."

    Grazio flinched at the sight. He knew her since childhood but in recent months Miriette Lisea Espine changed to a ridiculous degree.

    Before she was proud, beautiful, and confident but in recent months she seemed to get inflicted with incurable insomnia and let herself go because of devastating exhaustion.

    She stopped caring about fancy hairstyles and just let her long hair cover most of her face ¨C which actually wasn''t such a bad thing because of how sickly pale herplexion was and how dark the circles under her eyes were.

    Miriette appeared to be keeping a prideful pose but her head was always lowered ¨C not because she was afraid or bashful but rather because she was in mourning.

    She might have been wearing the same uniform as Grazio, but because of her unique trait, the abundance of hair that moved ording to her emotions, it was well obstructed to the point of looking like casual clothes.

    "..dy Espine... did... did you forget the badge...?"

    Grazio took a deep breath and called out to the girl who seemed both miserable and threatening at the same time, tapping the silver badge on his own chest.

    "..."

    "!!!"

    Miriette red at the red-haired boy without a word causing him to shudder and back off instinctively...

    "Hmph..."

    But the worst-case scenario that Grazio envisioned didn''t happen and the dark-haired girl merely shoved her hand under the curtain of her disheveled hair and excavated the mark of the first-year student from underneath it.

    "Pest, don''t underestimate me."

    Miriette scoffed, and out of pure spite ended up putting the silver badge up to her forehead like a hairpin that kept her hair from getting into her left eye.

    "...Mydy, that''s not exactly ording to the dress code... if you would just ept an attendant to assist you every day..."

    "Shut up, Pest. Why are you even here? I was under the impression that Ehmi will be the one to pick me up."

    The red-haired boy cleared out his throat and attempted to insert a subject that his parents instructed him to mention, but got immediately shot down by a disgusted Miriette.

    The dark-haired girl was so mad that it wouldn''t be odd if she spat to the side.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Big... big sister wanted to! But the first prince showed up at our mansion while she was preparing and used the authority as her fiance to make her go with him!"

    "..."

    The red-haired boy almost bit his tongue trying to exin his sibling''s behavior ¨C thankfully Mireitte seemed to understand the circumstances because she didn''t interrupt him this time.

    "She really didn''t want to because of the priormitment with you but you know how his highness is!"

    Believing that the atmosphere was getting better made Grazio''s tone change to a more familiar one as Miriette was approaching him.

    "And, mydy, I am not speaking out ill will nor do Ick trust in your ability to take care of yourself ¨C but my mother personally selected the best of the best of attendant candidates and..."

    Striking the iron while it was hot was one of the maxims of the Victureo household and Grazio went straight back to the attendant talk while Miriette was standing still in front of the carriage''s closed door.

    "...all of those girls have spotless backgrounds and perfect references and...!"

    "Pest. You can''t even open the door for me, it seems that you are not just a pest but trash instead. Should I adjust the favorable nickname I call you, my childhood friend, with?"

    "!!!"

    The dark-haired girl sighed and asked turning her head just enough for Grazio to experience the weight of her contemptuous re.

    "N-no, but...! But isn''t that a servant''s job...? O-our families agreed to our engagement and..."

    Grazio became flustered and blushed, shaking his head and waving his hands in a futile attempt to hide his embarrassment ¨C or maybe it was a way for him to show off the golden ring with arge ruby on the ring finger of his right hand.

    "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

    In response, Miriette''s head hung down even lower than usual, and she let out a ridiculously exaggerated sigh so that even the densest of the dense idiots would catch on how upset she was.

    "Mi... umm... Mydy...?

    Grazio gulped down his saliva and chickened out before actually calling out the girl''s name while she reached out towards the still-closed door of the carriage.

    Grazio didn''t get the hint because he was too busy looking at Mireitte''s left hand she was grabbing onto the carriage''s door with...

    "Hold on! Mydy, why aren''t you wearing your engagement ring?!"

    The red-haired boy called out urgently, first pointing at the girl''s ring finger where she put a crude heavy-looking bolt-like si made out of a cloudy-white crystal... instead of the matching golden ring with a ruby topliment her fiance...

    "Oh, I will tell you that after we arrive at the Aspakeony Academy, Trashy-pest."

    Miriette shrugged her shoulders, opened the door herself, and jumped inside gracefully helping herself with the levitation spell.

    "M-mydy! Why did you open the door yourself? It''s the duty of the... urgh...! Where is that damn coachman anyway?!"

    Grazio gasped in shock before stepping getting on a carriage''s step, about to follow Miriette inside.

    "...huh...?"

    But the next moment his face was mushed into the back of the dark-haired girl''s hand she reached out to stop his entrance.

 Chapter 722 245 - To The Academy (Part 2)

    "You can get onto the same carriage as me only right before departure. No... actually, only after we will pass the main gate to the estate. Go wait in front of it."

    "HUH?!" *thump*

    Miriette dered and pushed Grazio outside, causing him to fall on his butt and let out a bbergasted gasp.

    "If you want to know why the coachman isn''t back yet... Well, Since he announced that you were the one to pick me up, I thought that he was a con-man and knocked him out. He should be back to his senses in half an hour or so... so be thankful that it''s not raining."

    *THUMP*

    The dark-haired girl spoke coldly and shut the carriage''s door right in the red-haired boy''s face.

    Grazio''s first reflex was to raise his voice in protest but thankfully for himself, he managed to bite his tongue right in time.

    Shouting at the heir of the Espine family right in the middle of Espine territory while in the very front of their castle was such monumentally stupid that not even a madman would risk doing it.

    And more importantly, it was Miriette.

    Grazio could almost feel how her re is burning a hole in the carriage''s door while she was readying herself to cast some nasty spell that he would have no chance of protecting himself against.

    Did he really have to put himself through that trouble right before the start of the school year?

    Of course not.

    "...I guess it is a good thing that it''s not raining..."

    The red-haired boy muttered to himself and shamefully dragged his feet to the spot where Miriette pointed him where he lowered his head and started hiking the ground all sulkily.

    It also seemed like Miriette overestimated the coachman sent by the Victureo family, not only he stayed unconscious for longer than thirty minutes, he only got in the shape necessary to do his job a full hourter.

    Grazio had to activate his enchantments to keep himself in top condition otherwise his legs would go numb!

    Nheless, some embarrassingly long timeter both Miriette and Grazio ended up in the same carriage... but the atmosphere inside certainly didn''t match the image of the engaged couple traveling together...

    *grouuugh*

    "Silence, Trashy-pest. Can''t you see I''m reading? Stop ruining this ride more than you already are."

    After passing thergest city of the Espine territory, Grazio''s stomach started grumbling and Miriette red at him coldly from over the romance novel she was enjoying.

    "..."

    The red-haired boy chewed on the response that was forcing its way through his throat and instead reached out towards a neat basket on a spot next to him.

    From there he pulled out a sandwich and two ss bottles of juice.

    "Mydy, if you''d like..."

    Grazio pulled up all of his courage and reached out his hand holding one of the bottles towards the diseased girl.

    "Thank you for the offer..."

    "!!!"

    Miriette took a deep breath and the inflection in her voice made it seem as if she was going to reluctantly ept the drink which made Grazio visibly excited...

    "...but I''d rather die of thirst than drink from a bottle that you touched."

    Still, the next words that left Mireitte''s pale lips brought him to reality like an armored punch straight to the stomach.

    "This...! This is a sealed bottle! It''s not like I drank from it or anything!"

    Grazio gasped and blushed getting innocently flustered.

    "You better not, if you did a mere suggestion would have cost you that arm and leg thatdy Burushi worked so hard to restore."

    "...!"

    The dark-haired girl scoffed, shaking her head and causing her hair to cascade like a waterfall while also making the red-haired boy tense up at the memory.

    "...what are you going to do about the food then...?"

    "..."

    Even then, Mireitte earned herself only a few additional minutes of silence after which Grazio attempted to make a conversation, pissing her off to no end.

    "If I will be hungry then I will eat."

    Miriette shrugged her shoulders and raised her hand ¨C with the slight movement the curtain of her hair parted revealing that she brought a basket with food on her own right from the start, only it was obstructed from Grazio''s sight.

    "Now, stuff your trashy mouth hole with this garbage you pest, and shut up. Breathing the same air as you make me nauseous."

    The red-haired girl flipped a page of her book before lowering her hand and returning to reading.

    The travel from the Espine territory to Aspakeony Academy wasn''t the shortest and it especially seemed endless for Grazio who was put down the moment he dared to make any sound or move too much.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Why do act like that towards me?!"

    At some point, the red-haired boy couldn''t hold himself back and asked with his face turning beetroot-red.

    "Don''t worry about it now ¨C I will definitely tell you everything when we will arrive at the Academy. It will not take much longer so sit tight."

    Surprisingly, the dark-haired girl didn''t seem bothered by the shouting at all and responded calmly while flipping the pages of her book.

    She was almost by the end and the romance plot was reaching its climax but she couldn''t really enjoy it.

    |In the previous timeline, this was the ce where Surou picked up Burushi from the side of the road...|

    Miriette thought and couldn''t stop herself from sighing while ncing through the window of the moving carriage

    "Mydy, are you bothered by the recent events?"

    Grazio who was annoyingly stubborn about trying to start a conversation asked even though there was still a lot of anger in his voice.

    "Not in particr. Only the start of it all."

    Miriette lowered her gaze and sat up straight protecting her face from Grazio with the book.

    "Everyone talks about it though! Helterose family is under severe attack. Actually, many people believe that they bothered your father and he decided to show them their ce!"

    The red-haired boy eximed and his eyes began shining with interest.

    "It''s not Duke Espine if that''s what you are alluding to."

    Miriette rolled her eyes and lowered her book seemingly willing to talk.

    "But then who else has so much power over the fire? Beginning with the estate of the youngest brother of the current head of the Helterose family, one after another the estates of their bloodline have been burnt down to the ground iming both property and countless lives!"

    Grazio waved his hand dismissively before cheering, getting way too excited about the achievement of the unknown perpetrator wielding fire magic.

    "...and since my parents murdered their way to the former Babenor territory you think that Espines are behind those new incidents?"

    "...!"

    Miriette raised her brow and asked coldly making Grazio freeze on the spot as he realized the great mishap hemitted.

    "N-no...! I mean...! I didn''t have anything bad in mind while saying that...! I mean... yo-you surely know how that new money tried to worm its way into being recognized as part of the six great families, right? I only..."

    Grazio''s face turned ghastly pale and looked down so fast that he almost broke his teeth against his knees.

    "Is that so? Big assumptions from a member of the Victureo family."

    Miriette didn''t show anger and instead leaned back in her seat and snickered mockingly at the boy in the opposite seat.

    "I mean. If we are talking about fire magicians, my father might be a powerful transcended fire magician, but he can''t hold a candle to your older sister. If anything, I should be the one asking you about being involved in this whole mess."

    "Mydy...! Th-that''s not at all what is happening...!"

    The dark-haired girl winced andpletely terrified the red-haired boy.

    "Then why are you even trying to talk about this subject? Didn''t I say that I was only interested in its beginning?"

    She added picking up her book again.

    "Then, you don''t mind talking about the incident in which the youngest brother of the current head of the Helterose family died..."

    "That is not the first fire-rted incident in that chain of events, Trashy-pest."

    Grazio fidgetted and ended up asking, but Miriette silenced him with a single ice-cold re.

    "I''m talking about the fire at the private property of youngdy Kierul Berra Helterose."

    Miriette muttered under her breath and clenched her hands on the book so hard that her knuckles turned white.

    As she was doing that instead of looking through the window, shepletely missed an arrogant-looking red-haired girl in simple travel clothes walking hand in hand with a tall ck-haired boy whose face was hidden behind a porcin mask carrying arge backpack.

    ...the pair was going in the same direction as Miriette''s and Grazio''s carriage...

    "Are you sure? The Helterose family imed that it was a tragic ident and both Keirul and her attendant Aku died while the youngdy experimented with her magic and failed."

    Grazio tilted his head and asked, doubting Miriette''s words.

    "Shut up. Don''t even dare open your mouth before we arrive at the Academy."

    "!!!"

    He foolishly made the dark-haired girl furious and shuddered at her threat.

    While Grazio was cowering, Miriette bit her lips trying to hold back the tears that were gathering in the corners of her eyes.

 Chapter 723 246 - Showy Entrance Is A Must (Part 1)

    The Victureo''s carriage arrived at the Aspakeony Academy a little bitter than a certain luxurious carriage without any crest.

    Many students had their eyes on both of those, although the crestless carriage seemed to get more excited looks and murmurs.

    "Hmph...! So annoying, who dares to push their way in front of the Victureo family?!"

    Grazio scoffed while glued to the window.

    "Trashy-pest, you really don''t have any redeeming qualities I see."

    "...why are you like this...?"

    Miriette shut her book and put it aside making Grazio shudder under her cod re.

    "You are huffing and puffing about youngdy Kallerontte''s carriage arrived before yours."

    "...!"

    The red-haired girl shook her head while shrugging her shoulders with a mocking expression and the red-haired boy turned back to the window with a shocked expression.

    ...right in time to witness the door of the crestless carriage opening...

    The first being toe outside was arge dark-brown wolf with intelligent eyes. Some students backed off immediately, and a few that recognized it as a type of monster called armored wolf eve activated their enchantments preparing for self-defense.

    Still, not a single thing that the onlookers were worried about happened. The wolf sniffed the air a few times and after bingcent and wagging its tail a bit it sat down patiently waiting by the carriage and let out a quick yelp.

    As if that was a signal ¨C probably because it was ¨C the next person got out.

    This time it was a tall serious looking boy. Brownish-ck hair and grayish-blue eyes outed him suggesting that he wasn''t a mana user and that assumption was true.

    Causing even more murmurs than the armored wolf, it was none other than Geroizen Tenelion ¨C the only son of the third daughter of the Tencelion family. A martial artist just like his father.

    Funnily enough despite the rtively good rtionship between the kingdom of Bellcephora and the Heavenly Star Nation across the ocean not only nobles but many people knew about the star power users... only because of the husband and child of the third daughter of the Tencelion family.

    ...them two and the mysterious masked attendant of Kierul Berra Helterose who was reported dead a few months prior...

    Geroizen was wearing a butler''s uniform so he clearly wasn''t going to attend the Academy as a student, but considering that he was already older than the third-year students it wasn''t that unthinkable for the onlookers.

    Although the next person caused a slightly different type of disturbance.

    A girl that seemed to not belong to the physical world walked out.

    Her hair, eyes, skin... there was absolutely no color in them, a perfect white-as-snow being, the well-known variant snow magician. The eldest daughter of the Hontreu family only very recently rejoiced because of the birth of their fifth child.

    Metavicero Hontreu.

    She, unlike Geroizen, was donning the uniform of the Aspaekony Academy with the silver badge of the first-year student.

    But...

    Everyone was curious ¨C why would ady from the Hontreu family arrive in a carriage without a crest?

    Geroizen offered her his hand and Metavicero stepped out ¨C still, neither she nor the brownish-ck-haired boy nor even the dark-brown wolf moved entered the academy''s dormitory building and all waited while facing the carriage.

    The reason for their behavior showed itself very soon or rather showed herself very soon in form of the fourth being that traveled with the previous three.

    A refreshingly beautiful blond-haired girl with eyes blue like sapphires.

    The only dual attribute magician that revealed themselves in the Kingdom of Bellcephora.

    Burushi Kallerontte.

    She was a well-known healing magician that everyone talked about, not only was she a literal miracle worker but she also could use water attribute with great proficiency.

    She was the benefactor of dozens of families of the students currently attending the Aspakeony Academy ¨C including the Tencelion and Hontreu families.

    With her there, the reason for her carriage to not have a crest was clear.

    Kallerontte was the family name of Burushi''s grandmother. Burushi herself was in fact a love child of lord Modari Taran, and it was a family that technically stopped existing with all the children of thete lord Karontte marrying into other families.

    The territory of the Karontte family was already ya a part of a different territory through marriage, so honestly, it was merely an empty name that lost its crest together with thend.

    BUT it nheless was a name that could give a noble title to an illegitimate child... especially since said illegitimate child was someone so capable.

    To make it more obvious how coveteddy Burushi was nowadays¨C it was said that not even youngdy Ehmi Gamemi Victureo before her engagement with the first prince Horeo received as many marriage proposals as a whole as she did within a year.

    "Ah! It''s her...!"

    Grazi gasped finally realizing his rudeness. Nheless, the crestless carriage rode away with all of its passengers out and made space for the Victureos to take the spot.

    Having some time to figure out what he did wrong and seeing this asion as a chance to make up for it, Grazio the moment that carriage stopped Grazio hurried over to be the one to exit first so that he could be the one to open the door for Miriette and help her step out.

    Which honestly wasn''t such a good n.

    *poke*

    "Huh...?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The red-haired boy already had his hand on the door when he felt something touching his back and when he looked over his shoulder he saw Miriette pressing her index finger against his back.

    "Mydy...? What are you...?"

    Grazio asked awkwardly and in response, Miriette moved the hair out of the way and smiled at him charmingly causing the boy to blush...

    "I told you that I will reveal to you why I act like that towards you when we enter the Aspakeony Academy''s grounds didn''t I?"

    The dark-haired girl asked without changing her bewitching expression which made Grazio struggle to speak a single word.

    "...y-yes... you d-did... mydy..."

    Finally, the red-haired boy was able to utter the answer and nod, feeling that his heart was beating fast.

    The way that the youngdy Espine acted towards him... could it be that she was too shy to show her real feelings while they were anywhere near her family''s territory and only under the protection of the absolutely neutral Academy was she going to reveal them?!

    Could it be that was why she was smiling so sweetly and even made prudent physical contact with him...?!

    Grazio''s thoughts raced faster than a pack of hungry monsters chasing their prey.

    Even the few seconds that he waited for the answer stretched out into hours for him.

    Could it be? Could it be that the sweet Miri that Ehmi always boasted about being her friend would finally reveal herself?!

    "Air bullet."

    "Hu...?!" *WHOOOOOOOOOOOSH* *WHAM*

    The pubescent boy''s delusions were shattered the moment that Miriette cast a simple spell and he felt a concentrated pellet of air smash against his back, sending him flying, breaking the door, and tumbling through the ground all the way under the dark-brown wolf''s paws.

    "Urgh...! Oww... wh-why...? Huh?!"

    Grazio yelped, biting his lips in pain while crawling up back to all fours. As he was in the middle of trying to stand up he felt his hair brushing up against something and when he raised his head he was faced with arge wolf baring its fangs furiously.

    "Grrrr...!"

    There was no doubt that the monster was extremely displeased about a red-haired boy bumping into it and was audibly warning him to get the hell out as fast as possible.

    "HIIIIIIH...!"

    Grazio cried out in a high-pitched voice and pushed himself back, falling on his back and crawling awaypletely forgetting about how many people are watching.

    The only redeeming quality of his was that while doing that he managed to activate his enchantments so he didn''t look like a mindless coward and only appeared as a clear-headed coward instead.

    "Hachiko, remember to act like a properdy."

    Many people chuckled at the scene, and a grand majority began whispering amongst each other, some even sympathized with Grazio ¨C but only the white-as-snow girl approached the dark-brown wolf and said strictly while rubbing the monster''s back.

    "Nnn... nnn..."

    The armored wolf hid its fangs in a sh and while its tail was wagging so fast it was creating a small gust of wind it turned around to look at the girl and whimpered apologetically.

    "That''s right, Hachiko is the cutest smartest girl~! Mommy is so proud of you!"

    Seeing the wolf''s remorse, Metavidero smiled dotingly and extended the reach of the affectionate pats to the monster''s head, and although originally it seemed impossible, the creature''s tail began wagging even faster than before.

    "Yeh, nah, Meta... Hachiko is mine though, remember?"

    ? The blond-haired Burushi furrowed her brows and grumbled while squinting her eyes at the girl ying with her security beast.

    "Don''t listen to her Hachiko, master is just jealous."

    "Raugh~!"

    The white-as-snow girl frowned staring back at the blond-haired girl while leaning towards the wolf and whispering into its ear to which the monster responded with an excited bark.

    "Master, what about that rude noble? He went so far as to try and mess with our Hachiko."

    The brownish-ck-haired Geroizen spoke up while stepping forward, staring unfriendly at the fallen Grazio.

    "George, stop it, you are rude. Can''t you see it''s the young lord Victureo?"

    Burushi sighed shaking her head while reprimanding her attendant.

    "It is...?"

    Geroizen stopped in ce and turned to his master with confusion before looking back at the heavily breathing Grazio.

    "Dear heavens, it is! Pardon my rudeness, young lord Victureo. I could not recognize you on the ground, you usually look far more noble."

    The older boy bowed down apologetically and even approached Grazio and offered him a helping hand.

    ...he acted so polite that the fact that he was openly mocking the red-haired boy wentpletely over their heads...

 Chapter 724 246 - Showy Entrance Is A Must (Part 2)

    "Geroizen. Don''t bother with that trash."

    Just as Grazio was about to take the hand of the brownish-ck-haired attendant and get up, Miriette used a levitation spell and floated out of the carriage and stopped him.

    "Youngdy Espine! It''s n honor to see you."

    Geroizen immediately stepped away from the red-haired boy and greeted the dark-haired girl with a deep bow...

    ...leaving Grazio in an even more embarrassing position...

    "As for the long-awaited answer, Trashy-pest... I despise you like a piece of manure that stuck to the sole of my shoe because I simply know that you had to do with the disappearance of my attendant-to-be."

    Then Miriette passed him, sparing him a single indifferent nce on her way to the dormitory''s entrance,

    "Not to mention that you have the guts to speak to me about an engagement that I have not epted which honestly makes me want to kill you on the spot."

    "B-but our families... HIIIIIH...!"

    Youngdy Espine exined her reasoning gracefully but young lord Victureo seemed keen to remind her of the circumstances they were in ¨C a mistake that he soon regretted as he looked up at his supposed fiancee''s face and almost pissed himself in fear when he saw her hair bristled like a forest of swords.

    "Don''t worry about that, I am aware of the rules and etiquette Trashy-pest. Therefore I will make your life so miserable that you will BEG your parents to officially break that foolish engagement before the year ends." *crack*

    "!!!"

    Miriette dered activating her enchantments and causing one of the crystal beads on her choker-like ne to burst, making Grazio shiver in fear.

    "Hmph."

    The dark-haired girl scoffed and faced forward as if unable to look at the boy who was supposed to be her fiancee any longer and walked towards the door.

    "Lady Burushi, I have to bother you for healing and detoxification."

    On her way there, Miriette passed the dual attribute magician and her outrage that could have entered the dormitory a long time ago but very clearly waited for her to go there first, showing a lot of respect which was acknowledged by the request from the noble girl whose hair was slowly settling down.

    "Of course, mydy..."

    "Do not touch it, it was polluted bying in contact with Trashy-pest''s shirt."

    Burushi immediately bowed and reached out her hand towards the index finger that Miriette was keeping straight and away from her body but the dark-haired girl shook her head and informed her about the reason for that.

    "Hyper heal."

    Without any additional questions, Burushi spread open her palm and cast a spell that caused the air around her and her patient to tremble and vibrate as if in a heatwave.

    "It already disinfected your skin but if you want to get rid f the feel then I suggest..."

    Burushi''s voice was dry and matter-of-fact not suggesting that the girls knew each other before entering the Aspakeony Academy... in the previous timeline...<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Here, mydy."

    Then, someone who actually didn''t remember a thing joined the conversation ¨C the white-as-snow Metavicero offered Miriette her handkerchief while bowing her head.

    "Thank you,dy Metavicero. See you all in tomorrow''s ss."

    Miriette took the handkerchief gracefully and immediately began wiping her index finger while walking away.

    "Haaah... she is even scarier when she acts calm..."

    After the door closed behind the dark-haired girl''s back Burushi breathed out in relief and turned towards the red-haired boy who already stood up and was dusting off his clothes trying to keep aposed expression despite his face burning in shame.

    Usually, the members of six great families liked to make a show during their first entrance to the Aspaekony Academy but for Grazio that turned out to be a shitshow instead of an actual disy of grace and nobility.

    He even got a public deration that the girl he was engaged with him wanted the canction of their rtionship. Funnily enough, the way she phrased it wasn''t just random or fueled by anger.

    She specifically said that she will make Grazio the one to beg his parents to break off the engagement.

    It was a p in Victureos face ¨C they will regret making a decision.

    In terms of the showy entrance, youngdy Espine did one of the most memorable ones in the Academy''s history and undoubtedly a lot of wind magicians present would be very busy reporting what they witnessed back to their families.

    "Everyone, you probably don''t know me, my name is Burushi Kallerontte."

    All of a sudden, when the students that gathered to watch the newest arrivals were making a lot of noise exchangingments, and either pitying orughing at young lord Victureo''s shame, the bond-haired girl turned towards the majority of the crowd and curtsied while introducing herself politely.

    "Since today I am a first-year student but I will also work part-time in the nurse''s office, so if anyone will feel unwell or hurts themselves during practice or training you will find me there after my lectures. I hope you will take good care of me as I will do my utmost best to do the same to you."

    Burushi tilted her head and presented everyone with the most perfect heroine-like smile she ever managed to do, andcent with the immediate effect that it caused she turned around to finally enter the dormitory building.

    Geroizen, Metavicero, and Hachiko all followed her but the whole group was then held back because someone was exiting the building at the perfectly wrong moment.

    ...and judging who showed up, it might not be either bad luck or an ident...

    Two short brown-haired girls walked out and stood in Burushi''s way.

    The girl on the left was wearing a female school uniform and the girl on the right was wearing a male school uniform. Both of them had a silver badge of a half-opened flower halfway to bloom, a mark of the second-year students in the Aspakeony Academy.

    "..."

    "..."

    Both of them openly red unfriendly at Burushi as if there was no one else there.

 Chapter 725 246 - Showy Entrance Is A Must (Part 3)

    "Grrr...!"

    As they stood there, two more beings showed up from inside the dormitory building causing Hachiko to bear her fangs as her tail dropped.

    Two massive brown wolves of which each at least twice or even three times as big as the dark-brown wolf belonging to the healer magician... and Hachiko already was much bigger than the average specimen of her kin.

    Each of the massive wolves sat up straight right next to the brown-haired girls.

    ...even while sitting, the monsters were much taller than the girls they were next to...

    The monsters were females just like Hachiko but if put intoparison, Burushi''s armored wolf with her teeth shing and her fur bristled seemed like a bandit-turned bodyguard while the perfectly calm wolves next to the brown-haired girls were more like stoic pce guards.

    "..."

    Burushi returned the hostile re while biting her lips and taking a deep breath.

    "Lady Leveo Taran,dy Teofee Taran... It is an honor to have both of you greet me."

    After some mental preparation the blond-haired girl curtsied and greeted her seniors... and half-sisters...

    "Hello,dy Kallerontte."

    The girl in the female school uniform responded and also curtsied although her dark expression didn''t improve at all.

    "Burushi Kallerontte. Don''t fool yourself into thinking that we came here for you."

    The girl in the male school uniform scoffed, straightening her back and putting one hand on her hip to show her annoyance.

    "In that case, if you don''t mind me asking... What business do you have with me? If it is about healing, it would be better to discuss the matter privately."

    Burushi bowed her head doing her best to not let her emotions get the better of her and suggested while keeping up the polite speech.

    "No. It is not about the healing."

    "But thank you for the offer."

    The girl in the male school uniform continued being angry but the one in the female school uniform seemed to get appeased a little bit.

    "Leveo!"

    "..."

    ...which earned her an angry stare from her younger sister, which she didn''t reciprocate and simply looked the other way...

    |Just like before, it''s Teo who hates me and Veo who kind of likes me or at least doesn''t actually mind me at all. Wait, no, Teofee and Leveo, I need to use their current names...|

    Burushi thought to herself watching her half-siblings.

    Rather than argue or fight with them she would much prefer to have a rtively normal rtionship.

    After all, even though their father was a cheating scum why should the three of them hate each other?

    Burushi didn''t feel guilty in the slightest about being born ¨C not to mention that she actually reincarnated and was on her second season of living in the world from the otome game.

    She really didn''t feel like dealing with any additional shit.

    Not to mention that in this timeline Teofee and Leveo not only weren''t just attendants but straight-up nobles, but the two of them were also well-known variant magicians with conjoined mana reservoirs.

    Yes, Burushi remembered that originally the two of them were earth magicians, but with the unfortunate circumstances, they went through never happening their attributes seem to be affected.

    Teofee ended up being a variant metal magician while her older sister Leveo''s golem creation attribute allowed her to conjure artificial earth and stone elementals that bested any earth and stone puppets that standard earth magicians dared to call golems.

    The twins became truly famous when the Marigottie ¨C a city-state directly neighboring the Taran territory ¨Cunched a surprise attack at the vige recently turned town that was their home.

    The two of them stood on the frontline together with the fearless ice-attribute-wielding knight serving in theirnd.

    Just sessfully defending the newly established territory from the forces of enemies that outnumbered them not just twice or thrice but more than a couple of dozen would be enough to make them famous...<novelnext></novelnext>

    ...but because of the wrath of the ice knight who froze and sliced his way through the previously impregnable defense of Marigottie and cut off their ruler''s head, the Taran territory actually managed to capture the city-state and offered it to the king of the Bellcephora kingdom as a tribute.

    Needless to say, nowadays the Taran territory''s capital was in the previous Marigottie fortress and the Tarans initial status of low nobles was raised. A rumor about the Taran family being granted the honor of a middle name in the not-so-distant future was going around certain circles.

    All that said... Burushi might have earned a lot of favors from the aristocrats, but never once was she called to the royal castle and have an audience with the current king while Leveo and Teofee were.

    "Please forgive me if I aming off as rude, but if you aren''t here to greet me nor to request healing... what is your reason foring to see me?"

    Burushi shook her head getting rid of the thoughts that didn''t really help her in the current predicament and asked.

    "The man who is lucky enough to be our father. When he will get kicked out of the Taran family... do not help him."

    "...!"

    Teofee dered with a grim expression and Burushi could only blink in utter confusion.

    "Pardon...?"

    The dual attribute magician shook her head again and inquired, leaning forward not believing her ears.

    "When Modari Taran will get divorced from our mother and stripped from the noble title, do not help him. Just so you know, your mother isn''t the only woman he cheated on our mother with. Do not offer him any help."

    "It would be great if youplied with this request,dy Kallerontte."

    Teofee exined very clearly intending for everyone else to hear her too while Levoe made eye contact with Burushi and actually smiled.

    |...so... so it''s not about me but about pa...?|

    "HOLD ON, DID YOU JUST SAY THAT THAT SCUMBAG HAD EVEN MORE WOMEN?!"

    Burushi thought to herself in surprise before the information truly settled in and caused her to blow up in pure anger.

    "AFTER MAKING A FOOL OUT OF MY NAIVE MOTHER...! I WILL PHYSICALLY CASTRATE THE FUCKER THE NEXT TIME HE DARES TO SHOW UP IN FRONT OF ME!"

    "Master...!"

    Burushi raged so violently that both Geroizen and Metvicero had to hold her back.

    "...pff... ehem... I see we are in agreement. I hope you will have a good time in the Academy,dy Kallerontte."

    "See ya~!"

    Seeing a reaction that wasn''t that different from her own, Teveo snickered and masked it as a cough before nodding at her half-sister, and after Levoe cheerfully said her goodby both the twins and their wolves walked towards the main Academy building as others made way for them.

    "...hah... that was way better than what I expected..."

    After a minute or so of making a scene, Burushi breathed out and dered while straightening her uniform.

    "Young lord Victureo, after you."

    Even then she didn''t enter the dormitory building and even though Geroizen opened the door for her she didn''t walk in but rather stepped aside and made way for Grazio.

    "...hmph..."

    The red-haired boy scoffed not even acknowledging the gesture and stormed inside where he could finally hide from the gazes of the other students.

    "Idiot."

    "You mean worthless trash."

    Metavicero grumbled under her breath but was heard and corrected by Burushi.

    As their group finally got inside the building the crowd of other students began to thin out.

    When there were only a few people left in front of the dormitory, a certain red-haired girl and a boy wearing a porcin mask showed up at the Academy''s main gate...

 Chapter 726 247 - "Try" (Part 1)

    "Halt. You cannot cross the gates of the Aspakeony Academy unless you are a student or have a written permit."

    The red-haired girl and the boy with the porcin mask were stopped at the gate to the Aspakeony Academy grounds by two official-looking men.

    The one who reached out his hand and refused their entry was an earth magician, he looked older and more distinguished than the light magician behind him.

    Nheless, both of them seemed to be at least members of the staff working at the Academy although since they weren''t wearing armor or any indications that they were guards the pair had to be either teachers or servants.

    "I am a first-year student and he is my attendant. What''s more, there is to exin?"

    The red-haired girl shrugged her shoulders dismissively not showing even a bit of respect to the people in front of her.

    "Miss, if you are a student then where is your school uniform or at least a badge of the first-year student you im to be? After you show us the badge you will be allowed entry, although you still will have to confirm your identity with the headmistress."

    As if seeing that his older coworker''s words have little effect on the girl and assuming that it was because he was an earth magician while she was a fire magician, the light magician stepped up and dered with a high-and-mighty expression.

    "Did he call me a Miss, not a youngdy but just Miss without any additional honorifics?"

    "He certainly did...!"

    If the light magician really thought that his attribute would cause the red-haired girl to change her arrogant behavior then her annoyed scoff and the gasp of disbelief of her attendant got rid of that falsehood very fast.

    "Whatever, I was going to talk with the headmistress anyway, but because of your transgressions upon this nobledy''s honor..."

    "...?"

    The arrogant girl shook her head and swiped back her hair while the two men associated with the Academy exchanged confused nces, wondering about her intentions...

    "shpoint."

    *^%$#*

    ...and it was thest thing that they ever did as the girl changed a name of an unknown spell and an outburst of fire mana turned them both into harrowing enamel imprints in the ce where they stood.

    "Oof... Kierul, those weren''t some bandits that you could get rid of with no consequences you know? We will get in trouble before we will even re-enlist you as a student."

    The masked attendant groaned, tilting his head and turning it in a way that would suggest he was looking at his master with disappointment.

    "They were headmaster''s corpse puppets, what''s the problem in dealing with them when she was the one being rude to me?"

    Kierul made an indifferent expression stepping directly on the zed ground while walking through the gate.

    "I dislike the idea of reanimating corpses with magic in the first ce. If anything I bet the souls of those two are happy that they will stop being exploited after their deaths."

    She added, raising her head proudly because of the good deed she did.

    "I am pretty sure that to bedy Aspakeony corpse puppet a magician has to submit a written request and even with that approved, after their death their family is asked again if the person of interest didn''t say anything about changing their minds though?"

    "...are you trying to pick a fight with me...?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The masked attendant put his hand to his mask as if he was covering his mouth and eximed with a perfect innocence to which his master''s expression darkened and she grumbled while ring at him.

    "Of course, but do you really want to suffer from mana depletion? I mean, you are just the most adorable cuddle fiend that I ever heard or read of so I don''t mind but do you seriously want to reveal that to eve..."

    "SHUT UP!"

    Even after facing a serious threat the attendant merely snickered and his shoulders shook from theughter he was holding back as the red-haired girl got a matching red face and she threw herself at him, blocking the space where his mouth should be with both hands.

    "Pffft...! And what, pray tell, this adorable gesture is supposed to do to my mask, master?"

    The attendant chuckled and grabbed the girl''s wrist, gently moving her hands to the side.

    "Unfortunately you will have to cut back on those cute habits you''ve developed in the past months, we aren''t in the woods anymore and have to act appropriately. Okay?"

    He said softly while taking a step back without letting go of Kierul''s hands.

    "Yeah, yeah. Of course, I know that. Please release me, kind sir."

    The red-haired girl rolled her eyes before lowering her head and looking back up at her attendant with a cutesy feeble expression and her voice trembled as if she was sorry from the bottom of her little heart.

    "Good enough for you?"

    But the illusion was immediately broken as the innocent expression changed into a mocking grin.

    "Nope. You have a long way to go, mydy~"

    "...!"

    The attendant denied and leaned down while his pleasant voice reverberated because of his mask and the girl in his grasp turned her gaze away as he got so close that the tip of her nose was almost grazing against the smooth surface of the porcin.

    "E-enough of this! This is not the type of scene that we should be doing!"

    Despite the sudden bashfulness, Kierul didn''t forget her surroundings and pulled away as her attendant released her wrist and allowed her to go.

    Not to mention that indeed their appearance was getting the attention of the leftover students.

    For some reason, the disintegration of the two men that tried to block the entrance for the pair didn''t seem to be understood correctly.

    From what the masked attendant could pick on with his hearing it sounded as if they thought that the deceased two simply teleported away to inform the headmistress about the new arrivals.

    Although... that way of thinking wasn''t actually that surprising ¨C in the end, a fire spell that could burn a person into enamel while NOT causing a powerful air quake simply didn''t exist. Even the strongest known transcended fire magician, Ehmi Gamemi Victureo could not achieve something like that.

    ...though, that wasn''t a thing for all...

    ...especially not the two heavily armored knights that appeared before the red-haired girl and her masked attendant...

 Chapter 727 247 - "Try" (Part 2)

    "You wille with us."

    One of the knights demanded while golden light was shining through every avable gap in the enchanted armors he and hispanion donned revealing that both of them were already using the light enchantments on their bodies.

    "Did he give me an order?"

    Kierul frowned and raised her brow in discontent while turning to her masked attendant.

    "That definitely sounded like an order to me, mydy."

    The ck-haired boy nodded in confirmation.

    "The guts of some people. What, you two expect me to listen to you just because you are in King''s Guard? You didn''t say anything about acting ording to the wishes of the royal family so the answer is no."

    The red-haired girl shook her head in disbelief and scoffed at the heavily armored knights.

    "That wasn''t a question."

    The other knight spoke up revealing themselves to be a woman and then both of them stepped forward at the same time moving in perfect sync without ever signaling anything to one another.

    "Show them their ce, Zoemi."

    *click* *WHOOOOOSH*

    Kierul''s re became ice-cold and she snapped her fingers, as she did, the attendant behind her back disappeared without a trace.

    "...?!"

    "...!"

    The two knights flinched at the same time, realizing toote that the masked boy reappeared right between the two of them.

    "Aries, Taurus, Aquarius."

    As the pair stepped back, each throwing a magic-enhanced punch at the attendant''s head, the ck-haired boy already had his fist glowing with a faint silver glow...

    *WHAM*

    Zoemi merely straightened his arms to the sides, hitting both knights in their sr plexuses with the back of his hands ¨C funnily enough even the sound of the fist and metal connecting was in such perfect sync that they sounded as one...

    *CRACK*

    The enhanced metal bent out of shape andrge cracks appeared all over the chestes while the embedded magic stones shattered from the impact that swiped both knights off their feet while robbing them of their breaths.

    *THUMP*

    Although the scene seemed to be ying in slow-motion with the armored bodies hovering in the air, gravity imed them without mercy and both of them fell face-first to the ground at the masked attendant''s feet.

    The masked attendant stood up straight and slowly turned around towards his master in silence.

    "Alright, alright... good jo..."

    "See? SEE?! That will be you if you don''t start behaving and I will have to stop you from doing something stupid, mydy."

    When it seemed like Zoemi was waiting to be praised and the corner of Kierul''s mouth lifted up a little bit, the ck-haired boy interrupted her while aggressively pointing at the defeated knights.

    "Way to ruin a touching moment, you hotheaded attendant! Where did all your perfection go to?!"

    The red-haired girl blushed and hid her embarrassment behind a veil of anger.

    "Doesn''t matter! Anyway, we are going straight to the headmistress!"

    Without even giving Zoemi the chance to respond, Kierul raised her hand signaling that any conversation is now over, and walked towards the main Academy building.

    "You couldn''t be less patient even if you tried, huh...?"

    The masked attendant spread his hands in a defeated gesture and rushed in front, passing his master on the way to be the one to open the door for her.

    "Iron wall."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Just to be greeted by a spell cast by a girl wearing a male school uniform.

    *THUNK*

    At hermand, just like the name of her spell implied, a massive b of iron blocked the way into the building.

    "...tsss... I am going to melt whoever that bitch was together with her dumb spell..."

    Kierul breathed out the air sharply and growled while raising her hand, putting back her index finger as if she wanted to flick somebody on the forehead.

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa...! Kierul, stand down. There''s no reason to destroy the property because of some rude girl!"

    Zoemi was so taken aback by his master''s behavior that he dropped any form of honorifics and just jumped in front of her waving his hands to appease her anger.

    *rumble*

    The Academy ground began to tremble but since it wasn''t the doing of either Kierul or Zoemi the two of them exchanged confused nces.

    As they looked around the reason for the tremors revealed itself rather easily.

    The soil and rocks surrounding them were forming into humanoid shapes and said shapes bing golems were standing up.

    Within seconds the master and her masked attendant were surrounded by earth golems!

    "...who the fuck tries to push their hand-me-down handicraft project? All those y shit needs to be baked!"

    Kierul expression turned furious as she estimated the radius her spell needs to be to get rid of the newly animated nuisance.

    "Any objections?"

    The girl asked sending her attendant a pissed-off nce while the encirclement of dozens of golems was closing in on them cautiously slow.

    "Some people need to learn their ce the hard way~"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders theatrically and expressed his reluctant approval.

    As if they were sensing the danger, the golems began moving faster, some of them were climbing on the backs and shoulders of the ones in front of them as if in order to cut off the escape route of the surrounded pair...

    "How considerate~"

    Seeing the golem''s new strategy Kierul smirked in approval ¨C then thin lines of red light appeared on her body. As the girl clenched her fists, the light turned orange and she crouched touching the ground with both palms.

    "Incinerate~!"

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    Kierul chuckled and with the air trembling around her, she, the masked attendant, and all the golems were engulfed in an eruption of orange mes that shot out into the sky creating a pir of fire.

    The spectaclested less than four seconds but when the fire subsided all golems were burnt solid in ce.

    "Zoemi~"

    "Sure."

    Kierul stood up shaking off the dirt from her hands while keeping her mouth open even after calling him, to which the masked attendant nodded and sped his hands together.

    *BOOOOOM* *KHHHRIIIIT* *crack*

    As he did, he created a shockwave that once touched the baked golems and shattered them into fine pieces that spread across the Academy''s front yard...

    ...still, the golems weren''t the only damaged things, some windows of the main Academy building ended up breaking too...

    "Now then, time to do my part too~! Sagittarius!"

    Zoemi dusted off his outfit and stepped through the door while taking a swing at the iron wall blocking their way...!

 Chapter 728 247 - "Try" (Part 3)

    *WHAM* *SCREEEEE* *haaaaaa*

    The wall of iron thicker than the leg of an adult male bent from the punch just as if Zoemi''s fist was a cannonball and then dissipated into mana, with a sound of a person sighing in relief, after getting pushed back by the force of the attack.

    "!!!"

    "Oh, so it was created with mana and not pulled from the surroundings? Shame, I wanted to test my punches against it a bit more~"

    The masked attendant snickered under his mask andined yfully while using thew of Pisces to observe the shocked face of the short brown-haired girl wearing a male school uniform.

    "Hello, youngdy. Nice to meet you~ Give me your best shot~!"

    Zoemi put his right hand to his heart and nodded his head a single inch towards the stunned girl who judging by the badge on her uniform was a second-year student... and then he assumed a battle stance challenging said girl.

    "Hmph."

    The short girl scoffed and her eyes focused on the hot-headed boy. Without saying another word her body shone with light brown light and a whole suit of armor grew itself around her petite body,pleted even with a fancy helmet.

    Her spell wasn''t only focused on defense either, as she raised her hands a bastard sword coagted itself out of a thin air ¨C which was a sight that would cause most veteran cksmiths to either faint or froth from the mouth in fury.

    "As if you are worth my best! Who even are...? GAH!"

    The armored girl scoffed again raising her sword against the masked attendant... and barely managed to jolt her head to the side as he closed the distance between the two of them in a sh and swung his fist at her.

    *BOOM* *CRASH*

    Despite barely missing, the boy''s fist created a shockwave that destroyed a painting on the wall directly behind the armored girl.

    *haaaaa*

    As if that was not enough, it turned out that the attack wasn''t aplete miss ¨C it turned out that the masked attendant''s thumb barely grazed the girl''s helmet but it was still enough contact to cause the magically created metal to dissipate into nothingness with a sound of a person breathing out in relief.

    "?!?!"

    *thump*

    The shocked girl tried to step back while counterattacking her opponent with her sword but she ended up being grappled to the ground.

    "Hmm? Oh, now I kind of regret deactivating thew of Aquarius after that first hit... you are cute, aren''t you? I wonder how would you act under mana depletion?"

    The ck-haired boy chuckled while pinning the armored girl to the ground while his mask was only inches away from her face.

    "Y-you...! How dare you...?!"

    She growled furiously while struggling to break free but despite her body augmented with enchantments, she could not do anything against the masked attendant.

    "Okay, that''s enough of ying around. Mydy, pardon my rudeness from before but you suddenly attacked us, so I implore you to calm down, think it through, and..."

    All of a sudden Zoemi''s behavior changed. After experiencing the strength that the girl could muster he raised his head and bowed it to the fierce magician while sounding genuinely apologetic.

    He even lowered the amount of strength that he was holding her down with to show his good intentions.

    *WHAM* *crack*

    But the moment he did that, the brown-haired girl headbutted him in the face with everything she got, actually managing to push him away to the sound of porcin breaking.

    Using the chance, the armored girl separated herself from the masked attendant, stood up, and resumed the battle stance ready to continue the fight ¨C this time much more vignt than before.

    *chink* *chink*

    While she did that, the ck-haired boy also stood up while stepping back ¨C the bottom half of his porcin mask was covered with a cobweb of cracks and slowly crumbling away revealing his face from the chin to the upper lip.

    When all the loose pieces of porcin dropped off, the remains of the polite smile that still lingered on his face disappearedpletely and two drops of blood trickled down the boy''s lips and chin and dropped down, staining his attire without reaching the floor.

    "...tsssss... Oof..."

    Kierul who didn''t even activate her enchantment during the bout walked up to her attendant and leaned to the side to catch a glimpse at the part of his exposed face which caused her to suck in the air.

    "You brought it upon yourself."

    "Hmph. Rud..."

    Then the red-haired girl shook her head and turned right around, exposing her back to the annoyed armored girl...

    *BOOOOOOM* *CRUSH*

    ...and couldn''t even finish the word she was meant to say because both her helmet and her head were obliterated by a punch that she didn''t even register being thrown.

    *crack* *THUMP* *crumble*

    Interestingly enough, instead of releasing a fountain of blood, the armored headless body of the audacious girl only let out an earthy sound and when it finally fell down only gravel and earth spilled out from the chestte.

    "..."

    Zoemi straightened his back and looked over his shoulder while the corner of his mouth dropped in disgust.

    "Don''t be so angry. I was wondering why the enchantments of the metal magicians were brown when I clearly heard about them being dark gray, but it turns out that the Taran twins can pull off something like that together~!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Kierul gracefully stepped over the armored body and exined while pulling out a handkerchief.

    "The awkward golems on the outside were a distraction ¨C the one you just destroyed was the real deal so... try to calm down, okay? If you do, I promise to act properly too~"

    The red-haired girl continued talking in a sweet reassuring voice while cleaning the blood from Zoemi''s face with the handkerchief as he stood there in silence.

    "Hmm~?"

    The masked attendant grabbed his aster''s wrist and she smiled at him expectantly.

    "I am more pissed off at myself for underestimating my opponent and thinking that half-assing thews would be enough. But a promise is a promise. I will make sure that you keep your word."

    Zoemi breathed out, releasing Kierul''s hand and letting her continue caring about him.

    "By any chance, you didn''t hold on to any spare masks, did you? I left everything with Kaaraal..."

    He tilted his head to the side awkwardly and added in a much softer, almost bashful voice.

    "Sorry, no such luck. You will have to find some recement until the right time or have to go around like this... which honestly doesn''t look half-bad."

    Kierul shook her head and stepped closer to her attendant while gazing upon his disfigured right side.

    "Having you like that will add to the tyrannic image I want to go for~!"

    "Pshh...! Oh,e on!"

    She giggled causing the masked boy to groan in disbelief.

    "No, seriously, I don''t mind at all! Here, I will even give you a kiss to prove it, so get down here~!"

    "Kierul...!"

    The red-haired girl threw her arm around the masked boy''s neck and started pulling him down while puffing out her lips and making himugh while holding her back.

    "Alright, enough of this. Since those geniuses aren''t sending anything else our way it means they must have shat themselves and run off to cry to the teachers. shpoint."

    *^%$#*

    Seeing her attendant''s mood actually improve Kierul smiled and nodded her head with satisfaction before ncing back at the destroyed armored golem and incinerating every trace of it ever being in that spot with a single spell...

    ...well, every trace except for the slightly charred floorboards that are...

    "I think so too, that''s why don''t you dare leave my side."

    Zoemi nodded and offered Kierul his arm which she wrapped herself around without another word.

    The two of them were walking down the hallway aiming straight for the headmistress''s office as both of them memorized the blueprint of the Aspaekony Academy before arriving there.

    "Say... you knew that the girl from before was a golem, didn''t you?"

    While not being interrupted by anyone, Kierul looked up at her attendant and asked curiously.

    "Is mydy doubting that I would blow somebody''s head off just because I got pissed off?"

    Zoemi snickered, smirking mockingly, and countered the question with another question.

    "Yes. That''s definitely not something that you would do. Especially not a student in the Academy that I will be attending."

    "..."

    The red-haired girl didn''t hesitate a single second with her answer, she didn''t even blink as she gave an answer that made her attendant speechless.

    "So? What was it? Did she smell too earthy? Her eyes didn''t look right up close?"

    Kierul didn''t mind surprising her attendant and continued the inquiry.

    "Haaa... nope. My smell and sight aren''t all that great ¨C the one thing that convinced me that I an not facing an actual human was that she didn''t have a heartbeat. Also, there was this crunchy slightly coarse sound her joints made whenever she moved. It wasn''t something that could be heard normally but with thew of Sagittarius I managed to pick up on it."

    Zoemi breathed out giving up on changing the subject and just answering truthfully.

    "Nice. My way was just looking at her with heat vision and seeing that her body temperature was the same as the surroundings."

    "..."

    Kierul nodded her head being slightly more talkative than usual which made Zoemi concerned enough to focus on his hearing again.

    ...and he immediately picked up on three heartbeats ¨C his own, his master''s, and...

    "Your method is clearly better. If it was just me and in this very hallway someone, let''s say a water magician, was hiding their presence and using a water bubble spell to control their body''s temperature, I would mistakenly assume it was another golem and got rid of them like this..."

    *click*

    Kierul continued talking without ever changing the tone of her voice and snapped her fingers.

 Chapter 729 247 - "Try" (Part 4)

    Despite absolutely nothing changing about their surroundings at the first nce, the unidentified third heartbeat rate increased.

    Not by much, which meant that whoever was observing them was quite used to dangerous situations... but still.

    A reaction like that meant that they were keenly listening to whatever topic he and Kierul were talking about and not some random bystander trying to hook up with their sweetheart in the ssroom before the school activities start the next day.

    Who knows, maybe the sneaky third person was originally preparing to attack them from behind?

    "Would be a shame too since we are going to the headmistress''s office to clear out the mistake about you being dead, youngdy Helterose."

    "Right? I simply can''t understand why no one even tries to have a normal conversation and just throws themselves at us."

    Zoemi snickered internally and followed up exactly as Kierul wanted him.

    "Audacious. I am more surprised that people don''t recognize you though. I mean, you got even prettier, but only a dense idiot would not recognize you as Kierul Berra Helterose."

    "...you''re trying a bit too hard, but continue~"

    The red-haired girl squeezed Zoemi''s arm and muttered with a cheeky smile as both of them passed the spot where the fast heartbeat was originating from...

    ...and moved along the hallway without being bothered anymore...

    "Good choice, teacher."

    Before she and Zoemi turned the corner, Kierul nced back to the empty hallway and smiled benevolently at a certain spot.

    "Are you sure that was a teacher?"

    The ck-haired boy made sure that the owner of the third heartbeat didn''t follow them and asked his master curiously.

    "Just guessing. The teachers should already be around and I don''t think that any student besides the Taran twins would bother to sneak around. Although I am sure that the one to supervise us just now was someone they bitch about to."

    Kierul exined with a light shrug raising her hand and throwing her hair back in a gesture brimming with confidence.

    "Anyway, ready for appeasing the headmistress?"

    She ended up breathing out and her eyes shone with cold seriousness.

    "Yes. Unless I am really shocked I don''t have to call the names of thews out loud anymore."

    Zoemi straightened his back and smirked devilishly which coupled with the exposed jawbones and teeth made for a truly demonic sight.

    After a while, they finally found themselves in front of the correct door where Zoemi instantly stepped up to and knocked hard enough to make permanent indentations in the expensive wood.

    "There really is some kind of magic seal here."

    The masked boy nced back to his master and reported in an indifferent voice...

    "Esteemed necromancer Aspakeony! I will get mydy into your office with or without your approval, so if you want to save yourself the trouble of setting up another seal, consider opening the door willingly."

    ...and then he spoke a lot louder making sure that he would be heard...

    In response to that, an elderly gold-haired man appeared behind Zoemi and Kierul.

    "Lady Aspakeony..."

    The newly arrived magician started speaking but the red-haired girl didn''t even look his way, instead, she pointed her index finger over her shoulder and...<novelnext></novelnext>

    "shpoint."

    *^%$#*

    With a sh of orangish light, the elderly man became a human-shapedyer of enamel that will definitely be a nightmare to clean off the hardwood floor.

    "Aspakeony, stop wasting perfectly good light attribute puppets and just let us in. Or I swear to Guide I will bust down your door after the next minute I am giving you to make the decision!"

    Zoemi called out, knocking even harder and leaving even deeper indentations in the precious wood...

    "...Kierul, that WAS a reanimated corpse right...?"

    "Duh."

    After which he leaned back and whispered anxiously making the red-haired girl roll her eyes and scoff at him, offended about theck of trust.

    *click*

    While Kierul was ring at her masked attendant the door to the office was opened by a dark-skinned girl with unevenly cut gray hair wearing a skimpy ck nightgown.

    "..."

    Zoemi turned back and stiffened the moment he faced her, and gulped down his saliva lost for words.

    "Hey! Stop using thew of Pisces to peek at her! And you! What is with this skanky appearance, stop seducing my attendant!"

    Kierul called out while jumping towards Zoemi and blocking the spot on his mask where his eyes should be with both hands before turning and hissing at the dark-skinned girl.

    "You two didn''t exactly give me time to go through my wardrobe and chose an appropriate outfit. You have to be a special kind of privileged brat toin about my looks after you destroy three of my puppets and even threaten me in myst safe heaven."

    The gray-haired girl''s face twisted with annoyance as she motioned with her chin back at the office behind her back.

    Said office was quite cozy. Big closet and cupboard filled with documents, a clock, a fuzzy rug, arge desk filled with various papers and documents, an armchair with a pale-skinned corpse of a burly red-haired middle-aged man taking a ce of the cushions...

    ...wait...

    Maybe the office wasn''t as cozy as expected for anyone other than a necromancer who decorated it.

    "We are just visiting, headmistress, if our intention was conquest or annihtion we wouldn''t even show ourselves to you."

    Kierul smiled in response to Aspakeony''s groan and assured her.

    "I would like to discuss my current situation so thank you for your hospitality."

    The red-haired girl added taking a step in front of her attendant and making the gray-haired girl move to the side so she could pass.

    "Oh, nice. I heard you were a very old necromancer so I expected skulls and bones everywhere but mahogany is always a ssic. You pass."

    Kierul invited herself in without a moment of hesitation and immediately satfortably on a chair in front of the desk

    "Excuse me? You. You need to get that master of yours on a leash or something."

    Apakeony puffed out her chest angrily but instead of blowing out at the red-haired girl, she focused more on the masked attendant.

 Chapter 730 247 - "Try" (Part 5)

    "I considered it a few times but potty training her was already a nightmare and I get a migraine at the mere thought of the effort it would take to make her adjust to a cor so free roaming it is."

    "..."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and responded with a stoic expression and didn''t even blink while the bbergasted Aspakeony was staring at him with her mouth half-open.

    "Pffft...!"

    After a few seconds, the dark-skinned girl snorted and had to block her mouth with one hand while wrapping her other arm around her stomach to block the violent outburst ofughter.

    *rustle* *creak* *rustle* *click*

    "...?!"

    "HEY!"

    The suspicious noise made the necromancer turn around rmed, but it turned out to be only the red-haired girl getting her knees on the chair while staring daggers at her audacious attendant who felt absolutely no remorse about his words.

    "Alright. I''ll listen to you two, mister cheeky attendant, close the door after you enter."

    As if appeased by the sight of Kierul''s frustration Aspakeony smiled at the masked boy and yfully moved her hand almost brushing her fingertips against his chest but pulled out at thest moment.

    ...not paying attention to the lingering remains of a silver mist dissipating in the thin air...

    The gray-haired necromancer returned to her desk while the masked attendant did as he was told and closed the door and assumed the position behind his master.

    Both youngsters stayed silent waiting for the headmistress to sit back down in her undead armchair''sp...

    "Now then.. hmm...?"

    ...which Aspakeony did without the slightest bit of suspicion, but immediately felt that something was wrong when it was toote.

    *rustle*

    "What in the...?!"

    As she released a confused voice the corpse under her sprung alive and wrapped around her, holding her down firmly but respectively.

    "?!?!?"

    Aspakeony jolted her head back to re in the face of her rebellious corpse puppet but after being unable to reestablish control she realized that despite looking the same, the corpse she was sitting on wasn''t the same one she was using until that point!

    After all, the connection with the real one was sessfully reestablished but upon sharing the vision with it, the necromancer learned that it had been hurriedly thrown into the office''s bathroom...!

    With that, the only possible culprit of something so audacious could only be the pair in front of her...

    "Now, since we have your undivided attention..."

    Kierul raised her head with the most evil satisfied smile that Aspakeony saw in centuries and waved her hand dismissively toward her attendant.

    The masked boy didn''t even budge at the gesture but instead, it was the corpse grappling the gray-haired girl that began to change.

    The robust body shrunk, the hair darkened and the face grew a half-broken porcin mask...<novelnext></novelnext>

    In no time Aspakeony found herself sitting in thep of another masked attendant...!

    Or rather a perfect copy of the attendant whose injured right side of the face made him seem as if he was smirking diabolically despite keeping a serious expression.

    "...you kids do understand that I could have this room filled with my puppets at any moment, don''t you...?"

    The gray-haired necromancer furrowed her brows as her voice turned ice-cold despite the warm embrace she was in.

    "You can try."

    "...what...?"

    Kierul merely shrugged her shoulders and nodded up at the necromancer shocked by the reaction to a threat.

    "Try. Go ahead and try to get as many corpses as you want here. Just as the two at the gate tried to stop us from entering, just like those audacious knight''s from King''s Guard, just as the Taran twins who thought they could do a thing, and just as that one water-wielding teacher tried to ambush us, and that light magician corpse that you''ve sent to try and negotiate before you showed up your face. Try. Because that is the only thing you can do against us~"

    "...!"

    With a mocking smile and in a mocking voice the red-haired girl exined what she meant and observed as the powerful and respected necromancer could only bite her lips and lower her head slightly while continuing to re at her.

    "Oh my, what a scary look you have there~! Please, headmistress, let''s not get confused here ¨C I didn''t bless you with my splendid appearance to threaten you and definitely not to cause trouble for you Academy."

    Kierul''s smile grew wider at the sight of the aged necromancer and she continued speaking without changing the tone of her voice.

    "I''ve heard that my attendant and I have been wrongly assumed dead and I simply want to clear the mistake and ask for my basic right as a magic-wielding member of the aristocracy."

    The red-haired girl revealed and the mocking smile on her face subsided to a mere smirk as her eyes grew serious.

    "...you... You simply want to be a student just as you should...?"

    Aspakeony fidgetted and asked in disbelief.

    "Yes. I ask for the basics. A room for my attendant, a room in the dormitory for me, a school uniform... being ced in the same ss as young lord Grazio Mera Victureo..."

    Kierul simply nodded in confirmation and counted what she wanted on the fingers of one hand.

    "If you just wanted to be recognized as alive and be readmitted to the Academy you should have contacted your family. It would save me three light attribute puppets, you know?"

    The gray-haired necromancer squinted her eyes and grumbled at the red-haired girl while shifting her position in the masked attendant copy''sp.

    "Oh, the main Helterose family have their own set of problems and I don''t feel like bothering them. Aren''t I a praiseworthy descendant?"

    Kierul shrugged her shoulders, crossing her legs and sending Aspakeony a triumphant look.

    "And what is that you really want?"

    The necromancer certainly wasn''t in the mood for whatever game the red-haired girl was ying in front of her and she scoffed while shifting her position again.

    "Lady Aspakeony, what we want from you is the protection you extend over every student of your Academy. Youmand gite respect amongst the aristocracy of the kingdom of Bellcephora and mydy honestly wants to enjoy her time as a student... something that will not happen without your good will... also..."

    The masked attendant behind the red-haired girl supported himself on the backrest of the seat his master was in and leaned forward while speaking softly to the grim-looking necromancer before stopping for a moment releasing quite a bothered aura.

 Chapter 731 248 - Its The Result That Counts... (Part 1)

    "...also...?"

    Aspaekony raised her brow and inquired while sifting her position yet again...

    "...cold you be less fidgety...? I don''t mean any disrespect and try to act as professional as I directly share senses with that copy and... pardon the rudeness but... you are really making it hard..."

    "...!"

    The masked boy lowered his head trying to hide how flushed his face was bing which made the necromancer''s eyes widen and she turned her head to look at the embarrassed copy that was doing his best to hold her down.

    *chuu*

    "...!"

    "!!!"

    Out of nowhere the gray-haired girl pushed her head forward and kissed the exposed left cheek of the masked attendant causing him to tense up... and ended up flinching after getting poked...

    "Wait a second.. wait a darn second...! I recognize this shape!"

    Although she was surprised a bit, Aspakeony gasped and dered while intensely wiggling in the attendant''sp.

    "..."

    In response to that Kierul''s expression darkened and she leaned back, looking over the backrest of her chair and examining the lower half of her attendant...

    "DON''T LOOK!"

    The masked boy raised his voice while clinging to the chair in embarrassment as his master silently turned around and red at the gray-haired necromancer.

    "Listen... My attendant would not forget to inform me that he is exchanging certain favors with you, so you better stop harassing him if you don''t want me to lose my temper very fast."

    "..."

    Kierul demanded causing the gray-haired girl to stop moving and re right back at her.

    "What a protective master you are. Indeed, this should be our first meeting... boy, you''re name is supposed to be Aku, isn''t it...?"

    Aspakeony frowned at the red-haired girl before ncing between the copy and the original masked attendant.

    "You did your homework, as expected from the headmistress."

    Kierul was the one to respond to her servant while leaning forward with an usative expression.

    "Let me clear one thing out, the name Aku turned out to be some misunderstanding created because of the memory loss my attendant experienced. While his amnesia isn''t cured, he managed to recall that his name isn''t Aku but in fact Zoemi."

    The red-haired girl breathed out and revealed while keenly observing the necromancer''s reaction.

    "I knew it~!"

    "...!"

    And there was quite something to witness! The new information made Aspakeony''s behavior changepletely ¨C as if all cautiousness left her body she ended up leaning in into the boy''s copy cozily and even nuzzled against his neck in a way that could only be described with the adjective - longingly...

    "Geeze... if you started with that then this whole charade wouldn''t even take ce~!"

    Apsaekony pouted and grumbled yfully while sending Zoemi a certain kind of look...

    "...what the hell is happening...?"

    Kierul furrowed her brows and straightened her back before leaning back ad whispering to her attendant.

    "...I don''t know... but if it''s helping our case then I don''t particrly mind..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The boy whispered back fidgeting bashfully.

    "Then, my request..."

    "Of course, it''s approved!"

    Kierul breathed out and asked and even before she finished her sentence the headmistress cheered out.

    The moment that Zoemi''s copy faltered and released his hold on the gray-haired girl she ended up shifting her position again and threw her arms around his neck, cuddling up to him with a blissful expression.

    "Say, since you can make copies like this in this timeline, can this one stay with me? Pretty please~? Student Kierul, you don''t mind, right?"

    If the actions of the gray-haired necromancer were just a y to confuse the red-haired girl and her ck-haired attendant then she did an outstanding job because they both ended up speechless.

    After a few seconds of staring at the girl cuddling up and fawning over Zoemi''s copy Kierul ended up leaning even closer to the original one...

    "...what the fuck is going on...? What the fuck is the previous timeline she is talking about...?!"

    She mouthed to her attendant wide-eyed and lost.

    "...I have no idea... but I think we shouldply... She is the sexie... ehem...! I mean, I don''t think she isn''t lying while offering her support..."

    The masked boy responded getting even more flustered than before... and sharing senses with his copy was definitely the reason for that...

    "You...! I thought youngdy Miriette is the one that you like!"

    "Hey, I am a man of a big heart! I can like more than one person!"

    Kierul gasped in disbelief to which Zoemi looked away and muttered with his cheek burning from embarrassment.

    "Big heart my ass! You cheap slut! So what, were you whoring yourself out behind my back all this time?!"

    "Ch-cheap?! Listen here! I can do whatever I want! And no, I was not! I just don''t think there''s anything shameful or wrong with using my body to gain an advantage in this particr situation especially since a golden opportunity presented itself!"

    The two started quarreling and progressively got louder and louder...

    "Anyway, I don''t mind going along with Aspakeony''s wishes and...! Ahn~!"

    The masked boy took a deep breath and tried to act as if he had a moral high ground but his seriousness disappeared as he suddenly trembled and let out a moan...

    "AHN?! WHAT THE FUCK O YOU MEAN BY ¨C AHN ¨C YOU LITTLE...?! GAH!!"

    Kierul howled in anger and her eyes almost popped out of her eyesockets in reaction to the sweet voice that her attendant released unintentionally she was about to start scolding him but ended up ncing towards the captured headmaster and almost choked on her own saliva...

    *chuuu*

    Because the gray-haired girl was busy kissing the neck of Zoemi''s copy...

    With both copy and original connected thanks to the synergy between thew of Gemini and thew of Pisces, it was no wonder that the ck-haired boy couldn''t keep his voice down while getting surprised mid-sentence.

    "BACK TO THE MAIN TOPIC!"

    *WHAM*

    Kierul face got red, not form embarrassment but rather from boiling anger, and she roared, standing up from the chair and mming both hands on the headmistress''s desk.

    "I agree to everything~! A corpse puppet is already waiting for you outside the office to guide you to your room, tell her your measurements and she will deliver your uniform by the end of the day~!"

    Aspaekony cheered without taking her eyes off Zoemi''s copy and dismissively waved her hand toward the door, ending the negotiations in favor of the master-servant pair...

 Chapter 732 248 - Its The Result That Counts... (Part 2)

    "Recall the direct connection with your copy."

    While the gold-haired corpse puppet was unlocking the door to the Kierul''s new dormitory room the red-haired girl herself turned and tapped the side of her masked attendant.

    "I did it the moment we stepped out of her office. Thank you, remember to knock when you will be delivering mydy''s school uniform."

    Zoemi nodded to her with a stoic expression before smiling at the corpse puppet and letting her past him so that she could give the keys to the room to Kierul.

    "Let me take you to your room now, sir."

    The corpse puppet bowed her head politely and waited a few steps ahead waiting for the ck-haired boy to follow her.

    "..."

    And he did, only after his perfect copy stepped out from behind him and took Kieruls luggage away from him.

    "I don''t n on attending the opening ceremony. Don''t forget about my meals."

    Zoemi''s copy entered Kierul''s room and Kierul followed him after informing the original one of her ns.

    With nothing to add, Kierul walked into her room and locked the door and Zoemi followed the light attribute puppet to the servant section of the building while showing him the facilities along the way.

    "Your arrival was a bit unexpected, to say the least... the thing is with the student''s dorm we always keep a few spare ones, but when ites to the staff, many magicless servants are living in the neighboring vige."

    After passing the kitchen and theundry room, the gold-haired corpse puppet stopped in the middle of the empty hallway and revealed while looking at the rxed ck-haired boy.

    "So there isn''t actually a room for me to stay in?"

    He asked without sounding too worried.

    "Could it be that I will have to stay with the captivating headmistress for the time being?"

    The attendant added and to his surprise, the corpse puppet blushed while turning away as if ashamed that the boy correctly guessed what she was going to say next.

    "Zoemi... I am not that shameless... not to mention that the youngest would hate me if I went all the way with you."

    The woman fidgetted and muttered before ncing up innocently at the boy''s face.

    "...hold on... Aspakeony, you are directly controlling the puppet now?!"

    Zoemi realized what was going on and asked taken by surprise.

    "C-cuddling... I will try to hold back and stop myself and try to live off by cuddling and a few kisses, so don''t worry..."

    "...pardon...?"

    The gold-haired corpse puppet cowered wand confessed while rubbing her legs together, causing Zoemi to blink a few times and politely ask while shaking his head thinking that he misheard what was said to him...<novelnext></novelnext>

    "We can offer you a room that has been used as a storagepartment, if you clean it up it will be actually quiterger than what we usually provide the lower-born employees. Or alternatively, if you don''t mind having a roommate, we can put you in with another attendant or servant."

    ...but the answer he was wanting never arrived as the gold-haired corpse puppet straightened her back and clothes and said in a calm, professional tone as the necromancer relinquished direct control over her...

    "Sir Zoemi?"

    The corpse puppet tilted her head and asked calmly looking at the boy''s face, which exposed lower half was getting red from embarrassment...

    "I... I don''t see a reason to bother any hardworking servants with a sudden roommate... and I like my privacy too. Please, show me to the storage that you mentioned."

    "As you wish."

    The masked boy pondered about it for a few seconds before smiling softly and picking the first of the two options presented to him.

    Then the boy and the corpse puppet continued walking for some more time.

    They have most definitely reached the rarely used part of the building ¨C although the hallway was kept clean, the floorboards had far fewer signs of being stepped on through the years than the ones by the servant housing.

    The gold-haired corpse-puppet pulled out a full ring of keys and then selected and separated one of them without stopping.

    ...then they stopped by thest veryst door that wasn''t the exit from the building...

    "..."

    Zoemi raised his head slightly but didn''t say a thing while the corpse puppet unlocked the door and opened it, inviting him to the room the size of tworge ssrooms put together.

    The whole thing was filled with various boxes and broken shelves and the thickyer of dust inside suggested that even for a storagepartment it wasn''t used a lot... or at all for that matter...

    "Back when the owner of this body was alive, this wholeplex was used as a military facility during the most recent war. This was an armory although since all the weapons and armor were removed after everything settled this room had not been in use. The Academy is simply too big for just the students from the noble houses and their servants."

    The corpse puppet exined sounding a bit mncholic, making a path in the dust as she walked towards the dirty curtains, spread them apart, and opened the dirty window to let some fresh air in.

    "Here. I need to return to my usual outpost so don''t hold against me that I will not offer you help with cleaning."

    The light puppet turned around and put the key in the ck-haired boy''s hands and disappeared in a sh of golden light.

    "Well... I guess it''s time to clean. Hah... Normal attendant''s duties for a change... nice~"

    Zoemi nced down at the old-fashioned kay before smiling innocently and taking off his broken mask to the ce he would be staying during Kierul''s education.

    "Now then... since she didn''t say I should be mindful of anything, it means that I can just throw all that junk out, right? This is kind of exciting~"

    The ck-haired boy put his hands on his sides and started grinning while looking around the broken crates and shelves, moments before pulling up his sleeves...

    ...and splitting into ten copies to make the work go faster...

 Chapter 733 249 - Time For Some Peace~ (Part 1)

    A ck-haired boy wasying on his back in the middle of a spotlessly clean room. The empty area was as big as tworge ssrooms put together and thest rays of the setting sun were filling it with an orange hue.

    The boy was perfectly still, motionless, with his eyes closed and his hands joined together on top of the sr plexus which made him look almost like a corpse.

    The whole scene had an odd sense of tranquility and fulfillment about it, even with the sounds of servants and studentsing from the outside through the open windows disturbing the silence.

    "Sir Zoemi, I juste to check in if you managed to prepare ourselves a ce to... oh..."

    To get rid of the stale air and smell of dust that lingered in the room even after cleaning it the ck-haired boy propped the door open with a small piece of wood and thanks to that the gold-haired corpse puppet that showed up again popped her head inside and started talking without knocking.

    "That''s some good work.... but why are you on the floor looking deceased?"

    Her eyes widened and a soft smile appeared on her pale face as she turned to the resting boy.

    "While cleaning I thought it would be a good idea to push myw of Pisces a bit harder so I shared senses with all of them..."

    Zoemi revealed with a heavy sight without opening his eyes.

    "Ah, I see, sounds tough. From what I know,dy Aspakeony can only assume direct control over a single puppet while the rest of us are working off the memories of our bodies and Aspakeony''s will.

    The gold-haired corpse puppet let out a soft gasp and nodded with understanding while entering the room and crouching next to the ck-haired boy.

    "Well... what I meant was although my body is fine, my brain is now thinking that I have done twelve different tasks all at once and is screaming for rest. But what you say is really interesting. I knew about necromancers but never thought about how exactly corpse puppets work."

    Zoemi opened his eyes and turned his head towards the gold-haired puppet who was resting her face against her knees.

    "Well. The best description would be an imprint of the soul... a shadow of a real thing. Even while acting on our own withoutdy Aspakeony''s directmand we only make decisions based on the memories we had when our bodies were alive. The major difference between a corpse puppet and an actual human is that we do not change or grow from experiences. No matter what we will go through under ourdy''smand, our mindsets will be the same as the mindsets the original owners of our bodies had right before their death."

    The puppet revealed while reaching out her hand and lightly poking Zoemi''s side.

    "Hah. Now it makes sense why she apparently gets the consent of the original owners before taking the bodies under her control."

    The ck-haired boy nced at the puppet''s hand and then looked up at her knee-obstructed face before making an unenthusiastically approving expression.

    "Say... memories and decision-making process aside. Do you all have your own emotions too or is that all..."

    *rustle*

    Zoemi suddenly perked up and asked vigorously but got surprised enough to close his mouth when the gold-haired corpse puppetid down next to him.

    Not turned towards him as if trying to be intimate, but simply next positioned herself right next to him while alsoying on her back.

    She even put her hands together imitating him imitating a corpse.

    "...are you getting nostalgic or something...?"

    Zoemi raised his brow before putting his head back down and looking towards the ceiling.

    "...nostalgic for what...? The memories of the life that ended and wasn''t truly mine?"

    The gold-haired corpse puppet closed her eyes and asked while a soft smile lingered on her lips.

    "Nah~ I was talking about you, the corpse, being nostalgic about the time when you were peacefullyying down while surrounded by the mourning members of the original owner of your body''s family. You know, right before the headmistress showed up to enlist you."

    Zoemi snickered and raised one hand just to wave it dismissively and get back in the rest-in-peace position.

    "Hmmm...."

    "...I apologize..."

    The gold-haired corpse puppet let out a pondering noise and turned her head to face the ck-haired boy who didn''t even withstand a second of her gaze and apologized immediately.

    "Hmm? Oh, no. I don''t mind jokes like that. The original me was like that too. I was only thinking that you do have a point, the existence that I am already started the moment the original one passed away. The thing is, there was no crying family or anything. I mentioned it before but she was around when this ce was a military facility during thest war. She died protecting it... died kind of pathetically might I add, but since she had this urge of being useful she askeddy Aspakeony to turn her into a corpse puppet."

    The gold-haired corpse puppet said lightheartedly looking back up to the ceiling and closing her eyes as if she found inner peace.

    "Is that so...? Useful in general or specifically for the kingdom of Bellcephora? Now I''m curious about what kind of outpost you were in such a hurry to return to before~"

    The ck-haired boy breathed out in relief and added quite intrigued.

    "Nothing special, Together with four more puppets we help keep things together at one of the outposts on Thradoansa ind nation. We are on the lookout for any uninvited ships from the Heavenly Star Nation. I should not be away for long, but the living I asked to fill out for me is quite capable."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The gold-haired puppet didn''t try to slither her way out of answering the possibly troublesome question and simply reveal it to the surprised boy.

    "Heee... It wasn''t a secret, huh..."

    Zoemi groaned, yfully acting as if he was sulking.

    "What is your name? Calling you a corpse puppet or just by hey you is kind of messing with me."

    The ck-haired boy added and his mood seemed to improve by quite a lot.

    "When the original owner of this body was alive her name was Moxeoni Korto Derizno. Since the noble status doesn''t stay with the body after it is reanimated into a corpse puppet I react to simply Moxeoni."

    Moxeoni said without opening her eyes and smiled while seemingly enjoying the rest.

    "The family name is well known enough, but it kind even just your name sounds simr to the name of the young hair of the Derizno family, doesn''t it?"

    Zoemi pointed out curiously.

    "Lady Aspakeony was made aware that indeed, the original owner of this body was an inspiration for the name of young lord Xeonith Zarble Derizno. Although the original wouldn''t be too happy about it."

    Moxeoni nodded in confirmation and opened her eyes although she didn''t turn to Zoemi.

    "Why is that?"

    The boy asked, furrowing his brows in consternation.

    "Because most of the feats that the Derizno family praises her to this day were all done by me ¨C so after the original one was already dead."

    "Ooohhhh...!"

    Moxeoni exined and Zoemi gasped in understanding.

    "Since I answered a few of your questions, I have one on my own."

    "Yeah?"

    The corpse puppet''s face suddenly turned serious and she turned her head to look straight into Zoemi''s eyes, making him gulp down his saliva in anticipation.

    "Do you like sleeping on the floor? From the memories I have, a bed was always the desired luxury in those kinds of situations. Not to mention other furniture."

    "..."

    But far from being troublesome or inappropriate, the straightced question made the ck-haired boy''s expression turn grumpy.

    "...I apologize...?"

    Clearly parroting Zoemi''s earlier reaction, Moxeoni asked for the boy''s forgiveness although the uncertain tone in her voice was suggesting she isn''t quite sure why she should be sorry while also being fairly certain that she should be sorry about something.

    "Of course, I would like a bed! Do you have any idea how long have I been sleeping outside in the fuc...! Ekhem. Well, I don''t have any furniture whatsoever because I was not provided with anything from the Academy and I haven''t gone shopping yet. Or... were you suggesting that I should have used the rotten wood from the old crates to build some makeshift ones....?"

    Zoemi raised his voice but manage topose himself - he cleared his throat but that did not mask how surprised he was that Moxeoni of all people would ask him that.

    "...but I was definitely going to tell you about the spare furniture we keep in the other storage room before I... ah...dy Aspakeony assumed direct control to speak with you right at that moment, didn''t she... Sorry."

    The corpse puppet sat upright and started mumbling to herself before raising her head in realization just to bow it apologetically toward the wide-eyed boy.

    "In that case, I will show you to the right ce."

    The gold-haierd corpse puppet got up and stopped by the door, waiting for the c-ahried boy to follow her.

    "Okay."

    Zoemi took a deep breath and stood up saying only a single word becasue anything else would just sound too sarcastic.

    "Sir Zoemi, considering the size of your room and all, it would be okay for you to procure more furniture at your own discretion at ater date... If you want, you can also take two beds and put them together for greaterfort... there is no particr reason for me saying that."

    After their return through the hallway that Moxoeni lead Zoemi previously, the corpse puppet said while opening a door next to theundry room... and murmured thest part under her breath...

 Chapter 734 249 - Time For Some Peace~ (Part 2)

    Zoemi woke up alone in the double bed that he obtained thanks to Moxeoni''s generosity the day before. The ck-haired boy instinctively reached to the side to grab and put on his porcin mask, but just as he was about to put it on he stopped.

    The one in his hand was already broken ¨C it would merely cover his nose and eyes, so not the parts he actually wanted to hide.

    "Haaaa..."

    Zoemi scoffed and reached to the side, leaving the mask on the bedside table. As he was turning around he nced through one of the windows to check whether the sun was already up, only to be reminded that his current room doesn''t have windows on the east side.

    "..."

    The boy rubbed his eyes with annoyance and made the copy that was staying by Kierul''s side to get up and check it for him.

    ...unfortunately, the sun was about to raise so it was indeed high time for an attendant to start his duties...

    Zoemi would prefer to leave the preparations for his copy or even copies, but he was already feeling quite nauseous. Keeping thew of Pisces active for a long time was always making him nauseous even when the copy that he was sharing his senses with wasn''t doing anything straining.

    To lessen the side effects, Zoemi simply put his coy in Kierul''s room on standby ¨C merely sitting in the corner with a clear view of Kierul sleeping on her bed, the window, and the door leading to the hallway.

    With that dealt with, the ck-haired boy dressed up and furrowed his brows over a small bag that contained all of his material possessions.

    "I should put something on my face, right? I don''t want people to start screaming that I am some monster or something..."

    Zoemi thought out loud to himself ad grabbed arge cloth handkerchief with a floral pattern that he bought one day andpletely forgotten about.

