Chapter 315: Seraphina’s secret

"Ehh?" Vlad raised an eyebrow in defiance. "Is this really necessary?"

He was a Cavalier Knight, a mage who could cast draconic spells and a dragon in the making. There was no way a man of such status would sit on the bed holding his ears like a scolded child. He had to maintain the dignity that came with his titles, after all.

"Right now!" Seraphina hissed, her pull on his ear growing stronger yet remaining so gentle that it didn’t even stretch his skin.

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"Now explain. What exactly happened in the practical?" Seraphina asked, sitting on his wooden study chair, facing the bed. Her arms were crossed below her chest.

On the bed itself, Vlad was sitting with his legs folded inward from his knees, his back straight and both his hands holding his ears.

His face was lowered in embarrassment, his cheeks carrying a faint crimson blush. Only this time, he had agreed to take this ridiculous punishment since his actions had made her cry. He would definitely refuse outright to take such a punishment again!

"Well, you know that I participated as a hunter, right?" Vlad began as he recounted the events of the practical.

"Y-you..." Seraphina gasped, her eyes widening as she pointed a finger at Vlad. She rose from the chair and poked his cheek with her finger as she muttered, "Offending the entire first-year batch and the hunters from the second years! Some of them are even children of Dukes and Marquises. Do you think you have nine lives or something?"

"I was only trying to score full marks," Vlad replied innocently, his crimson eyes lowering to the bed as if he were being wrongly accused.

Seraphina released a sigh, withdrawing her finger. "Forget it. If any of them dares to use their family name to cause you any trouble, I’ll show them whose man they are really messing with."

Vlad didn’t doubt her claim in the slightest. House Cendral answered only to the King. Not even the Crown Prince could order them without proper cause. In that sense, House Cendral ranked even higher than any Duchy.

"I will begin with that Noah," Seraphina muttered, her jaw tightening.

"No, don’t do anything to him," Vlad immediately replied, afraid of what she might do to him. "I don’t know about his exact condition, but he wasn’t conscious back then. Besides... he is my friend."

Seraphina’s pink eyes regarded Vlad in silence. "Fine." She sat on the edge of the bed, her back turned to Vlad.

Vlad shifted closer, reaching behind her. He leaned forward, still holding his ears. "Could you end the punishment now... please?"

Seraphina looked back over her shoulder, her gaze making Vlad flinch.

Vlad was about to retreat silently, but she turned around and gently grasped the backs of his hands, lowering them from his ears.

She leaned forward, her forehead touching his chest. "I was so worried, dummy."

Knowing that it wasn’t the first time he had been wounded and certainly wouldn’t be the last, Seraphina had been a little strict this time even though she hated punishing him.

She needed to make him realise that there were people who worried about him. If such a situation arose again, he must prioritize his own safety first.

Vlad gently patted her back as he replied, "I’m sorry."

The duo stayed like that for a few seconds. Now that Seraphina no longer seemed angry, Vlad asked, "Today was your last practical, right? How did it go?"

Seraphina moved back and told him about the details of the practical and the challenges they had faced.

Vlad listened to her with a warm smile, his eyes never leaving her serene face. Once she was done, Vlad asked, "Have you eaten anything?"

"Mm," she nodded. "I was at the cafeteria when I called you."

"That’s good then."

A brief silence fell over the room. Seraphina looked at Vlad’s face, which carried a restless expression. She could tell that he wanted to ask her something, but something was holding him back.

"What is it?" Seraphina asked, giving him the little push he needed.

"Umm... when are you going to enter the Mage Tower?" Vlad asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"I’m just half a step away from learning Five Ring Spells," Seraphina revealed. "So I will enter the Mage Tower next week."

"And when will you return?" Vlad asked the obvious question.

"Don’t know," Seraphina said, shaking her head. "Not until I can cast at least mid-tier Five Ring spells. I don’t know how much time it will take, though."

"Ohh," Vlad let out a long sigh.

Seraphina clearly noticed the sulk on Vlad’s face even though he was doing his best to hide it. Her lips curved into a teasing smile as she leaned closer. "Hmmm... are you sad that you won’t be able to meet me?"

"Of course I am."

His honesty momentarily took her aback, raising a faint blush. She immediately returned to her teasing as she continued, "Then won’t you ask me to stay?"

Vlad shook his head. "I will wait for you. Even if it takes you a year or two."

That was the usual time any mage would need to form their Fifth Ring. Even those who graduated from the academy generally had only three or four rings. If Seraphina wanted, she could apply for the graduation exam right away. But she wanted to study at the Mage Tower, a place that even six- or seven-ring mages wished to visit.

"A year or two!?" Seraphina repeated Vlad’s words as if she were greatly offended. "You are underestimating me way too much. I only need at most a month to learn Five Ring spells."

Vlad blinked. The surprise flickered across his face for a moment before he returned to normal, remembering who Seraphina really was. Her talent was S+, the same as Chloe’s. But there was one peculiar thing Vlad had been wondering about.

"Sera, I noticed that you keep saying you will learn Five Ring spells in the Mage Tower, not that you will form your Fifth Ring," Vlad pointed out.

"Oh, so you finally noticed," Seraphina replied smugly. She pressed her finger against Vlad’s lips as she whispered, "This is a secret that very few people know. I haven’t formed any ring around my heart."