The academy entrance.
The grand white gates shimmered coldly under the moonlight.
The surrounding students had already dispersed, leaving only a few guards on patrol.
Cecilia had teleported back here.
The white dress she had personally torn during the battle and then reformed was now stained with dirt and grass, making her look somewhat disheveled.
Traces of undried tears and bloodstains remained on her small face.
She didn't care about any of that.
She pulled a small bottle of healing potion that emitted a holy glow from her bosom and downed it in one gulp.
The injuries within her body caused by the magic backlash healed rapidly under the potion's effect.
While it couldn't compare to her own high level healing magic, it was enough to restore her mobility.
Having finished this, she found a dark corner and waited quietly.
Waiting for that man to return her brother to her.
It wasn't long before Leovite Victor’s lazy figure appeared at the end of the street.
He was supporting Bell Lucas, with Lilian Carlyle following silently behind.
A flash of coldness flickered deep in Cecilia’s eyes, but it was immediately replaced by an innocent, worried, and anxious expression.
She rushed out from the corner, waving her hands vigorously toward them.
“Brother!”
Her voice was crisp and pleasant, yet carried a hint of a sob. She intentionally projected it loudly enough for the distant guards to hear clearly.
“Brother! Are you alright!”
Leovite Victor stopped in his tracks. He looked at the girl before him who had changed her face in an instant and raised an eyebrow with interest.
Intriguing.
“You actually dare show yourself before me again?” Leovite Victor met her, his words carrying a hint of undisguised mockery.
“Hmm? You are Professor Leovite, right?”
Cecilia tilted her head, her obsidian-like eyes filled with pure confusion and innocence.
“Cecilia doesn't understand what the professor is saying? I just got lost in the academy and couldn't find my brother anywhere. I was so worried...”
As she spoke, she looked anxiously at Bell Lucas, who was being supported by Leovite Victor. Her worried appearance was so authentic it was flawless.
Playing dumb.
A wise choice.
Leovite Victor sneered and let go of Bell Lucas.
He didn't care to play along with this brat’s acting.
“Fine, I’m giving him back to you.”
He waved his hand and turned to leave.
But at the moment he brushed past Cecilia, he suddenly stopped, leaned down, and whispered into her ear.
“If you dare act out again,” his voice was very light, so soft that only the wind could hear, “believe it or not, I will slice both you and your brother into mincemeat and throw you to the vultures in the Rune Mountains.”
It was a warning.
And a threat.
Having said his piece, Leovite Victor didn't linger. He slid his hands back into his pockets and leisurely vanished into the night.
Cecilia stood where she was, the innocent smile on her face freezing for a moment.
The vultures of the Rune Mountains loved eating the fresh hearts of mages the most.
This man knew far more than she had imagined.
But what of it?
She remained silent for a few seconds before switching back to her worried expression and running toward Bell Lucas.
“Brother!”
She reached out her small hand, wanting to support Bell Lucas’s other arm.
Bell Lucas’s body instinctively recoiled to the side, trying to avoid her touch.
A strong sense of nausea surged up from his stomach.
But he endured it.
He couldn't push her away.
He could feel the curious gazes of the guards not far away directed toward them.
He could only allow that small hand, which filled him with terror, to grab his arm.
Lilian Carlyle, standing on Bell Lucas’s other side, tensed every muscle in her body the moment Cecilia approached.
In her blood-red eyes, a beast-like ferocity and hostility were revealed without concealment.
Bell Lucas noticed.
He quickly shot a look at Lilian Carlyle.
Lilian Carlyle’s body paused for a moment before she withdrew all her killing intent, returning to her submissive and silent maid persona.
And so.
In the eyes of onlookers, it became a touching scene of sibling affection.
The young sister, accompanied by a new maid, carefully supported her “injured” brother from both sides as they walked back to the dormitory.
It was heartwarmingly moving.
The road back to the dormitory wasn't long.
But to Bell Lucas, it felt like walking on a mountain of blades leading to hell; every step was an ordeal.
Cecilia’s small hand gripped his arm tightly. The soft sensation felt hotter than a branding iron.
Lilian Carlyle silently supported his other side. The faint scent of blood on her, mixed with the sickly sweet milky fragrance on Cecilia, formed an odor that made Bell Lucas want to vomit.
Finally.
They reached the Terra House dormitory building.
Bell Lucas’s room was on the second floor.
He took out his key and opened the door.
The three of them walked inside.
Click.
The moment the door was closed.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly dropped to the freezing point.
“Brother, I was wrong.”
Cecilia let go of Bell Lucas’s hand and lowered her head. Her two fair fingers nervously twisted the hem of her dress.
She looked like a pitiful little girl who had done something wrong and was waiting for a parent’s punishment.
She didn't look at Bell Lucas.
Nor did she look at Lilian Carlyle.
She just kept her head down, apologizing in a small voice filled with grievance and unease, her tone carrying a hint of a sob.
Bell Lucas didn't speak.
He simply walked to the chair in the center of the room and slowly sat down.
Every muscle in his body screamed with exhaustion and pain.
Lilian Carlyle, like a proper shadow, silently stood behind Bell Lucas with her head lowered, not saying a word.
A deathly silence fell over the room.
Only Cecilia’s suppressed, faint sobbing echoed in the air.
After a long time.
Seeing that Bell Lucas made no move, Cecilia reached out her small hand and grasped his finger.
“Don't be mad anymore, Brother.”
Rate on N.U.
