I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

The pure white of the courtyard was mercilessly swallowed up by the cold darkness outside the window.

That warmth that enveloped the soul quickly faded, leaving only boundless cold.

The next instant, the dream shattered completely.

A bone-chilling cold seeped wildly into her back from the cement wall she was pressed against.

The air was filled with the fishy smell of rain, the stench of sewage, and the cold smell of rust, like a tidal wave that violently filled her nostrils.

Eve's eyes suddenly opened.

What came into view was the gray, dilapidated ceiling of the warehouse.

She didn't move, just remained curled up, holding the warm kitten in her arms.

A few seconds later, she slowly sat up straight.

Then, she stretched out her right hand and raised it to the damp, cold air in front of her.

Benedict.

Benedict.

Benedict.

She was "knocking on the door".

There was no sound, only movement.

Her hand hung in the air, repeating the "tapping" motion over and over again at a fixed frequency.

She doesn't know what she's doing.

This is simply a primal, instinctual logic—when you can't get through a door, you should knock.

She wanted to go back to that pure white courtyard.

So, she had to knock on that "door".

Tap, tap, tap, tap…

There was no anxiety, no method, only an almost instinctive, stubborn repetition.

She sat quietly in the darkness, facing nothing ahead, persistently "knocking" on that imagined door that would never open for her.

After an unknown amount of time, her movements finally, very slowly, came to a stop.

Her arm hung limply at her side.

A single, scalding drop of liquid, uncontrollably slid down her emotionless red eyes, landing on the cold cement floor and leaving a small, dark stain.

She slowly withdrew her stiff arm.

Then, with that hand, gently, with a hint of confusion that even she herself couldn't understand, she pressed it against her chest.

It hurts there.

It wasn't that I was hurt.

Instead, it was a kind of unfamiliar pain she had never experienced before, as if her soul was being torn apart—a pain of immense intensity.

Chapter 117: The Humble Sword Sheath and the Cold Blanket

A month has passed since Lynn left.

During this month, Louise Francis Lou Brown du La Vallière felt as if she were living in a dream.

The nickname that had haunted her and caused her so much humiliation—"Louise Zero"—had completely disappeared from the academy.

The teachers' gazes towards her shifted from a sense of helpless resignation to an undisguised respect and expectation.

The way her classmates looked at her changed from undisguised mockery to a complex mix of awe, jealousy, and envy.

As she walked down the academy corridor, the noble students who had once looked down on her would instinctively make way for her.

They would even bow to her from afar and respectfully address her as "Miss Vallière".

Louise savored this long-overdue respect, straightening her slender spine and striving to maintain the dignity of the Valiel family.

But only she herself, in the dead of night, when she looks at the set of bedding that she has washed and folded neatly on the floor, feels a pang of unease.

This honor does not belong to her.

It belongs to that holy sword that is far away in the sky, and whose return to its sheath is unknown.

She was nothing more than an empty, even somewhat cumbersome, scabbard.

This realization, like the finest thorn, is deeply embedded in her heart.

While she enjoyed the glory, she also bore a heavy burden of pressure that almost made her breathless.

This prompted her to study those dry magical theories more diligently than ever before, often until late at night.

She just... didn't want to hold him back anymore.

"Oh, isn't this our very favorite in Tristain, Miss Valier?"

A charming, slightly languid, and playful voice came from around the corner of the corridor.

Louise frowned unconsciously, looked up, and sure enough, it was true.

With a hot body and dazzling red hair, Chuluk was leaning lazily against the wall with his arms crossed, saying "877".

Beside her stood Montmorency, who looked infatuated, and several noblewomen who followed her.

They surrounded Louise instantly; this was the Nth time they had questioned her this month.

Since the day after Lynn left, this group of women, who seemed to be lovesick, hadn't let her off the hook for a single day.

"What, your 'holy, beautiful, and powerful' familiar isn't with you again today?"

Chuluk stroked his fiery red curly hair, but his eyes, like those of a hawk, scanned Louise's back, as if trying to find the figure that haunted her dreams in the air.

Montmorency, on the other hand, held her face in her hands with a lovesick expression and hurriedly refuted her best friend.

"Chuluk! You mustn't say that! Lord Lynn must have returned to his divine realm to attend to important matters!"

"How could someone like him be like our familiar, idly following us around all day!"

Her words made several male classmates passing by turn pale.