    With the thought that should be good enough, the boy folded it in half and tied it up around his head making sure that his exposed bones and teeth are properly hidden.

    "Wow. I look like a wanna-be bandit that raided his mother''s dresser as their first crime."

    Zoemi groaned staring at his faint reflection in the window, but instead of trying to improve his looks he simply left the room going to the kitchen.

    As he walked in, the kitchen was already full of hustle and bustle. The facility was separated into three parts ¨C the storage with the ingredients that were freely essible, the part where the attendants were individually preparing meals for their masters, and the part where the Academy employees were preparing the meals for the students without attendants. The third part was thergest and the people working there were the loudest too.

    "I will need a while to get used to having so many people around me.."

    "Don''t worry, mister! It will be okay!"

    Zoemi let out a deep sigh while trying to contain his reflexive need to silence the nuisance by force ¨C but then unexpectedly someone cheered at him from behind.

    And surprisingly, judging by the tone of their voice, they weren''t sarcastic but actually honest...!

    "Pardon...?"

    The ck-haired boy turned around curiously ¨C he already knew that there was someone there before that person spoke up, but if he just asked without making eye contact people could start thinking about him as a weirdo.

    "I also don''t like crowds, but I got over my anxiety back in the kitchen castle so that I could be of use to his majesty the prince!"

    The person who was so chirpy from the early morning turned out to be a brown-haired girl wearing a frilly maid outfit modified to be more cute than functional.

    That girl seemed to be around Zoemi''s age but something was telling him that she was a bit younger.

    "I didn''t see you around yesterday during the opening ceremony, are you employed by the Academy?"

    The girl looked up at Zoemi''s face and asked, pulling back a wild strain of hair from the side of her face and tucking it back behind her ear.

    "Not really. I am an attendant. It''s just that my master and I arrivedte and didn''t bother with the ceremony... did we miss a lot?"

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders before leaning forward and cing his elbow against the doorframe above the brown-haired girl''s head... and looking down at her with a yful light flickering in his eyes.

    "Eehh~? It was quite normal, a bit less pompous than the ceremonies in the royal castle but also just as stiff. Oh! But you missed out on his highness Horeo''s opening speech! He was as dazzling as usual!"

    The girl fidgetted happily and her hand went straight to her hair where she started twirling a strand of hair around her finger without breaking eye contact.

    "Aww, I wanted to see his highness, I''ve heard he is a great person."

    "He is! My prince is amazing! Although, of course, I am just his attendant so it''s not like I know him the best, but still I think that he really is a good person."

    Zoemi chuckled and immediately raised his brows as the brown-haired girl cheered out, so excited as if his''s enthusiasm was directed directly at her.

    "If a close servant such as a personal attendant is speaking so highly of him, then it must be true."

    ''Tehe~!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Zoemi nodded and the brown-haired girl giggled, lowering her gaze just for a moment only to look back up at his face, this time with a much more pronounced blush on her cheeks.

    They were looking at each other for a few seconds in silence until...

    "He didn''t notice a new essory, did he?"

    "Worse...! He said it makes me look childish...!"

    The ck-haired boy dropped the act and asked in a matter-of-fact tone of voice to which the brown-haired girl slumped down and started sulking.

    "Which one did he say that about? Everything looks adorable, and you don''t intend to go on a stealth mission in this outfit anyway."

    Zoemi asked while leaning back and judging the modified maid dress.

    "This one...!"

    The girlined and showed turned to the side, showcasing a small fuzzy bag in the shape of a cartoonish bunny''s head.

    "Nonsense. He might be a good guy but he doesn''t have an eye for cute things, that''s for sure."

    The ck-haired boy shook his head in disbelief and scoffed.

    "You came here to make him breakfast anyway. Right? Let me lend you a hand. I can help you prepare something extremely nutritious that will be just edible that he won''t be able to throw it out in clear conscience ~!"

    He added and even his eyes grinned ¨C luckily, the floral handkerchief was doing well protecting his injury from being seen.

    "I don''t know, mister... My prince has really high standards about his meals... although I am the one at fault. You see, I am a variant magician. I call my variant ¨C chef magic ¨C because it sounds user, but apparently, it has something to do with the sense of taste as a whole. I can influence the taste of raw ingredients before they will get turned into a dish. Oh, and I can also detect poison in food by listening to... never mind."

    The brown-haired girl made a worried expression and shifted her body from side to side while exining in a troubled voice only to cut herself off when she thought she said too much.

    "All the more reason to make it barely edible. Thanks to your ability you could assure your master that the food is not poisoned and is extremely healthy. In the first ce, if he willin, you can always push the me on me."

    "...!"

    Zoemi snickered devilishly and raised his hand as if posing as the viin character in a theater y, causing the brown-haired girl to let out a muffled gasp as she covered her mouth with both hands.

    "Cooperation."

    The ck-haired boy added and winked reassuringly.

    "But what if he will get angry and orders to punish you? He is amazing, but even an amazing person will get angry or their food will get messed with..."

    Even after all that the brown-haired girl didn''t agree immediately and pointed out the potential danger to her fellow attendant.

    "I survived my master getting angry so I think that I will manage to appease the first prince... although things probably will not get that far. Come, let''s cook."

    Zoemi shrugged off the girl''s worries and stepped to the side, offering her his arm that the girl didn''t hesitate to grab onto.

    "Tell me all of the foods that your prince will eat when given but are his least favorite~"

    "O-okay~!"

    The ck-haired boy chuckled evilly and the brown-haired girl nodded her head with a face flushed from the excitement over doing something questionable on purpose.

    For the next half an hour the diabolical gigglinging from the spot where the pair of attendants took over, made the entire kitchen grow more quiet, worried, and disturbed.

    Finally, they were done.

    A nutritious dish that looked amazing smelled great and tasted like mildly bitter medicine.

    "It''s incredible, mister...! How did you do that, the ingredients are actually happy because they became a healthy meal! I have never seen that with anything that was less than delicious!"

    The brown-haired girl gasped in disbelief staring at the full tray that was ready to be carried over to the first prince''s room and consumed by the unexpecting victim of silly revenge.

    "It was a pleasure. Not to mention you helped me with the food for my master, and it is not everyday that she and I could taste something altered by a chef magician~! Miss... umm..."

    Zoemi waved his hands dismissively and smiled at the happy girl, but that smile of his dimmed and he ended up tilting his head questioningly while looking at her.

 Chapter 735 249 - Time For Some Peace~ (Part 3)

    "Ah! Sorry! I don''t know how could I forget to introduce myself in the first ce! Hello again, mister. My name is Patishi. Fourteen years old. Personal attendant of the first prince Horeo Marets Bellcephora. Nice to meet you."

    The brown-haired girl gasped before hurriedly taking a step back and curtsying splendidly towards the pleasantly surprised boy.

    "Hello, Miss Patishi. I am Zoemi. Fifteen years old, I guess. Personal attendant ofdy Kierul Berra Helterose. Let''s get along."

    Zoemi responded by putting his right hand to his heart and bowing his head around two inches.

    "Let''s go deliver the food to our hungry masters~"

    "Yes~!"

    The boy added and the girl cheered out happily as they both took their respective trays and exit the kitchen.

    In the door, they passed a brownish-ck-haired attendant with grayish-blue eyes who seemed to be still half-asleep and in the middle of the stretching.

    "...with theyout of the Academy? I still have some trouble memorizing it and get a little lost on my way here. Normally I would get in the kitchen before sunrise!"

    "Is that so? Then you will not mind if I go with you most of the way? There actually is a shortcut to the girls'' part of the dormitory if we go the other way, but it doesn''t really make that much of a difference overall~"

    Zoemi and Patishi passed him while chatting and the young man caught only a small portion of it...

    "...?!"

    But it wasn''t the words or voice but rather the profile of the ck-haired boy passing him that made the young man grind to a halt, suddenly wide awake.

    The young man in question was Geroizen Tencelion, the attendant of youngdy Burushi Kallerontte ¨C the very person who trained together with Zoemi for almost two years when they were young, way before Zoemi''s memory loss.

    Since then Zoemi grew up and his voice changed a lot but just the glimpse of him caused Geroizen''s inside to churn.

    "Zo...!?"

    "...kind of jealous about standard attribute magicians, my variant doesn''t give me any physical boost, if I was a shadow magician just like you I could at copy the enchantments from my master and be more useful for him..."

    Geroizen rushed to the halway after the pair that left and already started calling out Zoemi''s name but then he heard the brown-haired girl at his side sigh and sulk at the ck-ahired boy, which made the brownish-ck-haired attendant close his mouth and bite his lips.

    |...so, this guy is a shadow magician... ugh, of course... who am I kidding, why would Zoemi show up in the Academy of all ces after so many years...|

    Geroizen scolded himself in his mind and shook his head to get back into the correct mindset. He even smacked his face with both hands before returning to the kitchen while disappointed in himself for mistaking a shadow magician for a martial artist like Zoemi.

    ¡­after all, most people were under the wrong assumption that Zoemi was a shadow or darkness magician, only a few including Geroizen knew the truth, but funnily enough, it was precisely because of that such misunderstanding could happen in the first ce...

    "I think that the ability to detect poison without tasting the food is much more useful for a royalty than some enchantments."

    Meanwhile, Patishi and Zoemi continued their talk.

    "Oh, and I am not a shadow magician but a martial artist instead~"

    The ck-haired boy added casually.

    "Eeehh?! Wha...?! I thought for sure that you were a darkness magician!"

    Patishi gasped in disbelief and stopped for a second while staring at Zoemi in disbelief.

    "Yeah, I know. With hair and eyes like that it really is easy to get mistaken for a shadow or darkness magician. Not to mention thatpletely ck eyes and hair are features that normally never happen for martial artists."

    Zoemi nodded with understanding andughed it off.

    "It''s so cool~! I never talked with a martial artist! I have seen a few acting as bodyguards for some very important people that visited the royal pce though! Is it true that marital artists can instantly drain magician''s mana and get them into a state of mana depletion?"

    The brown-haired girl''s eyes shone with interest and she gasped in excitement while catching up to the ck-haired boy.

    "Yeah, easily... Although it depends on how much mana a magician has and how high the star level of thew of Aquarius of the martial artist using it is."

    Zoemi snickered confidently before realizing that he was acting overconfident and curbing himself back with some facts.

    "Whoa...! Martial artists are so strong!"

    Patishi cheered out in amazement.

    "It''s not like thew of Aquarius guarantees a win in case a fight breaks out though. That star power has a definite range limit after all."

    Zoemi shook his head and pointed out in a serious voice...

    "Although just like with everything, this shoring can be worked around like this~"

    "EH?! AH?! EEEEHHHHH?!"

    ...and then his copy, which the ck-haired boy created without chanting the name of the star power, added while walking on the opposite side of Patishi while tickling the girl''s chin and causing her to cry out in shock and then get wide-eyed and gasp in even greater shock when she realized what was going on.

    "This for example is the effect of thew of Gemini. Very useful in right circumstances~"

    "Fu-nyaaaahn~"

    The original Zoemi bosted cheekily while Patishi let out a cute dreamy voice as Zoemi''s copy continued to tickle her chin with one hand and started patting her head with the other.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Neither one of them realized that it was rather unusual that they were acting so familiar with each other despite this supposedly being their first meeting. It was just being like this felt natural.

    Still, the attendant''s duties should not be dyed and the two parted ways with Patishi going to the male dormitory part while Zoemi carried Kierul''s breakfast to the female part.

    As he approached the room the door to the room was opened by his copy that disappeared immediately upon the original entering the bedroom.

    "Mornin''. Something of note happened or...?"

    The red-haired girl mumbled sleepily while buttoning up her shirt by the closet while her attendant put the tray with food down on the desk.

    "I made friends with the cute attendant of the first prince."

    Zoemi boasted while making sure that the floral-pattern handkerchief covering his injury was fastened properly.

    "Eeeeh? Nice. But just so you know, you don''t have to act all proper. Actually, as long as it''s not the first or the second prince, you are free to mess with them to your heart''s content."

    "...!"

    Kierul let out an intrigued voice as she sat down to enjoy the meal and announced benevolently to Zoemi''s surprise while picking up the cutlery.

    "...wait... really...?"

    The ck-haired boy squinted his eyes suspiciously and asked suspiciously as if expecting the red-haired girl to be messing with him.

    "Yeah. I mean, I am not going to take any bullshit unless it''s from someone with actual power to back up their actions so you can do the same. Besides, I know how much you love messing with people and it would be cruel to just make you act like a goody-two-shoes all the time~"

    Kierul leaned back against the backrest of her chair and grinned at her silently ecstatic attendant.

    "Since the Helterose family is in decline and I will benevolently take the title of the family head when the timees anyway, both of us should be able to enjoy the time in the Academy... try to hold back your inner slut even a little bit though."

    She added casually and began eating.

    Soon enough Kierul finished her meal and Zoemi took the empty dishes back to the kitchen before returning and escorting his master to the ssroom...

    *WHAM*

    "YOUNG LADY ESPIIIIIINEEEE~!"

    "!!!"

    ...that he entered by mming the door open and knocking it out of its hinges while cheering loudly and throwing his arms up, startling every student already inside...

    "...huh...? Tsk. She''s not even here yet..."

    "?!?!"

    With no verbal response, Zoemi looked down to check the faces of shocked first-years and clicked his tongue while frowning when he realized that Miriette wasn''t even there.

    The ck-haired attendant picked up the door and ced it back in hinges shaking his head in disbelief and kept it open for his master to enter.

    "Alright baby girl, I''ll pick you up for lunch, I kind of feel like checking the cafeteria''s food, are you okay with that?"

    When Kierul entered, Zoemi tapped her shoulder and winked at her on his way out.

    "I like the idea. Lord Victureo should be eating there too so make sure to secure the spot next to him for me."

    The red-haired girl grinned back to her attendant with approval andmanded before letting him go.

    "Now then... Oh? Isn''t that Senria? Haven''t seen you in a while, how you''ve been?"

    "K-Kierul...?! Y-you''re alive?!"

    The red-haired girl walked towards one of the free seats but stopped by the green-haired girl and called out to her causing the clearly terrified girl to gasp in a high-pitched voice.

    "Of course. I had toy low for a while considering that some group is targeting my family, but since I became a student here the headmistress''s protection extends over me so I came out of hiding~! Aren''t you happy for me?"

    "O-of c-course...!"

    Kierul shrugged her shoulders with a confident expression making the other girl tremble.

    "Hmm? You say that but it seems like you aren''t quite happy to see me?"

    "...!"

    The red-haired girl added and the green-haired girl couldn''t even look up at her face.

    "I see how it is... Well, you will make up for it anyway~!"

    "?!?!"

    Kierul didn''t get mad, instead, she justughed and moved to the empty seat leaving Senria on the brink of a mental breakdown.

 Chapter 736 250 - Was Peace Even An Option With Them? (Part 1)

    "The food here is quite nice, I must say. But..."

    Sitting at one of the tables in the Academy''s cafeteria, Kierul took a bite out of a sandwich and nodded with approval of its taste, but then she furrowed her brows looking at her attendant.

    "...what exactly are you doing right now...?"

    She asked as the ck-haired boy was leaning in his chair slovenly after he spread out the floral handkerchief so that it could hide his whole face.

    "Patiently waiting for someone to start messing with me first so I could target them with my teasing until they either love me or hate me."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders rxing on the outside while keenly surveying his surroundings with the help of various star powers.

    "You are a scary person."

    "Aww, thank you! You too!"

    The red-haired girl smirked, returning to her sandwich after getting praised.

    "...by the way, I kind of expected you to invite young lord Victureo to eat together..."

    Although it seemed that the pair will not talk until either one would aplish their goal, Zoemi spoke up in a serious voice.

    "He was absent during lectures up until now. Just like youngdy Espine and his royal highness the first prince."

    Kierul responded casually.

    "ording to people in my ss young lord Victureo is trying to patch things up with his fiancee, youngdy Espinem, but no one has any idea why the prince might be absent."

    She revealed, swiping the crumbs of bread from the corner of her mouth.

    "..."

    Zoemi slowly sat upright without adjusting his floral handkerchief so his whole face remained covered.

    "Since when they are engaged? Didn''t we make sure to sour the friendship between Ehmi and Miriette? Was our intel wrong and Miriette wasn''t just hanging around Victureos because Ehmi was her best friend and instead she actually liked the guy?"

    An imprint of a face on a floral handkerchief furrowed its brows as Zoemi leaned in and rested his forearms on the table.

    "It doesn''t make sense, honestly. Espines don''t need Victureos'' support, they are a powerhouse on their own, especially since in recent years lord Doregon has been amassing more and more forces under his banner... hmm, although that is also curious."

    Kierul put down the partially eaten sandwich and also leaned in. She was also bothered by the information of her dream future husband being engaged to someone else, but from her reaction, she was more worried about the reason for the future marriage instead of an actual rtionship between the parties involved.

    "A duke is gathering forces but instead of doing anything to control him the royal family lets them arrange a marriage between their eir and the son of the kingdom''s general... This sounds likeplete oversight if not borderline idiocy."

    The red-haired girl''s expression darkened as she pointed out before leaning back in her chair and staring into the distance, lost in thoughts.

    "True. But let me make something clear ¨C the only people I can''t mess with are the two princes, right? So you won''t try to stop me if I snoop around while breaking up the bullshit engagement inconvenient for us both, will you?"

    "..."

    Kierul blinked a few times, looking at her attendant in shock. She didn''t even need all fingers in one hand to be able to count the times when she saw him that upset about anything.

    "...I will not, but if you will be like that then I have to add a new rule ¨C do not kill or permanently damage young lord Victureo unless you can provide me with a husband of equal or higher social status and power..."

    The red-haired girl took a deep breath and warned the ck-haired boy, pointing her index finger at his obstructed face.

    The moment he did that...

    *WHOOOSH* *THUMP* *SPLASH*

    Arge cooking pot with gruel decided to expel all of its content, sshing the slush-like dish around the better half of the cafeteria.

    All the affected students raised their voices toin and curse at whatever joker decided to go through with the messy prank...

    "...Leo..."

    "!!!"

    ...but just when the cafeteria was engulfed in chaos - an attendant, whose floral hadkerchief covering his face as well as his clothes took in most of the gruel after he jumped out of his seat and portected his red-ahired master with his own body, spoke up in pissed-off voice and an unreasonable, monstrous pressure descended on the room ¨C crushing the wills and pushing the words back into students throats.

    "Is the favorite pastime of the so-called nobility to mess around with food?"

    The ck-haired attendant asked, reaching behind his head and untying the floral handkerchief before pulling the fabric down just so he could re at now even more terrified students with his obsidian eyes.

    Zoemi was keeping a serious, cold-as-ice expression but because of his horribly injured right side of the face, it looked as if he was grinning with bloodthirst.

    *thump*

    "GAH...!"

    ...without any warning, without any of the students making a move, someone pushed a certain green-haired boy under Zoemi''s feet ¨C of course to the shocked cry of the shoved gentleman.

    "WHO DARED TO...?!"

    The green-haired boy with a badge of a second-year student shining on his uniform raised his voice aggressively while getting up and ring at his oppressor...

    "H-HUH?! Wait, what?!"

    Just to see the very same scarred attendant that he was still standing in front of him.

    "What the hell is going on?!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The green-haired boy called out, greatly disturbed while looking back and forth between Zoemi and his copy that wasn''t even there before pushing him.

    He must have never seen the work on thew of Emini in person because he was utterly bbergasted at the sight.

    "I dared to. You nted something weird in the gruel to mess up with the peaceful lunch, which got you on my shit list. My deepest condolences."

    "H-hey...!"

    The original Zoemi scoffed and stepped forward, shoving the green-haired boy back despite the protests.

    "Wh-who are you to use me or anything?! I am Rio Zernestii Moyena!"

    The green-haired boy got red in the face ad scoffed back right after regaining his bnce.

    "I am very fucking annoyed. That''s who am I. Now better start apologizing before I will stuff into that pot."

    *WHAM*

    "GHU-UOGH...!" *thump*

    The scarred attendant demanded and then immediately punched the green-haired boy in the stomach, knocking him down in a single hit without even giving him time to consider the demand.

    "Ghueghu...!"

    Rio threw up a little bit but decided to try crawling back up, baring his teeth in fury.

    "You...! You have no idea who I am...! I am the older twin brother of Reo Serentii Moyena...! THE Reo Serentii Moyena! The prodigy inventor of modern magic artifacts...! We have the kingdom''s prote-MPFGH...?!"

    The green-haired boy growled and even started threatening Zoemi, which made the ck-haired boy push the tip of his shoe into his mouth to stop the flow of bullshit.

    "Oh, I recognized the family name. Young lord Rio, your father has the position of the treasurer of our beloved kingdom and just as you mentioned, your younger twin sister is a prodigy with magic gadgets. I have even been around your oldest brother a few times in the past. But you know what they all have inmon?"

    "GHUUUUEEEFGHHH...!"

    The scarred attendant shrugged his shoulders dismissively and nodded, speaking lightheartedly while pushing his shoe deeper into Rio''s mouth, reaching the throat and causing the green-haired boy to start gagging uncontrobly.

    Rio tried to fight with Zoemi''s foot, he even activated his enchantments and tried to push his leg away, grabbing the attendant''s foot ¨C and when that turned out to be futile, he desperately attempted to bite through the shoe to cause the ck-haired boy to retreat on his own.

    *THUMP*

    "GHUUUEERGHH...!"

    While frowning over Rio''s drool getting on his shoe, Zoemi stomped his foot, mming the green-haired boy to the floor and making him let out a sound of a toad getting crushed by a boulder.

    "Hmm~!"

    The scarred attendant snickered ad leaned down so even the barfy, snot-nosed, crying upperssman could properly hear his next words.

    "Neither of them messed with the food and covered me in gruel."

    *st*

    Zoemi announced while wiping off the substance from his clothes and shaking it off from his fingers onto Rio''s head.

    "Yes~! That''s right~! It was all you~! Now apologize and we can both go around our..."

    *WHOOSH* *haaaaa*

    The attendant cheered out with a devilish smile that looked both captivating and monstrous because of his injury, but he stopped talking when a weak wind-de spell dissipated after hitting his torso.

    "...that''s how you want to pay...?"

    Zoemi''s eyes turned cold as he dusted off his shirt that didn''t even get disheveled.

    He straightened his back and raised his knee up, theatrically winding up to stomp down even harder on the wide-eyed and terrified Rio...

    *SHING*

    "Quarrels and disagreements between students should be handled by the student supervisor. There is no ce for any public lynching. Stop your actions."

    ...the next moment arge de of aically wide sword cut through the air with a nice sound just to end up being pointed at Zoemi''s throat when a short armored girl dered in a grim voice...

    The girl approached Zoemi from the right side and was speaking to his injured profile, too worried about her fellow green-haired second-year student in trouble to ave a good look at him.

    "And brandishing a de against a victim is okay?"

    Zoemiughed,pletely unbothered by the edge of the girl''s weapon basically touching his skin.

    "Whenparing the crime to the punishment you tried to dish out it is obvious that you are no longer a victim yourself but an offender. Your action is unreasonable and that makes you the bad guy."

    The girl dered coldly while ncing at other gruel-covered students.

    "Heeeee~? Is that so~?"

    "..."

    Zoemi snickered and raised his head making the armored girl clench her hand on the hilt of her sword a bit harder in anticipation.

 Chapter 737 250 - Was Peace Even An Option With Them? (Part 2)

    "...by the way... why didn''t you bother to get rid of my copy beforeing for me...?"

    "...what do you...?"

    Zoemi breathed out and asked curiously expecting what appeared to be an oversight on the armored girl''s side to be a part of some strategy ¨C but judging by her cautious voice brimming with nervous realization, that was not the case...

    "MEAN...?!"

    The armored girl finished her sentence with a panic slipping into her voice as someone suddenly grappled her from behind, lifting her up as if she weighed nothing.

    *ng* *screee*

    The girl tried to break free ¨C unsessfully ¨C in a desperate attempt she swung her hands and ended up hitting the ck-haired boy''s jaw with the de, even dragging it alongside his exposed teeth.

    "...!"

    For a moment, the armored girl froze in fear, actually expecting to have wounded the attendant ¨C only to be greeted by the sight of the tip of her sword being shredded off because of the contact...

    "Noposure. No preparation. But full marks in overconfidence. I guess you can''t trust every single piece of information youe across."

    Zoemi scoffed coldly, reaching out his hand and grabbing the girl''s weapon by the edge and crushing it before yanking it out of her hand.

    *haaaaaa*

    The moment that the cast metal de left the armored girl''s hand, it dissipated into manna with the sound of a person breathing out in relief.

    *SCEEEEEEE* *thump*

    Before anyone managed topose themselves enough to o anything, Zoemi''s copy holding the armored girl up dug his fingers into the metal and tore it to shreds with his bare hands, excavating the girl and causing her to plop down on the floor like a partially shelled egg.

    *cling* *ng*

    The copy dropped the pieces of shredded metal to the floor before turning into a thin silver mist that then seeped into the original Zoemi.

    The unbothered attendant nced down at the greatly upset girl at his feet. She still had her helmet and both arms and legs armor untouched as well as the whole set of male school uniform in ce but she still protectively covered her body as if she have been stripped naked.

    "Hmph."

    "?!?!"

    Zoemi scoffed again and rolled his eyes before kicking his foot up ¨C in a swift motion he somehow managed not only to retrieve his shoed foot from Rio''s throat but also get back the green-haired boy back on his feet.

    The very disturbed and even more disoriented green-haired boy, that is.

    "Get out of my sight before I change my mind."

    "Ghhh...!"

    Zoemi scoffed at him and Rio merely whizzed before rushing away, pushing through the other students who gathered around the scene to watch the chaos.

    The green-haired boy did learn a thing or two because he was out of the injured attendant''s sight in no time at all inded~

    That only left the sulking girl still sitting on the floor in apromising position that she assumed on her own.

    Zoemi could clearly hear her fast heartbeat with his enhanced hearing so he changed his approach a lot ¨C originally he wanted to crush her together with the armor just like thest golem, but if this was an actual magician and not her spell, things werepletely different no matter how annoyed he was.

    Not to mention the little punishment show he just did with Rio made him let out some steam.

    "Haaa.... first of all, youngdy. I am not a student but only an attendant of one of the students so even as a student supervisor you don''t really have any power over me. Not to mention, good luck with trying to force my master to do anything. Heh~ "

    Zoemi sighed and faced the partially armored girl for the first time to scold her,pletely glossing over his own faulty behavior.

    "...!" *nk*

    It looked like his words actually convinced her about being in the wrong ¨C which she honestly wasn''t ¨C because she swayed and had to support herself with both hands while looking straight up at the ck-haired boy''s face through the visor of her helmet.

    While Zoemi was having fun Kierul finished her meal, returned the empty tray to the right counter, and was ready to leave.

    Young lord Victureo wasn''t there and she didn''t feel like socializing so she simply focused to activate standard fire enchantments ¨C which seemed to be a struggle for her recently as she got used to the special type that she figured out together with Zoemi instead of the normal ones ¨C and walked towards the exit, plowing through all the uncooperative students that didn''t notice her in time like an icebreaker with a resting bitch face.

    *pat* *pat*

    "...?"

    As she was moving past her attendant, Kierul tapped his back making him look back at her innocently.

    "You will work on your socializing skillster. Escort me back to my ssroom, maybe young lord Victureo and youngdy Espine already showed up there."

    The red-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and motioned towards the hallway with her chin.

    "True! Mydy, if you allow me."

    The threatening aura surrounding the ck-haired attendant disappeared in an instant and he nodded enthusiastically to his master''s idea, offering his arm to her.

    As the two began walking the other students stepped to the sides making a path for them while doing their best to not make eye contact with either one.

    "H-hold it...! Sthop...!"

    Then unexpectedly, the partially armored girl called out to the leaving pair, reaching out her hand and sounding quite desperate for some reason, even biting her own tongue.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...an annoying discovery, wouldn''t you say? Ne of the famous Taran twins is quite the drama queen, isn''t she?"

    Kierul breathed out mildly annoyed, but she also stopped which definitely meant that she was at least willing to hear out whatever the short second-year student had to say ¨C so Zoemi also stopped and waited.

    "You...! The strong guy...! You...! You are... no... I-I mean... wh-what''s your name..?!"

    The partially armored girl struggled to speak up her mind and changed her question partially by asking, which made her sound as if she was holding herself back from making an assumption and disappointing herself greatly.

    "...?"

    "..."

    Zoemi and Kierul looked at each other in mild confusion.

    "Well. I guess you need a name to report me to the teachers or the headmistress."

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders lightheartedly and smirked at the overly theatrical girl.

    "Zoemi."

    He said simply and winked.

    The partially armored girl flinched, perking up while her hand fell to the floor as she could only stare at the back of the attendant who resumed walking together with his master.

    "Judging by her reaction, youngdy Miriette isn''t the only person that knew you before you lost your memory."

    Kierul pointed out, intrigued, on their way to the ssroom.

    "Odd. We tried to learn about me after I remembered my actual name, but never got anything attention worthy."

    Zoemi nodded while pondering.

    "The few people that seemed to know something turned out to be threatened by the Espine family into silence."

    Kierul reminded him squinting her eyes as if trying to remember something.

    "And there was also that one old guy who warned us to stop snooping around because it''s Gmroze family''s problem... You know? Originally I just thought that you killed some servants or stole something and got your face fried while trying to escape, but there might be some deeper meaning in your past. Congrattions. I guess."

    The red-haired girl recalled and wondered before making a troubled expression and tapping Zoemi''s hand reassuringly.

    "Well... it''s not like we can cross off your suspicion either. I am a sinful man after all."

    "Pffft! Shut up~!"

    The balck-ahried boy breathed out and suddenly dered with a mysterious gleam in his eyes ¨C which caused Kierul to burst out intoughter and yfully tap Zoemi''s chest with her free hand.

    The two arrived at the ssroom in a remarkably good mood, a mood that was soured slightly because of the tant absence of either Grazio or Miriette sitting inside.

    The whole ssroom was empty so it wasn''t like the master and the attendant could miss the pair of interests.

    "Quite bothersome..."

    Kierul let go of Zoemi''s arm and walked to her desk, sitting down and peering through the window with concern.

    "Hmm... The first prince, his fiance youngdy Victureo, young lord Victureo, youngdy Espine, youngdy Kallerontte, young lord Derizno, and the younger twin sister of your feet-loving acquaintance - youngdy Moyena - and a handful of notable third-year students, and even a few teachers are all absent today without a word of exnation, and none of the teachers makes a fuss about it."

    She said while tapping her fingernails against the desk without looking at her attendant.

    "...that''s more people than you mentioned in the cafeteria..."

    Zoemi pointed out furrowing his brows, walking inside the ssroom, and sitting on top of the teacher''s podium.

    "Zoemi, we are not in the woods or random inns anymore. Even if the kids around us seem unreliable andpletely harmless, their families to whom they write or talk through message speels are not. It''s time to dust off the shelf with cautiousness."

    "...right, right. Sorry. I am still kind of annoyed."

    Kierul turned her head slowly and sent her attendant a disappointed gaze making him lower his head and grumble defensively.

    "Anyway. A few of the strongest and most resourceful youngsters just didn''t show up on the first day of lectures WITH permission from the teachers. It shouldn''t be anything that concerning, but for some reason, it doesn''t sit with me too well..."

    The red-haired girl said with a heavy sigh, massaging her chest as if an invisible burden was weighing her down.

    "We can make sure what it is about right now. I can ask the headmistress... but you already know that, so why didn''t you ask me to do that from the start...?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders before furrowing his brows and motioning with his chin at Kierul.

    "Do that. Definitely do that. But we can also use this little investigation to make some additional connections~"

    The red-haired girl nodded at him in seriousness... and then her face bloomed with a confident grin that would befit a spider setting up its web in front of juicy flies.

    "Oho~? I''m listening~!"

    Zoemi smirked devilishly in response and leaned forward.

    "The first prince might be absent, but his younger brother attends the lectures without a hitch... I heard that the second prince is a clever and cunning person but suffers from quite an inferiorityplex. Don''t you think that someone like him would either already know or want to know the whereabouts of his perfect older brother if it was something important that he was left out of~?"

    Kierul hummed, putting her hands together and resting her chin on top of them with an evil gleam in her already intense red eyes.

 Chapter 738 251 - Information Gathering (Part 1)

    The second prince of the Bellcephora kingdom Surou Delche Bellcephora was sitting alone in an empty ssroom scribbling something furiously on dozens of pages of parchment. He already wrote so much that the ink barely covered the bottom of the ss container that was still almostpletely full after the first day of lectures. The sun was already setting and the orangish glow was filling the room but the blue-haired boy was too focused on his notes to be bothered with that.

    "Oh, hey, he really is here without any guards or attendants."

    "The neglect is real. No matter the queen''s favoritism over her own kid, a second prince is still a member of the royal family."

    "..."

    Surou''s concentration was no joke, Zoemi and Kierul entered the ssroom and weren''t even keeping their voices down but he didn''t register them at all and simply continued writing.

    The master-attendant pair looked at each other without a word and Kierul went towards the slouching second prince while Zoemi stayed by the door, blocking it from anyone else entering while also filling spreading the spiritual power to make it impossible for any form of magicmunication to go through.

    As the attendant was doing his part, the master stood in front of the second prince''s desk and leaned down to check what he was writing.

    "Oh?"

    She hummed with interest and leaned even lower to get a better view of the upside-down letters.

    "He''s a writer? I hope he writes a romance."

    "He''s a strategist~"

    Zoemi raised his brow and asked curiously to which Kierul smirked back at him over her shoulder before returning to the observation.

    "I haven''t read a good romance novel in a while, I think I''m getting withdrawal symptoms..."

    "Shush."

    Zoemi sighed in disappointment which earned him a shush from the discontent girl...

    "Hmmm? Hmm! Oooh!"

    After that, for a few minutes, it seemed that even Kierul forgot why she actually showed up there and only read what the second prince wrote while letting out more and more intrigued hums instead of picking a conversation.

    The prince changed the parchment page to a fresh one and dipped the quill in the almost empty bottle writing away whatever ns and strategies he was making with reckless abandon.

    *rustle*

    ? "...?"

    Despite the speed, his writing remained neat and clean. He was almost one-quarter of the page in when suddenly something broke his concentration and got his attention, causing his quill to stop in ce.

    Someone has ced their hand in the corner of his desk. Moreover, it didn''t even look like that someone has done it to interrupt him either. If that someone wanted attention they would m their hand on the desk, cover his parchment, or maybe block the atrament bottle ¨C if that someone was polite enough, that is.

    "..."

    Surou gulped down his saliva and bit his lips in an attempt to stay dignified before slowly raising his head to face that someone.

    "...!"

    What he faced took him by surprise. The red-haired girl with ming eyes leaned over his desk to watch his notes while basking in the sunset dyeing her visage amber. Her small glossy lips were parted a little bit as she seemed to be taking great interest in what he, Surou, had been writing... and it appeared that she ced her hand on the desk by ident, too invested in the parchment covered in fresh ink to notice the blunder...

    "~!"

    ...meanwhile, Zoemi who remained unnoticed perked up with interest andser-focused on the scene ying out in front of his eager eyes...

    The second prince was unable to take his eyes off the red-haired girl''s face as his head seemed to empty itself in a sh.

    "...?"

    The prolonged pause in writing ended up causing the girl to realize that something was wrong. Her eyshes trembled as she furrowed her brows slightly before raising her head just a little bit to check on the second prince, and the two ended up looking at each other faces.

    The fiery eyes of the fire magician caused the gentle eyes of the water magician to tremble...

    "~!!!"

    ...while the attendant guarding the door ¨C with a clear view of at least Surou''s face - put both hands to his face and bounced up all excited while keeping himselfpletely silent...

    "...ah..."

    Kieurl let out a soft gasp and backed off almost bashfully before straightening back for just a moment to prepare herself for the official greeting...

    "Your Highness. My name is Kierul Berra Helterose. It''s a pleasure to meet you."

    She decided not to address anything and curtsied gracefully instead. With that done she stood up straight and waited politely for the second prince''s response.

    "I...!"

    *WHAM*

    Surou gasped and shoot right up to respond properly but because of his momentum, he almost knocked his desk over...

    "AH...!"

    *SLAM*

    The blue-haired boy gasped in panic, going right back down to grab the papers that were about to fly off because of the impact ¨C he managed to save them but also knocked over the chair he was previously sitting on, creating a racket...

    "OH, NO...!"

    *CLANK*

    Continuing to panic, Surou called out, turning around and knocking the inkbottle off the desk, causing the thick ss to rumble across the ssroom and hit the opposite wall with a clear sound.

    "W-WAIT, THIS IS NOT...! GAH...!?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    *WHOOOSH* *THUMP*

    Startled by the chaos he created, the second prince gasped in an attmept to exin himself to the silent red-haired girl, only to step on his own foot and trip himself over, falling down to the floor while throwing all the papers he was holding on to into the air...

    "Pffft...!"

    "I...! Well... um... I... I..."

    In the end, the second prince Surou Delche Bellcephora, with his face crimson red from extreme embarrassment, down on the floor amongst dozens of pages of handwritten notes, mumbled on the verge of tears in response to Kierul''s snort.

    He seemed so ashamed and defeated that he didn''t even try to respond to the official greeting and merely began to slowly gather the scrambled notes with his head down while biting his lips and doing his best not to cry.

    "..."

    Kierul didn''t say anything and she also didn''t startughing.

    Instead, she approached the huge mess of the second prince and crouched in front of him.

    She took out a handkerchief before reaching out to his face and...

    "Prince Surou..."

    "...?!"

    Called out softly, causing the second prince to jolt up and slowly look up at her.

    "Please, allow me~"

    "...!"

    Then Kierul spoke softly, stunning Surou by gently touching his chin and lifting his face a bit more, and putting the soft fabric to the corner of his eye, drying out the gathered tears.

    In the gentle silence, she repeated the action before taking back her hands and nodding with a soft smile.

    "My prince, you see... Anyone makes mistakes, even the people who think they are not allowed to."

    The red-haired girl started speaking while also beginning to pick up the notes from the floor around the blue-haired boy.

    "But as long as it isn''t something that kills you instantly, you should never let those mistakes stop you from growing or defining who you are."

    She spoke quietly, but her voice still ring loudly in the ssroom while she gathered more and more pages.

    "Instead of focusing on the mistake itself and your feelings at that exact moment or even thinking up some excuses and exnations, it is far better to create a strategy that would either make up for the mistake or erase itpletely from others'' memory~"

    Kierul gathered all the loose pages and pulled them up, using the whole stack to cover her yful smile that crept its way on her face the moment she saw Surou''s expression.

    "Don''t you think so too~?"

    She added, reaching out her hands, and offering the notes back to the speechless boy.

    "Y-yes..."

    Surou gulped down his saliva and nodded shyly while reaching out his hands and taking the notes from the red-haired girl and hugging and crumpling them absentmindedly, too focused on her face to notice it.

    "Hmm~"

    "!!!"

    Hierul looked back at him and tilted her head with the same yful smile, which seemed to work as a wake-up punch to the stunned boy.

    Immediately the blue-haired prince jumped up to his feet and bowed down as politely as he could.

    "P-pardon my clum... clumsiness... I-it is a pleasure to meet you, youngdy Helterose! My... my name is Surou Delche Bellcephora. The second prince of the kingdom of Bellcephora."

    "Hmm~"

    He stuttered a bit but managed to pull the proper introduction which made Kierul smile even more.

    "My prince, if you don''t mind, I dide here today to voice a few concerns and wondered whether you would be kind enough to help me out."

    The red-haired girl stood up and asked, immediately making eye contact the moment that the second prince straightened his back.

    "I don''t... I mean... I can''t promise anything, but the least that I can do is to hear you out, mydy."

    Surou took a deep breath and responded in an apologetic tone.

    "That is all that I ask for, my prince. Let''s sit down and ask, shall we?"

    "Yes, of course...!"

    Kierul nodded and pointed towards Surou''s desk and the second prince agreed hurriedly.

    He put down his notes and was about to sit down as Kierul took a chair from the desk in front...

    "My prince, scoot over a bit~"

    Instead of cing the chair and facing the blue-haired boy, Kierul took the chair and ced it right next to him before asking while pushing their chairs together...

    "Wh-wh...?! Huh...?!"

    The fading blush returned will full force to the second prince''s face as Kierul''s words settled in his brain and were processed.

 Chapter 739 251 - Information Gathering (Part 2)

    "Thank you~"

    ...but by jolting to the side away from the red-haired girl the bashful second prince ended upplying with her request and she couldfortably take the spot by his side.

    "Wha...?! WHOA...?!"

    That made Surou jolt up even more and he almost lost his bnce...

    "Whoa there indeed~ Now, let''s talk a bit, my prince, ~"

    Kierul grabbed his hand and settled him back in without any trouble whatsoever and hummed with satisfaction straight to the boy''s ear letting go of his arm but making their shoulders touch.

    "It is only the first day of the school year but many students and teachers have missed it. I am curious as to why is that?"

    She asked lowering her head and seemingly absentmindedly brushing her fingertips against Surou''s thigh.

    "You see, even if something is going on in the background, I can understand most of those people being summoned. The strongest wind magician, the strongest fire magician, the strongest earth magician, the genius inventor... and the only healer magician that can actually use one other attribute."

    Kierul said while leaning onto the tense as a rock second prince while whispering into his ear, as she mentioned Burushi, her eyes inadvertently wandered to the stack of notes on the desk they were both sitting at.

    "The thing that bothers me the most though is that one of the people called out doesn''t fit with the rest... Young lord Victureo is average at best when ites to magic and even if the potential future influence was a factor in the selection his much more powerful and charismatic older sister was already picked."

    The red-haired girl wondered while cing her chin on Surou''s shoulder while her fingers traced spirals higher and higher alongside the second prince''s thigh...

    "It is upsetting, honestly. Seeing young lord Vctureo be selected into the closed group while someone like you was left behind. You cane up with such interesting strategies and yet you were forced to housesit in the Academy... or was that a part of some grander strategy you have in mind~?"

    Kierul hummed causing the blue-haired boy to loudly gulp down his saliva all while Zoemi still guarding the door marveled at his master bullshitting ability.

    The red-haired girl was speaking with utmost confidence despite not being certain about a single thing.

    She spoke about the people getting called to some secret meeting and being a part of some important event while basing that merely on her intuition and basically scraps of information that were unreliable at best ¨C and still looked reliable while doing that!

    Seriously, if an adolescent boy like Surou could see through Kierul''s deception then he would truly be an outstanding talent far exceeding any of his peers including all the transcended magicians.

    ...but for that he would have to focus enough to break through the silly seduction.

    Silly in Zoemi''s eyes, at least.

    Anyone with at least a bit of experience or at least a fair amount of self-control would see someone else getting close to them like that while asking for information would smell the trickery from a mile away...

    ...but the second prince wasn''t just anyone ¨C he was a boy in puberty...<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I...it is not a part of a strategy per se... but...! But I do know what is happening."

    If Surou had some sort of defenses, they all crumbled down from the heat of Kierul''s body against his own and the blue-haired boy started spilling out everything he knew in no time.

    "Just as I thought, my prince~"

    "The situation is actually quite dire and it wouldn''t be strange for more students to leave the Academy in the next few days... although you see, if the worst scenario wille true it will be the other way around, a whole lot of people will arrive at the Academy..."

    Although Kierul''s delighted hum wasn''t phrased as an inquiry, it worked as a splendid motivation for Surou to continue talking.

    "..."

    Kierul furrowed her brows as her expression darkened at the words of the second prince.

    "My prince... from what you are saying it sounds almost like our kingdom is preparing for arge-scale military conflict."

    The red-haired girl breathed out and spoke in a serious voice ¨C she did not let go of Surou''s arm but she did stop teasing his thigh...

    "That is exactly what is going on... Ah...!"

    Surou nodded in confirmation, looking into Kierul''s eyes just for a moment before faltering from the fiery gaze and turning his head away while beetroot red in the face.

    "Is the Espine house nning an insurrection? No, then the youngdy Espine would not be called unless she was fine with betraying her family... but then... then what...?"

    Kierul gasped, gulping down her saliva quite upset before pulling out a nk expression.

    It wasn''t as if she didn''t have any suspicions, it was just that she didn''t really want to voice any of them out loud for fear of one of them being true.

    "Espine being nning a coup de tat? No. Espines are our kingdom''s first line of defense even before the actual army. You see, after the capture of Marigottie the other countries seemed to be reminded of the threat that our kingdom''s magicians pose and created a secret coalition to plot our downfall... is what I would like to say but with the recent movements spotted by the allied hignders by the Perserios territory, the Barbaria nation bean sending their troops to the Atreterve nation. Not to mention that our spies had been reporting a shift in the Atreterve''s research and development tendencies into more offensive ones during thest decade."

    Surou revealed, and the seriousness of the information he was sharing made him calm down and get over his shyness.

    "Tsk. Then, despite having a nonaggression treaty signed with us, our own magic equipment manufacturers are nning to stab us in the back."

    Kierul clicked her tongue straightening her back, remaining in contact through the touching shoulders with the second prince but otherwise pulling away.

    "That''s one way to call it. There were no sightings of anyrge weapon storage that would directly break the treaty but that doesn''t mean there is none... At this moment our kingdom waits for the response of both Atreterve and Barbaria about the movement of the troops before anything would be revealed to the public... so I hope you will keep this a secret, youngdy Helterose."

    Surou let out a short sigh and gulped down his saliva again before ncing at the concerned Kierul.

 Chapter 740 251 - Information Gathering (Part 3)

    "Of course, but... this is a far more grave situation than I envisioned..."

    The red-haired girl muttered with concern, biting her lips.

    "...still, with all that, I am a lot more confused why would the royal family decide to call for a bunch of young inexperienced nobles, o matter how strong they might be. It would make much more sense tomand other noble families to do the same thing that the Espines are doing ¨C gather and train forces and... wait, hold on... that timing..."

    Kierul grumbled feeling that she was missing something and then when she said a certain word her eyes widened in realization.

    "Prince Surou... have... all absent students been summoned for the participation of the King''s Guard training...?!"

    She gasped in shock, staring at the second prince as if demanding him to deny her words.

    "Unfortunately, that is exactly what is going on."

    The blue-haired boy nodded his head with a serious expression.

    "Exceptional individuals like them should not be treated as normal magic soldiers so they will go through special training. As you know, the main problem with our kingdom''s army is that we relypletely on the magicians ¨C so nobility ¨C to fight in the major conflicts in order to protect the main force behind the food production, themoners. We are strong because of our elemental magic, but we are few in numbers."

    Surou nodded and breathed out nervously ¨C this time not because of bashfulness but rather because of the gravity of the situation he was speaking of.

    "I would not be surprised for this year''s magic examination for the first-year students to happen much, much earlier than normal, and then the best-performing mages to also suddenly stop showing up to normal lectures. This would of course just be the early preemptive move ¨C if the actual conflict will be unavoidable, the Aspakeony Academy will return to its roots as a military facility and the lectures will turn into training for the battlefield."

    The blue-haired boy added, reaching out his hand and tapping the stack of notes he wrote himself.

    "I hope none of the scenarios I envisioned wille true, but you know, I try to prepare in advance... although that''s stupid, I know. I don''t have any actual experience in the field besides reading and hearing reports of the battles passed..."

    He suddenly blushed again and looked away embarrassed.

    "Doing your best in the field you are best at is not embarrassing at all."

    "...huh...?"

    Kierul dered in a serious voice while standing up suddenly, startling the second prince a little.

    "Thank you for your time, my prince. If you would not mind I would like us to spend more time together, join me at tomorrow''s lunch."

    The red-haired girl walked around the desk about to leave but turned around and smiled softly at the blue-haired boy.

    "I... well.. it would be an honor..."

    "No, the pleasure''s all mine, my prince ~"

    The second prince agreed humbly which seemed to please the red-haired girl greatly as she stepped through the open door.

    "Fuck!"

    But the soft smile and fluffy aura dispersed in a sh once her attendant closed the door behind her and both of them started walking down the hallway.

    "...what did the headmistress tell you...?"

    Kierul scoffed in annoyance, ending Zoemi with a furious look.

    "Basically the same thing that the second prince told you... only that there was a whole lot -when- instead of -if-."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "FUCK!"

    The ck-haired boy answered with a grim expression which only increased his master''s anger.

    "Things were supposed to get easier! Now I will have to ace the magic examination whenever it will happen just to be able to meet with young lord Victureo!"

    Kierul cursed, kicking the speck of dust in her way with a furious expression.

    It seemed like a little thing like war could not bepared to having her ns ruined.

    ? "You know, I think that you would have a way easier time if you switched your interest towards the second prince. He looked positively smitten by you AND isn''t engaged as far as I know."

    Zoemi closed his mouth in surprise before smirking and pointing out.

    "...fuck off... he... gies..."

    Kierul red at him with actual bloodthirst but instead of verbally assaulting him, she merely started grumbling under her breath making things hard to hear even for Zoemi.

    "Huh? Why not? I thought that you..."

    "In his strategies, he clearly wrote that to assure his position without getting chained down to any big noble house he should aim for the healer magician Burushi, okay? I have my own ns and he has his. My preference has nothing to do with it!"

    Zoemi titled his head and wondered which seemed to annoy Kierul to no end as she startedining, irked off.

    "...umm... I was going to say that I thought that you clearly had him back in the ssroom... I wasn''t teasing you about having a type..."

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy''s eyes widened and he gasped quietly while covering his mouth and leaning forward to look at his suddenly silent master''s increasingly blushing face.

    "...ghhh... don''t you have a dinner to make or something?! Go do your duties!"

    Under the incredibly amused gaze of her attendant, the red-haired girl gritted her teeth andmanded, reaching out her hand towards the direction of the kitchen.

    "Yes, yes. I will make something nice~"

    Zoemi wasn''t bothered at all and snickered, walking faster to actually go to his duties while leaving a silent serious-faced copy behind by his master''s side.

    "Oh, and Aspakeony mentioned that although no one is quite sure who is behind the attacks on the Helterose family, no one in power minds them getting wrecked because, apparently, your family had a little too close connection with the Atreterve nation and was suspected of selling off the secret information about the Bellcephora kingdom. The second prince probably didn''t mention it because he didn''t want to upset you."

    "...!"

    After the original was already gone, the copy that kept himself behind Kierul suddenly spoke causing the red-haired girl to flinch and straighten her back at attention.

    "Funny. It looks like we weren''t purging just some scummy filth but actually punishing treason~! Isn''t that nice? Not having to worry about the potential pursuit?"

    "Hah...! True. I like that kind of surprise~"

    Zoemi''s copy giggled, making Kierul snicker and nod in agreement.

 Chapter 741 251.5 - Information Gathering (Part 4)

    *click* *rustle*

    "..."

    Zoemi woke up immediately upon catching the sound of someone sneaking into his bedroom.

    It was still the middle of the night, or even barely the middle. Actually, there was over an hour left until midnight.

    And that very brave burr opened the door using a key, at least judging by the smooth sound the lock made. The idea that it was Aspakeony, her light puppet Moxeoni, or Kierul ¨C since those were the three that could have legitimate ess to the spare keys and could possibly want something from him...

    Although the red-haired girl was automatically out of the list even though Zoemi himself gave her the key to his bedroom. The reason for that certainty was simple ¨C thanks to his copy being on guard the ck-haired attendant could see his master peacefully getting her beauty sleep in her own bed.

    Zoemi was already familiar with the sound of Moxeoni''s footsteps, and he could tell that the intruder was shorter than her, which also eliminated the possibility of her being the one.

    Still, just by the vague sound alone it still could be Aspakeony, she was shorter than her gold-haired corpse puppet and definitely had ess to every key in the entire building.

    Still, in case it wasn''t her either and instead it was someone with some bad intentions, even if Zoemi didn''t wake up most attacks would fail since the scarred attendant kept at least thew of Aries and thew of Sagittarius active to prevent any sort of outside influence.

    The outsider gulped down their saliva and stopped next to Zoemi''s bed. The ck-haired boy stayed quiet acting as if he was still asleep.

    "...it really is you..."

    "...?"

    The intruder whispered quietly in a trembling voice making Zoemi surprised.

    It was a girl but not Aspakeony, that''s for sure, instead, it was...

    *rustle*

    To Zoemi''s surprise, the girl actually snuck into his bed. Not justying beside him but straight up getting in the sheets!

    "What happened to you...? you disappeared and we could not find you anywhere... I was so worried... and Leveo and mom too... and of course your dad... Thanks to Roiso we knew you weren''t dead, and she even came in contact with youngdy Espine and she said that you were hiding under the name of Aku as the attendant of youngdy Helterose... We all wanted to contact you but the Taran territory was in great danger and a huge mess. And then everyone said that youngdy Helterose and you died in a fire and then all the attacks on the Helterose family members started and... I''m sorry... I... I thought you died... Youngdy Espine and Roiso always believed in you but I just tried to forget about you... and now... you are here..."

    ...the girl began talking, and not just any pillow talk either ¨C she was pouring her heart out as if Zoemi''s bed was a confessional and she was a sinner yearning for absolution.

    And it was none other than the variant metal attribute magician, Teofee Taran, the very same girl who confronted Zoemi after the cafeteria ident.

    |Huh. So she did know me from before... and did she just say something about a father? Now, this is an awkward situation...|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself trying to keep an expressionless face. The room was dark but Zoemi himself ced his bed in such a way that the star and moonlight would shine on his face ¨C it might or might not have something to do with him being the star power user, even though he wasn''t quite sure.

    "...what happened o you...?"

    Teofee repeated herself and Zoemi could feel her getting closer to him and inspecting his face from up close focusing on the exposed jawbones and teeth.

    For the obvious reason of being annoying and ufortable, Zoemi would always ley on the healthy left side of his head, mainly to prevent an overflow of saliva from escaping through the nonexistent cheek.

    "I knew it... we should have tried to talk you out of participating in the knight training... just look at you... You could easily brush off most fire spells... if you weren''t taken by surprise by someone you trusted, this had no chance of ever happening."

    "..."

    |Excuse me...?|

    Teofee continued in a hushed voice and said something that made Zoemi''s heart skip a beat, but not in a good sense.

    "You know, the first version that the Victureo family tried to push on the Perserios family was that Cat went mad and killed everyone, but after realizing that keeping up that version would be too bothersome, they switched to iming that it was a monster that descended the mountains... Why didn''t you return to us? Were you worried that we would not take your side? Or were you trying to protect us from messing with the high noble families...? ...stupid..."

    The short girl breathed out and her voice broke as she hurriedly wiped off the tears that began forming in the corner of her eyes.

    "..."

    "Zo... AH...!"

    The ck-haired boy had too many questions to continue ying asleep so he opened his eyes and made eye contact with Teofee the moment sheposed herself enough to speak again.

    "!!!"

    The brown-haired girl immediately turned red from embarrassment and hid...

    Yes. She went into hiding instead of getting out of bed. And the spot she chose as the ce of her exodus was... beneath the nket.

    She also curled into a cute little ball, but that made her position, even more,promising for certain reasons...

    "...umm... this is kind of awkward, youngdy, but if you don''t want to get your eye identally poked out, you might reconsider getting so close to my abdomen."

    "...eh...?

    Zoemi closed his eyes and groaned in disbelief over the situation and a muffled voice of confusion responded to his statement...

    "What do you...?"

    ...followed by a confused murmur...

    "!!!"

    ...followed by a panicky rustling upon Teofee getting a bit too close to the reason for cautiousness she was warned about...<novelnext></novelnext>

    *thump*

    "...gyuh...!"

    For once the metal magician rushed to leave the bed, falling out from the die of it and plopping on the floor with a pitiful squeak.

    "Before you use me of anything, this didn''t happen because of you, I simply connected with a copy that was in apromising situation so that I could ask some questions, and the sensation was shared."

    Zoemi sat up carefully hiding his lower body with the strategic nket formation and began to exin himself.

    "I was told there would be a line drawn with how far things would go, but let me tell you that several lines were breached, for example, sweet Guide, I never even considered that you can... ehem. Never mind that."

    The ck-haired boy realized a bit toote that he was oversharing and hurriedly let out a fake cough to stop himself.

    "Anyway. Youngdy Taran, I happened to hear your heartful speech. I have several questions but one of the most pressing ones is ¨C where did you get the keys to my room? I sure hope that the spares aren''t just avable in some easy-ess ce. I might be an easy man but even I have some boundaries."

    Zoemi breathed out and said lightheartedly trying to erase his earlierments from Teveo''s memory by speaking whatever came to his mind.

    "Zoemi, I...! Wait... what do you mean by ¨C an easy man - ? Like... a male escort...?"

    The short brown-haired girl gasped before furrowing her brows in shock ¨C catching the hook line and the sinker of the ck-haired boy''s distraction and whispering in an embarrassing voice.

    "Well, yeah...? Putting it very lightly... ording to my master at least."

    Zoemi''s eyes drifted to the side as he nodded awkwardly.

    "M-master...?!"

    "..."

    Teofee gasped, covering her face with both hands and gazing at the momentary unaware boy through the spaces between her fingers...

    "Yes, my mas... Not that kind of master! Oh my Guide, I swear, I should have expected you to be like this since you snuck into my bed as if it was nothing!"

    Seeing her all flustered like that made Zoemi realize what she must have been thinking and he groaned in disbelief, rolling his eyes before falling back down on his pillow.

    "...I ampletely normal... besides, when we were younger we did sleep together...!"

    The short brown-haired girl lowered her head and mumbled defensively.

    "Did we?"

    "...ngh..."

    ...but it only took a two-word question from Zoemi to make her fidget in unease as she seemed not used to hide the truth...

    "...well... you would always roll me in something you called a safety nket so that I wouldn''t do anything stupid... but we did spend a few nights on the same mattress, you can''t deny that!"

    She faltered and reveled, regaining enough confidence to boast proudly.

    "Oh, wow. Even before losing my memory I still had some self-control and awareness. Not much, but still, good to know."

    "Exa...! Wait... You... you lost your memory?!"

    The ck-haired boy nodded and made a partially satisfied expression while ¨C thankfully ¨C Teveo focused on the important part of his response.

    "Yes. Actually, I was quite sure that I was just a survivor of a monster attack that killed the rest of my family, but considering that you seem to know me quite well, I must reconsider all of that. I would be grateful for your cooperation and further exnation, thank you in advance~"

    Finallyposing himself to get to the important topic, Zoemi waved his hand to get Teofee''s attention and bowed his head to her slightly while gazing at her expectantly.

    "...wait.. no, but... that means that you don''t actually remember me..."

    He of course intended for her to tell him more about his past self but the metal magician seemed to have her own problem as the realization settled in...

    "I did not. You sure made a hell of a first... well, actually third impression."

    "...!"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and Teveo tensed up...

    "I''M SORRY!" *nk*

    "?!?!"

    All of a sudden the short brown-haired girl cried out and bolted out of the room, dropping something on the floor before leaving, absolutely confusing the left-behind boy.

    Zoemi stood up from his bed and went to close and lock the door. On his way back he leaned down and picked up the object that Teveo dropped.

    It was a key, most likely to his room, but the metal used was different than any of the keys that he knew of.

    "That''s one of the questions answered... Huh? Hold on, did she use her magic to just make a key as if it wasn''t illegal? What kind of student Supervisor is she?!"

    He shook his head putting the forged key on the table before getting back into bed, choosing to not think about the answer - that honestly was quite obvious although not very nice or appropriate.

 Chapter 742 252 - Playing Around~ (Part 1)

    The lunch with Surou went without any more breakthrough information but Zoemi couldn''t help noticing that Kierul was having a good time, it has been a while since the ck-haired attendant had seen his master''s genuine smile.

    The next few days were simr, both uneventful and full of strained anticipation for the update on the situation regarding the secretly brewing conflict.

    After a week have passed, Kierul decided that she would like to have spent more time with the second prince ¨C to be close to a good source of information ¨C but her motives were tantly obvious and pretty cute considering who she was as a person.

    The second prince had nothing against that idea either, far from it ¨C he actually agreed so fast that even Zoemi with his superior reflexes got surprised, from then on the red-haired girl and the blue-haired boy ate at least one meal together and even held study sessions.

    As for the ck-haired attendant, he found himself with as much time to train as he wanted, He was kind of disappointment that Patishi wasn''t showing up, but that was the obvious oue since she was the absent first prince personal attendant ¨C of course, he took her with him to the training course.

    If there was a thing that was a bit more concerning for Zoemi ¨C it was that Teofee Taran began stalking him.

    He spotted her right from the start, but at the very beginning, it was only some almost coincidental peeks she sneaked at him while keeping a distance in the hallway.

    ...but within the week and a half of Zoemi''s and Kierul''s stay at the academy, these coincidences developed into full watch sessions that must have consumed every waking moment of the supposed student supervisor...

    "Are you going to do something about your open admirer?"

    One day, after getting escorted to the ssroom Kierul breathed out and asked her attendant while leaning to the side and looking at Teofee sticking her head out of the girl''s bathroom ¨C gazing at Zoemi with an indifferent expression doing the bare minimum of acting as if she wasn''t interested in him.

    "I am considering something~ Do you mind if I mize this rtionship?"

    "...?"

    Zoemi didn''t look over his shoulder since he already knew that Teofee was there, and instead snickered and asked with excitement that only a cartoonish viin could have about his evil n, which caused Kierul to raise her brow questioningly.

    "You are hung up on me calling you a cheap slut back then so you want to prove to me that you are not cheap?"

    The red-haired girl breathed out and shook her head in disbelief.

    "Are you doubting me, master?"

    "..."

    The ck-haired attendant titled his head and asked ying innocent ¨C which earned him a scornful gaze from his master.

    "...ughh... fine. I did tell you that you can y around and I am not going to take back my word. Just try to not cause any huge scandals!"

    Kierul ended up folding up and entered the ssroom while pointing her index finger at Zoemi with a strict expression.

    "I will do my best to keep them all medium at most~!"

    "Pffft...!"

    Zoemiughed happily pointing right back at Keirul who ended up snorting because of the ridiculous cheekiness of the ck-haired boy.

    |Now... how should I do this so it would be the most fun experience...?|

    Zoemi thought to himself looking towards the empty bathroom door after Teofee hid back inside to remain hidden ¨C at least that was what she wanted to happen.

    |Oh...?|

    And just then, a perfect opportunity emerged on itself.

    A group of three attendants that Zoemi kept seeing in the kitchen every day was talking on the corner of the hallway after escorting their masters to their ssrooms just as the ck-haired boy did ¨C and they were in perfect distance from the girls'' bathroom so that if spoke loudly enough their voices could carry on safely.

    "Hmm~!"

    Zoemi hummed, continuing the devilish snicker, and hurried over to the three attendants.

    One of them was a tall and very handsome brown-haired man in histe twenties, his deep blue eyes were captivating enough to cause many young noble girls heart'' to falter. At first nce, he appeared to be serious and almost aloof.

    The second one was a sharp-eyed young around eighteen years old with venomous green eyes and ming red hair styled into a short braid. If Zoemi didn''t know that Burushi the healing magician was supposed to be the only person within the Academy that possess a dual attribute, he would assume that this attendant was a dual fire and wind attribute user. The medium-height attendant looked extremely strict and held himself as such with a perfect appearance.

    The third one was a boy that could not even pass as a first-year student without any trouble, he must have been twelve at most. He had neatly cut short ck hair and ck eyes. He seemed overly nervous and jumpy whenever some students passed him but he seemed to befortable around the other two. He looked as if he wanted to do his best all the time - a cute kid like that.

    "Hello, again you three~! I''ve seen you in a kitchen, do you have some time to spare for a talk~?"

    "...!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Zoemi reached the group and raised his hand, exposing the left side of his face more to appear more approachable and friendly, although he definitely startled the youngest boy of the group.

    "You are the attendant who humiliated young lord Moyena and picked a fight with the second year''s student supervisor. What is it that you really want?"

    "..."

    The red-haired attendant raised his head, pushing out his jaw aggressively, which almost made Zoemi let out an aww - as it was obvious that the other attendant wanted to appear as big and threatening as possible while shielding the youngest one of the bunch, acting like a protective cat parent.

    "I just wanted to talk. Man, I had this one thing that I wanted to talk out with someone but my master isn''t really the right person to do that~"

    Zoemi wasn''t threatened and he didn''t feel like he should act as if he was, so he simply sighed and nodded his head while spreading his arms in a non-aggressive manner.

    "...I see... and what about it...?"

    The sharp-eyed attendant leaned back just a little bit and asked with suspicion.

    "Haaa... I would really like to earn some bonus pocket money, but I don''t really want to bother with some mundane work or moan to my master for a rise. I''ve been thinking that it would be nice to get some cash for spending a nice time with somedies and doing some favors for them~!"

    "Wh-Wh-WHAAAA...?!"

    Zoemi boasted loudly causing the sharp-eyed attendant to physically back off and raise both hands defensively while his face was burning crimson red matching colors with his hair as he screamed out in panic.

    |Oh dear Guide, I will have to apologize to all of themter...|

    The scarred attendant groaned to himself witnessing the reaction of the shockingly prudent peer of his.

    "Gaaaah...! I know, right?!"

    "!!!"

    But then, to Zoemi''s ¨C and the two other attendants'' ¨C surprise, the tallest attendant leaned back and let out a long groan before leaning forward and making an upset expression at the scarred boy.

    "During the attendant''s training, and then back when I served family head instead of his son and we traveled a lot, it was such a good way to make some good money...!"

    "...!"

    "...wha...?!"

    The handsome attendantined while the sharp-eyed attendant hurriedly turned around to cover the ears of the very confused youngest attendant with both hands to protect his innocence as much as possible.

    "Maturedies would buy me gifts and stuff coins in my pocket for merely walking with them and in case we would dance or they wanted a more intimate favor I would earn so much that I could send the surplus money to my parents and siblings because all of my own expenses would have been covered for months!"

    The oldest attendant in the group breathed out heavily, making a heartbroken expression.

    "But now I am stuck in the same ce with the same people every day, none of the teachers who had been eyeing me out since the beginning of the year have the guts to ask me forpensated favors! This sucks! My second brother is a talented swordfighter but without my financial support our family will not be able to afford the knight training for him!"

    ...the aloofness that Zoemi initially assumed out of the tallest attendant was definitely a mirage or hallucination because that man began oversharing his personal history within seconds...!

    "Hmmm? Is that really such a problem? My master is a lenient person and she doesn''t mind my promiscuous personality. If there was some nobledy with enough money to spend, I wouldn''t mind her approaching me~"

    Zoemi could thankfully adapt fast not only in battle but in social situations ¨C even ones like that one ¨C and boasted, putting one hand on his hip while waving the other one dismissively.

    "Oh, you are bold! Still, as for me, I''d rather die than try to do anything with the students here..."

    The tall attendant grinned and winked at Zoemi with admiration before leaning back and waving his hands with disgust.

    "But that means we will not get in each other''s way so we can be friends! Call me Lithfreid. You have given me the courage to aim for the teachers and other staff members after all!"

    "That''s the spirit! I''m Zoemi."

    The two shook hands while the sharp-eyed attendant looked between them in utter horror.

    "What in the world are you two doing?! Do you not care about your masters'' opinion at all?!"

    "???"

    He gasped while trying to walk away, taking the youngest attendant with him.

 Chapter 743 252 - Playing Around~ (Part 2)

    "Pffft! Oh, you sweet little prude~! If the young master will report me back to the family, what do you think will happen? I know the family heads the best after his wife! If he heard aint about how I scored one of the teachers at the Academy he would high-five me!"

    Lithfreidughed right in the sharp-eyed attendant''s face before boastfully puffing out his chest.

    "You are unbelievable!"

    The flustered red-haired attendant gasped, looking around in worry but thankfully the lectures have already started so the hallway was empty.

    "Hey, the family I serve isn''t the most well off but I like them. I will not do anything to harm them, so what''s wrong with me putting my body to work for the good of my rtives while also having some fun on the side? It''s not against the attendant''s code."

    "I...! Gh...! Gfgh...! Khh...! UUURGHHHH!"

    Lithfreid rolled his eyes and motioned at his sharp-eyed colleague who was so lost for words that he could only huff and puff stillpletely red in the face.

    "Our boiling kettle friend here is Inviderie, the little confused munchkin is called Rothillis. Zoemi, if you don''t have any other ns maybe you would like to hang around with us for a bit? We were going for a joint practice session since Rothillis was asking for it since he learned that Inviderie and Ipleted the knight training."

    Lithfreid introduced the other two to Zoemi, grinning cheekily while patting the head of the youngest attendant.

    "Oh? Do you mind if I join? I haven''t sparred with another human for quite some time."

    "Sure!"

    Intrigued Zoemi asked and Lithfreid agreed without even acting as if he would take the opinion of the other two attendants under consideration.

    And because of that, despite originally nning only to nt the seed in Teofee''s brain and walk away waiting for it to sprout, the ck-haired boy ended up on the training ground behind the dormitory building together with three other attendants.

    "Now, Rothillis, I know you probably want to start practicingbat with a weapon, but first we need to see where you stand in terms of endurance and strength. So we will begin with some light exercises ¨C do not use any enchantments for that."

    Despite being adverse to Zoemi being there, the sharp-eyed Inviderie seemed pretty serious about helping out his younger colleague ¨C but there was something that he said that took Zoemi by surprise.

    "Our Rothi is a magician?"

    The ck-haired boy asked, raising his brows and looking at the slightly embarrassed fellow ck-haired individual.

    Considering that he was not introduced with a surname, Zoemi assumed that the younger boy was a bit simr to him, born with ck hair and eyes but without magic.

    "About that..."

    "Mom is a maid at master''s summer house."

    Lithfreid and Inviderie exchanged bothered looks while wondering how much can they say about the matter, but the youngest boy didn''t seem to mind ¨C he said only one sentence but it was a piece of information that told Zoemi everything that he needed to know.

    "Basic exercise it is then. Invi, back to you~"

    "...!"

    Zoemi nodded at Rothillis and smirked at the sharp-eyed attendant who immediately made a grumpy expression over the overly familiar way he was addressed.

    Nheless, the next hour was spent with the three more experienced attendants watching the youngest one do his best.

    ...still, Rothillis''s best was below the average - and not even in Zoemi''s opinion...

    "Rothi, you said that you were doing some exercises back home and since you arrived with your master here at the Academy... were you always using enchantments while training?"

    Lithfreid furrowed his brows, also using a more familiar way of addressing his youngest colleague while speaking with concern.

    "Y-yes... I was always copying big broth... young master''s enchantments."

    The young attendant fidgetted and admitted, flinching and biting his tongue before lowering his head and correcting himself.

    "That''s the problem. Magicians always rely too much on magic and as result, their physical strength iscking..."

    The sharp-eyed attendant proceeded with the exnation that Zoemi knew all too well as it was basically the same thing that he exined to Kierul when he first started tutoring her in self-defense.

    The only difference was that none of the three attendants knew that there was a way to im[roving both the efficiency of magic and the strength and endurance of one''s magic.

    Zoemi was going to share the secret, but he decided to hold back on it - especially since Teofee was trying to sneak up on him from behind...

    The ck-haired boy decided that it was okay to make things easier for her, so he announced that after all he would not be sparring and was just enough with watching over the progress the others made and walked towards the bench just outside the training ground.

    A convenient bench was in front of some decorative bushes that were perfect for hiding and could be easily essed from Teofee''s position.

    Zoemi didn''t have to wait too long for the effect...

    *nk*

    While he was peacefully sitting, a hesitant hand emerged from between the leaves and ced a silver coin on the bench right beside the ck-haired attendant.

    "...hmm...? Is that the due observation fee?"

    *rustle*

    Zoemi hummed nonchntly picking up the coin and putting it up to his face to enjoy it glistening in the sun while the bush trembled from embarrassment.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "After you snuck into my room the as time, I was expecting you to be more daring. Honestly, I was looking forward to some fun requests~ s... I guess that if you want to just watch me then that''s it."

    The boy sighed with disappointment while pocketing the coin without even ncing at the bush behind him.

    *rustle* *rustle*

    Said bush shook frantically once more and a trembling hand emerged from within with another silver coin.

    This time the coin was not left by Zoemi''s side, instead, it was kept in the trembling hand an inch away from Zoemi''s thigh.

    "What''s this~?"

    The attendant asked yfully and reached out, but instead of just picking the coin he grabbed the girl''s wrist and brushed his thumb against the side of her hand.

    "...!" *nk*

    The hand ¨C and of course girl whose hand it was ¨C flinched and dropped the coin, but the ck-haired boy didn''t let her retract back into the bush and instead intertwined their fingers while continuing to softly brush the side of her hand with his thumb.

    "Now, now. You have paid for a request. You didn''t specify what request exactly, so that means you wanted me to take the initiative~"

    Zoemi exined in a hushed voice keenly surveilling the surroundings with his enhanced senses to make sure that his little fun time would not be discovered.

    "Now then... a silver coin gets you..."

    The boy hummed and leaned down slightly while raising his and Teofee''s hands to...

    *chuu*

    Lightly kiss the fingernail of the girl''s index finger.

    *chuu* *chuu*

    ...then her knuckle, and then her hand...

    ...all while sensing how fast Teofee''s heartbeat has be...

    "...Z-Zoemi..."

    "Aaaand time''s out~!"

    The hiding girl muttered in a feeble voice but right at that very moment Zoemi let go of her hand and stood up, dering with a smug expression before walking over to the other attendants to join in on instructing the young Rothillis.

    Teofee didn''t follow him and instead stayed in the bushes observing the four attendants all the way until they all got back into the dormitory building in time to prepare their masters lunches.

    Zoemi prepared one more portion. Despite being a prince, the second prince Surou didn''t have an attendant by his side during his stay in the academy ¨C once again a rather tant showcase of favoritism disyed by the queen.

    The ck-haired boy didn''t mind at all, after all, it was amusing watching Kierul doing her best to keep her distance from the blue-haired boy despite her affection for him growing with each day.

    Honestly, it was adorable~

    But of all things, to think that Kierul liked meek boys that sometimes cried when their emotions got too strong was out of Zoemi''s expectations.

    Nheless, the ns for the lunch were clear ¨C if the weather would allow it, a pic under the tree by the pond in the back of the Academy.

    And considering that Zoemi spent most of the morning outside and confirmed not a single cloud in sight, the n was a go~

    Therefore, the ck-haired boy was on his way to the cozy romantic spot holding a full pic basket in one hand and a pic nket in the other for a few minutes before recess.

    Zoemi finished the preparation and nodded to himself in content ¨C the only part missing was a certain pair of red and blue disposition...

    "...of which... what happened to the younger youngdy Taran? I haven''t seen her at all today. Like what, now both student supervisors for the second year are gone... will the teachers appoint someone else?"

    "...?"

    A few second-year students who seemed to have ended the lecture earlier were walking towards the training ground when one of them spoke out trying to act nonchntly, getting Zoemi''s attention with how badly she was hiding her real intentions.

    "No. I''ve seen her during breakfast. I asked her why did she start skipping lectures but she only shrugged it off as doing her duties and patrolling the perimeter."

    "Patrolling? Why? Do we have some delinquents in our year that sneak out of the lectures to mess around?"

    Her friend shook her head and another one added in surprise.

    "..."

    Zoemi raised his brows and acted as if he was too busy checking the pic setup to be bothered by the conversation of the passing students...

    "She''s missing lectures just to stalk me and is lying about it being a part of her duties... that girl is something else, huh...?"

    He muttered to himself while expanding his surveince radius by activating thew of Sagittarius without speaking out its name to check whether Teofee was around.

 Chapter 744 253 - Attempt (Part 1)

    The second-year student supervisor wasn''t nearby and Zoemi didn''t bother to pinpoint her location as it must have been inside the Academy building amongst the dozens of other people...

    "...weren''t notified about your arrival."

    "I apologize for the rush but his highness personally asked for his second son''s presence."

    ...but what the ck-haired boy did pick out quite easily were the voices of one of the teachers talking with an unknown man ¨C who, by the sounds he was making while walking, was armored from head to toe.

    "...interesting... and ill-timed..."

    Zoemi muttered to himself looking towards the direction the voices were located while Kierul and Surou showed up on the path to the pic spot.

    The scarred attendant was going to enjoy the sight of affection not meant to flourish with his master and the second prince but apparently that little amusement, just like the romance of two cunning characters with their own separate ns for their future, was not meant to be.

    "Greetings, your highness."

    "Hello, Zoemi, thank you for excellent service as always."

    Even so, the ck-haired boy couldn''t forget about a proper greeting and the blue-haired prince returned the short nod with a smile.

    "Zoemi, what''s with that look in your eyes? Did someone get on your bad side?"

    The attendant might have acted calm but his master was both keen-eyed and attentive so she asked as her expression darkened ¨C just as if she expected that the little joy of eating together with Surou will be taken away from her.

    "Mydy, it seems that a member of the King''s Guard arrived at the Academy grounds to pick up his highness, prince Surou. The teacher is guiding him right now and they should be here within a few minutes or less."

    Zoemi reported as he intended to from the very start, putting his right hand to his chest and lowering his gaze with a disappointed face.

    "...oh... ehem... I see."

    Kierul flinched and for a moment she made a really sad expression, but pulled herself together a momentter and nodded with grace.

    "Someone from the King''s guard is here to pick me up you say? That sounds wrong."

    "...?"

    But to the surprise of both the master and the attendant the second prince furrowed his brows and shook his head decisively.

    "I mean, it might be someone else wearing heavy magic armor and working under the royal order..."

    "No, Zoemi. It literally can''t be."

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head a bit and hinted but the blue-haired prince shook his head with a serious expression denying it.

    "Why is that, my prince?"

    Kierul raised her hand and put her index finger on her lip, speaking out with hesitation.

    "I am not as strong as the first prince so it would be easy to assassinate me by any light magician impersonating a member of the King''s Guard. His majesty the king would always without fail have a wind magician contact and inform me prior via the message spell about someone arriving to pick me up. Although that is a secret that only the king, the queen''s mother, and I know about."

    Surou revealed, breathing out and looking at both Kierul and Zoemi with a forced smile.

    "..."

    "..."

    The master and the attendant immediately tensed up and their expressions grew grim.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I... I mean... there is a chance it was an emergency or something...!"

    The second prince certainly didn''t expect the two to react like that. It seemed he was prepared to answer at least a few questions stemming from the doubt and the immediate reaction that at least looked likeplete trust and readiness to take the preventive measures caused the blue-haired boy to be bashful. He even used one of the questions he was prepared to answer in order to bring down the tension.

    But his stuttering brought out the exact opposite effect.

    Zoemi cracked his knuckles while staring toward the buildings like a hawk waiting for its prey to show up while Kierul activated her enchantments.

    "...we will protect you, so don''t worry..."

    "Y-youngdy Helterose... that''s not what I...!"

    The red-haired girl turned her head away so the second prince would not see her face and murmured reassuringly, causing the blue-haired boy to gasp while blushing.

    "...wha...?"

    Then Surou closed his mouth as Kierul reached out to the side without looking and took his hand.

    "I know."

    The red-haired girl nodded, lightly squeezing the blue-haired boy''s hand...

    "The students told the teacher guiding our guest our location... were you seriously boasting about eating together in the most romantic spot...?"

    "!!!"

    "Well... not really... I only said that it''s a beautiful spot, haha... haaa..."

    Zoemi spoke up, startling his master into taking her hand away, and looked away even more intensely while the second prince let out an embarrassedugh.

    |Hmph~ that''s how you bring down the tension~|

    Zoemi snickered to himself while ncing at his master and the second prince.

    "Hmph. Someone sounds confident enough to mess with his master."

    Kierul scoffed, took a deep breath, and turned around to re at her attendant.

    "I do, actually. But judging by your tone you don''t quite like that, mydy..."

    Zoemi nodded with a shameless indifference but then furrowed his brows knowing that the red-haired girl would not leave it at that...

    "Then when our prince will confirm that the visitor you talk about is not who he ims to be you will apprehend him without using thew of Aquarius, won''t you? After all, you are so full of yourself~"

    "..."

    Kierul shook her head to get rid of the strands of hair that got on her face and motioned at Zoemi with her chin, challenging and stunning him for a moment.

    The master and the attendant began ring at each other and the atmosphere became even heavier than before...

    "Hold on...! I don''t want to intrude on the hierarchy between you two but I know enough about star powers to know that thew of Aquarius can empty the mana reservoir of most magicians instantly, causing mana depletion. That would be a perfect pacification method...!"

    The blue-haired prince raised his hands and spoke nervously looking between Kierul and Zoemi trying to appease them both while using a reasonable argument.

 Chapter 745 253 - Attempt (Part 2)

    "Because, if that person ims to be a part of the King''s Guard then they must have at least be a light magician. How is Zoemi supposed to capture them without getting rid of their mana and disabling the teleportation spell?"

    Surou said convincingly, thinking that he talks to a pair of reasonable people.

    "Violence."

    "Violence."

    "...wha...?"

    The red-haired girl and the ck-haired boy answered him almost at the same time with the exact same solution, causing the second prince to instinctively take a step back.

