novelinnhs Chapter 116 - 152- Duchess Kassidy’s frustratiom
Chapter 116 - 152- Duchess Kassidy’s frustratiom
"I mean, why do you, as a girl, choose to dress like a boy?"
Mei exclaimed, causing Diana’s eyes to widen in surprise. She couldn’t understand how Mei easily guessed her identity.
’Thank goodness she wasn’t loud,’ Diana thought, feeling a sense of relief as she noticed others being busy with their tasks.
It helped her to calm down.
"Can we discuss this later?" Diana tried to postpone the conversation, hoping to talk with Mei after classes.
"Oh, sure, why not," Mei responded, leaning back slightly and straightening up in her seat.
Suddenly remembering something, Mei turned towards Diana and said, "By the way, I’m Mei," offering her hand for a handshake.
Diana’s attention shifted to Mei upon hearing her voice and seeing her extended hand.
She felt inexplicable emotions welling up within her as she had always portrayed herself as a boy and struggled to interact comfortably with either a boy or a girl.
"Yours?" Mei looking at Diana’s gaze which was fixed on her hand before turning to meet her face, waited patiently.
Diana’s sapphire blue eyes reflected the image of a smiling brown-haired girl, causing Diana to smile in return. "It’s Diana," she said, offering her hand for a handshake. Both of them broke into giggles afterward.
Tap Tap
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps drew everyone’s attention towards the classroom door.
Alisia Quintain entered first, exuding a confident aura that captivated everyone’s gaze. She took a seat followed by her subordinate, Jenny.
However, unlike the previous day, Alisia’s attention wasn’t diverted from Zeph; instead, her gaze drifted towards a particular direction, meeting the back of the same boy.
Despite lacking any intuitive ability, Alisia felt that something about him seemed different today.
Her reason?
Information from third-year students about a golden-eyed boy accompanying Estelle Collins.
This wasn’t just about him lifting her; the issue lay in Estelle allowing him to do so.
Estelle was known among third-years for her haughty personality, often referred to as a tyrant, and her notorious rivalry with Alisia.
Alisia kept observing him as he appeared occupied, attempting to discern something. ’Is he a child?’ Her pink eyes captured Thalia drawing on his wrist while he calmly allowed her to do so, leaving Alisia perplexed. "Why isn’t he reacting?"
Normally, Zeph would display his dissatisfaction in such situations, but now he seemed notably calmer to her.
....
Seated there, Zeph’s eyes alternated between the drawing being created and the girl crafting it.
Despite feeling embarrassed, seeing her so engrossed, he allowed her to continue. "What are you doing, Thalia?" he inquired.
"Don’t disturb me," Thalia responded, feeling distracted by his words, her attention solely focused on her drawing.
As Bruce entered, he made his way directly to the first bench to greet Zeph, feeling humiliated by the events of the previous day.
"How are you, Zephyr Liander?" he asked, finding it somewhat entertaining to engage with the man before him.
Zeph, already bored due to Thalia’s actions, formed a smile tinged with mockery. "Fine, I liked the toilet plunger very much," he replied.
Bruce’s anger surged, evident in the bulging of his vines and the fiery glare aimed at Zeph. The sight of Zeph’s smile only heightened Bruce’s fury.
"Zephyr!" Bruce attempted to shout at Zeph but was abruptly interrupted by a voice from behind.
"Move aside, you piece of shit."
Turning toward the voice, Bruce saw a woman with furrowed brows and anger etched on her face.
"What’s up, Jia?" Bruce’s gaze shifted down to the girl pointing her fingers at his chest.
He couldn’t help but curse inwardly at the presence of this tail of tyrant.
Observing the young girl before him, he couldn’t help but associate her with one figure—Estelle Collins.
Dia, Estelle’s subordinate, shared a haughty personality that perfectly complemented Estelle’s, and Zeph knew if the tail was present, the head wouldn’t be far behind.
"S-so, where’s Estelle?" He forced a big smile, revealing his teeth marked with the purple stains of Diana’s cooking from the previous day—a treat he consumed in the bathroom, courtesy of Chrono.
"It’s amusing that even insignificant ants are beginning to call my name so casually." A melodious yet cold voice pierced through the bustling atmosphere of the classroom, causing Bruce to break into a sweat.
"I-I was kidding, Estelle," Bruce stammered, but she ignored him, moving directly to her seat in front of Alisia, dismissing his attempts to engage with her.
