Chapter 51: A Secluded Dorm and a Majestic Castle

With his belongings in tow, Gern was led by Snow to a more secluded part of the dormitory area. The house beside a small forest, the scenery was quite pleasant.

“Is this my dorm?”

Gern looked at the secluded house with a hint of suspicion. The house was nestled right next to the forest, making it the furthest in the row of buildings.

Outside the small courtyard, an extra layer of protection had been added, seemingly to guard against beast attacks.

“Um… is this really safe?”

“Don’t just look at the outside. This was specially done to protect your privacy. Go inside and take a look.”

“Um…”

Gern eyed Snow warily, suspecting she might be planning to lock him up again.

“Okay, okay, go inside and settle in. I’ll be back to take you to an important place later.”

Seeing no unusual expression on Snow’s face, Gern cautiously entered the house.

His eyes fell upon a tidy living room, where a variety of furniture was neatly arranged. To ensure Gern could understand their purposes, each piece of furniture was labeled with a name, such as coffee table, sofa, television (crossed out) projection stone, curtains, toilet, and faucet, leaving Gern astonished.

*Slap*

He gave himself a slap, wondering if he had traveled through time, as he had only seen tables, coffee tables, beds, and cabinets before. The rest were unfamiliar to him.

He approached the projection stone cautiously, knowing it was paired with a reflection stone. When opened, it could display images from the other end.

The projection in the exam hall had worked on a similar principle.

Gern curiously fiddled with the device, not sure what he had pressed, when the projection stone suddenly displayed an image.

“Roasted sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, three for a silver coin.”

“Boss, are the insides gold or the skins gold?”

“I sell roasted sweet potatoes, would I cheat you?”

Gern’s mouth twitched at the dialogue, wondering where it had come from.

No, this projection stone seemed different from what he remembered.

Gern propped up his chin, pressing a button that changed the image to a different scene. A face appeared on the screen.

“Hey kid, wanna spar? Let me show you what it means to be in the top ten of the Genius List!”

Gern watched the projection stone, amazed at its capabilities, which seemed far beyond what he had imagined. It appeared to connect to the entire academy’s projection stones, allowing him to switch to different views with just a touch.

This revelation made Gern feel like his understanding of the world was crumbling. He couldn’t fathom how someone could use projection stones to such an extent.

…

Outside, Snow sat on a bench by the road, waiting. Her gaze swept across the road and caught sight of a golden figure.

It was Princess Lilia, who had quietly followed them. Knowing the relationship between Lilia and Gern, Snow immediately grasped her intentions.

“Miss, if you want to stay near him, talk to the teacher who arranges the dorms. I can keep watch for a bit. Hurry back.”

“Ah?”

Lilia’s eyes widened, surprised that her intentions had been guessed before she could speak. Feeling both embarrassed and shy, she managed to stammer,

“Th-thanks, Vice-Principal.”

After a brief farewell, Lilia hurried back. Snow watched her leave, recalling her own pursuit of the President, and shook her head with a smile.

Soon, Gern emerged from the dorm, visibly shaken and reluctant to leave.

Snow, seeing his expression, guessed what he had been doing.

“Did you enjoy the projection stone?”

“Cough… well… it was… it was okay.”

Gern scratched his head sheepishly, realizing he could have easily gotten lost in the projection stone’s wonders if not for their upcoming plans.

“There’s something even more impressive coming up. Want to see?”

“More impressive?”

Gern was puzzled, sensing a mischievous glint in Snow’s eyes, but curiosity got the better of him.

“What is it?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

“Okay…”

Seeing that Snow wasn’t going to reveal anything, Gern could only suppress his curiosity and follow her back the way they came.

As they passed by Gern’s dorm, Snow casually set up a restriction spell. The rest of the academy staff would handle the details, so she didn’t need to worry further.

Not long after they left, a group arrived, and the academy teacher led Lilia to the spot.

“I’ll confirm once more, do you want to choose this place?”

“Yes, yes, this is the one.”

Lilia nodded vigorously, pleased with the location near Gern’s dorm and the pleasant surroundings.

“Good… wait…”

The teacher noticed a restriction on the dorm door. Stepping closer, he quickly understood its meaning.

“Lilia, this is your dorm. This spot is a bit secluded, so feel free to let us know if you have any needs.”

Lilia raised an eyebrow, noticing the change in the teacher’s tone, which indicated that Vice-Principal Snow had left a message in the restriction.

In her heart, Lilia thanked Miss Snow, while outwardly, she greeted the teacher with a noble bow.

“Thank you, sir.”

…

At the heart of Theoviga Academy, a grand castle stood, and two figures descended from the sky.

Gern stared in awe at the sight before him, unable to speak. The castle was extraordinary, with an enormous footprint of about three kilometers, and its walls were towering and massive.

The walls were riddled with countless holes, each housing a magical launch device. Just the sight of these countless openings made Gern’s scalp tingle with unease.

If these were used to launch magic, what kind of terrifying spectacle would unfold?

Yet, this castle was situated at the very center of the academy, theoretically one of the safest places in the world. Why then, was it equipped with such dense magical launch points?

Gern didn’t ask Snow directly, but instead kept his question to himself, following her into the castle’s interior.

The castle’s interior was equally vast, with many stunningly beautiful women walking around. Upon seeing Gern, they all cast curious and surprised glances at him.

From within the crowd, a mature woman stepped forward. Her voluptuous figure and graceful movements exuded both allure and elegance. Her long, black hair cascaded naturally, and her narrow, alluring eyes contained a pair of black vertical pupils, with silver iris surrounding them.

These eyes enhanced her captivating presence, as if she could draw anyone into a dreamlike illusion at any moment.

Her gaze swept over Gern before settling on Snow.

“Vice-President, is this the new plaything you’ve brought for your sisters? It’s been ages since we had a man in the Witch’s Society.”