CHAPTER 116: YANDERE

*BOOM!*

With an explosive force, I kicked Liora’s frozen arms with my right leg. On the impact, lightning crackled around us as she flew away with broken half-burned arms.

She crashed into the room’s wall in an instant, leaving a groan of pain and spitting a mouth of blood.

I teleported beside her and spoke genuinely.

"You are terrible in direct combat. A mage needs to know how to throw punches too. That’s my advice for this fight."

Selene immediately approached us and began to heal Liora. Then Liora stood up with trembling legs and bowed.

"Thank you... The artifact will be ready by tomorrow."

I gave her a soft smile as Selene supported Liora outside the suite.

Once they left, I exhaled.

"It’s not fun anymore..."

That was our third spar so far, and it wasn’t as fun as the first.

I sighed as I looked at the white ring in my hand.

"Maybe I should be even less aggressive next time."

Yesterday, she came to my suite at 8am as promised before fighting me. She really improved compared to our spar in the combat class, but she still lost.

She left while thanking me and promised to make me the artifacts I wanted the next day.

Today, I attended both cooking class and Aether and Mana studies in the morning. Unlike the artificery one, they were quite helpful.

Especially the cooking. I got significant inspiration from it. This world’s style was different from earth.

After finishing all the classes and doing some personal stuff, Liora visited me again at 8am.

I thought she only wanted to give me the artifact at the start, but then she asked for another spar.

And as you can see, she lost miserably again.

But I was a little softer this time. I only broke her arms! That was way better than the first and second time.

Then came the artifact she gave me today. It was a ring that helped to make me mentally invisible.

It used the same logic as how she could move in front of someone without them noticing using her illusion. It was a good item for me and Glutton.

I walked to the bedroom and fell on the bed before speaking inwardly.

’Glutton, how’s the poison effect?’

[He isn’t suspecting anything. If everything goes well, he will be in a deep sleep tomorrow.]

I nodded in satisfaction inwardly, ignoring the living lantern that sat beside me and put my hand on her head.

’Let’s hope he uses his special item at that time. That would add another layer of privacy later.’

As I finished talking in my mind, my eyes landed lazily on Selene.

"Don’t you get bored of the head pats?"

She pressed my hand harder between her horns.

"No~"

•••

The next day, I sat silently in the strategy class — a general class related to combat and leadership — fixing my focus on the elf teacher before the board.

On my right, Liora was sitting beside the window after refusing to give the chair to Elara. On my left, Zephyr and Cel were sitting together, and the others were on my back.

Listening to the teacher, both of me and Zephyr had only one conclusion.

"We are failing this class."

"Absolutely."

"Do your best, your highness."

"There is no hope, unfortunately."

We sighed in unison as our brains began to burn. I was just complaining a few days ago about how easy the artificery class was, why wasn’t this the same?!

’Glutton,’ I spoke inwardly, ’Do your best to memorize everything she is saying. I’ll need your strong memory in the exam.’

[Isn’t that cheating?]

’It isn’t if no one knew you could do it.’

[.....]

"That’s everything for today," The teacher’s soft voice echoed through the hall, "Next week’s subject will be slavery."

"Wait what!" My eyes burst open at her last comment, but she left before I could ask.

’I’m not skipping the next class. I have to know what she meant by slavery!’

I stood up and teleported to the door, waiting for the others to follow.

When they arrived, we began to move together to my restaurant.

I promised them earlier on the group chat to show them the place.

Arthur was the first to speak. "Can we get a small discount... Cough... as your friends?"

I frowned at him. "I’d rather kill myself! You know what, everyone is getting a 5% discount except for you and Zephyr. You will have to pay 5% more."

Zephyr’s eyes burst open. "What the hell did I do?!"

"Existing."

The others around me, including Arthur, laughed lightly. Maybe only Cel, Selene and Zephyr knew I was serious.

After a few minutes of walking, we finally arrived at my humble store.

"You weren’t joking about becoming rich..." Zephyr said grimly, color drained of his face.