What do you mean by "like our familiar"?

Louise straightened her face, trying her best to maintain her noble dignity: "This is none of your business."

"How can it not be our business?"

With elegant cat-like steps, Chuluk slowly walked up to Louise, his fiery red eyes scanning her up and down, his tone full of teasing.

"Louise, tell me honestly, are you being too stingy and secretly hiding Lord Lynn away? Trying to have him all to yourself?"

"Yes, that's too much! Lord Lynn is a treasure of Tristene!"

"It is! It is!"

Several female students nearby immediately nodded in agreement, their hands cupping their faces, their beautiful eyes filled with dreamy bubbles.

"We're not going to fight you for it, we just want...we want to see Lord Lynn one more time! Even if it's just a glimpse from afar!"

"Why would you want to see him?"

Louise took a step back warily, like a kitten guarding its food, keeping a close watch on her "possessions".

Chuluk let out a charming chuckle, leaned down, and whispered in Louise's ear, her breath sweet and fragrant, in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"What else can I do? Of course, I'm going crazy missing him..."

Her voice paused, then shifted to an ambiguous and malicious tone.

"But seriously, Louise, you wouldn't be... secretly summoning Mr. Lynn every night to do... shameless things, would you?"

boom!

Louise's cheeks instantly turned as red as a ripe tomato, and heat shot straight to the top of her head.

"You...you're talking nonsense! I...I didn't!"

She stammered in protest, her voice trembling slightly with shame and indignation, "I...I...how could I do such a thing!"

"Oh?" Chuluk straightened up, drawing out his words, his eyes filled with even more mockery.

"Really not? But we all saw it. During the summoning ceremony, someone was practically glued to him, begging for a kiss. He didn't look like he would refuse at all."

"Wow ah ah!"

The surrounding female students immediately erupted in a meaningful jeer.

Those undisguised gazes were like needles, making Louise feel extremely uncomfortable.

She recalled that uncontrolled, proactive kiss she gave in public that day, almost offering her soul, and felt so ashamed she wanted to disappear into the ground.

"I said no, so it's no!"

She tried her best to refute, but her flushed face and evasive eyes made her denial seem pale and powerless.

"Then summon him and prove it to us."

Chuluk pressed closer and closer.

"I do not want!"

Louise refused without hesitation.

He's so busy and works so hard, dealing with world-class issues. How could she bother him with such trivial matters?

Seeing her stubborn and unyielding demeanor, Qiu Luke frowned slightly. She suddenly thought of a possibility, and her tone turned cold.

"I say, Louise... your familiar wouldn't have abandoned you... wouldn't it?"

"After all, they haven't shown up for a whole month."

These words, like the sharpest icicle, pierced through Louise's disguise with deadly precision.

It pierced through the deepest fear in her heart, the fear she dared not touch.

"He didn't!"

Louise suddenly raised her head, and her beautiful peach-pink eyes instantly became misty with anger and resentment.

"He didn't abandon me!"

Her tearful appearance and the desperate protectiveness in her voice stunned everyone present.

This was the first time they had ever seen Louise Zero show such a real and vulnerable expression.

No matter how much they mocked her before, she always stubbornly maintained her aristocratic dignity.

But now, just a question about her familiar has made her instantly furious.

"He just had something to take care of! I just... I just didn't want to bother him with trivial matters!"

Qiu Luke and the others' expressions changed slightly. Thinking of the man's unfathomable strength, they didn't dare to really push her too far.

If she really does recklessly summon that evil spirit, she'll be the one who suffers.

After all, that was a terrifying being who could manipulate four "Line" level mages and their familiars with just two tree branches!

"Tch, fine, don't tell me then."

Chuluk sullenly curled his lip and led the group away.

Anyway, tomorrow is the annual Familiar Showcase.

Even Her Highness the Princess will be present.

At that time, whether she likes it or not, as a student, she will have to show her familiar; it is a rule of the academy.

The thought of seeing that man again tomorrow instantly made the girls present feel excited again.

I must go to bed early tonight and put on the best honey face mask so I can see Lord Lynn in my best condition tomorrow!

...

That evening, the entire Tristine Magic Academy was immersed in a celebratory atmosphere.

Because of the annual "Familiar Showcase," Princess Henrietta de Torristin of the Kingdom of Halkkinia arrived at the academy a day early.