    "When inflicted with enough pain, even the noble magicians revert back to their instincts. The teleportation spell is an advanced one, many light magicians can''t master it at all. If their guts are about to spill out of their abdomen most choose the most basic spell that saved their skin numerous times before ¨C enchantments. And that refers to most attribute users capable of using the physical enchantments, not just light magicians."

    "..."

    Zoemi faced the second prince and exined with a polite smile ¨C which only made him seem more intimidating.

    "Haaah? That sound''s as if you are epting the challenge."

    Kieruls re hardened and she protectively stepped in front of the blue-haired prince and scoffed at her attendant.

    "Because I am epting it. My. Lady."

    Zoemi straightened his back and grinned maliciously while tilting his head, looking down on the unaffected red-haired girl.

    The master and servant were having the most unusual confrontation considering the nature of their rtionship.

    As the two were butting heads while the troubled second prince tried to calm them down the foretold armored man with his helmet''s vizor closed led by an elderly brown-haired teacher emerged from the building and stepped onto the path leading towards the romantic spot...

    "He doesn''t look too pressed for time, but his heartbeat got faster as he spotted our prince."

    Zoemi stepped away from his master and reported, turning towards the iing people.

    "His body temperature is quite high, he must be getting quite stressed out."

    Kierul nodded in confirmation as her eyes glistened like rubies.

    "Prince, don''t worry. Even when my overconfident attendant fails, I will definitely protect you."

    "HEY!"

    The red-haired girl breathed out and assured Surou and her face turned slightly pink ¨C while the ck-haired attendant gasped, deeply offended about theck of faith from his master.

    "There you are, student Bellcephora!"

    The approaching teacher called out to the second prince, relieved that she found him.

    "...hmmm? What is going on here student Helterose? Why do you have your enchantments active?"

    The brown-haired teacher furrowed her brows and scolded Kierul.

    "I''m merely practicing the efficient use of it. I''ve heard that our kingdom''s soldiers are capable of using their enchantments even after losing consciousness so I am trying to figure out how they do it and replicate it, teacher Auequas."

    The red-haired girl didn''t even bat an eye when she lied straight to the brown-haired woman''s face.

    "Oh~? That''s indeed true, they do teach that to the magic soldiers in the army... I didn''t know that you are interested in..."

    "Ekhem!"

    The answer that Kierul came up with caused the elderly woman''s approach to changepletely but she got interrupted by the armored man''s fake cough.

    "Right, right. Excuse me for getting distracted. Proceed with your duties."

    The elderly teacher stopped herself and nodded before stepping to the side as if conceding the spotlight to the impatient man.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Prince, I am from the King''s Guard and have been ordered by his majesty King Rozulius Rezulius Bellcephora to bring you back into the royal castle because of an urgent business."

    "..."

    The armored man skipped the greeting and went straight to business which caused even the brown-haired teacher''s expression to grow cold...

    "...who do you think you are, speaking to the kingdom of Bellcephora''s prince like that...?"

    Kierul went a step further than the elderly teacher and asked in a threateningly quiet voice straight up ring at the armored man.

    "Right back at you, Miss. Who are you to speak like that to me? Don''t you know that the members of the King''s Guard don''t need to bow their heads in front of anyone except the current monarch?"

    "...!"

    The supposed member of the King''s Guard scoffed proudly in the face of the red-haired girl ¨C but by responding in such a way he messed up royally, causing the elderly woman by his side to tense up in realization.

    "..."

    Teacher Auequas nced toward the two students and the scarred attendant before activating her enchantments in silence ¨C causing Kierul to smirk cheekily.

    "Is that so? Pardon this little girl''sck of basic knowledge, kind sir~"

    The red-haired girl lowered her head and snickered so that the armored man could not see her expression.

    "That''s right~! Now then. Prince,e with me. I shall teleport you straight to the royal castle."

    The armored man swole up with confidence, magnanimously giving a short nod of approval too satisfied with what he in his hubris mistook for respect.

    "..."

    "..."

    By this point it was over for him, Zoemi sought eye contact with the brown-haired teacher and when the elderly woman noticed his gaze he nced towards the armored man and blinked - to which she nodded.

    "Of course."

    The second prince agreed to the armored man''s request but didn''t move even an inch.

    "Good, thene take my ha..."

    "But first please show me your face."

    The armored man let out a satisfied scoff while beckoning the blue-haired boy ¨C but Surou interrupted him with an innocent smile.

    "I... a what...?"

    The armored man froze up and asked in disbelief.

    "Your face. You didn''t introduce yourself but the least you could do is show me your face. After all, I do know all of the current members of the King''s Guard."

    "..."

    The second prince repeated himself and then added with a smile while the armored man stood there in silence while clenching his fists.

    "Although we can skip on that, can''t we? After all, you are not from the King''s Guard."

    Surou continued with a light shrug.

    "Oh, and for your information ¨C the members of the King''s Guard don''t need to kneel in front of anyone other than the current monarch. Only that. The proper greeting is still necessary."

    "COME HERE YOU BRAT!"

    Within the next heartbeat after the second prince''s remark, the armored man lost it and roared while charging straight at the blue-haired boy!

 Chapter 746 253 - Attempt (Part 3)

    "STONE WALL!"

    "!!!"

    *RUMBLE* *WHAM*

    The first one to react was the elderly teacher, she raised her hand and clench it into a fist and at hermand, the ground under the armored man''s feet trembled and a vice-grip-like rock formation shot up like a maw of a monster and encased the fake knight.

    "GET THE PRINCE OUT OF HERE AND CALL THE OTHER TEACHERS!"

    Teacher Auequas roared getting the attention of everyone outside the Academy and dormitory buildings, knowing full well that her spell wouldn''t be able to block a light magician in an enchanted armor for long...

    "...ou..."

    And she was right as the muffled voice of an unharmed but enraged man was already bing audible from the binding of the cold stone...

    *CRUSH*

    "OLD BIIIIIIIIIITCH!"

    The next moment the rock formation burst open as the armored man basking in the golden light of the light enchantments broke through with a curse.

    "...!"

    Zoemi was already in front of Kierul and Surou but the red-haired girl grabbed and hugged the blue-haired boy tightly, protecting him with her own body while pushing down his head to her chest with a furious expression directed toward the enraged intruder.

    The armored man in dirty enchanted armor dented just the tiniest bit and reached out his hand towards the brown-haired woman and the specks of light flickered within his palm as he gathered mana...

    *CREAAAAK* *CRUNCH* *SPLURT*

    *WOOOOOOOOM*

    But the ray of light shot up straight into the sky instead of the elderly teacher''s face right after the ck-haired attendant stabbed his fingers through the armor and into the intruder''s flesh and twisted his arm together with the metal, wringing it out like a wet rag and unleashing a fountain of blood spraying out of the cracks in the ripped metal.

    "Wh-wha-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...!"

    For a duration of a single heartbeat, the armored man had no idea why was he bent in half facing the ground but soon enough the sensation of his flesh and bones being torn apart in a gruesome and failed attempt of fusing it with the enchanted armor and he let out a desperate howl of pain.

    "See? He doesn''t even consider teleporting! VIRGO!"

    Zoemiughed through his teeth, locking the man''s head under his other arm and calling out the name of the star power he decided to use instead of thew of Aquarius.

    Quite the funniest part of the situation was that the ck-haired attendant wasn''t having trouble with holding the armored man down ¨C the most difficult part for him was not killing his captive identally by using too much strength.

    "YOUUUUUU! YOU LITTLE FUCKER!"

    "!!!"

    But amid the struggle, Zoemi underestimated the tenacity of his opponent.

    He expected the armored man to try teleporting away, but instead, the severely injured man reached out his free hand blindly and the light flickered in his palm and...

    ...HE HAD A CLEAR SHOT ON KIERUL AND SUROU...!

    "DON''T YOU FUCKING DA...!"

    Zoemi growled, picking up the armored man and rising him in the air just to drop him onto his knee but he still was toote and the beam of light would shoot out uninterrupted...!

    AND KERUL WAS PREPARED FOR IT!

    The moment that the red-haired girl noticed the armored man reaching out towards her she began twisting her body reaching out with her right hand¨C the light of the fire enchantments on her forearm and hand condensed and formed opaque lines on top of her skin, immediately changing color from red to orange.

    *WHOOOO-*

    *KA-CHANK* *-OOOOOM*

    *WHAM*

    As the beam shot out of the armored man''s palm, Kierul''s arm was already swinging ¨C the ray of light hit against the top of the red-haired girl''s hand ¨C AND WAS DEFLECTED BY THE MOST DISRESPECTFUL SLAP AND DISAPPEARED HIGH ABOVE THE ACADEMY''S BUILDINGS WITHOUT HARMING A THING, just as the armored man''s stomach met Zoemi''s knee with a loud sound.

    "GU-HUAGH!"

    The light magician groaned and lost consciousness from the force of the hit, hanging down limply under Zoemi''s arm.

    "Hmph. See? You failed the challenge~"

    Kierul smirked, scoffing at her attendant with a satisfied expression while still firmly keeping the second prince smushed against her body as the light of her enchantments faded away.

    The chaos that ensued immediately afterward would be more appropriate if the kidnapping turned assassination attempt ended up with sess.

    The students began shouting in panic and confusion, some of them didn''t understand the situation and misunderstood the whole thing, then more teachers showed up only adding to the panic...

    ? "SILENCE!"

    ...that was subdued by the roar of teacher Auequas.

    "Student Bellcephora, I take full responsibility for what just happened. I failed to recognize the danger in time and would not be able to protect you if not for the aid of your two friends."

    "...I-it''s not your fault, teacher! After all members of the King''s Guard showed up for the first prince in a very simr manner before!"

    The elderly woman lowered bowed her head to the blue-haired boy who hurriedly pulled away from the red-haired girl ¨C the girl whose corners of mouth dropped down for a split second as she couldn''t stop the upset expression from appearing on her face ¨C and hurriedly shook his head and hands to stop the brown-haired woman from ming herself.

    "Thank you for your kind words, but I should be more vignt. The years of living in peace have dulled my intuition. I will make sure that all the perpetrators involved will suffer the consequences. I swear on the name of the Aurquas family."

    Teacher Auequas bowed her head even lower and assured.

    "I take our word for it, teacher."

    Surou''s expression became calm and he agreed with an approving nod.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Student Helterose, thank you for protecting your fellow student when I failed."

    "What I did was the least a noble should do. I do not require praise for protecting a member of our kingdom''s royal family."

    Then, the brown-haired woman turned to Kierul and bowed to her too apologizing and thanking her, but the red-haired girl dismissed her words with a proud scoff.

    "Young martial artist..."

    "...?"

    At least the elderly woman turned to the ck-haired attendant, surprising him with how polite she was ¨C especially in the way she addressed him. After all, she knew he was essentially a servant without a surname.

    "I do have a question about the challenge..."

    "...!"

    Teacher Auequas furrowed her brows causing the boy to avert his gaze in embarrassment...

    "...but I can''t argue with the result. Could you do me a favor and help carry this individual to the dungeon and assure me that he will stay there? You can stop him from teleporting away by using thew of Virgo, can you not?"

    The woman''s expression softened and she asked in a much warmer voice.

    "Yes,dy Auequas."

    "Good. Follow me. And you, Shuze, tell the headmistress that I invite her to the dungeon for a little talk with our criminal. Her spells mighte in handy in case he won''t be too cooperative."

    The ck-haired boy nodded and picked up the unconscious intruder like a sack of potatoes while the brown-haired woman nodded to him and then called out to another teacher - an elderly man with golden hair.

    "...tsk... to be an errand boy at my age... what is this worlding to...?"

    Teacher Shuze rolled his eyes but ended up disappearing with a sh of light right afterining.

    ------

    "...that was an experience..."

    The door leading to the dungeon opened and the ck-haired boy emerged from the inside, breathing out after shaking his head to the sides like a wet dog.

    "You got him to talk?"

    "..."

    As Zoemi closed the door it turned out that Kierul was hiding beside it, and the red-haired girl asked her attendant who closed his mouth and straightened his back.

    "Oh, he was telling us stuff no one even asked him. Let me tell you ¨C I do not want to be on the opposite end ofdy Auequas''s interrogation methods, that''s for sure."

    The ck-haired boy scoffed and dered while pointing at the closed door with his thumb.

    "Good to know, well then?"

    Kierul nodded with understanding and started walking and her attendant joined her without any encouragement needed.

    "Oh, you would not believe~! Yantherol Parrats, younger brother of the current head of the Parrats family~!"

    "Are we thinking about the same Parrats family...?"

    Zoemi livened up and chuckled making his master raise her brows in surprise at the revtion.

    "Yes. He is your dear friend Senria''s uncle~ A pathetic excuse for a noble who participated in the selection for the King''s Guard but never quite made the cut and decided to invest his talents and time in paid foreign affairs~! Mostly by the Atreterve nation."

    The attendant cheered, throwing his hands up for the better effect.

    "Well, that''s certainly a way to screw over your entire bloodline. The attempted kidnapping of royalty is already bad enough but that moron tried to kill prince Surou. Was there a n of some sort or was it supposed to be a demonstration of some sort?"

    Kierul scoffed, mentioning the obvious consequences of such a grave crime.

    "It appears that the original intention was to kidnap the second prince to put our kingdom in the spot. They wanted to use him to weaken the position of the royal family ¨C ording to Yanthenrol''s words, the Atreterve nation would propose some outrageous conditions that the kingdom of Bellcephora would have to abide by for the second prince to live. If the king would agree, most nobles would be outraged at the ruler who cannot sacrifice a single person for the good of the entire nation... Oh, but do you want to know the cherry on top? When the ransom would be paid the second prince was supposed to be returned, but dead."

    "..."

    The ck-haired attendant revealed cutting off the funny act and became serious while the red-haired girl listened in silence.

    "As you can see, our prince was never meant to stay alive that''s why when we put our hired insurgent on the spot he was willing to hasten the n on his own.... with that in mind, I don''t think you will find it surprising that the magic examination for the first year students will happen tomorrow ¨C the announcement will be madeter today."

    The boy shrugged his shoulder before adding.

    "That''s what I thought. Now then, escort me to the ssroom, would you."

    "Of course."

    Kierul nodded with an unhappy sigh and her attendant offered her his arm.

    "You know, circumstances can change, you are quite the cunning girl, why not adjust them to better fit what you want?"

    After turning the corner and finding themselves in another empty hallway, the ck-haired boy said with a worried look in his eyes.

    "..."

    ...but Kierul didn''t react...

    "If you ask me, the second prince likes you, and if you are still worried about him not wanting to be chained down to a big family - thanks to us the Helterose family is just a shadow of its former..."

    "...he pulled away from me as soon as it was safe, no hesitation or anything. I don''t think he likes me anywhere near as much as you believe..."

    "...oh..."

    The red-haired girl said with an upset look in her eyes and the conversation ended right there.

 Chapter 747 254 - Built Different (Part 1)

    Zoemi woke up on his double bed and looked at the ceiling with a grim expression. Kierul was upset ¨C she was straight-up sad about the whole thing with the second prince.

    In Zoemi''s opinion, it would be better to actually test the water first before assuming anything, but as much as he didn''t want to admit it openly, Kierul had better intuition than him and was leagues better than him in terms of nning things ahead and also figuring out other people intentions...

    Still, she did sometimes get people wrong because she expected them to not do anything outrageously stupid that would ruin their lives and then got surprised by their rashness or straight-up stupidity ¨C just as was the case with her crispy older brother.

    "...the second prince could be acting friendly with her just for the sake of future connections or simply to keep other nobles on their toes... Haaa... I shouldn''t punch through his skull before confirming it, should I...?"

    The ck-haired boy sighed in annoyance, got up, and dressed up while routinely checking on the copy he left in Aspakeony''s care.

    As it was already a tradition, the gray-haired necromancer was soundly asleep while tightly hugging his copy like a body pillow amidst the abundance of fluffy pillows and plush toys.

    *chuu~*

    Honestly? She looked so cute and defenseless that while controlling his copy, Zoemi gave the girl a little peck on the forehead...

    "...nmmmh...?"

    "...!"

    ...and then cut off the connection the moment that the girl''s eyelids trembled and she let out a cute confused voice...

    "That was nice."

    The ck-haired boy smiled softly as the murderous thoughts left his brain and he walked out of his room.

    Zoemi''s ears picked up on the usual sound of Teofee who was walking down the hallway towards him with an indifferent expression doing everything in her power to appear as if she wasn''t there for him, but that only improved the boy''s mood further~

    For just a moment Zoemi got the urge to just ghost the short brown-haired girl and leave his astral projection behind to see her reaction...

    "...?"

    "...!"

    ...but that thought disappeared when he merely looked back towards the exit door of the dormitory building as he heard someone outside and that move that could be misunderstood as Teofee being an unpleasant sight caused the girl to tremble and lower her head.

    |What am I supposed to do? Her attempt at being expressionless but still ending up really expressive is just too cute...!|

    The ck-haired boy groaned to himself before summoning a gentle smile on his scarred face and putting his right hand to his heart.

    "Good morning, Miss patron~ It''s nice to see you. I hope you will call upon my service soon~"

    "...ah...!"

    Zoemi called out and Teofee flinched and let out a short gasp before her indifferent expression got ruined by a lovely blush.

    "Indeed. Good morning."

    Nheless, the brown-haired girl made an attempt to recover and didn''t even stutter while returning the greeting.

    Teofee stopped to talk and Zoemi politely did the same thing.

    "I have heard about yesterday... You did a good job."

    The brown-haired girl did her best to look up at the ck-haired boy while keeping an expressionless face even though her voice shook a little bit.

    "Oh, not at all, actually ¨C I failed the challenge that my master gave me. If it wasn''t for her the consequences would be terrible."

    Teofee thought it would be a good idea to prise the feat of capturing the criminal who tired to take the second prince''s life but because she learned about the whole thing secondhand, she wasn''t aware of the detail greatly bothered Zoemi.

    "Eh? But..."

    "I underestimated the opponent which was a stupid mistake that should have never happened. I had ways to make it work, but I failed."

    Teofee gasped in confusion, tilting her head while Zoemi shrugged his shoulders, looking to the sides with a bitter expression.

    "Wait... I didn''t mean to...!"

    The short girl tensed up in worry realizing the drop in the ck-haired boy''s mood ¨C which he picked up on without fail.

    "Ah~ I am upset~ So upset in fact that only tender caress of money could soothe my damaged soul~"

    Zoemi lowered his head and put his palm in the middle of his chest, speaking in a somber voice but even then he would end his sentences quite yfully.

    He acted, badly, on purpose ¨C with tricks like that, it really was the fooled party''s fault to fall for it...

    "If only you had a wish that I couldplete and get thepensation for... yes, that would definitely help me feel better~!"

    Zoemi added tilting his head and looking at Teofee while presenting his better profile.

    "...!"

    The shockingly naive brown-haired girl flinched and began rummaging through her pockets in a hurry...

    "~!"

    Soon enough she found and retrieved a coin purse and despite keeping up the expressionless face the aura of satisfaction was oozing out of her every pore.

    "...wh-what you would be willing to do for... this much...?"

    After a moment of hesitation and counting the coins, Teofee asked without raising her head, putting out her hands, and presenting Zoemi with the whole purse.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy frowned and lowered his hands, looking down at the brown-haired girl with quite a strict expression.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...haaa..."

    She wasn''t showing any signs of thinking over her actions and remained in the same position no matter how long the silence between the two of themsted, which resulted in Zoemi letting out a disapproving sight.

    "Seriously, you are barking up the wrong tree."

    "Eh...?"

    The ck-haired attendant groaned while taking a step forward, grabbing the girl''s wrists with one hand while taking the coin purse out of her hands with the outer ¨C and causing her to let out a confused gasp.

    *thump*

    Zoemi went a step further and pushed the girl back against the wall while pinning her hands over her head and leaning down to re into her eyes from up close.

    "If you want to purchase my affection, do not try to make me want to protect you. How could you be so naive? What if I took the money and left right now saying that this was the service?"

    He scolded her, shaking his head in annoyance...

    "...I... I would go bring you more money...?"

    "...what...?"

    But the answer that Teofee gave him managed to actually stun him baffled on the spot.

    "Tsk...!"

    Zoemi looked into her eyes but there was no regret, remorse, or shame in them ¨C honestly, at that moment Teofee was truly unteasable so the whole act the ck-haired boy was pulling stopped being any fun for him.

    "Okay, fine. Your choice."

    He then shrugged his shoulders and let go of her, pulling away with a grumpy expression, feeling as if he lost a toy.

    He did pocket the whole coin purse ¨C if he wasn''t having fun, at least he was getting something out of it.

    "Thank you for the service...! H-have a good day...!"

    Freed Teofee bowed towards his back and started walking away, suddenly changing her destination and going towards the back exit close to Zoemi''s room instead of the main part of the Dormitory building.

    "..."

    Zoemi looked over his shoulder, ring, and witnessed the brown-haired girl didn''t just walk but frolicked in tion.

    ...which gave him a strong urge to feel petty...

    Very petty.

    *rustle*

    "...e-eh...?!"

    So when Teofee threw her hands up in a silent cheer just before reaching for the door handle, she suddenly found herself captured again.

    Both of her wrists were captured securely by strong hands,rger than her own and she felt someone''s closeness on her back.

    When she turned around to face the audacious person...

    *slrp*

    "A-nghya...!"

    Her earlobe got nibbled on sending chills down her spine and forcing quite a loud moan out of her mouth.

    "Oh? Your ears are surprisingly weak~!"

    "Nnngh...!"

    The pleasant low voice reverberated by the sensitive area causing her to squirm subconsciously.

    "S-sir Zoe-MIHIHIGHNNNMHnnn...!"

    Teofee asked quite shocked but then her voice rose into another moan as her ear was licked and then nibbled on again, this time more aggressively.

    "H...hwghy...?"

    She yelped pathetically feeling her legs turn weak and her bofy burning up... at that point, her ear felt scalding...!

    "I don''t mind receiving tips, but I decided that you offered me too much money ¨C so as a righteous professional with high standards I am providing the additional service."

    "You don''t hyew tohwoOOO-MMMMMGHHHHH!"

    Zoemi murmured into her ear before relentlessly teasing it forcing the girl to falter and loose all of her power while her heartbeat increased so much that it felt as if her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

    "Awhuuul... I haw duties... I will bhe schoolded aghain...MNGGGHH...!"

    *click*

    Teofee tried toin but Zoemi didn''t stop lovingly abusing her ear she suddenly tensed up, ass her body arched uncontrobly and she moaned through her teeth...

    "...eh...?"

    ...right in time for a pale-gold-haired first-year student to open the exit door that Teofee and Zoemi were in front of, caused the idental witness to let out a shocked voice...

 Chapter 748 254 - Built Different (Part 2)

    "I...! I''m sorry for distu...!"

    *SLURP*

    "Stop right there! Don''t worry ¨C she is paying me for doing that to her."

    The pale-gold-haired girl became flustered and her face turnedpletely red, she began to back off not angry but very embarrassed ¨C but before she could escape after apologizing, Zoemi pulled off his mouth from Teofee''s ear and dered in a strict and serious voice.

    "Y-YES! Eh...? Wait... what...?"

    The first-year student who thought that she walked in on a pair of lovers straightened her back and called out after being shouted at... before realizing that there was something wrong with what she just heard...

    "This lonelydy has paid me for helping her relieve the stress. Being the student''s supervisor is quite an important role and she has her own studies to take care of. People like that often fall asleep before they are able to recharge ¨C hence my role. See how she is positively glowing?"

    "...mmnh..."

    Zoemi exined calmly, wrapping one arm around Teofee''s waist and propping her up, and caressing her chin to showcase her face basking in the afterglow.

    "I... I see...?"

    The pale-gold-haired girl put both hands to her face, backing off while covering but the ck-haired ¨C and hearted ¨C attendant''s words made her stop and nod.

    Were such servicesmon? Was... was she the odd one for reacting like that...? Her family was in decline and their standard of living was even lower than some of the wealthymoners so maybe it was something that she missed... If that''s the case then wasn''t she the odd one for acting so embarrassed? Was she outing herself as a country bumpkin?! If the word of it got out, wouldn''t her fiance be disillusioned about her?! He already was too good for her but acted as if it was the other way around... wouldn''t something like that cause them to grow apart even further? Their engagement might have been arranged, but she took a liking to him since they began exchanging letters...!

    ...such thoughts invaded the head of the pale-god-haired girl...

    "Oh... o-of course, that''s apletely normal thing to do, I know that...!"

    The flustered girl really tried her hardest to act as if seeing people make out in the middle of a hallway waspletely natural.

    "Thank you for the hard work. Lady Taran, see you at breakfast."

    The pale-gold-haired girl took all of her courage and nodded at the ck-haired attendant and then made eye contact with the hazy-eyed student supervisor before she hurriedly walked past them and ran away as fast as she could in order to get to her room and scream into the pillow from the raging embarrassment that she felt.

    "...that was one naive girl, don''t you think...?"

    Zoemi looked after the escaping first-year student and raised his brows shocked at her reaction, before returning to the Teofee gasping for air.

    "You said that you have duties and you will be scolded if you don''t see to them, but you are in no state to do them...."

    Zoemi smiled at Teofee and yfully leaned down as if he intended to kiss her ¨C the brown-haired girl seemed to think that it would happen and she leaned forward to meet his mouth but...

    "Nuh-uh~ That service costs extra~"

    The ck-haired boy hummed and blocked the girl''s lips with two fingers.

    "I will contact the headmaster that you are unavable today... I don''t know where your room is and have my own duties so how about I let you rest in my room for a bit? After you will feel better you will return on your own~"

    "...eh...?"

    Zoemi decided and picked up Teofee, putting her over his shoulder as if she was a sack of potatoes.

    "W-whait... but..."

    *smack*

    "Ng-yaaah?!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The brown-haired girl tried to talk it out but got silenced by a p on her derriere that sent jolts through her entire body.

    "That girl seemed innocent enough to be too ashamed to spread any rumors even after she saw us, but let me tell you this ¨C if you want to keep your reputation intact, you shouldply with my proposition."

    "...nnn...?"

    Zoemi sighed and exined while returning to his room.

    *rustle*

    "Gyaaah?!"

    "See you~"

    When he approached his bed, he unceremoniously dropped the girl onto the mattress and left with a short goodbye.

    "...h-hey...! Wait a.... nnnh..."

    Teofee tried to get up and stop him, but she couldn''t put any strength in her legs so she merely flopped on the bed and yelped.

    "Hmph... why would my reputation be damaged just by others seeing him carry me to my..."

    Giving up on the chase and epting her fate Teofee grumbled and rolled on the bed.

    She looked down at her clothes wondering whether the answer to that question was her disheveled clothes and... she found the answer.

    She was wearing a male school uniform out ofmodity.

    That in and of itself would not affect anything ¨C male clothing was always Teofee''s go-to choice of the wardrobe as she simply hated the draft on her legs and the tightness of stockings ¨C the problem was that excessive moisture would always show clearly on the fabric the Aspakeony Academy''s uniform was made of.

    ...and a certain area of Teofee''s pants was damp, it was so bad that the discoloration was reaching down her thighs...

    "..."

    The brown-haired girl froze in ce staring at her lower half in disbelief.

    Slowly, her face was getting redder until it was almost glowing like a red lightbulb...

    "!!!" *rustle*

    Teofee''s reaction was dyed, but she ended up throwing herself wildly on the bed until she bounded herself up in the sheets like a protective cocoon.

    Zoemi, on the other hand, reached the kitchen and began the preparation. As he returned to the counter with the ingredients he was intending to use for his master''s meal he spotted two out of three attendants that he befriended the other day.

    The tall Lithfreid and the youngest Rothillis.

    "Morning~!"

    So the ck-haired boy invited himself to a spot next to them~

    "Ey-hey! Zoemi! A bitter than usual I see."

    "G-good morning!"

    Both the brown-haired man and the ck-haired boy responded initially surprised.

 Chapter 749 254 - Built Different (Part 3)

    "Oh, a working man cannot miss the chance to make some business~!" *ching* *cha-ching*

    Zoemi smirked at Lithfreid and retrieved Teofee''s purse from his pocket before shaking it while wiggling his brows triumphantly.

    "Yoooo! Talk about putting your money where your mouth is! Youngdies are into edgy guys so those exposed teeth must drive them crazy! I remember the times when I was around your age and roping in thedies in their early twenties thanks to acting like a charming thug!"

    "...!"

    The man sped his hands together andughed ¨C surprisingly causing Rothilis to block his own ears.

    "...?"

    "...?"

    Both Lithfreid and Zoemi exchanged confused nces before looking back at the youngest boy.

    "...umm... sorry ¨C Inviderie always covers my ears when Lithfreid talks about his past so I thought that I shouldn''t... be... hearing... it..."

    The young attendant lowered his hands and exined while gettingpletely red from embarrassment and exined in quiet voice.

    "Pffft...!"

    "Thfahahahaha! What a sweetheart, I can''t...!"

    "H-hey...!"

    Zoemi snorted and Lithfreidughed openly causing the boy to get flustered even more and call out.

    "Speaking of Invi, he''s also runningte?"

    Zoemi changed the subject to let the younger boy recover someposure.

    "His master showed symptoms of a cold and Invi nursed him through the night in order to make sure that he would be able to perform well during the magic examination, and our friend ended up getting sick himself. But speaking about that ursed examination, what the hell is the Academy thinking? Suddenly changing the date of something so important! My young master got a stomachache when he saw the announcement!"

    Lithfreid exined before furrowing his brows andining.

    "They must have their reasons."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders ¨C it would be incredibly dumb of him to reveal the secret information right there... actually, it would be dumb of him to reveal it at all, so he just kept quiet.

    "Big brother is also worried..."

    Rothilis lowered his head and muttered while returning to buttering the bread for the sandwiches.

    "Big brother?"

    "I-I mean, master!"

    Lithfreid raised his brow and looked at the younger boy, making him flinch and hurriedly correct the way he addressed his employer.

    No matter how close a rtionship the attendant and master could have, in public the attendant should always speak about their master with respect ¨C that was one of the important rules of the profession.

    "Master wants to show that he is worthy of his fiance. He is worried, but I think he has no reason to be! Master is a transcended wind magician and youngdy Espine is absent, so he will take first ce amongst the wind magicians for sure!"

    Rothilis corrected his mishap and added while clenching his fists greatly invested in the magic examination.

    "Is there even a need for him to show off? He is literally stronger than his fiance even though she is a light magician. Not to mention your family is waaaay wealthier than hers... shouldn''t she be the one wanting to impress him?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lithfreid furrowed his brows while scrambling eggs and sprinkling them with salt.

    "No, but... their family name is higher on thedder though? Big br... master always says that youngdy and her younger sister grew up in luxury and that''s why we should work hard to impress them and... I... I...!"

    Rothilis furrowed his brows and said in an anxious voice before his hand froze over the sliced tomatoes as he realized that he had said too much... awfully too much...

    " ...please forget what I just said...!"

    The young boy panicked, turning towards the two older attendants and bowed deeply towards them while pleading with a pale face.

    "Hmm? Sorry, I was too focused on the eggs, you said something?"

    "Pass me the pepper, please~"

    "...whew... yes! Here~!"

    Lithfreid and Zoemi did the right thing and acted as if they missed the whole thing, causing Rothilis to breathe out in relief and happily pass the spice to the scarred boy.

    As the trio was done with cooking, they all left the kitchen together chatting. It was quite a refreshing experience so Zoemi took the longer route again so they could walk together a bit longer.

    "Ah~! Master is still training! I go to him, bye-bye!"They were in the main hall when Rothilis gasped and cheered out while looking at one of the windows and hurried towards the exit instead of the boy''s part of the building.

    "Huh, he''s a good kid."

    "A bit too carefree though."

    Zoemi smirked softly looking at the younger boy struggling to open the door with his elbow before leaving the building and happily calling out to a green-haired first-year student ¨C Lithfreid nodded but also sighed with a worried frown.

    "You do realize what their family is trying to pull off, right?"

    The man asked giving the ck-haired boy a side nce.

    "If the family that his big brother''s fiance is from has only her and that younger sister as their heirs then Rothilis''s family is aiming to strengthen their social position. Rothilis''s master is already engaged to the older daughter and in due time their family will arrange an engagement between Rothilis and the younger daughter assuring that they will get everything. The fiancee''s family might be poor now but it also sounds as if they are proud. In their conceit lingering since the times when they were powerful, they might have not sold anynd and buildings they inherited from the past generations and the other family is aiming for that. Even a barren plot ofnd might be turned into profit if it''s in a good location... How would you score my answer?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and said with an indifferent expression before looking at Lithfreid.

    "A rich lonelydy past her prime ready to shower me with money out of ten."

    "...you have a peculiar way of seeing the world..."

    The brown-haired man nodded with approval causing the younger attendant to shake his head taken aback by the evaluation result.

    "To each their own. See youter, Zoe~!"

    "Have a good day~"

    The two attendants couldn''t continue walking together as their destinations were at opposite parts of the building so they said their farewells and parted ways.

    "...that does give me an idea..."

    After a few moments, Zoemi muttered to himself standing in front of Kierul''s door.

    *click*

    Only a secondter his copy opened the door from the inside and let him in.

 Chapter 750 255 - Magic Examination (Prelude)

    Kierul was still asleep ¨C or rather she was very convincingly acting as if she was still asleep. The dark circles under her eyes revealed that she didn''t actually get any rest ¨C most likely bothered by the one-sided love...

    ...but she would never admit that something so trivially illogical would bother her...

    Now, what kind of attendant would leave their master to their troubles without even trying to help?

    "Good morning, Kierul~"

    Zoemi''s copy dissipated into silver mist and the original one left the tray with food on the desk while calling out to his master softly.

    "..."

    The red-haired girl didn''t react whatsoever and her chest was raising and falling to the rhythm of her calm breaths.

    "I know that you don''t want to bother getting up because the fire attribute first-years will be tested second tost so there''s plenty of time to snooze..."

    Zoemi said in a yful tone while entering the girl''s bathroom and turning on the water to fill the bathtub.

    "...but I want to try something. I have a little n in mind and I think it''s quite good~"

    He added while observing the water level rising and testing the temperature with one hand.

    "...what kind of n...?"

    Kierul didn''t get up, she didn''t bother to roll to the side of the bed to peek at the preparations her ck-haired attendant was doing ¨C instead, she just mumbled under her nose acting half-asleep knowing that Zoemi will pick on her words anyway.

    Now was the crucial moment ¨C if the ck-haired boy would just say something like ''checking if the second prince Surou had feelings for you or not'' the red-haired girl would immediately refuse the cooperation.

    All in all, Kierul should figure out what was the hidden agenda of the n, but she would ept it if the side objectives were beneficial enough.

    "Our prince feels a bit toofortable with you around, maybe even using you as a method to keep other nobles away... but that''s not exactly good, is it~?"

    "...mhmm..."

    The scarred attendant hummed while sprinkling a few drops of perfume into the water before pulling out and setting up a fresh set of towels... and smirking at the awkward mumble.

    Satisfied with the preparation, Zoemi returned to the room standing over Kierul''s bed.

    The nket was covering only one of the girl''s legs so it wasn''t a problem to excavate her ¨C the ck-haired attendant leaned down and gently picked up his master into a princess carry.

    "...haaaa... Zoemi... I don''t feel like ying your games. Put me back down and tell me more details."

    The red-haired girl was stubborn ¨C she decided to sleep so she wouldn''t even open her eyes in the arms of her attendant.

    She did sound a little bit annoyed though, although that might have been because she was cranky because of theck of sleep...

    "While his older brother is absent, our prince will try to make himself seem more approachable and open-hearted so he will definitely spectate everyone''s examination before and after his own turn, starting from the shadow magicians..."

    Zoemi said ignoring the first order and instead carrying his master to the bathroom.

    "Make''s sense... but you know about it because...?"

    "Because he inquired a teacher whether it is okay security-wise. That teacher asked the headmistress and sheined about it while getting pampered by my copy~"

    The red-haired girl muttered and asked as her eyelids remained shut to which the ck-haired boy responded with a proud hum,

    "...okay... what do you want me to do with that information...? Don''t tell me you just want me to show up there bright and early and join him? Now that would just be..."

    "~!"

    *SPLASH*

    Kierul sighed in a tired voice and furrowed her brows, slowly opening her eyes just so she could re at her attendant ¨C who grinned at her maliciously and unceremoniously dropped her into the bathtub.

    "GABFHH-GBLGAH...! OH YOU... PTFHGH...! OH YOU, FUCKER, YOU DID NOT JUST DO THAT!"

    Kierul sshed around raging in fury, she inhaled some water and almost coughed her lungs out but she still roared at the audacious attendant.

    "No. There''s no need for you to apany our prince. My n requires you to show up in the very middle of the wind magicians'' time slot."

    "THEN WHY ARE YOU THROWING ME OUT OF BED SO EARLY?!"

    Zoemi calmly turned his head from left to right and informed his enraged master that stood up in the knee-deep bathwater while soaking wet with her pajama sticking closely to her body.

    "Because we need to make you look stunning and beauty takes time and effort. Bathe, rx a bit, and I''ll see you in a few minutes."

    The outburst of anger didn''t affect the ck-haired boy at all and he merely bowed toward the red-haired girl and left her in the bathroom.

    "YOU ARE MESSED UP IN THE HEAD, YOU KNOW THAT?! YOU FUCKER, YOU WILL HAVE TO CLEAN THIS ALL UP!"

    *SQUELCH*

    Kierul roared after her attendant when he left her alone ¨C then she removed her wet pajamas and threw them at the door with a wet noise.

    "Duh~"

    "!!!"

    But the red-haired girl''s rage was ridiculed by a confident scoffing from her bedroom, causing her to freeze up ¨C the ridiculous dismissiveness of the ck-haired boy threw her off so much that the anger evaporated from her body in an instant.

    She wanted to be angry, but she could no longer be.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Hmph."

    Kierul ended up scoffing and removed her underwear before submerging herself in the bath.

    "Hmm...? tsk... he is way too good at his job..."

    ...she frowned when she realized that despite her sshing around like crazy after being dropped into it, the level of the water in the bathtub was just perfect...

    Kierul finished bathing and let the bathroom wrapped into a towel... and then proceeded to throw said towel to the side while taking and putting on the underwear that Zoemi prepared for him in the meantime.

    *rustle*

    "...?!"

    She was reaching for her school uniform but then got captured in a white sheet all of a sudden.

    "The clothes can wait. Let''s get started."

    The person who entrapped her in white fabric was none other than her attendant- when her head to face him she was greeted by a devilish smirk, moved, and then sat on the chair by the desk.

    "I will do your hair first so go ahead and eat."

    Zoemi allowed her benevolently while pulling up his sleeves and dual-wielded ab and a hairbrush.

    When the ck-haired boy said that preparations will take time, he was not joking, Kierul didn''t remember spending so much time in a chair getting her face covered in various beauty products even for her birthday parties back in the day.

    She once again wanted to be angry and annoyed, but her attendant was skillful with his hands and him massaging in some ointments and tonicks into her face was quite rxing- regrettably so.

    Kierul lost her sense of time and felt so at ease and rxed that she was about to doze off in bliss...

    "..."

    Of course, that wasn''t the case for Zoemi, the scarred attendant''s hand stopped mid-air as he was about to put some finishing touches with the lip gloss and he turned his head towards the bedroom''s window.

    "They are going t it faster than I expected. Time to raise and shine like a star~"

    "Mhmm... Eh...?"

    The ck-haired boy nodded to himself and finished applying the cosmetic, winking at the red-haired girl who jolted herself awake.

    "We should consider altering your uniform, recing ck with red would work out insanely good for you."

    Zoemimented while handing Kierul her school uniform piece by piece.

    "Alright. Ready. Tell me more about that n of yours."

    Kierul made sure that every piece of her attire is perfect and motioned benevolently at her attendant with her chin.

    "It''s simple. We will go watch the magic examination, and greet the second prince making sure that he sees you at your best, then, we will sit at an appropriate distance away from him, close enough to be considered an ally but far enough for others to realize there is a distance between you two.."

    "Sounds simple... and ineffective."

    The attendant revealed and the master immediately expressed her discontent.

    "...and then you will cheer for a random wind magician, making it look like your looks and early arrival was there for him ¨C oh, it needs to be male to push the message through. We, guys, are dumb like that, after all."

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy wasn''t finished though, and his next words made Kierul frown.

    "...thank you for caring about me so much, but give it a rest, he will not react the way you hope..."

    The red-haired girl lowered her head and looked away, letting out a short tired sigh.

    "..."

    Zoemi wanted to say a lot of things, but instead closed his mouth and waited ¨C just like him before, Kierul wasn''t finished talking.

    "...but... if I pick someone from a family that''s in the first prince fraction, then it would be effective for a different reason. I approve of your n."

    "Thank you for your open-mindedness, mydy~"

    Kierul turned around catching the glimpse of her own reflection and straightening her back with quite a vicious smile to which her attendant responded with a polite bow and an evil grin.

    "Just in case - in an oue when you are correct about the second prince''s reaction... I ask for you to lift the ban on teasing him."

    As the two of them were readying to go out, Zoemi suddenly asked.

    "...depends... what kind of teasing you are talking about...?"

    Kierul hesitated and put a strand of her curled hair behind her ear.

    "Nothing that would impair his academic endeavors. Just breaking his legs."

    "No!"

    The scarred attendant shrugged his shoulders and smiled innocently causing his master to tense up and refuse him on the spot.

 Chapter 751 255 - Magic Examination (Part 1)

    Surou Delche Bellcephora, the second prince of the Bellcephora kingdom spent his morning in the back of the Academy building where the Academy''s staff set up the equipment necessary for the proper magic examination.

    He, of course, didn''t just watch them work, he stayed to observe every first-year student undertaking the examination.

    Everyone was nervous ¨C both the teachers and the students ¨C magic examination should not happen so soon and definitely not all of a sudden. Usually, the preparations wouldst a week before everything was ready.

    Nheless, for the second prince, it was the prime asion to put his face out there.

    After all, the queen mother would always put Horeo up front often straight up ignoring him, Surou, the child of the first queen born after she was sent away from the royal castle. There was never a chance for the younger boy topete against his brother on equal footing.

    That''s why he needed to be creative while not showing any weakness to other nobles ¨C that one was a must. Being seen as a puppet was a one-way ticket to getting assassinated after the first attempt to think on his own.

    The proper bnce between appearing exploitable and appearing to have some brain on his own had to be kept at all times.

    If he had the magic abilityparable to Horeo things could be different but now his best bet was doing the thing we were now...

    Watching the magic examination and wearing a mask of confidence while getting desperate for recognition...

    It was annoying, really. Given even less than half the opportunities his pride and arrogance-filled older brother was presented with he would have long secured himself the title of the crown prince.

    ...those kinds of spiteful thoughts were usually sitting in the back of Surou''s mind and poison his day - but surprisingly enough, on the day he was putting himself on a shameful disy like some trained monster ying tricks at the vige fair, his thoughts were somewhere else...

    |Miss Helterose must hate me... did she notice my body''s reaction to the hug...? If I didn''t get away I would have lost any self-control...|

    The second prince thought to himself getting embarrassed while recording the previous day''s events...

    "..."

    ...and the memory of Kierul''s softness caused him to change the way he was sitting...

    |I made the correct judgment but I should apologize to her anyway... I don''t want any bad blood between us, she is so prideful that I might have offended her... that would be so bad... she appears to be someone I could trust.., No, I need to focus. I already recognized that I have a crush on her, I can''t act like some dog in a rut now! I have to properly discern her worth as my ally without the bias of something as unstable and illogical as love!|

    Surou reaffirmed himself and continued watching the examiners.

    Shadows magicians were quite good ¨C having to rely on copied spells made them quite creative some even showcased spells that werebinations of two separate spells ¨C amongst them was a daughter of a family that did not support the first prince so Surou made sure to call out to her and praise her for the creativity.

    The only two darkness magicians were cautious and hesitant which told the second prince that they both could use more than they showed but were too scared of hurting themselves in the process.

    |...they can at least hide in their shadows...|

    Surou squinted his eyes and thought after watching the darkness magicians one after the other cut the close-range target to ribbons with their darkness des.

    Unfortunately, both of them were from the lower noble families that openly boasted about their support for the first prince Horeo, so Surou only nodded them approvingly when their eyes identally met.

    The earth magicians all showed a solid performance, no surprises there ¨C but there were a few that approached the second prince after they were done and both sides had some short polite conversations. Overall not bad ¨C the earth magicians were possibly the most underestimated ones considering how useful their magic was and Surou could easily connect with them.

    Speaking of connections, it was the turn of wind magicians to disy their abilities.

    They were actually the group that Surou paid the most attention ¨C the message spell was not to be underestimated and the second prince was not someone to overlook it.

    But then... something happened.

    It wasn''t that anything went wrong or the blue-haired prince made any mistakes, it''s just that.

    Someone showed up.

    Followed by her monstrously powerful ck-haired martial artist of an attendant walked she ¨C Kierul Berra Helterose.

    She looked... different...

    Surou felt as if he was hit over the head by a sledgehammer and the thoughts about interacting with wind magicians were crushed out of existence by the visage of the red-haired girl casually putting a strand of curled hair behind her ear in a natural gesture of devastating effect.

    "...the descent of the goddess..."

    Surou muttered not even realizing it himself and before he knew it he was already walking towards her as if drawn by some invisible force.

    "Youngdy Kierul...!"

    The blue-haired boy wasn''tpletely out of it, he had some remains of reasoning hanging out by a thread, so he managed to greet the red-haired girl in a remarkably normal although too loud way.

    "Greetings, prince Surou."

    Kierul responded without acting even a little bit surprised ¨C at least on the outside ¨C she curtsied splendidly and granted the second prince the privilege of seeing her soft smile.

    |...huh... I wonder if my n is even necessary at this point...?|

    Zoemi wondered while putting his right hand to his heart and bowing his head a full inch and a half toward the blue-haired boy while carefully observing his expression.

    "Mydy, your highness, the examination continues."

    "...!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ah...! You''re correct... thank you, Zoemi."

    The ck-haired boy pointed out in a calm voice ¨C his master flinched and looked the other way while the second prince gulped down his saliva and nodded.

    "Mydy, if you allow..."

    ...and then Surou did something unexpected ¨C he offered his arm to Kierul...

    Just like that.

    There weren''t a lot of students gathered there as most would just show up for their own examination and at moste to watch their close friends, but there were still enough of them there to start a rumor.

    "..."

    Kierul seemed to freeze up for a moment with her eyes glued to Surou''s arm.

    But in her case that wasn''t caused by being love-struck, instead, it was something more akin to anger.

    ~What the fuck is this idiot doing in public?!~

    Kierul turned to her attendant and mouthed in while her eyes were burning with fury.

    To that, Zoemi could only shrug his shoulders and shake his head with a troubled expression.

    "Thank you, your highness, but don''t worry about me. I came here to spectate on my own so the two of us should do just that. Separately."

    "!!!"

    The red-haired girl spoke so coldly as if she was an ice magician using a spell and walked past the stunned blue-haired prince.

    "...what is that guy thinking...?! He is smarter than that...!"

    When Zoemi caught up with Kierul he heard her mumbling furiously under her breath, greatly upset.

    "Well, for once I believe that we can throw the theory about him not liking you -like that- in the trash."

    The scarred attendant leaned in and whispered, tilting his head from side to side with a cheeky smile.

    "What?!"

    "...what...?"

    Kierul didn''t just flinch ¨C she basically jumped up in shock and gasped causing Zoemi to back off and asked back in confusion.

    "What are you talking about? He is just trying to make others recognize him ¨C basically, all wind magicians from our yeare from families supporting his brother and don''t pay attention to him so he wants to use the shock factor to get into their heads!"

    Kierul dered giving a rather good and well-thought argument that fit logically into the situation...

    "Yeah, no ¨C I''ve seen this guy, his acting is nowhere near that level."

    The scarred attendant waved his hand decisively while refuting the conclusion that his master came to.

    "No. He definitely is doing what I just said! Otherwise, it would mean that..."

    Kierul shook her head refusing to consider Zoemi''s words but then her eyes met the longing look that Surou was giving her from his spot and her confidence wavered.

    "N-no...! We barely met! Think about it logically! Besides, I am going to stick to the n!"

    The red-haired girl became flustered and turned away decisively almost stomping her foot.

    The for putting her words into action was perfect too ¨C a green-haired boy had his mana reservoir measured and was walking towards the first practice target where he would unleash his magic.

    He looked serious and focused and was from the family that supported the first prince Horeo the most among the lower nobles.

    "Good luck!" "G-good l-lu... eh...?"

    Kierul pulled herself together and called out benevolently ¨C identally shouting over a blushing pale-gold-haired girl who gathered her courage and tried o cheer on the green-haired boy in a weak voice.

    "Eh? E-eeehhh...?"

    The pale-gold-haired girl gasped and looked at the indifferent Kierul with the eyes of a timid housewife seeing her husband''s secret lover who also was leagues prettier than her.

    "Hmmm?"

    The red-haired girl noticed the whimper and turned toward the trembling pale-gold-haired girl, raising her brow in confusion...

    "Ah...! I...! No, but he is m-mi...!"

    The timid light magician tried to speak up but could not even dream of meeting the intense gaze of Kierul''s fiery eyes so she ended up turning around and fleeing with her head down and her tail between her legs.

 Chapter 752 255 - Magic Examination (Part 2)

    "...hold on..."

    Kierul furrowed her brows and looked between the escaping girl and the shocked green-haired boy who was more stunned than anyone else after being cheered on by the youngdy Helterose.

    "Oh... Oh, shit... Zoemi, I think that was his fiancee...!"

    The red-haired girl realized and made an awkward expression while leaning her head towards the ck-haired boy.

    "Mhmm, yeah... But on a more important matter, if the looks could kill that unfortunate wind magician would drop dead on the spot... I hope we didn''t stir up more shit than necessary..."

    Zoemi nodded dismissively, more focused on the second prince who was clenching his teeth so hard that he could crush them at any moment ¨C all while ring at thepletely innocent examinee who ended up as an unknowing participant in Zoemi''s n...

    "Proceed with the short-range test."

    "Ah...! Yes, teacher Shuze!"

    The elderly gold-haired teacher sitting with two other teachers by the examiners'' table rolled his eyes and called out, causing the green-haired boy to straighten his back and turned to the dummy d in the enchanted armor.

    "Wind de!"

    The boy called and the vertical green line appeared in the air in front of him.

    "Release!" *WHOOSH*

    At hismand, the line arched and shot out, hitting against the armor and causing the metal to dent in ¨C the device hidden inside of the armor released an orange light, a sign that if it was against an actual opponent, the spell would deal a serious wound very much likely to distract or even incapacitate the target.

    "Ooohhh!"

    "As expected of a transcended wind magician!"

    The present students let out excited gasps and even the three judges ¨C the gold-haired elderly man, lord Shuze, the elderly brown-haired woman,dy Auequas, and the middle-aged red-haired man, lord Ikarveth ¨C nodded with approval while taking notes. After all, the wind magicians shone the brightest when ites to the utility of their spells ¨C and normally didn''t boast too much destructive power.

    "Wind bullet barrage!"

    The green-haired boy repeated the spell aiming towards the short-range target ¨C this time there was a bit more of a wind-up ¨C there was no line but instead, the air in front of him trembled as if hit by a heatwave.

    "Release!" *WHOOSH*x12 *CLANG*x12

    The boy unleashed the spell, causing countless green spheres to materialize within the trembling air and shoot at the target ¨C every single air bullet concentrated on the same spot andbined caused quite the indentation at the center of the magic armor ¨C the device hidden behind the enchanted metal released the orange light just like the previous target.

    "My, my...!"

    Teacher Auequas stroke her chin while raising her brows, pleasantly surprised.

    The examinee was holding back and carefully adjusting his strength thinking ahead to show the best of his ability ¨C exactly what he was supposed to do.

    After all, if he could get an orange light from a short-range target then he should be able to get the red light - instant death ¨C from the closebat one.

    But he held back.

    "...he is aiming for the orange light to the middle-range target, isn''t he? Cheeky boy~!"

    The brown-haired woman smiled approvingly and whispered to the gold-haired man by her side.

    "Maybe even yellow for the long-range one, technically he should be able to push himself enough..."

    Teacher Shuze responded, squinting his eyes while observing the green-haired boy who was taking a deep breath while going for the next target.

    "Wind de...!"

    The examinee called out putting his hand forward and focusing.

    The green line appeared in the air in front of him just like the first time he used it but this time instead of staying dormant until the release of the spell it was trembling, as if boiling over itself ¨C the small air quake also appeared around it.

    "Release!" *WHOOOOSH* *SHING*

    The boy called out and the wind de shot out, cutting through the air and releasing the sound just like an actual de.

    The spell hit the target ¨C most students did not see whether there was a dent in the armor or not, but what everyone could clearly see was the orange glow lighting up the chestpiece from the inside.

    "Incredible! B... master, you are amazing!"

    "Hmm? Oh!"

    Amongst the cheering people, Zoemi picked up on a familiar voice and when he looked in that direction he spotted the young ck-haired, Rothilis, cheering on the green-haired examinee.

    Zoemi never asked any of the three attendants that he befriended about their masters or the names of the families they are serving, so he was quite interested to learn about this, a rather interesting coincidence.

    After all, it would mean that the pale-gold-haired girl that Kierul confirmed to be the green-haired boy''s fiancee was the same person who saw Zoemi y around with Teofee in the morning...

    |This surely won''t develop into a troublesome situation, will it...?|

    The scarred attendant thought to himself while the examinee was aiming at the long-range target, biting his lips.

    The green-haired boy was doing his best to stay calm, he had more mana than an average wind magician but that also meant that the mana depletion would be worse for him than the others, and there were both defense and utility parts to the magic examination waiting for him. If he aimed for the top spot he could not just exhaust himself on the first part.

    "Wind de!"

    He called out in a louder voice than before ¨C simrly, the air quake that the activation of his spell caused was bigger and made his silhouette distorted for everyone watching.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "RELEASE!" *WHOOOOOOSH* *SHING*

    The green-haired boy roared and the spellunched, slicing through the air locked-in on the longe-range target.

    "Oh...?!"

    The red-haired teacher let out an expectant voice and leaned forward to have a better look at the spell, but...

    *puff*

    "...!"

    Although the green crescent did reach the target, it barely washed over the enchanted armor before turning into green particles. The device within the armor did release the light ¨C but it was white ¨C contact with an offensive spell but no damage at all.

    "It''s still impressive that it reached the long-range target at all."

    "True."

    Teacher Ikarveth pointed out while leaning back into his seat and teacher Auequas agreed with him

    "..."

    While examiners talked to each other and made notes the green-haired boy lowered his head and looked away from the other students in shame.

    He could do another attempt and get the yellow light out of the dummy, but then he would risk his performance for the other parts of the examination.

    "Do you want to try that again...?"

    "...!"

    The gold-haired teacher asked, causing the boy to flinch.

    "N-no. That''s all I want to show."

    The boy faced the examiners and bowed his head while calling it quits for the offense exam, trying to make a good impression.

    After confirming it with the teachers, he left the examination grounds without looking around.

    It was a good thing because he didn''t notice all the daggers that the second prince Surou was staring at him.

    "...was... was he supposed to be on the stronger side? He was so wasteful with his mana though... I have seen bandits use mana more efficiently..."

    "...!"

    Kierul furrowed her brows leaning towards her attendant and whispering in disappointment... doing so, she didn''t notice Surou perking up and ncing her way as if he heard a part of her sentence.

    The blue-haired prince hurriedly looked away but made an expression as if he was thinking intensely about something.

    It was an interesting reaction but Zoemi decided to not point it out in hopes of it developing into something even more amusing.

    "Lack of experience. Remember most people that we had the displeasure of encountering were much older than him and were more experienced inbat, hence the difference."

    ...so that was what he said to his master instead...

    "Pretty pathetic if you ask me. He just pped a lot more mana into the basic spell and called it a day. Worst of all, he concentrated on the secondary quality of the wind magic! What, is he aiming to be an assassin? Why cutting instead of blowing away?"

    "...pfft...!"

    The red-haired girlined, crossing her arms with an angry expression making her ck-haired attendant snort unable to hold back.

    Then, Zoemi stepped behind her and reached out to her head ¨C ending up massaging her temples.

    "Rx, Kierul. I know what you are thinking ¨C what kind of cozy life did this guy have until now, if he was in my ce he would be long dead!"

    The ck-haired boy smiled while speaking softly in a calm voice continuing the massage.

    "...yeah... it''s unlike me to get worked up over something like that..."

    "Oh? Not at all ¨C you might try to act like you are above the rest, but you are just as impulsive and emotional as every other fire magician~"

    The red-haired girl breathed out and rolled her eyes slightly disappointed in herself ¨C but then Zoemi snickered at her instead.

    "Shut up! Who asked?!"

    Kierul scoffed in embarrassment and decisively shook Zoemi away.

    "Anyway! What''s the next n about your ''brilliant'' n?"

    The girl scoffed at her attendant.

    "...well... nothing. We just stay here and watch the rest of the examination until it''s your turn."

    The ck-haired boy stepped to the side and shrugged his shoulders.

    The truth was he originally intended Kierul to return to the building and only return for a moment when the second prince would take the exam to keep up the appearance and make sure that his jealousy would be maxed out... but that definitely was a bad idea now.

    After all, going even a step further would cause the second prince to actually develop a grudge against the innocent green-haired boy Kierul picked randomly.

 Chapter 753 255 - Magic Examination (Part 3)

    The rest of the wind magicians didn''te even close to the unfortunate boy whom Kierul picked for Zoem''s n.

    Actually, the first two water magicians weren''t any better either. The first one got yellow light out of the medium-range target and his water spear flopped to the ground a good few feet before the long-range one, and as for the other one, she got white light out of the medium-range target and didn''t even try the long-range one ¨C which actually was a bit below the average when ites to the level that water magicians should present...

    ...although both of them managed to get the red light out of the closebat dummies ¨C after all, the piercing power of their attribute was only second to the darkness de of darkness magicians.

    But ¨C with both of them out of the way, it was the turn for the second prince.

    Surou Delche Bellcephora.

    The prince was on the examination grounds all along, but still, he didn''t approach the judges'' table to get his mana measured.

    Instead, he turned towards Kierul and Zoemi and approached them ¨C though only one of them was there in his eyes.

    "Mydy. Please watch me."

    The second prince bowed his head and asked with a serious face.

    He didn''t have to say that ¨C it was obvious that Kierul who stayed there for the wind magicians and the first two water magicians would not suddenly turn around and disrespect the royalty.

    But he did say it anyway, and honestly, Zoemi was blown away.

    He didn''t even have to look at his master to know her reaction, after all, he could clearly hear her heartbeat elerating to its limits.

    |That cheeky guy...|

    The ck-haired boy thought barely able to hold back an excited grin.

    Even if it was by an ident, he was just ticking all the boxes in Kierul''s list of traits she liked in another person.

    The blue-haired prince shouldn''t know that yet, but if he made a fool out of himself or failed to achieve what he wants and would tear up defeated, he would stir up the sadistic nerve that the red-haired girl had in her... which would be good...

    But not as good as if he would actually show something good.

    By any chance, if Surou would be reliable in her eyes, then by that point even if Zoemi actively tried to pull Kierul away from him, it would be impossible.

    As for the girl''s response...

    "...!"

    For a second she seemed abashed and she lowered her gaze while raising her hand to her mouth ¨C but that gesture was only done so she could partially hide the grin that was blooming on her face.

    A person she liked was trying to impress her ¨C even if she didn''t believe in him having feelings for her, that was still something a girl in love could not ignore.

    "I will, my prince."

    The red-haired girl took a deep breath and responded, lowering her head even more while curtsying.

    After hearing her words, the second prince nodded to her and walked to the examiners.

    "Student Bellcephora, put your hand over the device."

    The gold-haired teacher told him while pointing at the modern artifact on the table.

    The Blue-haired boy did as he was told and the device lit up.

    "The perfectly average amount of mana for a water magician. Thank you. Proceed to the dummies."

    The teacher nodded while he and the other two teachers noted something on their papers.

    "Of course."

    Surou nodded and walked to the brand-new close-range target.

    "Water spout."

    "...?"

    The second prince said sternly, surprising basically everyone present, and used the most basic of basic spells avable for water magicians ¨C just like the name suggested he created a water spout bursting from the tip of his index finger.

    It was a useful spell... useful utility spell that is. It had no ce in the office part of the magic examination though.

    It looked as if the blue-haired boy was aware of that as well since he didn''t turn the spell at the target.

    But then...

    "Gem cutter." *PSHHHHHHH*

    Surou added another spell on top of the first one, turning the lousy water spout into hair-breadth''s thin highly pressured jet that was stirring up the ground despite the height at which the blue-haired boy was keeping his hand.

    "..." *PSHHHHHH*

    Surou furrowed his brows, focusing and moving his hands almost lightheartedly, with no strength in the swing ¨C he merely moved it across the armor...

    *ng*

    "!!!"

    That instantly released a bright red light as the upper part slid down on the diagonal cut, cleanly bisected ¨C turning everyone ¨C including Kierul and Zoemi ¨C speechless.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Surou didn''t even nce toward the judges, but he did sneak a peek at Kierul as he deactivated the destructive spell and clenched his fists prepared to push through.

    The blue-haired boy moved on to the short-range target.

    "Water spear."

    This time there was nothing surprising about the choice of spell ¨C but once the spell itself condensed itself next to its caster, it did look slightly out of the norm.

    Despite keeping its spear-like shape, it appeared to be a stretched-out whirlpool, constantly swirling around itself instead of being crystal-clear as it should be.

    Depending on the spot it hit, from that range, the damage that could be done in perfect conditions was between the yellow and orange light, so from light to serious wound or incapacitation.

    But when Surou waved his hand, forcing the spell to move...

    *THUNK*

    It pierced through the enchanted armor getting halfway stuck in it ¨C of course, with something like that the light that the device inside of the dummy produced could only be red ¨C instant death.

    "Student Bellcephora. Come back here for a moment."

    The middle-aged red-haired teacher called out to the second prince who was just adjusting his position to aim at the middle-ranged target.

    "...? Of course."

    Surou frowned not really fancying having to break his concentration, but he did approach the examiners'' table and waited for further instructions.

    "Put your hand over the artifact again."

    Teacher Ikarveth asked, sliding the mana measuring device towards the blue-haired student.

    "..."

    "..."

    Without knowing about it, both Surou and Kierul frowned and their gaze grew cold.

    Some of the students might not understand what was going on because the teacher didn''t say it outright, but the second prince just got used of cheating by using an artifact to get better results.

    Simply put, it was outrageous.

    Teacher Ikarveth was good with making connections and ttering the right students amongst whom many already had taken high positions so he must have felt confident enough to do something like that to the second prince whom the queen mother wanted others to forget.

    At least the red-haired teacher mustered the bare minimum of discretion, if he was any more clear, he would be basically attempting to shame a member of a royal family - which was a punishable offense.

    That was also why the other two teachers not only didn''t say a thing but were staring at him as if he dunked himself in a barrel of tar and rolled in feathers...

    And the elderly teacher Shuze would know how weird that would be since he did that exact activity once as a bet.

    "..."

    "..."

    Surou and teacher Ikarveth looked at each other, and the middle-aged teacher could see every bit of respect that the young student held for him evaporate, leaving only dry distaste.

    Nheless, the red-haired man wasn''t going to back off at all.

    The mana measuring device had two uses ¨C it could give a correct reading of the size of the user''s mana reservoir as a whole using the mana pool of an unawakenedmoner as a basic unit of measurement ¨C and it also could give a reading of the current level of mana stored in the user''s mana reservoir.

    Meaning ¨C if someone dared to cheat and use an artifact, they would have spent no mana at all and the reading would be used as proof.

    And in the first ce, the device was giving out both readings at the same time ¨C thanks to that all examiners were aware that at the beginning of the examination, the second prince had apletely full mana reservoir.

    Surou raised his hand and ced it over the artifact just as he did mere moments earlier, the device revealed a humming noise and...

    "..."

    Teacher Auequas gazed happened and she red at her red-haired colleague while leaning from the side of the oldest among the three of them, teacher Shuze.

    "If there are still doubts... water spear."

    The blue-haired boy shrugged his shoulder without taking his hand away from the space above the device and called out the name of the spell so that the device would signal the drop in his mana level.

    Once again it wasn''t a normal water spear but a variation, it had a much shorter piercing point that was actually a lot duller than it should be, almost more like a ball than a spike - and the overall thickness of the spear''s diameter was above the average too...

    ...it also seemed like the waterposing the spell was bubbling for some reason...

    *THUNK*

    Following the boy''s gesture the special water spear shot out at an angle ¨C it first raised and then sloped down, hitting and punching into the armor instead of stabbing into it.

    Nheless, the effect was there ¨C a clear yellow light as the left pauldron got dented suggesting that the spell would deal at least some damage to whoever would be inside the armor...

    "Expand." *PSHANG* *CLANG*

    "!!!"

    Just as most witnesses thought that any water magicians with above-average-sized mana reservoir would get a better result with just a normal water spear, and others at the level of the second prince would get the same result as him, Suroumanded and the waterprising the spherical tip of the spear turned into a vapor, increasing its volume explosively - blowing off arge chunk of the enchanted armor and turning the light from the device inside of it from yellow to red.

 Chapter 754 255 - Magic Examination (Part 4)

    "Dear heavens...!"

    All three examiners seemed to be stunned, the first to get over it was teacher Auequas ¨C the elderly woman began writing a whole lot in her note, and teacher Shuze followed her suit a secondter.

    Only teacher Ikarveth could not get over the result.

    The funniest part was that byunching the spell from the examiner''s table instead of the prepared spot, Surou increased the distance between himself and the target making the test harder for himself and still getting the best results up until that point.

    And he wasn''t done.

    The red-haired teacher must have really got under Surou''s skin with the camouged usations because the blue-haired boy didn''t move even an inch away from the examiners'' table nor did he take his hand away from the mana measuring device...

    "Name undecided."

    The blue-haired boy looked the red-haired man in the eye and smirked using a rather unique incantation.

    Despite that, the spell did form splendidly ¨C a stake-like almost solid-looking block of water, with the previously seen whirlpool raging inside of its volume...

    "Go."

    Surou moved his free hand back as if he was taking a swing and pushed his hand forward as if he wanted to physically aid the spell that was nowhere near his palm...

    *PSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    This time around the spell wasn''t quiet ¨C three jets of highly pressurized water spouted from its dull rear elerating the missile and adding a rotation, propelling it with great speed that normal water spear could not match.

    *THUNK*

    Still, the water that was spent on putting the spell into motion was getting used up so when it reached the long-range target, only the tip crushed into the center of the armor indenting it.

    The light that was produced turned out to be yellow...

    ...but the water jets that got closer to the tip the more water was used didn''t stop gushing out rotating the remains of the spell and...

    *CREAAAAAAK*

    At the final moment of the spell''s existence, the enchanted metal gave out a defeated sound and the indentation deepened, causing the light from the device inside of it to run yellow...!

    |That... should be enough...|

    Surou looked away from the speechless red-haired teacher and breathed out, thinking to himself.

    With that, the second prince managed to get a better result than the transcended wind magician who had more mana than him! And of course, the wind magician in question was the one that Kierul cheered on.

    "Go for it, your highness! Show them what you got! At least try!"

    "...!"

    At first, Surou thought it was a hallucination ¨C but when he looked in the direction the cheer came from he indeed spotted Kierul, who definitely didn''t mean to call that out loud as she herself looked shocked and covered her mouth with one hand.

    With that choice of words, she could mean only...

    |She... believes in me...?|

    The sapphire-like eyes of the second prince widened and he straightened his back.

    "Student Bellcephora, do you wish to...?"

    "Teacher, I will continue to the special target."

    The gold-haired teacher cleared his throat and asked vaguely as the sentence could go both ways, and the blue-haired boy answered in a spirited voice.

    This time Surou moved away from the examiners'' table and took the proper position.

    He squinted his eyes ¨C the special super-long-range target wasughably small from over a mile away...

    Still, reaching it at all was far the first obstacle, so he wasn''t really in a position to worry about aiming.

    "CURRENT!"

    Surou called out and waved his hand taking a swing so wide that he spun around ¨C but it wasn''t a mistake but a purposeful action ¨C as he did, all the droplets of water leftover from each and every previous spell that he used followed his motion and danced in the air.

    With the wind-up, the blue-haired boy suddenly stopped throwing his arm forward and sending the gathered water high into the sky.

    "...!"

    With that, Surou bit his lips and waited, clenching his fists while watching the trajectory that the liquid took...

    "...stu..."

    "Shut up, Ikarveth."

    It took a good few seconds if not even minutes him standingpletely still ¨C it reached the point that some of the students began murmuring amongst each other wanting their turn in the examination and even the red-haired teacher tried to say something but was silenced by a re and sharp word fromdy Auequas.

    On the other hand, Kierul and Zoemi were following the path of Surou''s spell with full attention.

    Then, finally...

    "FREEZING RAIN!"

    The second prince roared and swung both his hands toward the ground.

    At hismand, some movement happened in the distance.

    "Hoh...!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The elderly light magician gasped while his eyes shone golden with the enchantment enhancing his eyesight as he saw the droplets of an ice-cold waterfall in front and at the armor.

    "Not bad~!"

    Zoemi hummed while channeling thew of Capricorn in tandem with thew of Pisces and hearing the sound of the liquid instantly freezing the moment it came in contact with anything.

    "Th-this is...!"

    The red-haired teacher Ikarveth gasped, standing up from his seat to have a better look at the distant target.

    ...even without enchantment, it could be seen that there was a white glow sparkling from the inside of the magic armor put on the testing dummy for the super-long-ranged target...

    White light meant no damage at all... but...

    The sheer distance the spell traveled...! It was unprecedented...! Even more so considering that the magician who used the spell was perfectly average in terms of his mana capacity...!

    This didn''t make any sense, any sense at all, and should bepletely impossible with the current understanding of the workings of mana and magic...!

    "Teachers..."

    Surou let out a long sigh and almost slumped to the ground in exhaustion but he managed to stay on his feet and even approached the examiners'' table, reaching his hand over the mana measuring device that no one put away.

    "Check it, please."

    The boy asked doing his best to keep an indifferent expression even though he wanted to both cheer out... and throw up from exhaustion...

    "You have good resistance to mana depletion, student Bellcephora. Go to your friends, we don''t have anything else prepared for this part of the examination even if you wanted to attempt it."

    "Thank you, teacher Auequas..."

    The elderly brown-haired woman merely nce at the result showing by the artifact and smiled approvingly to the second prince who bowed his head slightly towards her.

    "My prince."

    "...oh...?"

    Surou felt like he was about to faint and already could tell that his legs were giving out when the scarred ck-haired attendant showed up out of nowhere and stood by his side...

    ...by both sides, actually ¨C thanks to thew of Gemini of course.

    "Allow with me."

    "You don''t have to worry about me..."

    The attendant said and the second prince tried to refuse him...

    "No, no, your highness. I am doing this for my master ¨C just look at her. If I don''t help you, she will run over and will no doubt try to carry you by herself... most likely on her back or maybe princess style."

    "...!"

    Zoemi shook his head and whispered to Surou''s ear making the blue-haired boy realize the weight of the situation.

    "I see... in such case, let''s go to her to reassure her that I am okay. Please assist me, Zoemi... Zoemis...?"

    "But of course, your highness."

    Despite getting himself a serious mana depletion the second prince made a very clear-headed choice and nodded to both the ck-haired boy and his copy getting the response from just one of them.

    "My prince, should I have my attendant escort you to your room?"

    Kierul walked a few steps to meet Surou faster and asked while taking the spot of Zoemi''s copy that dissipated into a thin silver mist.

    "I would prefer to stay here at least until you will be done with your exam... I don''t want to miss it."

    The second prince gulped time his saliva with visible difficulty and said with a weak smile.

    "It won''t be anything special anyway. You, my prince, have shown something amazing by only utilizing your creativity and understanding of your attribute, you deserve some rest, no one will dare speak against you for doing so."

    The red-haired girl shook her head and held the blue-haired boy''s arm reassuringly.

    "It''s not about others... I just want to cheer you on, just like you did for me..."

    "...!"

    Surou lowered his head, unable to properly control his emotions because of the mana depletion ¨C he got teary-eyed, and Kierul had a hard time controlling herself.

    "Okay... there aren''t many fire magicians'' in our year, and I will finish my examination as fast as possible... but even so if you start feeling worse then tell me or Zoemi immediately."

    Her logical sound won, marginally but still, and the red-haired girl agreed after putting out some conditions of her own.

    The magic examination continued, despite the amazing showcase of the potential of the water magic done by the second prince, the rest of the water magicians stayed safe and stuck to ssic spells.

    This meant that only a few even attempted to hit the long-range target and even then most failed to even reach it.

    And it was the standard long-range target, not the special super-long-range one.

    It was the other way around with the fire magicians though.

    Since the fire magic is explosive by nature the only safe option for the closebat test was punching the armor while having the fire enchantments active, and the short-range was generally skipped, with most students opting for putting their focus into middle- and long-distance.

    Some even attempted the super long-range distance but only two or three reached anywhere near the special target...

    That is until it was Kierul''s turn...

 Chapter 755 255 - Magic Examination (Part 5)

    "Student Helterose, if you will."

    The red-haired teacher called out for Kierul but the red-haired girl didn''t acknowledge either his voice or even his existence.

    Instead, she protectively stood by the pale blue-haired prince''s side while he was doing his best to look as if he wasn''t about to faint.

    "Student Helterose are you not willing to participate in the magic examination?"

    The red-haired Ikarveth raised his voice, not being able to stand being ignored by a student too well ¨C especially a student from a family in decline.

    "It''s youngdy Helterose for you."

    "Wha...?!"

    Kierul didn''t care ¨C but Zoemi on the other hand had no patience for annoyances like Ikarweth, so he red at the middle-aged man, causing him to suck in air while the man''s face was getting almost as red as his hair.

    "Zoemi, you can y with that teacherter."

    Kierul leaned to Surou''s side and said while looking at her attendant with a bothered expression.

    "Oh, it''s your turn, isn''t it, mydy...? I know you will do well...!"

    As the girl moved, the blue-haired boy flinched as if woken up from a nap and smiled weakly at her.

    "..."

    Making Kierul look more upset than she already was.

    "...my prince, you will keep your promise, right? I will be done with the examination and you will goy down."

    The red-haired girl insisted in a hushed voice so other students won''t overhear her speaking in such a way to a member of a royal family.

    "...huh...? I should... no, I mean, I promised you, so, of course, I will do just that... Don''t worry about me, mydy."

    Surou seemed to be out of it but his eyes regained some rity once he locked gazes with Kierul after which he nodded in confirmation, feeling guilty for causing such an expression to show up on the girl''s face.

    After she got the confirmation of the prince''s promise Kierul nodded at her attendant and the ck-haired boy nodded back at her before she walked over to the examiners'' table.

    Without being told to, she reached out her hand and waited for one of the teachers to push forth the mana-measuring device, which the gold-haired teacher did with an intrigued expression.

    After all, the girl had quite an interesting backstory, and more importantly she managed to deflect an attack from a light magician with only a physical enchantment.

    Such a thing would be possible for a highly trained earth magician likedy Auequas sitting to Shuze''s left, but to pull something like that while being a fire magician?

    There was little doubt in the elderly magician''s mind about youngdy Helterose being a sheltered and well-protected transcended magician... Probably not on an outrageous level of Ehmi Gamemi Victureo but maybe somewhere around the power level of duke Espine.

    That would exin the disy of defensive capabilities that were almost never seen in the fire magician''s repertoire.

    But then, when the device hummed under the red-haired girl''s hand, the reading that it showed up to all three teachers was...

    "...A-an average amount of mana for a fire magician...?!"

    "..."

    The person who shouted the result was not teacher Shuze but the red-haired teacher Ikarveth ¨C and honestly, the elderly gold-haired man breathed out in relief that he managed to keep calm and stay quiet because seeing his colleague outrage like that was quite a pathetic sight.

    "Is there a problem with the amount of mana I was born with?"

    Student Helterose raised her brow and red at the red-haired teacher as if he was one of the most disgusting things that she had the misfortune of seeing in front of her.

    "Of course not. Student Helterose, I must say that I have quite big expectations for your performance."

    Teacher Auequas shook her head and smiled at the girl, motioning her hand politely toward the targets.

    "I appreciate it, teacher, but I won''t be showing off many spells. I have an important matter to attend to."

    Kierul allowed herself a soft smile before turning her back to the teachers and going for the close-range target.

    "..."

    Standing in front of it she frowned and made a dissatisfied expression.

    She leaned to the side looking past it and her expression darkened even more.

    "That student doesn''t know her ce!"

    Ikarveth scoffed at the other teachers acting as if he had the same respect as them...

    ...and was splendidly ignored...

    "For the closebat-range, she will surely use those enchantments that she redirected a light attack, won''t she? I can''t wait~"

    "Hmm..."

    The gold-haired man hummed excitedly to the brown-haired woman who didn''t seem topletely agree with him on the matter of Kierul''s choice of spells...

    "shpoint."<novelnext></novelnext>

    ...and her doubts ended uping to fruition as the dissatisfied-looking girl breathed out annoyance and chanted dismissively without even looking at the first target...

    *^%$#*

    ...and at hermand, a blinding light engulfed the dummy donning the enchanted armor ¨C and the next moment the only trace of the target''s existence was a steaming vaguely armor-shaped enamel coating the ground in front of the red-haired girl...

    "!!!" "?!?!" "What in the...?!"

    This time it wasn''t just the red-haired man ¨C all three teachers stood up from their seats with varying degrees of shock and disbelief showing on their faces.

    "Hmph. Here."

    Without anyone asking ¨C mostly because everyone was stunned speechless by the ridiculous power of the spell ¨C Kierul walked over to the examiners and reached her hand over the mana measuring device.

    "Go on. Measure it. Although the value of mana at my disposal would not change that much."

    The student raised her head and said benevolently, looking down at the red-haired teacher in particr.

    "...that''s true... the amount of mana barely changed..."

    Teacher Shuze who was the first one to sit back down activated the device and gasped in wonder at the result he was.

    "That''s impossible! You! You must have chea...!"

    "Teacher Ikarveth. I''ve heard that you are quite the researcher... and your area of interest is increasing the mana pool a magician is born with, isn''t it?"

    The red-haired teacher seemed particrly upset about the discrepancy between the power and the mana consumption of the spell that his fellow but much younger fire magician disyed, and was raising his voice again this time with an open usation, but Kierul talked over him with a rather mocking smile.

    "What does that have to do with this situation?"

    The change in Ikarveth''s tone was instantaneous, the man''s gaze and voice became ice-cold as he asked clearly ready to pick up the gauntlet that young Helterose pped him with.

    "Nothing~ I am merely impressed that you, teacher, are so invested in helping out the magicians born with a mana reservoir much too small to allow them for casting themonly used spells. You surely must have spent a considerable amount of time researching and developing more efficient spells that focused on maximizing the spell power while decreasing the amount of mana consumed, first. Because if that''s the case then you would have no problem with epting the truth you are faced with right at this moment ¨C for which I am exceedingly grateful~"

    "...you little...!"

    The amount of sarcasm sandwich that the red-haired girl served the red-haired man could only be truly appreciated with the topping of the look in Kierul''s eyes.

    Really... some students actually thought that youngdy Helterose was seriouslyplimenting teacher Ikarveth...

    ...which made it that much harder for him tosh out in outrage...

    "I''m taking too much time anyway, I''ll be done with the next spell."

    Sessfully silencing the annoyance Kierul''s expression became serious again and she announced while ncing back towards the blue-haired prince who wasn''t swaying only because of the ck-haired attendant''s support.

    "Are you sure...?"

    "Hmm~!"

    Teacher Shuze and teacher Auequas exchanged surprised looks and one of them asked, making Kierul smirk discreetly at the misunderstanding they were having~

    The red-haired girl returned to the testing spot, but instead of standing n front of the short-range target as everyone else did, she positioned herself diagonally to it ¨C of course, while keeping the proper distance between it and herself.

    Then She reached out her right hand and locked her middle finger with her thumb as if preparing to flick somebody''s forehead ¨C only that her arm was outstretched and aiming at the middle of the enchanted armor.

    Kierul then frowned and focused.

    Her right hand started shining with the light of enchantments, but instead of the red glow emanating from the whole thing, only a few thin crimson lines appeared on her skin ¨C with the exception of the winded-up middle finger that was shining brightly in its entirety.

    *thump*

    "...?!"

    All of a sudden some unknown sound reverberated through the air confusing the onlookers, and Kierul''s middle finger turned from red to orange...

    *thump*

    Then, merely a heartbeatter the sound repeated itself and the girl''s finger turned from orange to yellow and the image of the red-haired girl itself became blurry...

    ...and it was actually impossible to say without getting closer whether it was because of the heat that the umting spell was entering or the air quake that urred because of it...

    ...most likely both...

    *THUMP*

    "!!!" "...?"

    The low sound repeated itself but this time it was more of a thunder than a hum ¨C Kierul''s finger turned from yellow to white and the reaction of every single fire magician in the vicinity caused all the others to be confused.

