Chapter 93: New Classroom

"Lady Emilia, please save my Nora!" the woman sobbed hysterically, wringing her hands together in desperation.

"You startled me!" Emilia snapped, looking down with disgust at the servant, who was none other than Nora’s mother.

"Lady Emilia, Lord Ashbourne, I know Nora was wrong. She committed a crime. But please, just this once, have mercy on her! She isn’t usually like this..."

Nora’s mother lacked the ability to make her weeping appear pitiful and delicate like her daughter’s. Her face was dull and dry, her lips chapped, her eyes swollen, and the hands wringing together were covered in heavy calluses.

Her weeping only deepened Emilia’s disgust, while Dominic’s headache flared even worse.

Nora’s mother had already anticipated every reaction she might receive upon confronting her employers, so she felt no indignation toward their disdain. Instead, sheer panic gripped her at the thought of being ignored.

"My Lady, my Lord, I beg of you!" she sobbed desperately.

"You’re lucky we didn’t fire you after your daughter dragged House Ashbourne’s name through the mud. Get out!" Emilia sneered, pinching her nose shut with one hand while waving her off with the other.

Dominic massaged his temples, having no desire to utter a single word.

Nora’s mother panicked even more. "My Lady, my Lord, I am willing to work without pay if you will just get Nora out!" she blurted out, completely at her wit’s end.

Emilia, who was already at the doorway, froze in her tracks. She glanced back at Dominic, who happened to be looking at her as well.

Dominic shifted his gaze to the servant and clicked his tongue. "Do you honestly think this family cares about a pittance like that?!"

"Forgive me, my Lord! Forgive my careless words!" Nora’s mother prostrated herself, completely terrified.

"My Lord, nevertheless, Nora is Vivienne’s maid. If Vivienne comes home and doesn’t have a servant, it will be a hassle for her. Finding and training a new maid to suit Vivienne’s preferences takes considerable effort. Let us forgive Nora just this once," Emilia chimed in casually.

Dominic remained silent for a moment before finally giving a dissatisfied nod. "Fine. Go and secure Nora’s release from the police station."

"Mm, I’ll head over tomorrow. It’s late now, and I’m hungry," Emilia replied.

Nora’s mother looked at Emilia and Dominic with profound gratitude, showering them with thanks repeatedly before taking her leave.

...

Today marked the second time Shani stepped into her new classroom, Class 4, for The Art of Resonance. Fortunately, the instructor was still Victor Mercer.

Aside from her, four other students had been reassigned from Class 5, including Cyrus. Jeryon was no longer in her class. He was now a student in Class 1.

Seating arrangements in the main classroom always corresponded to student rankings. Ranked 73rd, Shani was no longer relegated to the very last desk, given that 74 first-year students remained in total.

Still, she sat in the fourth row, the back row, side by side with the lowest-ranked student, Cyrus.

"Morning, Shani! Your method worked like a charm. My bloodworms have already laid eggs," Cyrus greeted her enthusiastically.

Shani responded with a smile and congratulations. ’He really doesn’t seem to care much about his rank, she noted inwardly,’ observing Cyrus.

From her vantage point, Shani could scan the entire classroom. In the third row, one desk sat empty, Nora’s seat.

Meanwhile, Orin, who sat in the second row, kept glancing back at the empty desk with anxious eyes.

Before long, Mercer kicked off the lecture, discussing the resonance after an artificial egg hatched.

"A baby beast’s body acts as a vessel that converts beast energy into beast essence. Although resonating with a baby beast is similar to resonating with an egg, a baby beast is extremely fragile. Failure can occur if your baby beast is not in peak condition."

"A failed resonance session doesn’t just waste that single session. It can adversely affect subsequent sessions as well..."

Shani had already read the material Mercer was teaching in the course e-book, but she listened intently anyway. Beside her, Cyrus was equally attentive.

Shani unexpectedly thought of Kiran and let out a quiet chuckle. ’If Kiran were here, she’d definitely be struggling to keep her eyes open.’

Before concluding the morning class, Mercer deactivated the holographic display and looked out at his students.

"We’re already in the third week of our second month at the academy. You’ve all conducted resonance sessions with your baby beasts by now, haven’t you? How about sharing some of your experiences?"

The students weren’t particularly keen on sharing. After all, resonance was rather monotonous and took hours at a time.

Noticing his students’ lack of enthusiasm, Mercer turned his gaze toward the back row. "Shani, why don’t you share yours?"

Shani mumbled incoherently under her breath. She had already guessed she would be called on first, given her high-profile resonance record.

"How many resonance sessions have you completed?" Mercer asked once Shani stepped up beside him. Yes, he had asked her to share from the front of the room.

"Three times," Shani answered, striving to sound nonchalant.

Mercer clapped his hands, brimming with delight, before pressing further. "And when is your fourth resonance?"

"This Friday, sir."

Hearing Shani’s response, the other students broke into a collective murmur. Some were filled with awe, while others burned with envy.

Most of them had only completed two resonance sessions, and the second one was just a few days ago. Their third wouldn’t take place until the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Shani’s fourth was scheduled for this week. The gap was simply too vast.

Always enthusiastic and never stingy with praise, Mercer showered her with another round of compliments.

"Ah, by the way, Instructor Theron from Nova City brought a specialized beast energy measurement pod specifically for Prince Jeryon. Word has it you’re scheduled for a re-measurement as well?" Mercer asked, recalling rumors he had overheard in the faculty office.

He wasn’t being nosy, he simply wanted to confirm, given that Shani was his student.

Shani nodded, though she offered no further explanation. She was content to let the data speak for the unusual state of her body.

...