Chapter 94: A Day Off Interrupted

Early that clear morning, Gern lay leisurely outside his dormitory’s small courtyard.

He watched the rye growing in the vegetable patch, a subtle sense of contentment blooming within him.

Today was a day of rest, so he intended to stay home, tinker in the garden, and perhaps delve into potion research.

As for Lilia, ever since she’d damaged the classroom yesterday, she had been confined to face the wall in contemplation.

She would likely remain there for two more days before being released. Aivia, that annoying girl, was similarly locked away.

Therefore, no one would disturb him today.

Dong dong dong~

Just then, a knock sounded at the main gate. Gern instantly leaped from the bench, his gaze wavering with a mix of surprise and uncertainty towards the door.

‘Had Lilia been released?’

‘No way, right?’

Gern swallowed, tiptoeing to the gate. Through the observation window, he saw a girl in a white dress standing outside.

“Is Gern home, please?”

At the sound of the voice, Gern’s suspended heart instantly settled. It was Eliza.

‘Wait, it’s a day off. Why is she looking for me?’

“Miss Eliza, is there something you need from me?”

“I was entrusted by the Vice Dean to bring you to the Witch Guild.”

Hearing this, Gern breathed a sigh of relief.

“Alright, please wait a moment while I get ready.”

“Mhm.”

The silver-haired girl standing outside the door nodded, then settled onto a small chair beside the courtyard wall.

She stared blankly at the clean, tidy street, her mind replaying the various details of her encounter with Gern that day.

From her perspective, Gern’s true identity had always been shrouded in mystery.

She had first mistaken him for a Heretic God Cultist, only for him to later rescue her from the very Heretic God Cult.

Considering his various actions, it was clear he couldn’t be a member of the Heretic God Cult.

Later, he was highly regarded by the Witch Guild leader. Since Eliza had known the Witch Guild leader, she had never seen her take such an interest in anyone.

All signs indicated that Gern’s identity was certainly extraordinary.

She had even speculated that Gern was the illegitimate child of the Witch Guild leader and some man, who, after certain events, had temporarily had to pose as a Heretic God Cultist.

Eventually, he would find his true family and return to his rightful lineage.

Eliza couldn’t help but admire her own wild theory, though these were merely her imaginings. After all, the Witch Guild leader didn’t even like men.

Just as Eliza’s mind was wandering, the main gate suddenly opened, and Gern, now neatly dressed, emerged.

“Shall we go, Miss Eliza?”

“Mhm, let’s go.”

Eliza nodded, her face betraying no unusual expression, as if everything were perfectly normal.

Yet, deep within Eliza’s heart, she felt an increasing resemblance between Gern’s aura and that of someone she knew.

As they walked, Eliza could no longer suppress her curiosity.

“Little Luoya?”

“Hmm? What?”

“Nothing. Let’s go.”

Eliza, walking ahead, occasionally glanced back, but found nothing unusual about Gern.

‘Did I guess wrong?’ She furrowed her delicate brows, wondering whether to probe Gern further.

Meanwhile, Gern was also a little perplexed. Logically, he shouldn’t have exposed his identity as Luoya in front of Eliza.

‘Was my acting too poor, making me discovered?’

Each harboring their own thoughts, they continued to walk, subtly probing the other, hoping to glean some information.

However, after walking the entire way, neither of them managed to obtain any useful intelligence.

Their journey had reached its end. Eliza stood at the Witch Guild’s entrance and bowed slightly to Gern.

“Well, Student Gern, I’ll see you off here. Someone should be inside to meet you.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Gern nodded his thanks, then turned and stepped into the castle.

Eliza watched his retreating figure; the more she looked, the more it overlapped with the image embedded in her memory.

However, she felt not the slightest fluctuation of dragon race secret techniques from Gern, which caused her firm conviction to waver slightly.

‘Oh, forget it. Little Luoya is also at the academy anyway. I’ll just go ask her someday.’

‘Hmm… where does Little Luoya live, though? I don’t recall seeing her on new student orientation day.’

****

The moment Gern entered the castle, he felt countless gazes converge upon him.

He looked up to find witches in various garments, their auras unfathomably profound.

“Oh my, the little brother is here again? Come, come to big sister’s side.”

A beautiful woman with nine fox tails behind her beckoned Gern with a finger. Her perfect curves exuded an alluring charm, seemingly capable of drawing one’s very consciousness into its depths.

Gern’s body shivered, and he quickly stepped back two paces, maintaining his mental clarity against her influence.

The fox woman raised an eyebrow slightly, not having anticipated that Gern could resist her alluring power.

“Interesting, little brother, you really make me…”

Before the fox woman could finish her sentence, a black shadow flickered past, and in the blink of an eye, Gern vanished from his spot.

“Hey! Selina! What’s the rush? I wasn’t done playing!”

“Sorry, he’s my experimental subject.”

The black shadow left only that single remark before completely disappearing down the end of the corridor, leaving the fox woman to stomp her foot in frustration.

****

Meanwhile, on another side of the academy, a girl in a dark-colored dress once again arrived at that small shop.

“Good day, Miss.”

Mina nodded to the two fox ladies at the entrance, then entered the small shop.

The shop was unusually lively today, filled with young couples browsing clothes. The atmosphere within was quite intimate.

Mina, of course, wasn’t there for such romantic distractions. She merely cast a fleeting glance at them before heading upstairs.

The second floor of the shop was also more crowded than usual, mostly with girls. After all, the items sold on the second floor were often quite private, and many young girls felt too awkward to bring others along.

Mina navigated past the display shelves and arrived at the door of a small room, where she gently knocked three times.

Immediately, the door opened, and a head poked out.

“Your Highness, you’re here! Please, come in, come in!”

Jenny welcomed Mina inside, then firmly shut the door.

“Speak, why have you called me here this time?”

Jenny drew the curtains behind her and cast several soundproofing spells within the room before finally speaking slowly.

“Your Highness, something has happened in the kingdom.”

“Oh? What happened in the kingdom?” Hearing this news, Mina’s heart leaped into her throat.

“I just received news today: the kingdom’s First Prince has been abducted by the Serpentfolk.”

“Upon receiving the news, the King, in a fit of fury, dispatched a large army to subjugate the Serpentfolk. Unfortunately, they were ambushed, and the King is now critically ill.”

“The Second and Fourth Princes are currently vying for the throne, plunging the kingdom’s interior into utter chaos.”

“What?!” Mina slammed the table, her fox eyes widening dramatically. Her earlier alluring charm vanished, replaced only by shock and fury.

“Your Highness, this news is true. The kingdom is in disarray. You still have an elite troop stationed there. Please return to take charge of the overall situation.”