    The fire magicians ¨C teacher Ikarveth included ¨C were both horrified and in awe at the sight of the white light disyed by their fellow fire magician...

    "HMPH!"

    But Kierul wasn''t quite done yet ¨C she scoffed and grabbed her right arm with her left hand as if to stabilize it and then...

 Chapter 756 255 - Magic Examination (Part 6)

    *^$#$%*

    The inexplicable sound that was impossible to put into words cracked through the air and Kierul''s silhouette became aplete blur that looked just like a smudge of paint on the canvas done by an ident...

    ...and the lighting from the spot where her hand and her middle finger should be turned...

    ...blue...

    "Blue star."

    *^%$#@#$%^^%$#@#$%^&^%$#@*

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    Kierul flicked her finger and the power that she unleashed shot forward melting through the short-, middle-, and long-range targets as if there enchanted armors that dummies were wearing were nothing more than paper-thinyers of wax.

    Not just that, the concentrated ray of blue was aiming at the super-long-range target, but all of a sudden it turned white and tripled its size halfway.

    Then the ray of white swallowed the target...

    ...and turned yellow, quadrupling in volume and traveling farther and farther ¨C just to turn orange ¨C erging once more, until finally changing into a sea of crimson mes that spread throughout the vast uninhabited ins that were part of thends belonging to the Aspaekony Academy.

    "I never got any lighting from the dummies, but I hope that won''t be a problem?"

    Kierul nodded to herself and asked the teacher while putting a strand of hair behind her ear, approaching the table, and putting her hand over the mana measuring device...

    ...while the hellish mes raged in the background...

    Forget about answering the specific question ¨C both the teachers and the students gathered were petrified and unable to let out a single sound.

    "I take your silence as a yes."

    Unbothered Kierul said with a nod and left the teachers, hurrying back to the second prince''s side.

    "My prince. You promised."

    "I...okay..."

    The girl didn''t bother with any exnation whatsoever and merely insisted while grabbing a hold of the blue-haired boy''s arm and pulling him with her.

    Zoemi didn''t say a thing, not because he was stunned, but rather didn''t want to bother his master when she had a good time ¨C so instead he created a copy and sent him after the two while he, the original, stayed on the examination ground to enjoy the sight of people slowly wrapping their minds about what they just saw.

    "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?! ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?!"

    Kierul and Surou didn''t even manage to get back into the dormitory building when a gold-haired woman appeared in a sh of light, alerted andbat-ready.

    The ck-haired boy easily recognized her as Aspakeony''s corpse puppet that he was already familiar with...

    "Moxeoni~! Rx, it''s just my master getting serious because she got worried ¨C I will exin things to Aspie, so don''t worry~"

    The ck-haired boy was instantly by the light puppet''s side and reassured her while patting her shoulder...

    "What the hell do you mean by -your master getting serious?-?! What will you exin to me?!"

    "Ooohhh, I see."

    Moxeoni shouted angrily, to which Zoemi rolled his eyes and groaned in understanding.

    "I am connecting to my copy right now, Aspie, so please release the direct control over Moxeoni. Pretty please~"

    "..."

    The scarred attendant smiled reassuringly at the corpse puppet and asked the necromancer to control it directly.

    He got no response, but that was what he expected as he already began speaking with the gray-haired headmistress in person through his copy that she was wrapped around.

    "...eh...?"

    After a second or five Moxeoni flinched and looked around with confusion.

    Her gaze wandered to Zoemi but then she noticed the sea of mes in the distance and her eyes widened in shock.

    "...Zoemi...? Umm... are we a war again already...?"

    The gold-haired corpse puppet leaned in towards the ck-haired boy touching her shoulder and she asked conspicuously watching the mes rage on all the way to the horizon...

    "Not to my knowledge, no. This is simply the aftermath of the magic examination from a fire magician with an average amount of mana~!"

    Zoemi chuckled and exined loudly, making sure that none of the people present would try to say that it was just a dream or something equally detached from reality.

    "Lies."

    Moxeoni squinted her eyes and dered.

    "No. I''m actually serious... although I must say that even I didn''t know that she could push that simple spell to this extent, and yet here we are! It''s such a simple premise that I am both shocked and extremely happy that no one else has figured it out."

    Zoemi shook his head and revealed with a cheeky smile.

    "I mean, most of the magicians I met are so stubbornly boxing themselves in stereotypes and already set up framework that they don''t experiment with their spells! Not to mention how blinded they are by something so silly like the amount of mana at their disposal! Seriously ¨C I don''t have any mana but even I know that overloading a spell with loads of mana is not the only way of making it stronger!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The boy continuedughing but this time he was clearly mocking someone...

    Of course, only coincidentally, the words he said matched what Kierul said to teacher Ikarveth before.

    "All of you people try to act as if magic was something that has set and unchangeable boundaries while the only boundaries for it are the ones you set yourself~"

    The ck-haired boy added with a light shrug and looked curiously at Moxeoni.

    "Say, were you doing something that you have or want to return to or would you mind staying a bit to see the rest of the magic examination?"

    He asked out of the blue.

    "..."

    The gold-haired corpse puppet furrowed her brows and leered at him with suspicion.

    "Are you saying there are more kids with simr capabilities?"

    "Maybe~"

    She asked and the ck-haired boy hummed with an amused expression while swaying from side to side.

    "I don''t mean to burst your bubble, young one, and your,dy Moxeoni, but the magic examination will have to be postponed until we deal with the wildfire. How else are we going to rece the practice targets?"

    As it turned out, the gold-haired teacher Shuze not only stood up from his seat at the examiners'' table but also approached and was listening in to the conversation the ck-haired boy and the gold-haired corpse puppet were having.

    "True..."

    Moxeoni looked at the elderly man, then at the field of mes, and nodded ¨C but then she turned back to Zoemi and observed him attentively as if waiting for something to happen...

    "Hmm... I see. Well, I invited you to watch the magic examination so the least I can do is help it continue, right?"

    The boy gazed at her too ¨C and smiled before putting his right hand to his heart and bowing his head about an inch...

    "Capricorn." *thump*

    *RUMBLE*

    Zoemi said dismissively and stomped the ground with his heel and as a reaction to that the ground to his side turned over as if stirred up by a plow...

    The effect spread out in a cone shape pattern, getting wider and wider the more ground it covered, looking a bit like a tidal wave.

    And whenever the ground was stirred, the mes were snuffed out.

    In no time at all instead of a sea of mes, the empty plots ofnd almost reaching the horizon looked much more like fields ready to be sowed.

    *THUMP*

    "...?"

    Suddenly, a loud banging sound got the attention of the lighthearted ck-haired attendant.

    When he looked the way he saw that the brown-haired teacher Auequas mmed her hands against the examiners'' table and stood up from her seat.

    Judging by her expression, she was more than just a little bit moved about the showcase of something only the strongest transcended earth magicians could even attempt to recreate.

    "Lord Shuze, the fire is gone ¨C you will notin about the mud now, will you?"

    Still, the scarred attendant didn''t try to exin himself, not to her at least, and instead turned over to the no less stunned gold-haired teacher and asked with a polite smile.

    "That''s true..."

    The elderly man nodded and returned to his seat ¨C where he closed his eyes and within a few seconds five targets donning enchanted armors appeared at the assigned position.

    "Oh? Even young Kros tried to show off a bit too?"

    Seeing the spell performed by her fellow light attribute user, Moxeoni raised her brows and smirked.

    Truth be told, while Kierul''s outrageous spell stole the wind from the other fire magicians'' sails, Zoemi was the one to steal the show as a whole.

    In the end, Kierul did have to prepare the spell and charge it appropriately, but then her very own attendant simply stomped his foot to deal with the aftermath as if it was nothing.

    Needless to say, no one from the remaining examinees came even close ¨C neither fire magicians nor light magicians tested managed to hit the super-long-range target at all, which meant that as long as the second prince would recover enough to participate in the defense and utility testing parts of the exam he could end up cing very high in the overall ranking.

    "..."

    ...but as thest light magician, a pale-gold-haired girl that was the same one that Zoemi met in the morning and the one that ran away after Kierul cheered on her fiance was leaving the examination ground...

    ...with possibly the lowest score for any light magician in the recently recorded history of the Aspaekony Academy, by the way...

    ...the gold-haired corpse puppet slowly turned her head to the ck-haired boy with an aura of annoyance emanating from her indifferent expression.

    "I said, maybe. Remember?"

    "..."

    Zoemi pointed out while looking the other way but that only increased the pressure of the menacing aura Moxeoni was releasing.

 Chapter 757 255 - Magic Examination (Part 7)

    "I''m joking. I wanted you to wait because I wanted to show you how Ipare to magicians, so you and Aspie would have a frame of reference."

    "Oh. You could have told me from the start."

    The scarred attendant snickered and reassured the gold-haired corpse puppet who let out a soft gasp and mellowed down.

    "Esteemed teachers!"

    The three examiners were also about to leave, but Zoemi called out and jogged to them.

    "In case I picked your attention with that little earthwork, is it possible for you to provide me with a set of targets to test my own power? Preferably at a distance just like the ones for the students earlier~!"

    The boy cheered out rather lightheartedly which didn''t seem to be to teacher Ikarveth''s liking...

    "Why would we pull out more of the expensive equipment meant for measuring the elemental damage for a martial artist of all things?!"

    The red-haired man scoffed at the ck-haired boy without even trying to hide the hostility ¨C but the other two teachers didn''t seem to share his opinion...

    "Oh, if it''s elemental damage, I can do them too ~"

    "Exactly! Without that...! Huh...?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and smiled menacingly ¨C more because of his disfigured face than actual malice ¨C and teacher Ikarveth who was clearly expecting him to ept the one-sided refusal ended up nodding with confidence before freezing the moment that he realized what was actually said.

    "I can show you the elemental damage you want but done by me, a martial artist. Doesn''t that stir your curiosity? I mean, The thing I''ve done with the ground before wasn''t me just kicking the soil really hard~"

    *rumble*

    The ck-haired boy revealed while reaching his hand to the side, and as if summoned by his gesture, a spear made out of rock emerged from the ground at his feet, prime for him to grab and showcase.

    "Young Ikarveth, personally I am very interested..."

    Lady Auequas cleared her throat and spoke out with a serious expression.

    "...for example, I am interested that when speaking of elemental damage he used a plural form..."

    She added turning her gaze toward the ck-haired boy pleased by her attentiveness.

    "Indeed,dy Auequas~! And considering the protest of lord Ikarweth about the costs and my previous disy showcasing my ability to reach the super-long-range target we can forget about that one. So let''s just put in the basic close, short, middle, and long-range ones! If we do it like that, the four targets that I am asking for would be attacked by four different elements~!"

    Zoemi nodded his head unable to control his smile as he made an offer.

    "That settles it."

    "Wha...?!"

    Teacher Shuze nodded and with his gesture four enchanted-armor-donning practice targets appeared at the set distance... the red-haired man didn''t seem too pleased about it and seemed more like he was about to protest some more but...

    "Ikarweth. Sit."

    "..."

    Lady Auequas cold re and even colder voice colled off the hot-headed magician''s fighting spirit.

    "Thank you for the opportunity~! I will make it worth your time~!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Zoemi put his right hand to his heart and bowed his head about an inch towards the trio of teachers who took their ce back at the examiners'' table, and then he looked back at the gold-haired corpse puppet and winked at her.

    With the cheekiness out of the way, the ck-haired boy approached the table and reached out his hand imitating every single student during the magic examination.

    "I was under the impression that you are a martial artist...?"

    The elderly gold-haired magician asked, raising his brow at the gesture.

    "I am~ It''s just I want to make it official that I do not have a speck of mana within my body."

    Zoemi confirmed teacher Shuze''s doubts and exined himself cheerfully.

    "..."

    It wasn''t meant to be another jab at the middle-aged red-haired teacher, but judging by his expression it was definitely recognized as one...

    Nheless, the gold-haired teacher took out the device that he had already stored and ced it under the boy''s hand.

    The device came to life and released a humming sound at apletely different frequency than previously ¨C it sounded strained as if the poor thing was a water pump attempting to squeeze a drop of moisture out of a solid rock.

    "...you don''t have mana reservoir, to begin with, stop the pointless acts and just demonstrate that element control that you im to have! For once I will not believe you until I will see either water or fire!"

    Teacher Ikarweth grumbled, peeking at the result, and scolded the ck-haired boy while waving his hand as if he was chasing him off.

    "I am nning to use earth, wind, water, and fire ¨C in that order since in magic those are the most suitable attributes for each range. Please be patient with me~!"

    Zoemi wasn''t bothered at all and tilted his head to the side yfully before turning around and taking the position.

    Standing face to face with the closebat-range dummy the ck-haired boy furrowed his brows in focus until his gaze turned into a re. Then...

    *rumble* *crack*

    The soil directly under the target trembled and tentacle-like stone formations emerged from the ground slithering their way up as if they were alive.

    With the way they moved, it was impossible for them to be the result of a powerful attack just throwing them up.

    The stone vines climbed the enchanted-armor donning dummy and...

    *CREAAAK*

    Crushed it like an empty can.

    What was the most interesting thing, was the fact despite the ck-haired boy having no mana at all, the mana-measuring device inside of the destroyed armor did activate ¨C but despite the damage that was more than just deadly, the light that was released was... yellow...

    "That''s... unexpected..."

    "Oh...?!"

    Both teacher Shuze and teacher Ikarweth let out shocked gasps...

    "Don''t make faces like that. The boy didn''t create the rocks out of thin air, he used ones that were already underground and filled with mana. And the devices within armors measure the deadliness of the magic attack containing mana, not the physical damage ¨C for that we have the visuals of the armor itself."

    But then teacher Auequas nced over at her colleagues and shook her head in disbelief.

 Chapter 758 255 - Magic Examination (Season 5 ~End~)

    "Although even I am a little bit surprised, I guess. I thought that the star power would push most or even all of the mana out."

    She added looking at the other teachers before turning curiously towards the ck-haired martial artist as if waiting for an exnation.

    "Lady Auequas, your guess is close to the truth, but still a little bit off."

    And Zoemi delivered on that expectation.

    "The thing is I am not using star power to directly influence the earth~! What''s happening is me filling my body with thew of Capricorn which causes the ground to naturally follow mymand as Capricorn is one of three constetions that govern the element of earth. Moving the mana that''s already within said earth is a freebie. Actually pushing that mana out would be more bothersome than moving it all as a whole"

    "...!"

    The boy revealed causing all teachers to perk up at attention.

    "What about the earth created with earth mana?"

    The brown-haired woman asked and instantly raised her hand causing a rocky spike to emerge from the palm of her hand.

    The gesture was self-exnatory ¨C she wanted the boy to try and do something with the spike, so Zoemi focused on it intending to bend it around...

    "..."

    "..."

    ...but nothing happened to it...

    "That''s actually pretty cool...!"

    The ck-haired martial artist was the first toment on it.

    "Truth be told the spells made entirely out of mana are weaker against me than spells that use the existing elements as a medium, but it also looks like I can''t interfere with the first ones at all until theye in contact with me! That''s a really good thing to know~!"

    Zoemi was also more excited about the discovery than any of the teachers or the gold-haired corpse puppet observing him from the side.

    "Now then..."

    Zoemi then nodded and breathed out, turning back to the targets.

    He stepped a bit to the side to have a clear view of the short-range dummy and focused.

    "Gemini."

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH* *crack*

    This time around the ck-haired boy called out the name of thew he was using, as he did the immensely powerful gust of wind broke the stand that the armor was propped up on and the piece was thrown high into the air where...

    *CREAAAAAAK* *thump*x14

    ...it was torn into pieces by the brutal tempest, and the pieces of ripped metal fell all over the examination grounds ¨C amongst them was the damage-measuring device set free from the armor.

    The light it was releasing was... white...

    This time no one said a thing, too interested in the spectacle to interrupt it.

    Thanks to that the ck-haired boy moved to the next spot where he would aim at the middle-range target.

    "Oh, just a little heads-up, lords anddy."

    Zoemi was already focusing when he suddenly turned towards the teachers and smiled apologetically.

    "With the nextw, I only broke through the level giving me dominion over the element only recently, so it might not be as impressive as earlier or thetter ones... actually this will be the first time I am trying element control with it."

    "...?"

    "Aww!"

    He made a disimer with a surprisingly bashful expression which confused the teachers and made Moxeoni chuckle on the side.

    "Pisces."

    As the preparation was done, the ck-haired boy called out the name of thew he would be using and focused on channeling the star power the same way he did before.

    Finally, he achieved the same feeling and straightened his back ready to gather the moisture from the air and earth to form a water sphere around the enchanted armor when...<novelnext></novelnext>

    |...huh...?|

    ...his vision skewed as if he lost his bnce and was falling to the side...

    |!!!|

    He instantly tried to take a step to regain his bnce from such an embarrassing mishap ¨C but it was then that he realized that his feet were still firmly nted on the ground.

    As far as his body was concerned he was standing upright without any problems...!

    |WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!|

    Zoemi wanted to scream but he could only think of angry words as he was experiencing the feeling of falling sideways while losing sight of the outside world as if he was losing his senses.

    *UMPH*

    |?!?!?!|

    All of a sudden, while still falling to the right, he experienced the sensation of breaking through the surface of the water, which confused him to no end.

    Was this a side effect of thew of Pisces?!

    *UMPH*

    Only a momentter the sensation of breaking through the surface of water repeated as if something was forcefully pulling the ck-haired boy from ake that was inside anotherke... if that makes any sense...

    ...because for Zoemi it was making none...

    [Wh...?! WHAT IS GOING ON?! ZOEMI?! NOOO!]

    |GUIDE...?!|

    To make the situation even more unreasonable, a muffled scream of none other than the faceless guardian of the stars, the god Guide, reached Zoemi''s shaky consciousness.

    The boy could not see the faceless god but he could sense their presence reaching out to him.

    |What is going....?| *UMPH*

    Without any warning, Zoemi''s brain filled up with memories that he was missing as if it was Guide''s best attempt at keeping the boy rooted in the reality that he was slipping out of ¨C but that only caused the shocked boy to lose focus...

    ...and then the sensation of breaking through the surface of water repeated itself for the third time and...

    *wham*

    "Wha-ha...?!"

    A ck-haired boy rolled out of his bed and fell on the side jolting himself awake, drenched in a cold sweat.

    "...wh... what...?"

    He climbed his way back up while looking around his bedroom with foggy eyes slowly clearing out.

    "Where am I...?"

    The ck-haired boy groaned messing his already unkempt hair with one hand...

    *thwack* *thump*

    "Huh...?"

    As he was moving back onto the mattress he hit something and said something tumbled through the floor right under the TV set.

    "...?!"

    The said thing was a controller of his console and once he looked at the TV woken up by the impact pressing the buttons, the boy was faced with the title screen of a game which the disc was already in...

    ~Kampf um die Liebe~

    ~Press any button to start~

 Chapter 759 256 - The Other World (Part 1)

    While the ck-haired boy was trying to gather his thoughts while his head felt as if it was about to split in half from the avnche of memories that didn''t quite settle in yet, a sound of approaching footsteps came from the other side of the door and someone knocked on them.

    After a few seconds, the door opened and a petite woman with jet-ck hair peeked inside with a rather grumpy expression on her sleepy face.

    "Aku... you promise me and your father that you will have a break from that game until the exams are over..."

    She groaned, furrowing her brows strictly and ring at the speechless boy.

    Because... she not only called him Aku but also... wasn''t she Learen...?

    Zoemi''s mother...? But... she was dead, right...?! What was she doing alive and wearing a cute pajama that was a bit too childish for her age...

    "M... mom...?"

    Zoemi ¨C or Aku, as he was just called ¨C shook his head and perked himself up on his arms staring at the woman inplete disbelief.

    "Yes...? Wait..."

    The woman looked just as Learen raised her brow and shrugged her shoulders but then her eyes wandered from her son''s face to his messy hair.

    "..."

    The woman entered the room and approached the boy decisively, sitting on the mattress and reaching her hand to his head.

    The boy flinched and wanted to back off but the genuine worry in the woman''s eyes made him stop and lower his head so she wouldn''t have to strain her arm.

    Then he felt her fingersbing through his hair until...

    "OWW!"

    ...she found arge bump and pressed on it, causing it to sting and the ck-haired boy jolted back sucking the air in pain.

    "Did you fall out of your bed? You must have hit your head pretty bad... dear, I hope it''s not a concussion. Wait a bit."

    Seeing his reaction, the woman made a worried expression and stood up, leaving the room while muttering to herself.

    "...I... feel pain because of a mere bump...? No... in the first ce, why do I have a bump?! Practicing thew of Aries for so long should make my body... more... resilient..."

    Zoemi was more shocked about the bump than his mother, that''s for sure ¨C he touched the sore ce and winced again even under his own touch, but that only made him turn to the other side and look out of the window...

    ...to the sight of a suburbanndscape at night...

    As the ck-haired boy was watching the street below with open mouth, a few cars and a semi-truck passed by the house.

    "...huh...?"

    Zoemi felt as if something heavy pressed against his chest making it hard for him to breathe, and he looked around his room again.

    Although at first, his brain glossed over it, the TV set, game console, even the light at the ceiling...

    none of that existed in the Kingdom of Bellcephora or any other nation in the world he was reincarnated into...

    But... was he even reincarnated in the first ce...?

    The electronic rm clock by his bed was disying the time and day and was most likely urate, but it did not help the ck-haired boy at all.

    He had long forgotten the exact time and date of the motorbike crash that sent him into another world at the wish of a being of light called Presence.

    Was the date the same?

    Has he been in aa and just woke up ¨C making everything that he lived through just a long dream of a mind that could not stand the darkness of inactivity?

    "No... it can''t be...!"

    Zoemi bit his lips and clenched the fabric of his t-shirt, crumpling it on his chest as if he wanted to get rid of the pressure weighing on him.

    "Aku...? Aku, here, put it against the pump."

    "...?! Ah... o-okay... thank you, mom..."

    Suddenly the ck-haired woman returned to the boy''s room and handed him a pack of frozen peas that he epted and pressed to the sore spot.

    The woman didn''t leave again and instead crouched by the bed looking at the boy with worried eyes.

    "Zoemi, tell your mom how are you feeling. Do you feel as if your head is spinning? Are you nauseous?"

    She asked, reaching out and gently getting a hold of his face.

    "N-no... it''s just that I''m a little bit confused... I... I can''t wrap my head around what is going on... I mean... what am I doing here? Where''s the Academy? The teachers?"

    Zoemi asked dispirited hoping that what he was seeing in front of him was only a dream...

    ...and not the other way around...

    "Academy? Oh, sweetie... the pressure of the exams must have gotten to you pretty bad..."

    The woman furrowed her brows and made an even more worried expression.

    "Aku, you are a high schooler, you are preparing for the exams so that in the future you will be able to enter a good university... were you having a nightmare about the future...?"

    She reached out and started patting the frozen-peas-free side of her son''s head.

    "I... am not sure... maybe? I hope not..."

    Zoemi''s eyes widened before he looked down with a miserable expression.

    "Aww... sweetie..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The woman''s expression softened and she hugged the boy.

    "I called the clinic, they said that if you don''t have nausea, and your vision isn''t blurry it would be okay to wait until morning with the visit... so, you aren''t just trying to act tough like your dad, are you? Mom is worried, you know?"

    The woman said while gently patting her dispirited son.

    "I think that I am okay... I just... if it was just a dream... it was just so real... and I remember everything with such details..."

    Zoemi breathed out and leaned against the woman feeling fragile like never before.

    "It''s okay, sweetie... oh but don''t go sleep right away ¨C if the symptoms that I mentioned appear or your headache will get worse mom will wake up dad and we will take you to the clinic."

    The woman spoke gently and then her voice became serious as she dered with a serious expression.

    "...okay..."

    The boy agreed and let himself be pampered.

    ...the morning came and none of the worrisome symptoms appeared ¨C even so the boy''s mother insisted that they would visit the clinic in the morning just in case.

    "Kiddo, your mom is right, head trauma is a bitch."

    When Zoemi walked out of his room and found his way to the kitchen the ck-haired woman was already discussing the whole situation with a handsome foreigner with honey-blond hair and striking blue eyes.

    It was Zoemi''s father, but the boy could swear that he looked exactly like Neramis - or Nathan Ramis - his father from the... dream...

    "Kiddo, your spacing out... should we go to the clinic right away? You don''t look good..."

    The man furrowed his brows and stood up from his seat, moving towards the cupboard and picking up the car keys.

    "Darling, he should at least try to eat something ¨C whether he will be able to or get nauseous might be important for the doctor to know."

    "Yeah, you have a point."

    The ck-haired woman pointed out and the honey-blond-haired man agreed with her after a second of consideration and returned to his seat.

    Zoemi was looking at his parents, but besides the memories from another world, he could not remember a thing about either of them.

    "D-dad...?"

    "Yes, kiddo?"

    The ck-haired boy gathered his courage and asked a bit timidly, and his father answered him with a concerned expression as it seemed like normally their conversations were more lively and lighthearted.

    "Did... did you ever have such a long and realistic dream that you thought that it was real even after you woke up...?"

    Zoemi asked cautiously, feeling that he doesn''t want to unnecessarily worry the honey-blond-haired man.

    "Well... I can''t say that I don''t. It has been so long that I don''t remember what was I dreaming of exactly, but I certainly recall waking up one night in a cold sweat thinking that a whole week have passed."

    "Is that so...?"

    Zoemi''s father answered but the ck-haired boy didn''t seem to be reassured at all ¨C quite the opposite...

    "Eat up."

    Nheless, the ck-haired woman put a te with toast and a ss of orange juice in front of the boy and sent him a worried smile.

    "If anything''s wrong, tell us immediately."

    "I will."

    The honey-blond-haired man pointed out and the ck-haired boy nodded after taking a bite.

    Overall he felt much better ¨C physically that is.

    But his mind was struggling with putting everything in order ¨C what was true and what was false, what was the reality and what was a dream.

    Was it possible that everything that he went through until this point was... a figment of his overworked brain?

    "My head is such a mess... I wasn''t hit by a motorcycle or something?"

    Zoemi smirked and asked, doing his best to make it sound like a joke but also carefully observing his parents to see whether an ident like that did happen in the past...

    ...although now that he thought about it, there was little chance of him surviving something like that...

    "No, but with this joke, you permanently lost a chance to get a driving license for motorbikes, young sir."

    Well, it was supposed to be a joke but Zoemi''s mother made an upset expression and crossed her arms before scolding him.

    "Seriously, kiddo ¨C you might have messed yourself up falling out of bed and you now think about motorcycles? You got guts, that''s for sure~!"

    "Nate! Don''t praise him about that!"

    The honey-blond-haired man snickered but his wife smacked him on the shoulder with a grumpy expression.

    A few minutester all three of them got into a car and went to the closest clinic.

    All the way Zoemi was looking out of the window absentmindedly, struggling to ept the cars, busses, and tall buildings built with steel and ss instead of solid rock as something real.

    It was the world of technology...

    Then... was the world of magic and star power only a dream after all...?

 Chapter 760 256 - The Other World (Part 2)

    The local clinic was small, but like almost every healthcare-rted ce it still had some elderly hanging out around there even without a reason for the appointment.

    Zoemi''s father went to speak with the person behind the counter and the boy and his mother sat on the bench by the window.

    "We''re third."

    The honey-blond-haired man came back and sat beside his family before sighing.

    "Umm... mom, dad... what about work...?"

    Zoemi nced at the clock hanging on the wall next to the counter and looked at his parents.

    He certainly didn''t want them to realize that he had no idea what they do for a living but hoped to gain some rity after hearing their exnation.

    If what he remembered was only a dream then maybe a healthy dose of reality would stir up his brain to kick in the right gear.

    "Don''t worry, I already called the office, if you are fine then I will simply show upte, Yamada said she will cover up for me."

    The ck-haired woman smiled and patted his son''s head, implying that if his situation is serious she will stay by his side. Anyway, she had it covered ¨C and most likely was a white-cor worker.

    ? "...ah... right. I should let everyone at the gym know! Uhhh... I think that little Mizu has a free spot so he could take over my first client..."

    On the other hand, the boy''s father seemed to be reminded of his responsibilities and hurriedly took out his phone, tapping a message with a focused expression.

    "Abuse of authority."

    "No, it''s not!"

    Zoemi''s mother snickered teasingly at her husband and the man took the bait splendidly getting flustered.

    "I''ll have you know that little Mizu was the one to ask me for more early shifts because he started to date that one teacher from Aku''s school and wants to take her somewhere nice! If anything I am doing him a favor!"

    The honey-blond-haired man dered while his face was getting slightly pink ¨C just then his phone let out a sound of notification and...

    "A-ha! See?! Look! He is thanking me!"

    The man cheered out, proudly showing off his phone''s screen with the message app open.

    "...huh...?"

    Zoemi nced at it and his eyes widened seeing the avatar picture of the person his father was messaging.

    It was small so he could not be sure but...

    "D-dad... that picture...?"

    The ck-haired boy hesitated but he ended up raising his hand and pointing it out.

    "Hmm? Oh, you didn''t see it before? What, are you shocked that the guy your go-to personal trainer hooked up with one of your teachers?"

    The honey-blond-haired man snickered and clicked on the avatar to show off the original picture and showed it off to his son.

    "..."

    Zoemi went silent.

    The colors of their hair and eyes were different, but the pair cuddling up to pose for the picture was without a doubt Mizoe and Rokiana...!

    And apparently, Mizoe was Zoemi''s go-to personal trainer...?

    If so then... why...

    |Why don''t I remember a thing about that and can only recognize both of them as people from the kingdom of Bellcephora...?|

    The boy thought and his head became even more of a mess.

    Still, he didn''t show his inner confusion on the outside to not worry his parents and waited patiently for his turn.

    The clinic was really small. The clinic was on the first floor while the people running it lived on the second one. It was basically a family business run by the husband and wife ¨C both family doctors ¨C that sometimes got help from her daughter who wanted to follow their path so she studied relentlessly...

    "Yuu... you''ve been ying that game instead of studying... again..."

    The daughter walked down the stairs, dressed casually but rather slovenly, with her bushy hair set loose onto her face and shoulders ¨C which was a sight that made her mother behind the counter furrow her brows and sighs.

    "Nah, that''s where I got''cha mother. I have been doing both~!"

    "...?!"

    The girl responded dismissively ¨C but have done so in a such familiar manner that Zoemi who had no other choice but to hear their quick exchange perked up in disbelief.

    Not only the way she spoke but even her voice...

    |...Burushi...?!|

    The ck-haired boy thought staring at the girl almost unlocked.

    Her hair was ck hair instead of gold, her eyes were dark brown instead of blue, and she was rather short in stature but that was maybe one of the fewmon features she shared with the heroine of the Kampf um die Liebe because one of the heroine''s most recognizable feature ¨C or features ¨C was not bestowed upon that local clinic''s daughter''s slender body.

    "If you say so... still... shouldn''t you mind your looks a bit more? If you will parade around like that even if there is someone interested in you they might get disilusioned~"

    The woman behind the counter rolled her eyes and dropped the subject, but then for a second her eyes darted to the bbergasted Zoemi sitting between his parents and she smirked cheekily at her daughter.

    "Oh, ha ha. Yah, kick your unpopr daughter when she''s down! Seriously, in times like this, I can count only on my Surou..."

    The girl didn''t take kindly to her mother''s words and started grumbling while reaching her hand to her pocket from where she took out a smartphone in a case printed with the image of the second prince of the Bellcephora kingdom.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...!"

    That made Zoemi straighten his back even more as his attention was heightened ¨C he was basically devouring the girl with a Burushi-like way of speaking while trying to figure out whether it was her or not.

    "...mhmm... are you sure about that?"

    "...wha...?"

    The woman behind the counter snickered and nced rather obviously back at Zoemi, and caused her annoyed daughter to groan and look over her shoulder...

    "Wahbabasabjaa....!?"

    Where once she met the fiery gaze of the ck-haired boy she immediately turned red and started to back up the staircase backward while grabbing her bushy hair and covering her face with it.

    "..." "..."

    Since it was done basically a few feet away from them, Zoemi''s parents not only saw what happened but heard everything from the start as neither the clinic''s mother nor daughter didn''t keep their voices down... which caused the married couple to look between the evacuating girl and their son before exchange understanding looks.

    "Mister Kuro."

    After a few minutes, their family name was called and the boy and his parents entered the doctor''s office.

    The procedure was rather simple, with a few questions lots of head-touching, and using some equipment to check the boy''s eyes and ears for whatever reason.

    "Everything''s fine ¨C we might schedule him for an x-ray if any of the symptoms appear but as things are now your boy is clear to go."

    "Oh, thank goodness...!"

    The middle-aged doctor with round sses and a kind face noted a few things down and nodded to the family making the boy''s mother let out a relieved sigh...

    ...while on the boy''s father''s face bloomed a rather sleazy smile and he squinted his eyes looking at his soon...

    "..."

    When they left the doctor''s office, the first sight that greeted them was the clinic''s daughter standing timidly behind the counter by her mother''s side.

    Her hair was tied up into a neat ponytail and was wearing a very cute blouse with strategically ced frills that helped divert the attention from the assets that weren''t in her possession.

    "H-have a nice day..."

    The Burushi-like girl mumbled while ncing awkwardly at Zoemi.

    "Ah...! A... thank you. You too..."

    He didn''t expect her to call out to him so he stuttered and turned around.

    If this world was the real one and everything that he went through was just a dream, then there she should have nothing to do with him.

    Nheless, since nothing was wrong with the boy, his mother wanted to go to work so whatever question the boy had wasn''t meant to be answered.

    "...haaa..." *wham*

    "GAH...!"

    As the family of three said their goodbye and was walking to the door, the woman behind the counter sighted and elbowed her daughter in the side, causing the girl to let out a shocked cry and making them stop.

    "D-do you know Kampf um die liebe...?"

    The Burushi-like girl blushed to form the attention she was getting and asked, nervously ying with her ponytail.

    "!!!"

    Zoemi straightened his back and stared at her in utter shock.

    Why would she mention that game here all of a sudden?! How in the world would that gamee up in a conversation all of a sudden, unless...!

    |Is she like me and tries to test the waters?!|

    Zoemi gasped internally and lowered his head, looking to the side while biting his lips.

    In that case, by any chance was this world, not a dream or an illusion but... a new timeline...?

    It would make sense ¨C he already retained the memories of the past timeline that got destroyed, could it be that the same thing happened again?!

    It had to be investigated!

    "Ughhh... Please pardon her. That girl can only think about video games."

    "No, no. It''s okay ¨C our boy is the same, they seem to have a lot inmon~"

    The woman behind the counter apologized lowering her head and making her daughter do the same, but Zoemi''s father smiled and waved his hand dismissively while snickering at his confused son.

    Shortly after Zoemi and his parents were on their way to his mother''s workce.

    "Don''t tease him too much about it."

    "...?"

    As she was leaving the car, the ck-haired woman leaned towards her honey-blond-haired husband and squinted her eyes at him, which actually made Zoemi the most confused one again.

    What was he supposed to get teased about?

 Chapter 761 256 - The Other World (Part 3)

    "Kiddo, we''re getting home so you can change into your uniform and I''ll give you a ride to school. You don''t mind, right? After all, you''ve aplished your goal~"

    "...huh...?"

    Zoemi''s father smirked devilishly, adjusting the rearview mirror so that he could have a good look at his son''s face.

    The ck-haired boy himself furrowed his brows ad blinked a few times taken aback.

    "Nh hh hh...! Jackpot?"

    The man honey-blond-haired man hummed but then...

    "I have to go to school...?"

    "..."

    Zoemi asked and his father''s expression instantly darkened as if all of the amusement left his body with that one question.

    "Of course you do! Seriously! You think that you can take being sick to catch a glimpse of the girl you like and loaf around ying your games all day?!"

    The man scoffed, visibly disappointed at his son''sck of spine.

    |...the girl I like? Does he mean that girl who''s most likely Burusshi? What kind of nonse...|

    Zoemi raised his brows before shaking his head in disbelief at the misunderstanding that his father clearly had about the whole situation but then something in his brain fell into ce and clicked.

    |Wait! That''s it! I can use this misunderstanding to meet with that girl to confirm whether or not it''s the new timeline! She kind of seems to want to feel me out whether I remember anything ¨C but since she didn''t call out to me it means that he wants to keep a low profile. Why...?|

    The boy leaned into the backseat and put his fist to his mouth while thinking feverishly.

    |If I assume this is a new timeline something must have ended the previous one all of a sudden. Thest time it was Cherro... what if it was the same this time around ¨C but since Bellcephora didn''t show up to warn me, it might be the case that this filthy fucker managed to take over her. If so, he might have shaped the timeline just how he wanted it. Is... is he in control now...?|

    Zoemi felt a cold sweat running down his back. He looked out of the window and the scenery filled with tall buildings and cars didn''t look as peaceful as when they were going to the clinic.

    Now, everything seemed threatening. If something like Cherro had shaped the world, it would not be surprising at all if he made it so only he could use any kind of superpower such as magic.

    He might have to watch everything, everyone... attentively observing any kind of odd behavior to eradicate it before it would be a threat to him...!

    |...it makes sense for Burushu to act in such a roundabout way...! She must have waited for this chance! She recognized me so she mentioned Surou''s name and took out her phone case to gouge my reaction when she noticed my reaction she called out the game''s name because she wanted to confirm her guess! Hahaha! That''s the spirit! Even in this fucked-up timeline she didn''t give up!|

    Zoemi felt his body taken over by the coldness of fear get warmed up by the resolve of his friend...

    ...without realizing that he was kind of overthinking the whole situation...

    ...a lot...

    Nheless, an evil smile bloomed on the boy''s face as the car window faintly reflected him.

    |...Cherro... if you think that my hatred for you died with that toy bear, then I have one hell of a surprise for you...!|

    Zoemi thought ring at the scenery they were passing as if Cherro was hiding behind every single thing.

    "Oh, and now you are going to get grumpy with your old man, huh?"

    "...huh? What? Of course not, dad!"

    Seeing his son''s expression the honey-blond-haired man sulked loudly which made the boy jolt up and shake his head.

    If Cherro was in control and wanted to have an eye on him, wouldn''t it make the most sense to ce spies as close as possible?

    Even if the honey-blond-haired man didn''t intend to, he might be connected with that piece of filth through a spell of some kind.

    This meant that Zoemi can''t act suspicious or who knows what would happen!

    "So you will go to school without whimpering?"

    "Y-yeah...!"

    The honey-blond-haired man asked, squinting his eyes in suspicion, and his son twitched nervously and hurriedly nodded his head as if he was caught red-handed on doing something bad.

    |If anything, no I want to go search for Miriette ¨C since it looks like I''m surrounded by people I know, it might be possible that she''s nearby too...!|

    Zoemi thought making sure to keep up the awkward teenager act. He knew he could not make any mistakes now ¨C finding Miriette was actually a crucial element of that...

    ...not knowing where she is in a world controlled by a piece of filth like Cherro was putting way more stress on the ck-haired boy than anything elsebined and multiplied by ten...

    Therefore contrary to his father''s suspicion, at this moment there was nothing that Zoemi wanted more than to go to school to search for Miriette.

    ¡­.

    "Alright, message meter whether you taking a bus or walking back, okay kiddo?"

    Sometimeter Zoemi was in front of the school he could not recognize and his father was calling after him from his car.

    "Sure thing, dad~!"

    The ck-haired boy responded cheerfully before turning towards the school and stepping through the gate.

    "..."

    Already inside the building, Zoemi stood there looking at the rows of lockers containing the indoor or outdoor shoes of all the students.

    "..."

    The ck-haired boy looked down at his outdoor shoes and then back at the lockers, gulping down his saliva.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...fuck..."

    He groaned.

    If the lockers were numbered then he was already shoving himself to be suspicious because he definitely didn''t remember anything from his current timeline.

    Nheless, standing at the entrance was also something suspicious so the boy dragged his feet towards the lockers...

    "...!"

    Only to realize that each and every one of them was signed with a slip of paper with the full name of the student it belonged to.

    "Oh, thank Guide, I am just an overthinking idiot~!"

    Zoemi breathed out and started searching for the locker with his name.

    "Tanaka, Suzuki, Sato, Kuro, Takahashi... fuck I don''t see Banemor... hold up..."

    Zoemi muttered to himself in annoyance before he flinched and close his eyes deeply ashamed...

    ...after which he went back to the locker for Kuro Aku and opened it while staying silent about his mistake...

    But then another trouble arose.

    The ck-haired boy had no idea where his ss was or what ss they were having at the moment.

    In the worst-case scenario, he would have to just randomly open a door while the ss was in progress and y ordingly to the teacher''s reaction ¨C if he was lucky even if it wasn''t his ss, the teacher would ask him why isn''t he in his own ss and mention it.

    *ping*

    "...!"

    Then his phone, which Zoemi had honestlypletely forgotten about let out a notification sound reminding the boy of its presence.

    Once Zoemi took it out, it turned out that someone had sent him a message ¨C and it wasn''t either of his parents!

    ~Sato: Dude, where the hell are you? Irondy is getting pissed off. Your father contacted her that you will be at school! Get over here ASAP!~

    A ray of hope registered in the app as Sato had thrown Zoemi a lifeline!

    ~What ss?~

    Zoemi typed the question as fast as he could but it felt odd, his fingers seemed to know the motion but the sensation of using the device that didn''t rely on mana felt unfamiliar and not that good honestly...

    ~Dude, are you for real...? Math! Move your ass here, chop chop!~

    The answer that came immediately was less than satisfactory though...

    ~What ss?~

    Zoemi started getting annoyed but for time''s sake he just repeated his question.

    ~...~

    ~Dude...~

    ~2c. On the second floor, up the staircase turn left, fourth door.~

    ~Did you have to go to the hospital because you hit your head and lost your memory? Dude, now I''m worried about you...~

    Four consecutive responses appeared on the phone screen within seconds ¨C one of them contained the information that the ck-haired boy desperately needed!

    "Mister Sato, whoever you are, you have my thanks!"

    Zoemi breathed out in relief putting the phone back in his pocket and rushing up the first flight of stairs that he saw.

    "Please excuse me, teacher, I''mte...!"

    The directions were urate and a few secondster Zoemi opened the door and bowed toward the woman behind a desk.

    "...it''s fine, Kuro, your father informed me about your circumstances. Go to your seat."

    The woman took a deep breath but didn''t scold the boy at all and instead just waved her hand toward the ss.

    "Thank you, teach... Huh...?!"

    Zoemi breathed out in relief straightening his back and freezing on the spot.

    ...he recognized EVERYONE...!

    The teacher ¨C it was definitely Rokiana Grea Perserios.

    As for the students, they were all the young nobles he attended the Aspaekony Academy the first time around ¨C unfortunately with the exception of the girl he wanted to see the most - with the only difference being the hair and eye color of the youngsters.

    In this timeline it was dominated by ck and dark brown.

    Burushi wasn''t there ¨C obviously as this time around she seemed to be a bit older ¨C but more importantly, there was no one even resembling Miriette...

    ...even though ck-haired versions of the first prince Horeo and that ungrateful fuck Grazio were very much present.

    |I wonder which one of them is Sato...?|

    Zoemi wondered walking towards the only empty desk and ncing at the faces of his male ssmates - especially the ck-haired Horeo - but none of them had the reaction that he expected of the rather lighthearted and friendly individual that messaged him earlier.

 Chapter 762 256 - The Other World (Part 4)

    Zoemi''s seat was third tost in the middle row so he nodded to both of his neighbors before sitting down and taking out the math book and the notebook.

    The girl sitting on his right was constantly ncing at him as if she was keen to ask him something but the boy wasn''t quite sure how to react to her.

    After all, she was basically the ck-haired Kierul.

    Zoemi had all of his memories back now, so he remembered her both as the mastermind behind the rape usation directed against him and his cunning best friend and master.

    Knowing her like that gives a lot of context to why she acted as she did in the first timeline but it didn''tpletely erase the wariness in Zoemi''s heart.

    *twack* *thump*

    "?!?!"

    All of a sudden, while copying everything from the ckboard, Zoemi was attacked from the side ¨C an unknown projectile hit his temple and fell on the ground, bouncing off a few times, not harming the boy but confusing him to no end.

    When he looked around he first noticed that the projectile used was an eraser ¨C nowying under the ck-haired-Kierul-looking girl''s desk ¨C and the second one was the re that said the girl was giving him, clearly pissed off about something.

    "Why are you not paying attention, Sato?"

    The Rokiana-like teacher asked without turning away from the ckboard... but changing the grip on the piece of chalk she was writing the forms as if readying to throw it...

    "Excuse me, teacher, I dropped my eraser."

    "!!!"

    The Kierul-like girl raised her hand and apologized before leaning down for the eraser and ring at the utterly shocked Zoemi while she was straightening her back.

    |Wait, she''s Sato?! If we''re friends then why is she angry at me?!|

    The boy thought in disbelief ncing down at his pocket containing the phone.

    The lesson ended and the Rokiana-like teacher left the ssroom.

    As she did, the Kierul-like girl immediately stood up and moved her chair right by Zoemi, where she seated herself with her back turned to the stunned boy.

    "The hell, dude? I''m worried about you and you treat me like air? You better take responsibility for stressing me out and massage my shoulders!"

    The girl demanded, raising her arm and pointing her thumb at her back merely giving Zoemi a side-eye.

    "..."

    |...the fuck...? I might not remember shit but I''m definitely not your servant in this timeline!|

    Zoemi remained silent although he wasn''t nearly as calm on the inside.

    Even so, he reached out his hands and touched Sato''s shoulders...

    *rustle*

    "EH?!"

    ...and instantly moved his thumbs, unhooking her bra, causing the girl to grab her chest protectively and call out in shock...

    "You little asshole! I''m sorry for throwing the eraser at you okay?!"

    "...?"

    Zoemi expected the girl to get even angrier, maybe even p him, but instead, despite cursing at him, Sato sulked and slid closer to him, using the boy as a shield and hurriedly hooking the bra in ce... she even apologized for her earlier actions...?

    "I''m going to the toilet!"

    Sato stood up and marched out of the ssroom making Zoemi wonder what kind of rtionship they had in this timeline.

    They seemed even closer than before, with the Kierul-like Sato trusting himpletely and not expecting any ulterior motives out of his scandalous behavior besides just getting back at her for getting hit.

    ...still...

    With the distraction gone, Zoemi got up from his seat to begin the search for Miriette.

    Since after his arrival he took the only free spot and Miriette was not there, there was still hope that she was a student in another ss or grade.

    The break was rather short Zoemi could not search too far and his short escapade did not yield any results.

    He returned to the ssroom and took his seat just when the next teacher entered the ssroom... while trying to ignore Sato''s re.

    *thump*

    "...?"

    All of a sudden juice was ced on the side of his desk... by none other than Sato.

    "Here. We are even, okay? Can you tell me what is going on, dude?"

    The Kierul-like girl returned to her seat and asked with a softer expression.

    She... was seemed genuinely worried.

    "...it''s nothing. I fell off my bed and hit my head the wrong way so I''m just grumpy because of a headache. Sorry for worrying you."

    With her looking like that and extending the peace offer despite Zoemi being the first offender and acting weird, the ck-haired boy decided to cautiously exin things while carefully bending the truth so it wouldn''t sound too suspicious in case someone connected with Cherro was listening in.

    "It must have been one hell of a fall if you had to go to a hospital just in case."

    The Kierul-like Sato fidgetted from unrest and pointed out looking as if she started seriously worrying about the boy next to her.

    "It was just a nearby clinic."

    "Still..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Zoemi waved his hand dismissively although the reassuring smile that he had given her didn''t quite put her worries to rest.

    "Twins separated at birth, it''s already after the bell. Focus."

    The teacher scolded the pair making the ss chuckle ¨C but that paired with Sato''s lighthearted reaction told Zoemi everything he needed to know about the rtionship they had in this timeline.

    |Now... how should I use it to get what I want without getting too suspicious...?|

    The boy thought and spent the whole ss pondering about what approach he should take.

    Immediately after the bell Zoemi took out his phone and searched for something in the browser.

    "Sato... by any chance have you ever seen someone simr to her?"

    Zoemi said, showing the in-game model of Miriette from the Kampf um die liebe.

    After all that thinking the boy decided it was okay to be direct with the search for Miriette. All in all, he in this timeline should be as obsessed about the game and the unfortunate viiness as he was all the previous times.

    "...dude..."

    "...!"

    ...it should be okay but what he didn''t expect was the pure disappointment in Sato''s eyes once she nced at his phone and then looked him straight in the eyes.

    "I thought that since you were silent about it for a few days you gave up on that 2D crush of yours, but it got that much worse, huh..."

    Sato shook her head in disbelief actually relieving some of Zoemi''s worries.

    If that was her response then he should still be in the clear with his actions.

    "You know me the best, isn''t being loyal my best trait?"

    He snickered boastfully puffing out his chest.

    "Pffft! Yeah, whatever. As for the real-life version of your waifu ¨C no. I have never seen anyone simr to her, but hey ¨C I don''t know everyone in this school."

    Sato snorted and leaned back into her seat and dismissively shrugging her shoulders.

    "Alright, then all I have to do is look for her then~"

    "Hold up, dude...! You''re serious?"

    With the initial questioning done, the ck-haired boy stood up from his seat and moved towards the door, causing his friend to gasp and call after him in disbelief.

    "What can I do? I might have a heart big enough to host many, but she will always be my number one~!"

    Zoemi turned around for a moment, spinning on his heel, and dered while raising his hands to the sides in a dismissive gesture...

    ...and leaving the ssroom...

    Basically, that was how he spent the rest of the day ¨C staying in ss where there was time for it and then going around the school observing other students in hopes of finding Miriette.

    The search did not yield the expected results, but it did confirm that the school was filled with characters from the game. Truth be told that also included Arisu ¨C who in the previous timeline was the reincarnation of that filth Cherro but...

    For whatever messed up reason, even after only ncing at the Arisu-faced third-year student, Zoemi could tell that he was not Cherro this time around.

    Actually, that was something within Zoemi''s expectations ¨C if anything, this Arisu was ced in the school as bait.

    If he, Zoemi, started acting hostile towards him all of a sudden, the real Cherro would realize that he regained his memories and is nning something.

    "Dude, you don''t want to hit up the arcade?"

    After school Zoemi was stopped by Sato grabbing his shoulder and asking in confusion at him going the opposite direction to hers.

    "Sorry, the head trauma, remember? See you tomorrow though~"

    "...okay..."

    The boy shook his head and tapped his temple with his index finger, making the Kierul-like girl lower her head and grumble as he walked away.

    "...I am pretty sure that this is the right direction..."

    Already out of the girl''s hearing range Zoemi looked around the buildings and muttered to himself trying to find his way around.

    Things looked different than when he was in the car...

    nheless, the boy didn''t want to stay in ce so he continued walking.

    "...huh...?"

    After a couple of minutes of walking a rather unexpected sight greeted him...

    It was the small clinic that his parents took him to this morning... meaning, it was Burushi''s home!

    "...I was looking the other way on my way to the school..."

    The boy pointed out, doing his best to convince himself that he wasn''t lost and just wasn''t paying attention.

    ...but since he was already there anyway...

    "Hello, again~"

    "!!!" *thump*

    Zoemi entered the clinic and the Burushi-like girl who was about to walk up the stairs looked at him and dropped a whole stack of books that she was carrying.

 Chapter 763 256 - The Other World (Part 5)

    |She seems to be on edge... is she suspicious about me or is there something in the building...|

    Zoemi thought to himself and approached the panicky girl, crouching down by her and helping her gather the medical books that she dropped.

    "Studying hard to be a doctor I see~"

    "?!?!" *plop*

    The ck-haired boy asked and the Burushi-like girl shocked by his words and actions fell on her butt making the expression of a startled baby bunny while clenching the stack of books to her body.

    The girl change out of the showy cute clothes that she had on when the boy and his parents were leaving the clinic and was now wearing baggy pajama trousers and an oversized hoodie, with her bushy hair once again covering most of her face.

    Instead of getting even closer and potentially getting into a rather awkward situation, Zoemi sat down right when he was crouching and extended his hand to pass the Burushi-like girl the book that he picked up.

    "In the morning you''ve asked me about the Kampf um die liebe. Sorry for not saying anything then, I do know it. Ipleted all routes except for Grazio''s."

    Zoemi said with a brilliant smile that caused the girl to stare at him wide-eyed while clenching the books she was holding even harder.

    "Oh, my name is... Kuro Aku, what''s yours?"

    The boy asked, tilting his head in a captivating way ¨C although he almost introduced himself as Zoemi, which would be terrible.

    Why?

    Because if anything, the name Zoemi would be the single word that would let Cherro know that he remembers everything and is beginning to plot something.

    "..."

    "~?"

    The Burushi-like girl fidgetted and looked at the ck-haired boy meekly just as if she also struggled to speak out her name...

    |AHA~! She must also want to say the name that she remembers instead of the one from this timeline!|

    ...and Zoemi immediately caught on to her hesitation as a confirmation of his hypothesis about the current state of the world...

    "...Hikaru Yuu... Yuusha..."

    "..."

    The girl revealed and her face instantly turned bright pink from the embarrassment over the way her name sounded, leaving Zoemi slightly speechless.

    |Although I''m not the one to talk, now I see why she didn''t mind her name being Burushitto all that much...|

    He thought but didn''t let any of his emotions show on his face and instead resigned from handing the book back to the timid girl and instead stood up, offering her his hand to help her stand up.

    "It''s nice to meet you, Miss Yuu~!"

    identally or not, Zoemi smiled devilishly and called out to the girl not by her family name but by her first name, confidently familiarizing himself with her all of a sudden.

    Whether it was something in his voice or that heart-stealing smile he had, instead of scolding him for acting overly familiar during their second meeting Yuusha epted his hand and let herself be pulled up easily.

    Already judging by his school uniform, the cheeky boy was younger than her but he was already much taller ¨C or maybe Yuusha was simply that petite.

    All in all, the girl found herself at a hugging distance from the unexpected guest that she thought would not even remember her.

    "...M-mister Kuro... did... did youe here because some of the symptoms my father warned you about have urred...? My parents are out for a moment so..."

    The girl feeling her heartbeat skyrocketing because of the closeness of the smooth-talking boy managed to ask the first and reasonably important question.

    "Thankfully my health or your parents aren''t connected to my reasoning. I showed up because I wanted to meet you~"

    Zoemi answered with a light shrug, without letting go of Yuusha''s hand and looking her deep in the eyes.

    "I want to talk with you, you see~ Comfortably~"

    The boy said, lowering his voice and leaning closer to the bewitched girl looking up at him as if he was some kind of idol.

    |Burushi is smart. Even if she suspects me to be connected to Cherro, she will catch on me asking for talking in a ce outside of his reach... if only that is possible in this timeline...|

    Zoemi thought to himself watching the expression the timid girl was making while having an internal battle with herself about what she should do.

    "Yuu~ Something tells me that you know that you can trust me~"

    Zoemi said leaning down a bit so she would feel his breath on her hair.

    "I-it''s too early for that...!"

    But it seemed that Zoemi''s act was a bit too much for the embarrassed girl as she jumped away while holding one hand to her ear, looking up at the ck-haired boy with a bright red face.

    |...too early... is it a matter of time then... is Cherro''s surveince weaker thetter it is? Damn it, I can''t figure it out now, I need more information but haste can ruin it all! That''s why she''s panicking so much...!|

    Zoemi wondered, straightening his back and looking at the nervous girl gasping for air while looking up at him with misty eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    What should be the boy''s next move then...

    "In such a case, how about we exchange contact info~?"

    Zoemi decided it would be the next best thing to do ¨C after all, having the ability to talk and exchange messages whenever they wanted would be a heaven-send formunicating in secret...

    "N-no...! It''s too early for that too...!"

    "...?!"

    Yuusha flinched and shook her head vigorously backing off towards the staircase, looking down to hide as much of her crimson-red face as possible, confusing Zoemi to no end.

    |Ah...!|

    But then Zoemi understood what she must have meant!

    |Fuck! Why didn''t I think about it sooner? Of course, that piece of filth has a way of surveilling wirelessmunication! It is very much possible that the technology in this whole world relies on magic that he controls but the public isn''t aware of it!|

    ...he started overthinking everything even more than ever before, reaching a rather oundish conclusion...

    |And in the first ce, my getting overly familiar with her is actually bad too! No wonder she''s acting so on guard! She still suspects me but even if I would be in the clear and continued acting so recklessly, Cherro would pick up on it in no time... I wonder why he allowed me to be alive for so long in this timeline, to begin with. There just be something that I am still missing...|

    "I see. Sorry to hear that... in that case... would you mind if I continued to visit you like today? I am interested in you and want to prove to you that I am worthy of your trust."

    Zoemi thought and barely held himself back from gritting his teeth but on the outside, he was smiling apologetically and asking in a sweet voice.

    "...!"

    His words caused the timid girl to flinch and look up at him while biting her lips.

    She fidgeted a bit, lowering her head and deeply pondering about an answer while Zoemi waited, all tensed up.

    After all, from his perspective, the Burushi-like girl must not only know a lot more than he did but also possibly already have some sort of n of action in mind... It might even be that she had some clues about Miriette!

    His actions earlier could be easily ssified as rushed and the girl must have been pondering whether to include him in her scheme or not, leaving the boy on edge.

    "...you... you can... B-but only for a bit...! A-and...! I-if you show up when my parents are home, d-don''t tease me like that... o-okay...?"

    "!!!"

    After a prolonged silence between the two of them, Yuusha faltered and nodded her head bashfully before instructing Zoemi in an embarrassed voice, causing the ck-haired boy''s eyes to widen in realization.

    |HER PARENTS ARE CONNECTED TO CHERRO!|

    "Of course! I''ll see you again, Yuu~!"

    Zoemi shouted in his mind but merely smiled gratefully on the outside while walking back to the door.

    "I already can''t wait~!"

    "?!?!"

    He added, putting the book on a cupboard by the entrance and winking at the flustered girl.

    As he left the clinic and started walking down the sidewalk blending with other people, Zoemi''s expression darkened.

    He had far too many questions and not nearly enough opportunities to learn the truth.

    The Burushi-like girl didn''t seem desperate, merely flustered ¨C which must have meant that even though Cherro''s influence was deeply rooted in this timeline, there was somebody or rather something that was restricting his power still.

    The boy looked up to the partially cloudy sky, furrowing his brows deep in thought.

    After all, Cherro''s domain was magic, if that was the case, then could it be that the power holding him back from doing whatever he wanted and erasing Zoemi before he was even given a chance to be born was... star power.

    Truth be told Zoemi could not feel his spiritual energy at all, but at the same time, he didn''t feel the emptiness that theck of it should be causing.

    If so...

    ...then, maybe he already had it, but only his ess to it was obscured in order to not rm Cherro...?

    But for something like that to happen it would have to mean that the spiritual energy and star power existed here too, and the person who hid ZOemi''s power was none other than the faceless god, Guide!

    Guide addressed Zoemi before as their Heavenly Star Warrior, and despite taking away a part of his memories ¨C didn''t Guide tried rushed and gave them all back right before Zoemi woke up in the new timeline?

    A being like that would not leave their champion without any means of fighting back the piece of filth trying to take over...!

    "...it''s time to try out meditation..."

    Zoemi muttered to himself while almost passing by his own house...

 Chapter 764 257 - The Other World (Part 6)

    It''s been almost a month since Zoemi''s awakening in this old but new world so strikingly simr to the one he remembered as his original one.

    Each day he would go to school and sit through the sses while meditating whenever he got the chance. After school, he would visit the clinic owned by the family of the girl who most likely was Burushi, and try to win her trust or make her slip up and reveal some sort of secret...

    ...which all of the beforementioned activities did not yield the expected results...

    The ck-haired boy could feel that the spiritual energy within him was right there and he simply needed to reach out to gain ess to it and unlock the star power that was sealed within him ¨C only to be out of his reach without any warning!

    It was basically the same with Yuusha. The cautious girl seemed to be open to him but refused to talk privately ¨C that is in her room ¨C or get out with Zoemi.

    Without being able to grasp her reasoning, the ck-haired boy figured out that both of his problems must have been connected.

    The Burushi-like girl must have been too afraid to talk with him until he would regain the power of the stars that would directly counter anything that the filth named Cherro could possibly throw their way.

    Even after making such astute ¨C and kind of wrong, or rather very wrong ¨C observation, Zoemi didn''t feel any better ¨C if anything the inability to ess the power that he was certain was there was beginning to drive him crazy.

    Even more, so that he already checked out the entire student roster of his school and was still unable to find Miriette even though he found out most people that he knew from the past timeline.

    It was infuriating... but it definitely wasn''t something beneath Cherro.

    If anything, that sort of petty revenge on someone he thought didn''t have any memories of the past timelines definitely wasn''t above that filth''s code of honor ¨C if he even had one to begin with, which was very doubtful.

    "Kiddo! Aren''t you going to bete?"

    "..."

    Zoemi''s father called him from the kitchen making the boy breathe in angrily and slowly open his eyes.

    He wasn''t sleeping but meditating, and once again the control over the spiritual energy circting through his body had slipped away from him when he could almost taste it!

    "No, I won''t! Don''t you remember that I destroyed the record on the treadmill?"

    Zoemi rushed to the bathroom to freshen himself and called back to his father from the hallway in the middle of putting his uniform on.

    "Treadmill is treadmill, there are people who don''t want their personal best saved there. Anyway, you''re in luck, I will be passing by your school anyway so I will give you a..."

    "It''s okay~! I want to run anyway~!" *WHOOOSH* *SLAM*

    The honey-blond-haired man shook his head and was about to give his son some kind of offer but Zoemi refused while passing him like the wind and mming the door to their house while already outside.

    "...damn... Shouldn''t we enlist him to some sports meet or something? His speed is already on Olympic level...!"

    The man breathed out leaning against the kitchen counter watching through the window as his son overtakes another high schooler ¨C with the exception that his boy was running and the other one was riding on a moped.

    "The luckiest sign today will be Capricorn! You will get reach your goal, but watch out to not misunderstand your situation~!"

    While the honey-blond-haired man took another sip of his coffee, the TV speaker read the horoscope.

    On his run to the school Zoemi had to pass by the clinic, in recent days he would stop by to say hello to Yuusha, but honestly, the girl was almost never there.

    This time since he was alreadyte, the ck-haired boy wasn''t going to bother ¨C but that was where he got surprised.

    Because the Burushi-like girl was standing outside the door to the building and perked up the moment she noticed that the fastest moving person on the sidewalk was none other than Zoemi.

    "M-mister Kuro...!"

    She called out timidly raising her hand when the boy leaned back so much that he almostid t on the ground to lose momentum.

    "Yuu~!"

    "....!"

    Zoemi cheered out causing the girl to be flustered all of a sudden.

    "Y-you know... I do have tomorrow free and... you know... if you want... we could... I mean... if you want... you definitely earned yourself at least one da... da... da... ate..."

    Yuu murmured looking straight down while fidgeting unceasingly, unable to properly put her thoughts into actual words.

    "YO! Really?!"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi cheered out and the next moment he was already right in front of the girl, holding both of her hands with an overjoyed expression.

    At least one of his problems was about to get resolved!

    "Y-you''re okay with that...?! I... I am the older one so... so... I came up with the n and all... i-if you don''t mind we could go to a few nice ces..."

    The girl tensed up but when she looked up she actually looked really happy about the ck-haired boy''s enthusiastic reaction.

    "Of course! I''d love to!"

    |It looks like the problem wasn''t on my side but rather she wanted to find a ce where we could talk without being watched by Cherro!|

    Zoemi cheered out loud while also feeling fantastic on the inside.

    He felt so ecstatic that he could not hold it back.

    "Yuu~! I amte so I need to go, but I will show up after school is done so we can work out the details~!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Zoemiughed leaning down a bit and...

    *chuu*

    Kissing Yuusha''s left hand before dashing away and rushing down the sidewalk.

    "SEE YOU, YUU~!"

    Zoemi called out onest time waving at the stunned girl whose face was so hot it would not be weird if steam starteding out of it.

    "...I... I wanted us to exchange contact info too..."

    Yuusha gulped down her saliva while gently touching the spot that got kissed.

    "G-geez... if he''s like that now, what he will do on our date...~?"

    She smiled to herself feeling her face grow even hotter.

    "Huh...?"

    In time shorter than it would take the car to go from Zoemi''s house to his high school the ck-haired boy was already by the gate ¨C but judging by the teacher and two girls with the disciplinarymittee''s armbands standing there with a notebook, it must have been the uniform inspection.

    Actually, when Zoemi thought about it, it wasn''t anything surprising, the date of the inspection was clearly stated on the school announcement board the past week...

    The only surprising thing was that the teacher doing the inspection with the two disciplinarymittee girls was the Rokiana-like math teacher when the announcement mentioned the PE teacher...

    Nheless, Zoemi didn''t want to allow himself to gette, and unfortunately, the trio by the gate had already spotted him and one of the girls readied her notebook and a pen ¨C which wasn''t ideal considering the time.

    Interestingly enough though, the female students were twins. What''s more, they looked EXACTLY like Teo and Veo.

    And since Zoemi was hyped up about finally getting the Burushi-like girl to trust him enough to share the information she managed to gather, he was feeling kind of yful too.

    So as he was about to enter the school grounds, he unbuttoned his vest and the first three buttons of his shirt and basically slid in front of the trio, taking the vest half off and posing.

    "???" "?!??!" "!!!" *WHAM* *click*x 20

    The teacher was just in taken aback from surprise, the first twin blushed and stepped back, but the other one did not disappoint Zoemi ¨C in one smooth move, just as if she and Zoemi nned it beforehand, she threw down both the notebook and the pen that she was holding, instead pulled out her smartphone and started taking photos of the cheeky boy as if she was his paparazzi.

    "I knew I could count on you~!"

    Zoemiughed and winked at the girl that acted more Teo-like than Teveo herself and then using the utter confusion he rushed into the school, fixing his attire on the go.

    He was already in his indoor shoes when the duo by the gate managed to shake off the shock.

    Yes, duo, not trio ¨C the girl who literally dropped her duties to take photos was not shocked at all ¨C she was fawning over the said pictures without paying attention to her twin sister or the teacher.

    With less than a minute to spare Zoemi dashed up the stairs, passing a third-year female student with a model-like figure.

    "Kuro! Stop running in the hallway!"

    The girl bearing striking resemnce to Ehmi Gamemi Victureo ¨C with the only difference being her hair and eyes were ck instead of crimson red - that he passed called out after him furrowing her brows.

    "Miss President, I love you too but I''m runningte so let''s chatter~!"

    "Wh-whaaa...?!"

    Zoemi called to her while breaching thest few steps in one leap and disappearing behind the corner robbing himself of the chance of seeing the Ehmi-like girl absolutely losing herposure and hiding her blushing face in her hands.

    The boy burst into his ss wiggling past thest few ssmates that were also threading the line of beingte and hurriedly sat down next to the Kierul-like Sato.

    "My dude, you''re absolutely insane, you know?"

    Sato greeted him shaking her head with arge grin.

    "I don''t know what you are talking about though...?"

    The ck-haired boy tilted his head innocently and yed a fool knowing full well that without leaning dangerously out of the window it was impossible to see the school gate from their ss.

    "Mhmm, sure. Well, my boy-toy sent me evidence of your disrespectful conduct at the gate, so try that innocent look with someone else~!"

    Sato scoffed at him before putting her smartphone triumphantly in his face.

    She had a message app opened ¨C someone had sent her the video of Zoemi stopping by the teacher and the twins from the disciplinarymittee to have his photos taken.

    "..."

    "Wh... HEY!"

    Instead of paying attention to the video itself Zoemi put his index finger to the screen and scrolled down gaining ess to a photo of a packed lunch that Sato prepared for the person she was messaging followed by a lovey-dovey exchange ¨C which of course brought a screech of embarrassment out of Sato''s throat as she hurriedly took back and hid her phone.

    "Boy-toy, huh... Who do you want to trick? You big softie~!"

    "Shut up!"

    "QUIET! It''s already after the bell!"

    Zoemiughed at his friend, making her hiss at him furiously but then both of them were silenced by the teacher entering the ssroom.

 Chapter 765 257 - The Other World (Part 7)

    Thest ss for the day was PE, and even though the teacher responsible for the subject was on an emergency sick leave the ss itself wasn''t canceled leaving Zoemi and his ss in the gentle care of the Rokiana-like math teacher...

    ...also known as the irondy...

    "Teacher Maki didn''t leave me with any guidelines, and since I don''t want to mess with her curriculum and the weather is so nice, you will be runningps."

    The woman that changed into a tracksuit that fit her perfectly causing her to give sport-maniac vibes shrugged her shoulders and waved her index finger around as a demonstration.

    "How manyps...?"

    Some brave soul dared to ask despite the nervousness.

    "As many as you can. For the three students of both genders each with the mostps, I will talk with teacher Maki to give you extra credits."

    The woman shrugged said grabbing a hold of the whistle hanging around her neck.

    "What are you waiting for? The ss already started! Go!"

    She called out and blew the whistle making the students react like a flock of sheep to the herding dog''s barks and rush to the track.

    "You little bastard, I saw that the irondy was ring at you! We are runningps as punishment for you making a fool of her this morning!"

    The Kierul-like Sato slithered her way amongst her other ssmates and hissed furiously at Zoemi.

    "Whaaa?! Noo....! Nooo... No way...!"

    "At least look as if you''re sorry!"

    Zoemi openly mocked her in her face, causing the already annoyed Sato to get really angry and scoff at him while running ahead so she didn''t have to be subjected to hispany... even though she was the one to seek him first...

    But that was more or less what Zoemi was aiming for.

    Not that he disliked the Kierul-like girl, it was only that during all the previous sses he continued to meditate whenever there was a chance for it, and once again he could sense the spiritual power orbiting almost within his reach.

    For him, meditating while moving was no problem at all, especially during the repetitive motions of running in a circle ¨C the opportunity was perfect, and riding the hype of progress with the Burushi-like girl the ck-haired boy wanted to push himself.

    And so, Zoemi set his body to repeat the cycle running after one of the more athletic ssmates of his while focusing internally on the meditation method he learned in the small lumberjack vige on the edge of the sea of trees in the Heavenly Star Nation.

    After a fewps, the spiritual energy felt closer than ever before.

    During his meditation ¨C both in the present and past ¨C Zoemi wasn''t focusing on one specific star power andw but instead was aiming for the general basis of it all, the spiritual energy. But for whatever reason, while he was running around he would experience the sensation of the star power corresponding to thew of Capricorn.

    It really felt like a breakthrough could happen at any second now!

    Zoemi wanted to try out pushing himself a bit more in order to test whether the physical activity had any corrtion with the spiritual energy ¨C and luckily the boy in front of him that he was following from the start sped up significantly, leaving everyone else behind.

    "~!"

    ...to which Zoemi reacted with a devilish smirk and followed him, keeping up three steps behind...

    They weren''t keeping up the same speed that Zoemi could achieve ¨C and which he showcased in the morning when running to school ¨C but because the exercise was more of a marathon than a sprint, even he found himself with his muscles screaming for mercy.

    But the greater the strain, the closer the spiritual energy felt ¨C so after he and the boy in front of himpped the rest of their ss, Zoemi decided it was time to go even further and speed up even more...

    "...GHHH...! GHHHHH...!"

    "...?"

    But just as he was about to take the lead, the boy he was following on autopilot started letting out rather disturbing sounds as if he became a lotive and increased the tempo on his own, confusing Zoemi.

    Why was he trying so hard? He wasn''t trying to unlock the spiritual powers sealed inside of him like Zoemi was!

    The surprise soon turned into annoyance ¨C Zoemi adjusted to the tempo but felt that he needs to go even faster if he wants thew of Capricorn to truly activate ¨C but whenever he tried to move and pass the boy the lead, the audacious kid would move in front of him just so it would be impossible for anyone else take away the lead...!

    And since it was impossible for any of thepped people to catch up to them, it was rather obvious and that much more infuriating that the desperate leader was doing this to get on Zoemi''s nerves.

    Zoemi gritted his tears holding himself back from just ramming into the other guy and instead paid attention to his face.

    The huffing and puffing guy with his face bright red from exhaustion baring his teeth while ncing back at him looked just like Grazio ¨C of course following the trend of having dark hair instead of the color he had in the past timeline.

    "..."

    Zoemi''sexpression darkened and his re grew cold at the discovery.

    During the original run with the earliest timeline that he could remember, Grazio was a misunderstood kid that managed to grow up into a decent human being.

    But during the next timeline...<novelnext></novelnext>

    Although the current Zoemi didn''t have his face messed up by a treacherous fireball his face still stung when he looked at the twisted visage of the trash who killed the armored wolf that he tamed.

    |In memory of Cat I should at least break both of his legs...|

    The intrusive and definitely dangerous thoughts entered Zoemi''s mind and he didn''t quite feel the need to control the urges that arose despite this Grazio-like boy having nothing to do with his previous incarnation.

    ...meanwhile...

    The Grazio-like boy was in fact a star of the track and field club giving all of his seniors a run for their money. Without a doubt, he was the best athlete in his grade with multiple medals from various sports meets andpetitions.

    But now... during a stupid little PE ss, he ended up stuck in some sort of nightmare.

    Despite easily taking the lead from the bunch of nobodies he couldn''t revel in his superiority ¨C far from it. The most random nobody that was well known for being a game nerd that didn''t have anything else to talk about was keeping up with it!

    No! Even worse!

    After half an intense run that should be far above a normal high schooler''s capabilities ¨C and definitely way over some nerd''s ¨C that nobody was actually about to overtake him!

    That wasn''t something that he could allow at any cost...!

    Some of his upperssmen sses had a perfect view of the school''s field and they could be watching him right then and there!

    Getting a go-home club member to trample over him in something so simple as runningps was absolutely unforgivable!''

    But then the real nightmare began ¨C despite basically sprinting all the way, the Grazio-like boy not only wasn''t able to shake off the nerd ¨C the guy who had nothing more than his face to stand out actually was a single step behind him, breathing on his neck like some serial killer in a cheap horror flick.

    At first, the Grazio-like boy was trying to block Zoemi, but after full five minutes of the full-speed sprint, it was clear that not only was he isn''t able to keep him back, but now Zoemi was following him on purpose, mentally torturing the star of the track and field club.

    The Grazio-like boy started growing desperate. For whatever reason, he recalled a history lesson from way back about prehistoric humans following their pray until they died of exhaustion...

    ...and he felt actual fear despite Zoemi not taking any action against him...!

    "TAKAHASHI! What, do you want to faint?! Slow down and move out of the way if you can''t keep up!"

    "!!!"

    All of a sudden the teacher recing the PE teacher called out making all of the Grazio-like boy''s worriese true.

    He... was unable to keep up... to some nobody...

    "...orn..."

    "!!!"

    Just then, at a moment that the Grazio-like Takahashi thought was his lowest, he heard a triumphant snickering from behind and...

    *THUMP* *THUMP* *WHOOOSH*

    The go-home club guy whom the Grazio-like boy never bothered to learn the name of dashed to the side and then leaped in front of him before suddenly elerating as if he was a speed-up video, leaving the star of the track and field club in the dust.

    Whether it was his imagination or not ¨C the Grazio-like boy could swear that the initial leaps done by Zoemi weren''t even touching the ground ¨C just as if the handsome boy was able to find a stable foothold in the thin air a few inches over the actual track...

    ...because that was exactly what happened!

    All of Zoemi''s anger had been cleared out as he felt something deep within him break apart and a surge of spiritual energy that transformed directly into the star power of thew of Capricorn!

    What''s more, it wasn''t just some lukewarm first star level of mastery but the full-blown supernova that the ck-haired boy managed to achieve in the previous timeline!

    Of course, Zoemi remembered to control himself as much as possible but still the initial burst of speed pushed him top the rest of his ss one more time before he managed to slow down.

    There was no reason to do anything else.

    Zoemi slowed down and jogged lightly until the Kierul-like Sato reached him.

    "...du..dude... what the hell...?"

    The girl gaped looking annoyed at the cheerful-looking friend of hers.

    "Want me to carry you?"

    "Shut up!"

    Zoemi winked and giggled getting Sato to re at him.

 Chapter 766 257 - The Other World (Part 8)

    It was a few minutes after midnight and Zoemi was standing amongst the clouds watching thete-night ne lowering its altitude for thending.

    Wearing only tracksuit pants and a hoodie, the ck-haired boy focused ¨C with thew of Sagittarius he was able to hear past the roar of the engines and listen in on the conversations that the ne''s passengers were having.

    Zoemi looked down - as the clouds kept moving he got a clear view of the city down below.

    As it turned out unlocking thew of Capricorn gave him ess to allws at the levels he had in his previous timeline.

    It was quite the shocker as thest time a timeline changed he had to start from zero and gained new abilities, but nheless, it wasn''t an oue that the ck-haired boy disliked.

    As he was observing the lights on the ground, his eyes moved from the tiny building that was his house to another one ¨C the clinic hosting the Burushi-like Yuusha.

    With the power of the stars at his back and call, Zoemi felt the need to speed things up and go visit the girl who seemed to have at least a couple of answers to his questions, but he somehow managed to hold himself back.

    After all, Yuusha must have had a reason for being so cautious with him this past month.

    If, for example, talking straight with Zoemi would endanger her family and she wanted to protect them, then who was he to act so selfishly with her?

    It was already the date of their pretend date anyway and he would learn everything in just a couple of hours.

    Having regained the spiritual energy and therefore the star power would surely be overwhelmingly helpful one way or another.

    "..."

    Zoemi looked up into the starry sky.

    Whatever this world was supposed to be, he wanted to find Miriette and destroy whatever ns Cherro had.

    Even after extending the range of his research, he still couldn''t find even a trace of her and it was something that bothered him more and more.

    Could it be that whatever Cherro had in mind involved Miriette?

    That would surely justify her absence in a ce that had everyone else from the game world present...

    The ck-haired boy thought, leaning back, dropping into a freefall.

    *WHOOSH*

    He flipped his body in the air mere inches away from the ground, stopping himself before touching it and unleashing a small shockwave that stirred up a puff of dust.

    "I''ll try to search for her with astral projection... copies would get too much attention..."

    Zoemi muttered to himself while pulling out a stic bag with some snacks and two cans of energy drinks from therge pocket of his hoodie and walking home as if he was only on a short trip to a convenience store.

    Already back in his room, the ck-haired boy turned on the console and loaded up a saved form the Kampf um die liebe. The TV screen showed a scene of the viiness being mean to the heroine.

    "..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brow looking at Miriette''s face ¨C he remembered that exact scene as he lived through it.

    The difference between the actual game and the situation he was in was that in the game there was no faithful Zoemi and the spoiled noble girl''s side.

    She stood there empty, protecting her ce in the world all by herself while the yer-controlled heroine systematically took it away bit by bit...

    "...I will find you, Miri... Pisces..."

    Zoemi whispered, clenching his hand on the controller and closing his eyes.

    Unlike before, using thew of Pisces after achieving the supernova level of mastery over it, the moment the spiritual energy turned into the star power the ck-haired boy experienced the feeling of his body being submerged in an endless body of water.

    From there he could send out his consciousness wherever he liked.

    It felt strangely familiar to the feeling he got at the end of the past timeline...

    Now that he was thinking about it, wasn''t he using thew of Pisces then too?

    Nheless, the most important thing on his mind at the time was Miriette, o instead of pondering over the situation and the effects or side effects of thew of Pisces, the ck-haired boy dived in, leaving any doubts behind.

    ------

    "Any ns for today?"

    Zoemi''s mom asked while preparing breakfast together with Zoemi''s father.

    "You could try to ask out that girl from the clinic, you know~? ying games all the time cooped up in your room is not very healthy."

    The honey-blond-haired man grinned no doubt opting to tease his son.

    "I was ying my games and are going on a date with Yuu today anyway though?"

    Zoemi poured himself a cup of tea and tilted his head at his parent with apparent confusion.

    "Exactly and... wait...! Are you serious?!"

    The honey-blond-haired man snickered about to start giving his boy some advice ¨C when he stopped himself and gasped realizing what his son have said.

    "Try to act our age."

    Zoemi''s mother sighed, tapping her husband''s arm with her hand before turning to her son and smiling at him.

    "Well, well, well. When did that happen?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    She asked looking almost too proud.

    "Yeah. I mean, I was visiting her each morning before school although she would not always be awake yet, when I showed up there after school we would have a little talk. It feels like my efforts have paid off ~"

    The ck-haired boy hummed casually taking a sip of his tea.

    "That''s my boy!"

    The ck-haired woman cheered and snickered at her husband.

    "See? He was putting in work when we weren''t looking and doesn''t need any kind of push. Better think twice before arguing with your intelligent, beautiful, and most importantly humble wife."

    Sheughed walking up to the honey-blond-haired man and leaning against his chest.

    "Kiddo... when are you going out...?"

    The honey-blond-haired man met his wife''s gaze and asked his son without even looking his way.

    "Yuu has a lot of things nned, so we will be going rather early ¨C I should meet her in less than two hours."

    Zoemi answered lightheartedly.

    "Good... good... Make sure to not get back too early."

    "Hmm?"

