“Get lost, you filthy drunk!”
A voice filled with disgust rang out, accompanied by a heavy blow that sent the disheveled, liquor-soaked man sprawling into the filthy corner of the street.
The man didn’t care in the least. He staggered to his feet, took a few more swigs from his bottle, and continued on his way.
Across the street, two people watched the entire scene, speaking to each other in hushed voices:
“Look, I heard that guy used to be a tutor at Mills Academy, but he got kicked out.”
“Kicked out? Why?”
“How would I know? I just heard it had something to do with that big duel the other day. But the important part isn’t that he got kicked out, it’s that after he did, a lot of people came looking for him!”
“What do you mean? Kicking someone when they’re down?”
The first speaker shook his head:
“It’s not even kicking someone when they’re down. I heard that when he was a tutor, he would often scold and beat the students with poor magical talent. Those students ended up resenting him!”
“So after he got kicked out, they all came knocking, mocking and ridiculing him to their heart’s content!”
“Well, serves him right! If being a little weak in magic meant you’d get beaten, then for people like us with no magic talent at all, we probably wouldn’t even deserve to live, huh?”
“How could that be?” The other laughed at himself. “We couldn’t even get into Mills Academy in the first place.”
The two burst into laughter, their gazes toward Anderi full of mockery.
And just as they said, after being expelled from Mills Academy, Anderi became a stray dog.
The students who had once feared and resented him all came to seek him out, taking turns to jeer and ridicule him.
Only then did he realize just how many people hated him, only then did he truly feel how painful it was to be looked down on.
But he didn’t think any of this was his fault. The ones at fault were the Saintess, the entire Rose Knights!
If not for them, he’d still be the high and mighty tutor at Mills Academy, no one daring to defy him, let alone openly rebuke him in public!
Knock, knock, knock—
He tipped his head back and drained the last of his wine.
What a pity—now, he was nothing.
Without the title of tutor, he suddenly felt as if his life had lost all meaning.
So what if his magic was strong? He still couldn’t beat the Saintess, and couldn’t even get revenge.
“Get away from me, don’t touch me.”
A passerby, wrinkling his nose in disgust, shoved the drunken man away.
The words, sharp as sparks flying into a pan of oil, instantly ignited the smoldering fury deep in Anderi’s heart.
Kill him…
Kill him!
After all, his life was already ruined.
Why not kill this guy mocking him, and vent his rage a bit!
Clenching his fists, he quietly tailed the passerby. Just as he raised his hand, preparing to cast a spell, a cold hand gripped his wrist from behind.
He whirled around. The moment he saw who it was, his entire body trembled:
“…Vice Dean?”
“Come with me.”
The alcohol in Anderi’s system vanished in an instant. His heart skipped a beat. Why had the Vice Dean come for him? Had he somehow noticed the murderous intent just now?
He was extremely uneasy.
But just as he’d feared, the Vice Dean stopped in the depths of the alley, letting out a low, meaningful chuckle:
“Just now, were you planning to kill him?”
“I, I… No, I just, just wanted to teach him a lesson…”
Anderi stammered his explanation. He knew if the Vice Dean discovered his true intentions, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Unexpectedly, the Vice Dean only sighed:
“There’s no need to hide anything from me, Anderi. If you want to kill them, just say so. But honestly, I think it’s beneath you.”
Anderi froze.
“What do you mean?”
Patting his shoulder, the Vice Dean said:
“You were once a diligent tutor at our academy, responsible for nurturing countless outstanding students. To see you reduced to this… Even I can hardly bear it.”
“Killing those people is meaningless. It would only vent your anger for a moment. Anderi, don’t you want to kill those who truly brought you to this point?”
Like a bolt of lightning splitting the sky, Anderi stumbled back two steps, his voice quavering with fear: “You… you want me to kill the Saintess?!”
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of it—in fact, he dreamed of killing that Saintess. But the harsh reality always slapped him awake.
Kill the Saintess?
What could he possibly do to kill the Saintess?
He’d barely get close before his murderous intent was exposed, right?
It would be no different from throwing his life away.
Fortunately, the Vice Dean didn’t actually want him to kill the Saintess.
“No, the Saintess is sure to have many guards. You can’t kill her. But you can kill those Rose Knights.”
The Vice Dean adjusted his glasses, the lenses flashing with a cold light.
“You can do it, Anderi. You were a tutor, you must know a way.”
“But… but I’ll die, too…”
“When you tried to kill just now, did you think that if you’d really done it, you’d die as well? Anderi, stop lying to yourself. Living like this, how is it any different from being dead?”
With a cold laugh, he turned and clasped his hands behind his back.
“Of course, this is just my suggestion. If you really go through with it, I’ll find a way to keep you alive. If you’re unwilling, just pretend you never saw me today.”
“Anderi, I hope you make the smart choice.”
With that, he strode away, leaving Anderi alone in silence.
To do it, or not to do it?
This question coiled around his heart like a venomous serpent, refusing to let go.
What no one noticed was that not far away, on a tree branch, a single Crow stood, its crimson eyes taking in the whole scene.
……
In the Saintess’s resting room, a gentle knock sounded at the door.
Teresa pushed the door open and entered. When she saw Isavel at the desk, a look of “just as I thought” crossed her face.
Then, with a hint of a secretive smile, she slowly approached her step by step.
Isavel rubbed her temples, her tone weary:
“Teresa, it’s late. If you have something to say, say it quickly.”
“Saintess, your homework.”
Watching the girl hold out a scroll, Isavel gave a helpless smile.
Ever since Teresa had taken the role of tutor’s assistant, she’d truly started acting like Isavel’s own personal tutor, always coming to her with these sudden questions.
How did things end up so different from what she’d first imagined?
She’d wanted to be the kind of leader who could sit back and delegate everything!
“Bring it here.”
Though she was a bit unwilling, she never refused Teresa’s requests for help.
What she didn’t notice was that, after coming to her side, Teresa discreetly took a light sniff, the curve of her lips growing more pronounced.
Ah, dear Lady Isavel.
Why does the familiar scent of lavender clinging to you smell exactly like the fragrance on Lady Selis?
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