Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 254 What's wrong with the world of illusion?

Winter never imagined that one day she would get up early in the morning and carefully prepare gifts for the professors at the academy. She put the magically grown cherries into the fruit basket and hummed a little tune.

I'm a little worried, but mostly I'm looking forward to it.

The college holds her past, and now is the day she goes home with her lover.

In contrast to the pleasant atmosphere between Winter and Ethan, many professors at the academy did not sleep a wink all night. Winter's return made them realize a serious problem—would the dean be planning to pass on the title of Hermit to Winter again?
Anyone with eyes can see what the dean is thinking.

This old man had achieved almost everything he could as an elemental shaper. Over the years, he had mediated between various parties to keep the academy out of the empire’s many conflicts. His only regret was that he still couldn’t help elemental shapers advance further.

Winter was a child they had watched grow up; they knew Winter's personality all too well.

Don't be fooled by her aloof and unapproachable demeanor when she's not talking. If the position of dean were actually passed to her, she'd be up to no good the very next day.

On the other hand, their situation is the same as that of magicians. Several generations have failed to advance to sainthood through traditional methods. As for Winter, she is a complete outlier. The theory she developed is not universal at all.

The professors knew that this was also why the dean valued the Astrologer Guild so much. Rumors circulated that there had been unrest in the Mage Tower recently, with the former Scholar being murdered and the new leader of the Astrologer Guild who succeeded him not only executing the murderer but also being promoted to Saint.

Rationally, the professors also know the importance of strengthening communication, but they find it difficult to overcome their mental barriers.

"Ugh!"

As the morning sunlight streamed into the office, Dean of Students Wapol let out a long sigh.

The cup contained the second cup of black tea to keep him awake. He hadn't slept all night. After Ethan and the other professors left, he convened an emergency meeting with the other professors at the academy. Now, it was necessary for the "Anti-Winter Alliance" to reappear.

Many years after Winter left, the Alliance got a new name—the Light Society.

Wapol is the founder of the Light Society and its current leader. After Winter's disappearance, the Light Society's main activities shifted to traveling to various civilizations to search for and summarize knowledge related to the occult. However, the members of the society will never forget their original intention, which is to fight against the "Dark Lord".

To prevent exam questions from being leaked, to avoid finding slug-flavored candy in your soup while eating, to avoid being suddenly doused with cold water while showering, and to maintain fairness and order in the college...

Thinking of this, Dean Wapol's eyes were gloomy yet resolute.

And even more so that the tragedy that happened to him will not be repeated!

He touched his bald head; it was cool there. After so many years, he had gotten used to the coolness on his head.

"Thump thump thump, thump thump thump—"

The knocking startled Vapol. Even through the door, he could feel the terrifying aura emanating from the other side, a dark and indescribable presence that would bring misfortune to anyone who met its gaze.

He took a deep breath, like a warrior facing his fate, and said, "Please come in."

"Professor Wapol, thank you for your hard work."

Darkness crept into the room, and a fruit basket was being carried in the hand.

Wapol's gaze was almost immediately drawn to the glistening fruit in the basket. An alarm bell rang in his mind. His years of experience fighting the Dark Lord had taught him that when Winter showed such an expression and greeted you respectfully, she had probably already dug a pit for you.

Clearly, the fruit basket contained frozen bombs disguised as fruit; if anyone accidentally ate one, they would be instantly frozen into an ice cube.

This incident is also recorded in the Guangming Society's "fallen" list.

After research and discussion among the professors, they discovered that Winter's ice elemental magic was unique, capable of completely freezing a person without causing any substantial harm. This was a sophisticated spell that surpassed their common sense. However, Winter only used her profound mastery of elemental magic for pranks.

"Professor Wapol, let me introduce you. This is my husband."

Winter placed the fruit basket on the table, sweetly linked arms with Ethan, and leaned against Ethan's shoulder like a little bird.

Of course, this was a completely different story in Wapol's eyes.

