Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Chapter 615: Trespassing into the High Moon Palace

Third Person’s POV

Most of the students had already begun following the Headmaster’s instructions and were gathering near the academy gates in groups, leaving the deeper parts of the academy strangely deserted.

Stretching before Aurelia was a solitary stone pathway that cut directly through the frozen garden before leading toward a huge, ancient-looking silver academy building complex standing proudly in the distance.

It stood nearly a mile away from her current location.

Unlike the modern academy buildings occupied by the Acolyte and Elemental Sea Mage students, this structure possessed an entirely different atmosphere.

Its walls were silvery white in color, its towers taller, and every inch of its architecture radiated a sense of antiquity and prestige.

This place was known as the High Moon Palace.

It was the exclusive abode of the academy’s forty Crystal Formation Realm students.

Ordinarily, students from the Acolyte and Elemental Sea batches were strongly discouraged from entering this place without permission.

Not because there were explicit rules forbidding them, but because the Crystal Formation students possessed exceptionally high status throughout the academy.

Many of those elite students viewed unexpected visitors as disturbances and would often become displeased if juniors dared wander into their territory without good reason.

The High Moon Palace possessed everything a Crystal Formation Mage could possibly require.

It contained its own extensive magical library filled with advanced spell manuals, specialized mana gathering chambers with far denser mana than the ordinary academy grounds, private spell-testing arenas reinforced by powerful formations, rare magical herb gardens, potion laboratories equipped with expensive alchemical equipment, artifact refinement halls, and countless other facilities unavailable to ordinary students.

Everything inside this place existed solely for the benefit of those forty elite mages.

Yet despite knowing exactly where she was going, not the slightest hesitation or fear appeared in Aurelia’s steps.

According to the Headmaster’s orders, she should have immediately headed toward the academy gates along with every other student.

Instead, she was walking deeper into the one place where almost nobody from her batch would dare enter even on an ordinary day, much less during such an unprecedented emergency.

Her determination only grew stronger.

Soon, she arrived before the ancient building and quietly pushed open its heavy doors before stepping inside.

The interior was eerily silent.

Unlike the bustling academy buildings she had just left behind, the High Moon Palace seemed almost deserted.

Only the occasional flickering mana lamp illuminated the long hallways, while every polished floor and stone wall had already begun freezing beneath thin sheets of glittering ice.

Aurelia moved quickly through the building.

She searched one classroom after another, briefly glanced into several advanced potion laboratories, and even attempted to enter the grand magical library.

Unfortunately, the moment she approached its entrance, the enormous runic door emitted a faint blue glow before rejecting her.

Without the exclusive purple crystal badge possessed only by Crystal Formation students, access to the library was impossible.

She clicked her tongue inwardly before immediately continuing her search.

Minutes passed as she searched the nearby cultivation halls, several resting chambers, and every place she could legally access, yet she failed to discover even a single Crystal Formation student.

It was as though the entire building had already been evacuated.

Just as she was wondering whether she should search deeper inside the palace despite the risk, a cold, authoritative voice suddenly echoed behind her.

"Hey, who are you?

And what exactly are you doing here at a time like this?"

Aurelia’s entire body froze, and a faint chill unrelated to the surrounding frost crept up her spine.

She slowly turned around.

Walking steadily toward her was a tall, thin man dressed in black academy robes embroidered with silver patterns.

His expression was stern, while the invisible pressure naturally radiating from his body immediately caused Aurelia’s heartbeat to quicken.

Although he deliberately restrained his aura, she could still instinctively feel the terrifying strength hidden beneath his calm exterior.

Her eyes subconsciously shifted toward the badge attached to his chest.

A black Deacon’s Badge.

The moment she recognized it, countless thoughts flashed through her mind.

Within the New Moon Magic Academy, the minimum qualification required to become a Deacon was the Sky Realm.

In other words, the man standing before her was at least a Rank Four mage.

Realizing that lying carelessly before such an experienced individual would be extremely dangerous, Aurelia forced herself to calm down.

She lowered her head slightly and deliberately allowed her body to tremble from both the surrounding cold and the lingering fear created by the recent events before speaking in a soft, pitiful voice.

"I-I’m sorry, Sir Deacon. I got lost in this place.

Before the academy started shaking and before all this frost suddenly appeared, I had already entered this building out of curiosity."

She deliberately paused before continuing.

"After hearing the Headmaster’s announcement, I tried finding my way outside immediately... but because of the fog and all these unfamiliar corridors, I lost my sense of direction."

Her voice carried just enough panic to sound convincing without becoming exaggerated.

As she finished speaking, Aurelia cautiously raised her head just enough to secretly observe the Deacon’s expression.

To her surprise, his face remained completely unchanged.

There wasn’t the slightest indication of whether he believed her explanation or not.

His unreadable expression only made her even more uneasy.

Several silent moments passed before he finally spoke again.

"I see."

His voice remained calm.

"But before the earthquake...what exactly were you doing inside the High Moon Palace?"

His sharp gaze remained fixed upon her.

"Surely you understand that this place belongs to your seniors, and after the Headmaster’s explicit orders, instead of leaving immediately with the seniors, you were still wandering around inside this building."

He paused briefly.

"Would you mind explaining that?"

Aurelia immediately understood that this experienced Deacon had not accepted her explanation.

He had most likely observed part of her frantic search before deciding to reveal himself.

Simply pretending to be a lost student would never satisfy someone with decades of experience.

For a brief moment, countless possible answers raced through her mind.

Then, an unexpected idea suddenly surfaced within her thoughts that could not only resolve the Deacon’s suspicions, but it might even allow her to accomplish the very reason she had come to the High Moon Palace in the first place.