The large floor was already filled with people. Some of them were eating alone. Some were eating with friends. Others were staring at the shining sun beside me.

Mia was serving all of them alone with a wide smile despite how tired she was, wearing a beautiful black and white maid outfit that seemed to be a simple artifact.

Once her gaze landed on me, her eyes widened as she approached us immediately.

"Nice to see you, Mr. Raylin. Is there any problem?"

I scanned the restaurant as I said: "Maybe I put too much pressure on you. I’ll hire another servant to help you today."

Mia shook her head immediately. "I’m fine! You don’t need to bother yourself with that."

I ignored her and opened my bracelet, searching for the available servants. "Do you have any recommendations? Someone that would suit this job."

Mia sighed helplessly as she began to think deeply. Her face suddenly blushed as she looked at my bracelet and said: "I-I have a person in my mind. Let me help you find him, if you don’t mind."

I nodded as I led my friends to an empty table and began to search with Mia.

After a moment, we paused at the image of a dwarf with the name Mike, with only 100 EC as a daily payment.

"He is a good servant. Trust me in that please!"

I gave her a nod before sending a request to Mike.

"You can sit beside my friends. I’ll take care of the place until you rest properly."

"I can’t do such a thing! It’s my duty to—!"

I put my hand on her mouth and silenced her. "Just do what I say!"

Mia gave up before sitting between Zephyr and Elara.

I teleported to each customer one by one to see their requests, then quickly brought the dishes to them without wasting a second.

’Damn, I may be the best servant in the world!’

After serving everyone, whether they were on the first or the second floor, I sat with my friends on the table and began to eat with them.

Elara was the first to speak, irritation and envy visible in her eyes.

"You are all seeing them, right?"

We looked at the table she was looking at — There were 2 students, a man and a girl, sitting beside each other with a blush plastered over the man’s face.

They were the couple from the combat class incident, Nyxis and Limitless.

Nyxis was holding Limitless’s hand while feeding him with a wide smile, as if she couldn’t see his embarrassment.

And judging by the blindfold she was always wearing, maybe she really couldn’t see.

Elara sighed. "I envy that girl. I want to date someone too..."

Arthur and Liora looked at Elara with wide eyes.

Zephyr gritted his teeth. "I envy that fucker! I want a girlfriend too!"

"Oh! You know Nyxis?" Mia suddenly spoke, eyes focusing on Nyxis. "I’m really happy for her to finally have a boyfriend, even though he is a little younger than her. That blind girl was originally in our academy by the way."

"Pffft—! What!" Zephyr spit his coffee over my face. I gritted my teeth silently as Mia continued.

"6 years ago, she was a normal servant, just like me," Mia began to explain happily, "But when she turned 21, she suddenly formed her aura core. She was a rare late bloomer!"

I turned my head toward the couple again, seeing Nyxis in a new light.

’She is 6 years older than us?!’

[That lucky bastard got a mommy!]

But there was something suspicious. To form an aura core, even as a late bloomer, she still needed a type of trigger. Was there a type of trauma that helped her, or was she lucky to wake up and find it like some rare cases?

Unfortunately, we weren’t close enough to ask her.

Mia continued: "She had to go to the Cultivators Academy after that, starting from the first year again. I don’t know what happened after that, but I heard that she won the show’s gamble and got something to form mana core."

"She paused for a moment before smiling. "Now, here she is, attending the Exalted Academy as a first-year student. She is our role model!"

While Selene was wiping the coffee on my face, I took a bite of a chocolate cake while observing the couple silently.

She was hugging his arm firmly now as she shoved a cake into his mouth with an obsessed smile.

She was showing yandere behaviour. And despite his embarrassment, Limitless didn’t seem to mind.

And deep down, I knew he was enjoying it. My sixth sense told me that!

I sighed. ’Glutton, is everything good until now?’

[Yes. He should fall asleep after midnight.]

I thanked Glutton inwardly before glancing again at the couple.

A single thought lingered in my mind.

’Would any girl — any girl in this world... love a killer like me?’