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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 136
"Hey, are you crazy?"
"I'm not crazy."
She growled as she grabbed my neck, seemingly baffled by the situation unfolding before her.
"Do you have any idea how far the Imperial Academy is? And now you're suddenly telling me to re-enroll?! You three-legged octopus bastard!"
"Ugh. You’re so damn loud. Just like a wild deer. Follow me."
I immediately dragged her along to the location where I had set up a gate.
"What is this place? I've never seen this door before."
"Go inside."
She hesitated, full of suspicion, refusing to step forward.
Annoyed, I pulled out a flash artifact from my pocket.
Only then did she grimace and push the door open.
"Go in, close it, and then open it again."
She followed my instructions in silence.
After about five minutes of stillness, she suddenly burst through the door in a panic.
"Hey... Hey?! What is this?!"
"What do you think? It's your new commute route."
"......"
"When the next semester starts, just go. No complaints."
"But I’m busy—!?"
She stammered, flustered.
So I played my trump card.
"This is what our father wanted. Now that the family affairs are settled, you should start doing what you want to do."
"......"
Finally, she calmed down.
I ruffled her hair before walking past her.
"Professor Rommel helped a lot. You should at least thank him. If you need anything, I’ll take care of it."
She said nothing.
* * *
After Leon handed her the official re-enrollment confirmation, Melissa spent the next few days in a state of confusion.
She knew Leon had been plotting something, but she never imagined he would go all the way to the Imperial Academy to pull off a scheme like this.
If Leon had been an ambitious man, she might have assumed that he was finally aiming for the position of family head.
But Leon showed no interest in the role whatsoever.
If that was just an act, she would have to admit it was an impressive one.
"...Ha… What in the world is going on…?"
She stepped through the strange, mind-bending doorway, and before she knew it, her old dormitory room greeted her as if no time had passed.
To be honest, she was both surprised and pleased.
She had thrown in her leave of absence and left the academy in a rush upon learning about the state of her family.
Yet, despite her absence, the dormitory had been well maintained, clean, and tidy.
She smiled.
She had thought she'd never see this place again.
It had only been a few months.
But why did it feel so unfamiliar?
Leaving the dorm, she made her way toward the main academic building, where other students started to appear in her sight.
It was still the middle of the semester, so of course, students were everywhere.
But—
The expressions of the students who saw her were strange.
"Hey, that's her, right?"
"Uh… I think so?"
"Now that I see her up close, she does resemble him a little…"
Hearing their whispers, Melissa’s eye twitched.
What the hell?
Why are they making such a fuss?
As her confusion grew, she still couldn't grasp what was happening.
Then, all of a sudden—
A group of students rushed toward her.
"You're senior Melissa, right?!"
A group of young girls ran up to her, their eyes shining.
"Uh… Um… And you all are?"
"Oh! We’re your juniors. My name is Rakshasa Belfel!"
"I'm Lual Lascoll!"
Melissa barely managed to hide her bewilderment as the excited juniors enthusiastically introduced themselves.
She wasn’t exactly the type to be surrounded by adoring juniors like this.
During her time at the academy, she had met many students due to her role in the student council, but back then, most people looked down on her for being from a small kingdom.
So what in the world was this situation?
"S-So, juniors… What brings you to me?"
"Um… Senior, could you… arrange for us to meet with Assistant Instructor Leon Cascadia?"
"…What?"
Melissa’s brain stalled for a moment.
Her thoughts completely froze as she stared blankly at the eager juniors.
What did they just say?
Leon Cascadia?
That ugly, deep-sea anglerfish of a man?
"J-Juniors? Are you perhaps talking about that ugly, ill-tempered Leon Cascadia?"
"Ugly and ill-tempered?! No way!"
"That's right! He was really cool!"
"He saved my life when I was about to die and even carried me to safety in his arms."
…What kind of disaster did this lunatic cause while he was here?
Leon Cascadia, that insane bald-headed dinosaur—why does he always stir up trouble wherever he goes?
Watching the girls blush and giggle like schoolgirls in love, Melissa felt an overwhelming sense of cosmic horror for the first time in her life.
Handsome?
"You think he's handsome?"
"Huh? Isn't he?"
Wait… Is he?
"Polite, you say?"
"He was incredibly considerate! When I embarrassed myself, he was careful not to make me feel worse…"
"And when Lual here started crying because she was scared, Instructor Leon comforted her until she calmed down. Honestly, I should’ve done the same!"
Melissa’s eyes spun.
What the hell were they saying?
A strange sense of dizziness washed over her.
"I haven't heard anything about this… What exactly happened?"
"Well, you see—"
After hearing the details of what had happened during the exams, Melissa let out a long sigh.