    His father nodded his head and said while wrapping his arms around his wife''s waist, while Zoemi looked at them from over his cup.

    "Ohhhh! Yeah, sure~!"

    "That''s my boy~!"

    Zoemi only nced at his parents and immediately caught on to what his father was telling him.

    "I always wanted a younger sibling, betterte than never ¨C so... I will be counting on you two~!"

    Sometimeter Zoemi put one hand to his face and called out so that his parents would definitely hear him before leaving the house ¨C and then he confidently went to pick up the Burushi-like Yuusha.

    The girl from the clinic dolled herself up so much that she was barely recognizable and Zoemi did not hold back withpliments as he knew how much time she had to spend to tame that bushy hair of hers.

    ...and judging by the effort she put into her appearance, she was intending to make things look like an actual date, most likely to throw Cherro off as much as possible ¨C which meant that he could not count on an early reveal so that he could stealthily send out his copy to confirm the situation.

    "You don''t think that I am too bossy with deciding what we will be doing today...?"

    Yuusha asked timidly ncing at Zoemi''s face trying to feel him out.

    "Yuu spent so much time on it though, why would I have something against it~?"

    "Ehehe~"

    Zoemi hummed in response making the girl by his side giggle.

    |It is quite annoying though... I did not sense any magic or even mana movement around us, so unless Cherro is watching us from afar this whole thing is kind of pointless...|

    But on the inside, the boy sighed.

    Having the girl ¨C who in his mind was having all the information ¨C right next to him and being unable to hear the intel right away was excruciatingly annoying.

    First, they went to the movies ¨C which was actually quite surprising for Zoemi.

    Out of all the ces where they could be observed by Cherro, a dark movie theater was definitely fighting for the top spot.

    The movie itself was... nice.

    It was an action flick and Yuusha must have picked it up because it would be more to the two years younger boy''s liking than some soapy romance.

    The CGI was decent but after living in a world where magic and monsters were just amon urrence it was unable to stir up any emotions in the ck-haired boy.

    Of course, for the sake of appearances, he made the effort of looking as if he was engrossed in the story but he didn''t put his heart into it.

    At one point Yuusha started fidgeting and moved her hand toward him.

    Zoemi noticed it immediately and took her hand, thinking that she wanted to pass him something in secret...

    ...but it turned out that she wasn''t holding anything ¨C still, once he got a hold of her hand, the girl trembled and her eyes became watery before intertwining their fingers and staring down at her legs as too ashamed of her forwardness.

    |...ah, right, we''re on a date. We need to act like a couple starting out...|

    Zoemi realized and smiled at the girl giving her best.

    ? He moved his thumb gently caressing the top of her hand to apud her efforts and returned to watching the movie.

    The Burushi-like girl had nned it all so she must have had a reason.

    Most likely topletely throw off Cherro''s suspicion.

    Yes. For sure.

 Chapter 767 257 - The Other World (Part 9)

    After the movie was over, the two of them went to an arcade still holding hands.

    "...Ah...!"

    As they were passing the wall of crane games, one particr one got a gasp of interest out of Yuusha.

    It was one with the plushies from the Kampf um die liebe ¨C in particr with two versions of Surou.

    "Hey now, you want to make me jealous already~?"

    "N-no~of course not! But..."

    Zoemi joked but the Burushi-like girl became flustered and blushed from embarrassment.

    "Don''t make that face~! Hmm? I''m actually surprised that you still like him after everything. I kind of thought that you got over him..."

    The boy muttered looking at the box containing the winking chibi Surou.

    "H-hey now... you are getting ahead of yourself... I am not that easy, you know...?"

    Yuusha lowered her head and sulked over Zoemi''s words.

    "I''m kidding. I am thest person to tell others who they should like~! As an apology, I will try to get him for you. Which version do you want?"

    Zoemi assured her, apologetically caressing the top of her hand with his thumb.

    "You would?! No. Hold on. It''s time for me to shine! I am actually quite good at this!"

    at first, Yuusha perked up and her eyes glistened but then her pride took over and she dered puffing out her... nonexistent... chest and letting go of Zoemi''s hand, approaching the w machine while taking out her purse...

    "I am good at those games... I am...!"

    A couple of minutester Yuusha cried out, lowering her head to hide her teary-eyed while clenching the plushie that she... won...

    After spending almost all of her money and having the arcade''s employee help her several times, all while refusing Zoemi''s offer to try it out for himself, the girl ended up receiving the toy as watching her struggle was simply too much to bear.

    "If you ask me, it was because you tried to make it work with him even though there is someone else there better suited for you."

    "...eh...?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders moving his waist and nudging her to the side, causing the devastated girl to let out a small gasp and look up at him with those big sparkling eyes of hers.

    "Yah, sure...! B-big words... if you are saying that I couldn''t win him just because we aren''t a match, why don''t you t-try it yourself! I''m telling you this w machine is just rigged!"

    Zoemi met her gaze and smiled reassuringly but that seemed to get Yuusha''s spirits up, only not in a way that the ck-haired boy intended...

    "Okay."

    Zoemi took the challenge, pulling out a single coin and approaching the supposedly rigged machine.

    "You have to wink one so I''ll get the other variant."

    "You mean you will try."

    The boy said making the girl pout...

    ¡­

    "..."

    Sometimeter both of them were sitting at a table in a family restaurant waiting for their orders. Zoemi was trying to make small talk a few times but it all failed, so all that time he was simply staring at the three chibi Surou plushies - two winkings and one with a mysterious smile ¨C that the girl was hiding her embarrassed face behind.

    One would say that their date went off the track.

    It was something that could happen normally not just on the pretend date so Zoemi wasn''t too worried about it being something that Cherro would find suspicious, but still, it was getting ridiculous.

    She talked to the server but not to him.

    It didn''t even look as if she was trying to stage a situation in which she would be able to share the information that she had with him! They were already friends in the past timeline, what was the deal with her odd behavior now?

    "..."

    "...!"

    Zoemi stood up from his seat, causing Yusha to flinch. Her shoulders trembled and dropped as if she was acknowledging a defeat, which confused the boy a bit more, but didn''t stop him from walking around the table and sitting side by side with her.

    "!?!?!"

    ...which made Yuusha jump in her seat not knowing what to do...!

    Zoemi leaned down, resting his right cheek on the table and looking up at the girl shielded by two plushies...

    "Yuu... I will be honest, okay? Nuzzling against the butt of another man on our date is making me upset."

    "Whapashispohdadsp...?!"

    ...he said making a sulking expression and causing Yuusha to lose whatever was left of her cool and drop one of the plushies...

    ...that got caught mid-air by Zoemi...

    "Even though you said it wasn''t your intention, I am getting jealous."

    "..."

    He added moving the plushie to his face and looking the winking Surou in the eye before ncing back at the deeply embarrassed Yuusha with part of her crimson face showing off from behind the other two toys.

    She still seemed to be eager to keep up the pretense but the ck-haired boy grew impatient.

    "Do you still have doubts about me? By this point, I expected you to call me Zoemi at least once."

    Zoemi groaned seeing that his approach did nothing so he leaned back into the seat and said inly.

    "Eh...?"

    That finally made Yuusha react... with confusion...

    "Don''t worry, I am proficient with various star powers this building is filled with myw of Sagittarius basically blocking us off from the outside world by this point. You can be honest with me, Burushi. What do you know about this timeline."

    Zoemi asked, opening his mouth and breathing out a puff of thin silver mist that swirled over their table.

    "...umm...? Yah... say... did we meet on an online forum or something...?"

    But Yuusha''s reaction was not at all what the boy had expected...<novelnext></novelnext>

    She did lower her plushies but instead of getting to the important stuff, she asked the ck-haired boy something rather worrisome...

    "Burushi, it''s fine."

    Zoemi sighed standing up and moving back to his seat on the opposite side of the table just in case the girl didn''t want to talk because she felt ufortable with his presence for whatever reason.

    "I... I am sorry to disappoint you but... I don''t remember ever chatting with anyone called Zoemi... also, my name is Yuusha. Online I''m using Surolove... not Burushi..."

    "..."

    The Burushi-like girl fidgetted and gulped down her saliva as if she was preparing to say something unpleasant ¨C which she did, but not for the reason she thought.

    Nheless, the effect was the same ¨C Zoemi freezing in ce looking at her in utter shock.

    "I''m sorry... that whole star power thing... you must be talking about some other game... I... I knew that you must be mistaking me for someone but I still lead you on like that... I''m so sorry...!"

    Yuusha continued, this time going as far as to apologize, but it seemed as if she was speaking to a wall.

    The ck-haired boy wasn''t even blinking, he literally just stopped as if someone flicked the switch in his mind shutting him down.

    "...You... don''t know anything about... Cherro... or... Miriette...?"

    After an ufortably long silence, Zoemi managed to speak up and asked, feeling as if he would faint any moment now.

    "Cherro...? Nah. But... I do know about Slutie... I mean, Miriette. She''s the obnoxious viiness from Kampf um die liebe, of course, I know that much!"

    Yuusha shook her head before picking up the third chibi Surou left by her side by Zoemi and hugging all three plushies.

    |Wait... so... all of it was just my... imagination...? Just like that...?|

    The ck-haired boy thought to himself slumping down in his seat and weakly raising his hand to touch his head.

    |Did falling out of bed and hitting my head messed me up enough to believe in a dream...?|

    He thought to himself, raising his hand and looking at Yuusha whom he mistook for Burushi for over a month already.

    She didn''t tell him anything because there was nothing to say.

    There was no Cherro.

    No n.

    No different timeline.

    It was just...

    "...Yuu... can a head trauma cause hallucinations...? And can hallucinations rece the previous memories...?"

    "...eh...?"

    Zoemi asked, desperate to hear someone else rejecting the horrifying suspicion that crept its way into his heart.

    Tough at him and call him stupid...

    "I... well... amnesia is already a well-known urrence... I mean, it would be rare to have all of your memories reced just like that but... I can''t say that it would be impossible... Why do you ask...?"

    But the girl''s answer did not ease his worries at all, the opposite even.

    "MOVE!"

    "...?!"

    Out of nowhere one of the customers at another table rushed out towards the door, pushing past the server.

    "Sir?! Your bill...! IT''S AN EAT-AND-RUN! SOMEBODY STOP HIM!"

    The confused server gasped before realizing what was happening and calling out pointing at the runaway man.

    "..."

    *WHAM*

    "GUH...!"

    More than out of reflex than any good intentions Zoemi red after the escapee and flicked his finger up ¨C as he did, a surge of silver mist materialized out of the restaurant right before the man managed to reach the door and mmed into his abdomen, throwing him up to the ceiling and disappearing letting him m against the ground with a pained voice.

    "?!?!?"

    Everyone at the family restaurant froze in ce unable toprehend what just happened while foam was spilling out of the knocked-out eat-and-runner''s mouth.

    |...wait... it could not be a dream...|

    While everyone else stood up taking out their phones and filming the knocked-out man and talking about paranormal activity stopping a criminal, Zoemi looked down at his hand in realization.

    |If I was in another timeline then even if I could cultivate star power again, I would not have ess to all of them at the exactly same level as in the previous timeline...! Why didn''t I realize how suspicious that was?!|

    The boy thought sitting down and covering his face with one hand.

    |This is not a new timeline at all...! It is...! ...what is this ce then...? What the hell is going on...?!|

    He leaned into the seat, lowering his hand and staring at the ceiling while Yuusha rushed to the knocked-out man to assure that his life wasn''t in danger."

    |It could be that I had superpowers, those whole star powers, and my brain just made a convenient story about... wait...|

    He started thinking but stopped himself in realization.

    The star power... wasn''t that the key...?

    Zoemi felt that he had an answer to that in the back of his mind... a memory from the first timeline he remembered...!

    ~"And it''s always something so unexpected with him that itpletely shatters my view of the world. Haha... Next thing I''ll know he will say that he has actually stumbled into this world by crossing the dimensions like some high-levelw of Pisces users im to have done..."~

    "!!!" *WHAM*

    Words of n, a young martial artist from the Great Ram sect resounded in Zoemi''s head causing him to m his hands against the table and stand up.

    "THAT''S IT!"

    The boy roared as bits and pieces of information he had finally started falling into ce.

 Chapter 768 257 - The Other World (Part 10)

    Zoemi walked Yuusha home but didn''t go back to his own ce. Instead, he started wandering around ¨C constantly using thew of Pisces.

    He could get experience the feeling of getting submerged in the water pretty consistently but he was unable to recreate the dimension shift.

    Back then, the feeling of breaking through the surface of the water must have been him passing through the astral nes.

    "...this is so messed up..."

    After trying and failing to activate the side effect of thew of Pisces Zoemi sent out his astral projection to scan the area.

    He did that simply to not waste his spiritual energy as he no longer wished to find Miriette.

    Why?

    Because even if he found a girl like Miriette, it would be the exact same thing as with Yuusha, the Burushi-like girl.

    It would not be the person that he cared about ¨C aplete stranger that only resembles his most important person. An actual delusion.

    Zoemi spent hours just walking, not bothering himself with his surroundings or the people he passed until it finally got dark and he found himself in the part of the city that he had never been before.

    ...although considering that he crossed dimensions it wasn''t something surprising...

    "...Pisces..."

    Zoemi found himself in the back of a convenience store trying to force his consciousness to cross over back to the timeline that he belonged to.

    The experience of being submerged in the water returned and...

    ¡­that was it... no falling into himself, no breaking through the surface of the water...

    Greatly disappointed, the ck-haired boy breathed out sending out his astral projection to scan the area while turning around to be on his way back.

    Then...

    [...eh...?]

    "...?!"

    His astral projection encountered somethingpletely unexpected...! It was NOTICED by something and a confused gasp of that something was transferred back to the utterly shocked boy.

    *THUMP* *WHOOOSH*

    The next moment Zoemi was already running through the back alleys and fences to get straight to the location of that being...

    BECAUSE HE RECOGNIZED IT!

    Or rather, he recognized HER.

    At one point he stopped carrying about being seen performing superhuman feats and dashed over houses kicking the thin air as if it was full of solid tforms.

    The next thing he know he was clinging standing on a balcony of a high-security upper-echelon apartmentplex ring at the metal shutters blocking the window and door to the room.

    *ng* *ng*

    Zoemi slowly raised his trembling hand and knocked on the doorframe and waited while biting his lips, so tense that his body was shaken with spasms of nervousness.

    Seconds turned into minutes but there was no reaction, but even so, the ck-haired boy did not knock again nor did he try calling out loud for the being inside to hurry up and let him in.

    With his senses enhanced by thew of Sagittarius, he could hear that the being that had no right of living in the dimension he crossed by ident was standing right in front of him with the ss door and the shutters in between them.

    He heard her heartbeat and it was as fast as his.

    That meant that she was as confused and distraught as he was.

    A random car passed by the building and Zoemi''s shadow rushed across the balcony, but the boy didn''t even budge.

    Then, finally...

    *click*

    The balcony door opened ajar and Zoemi met face-in-face with a girl only slightly shorter than him, wearing a bear onesie with a hood pulled over her face.

    She was keeping her head low while clenching a ck teddy bear and she was trembling.

    "...Presence... what are you doing here...?"

    "...!"

    Zoemi asked causing the girl to tense up and turn her head away as if too ashamed to even look in his direction.

    "Princess Miriette Aperaete Bellcephora. I am asking you, what are you doing in this world?"

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired boy asked again and the girl wearing the bear onesie flinched hugging her teddy bear so hard as if it was herst lifeline.

    Seconds passed and neither of the two said anything else nor moved even an inch.

    "...no... why are YOU here...? You are not my Zoemi. How did you manage to even get to this world...?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The patient approach worked out in the end and the girl spoke up first.

    She wasn''t scared but she was definitely shaken, as she looked p at the ck-haired boy, her chin trembled as if she was on the verge of crying.

    "By ident. I wanted to show off my control over water and used the high levelw of Pisces throwing myself into this world. I actually thought that this was a new timeline, again."

    Zoemi sighed lightly shrugging his shoulders.

    "Lies...why are you even talking about timelines? You should not remember any timeline besides the one that I left. My protector died and even though you share his name, you don''t share the connection with me... That means that you are lying about you finding me in this world by ident."

    Presence, the closest being to god that the world of magic had, said ring at Zoemi with her big tinum eyes.

    Presence, she... looked like a doll. Too beautiful to be a real human ¨C probably because she was no longer a human even though she was currently attempting to once again live like one.

    She looked simr to the Miriette that Zoemi knew and loved but had a lot of subtle features that set the two of them apart.

    "No, I am honest, I am here because..."

    "Don''t tell me that you want revenge? I left my original world behind and erased every trace of my interference..."

    Zoemi wanted to correct the mistaken assumption that Presence was making but the girl started trembling even more and lowered her gaze before speaking up in a hurry.

    "Your Miriette managed to exist for a few months and then she disappeared, so you set made it your life goal to find me and either punish me or force me to get her back! That''s why you''re here!"

    Presence dered suddenly raising her head up so fast that the hood fell off her head revealing shoulder-long tinum hair.

    "...wh-what...?"

    Zoemi was so baffled by her words that he took a step back and asked feeling even more shocked and confused than the time he woke up in another dimension.

    "I finally managed to get rid of that.... that beast that... that hurt me... and you still decided to pursue me as...! I want to just move on...! Why can''t you do the same!?"

    Presence trembled and called out as her voice broke down from all the emotions she must have been holding back.

    She didn''t intend to cry, but the tears started flowing down her face regardless.

    "...what... what are you talking about...?"

    "You know full well! Your Miriette whom I created as the daughter of the Espine family stopped existing because of me phasing out my presence from that world!"

    Zoemi gasped feeling utterly andpletely lost while Presence stepped forward and cried furiously at him.

    "No! What the hell are you even talking about?! Miriette didn''t disappear at all! In the initial timeline, she was definitely still alive two years after I fought with that filth Cherro, and she was not only alive but even regained her memories from that very timeline in the next timeline after Cherro possessed Bellcephora and she reset everything!"

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and dered, leaning forward and looking into Presence''s eyes.

    "...eh...? N-no... No! That is impossible! I DESTROYED that beast...! I ERASED HIM right in front of Guide! I did! Right before I reincarnated myself into this world! HE IS DEAD!"

    *thump*

    Presence gasped shaking her head in panic as all blood seemed to drain away from her face... she screamed and backed off so fast that she fell on her butt and started crawling away from Zoemi unable to control herself.

    While Zoemi was focused on Miriette, Presence''s attention was instantly swept toward the ursed Cherro.

    "...?!"

    "NOOOO! HE IS DEAD! HE CAN''T REACH ME HERE! HE CAN''T! HE CAAAAAAAAAN''T!"

    Zoemi froze up witnessing as the tinum-haired girl crawled back into the room until she hit her back against the wall while having one of the scariest panic attacks that Zoemi ever heard of.

    But that wasn''t all ¨C while curled into a fetal position clinging to her teddy bear or her dear life, Presence''s physical body... shrunk...

    In the span of a few seconds, the tinum girl that looked to be Zoemi''s age became a child in a far too big a bear onesie.

    "I MOVED PASSED IT! HE CAN''T HURT ME ANYMORE BECAUSE HE DOESN''T EXIST! HE CAN''T!"

    Presence cried hysterically with tears streaming down her face, biting her lips so hard she drew blood and clenching her teddy bear so hard she was tearing it to shreds.

    "HE...!"

    "!!!"

    The girl howled but then she suddenly stopped and broke into a seizure Zoemi wanted to rush to help her but stopped mid-step.

    Even though Presence was the only being beside Zoemi in the room only a second before, now it wasn''t the case anymore...

    Deep within her in a ce where all magicians had their mana heart a filthy aura condensed out of nowhere and began growing.

    Momentster the darkness crept its way outside in form of a silky-ck shadow.

    "My Miriette...! My sweet little Miriette...! Did you think that you can get away from me? My sweet Miriette~! You are mine~! You belong to me~! No one will ever believe you, no one will ever save you~ You are mine and mine alone~!"

    "...!"

    A disgusting whisper full of lust and the filthiest desires resounded from the shadow that towered over the helpless child too scared to call for help and too miserable to cry.

 Chapter 769 257 - The Other World (Part 11)

    "SAGITTARIUS!"

    *#$%^#$%@#^*

    Feeling a burning rage overwhelm him, Zoemi reached out his hand and roared ¨C the concentrated star power erupted from his palm swallowing both the girl and the repugnant shadow.

    *haaaaa*

    As the glow of the star power faded, the sound of mana dissipating with a human-like sigh filled the room, leaving only the weeping girl on the floor.

    "...why is he here...? I moved past what he did to me..."

    "..."

    Presence whimpered in a heartbroken voice as her tears were dropping on the floor while Zoemi watched her in silence.

    "...is it your fault...? Is this your revenge...? You said that... Wh-wha...? NOOOOOO!"

    The child raised her head and asked Zoemi in a trembling voice before her eyes widened and she screamed out again.

    Just like before darkness gathered inside of her and emerged as the disgusting shadow ready to torment her.

    "What the fuck is this supposed to be?! LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU FILTH!"

    *haaaaa*

    Agitated Zoemi growled changing his approach ¨C instead of directly attacking the shadow, he spread his star power around the room, cleansing it from any form of mana and eradicating the shadow before it managed to start whispering again.

    "...why do you hate me so much...? It''s not my fault that your soul was born out of my Zoemi''s soul and that you fell for a girl that I created... Why does no one want to help me...? Why does no one believe me...?"

    The girl on the floor started sobbing burrowing her face in a torn-up teddy bear.

    The repugnant shadow was being repeatedly created inside of her but it was erased by Zoemi''s star power the moment it tried to creep out, giving the ck-haired boy a rather worrisome idea.

    He slowly approached the pitiful child and sat down by her side.

    "!!!"

    She flinched and cowered but didn''t say a thing too busy to gasp for air as if she was about to drown.

    "Hey... it''s okay. You are not alone."

    "...!"

    The boy said and the girl stared at him as if expecting him to attack her, but nothing like that happened.

    Zoemi merely stayed by her side as long as it was needed for her to calm down.

    "Yeah... I now see that I am severely unqualified to deal with your situation..."

    "..."

    The boy sitting down with his arms around his knees pointed out which got him a re from the little girl who sniffled and sat up with her back against the wall.

    "First things first ¨C I was connected with your protector for enough time to hate that piece of filth with all my heart. Second, I really did end up in this world by coincidence. Third, my Miriette didn''t disappear from that other world even after the timeline reset."

    Zoemi counted on his fingers before looking at the silent keeping a keen eye on his every move.

    "Then why did that beast show up right after you arrived here?"

    Presence asked huddling behind her knees, clinging to her messed-up teddy bear.

    "I dealt with him for good."

    She added pulling the hood of the new oversized onesie over her tinum hair.

    "No. You didn''t deal with him at all. You just ran away like the child you are. And I don''t me you. Hell, I didn''t deal with him either even though I was so sure that I cleansed him to thest whisk of dark mist after you left."

    The ck-haired boy shook his head and pointed out looking to the side himself reminiscent of his failure.

    "I stopped being a child the first night that this beast crawled into my bed."

    Presence shuddered at the mere memory of an event that for her happened eons ago.

    "From my perspective, it seems quite the opposite happened, really. He scarred you so bad that you were never able to move on past that."

    Zoemi took a deep breath and said it rather awkwardly, feeling like it shouldn''t be him saying those things to her.

    But there was no one else there with them and some things needed to be said.

    "..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Presence didn''t bless him with ament and simply stayed silent staring at her knees.

    "...I ask you to humor me for a moment, as audacious as it must sound to you."

    The boy spoke up turning back towards the being that even a god treated as higher power tilting her a primordial.

    She did not agree out loud but she looked up at him and waited visibly tense and cautious.

    "I overthink things a lot, so stop me if my idea is getting too out of hand but... the two of us, Zoemi and Presence that is, had this talk before. You said that at the moment of your death when that filth also died you were thrown out of time and the artificial soul of your protector got mixed up with that filth''s soul before crossing to another world. You said that you were resetting the timeline, again and again, to separate those two too."

    "...because that''s what I did... What''s your point?"

    The ck-haired boy said and the young girl reluctantly admitted that he was correct.

    "Have you ever considered that... you might have been mixed up with them too? Or rather... that you were the one keeping that filth alive?"

    "..."

    Zoemi asked and immediately received a murderous re from the Presence that seemed to be too furious at the mere suggestion of something like that being the case.

    "You said that you have erased him before moving on to this world. I really did my best to erase him too, but he still returned to the world of Kampf um die liebe and was able to corrupt Belcephora forcing her to reset everything ¨C and then Guide themselves informed me that Cherro will be back and I need to get strong enough to repel him."

    The ck-haired boy was not intimidated and continued, the girl n the bear onesie looked as angry as before but one of her brows twitched as if she was beginning to wonder as to where Zoemi was going with his theory.

    "Simrly, I could not sense any trace of that filth in this world until we met, and then, the moment that you were reminded of him, he reappeared from WITHIN YOU."

    "What are you talking about?!"

    Zoemi straightened his back and said looking Presence straight in the eye causing her to tense up and growl at him.

    "Alright. I might be overthinking it but I will just ask you straight."

    The boy furrowed his brows not backing out at all.

    "Are you sure that the original Cherro didn''t die and the thing that keeps tormenting you is just the personification of your fear and trauma that you keep alive because you can''t forget what happened to you?"

    "?!?!"

    Just like Zoemi said, he didn''t hold back and questioned the child that was literally as old as time causing her to freeze in ce.

    "Wh... what are you even talking about...? Me...? Keeping that... that beast alive...? DO YOU THINK THAT I ENYOU BEING TORMENTED?! BEING HOUNDED BY THE FILTH THAT SOILED MY ENTIRE WORLD?!"

    Presence could not move back anymore with her back already against a wall but she still tried resulting in her crawling back up to her feet before she started screaming at the sitting boy.

    As she did, the darkness inside of her condensed, and the filthy shadow tried to creep outside once again but it was destroyed by the spiritual energy that was still lingering in the room without fail.

    "It would be nice if that was the case. I would have a valid reason to hate you then."

    "?!?!"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and dered, making the girl close her mouth immediately.

    "It''s both ironic and incredibly sad... time is supposed to heal all wounds..."

    The boy breathed out looking at the time magician that became something more than a god but could not let go of the shackles of human trauma.

    "When you were alive you could not do anything to protect yourself against Cherro by yourself as he managed to manipte everyone around you so you unintentionally convinced yourself that you can''t win against him by yourself. That''s why you so desperately wanted to bring back your Zoemi, the protector that you thought was your only chance of being free. Now that I think about it, he really cherished and believed in you. He let himself be erased to let you get rid of Cherro, but I think that I only had a surface understanding of what he has actually done."

    "..."

    While Zoemi was speaking Presence was clenching her fists and biting her lips while trembling, it seemed that she didn''t even want to listen to the ck-haired boy''s words, and yet she didn''t do anything about him.

    "I was sure that he meant it in a way that you could have moved on whenever you wanted and you loved him so much that you wanted to protect him at your own expense, prompting him to disappear and stop being a burden.... but that must have not been the case now, has it?"

    Zoemi pointed out sending the trembling girl a sad smile.

    "He most likely knew that the real Cherro was long gone and the thing stuck with him in an endless time loop was something that you yourself have created but still hated Cherro too much to exin it properly... In that regard he and you are simr... but where you two differ is that your Zoemi realized that even if he and that filth will be ''separated'' that will not let you move on and heal. Because your trauma is too deep to just ignore and move on. Fucking hell, if it wasn''t, neither of us would be here in the first ce!"

    The boy started standing up and looking down at the little girl...

    *thump*

    ...a girl who crumbled down and broke into tears...

    "What... what am I supposed to do...? I can''t....! I can''t do anything on my own...! He... he will take everything I love away from me... again...!"

    Presence sobbed, curling up into a little miserable ball.

 Chapter 770 257 - The Other World (And Back)

    "Help me... please..."

    Presence pleaded. She wasn''t even talking directly to Zoemi. She just cried out into the void.

    "...how about I text my parents that I''m staying at a friend''s house, and we will try to figure something out in the morning...?"

    The ck-haired boy breathed out, sitting back down right by the most powerful and most vulnerable being across the timelines and dimensions, and taking out his phone...

    ¡­

    The patients that showed up at the Hikaru clinic the earliest were elderly ¨C with the rare exception of the patients that called in with an emergency, but this time around the visit was reserved by a message on an app.

    Hikaru Yuusha, the daughter of the pair of doctors running the Hikaru clinic didn''t expect to actually meet Kuro Aku again as she learned that his interest in her was a result of mistaken identity, she felt bad about it as she started to like the boy regardless of his reasoning, but, life was life.

    That''s why she was so shocked and confused when she woke up and saw his message.

    Said message was the reason why even though she usually didn''t bother to get out of her room in the morning, she was on the clinic floor bright and early to open the door.

    Not just unlock ¨C actually open it.

    As she did, she was greeted by Kuro Aku, the handsome boy she went on a date with the day before.

    "Hello, Yuu, sorry for being a bother."

    Aku greeted her with a nod and walked in as she made her way for him.

    The ck-haired boy wasn''t actually the patient nor did he show up just to meet with Yuusha.

    The person of interest was a child, a young girl in a bear onesie, who was tightly gripping Aku''s hand while also clinging to his leg as if everything was terrifying to her.

    "Umm... Aku... that child..."

    "She is the most precious person to someone without whom I would not be alive."

    Yuusha asked looking between the child and the boy and Zoemi exined with a troubled smile.

    "My benefactor is not around anymore but the information he left me with points out to a really messed up picture. Like I said in my message, I want your mother to check this girl''s condition and... well... By any chance does your family know some really good therapist?"

    The boy asked with a serious expression.

    "...you don''t mean...?!"

    "Yeah. I do mean exactly that."

    Yuusha immediately caught on to what he was implying and gasped as Aku nodded.

    ¡­

    "How''s it going those days?"

    One day Zoemi asked Presence as they were walking back to her apartment.

    As it turned out the great primordial knew how to set herself up in another world as the entireplex that Zoemi entered that one faithful night belonged to her.

    "I really wish that there was a profession like that back in my day. If we had a therapist in the royal castle a lot of things could have been avoided. A therapist and a separate family counselor. I never realized how messed up things were back then. It somehow makes things worse but better now, you know...?"

    The little girl clenched the boy''s hand before breathing out and smiling softly.

    "Things will get better. I swear to Guide~"

    Zoemi smirked and hummed with relief.

    "Speaking of which..."

    "Hmm?"

    Patience leaned against Zoemi''s left arm and said looking up at him.

    "Whenever you take me to therapy you tell me about what happened to my home world after I left... and the thing with Guide and Miriette bothers me a lot."

    The little girl furrowed her brows and squeezed the boy''s hand.

    "I wasn''t trying to be mean or hurtful when I said that your Miriette should have stopped existing a few weeks after I was gone. It should have happened. And the guide that you feel so affectionately about... could you tell me again what they looked like when they appeared in front of you?"

    Presence asked in a serious voice slowing down until she stopped and made Zoemi stop too.

    "They looked very simr to you only that they had no face. They looked like a young girl with tinum hair wearing a one-piece dress. After the timeline was destroyed and everything reset they became a lot more affectionate with me, probably because I became their Heavenly Star Warrior."

    The ck-haired boy looked at the little girl in concern and repeated what he had told her before.

    "Is there some problem with them? And what could my Miriette have anything to do with then?"

    He added with a worried expression.

    "Probably a lot. You see, Guide is a very specific god. They are not very high on the importance chart and they aren''t particrly strong either. But one of their unique traits is that they appear in front of someone they always take the form of the person they want to talk to. With the only difference being that they appear without the face."

    "...!"

    Presence exined, stunning the ck-haired boy.

    "Your Miriette was almost a separate being from me, being my copy and all. There was a connection between us, so once she felt that I disappeared she knew her time was running out... I will now parrot you and ask it the same way you asked me... Do you think that knowing that she would stop existing, your Miriette wouldn''t take some action to save herself?"

    "!!!"

    Presence chuckled and asked tugging on the wide-eyed boy''s left arm.

    "Hold on...! No, seriously...!"

    Zoemi gasped shaking his head as if he wanted to get rid of an annoying fly.

    "If I understand what you are implying then you mean that Miri somehow merged with Guide...! E-even if that was the case, then how do you exin the other Miri that I met?! The one who got her memories back...?!"

    He asked with a pitiful expression.

    "Are you saying that she wouldn''t have a way to create a copy of herself even when taking over a god...?"

    "!!!"

    Presence teased Zoemi and the ck-haired boy flinched at the realization that this time he wasn''t giving it enough thought.

    "But then...! She...! I...!"

    Zoemi lost hisposure and mumbled almost panicking.

    He looked between the Presence and an unspecified point at the horizon as if he wanted to dash off, but then flinched and his shoulders dropped.

    "...what''s the reason for me to know that now? I can''t trigger thew of Pisces side effect to take me back to that dimension, and even if I could, I first have to be here for you until you get over your trauma..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The boy said, even though he was dispirited, he tried to hide it to not make the little girl feel bad.

    "That''s sweet of you, but you aren''t my toy."

    Presence expression became gentle and she nuzzled her face against Zoemi''s left arm while squeezing his hand reassuringly.

    "You don''t need to take responsibility for me. I... now I know that I have to be strong by myself for myself. You have your own life, and I do want you to be happy~"

    She murmured affectionately as if she was talking to one of her beloved teddy bears that were everywhere in her apartment.

    "Umm, thank you for saying that, but it doesn''t change the fact that I am still here... maybe I should give up and settle here, so much time had passed anyway..."

    Zoemi fidgetted and sighed in a heartbroken voice.

    "Pffft...! Do you even listen to yourself? You areining about time to the great primordial who controls time itself!"

    "Huh..?!"

    Presence snorted and suddenly tugged Zoemi so hard that he gasped feeling as if he was losing his bnce...

    ...only that his feet were still firmly on the ground and he was falling within himself...!

    *UMPH*

    *UMPH*

    *UMPH*

    Before he had time to react in any other way, he experienced the feeling of breaking through the surface of the water three times in rapid session and...

    *SPLASH* *CLANG*x4

    ...an enormous spout of water burst out from below the middle-range target sending it flying high into the sky before tearing it apart from the inside.

    The magic device now embedded into the soaked ground was releasing a white light meaning that in terms of magic damage, the attack was nothing ¨C but the physical damage done to the armor was speaking for itself.

    "Outstanding!"

    "...?"

    Teacher Suze gasped to the wide-eyed attendant in pure bewilderment.

    "Young man... is everything alright...?"

    Teacher Auequas noticed the boy''s peculiar behavior and asked, standing up from her seat and approaching him.

    "Miri...!"

    "...?"

    The boy muttered making the elderly woman even more concerned but the next moment...

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    "GWAH?!"

    Zoemi kicked off the ground with enough power to cause an actual explosion that sent the brown-haired woman tumbling back.

    Before she or any other teacher could react, the ck-haired attendant was already gone.

    "What in the world just happened?! Did he teleport? Or just exploded?!"

    The red-haired Ikarveth called out in disbelief while teacher Shuze hurried to teacher Auequas and helped her stand up.

    "Did either of you see what happened?! I know close to nothing about the martial artists... could they self-destruct like that...?"

    Ikarveth shook his head and asked as the other two looked at him and then at each other.

    "That boy... he didn''t self-destruct... but he didn''t teleport either... although I would not be shocked if he could do that, actually..."

    The elderly gold-haired man gulped down his saliva and shared his observation.

    "Then what happened?"

    The red-haired man frowned and asked clearly not convinced by his senior''s words.

    "He just... ran away..."

    "What?!"

    Lady Auequas said causing Ikarveth to shout.

    "The headmistress needs to learn about that! That attendant is irresponsible and we need to get his master to answer some questions! There must be something wrong with both of them! I knew that a mediocre fire magician cannot be that strong without something being fishy!"

    Ikarveth dered promptly trying to leave the examination grounds.

    "Headmistress already knows, you don''t have to bother yourself..."

    "Ah...!"

    But his way was blocked by the gold-haired corpse puppet, Moxeoni, speaking up in a calm voice.

    "What do you mean by that?! Of course, I would be bothered by something like that! We are about to wage a war and that master-servant duo might be involved with the enemies of our kingdom!"

    The red-haired man growled furiously trying to sidestep the corpse puppet.

    "...?"

    "...?"

    The gold-haired man and the brown-haired woman exchanged confused looks once again.

    "...Lord Ikarveth... We need to have a talk..."

    Moxeoni''s expression darkened and she grabbed the man''s shoulder ¨C both of them disappeared in a sh of light the next second without Ikarveth being able to say another word.

    "...what did he mean by war...? Did things with the Barbaria and Atreterve got this far...?!"

    Teacher Auequas gasped looking to the gold-haired man of a higher social status for answers.

    "I didn''t heat a thing,st time when I and the headmistress went to the pce, his majesty assured us that everything would end on a peaceful note...!"

    Teacher Shuze shook his head and exined while rubbing his chest with a troubled expression.

 Chapter 771 258 - The Plot (Part 1)

    "They are saying that it''s the elite training for the King''s Guard but here we are again."

    Said the girl who had pride inscribed into her every move and every detail of her face.

    She wore her long hair in a high ponytail that was almost brushing against the floor when she was sitting in an elegant room far too pompous to be a canteen for recruits but served that exact purpose anyway.

    She was one of the few youths gathered there for a meal while in the light version ofplete enchanted armor.

    Her helmet was to her right, blocking anyone from sitting next to her ¨C but to her great displeasure her left side was vulnerable and it was a weakness that was exploited by the trash that still dared to call himself her fiance.

    "Miriette, are you going to throw a tantrum over the food quality? We are in training for war, you can''t expect everything served to you by a professional chef."

    That very trash who was annoying her to no end using the fact that they were surrounded by important people dared to speak to her, going as far as having the guts to use a tone as if he was exining things to a child.

    "Trashy pest, I don''t want your pathetic whiner ever address me in such a familiar way... or I will take your breath away."

    "!!!"

    Miriette smiled and said the first part quietly so only Grazio would be able to hear her while raising her voice just a little bit for thetter part which could be misunderstood by their surroundings.

    The red-haired boy who never give up on the whole engagement farce flinched and closed his mouth out of reflex even though he originally wanted to speak some more.

    "Youngdy Espine, what do you question us eating a meal?"

    The blond-haired girl with blue eyes sitting across the table from Miriette asked her politely, acting as if she didn''t hear Grazio''s words at all.

    "It''s okay to call me just by my first name, Burushi, we''re friends so there''s no need for the official titles and such~"

    "It''s an honor, Miriette."

    The dark-haired girl turned to her and smiled graciously to which the only officially known dual attribute magician bowed her head without sparing the not only red-haired but red-faced Grazio even a nce.

    "As for your question... it''s not that I have a problem with a meal. It''s just that I have a problem that we always stop whatever exercise we are in the middle of to show up here and have a leisurely andpletely safe meal. Every meal. And afternoon tea too. And it''s not like we are taking turns eating so some of us are standing guard. Are we being purposefully conditioned to be as vulnerable as possible or something? While training for war?"

    Miriette exined her point leaning back in her seat. She didn''t have to point at anything to prove her point as everything beginning from the seat itself, the tables, the cutlery, thevish food, and the presence of both the cadets and the instructors was speaking for itself louder and more concisely than she ever would bother to present it.

    "Youngdy Epsine, what you say might seem correct, but let me remind you that this is a training course for the King''s Guard, the forceposed of the strongest light magicians of which everyone can teleport."

    One of the instructors, a serious-looking middle-aged man with a full golden beard put down a spoon and dered while giving Mireitte a side-eye.

    ...but the proud girl didn''t even bother to say anything and imply moved her hand up and flicked her dark hair, making Burushi twitch as she tried to hold backughter.

    "All of the youths gathered here will act under themand of a light magician and will have light magicians assisting you when the timees. With the ability to teleport you all out of danger on the off chance that you will need it, that is. There is no reason to stand guard now or in case of armed conflict because you will always be able to enjoy a moment of peace in a safe ce when the need arises."

    The man continued his exnation but his expression darkened because of the fault of his earlier words being pointed out.

    "Not to mention, you all are the cream of the crop of the aristocrats with either your power or talent exceeding your peers. It''s okay to doubt yourself but doubting your allies is not something a good noble should do."

    The instructor added, snapping back at the dark-haired girl.

    "Only idiots and overconfident fools blindly trust others. Since the start of this training, only four people beside me showed that they are worthy of my recognition. And do you really dare to speak to me about power and talent when your nephew is polluting everyone''s air right by my side?"

    "!!!"

    Miriette chuckled and pointed her thumb to the left.

    "Although if you admit that you believe that empty pride andziness born out of being praised to the heavens for the most basic actions is a talent then I will give you a pass. Only... it would speak volumes about the current state of the proud King''s Guard~"

    There was only one person in the whole world able to stop Miriette from having thest word but even he would not be interested in doing that at the moment.

    *WHAM* x3

    "YOU BETTER TAKE THAT BACK, YOUNG LADY!"

    "WHO ARE YOU TO TALK DOWN TO ANYONE?!"

    "I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS, HOW DARE YOU TALK LIKE THAT ABOUT MY YOUNGER BROTHER?!"

    Three people mmed their hands against the table at the same time and stood up shouting over each other.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The bearded instructor rted to the Victureo family.

    The gold-haired first prince of the Bellcephora kingdom.

    The strongest fire magician in the world.

    All of them shouted for the same reason although the first prince was the most subtle about it, most likely because he wanted to make it sound as if he was really concerned about the honor of his fiancee''s sibling and the shade cast over the King''s Guard while Ehmi was the most shocked.

    "Could you point out my fault? Wasn''t trashy pest praised for precision and control over an underpowered fire barrage that barely singed the target at a long distance? We can rece him with any other fire magician currently at the academy and we will get better results."

    Miriette didn''t bat an eye at the vocal bacsh and instead smiled putting her hands together on her stomach while adding pouring more fuel onto the fire.

    *WHAM* "GBLRGFGH...!"

    "...haaaa..."

    The reaction from Grazio sitting on her left was just as eloquent as Miriette expected so she didn''t hold back and openly sighed in annoyance before looking his way and...

    "...eh...?"

    ...letting out a small gasp as she was faced with the ck-haired boy with a severely scarred face securely holding the back of Grazio''s head graciously allowing him to drown in the bowl of soup while the ungrateful red-haired youth was iling his limbs around in futile attempts to break free and save his life.

    "Hmmm? Oh, sorry, it will be over in a second. Don''t mind me, my love. Give them hell~"

    In the stunned silence that befell the baffled witnesses, Zoemi looked away from the soup spilling from the bowl that Grazio''s face he was mushing and waved his hand dismissively to Miriette while smiling in encouragement.

    "GUARDS! LIGHT BEAM!" *haaaaa*

    "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? HAMMER OF LIGHT!" *haaaaa*

    "LET GO OF MY BROTHER! FIRE SPEAR!" *haaaaa*

    It was almostical how the same trio that raised their voices against Mireitte were the ones to call to action while simultaneously casting spells to eliminate the ck-haired intruder ¨C it even moreical to witness the looks on their faces when instead of raging magic creating air quake and destroying their opponent they merely caused sounds of people breathing out in relief.

    "GUARDS! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

    The gold-haired first prince pulled back the hand he reached out to aim the dud of a spell and called for the guards once more...

    ...to the same futile effect as before...

    The ones who reacted, though, were the instructors donning heavy enchanted armor.

    It was a perfect chance for them to score points with both the first prince and the Victureo family but also show youngdy Espine that nothing could be done to the almighty members of the King''s Guard.

    Although the externalized mana movement ¨C that is spells ¨C weren''t able to materialize, the golden glow shining from beneath their armors was proof enough that the enchantments worked just fine giving them confidence as they rushed at the oppressor.

    "Don''t you even dare...!"

    Miriette could not care less about Grazio who was almost done bubbling up the soup, instead, she stood up from her seat, glowing emerald green with the wind enchantments ready to throw hands with the approaching guards.

    "...!"

    "It''s okay~ Oh my Guide, I missed you so much~!"

    *chuu*

    The armored men hesitated for a second because of the disy of anger from the young aristocrat, but that gave enough time for the ck-haired boy to start ying around again ¨C he leaned forward confidently kissing her cheek and...

    *THUMP* x12

    ... having twelve copies of himself materialize out of a thin silver mist and rush at the instructors who failed to take the opportunity to do anything.

    *WHAM* *CRUNCH*

    The copies didn''t y around and the next second enchanted armors turned into scrap metal as their owners were mmed against walls and ceilings with no chance to retaliate.

    The copies themselves merely smirked afterward and all dissipated in the puffs of silver mist and returning to the ck-haired boy and the bearded instructor ¨C the only one who didn''t leave his spot as he must have been the person in charge ¨C sat back down suddenly quiet and submissive.

 Chapter 772 258 - The Plot (Part 2)

    *crack* *ssh*

    "GU-HUAAAAGH...!"

    The whole thing didn''t go without a mishap -as the silver mist merged back to the ck-haired boy''s boy he ended up putting too much force into the arm holding Grazio down which resulted in the porcin bowl breaking apart spilling whatever was left of its original content and saving the red-haired boy who instantly gasped for the precious air.

    "I don''t know who you are, I don''t know what you want, but leave my brother out of this! He had enough!"

    Ehmi called out with a furious expression, only the tiniest bit calmer now that her younger brother''s life was still in danger but at least wasn''t ending that very moment.

    "He killed my puppy and he orchestrated an actual assassination attempt on my life. I was a fool for thinking that he was a nice person, but he left me a nice reminder to never do that again~"

    The ck-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and tapped the exposed jawbone and teeth on the right side of his face.

    "...Z-Zoemi...?!"

    Hearing that Ehmi flinched and looked between the ck-haired attacker and Miriette as if only now putting the dots together.

    "Thanks for making me recall that little scum''s help. Now I don''t want to kill him anymore~!"

    "Gh-ghet... away fhom mhe...!

    Zoemi cheered out, raising his hand while still holding onto Grazio''s head in a firm grip as his victim cried out.

    "Come on, young lord Victureo. Why don''t you remind me that all those years ago in the Perserios family, it wasn''t you who did anything wrong? It was a monster after all~! A scary, scary monster~"

    Zoemi hummed happily pinching Grazio''s right cheek and tugging on it lightly ¨C although with his strength it looked like he was testing out how much force would be needed to rip that piece off of the red-haired boy.

    "Zoemi!"

    Miriette cheered out and basically jumped andtched onto him like a sugar gliderpletely dropping any pretense and pride which at least doubled how unreal the situation felt for everyone else.

    "Help me...!"

    "What happened? You are here! Alive and... and you remember everything!"

    Miriette nuzzled her head between his corbone and neck and asked. She could not care less about Grazio grabbing onto Zoemi''s wrist in an attempt to save his face from bing a mutted mess.

    "Yah... nah... I don''t know the n. If you need me, I will be healing those guys you''ve messed up so your punishment would be lighter."

    One of the two calmest people in the canteen was Burushi. The healing magician pushed back her chair and got up while waving her hand rather dismissively towards Zoemi and Miriette, also ignoring Grazio''s pleas.

    "Miss Yuusha~ leave them for now, they will not die just from a few severe wounds, they are the tough King''s Guards. But when I look at them they all look like the subpar Light Order members... odd... The standards must have really dropped this time around."

    Zoemi turned his head her way and called out before sneering at the growling men who were suffering but indeed weren''t close to death. Yet.

    "...! How did you know what my name was back then....?!"

    Burushi stopped mid-step and turned back around staring at Zoemi in disbelief.

    "HA! I knew it! Long story, it might be embarrassing as hell to hear so prepare yourself. But not now..."

    Zoemiughed after confirming the amusing detail before smiling triumphantly at the visibly worried blond-haired girl.

    "Do you have anything to say about anything?"

    Zoemi''s face became a bit more serious and he looked at the only other person in the room who didn''t look bbergasted, scared, or furious.

    A brown-haired young man who appeared calm and collected on the outside.

    Xeonith Zarble Derizno.

    The heir of the Derizno family was looking straight at Zoemi with straight-up amusement not even a grain of concern for his actions.

    "Wee back, boss. I guess? I sure as hell don''t want to call you dad like all the little ones back then did."

    Xeonith dered and his face bloomed into a wide grin confirming that it was the rehabilitated Noex inside rather than the fiend that he was before death and resurrection as a shadow.

    "What is the meaning of this madness?! All three of you are working on this...! This bandit?! This disrespect to the family of my fiancee will not be forgiven! Not to mention that you are indirectly threatening me the first prince of the...!"

    The gold-haired prince started pointing his finger between the Zoemi, Miriette, Burushi, and Xeonith while his face was getting increasingly flushed as his anger level raised.

    "Shut the fuck up, you cheap imitation of my rival."

    "!!!"

    There must have some kind of history with each other because Xeonith''s face twisted with pure disgust as he cut off the first prince''s furious speech, making the gold-haired boy so angry that he could not find proper words to express himself.

    "Xeoni...! You can''t speak like that to his highness...! Apologize...!"

    The bronw-hiared green-eyed girl on Xeonith''s left side flnched just like everybody else but then she immediately clung to his hand and said in a pitiful voice full of worry.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I would consider that if he was worthy of my time. Don''t worry, I will be alright. Especially with boss right here."

    Xeonith''s expression turned gently and he assured the worried girl before turning to Zoemi and winking at him.

    "ARGH! WHO THE HELL EVEN ARE YOU?!"

    Horeo couldn''t take it anymore and roared, barely stopping himself from throwing a half-empty cup at the ck-haired boy.

    "Oh, that''s right. Since you aren''t amongst the people who remember..."

    "He''s Zoemi! The attendant of Kierul Berra Helterose!"

    Zoemi raised his brows in realization and smirked kindly amused but then Ehmi didn''t let him finish the sentence.

    "If you know what''s good for your master''s sale, LET MY BROTHER G...!"

    Ehmi gritted her teeth and since she couldn''t use her overpowered magic she reached for the next best thing, the social status and consequences that could be imposed on those around Zoemi.

    "Here he is."

    *FWOOSH*

    "ARGH...!" *WHAM* *THUMP*

    Her actions worked like a charm, but not exactly in the way she wanted to.

    To shut her up Zoemi simply threw the girl''s younger brother at her ¨C and without magic to help aid herself she ended up being knocked away and to the opposite wall together with Grazio.

    "Now then, prince. My name is Zoemi Benevi Banemor. Until I will not discover any proof refuting my words, I would title myself thest member of the Banemor family that the royal family allowed to be destroyed by the Espine family."

    Zoemi nodded with satisfaction as Ehmi despite being a bit ruffled was too busy making sure that her younger brother was okay, so he could introduce himself while finally being able to properly hug back Miriette wrapped around him.

    He did not kneel down and didn''t bow his head even a single inch, merely looking the gold-haired boy in the eyes.

    "...holly shit, did he have to mess them up so much? This guy over here has a magic device embedded in his chest! Stupid Zoemi... they don''t need medical attention right away... yah, sure."

    The staring contest between the two wouldst much longer if not for the mumbling of Burushi who despite Zoemi''s words ended up sneaking up to check on the defeated instructors.

    "...none of my copies hit anyone on the chest..."

    Theint that the blond-haired girl muttered to herself gave Zoemi a bad feeling so he located her ¨C hiding behind Leveo, the other twin from the Taran family ¨C and exined in a concerned voice.

    "Wha...?! How did you hear...?! Gah, never mind. If it wasn''t the hit directly then it was the force of impact! That proves that I need to make sure to heal them."

    Burushi flinched and slowly leaned to the side to meet Zoemi''s gaze and dered before hurriedly moving back to the patient.

    She moved her index finger forward and a thin stream of water burst forth before concentrating and forming a water jet.

    "Whatever this shit is, it got hammered in deep, I need to cut."

    Burushi announced and started the extraction process without waiting for any permission.

    "Wait! Don''t touch that!"

    The bearded instructor suddenly regained his voice and stood up, reaching out his hand as if he wanted to grab the girl despite the distance.

    "Toote. Done... What the fuck is it anyway? A defensive artifact?"

    But he failed as the fast-handed healer with surgeon experience cut out the foreign object with minimal damage to her patient and raised it up to her face all bloody and still faintly glowing.

    "Hey, Miss Reo. You should work on designs for those things ¨C it''s dangerous as hell as you can see."

    Burushi called out to the brown-haired girl by Xeonith''s side and tossed the artifact so it rolled her way.

    "LIGHT HAMMER!" *haaaa*

    The bearded instructor roared and definitely wanted to use the spell, but just like before the effect was the sound of a person breathing out in relief as the mana dissipated into nothingness.

    "...what in the world are you doing, lord Lutroan...?"

    The shocked first prince asked.

    The bearded instructor wasn''t using the situation as a distraction trying to take down the dangerous ck-haired intruder ¨C instead, thest spell he tried to use was directed towards the artifact that Burushi cut out of the fallen man''s chest and tossed it to the feet of Reo ¨C the prodigy in creating magical devices.

    "My prince, we need to get rid of all those insurgents this instant! We must get away from he-ARGH!"

    *WHAM*

    The bearded instructor called Lutroan got extremely flustered and attempted to grab the first prince''s arm and flee with him, but Xeonith easily stopped him, twisting his hand and mming the man against the table.

 Chapter 773 258 - The Plot (Part 3)

    "...Young lord Derizno, you better have a good exnation or I will actually be more inclined to believe lord Lutroan''s words about you all being insurgents."

    The first prince backed off as his body began shining with the golden glow of the light enchantments.

    "Our head instructor is acting a bit suspicious, don''t you agree my prince? Reo, what''s with that artifact?"

    Xeonith nced at the gold-haired boy and shrugged his shoulder keeping a steady hold on the struggling man before speaking up to the brown-haired girl he left behind.

    "Ah...! Right...!"

    Reo flinched and nodded. She leaned down to pick up the bloody artifact but suddenly froze.

    At first, it looked as if she was just disgusted with the blood and scraps of meat stuck in the crevices of the device, but judging by her expression, that wasn''t actually the case.

    "I... Don''t know what this is..."

    Reo said and took out a handkerchief picking up the artifact through it and slowly raising it so she could inspect it more closely.

    "So it''s not a defensive artifact? What is it then?"

    "I really have no idea... I have never seen an artifact in this configuration..."

    Burushi furrowed her brows and asked while checking up whether her spell properly closed up the wound in her patient''s chest before moving on to another person ¨C but Reo shook her head and repeated herself.

    "Eh? Aren''t you a prodigy with those things? Howe you don''t recognize an artifact made in our kingdom...? Hold on... oh shiiit...!"

    Burushi frowned in confusion before kneeling by the next patient ¨C and then a realization hit her.

    "It''s not from Bellcephora kingdom."

    Even though she didn''t have to, Reo said out loud while staring at the bloody artifact...

    "...!" *SHING*

    Burushi gulped down her saliva and checked on the patient before using the water jet to cut apart the man''s chestte despite that part of the armor not being damaged in the slightest as he was hit in the lower abdomen.

    "...ummm... everyone... this guy has the same thing in his chest as the previous one, only his sticks out a lot more..."

    The blond-haired girl leaned away from her patient and dered, pointing at the faintly glowing crystal surrounded by a metallic ring embedded in the fallen man''s chest...

    "What about it, your highness? Doesn''t this coupled with a head instructor''s peculiar actions look suspicious enough for our friend here to initiate an immediate response even though it put him in a bad light?''

    Xeonith''s face lighted up with a relieved smile as he turned back to the first prince.

    "..."

    The gold-haired boy bit his lips and a shadow of the old Horeo could be seen in his eyes as he nced between lord Lutroan and self-proimed lord Banemor.

    The first prince also looked over to the Victureo siblings and his expression darkened even more.

    After all, the Lutroan family was a branch of the Victureo house and the man being the head instructor for the King''s Guard training they were all participating in was Ehmi and Grazio''s uncle.

    "...youngdy Kalleronte, if you could, check whether all of the incapacitated instructors have the magic device in their chest. Also, sir Derizno, since you are already holding him down, do you mind helping lord Lutroan from his armor? It must be ufortable."

    "Yah... I... I mean, of course, your majesty."

    "At once, my prince."

    The first prince took a deep breath and ordered to which both the blond-haired girl and the brown-haired young man nodded without dy.

    "Zoemi, what even happened to you, I don''t understand..."

    Miriette muttered while fidgetting slightly in Zoemi''s arms while the others in the room were taking action to examine the extremely suspicious turn of action.

    "Well, I had quite the experience recently. I met Presence and hopefully dealt with Cherro for good... I have also learned from her, that you might have very well merged together with Guide because you should have disappeared since she took away all traces of her existence and all."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi murmured into her ear, dropping quite a bombshell out of nowhere and making Miriette jolt and pull away at a hand''s reach.

    "I...! I don''t... I mean... What are you talking about...?"

    "...~"

    For a second Miriette''s expression lookedpletely lost but then her eyes darted to the side and she mumbled awkwardly as if she was a kid caught red-handed on ying a trick ¨C to which Zoemi smirked, tilting his head to the side to match her line of sight.

    "...alright fine..." *CRACK* x74

    *WHOOSH*

    The dark-haired girl admitted and closed her eyes, suddenly every single piece of jewelry she wore exploded and she wanted right out of the ck-haired boy''s arms.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "KYAAAH!"

    "What the?!"

    "What did you do to her?!"

    The spectacle didn''t go without notice ¨C Reo creamed in terror and rushed to Xoenith''s side, the brown-haired boy himself also gasped in shock but the first prince was definitely the loudest of everyone.

    The attention was solely on Zoemi even though he was more confused than anyone else and he felt his heart drop the moment that he could not feel Miriette in his arms anymore.

    Thankfully, the very next second the entire canteen filled with the scent of ozone, and a young tinum-haired girl without a face materialized in front of him.

    Then, without giving anyone a chance to raise any questions, in the blink of an eye, the faceless girl was reced by a young woman with long tinum hair and... face strikingly simr to Miriette only more defined and mature.

    "Don''t stare at me like that, I am aware that you liked the old Guide but I really didn''t want to disappear without seeing you again..."

    The tinum-haired Miriette grumbled while fidgeting, making a sulking expression and looking to the side away from the stunned Zoemi.

    "Miri~!"

    "No, hold on! Before you say anything, I know that with the new timeline and me in this formpletely recing Guide technically means that I am now much older than you, but I regained my true self only moments before you summoned me through the star chart and was working on some sort of autopilot before that so I... umm... and speaking about my current self... thing is..."

    Zoemi gasped feeling his chest bing lighter but Miriette reached out her hand stopping him from approaching and continued to sulk while fidgeting ufortably.

    "... I know that now since I am a god... it''s even worse than before when I was you were my attendant and I was your master... but I still love you so mu... eh...?"

    Miriette tried to exin herself but felt as if she was digging her own grave deeper and deeper with each word... that''s why she was surprised enough to gasp when Zoemi took the hand she was reaching out to stop him and pulled her into his arms.

    "Well, well, well. I guess there is nothing else to do for me but to stay as your champion. Tough spot for you. As your Heavenly Star Warrior, I deserve a prize, but I don''t want anything other than you."

    "Zo...!"

    The ck-haired boy grinned and kissed her the moment she opened her mouth to call his name.

    The kiss was rather an intense spectacle and even the people with their memories form the past life intact blushed and turned their gaze away.

    Miriette wasn''t passive in the slightest and got into it almost immediately entrusting herself to Zoemi without hesitation.

    As she held onto him hungry for the sensation of his lips her hand moved across his horribly scarred face and the wound disappeared without a trace in a sh but funnily enough, neither she nor the healed boy even realized that it happened.

    *WHAM*

    "Agh...!"

    "REO...!"

    Using the distraction, Lutroan jerked up and hit his head against Xeonith ¨C the hit itself didn''t do a thing as the earth enchantments of his level were much stronger than the light enchantments that the head instructor was capable of casting ¨C but the sudden move startled the brown-haired girl by Xeonith''s side and her scared voice caused the young man to lose his grip allowing the captured man to slip away.

    *haaaaaa*

    "FUCKING...!"

    Judging by the sound simr to a person breathing out in relief and the furious curse leaving Lutroan''s throat, the head instructor was trying to teleport away but failed, so he dashed towards the door with reckless abandon.

    "..."

    As if it was the most normal thing to do, the tinum-haired god flicked her hand without separating from her champion which resulted in the bearded man stopping all actions and getting stuck mid-run with a grimace of desperation stuck to his face as his eyes were solely focused on the exit.

    "Nhuaah~"

    Miriette pulled away from Zoemi just the tiniest bit and breathed out in delight, lowering her head and nuzzling against his chest.

    After she seemed to have her fill of that she looked over her shoulder ring at the back of the man frozen in time with such hatred that everyone besides Zoemi felt chills of fear running down their spines.

    "As a god in charge of this world, I might have countless rules about not messing around with the poption of my worshippers, but when someone begs for annihtion for disrupting my quality time with my man I will respond ordingly."

    The tinum-haired god dered forcing everyone else to look away in panic.

    *thump*

    It seemed that especially Reo took her words to heart because her knees gave out and she plopped down while clinging to Xoenith''s leg on the verge of bursting into tears.

    Miriette had the ability to overwhelm any situation with her presence and that talent definitely blossomed after she merged with a god whom she also overwhelmed and took over...

    "What are you looking at? You want that trash so capture him. I am not going to hold him down for you indefinitely. Now then..."

    The tinum-haired god scoffed and turned back to her champion with a coquettish expression.

 Chapter 774 258 - The Plot (Part 4)

    Xeonith, Zoemi, and Miriette were standing by a wall in an emptied room.

    "They are taking their sweet time."

    Xeonith sighed, looking towards the door.

    "Tsk I''m out of time. I will return as soon as possible okay? Don''t get too lonely."

    Miriette clicked her tongue grumpily also watching the door before nuzzling against Zoemi''s arm and purring cutely.

    "Being a god sucks more than I imagined... what about sending back your copy? You can experience things through her, right?"

    Zoemi wasn''t bothered about theters and was far more concerned about his tinum-haired lover he was finally properly reunited with.

    "It''s not the same! And I am still using my power and stretching the rules when having my copy here! Now that you know the truth and Cherro''s power weakened tremendously there is no need to keep a double around. Not to mention, without her around, the real me will be able to stay with you longer the next time I will be able to descend!"

    Miriette dered giving her all to hug Zoemi and lift his spirit while exining her circumstances.

    "I understand that much but... I just don''t want to let go of you ever again... Can''t we just ignore the rules?"

    The ck-haired boy sighed leaning to the side and burrowing his face in Miriette''s hair immediately started curling up and caressing him lovingly.

    "I would like that... but I am not talking about something as simple as human rules. I mean if I *^%#^%%$ and #%^$%$$# %E^ ^%47&$ &^#% then ^%&3 &%^$ %^6<":[:^%%$%L:"

    Miriette pouted and exined but in the middle of it, her words turned into an iprehensible sound that caused ringing in Zoemi and Xeonith''s ears.

    "See? You literally can''tprehend what I just said. I am happy that it only sounds, apparently the more powerful the god the harder they are to beprehended and look just like blurs of light to whoever they show themselves to."

    The tinum-haired girl sighed and sought even closer contact with Zoemi, clinging to him with all her physical might.

    ...which funnily enough was stillughably weak, but it was also a testament to the control she had over her godly powers...

    "...that''s why I want a goodbye kiss..."

    "Hmm~"

    She added and made Zoemi chuckle before heplied with her demand.

    "Oh, and just in case. Don''t cheat on me with anyone I don''t approve of. I will smite them down even if that will get me in trouble!"

    Miriette pulled away and smirked before disappearing, and together with her the smell of ozone also vanished.

    "...I might be reading too much into her words but why does it sound like she is willing to approve of you having other partners...?"

    "Haaa... I am not ready to have that conversation."

    Xeonith coughed discreetly and asked tilting his head and looking at Zoemi with a rather amused expression to which the ck-haired boy could only sigh remembering how things were in the previous timeline.

    "Pffft...!"

    Xoenith chuckled and Zoemi simply shrugged his shoulders with a helpless smile...

    ...just then the first prince Horeo appeared next to them in a sh of golden light.

    The two youngsters turned serious seeing his grim expression.

    "...where did...? Nevermind."

    Horeo raised his brow looking around the room after seeing only Xoenith and Zoemi but then he shook his head and sighed.

    "My father and mother im that they have no idea what the device might be. In their words, Bellcephora kingdom doesn''t research any magic devices without youngdy Moyena''s expertise. They also gave their permission to detain the instructors and question them ¨C which should be happening as we speak. I went a step further and asked them for permission to inspect all of the King''s Guard and they allowed it."

    The gold-haired boy reported, crossing his arms and tapping his fingers on his arm.

    "I made sure to imply that if this is some sort of secret operation we will keep it a secret and wrap it up as an insignificant ident, but it really looks like there are external forces messing with our kingdom."

    He added shaking his head in disgust at the thought of so many traitors moving around right under the noses of the royal family.

    "I already issued an emergency order to the King''s Guard, they should all show up here any minute now, young lord Banemor, I ask you to do the same thing you did earlier and disable their spells when that happens. Also, take care of whoever will try something. Young lord Derizno, you make sure that I am safe."

    "Sure."

    "Yes, your highness."

    Horeo revealed and instructed to which the other two nodded in agreement.

    A few minutester therge canteen became crowded with heavily armored knights.

    Most of them were disciplined enough to stay silent and wait for the prince''s word but a few feltfortable enough to look around and whisper amongst each other.

    "Your Highness. Besides the instructors handling the training and the vice leader who''s on a mission ordered by his majesty, everyone is here."

    Themander of the King''s Guard took off his helmet and reported proudly standing at attention.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Thank you, lord Irghun. I gathered you all here because unfortunately a major problem with the enchanted armor provided to all of you has been discovered. To not cause unnecessary worries amongst the staff, please remove your armor before teleporting to your private quarters."

    "...!"

    The first prince took a deep breath and ordered with a serious expression causing quite a stir amongst the less disciplined minority of King''s Guard members.

    "What''s the point of us gathering here to do that?"

    "Can''t we just go back to our quarters and have our armor collected?"

    "What about our privacy?!"

    Some of them startedining ¨C but more than half of the knights have already started taking off their armor without any issue.

    Commander Irghun and two knights moving in perfect sync already have taken off their chesttes ¨C Zoemi immediately recognized them asdy Yarvestreg and lord Karestas.

    What he was surprised to see though, was that beside them there was another pair of knights who would move in sync whatever they did ¨C only that the other pair belonged to the group whoined about the prince''smand.

    "Privacy? Big wordsing from someone that was caught peeking on female servants bathing."

    Lady Yarvestreg straightened her undershirt andmented out loud while loosening the straps of the armored shoes.

    "What''s the big deal? Comply with the order, his majesty the king instructed us to follow the prince''s orders."

    Lord Karestas sighed and pointed out while taking off his armored shoes just like his partner.

    "H-hold on...! I recognize that ck-haired bastard next to the first prince!"

    "Yes! He doesn''t have his mask on, but isn''t he that attendant who sneak attacked us and destroyed our armor?!"

    The still-armored pair in sync in the back called out all of a sudden trying to cause amotion all of a sudden.

    "...huh...? Yeah, I recognize you. You were the idiots trying to stop me and Kierul at the beginning of the school year. I almost mistook you for lord Karestas anddy Yarvestreg back then!"

    Zoemi raised one brow before gasping in realization and smirking cheekily.

    "...please don''t jest like that..."

    "...especially since Valkie and I are lovers and the two you refer to are siblings - the Farkhere twins..."

    Yarvestreg and Karestas shuddered and waved their hands decisively in perfect sync, both very displeased.

    "Stop causing amotion! Remove your armor knights! That''s an order!"

    Lord Irghun had enough of his underlings bickering and shouted angrily, stopping any backtalk from the twins.

    A few minutester each kinght had a set of enchanted armor put down safely in front of them.

    Most of them were standing tall proudly but there were quite a few who were slouching as if they were bothered about something...

    "We''re done, right? Then..." *haaaaa*

    "Huh?! I can''t teleport?! What is going on?!" *haaaaa*

    The ones most reluctant to remove their armors were the first ones who tried to teleport away ¨C meaning they were the first ones to experience their mana being dissolved by Zoemi''s star power filling the room.

    "Now then. Traitors with unknown magic devices in their chest, please surrender without resisting."

    "!!!"

    The first prince Horeo nodded with satisfaction and gave the second order...

    ----

    Reo was sitting in front of a table with thirteen devices that had been pulled out of the chests of the members of the King''s Guard now locked up in the dungeon awaiting their trial for treason.

    The artifacts were cleaned up from the remains of blood and viscera but they didn''t lose that much of the disturbing look.

    One thing was sure just from a single nce ¨C they weren''t made to just be worn, they were designed to be embedded in the flesh to work which went against every moral code that a proper magic device maker should have.

    Insertion and extraction of those things were extremely dangerous, it was already a miracle that the people who subjected themselves to this experiment didn''t face immediate health problems, but that could be easily exined...

    ...the ones who were found were the lucky ones whose bodies adjusted to artifacts out of a muchrger group of subjects...

    Honestly, that thought was making the brown-haired girl sick.

    Most of the traitors didn''t want to reveal anything, blindly repeating that they don''t know what the device was or how it ended up in their chests.

    Some even imed that they must have been ced there by the martial artist who knocked them out. Their audacity truly knew no bounds.

    But not all were like that.

 Chapter 775 258 - The Plot (Part 5)

    One man, in particr, broke down under very efficient questioning of the torture master called back from retirement just for that.

    The man revealed that the device was meant to gather the power of light mana and increase the capabilities of light magicians and that he agreed to be subjected to the experiment because of his honest wish to be on the King''s Guard which he couldn''t do because of hiscking magic power.

    He imed that he didn''t work with any foreign forces and the whole experiment was performed by the team of researchers from the Bellcephora kingdom... and yet he didn''t dare to speak their names.

    Even so, after being ced under more pressure he admitted that the investors behind the research team weren''t from the Bellcephora kingdom after all, as in exchange for the magic-strengthening device he had to share whatever news and information he gathered while stationed at the royal castle.

    The questioning could not continue because the moment the subject regained some rity he bit off his tongue in an attempt to take his own life but he was saved and put under sedation by the healer magician, Burushi, on-site.

    *click*

    The door to the room opened and a brown-haired young man walked inside while carrying an armful of the creepy mana devices.

    Reo raised her brows and stared at them in shock as the young man put them all on the table next to the original thirteen.

    "Xeoni.... what is going on...? Where did all of thate from...?"

    The girl asked looking between the table and the grim face of the brown-haired young man.

    "Under the first prince''s order, we''ve called every member of the King''s Guard and performed a bit of an inspection. This is the result."

    Xeonith breathed out with a bothered expression.

    "The ones with mana devices removed experienced a significant drop in the power of their magic, there were a few who could not even cast a teleportation spell anymore. To make things more annoying those were also the same people who were originally epted in King''s Guard because of their exceptional power even though their discipline and characters were something to work on... to make things even more suspicious though, amongst the group that we now know as traitors, there were a few who had records of underperforming and failing to be epted into the King''s Guard during the tests in the previous years¨C but every attempt to look into that was stopped by the vice-leader and head instructor of the new recruits, lord Lutroan..."

    He added, crouching by the table and ring at the now silent artifacts.

    "..."

    Reo bit her lips and also looked at the magic devices ¨C amongst them was one excavated from the head instructor too.

    "Lord Irghun ims that lord Lutroan didn''t have the magic device in the past, but recalls that two years ago he stopped appearing in public in casual clothes, walking everywhere in his armor. Although that part was originally considered the ego boost because of his promotion to vice-leader after his aplishments in ¨C get this ¨C nurturing new recruits. Lord Lutroan''s im was that every light magician was a diamond in the rough only needing patient and capable hands to show their real worth."

    Xoenith reached out his hand and jabbed at one of the devices with his index finger making it wobble and fall onto the table where its sharp edges left scratches on the wooden surface.

    Something like that had been imnted in another human being.

    "...is it possible that those people were influenced to go along with everything by hexes and curses of the magicians from the Barbaria nation...?"

    Reo gulped down her saliva and asked in a worried voice. She seemed to be at least a little bit hopeful that no one in their right mind would risk their life by allowing something so ridiculously dangerous to be put inside of them just for power, all while bing the traitor to their homnd.

    "Yes. Boss has cleansed any and all traces of mana from the bodies of the selected few, the results are yet to be shown."

    The brow-haired young man responded with a nod without looking away from the magic devices ¨C he didn''t sound too optimistic about the idea though...

    "Oh, that''s right. I bring new requests from the crown. Confirm whether the information about those things boosting the power of light magicians is true. Search for any additional functions. If the first point is proven true, start working on our own version, preferably one that can work as an essory instead of something that had to be embedded in the flesh. Additionally, it would be nice to figure out the same type of device for types of mana other than light."

    Xoenith looked up as if remembering something and turned to Reo, resting his face against the side of the table and passing orders.

    "As if that was such a simple thing! You were the one to tell me what that thing does because it doesn''t want to activate in its current state! Figuring out how those activate those things without stabbing them into someone is already a ridiculous hurdle! Xeoni, you can go and tell the first prince to stop being delusional! If the device doesn''t work when out of the body... the body... hmmm..."

    "Hmm~"

    Reo became flustered and called out with a cute blush of exasperation on her face. Herints were valid but in the middle of speaking she suddenly flinched and her eyes widened as she slouched deep in thoughts, making Xeonith snicker softly at the sight.

    The brown-haired girl stood up from her chair, pushing aside a case with various tools she used to tinker with the artifacts, and rushed to the workbench in the back where mana crystals of various shapes and sizes wereid.

    "...despite using mana crystal as its core the device isn''t using it as an energy source but rather a converter, the thing powering up is the mana heart of the user... but then why wasn''t the device embedded closer or inside of mana heart...?"

    Reo muttered to herself while rummaging through the mana crystals before furrowing her brows and putting one hand on her abdomen.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "..ck of support for the device? In one''s chest ribs would naturally help support the weight and position of the device... there is also a chance that the device ced directly in the mana heart overloads it which can potentially lead to the mana reservoir getting destroyed...! Worst case scenario... but it also could be that the device receives the optimal amount of energy to work at a certain distance from the mana heart... Anyway, it should be possible to make it work through a device that simtes the mana heart of a light magician...!"

    The brown-haired girlpletely detached herself from the outside world already too focused on her creative process to pay attention to anything else while separating and examining the light mana crystals that were optimal for her project.

    "...when I said the crown, I meant the king, not the first prince..."

    Xoenith muttered knowing that his words will not get any reaction out of Reo when she was in that state.

    The brown-haired young man''s expression darkened as he started nudging another creepy device.

    "And I didn''t bring you all the devices that were retrieved either."

    He added with a dispirited sigh.

    -----

    "What do you mean no one knows where Roiso is? I am most definitely still using thew of Virgo on her to limit the effect of her attribute."

    Zoemi''s expression turned furious as he looked between Burushi, George, and Leveo while stroking the side of an armored wolf, Hachiko, sitting by his side as Metavicero watched them in confusion.

    "Listen, after your disappearance Roiso was taken in by the Perserios family. As far as I know,dy Rokiana Grea Perserios adopted her. That didn''t matter too much for Roiso herself, but in the end, she attended the Academy for one year as a gifted student and definitely arrived at the Academy for the inauguration of her second year."

    Burushi rubbed her forehead and exined with a bothered expression as she wasn''t given a moment of respite and was being questioned right after being done with assisting in a torture session which was against her morals.

    "Lady Perserios said it so herself, she and Roiso arrived at the Aspakeony together, but then right after she checked up ondy Kierul and her mysterious attendant ¨C which turned out to be you ¨C she was called into the royal castle with the rest of, a duty she was assigned by headmistress Aspakeony. She wanted to get Roiso here too, but that''s when things get messy. At first, she received a few lukewarm letters in response, at first she thought that Roiso was just angry at her for leaving suddenly, but when she checked the letters side by side, she realized that despite being written in Roiso''s handwriting they weren''t written by her."

    "..."

    The blond-haired girl exined, and Zoemi''s tense expression softened a bit ¨C the ck-haired boy didn''t say a thing though, waiting for Burushi to continue.

    "Whendy Perserios reached out to the Academy directly, she was met with a response that Roiso didn''t attend even a single lecture since the beginning of the year and that she hasn''t been in her dormitory ¨C get this ¨C which was something the staff thought as natural as the girl supposedly left a letter of withdrawal in her room."

    Burushi said with a stern expression.

    "There you have it, it''s not like everyone ditched her, we were all tricked."

    She added, putting down her hand and looking straight at the ck-haired boy.

    "George. Go and inform the first prince that we are in much deeper shit than anyone else expects."

    "...huh...?"

    "Where did thate from?"

    Zoemi sighed and turned to the brownish-ck-haired young man andmanded, causing the young man and Burushi to react in confusion.

    "We have traitors and spies ced in the most prestigious armed group in the kingdom and now it turns out that a magician with an attribute that corrodes and dissolves every other type of mana had been missing, most likely abducted. Even an off chance that those two cases are connected should be enough to hasten the mobilization of the kingdom! Those fuckers are experimenting on magicians! What will you all do if they came up with weapons that can render your magic useless AND kill you and everyone you care about?!"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi breathed out and leaned forward to deliver the exnation in the coldest way possible, causing the others to flinch.

    George didn''t need any other incentive ¨C he rushed out of the room in search of the first prince.

    "Hey, umm... isn''t Miriette a god now? Can''t she deal with it?"

    "Hopefully yes, most likely no."

    Burushi gulped down her saliva nervously and asked, but Zoemi had not been deluded by an easy way out.

 Chapter 776 258.5 - Certain Type

    Back in the Aspakeony Academy in the headmistress''s office, the gray-haired necromancer was having a well-deserved nap after dealing with the formalities.

    She was enjoying a quality rest cuddled up to Zoemi''s copy that was gently patting her head in a loving embrace as both of them were surrounded by pillows and plushies.

    "...uhhh... Zo-mi why is this timeline so messed up too? I thoughts things would be fine after I subdued the Ghosts of Bellcephora before they grew into a threat, but now another war is on the horizon and one of my underlings, a guy who I trusted with teaching all those kids, turned out to be conspiring with enemies of Bellcephora kingdom... Where will this end?"

    Aspakeonyined, kicking up her feet and sending a small pillow and a round plushie flying.

    "Mmmm~"

    Zoemi''s copy smiled at her and moved his hand towards her face, gently caressing her face which made her let out a purr offort as she leaned into his palm.

    *Squeeze*

    *...ehw...?"

    But then just as the wound on the right half of Zoemi''s face disappeared, the gentle caress turned into a pinch and the gray-haired necromancer experienced her cheek being stretched out as if she was a kid that spoke something rude to their parents.

    "Aspy, if you have your memories intact, then why on earth is Burushi the only healer magician AGAIN?!"

    "Hweh...?!"

    Zoemi asked, continuing to pinch the necromancer''s face.

    "Nwhuah...! It should be obvious that I regained my memories AFTER I made the same mistake, okay?!"

    Aspakeony managed to free her face as Zoemi wasn''t holding her that hard and scoffed at him with a grumpy expression.

    "And since when do YOU have your memories back in the first ce?!"

    The gray-haired girl pulled out a reverse card and questioned the ck-haired boy stabbing the air in front of Zoemi''s face with her index finger.

    "Only a few hours ago." *chuu*

    The boy answered and kissed the fingernail of the finger that the girl was pointing at him.

    "..."

    "I already know that you are doing your best in searching for Roiso considering how much you care about your students. I only hope that you will inform me as soon as you will learn about her location."

    Aspakeony went silent and only looked at Zoemi with a frown while he was exining his real reason to talk to her directly.

    "Okay. I see no problem with your request..."

    The gray-haired girl nodded looking away shimming away from the ck-haired boy.

    "...and since you have your memories back I assume that you no longer want to lend me your copy..."

    She added a bit sulkily but with aposed and serious expression.

    "Aww~! The kingdom is in trouble and you have such cute worries~!"

    "Don''t mock me. Without Ghosts of Bellcephora, my army never diminished, I am far stronger than before. Not to mention I never made a promise about taking the strength of multiple corpse puppets as my own."

    Zoemi chuckled but Aspakeony wasn''t amused by his joke and scoffed.

    The next moment the air filled with an oppressive amount of mana causing the inside of the room to blur as if someone put frosted ss over it.

    Zoemi still vividly remembered the power that the transcended magicians had at their disposal in the previous timeline ¨C himself included ¨C and honestly, even Benevirau and Horeo put together could not measure up to the pure concentration of mana at the proud necromancer''s disposal.

    But instead of pulling away, recalling his copy and disappearing, or trying to purge all that mana with thew of Aquarius, the ck-haired boy leaned forward until his lips were almost touching Aspakeony''s forehead.

    "...do you want to know a secret that even Miri isn''t fully aware of...?"

    "?!?!"

    Zoemi whispered in his low, captivating voice, and chills of excitement run through Aspakeony''s entire body causing her to unintentionally arch her body and clench her thighs together.

    The oppressive aura subsided and she could clearly see the young man''s confident expression with a seductive look in his eyes.

