Chapter 363: [Bonus ( ๑‾̀◡‾́)σ”] Lackey!!
“I WILL KILL YOU!! IF YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!!”
Helena’s voice tore through the air, raw and primal, her eyes burning with a fiery rage. Her entire body was coiled, ready to strike, driven by an overwhelming need to protect someone!!
But then, as if waking from a fevered dream, her vision cleared, and she found herself staring into the calm, unwavering eyes of the Principal.
“Easy now, my dear… everything is fine,” the Principal’s voice was a balm, soothing and steady.
“P-Principal…” Helena stammered the fire in her eyes dimming, confusion taking its place.
“No need to rush, Helena. Just lie back and rest,” the Principal urged, her hand hovering above Helena’s shoulder, guiding her back to the bed with an unspoken authority that was impossible to resist.
Helena sank back into the pillows. An awkward smile tugged at her lips as her eyes fluttered around the room, taking in the sterile surroundings of the infirmary. Her thoughts were still scattered, but the Principal’s gentle words pulled her back to reality.
“You saved everyone, you know,” the Principal said, her voice low and full of quiet pride. “Your bloodline ability… it was incredible. You should be proud.”
A small, almost shy smile graced Helena’s lips, “Good… I’m glad,” she whispered, her voice soft, yet filled with a profound sense of relief.
The Principal’s gaze lingered on the innocent girl with a small smile, But then her eyes caught sight of something that made her frown…. a delicate tattoo on her neck’s right side.
“Helena… when did you get this tattoo?” The Principal’s voice was curious, she was sure that she hadn’t seen that before on her and for some reason… she felt like she had seen this before on someone else but she couldn’t grasp where she had seen this before.
Helena’s brow furrowed in confusion. She lifted a hand to her neck, fingertips grazing the tender skin as she tried to remember….. The Principal handed her a small mirror, and as Helena’s eyes locked onto the reflection, a flicker of realization passed through her.
She remembered him. Aether. The connection between them was undeniable, pulsing like a living thing, deep within her veins.
[+7000 AP]
A soft gasp escaped her lips as the feeling washed over her, warm and intimate, like the gentle brush of lips against the skin, “Where is Aether?” she asked her voice barely above a whisper, yet laden with an inexplicable longing.
The Principal’s frown deepened, “Who?”
Helena blinked, her lips curving into an awkward smile. Of course, how could the Principal know about him? A servant?
“Never mind,” Helena murmured, her fingers absently tracing the line of the tattoo, feeling the connection hum beneath her skin.
“Anyhow…” The Principal hesitated for a moment before speaking again, “You don’t feel any pain? No backlash from using your bloodline ability? Should I contact the Archpriestess?”
Helena’s eyes widened in surprise, “No… I don’t feel anything bad. In fact, I feel… more alive than ever.” Her voice was steady. She wondered why she had not received backlash!
“Hmm…” The Principal’s gaze was thoughtful, her mind clearly racing with possibilities. ‘Could it be because she’s the chosen one?’ The thought lingered in her mind.
Just then, the door to the infirmary burst open.
“Helena?!”
Helena turned her head sharply, and her heart swelled with warmth as she saw Selene, Aria, and Lia rushing toward her….. Helena smiled seeing her friends visiting her.
“How could you do that?!” Lia’s voice was sharp, filled with a fury. She stood at the foot of the bed, her fists clenched, “You almost sacrificed yourself! What were you thinking?”
“Seriously, girl, what’s wrong with your head?” Aria shook her head. She crossed her arms over her chest… she was dissatisfied with Helena almost sacrificing for others!
Before Helena could respond, Selene was there, sliding a soft scarf around Helena’s neck with tender hands as soon as arrived, “You’re really okay…” Selene murmured, her voice gentle…
Unlike the others, Selene knew. She knew that Helena would have died if not for Aether’s presence.
Helena holding the scarf, looked at her friends with an amused expression.
Meanwhile, the Principal quietly slipped out of the room, leaving the young women to their reunion. As she stepped into the corridor, her heart ached with the weight of what she had witnessed…. The academy, her sanctuary for nearly a millennium, lay in ruins around her, and the sight of it was almost too much to bear.
Only she knew the pain of this destruction!
The sounds of reconstruction filled the air as workers moved swiftly to repair the damage.
The Principal, her face a mask of calm, vanished from the corridor and reappeared in the meeting room, where five others waited, their expressions grim.
Taking her seat at the head of the long table, she fixed her gaze on Delphine. “Report.”