Winter and "birds" are completely unrelated creatures; if it were in the world of magical animals, it would clearly be a bird-dragon that spews freezing rays.

With his arm pinned by the claws of such a ferocious creature, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the young Ethan.

"Hello Mr. Wapol, I am Ethan."

Ethan bowed to Wapol in accordance with imperial etiquette. On the way there, Winter had mentioned to him that Wapol was the academy's head of teaching and, before that, a renowned scholar of magical monsters. Currently, over 30% of the dangerous monsters on the Imperial Monster Atlas were investigated and compiled by Wapol and his team.

He just felt that Winter and Wapol's roles had been reversed. Judging from their way of talking and interacting, it seemed as if Winter was the real headmaster.

What a polite young man!

Unfortunately……

Wapol lamented, he could already picture Ethan being pinned down and trampled underfoot by Winter in some unknown place.

"This is a small token of my appreciation."

Ethan handed the prepared gift to Wapol, who looked at the exquisitely wrapped box with some confusion, "...What's this?"

"This is our store's latest hair growth product, which can effectively promote hair root regeneration."

Wapol's hand trembled slightly as he solemnly put the hair growth serum into his desk. This gift was incredibly precious to him, perhaps the most precious gift he had ever received in all these years.

He had heard some of Ethan's exploits in the Empire, as well as the widely known Old Sen Magic Technology Shop, which convinced him of the quality of Ethan's gifts.

In fact, before setting off, Ethan had inquired with Winter about Mr. Wapol's preferences. The elderly professor was very concerned about his baldness, and any sharp comments about his hairstyle would anger him. So Ethan summoned Rowena to search the fake Kadra's memory bank for magic related to hair growth.

They actually found it, which even Rowena found amazing.

Did the imposter Kadra also experience hair loss and baldness, and thus create this magic trick specifically?

Hair growth hormone is essentially a product of alchemy, and it has been used to describe some monsters with exceptionally thick hair. The good news is that all the materials needed for alchemy can be found at the academy.

As for why Professor Wapol was bald, that's another terrible story.

As she said this, an unnatural blush appeared on Winter's cheeks, and she once again summarized the events with a "hehe".

However, this time she emphasized that it was an accident and not her intention.

With the hair growth serum as a stepping stone, the subsequent conversation became much more harmonious. Upon learning about Ethan's experiences and his encounters in the Abyss, the seemingly stern headmaster immediately opened up, making no attempt to hide his joy. When Ethan mentioned the blood-red waterfall and the nine-headed worms that dwelled in the blood spring, he even took out a parchment book and a quill pen.

With a gentle tap of his wand, Wapol's quill automatically recorded their conversation, driven by magic.

While making the record, he also asked a quill pen to draw a picture of the nine-headed worm, recording its evolution from nine heads to eleven heads.

There was also a woman with seven eyes, and what appeared to be clothing decorations were actually human tissue formed from flesh and blood—this was the first time in thousands of years that someone had described the image of Bazartos. Even though what appeared before Ethan was not the evil god himself, it was still groundbreaking. In just over ten minutes, Wapol felt as if he had met Ethan too late in life. If he were ten years younger, he would definitely have tried his best to invite Ethan to join his research team, and might even have immediately abandoned his position as headmaster and embarked on the journey of exploration again.

What surprised Wapol even more was that Winter seemed like a completely different person today, as well-behaved as a model student in the academy.

He sat quietly, leaning against Ethan, his face always beaming with a smile.

When his students who were preparing to get married returned to school to visit him, most of them would show this kind of happy smile.

Is it...

Has winter truly changed?
After meeting Ethan, did he turn over a new leaf and become a mature person?
Logically speaking, having lived in the capital for so many years and frequently attending court banquets, she should be familiar with aristocratic etiquette.

Ethan then cleverly steered the conversation toward Winter's "glorious achievements" during his time at school.

Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he was still shocked by what Wapol said about his "glorious deeds," including the tragic story of Mr. Wapol's baldness.

