Chapter 342: Wants to See You [Castle Bonus]

[Ophelia’s POV]

’Necraz Lox Mevillion?’

Ophelia kept her expression still, yet questions were already piling up in her mind.

’Is she truly claiming that Necraz Lox Mevillion, the First Witness of Ruin, was her father?’No, that makes no sense.’

Her violet eyes remained fixed on Morvayne.

’Is she lying, is Scholar Ruvian lying, or have the two of them prepared this ridiculous story together?’

Perhaps they weren’t lying about everything.

’But... his daughter?’

Ophelia’s gaze slowly traveled over Morvayne from head to toe, openly judging the woman standing beside Ruvian.

The horns, the Dark Mana, the demonic presence around her... none of it gave Ophelia anything that could possibly prove such a claim.

A demon could claim to be the daughter of a Paragon, just as a beggar could claim to be the lost heir of an emperor. Without proof, the statement meant absolutely nothing, no matter how calmly Morvayne had delivered it.

Ophelia raised one hand toward her mouth and gave a small, deliberate cough.

"Ahem, you will forgive me if I find that rather difficult to believe," she said, her voice returning to its usual stern calm. "You are claiming a direct connection to Necraz Lox Mevillion, yet so far, all I have been given is your word."

Morvayne remained perfectly composed beneath her stare.

If Morvayne truly called Necraz her father, then there was one rather obvious detail that had somehow been left unanswered.

She folded her hands neatly upon her lap.

"Very well, then allow me to ask something more specific," Ophelia said calmly. "If Necraz Lox Mevillion is your father, then who exactly is your mother?"

Ruvian frowned before slowly turning his head toward Morvayne, then back toward Ophelia with the flattest look she had seen from him since now.

Then, he released a long sigh.

"She’s adopted, but they really do have a father-daughter relationship."

Morvayne’s brow twitched slightly, yet she somehow managed to keep the irritation from fully reaching her face.

"I would prefer that you not reduce our bond to something as simple as adoption, Child. Father accepted me as his daughter by his own will, and I accepted him as my Father in return."

At the same time, beneath the table, her foot suddenly shot toward Ruvian’s shin, only for Ruvian to casually pull his leg aside before it could connect.

Morvayne continued where she was with the same proud tone, "There was no blood between us, but that never mattered to him. He gave me a place beside him, taught me, protected me, and treated me as his own daughter."

Ruvian quietly shifted his chair a little farther away from her.

Ophelia watched the small exchange with a blank expression, choosing not to comment on it.

’Right.... now that I look at it, they do look very close.’

Even during the fight previously...

The Great Spirit’s hatred toward demons had not sounded false, and the way she had protected Ruvian with her own power was difficult to dismiss as simple acting.

’At the very least, I can believe that their contract and bond is real.’

Her thoughts then returned to an incident several weeks before the Vazrun Island Test.

Scholar Ruvian and Scholar Julian had nearly fought inside the academy dining hall, forcing the Scholar Councilbto step in before things went any further.

At the time, she had dismissed it as another pointless conflict between students.

Now, however, the incident felt harder to ignore.

"Anyway, so before the island test, did you already know that there was a demon residing within Scholar Julian?"

Ruvian pondered her question for a while.

"Well, not fully at first, to be honest, since it wasn’t exactly easy to sense him. That demon was very good at hiding his presence. But yeah, when the island test was about to begin, I already had my suspicions."

Ophelia studied him for a moment. Unlike before, she found little reason to doubt his answer.

’Hmm I see... then that would also explain why he was watching Scholar Julian so closely even before the possession happened.’

Still, one thing bothered her far more. ℯℯ𝑙.

’But even if he suspected the demon beforehand, how did he know Scholar Julian could be saved, much less exactly what needed to be done?’

In the end, she asked him exactly that, not bothering to hide it.

Ruvian simply glanced toward Morvayne before explaining that the entire method had been her idea, while he had merely followed her instructions and carried out the steps she gave him.

Morvayne offered no objection, only giving a small nod as if confirming his explanation.

"I see..." she muttered quietly.

’...Wait, then how much of everything Scholar Ruvian accomplished during the island test was truly his own doing, and how much came from the Great Spirit guiding him?’

However, almost immediately, Ophelia began to doubt that thought herself.

She had watched Scholar Ruvian throughout much of the Vazrun Island Test, and his actions had never looked like those of someone merely waiting to be told what to do.

He had made decisions quickly and adapted whenever something went wrong.

’Even if Morvayne guided him at certain points, being able to carry out that guidance so decisively still required skill of his own.’

Ophelia leaned back slightly in her chair, deciding that there was little else she needed to ask.

"That should be enough for now, Scholar Ruvian, I have gotten everything I wanted to know, and I appreciate your cooperation. So, you may return to—"

Before she could finish it, Ruvian cut her off.

"Wait, I still have questions, what about the examination?"

Ophelia paused, then gave a small nod as if she had already expected him to ask.

"Ah, you do not need to worry about that, the officials will make a full announcement around noon about what happens next," she replied, resting one arm against the chair. "But I suppose I can tell you a little early, the examination has been completely terminated, and only the points earned up until Day Seven will be counted."

She then added, "The ceremony will also be held during our trip back this evening, so until then, go and get some rest, you are allowed to return to your room with your squad mates now."

With that settled, Ophelia pushed herself up from her seat and turned toward the door. However, after taking only a single step, her brows suddenly drew together as something came back to her.

"Hmm, I knew I was forgetting something, on second thought, Scholar Ruvian, you should come with me first, there is someone who...

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[Chapter 342: Wants to See You]

Plot Points = 277,000