Delphine nodded, sliding a stack of documents across the table. The Principal took them, her eyes scanning the pages as the meeting began in earnest. The details were grim… casualties, injuries, structural damage. The numbers were stark, a cold reminder of the price they had paid.
As the meeting continued, tension hung thick in the air.
“P-Principal,” Alaric’s voice broke the silence, trembling slightly.
The Principal, absorbed in the documents before her, lifted her gaze to Alaric, her expression unreadable. She waited, her silence urging him to speak.
“I’m sorry… I was the one responsible, so I’ll inform the parents of the deceased students—” Alaric began, his voice heavy with guilt.
But before he could finish, the Principal’s voice cut through the room, sharp and unyielding. “And I am the one responsible for your actions, Mr. Alaric… You have failed!” Her tone was flat, devoid of any warmth or sympathy.
Alaric’s face drained of colour. Her words, though calm, felt like a blade to his heart. The distance between them, once filled with respect and understanding, now seemed insurmountable.
As the meeting neared its end, the Principal’s eyes narrowed, her voice low and dangerous. “Now, tell me, who informed Kennedy about the underground passage?” She set the documents down with a deliberate thud, her gaze bright with suspicion.
She used her aura pressure on the five professors who barely managed to keep their composure.
The underground passage was a closely guarded secret, known only to the Chosen Ones and…. the Representative Professors. Kennedy had no business knowing about it, which meant someone in this very room had betrayed their trust.
“W-We didn’t tell anyone!” one of them stammered, eyes wide with fear.
“P-Please… believe us!” another pleaded, voice shaking.
“I-It might have been one of the Chosen Ones!” a third suggested, grasping at straws, desperation clear in his tone.
The Principal’s gaze swept over them, cold and assessing, before she finally released the pressure, allowing them to breathe again. “And what of Kenley?” she asked.
“S-She is under investigation, Principal,” Delphine answered quickly, her voice steadying as she met the Principal’s gaze.
The Principal nodded, her expression thoughtful but stern, “Ensure that every necessary measure is taken during the investigation. Do not hesitate.”
Delphine nodded, understanding the weight of the command.
With a dismissive wave of her hand, the Principal sent them away, each assigned with tasks to repair the academy.
As the last of them filed out, the Principal remained behind, slowly skimming through the documents. Despite the heavy weight of responsibility she bore, her thoughts kept drifting back to Alaric. There was something about him that unsettled her….. a nagging doubt that refused to be silenced. After all, it was Alaric who had introduced Kennedy to the academy…
She knew pressuring them would not result good that’s why she just asked not to take sudden actions….
‘I need to keep an eye on him,’ she thought, flipping through the pages.
Her mind, however, kept returning to the tattoo she’d seen on Helena…. It was so familiar, but from where?
‘I’m certain I’ve seen it before…’ She frowned, racking her memory.
And then, her eyes fell on something in the documents that made her blood run cold.
“What the fuck!!” she shouted, slamming the documents down on the table. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared, reappearing in Kennedy’s laboratory.
The Principal blinked several times and saw…. Nothing.
She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, but when she looked again… still nothing!!!
The lab literally had nothing… no equipment, no furniture, not even a trace of the tables and chairs!! that had been there before.
It was fucking clean as new…. Just fucking four walls… not even curtains!!
Her face flushed with anger, a deep, boiling rage that turned her vision red. The cost of the equipment alone was in the millions—Zeniths, all gone, as if they had never existed.
“Did Kennedy destroy everything? Or….. did someone steal it?” she muttered.
Meanwhile, far from the academy…
“Madam, buy two Fire Artificial Crystals, and get a free table with it!
This offer is available only in our store, Hello beautiful madam!!… Only here!” A black-haired man wearing a rabbit mask called out in a cheerful voice, winking at the women passing by. His tone was playful, almost teasing, as he added, “But hurry, it’s available only today~”
[+1000 AP]
A woman giggled, her eyes sparkling with amusement, “Cute boy~ I’ll buy it… just for that cute lovely voice… I wonder what’s under the mask!”
“Oh! Thank you, young lady~” the man responded with a playful bow, his voice dripping with charm.
[+2000 AP]
The woman laughed, her cheeks flushing slightly as she bit her lip. “Haha… I’m not exactly a young lady, young man. I’m old enough to be your mother~”
“Mother? Oh, please don’t lie to me, young lady…” the black-haired man said with a teasing grin, his eyes dancing with mischief.
[+3000 AP]
“Haha… You’re quite the charmer, aren’t you?” the woman chuckled, clearly enjoying the flirtation. “But believe me, I’m a mother of two! So, what’s your name?” she asked, stepping closer, her tone suggestive.
“…Lackey”
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