"Come, Dia, leave that for another time," Estelle said calmly as she took her seat, motioning for her assistant to join her.
Dia, giving death glares to Bruce, complied, though he kept avoiding her gaze.
"You’re lucky today, or else," she warned Bruce, snapping her fingers in front of him before turning toward Estelle.
She couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Zeph, noticing a slight smile on his face. This sight made her grit her teeth. ’You wait, bastard.’
Dia was already aware of the humiliation Estelle had endured because of Zeph’s actions and was devising strategies to deal with him.
Meanwhile, Zeph shifted his focus to his plan to save the girl who was about to face Monsters in an upcoming test within a week.
To others, it will seem like a standard test involving monster attacks causing a student’s distress.
However, the girl’s abilities differed significantly from what was detailed.
Her known abilities involved conversing with animals, but unknown to others, she possessed awakening abilities that made her distinct.
Without those awakening abilities, someone with just a small ability to talk to animals, would have never gained a Class A position.
In reality, the girl possessed the ability not only to converse with animals but also with Monsters, making her abilities highly sought after in the «Heroes CounterAttack»
While talking couldn’t tame Monsters, bargaining with them was possible, offering something in exchange for tasks such as causing a controlled rampage by providing food, thereby making incidents seem accidental.
These were among the applications devised by Zeph himself.
"Hey, Rihane!" A cheerful voice caught Zeph’s attention, and he noticed a girl waving at Rihane seated on back bench before heading in that direction.
Observing her, Zeph immediately identified Laila Morphius as one of the girls frequently seen with Rihanne Valhale.
A cheerful girl who sacrificed herself to save her friends while diverting monsters rampant direction.
"Zeph, what happened?" Thalia’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He smiled, replying, "Nothing, you continue with your destruction."
" Y-you?!", Thalia pinched him lightly, to which he pretended to feel pain," Ouch"
Meanwhile, a girl with blonde hair observed Zeph and Thalia’s interactions.
Seeing them behaving differently than usual, Alora concluded, ’They are together,’ realizing that the boy now had a vulnerability.
Already feeling humiliated from the previous day, she aimed to teach him a lesson by utilising that same weakness.
.
.
.
.
Far from the Academy’s grounds lay the Liander Duchy, encompassing a vast estate.
Within one of the mansions, a woman sat surrounded by numerous documents, her every tap on the desk causing the servants standing nearby to shiver in fear.
"So, you’re saying the girl vanished into thin air." Her cold, golden eyes fixed on the servants, demanding an explanation for Lily’s disappearance from the mansion premises while she was on her way to meet King Vendal.
"N-no, Madam, the young miss vanished after I gave her milk to drink," one maid explained, filled with anxiety and fear.
"Are you kidding me!?" Enraged, Kassidy threw a pen stand towards the maid’s face, prompting her to reflexively shield herself with her hands.
"Kyaa~!!" The maid screamed in anticipation of the pain from the thrown object.
"You acted on a whim without properly checking the room," Kassidy remarked with evident frustration, glaring at the maid who had closed her eyes, still holding the pen stand in her hand.
Every servant averted their gaze, initially anticipating the maid being hit by the thrown object.
Realizing it was a test, they now regretted their expectations, knowing the repercussions they would face.
"Any news from Order?", Kassidy sought information from the Order’s side, her frustration compounded by the recent battle at the duchy’s borders against a demon general, resulting in her fall in rankings within the Obsidian Order.
Perplexed by the lack of response from the Obsidian Order, she had dispatched the remaining two shadows back to their headquarters to establish contact with them.
"They still haven’t come," her butler informed her, expressing concern about the two Shadows whose whereabouts remained unknown.
"Damn it, what’s happening here?" Kassidy muttered to herself.
"Contact Zeph through a letter. Ask him for more mana crystals. Also, mention that Vendal Kingdom has not accepted the deal and requested more of our products to showcase to other kingdoms."
"We understand, Madam," the butler replied before departing, followed by the rest of the maids.
Kassidy glanced at the departing figure of those people.
Her hand moved toward the lower section of her working desk, retrieving a small, intricate ring-shaped artifact.
She put it on and turned towards one of the mirrors inside her office, placing the ring on the surface of the mirror, causing it to shimmer and tremble like the surface of water.
"So, you’re still at the Academy, my son."