Helos faced this completely unfamiliar man, a flicker of alertness flashing in her eyes.
Her pale purple eyes narrowed slightly, her body unconsciously tensing a little.
The frustration from just being “lectured” by her sister hadn’t fully dissipated, and now this suspicious character had appeared out of nowhere.
Not only had he accurately called out her full name, but the way he looked at her felt… strange.
Like an alchemist spotting rare experimental material.
This gaze instinctively made her feel uneasy.
Gavi silently stepped half a pace forward, shielding most of Helos’s body behind her.
Her dark dress, tattered from the explosion, hadn’t been changed yet. Her metal arm was hidden in her sleeve, and the light points in her eye sockets were firmly locked onto the man.
If this man made even the slightest suspicious move, she would attack immediately.
However, despite the alarm bells ringing in her mind, driven by the instincts honed by three years of Teacher Lilith’s “devil training,” Helos forcibly suppressed her wariness.
She maintained her ladylike seated posture, only slightly raising her head to give a polite nod in the man’s direction, acknowledging his greeting.
Her movement was minimal and carried obvious defensiveness.
The man didn’t seem to mind her coolness, nor was he deterred by the dangerous aura emanating from Gavi.
He nervously pushed the thick glasses on the bridge of his nose, his gaze quickly sweeping over the surrounding benches and trees.
There weren’t many students on the lawn at dusk anyway, and with Eleanor just having left, it was practically just the two of them, master and servant.
After confirming no one else was eavesdropping nearby, he seemed to relax, then leaned in another step.
He cleared his throat softly, leaning forward slightly, and asked her in a deliberately lowered, hoarse whisper:
“Classmate, that earth-shattering big explosion at the Testing Grounds this afternoon… was that your doing?”
Hearing this, Helos froze completely.
Her pale purple eyes widened sharply, her mind going blank in an instant.
How did he know?!
Helos’s heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.
She had absolutely no idea how to answer.
Admit it?
She had no clue about this man’s intentions.
With his mysterious and secretive manner, was he a teacher from the Academy, or some villain who’d caught wind of something and wanted to extract information?
As her father, Eisende, had once sternly warned her, her words and actions now represented the face of the Olivias Family.
She’d just pulled off an earth-shattering stunt at the Testing Grounds today, nearly blasting the Academy’s Barrier to pieces.
Although Dean Finalais, for Christ’s sake, had been lenient and just sent the bill to her brother, this incident was definitely already noted by the Academy’s higher-ups.
If this man was here to hold her accountable, wouldn’t admitting it now be like walking right into a trap?
No, she absolutely could not cause any new trouble for her family and brother.
Seeing the young girl fall silent before him, coupled with the wariness in those purple eyes, the man hurriedly raised both hands high, indicating he carried no weapons. He squeezed out an expression he thought was friendly, but which to Helos looked more like a silly grin.
“Ah, don’t be nervous! I mean no harm!”
His voice rose slightly with urgency but he quickly realized it was inappropriate and immediately lowered it again:
“I truly mean no harm, I’m just here… to confirm something.”
The man seemed somewhat inarticulate, gesturing incoherently:
“I happened to be near the Smelting Center this afternoon and accidentally witnessed that tremendously powerful explosion! The commotion was simply… magnificent!”
Magnificent?
Hearing this adjective, Helos felt even more weirded out.
Was there something wrong with this guy’s head?
“I… I initially thought it was some magic department student testing a spell that nearly punched through the barrier,”
the man continued excitedly.
“But I later inquired and found out this explosion wasn’t caused by magic, but by an alchemy item! And, I also heard that the one who caused this ruckus seems to be a freshman who just enrolled not long ago!”
“Freshman… alchemy item… tremendously powerful…”
“That freshman should be… no, it must be you! Miss Olivias!”
He muttered to himself, staring intently at Helos with those frighteningly bright eyes, as if he had already confirmed it.
“So, I’m actually here on behalf of the Academy alchemy association, to invite you to join the association!”
The man finally stated his true purpose.
“The alchemy association?”
Helos was stunned again. “There’s a club like that in the Academy?”
“Exactly!”
The man nodded emphatically, the fanaticism on his face not diminishing but increasing.
“My name is Graham. I’m an alchemy instructor at the comprehensive research academy and also the guarantor for the Academy alchemy association!”
He seemed to realize only then that he hadn’t introduced himself and hurriedly added:
“You just enrolled, so you might not know much yet. Our alchemy association is one of the oldest, and also the most… most research-spirited associations in the Academy.”
Professor Graham’s voice noticeably dropped at the end, seeming somewhat lacking in confidence.
He quickly cleared his throat, rallying his spirits again:
“Ahem, that’s not important! What’s important is, we’ve gathered all the Academy’s most passionate alchemy geniuses!”
“For example, your roommate, classmate Agatha, she’s researching that groundbreaking ‘liquid explosives’! Although she’s already blown up her laboratory seventeen times, her spirit is truly commendable!”
Helos fell silent.
Now she kind of wanted to pretend she didn’t know Agatha.
The way this guy talked, it sounded like blowing up labs was some glorious achievement?
“And you!”
Professor Graham’s gaze focused on Helos again, that fanaticism almost becoming tangible.
“A freshman, capable of creating such a tremendously powerful alchemy bomb! No matter what, you must be a very talented person! No, you’re simply a once-in-a-century alchemy prodigy!”
“A talent like you, how can you be buried! You naturally belong in our alchemy association!”
After saying this, perhaps because he spoke too quickly, he couldn’t help but catch his breath slightly.
Helos stared at him blankly, momentarily unsure how to react.
She had originally thought she was facing a severe interrogation, but never expected to receive such an “enthusiastic” membership invitation instead.
The shift in tone was way too abrupt!
“Professor Graham, is it?”
Helos forced herself to calm down and asked tentatively:
“You’re inviting me to join the association… won’t the Academy have any objections? After all, I just today…”
“Ah, don’t worry about such trivial matters!”
Graham waved his hand dismissively. “As long as you’re willing, I’ll pull you in no matter what!”
He pushed his glasses up, revealing an “I understand you” smile.
“Besides, which member of your Olivias Family hasn’t caused a few big commotions in the Academy?”
“When your brother Christ was researching high-level flame magic back then, he nearly blew up the Archives! Compared to yours today, that was child’s play!”
Helos decided to retract her earlier self-reproach about her brother receiving the bill.
So it turns out we Olivias Family members all have a talent for “demolition”?
Professor Graham’s tone became earnest:
“So, you don’t need to feel any psychological pressure, and you don’t need to give me an answer right away. After all, our alchemy association’s activity location is in the deepest part of the Smelting Center. If you’re willing, you can come find me anytime.”
“Our alchemy association’s resources, while not abundant, are absolutely the best in the entire Academy! Once you join, we can definitely help you advance further!”
As he spoke, he pulled out from his chest a seemingly ordinary brass badge, engraved only with patterns of gears and flasks, and pressed it into Helos’s hand.
“This is the association’s token. With it, you can freely enter and exit the Smelting Center.”
After saying this, Graham seemed to have completed some major task, letting out a relieved sigh.
He didn’t give Helos another chance to speak, just gave her an encouraging smile, then turned and, humming an off-key little tune with his somewhat unsteady gait, disappeared around the bend in the path, as if he’d just come for an ordinary “academic exchange.”
Helos sat there dumbfounded, clutching the brass badge still warm from his body heat.
Only after the man’s messy back completely vanished did she slowly turn her head to look at Gavi, who had remained silent the entire time.
She blinked her pale purple eyes and asked instinctively:
“Well, Gavi, what do you think?”
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I think he’s crazy