Vol 4. Chapter 163: Being Scolded

Lingluo was one of the candidates for Imperial Sovereign of Saint Lomari, so her status was naturally quite exalted.

But why?

Why would someone of such high standing be surrounded and attacked by diplomats from Saint Lomari itself?

And apparently, the mastermind behind it all was some Second Elder.

Could this be an internal power struggle within the empire?

Such a clichéd plot?

Miss Yumo couldn't help muttering inwardly.

Adhering to the basic responsibility of a homeroom teacher to protect her students, Miss Yumo placed her hands on her hips, tilted her head, and began questioning Lingluo about the causes and circumstances of the incident.

Of course, Yumo's own curiosity also played a considerable role in motivating her.

"..."

Faced with Miss Yumo's questions, Lingluo was initially somewhat hesitant.

After a brief moment of uncertainty, Lingluo, who originally hadn't wanted to discuss the matter with outsiders, ultimately chose to be honest.

This gave Lingluo a rather peculiar feeling.

Although this was her first meeting with the young lady of the Black Rose Family, her new homeroom teacher, she inexplicably sensed something familiar about her.

Her intuition told her that although the girl before her looked a little wicked, she might actually be someone she could trust.

Ordinarily, Lingluo had always relied on rational judgment, but this time, she chose to follow her feelings.

Taking a deep breath, Lingluo slowly began speaking.

"Teacher Yu, actually, here's what happened. Although I'm currently a candidate for Imperial Sovereign of Saint Lomari, I don't have much..."

...

... (The girl explains the situation.)

...

Several minutes later, having gained a general understanding of the circumstances, Miss Yumo pursed her lips and fell into a brief silence.

Her sapphire-blue eyes thoughtfully studied the rather weakened Lingluo.

Hmm...

In other words...

Although this child held the prestigious title of Imperial Sovereign candidate, she wasn't recognized by others because of her lowly birth.

Within the Saint Lomari Empire, she was essentially an heir in name only, possessing extremely limited authority.

However, Lingluo had no intention of abandoning her pursuit of the position of Imperial Sovereign.

For the sake of her ideals, Lingluo was attempting to gain the recognition and support of more influential forces, both within the empire and abroad.

This time, she had secretly slipped into the outer district of Anvika all by herself to meet the head of a certain commercial empire who was hiding there, hoping to secure financial support.

Unfortunately, before she could even locate the secret base, let alone meet the person she was looking for, Lingluo encountered Kadila and his companions, who were practically dying to eliminate her.

A fierce battle then broke out between the two sides, continuing until Yumo noticed the disturbance and hurried over to help.

Lingluo's refusal to give up, her unwillingness to submit to fate, and her courage in struggling for her ideals were qualities Yumo greatly admired.

However...

Miss Yumo was considerably less pleased with Lingluo's reckless behavior.

Taking a deep breath, Yumo couldn't help speaking in a slightly stern tone.

"I understand that you want to obtain more financial support. But since you already knew there were so many people arranged by the Second Elder in Anvika waiting to assassinate you, why did you come here without any guards?"

"My guards... were all killed on the way here. And the maid who can protect me... had something to take care of today, so she went out..."

"Something to take care of?"

Hearing this, Yumo's eyebrow twitched slightly.

Although she had never met the maid Lingluo was talking about, she had already directed a contemptuous look at her in her imagination.

"What kind of maids are you hiring?! Instead of protecting her mistress, she goes off to take care of her own business? Isn't that ridiculously unreliable?!"

"Uh..."

"And you too, Student Lingluo! Since you didn't have any guards, and the maid who could protect you wasn't around either, why couldn't you just stay safely at Yexinlian Academy? Couldn't you wait until your maid returned and you had someone to protect you before going to meet that business leader?"

"The problem is... she was only going to be here today. Afterward, I wasn't sure whether I'd have another chance to meet her..."

"Even so, you shouldn't have taken such a huge risk just to meet her! Even if you managed to see her, you couldn't guarantee she'd agree to your proposal. And even if she did agree and provided financial assistance, would that really guarantee your victory over the other candidates? That's uncertain too, isn't it?!"

"Going out of your way to come here for something so uncertain? It's not as though you don't know how many people are watching you outside the academy! You were being far too reckless!"

"But..."

"But what?! No matter how grand your plans might be, if you lose your life, you'll never be able to accomplish any of them! For you, ensuring your own safety should be the prerequisite for every single plan, understand?! Especially when it's a plan with such uncertain prospects!"

"I admit that accomplishing great things requires courage and boldness, but there's no reason to waste that courage on something like this!"

"Besides, even if you really had to go, couldn't you have at least informed me, your homeroom teacher, about your situation beforehand? Having a teacher or some academy guards accompany you would have been better than going all by yourself, wouldn't it?!"