    "When I like someone I want all of their attention. I want to be the one to spoil them and want to be the one being spoiled. I am aware that the intensity of my feeling can make them ufortable for the other party, so that''s why I do my best to not get too invested before it''s toote."

    Zoemi revealed and Aspakeony gulped down her salvia unable to take her eyes off him.

    "It also helps that I am naturally dense. And thank Guide for that, because otherwise, I would be way too obnoxious to show up in public around so many people~"

    The young man hummed smiling devilishly and just like that making the necromancer''s heart skip a beat.

    "Now tell me... with everything you''ve done with that copy of mine, am I in the wrong in thinking that you want my attention the same way I want yours...?"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi asked making Aspakeony bite her lips as if she was barely able to hold herself back.

    Then...

    "NOW, HOLD ON!"

    The air was filled with the smell of ozone and the tinum-haired girl materialized next to the drawer where the two wereying in...

    "I''ll have you know that I know when you mention my other name now too! I definitely told you to not cheat on me with someone I don''t approve of!"

    Miriette stomped her foot and reached down, grabbing Zoemi''s hand and trying to pull him up from the plush toys and pillows, visibly struggling to do so as she was not using her godly powers in the slightest.

    "Wah?!" *rustle* *pomf*<novelnext></novelnext>

    Zoemi turned to her and he smirked teasingly, pulling the girl towards himself instead of going along with her adorable outburst of jealousy.

    The next moment she was in Zoemi''s arms and the drawer became really cramped.

    "I was hoping that you show up~ I wanted to ask you this in case anything changed. You see, I have memories of a different timeline where you approved of Aspy in that way, and I''m curious whether it still counts."

    The young man asked while ying with Miriete''s long tinum hair that kept on curling lovingly under his touch.

    "...tsk... I am not such a lowly person to take back my word..."

    The tinum-haired god clicked her tongue and tried to sound grumpy while cuddling herself up to Zoemi. Nheless, her words were that of approval ~

    "...it''s not like I need your permission anyway, youngest one..."

    "~?"

    "...!"

    As the two were talking, Asepakony pouted and snuck her way to Zoemi''s side, shimming her way under his other arm and scoffing grumpily while cuddling up to the young man''s side.

    "Don''t make that face, this Zoemi isn''t even the original one, you can leave him to me anyway as long as he wants to stay. I am not willing to chase him away."

    Aspakeony added in a voice that suggested she was ready to throw hands, staring at Miriette.

    "Oh. About that. I happened to have a breakthrough with thew of Gemini not too long ago. Now it doesn''t matter which body is original or not~ There''s essentially no difference anymore, so it''s not like the current me is a copy that can be treated as something lesser~"

    Zoemi chimed in humming softly making both girls stare at him in surprise.

    "So, Miri, don''t be mean to my Aspy, and Aspy, don''t be mean to my Miri."

    The young man asked, protectively hugging both girls.

    "...technically speaking I know him longer..."

    Aspakeony rested her chin on Zoemi''s chest and smirked at Miriette.

    "Hmph! What can I say? You snooze you lose."

    The tinum-haired god scoffed back, peering at the gray-haired necromancer from the other side of the ck-haired martial artist.

    *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

    "Eh...?!"

    All of a sudden someone knocked loudly on the office''s door causing the girls to jolt.

    "It''s okay to open."

    "..."

    Zoemi pointed out looking at Aspakeony.

    The necromancer furrowed her brows but ended up summoning one of her corpse puppets ¨C the gold-haired Moxeoni showed up in the sh of light and opened the door just a little bit...

    "Hello, I came here from the royal castle."

    "?!?!"

    The person who knocked turned out to be... Zoemi... the ck-haired boy raised his hand and greeted the corpse puppet in a friendly manner and using her hesitation entered the office.

    Then he walked straight to the drawer and leaned down, grabbing the slightly confused Miriette and throwing her over his shoulder before ring at the other Zoemi.

    "Miri. You have me. Don''t stick to me who already has another girl."

    "...?!"

    The newly arrived Zoemi dered grumpily before leaving, taking the speechless god with him.

    While one Zoemi left, the other hugged Aspakeony protectively, moving her on top of him and holding her head with one hand as if blocking her from looking back at the one who left with Miriette.

    "Aspy. You have me. If you believe that I will not get jealous over you looking at me with another girl, then you underestimate how possessive I am."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi dered sounding almost upset and a jolt of excitement shook her whole body.

    It didn''t matter whether there will be other girls. This Zoemi will always be hers.

    "...before you regained your memories you told me that you liked strong-willed girls... you weren''t just saying it for a joke, were you...?"

    Aspakeony twitched and pulled away, ending up sitting upright on top of the ck-haired young man.

    "I was serious."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and tilted his head curiously before confirming.

    "Well then... My Zo-mi... Who do you think you are talking to?"

    The gray-haired girl grinned, pushing down on Zoemi''s chest with one hand.

    "I am a necromancer. Someone who doesn''t allow even death to take things away from me. If you believe that you are the more possessive one between the two of us, then you better prepare yourself to be proven wrong~!"

    She dered proudly with the fire of excitement burning in her gray eyes.

 Chapter 777 259 - Hearing (Part 1)

    The meeting room of the royal castle was not empty despite no official meeting scheduled for the day.

    There was a grim ck-haired young man sitting on one of the chairs in a domineering manner and the regal aura surrounding him could easilypete with kings and emperors of the world. His wardrobe suggested him being an attendant but one look at him was enough to prove how disrespectful such an assumption was.

    Atop of hisp sat a dark-skinned beauty with unevenly cut gray hair, her expression was more rxed than the young man''s but the wisdom in her eyes could not belong to someone looking to be barely eighteen as her appearance and demeanor would suggest. She was wearing a female school uniform of the Aspakeony Academy but didn''t have a badge that would symbolize the year she was supposed to be attending and yet no one in the room was clueless enough to try to question her.

    In the first pce, her sitting in the young man''sp was getting far more attention than the choices of wardrobe from both of them.

    Besides the pair stood a stoic-faced gold-haired woman who looked alive but certainly didn''t breathe ¨C at least not when she was standing there silent. She wasn''t blinking either and instead observed the table and the people waiting there.

    The next person was the gold-haired young man in expensive clothes. He was probably the most recognizable person there as he made more public appearances than everyone else gathered therebined. He was on the moreposed side but even so, he could not stop the asional nces at the ck-haired young man, the dark-skinned girl, and the person sitting directly opposite to the pair ¨C a red-haired middle-aged man with a slightly too confident expression.

    The rtively good mood of the said man was that much more confusing because he was actually in chains since he was in the meeting room as a prisoner and not a normal guest.

    Beside him stood two knights in full enchanted armor of which neither looked away from the captive even for a second.

    Whether that level of precaution was necessary was already questionable for some of the other people as the red-haired man was shackled in the most feared artifact in all of the Bellcephora kingdom, the magic sealing bracelets.

    That alone allowed two officials from the six great families to be seated at the same table as himfortably.

    Well, including the first prince and Zoemi, there were four representatives gathered in that meeting room, but that was what was making the whole scene more suspicious.

    Lord Derizno and lord Moyena were certainly bothered by that fact too.

    For lord Moyena, the kingdom''s treasurer it would not be odd to be called out to discuss something in secret, but to just call lord Derizno ¨C one of the two Dukes that the Bellcephora kingdom had ¨C without also bringing lord Espine could be seen as a tant sign of disrespect for thetter one.

    And considering how much the Espine family had grown in strength in recent years duke Derizno didn''t find it particrly desirable to get on Espine''s bad side.

    The absence of lord Victureo was also a big factor in the difort of both high aristocrats.

    The first prince was engaged with the only daughter of the Victureo family ¨C a family that from generation to a generation brought forth prodigious generals, tacticians, andmanders.

    ...and the Victureo family was going to have a connection with the Espine family by having young lord Victureo be married to youngdy Espine...

    Thest person was another knight in enchanted armor, although unlike the two in charge of the prisoner, he had taken off his helmet and was sitting down.

    It was none other than themander of the King''s Guard, lord Irghun.

    In a rather odd turn of action, that loyal and calm man was looking at the suspicious pair and his expression could not be easily deciphered... he didn''t look pleased with them though.

    Odd, considering that the dark-haired girl was Aspakeony ¨C the one magician that helped with the creation of Bellcephora kingdom ¨C a variant magician who was the headmistress of the one and only Academy where the young nobles could make valuable connections in a safe environment.

    Basically everyone present was a student there at one point.

    Where did Irghun''s displeasuree from then?

    As the peculiarly tense atmosphere continued, the door on the opposite side of the room opened and a stern-faced blue-haired man entered the meeting room.

    He was wearing a tailored suit with blue ents and sapphire cufflinks and his eyes were protected by a pair of crystal sses whose rims looked as if they were made out of ice.

    "Teacher Valto~!"

    "...?"

    The ck-haired young man looked up, sounding and looking positively surprised ¨C although the other party didn''t seem to understand why was he met with such a warm wee.

    "Greetings esteemeddies and gentlemen, my name is Valto Jora Erest, personal aid to his majesty. Today I will be in charge of assuring the safety of all of you and his majesty."

    Adjusting to the situation at a moment''s notice the blue-haired man Put his hand to his chest and bowed his head around an inch before introducing himself with a polite smile.

    Then, he stepped to the side making way for the person outside.

    "His majesty, the light of the Bellcephora kingdom."

    Valto added, bowing down as a gold-haired man in regal robes walked in looking over the people gathered by the table.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Everyone got up from their ces and kneeled down ¨C even the red-haired prisoner did so without being forced to.

    Well... maybe not everyone did the proper greeting though...

    Aspaekony and Zoemi did stand up, but the necromancer only curtsied elegantly while the martial artist merely put his hand to his chest and bowed his head around an inch.

    "..."

    The king furrowed his brows ring down the ck-haired young man, but after ncing over at the gray-haired girl he rxed and did not mention a thing.

    The king walked past the kneeling gold-haired corpse puppet, then past his son, and finally took a seat of honor.

    Only after he was seated did the others look up and returned to their seats.

    "Thank you all for your patience, the urgent duties kept his majesty for longer than expected."

    Valto lowered his head an inch again and spoke up first, indirectly taking the me for thete arrival of the king so that if anyone wanted to issue aint it would be directed toward him and not the monarch.

    Then, Valto stepped away, positioning himself a step behind the king''s seat, and waited. As he did so, the temperature in the meeting room dropped by precisely one degree.

    "Duke Derizno, lord Moyena, I summoned you to be witnesses for the confession of a traitor."

    "...!"

    After a second or two, the king turned towards the heads of the two great noble families and said while benevolently waving his hand toward the red-haired man in shackles.

    "You might have recognized him as now a former teacher at the Aspaekony Academy. Unfortunately, the esteemed role of an educator wasn''t enough for him. Isn''t that right, sir Ikarveth?"

    The gold-haired monarch graced the prisoner with his gaze and blessed his unworthy ears with a question.

    "Your majesty, this unworthy subject has always considered himself to be a schr in pursuit of greater heights."

    Ikarveth bowed his head first before looking up just slightly and beginning to answer.

    "I have been born with a mediocre mana pool that has been weighing me down, blocking my creativity, and banning me from making any significant improvements. I, of course, aren''t the only one struggling with that. But instead of focusing on what I could not achieve with my mediocre magical power, I made up with my intellect. I have been researching ways of erging the mana reservoir, I have looked into the mana conversion spell that some of the darkness magicians could use, and I have also dabbed into the potential use of the mana crystal as the external mana reservoir ¨C research which led me to make contact with some rather unsavory individuals... individuals thatter on, unfortunately, and without my permission, decided to sell out to the alliance spearheaded y Barbaria and Atreterve nations."

    "Then you im that branding you as a traitor has been done with an incorrect assumption in mind and you are innocent."

    Ikarveth spoke up with a prideful expression, making a suggestion that was picked up by themander of the King''s Guard sitting two seats away from him.

    "I could not say it better myself, lord Irghun."

    The red-haired man held back a smile and gratefully bowed his head to the knight.

    "Putting the implied treachery aside... sir Ikarveth, you said that the people working with you had sold out to the alliance against our kingdom ¨C but I presume they could not have done that without any actual achievements. Putting Barbaria nation aside, no one in Atreterve is foolish enough to waste their resources on empty promises and dreams."

    Lord Moyena leaned forward and pointed out, observing the prisoner with twinkling eyes.

    "That is indeed true~"

    Ikarveth could no longer hide the confident smile as he nodded toward the Bellcephora kingdom''s treasurer.

    "Then...!"

    "Don''t be hasty."

    Lord Moyena leaned forward even more, almost sprawling himself on the table while gasping, but he was stopped by duke Derizno''s stern gesture.

    "Sir Ikarveth. Currently, you have admitted to coborating with the enemies of the Bellcephora kingdom. You im that together you managed to make a breakthrough in terms of magician''s mana capacity ¨C but from my standpoint, you are just trying to make yourself look good to escape capital punishment."

    Duke Derizno looked down on the red-haired prisoner and scoffed.

 Chapter 778 259 - Hearing (Part 2)

    "Lord Moyena already pointed out that Atreterve nation doesn''t put their interest in tall tales ¨C looking into the future and not being shortsighted is another troublesome quality of theirs."

    The man added and his re be even more strict.

    "While increasing the amount of mana is beneficial for us, the elemental magicians as well as for the curse magicians of Barbaria nation ¨C who recently began to call themselves witches and warlocks ¨C it doesn''t do any good for the enchanters of Atreterve. I personally encountered a few cases where craftsmen possessing too much mana resulted in the creation of subpar artifacts. My question is..."

    Duke Derizno scoffed and smirked mockingly at the shackled man.

    "Why would anyone from Atreterve support the creation of anything that could put them in a vulnerable position in the future?"

    Duke asked causing most of the people in the room to tense up.

    ...but surprisingly, Ikarveth wasn''t among them...

    "My lord, the thing is the device in question not only exists but is already in use. I believe that his majesty is already in possession of the proof that you want from me."

    The red-haired prisoner grinned openly and eximed happily, sounding as if everything was progressing ording to his n.

    "...Your majesty...?"

    Duke Derizno lend back into his chair and turned towards the king.

    The monarch gathered the attention but was not bothered by it in the slightest.

    The gold-haired man raised his hand and waved benevolently toward his son.

    "First prince."

    "Yes, father."

    The king spoke with authority and his son immediately reached down towards an unassuming bag that had been prepared under his seat and took out a small package.

    The whole thing was wrapped in white silk-like fabric that had to be unrolled ¨C as the first prince was doing just that some of the sharp edges of the device inside had caught onto the white fabric, causing it to tear in a few ces despite the attentiveness to the process.

    After a few seconds, the first prince was holding a cylindrical magic device of a rather unappealing design.

    "Is this...?"

    Duke Derizno furrowed his brows and asked.

    Lord Moyena looked as if he wanted to say something but this time he managed to stop himself in time and not seem as if he was blinded by greed.

    "What it''s supposed to be is a device that amplifies the power of light magicians. At this point, the only quality that we confirmed is that all magicians that goth their devices extracted experienced a severe decrease in mana reservoir ¨C sometimes to the point of being unable to teleport anymore."

    The king revealed coldly while his son leaned over the table and put the artifact in front of two high aristocrats.

    "...their power decreased or just returned to its natural state...?"

    "..."

    Duke Derizno looked up from the device and asked the monarch a question that got him a cold re from the first prince.

    "We are looking into the matter and unfortunately there is no decisive answer to your question as of yet."

    The king''s expression didn''t budge as he answered, perfectlyposed.

    "Your majesty, one thing bothers me though..."

    The more lord Moyena was observing the inactive artifact the more concerned his face was bing ¨C until finally he looked up and said.

    "You said that magic devices like those were... extracted... from light magicians."

    He was not stopped therefore he allowed himself to continue and pointed out.

    "Two factors worry me... first ¨C the extraction part, which doesn''t sound like a word that should be used when speaking about taking away an essory. And the second one is that there was more than one light magician discovered with it. Who should we turn to for exnation, your highness, you or...?"

    Lord Moyena asked in a serious voice looking between the monarch and the prisoner.

    "I did not misspeak. The supposedly revolutionary device that sir Ikarveth helped to develop requires to be embedded in the flesh to work properly... that partially brings me to the answer to your second question... the artifact before you had been cut out from the chest of the former head instructor of the King''s Guard unit, sir Lutroan."

    "...!"

    The king did share with the people gathered in the meeting room and with each word a shadow of anger engraved itself deeper and deeper on his regal face.

    "Almost a bit over a quarter of the King''s Guard members have been found with that dangerous artifact burrowed in their chest ¨C and we can''t be sure that more weren''t swayed by the promises of power and simply didn''t have the opportunity to receive the artifact."

    The gold-haired man added, ring down the magic device as if it was personally responsible for stirring up insurrection within the kingdom of Bellcephora.

    "...your majesty, I''m sorry, I must have problems with hearing. Did you just say that over ONE-QUARTER of King''s Guard are traitors....?"

    Lord Moyena was simply speechless while duke Derizno leaned back into his chair and rubbed his eyes with the index finger and thumb of his left hand before taking a deep breath and asking in an icy-cold voice.

    "...not only that... Lutroan family is a branch of the Victureo family... now I see what is going on here."

    The kingdom''s treasurer regained his voice and his expression turned disgusted as he stared daggers at the current king.

    "Your majesty, I have repeatedly warned you about the Victureo and Espines acting up. They have been increasing their personal strength and instead of being thwarted with taxes andws they grew too powerful to control!"

    "..."

    Lord Moyena grimaced and putting his fist against the table and leaning forward as if challenging the silent monarch.

    "Trash! Spit out every piece of information relevant to this situation!"

    The furious man turned towards the shackled prisoner and demanded, reaching out his fist threateningly.

    "..."

    Without giving lord Moyena a chance to move from the verbal threats to actual violence, one of the two knights guarding Ikarveth raised his hand and a half-transparent barrier of light emerged around them so that no harm could meet the prisoner.

    "Don''t get too hasty, lord Moyena. If his highness wanted to resolve the matter with violence and threats then sir Ikarveth would not even be here with us at this moment."

    The leader of the King''s Guard, lord Irghun called out to the agitated treasurer and lowered his hand ¨C the gold-haired knight was the one who ordered one of the guarding knights to make a move.

    "Big words from someone under the suspicion of treason. How long have you been at the top spoiled with power so much that you have not spotted the spread of rot? Or are you straight up admitting that you knew, kept quiet, and therefore are amongst the coborators too?"

    Lord Moyena certainly didn''t like lord Irghun, and from the viciousness of the response it seemed as if it was a personal grudge...

    "My lord, there''s no reason to virtue signal so much. Everyone knows that your eldest son didn''t end up joining the King''s Guard. No one is suggesting that your family is involved in this bothersome situation so there is no reason for you to lose yourposure. This meeting isn''t happening for one''s pursuit of resolving a personal grudge."

    "...!"

    Zoemi let out a disappointed sigh and shook his head at the fuming treasurer, causing the man to flinch and stare at him with a face stuck between confusion and anger.

    "..dy Aspakeony never fails to be see through me. Although if you wouldn''t mind please guide me with your wisdom without using your corpse puppet as medium next time."

    The man was definitely angry, but he was definitely too smart to pick a fight with Aspakeony, so he took control of his emotions and requested, to inform the other party about his displeasure in an amicable manner.

    "Oh, so that''s how it is~ I will do just that."

    In response, the gray-haired necromancer bit her lips barely holding back a smile as she nced up at the face of the ck-haired young man before nuzzling against himfortably without even a trace of remorse.

    The ck-haired youth merely smirked and said nothing more, protectively wrapping his arms around the gray-haired girl''s waist, making no attempt to resolve the misunderstanding.

    The first prince nced at them kind of nervously and lord Irghun leaned back observing the pair, visibly intrigued...

    Nheless, the meeting continued.

    "Lord Moyena, your youngest daughter is one of the people we already have working on resolving the mystery of those devices ¨C as well as creating a non-invasive version of it, capable of influencing magicians of all the othermon attributes."

    The king spoke in confidence, momentarily ignoring the red-haired prisoner.

    "Hmm~"

    ...although the shackled man didn''t seem particrly bothered by the fact that his importance was being questioned and diminished...

    "Your majesty as always made the right call! My Reo will not betray your expectations!"

    The treasurer of the kingdom gasped in ave and dered mming his right hand to his chest in an expression of joy and devotion.

    "If I may..."

    "..."

    That was the moment when Ikarveth cleared his throat and spoke up, causing the others to focus on him once more.

    "Youngdy Moyena is indeed a genius when ites to magic devices and enchanters who can match her talent are few and far between ¨C but the magic of an enchanter alone will not be able to recreate the intricacies of this artifact."

    "...you seem to be underestimating lord Moyena''s daughter, that youngdy is far toopetent for the likes of you topete against..."

    Ikarveth snickered almost boastfully ¨C and surprisingly enough it wasn''t Reo''s father, but duke Derizno who spoke up in defense of the girl who spearheaded the development of magic devices within the Bellcephora kingdom.

 Chapter 779 259 - Hearing (Part 3)

    "Oh~? I see that at least some rumors about your families are true~"

    "..."

    The red-haired prisoner chuckled and this time it seemed that he really got to lord Moyena.

    The kingdom''s treasurer''s face got red and he raised his right hand, pulling down on the sleeve of his shirt.

    The knights protecting the prisoner moved and the light barrier shone intensely, simrly, the blue-haired Valto tensed up focusing on the movement of the treasurer.

    But the angered man did not attack. His pulling down his sleeve revealed a rather crude iron bracelet with multiple small green mana crystals embedded in them ¨C both the metal and the crystals were connected by chains of runes inscribed on them with great care.

    Lord Moyena proceeded to take off the bracelet and put it right next to the problematic magic device.

    "This is a present that Reo gifted me on my birthday the other month. She called it a stepping stone in creating a perfect artificial mana heart ¨C it is basically an external mana reservoir that I gained ess to after around a week of attuning to it. It refills together with my own mana reservoir so as long as I have it on it keeps refilling automatically. Thanks to this I have as much mana as a strong water magician."

    "...!"

    Lord Moyena dered before coldly ring at the shocked Irghun...

    "Your majesty, if you called for us to put the usefulness of this buffoon up to vote, then I vote to not pay him any mind and give him the treatment that every traitor deserves."

    "N-NO! WAIT! I! I HAVE MORE INFORMATION! IMPORTANT ONES! THE SUN''S THORN ISN''T JUST...! GAH!"

    Irghun''s face turned ghastly pale and tried to stand up but one of the knights grabbed his shoulder and forced him back into his seat.

    "You already informed us about this project. It shows great potential ¨C but the other device in question isn''t an external mana heart."

    The king nodded at the furious treasurer before breathing out and exining while pointing towards the two artifactsying side by side.

    "The peculiar function of the other magic device was brought to our attention, you see. It doesn''t just increase the user''s mana. It influences userprehension, understanding, and efficiency in using mana. This thing... sun''s thorn..."

    The monarch looked lord Moyena in the eyes and said before ncing toward the troublesome artifact.

    "It basically turns a useless magician into a prodigy."

    "...!"

    "~!"

    Upon the king''s reveal, most of the people in the meeting room were taken aback while the shackled prisoner''s face brightened in relief upon learning that he indeed still holds importance.

    "That''s right! A toy like that basically only marginally improves the quality of a mana stone itself ¨C if anything it will be problematic to release it to the public because it would bring down the prices of mana stones!"

    Ikarveth felt confident enough to speak up and nder the bracelet.

    *CLICK* *WHOOSH*

    "Hey. Trash. You better start spilling some secrets. Badmouthing other people''s work will not save your neck."

    Zoemi raised his right hand and snapped his fingers creating a small shockwave which pressure washed over the others causing them to tense up, giving him a window to speak for himself.

    "...you...!"

    "I am starting to lose my patience. I wonder what this farce is about ¨C we really don''t need you alive."

    The prisoner gritted his teeth and growled but the ck-haired boy merely smirked at him devilishly with disdain in his eyes.

    "Your majesty! Why did you allow this low-born marital artist to participate in this meeting?!"

    Ikarveth could not handle the disrespect and despite being detained by the knight guarding him, he struggled to turn toward the king and called out spitefully.

    "...marital artist...?"

    "This is not one ofdy Aspakeony''s corpse puppets?!"

    Duke Derizno and lord Moyena''s eyes widened as they paid proper attention to the ck-haired young man for the first time since their arrival in the meeting room.

    "Low born...? Aren''t you a person of the lowest birth from everyone here?"

    Zoemi didn''t address their questions and instead continued smirking mockingly at the fuming former educator at the Aspakeony Academy.

    "How dare you?! You''re just some lowly attendant that the leftover Helterose picked up from some ditch!"

    Ikarveth growled, struggling in his shackles as if he wanted to throw himself at the young man.

    "Is that so? Allow me to introduce myself properly then~"

    "Why would...?! GRAGH...!"

    Zoemi said with a light shrug ¨C Ikaveth wanted to interrupt him but the grip of the knight holding his shoulder hardened forcing him to shut up.

    "My name is Zoemi Benevi Banemor. The sole survivor of the sixth great family of the Bellcephora kingdom."

    "Wha...?!"

    The ck-haired young man exined and the prisoner and the heads of the two great families gasped in unison.

    "I want to make one thing clear before you start trying to im my family was stripped of its importance. The representative of the Victureo family isn''t here because their involvement with the whole magic device intrigue is under investigation. The representative of the Espine family isn''t here..."

    Zoemi started exining and raised one finger before ring down at bewildered Ikarveth.

    "...because I said that I will kill them on sight if they dare to stumble my way."

    The young man said and his obsidian eyes glistened with a distant light of stars as if they were portals to the starry sky high above.

    "That''s nonse...!"

    Ikarveth scoffed but the words got stuck in his throat when he caught a glips of the king looking away with a troubled expression, just as if he was too worried to look at the ck-haired youth in case he would incur his rage.

    Duke Derizno and lord Moyena realized the same thing as Ikarveth did ¨C the royal family didn''t lift a finger to help the Banemor family when the Espine family attacked them and they even split the Banemor territory between themselves.

    "I think it would be best to add that I am something that marital artists call Heavenly Star Warrior. Blessed by Guide to boot~ His majesty requested me to help the Bellcephora kingdom... but now that I think about it, he is only worrying over his ownfortable position, isn''t he?"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi revealed with a smile before sending the king a rather unfriendly gaze which caused Valto to step in front of the monarch in case an attack wasunched.

 Chapter 780 259 - Hearing (Part 4)

    "Teacher, don''t be like that. His majesty doesn''t have anything to fear as long as he is under your protection~"

    "...?"

    The ck-haired boy smiled softly and confused the blue-haired aid with his friendly words.

    "Lord Banemor... what exactly do you mean when speaking about his majesty worrying over his own position...?"

    "Lord Moyena!"

    The kingdom''s treasurer gulped down his saliva and asked intrigued but his question seemed to be offensive to the first prince, judging by the fact ow the gold-haired young man stood up from his chair and called out...

    "Sit."

    "...!"

    Zoemi turned his gaze from Valto to Horeo and his expression turned cold causing the first prince to slump down back onto his chair with a one-wordmand.

    "It''s quite simple. Lord Moyena, you will not tell me that you do not recognize who this is..."

    The ck-haired young man snickered and spread his arms to the sides making Aspakeony the center of attention.

    "The only reason this traitor has not been killed and turned into a corpse puppet is that our monarch is childishly trying to keep some sort of upper hand over her because he feels that his throne could be contested by her."

    "Haaa... generations of past kings and queens are looking down on you and shaking their heads..."

    Zoemi exined and Aspakeony shook her head and sighed at the troubled monarch.

    The gray-haired girl turned her head towards the red-haired prisoner which caused the man to start trembling. Nheless, nothing happened and the necromancer merely grabbed the young man''s left arm and moved it back so he would continue hugging her.

    Duke Derizno leaned back into his chair observing the monarch from the side while lord Moyena turned towards the sweating prisoner, with a rather worrisome smile.

    "We didn''t go that route because human life is precious. Or is there someone in this room who ims that killing everyone to get what they need is the correct choice? If we had no other choice and our hand was forced killing sir Irghun would be somewhat excusable, but as things stand now dealing with him in such a way would create a convenient precedence that could be used in the future to rein terror over the aristocracy."

    "...!"

    His majesty wasn''t surprised by the turn of actions in the slightest and gave a calm response that caused at least lord Moyena to straighten his back and shake his head as if he realized what a big mistake he was making.

    "Th-that''s right...! His majesty is as wise as he is merciful!"

    Irghun breathed out in relief and bowed down as much as the knight still holding him and the shackles he was bound with allowed him to.

    "Where did you take the acid magician?"

    "Huh?! How do you know... Umpgh...!"

    The ck-haired young man asked suddenly asked, taking the red-haired prisoner by surprise and causing him to spout out something he should have kept quiet about...

    "..."

    "!!!"

    The atmosphere in the room turned oppressive as Zoemi released a murderous aura ¨C just one look at his face was enough for the knights to step in front of the shackled man and activate every spell that could help in this situation.

    But regardless of that, the ck-haired young man raised his right hand as if he wanted to show off his knuckles...

    ...and then he went through a short motion as if he was knocking on the door...

    *THUMP* *CRACK*

    The shockwave shook the entire room and the gruesome snapping sounding from behind the knights'' back responded to it...

    "...!"

    Lord Moyena who was the closest to the spot of interest turned ghastly pale and pulled away as fast as he could, knocking into duke Derizno''s chair.

    Zoemi did nothing more, he lowered his hand and protectively hugged the girl in hisp, burrowing his face between the base of her neck and corbone.

    "..."

    The king''s expression turned extremely grim but he didn''t say a word. The prince looked shaken. And themander of the King''s Guard took a deep breath.

    "Stand down."

    "...!" "..."

    He ordered and the two knights in front of Irghun lowered their heads, deactivated their spells, and moved to the sides.

    There, the sight of the shackled prisoner was revealed.

    His was still sitting upright and his right cheek bear the permanent mark of being punched with incredible force. Irghun was looking slightly to the left with his vacant eyes that had no life in them anymore.

    If not for the unnaturally stretched and folded skin on his neck it would be hard to figure out what exactly killed him.

    "Your majesty! Aren''t you going to say something?!"

    Lord Moyena fought back nausea and called out to the monarch who had just a few seconds ago spoken about the sanctity of life.

    "Don''t hold it against his majesty, my lord. We had an agreement that Irghun will be killed if he is involved with the disappearance of my precious friend."

    "...!"

    "..."

    Zoemi looked up from Aspakeony''s shoulder and exined in a t voice causing the treasurer''s eyes to widen before he turned towards the king who took a deep breath.

    "We did not agree on killing him on the spot."

    "Your majesty, please, find a way to forgive me in your merciful heart. This matter is of utmost importance to me."

    The king spoke coldly to which Zoemi smirked mockingly parroting the tone of voice that Irghun praised the monarch when he thought his life would be spared.

    "Zo-mi, mind your manners."

    Aspakeony fidgetted in his arms and scolded him gently while poking his cheek with her index finger.

    "I apologize."

    The ck-haired young man breathed out and bowed his head around an inch before resting his chin on the necromancer''s shoulder.

    "I guess this makes it my turn."

    Aspakeony nuzzled against Zoemi''s face and reached out her hand toward Irghun''s corpse.

    "Goodbye, and hello." *shaaa*

    Her peculiar incantation caused a gray mist to raise from the shackled body before it swirled around and merged back into it.

    The red-haired corpse puppet started moving and the first thing it did was reach up and grab his head...

    *CRACK*

    ...and snapping it back in ce.

    "..."

    Meanwhile, Aspakeony froze wide-eyed while the memories of her newest corpse puppet became part of her.

    "Zo-mi..."

    The gray-haired girl gulped down her saliva and grabbed the ck-haired young man''s arm with her own trembling hand.

 Chapter 781 260 - Infiltration (Part 1)

    A young dark-brown-haired maid with dark-brown-haired eyes was carrying out her duties as always. She diligently helped in the kitchen since one of the kitchen hands ended up sick that day.

    She was sent to the cer for potatoes which she brought back in arge basket but being the little klutz that she was, she ended up losing one of her personal belongings ¨C seeing her pitiful expression the head chef excused her and allowed her to go back there to search for it.

    "You need to stop bringing that pouch everywhere, you aren''t a marsupial ¨C it''s the third time that something fell out of it and caused you to drop your duties."

    "Sorry!"

    One of the senior maids called after the little maid hurrying through the hallway which cause the girl to turn around for a moment andugh apologetically.

    "Phew..."

    Being back in the dark cer the young maid looked over her shoulder to make sure that she wasn''t followed and breathed out in relief.

    The girl hurriedly took out a pair of dark pants and a dark shirt from the purse that she was scolded about, and changed out of her maid uniform.

    After folding and stuffing the uniform back into the pouch and pulled a soft fabric over her face so only her eyes remained visible.

    With that part of the preparation done, the girl rummaged through her purse and took out two pieces of soap ¨C both of which had an imprint of a key on them.

    *crack*

    "...!"

    A distant sound made the girl freeze in ce, listening in for a few seconds before she breathed out again and moved deeper into the cer, walking past the cool vegetable storage and stopping in front of an unassuming old door.

    What was behind it was supposed to be a wine cer where the mansion''s lord kept his most precious beverages.

    There, the girl put together the two pieces of soap holding them in one hand and punctured her index finger with one of her unusually sharp fangs.

    "Clot."

    As the drop of blood from the tiny wound was getting bigger and bigger, the girl pressed her finger into the hole and muttered ¨C as she did, her dark-brown irises trembled and cracked apart and sunk down in amaranth hidden beneath.

    Simrly, the girl''s hair turned from dark brown to amaranth, the color of fresh blood.

    After a few seconds, the girl pulled the two pieces of soap apart and a hardened blood cloth in the shape of a key was revealed.

    The girl pulled it away with a serious face and inserted the makeshift key in the lock.

    *click*

    Without the need to move her hand the girl made the key twist and unlocked the door ¨C with the satisfying sound of the lock, she nodded to herself and took out the key, entering the wine cer and...

    *click*

    ...locking the door from the other side...

    The inside was much darker than the previous room but the girl came prepared, after rummaging through the cramped purse, the amaranth-haired girl took out a small magic crystalmp and activated it.

    She approached the rows of nested bottles and started inspecting all of them one by one.

    "Cherry wine aged in oak barrels with earth mana stone finish..."

    Finally, the girl muttered to herself reaching towards a ruby bottle with a dark brownbel and golden writing.

    "...is a fake switch and will open a trap passage that will imprison the foolish intruder..."

    The girl turned right around and faced the other shelf where she counted three bottles diagonally and ended up pointing at a slim emerald bottle with a whitebel and ck writing.

    "...spicy spirit with a drop of swamp drake venom is the right one~"

    She smirked to herself triumphantly and moved the emerald bottle to the side, reaching into the back of the shelf and pushing in a tile masked as part of the wall.

    *click* *hshaaa*

    A mechanical sound reverberated through the wine cer and part of the wall without any shelves opened smoothly on hidden hinges.

    The girl moved in and followed a narrow passage until she met a dead end where a small leaver slightly above her head was tempting her to pull on it.

    "Hmph. This is an emergency exit, not an entrance ¨C just another trap. Overly cautious bastard."

    The girl nced at the leaver and scoffed.

    Made sure that the magic crystalmp is ced securely in her bag and raised both of her hands to her mouth and stabbed all of her fingers with her pointy fangs.

    The drops of blood started appearing at her fingertips instantly and the girl pressed them to the wall while focusing.

    The thin trails of blood started creeping alongside the surface of the stones in search of even the thinnest crack ¨C after a minute or so the opening was found and the blood pushed through as the girl''splexion was turning pale.

    When the blood was pumped through the wall, the girl made it creep to the left until it encountered a sconce. Having localized it, the girl made her blood clomp around it and...

    *creak* *click*

    Forced it to turn clockwise which activated the mechanism and unlocked another secret door allowing the girl to enter the room brightly lit with dozens of sconces lined up all around the walls.

    Said walls weren''t exactly normal either, they were covered with this tiles made from mana white mana crystals, each one inscribed with runes.

    The girl didn''t know all the details about them, but what she knew was that they were supposed to cancel out whatever mana was released within the room and that they cost the owner of the mansion a fortune... enough to not be possible for him to afford without betraying his own nation...

    Just as she learned from infiltrating the mansion, the one room that she entered through the secret passage was separated from another, muchrger one, where the hired schrs ¨C or rather mad scientists ¨C were performing the experiments.

    The room she was in was meant for storing important documents ¨C as an archive of sorts - as well as contained one of the recent sessful experiments that also doubled as yet another security system.

    p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º¦É¡¤§ã¨®§® It was impossible to miss as it was giving the room that was supposed to be white a slightly pinkish hue.

    In the center of the room stood a magic device made almost entirely from mana crystals of various colors.

    The base and the very top of the device wereposed of dozens if not hundreds of mana stones of most of the avable attributes but the center wasposed of a container made out of translucent crystal.

    Within it, submerged in a reddish fluid floated arge piece of magic crystal so intensely pink that not even the reddish fluid could alter its color.

    "..."

    The gulped down her saliva as her gaze ended up at the pink crystal ¨C or rather the fluid it was submerged in.

    As a variant blood magician, she could at least sense the blood in her surroundings even if she couldn''t take control of it.

    ...and the fluid was definitely diluted blood...

    What kind of freakish experiment required a mana crystal to be submerged in blood?

    And more importantly whose blood was it? It definitely wasn''t a monster''s blood ¨C even a diluted blood of a monster would carry a bit of the creature''s will.

    The blood within the container ¨C although making the girl feel a bit creeped out ¨C did not carry any traces of the beast''s consciousness...

    ¡­which meant it must have been humans...

    Nheless, the device and whatever was inside of it was of no interest to the young girl, so she shook her head to clear her mind and moved toward the drawers where documents were stored.

    The girl retracted the blood she released previously but did not reabsorb it and instead made it partially coagte around her wrists creating dark red bracelets of sorts, still ready to be transformed and used ording to her will.

    ...she was focused on searching for very specific information but from time to time her eyes wandered toward the creepy device...

    She wasn''t sure what it was supposed to do, but she managed to learn that it could be activated by the schrs working in the other room to instantly get rid of everything inside the archives.

    Such action was marked as the absolutest resort because amongst the papers and reports gathered there was some really useful incriminatory stuff that could serve as ckmail in case the mansion owner came under scrutiny.

    "...it won''t trigger and blow everything up just by me being near it, right...?"

    The girl muttered to herself nervously as she moved to another cab ¨C this one much closer to the creepy device than the first one she checked...

    "....where is it...?! I know that those two made dirty business together...!"

    The girl was getting impatient and increasingly nervous which made her mutter to herself more as she went through the stacks of documents as if they were one-word fliers and not long reports of various experiments and dirty transactions.

    *click*

    "!!!"

    The girl''s cautiousness was what saved her ¨C at the moment she heard the click of the lock in the door leading to the other room she instantly jumped into hiding.

    ...which ended up being behind the creepy device ¨C the girl was small enough to hide behind the colorful base without sticking out from the semi-translucent center ¨C it was a marginally better hiding spot than between the document cabs since it at least allowed her to crawl around while keeping out of sight...

    ...at least when only one person entered the room...

 Chapter 782 260 - Infiltration (Part 2)

    "...making me an errand boy, who does he think he is?"

    Luckily, the best-case scenario happened and only one schr entered the archives ¨C a rather annoyed balding man with blue hair who grumbled to himself while walking to the leftmost cab.

    He rummaged through it for a second before taking out a thin stack of papers and leaving the archives without closing the door.

    "..."

    It was a problem for the girl, she wanted to curse at the slovenly man but she stopped herself.

    Making noise at that moment would be in stupid, it was far better to wait things out.

    "Here."

    The voice of the blue-haired man reached the ears of the cautious girl.

    "Than... what the hell is this? I told you to get me the report about imnting the sun''s thorn into a peasant!"

    "And?"

    Another man said and his tone turned hostile to which the annoyed man scoffed.

    "And? Can''t you read? You brought me a contract with the head of the Derizno family, you dimwit!"

    "!!!"

    "Oh no! I guess if you want something done, you have to do it yourself."

    Another man said angrily, causing the girl to flinch and stare wide-eyed toward the door before the blue-haired man snickered mockingly in response.

    Was it luck or misfortune?

    The one piece of evidence that she wanted ended up getting pinpointed to her, but it ended up out of her reach...

    ...for a moment at least...

    "...tsk...! I wondered why you didn''t even lock the door! I was put in charge by lord Lutroan whether you like it or not, so you better stop pulling shit like that if you don''t want to get dealt with!"

    The other man clicked his tongue and scolded the annoyed man but got no response.

    "..."

    The girl hiding behind the creepy device heard footsteps of someone entering the archives again ¨C that person moved to the same cab that the first man, so she leaned to the side just a bit to catch a glimpse of where exactly the contract she was interested in would go.

    *THUMP*

    "?!?!"

    A gold-haired man was searching through the file cab, putting back the documents involving the Derizno family and taking out whatever other report he needed ¨C but when he was walking back to the experiment room the wholeplex shook because of some faraway explosion.

    "What the hell was that?!"

    Other voices called out and allowed the hiding girl to figure out that there were at least a dozen other people there besides the two she already saw.

    "Rx. Even if the whole mansion will copse, we will be fine."

    The gold-haired man standing at the door to the archives breathed out and called to the others while fanning himself with the documents in one hand.

    "We got devices that produce air, the device that produces water ¨C on an off chance that we got buried here we also have enough intellect and all the materials and equipment so that we will be able to create a device that would get us out of here."

    The man assured the others, it seemed that him being the person in charge wasn''t just empty talk.

    "And in case of an actual attack, we''re even safer."

    The gold-haired man added proudly reaching out his hand as if he was showing off the facility.

    "Two-feet-thick walls reinforced with mana crystals buried deep underground, we can literally have a war rage above our heads without ever being in danger. And as for the entry..."

    The man smirked confidently and pointed ahead at the massive gate withrge magic stones of various attributes embedded in a metal frame and inscribed with runes so thick that they looked beaten up.

    "Not even a dozen of transcended earth magicians beating on it for half a year would even make a dent in this amazing work of...!"

    *CRUNCH* *SCREECH* *WHAM*

    As the schr was boasting about the durability of the gate, the gate itself cracked into a cobweb pattern and bent out of shape as if it was a thin fabric that someone was pulling on ¨C and not even a secondter the ing of the gate broke out of its hinges and the whole thing got ripped apart as if it was cardboard.

    The next moment a gust of wind blew through both rooms and the girl hiding behind the creepy device could swear that the air that entered carried whisks of silver mist.

    What''s more, she noticed that the blood bracelets on her wrists could barely keep their thickness as only the thinnestyer was able to retain the mana that she put into it.

    |What is going on?! The facility is getting attacked?! Today of all days?! I''ve spent a whole year nning and infiltrating the mansion and someone breaks in today?! Wait..!|

    The girl bit her lips in anger before suddenly flinching in realization.

    |Wait, that''s so much better!|

    She gasped and prepared herself to use the chance when the real chaos erupted so she could take what she wanted and sneak out!

    "...tsk...!"

    The girl instantly nced at the gold-haired man still frozen in ce from shock and focused to make the blood on her arms form a long needle that she would use to deal with him in necessary, but ended up clicking her tongue once she realized that the moment her blood lost contact with her skin it also lost all mana and therefore was out of her control.

    "...why are they all so silent...?"

    Giving up on the n to attack the gold-haired man, the girl realized that there was something wrong.

    No matter how shocked the schrs were, at least one of them should already say something, panicking or trying to attack the intrude...

    "?!?!?!"

    The moment her gaze stumbled to the ck-haired young man walking through the massive hole where the reinforced gate was, the girl instantly understood why no one was making a sound ¨C the sole suffocating oppressive pressure that the man was releasing voided her head from any thought except the nauseating feeling of fear.

    "All of you will pay for what you did to Roiso."

    The ck-haired man announced in an ice-cold voice, but no one was able to even budge regardless.

    "..."

    *CRUNCH* *THUMP*

    "!!!"

    It seemed like the ck-haired man did not like theck of response and he merely raised his hand ¨C causing the nearest schr to beunched by a gust of wind right into the ceiling, snapping his neck, spine, and a couple of other bones as an overkill before the unlucky fellow mmed to the floor.

    "Zo-mi...! Calm down, you are not acting like yourself!"

    A new voice resounded through the secret facility and a middle-aged red-haired man ran up to the ck-haired youngster, calling out to him in a worried voice.

    "Aspy, do not call me like that when you are using that trash''s body. Which ones?"

    The young man didn''t look back at his red-hairedrade and merely spoke to him in a cold voice.

    "..."

    The red-haired man made a miserable face but ended up looking down and raising his left hand.

    *WHOO* x6

    As he did, small whisks of red mes appeared in front of half a dozen schrs still unable to move, marking them for...

    *CRUNCH* x6

    The ck-haired young man twisted his wrist and those six people got enveloped in a thinyer of silver mist that condensed out of thin air... before their bodies twisted as if an invisible giant was wringing them like a dirty rag which resulted in their bones being broken and their intestines getting shredded.

    "Goodbye, and hello."

    The red-haired man sighed and all seven corpses created the ck-haired young man got shrouded in the gray mist before said mist got reabsorbed in them.

    "...haaa..."

    *WHOO* x3

    The red-haired man signed in disappointment and red whisks appeared in front of additional people...

    *CRUNCH* x3

    ...who faced the same fate as all the previous ones...

    "Congrattions, the five of you are under arrest and will face the trial for treason."

    The ck-haired young man scoffed at the four remaining schrs and they all felt that the pressure of his presence decreased.

    They still couldn''t move, but at least they could speak now.

    "...five...?"

    The blue-haired man that the girl hiding in the archives saw first gulped down his saliva, hurriedly looking between his colleagues. The math simply didn''t match...

    "Yeah. The four of you here and that one hiding in the other r..."

    "...?!"

    "!!!"

    The ck-haired young man said with a dismissive shrug, but then he closed his mouth seeing the confusion of the blue-haired schr ¨C that caused the girl hiding in the archives to panic, but she could not move, just like all the schrs she waspletely immobilized the moment sheid her eyes upon the intruder.

    "Curious... if you are not with them, say what are you doing here."

    The young man raised his brow and called out.

    The girl shivered, that guy already knew that she was there...!

    But... since he was clearly not an ally of the mansion owner, the girl figured out that she still had a chance.

    "I infiltrated the Lutroan mansion and snuck in here to get my hands on evidence connecting one of the Lutroan family patrons to the assassination of my parents!"

    "Who the hell...?!"

    The amaranth-haired girl called out, causing the gold-haired schr in the door to flinch and gasp in shock. The man even attempted to look over his shoulder but because of the barely visible restraints of thin silver mist, he ended up only fidgetting in ce.

    "I will get the out of here and teleport them back to the royal castle, I will leave a few of my puppets by the exit... make sure this ce will not blow up."

    The red-haired tugged on the ck-haired youth''s sleeve and said before turning around and leaving.

    As he did...

    *SQUELCH* *CRUNCH*

 Chapter 783 260 - Infiltration (Part 3)

    All the corpses stood up and their bodies forcibly returned back to their original state with a rather disgusting sound and stiffly walked towards their former coworkers.

    "Follow them."

    The ck-haired manmanded and the movement block was released from the schrs.

    *haaaa*

    "What the...?!"

    The first thing that the gold-haired schr tried to do was to teleport away but his spell ended up being released and dispersed into mana before it could activate making him cry out in shock.

    "If I was in your ce, I would be thinking really hard about how to convince your torturers that you are useful for the kingdom of Bellcephora instead of trying to force my hand into killing you here and now."

    "...!"

    The ck-haired man tilted his head with an indifferent expression on his face and he moved his hand so that the gold-haired schr would realize that there was no escape...

    ...which the schr indeed catch on to really fast and let himself be escorted by corpse puppets together with the remaining three people...

    The ck-haired young man walked to the archives and his expression turned miserable as the creepy magic device showering the room with a pink hue entered his vision.

    "..."

    The amaranth-haired girl slowly stood up, looking cautiously at him, but the ck-haired youth didn''t seem to pay any attention to her, so - just as she informed him earlier - she got to the cab and grabbed the contract that she came there for.

    "...it''s my fault..."

    "...eh...?"

    The ck-haired young man whispered touching while touching the translucent part of the device, which ended up causing the girl to let out a surprised gasp as she was still way too wary about, well, the whole situation that just happened and was still ongoing.

    "The crystal inside. It''s an extremely rare one. Once it absorbs mana, it recreates it perfectly. An important person had a one-of-a-kind attribute that could dissolve all the other ones. The crystal''s attribute is Roiso."

    "...?"

    The man exined although his exnation wasn''t exactly clear for the girl hearing all of that for the first time.

    "...Roiso? Is that the name of that person or the attribute...?"

    "Yes."

    The girl asked and the man nodded.

    "..."

    The amaranth-haired girl felt the urge to call him out for not making any sense, but she certainly didn''t want to get on his bad side.

    In the first ce, she wasn''t even sure whether or not was she on his good side now...

    "Nothing that you said sounds to me as if you should feel guilty...?"

    The girl wanted to leave but since she wasn''t sure whether she could she decided to test the waters with some small talk.

    "If it was just about the crystal turning into the same attribute as her it would be fine... but it''s also where things got bad."

    The young man said touching the translucent crystal with one hand and pressing his forehead to it.

    "You see..."

    ***

    "It''s here. Be careful, if they realize that I brought someone else, they will realize that I''m not on their side. They might even kill that ck-haired martial artist."

    The red-haired middle-aged man stopped by the entrance to a rather small and unassuming cave and whispered sternly to the neon-pink-haired girl wearing a female school uniform of Aspakeony Academy with a brand new shining badge of a second-year student.

    "Teacher Ikarveth, you have nothing to worry about. I will melt every single scum who dared to raise their hands against lord Zoemi...!"

    The neon-pink-haired girl dered raising her trembling fist atop which neon-pink liquid began oozing out of her skin.

    "Good. But do not forget what I already told you, student Auequas, that martial artist is being kept in an unconscious state so he isn''t using his powers. I''ve learned that he is remarkably tough, but he still can get injured ¨C you need to control yourself for his sake. And please do not forget that this facility is full of precious information about the traitors of our kingdom. You can save your beloved and I can snuff out the disgusting treachery in the ranks of the aristocracy!"

    Ikarveth nodded in satisfaction but ended up reminding the neon-pink-haired girl to keep her cool.

    "I understand... teacher... I must apologize to you. I misunderstood you the previous year..."

    "Save your apology and gratefulness for when we both will achieve what we''ve set out to do, Miss Roiso."

    The girl lowered her hands, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and bowed her head to the red-haired man but he merely shook his hand dismissively focusing on the cave''s entrance.

    "You did contact your mother or the headmistress about this, right?"

    Before he made his next move, Ikarveth asked without looking back.

    "...ah... no... no I didn''t... I''m sorry, I was so excited that a piece of information about lord Zoemi has surfaced that... I kind of... forgot..."

    The man asked and Roiso fidgetted and stuttered realizing her mistakes.

    "Haaa... I see. Well, I will figure something out so they will not worry~"

    "Thank you, teacher!"

    Ikarveth sighed and hummed reassuringly making the girl behind him gasp in relief...

    ...without seeing the wide satisfied grin on her teacher''s face...

    "Follow me and refrain from using magic as much as possible. You should be able to melt through the reinforced gate that will be in our way after we enter the hidden passage, but it will also give the schrs inside to get rid of all the evidence and possibly kill that martial artist."

    The red-haired teacher wanted the girl one more time and entered the cave having to bend in half to fit in.

    When inside, he pulled out a thin b of brown mana stone covered with various runes and slid it halfway into an unassuming crack in the dry ground beneath his feet.

    *KSHAH*

    The thin b started glowing and an outline of a trapdoor pushed the soil away revealing itself.

    *nk*

    Ikarveth took out the crystal b and ced it on top of the trapdoor which caused it to open revealing adder leading underground.

    The teacher and student nodded to each other ¨C the red-haired man entered first and the neon-pink-haired girl followed him.

    They followed a narrow passage lighted up by an asional magic crystalmp embedded into the wall until the passage opened up into a ssroom-sized cave with arge and quite intimidating-looking gate with colorful mana stones embedded in it and inscribed with runes all over its surface.

    "...a passive quality of your attribute makes most magic attacks against you ineffective, doesn''t it...?"

    Before entering the cave Ikarveth stopped and asked Roiso in a hushed voice.

    "Yes. It''s suppressed to that level now which means that pure-magic traps are of no threat to me. But if there are some traps that involved materials containing mana but not entirelyposed of it, I would have to use a spell to protect myself from them... are you saying that there will be a security system involving that...?"

    The neon-pink-haired girl confirmed the red-haired man''s im and asked tensing up.

    "No. I was worried about a potential cave-in and rubble falling down on our heads."

    "Oh, don''t worry, like I said, that would be a problem only if I couldn''t use magic. A cave-in would not happen without any tremors."

    The man shook his head and motioned his chin towards the ceiling to which the girl reassured him with relief.

    With that, the two of them entered the cave and approach the gate.

    "Stand here and wait. To assure that they will not be able to destroy the evidence or harm that martial artist we have to have all of them in the experiment room before attacking them, so be ready to act at my signal ¨C but not earlier!"

    Ikarveth pointed at a spot by the wall right next to the gate and Roiso took the position instantly, pressing her back against the cold rock and staring intensely at the red-haired man.

    "Now then."

    Ikarveth nodded and reached out toward a seemingly random magic stone.

    When he touched it the brown magic stone started to glow and...

    *shhh*

    "...?"

    Without any warning, tiny pieces of rubble brushed against Roiso''s shoulder, making her frown and nce up...

    ...just for her to notice a falling piece of rock twice the size of her head falling straight at her, far toote for her to react to it...!

    *SLAM* *CRUNCH*

    The sharp rock hit the girl''s head dead-center and cracked her skull with no trouble at all.

    "Gha....? Theachher..."

    The girl''s vision turned blurry before turning red as she stumbled to the side until finally sumbing to the injury and falling to the ground with wide open vacant eyes.

    "...that was risky... Connect."

    Ikarveth breathed out in relief, wiping the sweat off his forehead before taking putting his hand on arge green crystal and saying out loud.

    "[It''s me. I believe I owe somebody an apology, the trap might have been simple but it worked perfectly.]"

    The red-haired man said with a satisfied grin ncing at the fallen neon-pink-haired girl while using the mana stone tomunicate with the people inside the secret facility.

    *HSHAAA*

    A few momentster the gate opened with a menacing sound ¨C seven people were already waiting there.

    "See? I told you all that you oveplicate the simplest task."

    A brown-haired man smirked triumphantly walking past Ikarveth.

    He grabbed the body of the neon-pink-haired girl and patted her side confidently.

    "The same with the extraction of her attribute. We only need to do the same thing that we do with poisonous monsters ¨C grind her up, add a formaldehyde solution, and submerged the appropriate mana crystal in it. Within two weeks we will be able to start experimenting on it."

    The brown-haired man dered, confidently carrying the limp girl inside the facility.

    "Everything ready then, I assume?"

    "Of course! Ah~! I can''t wait! A corrosion attribute! Imagine the enchanted gate that will be produced! The enchanters will be willing to pay anything for mana stones with that quality! Infinite funding!"

    Ikarvethughed and followed him inside to the cheers of the other schrs as the gate was closed, sealing the facility from the outside world...

    ***

    "..."

    The amaranth-haired girl stood there frozen in ce staring at the disturbing mana device that instantly became a dozen times more horrible now that she was made aware of what ¨C or who ¨C it contained.

    "Roiso would do anything for me and she was tricked intoing here with me as bait. I was the one who kept her powers sealed so she ended up getting killed and used like that because of me."

    The ck-haired man said in a hollow voice without stepping away from the device.

    "It''sughable. I ended up losing my memory and didn''t recover it for a few years. Even then I kept the power that was sealing Roiso''s magic. I didn''t know why I was doing it, but since it was strengthening one of my star powers I just did. If only I deactivated it..."

    The young man continued with a guilt-struck expression.

 Chapter 784 260 - Infiltration (Part 4)

    "I wasn''t aware of her death... Turns out that the star power that I used doesn''t require the person it''s used on to be alive... My power is still active on the... on what''s left of Roiso..."

    He said and his shoulders trembled as he was forcing himself to stayposed.

    "Hey... it''s okay. If you lost contact with her and couldn''t even remember her, you shouldn''t me yourself like that. I mean, it seems to me that the moment you realized that something was wrong you began to act to make things right."

    The amaranth-haired girl looked around with a troubled expression before actually stepping towards the ck-haired young man and touching his arm reassuringly.

    "It will sound outrageous, but I think that I''m in a unique position that lets me somewhat understand yourte friend..."

    "...?"

    The girl said timidly to the miserable man making him look at her not quite sure what she meant.

    "You see, my parents were assassinated when I was young and I ended up being tricked into relinquishing the territory they left me by a high noble who was using the name of my father''s dear friend. I fell for it without even trying to confirm things with my father''s friend foolishly thinking that I was doing the best thing... Your friend was tricked by someone using your name and I was tricked by someone using the name of my father''s friend. But you see, I do not me my father''s friend ¨C I learned that he has no idea what happened. The high noble that tricked me made sure to cover up the entire situation so well that almost no one is even aware that my parents were killed, much less about me ending up on the street. What I want to say is ¨C I am sure that your friend would not me you for what happened to her. So, umm... I am not telling you to not grieve or to not hate the people who did that to her, but do not me yourself like that. I would hate it if my father''s friend would start ming himself for what happened to me."

    The amaranth-haired girl exined, not quite sure why she was trying tofort a person that she met for the first time in her life.

    She even removed her mask and smiled at him.

    "That''s... thank you. Wait...! Miss, are you injured?"

    The young man raised his brow and responded with a troubled smile. It was the first time that he was properly looking at the girl and the look in his eyes turned worried.

    "Eh? This? No, I''m a blood magician, it''s okay."

    The girl nced at the bloody bracelets that she still had around her wrists and shook her head reassuringly.

    "Don''t be offended, Miss, but... how old are you...?"

    The young man asked surprised by the girl''s appearance.

    "T-twelve... but that doesn''t change what I''ve been through!"

    The girl flinched and looked away, stuttering with her response before scoffing and holding her ground.

    "No, I didn''t ask because of that... It''s just I have a feeling that your story seems familiar and I got this weird feeling that... If it''s okay could you also tell me what''s your name, and what''s the name of the friend of your father?."

    "..."

    The young man asked which made the girl back away as she protectively held the documents she worked so hard to get her hands on.

    "...if that helps, I do not work for any of the high nobles, not even for any of the great families..."

    The ck-haired young man added seeing the girl''s reaction.

    "Maybe... why would you like to know anyway? As I said, my family was so unimportant that no one realized when they disappeared."

    The girl did not seem convinced at all and asked, squinting her amaranth eyes at the young man.

    "As I said, it just sounds familiar to me. That''s all. Oh, and did you inform your father''s friend about what you''ve been through?"

    The young man answered and added another question.

    "...I did not... I know that he became more powerful and influential, but he has his own things to do. His son went missing a few years ago... if I would go to him emptyhanded I would only make things more miserable for him. That''s why I decided to gather all the evidence necessary to punish the people who were actually responsible. With that even though I will arrive at his doorstep with horrible revtion, I will also bring everything that''s necessary to bring the guilty people to justice once and for all!"

    The girl gulped her saliva and her voice trembled, but as she would speak she would gain more confidence hearing her own words and affirming herself that she was in the right.

    "I see..."

    The ck-haired man nodded with understanding, honestly impressed by the young girl''s point of view.

    He looked at the neon-pink magic stone floating in the reddish liquid for a few seconds before turning back to the amaranth-haired girl.

    "My name is Zoemi Benevi Banemor. Thest of the Banemor family, the sixth great family of the Bellcephora kingdom, and the Heavenly Star Warrior blessed by Guide. Considering that you broke into this ce, the nobleman responsible for the tragedy that befell you are a traitor to our nation ¨C therefore I swear that I will help you get your revenge even if no one else would be able to do that."

    "...!"

    Zoemi put his right hand to his heart and bowed his head two full inches towards the amaranth-haired girl who clenched the documents staring at him in disbelief.

    "...my father''s friend is called Mizoe Auequas. And my name is Aedlier Gmroze."

    "!!!"

    The amaranth-haired girl ended up breathing out and straightening her back before revealing her identity and stunning the ck-haired young man.

    "..."

    "..."

    The two looked at each other - Aedlier appeared to be tense and ready to try and escape in case Zoemi lied to her, even though she was aware that getting away would most likely be impossible judging by the abilities that he had already showcased.

    "...Mizoe Auequas...? Did... did you just say that your family name was... Gmroze...? And you said that you were twelve... but... that would mean..."

    "Are you okay...?"

    Zoemi stumbled back as if receiving a devastating punch to the stomach and muttered covering his eyes with one hand to which Aedlier cowered and asked cautiously.

    "...Miss... are you... Ludier''s daughter...?"

    "!!!"

    The young man asked and the girl flinched in surprise.

    "You knew my father...?!"

    She gasped in disbelief.

    Zoemi moved his hand from his eyes to his mouth while his brain was working in overdrive.

    "...that fucker dared to sit in front of me so confidently even though he orchestrated the assassination of my godfather and his wife and robbed their daughter of her territory...?"

    "?!?!"

    The ck-haired young man once again released the blood-curdling oppressive aura and the amaranth-haired girl backed off in fear

    "...it''s Derizno family... or rather, the head of the Derizno family is behind it all... isn''t he...?"

    "How do you...?!"

    Zoemi asked in a blood-chilling voice and Aedlier gasped before ncing at the documents in her head as if expecting the signature of the main perpetrator behind her situation was right there for everyone to see.

    "I was so focused on my personal grudge with that little shit Grazio and the Espines that I left the other great families alone... The filth runs so deep in their veins..."

    Zoemi started muttering to himself. He wrapped one arm around the magic device containing the liquified remains of Roiso and picked it up as if it weighed nothing.

    "...!"

    Aedlier stared at him as he walked out of the archives and towards the exit.

    "Miss Gmroze. Follow me. I will let you deal the final blow to duke Derizno as he would crawl at your feet begging for forgiveness after I will be done tearing off his limbs."

    "EH!?!"

    Zoemi said causing Aedlier to let out a shocked voice.

    "Don''t worry, his crimes will be made public and he will be put to trial and condemned publicly, but all of that can and will be done to him post-mortem."

    The young man stopped and looked over his shoulder, showing the startled girl the most demonic, hatred-filled grin she ever saw.

    ...and honestly? That was also the expression that made her trust himpletely...

    |If anyone would be able to help me with my revenge, it would be this demon-like person...!|

    Aedlier thought to herself and hurried over to Zoemi''s side.

    "...!"

    As they passed the gate, the amaranth-haired girl froze for a moment in stunned silence.

    Thanks to the information she gathered the passage leading to the secret facility should bepletely hidden underground beneath a trapdoor that would open only with a special device.

    She foolishly thought that Zoemi entered the facility in that way ¨C but then she was faced with reality.

    Because the moment she stepped into the cave behind the gate she was hit by a refreshing breeze ¨C the narrow passage leading to the hidden trapdoor had been blown apart by some unknown force and was hence exposed to the outside world with no obstruction whatsoever.

    The four fresh corpse puppets were waiting for them outside, guiding the recently created entrance together with one gold-haired one that Aedlier didn''t meet yet.

    "Everything inside should be okay, but just in case I will not remove the spiritual energy so you might have trouble keeping up the connection."

    "It''s okay, I will keep that in mind."

    Zoemi said to the gold-haired puppet and she nodded with understanding after which the rest of the corpse puppets walked right back inside.

    "Hold it. Not him."

    "...?"

    All of a sudden Zoemi stopped a brown-haired corpse puppet making him raise his brow.

    "Is he needed for anything important? Will we need him for something very specific, for example, is he the only person an important witness would respond to?"

    The ck-haired young man asked in a cold voice.

    "Hmm... no. He is not."

    The man himself furrowed his brows and shook his head in response after a brief moment of consideration.

    "Then please cut off your consciousness from him."

    "...okay..."

    Zomei asked and the brown-haired man agreed the next second his head hung down loosely and he started swaying back and forth about to lose his bnce.

    *WHAM* *SPLASH*

    "!!!"

    Zoemi proceeded to wind up his right hand and punch the idle corpse puppet so hard that it instantly exploded, turning into a red stter in the range of several dozen feet, which surprised Aedlier enough to make her jump.

    "...and who this youngdy might be?"

    The gold-haired corpse puppet turned to the amaranth-haired girl and asked curiously.

    "The daughter of my godfather, so let''s say she''s my cousin."

    Zoemi nced over at Aedlier and answered while nodding to the younger girl reassuringly.

 Chapter 785 261 - Cleaning Up (Part 1)

    "There''s still a bit of paperwork and official stuff to go through, but basically from now on the Gmroze family will be officially recognized as a branch of the Banemor family."

    In the royal castle, in the chambers usually delegated to foreign consuls, Zoemi was standing behind timid Aedlier, talking while brushing her amaranth hair as the girl was sitting by the vanity table.

    One part of the table was delegated solely to desserts stacked on fancy multi-level trays and was more intimidating than anything to the cautious girl while the other had various cosmetics lined up neatly.

    The young girl was freshly out of the bath and was wearing a bathrobe so fluffy that the onlyparison she coulde up with was the clouds in the sky outside the window to her right.

    Zoemi wasn''t the only person in the room, four maids were delegated to specifically care for her and two of them were working on Aedlier''s toenails, and another one was doing her nails on one hand, leaving the hand free so the young girl could enjoy the desserts within her reach, and thest maid - a ck-haired woman in her early thirties - was standing by the door ready to fulfill any of the wishes that Aedlier had.

    "Although it still would take a while. Reestablishing the Banemor family isn''t official as of yet. I kind of wanted to march into the Espine territory, ughter everyone, and had Aspy turn them into corpse puppets for any and all information... but she told me it was a stupid idea and she''s against a ughter like that... do you have preferences to your hairstyle? We got a nice basis now."

    Zoemi continued with an annoyed expression before looking up and making eye contact with Aedlier''s reflection.

    "I see... eh...? M-my hair? Wh-whatever''s convenient to move in and doesn''t hurt, please..."

    The girl was taken aback by the sudden change of tone and topic so she stuttered but ended up braving embarrassment and responded.

    "Youngdy, what nail polish color do you prefer?"

    The maid doing Aedlier''s fingernails used the chance to ask before reaching out to the table and opening a stylish box and revealing several small bottles. The two maids by the girl''s feet also looked up waiting for the girl''s decision.

    "I... my attribute is blood so I guess..."

    "Mydy, pardon the interruption but I would like to report that recently red nail polish started to be used by women in serious rtionships as the status symbol. Many young nobledies who have yet to ept an official suitor abstain from choosing it even if they are fire magicians."

    Aedlier looked at the avable palette and her gaze focused on the one bottle shining with crimson content but before she actually pointed it out directly the maid by the door bowed apologetically and shared thetest fad amongst the nobility.

    "O-oh... I see... umm... What is popr amongst the girls my age...?"

    "Hmm~"

    Aedlier hesitated but ended up making the right call, it might have been a small thing but getting the opinion of someone knowledgable in the subject - especially someone who had a lot to lose if they were trying to trick the other party ¨C was the optimal choice... and made Zoemi let out a content hum.

    "Pearl, mydy."

    "Then let''s try it out."

    The maid responded, bowing again, and Aedlier nodded benevolently adjusting the way she acted to match the proper master-servant dynamic.

    Sometimeter Zoemi, Aedlier, and the ck-haired maid were walking down the royal castle''s hallways and soon ended up in the dining room that was used for smaller, more exclusive meals.

    "...Miss Gmroze, what do you think about snatching this maid from the royal pce? She appears to be capable enough to be your attendant..."

    "...!"

    The three of them were the only ones in the dining room and as the maid closed the door, Zoemi nudged the amaranth-haired girl and asked motioning at the ck-haired woman with his chin.

    "Wh-what are you talking about, lord Banemor...?! I... I don''t have funds to employ anyone...!"

    Aedlier flinched and clung stared at the ck-haired young man in embarrassment and whispered to him while ncing at the unwaveringly calm maid who undoubtedly heard it all but did not show any reaction.

    "Oh, that problem will be resolved when the Gmroze territory will be returned to you. Also, this nicedy and a few of her acquaintances tried to assassinate me in the past, so she owes me quite a big favor for sparing her~"

    "...wait... what...?"

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and revealed so nonchntly that Aedlier gotpletely dumbfounded.

    "Once again ¨C the job we took was to kidnap you, one of my coworkers merely took things a bit too far, my lord."

    "...?!"

    The ck-haired maid bowed her head politely and pointed, sprinkling the tiniest amount of context that honestly made the amaranth-haired girl that much more taken aback.

    "You did quite a nice job settling yourself in this ce. Still, how about changing your upation once more and supporting my cousin?"

    Zoemi ¨C who in Aedlier''s mind was speaking far too casually with someone that threatened his life in the past ¨C smiled friendlily to the ck-haired maid, putting his hand on the amaranth-haired girl''s shoulder.

    "...if that is my benefactor''s wish..."

    The woman hesitated and nced between the pair before gently grabbing the sides of her skirt and curtsying politely.

    "Great~ I will give you a bit of advice regarding the use of your attributeter so make sure to hand in your resignation before the end of the meal."

    "...as you wish..."

    "Lord Banemor...!"

    Zoemimanded and the ck-haired maid agreed in a rather hollow voice... on the other hand, Aedlier''s voice was rather heated as she called out, voicing her protest to the one-sided turn of action.

    "I will not budge on you ruling your territory and will offer advice only if directly asked by you, I ask you to humor this worrywart cousin of yours on this one thing, young miss Gmroze."

    "..."

    The ck-haired young man let go of the amaranth-haired girl''s shoulder and asked while walking to the table and seating down while she was standing there observing the unmoving maid.

    "What''s your name?"

    Aedlier nced back at the peacefully sitting Zoemi who seemed to be interested in the movement of the clouds outside and then focused back on the maid and asked.

    "Mandwaharn, mydy."

    The ck-haired woman responded immediately.

    "Mandwaharn. I am Aedlier Gmroze, the head of the Gmroze family. I will consider hiring you thanks to lord Banemor''s rmendation, but only for three months. If you do not win my trust in that time, I will send you away without any hesitation."

    "...!"

    Aedlier nodded and dered proudly, surprising the maid who did not expect such a turn of actions.

    "Lord Banemor, thank you for worrying about me, but I will not budge on this. If you don''t like my decision then do not force Mandwaharn to serve me."

    The amaranth-haired girl turned to her cousin and announced with a stern expression, prepared to receive the reproachful look...

    "...?"

    But instead of that, she saw her cousin smile brightly, great content with her actions.

    "Thank you for being considerate, mydy. I''ll see to your meal now."

    The maid bowed her head a lot more this time and backed out of the room leaving the pair behind.

    "..."

    Aedlier observed the door for a moment before braving through timidness and taking a seat by the table.

    The spot she chose was one seat away from her cousin.

    "...lord Banemor, was that a test...?"

    The amarnath-haired girl asked after only a few seconds of silence.

    "Not really~ All that it showed me is that you understand the basics. My impression of you have improved ¨C so don''t mess thing up in the future, young Miss Gmroze~"

    "..."

    Zoemi''s face lighted up with a satisfied grin but Aedlier didn''t seem happy about it.

    "...lord Banemor... was your first impression of me a bad one...?"

    The girl cleared out her throat and asked acting just a little bit upset.

    "I wonder~?"

    But if she wanted to be reassured, she was barking up the wrong tree as the ck-haired young man snickered teasingly.

    Aedlier frowned, getting a bit grumpy, but just as she thought up a goodeback and opened her mouth...

    ...the air filled with the smell of ozone and a girl with long tinum hair wearing a white one-piece dress materialized out of the thin air, sitting on the table with her feet on Zoemi''sp...

    "?!?!"

    "It''s okay."

    Aedlier freaked out, jumping out of her chair at full alert, already raising her hand to her mouth to bit through her skin and unleash the blood attribute, but Zoemi reached out his hand, stopping her from doing something unnecessary.

    "..."

    Miriette nced over her shoulder, giving the rmed amaranth-haired girl a rather grim look, and then turned back to Zoemi without addressing Aedlier directly.

    "Rejected."

    The tinum-haired girl said coldly, squinting her eyes at the ck-haired young man.

    "Miri, this is the daughter of my godfather. Young miss Aedlier Gmroze."

    "Double rejected."

    Zoemi snickered at Mieirette and introduced his cousin, but the tinum-haired girl doubled down on her opinion.

    "Miri. She isn''t an option."

    The ck-haired young man let out a defeated sigh and grabbed the ankle of the tinum-haired girl, lightly tugging on her leg so that she would stop speaking nonsense.

    "Oh. If that''s the case... Hello, it''s nice to meet you, youngdy Gmroze~ I hope you appreciate being in MY Zoemi''s care~"

    "...!"

    Miriette behavior did a one-eighty and she turned to Aedlier, greeting her with a lovely smile and barely concealed threat that left the amaranth-haired girl speechless.

 Chapter 786 261 - Cleaning Up (Part 2)

    "Sorry for the confusion. Young Miss, this spoiled girl is the current god of our world, the keeper of the stars, Guide. But she also went by Miriette Lisea Espine not that long ago."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi sighed at the behavior of the tinum-haired girl and leaned to the side to make eye contact with his extremely shocked cousin.

    "Zoemi. Don''t you think that your introductioncks some critical information?"

    Miriette furrowed her brow and asked while impatiently rubbing her feet on the ck-haired youth''s thighs.

    "Don''t you think that an average person would have enough trouble epting a literal deity appearing in front of them?"

    "No. Are you ashamed of me...?"

    Zoemi breathed out softly and looked up at the prideful girl who answered bluntly and tilted her head giving him a suspicious look.

    "Oh, my Guide..."

    *tug*

    *Kyaah~!"

    The ck-haired young man groaned while rolling his eyes before grabbing the tinum-haired girl''s ankles and pulling her off the table and on top of hisp ¨C to which she responded with a squeak of joy.

    Zoemi gazed into her yful eyes and moved his hands up, tracing her legs and waist before moving them forwards and covering her shapely butt.

    "Young Miss. As you might expect, Miri and I are together. Together-together."

    "Yes, you will be invited to our wedding once things calm down~"

    The ck-haired young man said to Aedlier without taking his eyes away from Miriette and simrly, the tinum-haired girl added addressing her without taking her eyes off Zoemi.

    "A-ah... o-okay... congrattions..."

    The amaranth-haired girl blushed and took the safe option of staring at her own knees although she still would asionally sneak a peak at the couple that started to be rather sweet with each other given the chance.

    "Hmm... Zoemi, try to limit your time with her. If you won''t draw a proper boundary line the poor thing is bound to fall for you."

    "EH?!"

    It turned out that Mieirette was also ncing at the younger girl, she even ended up meeting her gaze and pointing it out to Zoemi, causing Aedlier to call out in utter shock.

    "Miri, now you embarrassing me on purpose."

    Zoemi shook his head and gave the girl''s buttocks a stern pat that could be interpreted as a soft p.

    "Nh-hh-hh~! Aww, no. You are the one who underestimates yourself. No one is safe from catching feelings for you~!"

    Miriette arched her back and grinned with excitement, leaning against Zoemi''s torso and snickering with less than a fraction of an inch separating their lips.

    "...what are you even talking about? I would say that most people do not find me appealing in such a way no matter how much time we spent together."

    The tinum-haired girl''sment seemed to be too much for the ck-haired young man as he shook his head from side to side with a troubled expression and corrected her.

    "Oh? The man denser than a tinum b now thinks that he understands the people around him? Alright, in my greatness I will humor you. If you tell me a name of a person who didn''t fall for you after you properly spend some time with them and I will admit that I was in the wrong."

    Miriette raised her brows and had a good chuckle before proposing a bet.

    "Burushi."

    "PFFFT!"

    Zoemi dropped the name without hesitation and got sprinkled with Miriette''s saliva as the tinum-haired girl snorted so hard she almost fell off hisp.

    "...what''s so funny...?"

    "...haaa... ehm... sorry."

    Zoemi''s gaze grew cold and Miriette flinched and began acting all cutesy while taking the handkerchief out of the young man''s pocket and using it to wipe his face from the mess she made.

    "No, seriously, Miri. I am quite sure that Burushi doesn''t see me like that. Do you know how much time I spent hanging out with her in the past timeline and nothing happened? We are on best friends or even siblings level."

    Zoemi grabbed Miriette''s wrist, holding her back, and dered with a stern expression.

    "...oh, you poor innocent soul..."

    The tinum-haired girl looked at him and her expression turned gentle as she breathed out in a mushy voice.

    She raised her other hand and touched the young man''s face with this look of pity in her eyes before...

    *click*

    "...what the....?!"

    ...she moved her hand away from Zoemi''s face for a second just so she could snap her fingers, and with that simple action she ended up summoning the very confused blond-haired girl.

    Burushi looked around sharply before she fullyprehended what exactly happened.

    She was wearing the light enchanted armor and her armored shoes and chinguards were covered in dust and smudges of soil which meant that until that very moment, she was taking part in the training.

    ...and yes, the most promising youths taken from the Aspakeony Academy were continuing the King''s Guard training, the only thing that changed was the instructors...

    "Wh... What the hell guys?! I''m actually taking this whole thing seriously!"

    Burushi calmed down a bit and called out in annoyance as soon as she localized Zoemi and Miriette.

    "Sorry for that, Bu..."

    "Hey, Burushi, I''m okay with sharing him with you."

    "...?!"

    "..."

    Zoemi sighed and raised one hand trying to apologize for the trouble that Miriette caused the blond-haired girl, but the tinum-haired girl cut him off with a smug smile causing Aedlier to flinch and stare at her in disbelief while Burushi just stood there, blinking repeatedly.

    "Oh, my Guide, it''s..."

    "YOU ARE?!"

    The ck-haired young man could not believe the audacity of the tinum-haired girl... well, not really, he knew for a fact that it waspletely in character for her... but then he got cut off again, only this time it was Burushi.

    The blond-haired girl turned bright red and she climb on her tiptoes while clenching her hands together over her chest, staring at Miriette ¨C or rather at Zoemi ¨C with this longing expression that made him close his mouth instantly.

    "Of course. I am not like Zoemi, I don''t enjoy teasing my friends to the point of tears."

    "Whoa there, since when I am doing that?!"

    Miriette nodded her head with a satisfied smile making Zoemi let out an offended gasp.

 Chapter 787 261 - Cleaning Up (Part 3)

    "Alright. You two will work out the detailster. Now he''s mine and you have that while training or whatever. See ya~!" *click*

    Then, directly proving her own words to be at least partially wrong, the tinum-haired girl smirked teasingly and snapped her fingers, sending the blond-haired girl back to where she spirited away from.

    "Miri. What the fuck?!"

    Zoemi was certainly not okay with what was going on and he loudly expressed his discontent while grabbing Miriette''s shoulders and ring her in the eyes.

    "Don''t make that face. I don''t want my man to have a wide variety in his life. The necromancer is medium. I''m..."

    The tinum-haired girl sneered at him and said before hesitating and looking down...

    "...modest..."

    She said after ncing under her own dress and easily spotting her belly button.

    "So Burushi with her massive K-ing-sized advantages just fits."

    Miriette looked back up gazing into Zoemi''s eyes and dered with a cheerful smile.

    "...!"

    "!!!"

    Honestly? Zoemi had no idea how to handle her so he hastily leaned his head to the side staring at the only other person in the room ¨C Aedlier ¨C but the amaranth-haired girl flinched and looked away as fast as she could in panic, not wanting to have anything to do with whatever was going on.

    "Seriously... Miri..."

    The ck-haired young man ended up letting out a tired sigh and looked back at the tinum-haired girl.

    He let go of her shoulders and instead grabbed her hands as if he was preparing to have a serious conversation that the girl might want to run away from and opened his mouth.

    "...Zoemi... Do you think that I don''t care about my friends...?"

    But then Miriette ended up speaking first, also making quite the upset face and squeezing the young man''s hands.

    "What? No, of course not. In the first ce, you don''t have many of those."

    Zoemi raised his brows and shook his head from side to side assuring her.

    "Thatst part was unnecessary, but I will benevolently act as if I didn''t hear that."

    "...pfft..."

    Miriette frowned and scoffed making Zoemi snort.

    "I want my friends to be happy. I really think that there is no better match for them than you. I''m quite sure that you have a big enough heart to squeeze some affection for others between the boundless love you have for me~!"

    The tinum-haired girl fidgetted in the young man''sp and said while blushing.

    "In this world, everyone will want to use her for her healing magic and political advantage that having an asset like her would give them."

    "..."

    Miriette pointed out that Zoemi had no argument to refute her. He was fully aware that originally the second prince Surou even without the memories from the past timeline was going to use Burushi just like Miri said... It was technically possible for the blond-haired girl to find actual love, but... she was just too good of a catch for this world to be allowed a happy life.

