Stepping out of the headmaster's office, Belial had barely taken a few steps before she spotted Frey and Iluli—clearly having skipped class just to wait for her.
Frey was no stranger to violating school rules, yet at his core, he remained a noble heir, raised in luxury since birth. The academy's uniform, worn loosely on him with an unfastened collar and an absent cravat, only accentuated his unruly golden hair, ethereal elven features, and pointed ears. The disheveled elegance suited him, lending him an air of arrogant nobility that was impossible to ignore.
Standing beside him was Iluli, whose noble heritage was just as evident—yet unlike Frey's unrestrained presence, she carried herself with a dignified composure that bordered on severity. The stark contrast between them made them appear strikingly complementary.
Belial halted, tilting her head slightly at the sound of approaching footsteps from behind. She turned just enough to catch sight of three more figures emerging from the corridor— the twins and Adara.
Quite the gathering.
Facing forward again, Belial looked at Frey and Iluli as they stepped closer and stated plainly, "You're blocking my way. "
Frey stopped two meters away. "I just need to confirm one thing. Answer me, and I'll step aside. I swear I won't bother you again. "
Belial neither agreed nor refused, but that hardly mattered to Frey. He pressed on.
"What's your relationship with my mother? Are you… are you my mother's daughter? "
For a moment, Belial was amused.
—So he thinks I'm Grandmother's daughter? And that's why he's been running after me, throwing aside his pride as the young master?
—How pathetic. Not even angry at the thought of his mother having another child—just desperate, all because of my face?
[It seems his grandmother truly means everything to him. ]
The phantom echo of a thought brushed past Belial's mind. She found herself agreeing with it, which only deepened her anticipation—anticipation for the suffering and devastation that awaited Frey in the Poison Miasma Forest.
She recalled Miller mentioning the details of their upcoming off-campus excursion during breakfast—was it in two days? Or three?
Silently, she looked forward to it.
And with as few words as possible—lest she waste even a syllable on this matter—she answered, "No. "
The moment the word left her lips, Frey's gaze darted past her to Adara, who stood beside the twins.
Like her sister, the mermaid Adara possessed cascading blue hair. At that moment, she was cradling a pendant in both hands, her expression calm as she observed the gemstone embedded within. Upon hearing Belial's response, the once-transparent crystal turned pure white.
"She's telling the truth, " Adara confirmed.
The Stone of Veracity—a treasure of the Mermaid Abyss.
Many races envied the merfolk, whispering envious tales of how their tears crystallized into pearls of immense value. Some even claimed this was the greatest gift the Creator had bestowed upon their kind.
But if you asked the merfolk themselves, they would tell you otherwise. The true gift was not their tears—it was the Stone of Veracity, which allowed them to discern truth from lies.
Many merfolk carried such stones when venturing onto land, using them to guard against deception, to avoid being treated as mere pearl-producing machines.
It was this very stone that had helped Frey win over Iluli. Belial, having grown up listening to the tales of her parents' romance from the academy's professors, would never forget its significance.
Now that his days of agonizing doubt had finally reached their end, Frey found himself unsure—was he more relieved or disappointed?
His gaze returned to Belial's face, yet he had already forgotten the promise he had made mere moments ago: "Tell me the truth, and I'll leave you alone. "
Instead, he demanded, "Then why are you targeting me and Iluli? "
Iluli had warned him before coming here—Belial was dangerous. It was enough to confirm whether she was his sister or not, and they should leave it at that. No unnecessary questions. No provoking the girl further.
But Frey was Frey Bright, son of a duke. He wasn't one to shy away from trouble—even the undead, whom most avoided like the plague, had found themselves on the receiving end of his provocations.
Iluli sensed danger and reached for Frey's sleeve, attempting to pull him away. Yet, he refused to budge.
If that first attack had been a mere accident, then why did she continue to evade him? Why did she refuse to listen? Why had she used her vampiric abilities to harm Iluli?
Frey needed answers. He refused to let this humiliation go unanswered, nor could he stand idly by while Iluli was wronged.
Belial looked at the two of them—this perfect little couple—and suddenly, she saw her parents.
Only in the future, it had not been her parents asking the question.
It had been her.
She had been too young then—too naïve to understand that blood ties meant nothing. Too young to grasp why her parents had never loved her.
Until one day, she finally had the chance to ask them.
And they had answered—
Belial's voice was always softer when speaking to Frey and Iluli, as if carrying an unnatural stillness. "You're asking me why? "
Outside the academy castle, the wind roared. Moments ago, the sky had been bright and clear—but now, a looming darkness swallowed the sun.
In the courtyard, younger students glanced up in confusion. Then, realization struck.
Terror widened their eyes.
"Because your very existence disgusts me, " Belial answered, repeating the words her parents had once said to her. Words that, she realized, were just as fitting for her to say to them. "Not killing you is already my greatest mercy. "
Her cutting words ignited Frey's fury, but more than that—they struck somewhere deeper, somewhere he had never been hurt before.
Even knowing that Belial was not his sister, he could not shake the torment of hearing such words spoken from a face so uncannily similar to his mother's.
As if it were her saying it.
"You—! " His eyes burned red with rage, his voice rising in a furious command, but before he could finish—
CRACK!
A stone, carried by the howling wind, struck a windowpane. The sound yanked Frey's gaze toward the corridor's massive glass windows—
And his breath caught.
Beyond the glass, a dragon hovered over the castle.
A monstrous beast, maw wide open, flames pooling in its throat.
In that instant, Frey's rage froze over.
Pure, unbridled terror took its place.
Without hesitation, he turned, wrapping his arms around Iluli, shielding her with his body.
The next moment, the fireball was unleashed.
And the academy's protective barrier met its wrath.