Chapter 262: Never Talk About A Woman’s Age.
When I arrived back at the academy, I expected a discreet welcome. You know, the kind where I casually slip in without telling anyone, and then surprise my friends in class the next day.
But the moment I stepped onto academy grounds, I was greeted by a punch to my abdomen... followed by a kick straight to my face.
The one punching me was, naturally, Viola. And the one kicking my face was Seraphina, in her evil mode.
I could understand Viola’s reaction, but Seraphina?
Why?
It didn’t take long to realize she was just doing it for fun, judging by the wide smile on her face.
Arthur and Sylvie asked how I was doing and all and even if they didn’t show it openly, they definitely seemed to have grown a lot closer in the meantime.
Strange...
Honestly, it felt a bit strange how quickly it had happened but I shrugged it off as an effect of sharing a similarly traumatic experience.
Noah, meanwhile, stood at the back, giving me a glare that clearly said, "Tsk, you’re still alive, huh?"
But just like always, I ignored him effortlessly.
Alya was there too, one of her eyes hidden behind an eyepatch. It made me wonder why she hadn’t healed it yet.
Does she want a cool-looking scar or something?
But honestly, it has always been difficult for me to understand the minds of psychos, so I left it at that.
Bearlo wasn’t with them but Seraphina explained that he was training with his master.
Except for that, all of them gave Arza a strange glare, but I understood their reason behind it. She fought against Vael’runn, whose mere presence had made them freeze back then, in her real form.
I was pretty sure some of them suspected I was the white-haired handsome guy with Arza but none of them were completely certain.
Besides, they hadn’t seen me fight yet and knew nothing about my Cards... so, for now, I was free of suspicion.
After a heartfelt chat and explaining where I had been while everything was going to shit in the treasury, I bid them farewell.
Though reluctant to leave so soon, even Viola stepped away after I told her I needed to meet Morvana to announce my return.
Arza didn’t join me, Viola and Seraphina had dragged her away for some reason.
But still, everything until that point had been completely normal... Until I opened the door to the familiar office, one I had probably visited more often than my own classroom.
Morvana was seated behind her desk, just like she always was. Her white hair was tied neatly, a few strands falling across her face, while her violet eyes were fixed on me with a slight narrowing.
But that wasn’t the problem.
Because standing right beside her was a ghostly pale woman. Her features were youthful, and her long pink hair cascaded down her shoulders in soft waves. Her pale pink eyes curved upward as a mischievous smile spread across her face.
"Hey hey, YOUNG MASTER."
Her voice lingered deliberately at the end.
"Didn’t expect to see me so soon, did you? What did you say back at the cast—"
Before she could even finish,
SLAM!!!!!
I shut the office door.
Yeah... I might have just seen something wrong.
Well, I will just come back later.
With that thought, I turned around, ready to leave...
...but the door creaked open again, and a soft pale hand grabbed my shoulder.
I saw her smiling face peeking over it.
"Hey, big sis Lillith... fancy seeing you here. You are looking as young as ever."
I said, my voice coming out slightly stiff.
"Oooh, thanks for the compliment, Young Master but why were you running away?" Her grip on my shoulder tightened.
"Running? No way. I just couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw you. I thought I was hallucinating from exhaustion, so I figured I should get some rest before coming back."
I gave an excuse with a perfectly straight face.
"Oh my, how thoughtful." She said sweetly. "But don’t worry, I will make sure you’re very well rested... for the rest of the year."
She leaned in slightly, her smile widening.
"After all, I am going to be your homeroom professor from now on."
...oh fuck.
I could see Morvana shaking her head in the background with a resigned sigh, and in that moment, I understood one thing...
She wasn’t lying either.
***
What followed was something I would describe as a traumatic memory. No beating was involved, but it felt like I was a rookie who had just joined a gang, being "educated" by the gang leader.
She kept talking to me at an uncomfortably close distance, a smile on her face and a hand resting on my shoulder, while I kept nodding along, replying with "Yes, Ma’am" to everything she said.
Though inwardly, I was cursing her nonstop, making sure to hide it well because even if I was certain she wouldn’t kill me... I still didn’t want to end up with a swollen face on the very first day of my return.
After half an hour of that intense lecture, she finally let go of me.
"So, did you understand my point?" She asked.
"Yes, ma’am. It’s rude to talk about a woman’s age."
Just die already, old hag.
She smiled brightly, clearly satisfied.
"Good. See? That wasn’t so difficult." She patted my shoulder, straightening the creases in my clothes. Once she was done with her lesson, she turned and walked out of the room.
"See you later, Morvana." She said, waving back at Morvana, who looked like she was about to say something.
"Hey, wai—"
But before she could finish, Lillith was already gone, the door closing behind her.
"That bitch!!"
Morvana and I spoke at the same time the moment Lillith left.
I could understand my frustration, but what on earth had she done to get on the nerves of someone as calm as Morvana?
"What did she do to you, Mom?"
I looked at Morvana, slipping back into my son-in-law persona.
"Don’t ask." Morvana shook her head, pressing a hand against her temple. "I don’t understand why the hell the Demon King even assigned her to the academy."
I shared the exact same concern. Her mere presence was already messing with my plans.
After venting about Lillith for a while with Morvana, I finally decided to move on to the main point of my visit.
From what I had been told, Morvana had been the first to arrive at the site where everyone was teleported out of the treasury.
I looked at her calmly, my gaze sharpening.
"Did you notice anyone suspicious among those who came out of the treasury?"
