However, since Seraphina was present, Dekalorin couldn’t say it outright. She could only offer a “solution”:
“Don’t worry. It doesn’t say Seraphina has to stand on the podium herself. Movira, isn’t your transformation magic quite powerful? It’s more than enough to fool everyone. You could just go in her place.”
By this point, she had basically shown her hand. She was only one step away from directly telling Movira that this was another perfect opportunity to grow closer. Fortunately, Movira finally caught on.
Seeing Movira’s expression gradually soften, Dekalorin added:
“We really can’t refuse now. The joint council will officially announce it the day after tomorrow. Also… there will be a rehearsal tonight, and Seraphina must attend. If we refuse, I won’t be able to explain it to the council or to the academy’s students! The news has already leaked.”
Seraphina looked at the appointment letter being held right in front of her, then at Dekalorin’s helpless expression. She felt a headache coming on. This was practically forcing a duck onto the perch!
But things had already reached this point… there didn’t seem to be any way out.
She couldn’t just let the academy and the students down… even if those “expectations” were largely exaggerated.
She tugged lightly on Movira’s sleeve. “Don’t be angry… Anyway, you’re still here, right…”
“Fine.” Movira sighed and reached out to accept the thin yet surprisingly “heavy” appointment letter.
Looking at Seraphina’s slightly pleading eyes and the hidden meaning in Dekalorin’s expression, the anger in Movira’s chest slowly dissipated.
But she was one hundred percent certain that this was all part of a trap Dekalorin had carefully designed!
“Dekalorin… you’ve really laid out quite the chess game! Making the Demon Realm’s Regent come to a human magic academy to be a professor—this kind of wicked taste is truly top-tier.”
“Hm?” Dekalorin didn’t get angry with Movira. Instead, she gave an example in response:
“What’s wrong with that? The Marianna Medical College next door has a hematology professor who happens to be one of your people. If I remember correctly, her name is Erasia, right!”
Movira: )
She did know about this matter. That period had been a time of easing tensions between humans and demons. The then-Saintess Dekalorin (or more accurately, Saint Dekalorin) had gone against strong opposition to arrange for Erasia, a member of the Bloodborn, to join that medical college.
After all, was there any race in this world more suited to studying hematology than the Bloodborn?
In a sense, Erasia had greatly advanced the development of human hematology.
“So everything was within your calculations?” Movira had introduced Seraphina with a similar goal in mind—repeating the same strategy.
“Hmm? Of course. And you don’t have to guess anymore. Ever since Saint Eustacia sent Seraphina to me, I had roughly predicted today’s situation. Well? Don’t you want to praise me for being ‘a master strategist’?”
Dekalorin replied through their magic channel while openly showing the triumphant look in her eyes to Movira.
“Get lost! Also, you want me to give the lecture… Isn’t this just fraud? As the academy’s top person in charge, you’re leading the charge in doing something like this… Tsk tsk…”
“Fraud? No, no, no. As long as there is actual knowledge being produced, it’s not fraud! Besides, don’t think I don’t know—you’ve definitely developed a revolutionary magic system!”
“Enough. You’ve seen the appointment letter, so it’s settled.” Dekalorin clapped her hands, cutting off the brief “silence.” A gleeful, trouble-loving smile returned to her face.
“The rehearsal starts this afternoon! Oh right, you two haven’t eaten yet, have you? I haven’t either. Let’s go together!”
The three of them headed to the academy’s cafeteria together. By now, the peak meal hour had passed, so the spacious dining hall was much quieter.
They picked up their food and sat down at a long table by the window. Just as they placed their trays on the table, a cool, elegant figure appeared not far away. Saint Eustacia scanned the room, her gaze landing precisely on their table. She then walked over with steady, graceful steps.
“Teacher.” She nodded first to Dekalorin, then glanced at Seraphina and Movira in greeting.
“You came at the right time. Have a seat.” Dekalorin patted the empty spot beside her.
Saint Eustacia sat down, holding herself straight and elegant. After silently taking a few bites with her utensils, she still couldn’t help looking toward Dekalorin.
“Teacher, I don’t understand why you would grant her… the position of professor. Her identity and current situation don’t seem suitable.”
Dekalorin was calmly cutting a piece of roasted meat. Without lifting her head, she replied in a relaxed tone, “You don’t understand? Then just don’t understand for now. The votes I cast will not be wrong.”
This nearly domineering statement left Saint Eustacia momentarily stunned. In the end, she swallowed her questions.
Movira noticed it as well. She keenly detected that the moment Saint Eustacia lowered her brows, the hand she kept under the table gently poked the back of Dekalorin’s hand. A soft, almost inaudible, slightly aggrieved mutter reached Movira’s ears. If not for her hearing being far superior to a normal person’s, she would never have caught it.
“Teacher is even speaking up for an outsider…”
Dekalorin, upon hearing it, patted the back of Saint Eustacia’s hand. “Be good. I have my own arrangements.”
This scene merely struck Movira as quite interesting. But when compared to the stark contrast between Dekalorin in the past and now, Saint Eustacia’s little complaint was hardly worth mentioning.
After the meal, the four of them stood up and left.
As they passed the long dessert table set up on one side of the dining hall, Saint Eustacia’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to it, and her steps slowed slightly.
Just as she was about to reach out, Dekalorin lightly tapped the back of her hand from behind.
“Ahem.” Dekalorin cleared her throat lightly, signaling Saint Eustacia to restrain herself.
Saint Eustacia quickly withdrew her hand, pursed her lips, let her gaze linger on the desserts for one more second, then reluctantly turned around and walked outside.
The conference hall was a massive and solemn building. Leading to the main venue was an extremely wide and tall corridor.
What stood out the most were the lifelike white marble statues neatly lined up on both sides of the corridor.
Each statue depicted a graceful woman wearing the Saintess’s robe. Their names and the years they had served were engraved on the bases.
Seraphina took in all of them with her eyes. Their one common feature was the sacred aura they all carried.