It was a raid personally led by Wapol. Prior to the raid, they had received reliable information pointing out the hideout of Winter's alchemy and spellcasting materials. If the operation succeeded, they would not only be able to seize a large amount of Winter's illegally hoarded materials, but also find direct "evidence of Winter's crimes" from the hideout.

For a long time, the professors at the academy have been struggling to find any fault with Winter, resulting in a situation where everyone knows that Winter did it, but no one can do anything about it.

However, the members of the Light Society did not expect that this was a trap set by Winter.

She had set up numerous traps in her "den" beforehand.

Potions, magic scrolls, and magic circles recorded in those forbidden books.

To cover the retreat of the mission members, Wapol took on the responsibility of staying behind to cover everyone's retreat. In the chaos of battle, a flying icy arrow almost grazed his head.

The good news is that Wapol was not injured.

The bad news is that the part "erased" by the Frost Arrow has stopped growing roots ever since.

"I didn't know that ice elements could also inhibit hair growth; it's not mentioned in these books."

Winter whispered a defense.

"However, the school rules stipulate that offensive elemental magic is prohibited from being used indiscriminately outside of magical duels, and even during magical duels, it is strictly forbidden to attack the vulnerable parts of the human body."

"I'm sorry, Professor Wapol."

For a moment, Wapol could hardly believe his ears.

His eyes widened, and he blurted out, "What did you just say?"

"I was wrong. I will never do it again!"

The "Dark Lord" actually apologized! And his attitude was very sincere, not perfunctory at all.

More importantly, she indirectly admitted to her past "crimes." What made the professors most troubled by the "Dark Lord" was that she almost never left any evidence. Once they questioned her, she would pretend to be stupid.

Even in the rarest circumstances where she is unable to defend herself, she absolutely refuses to admit her mistakes.

Her attitude angered many elderly men so much that they ended up in the clinic.

"You...you really realize your mistake?"

Wapol asked again.

"I really realize my mistakes. I was too naive in the past and made a lot of mistakes, causing you all trouble."

Winter's apology was delivered in one smooth motion, its echo lingering in Wapol's ears for a long time.

He's under a spell.

Perhaps he was already infected the moment Winter and Ethan walked into this room... Was it caused by the cherries in the fruit basket?

Wapol's mind raced as he tried to expose yet another of Winter's pranks.

Winter was as docile as a kitten next to Ethan.

This is the T0 student that many professors once imagined—the obedient and shrewish Winter.

That's the perfect student in the professor's eyes.

Wapol gripped the cup tighter, causing the remaining half of the black tea to sway slightly within.

He failed to see the flaw. The Winter before him seemed to have truly realized his mistake, so another thought involuntarily surfaced in his mind—what's wrong with the world of illusion?

Then he heard Ethan's somewhat awkward laughter, "Haha, so that's how she is where you are, completely different from how she is here."

Ethan didn't know if this was a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder.

Rowena always accused Winter of breathing on him and playing dirty tricks on her partner. She was so mischievous at the academy that many professors were terrified of her. But in Ethan's memory, Winter had never breathed on him or played any pranks on him.

"It seems she has changed."

"I believe you."

Wapol took a deep breath. Just now, he discovered Ethan's greatest achievement in his life, something that none of the boasts from the Empire could compare to—he had transformed the "Dark Lord" into a well-behaved and sensible girl!
Thus, the topic they had discussed all night without finding a solution has finally seen new progress.

Wapol saw another road.

"Ethan."

This agitated him, and he stood up abruptly from his chair. "What do you think of the title of Hermit and the identity of the Dean?"

In Wapol's view, strength is never the only criterion for judging a hermit. Every headmaster is an educator who has witnessed the growth of countless elemental shapers and has served as a beacon in their lives. This is why every hermit is revered.

Ethan accomplished something that even the dean had never done.

He changed winter.

At this moment, Wapol's eyes deepened; he had made his decision.

He will fully support Ethan in becoming the next dean of the academy, provided Ethan is willing!
(End of this chapter)