And then—
"Melissa Cascadia, Countess."
At the sound of a calm yet elegant voice, Melissa turned her head.
She widened her eyes upon seeing a silver-haired girl.
"Princess Eilena. It has truly been a long time since we've met in person."
"Indeed. I thought it would be difficult to see you again, but it seems you are returning to the academy."
With the arrival of Princess Eilena, the juniors hesitated, then quietly stepped back.
"Yes, somehow things turned out that way. I think I will be resuming my studies."
"I see. Well... I actually wanted to ask you something..."
At that moment—
The silver-haired girl, her cheeks tinged with a rosy hue, averted her gaze anxiously.
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"Um... If it’s not too much to ask, I was wondering..."
"Oh, yes. Please ask, Your Highness."
"That is... Could you tell me what Instructor Leon Cascadia likes?"
Melissa was not foolish enough to misunderstand the meaning behind the princess’s actions.
The way she fidgeted and hesitated—it was as if...
Wow, how did this even happen...?
Melissa's vision darkened.
* * *
Melissa sat in silence in her office, her face completely frozen.
The events that had unfolded at the academy earlier that day were simply too shocking.
There was a reason the imperial family held such influence.
Princess Eilena, in particular, was known for her cold and calculated approach when choosing whom to keep by her side.
In fact, Melissa had always doubted whether Princess Eilena was even capable of falling in love.
Just what had happened in the Black Forest for her to be acting like a girl utterly smitten?
"How... how did things end up like this?"
She let out a dry laugh and clicked her tongue.
Leon was engaged, wasn’t he?
Of course, it was an engagement that had started as a mere pretense, one that could be broken at any time.
But even so, for a member of the imperial family to openly express feelings for someone who was already engaged—that was no light matter.
Had the imperial family already discussed this?
Or was it purely the princess’s personal feelings?
Had emotions sparked in the midst of danger?
Was this a youthful, innocent first love blooming in a way no one had expected?
Melissa could already foresee how this would end, having watched Leon and Luna together all this time.
"Ugh... My head hurts."
She shook her head and turned back to her paperwork.
If Leon had been at the mansion, she would have shaken him down for answers.
But currently, he wasn’t here.
Truthfully, she felt a little lonely.
With both Luna and Leon absent, the mansion felt strangely empty.
Perhaps that was why she found herself wishing she had an excuse to drag Leon back here.
Just then, her hand brushed against an unfamiliar envelope.
"Huh? What’s this? I haven’t seen this letter before."
The seal on the envelope made it clear—it was from the Holy Kingdom.
Without a word, she tore it open and read its contents.
Her eyes widened, pupils contracting.
"......"
In the suffocating silence, Melissa read through the letter to the end—then abruptly shot to her feet.
"Steward!"
"You called, my lady?"
"Summon Leon and Luna here immediately. It’s urgent."
It was late at night; they were probably asleep by now.
But that didn’t matter.
"At this hour, my lady?"
"Yes. Just tell them that a message has arrived from High Priest Nabel. They’ll understand."
Melissa spoke in a firm, unwavering voice.
Her hands trembled.
The letter had stated this:
Permission had been granted to borrow an artifact that allowed entry into the sanctified sea. A messenger was on their way, riding a griffon, to deliver it.
Melissa was not foolish enough to misunderstand what that meant.
* * *
Even at the mansion, I had been sharing a bed with Luna under the pretense of treating my insomnia.
Just having her near was enough to soothe the worst of my sleepless nights.
I had gotten so used to it that by now, her presence beside me felt completely natural.
It should have been a situation strange enough to fluster me, yet—
Luna, still lost in sleep, burrowed even deeper into my arms.
"Sigh."
Her long, pink hair spread across the bed as she mumbled incoherently in her sleep.
A strange urge arose in me, and I poked her soft cheek.
She merely furrowed her brows slightly but did not wake.
Come to think of it, whenever she slept beside me, she never hid her halo or wings.
More precisely, when she fell into a deep sleep, they would reveal themselves naturally.
Of course, no matter how much I tried to touch them, my hands would pass through as if grasping air.
I had learned that the hard way after getting kicked in the shins when I attempted to touch them while they were tangible.
I slowly sat up and looked down at her.
"Mmm... more food..."
"Dreaming about eating again, huh?"
Even now, without her by my side, I couldn’t sleep properly.
Just what exactly was she?
No matter how much I pondered, I found no answer.
One thing was certain—she was no ordinary angel.
The peculiarity of the place where she had been sealed away.
Her incredible healing powers.
And her absurd strength.
If someone asked me whether angels were supposed to be that powerful, I would confidently shake my head.
There was no way there hadn’t been any angels in Labyrinthos.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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