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Dong—! Dong—! Dong—!
As the hands of the Clock Tower's great clock struck twelve, the heavy chimes resonated throughout the entire campus.
Like students released from class, a vast number of mage apprentices ambled out from the various academic buildings, making their way towards the cafeteria amidst a cacophony of chatter.
Waver Velvet was among them, though unlike the other apprentices, he was a lecturer—even if most of them could probably wipe the floor with him in a magical duel.
"Lecturer Velvet!!"
"Mister Velvet!!"
Apprentices occasionally greeted Waver warmly, a testament to his popularity. Among the Clock Tower lecturers—Waver was considered one of the best teachers.
That, coupled with his somewhat… submissive demeanor, had earned him a massive following among certain female apprentices.
Normally, Waver would have responded enthusiastically.
But right now, he had more pressing matters to attend to—namely, the purple fruit he'd been munching on earlier.
He was currently sprinting towards the cafeteria at top speed, his face a ghastly shade of greenish-purple, muttering curses under his breath. "That damn King… what kind of freaky Middle Eastern fruit was that? One bite and my stomach's staging a rebellion. It hurts like hell."
The "King" Waver referred to was Iskandar, the King of Conquerors.
After dutifully setting up the Clock Tower affairs Haru had assigned him, the Rider had promptly gallivanted off to some war-torn region in the Middle East, attempting to rebuild his empire. He was currently engaged in a fiery conflict with American soldiers, and had apparently recruited quite a few of them into his… royal harem.
Waver, still sprinting, shot past several apprentices and burst into the cafeteria, making a beeline for the restrooms.
Creak—!
A restroom door swung open slowly. Waver, moving too fast to react, slammed face-first into it with a resounding thud.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Waver clutched his now-bright-red nose, yelping in pain.
"Lecturer Velvet of the El-Melloi school, is it?" A voice, cold yet tinged with a strange, alluring quality, suddenly sounded.
"Eh?" Waver looked up. His face instantly paled as he recognized the figure emerging from the restroom. "L-Lady Barthomeloi!!!" he stammered.
Waver scrambled to his feet, bowing repeatedly. "My deepest apologies! Forgive me for blocking your path! I am so incredibly sorry!"
Waver's terror was entirely due to the Barthomeloi family. After all, their Faculty of Law was responsible for policing mages and regulating magical interference in the modern world.
To put it mildly, the Faculty of Law was the Clock Tower's secret police, their KGB, their Gestapo—only with far more power.
Consequently, in the minds of Clock Tower mages, the newly appointed head of the Barthomeloi family was a veritable demon, rumored to kill with a smile and dismember anyone who dared cross her path.
Waver had heard these stories more than once...
Blocking Lorelei's path? He was terrified.
"It's fine." Lorelei's expression was surprisingly calm. She'd seen far worse in the Clock Tower.
Waver heaved a sigh of relief and looked up at Lorelei. Then, he frowned, his voice puzzled. "Lady Barthomeloi, your… lips?"
Lorelei's pupils constricted. Her gaze shot to the mirror beside the restroom. Seeing the… liquid… at the corner of her mouth, her expression flickered.
"…It's just salad dressing. Pay it no mind," Lorelei said, her voice calm, though she was fighting a desperate urge to silence him permanently.
If Waver hadn't been a rising star in the Clock Tower due to his exceptional teaching abilities, and if he wasn't backed by the full support of some Middle Eastern nation, she would have already killed him.
"Huh?" Waver was completely bewildered. If he remembered correctly, Lorelei had just come out of the restroom. Eating salad in the restroom?
"Salad dressing. Yes, salad dressing." Seeing Waver's confused expression, Lorelei quickly licked the corner of her mouth, swallowing the… salad dressing, trying to prove her point.
"Oh! Salad dressing!" Waver nodded dumbly.
The next second, realizing what she'd just done, Lorelei's face turned a sickly green, murder glinting in her eyes.
"Gurgle, gurgle."
The sharp pain in Waver's stomach snapped him back to reality.
His expression changed drastically.
Clutching his stomach, he shot past Lorelei with superhuman speed, diving into the open restroom.
"Huh?" Waver stared, dumbfounded, at Haru, who was just pulling up his pants.
"Hmm? You're… Waver? Long time no see," Haru said, genuinely surprised.
"You… you two…" Waver looked from Haru to Lorelei—who was standing behind him, radiating pure killing intent—and swallowed hard, his eyes wide with terror.
As a man of the world, if he didn't understand what was going on by now, he'd have wasted Iskandar's tutelage. Lorelei's current behavior? There was only one explanation: she was about to silence him. Permanently.
Lorelei gently closed the door, ignoring the… salad dressing… slowly trickling down her leg. Her pretty face was an icy mask as she advanced on Waver.
"Stand down." Haru said calmly.
Lorelei didn't flinch, her eyes terrifyingly blank. Magical energy began to gather at her fingertips, a hissing whirlwind forming.
"Hmm?" Haru's eyes narrowed, a hint of displeasure on his face. He snorted.
At the sound, Lorelei's pupils contracted, snapping back into focus.
Her face stiff, she turned to the displeased Haru, a flicker of fear in her eyes. Then, her expression darkening, she used magic to clean up the… mess… and, with a scowl, stalked out of the restroom.
"Well, probably best to avoid her for a while," Haru said, walking over to Waver and patting his shoulder sympathetically. He then strode out of the restroom.
Waver nodded like a bobblehead. Once Haru was gone, he collapsed to the floor, his body limp, letting out a long, shuddering sigh of relief.
Pffft—!
Waver's expression froze. He slowly looked down at his… damp… pants. A foul stench assaulted his nostrils.
Waver's mind pretty much imploded.
——
8 PM.
In a secret room beneath the Clock Tower.
The Elder Barthomeloi looked at Lorelei with surprise. "He actually came? Because of those rumors you spread?"
Lorelei, who had come to complain to her father, nodded, her expression grim. Just as she was about to pour out her grievances, she heard the elder Barthomeloi's nonchalant words.
"Go to his room tonight."
Lorelei's world crumbled. She wanted to say something, but under the elder Barthomeloi's stern gaze, she lowered her head.
"Yes, Father."
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