Chapter 20: Ch 20: The new teacher
His superior’s words only made the guard more confused and angry.
"Sir, I don’t see what the big deal is. These people are the perfect scapegoats to calm the nobles down. Are you really going to make enemies out of those people—"
"I would rather have the nobles as my enemies than disrespect the world’s youngest Grand Master. Sir Kael, please forgive our ignorant rookie. He does not know any better."
The superior was quick to educate his subordinate and his words made the guard pale as well.
"G-Grand Master? B-But he’s so young! He destroyed the arena too! H-How is that possible—"
"I am not the one who destroyed the arena, the MED did. As far as I am concerned, MEDs are banned from being used. What were you all doing when an MED was smuggled into this area?"
Kael turned the accusation back on the guard with a simple question.
He watched them pale and stutter as they tried to give him an answer.
"T-That...? We did not know about the MEDs. We are just guards, and we are not permitted to interfere with the nobles. So we cannot—"
The superior gave quick excuses about why he could not investigate the situation. Kael already knew that these were all excuses, so he did not bother listening to the rest.
He stood up and destroyed the recording device on the wall with his mana.
"Next time, be more careful about what is happening in the city. Otherwise, I would have no choice but to take action once more. Now, do you want to detain me and my partner for anything else?"
Kael asked and the superior shook his head.
"O-Of course not, sir. You are free to go whenever you feel like it."
He told Kael in a trembling voice. Kael nodded and gestured for Iris to leave with him.
They were out of the guard station in no time and Kael noticed that Iris had a strange expression on her face. She met his eyes and decided to ask him the question that was plaguing her mind.
"You...called me a partner there."
Iris asked cautiously but Kael just scoffed at her.
"We are partners now, so I will do what I can to help you out. Unless you don’t want to for some reason—"
"No, I want to be partners with you as well."
Iris interrupted quickly as she walked past him.
Kael could not see her expression, but the reddening of her ears was a clear indication that she was feeling a little shy.
[Iris’s affection +10]
Somehow, gaining her trust and affection was easier than it had been with Seraphina. But he wondered how long this would last.
__________
"This is...your house?"
Iris gasped as she looked at the huge mansion in front of her. She had never seen anything this huge in her life.
Even the arena from before paled in comparison to this mansion in front of her.
"That’s right. This is our house now. You are welcome to stay for as long as you want to. Feel free to take any room you want as well...as long as no one else is using it."
Iris’s heart skipped a beat when she heard Kael call this ’our house’.
So far, the only home she had ever had was the small prison cell in the stadium. That room and the arena had been her whole world. But now, her world had suddenly expanded.
It was awkward for Iris to wrap her head around the concept of being free and being in such a nice space. She took careful steps, making sure not to step too hard and damage something.
Even if she knew that she would not damage anything, she could not help her nature and remained cautious.
Kael said nothing to her as they entered, but he did stop in front of the door and waited for her to catch up to him before he opened it.
"The only other people in this house are Leon and Seraphina. Leon is the chosen hero and Seraphina is his childhood friend and also a priest from the temple. They are both younger than me, so feel free to interact with them as you like."
Kael told Iris and she nodded with a tense expression.
All of this was new for her and she felt awkward. But she still pushed past her feelings and decided to start a new Chapter in her life.
"I will take you to your room. Make sure you settle in nicely. Once you are ready, you can come down and meet the kids. I will have my familiar guide you around."
Kael opened his palm and mana condensed on top of it to form a shape. It slowly emerged as a bird and flew over toward Iris’s shoulder before nuzzling against her face.
It fascinated Iris and she tried to touch the mana-bird. It felt warm under her hand and the pulse of mana made it feel alive.
’This is...different...’
Iris had never touched a bird or any small animal before. They were too afraid of her demon blood to come close to her.
That’s why this felt like a moment she could not forget and it made her want to cry.
Whether Kael noticed it or not, he chose not to say anything and that allowed Iris to get herself under control.
Kael took her to a room so comfortable that it could only exist in her dreams. She walked toward the bed and watched it sink under her fingers.
’Is this a dream?’
She questioned as she pinched herself. But the pain in her arm told her that she was awake and finally ready to start her new life.
"I will leave you to rest now. Make sure you come down once you are ready. You are also welcome to go anywhere in this house. Just make sure not to enter someone’s bedroom without permission or my lab."
Kael told her before he went out and Iris immediately felt lonely.
She did not even know she was capable of feeling that emotion, much less this quickly. But she needed to pull herself together.
’Iris, you fool! You have been alone for 20 years of your life. There is no way you are feeling lonely after just spending a few hours with another person. Snap out of it! It’s just a temporary partnership.’
That dampened her mood quickly and Iris felt frustrated. So she pulled the covers over her face and decided to relax.
But the soft bed beneath her felt unfamiliar, making her toss and turn.
It was comfortable, and yet, Iris felt like she could not calm herself down.