    "...understadnable... but... I am pretty sure that you used the plural of friends. You are not friends with Aspy."

    "Tee-hee~!"

    After the prolonged moment of consideration, Zoemi ended up giving up on his argument but then noticed a rather big part that Miriette tried to gloss over.

    "Don''t you give me that. Maybe I don''t want a Guide-damn harem? Did you think about that?"

    The ck-haired young man scoffed in annoyance.

    "Hey. You were okay with Teo before. Now I just need to return Teofee her memories and everything will..."

    "Hold up...!"

    Miriette became flustered and fidgetted with a cute frown ¨C but ended up having a slip of a tongue that Zoemi picked up on immediately.

    "What do you mean return her memories...?! Did you take away Teofee''s memories just like you did with me?!"

    Zoemi raised Miriette''s hands so that she could not escape the questioning and gasped in shock.

    "No! I mean, yes! But you don''t understand! She would have stolen you away from me in a heartbeat! She loves you just as much as I do, but she has no shame at all! I had no choice!"

    The tinum-haired god cried out helplessly and shimmied around so that she ended up hiding behind her own knees while still seated in the young man''sp.

    "Miri!"

    "NO! I want to have children with you first! She might be my best friend but I will not let her outdo me!"

    Zoemi called out to which Miriette threw a temper tantrum like the spoiled nobledy that she was.

    "..."

    While the two were quarreling, Aedlier was hiding her face in her hands while curled up in her chair regretting not leaving the room where she had a chance.

    Although, to her credit, she had no chance to evacuate.

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "!!!"

    The discreet knocking came to the amaranth-hired girl''s rescue as both Miriette and Zoemi flinched and hastily looked toward the door.

    As the doorknob started to turn, the tinum-haired girl turned back to the ck-haired young man, leaned in, and kissed him before disappearing without a trace taking the smell of ozone with her.

    "My lord, the meal isn''t ready yet but... well... it looks like you arrived at the royal castle together with young lord Derizno..."

    The ck-haired maid entered the room, bowing her head apologetically from the start while speaking up with hesitation.

    "!!!"

    Aedlier instantly got over the shame and straightened her back, staring at Mandwaharn who mentioned the name of the family that destroyed her life and red between her and the ck-haired young man.

    "Yes, I know ¨C it is me after all. I don''t want to leave too much mess in the castle''s hallways so make sure no one blocks us."

    "...as you wish..."

    Zoemi nodded and shrugged his shoulders dismissively to which the maid walked backward out of the room without raising her head.

    "Lord Banemor... what is going on...?"

    As the door closed, Aedlier turned to her cousin and asked while clenching her fists so hard her fingernails were digging into her skin.

    "I did promise you that I will let you deal the final blow to the head of the Derizno family, didn''t I? That wasn''t a manner of speech~"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi leaned back into his chair and said calmly, causing Aedlier to stare at him wide-eyed lost for words.

 Chapter 788 261 - Cleaning Up (Part 4)

    The door to the dining room opened and two young men entered. An earth magician and a ck-haired martial artist with obsidian eyes.

    Xeonith Zarble Derizno and Zoemi Benevi Banemor

    Well, technically there three men entered ¨C Zoemi was dragging an armless and legless torso of a beaten-up man with a vacant expression, leaving a trail of blood like some sort of demonic slug.

    "!!!"

    At first, Aedlier stared between two Zoemis but soon enough her full attention focused on the mutted man.

    It was the head of the Derizno family, the very person who was behind the assassination of her parents and whoter fooled her into surrendering the Gmroze territory to him...

    "Youngdy Gmroze."

    Xeonith bowed his head to the amaranth-haired girl and spoke out.

    "My father''s schemes escaped my attention for far too long. Please ept this small token of good will on top of this."

    The brown-haired young man moved his hand, presenting whatever was left of his father''s body, before reaching inside his clothes and pulling out a few loose pages of parchment.

    "...?"

    Aedlier managed to tear her eyes away from lord Derizno, just enough to re at young lord Derizno and the documents in his hands.

    Taking it as a sign, Xeonith walked to the table and ced the documents in front of the amaranth-haired girl.

    "This is...!"

    Aedlier looked at the first page and her eyes widened as she gasped in shock and hurriedly went through the whole stack.

    "The Gmroze territory is returned to you. Every single coin that the Derizno family earned through it will be returned to your treasury, also the Derizno family vows to pay the reimbursement for putting you through a such hard time... On behalf of my family, I apologize for what you have gone through."

    The heir to one of the great noble families of the kingdom said and kneeled before the young fallen noble who until a few moments ago had no official status.

    "I''m also sorry."

    "?!?!"

    Previously silent Zoemi dragging the duke said and lowered his head about an inch, shocking Aedlier to no end.

    "The documents that you worked so hard to obtain will be used and the trial will be made public, but for now just that, and dealing a final blow to this trash, must be enough for you. The war is about to start and thest thing we need is an internal struggle that will happen. Sadly, but this trash was pretty good at making allies... even though he betrayed his nation."

    "...ghh...!"

    Zoemi said, raising his hand presenting the beaten-up duke Derizno and shaking him a bit which caused a pained gasp to leave the busted lips of the treacherous man.

    "Here." *thump*

    "...ghaagh...!

    The ck-haired young man nodded to Aedier and threw the duke in front of the table.

    "..."

    The amaranth-haired girl put one hand to her mouth ¨C it might have looked as if it was a gesture of disgust, but in fact, she was simply using her unusually pointy fang to puncture the skin on the tip of her index finger.

    As she did, she flicked the droplet of blood that emerged, lobbing it at the puddle of blood that formed around the mangled man.

    As the droplet got mixed in with the puddle, something peculiar happened with duke Derizno''s blood.

    It started moving around and flowing in a rather unusual pattern ¨C and it wasn''t just the puddle.

    The trail of blood that was left by Zoemi dragging him to the meeting room began acting up and flowing back to the body.

    Or rather under the body.

    "...what do you have to say to me...?"

    Aedlier, pale as a ghost, gulped down her saliva and asked, ring coldly at the perpetrator of the wretched tragedy that befell her and her family.

    "...p-please... s-spare me... I... I beg... you... fo... forgive me... show... show... mercy..."

    "!!!"

    The duke struggled to move or speak but he managed to lift his head just a bit so that he could meet the hateful eyes of the amaranth-haired girl... and had the audacity to actually beg for his life.

    *WHAM*

    "YOU WANT MERCY?! MY PARENTS WERE MURDERED BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO PROFIT OUT OF OUR MINES AND YOU WANT MERCY?!"

    That was too much for Aedlier ¨C the amaranth-haired girl mmed her hands on the table, standing up and shouted, baing her sharp fangs in the show of boundless hatred.

    "...forgive... me..."

    The duke pleaded with tears streaming down his beaten-up face.

    "...beg my parents for forgiveness in the afterlife... not that you will meet them in the ce that you are going to..."

    Aedlier bit her lips, shaking her head in disgust.

    "...plea..."

    "IMPALER!"

    Duke Derizno tired one more time, but it was too much for Aedlier to handle ¨C she raised her hand sharply and called out.

    *SQUELCH*

    At hermand, all the blood gathered and contained under the mutted man transformed into a crimson stake and pierced right through his body as if the former head of the Derizno family was a pitiful bug tormented by a cruel child.

    "...aghhh..."

    Duke let out hisst final breath and his torso went limp as his head dropped down and the light left his eyes.

    *sob*

    Two Zoemis and Xeonith watched the body ins silence as the blood stake slowly lost its shape and returned back into a puddle when the quiet cry interrupted the silence.

    Aedlier sat down and was hiding her face in her hands, her shoulders were trembling.

    "...mommy... daddy..."

    The girl sobbed as a huge wave of relief washed over her body and was a bit too much for her to handle.

    "..."

    Xeonith nced over at Zoemis but both of them shook their head and gave him a long blink to reassure him that it was okay.

    Then, the Zoemi standing by Xeonith''s side patted his shoulder and motioned at the door with his chin.

    The two of them left the meeting room - after all, they still had to submit the written promise of the Derizno family to the Gmroze family to the king.

    "Will things go smoothly on your part?"

    The ck-haired young man asked as they walked down the hallway.

    "With the session, you mean? Yes. I will have to find my mother some cozy ce to retire, preferably as far away as possible so she could not try to plot anything. You wouldn''t know of some nice monastery or something...?"

    "Actually..."

    Xeonith raised his brow and grinned to which Zoemi snickered.

 Chapter 789 262 - Overconfidence... (Part 1)

    A few dayster a rather peculiar quest arrived at the royal castle. A knight riding a massive armored wolf.

    Only two people and another armored wolf greeted him by the gate ¨C a ck-haired young man and a short brown-haired girl.

    "Nnn! Nnnn!"

    The moment that the knight dismounted the monster, the armored wolf started whimpering with her hair waving like crazy ¨C fast and strong enough to create a gust of wind behind her ¨C and she rushed at the ck-haired young man.

    "A! Hello baby! Who''s a good girl~?"

    "Nn...! Nnn!"

    The young man cheered out while ruffling the wolf''s fur while the monsterrge enough to be a mount acted like a tiny adorable puppy.

    "Hi, dad~"

    The ck-haired youngster looked over the wolf while patting her exposed belly and smiled at the knight who removed his helmet revealing his pale-blue-haired and a big smile.

    "You''ve grown up, Zoemi."

    Mizoe nodded and chuckled at his adoptive son.

    "..."

    Leveo looked between the two as if waiting for something...

    "I haven''t seen her y like this since she was a puppy~"

    "They both are always on guard to keep you or the twins safe so it''s not surprising~"

    Mizoe hummed and joined in on the patting session while Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and reached out with one hand to the other armored wolf that was looking at him longingly since he started paying attention to her sister.

    "...umm... I kind of expected a more emotional reunion..."

    "...?" "...?"

    Leveo furrowed her brows and pointed out to the two men who looked at each other and then at her.

    "Really?"

    "I mean... I started contacting dad with myw of Pisces as soon as I took care of the most pressing issues."

    Mizoe tilted his head innocently and Zoemi went with the exact same motion before exining.

    "We were chatting like that basically every day. I mean, it''s nice to finally see each other, but you know."

    "...oh...!"

    The pale-blue-haired man added, making the brown-haired girl let out an embarrassed gasp.

    "...you thought that I didn''t talk with my dad at all, did you..."

    "N-no...! It''s not like that...!"

    Zoemi furrowed his brows and groaned in an annoyed voice making Leveo flustered.

    "Nah, don''t worry, I am just messing with you. I''ve learned that only an extremely small number of people were able to retain their memories from the past timeline so it''s obvious that you would not have the exact same sense of humor. You''re the same though, dad."

    "...? Thank you...?"

    The ck-haired young man shrugged his shoulders and assured, nudging his adoptive father in the side and making him confused.

    "...and going back to the most pressing matters... Atreterve''s army is stationed right by our border and the hignders had to flee the mountains because of the field practice that the Barbaria nation''s forces decided to hold this year. Honestly, the most surprising thing in all of this is that they haven''t attacked yet."

    Mizoe breathed out and looked at his son with a grim expression.

    "They are waiting for something... ording to the intel that Aspy''s corpse puppets are providing, the problem is that not even the armymanders seem to know exactly what. They were ordered to be on stand-by by leaders of their nations."

    Zoemi nodded and sighed, the situation was truly bizarre...

    "Maybe they don''t actually want a war and are trying to scare our kingdom into some kind of agreement, or push some demands on us...?"

    Leveo said with a rather worried expression.

    "About that... huh...?"

    The ck-haired youth turned to the brown-haired girl, ready to answer her, but then froze in ce, and his expression turned cold.

    "Z-Zoemi...? Is something wrong...?"

    Leveo''s eyes widened and she took a step forward toward the tense young man.

    "..."

    Mizoe didn''t try the same approach, instead, she turned around and looked towards the gate of the outer wall surrounding the castle.

    There seemed to be a smallmotion there, although it was too far for anyone with normal hearing to understand or even notice what was it about.

    What it looked like, though, was that a certain carriage was being stopped by the royal guards, but the coachman was refusing to stop and tried to pass despite their protest.

    It was definitely not a behavior that was or should be allowed, and the fact that the guards weren''t using actual force to deal with the pesky intruder could mean only that there was someone really important on the inside.

    "...what is going on there...?"

    Leveo looked at Mizoe and then at the spot he was observing and furrowed her brows.

    "Isn''t that the carriage of the Espine family? Ah! Duke and duchess must be here inquire about youngdy Espine...!"

    The brown-haired girl squinted her eyes and gasped in realization before pointing out to the other two.

    "...umm... why both of you are looking like that now...?''

    And she flinched and took a step back when she saw the looks on Zoemi and Mizoe''s faces.

    "...I am pretty sure that I warned his majesty what will happen to Doregon and Misena if they dare to appear in front of me...?"

    Zoemi gritted his teeth and turned around, facing the gate where the luxurious carriage managed to push through the guards while the coachman was shouting profanities at the people who were not only just doing their jobs but also trying to prevent a tragedy.

    "...Zoemi... forgive me for being so selfish... but I would like to deal at least one strike on duke Espine..."

    Mizoe was shaking, barely able to hold back the pure fury that was coursing through his veins while he red at the approaching carriage while clenching his hand on the handle of his sword.

    "Because of Espines I lost my parents... and you lost the people who helped you out in the lowest point of your life. It''s not selfishness, dad. On the contrary, I will be honored to ept your wish."

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva, doing his best to not annihte the carriage and everyone inside with the power of the stars.

    "Wh-what are both of you talking about?! You''re talking about... wait Mizoe''s not your real dad?!"

    Leveo shivered and called out before gasping in shock.

    "...yeah, you thought I was lying when I introduced myself as thest of the Banemor family...?"

    "...o-oh... true..."

    Zoemi flinched and looked over his shoulder, staring at the embarrassed girl in disbelief.

 Chapter 790 262 - Overconfidence... (Part 2)

    All the guards could not leave their post ¨C no matter how peaceful the day was, their orders were clear ¨C but still, one of them rushed after the Espine''s carriage still trying to stop them.

    "How can there be such a clueless man amongst the guards?! You will see, fool, you and all of your friends who tried to stop the duke and duchess Espine will be thrown to the streets for your disrespect!"

    The coachman scoffed furiously when another attempt was made and it seemed that even if the guardid t on the ground to create an obstacle, he would run over him without hesitation.

    "NO! He is right there! That ck-haired martial artist singlehandedly subdued all of King''s Guard! He said that he will kill the Espines on sight! What are you all doing?! You must have received the warning!"

    The guard really was a good guy, he was basically crying as he ran beside the carriage while pointing in a panic to the three people standing right in front of the inner castle''s gate.

    "Don''t be delusional. We are a the brink of war so the royal family started spreading false rumors about some powerful ally that showed up out of nowhere. It''s all empty bullshit. And there''s no way that someone would be so stupid to try to raise their hand on the Espine family!"

    ...but all the goodwill ended up bouncing off the thickyer of coachman''s pride...

    "You there, stop following my carriage or I will melt that armor of yours while you are still inside."

    "...!"

    The door to the carriage opened a little bit and the hostile voice of duke Epsine sent chills down the guard''s spine and made him stop in ce.

    "I''m sorry for the audacious inconvenience, my lord...!"

    "It''s not your fault that the people at the royal castle are all fools."

    The coachman called out over his shoulder, bowing his head to the side and the benevolent nobleman scoffed before shutting the door.

    Meanwhile...

    "Zoemi... Mizoe... you two can''t be serious, right...? You can''t attack the head of the Espine family! Hell, attacking ANYONE from the great families will get you in huge trouble!"

    Leveo looked between the two men and reached out, grabbing their sleeves trying to speak some sense into them.

    "Really? They were the first ones to attack my family. Not to mention I saw the exception of the previous head of the Derizno family a few days ago and nothing happened. You''re worrying too much."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders without turning to face the brown-haired girl and was announced as if he was speaking about the weather.

    "You...! What?!"

    Leveo gasped and tugged on his sleeve, demanding answers.

    ...but she got none ¨C as the carriage arrived in front of them...

    "Make way for duke and duchess Espine!"

    The coachman scoffed trying to chase the trio away from the inner gate showing off the position of the Espine family, but the moment the animals caught a glimpse of the ck-haired young man they pulled to the side, causing the whole carriage and everyone inside to jerk suddenly.

    "Good girls~"

    Zoemi smiled softly and muttered under his breath and the horses'' ears perked up and wiggled as if they were happy... and the two armored wolves behind the ck-haired youth looked jealous...

    "...what in the... Stupid beasts! Making a fool out of...!"

    The disheveled coachman cursed and raised his hand with a whip but stopped as the overwhelming feeling of dread had him drenched in a cold sweat.

    He hurriedly turned around but the two armored wolves were sitting a little bit behind the people blocking the inner gate and didn''t even look in the direction of the carriage.

    "Hmph! Haven''t you heard what I said?! Move out of the way for duke and duchess Espine!"

    The coachman regained his gusto soon enough and scoffed while jumping down from his seat to open the door for the high nobles.

    "Haven''t you heard what the nice guard said?"

    In response to that, the ck-haired young man smirked devilishly and asked the coachman back.

    "Tsk...!"

    "It sounds like a fool started to believe the propaganda spread about him."

    The coachman clicked his tongue, but at that moment the man inside the carriage could not wait any longer so he opened the door himself and got out while ring down at the younger man.

    *whoosh*

    "Hooo?"

    Then, a sudden chill surprised him and he let out a curious voice as he turned his attention to the other man ¨C a pale-blue-haired knight who had rather peculiar lines of pale-blue light appear all over his body.

    *WHOOO*

    Without saying anything else, the red-haired duke activated his defensive spell ¨C the me armor ¨C the bright red fire burst forth and engulfed the alreadyrge stature of the middle-aged man and condensed into a protective shell that the enchanted armor of the members of the King''s Guard could barelypare to.

    "In your ce, I would think twice before doing something exceedingly stupid."

    "..."

    Duke Espine scoffed proudly at Mizoe but the pale-blue-haired knight didn''t talk back, merry clenching his fist around the handle of his sword.

    "What is thismotion about?"

    The other person left the carriage too ¨C it was the green-haired duchess, the woman who was well known for being the most powerful wind magician in the kingdom, that is before she gave birth to Miriette.

    She also held the honorable position of the manner''s teacher and many young nobles ¨C from the high ranking families ¨C were her students, and that included the first ¨C but not the second ¨C prince.

    "Nothing much, mydy. I just want to make one thing sure."

    "...?"

    Zoemi leaned to the side to have a better look at her and said with a surprisingly pleasant voice ¨C surprising enough to make Leveo let go of his sleeve and stare at him in confusion.

    "It can wait."

    "Dear, it''s better to get over such situations as soon as possible."

    Duke scoffed and his me armor cracked in agreement, but the duchess shook her head and held him back.

    "Speak."

    She nodded her head benevolently, looking at the ck-haired young man with the unwaveringposure of someone who practices what she teaches.

 Chapter 791 262 - Overconfidence... (Part 3)

    "As you already know, recently I am helping out the royal family a bit. During that time I happened toe across a very interesting document."

    Zoemi''s smirk turned into a smile and he took out a folded piece of parchment from his inner pocket.

    He unfolded it and turned it so that both aristocrats could what was written on it.

    "As you can see, we have your family seal here, it''s a simple business transaction with a certain group. You ced a lot of orders on magic-blocking and mana-restricting artifacts, didn''t you?"

    *WHOOOO*

    Zoemi spoke calmly and peacefully, but then the piece of parchment in his handsbusted and burnt to nothingness right then and there.

    "I don''t have time for some derogatory usations, and I certainly don''t have time for someone like you. If you don''t want to be next, get out of my way."

    Duke Espine scoffed and threatened the young man.

    "I also have two other documents."

    Zoemi didn''t falter and merely shook off the ash from his finger and took out two more pieces of parchment, also showing them off to the angered duke.

    "One of them is for procuring the enchanted weapons with corrosion attribute and the other one is for... submission cors."

    "..."

    The ck-haired young man said continuing to smile and interestingly enough, this time the red-haired man did not try to burn the documents ¨C instead, his expression darkened and he squinted his eyes.

    "The threat of war made me improve the equipment of my forces that would be dispatched in case of the actual conflict. As for the cors, the warlocks and witches of Barbaria nation are known for using hexed monsters and the novelty device promised to have the same effect. It''s all for the good of our kingdom."

    The duke dered with unfaltering confidence.

    "But of course. And the kingdom is its people, right?"

    "Indeed."

    Zoemi nodded with understanding and asked to which lord Espine nodded in agreement.

    "True~! After all, there is no other territory that cares for its people like Espine territory. There have been numerous reports aboutmoners from other parts of the kingdom moving there for a better quality of life."

    "..."

    The ck-haired young man eagerly pped his hands together and caused the duke to re at him in suspicion.

    "And of course looking for a better quality of life means that around seventy percent of the eager settlers would enlist in your personal army! Oh, tight, it''s one hundred percent for the people from the former Banemor territory."

    "...eh...?!"

    Zoemi''s smile turned hostile and Leveo, the only person for whom that information was new, let out a shocked gasp.

    "You know, my lord? I lied about this document being the only order you ced for the submission cors."

    Zoemi continued and reached out to his clothes and this time he pulled out a whole stack of papers.

    "Do you care to exin why you invest so much money into the cors for taming monsters and have less than a few dozen of them around? It feels as if those cors are used on something other than monsters... let''s say the disillusionedmoners who discover that they have fallen for a lie?"

    The young man added throwing the stack of incriminating evidence to the duke''s feet.

    Some of the papers caught on fire from the me armor and turned into ash.

    But... it was okay. After all, that was a provocation... no, even less than that. It was just a cat ying with the mouse before devouring it.

    "I am the great duke of the Bellcephora kingdom. I will not listen to fabricated usations thrown in my face by some nobody."

    Although for a split second it seemed as if the anger would overtake lord Espine, the red-haired man managed to keep his cool and dered in a rather disgusted tone, staring down Zoemi as if he was a pile of manure thrown carelessly in front of him.

    "Oh? Wait, so that piece of intel didn''t reach you?"

    This time the ck-haired man was genuinely surprised. The return of the Banemor family was supposed to be a secret, but Zoemi didn''t have many hopes for it to stay a secret. This was quite an interesting turn of events.

    "What is that supposed to mean?"

    Duke Espine scoffed arrogantly without a single doubt in his mind that he outranks the youngster in every aspect of social status.

    "Zoemi Benevi Banemor~"

    While the ck-haired young man was introducing himself, the pale-blue-haired man was pulling out his sword ¨C it was a simple shortsword but its cutting edge was gleaming with an icy-blue light.

    "Dear, watch o...!" *SHING*

    While her husband was focused on the ck-haired youth, duchess Espine saw the pale-blue-haired man readying the weapon and called out, stepping in to block the attack with her magic. Her body was glowing with the intense green light and the air in front of her looked as if it was boiling ¨C but even then she failed to react to the lightning-fast sh.

    *WHOOOSH*

    ...followed by a gust of icy-cold wind...

    "..."

    "..."

    For a moment everyone was silent as Mizoe calmly sheathed the de with a stoic expression.

    "Tsk. You will not get away with this. And as for you...!"

    *khhhhhgh* *thump*

    Duke Espine scoffed at the pale-blue-haired knight''s failed attempt and looked back at Zoemi, but his words were interrupted by the disturbing sound of the carriage behind his back, breaking apart.

    The carriage itself had been cut diagonally and the gravitation called for the upper half while the unharmed horses let out disturbed neighs because of the noise.

    *thump*

    Then, the head of the coachman who was in the way of the sh rolled off his shoulders and his body soon followed it to the ground...

    "Wha...?" *haaa* *thump*

    Duke gasped turning back... and at that moment his me armor spell released with the sound of a person breathing out in relief the upper half of the body of his wife slide to the ground and the other half fell forward.

    "...ah..."

    And only a secondter the separation of the duke''s own body alongside the bloody line corresponding with the cut on the carriage behind him took ce.

    In the distance, a few guards were looking away with upset or horrified expressions as the snow ¨C very out of ce at that time of the year ¨C began falling from the sky in the wake of the ice mana that was released into the air.

 Chapter 792 262 - Overconfidence... (Part 4)

    "I kind of expected at least one of them to survive."

    "I apologize, I might have put too much effort into the sword enchantment..."

    The ck-haired young man didn''t quite know whether he should feel relieved, satisfied, or angry, still, the pale-blue-haired knight didn''t seem all that remorseful.

    "I will be going now. Young lord Deviso informed me thatdy Rokiana returned home... She''s devastated because of what happened to Roiso so I... you know... Come."

    Mizoe breathed out and called out one of the armored wolves.

    He mounted it and nodded at his son.

    "Take care."

    "You too, dad~"

    The man waved his hand and the armored wolf trotted away after Zoemi waved back.

    "I can''t believe it ended up like this..."

    Leveo was standing there with her face buried in her hands and sighed.

    "I don''t want to think what kind of mess you just got yourself into..."

    She added, sounding and looking very upset.

    "...Leveo, do you think that this spot would be so empty if the king didn''t know what I was about to do?"

    "..."

    Zoemi asked and the girl flinched in realization.

    "...I still can''t believe it..."

    "That''s fair."

    The brown-haired girlined and the ck-haired boy nodded with approval.

    "...I really thought that my mom had a chance with sir Mioze...!"

    Leveo cried out in disbelief...

    "Wait! What?! THAT''S WHAT YOU ARE UPSET ABOUT?!"

    Hearing her, Zoemi was so taken aback that he staggered back, almost stepping in the puddle of blood.

    A few momentster a group of silent servants walked out of the castle and started handling the aftermath. They greeted Zoemi and Leveo with polite bows but were surrounded in aura of fear.

    It was easy to understand them, after all, if the heads of the six great families were fair game then how could they not be scared for their lives?

    "...it''s upsetting when people who should be the pirs of the kingdom turn against it..."

    Zoemi nced at the corpse of duke Espine and shook his head with disappointment before walking back to the castle.

    "L-lord Banemor... were the documents you showed them real...?"

    Leveo flinched and run after the ck-haired young man and asked as she caught up to him.

    "The papers were copies of the original documents that were handed to the royal advisors, yes. This one too."

    Zoemi confirmed the girl''s hopes and even took out onest piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to her.

    "That''s...!"

    Leveo''s eyes widened and she gasped as she unfolded the document and read through it.

    "Yeah. Not only were they basically envingmoners, but they were also selling some of them to the secret facility to be experimented on AND they promised the schrs working there amnesty after the Bellcephora kingdom would lose the iing war."

    The ck-haired young man nodded and smirked.

    "Funnily enough it would have taken weeks to get to this document if not for youngdy Aedlier. Her reading speed is the real magic here."

    Zoemi boasted, puffing out his chest proudly, boasting about his extended family being so amazing.

    "It''s really messed up... it''s aristocrats'' duty to care for the wellbeing of their subjects, to think that anyone would be willing to do something like that to the people they are supposed to protect..."

    The brown-haired girl shuddered and returned the document back to the ck-haired young man.

    "Greed. Pride. The sense of superiority. There are plenty of reasons for those who forsake the honor of true aristocracy."

    "..."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and sighed making Leveo bite her lips with an upset expression.

    Inside the castle the two of them were bout to split, Zoemi was supposed to report the situation with Espines directly to the king and Leveo should head to the canteen to join the other participants in the training... but then...

    "Lord Banemor...!"

    A panicked servant spotted them and rushed over, calling out the ck-haired young man''s name with urgency.

    "My lord! His majesty summons you immediately! It''s terrible! Everything that could go wrong went wrong!"

    "What?!"

    The man cried out in panic, grabbing onto the shocked Zoemi''s clothes.

    The servant did not calm down at all, he was shaking more and more by the second actually, but he still lead Zoemi to the meeting room and Leveo followed them.

    The king together with all of his advisors were waiting for them.

    Aspaekony, lord Moyena, lord Irghun, and many nobles Zoemi knew by name but didn''t talk with were there too.

    "Lord Banemor, we request your immediate help."

    "...!"

    The king stood up the moment that the balck-ahried young man walked in, and went straight to the point.

    "The forces of Barbaria nation routed thousands of monsters and created a monster wave directing it towards the Perserios and Parrats territories. They are reports of humans transforming into beasts spotted amongst them. At the same time at our border with Atreterve nation, chaos erupted amongst the joint forces of the Victureo and Espine families which resulted in breaking the formation and basically allowing the forces of the alliance to march right in...! Both at the same time, it seems that the order to pacify the contested Espine forces was the lynchpin It''s a disaster."

    The monarch exined clenching his fists just like everyone else.

    "..."

    Zoemi straightened his back and looked at Aspakeony.

    "Right before the offensive began both armies activated some devices that were delivered by the couriers directly under the leaders of the nations and I lost control of the puppets within their ranks."

    The gray-haired necromancer reported clearly being the most upset person in the room.

    "Gemini."

    Zoemi breathed out and closed his eyes and divided himself in two.

    "Aspy, my father just left the castle on an armored wolf, get one of your puppets to teleport him to the Perserios territory immediately. Also, get me on both fronts. Since they started it, I am not going to hold back."

    They dered reaching their hands toward the gray-haired girl.

    "Be careful - when I say I lost control over my puppets I mean it - they were taken over by something and if I didn''t sever the connection I might have been taken over by whatever kind of magic they were using."

    Aspaekony breathed out and pointed out while Moxeoni and one other gold-haired corpse puppet appeared by Zoemis'' sides at the same time.

    "...sure..."

    Both Zoemis nodded and disappeared in the sh of gold light together with light corpse puppets.

 Chapter 793 263 - The Perserios Border (Part 1)

    The mountain range at the border of the Perserios territory turned into a hellscape.

    Thousands of monsters were rushing down the slopes and onto the in, flooding the area like a ceaseless infestation.

    The countless spell were raining down on them ¨C the barrage of fire, ice, and light. Hundreds of monsters were being incapacitated and trampled by their brethren in the mad stampede but still, plenty were able to pass and enter the close range with the magic soldiers engaging in a bloody and ruthless battle.

    "DAMN FILTH!"

    The young heir of the Perserios territory, Devios Elef Perserios roared raising his hands into the sky. At hismand, a gigantic block of ice condensed and smashed into the oing monsters crushing tens of hundreds of them and creating a massive obstacle many were unable to cross.

    "LAW OF TAURUS!" "LAW OF SAGITTARIUS!"

    *CRUSH*

    Still, the ice shattered within seconds as the beasts with silver orbs above their heads roared and attacked it channeling the star''s power.

    "YOU MARTIAL ARTISTS BELIEVE THAT I CAN''T DEAL WITH YOU?!"

    Devios howled in anger, waving his hand to the side and instantly conjuring hundreds of ice spears that all aimed at the most troublesome opponents who resisted magic.

    "HMPH!"

    Even so, the transformed martial artists either dodged the attacks or took them head-on and shrugged off the ice as merely a mild inconvenience.

    "FOOL! YOU CAN TURN THIS LAND INTO A DESERT AND STILL WON''T ACHIEVE SHIT!"

    A gray-skinned giant with one eye and a silver sphere above its headughed and its sonorous voice echoed through the area.

    "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" *STAB*

    Devios roared in response, using the chance and the natural moisture under the giant''s feet to create a spire that impaled him all the way through.

    The silver orb above the killed giant disappeared and its body turned into a corpse of a ck-haired man with a ck crystal embedded in his forehead.

    "Lord Perserios! The monsters are passing through the Parrats'' territory and are trying to route us!"

    "WHAT?!"

    One of the soldiers ran up to the young nobleman and cried out in despair causing Devios to growl in fury.

    "WHAT ARE THOSE FUCKERS DOING?!"

    He shouted while running death upon the monsters, thinning out their ranks as much as possible to give his forces a chance.

    "My lord...! Some of the Parrats'' army deserted!"

    "THEY DID WHAT?!"

    The soldier trembled to Devios''s outrage.

    "FUCK! GET A WIND MAGICIAN TO SEND THE REQUEST FOR REINFORCEMENT TO THE CAPITAL! AT THIS POINT WE WILL GET OVERRUN WITHOUT EVEN SEEING A SINGLE BARABARIACCA SOLDIER!"

    "Y-yes, sir!"

    The young noble ordered and the soldier cowered and rushed away.

    "BIG SISTER! WITHDRAW AND TAKE THE FIRE AND WIND MAGES AND MOVE TOWARDS PARRATS TERRITORY!"

    Devios looked around and spotted Rokiana fighting with the monsters on the frontline.

    "HOW?!"

    The woman glowing with the blue light of enchantments beheaded an armored wolf and shouted back while casting a water bubble to shield other knights from the acid spray of the frenzied deer-like monsters they were pushing back.

    "GHHH...!"

    Devios bare his teeth in response and mmed his hand to the ground.

    *SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    The temperature plummeted causing humans'' and monsters'' teeth to chatter and a freezing cold rain showered down turning monsters into ice sculptures within seconds.

    "NOW!"

    Devios roared knowing full well that the beasts will break out of the confines within seconds while the ones outside of the range of the spell were still rushing at them.

    "YOU HEARD THE YOUNG LORD! FIRE AND WIND MAGICIANS FOLLOW ME!"

    Rokaina didn''t hesitate and pulled back while shouting amand.

    "I WILL TEACH YOU WHY PERSERIOS TERRITORY IS AN IMPREGNABLE WALL OF THE BELLCEPHORA KINGDOM!"

    Devios roared as the transformed marital artists unaffected by the freezing rain moved out to the front.

    ...that was the situation in which Zoemi, Moxeoni, Mizoe, and one other light corpse puppet arrived to...

    "Dad, miss Rokiana is leading soldiers that way, join her. Moexeoni, you and the other one go with him."

    The ck-haired young manmanded and the others nodded back before rushing off.

    "...now then... Leo..."

    Zoemi nodded to himself walking towards the chaotic frontline and activating his star power.

    "STOP!"

    "!!!"

    He roared and an oppressive aura spread around, washing over the humans and monsters alike causing most of them to grind to a halt.

    "Fuck you all." *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

    Zoemi scoffed and in an instant, the mountains turned into a sea of raging mes roasting the monster''s stampede.

    "AQUARIUS!" x40

    "...!"

    But before the beasts died, the transformed marital artists fought back, cleansing the area around them from mes, shocking Zoemi.

    Law of Aquarius was the cleansing power ¨C but it normally cleansed poisons, mana included ¨C to have it get rid of the hazard such as fire that was controlled by star power, the level of thew must have been very high.

    p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® This meant that the martial artists amongst the ranks of the enemy couldn''t be just random stragglers.

    "The hell...? Is Heavenly Star nation allies with Barbaria nation?!"

    Zoemi gasped to himself while his attack was neutralized after killing only the weakest monsters.

    "Zoemi?! Thank the heavens!"

    Still, his help was greatly appreciated by Devios who let out a relieved gasp after spotting the ck-haired man at the back of the defense line.

    "WHAT SECTS ARE YOU FROM?!"

    Zoemi acknowledged Devios with a nod before running into the sky and calling to the transformed martial artists and calling out to them.

    "LAW OF SAGITTARIUS!" x10

    But the only answer he got was in form of beams of concentrated star power shot out by the marital artist capable of using the rightw.

    The silver beams all hit their target but had no effect on the Heavenly Star Warrior.

    "...so be it... Cancer."

    Zoemi breathed out with a cold expression and activated the same star power that all of the enemy martial artists were using.

    A thinyer of silver mist emerged from his body and rose above his head concentrating and creating a silver orb.

    With it followed a transformation - the body of the ck-haired young man grew into a monstrous size and became covered with obsidian-like scales.

    The beastly form Zoemi took on was a mix between a dragon and a humanoid wolf, funny enough it resembled a monstrous bear in a way.

    *THUMP* *RUMBLE*

    The transformed Zoemi dropped to the ground, crushing the panicked monsters under his humongous paws and tail.

    "Surrender or perish."

    The obsidian bear-like beast bellowed and his voice echoed through the mountains.

 Chapter 794 263 - The Perserios Border (Part 2)

    "So be it. Let me show you what the truew of Sagittarius looks like!"

    After his warning fell on deaf ears, the monstrous bear-like monster scoffed and opened his jaws.

    Between them, a silver glow gathered and...

    "!!!"

    *%$#@#$%^&^%$#@#$%^&^%$#@*

    ...unleashed a concentrated breath attack that reached the foot of the mountain in the distance...

    Anything that didn''t or was unable to duck out of the beam''s way got annihted ¨C moreover, upon hitting the mountain the beam turned into silver mes that washed over and rebound over the surface of the earth and either killed or severely injured everything in their wake.

    Although the beam was more devastating at close range, the ones in the distance were actually the ones that ended up worse.

    "WHAT ARE SLACKERS DOING?! FINISH OFF THE REST OF THEM!"

    Although also stunned by the shockwave unearthly sound and the shockwave from the attack, Devios roared to his soldiers before raising his hands andmanding the frost to climb up the prone enemies.

    *THUMP* *THUMP*

    The monster bear''s each step made the earth tremble. He reached out and picked up a werewolf with his massive paw ¨C the monster with a silver sphere above its head looked like a small toy inparison.

    The transformed marital artist was trembling, unable to move their eyes away from the jaws of the creature that captured them.

    "I am giving you one more chance. What sect are you from? Why anyone from the Heavenly Star Nation would ally themselves with Barbaria?"

    The monstrosity bellowed but the werewolf merely cowered and whimpered too scared to speak.

    "..."

    Zoemi closed his jaws and reached and raised his other hand ¨C with one of his humongous ws he poked at the silver sphere above the captured monster''s head, popping it like a balloon.

    Within seconds thew of Cancer''s transformation ended and instead of a werewolf, the monster bear was holding a young short-haired woman.

    "...what the hell is this...?"

    Zoemi bellowed, causing the woman to tremble even more ¨C but still, the ck crystal embedded into her forehead was clearly visible.

    The woman had reddish-brown hair and brown eyes... but not exactly. Both her hair, and more importantly her eyes were bearing unnatural jet-ck spots as if the darkness was taking over them.

    "N-no...! STOP!"

    Zoemi gently moved his w and with its very tip he started to pry the ck crystal off of the woman''s forehead but that caused her to cry out in panic and jerk her head away...

    *squelch* "Ghah-ghh...!"

    The edge of the crystal got stuck on Zoemi''s w and the martial artist''s movement ended up pulling it away ¨C but then it was revealed that the crystal was attached to a root-like device branching out, and yanking it out produced a nauseating sound and the woman''s eyes rolled into her skull ash her body turned limp in the monster bear''s paw as the tears still streamed down her face.

    "...those trashes who wanted more power are one thing... but.. were you all stupid enough to willingly have something like this put into you...?"

    The monstrous bear-like monster gently put down the body of the deadly martial artist and asked, looking towards the closest transformed martial artist.

    "...we... we are already dead... mere corpses reanimated with curses and hexes..."

    The minotaur with a silver orb floating above its head, half-frozen to the ground, let out an odd noise ¨C something between augh and pitiful cry ¨C and said trying to smile with its monstrous mouth.

    "...this thing on our heads... in human form... it is weird... it lets us use star power without getting rid of the curse... but... the longer we have it on, the less sane we... AGHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

    The transformed marital artist said but then his yellow eye turnedpletely ck and the only sound left in his mouth was a beastly noise of an enraged minotaur.

    *CRUSH* *MHUUUUUU! ZHOOO-HEEEEE-MHIIIIIIII!"

    The beast broke itself free from the icy prison and roared lowering its head and charging at the bear-like monster with its horns.

    p¦Á§ád¦Á §«?¦Í¨º|,§ã¨°§® The howl of a monster trying to say Zoemi''s name...

    "...no..."

    Zoemi froze in ce, staring as the minotaur breaks off one of his horns against his scaly leg and starts punching it instead of backing off after the futile attempt.

    It was just like in the old timeline...! Back then George''s mother was also a corpse kept animated by hexes and curses...! And... monster being taken over... that...

    ...that was Cherro''s doing...!

    But... But back then it was the outside influence of the great evil reborn...!

    "...it can''t be...! Miri said that his presence began to fade away, he... wait... no... No! He isn''t using others... he is the one being used...!"

    Zoemi gasped, staggering back because of the weight of the realization.

    *SHING*

    He swatted at the frenzied minotaur absentmindedly and sliced him up without the least bit of resistance.

    Without even looking at it, he caught the spinning bull head and only then he gazed upon it, waiting for it to return to human form.

    When it did, the bear-like monster raised it up to its eye and took a good look at it.

    "... someone managed to find the fading Cherro and fed his mana to the mana-absorbing crystal..."

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva and felt chills going down his gigantic spine.

    The same thing that happened to Roiso happened to Cherro.

    But... did whoever invented the device that merged together star power and mana was aware that eventually, the will of Cherro will take over the hosts...?

    If things would be left alone the rebirth of that filth was not out of the realm of possibility...

    "Zhooo... Zhoo-gheee-mhiiiighhhhh..."

    "...!"

    The monstrous bear-like beast flinched hearing his name spoken ¨C and then he froze in ce after realizing that the creature that called to him wasn''t a transformed martial artist but a real monster...

    ...a monster with a submission cor that had a jet-ck crystal embedded into it...

    "KILL THEM ALL!"

    "AND WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK WE ARE TRYING TO DO?!"

    Zoemi turned around and bellowed deafeningly and the only person gutsy enough to respond to him was none other than Devios.

    "NO! WHATEVER YOU ARE THINKING IS GOING ON, THE TRUTH IS A THOUSAND TIMES WORSE! ALL OF THEM MUST BE ANNIHILATED! ALL OF THE JET-BLACK CRYSTALS MUST BE DESTROYED OR WE WILL HAVE HUNDREDS OF CHERROS... HUNDREDS OF ARISUS WALKING AROUND! YOU REMEMBER THE OLD TIMELINE! YOU KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN!"

    "...!"

    Zoemi roared and Devios''s face turned ghastly pale...

 Chapter 795 263 - The Perserios Border (Part 3)

    "Barbaria nation really didn''t send a single soldier of their own..."

    Devios sighed while he and every single able person were sieving through the battlefield making sure that all jet-ck crystals were destroyed.

    "We on the other hand are already exhausted."

    "More than a quarter of our mages is under severe mana depletion, it''s three-quarters if we count light mana depletion."

    Mizoe heard theint from afar and called back and Rokiana in between the two ice magicians joined the conversation.

    "The reinforcement from the royal castle is still being organized... what the hell are they thinking? Were we not clear enough about how dire the situation is?" *crunch*

    Devios shook his head in disbelief, conjuring an ice spear and piercing the quiterge ck crystal in the submission cor around the neck of a dead seven-limbed bear.

    p¦Á§ád¦Á §«?¦Í¨º|,§ã¨°§® "..."

    Mizoe and Rokiana looked at each other ¨C they were amongst the group that actually didn''t understand the danger, after all, no one amongst the vast majority of the people who had no memories of the previous timeline truly realized the danger that the return of Arisu ¨C or how Zoemi was calling him, Cherro ¨C was.

    The operation to seek and destroy all the magic crystals containing the will of the ursed magician was already considered to be overextending the limited forces that should be resting in preparation for the next wave of the invaders.

    -----

    "Hello~? We are the forward reinforcements sent by the royal pce! We were told that the person in charge should be around here?"

    "...?"

    Sometimeter a small group of mages arrived at the battlefield, with a tall crimson-haired beauty taking the lead and calling out towards the people working around the numerous corpses.

    "...ugh... she''s thest person I want around with a threat of Arisu returning..."

    Devios looked over and his face twisted in an annoyed grimace as he recognized the young woman to be none other than Ehmi Gamemi Victureo.

    She was leading the groupposed of mostly youngsters taking part in the King''s Gaurd training.

    There was Ehmi, Xeonith, some heavily armored individual whose armor was glowing with all kinds of magic stones embedded into the metal, the white-as-snow Metavicero, George, and even Grazio.

    "..."

    Devios sighed and had to take a few deep breaths topose himself enough to not show his real feelings and walked over to them.

    "Greetings. Youngdy Victureo, I''m the actingmander in this unfortunate situation, Devios Elef Perserios. Please tell me that more forces are on their way. We are dealing with quite the situation here."

    The pale-blue-haired boy with one murky-ck eye raised his hand and gave quite the unenthusiastic wee, causing Ehmi to furrow her brows and her younger brother to straight up scowl at the younger magician.

    "..." "..."

    Still, that didn''t seem to bother you lord Perserios as he ended up in a ring contest with the brownish-ck-haired martial artist, George. The history between them was was rather difficult considering the past timeline although Devios wasn''t even sure whether the other youngster even remembers it, or just returns his hostile re out of reflex.

    "Oh... I wasn''t expecting someone so young to be in charge, you must be quite exceptional, young lord Perserios."

    The crimson-haired girl seemed a little bit upset that a transcended magician like her isn''t treated like the powerhouse she was and gave a rather backhandedpliment to the pale-blue-haired boy.

    "Damn, you look like shit, Devios ¨C it really is that bad, huh?"

    "Duke Derizno...?!"

    As if unbeknownst to the tense atmosphere, Xeonith moved forward, getting in front of the shocked Ehmi, and called out with an outrageous amount of familiarity.

    "Yeah... yeah... you being so chirpy can only mean that Zoemi didn''t let you in on the depths of the septic tank that we were shoved into."

    Instead of getting angry the pale-blue-haired boy scoffed, shaking his head with a wry smile, and raised his fist which the brown-haired duke bumped with his own.

    "Also, you looked leagues better with a baby-face, I can''t believe whatdy Reo see''s in you."

    Then Devios did something even more outrageous to the rest of the newly arrived group and responded with a no less familiar banter.

    *tter*

    As if upset, the heavily armored person fidgetted in embarrassment.

    "My duke... why is it that during our time together you failed to mention you are on good terms with the Perserios family...?"

    Ehmi tried to push the conversation back on its correct track and appropriate tone so she breathed out and asked while crossing her arms under her chest that she puffed out proudly ¨C or rather with annoyance...

    "Ugh. Do not phrase it like that. I don''t see the reason for you to know anything about my private life."

    Xoenith shrugged his shoulders and scoffed while giving Ehmi the coldest before turning back to Devios.

    "The situation at the Atreterve border ended up being much more of a mess than what you had to deal with here so most of the avable forces were delegated here. We have part of the armying here, just that it might take them a few days. Now. Order us around and we can get filled in on the details while on duty."

    Young duke Derizno patted young lord Perserios''s shoulder reassuringly and informed him with a smile, basically taking away the leading position from the speechless Ehmi.

    "..."

    Devios leaned to the side eyeing out the rest of the group before nodding to himself as he decided on the course of action and the choice of words.

    "Barbaria nation developed magic devices that work very much like their curses and hexes ¨C that being the ability to take over the mind of a person or a monster. The devices are highly dangerous and must be disposed of as the possession can take effect at the slightest touch. While we wait for more of the enemy forces to show up we have to dispose of all the jet-ck mana crystals which are the core of those artifacts."

    The pale-blue-haired youth exined, turning around and beckoning the others to follow him toward the area where they segregated corpses.

    "M-MONSTER!"

    "!!!"

    As they walked, Grazio who kept himself in the back suddenly cried out in panic, pointing towards the mountains and got everyone in hearing distance on alert.

 Chapter 796 264 - At The Border Pass Of The Atreterve Nation (Part 1)

    The border pass between Bellcephora and Atreterve was truly a woeful sigh for anyone with warm feelings towards the kingdom.

    The forces meant to keep the approaching enemy at bay were fighting amongst each other while enchanters just passed them using the opening the internal conflict created.

    Everypany that waltzed through the border had at least one toon where a single soldier in the middle was carrying arge backpack-like artifact with green and jet-ck magic crystals embedded in its frame.

    Even though wary about the outside, the soldiers from other toons were focused around those artifact carriers.

    It was a pattern that would have been caught on to immediately, but in the current situation even when some mages noticed it, there was nothing that they could do before reorganizing.

    The kingdom of Bellcephora forces were in deep trouble...

    Mages with hair and eyes the color corresponding to their attributes were being pushed back and to the sides by well equippedmoners the were allied with not even an hour earlier.

    p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® The traitors beingmoners only added insult to injury because every honorable noble would never raise their hand against amoner.

    No... that alone wasn''t as much of a problem as the next observation...

    The vacant'' expressions on themoners'' faces suggested that they weren''t rebelling willingly so the mages held to the hope of saving them.

    But that hope was being put to a test with each swing of the enchanted sword each of themoners wielded ¨C enchanted swords that channeled a corrosive mana that melted through all the spells.

    As if to make things worse, some of the controlledmoners also had shields with the same attribute that were in fact just as dangerous as the swords ¨C if not more.

    "WIND AND WATER MAGICIANS, KNOCKED THE COMMONERS OUT! EARTH MAGICIANS TRAP THOSE ATRETERVE BASTARDS! FIRE MAGICIANS, BURN THEM!"

    A tall man in enchanted armor roared over the chaos of the battle, reaching out his hand towards

    the nearestpany of Atreterve soldiers ¨C aiming dead center at the soldier with a mysterious artifact.

    "THUNDER!"

    *BOOOOO-* *KSHHHHHHHH*

    The man''s voice boomed but right before his spell materialized amoner carrying an enchanted shield threw himself in the line of fire and the blue and white lightning was intercepted and corroded into nothingness within an instant.

    *thump* *KSHHHHHHHHHH* "AAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!"

    Themoner had no chance ofnding properly and ended up falling over at one of hisrades ¨C the edges of his shield melted through the enchanted armor the othermoner had on and burnt into his back causing the unfortunate man to let out an animalistic howl before falling to the ground.

    The mages froze for a moment, but the othermoners didn''t ¨C as if they didn''t even notice what happened to one of their own.

    *KSHHHHHH*

    Further cementing the idea that they had no clue what was going on ¨C or worse, they did not care ¨C the one who caused damage to his ownrade pushed himself back up, having the corrosive shield press into his victim, basically melting right through him...

    "GENERAL! YOU HAVE TO RETREAT BACK TO THE CAPITAL! WITHOUT THE BELLCEPHORA ARMY THE BORDER IS FINISHED! WE WILL... WE WILL HOLD THEM OFF AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!"

    One of the mages shouted to the lightning-attribute-wielding man.

    It wasn''t that the mages were disobedient and didn''t want toply with the order he had given them earlier ¨C it was just they simply couldn''t.

    With the joint forces of the Victureo and Espine families the organization amongst their ranks wasposed so that no one part is solely in charge ¨C meaning, there was nopany or even a toon that was free ofmoners ¨C and so when they turned against the mages, everyone got locked inbat.

    "YOU ARE MY PRIVATE FORCES AND YOU ARE PART OF THE AMRY! TRY TO EVEN IMPLY SACRIFICING YOURSELVES AND I WILL HAVE ALL OF YOU DIGGING TRENCHES FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES!"

    The brave cry of one of his underlings only enraged the lightning magician and was met with an instantaneous rebuttal.

    "HOLD BACK THE COMMONERS AND I WILL DO THE REST!"

    The man roared while activating his enchantments.

    His spell was different from both the standard enchantments that made the user''s body glow, and also different from the special enchantments that Zoemi helped to create ¨C with him, white, blue, and yellow electrical charges began to crackle all around his body, visible even on his armor.

    *THUMP*

    The next moment, the lightning magician was gone, leaving only the small crater in the spot where he kicked off the ground.

    *WHAM* *CRUSH*

    In the blink of an eye, the very firstpany of the Atreterve nation that crossed the border was attacked, and its center the one soldier carrying the bulky artifact on his back got crushed into a pulp together with the device under the charged fist of the furious mage.

    "DISCHARGE!" *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    The lightning magician growled and became the epicenter of an electric discharge that sent dozens of lightning into the sky, turning the enemypany into a bunch of armor-wearing charred corpses.

    At the same time, the attack was properly contained too ¨C it did fry a toon from the nextpany, but none of the magicians andmoners struggling around them were harmed ¨C minus a few burst eardrums that is.

    "YOU THOUGHT THIS PASSAGE WAS LEFT OPEN TO YOU BECAUSE OF OUR INCOMPETENCE?!" *THUMP* *WHAM* *CRUSH*

    The lightning magicianughed and charged forward, bursting into the damaged unit like a hot knife digging into butter and disposing of another mysterious artifact.

    "EMERGENCY! TRIPLE A THREAT ALREADY SHOWED UP! IMPLEMENT THE NEXT STAGE!"

    The low-ranking soldiers of the Atreterve nation were about to start panicking but theirmanders got things under control with one shout...

    "DISCHARGE!" *BOOOOOOOOOOM*

    Even though the few seconds of dy cost them anotherpany worth of soldiers...

    Still, as the next few moments, the Atreterve forces disyed a well-trained movement ¨C eachpany formed a square and on each corner, a soldier would raise a rather odd staff with milky-white crystal...

    "...! AS IF!"

    Seeing the change of tactic of their enemy, the lighting magician decided to forsake the safest method and pushed both fists forward.

    Seeing him like that the magicians backed off even more, pulling themoners with them, out of the way and widening the passage leaving the advancing enemy forces in the direct line of fire.

 Chapter 797 264 - At The Border Pass Of The Atreterve Nation (Part 2)

    "LIGHTING! ROAR!"

    The solitary mage chanted and the air around him trambled from the outrageous air quake that made the entire border look as if it was submerged underwater.

    *%$#@#$%^%$#@@%$#@#$%^%$#@#$%%$#@#$%$#@#$#*

    What followed was a burst of a white, blue, and yellow beam thatunched from the magician''s hands ¨C in a mere second it swallowed and disintegrated the third and fourthpany in its wake while the while discharges struck the ground any unfortunate straggler who didn''t move far enough ¨C but...

    *haaaaa* *CRUSH*

    The fifthpany had the milky-white crystals on the four staff light up - its power began to disperse the spell back into mana but it wasn''t fast enough. The crystals broke apart and the soldiers got turned into charred corpses...

    *haaaaaaaaaaa*

    ...then, the weakened spell encountered the sixthpany that had their barrier fully activated and the devastating lighting spell was released, leaving only the distinct smell of ozone lingering in the air...

    The sixthpany was yet to cross the border, and despite being the ones to deal with the monstrous spell, they didn''t seem keen to start moving.

    Perhaps... the barrier that the four cornerstones were not firmly ced into the ground but held up by humans instead was not as reliable...

    "Wh-what is going on...?! Why am I...?!"

    "...!"

    The destruction of the mysterious artifacts and the distance between the next working one seemed to bring forth a much-desired effect ¨C themoners were able to regain their free will one by one ¨C although that could be also caused by the very barrier the Atreterve forces used to block off the spells.

    It would be quite ironic if the best defense they could use ended up deactivating their cunning trap.

    Still, the panicked looks on the faces of themoners as they lowered their weapons was a much-weed sight without knowing the exact reason that caused it.

    "All avable earth magicians make sure to knock the soldier with the scepters off bnce, their formation must look like this for a reason. The moment it will be broken ¨C fire magicians, rain hell upon them. Water magicians in case things go bad help the earth magicians create barriers with water and earth from the surroundings. If it wasn''t made out of mana, they can''t dispel it. Actually, earth magicians begin harassing them with some nice big boulders and sharp stctites dropped from the sky to test it out."

    The lighting magician breathed out and started giving orders while still keeping eye on the enemy forces.

    "Wind magicians ¨C get themoners as far away from here as possible and while doing some report our situation to the royal castle. It seems that after teaming up, the enchanters, witches, and warlocks have created a magic device that is able to take control of manaless people..."

    The man dered and his forces began to move at once ¨C still, the lighting magician ended up furrowing his brows as if something was bothering him.

    "General Victureo, it would be best if you go to the capital too. You deciding to show up here for a secret inspection was a blessing in disguise, but now it would be best for you to move... and return with reinforcements."

    One of themanders, a red-eyed fire magician, walked up to the lightning magician and said after bowing his head.

    "I am hanging on the verge of consciousness because of the training and you still have the guts to say that? Get one of the wind magicians to contact the royal castle to send over a light magician capable of traveling such a long distance. None of the ones we have here have enough mana for that."

    The man scoffed in a hushed voice.

    "Calling them over is good enough! The vicemander is capable enough to bring all of them over here. I''ll stay in case those jokers have more tricks up their sleeves."

    The lightning magician said out loud for everyone else to hear.

    "General..."

    "Don''t you dare try to support me when the enemy has visuals on us!"

    The fire magician by his side tried to help him out as he walked but got scolded by an ice-cold voice.

    "...please forgive me..."

    The man lowered his head and moved to the side while general Victureo breathed out and looked over the reorganizing forces.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    "...sir Tencelion, were the magicians from the Espines'' side recalled before I arrived...?"

    His expression darkened as he could not find any magician who wasn''t a part of his own army.

    "No... general... that''s odd... but, I guess that they were the closest ones to themoners when they lost their minds so..."

    Lord Tencelion breathed out and looked meaningfully toward the bodies of their fallen allies that were mostly blocked by the moving troops.

    "I told Doregon that bringingmoners to the frontline was a stupid idea."

    Lord Victureo scoffed, having his inner thoughts leak out because of the mana depletion, and both he and lord Tencelion began walking toward the watchtower in the back.

    An interesting fact that not many people knew about was that those types of towers were built all along the borders of Bellcephora kingdom and other nations ¨C with the exception of the natural mountain border with Barbaria nation where a handful of hignders'' tribes lived ¨C and the exact distance between the fortification and the exact line where one territory ended and another began was the same as the distance from a student to the super-long-range target during their magic examination in the Aspaekony Academy.

    "You really knocked the wind out of their sails, general. Those bastards don''t know what to do now~!"

    Lord Tencelion looked over his shoulder and breathed out in relief as the sound of first earth spells and destructive fire spells raining down over to the Atreterve side filled the air with no viable countermeasure from the enemy forces.

    "...they are taking their time with escortingmoners out of there though... In the beginning, they were taken over the moment the Atreterve army was just outside of the effective range of average fire spells. If we are not fast, we will get cornered again."

    General Victureo scoffed in annoyance watching the group ofmoners that the wind magicians rounded up to escort away.

    "It looks like our troops want to take away the enchanted swords and shields that themoners are equipped with... and I am not surprised. That corrosion attribute is abhorrent."

    "Hmmm..."

    The fire magician pointed out with a light nod which made the lighting magician frown slightly but it did not make him say his thoughts out loud.

    "In situations like that, I really do believe we should enlist the help of martial artists. Like my brother-inw. You know, the husband of my youngest sister. I bet he wouldn''t have a problem with that damn pink acid."

    Lord Tencelion said boastfully before shuddering. Quite a few magicians lost their lives despite being careful. All because they didn''t want to go overboard with their magic and not harm the mind-controlledmoners.

    "I will consider it after today."

    "Thank you, general! Allow me..."

    Lord Victureo hummed approvingly and when the two were by the tower''s door, lord Tencelion rushed over first to open it for his superior.

    "Now you are overdoing it, I don''t like my ass being ki..."

    *rustle*

    "...?"

    The lighting magician chuckled waving his hand dismissively when a sudden noise from above made the fire magician look up...

    "GENERAL!"

    "?!?!"

    In an instant, the body of lord Tencelion shone with the red light of fire enchantments and he threw himself at general Victureo, pushing him away.

    *SPLASH* *KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

    Before lord Victureo even managed to hit the ground dozens of feet away from the tower, an enormous blob of neon-pink liquid swallowed lord Tencelion whole...

 Chapter 798 264 - At The Border Pass Of The Atreterve Nation (Part 3)

    Lord Tencelion wasn''t even given the chance to scream in pain ¨C his body corroded so fast that it was already a half-melted skeleton when he tried to crawl up on all fours.

    *KSHHHHHHH*

    ...and even those pitiful remains wasted away into the pink puddle the next second...

    "Tsk. Telorius got away. Be a doll and finish the job while I reactivate the cors of our cute littlemoner doggies~"

    "Yes, ma''am!"

    From the vantage point of the tower, a ck-haired woman with a jet-ck crystal embedded in her forehead clicked her tongue at the scene down below and caressed the shoulder of a burly gold-haired man in heavily enchanted armor.

    The woman walked off to the side where a device, very simr to the ones that some soldiers of Atreterve nation were carrying, and began channeling her magic into it.

    At the same time, the burly gold-haired man pointed his hand towards the figure of general Victureo down below. At his silentmand, the additional magic crystals embedded in his armguard lighted up creating arge halo around the man''s hand.

    Then, the halo bloomed into a flower-like formation and...

    *%#@!@#$%^%$#@*

    An oppressively powerful beam of light erupted out from the light magician''s hand and washed over the radius equal to that of the tower base, ensuring that the mana-depleted lightning magician would have no chance of escape.

    At roughly the same second the device the ck-haired woman was operating released a low hum.

    The magicians by the border had no chance to wonder what the sh of light by the watchtower was because themoners they tried to disarm turned against them in a sh, killing off three-quarters of the wind magicians that were supposed to escort them away from the frontline. The controlledmoners moved forward, chancing their target to the fire, earth, and water magicians retaliating against the stagnant forces of the Atreterve nation, causing havoc and disrupting the coordinated counterattack.

    Using the chance, the enemy forces arched forward with their barriers still raised...

    "What the FUCK is going on here?!"

    "!!!"

    The light of the burly light magician''s spell faded out revealing an extremely upset ck-haired young man protectively holding onto a light corpse puppet.

    "...who the hell are you...?!"

    General Victureo who ended up being identally shielded from the surprise attack gasped utterly stunned, staring at the pair in disbelief.

    "Who cares about that?! Aspy! Get us reinforcement as fast as possible! We''re dealing with much worse shit than at the Perserios border!"

    Zoemi scoffed at the lighting magician and shook the light corpse puppet''s shoulders giving out instructions.

    "O-okay!"

    The gold-haired puppet nodded in exasperation and disappeared in a sh of light.

    *%@^%#^%$#^%@##%*

    "!!!"

    Just in time, because another light beam was shot from the top of the watchtower ¨C this one was much more condensed and focused right in the middle of Zoemi''s chest ¨C and angled in such a way that upon piercing through it would take general Victureo''s head clean off.

    *haaaaaaa*

    s, that would be the case if the spell was able to even prate Zoemi''s skin ¨C which it didn''t, breaking apart back into the particles of mana to the sound of a person breathing out in relief.

    "..." *WHOOSH*

    The ck-haired young man gave up onmenting and instead he reached the tower in one empowered step.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    The burly light magician didn''t try to attack for the third time and instead threw himself towards the ck-haired woman who was so focused on operating the device that she didn''t realize what was going on... and then...

    "Sagittarius." *CRUSH* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    Zoemi muttered before punching at the base of the watchtower, breaking it apart and sending the whole building flying only for it to be swallowed by an eruption of silver light that followed the incantation.

    Faster than the eye could blink the whole construction formerly reaching proudly into the sky was reduced to a hole in the ground where its ware foundation was originallyid.

    "You...! You''re on our side, right...?! Do not kill themoners ¨C they are being controlled by something!"

    General Vicureo shook his head and called out to Zoemi trying to get over the shock that he experienced.

    "I know. It''s not something ¨C they are controlled by the submission cors. They are hard to spot under the armor so don''t kick yourself over not realizing it. While we''re at it, you don''t get yourself killed either..." *WHOOSH*

    "...huh...?"

    The young man said towards the shocked lighting magician before turning towards the border pass and disappearing with an insane burst of speed.

    Before general Victureo managed to utter a word, Zozemi was already in the air above the battleground.

    "LEO!" *THUMP*

    The ck-haired young man roared and the pressure of the oppressive aura he released turned physical causing an actual shockwave to wash over the soldiers below.

    For a second the fightingpletely stopped with the minds and wills of mages,moners, and enchanters alike beingpletely suppressed by the star power on the supernova level.

    But then a handful of soldiers on the Atreterve nation side began to move again ¨C the artifact carriers frantically channeling mana to activate them.

    "As if. Sagittarius."

    *^%$#^%@^* *CRACK*

    Zoemi scoffed causing dozens of silver pirs burst forth from the ground and swallow the artifact carriers and their cargo filling the area with the cacophony of unearthly sound of the channeled star power and the noise of the mana crystals shattering.

    Still, the very fact that just being in contact with the mysterious magic devices was enough for anyone to escape the control of thew of Leo on the supernova level was worrisome enough.

    "...!"

    This was the first time that Zoemi had pushed himself so far with thew of Leo and the bacsh was stronger than he expected.

    Simr to spreading his consciousness thin for a prolonged amount of time with thew of Pisces, subduing so many minds all at once brought forth a great difort.

    Dizziness, blurry vision, and an unexpected nosebleed to count the few most bothersome ones.

    And that was with thew of Aries active.

    If the defensivew was even a level lower, his action would push Zoemi into losing consciousness or even death.

    "Virgo."

    ...but it wasn''t the time to think about the possible bad endings ¨C the ck-haired youth called forth the healing star power and descended to the ground when...

    "ZOEMI~!"

    "?!?!?!"

 Chapter 799 264 - At The Border Pass Of The Atreterve Nation (Part 4)

    An unknown female voice resounded over the border pass causing the ck-haired marital artist to look around immediately as he couldn''t properly pinpoint the location of the person calling out to him.

    But then, there she was ¨C on a slight terrain incline a few hundred feet into the Atreterve side - a ck-haired woman with a jet-ck crystal embedded in her forehead was struggling in the arms of a burly light magician trying to break free and rush at Zoemi.

    Arge artifact with green and jet-ck crystals in its frame was shining and vibrating at their feet.

    "ZOEMI~! ZOEMI! ZOOOO-EEEEEEE-MIIIIIII! I CAN FINALLY KILL YOUUUUUUU!"

    "!!!"

    The woman seemed to have lost her mindpletely, focused solely on the stunned ck-haired youngster.

    There was no doubt... she was acting just like any monster possessed by Cherro ¨C with the difference of her being able to articte words properly...!

    As if using the chance with Zoemi being lost for words, two more people appeared by the side of the frenzied woman and the light magician holding her back.

    A thuggish-looking young man with brown hair with ck strikes and a jet-ck crystal embedded in his forehead, and an aloof-looking woman with long gold hair ¨C also with ck streaks ¨C a jet-ck-crystal in her forehead and a crystal of the light-magic-improving mana device pushing out of the disheveled shirt she was wearing.

    "Tsk. She''s seen him so she''s done for ¨C let her be the distraction, big guy."

    "But..."

    The aloof-looking woman took one nce at the struggling ck-haired woman and tapped the shoulder of the burly light magician ¨C who didn''t seem too content with the suggestion.

    *thump* *gyuuu~* "...?!"

    Whatever was going on felt too dangerous to just leave it be ¨C to regain the rity of his mind and be as effective as possible, Zoemi silently released control over all the soldiers but at the exact moment as he was doing so he felt someone hugging him from behind.

    Normally, he would have immediately shaken off whoever the person was but his nose was picking up the faint lingering smell of ozone and his confused mind assumed it must have been Miriette materializing ¨C despite the height at which he was hugged didn''t match the form in which the goddess would usually appear.

    "Miri, not no... w...?"

    "The situation is worse than at the Perserios border, but it can be salvaged, how about you ignore the people with jet-ck crystals here, the ones at the Perserios border are much more important~"

    When Zoemi turned around to look at whom he assumed was Miriette, he ended up looking at two jet-ck mana crystals embedded into the eyesockets of a thin lightly dressed girl with intricate runes tattooed all over her body.

    "..."

    For a split second, the ck-haired boy froze as if enchanted by the crystal eyes...

    "HOW ABOUT YOU FUCK OFF?!"

    *WHOOOSH*

    He shouted, waving his arm to get rid of the creepy individual ¨C but his swing ended up only producing a shockwave as it passed through the empty air when the girl with the mana crystals in ce of eyes was pulled back by a dark-haired man with a jet-ck crystal embedded in his forehead.

    "YOU FUCKERS! HOW DID YOU EVEN SNEAK UP ON ME?!"<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    Zoemi roared, jumping away as the soldiers of the Atreterve nation freed from hisw of Leo charged him with reckless abandon.

    Without the control of thew of Leo themoners ended back under the influence of the submission cors - to make matters worse, because of that they got back to their mission far sooner than the magicians from the Victureo forces which resulted in dozens of casualties...

    "ASPY, HOW''RE THE REINFORCEMENTS?"

    Zoemi gritted his teeth sending the gray-haired necromancer a message through thew of Pisces while using thew of Aquarius from a distance to exhaust the mana within the cors and the enchanted weapons themoners were wielding to render them useless.

    "Nevermind, get her away from here ¨C let''s not waste a chance that our pocket basilisk has created for us."

    The aloof-looking woman straightened her back and said decisively ¨C and the burly light magician didn''t waste even a second, disappearing in a sh of light together with the frenzied ck-haired woman.

    "Alright. Let''s put this in a safe spot and get the n to the next stage. Burrow. Spire."

    The thuggish-looking man with brown hair with ck streaks breathed out and cast his spells.

    The first one caused the humming magic device that controlled the submission cors to disappear into the soil within seconds while the other one forced the very same soil to pile up and shoot into the sky forming five massive pirs at a certain distance away from one another.

    "Fu-huaaaah...! I''m spent, get me away from here and make the others finish the job."

    "You and your minuscule mana reservoir. Lucky."

    The thuggish man breathed out, slumping down to the ground and reaching out his hand to the aloof woman, who was clearly grumpy but teleported with him anyway.

    "This will not work...!"

    With the soldiers mixed up, it was difficult to keep them from killing each other even for Zoemi.

    "SCREW IT! TAURUS!"

    The ck-haired young man ended up losing his temper and roared ¨C the star power he activated was the one that at the supernova level let him control the element of earth.

    *WHAM* *RUMBLE*

    With that, he stomped the ground with his foot and an over two-hundred feet tall, dozen of feet wide, and tens upon tens of miles long wall was erected in an instant, cutting off the bulk of the Atreterve army.

    "VIRGO!"

    Having one problem out of the way he focused on the Roiso attribute he knew so well and directed the healing star power toward it. Thew of Virgo suppressed the enchanted weapons and armor wielded by the controlledmoners, vastly reducing its corrosive power and making the situation more manageable for the mages who struggled to subdue and not kill the manaless soldiers unwillingly turned traitors who were yet to be pacified by Zoemi.

    *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*

    "!!!"

    Suddenly, arge shadow passed by, and a sudden gust of wind knocked everyone except Zoemi t to the ground ¨C when the ck-haired young man looked up his eyes widened at the sight of a green dragon with disproportionally gigantic wings about to perch itself on the wall that he created.

 Chapter 800 264 - At The Border Pass Of The Atreterve Nation (Part 5)

    "Kaaraal~!"

    "Papa! The necromancerdy said that you were in trouble!"

    Zoemi cheered at the sight of his dragon daughter and the green dragon cried out in response.

    "Nnn...?"

    Karall let out a curious sound and looked back, either at her own back or at the Atreterve forces behind the wall.

    "Papa, aunt Kierul asks if she should fry those tiny people swarming under here!"

    The dragon turned back to Zoemi and called ¨C the two of them could speak normally only because both of them had a sense of hearing far above the level anyone would consider normal.

    "Why would you bring Kierul here?! Haaa, never mind. Tell her that we are at war, I leave things up to her own judgment! Oh, but they do have magic barriers!"

    "Okay~!"

    Zoemi shouted staring straight up toward Kaaraal and the green dragon cheered back to him.

    The ck-haired young man breathed out and turned around just in time to see the real army of the Bellcephora kingdom being teleported in toon after toon by Aspakeony''s light corpse puppets.

    "Kaaraal, tell him that it looks like the enemy is retreating, the wall and a big girl like you must have scared them."

    The red-haired magician riding on the back of the green dragon said while patting the monster''s back.

    "Papa~ aunt Kierul said that they are retreating and...!"

    "Sweetie, I can hear her too, it''s okay."

    Kaaraal was keen to ry the words but Zoemi merely chuckled and stopped her.

    "...there was a watchtower here... Zo-mi, what did you do with the watchtower?! And why the hell did you build a wall like that?!"

    One of the gold-haired corpse puppets ran up to Zoemi and cried out skulkingly while looking up at the young man''s face whit a grumpy expression.

    "Aspy, it''s cute but we have no time for it now. Please, pacify the soldiers and take away the submission cors. Hopefully, themoners can bepletely freed from the control after I cleanse them with thew of Aquarius."

    The ck-haired youngster breathed out and tried to smile while rubbing his head with a rather troubled expression.

    "...?"

    The corpse puppet controlled directly by the gray-haired necromancer made a worried expression as she gazed upon him with concern.

    "Zo-mi...? Is everything okay?"

    She asked reaching out and affectionately taking his hand to which the young man smiled reassuringly.

    "Yeah... I am not sure whether I reached my limit even being the Heavenly Star Warrior, or maybe because my consciousness is spread equally amongst my other selves my will is stretched thin I am not as efficient as I should..."

    Zoemi breathed out, furrowing his brows as if he was dealing with bothersome difort, making the corpse puppet controlled by Aspakeony look even more worried.

    "How about youe back to the Academy? I am steadily bringing the bulk of the defensive force here and the supply units areing along on their own.... look things will be fine. I willfort you as much as you wish."

    The corpse puppet fidgetted and looked up at the ck-haired martial artist while making an adorable face.

    "That would be nice... but not yet. I get this uneasy feeling that I am missing something and the troubles are far from over."

    Zoemi responded turning towards the wall that he created with the element control of the star power.

    "Fine, but don''t push yourself too har..." *WHAM* *RUMBLE*

    "!!!"

    Just as the corpse puppet was nodding, dropping the subject for the time being arge tremor shook the entire area causing a could of dust to rise from the massive border barrier.

    "?!?!?"

    Even the green dragon perched on top of it seemed to be taken by surprise ¨C she had to spread her enormous wings just to keep her bnce.

    *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* x40 *RUMBLE*

    The hollow sound of the earth being hit began to repeat in regr intervals and the wall began to shake more and more with each round.

    "Kaaraal! What is going on over there?!"

    Zoemi left Aspakeony''s corpse puppet and rushed toward the wall, shouting to the green dragon while already jumping through the air as if it was full of solid tforms.

    "Some really big people moved walked in from the back and started hitting the wall with really big hammers...!"

    "Zoemi! Did you make the pirs on this side?!"

    Kaaraal reported what she was seeing but Kierul still on her back had her own observation and worries connected with it.

    "What pirs?"

    "Dad asks what pirs."

    Zoemi questioned taken aback and the dragon repeated his question at the same time that hended by her side.

    The sight below wasn''t too promising ¨C the Atreterve forces showed up with more artifacts that created barriers over their heads protecting them from the falling debris while also just as Kaaraal said before heavily armored soldiers with hammers were doing their best to bring the said wall down.

    To call those units heavily armored was an enormous understatement, the heavy enchanted armor that the King''s Guard used was thin like the finest silk inparison to what they were equipped with. Simrly, the hammers they used were artifacts that utilized the wind and fire magic crystals to boos their destructive power.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    Thinking that a wall made without the use of mana would stop them for long was a gross miscalction...

    But what was even more threatening was the sight of dozens of towers reaching into the sky in ces where minutes earlier thend was barren and empty.

    There was movement on top of those towers too and a faint glow of unknown origin or purpose began to emanate from a couple of them...

    "Okay, so it''s not our doing."

    Kierul looked between the green dragon and the ck-haired young man before nodding and winding back her finger as if preparing to flick someone''s forehead.

    "I believe that the towers are the real problem, so let''s get rid of them first. Kaaraal, sweetie, do you mind flying around so that as many of them would align for me to bring down?"

    "Okay!" *WHOOOOOOOOSH*

    Kierul shook her head and didn''t bother with interacting too much with Zoemi, instead she tapped Kaaraal''s side with her heel and asked, making the green dragonply with a cheer and ascend into the sky with one p of her monstrous wings.

    "...what are those supposed to be...? Tsk. Kierul focuses on the wrong things..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows, taken aback by the sight of the massive pirs that weren''t there before he created the wall, still, in the end, he shook his head and looked down at the Atreterve forces gnawing at the wall below.

    "...not important..."

    He flinched and looked up for a moment, frowning at the towers that one after the other began giving off a more intense light as if it did bother him a bit, but then he shook his head - ignoring them - and waved his hand to the side.

    *CRACK* *RUMBLE*

    The pieces of the wall began to break off and fall rain on the Atreterve soldiers but all of it crushed against the barriers created by the defensive artifacts with no immediate effect.

    *^%#$@#^$%%@#$#^%@$#^* *BOOOOM* *RUMBLE*

    At the same time, Kierul riding on Kaaraal''s back unleashed her attack and a beam of blue light pierced through several mysterious towers before expanding into a white beam and taking down an additional two.

    Still many of the towers were still up - and all of them managed to light up with rather disturbing light.

    Well... it was wrong to call it light, really - while at the start it was giving off a certain glow, it turned silky-ck in no time at all.

    *)()$%$^#$_)%$#@*

    As if in response to Kierul taking down a quarter of the total number of the towers, pirs of jet-ck darkness shot into the sky from the tops of the remaining ones - at a certain height the beams of darkness spread out and turned the skypletely ck, bringingplete darkness to the border pass and its proximity...

    "!!!"

    The forces on the Bellcephora side fell into chaos but the only reaction the Atreterve soldiers had to the sudden ckout was to activate additional artifacts that lighted up their surroundings.

    "...tsk. Just retreat!"

    Zoemi''s odd behavior only intensified as the darkness didn''t bother him no way near as much as the presence of the forces gathered by the wall.

    *WHOOSH* *RUMBLE*

    This time the ck-haired youth waved his hand back and a wave of earth bulged out from under the panicking soldiers'' feet and carried them away like a surge into the darkness.

    "ZOEMI, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"

    *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* x40

    Kierul lighted up the area by conjuring arge fireball over the wall and roared at him from the dragon''s back while the sound of hammer strikes continued...

    "Getting rid of the nuisance."

    Zoemi scoffed, shrugging his shoulders dismissively.

    "YOU CRETIN, YOU JUST ATTACKED OUR PEOPLE!"

    "...!"

    Kierul howled making Zoemi flinch and turn around.

    Indeed - the Atreterve forces were still hammering away at the wall while the soldiers pushed away by his power were on the Bellcephora kingdom''s side...!

    "What? No...! Impossible...! Ah..."

    Zoemi staggered back and ended up tripping an...

    ...falling down the wall, to the feet of the Atreterve forces...

    "This is what we were worried about? Pretty pathetic if you ask me."

    "..."

    An aloof-looking woman with golden hair with ck streaks appeared in mid-air, catching the falling young man who looked as if he wasn''t aware of her presence.

    The woman teleported to the ground with him and already on the ground she took out an object that was just a rune-covered de of a dagger stuck to a jet-ck magic crystal and...

    "PAPA!"

    "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!"

    *THUNK*

    Kierul roared as Kaaraal dived after Zoemi - but they were unable to stop the aloof-looking woman from stabbing the object right in the middle of Zoemi''s forehead...

 Chapter 801 Final - Zoemi Unleashed (Part 1)

    The beast that the red-haired youth was pointing at was a massive bear-like creature whose ck scales glimmered in the rays of sun that managed to pass through the thick gray clouds.

    The monstrosity pushing around mounds of carcasses was only noticed because it stood up on its hind legs and keenly turned towards the slopes of the mountain strip bare from all vegetation.

    "Tsk! Somebody smacks this moron for me! False alert! New guy shat himself at the sight of lord Banemor!"

    Thin pale-blue lines disappeared from Devios''s body as he released the defensive spell and called out in annoyance to put his soldiers at ease.

    "Did...! Did you just say lord Banemor?! That thing?!"

    George shouted in utter disbelief looking between Devios and the monstrous figure Zoemi transformed form.

    "Indeed. It has been a good few hours that he is like that. He also refuses to rest so even I am getting worried. He burnt down those mountains himself, you know"

    Devios shrugged his shoulders lightheartedly, causing most of the others to flinch in shock ¨C especially so for the two fire magicians from the Victureo family.

    "He is looking kind of alerted, don''t you think? Maybe it will be for the best to go and check up on him?"

    "You have a point."

    Xeonith raised his brow and pointed out to which Devios nodded in agreement and both of them began to walk toward the beast in the distance.

    The rest of the newly arrived group followed them too, although with a healthy dose of reluctance.

    "Huh...?"

    As they were halfway there something unexpected got their attention ¨C two unknown people showed up behind Zoemi''s best-like form.

    They walked out of a jet-ck portal that disappeared just as fast as it emerged from the ground.

    The pair consisted of a dark-haired man and a ck-haired girl ¨C anything else was hard to discern from a distance, but their apparel didn''t suggest that they were soldiers...

    ----

    A girl with jet-ck crystals recing her eyes moved forward towards the monstrous bear without making any noise ¨C the muffle spell she was under was assuring that much. The man behind her was tense, this situation was not what they expected.

    The Zoemi at the Atreterve border was an easy enough target he looked like a human and was taken advantage of at the perfect opportunity.

    This one though... Would the artificial basilisk be even able to lock eyes with him now?

    That much was essential...

    No. any worries were unnecessary. The copies created with thew of Gemini were connected to some degree. If anything, this Zoemi is already possessed, and putting him under the empowered hex was only an unnecessary overcautiousness on the part of great Cherro.

