Chapter 45: The Dean’s Gambit

Dean Yu Qinglan suddenly grew solemn, his words carrying an invisible, commanding presence:

“So then, Classmate Su, Classmate Ye, are you two truly together now?”

The air in the office instantly solidified.

Without a word, all three straightened their backs, as if the tea party had abruptly transformed into a rigid classroom session.

Witnessing this sudden shift, Ye Xingchen couldn’t help but inwardly marvel.

Truly, he was worthy of his position as the Starlight Academy’s Dean; one who could firmly hold such a seat.

While his strength might not be exceptional, his wisdom was undeniably profound.

In the short span of their lighthearted conversation, he had likely already discerned the truth and obtained the answers he sought.

Indeed, when dealing with those skilled in deception, he had been too focused on Su Liyue moments ago, forgetting to maintain the necessary distance.

Su Liyue raised her clear, limpid eyes:

“I wonder what exactly the Dean wishes to ask?”

Her voice was soft, yet imbued with a perfectly measured bewilderment, flawlessly portraying the docile demeanor of a top student answering a teacher’s inquiry.

‘If the opponent made no move, neither would she.

Since the Dean was playing coy, she would naturally play along.

After all, whoever spoke first in such a situation would likely be at a disadvantage.’

The Dean looked at the seemingly innocent maiden before him, suddenly feeling as though he were clashing with an old politician in the assembly hall.

He let out a soft sigh, ‘Truly, times had changed, or perhaps he had simply grown old.

These young girls were no longer so easy to fool.’

He tapped his magic staff on the desk, unfolding a soundproof barrier.

“I’m sure you both already understand why I’ve called you here today, so I won’t beat around the bush.”

The gilded tea set automatically receded to a corner.

In its place appeared a parchment scroll, shimmering with magical radiance.

The scroll clearly recorded the magical fluctuation data from their training on the sports ground.

Several peak readings were conspicuously marked with the words, ‘Suspected Spatial Magic.’

“Regarding your familiars… this situation is unprecedented even within the entire Aetherland Empire.

Its significance might even rewrite the academy’s familiar-training curriculum.”

The Dean’s fingertip traced the images of the phoenix and the flying sword on the scroll.

Suddenly, a teacup tilted with a soft ‘clink’.

The spilled tea water outlined Duke Xiao’s family crest on the table.

The Dean added with profound significance:

“Especially… now that certain influential figures have also begun to take notice.”

Su Liyue carefully savored Dean Yu Qinglan’s words.

These words clearly held a hidden meaning.

They not only highlighted the crux of today’s discussion but also subtly alluded to Duke Xiao’s involvement.

Through her earlier reverse reasoning, Su Liyue already had an answer in her heart.

The Dean’s words were not only probing the background of the master behind her—after all, Ye Xingchen had long spread rumors of having a powerful master—but also hinted that he and Duke Xiao had already made contact and exchanged information.

Given Duke Xiao’s status and position, even if he came to apologize, he would surely consider his reputation.

After consulting with the Dean, having the Dean probe the situation first was undoubtedly the optimal strategy.

This allowed for both advance and retreat, and also ensured the matter could be perfectly resolved at the most opportune moment.

‘However, these deductions were all based on superficial information.

If all of this was a deliberate illusion created by Dean Yu Qinglan, then wouldn’t following his line of thought lead her astray?

After all, he had just inferred so much about the three of them merely from a simple act of drinking tea.

Who knew if he harbored even deeper schemes?’

“Dean, regarding spatial magic, I’ve always wanted to consult you about it.

After all, the academy library’s collection on spatial and temporal magic is truly sparse, making it quite difficult for me to comprehend.

As for Ye Xingchen…”

Su Liyue looked at Ye Xingchen, who sat beside her.

“You know he’s an attribute-less alchemy fanatic; spatial magic and such isn’t really his thing.”

“As for you mentioning Duke Xiao’s interest in this matter…”

Su Liyue lightly tapped her chin, feigned confusion, blinking her eyes:

“Is it perhaps because his son was suddenly ‘accidentally injured’?”

She intentionally emphasized the last few words, a flicker of cunning gleaming in her eyes.

Dean Yu Qinglan raised his magic staff slightly, and a crystalline orb materialized out of thin air.

Within the orb, a scene clearly played out: Duke Xiao, his face dark, scolding Xiao Qicai.

The young noble clutched his bruised lip, appearing utterly disheveled.

“Regarding Xiao Qicai’s offensive conduct, Duke Xiao will personally come to apologize later.”

The Dean’s tone suddenly shifted:

“However, this matter of spatial fluctuations… given your current magical proficiency, it’s truly beyond your reach, unless—”

He drew out the final syllable with profound meaning, his cloudy eyes suddenly sharpened:

“—you have a powerful spatial magic master standing behind you?”

“From afternoon classes until now, only a few short hours have passed.

Yet, the Duke’s mansion not only received the news but was also able to rush to the academy to apologize with the utmost speed…”

“This speed of information transmission and crisis management—who else but an immensely powerful spatial magic master could achieve this?”

His gaze was like a torch, sweeping back and forth between Su Liyue and Ye Xingchen, that look clearly conveying: ‘Stop pretending; this is undoubtedly your master’s doing.’

Seeing their silence, the old Dean suddenly let out a low chuckle.

“The Starlight Phoenix is a familiar recorded in ancient texts.

While dual contracts are rare, they are still considered plausible.

However…”

The tip of his staff abruptly pointed to the sword at Su Liyue’s waist:

“This sword, which flies autonomously and acts as if alive, you wouldn’t actually try to claim… it’s a product of alchemy, would you?”

As if to confirm his words, Qizai, by Su Liyue’s side, suddenly vibrated with a soft ‘zheng’.

Its sword tassel swayed without a breeze.

Yu Qinglan, seeing this, said:

“While I, this old man, may not know the full picture of everything, but if one considers the master behind you, capable of traversing the void…”

He deliberately left his sentence unfinished, allowing the suspense to ferment amidst the aroma of tea.

This was the greatest characteristic of intelligent individuals: they would always complete the full logical chain themselves.

Sometimes, little guidance was even necessary; with just a few disclosed pieces of information, they could deduce the answer they believed to be true and convince themselves.

Though Su Liyue maintained a perfectly measured expression of surprise on the surface, in the depths of his mind, Ye Xingchen had already discerned the Dean’s true intentions through telepathy.

This perfectly echoed the ancient saying: ‘Those involved are confused, while bystanders see clearly.’

A truly brilliant Qimen Dunjia (TL Note: An ancient Chinese divination method involving metaphysical strategic alignments) strategist aims to make their opponent unknowingly step into a meticulously designed trap.

Only by doing so could one firmly hold the position of an emperor’s central palace, silently controlling the entire situation, and creating advantages for their own benefit.

“So—now can you confess your true relationship?” Dean Yu Qinglan said, looking at the two of them.

The office suddenly grew so quiet that the faint rustle of Qizai’s sword tassel could be heard.

The old Dean leaned back against his leather chair, utterly confident.

He was certain he had unravelled the most crucial layer of their disguise.

After all, he had even deduced the trump card of a ‘powerful spatial magic master’; what more could these two youngsters possibly hide?

Su Liyue gazed at her black tea, somewhat lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Ye Xingchen maintained a perfectly measured silence, as if weighing the significance of every single word.