Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Chapter 617: The Palace of Forty

Third Person’s POV

"And if you cannot understand what it means to be extraordinary among a group of extraordinary people, you would do well not to concern yourself with him."

With those final words, the deacon fell completely silent.

The truth was that he genuinely knew very little about the mysterious newcomer.

However, during the short time he had observed him within the High Moon Palace, he had witnessed Princess Arlene personally accompanying him with unusual respect.

Someone capable of receiving such treatment from the Ice Emperor’s own daughter was unquestionably no ordinary student.

Aurelia lowered her head, allowing a disappointed expression to spread across her face as though the deacon’s words had crushed her youthful hopes.

To the deacon, she looked like an ordinary young girl suffering her first heartbreak.

In reality, however, everything she displayed was merely another carefully maintained façade.

Far from discouraging her, the deacon’s words had only strengthened her determination.

If even a Sky Realm Deacon regarded that mysterious senior as someone extraordinary beyond imagination...

Then the possibility that he truly was Ethan became even greater in her heart, as Ethan had shown unimaginable talent during his awakening ceremony, and even though he had disappeared after that, she remembered this fact clearly.

Neither of them spoke another word afterward.

They quietly left the High Moon Palace before walking through the frozen academy grounds until the enormous academy gates gradually came into view.

Hundreds of students could already be seen gathering outside in small groups.

Some were discussing the unprecedented opening of the Glaciem Ice Abyss with unconcealed excitement, while others wore worried expressions as they debated whether risking their lives for such an ancient opportunity was truly worth it.

Aurelia thanked the thin deacon with a respectful bow before hurrying out of the academy without wasting another moment.

The moment she stepped beyond the enormous academy gates, she blended into the bustling flow of people moving through the streets of Ice Emperor City.

Instead of returning to the modest rented residence where she currently lived together with Ethan’s mother, Eleanor, she deliberately headed towards a small inn situated in another district of the city.

She had no intention of returning home today, and the reason behind it was simple.

She wanted to avoid Eleanor’s questions.

Knowing Eleanor’s keen senses and years of experience, Aurelia was certain that the older woman would immediately ask about her conflict with the shrew Sharon.

And Aurelia wasn’t prepared to answer that, as she knew that there would be many holes in her story and Eleanor might find those holes.

And there was a possibility that after her exit from the potion classroom, she might have asked the other students about her conflict with Sharon.

At the same time, she didn’t want to deceive Eleanor, so she avoided her as she didn’t want to burden her with the truth and the faint hope that might ultimately prove false.

The suspicion inside her heart was simply too unbelievable.

Until she verified everything with her own eyes, she refused to reveal even a single word about it.

She also knew another important fact.

Although Eleanor currently served as one of the academy’s professors, she herself was still a Crystal Formation Realm mage.

That meant she also possessed the qualifications to participate in tomorrow’s realm expedition into the Glaciem Ice Abyss, should she decide to do so.

There was still enough time.

If her suspicions were proven true before tomorrow, she could tell Eleanor everything before the realm expedition officially began.

Thinking about all of this, Aurelia quickened her pace, her crimson hair fluttering gently behind her as she disappeared deeper into the bustling streets of Ice Emperor City.

Snow continued falling from the grey skies while merchants loudly advertised their wares, horse-drawn carriages rolled across the frozen roads, and countless adventurers hurried about discussing the unprecedented announcement that had just shaken the entire academy, as its news had started to spread from the students.

About half an hour ago...

At that time, Ethan quietly walked beside Princess Arlene through the vast grounds of the New Moon Magic Academy while she patiently introduced him to the various facilities scattered throughout the enormous institution.

As they walked across the broad stone pathways connecting one academy district to another, Arlene explained the distinctions between the three student divisions, the resources each batch received, and the privileges that accompanied every level of advancement.

Mainly, the hallowed Crystal Formation Batch students had much greater access to resources and privileges compared to the other two junior batches.

As Arlene continued explaining the countless privileges reserved exclusively for the forty Crystal Formation students, Ethan unexpectedly noticed a faint trace of envy flashing across her beautiful face before disappearing almost instantly.

Her expression was fleeting, showing that she didn’t want him to know her envy, but he noticed it and inwardly found it rather amusing.

Despite being the daughter of the true hegemon of the entire Northern Glacial Region and possessing a status that countless people could only dream of, even she wasn’t allowed to enjoy the exclusive benefits reserved for the academy’s forty strongest students.

That alone was enough to show how ironclad the academy’s rules truly were.

Within these grounds, talent and strength stood above noble birth.

Even the Ice Emperor’s own daughter had to obey those rules.

Soon, the two of them left the bustling academy buildings behind and entered a quiet garden filled with towering conifer trees whose branches drooped beneath thick layers of white snow.

The cold wind gently rustled through the evergreen trees while the stone pathway beneath their feet gradually curved toward a majestic silver-white building standing proudly beyond the garden.

The moment Ethan laid eyes upon it, he instinctively realized that this wasn’t an ordinary academy structure.

The building resembled an ancient palace more than a residence.

As they walked towards it, Ethan admired its beauty and realized that this was most likely the High Moon Palace, the building that Arlene said was the exclusive academy complex of the forty Crystal Formation Realm students.

Arlene calmly pushed open the heavy silver doors, and both of them stepped inside.

The spacious entrance hall was astonishingly quiet.

Only the soft crackling of magical lamps and the distant turning of book pages disturbed the silence.

Standing alone near one side of the grand hallway was a tall young woman quietly reading a thick leather-bound book as though she hadn’t even noticed their arrival.

She possessed long, silky black hair that cascaded smoothly down to her waist like a dark waterfall, while a pair of striking electric-blue eyes calmly scanned the pages before her.