    Yes. There was nothing to worry about. He and the artificial basilisk had nothing to worry about. After all, getting possessed by the great Cherro was a privilege essible only to a selected few! They were special and therefore precious so...

    *WHAM* *SQUELCH*

    Out of nowhere the monstrous bear in front of them swung its massive paw and the dark-haired man got crushed into a meaty paste with white bone shards shooting out from the unimaginable pressure.

    "HIIIIIIII!"

    The girl with crystal eyes cried out and plopped to the ground as fearpletely overtook her. The oppressive aura released by the beast was just too much.

    "I-ignore...! Ignore m...!" *SHING* *CRACK*

    The girl sobbed while crawling backward doing her best to catch even a glimpse of the monster bear''s eyes ¨C but her own jet-ck crystal eyes ended up being pierced right through by the beast''s ws...

    ...together with her head...

    "...kghhhhhh...!"

    The girl with runes tattooed all over her body went into a seizure but the trembling stopped within seconds as her body realized it was already dead.

    "So those filth-infested scum got me by using muffle... This is just an embarassing oversight on my part..." *SQUELCH*

    Zoemi bellowed to himself, shaking his paw and turning the artificial basilisk corpse into mincemeat.

    -----

    "He just killed them! He killed other magicians! See?! He''s just a monster, we need to get rid of him!"

    The group approaching from the back saw it all butcked the context of what happened, but that didn''t stop Grazio from shouting in a high-pitched voice and already conjuring a fireball about tounch an attack.

    "Just try it and I will skewer you all the way from asshole to throat."

    Devios, although shocked by the sudden outburst of violence, didn''t get carried away by the tant fearmongering and reached out his hand, glowing with the condensing ice mana aiming not towards the monster bear but at young lord Victureo''s chest.

    "!!!" *haaaa*

    "Lord Perserios, you are getting ahead of yourself in a clearly dangerous situation!"

    Grazio''s fireball dispersed into mana as his face turned blue from the terror over the threat and his older sister had to be the one to talk back to the pale-blue-haired boy.

    "Oh, am I? I swear if I learn that my sweet Metavi has to endure idiots like the two of you all the time..."

    "...e-eeehhh...?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Devios scoffed with disgust, staring daggers at Ehmi until the white-as-snow girl keeping herself in the back of the group let out a short embarrassed gasp.

    "...!"

    "...Devios... Metavicero doesn''t have memories of the past timeline...!"

    The pale-blue-haired boy realized his extremely embarrassing mistake just by looking at the expression the white-as-snow girl was making, he didn''t need Xeonith whispering to him from the side...

    Metavicero could not blush but with the time she and Devios spent together in the past timeline, the pale-blue-haired boy could tell exactly how she felt.

    "...please pardon this slip of the tongue... Let''s go, we have to check what is going on with lord Banemor..."

    Devios ended uppletely red in the face, deeply ashamed of himself, bowing apologetically towards Metavicero before turning right around and continuing to march on looking extremely stiff.

    That event certainly didn''t put Grazio and Ehmi''s minds at ease but at least it seemed to lower the tension of the rest.

    "...sister, I didn''t release my spell, it was extinguished by something..."

    *haaaaaa* "I see..."

    The siblings whispered to each other with Ehmi trying to activate a spell only for it to end up being turned back into mana right away.

    "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGH!" *RUMBLE*

    "!!!"

    Out of nowhere the monstrous bear leaned back as if winding up and unleashed a roar that shook both the earth and the sky bringing every living being in dozens of miles of radius to their knees.

    "Zoemi?! What the hell?!"

    Devios wiped off the blood that started to trickle down from his nose and shouted at the monstrous figure in anger.

    "I''ve had enough. I wanted to believe that the alliance the other kingdoms created was just using Cherro as a means toplete their goal, but it''s clearly the other way around... All of you. Listen."

    The beast turned around and approached the group of youngsters causing the earth to tremble with each step.

    "There are enough high nobles here to make things official."

    Zoemi bellowed with grim satisfaction and the silver sphere above his head flickered. Then, in the next couple of seconds, the monstrous bear-like beast turned back into the ck-haired young man smirking devilishly.

    "I. Zoemi Benevi Banemor officially relinquish my title as an aristocrat of the Bellcpehora kingdom. From this point on none of my actions are connected with this country."

    "What are you saying, boss?!"

    The ck-young man dered causing Xeonith to cry out in disbelief as the others were too shocked to say anything.

    "I am saying that I am going to ughter every and all fool connected with Cherro. Make sure to pass on the news ¨C otherwise, whatever will be left of those other nations may go cry to Heavenly Star Nation about Bellcephora Kingdom being the evil one. And since the martial artists don''t seem to be involved with Cherro voluntarily, I will not care about that conflict."

    Zoemi dered, spreading his arms to the sides.

    "H-hold on, lord Banemor...! I at least understand that you are doing it for the Bellcephora kingdom ¨C but think about it ¨C some of the enemy forces were able to break free from your power so...!''

    Devios stood up on shaking legs and called out feeling deep in his core that Zoemi not being tied by the rules of the society will be a threat that the whole world would unite against, no matter whether his intentions were good or not...

    "Devios... You, with all due respect to how you remember me being in the past timeline... Now, you don''t know shit about my strength."

    Zoemi scoffed and his smirk turned into a grin and then...

    *@%^@^%@^%@^%@%#$@^#$@%&#&$^#@^$#@%^#@^%^@%^@^$@&^^&@^#^@^$%#@%$* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    *RUMBLE*

    "!!!"

    The entire mountain range was swallowed by a wall of silver light reaching towards the heavens, the shockwave that spread in all directions was so powerful that despite the distance monster corpses and soldiers in the back were sent flying ¨C with the exception of the group that had Zoemi acting as a shield in front of them.

    The silver light faded away and...

    "...!"

    ...it revealed a strip ofpletely t barren ground... The mountain range... was gone...

    The natural border had disappeared without a trace and anyone keen-eyed was able to spot the outline of the buildings of the Barbaria nation''s viges and towns.

    "That filth''s followers were trying to set up some suspicious magic devices back there in the mountains. Sorry for inadvertently changing the climate of yournd, Devios. Make sure to pass my apology to the hignders, they will not have a chance to reim their mountains."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders before looking back at his work.

    "Now then. Time to reaffirm the crippling fear that filth has of me~"

    "Z-Zoemi, wai...!"

    *WHOOOSH* *BOOOOOOOOOOM*

    The balck-ahried young manughed morbidly, and while Devios reached out his hand towards him, he already vanished and the eruption of silver light and the echo of an explosion far in the distance over at the Barbaria nation side marked his new location.

 Chapter 802 Final - Zoemi Unleashed (Part 2)

    The capital of the Barbaraica nation was a grand port city with the glorious mountain range being visible from the few highest buildings far in the distance.

    Simr to most prosperous port cities, it was full of hustle and bustle of the livelymerce ¨C still, themotion at the dock was even bigger than usual with the arrival of a certain massive ship.

    And not any ship ¨C the warship straight from the Heavenly Star Nation navy.

    The small group of elite soldiers led by a foreign rtion minister was trembling in their boots at the sight of the people walking off the ship.

    "E-esteemed head of the Great Ram sect... Esteemed head of the Raging Bull sect... H-Heavenly Guardian B-Bevan...! W-Wee...!"

    Despite years of experience with handling foreign emissaries, the Barbaria nation''s minister had a problem with keeping hisposure as the few first marital artists stepped onto the Barbaria nation''s soil.

    "We are always happy to see our sworn friends from overseas but... if I might be so forward... W-wasn''t the esteemed head or the vice head of the Heavenly Archer sect the ones who would always visit...?"

    The minister fought with his own jaw so that his teeth wouldn''t chatter as he spoke and he asked, hoping that the marital artist would justugh or scoff and say that the Heavenly Archer sect''s patriarch was just taking a bit long and would show up at the deck of the warship at any moment...

    "Daniel and Marcus are busy with some domestic affairs. A little bit of a cleanup operation is going on, you see, my good man."

    The dark-brown-haired martial artist with gray eyes waved his hand dismissively and assured him.

    "Lord Bevan... is... is it something serious...?"

    The minister flinched feeling cold sweat pouring down his back like a waterfall ¨C although he still took a few shy steps towards one of the Twelve Heavenly Guardians to ask him a question in a conspicuous voice.

    "Huh? No~! Ahahaha! Not at all!"

    Bevan raised his brows in surprise before bursting out into cheerfulughter.

    "I-is that so...!"

    Minsiter breathed out in relief, maybe a bit too obviously...

    "It can''t be that serious if we got this old timering here with us, after all!"

    "...huh...?"

    Bevan added while chuckling and pointing with his thumb back at the wardship, making the minister go wide-eyed.

    There, at the deck and about to walk down and join the rest of his countrymen stood a rather friendly-looking man with white hair and ck eyes wearing a simple set of clothes... and an apron...

    "This...! This is...!"

    The Barbaria nation''s minister''s eyes bulged out as he pointed at the white-haired man with his trembling hand.

    "Oh, that''s right! Of course, you''ve met him before, my good man! That''s right! Feast your eyes on the strongest martial artist, the one who mastered all twelve-star powers ¨C Heavenly Star Warrior, William."

    Bevanughed with satisfaction, firmly putting his arms over the minister''s shoulders while reaching his hand towards William.

    "Now, since we''ve made ourselves clear enough... why don''t we talk about the people originally from the Heavenly Star Nation who moved to your country."

    "!!!"

    Bevan tilted his head and his gaze became ice cold and piercing like a spear, causing the minister to freeze in ce in an instant.

    "You see, back in the Heavenly Star Nation we really cherish the familiar bond among the sect members, and even when the members are moving far away both sides like to check on each other from time to time. But guess what? For some reason, eeeeeevery single sect member who decided they wanted to settle in a foreignnd suddenly cut off contact with their respective sect leader around thest month. We have little information regarding the dormer citizens who weren''t part of any sect and moved here to find their fortune, but still, there is some correspondence that sheds some light on that mystery... do you want to read those letters with me...?"

    "..."

    The minister could only gulp down his saliva in sheer panic as one of the heavenly guardians from the Heavenly Star Nation took out a few pages of cheap parchment and put right in his face.

    Bevan''s hold on the minister waspletely inescapable, the trembling man could only shiver more in hopes of phasing himself out of existence because every other means of escape was cut off after the martial artist''s body began giving off thin silver mist as he began to openly channel his star power.

    "Grandpa, can I go look around the city?!"

    The oppressive atmosphere was broken for a second when a twelve-year-old reddish-brown-haired spunky child called out loudly while jumping off the warship andnding between the delegation of the Heavenly Star Nation and the elite soldiers who were supposedly there to escort them...<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Alice! I already told you to wait on the warship with William!"

    "...but grandpaaaa...!"

    The gray-haired leader of the Great Ram sect called to the child urgently, but the kid didn''t seem eager toply.

    "...!"

    *nk*

    "...?"

    The minister used the momentary distraction and red at the soldiers. At the moment''s notice, the armored troops rushed at the surprised child and...!

    *@%^@^%@^%@^%@%#$@^#$@%&#&$^#@^$#@%^#@^%^@%^@^$@&^^&@^#^@^$%#@%$* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    *RUMBLE*

    The line of the horizon on the opposite side of the ocean became engulfed in silver light followed by a massive explosion and a shockwave that reached even the dock in the capital city of the Barbaria nation.

    Upon seeing the outburst of silver light that was unmistakenly star power all envoys from the Heavenly Star Nation turned to their Heavenly Star Warrior, but William looked just as surprised as they were.

    *BOOOOOM*

    The monstrous eruption was almost immediately followed by a second, much smaller one that still managed to be heard although not felt in the dock.

    "H-hey...! Let go of me! Law of Aries!"

    As if ignorant to the outburst of insanely strong star power, the soldiers of Barbaria nation surrounded and captured the young martial artists who iled wildly but were unable to break free.

    "...hey... what is the meaning of this...?"

    "Release my granddaughter this instant or else!"

    The Heavenly Guardian and the head of the Great Ram sect reacted to the youngster''s cries in their own ways ¨C the dark brown-haired man red at the minister and threatened him while the old man stepped towards the soldiers.

    "EVERYONE, WATCH OUT!"

    "!!!"

    Suddenly, theposed until now William roared in a panicked voice startling everyone who knew who he was.

    The very next second everyone froze in shock ¨C a ck-haired young man appeared right above the group of elite soldiers who took young martial artists in custody...

    *WHOOOOSH*

    Then a dy shockwave created by his movement caught up and buffeted the people below.

    "Oh. If it isn''t n~! ...or are things different and you''re Alice?"

    Zoemi raised his brows seeing the younger version of the martial artist he traveled the Heavenly Star Nation with.

    "...wh-wha...?"

    The young martial artist gasped in bewilderment not understanding how that ck-haired young man knew them or why he was talking as if they were friends.

    *CRUSH* *SQUELCH*

    "!!!"

    As if it was just the natural thing to do, Zoemi descended, dropping his heel on the head of the soldier restraining the young martial artist, with the result being disturbingly simr to a can of ketchup-infused ham being crushed by a hydraulic press.

 Chapter 803 Final - Zoemi Unleashed (Part 3)

    Obviously, the brutalized soldier lost his life as well as the ability to hold a hostage resulting in the young martial artist being thrown into the air... and Zoemi catching them easily.

    "Hey, grandpa Ramis, catch."

    "GYAAAH!" *thump*

    Zoemi snickered, taking one good look at the martial artists and smirking at the head of the Great Ram sect before tossing the kid over to him uninterrupted.

    Well ¨C instead of being uninterrupted it was more in line with him being impossible to interrupt, though. The thinyer of silver mist was wrapped around every single soldier blocking any and all movement far better than heavy shackles.

    "I did not expect to meet you like that, son of Nathan Ramis, what o you think you''re doing?"

    "...!"

    William jumped off the docked warship and asked while approaching Zoemi, his words caused the head of the Great Ram sect to straighten his back while holding his grandchild protectively.

    "You were definitely not on my list of people who I would like to keep their memories, mister florist."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi smirked devilishly making anyone who knew his father in the past recognize the striking simrity of their looks with basically just the palette change.

    "Keep my memories? I did not. Just like all the previous times I merely happened to shift dimensions at the right time with thew of Pisces. It was the firstw I ascended to the supernova level with after all."

    William raised one brow and scoffed back, keeping his eyes on Zoemi without even blinking.

    "That''s lovely, good for you or whatever. The only thing I am about is whether you are involved with that filth Cherro. "

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and scoffed mockingly.

    "Z...! ZOOOEEEMIIIII!" *WHAM*

    One of the incapacitated soldiers went into a seizure and suddenly broke free from the silver mist, screeching out the ck-haired youngster''s name ¨C only to have their head blown off with a punch so fast that no one ¨C not even the Heavenly Star Nation''s strongest martial artist ¨C was able to notice.

    If not for the specks of blood on Zoemi''s knuckles it would be impossible to even tell that she threw a punch, to begin with.

    *thump*

    As the soldier''s headless body fell to its knees and then slumped to the side leaning over the legs of one of theirrades Zoemi''s expression grew cold as he red at William.

    "Because you had the insight to take Al to make me hold myself back I will give you one more chance. Did any of you esteemed martial artists have sold off your brethren to be experimented on by those despicable fuckers that I''m about to ughter?"

    Zoemi said observing the reaction of the marital artists.

    "... thew of Sagittarius..." *WHOOOO*

    Bevan''s eyes widened and he said under his breath, hiding the letters back into his clothes before taking control over the attributes of hire and setting his free hand aze.

    "...my good man... what is this kid talking about...? Your nation surely wouldn''t do something like that without being prepared for a full-blown war... it''s a misunderstanding, right...?"

    The Heavenly Guardian spoke with a terrifying smile reaching his hand shrouded in crimson mes towards the Barbaria nation''s minister''s face.

    "I-it is a lie! A LIE! The... the immigrants from the Heavenly Star nation are...!"

    *GSHHHHHH*

    "GAAAAAAAAAAA...!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The minister squirmed and iled in Bevan''s gasp but unable to break free he ended up crying out in desperation ¨C just for the dark-brown-haired marital artist to press his hand to his face, burning the left side and making the man squeal in pain.

    "AAAAAGH...! Aghhhh..! Ghhh...!"

    "In the light of the evidence we showed up here with ¨C I do not believe you."

    Bevan took away his hand and dered while the minister yelped like a tormented small animal.

    "All of you are quite slow aren''t you?"

    "And what is that supposed to mean...?"

    Zoemi watched the event y out and snickered with amusement making Bevan frown and ask.

    "It seems like you are looking for your missing brethren, but all of them are right in front of you."

    *WHOOSH* *ng*x20

    The ck-haired young man said with a grim expression and flicked his hand, causing the bursts of silver mist to coil around the Barbaria soldier he had trapped and tear the helmets right off their heads.

    "..."

    Revealing that all of them were people whose eyes and hair were in different stadiums of being dyed ck. What was uniform for all of them, though, were jet-ck crystals embedded into their foreheads without fail.

    "Whether you recognize some of them, all of them, or none of them, I have some additional bad news."

    "?!"

    Zoemi added raising his hand as if to showcase the exposed soldiers.

    "They are already dead. And I do not mean it in a way that I am going to kill them because of the filth that possesses them. Those individuals are corpses kept animated by hexes and curses of the witches and warlocks from Barbaria and are still able to use their powers somewhat because of the device stabbed into their heads that connects it all together. And yes, those are not just magic crystals, those are actually attached to a whole different de-like portion of the device."

    "!!!"

    *clomp* *thump*

    Zoei reached out and pulled out the device from the forehead of the nearest controlled soldier causing the soldier turns back into a normal corpse as its eyes rolled into its skull and it slumped limply to the ground.

    "See?" *crack* *WHOOO*

    Zoemi said showcasing the device before crushing the jet-ck-crystal into powder and burning it into nothingness with the silver light of thew of Sagittarius.

    "P-please! No! I-I didn''t have a say in anything! I...!"

    "Thank you, my good man, but from now on we will find our way to your leader on our own."

    The minister began to plead for mercy, but Bevan took a deep breath before thanking him and...

    *CRUNCH* *SQUELCH* *THUMP* x2

    "!!!"

    Teainrg his head off and threw it and the now headless body in two separate directions ¨C showing it very clear to the people working at the dock who were still shaken because of the unknown explosion and whose view was obstructed the whole time by the soldiers ¨C which spurred a new wave of panic as everyone tried to get as far away from danger as possible.

 Chapter 804 Final - Zoemi Unleashed (Part 4)

    "ZOOO...! ZOOOEEEMIIII!"

    Another soldier got taken overpletely but this time the absence of a helmet allowed others to see how exactly the body changed.

    The eyes and hair of the possessed man turnedpletely ck and the thin silver mist could not hold him down any longer as he howled and threw himself at the young ck-haired martial artist.

    "..."

    Zoemi raised his arm casually, winding up his hand for a punch but before he actually attacked he felt someone grabbing his elbow to hold him back.

    *WHAM* *thump*

    Zoemi then easily punch a hole through the possessed soldier''s head and turned around to face the person trying to hold him only after the corpse hit the ground.

    "Those people suffered enough already. Show them some respect."

    That person turned out to be the white-haired William, and his grim expression and cold voice clearly conveyed how he felt about Zoemi''s actions.

    "Back off, mister florist." *%$@#$*

    Zoemi scoffed in William''s face and the dead body by his side was disintegrated by the outburst of silver light of the ck-haired youth''sw of Sagittarius.

    "Don''t you need me for defeating that evil being you are calling the piece of filth? I advise you to think things through or I will actively get in your way if you continue acting like this."

    The white-haired martial artist frowned and said in a low voice.

    "You are basing your conditions on the memories from the past timeline, mister florist. Who said that I need you now? Let go of me on your own or I will make you, mister florist."

    Zoemi dered smirking maliciously at William.

    No one around the two of them had retained their memories so the exchange seemed especially weird.

    "Kid I am not sure what is going on, but you are picking a fight with a Heavenly Star Warrior ¨C since you are clearly a powerful marital artist yourself you must at least know the title!"

    Bevan gulped down his saliva and looked between Zoemi and William trying to reconcile the two.

    "Oh? And what if I tell you that I am picking a fight with him exactly because he is using that title?"

    "Huh?!"

    The ck-haired young man chuckled and asked while locked in a staring contest with the white-haired man, shocking the dark-brown-haired martial artist to no end.

    Then Zoemi raised his free hand and clenched it into a fist.

    "This is yourst chance to back off, mister florist."

    "..."

    Zoemi scoffed but William remainedpletely still, only his eyes began to shine as if the night sky began reflecting in them.

    "Stop this foolishness at once! Why would a marital artist try to pick a fight with William? Child, this man is the General of the Heavenly Star Nation''s army! The strongest martial artist who mastered all twelve-star powers, the Heavenly Star Warrior, you don''t stand a cha...!"

    The head of the Raging Bull sect keeping quiet since he got off the ship could not handle the stupidity of the situation any longer and called out to the young ck-haired man ¨C who chose that moment to unleash his punch!

    *WHAM* *WHOOOOOOSH* *THUMP* *CRUNCH* *SPLASH*

    And William, the General of the Heavenly Star Nation''s army and the strongest martial artist who mastered all twelve-star powers, the Heavenly Star Warrior, was sent flying and crashed into the warship with so much power that the entire vessel ended up capsizing, destroying a few closest ships and boats and creating a wave that hist against the harbor flooding the dock with salt water.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "...wh...what...?"

    The marital artist gasped with his eyes bulging out staring at Zoemi lost for words.

    The ck-haired young man stood in the exact same spot as before, only now one of his hands was extended forward and releasing thin silver mist making it look as if it was steaming.

    *crack*

    The boards on the capsized and sinking warship broke apart and William crawled and jumped back at the dock.

    "!!!"

    The reaction hisrades had after seeing them was almostical.

    Judging by the shock that seeing him with the right side of his face caved in, with a bloodshot eye, broken nose, and a burst lip one could mistake their reaction for witnessing the end of the world.

    "Laf of fhigo..."

    William shook his head trying to get rid of the ringing in his ears and activated the healing star power ¨C thew of Virgo ¨C although his pronunciation left a lot to be desired.

    "I believe it''s okay for me to properly introduce myself ~"

    Zoemi nodded with a devilish smirk and spoke up while observing the star power patching up the injuries of the Heavenly Star Nation''s strongest martial artist after getting hit one single time.

    "My name is Zoemi. The Heavenly Star Warrior blessed by Guide - and her chosen champion."

    "!!!"

    The young man put his right hand to his chest and greeted the others almost properly ¨C almost because he didn''t move his head even for a single inch.

    "Her ONLY champion, I want to add. Don''t you ever dare to even try to get close to my woman."

    Zoemi growled at William, baring his teeth in a way that would make Burushi scream ¨C I KNEW IT! HE WAS A YENDERE ALL ALONG! - if the healing magician would witness the scene.

    *WHOOOSH* *WHAM* *SPLASH*

    The very next second William charged at Zoemi but he was sent flying again and hit the surface of the water miles away from the harbor with enough power to create a water spout as high as a mountain.

    *&$#@^#%^*

    The next second pirs of silver light shot up from the feet of the possessed soldiers and the condensed power of thew of Sagittarius burned them all to ash.

    "Bevan."

    "!!!"

    Zoemi turned toward the Heavenly Guardian and the dark-brown-haired man tensed up but didn''t dare to act as if he wanted to pick up a fight.

    "When mister florist gets back here, tell him to stop using the title Heavenly Star Warrior. It''s a special title that only someone close to Guide can use ¨C and that means me and me only."

    "...understood..."

    The young man dered and the other marital artist nodded without even thinking about talking back.

 Chapter 805 Final - Zoemi Unleashed (Part 5)

    "Also tell him that the only way to put the souls of the possessed people to rest is annihting the bodies that were taken over by that piece of filth Cherro. Otherwise, that filth will reanimate them again."

    "...ah...!"

    Zoemi added and the other marital artists let out a unison gasp of realization.

    "Andst thing. I am not the enemy of the Heavenly Star Nation. I doubt I could ever be, as long as you stay loyal to Guide, that is~"

    The youngster added with a cheeky wink and...

    *WHOOOSH*

    Disappeared from right under their noses.

    "What in the Guide''s name was that?!"

    With Zoemi gone Bevan roared to vent his frustration.

    "Forget about it for now! We have to make sure that William is alive! Alice, hold on tight."

    The head of the Great Ram sect scoffed, before propping his grandchild up in his arms and about to charge at the ocean.

    *SPLASH* *thump*

    But before he could put his words into action a spout of water shot into the sky on the horizon and beaten-up Williamnded next to thempletely drenched.

    The white-haired man looked straight-up miserable, with blood dripping out of his nose, mouth, ears, and even eyes. He was crossing his arms and holding his sides as if trying to keep his ribcage in one piece.

    "William! That k... that young man from before he..."

    "I was able to hear him. I had and still have all twelvews active..."

    The head of the Raging Bull sect rushed over to him and began to exin but the white-haired man closed his eyes and shook his head from side to side.

    "Ah, of course, you... Wait, you are?! Even now?!"

    The martial artist nodded with understanding but then his eyes widened and he gasped in shock as the meaning of William''s words sank in.

    The man who everyone in the Heavenly Star Nation hailed as the strongest was using all power at his disposal and ended up being beaten half to death by a single punch from a new Heavenly Star Warrior.

    "Do you want to be shaken even more?"

    William smiled wryly gisw of Virgo was finally able to stop the bleeding both internal and external.

    "Before he sent me flying the second time, I actually managed tond a hit on him ¨C or rather, he allowed me to hit him before he retaliated..."

    The white-haired man revealed, showing off his right hand.

    All his fingers were broken and his knuckles were shattered, slowly being restored by the healing star power.

    "But there was no shockwave or anything, was there? Do any of you understand what that means?"

    "..."

    William asked, making the other marital artist go silent in confusion.

    "If an attack doesn''t have an effect it means that the defensivew of the other person is on a higher level, right grandpa...?"

    "...!"

    The one who responded was the youngest martial artist present ¨C the grandchild of the head of the Great Ram sect.

    "That''s exactly right. But that should not be something possible. I have achievedplete mastery over all twelvews..."

    "Then... is it because of the blessing? He said that he was chosen by Guide... and as crazy as it sounds even dered Guide to... well.. be his woman... I wasn''t even aware that Guide had a gender..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    William nodded and smiled at the young martial artist which prompted Bevan to furrow his brows and sighs with an awkward expression.

    "I had received the blessing of Guide multiple times. If it is a matter of blessing then he must have received a blessing of a being far more powerful than the keeper of the stars, Guide."

    The white-haired man said finally able to breathe normally, straightening his back as thew of Virgo was doing its job.

    "Haaa... even if it is with the help of a blessing, that kid ended up achieving strength above the supernova level... do you understand? Supernova level is the highest possible level that a martial artist, a human, can ever reach. It''s the limit for us. And he broke through it... although it kind of seems that he didn''t realize that yet..."

    William took a deep breath and stretched out as his body got back to perfect condition.

    "Wait, you''re saying that he transcended the highest possible level a human can achieve? Then what does that makes him?"

    The other marital artists exchanged confused looks and asked.

    "That much should be obvious, right?"

    "!!!"

    William scoffed and smiled while pointing his index finger toward the sky, stunning the others.

    "Alright... it seems we should start moving on our own too. I can bet that even after Zoemi will wipe his enemy off the face of the earth, there will still be someone we can lodge an officialint about the treatment of our countrymen."

    William nodded and smacked his fists together while his expression turned cold as he focused on a new goal.

    *&$#^%$#&#* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *RUMBLE*

    "!!!"

    But just then an explosion followed a pir of silver light shooting out of the sky and creating tremors that almost knocked all the marital artists off bnce.

    "...I mean... hopefully there will still be someone we could hold responsible..."

    William gulped down his saliva and said in a much less confident voice.

    ------

    The sunlight was shining into the underground experimental facility through the massive hole created by Zoemi descending from the sky.

    "P-please! H-have mercy...! This... this isn''t the mainboratory...! Th-the ce where they have the original crystal that was used to power the shards we use to create the artifacts is hidden deep within the Atreterve nation''s borders...!"

    Zoemi was holding a trembling schr by the scruff of his cor and was listening to the man confessing everything only after being asked a single question.

    "I know. I came here to destroy the artifacts so that you would not try to mess with my friends in the Perserios'' territory."

    The young man smiled and shrugged his shoulders lightheartedly while looking to the side at the crates where ready-to-use control devices were being stored.

    "Th-then, w-will you let me go...?"

    The man trembled but ended up crying out hopefully.

    "Hmm, let''s see..."

    Zoemi smiled cheerfully and reached out his hand.

    He touched the man''s ear and flicked the jet-ck earring the man wore.

    Then, Zoemi moved his hand and singled out a ck strand amongst the schr''s green hair...

    "Not in your fucking dreams~"

    *&$#^%$#&#* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *RUMBLE*

    He said happily and the silver light swallowed the entire facility, annihting everything in its wake.

 Chapter 806 Final - Zoemi Unleashed (Part 6)

    "PAPAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

    On the Atreterve border, Kaaraal, with Kierul on her back, swooped down from the earth wall charging at the enemy who captured Zoemi.

    "YOU FUCKER, GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS AWAY FROM MY ATTENDANT! SWALLOW!" *WHOO* x7777

    The red-haired magician roared in outrage, and thousands of crimson bird-shaped mes were unleashed into the world, raining down upon the soldiers down below.

    Most of them were dispersed by the barriers, but anyone unfortunate enough to get outside of the effective range ended up set ame.

    The bulk of homing spells were aimed directly at the aloof-looking woman who embedded the jet-ck crystal device in the motionless Zoemi''s forehead.

    "Hmm... no, thank you. This guy has an appointment without core~ Shadow arise. Shadow gate."

    The woman smirked, looking at the iing fire spell, and smiled.

    Despite initially being the light magician, she ended up casting a darkness attribute spell and sunk into the puddle of darkness that poured from below her.

    And she didn''t sink alone ¨C she took the vacant-faced Zoemi with her.

    The fire swallows reached their target, but they ended up only disappearing into the silky jet-ck puddle without even causing a ripple on its surface.

    "NO!" "PAPA!" *WHOOSH* x4867

    Kierul and Kaaraal cried out but just then, the ck puddle started bubbling up, and the fire swallows now died jet-ck shot back up into the sky, with its new target being the green dragon and the fire magician on her back!

    "SWALLOW!" x7777

    With Kaaraal speeding up and evading the bunch of homing spells, Kierul unleashed another wave on her own to counter them, but...

    *BOOOM* x7777 *WHOOSH* x 4867

    Even with the numbers advantage, once the fire swallow or swallows crushed into each other instead of canceling each other out, every single fire spell was destroyed while all of the dark ones continued chasing after the pair.

    "BULLSHIT!"

    "AUNTY, HOLD ON!"

    Kierul cursed, winding up her middle finger as her hand began to shine with thin lines of special enchantments, but Kaaraal had to move around erratically to dodge the small spell that was definitely far more dangerous than theirpact size would suggest.

    A number of the darkness swallows paired up with their agility resulted in a dozen of them piercing through the green dragon''s gigantic wings as they were the easiest target.

    *THUNK* x13 "GAH...!"

    "KAARAAL! YOU FUCKERS! FLASHPOINT!"

    As they pierced through the delicate membrane, the dragon let out a pained growl causing the already furious red-haired magician to rage and drop the long-range spell in favor of the closed-ranged one that could be used to protect the monster.

    *^$%#*

    "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?"

    The sh of light was instantaneous... but ineffective as the jet-ck spells continued the pursuitpletely unbothered.

    To make things even worse, the jet-ck puddle down below erged, taking im to more space, and three people emerged.

    The brown-haired man with ck streaks in his hair ¨C the same one who hid the magic device and created a good portion of the towers hosting the ck crystals darkening the sky.

    ...and the burly gold-haired man and the jet-ck-haired woman who lost control and was taken away shortly before...

    Although the burly light magician didn''t have the jet-ck crystal embedded into his forehead before, now the situation changed, and he matched hisrades. He even already got a streak of ck in his golden hair.

    "Tsk... I hoped that I would get some time off instead of getting my mana refilled and ending up back on the battlefield..."

    The thuggish-looking man clicked his tongue, looking over the situation, enjoying the night vision that came along with the darkness attribute.

    "And are you sure it''s okay to get you back here? Won''t you start drooling and screaming -Zoemi, Zooeeemiii ¨C again?"

    He scoffed while sneaking an annoyed nce at the jet-ck-haired woman.

    "That trash has to be dealt with before I can achieve my goal."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The woman sorted mockingly shrugging her shoulders.

    "But be free to speak as much as you want; soon enough, you and all the others will also collectively be me, the great hero Cherro!"

    She boasted, reaching out her hand and clenching it into a fist.

    "Yeah, I know, I know... hmm...? Why is it so quiet on the other side?"

    The thuggish man scoffed, waving his hand dismissively before freezing in ce and furrowing his brows.

    "...how are you able to even say that with all that''s going on...?"

    The burly light magician furrowed his brows and asked in confusion.

    He was right ¨C the dragon and fire magician up above were making enough noise that it was fending off the darkness swallows but back there on the ground, the heavily armored units of the Atreterve nation were hard at work trying to bring the massive all down.

    "You just epted the hero''s blessing so you aren''t aware..."

    The thuggish-looking man was ready and happy to exin. He looked up at the muchrger man and tapped the jet-ck crystal in his forehead.

    "We get a boost in all senses and magic. I''m originally an earth magician, so my connection with earth got that much stronger ¨C I can tell you that people on the other side stopped fighting, and it''s not because they are dead."

    "What? How so? Did the cors fail?"

    The thuggish man exined, and the jet-ck-haired woman red at him and asked sharply.

    "I am unsure. The device I hid is still well hidden and working, so maybe..."

    He shrugged his shoulders and responded with a clueless expression.

    ------

    *KSHHHH*

    "Wh-what is going on...?"

    One of Aspakeony''s light corpse puppets gasped in confusion, looking at the scene ying out in front of her eyes...

    After the friendly-fire earth wave created by Zoemi, the situation seemed to be bleak ¨C for whatever horrible reason, the controlledmoners with their acid attribute weapons were able to mobilize faster than the forces of the Bellcephora kingdom and went on to pick and kill stunned soldiers ¨C but then something almost unthinkable happened.

    *KSHHHHH* *thunk*

    The neon pink mana covering the magic swords and shields and lighting up the area would overflow the equipment and creep its way through themoners'' armor, melting it off until the submission cor with the jet-ck crystal at its center would be exposed.

    Then...

    *CRACK* *KSHHHH*

    "H-huh... what was I...?"

    The crystal would break under the corrosive power of the neon-pink mana and melt away into nothingness, freeing themoners from the mind control, before dissipating into the air as the neon-pink light faded from the crystals giving power to the equipment...!

    "GH...! AAAAAAAGHHHHH!" *KSHHHHHHHH*

    Still, not everymoner was spared ¨C those whose eyes and hair showed the signs of being possessed by Cherro would end up being melted into nothingness to the sound of the neon-pink acid sizzling furiously.

    "..dy...dy Aspakeony... what is happening...?"

    The lightning magician who made his way back to the border recognized and approached one of the necromancer''s puppets and asked her, utterly lost because of what they were witnessing.

    "...this attribute... it''s not corrosion or acid... It''s Roiso...!" *click*

    "What is that supposed to mean...?"

    Aspaekony gasped through the mouth of her corpse puppet before snapping her fingers and creating dozens of golden orbs so that the neon-pink glow wouldn''t be the only light source.

    "Roiso''s attribute was Roiso... she is conscious mana, that''s why she had her memories from the past timeline! Getting her physical body destroyed must have weakened her, but... ah...! She must have recognized Zoemi''s star power, and now she finally woke up...! EVERYONE!"

    Aspakeony gasped in realization and used all of her corpse puppets on the scene to pass on her words.

 Chapter 807 Final - Zoemi Unleashed (Part 7)

    "TROOPS OF BELLCEPHORA KINGDOM! WE WERE GIVEN A CHANCE! REORGANIZE AND PREPARE DEFENSE! MAKE THEM REGRET THE DAY THEY TRIED TO FOOLISHLY TRAMPLE ON OUR KINGDOM!"

    "YES!"

    The necromancermanded, and everyone who was able to straighten their back saluted in unison, even the general and the freshly freedmoners.

    The earth magicians got to work and freed their trappedrades, then they divided back into toons andpanies and applied themselves to the necromancer''smand to the apaniment of the hammer strikes from the other side.

    "...mydy, I am d that you are joining us, but... things don''t look that good, do they?"

    General Victureo looked over his forces before leaning toward the gold-haired corpse puppet and whispering while motioning with his chin toward the ck sky.

    There, the asional bursts of fire revealed the silhouette of an enormous dragon weaving and dodging in the air with a magician on its back.

    The monster was clearly on the defensive, and since it was on their side, it could not be good.

    "Everything will be okay, young Telorius - because we have my Zo-mi."

    Aspakeony shrugged her corpse puppet''s shoulders and dered with unwavering certainty.

    "Are you sure...? Didn''t he... fall...? Will be okay...?"

    The general backed off a bit and asked, ncing towards the very top of the wall with a worried expression.

    "He will be."

    Aspakeony answered decisively and smiled while looking through the eyes of Moxeoni stationed on the other side of the kingdom, having a perfect view of the burst of silver light within the Barbaraa nation ¨C which was only possible because of Zoemi blowing up the entire mountain range clean.

    "He definitely will be~"

    She said again in a much softer voice.

    *WHOOOOM*

    "HUH?"

    As if she timed her words to match up with what was happening, at that exact moment, a speck of silver light looking like a bright star broke through the jet-ck sky and dispersed the darkness, bringing the sunlight back to the surface.

    Out of the Bellcephora side''s perspective, it was followed by beams of silver light descending upon the towers spewing darkness.

    *^%$#%^$&* *CRACK* *RUMBLE*

    The silver light engulfed the structurespletely, annihting every speck of jet-ck crystals from existence.

    The original star-like existence was none other than Zoemi descending back to the surface after wiping off every trace of Cherro''s presence from the Barbaria kingdom.

    "Eh?! Papa?!"

    "?!?!"

    The green dragon gasped in shock, and the magician on her back was too surprised to even speak.

    "..." *WHOOSH*

    Zoemi stopped for a second right by them, wiping the jet-ck swallow-like spells targetting them from existence with the silently activatedw of Sagittarius and following it with instantly healing Kaaraal''s wings with thew of Virgo.

    "Sorry for making you worry~"

    "PAPA!"

    He smiled and nodded his head apologetically, making his dragon daughter cry out in relief.

    "You...! You fucking idiot! We saw you get stabbed in the head and taken somewhere! Do you know how much I was worried?!"

    Kierul managed to regain her voice and used it to scold the ck-haired young man.

    "Yeah, sorry about that, Kierul. Now, if you would be so kind to peacefully to go back to the Bellcephora side with Kaaraal and tell them that I am only getting rid of the filth''s corruption and don''t intend to engage in conflicts between nations... and I have to resign from the position of your attendant. Sorry but being in a position of power over me from now on would make your status so high that the second prince would not be allowed to evene close to you, so you know."

    "...eh...?"

    Zoemi raised his hand and said quickly, leaving the red-haired girl taken aback.

    "I will exin things another time. Go."

    "Okay!"

    "No! Wait...!"

    Zoemi smiled cheerfully, and Kaaraal cheered, flying away with concerned Kierul on her back.

    "Now then..."

    "ZOOOOEEEEMIIIIII!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The ck-haired young man sighed and continued his descent while the jet-ck-haired womanunched from the ground toward him, spreading jet-ck spell-created wings and howling as if goingpletely mad.

    "Haaa... fuck off, filth."

    *WHOOOM* *^%@^%*

    Zoemi rolled his eyes and scoffed in annoyance, speeding up his descent to the point of bing a blur and tearing right through the ascending female Cherro with no resistance at all.

    *GHAAAAAA*

    The burst of silver light finished off the shreds, and the purified mana shrieked in pain instead of the usual sigh of relief before disappearing.

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

    "!!!" "GAHH...!"

    Meanwhile, just as the ripped body of the jet-balck-ahried woman was getting burnt with thew of Sagittarius mixed up with thew of Aquarius, Zoeminded right in front of the thuggish-looking possessed and the burly possessed, pushing them away just the shockwave hisnding produced.

    *GHAAAAA*

    Zoemi nced down at the puddle of darkness and frowned, causing his star powers to get rid of it ¨C which once again released a shriek of pain.

    *click* *^%$@$#@^@*

    The ck-haired youngster snapped his fingers, and in an instant, within the Atreterve forces, all the artifact carriers were wiped out of existence together with therge magic devices they were carrying, which inadvertently ended up throwing the entire army into chaos.

    Around half of thepanies on the site were able to fall back orderly, but there were also many of which soldiers started to run away straight up.

    "Hmm..."

    Zoemi furrowed his brows in concern, looking to the side before pointing his finger in a seemingly random direction and...

    *^$%^%$#@*

    A pir of silver light prated deep into the ground destroying the device buried there by the thuggish-looking man.

    "Wh-WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? GET US AWAY FROM HERE!"

    The thuggish-looking man, who could not keep his bnce and tumbled away while hisrade was merely pushed back, crawled back up and shouted while clinging to the arm of the burly light magician.

    "HEY! ARE YOU DEA...!"

    *thump*

    Since hisrade didn''t respond, the thuggish-looking magician grew angry in his panic and forcefully pulled on the burly light magician''s arm ¨C which resulted in the headless blood-spewing corpse of the said magician falling to the ground.

    "W-what...? Wh-when...? AAAHHH!"

    The possessed magician shuddered and cried out in fear when he looked to the side and saw Zoemi staring right at him.

    "Z-Zoemi...! I-It''s always Zoemi...! Why is Zoemi always messing with my ns...!"

    The thuggish-looking magician started trembling more and more, biting hir lips to the point of drawing blood, and as he did, the rest of his brown hair turned jet ck ¨C his eyes turned jet-ck as well ¨C and he stopped shivering, but began to mutter under his breath instead.

    "Zoemi... Zoemi... Zoemi...! Zoemi! ZOEMI! ZOOOOEEEEMIIII! I WILL KILL YOU RIGHT HE...!" *whooosh*

    The magician''s face twisted horribly, and he started repeating Zoemi''s name with increasing animosity until his anger could not be contained anymore, and she reached out his hand to unealsh a sell at the balck-ahried young man with a disgusted expression.

    *splurt*

    "...hu... huh...?

    And yet the movement only caused the blood gushing from the fresh stump to spry around the possessed magician.

    "...when... when did you...? ZOOOEEEEEMIIIIII!"

    The man cried out as his body trembled, but the fear was funneled into madness as he roared, raising up with an intention to charge at the ck-haired menace...

    *&#$^%$#&^#$* *GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*

    ...but what he ended up charging into was a castle-sized beam of silver light that evaporated both him and the headless corpse of the burly light magician...

    "Hey, Atretervians. If I were you, I would fall back. Your barriers aren''t bad, but you might have to face a bunch of cornered and very angered elemental magicians. You still can push all the me on the piece of filth called Cherro and try to repair the trust between both nations. I mean... You might have your alliance or something, but Barbaria nation will have their hands full with getting their shit punched by the Heavenly Star Nation..."

    Zoemi turned around towards the reorganizing troops of the Atreterve nation and called out to them.

    "Actually, you might also be on their shit list if you helped with developing the device that would allow the dead marital artists reanimated by hexes and curses to use star powers... Wow... you are so fucked even without me getting involved! Good luck~!"

    *WHOOOOSH*

    The young man added andughed mockingly before disappearing, leaving a trail of thin silver mist in his wake... as well as shattering the will of the Atreterve troops...

 Chapter 808 Final - Zoemi Unleashed (Part 8)

    "We need to evacuate! Now!"

    A panicked schr rushed into a room and shouted.

    "What are you talking about? This is the main facility. We have the core of the hero in the vault, not to mention the brand new subject secured by the hero avatars."

    The two other schrs working on the devices containing the jet-ck crystal named by them as the hero''s blessing looked at each other before bursting intoughter.

    "NO! YOU TWO DON''T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!"

    "!!!"

    The first schr shook his head and screamed on the verge of tears, causing the other two to flinch and gulp down their saliva nervously.

    "We''ve lost contact with all hero avatars besides the one that brought the new subject. We lost contact with all research facilities from here to Barbaria nation. The contacts outside our control im there have been a series of almost simultaneous attacks, and everything was destroyed! THE ARMY AT THE BORDER IS RETREATING BECAUSE A SINGLE MAN WIPED OUT THE COMPLETED HERO AVATARS AND TWO FLEDGLING HERO AVATARS, AS WELL AS ALL MAGIC DEVICES WITH THE HERO''S WILL CRYSTALS!"

    The schr ultimately sumbed to panic and started screaming his lugs off while trembling, tearing off his hair...

    ...his light-brown hair with jetck streaks taking over the original color...

    "...are... are you sure...?"

    "Go to the team in charge of the new subject and make themplete the experiment as fast as possible. He must be ready just in case."

    One of the other schrs asked nervously, but the other one taped his shoulder and said in a decisive voice.

    "DON''T YOU GET IT?! IT''S HIM! ZOEMI! ZOEMI IS COMING AFTER US...!"

    The first schr howled, dropping to his knees before crawling to a ball and mming the side of his head against the floor.

    As he did, not only was the floor getting stained with the blood that started dripping from the jet-ck crystal embedded in his forehead ¨C previously hidden by the man''s long fringe ¨C but also the schr''s hair was turning ck with each hit...

    "Zoemi...! Zo...emi... ZOOEEEMIII!"

    Once his hair waspletely ck, the schr''s hysteria stopped, and he went the different road of madness ¨C anger. He began to repeat a specific name and got out of the room, not even paying attention to his grim-looking colleagues.

    "...all of us will end up like this, right? Even those with just the essories made out of the hero''s will crystal..."

    The shakier of the two remaining schrs gulped down his saliva and asked in a tense voice, clenching his hands together as if trying to hide a si on his ring finger.

    "... that''s the way of the great hero Cherro... Now go to talk with the bunch taking their sweet time experimenting on the subject! It''s supposed to be a copy of that whole Zoemi, so if we will be able to turn it into the hero avatar there will be nothing for us to worry about anymore!"

    "R-right...!"

    The calmer schr said with a shrug and gave his colleague a reassuring pat on the back, sending him off.

    The facility they were working in was the most heavily protected and tightest kept secret in the entire Atreterve. Neither their allies nor even the schrs working in other facilities knew its exact location.

    They were fine even under attack because it would be easier to overthrow the Barbaria nation and the alliance led by the Atreterve nation against the Bellcehpora kingdom than to even find them in there...

    *^@#$@^%&#^#@* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* *RUMBLE*

    "WHAT IN THE...?!"

    Just as the schr was trying to reassure himself with logical facts, the room he was in trembled from a deafening explosion that must have taken ce within the facility''s walls.

    "HEY! WHAT IS GOING ON?! HAS THE SUBJECT STARTED RUNNING WILD?!"

    An aloof-looking woman who captured and brought Zoemi to the facility passed the door to the room, shouting in anger...

    "...eh...?"

    ...and then stopped abruptly when she tried to move past the main hallway of the facility only to see the evening sky...

    The sight was captivating in its own right, but what was truly horrifying was the fact that the facility was supposed to be hidden deep underground, below the catbs of the ruins of the royal castle from the times that Atreterve was a hereditary monarchy.

    "Knock. Knock. Hello~ I''m from the cleaningpany~! I''ve heard you got a lot of filth here and came here to get rid of it for good~!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "!!!" *thump*

    What made the aloof-looking woman fall on her butt and start crawling away in disbelief, though, was Zoemi literally steaming with silver mist and slowly descending from the sky towards her.

    "GET EVERYTHING YOU CAN! HE CANNOT GET NEAR THE HERO''S CORE!"

    The woman managed to move through the opened former main hallway and howled in urgency.

    It shouldn''t be like this.

    Something was very... terribly... horribly... wrong...

    The woman thought that she should not be as scared as she was. After all, she faced Zoemi''s copy before and even took part in bringing him down.

    And from the intel they got on him, there should be no difference in power between the copies and the original ¨C as per Zoemi''s words overheard by a perfectly ced spy.

    But then... why did she, deep within her core, feel a nauseating fear?

    ...and was it her who felt that fear...

    ...or was it actually the self-proimed great hero Cherro who felt that way...?

    *%^$#^*

    "HII... HIIIIIII...!"

    The ceiling above the so-called fledgling hero avatar disappeared in a sh of silver light, and the poor woman let out a high-pitched cry of utter terror and teleported.

    She appeared in a sh of light in a room together with six schrs ¨C five of which were surrounding the body of a young ck-haired man with a jet-ck crystal embedded in his forehead.

    "IT''S ZOEMI! HE IS HERE! WAKE THIS ONE UP AND MAKE HIM DEAL WITH HIM!"

    "B-but...!"

    She roared, startling the schrs who tired to protest.

    "YOU MORONS, HE IS ALREADY DESTROYING THIS PLACE, THER IS NO TI...!"

    *@$&%$#$^*

    The fledgling avatar shouted, spitting saliva everywhere, but her words got stuck in her throat as once again the ceiling above her head disappeared, opening the room for the warm outside...

    ...with Zoemi waiting above it...

    "Pffft! So, am I yourst chance against me? Go on. Wake me up~"

    The ck-haired youth in the sky snorted, watching the people below, and waved his hand benevolently.

    *ZOOOOOOEEEEEM...!" *$%@#^#$* *GHAAAAAA*

    The schr, who fully turned into a hero avatar,unched from the side towards the young man, howling his name ¨C and got instantly evaporated in a sh of silver light without evening close to his target.

    "Go on~"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi hummed and nodded encouragingly, but the people in the room below him trembled as if he had just threatened them with their worst fears.

    Still, as Zoemi didn''t make any more moves even when the schrs and the fledgling avatar began to move. They all focused around his exact copy with the jet-ck crystal embedded in his forehead.

    After a few tense moments, they moved to the sides as if making space, and the possessed Zoemi opened his eyes.

    His first sight was the Zoemi patiently waiting for him while standing on thin air as if he was able to find a convenient tform to stand on.

 Chapter 809 Final - Zoemi Unleashed (Part 9)

    "...Zoe... mi...?"

    The possessed Zoemi muttered and sat up.

    "ZOOOEEEEMIIIII!" *WHOOOOSH*

    The possessed Zoemi roared, and his body became so full of spiritual energy getting turned into star powers that it released a shockwave that pushed the schrs and the fledgling avatar even farther away.

    "ZOOOEEEE...!" *^%$#@#%^* *thump*

    The possessed Zoemi howled and... got his head and one-third of his torso blown off by a pir of silver light shot out by the Zoemi above him, and his limp body fell back down limply.

    "Aaaahhhh... that felt good. That guy was hitting on my women, and I was just itching to teach him his ce!" *^%$@^%$*

    "!!!"

    Zoemi let out a satisfied voice and erased the remains of his annihted copy as the schrs and the fledgling avatar could only watch in silent terror.

    "H-how...HOW?! YOUR COPIES WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AS STRONG AS YOU!"

    The aloof-looking woman ended up so scared that she lost her reasoning and shouted at the ck-haired youngster.

    "How? Well, back then, when the so-called artificial basilisk hugged me from behind in at the border between Bellcephora kingdom and Atreterve nation, I thought it was my Miri getting cozy with me, so I got jealous and cut that copy off of my connected consciousness and took away almost all of his power~! I got so lucky, don''t you agree~?"

    "E-eeehhh? No...! I-impossible...! for such a reason...! Ahaha... AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Really... REALLY?!"

    Zoemi snickered and hummed happily, causing the fledging avatar to lose it and startughing maniacally.

    *click* *&#^%$#&$#^* *GHAAAAAAAA*

    ...and then the ck-haired young man followed it by snapping his fingers and annihting the aloof-looking woman with a well-aimed shot of thew of Sagittarius.

    "OH. MY. GUIDE! Could you imagine that was the reason?! PFFFFT! Of course not!"

    Zoemi roared withughter, looking towards the petrified schrs...

    "Whew... I needed that. Oh, and just so you know, I actually was aware of that piece of filth Cherro lurking somewhere in this world, so I began to overthink everything, and once the war started, I sent out copies that were only strong enough to protect a few of people important to me. They were independent in case something went wrong ¨C and lo and behold. For one, I waspletely right."

    He shrugged his shoulders and revealed in a casual voice.

    "Although I have to add that I overestimated Cherro''s power. With his current state, it would be impossible to possess the real me~"

    Zoemi added with a satisfied hum, turning to the side as if he was going to just walk ¨C or rather float ¨C away.

    "It''s that way to whatever form the remains of that filth have, right?"

    "!!!"

    He asked, pointing precisely towards the vault where the hero core crystal was kept, making the schrs flinch.

    "I''m kidding. You don''t actually have to tell me that. I can sense his filthy mana everywhere and in everything, no matter how much anyone wants to hide it... haaa..." *#$%^%@#$^&%* *GHAAAAAAA*

    The ck-haired young man chuckled and waved his hand dismissively, wiping the schrs and the entire facility with the exception of the vault with Cherro off the face of the earth with his star power.

    *THUNK* *CRUSH*

    Zoemi approached the vault, and instead of opening the door, he tore them apart, not even grabbing it by the handle but just stabbing his fingers on one side and waving his hand to the side.

    He entered the room lighted up by the mana crystalmps and carefully looked up and down a massive container that was a muchrger version of what Roiso''s remains ended up in.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The liquid inside the device in which the mana crystal containing Cherro''s essence was submerged in wasn''t translucent at all ¨C it was straight-up jet-ck.

    "Go on. I know you can sense me~ I would say that you can shit yourself from fear now, but you aren''t in a state to do that, can you?"

    *thump* *crack*

    Zoemi chuckled mockingly, and as if in response to his provocation, something mmed at the container from inside, causing a small crack.

    "So, you somehow made all those people call you a hero... I must admit, you are every single bit as pathetic as I thought you were~! Thank you for not betraying my expectations at the end~!"

    *THUMP* *CRACK* *crack*

    Zoemi continued tough at the device, and this time the response was more violent, creating a much bigger crack on the other side of the container with a third one spreading between the two as if aiming to connect them.

    *psssssss*

    A ck mist beganing out of the cracks as if the darkness within it was under pressure.

    That certainly didn''t bother Zoemi, though~

    "Naming yourself the great hero, calling possessing someone into turning them into your avatars... How much do you have topensate, you filth? Just get out of there already, or are you so pathetically weak that a piece of translucent crystal is holding you back? Oh, great degenerate here of filth~?"

    *WHAM* *CRACK* *PSHHHHH*

    The next series of jabs seemed to be too much for the self-proimed great hero, and the magic device containing him erupted ¨C realizing a cloud of ck mist and a whole load of jet-ck darkness is almost liquid form, boiling and bubbling over a sizeable solid chunk of magic crystal that was so dark it looked two dimensional.

    The liquid darkness closed up the crystal from the outside world and formed a vaguely-humanoid shape before stepping out of its former containment.

    The mass of darkness looked as if it was straightening its back and puffing out its chest proudly.

    *blub*

    The darkness bubbled up as the space where the mouth should be opened up ¨C although with how perfectly ck it was, there was basically impossible to notice the change.

    "...you... again... Zoemi...! Standing in me and my perfect princess...!"

    The creature''s first words were crude, but after a few seconds, it was able to talk like any human ¨C although its voice was... oily...

    "There is no escape... As long as she exists, I will be there because we are connected. Meant for each other. Destined!"

    The creature howled, spreading its arm-like appendages to the sides boastfully.

    "..."

    Zoemi didn''t move or say anything, waiting patiently and observing the creature.

    "...but I know that I must kill you first... I thought that getting rid of the soul of the original toy that was made to keep the princess away from me would be enough... But destroying you, a mold that grew on the trash that the royal protector was, is necessary too!"

    The creature continued, reaching one of its appendages and pointing it at Zoemi''s face.

    "I will kill you here and now, and then I will find my princess wherever you tried to hide her away from me...! Zoemi... ZOOOOEEEMI-" *WHAM* *SPLURT* *CRACK*

    The remnants of Cherro grew confident andughed before beginning to chant Zoemi''s name ¨C just for the ck-haired youth to appear right in front of it and punch at its chest, sttering the liquid darkness to the sides and shattering the perfectly ck crystal into thousands of sharp pieces that embedded themselves into the walls, ceiling, and the floor behind the creature.

    *SQUELCH*

    As if the crystal was its spine, the liquid darkness could not hold itself upright and fell to the ground with a sound that revealed that it was more of a gtinous mass than a watery liquid.

 Chapter 810 Final - Zoemi Unleashed (Part 10)

    "Sagittarius plus Aquarius~!" *@^%$#%@#$^* *GHAAAAAAA*

    Zoemi went out of his way and said the names of thews he was using and the bust of silver light almost the entirety of the vault ¨C with the exception of the fragments of the floor where he stood and where the gtinous blob of darkness was sttered ¨C opening it up to the destroyednd outside.

    After all, the entire facility the vault was a part of was uncovered to the outside world by Zoemi~

    "Aaahhh... yes, that was what I was waiting for. Why didn''t you start by calling out my name? Do you think I wanted to hear a monologue of filth like you?"

    The ck-haired young man breathed out in relief before frowning grumpily and scoffing at the mass of darkness, struggling to keep its shape on whatever was left on the vault''s floor.

    "Now I''m going to use the same mix of star powers to get rid of whatever is left of you. I am telling you this because I really want you to know that you will..."

    *whoosh*

    Zoemi smiled cheerfully, reaching his hand towards the squirming mass of darkness, but then something got in between the two of them.

    "It''s a nice day, isn''t it?"

    A tinum-haired beauty simply appeared there and greeted the ck-haired young man.

    "Wee. Therapy works wonders for you, I see."

    Zoemi lowered his hand and responded to the greeting with a genuine smile.

    "Buu... and here I thought I could fool you into thinking I''m your Miriette for a moment!"

    The beauty pouted her lips and looked to the side with disappointment.

    "Sorry, but that will never happen."

    Zoemi shook his head decisively, and to his benefit, his eyes did not budge, nor did anything in his demeanor suggest what part of the physical appearance of the tinum-haired beauty presenting him with her profile allowed him to be so confident.

    "Anyway, what brings you here?"

    Zoemi smoothly changed the subject, already realizing what would be the answer.

    "...I came here to close this story arc of my life... Even I think that this story had overstayed its wee."

    Her pouty face changed into a soft smile as she added, straightening her back.

    "Unfortunately, my help is needed here because a lower god like yourself can''tpletely get rid of something that I unintentionally spawned because of my trauma."

    She breathed out and exined.

    "You would be able to destroy every part of this thing. All the crystals with its mana, all the whisks of dark mist, and all the filthy residue ¨C but it would just reappear in this world sometime in the future. I have to be the one to erase itpletely. And now, I am finally able and ready to do it properly."

    The beauty dered with pride and turned to the gtinous blob of darkness trembling on the floor only two feet away from her.

    "Congrattions~! But let me ask... this is the demon-lord-ss threat to the world. Will it not mess things up for my Miriette if it will be defeated by someone who isn''t a reincarnated soul, miss Presence?"

    Zoemi cheered out and then turned serious, ring at the back of the tinum-haired beauty''s head.

    "Technically speaking, I currently am a reincarnated soul myself... but don''t worry about it. The catastrophic event you are referring to had beenpleted with a positive oue already ¨C by you in the past timeline. This is just... dealing with the aftermath."

    Presence tilted her head, causing her long tinum hair to shimmer in the sunlight as she pointed out.

    "Oh. Okay."

    Zoemi raised his brows and nodded, taking a step back and giving up the spotlight.

    "I am Miriette Aperaete Bellcephora, the second princess of the Bellcephora kingdom. Do you recognize me?"

    Presence then crouched down in front of the jet-ck blob and asked.

    *blub*

    The mass of darkness started to bubble up in response as the tinum-haired beauty waited patiently.

    *blub* "...phinhess... Mihiette..." *blub* "...my belhofed phinhess..." *blub*

    Finally, as the gtinous blob trembled, a weak but still oily voice came out of it.

    "...?"

    As the conversation was starting, Zoemi observing it from the side, noticed something peculiar.

    Everywhere the eye could see, the earth and sky alike were beginning to be dyed in a golden glow growing in intensity...

    *blub* "...yhu... you aren''t her...! My princess is small... pure... and cute..." *blub* "Only for me to defile..." *blub* "Where is my Miriette...?| *blub* *Give... give her back...!" *blub* "GIVE HER BACK TO ME, YOU DISGUSTING HAG!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The blob started peaking faster, and finally, it roared, enraged, and managed to rise up, towering over the crouching beauty as if it intended to m into her and swallow her whole.

    "I was never yours. Filth. Now perish, properly this time."

    *blu-*

    *^%$#@!@#$%^%$#@@#$%^%$#@#$%^%$#@#$)(%$#@()$##$($#@!@#$%$#@!@#$%$#@#$#@#$%$#@$$#@#$%$#$%$#@#$%$#@#$$#@#$$#@#$#@$)$@!@#$%$@!@#$%$#@#$%)(%$#@#$%^%$#@#$%$#@#$%$#@#$%$#@(%$#@!@#$*

    The presence took a deep breath and dered, looking up at the dripping mass of darkness, and at hermand, the entire lighted up with a golden glow that turned into a purifying eruption that spread to the sky and far into space, erasing any and all traces of the filth called Cherro.

    The explosion of light traveled through all dimensions and all timelines purging the filth once and for all, leaving no space for it to hide ¨C seeping into living beings and objects alike.

    In time, as the light faded away, Zoemi was standing face to face with the tinum-haired beauty smiling at him.

    "STOP RIGHT THERE!"

    All of a sudden, the air filled with the smell of ozone, and another tinum-haired beauty showed up with a shout, pointing with one hand toward the presence while trying to hide her modest chest with the other.

    "Listen up, you big-breasted original! Don''t you dare look in that way at MY Zoemi! I refuse to ept you as a candidate for his mistress, and I sure as hell will not be giving up the position of the first wife!"

    Guide, the keeper of the stars, or Miriette as she preferred to be called, hissed furiously towards the presence, ready to throw hands with the primordial being the original Guide feared and revered.

    "Pffft...! Oh dear, I don''t remember making you this cute~! Be good, and remember the rules."

    The presence stared at Mireitte wide-eyed for a second before snorting and waving her hand dismissively, disappearing from the surface of the earth, most likely returning to the world she chose to upy.

    "DON''T BOTHER COMING BACK! SKANK!"

    Miriette growled after her, already glued to Zoemi''s side as if she wanted to make sure that the ck-haired young man would not get stolen from her.

    "Hmm... Miri? Why do I feel like she wasn''t speaking in general, and there was some specific rule that she was referring to?"

    Zoemi tilted his head and asked while gently patting Miriette''s tinum hair, trying to calm her down even a little bit.

    "Tsk."

    "...?"

    Miriette clicked her tongue with such annoyance that it actually shocked Zoemi.

    "She was talking about gods having children. We are allowed to have one child. Only one child."

    Still, she did end up answering it, even though she clearly hated that answer.

    "...and if we don''t want to honor this rule...?"

    Zoemi blinked a few times, looking somewhat troubled.

    "Go ask that dimension-crossing scary girl. Strawberry or something. Her parents were gods in her homeworld, but since they ended up having two kids ¨C her and her younger brother ¨C a god of a higher position banished BOTH kids from there."

    Miriette sighed and exined.

    "Of course, you know princess Strawberry... So, let me get this straight... the kids were the ones being punished...?"

    Zoemi rolled his eyes before furrowing his brows and asking, trying to rify the circumstances.

    "Yeah. No other god is stupid enough to try and get in a direct conflict with Strawberry''s parents."

    "Huh..."

    Miriette scoffed and nodded as if it wasmon knowledge, making Zoemi let out a concerned voice.

    "...haaa... it''s a bit sad... but I guess that''s why you were pushing me so hard to have mistresses, huh? Since we can have only one child, you wanted to make it so it still felt like we had a big family..."

    The ck-haired young man ended up breathing out dispirited but smiled and hugged the tinum-haired girl while feeling grateful.

    "...ugh...."

    "Miri...?"

    But Miriette merely groaned and looked to the side, confusing Zoemi.

    "...that rule about kids applies only to two gods... it''s okay for you to have children with the rest of the girls... BUT I AM STILL THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE, OKAY?!"

    "~!!!"

    Miriette closed her eyes and revealed before turning red in the face and dering while hugging Zoemi tightly, a bit annoyed seeing how his face had lighted up...

 Chapter 811 Epilog (Part 1)

    In the backyard of the Aspakeony Academy, three attendants were gathered around the ck-haired young man.

    "You''re really quitting being the attendant?!"

    "But... mister Zoemi...!

    The sharp-eyed Inviderie gasped in shock while the young Rothillis clung to Zoemi''s arm, looking up with a pitiful expression.

    "I''m sorry, but it''s my final decision. Truth be told... I found myself a couple of sponsors, thanks to whom I can spend the rest of my life infort~!"

    Zoemi nodded while patting Rothilis''s head and snickered triumphantly.

    "ACK! Another man is living my dream life...!"

    The tall Lithfreid let out a pained voice while jokingly putting both hands over his head as if he was struck by an offensive spell.

    "Well... if you are interested, I know a certain divorced nobledy that recently became even lonelier when her trusted knight left her services to be with his beloved... She could use a caringpanion... and she is rich~"

    "I''m listening~"

    Zoemi joked, but Lithfreid leaned in attentively as his eyes shone with interest.

    "Hmm...? Ah! Look at the time! It was good meeting you, Zoemi, but duty calls! Come on, you two!"

    Inviderie rolled his eyes at his fellow attendant and checked the time on his pocket watch out of boredom, but seeing what hour it was already, he hurriedly put it away and grabbed Lithfreid and Rothilis, pulling them away from Zoemi and rushing towards the dormitory building.

    "Bye-bye, mister Zoemi...!"

    "Hold on...! Inviderie, you bastard, let go of me! Zoemi! Send me her information about that nobledyyyyyy...!"

    The two attendants being dragged away called out while Zoemi waved at them with a cheerful smile.

    Then he turned towards the pond and waited.

    He didn''t have to wait long before he heard the sound of footsteps.

    "Kierul and prince Surou~ How are you doing?"

    Zoemi turned around and greeted the red-haired girl holding hands with a blue-haired boy.

    "Zoemi! What a surprise~!"

    "Hmph. What, did you show up to beg me to take you back as my attendant?"

    The second prince Surou carrying a pic basket in one hand cheered out with a smile, but Kierul got grumpy and grumbled at Zoemi while clinging to the blue-haired boy''s arm for support.

    "Nah, being the supportive diety for the keeper of the stars, Guide, is a cozy position ~ I am waiting for someone, but I also wanted to greet you while I''m here."

    "...hmph..."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and leaned back with a cheeky smirk making Kierul scoff and look away, resting her chin on Surou''s shoulder.

    "Please forgive her... she was used to having you, her best friend, around all the time, so now she feels lonely... not that I amining about her recent clinginess ¨C her affection is through the roof, and I am loving it!"

    *thump*

    "SUROU...!"

    The second prince betrayed the girl and leaned forward, whispering conspicuously to the grinning ck-haired youth, causing the embarrassed red-haired girl to jolt back and smack his arm in anger.

    "Sorry about that, and your wee... We need the situation to calm down a bit before I can show up everywhere, all willy-nilly again. If I spend too much time around the future king''s brother and his fiancee, your father might get the idea to use it as a threat to other nations during the ongoing peace negotiations."

    Zoemi made an apologetic expression and bowed his head to Kierul before winking at Surou and exining things to him.

    "..."

    Kierul, who returned to leaning against Surou''s shoulder, red spitefully at Zoemi, but then she ended up moving her hand so that a shining engagement ring with a sapphire shaped like a me would enter the ck-haired youngster''s vision.

    "...if you dare to not show up at the wedding, I will kick your ass..."

    She grumbled before looking away again.

    "Missing the wedding of my bestie who''s basically my sister? Oh,e on! Do you think I changed that much?!"

    "Hmph~"

    Zoemi gasped, jokingly taken aback, to which Kierul scoffed ¨C but she sounded more content than angry, so everything was good.

    "It was an honor meeting you here. Until next time."

    Surou picked the right moment to show off the pic basket and motioned to a nice pic spot next to the pond while showing off the basket.

    "Of course~! Sorry for holding you back while you''re on a date~! Have fun!"

    Zoemi chuckled in response and waved his hand as the pair walked past him.

    "Oh my Guide, they are just as cute as dad and miss Rokiana...!"

    Zoemi muttered to himself in excitement while watching the pair take their spot and set up the pic.

    He didn''t want to be a nuisance, so he walked to a different spot and ended up sitting on a bench by the empty training ground.

    *rustle*

    He was sitting there for a while when suddenly, the decorative shrub behind him moved conspicuously.

    "...?"

    Zoemi smiled and started turning around...

    "WHOA...!" *THUMP*

    ...and let out a shocked voice and caught arge bag flying straight at his face.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    *CHA-CHING*

    The bag untied, and a few coins fell out of it, revealing that the whole bag was full of them...!

    "...oho...!"

    *RUSTLE*

    Zoemi raised his brows and let out a content gasp ¨C looking up at the shrub just in time to witness a short brown-haired girlunching herself at him.

    *thump*

    He caught her but still let the force behind the impact push him off the bench, so he ended upnding on his back with the heavy-breathing girl on top of him.

    *chuuuuuuuuuuuu*

    The brown-haired girl wasted no time, grabbed the young man''s cor, and kissed him passionately for as long as she could hold her breath.

    "Pu-huah...! Aaaahhhhh~!"

    After an impressively long time, she pulled away and breathed out with a blissful expression while resting her hands on Zoemi''s chest.

    "Teofee~ You got your memories back, didn''t you? Why are you still trying to pay me for affection?"

    Zoemi hummed, patientlyying on his back and moving his hands alongside Teofee''s thighs until reaching her waist.

    "Ehehehe~ It adds the spicy sense of imorality~ It''s as if I''m doing something bad~"

    Teofee nodded and giggled, biting her lip while gazing lovingly at the young man under her.

    "Naughy~"

    Zoemi smirked devilishly as Teofee leaned down for another kiss.

    -------

    In the headmaster''s office in the Academy''s main building, a gray-haired girl in a revealing nightgown was sitting by the desk, working on some documents.

    There was afortable armchair there, but she wasn''t sitting directly in it.

    There was something ¨C or rather someone ¨C between her and the soft cushion.

    The ck-haired young man hugging her from behind with a content expression.

    "Haaaaaaaaa... can''t the old king just retire already? He is pushing all those unreasonable demands on the Barbaria nation and the alliance led by the Atreterve nation as if half of our kingdom was destroyed. It''s okay to milk the victory, but if we try to squeeze them too hard, they will start plotting against us again?! Just give the crown to young Horeo already, stupid kid!"

    Suddenly the girl pushed the papers away and leaned into the young man''s embrace, letting out a huge sigh and gritting her teeth in annoyance.

    "He is foolish enough to believe that you weren''t serious about cutting off ties with Bellcephora kingdom and thinks we''re invincible now."

    Aspakeonyined.

    "Well, I do love the kingdom you helped create, but I will not stop it from self-destructing by the hand of an incapable ruler. Sorry, it''s against the rules that are binding me."

    Zoemi shrugged his shoulders and scoffed while gently massaging Asapekony''s stomach.

    "I know that, but that stupid kid doesn''t! His son, young Horeo, understands the situation too! He should be crowned already!"

    The gray-haired girl fidgeted and groaned angrily.

    "Ah~ A-and speaking of which. Did you know that the young Horeo got punched in the face?"

    "Huh?! The first prince?! By whom?!"

    She suddenly flinched and said in an almost flustered voice, intriguing Zoemi who kept massaging her.

    "Yes, the older of the Taran twins ¨C Leveo ¨C did it. Apparently, she got fed up with the prince''s behavior during the King''s Guard training they had together, so he decked him and told him to start acting like an adult! Nnnh...!"

    Aspeakony nodded while leaning more and more against Zoemi while climbing on her tiptoes and letting out a sweet voice.

    "Ooohhh.. so the current first prince got pissed off and ran to her mommy?"

    Zoemi smirked devilishly and asked, whispering into Aspakeony''s ear.

    "N-no... he appears to actually got his things together... he also seems to grow very fond of young miss Leveo."

    The girl trembled and looked up at the young man''s face with misty eyes.

    "Huh... that must be annoying for his fiancee."

    Zoemi raised his brow and snickered in amusement.

    "N-not really... nnnh... The other day the Victureo family canceled Ehmi and Horeo''s engagement. I''ve heard they want to try and push her on you instead... nnnh-nngh...!"

    Aspekaony bit her lips and gasped, getting all hot and bothered.

    "No thank you. I''m not too fond of the idea and that list is already closed. Miriette is already at her limit with jealousy even though I can be in multiple ces at once, and everyone gets me exclusively for them."

    Zoemi shook his head, decisively pointing out, but then...

    "Zo-mi...! You... you know that you aren''t helping me rx, right...? Nnnnh...! You might think that the spot on my belly that you chose ispletely innocent, but...! Nnnnh-ahn...!"

    Aspakeony grabbed Zoemi''s wrist, trying to stop the massage, and cried out in a sweet voice.

    "Oh, I know what I''m doing~ It''s just a little payback for all the times you were teasing me in the past timeline~"

    *chuu*

    "Nnnh...!"

    The ck-haired young man chuckled and kissed the gray-haired girl''s neck, making her squirm adorably.

 Chapter 812 Epilog (Part 2)

    Burushi finished healing the mages, knights, andmoners who managed to return alive from the battles at both borders and was taking some days off Academy ¨C resting in her hometown.

    Not in her family house, though, because her mother took in her father after he was kicked out of the Taran territory.

    No. Instead, she was rxing in the cottage she bought with the money she received aspensation for her services to the kingdom.

    Well... she was supposed to be rxing, but she looked pretty tense when she was sitting on the bench outside her cottage...

    ... beside Zoemi enjoying the sunlight like a big satisfied cat...

    "..."

    Burushi gulped down her saliva, eyeing Zoemi''s hand, looking prime for grabbing and holding like lovers, right there beside the sunbathing young man.

    The blond-haired girl slowly moved her hand to the side, as if stretching, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

    "...?"

    Burhushi nced over at Zoemi, but his peaceful expression didn''t change, so she thought that she was still in the clear.

    The closer their hands were, the more nervous the girl would be.

    Just a few inches...! Just an inch...! Almost touching...!"

    *tap*

    "Hmm~?"

    "!!!"

    The tip of the girl''s fingers brushed against the young man''s hand, making him hum questioningly and look over ¨C which in turn caused the girl to panic and hurriedly turn away with a face red as a ripe tomato.

    "Burushi...? What was that~?"

    "Nothing."

    Zoemi smirked devilishly and asked, leaning forward and trying to catch a glimpse of Burushi''s face, but the girl turned even more while answering instantly in an embarrassed voice.

    "Is that so? I could swear that you are embarrassed because I saw how you looked before reincarnating into this world~"

    "!!!"

    Zoemi chuckled teasingly, and he had hit a bullseye, causing the girl to flinch and turn to face him, highly flustered.

    "...get about it..."

    The blond-haired girl lowered her head and murmured while clenching her fists.

    "Ohh? Care to say that again~?"

    Zoemi''s smirk bloomed into an evil grin as he teased the girl despite hearing her perfectly the first time.

    "I said... FORGET ABOUT IT!"

    *BOING*

    The girl gathered her courage and raised her voice while charging at the boy, pushing the young man''s head and trapping it between her ample chest with her arms wrapped around his neck.

    "FORGET! FORGET! FORGET! I WAS A PATHETIC ANTISOCIAL NERD WITH NO CHEST! BASICALLY A SHUT-IN! NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT! FORGET IIIIIIIIT!"

    Burushi demanded while the fire of embarrassment was burning her from the inside.

    "Pfft! Make me!"

    Zoemi''s face peeked out from Burushi''s cleavage, and he scoffed.

    He easily pulled her arms back and held their hands, intertwining their fingers like lovers.

    Zoemi could have moved back and freed his head from the snare of the boobie trap, but he did not do that.

    "A...!"

    Burushi gaped. She stared at Zoemi''s face before ncing to the sides at their and started to get dizzy.

    "... we-we''re h-holding hands...! So... Sho... indecent...! Fueh..."

    The girl muttered and swooned ¨C she would fall off the bench if Zoemi didn''t manage to catch her.

    "Wait, what...? SINCE WHEN IS HOLDING HANDS TOO MUCH TO HANDLE?!"

    The ck-haired young man looked between the Burushi''s face, her impressive breasts, and her hands and eximed in utter disbelief.

    ------

    "Hubby, are you done with those earthly distractions~?"

    Mireitte sitting cutely in the armchair, snuggled with a romance novel in one hand, looked over at Zoemi, who had just entered the living room and dropped on the sofa.

    "...if you are talking about making sure that Aedlier is fine and she will get to govern the reim Banemor territory, then the answer is yes. Although, as Aspakeony said already, the current king is adamant about it not being a permanent change and only a temporary solution before I decide to return. I wanted the Gmroze family to take over the Banemor''s ce as one of the six great families, but that''s out of the window for at least as long until Hereo will take the throne."

    The ck-haired manined, leaning backfortably and looking over at the tinum-haired girl.

    "I can''t believe that someone who knows how easily I could kill him without leaving a trace can be so stubborn with trying to to force me into doing something  I clearly stated I will not be doing!"

    Zoemiined while leaning his head to the side and trying to read the title of the novel that Miriette has been reading.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Really? That''s annoying, especially since your cousin helped with finding all those documents about the traitors of the kingdom. Do you want me to smite that thick-haded guy?"

    Miriette frowned and scoffed, closing her book and putting it to the side before raising her hands. Her fingertips lighted up with a brilliant tinum glow.

    "Please don''t."

    Zoemi breathed out, rubbing his forehead.

    "...but that said..."

    "Oh, we''re smiting?"

    Zoemi''s lowered his hand and muttered, squinting his eyes as if trying to remember something ¨C which Miriette took as encouragement, and the tinum light grew in intensity.

    "No! I''m not talking about smiting the king, Miri!"

    "...okay..."

    The young man raised his brow and stared at her, making the girl blush and grab her book again.

    "You see, you mentioning Aedlier helping out reminded me about someone who also helped me out... It was right after I woke up in this timeline."

    Zoemi sat up and said, trying to recall the past.

    "Certain someone showed up out of nowhere and encouraged me not to give up. I mean, what they said ended up being wrong because they imed that you would regain your memories in Aspakeony Academy when I would be your attendant again, but nheless, without their cheering me on, I would probably just give up."

    "I doubt it."

    Zoemi exined, but Miriette merely shrugged her shoulders and scoffed.

    "No, I''m serious. Your n wouldn''t work out without them... So don''t try to smite them or anything when I say their name.

    "I believe that I know who you are talking about, but sure, go ahead and say it."

    The young man added, and the unamused girl waved her hand encouragingly.

    "If I remember correctly, they introduced themselves as the demon lord Mirienne ¨C I told you about them before, didn''t I?"

    Zoemi revealed looking over at Mireitte to check her reaction to someone calling themselves a demon lord.

    "Yeah, I knew it. And also, I know them."

    "You do?!"

    The tinum-haired girl groaned and leaned her head back as Zoemi gasped.

    "...I sure do... that edgelord is a reason for so many of my future headaches after all... haaaa... Say... would you like to meet them?"

    Miriette rolled her eyes, but then she suddenly perked up as if she hade up with a fantastic idea and asked.

    "Yes, I would like. I didn''t have the chance to thank them ¨C and I would like to because I am grateful."

    Zoemi nodded his head vigorously.

    "It will take some time, not a full year, but still, it would be impossible tomunicate with them for at least two years after that... are you still prepared?"

    Miriette put both her hands on her armchair''s armrests and leaned forwards with a gravely-serious expression.

    "Yes, I do... but why would it be that troublesome? Is it because Mirienne is a demon lord...?"

    Zoemi nodded, but there was some hesitation in his voice.

    "The reason is not important. I am asking you. Are. You. Prepared?"

    Miriette scoffed and asked, making it sound like a matter of utmost importance.

    "Y-yes. I already told you that I want to meet them. What... are they actually some kind of god of a higher standing...?"

    Zoemi gulped down his saliva ¨C he still had some doubts, but that didn''t change his final answer.

    "Hmph. Is that so?"

    Miriette snorted and stood up. Her hand shed with tinum light, and her sundress, crumpled from sitting down, returned to its most presentable state.

    "...?"

    Then, the tinum-haired girl walked up confidently to the confused Zoemi and grabbed the sides of her dress while crossing her arms around her waist.

    *WHOOSH*

    "Strip."

    The sundress went flying as Miriette took it off in one move before pointing at Zoemi andmanding him.

    "HUH?!"

    The stunned Zomei couldn''t control his voice and gasped in bewilderment, once more presenting his legendary denseness.

    "You want to meet our daughter, so we have to make her first. NOW STRIP!"

    "OUR WHAT?!"

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