Volume 3 Chapter 155

Volume 3 + Chapter 155: The Storm Approaches

After finishing the osmanthus cake, Xia Yi finally came to her senses.

Terrible!

Just now, in front of Hill, she had slacked off again, showing that soft, cutesy… humiliating appearance!

Damn it, she had actually fallen into the osmanthus cake trap set by her own student!!

“…Cough, cough.”

She coughed a few times, hurriedly putting her demeanor back in order.

What she worried about most was that her true identity would be exposed.

Xia Yi had once had an extremely terrifying nightmare.

In that dream, her students discovered her real identity—that she was no longer a human Sword Saint, but a dragon clan hatchling, a tiny dragon, praised as “cute.”

Ignoring her protests, they treated the dignity she held as a teacher as nothing.

Not only hugging her, but patting her head, stroking her tail, even feeding her osmanthus cake, treating her entirely like a mascot…

Horrible. Truly too horrible!!

No matter what, Xia Yi absolutely would not allow such a nightmare to descend into reality.

Luckily, even in front of her excellent students, her acting was still flawless and impeccable.

Even when standing right before Hill, Hill did not sense anything unusual, nor even realize that this was once the teacher she had admired most.

Guarding this bottom line was what allowed Xia Yi to maintain her composure.

“Teacher Hill?”

“……”

“Hm?”

Xia Yi looked at Hill in front of her, finding it a little strange.

Her student was in a daze, lost in thought about something.

“Hey, Teacher Hill~?”

Because of her smaller height and body now, she was a bit shorter than Hill, so she had to stand on tiptoe.

“Ah… Wr—” Hill paused, “Xia Yi, what is it?”

“Teacher Hill, you looked like you were daydreaming just now, so strange?”

“Nothing.”

Hill shook her head and smiled faintly.

Xia Yi noticed Hill had changed somewhat, as though her mental burden had lightened a lot—from a furrowed brow at first, now to a smile on her face.

Perhaps she had figured something out and wasn’t so weighed down anymore?

“Xia Yi, next is the commendation assembly. Come with me,” Hill said. “Although you used a few tricks, they didn’t directly violate our academy’s monthly exam rules. Therefore, the academy has ruled your results valid, and you can receive a special reward at the assembly.”

“Can we go now?” Xia Yi was delighted.

“Mm, I need to attend too. Let’s go together.”

“Okay~”

Xia Yi obediently followed behind Hill.

On the way, Hill asked curiously: “Xia Yi, what request did you make to Laurel Academy?”

“I want to go to the central area and take a look at the laurel tree. As for the rewards Teacher Kyle mentioned, I’m not that interested. Whether it’s the special private tutoring courses from senior teachers, or outstanding weapon rewards… instead, I want to see for myself the legendary laurel tree.”

Xia Yi’s voice wasn’t very confident.

Because even she herself felt this wasn’t very convincing.

For a young person from an ordinary noble family, clearly the earlier rewards should be better.

“I see.”

Hill wasn’t surprised by Xia Yi’s request.

“Others have made similar requests before. The academy will agree.”

“Teacher Hill, don’t you think… it’s strange?” Xia Yi blinked.

“Strange? Why?”

“…Nothing!”

Xia Yi quickly cut off the topic.

Hill was actually this supportive of her.

Of course—she was the good student she had personally taught!

…

“Boss, how have you been feeling lately?”

Frank asked Kobe beside him.

Because the monthly exam’s commendation assembly was about to be held, students were all required to gather in Laurel Academy’s grand hall.

On the way, Frank from the Magic Department ran into his former teammates, Kobe from the Sword Department, and James from the Combat Department.

“Feels like I’ve been… oddly out of it,” Kobe’s spirit seemed weary. “After the monthly exam ended, these past few nights I’ve always had dreams—nightmares. And when I wake up, I remember them all, covered in sweat.”

“You too?!” James was surprised.

“I also have nightmares!”

“Could it be that after being defeated by that little evil dragon, we’ve all been left with aftereffects…?” Frank said dejectedly.

The three of them fell silent.

Indeed, after losing to Xia Yi, they couldn’t accept it easily. Even stranger, they felt an unusual anger, but there was nothing they could do.

After all, they had challenged her twice, both times three-on-one. There wasn’t even the excuse of “underperforming” or “underestimating the opponent” left to comfort themselves with.

“Speaking of which, that day when we were rushing to the designated rendezvous point in the forest ruins, I remember Boss suddenly ran off.” Frank said, puzzled.

“Did I?”

Kobe frowned. Did I really do that?

“I feel like I chased after you,” James held his forehead. “Strange… Why does my memory get blurry there? Later, didn’t we see… someone, together?”

Kobe and Frank also sank into confusion—their memories of what followed were hazy.

By the time they came to their senses again, they were already standing at the designated rendezvous, meeting with the others.

“Forget it, let’s stop thinking about this. The commendation assembly’s about to start, let’s get inside!” Frank suggested.

Kobe and James nodded, agreeing.

…

…

Laurel City, outer suburbs.

“Senior, let’s hurry back. Maybe we can still make it to the commendation assembly of the monthly exam!”

A caravan of merchants was transporting goods toward Laurel City.

Guarding them were students from Laurel Academy.

The junior stood atop the wagon, gazing into the distance—Laurel Academy had already appeared in sight.

But his senior was lying lazily atop the cargo, yawning.

“What’s so interesting about the commendation assembly? It has nothing to do with us anyway. It’s just the teachers rewarding those geniuses with talent, outstanding grades, and tireless effort… Even if we’re more gifted than ordinary people, we still can’t compare to geniuses.”

“Senior, don’t give up on yourself like that!”

“I’m not giving up. I’m just recognizing where I belong. Don’t aim too high—be a bit more grounded. Sure, we can’t match those geniuses, but we’re still much stronger than ordinary adventurers. Without my guarding, the dangerous beasts along the way would’ve already endangered this caravan—”

Suddenly, the wagon came to a stop.

From up ahead came the voice of the caravan leader.

“Boys, there’s a monster here. Please deal with it!!”

“Didn’t even finish talking before trouble comes knocking,” the senior chuckled. “How audacious to be roaming so close to Laurel Academy. Junior, fetch me my halberd!”

“Got it!”

The junior pulled out a heavy weapon and tossed it into the air.

The senior leapt off the wagon, caught the halberd with ease, slung it over his shoulder, and strode toward the monster blocking the road.

“Here we go, Senior’s going to show off again!” The junior sat down, ready to happily enjoy the spectacle.

However…

In less than a few minutes, his expression shifted from relaxed to terrified.

“No, I don’t want to die here—ahhhhh!!”

The senior had been defeated, grievously injured, life hanging by a thread.

Only then did the junior realize the gravity of the situation, his body trembling.

This was no ordinary monster, but one from Laurel Academy’s very textbooks, one of the most terrifying—

A mutant beast.

He jumped off the wagon, wanting to try rescuing his senior—but what he saw was a scene of utter despair.