Yumo crossed her arms over her chest and delivered her lecture with an extremely serious expression.

At this moment, Miss Yumo felt that if she didn't give the girl before her a proper, stern lesson, Lingluo would sooner or later end up gambling away her own life.

Faced with Yumo's reprimand, Lingluo guiltily lowered her head.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Teacher Yu. I know I was wrong."

As she responded in an aggrieved voice, a strange emotion involuntarily began stirring in Lingluo's heart.

How strange...

There were clearly other objective reasons behind her actions, and she still had a final trump card that could save her life.

Besides, even if she hadn't come to Anvika, those people would have made their move inside the academy anyway.

Yet for some inexplicable reason, when faced with the black-haired girl's scolding, Lingluo simply couldn't bring herself to voice any of these arguments.

It was as though her entire presence had been completely suppressed by the other's overwhelming aura, leaving her with no choice but to silently lower her head and accept the lecture.

One had to understand that even when the Eighth-Tier Great Elder Yinbai had scolded her in the past, Lingluo had still been able to argue her case with reason and evidence...

When had she ever felt this stifled?!

However...

Despite feeling somewhat aggrieved, Lingluo also inexplicably experienced a sense of warmth and familiarity.

Come to think of it...

Ensure your own safety before carrying out your plans?

Don't take reckless risks?

Those words sounded awfully similar to something Pipi would say...

Glancing out of the corner of her eye at the young lady of the Black Rose Family, who was slowly lifting her into her arms while continuing to scold her, Lingluo couldn't help wondering whether there might be some connection between this girl and Pipi.

After all, she really could sense a strangely familiar feeling emanating from the girl.

Hmm...

"How could that be... I'm probably overthinking it..."

After pondering the matter briefly, Lingluo shook her head and dismissed the speculation.

One was a Demon King-class Abyss Demon from the Great Winter Forest in the north, while the other was a noble young lady from the distant southern Sadik Empire.

What possible connection could they have?

Their similar words and gestures were probably just a coincidence.

Mm =-=

Although it was a rather strange suspicion, she still couldn't help feeling curious about it.

Perhaps she should look for an opportunity to invite Teacher Yu to visit their dormitory?

She could arrange for Pipi and Teacher Yu to meet.

If there really was some connection between them, surely they would show some sort of reaction, right?

As she gazed at the black-haired girl's breathtakingly beautiful profile, Lingluo couldn't help considering the feasibility of this plan.

Uh...

But...

Speaking of Pipi...

Where on earth had that troublesome woman run off to so early in the morning?!

They had originally agreed to come together, yet she'd actually stood Lingluo up!

And because of that, Lingluo had ended up getting beaten so badly...

Thinking about this, Lingluo unconsciously bit her lip again, revealing an expression filled with resentment and displeasure.

In her mind, she instantly devised dozens of plans for getting revenge on a certain disobedient maid...

--

Several hours earlier.

The central Forbidden Palace area of Yexinlian Royal Academy.

Within the deserted woodland surrounding the outer perimeter, a flash of dark-purple lightning suddenly flickered through the air.

Accompanied by that flash, a beautiful purple figure abruptly appeared among the trees.

It was an exceptionally beautiful young woman.

The girl possessed a tall, slender figure and flowing violet hair, the ends of which gradually faded into an elegant milky white.

Her exquisite facial features were enough to inspire envy, while her brilliant violet eyes sparkled with vitality.

At this moment, the beautiful girl was wearing a black-and-white maid outfit with a short skirt. Her long, shapely legs were covered in milky-white stockings held up by garters, while her flowing violet hair had been gathered into a loose, shoulder-length arrangement with a simple hairpin.

Her appearance was lively, graceful, and full of youthful energy.

However...

Despite her lively appearance, a cruel and bloodthirsty smile currently hung on the girl's face, enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

And in her right hand, the purple-haired girl was dragging a mutilated body.

It belonged to a woman who had lost both legs and her right arm.

Her entire body was drenched in blood, and she was barely clinging to life.

The purple-haired maid held the woman's head tightly in her hand, using it as a grip to drag the rest of her body along the ground.

The red-haired woman's eyes were filled with terror and despair, and her entire body trembled uncontrollably.

Had Kadila been present, he would probably have been astonished to discover that this miserable woman was none other than one of the spies he had dispatched that very morning to monitor Lingluo's dormitory.

Driven by an overwhelming desire to survive, the female spy continuously pleaded with the purple-haired maid.

"Please, I beg you, let me go...! I swear I'll never dare spy on you again!"

However...

The purple-haired girl completely ignored the woman's desperate pleas.

Instead, she coldly gazed toward the Forbidden Palace ahead, which was surrounded by a magical barrier.

"So this is... where the Saint Dragon Heart is located?"