Free Web NovelChapter 148: Chapter 148 - Session with Elowen!
The atmosphere inside Class S remained considerably lighter than it had been at the beginning of the day, the earlier gloom left behind by the breach report having mostly faded after Valerian’s dramatic appearance and equally dramatic removal from the classroom. Yet despite the more relaxed mood surrounding the students, a certain seriousness still lingered beneath the surface as everyone focused on Elowen’s lesson.
Meanwhile—
At the very back of the classroom—
Elowen stood before Damon.
Her calm smile remained exactly as it always did.
"Student Damon," she repeated gently, "how has your progress been?"
For a brief moment, Damon remained silent.
His mind immediately drifted toward the incident inside the carriage.
The mana.
The pain.
The blood.
Then, after a brief pause, he simply answered,
"It’s alright."
The answer itself sounded perfectly ordinary.
Yet strangely—
Elowen continued looking at him for another moment.
Her expression did not change.
Her smile remained exactly the same.
But something within her gaze seemed to linger slightly longer than it had with the other students.
Then eventually—
She nodded.
"I see."
A brief pause followed.
Then casually—
As though mentioning something completely insignificant—
"Meet me after class for our session."
Several nearby students immediately looked toward Damon.
Meanwhile, Damon himself simply nodded.
"Understood."
Only then did Elowen continue moving throughout the classroom.
Soon afterward, the lesson resumed completely.
Unlike many instructors who simply followed prepared lecture materials, Elowen adjusted the entire class based upon the responses she had gathered from the students themselves.
The difficulties they experienced.
The mistakes they were making.
The misconceptions they held.
Everything became part of the lesson.
Standing before the classroom, she calmly explained how mana naturally existed within the surrounding world before discussing the process through which resonance users gradually learned to perceive it.
She spoke about concentration.
About mental discipline.
About forcing nothing and guiding everything.
Several students asked questions.
Others described problems they had encountered.
Some struggled sensing mana altogether.
Others could sense it but failed to maintain the connection.
Several managed guiding mana briefly into their first nadi only for it to disperse moments later.
And for every problem—
Elowen had an answer.
A correction.
An explanation.
A solution.
Meanwhile, Damon listened far more attentively than usual.
Not because he found the lesson particularly fascinating.
But because he was searching.
Searching for something.
Anything.
Some explanation that matched what had happened to him.
Yet the longer the lesson continued—
The deeper his frown became.
Because nothing matched.
Not a single student described anything remotely similar to his experience.
No one mentioned pain.
No one mentioned injury.
No one mentioned their body violently rejecting the process.
And certainly—
No one mentioned coughing blood.
The discrepancy only became more obvious the more examples he heard.
Eventually, the lesson came to an end.
The academy bell echoed softly throughout the building.
Students immediately began gathering books and materials while conversations gradually resumed throughout the classroom.
Some discussed the breach.
Others discussed mana training.
A few immediately began arguing over whose progress had been better.
Meanwhile, Damon remained seated for a moment longer.
His thoughts lingered on the same question.
What exactly happened to me?
Eventually, he stood up.
Khaira immediately glanced toward him.
"What’s the lesson she talked about?"
Damon answered, "Not your buisness."
Eric immediately looked jealous.
"I want special lessons."
"You barely survive the normal ones."
"...That’s a fair point."
Damon simply ignored them afterward before leaving the classroom altogether.
Soon—
He walked through the academy corridors.
The white-and-gold architecture stretched endlessly around him while students moved throughout the building in every direction, creating the familiar bustle that always filled Crownspire between classes.
Yet Damon paid little attention to any of it.
Instead, his destination remained clear.
Eventually—
He arrived before a familiar office.
Miss Elowen’s office.
The polished door stood quietly before him while the sounds of the corridor gradually faded into the background.
Damon paused briefly.
Then raised his hand.
Knock.
Knock.
A few moments later—
A calm voice sounded from inside.
"Come in."
Without hesitation, Damon reached for the handle, opened the door, and stepped inside.
The moment Damon stepped through the doorway, a calm and refreshing atmosphere greeted him from within the office.
Unlike the large lecture halls and auditoriums scattered throughout Crownspire Academy, Elowen’s office felt considerably smaller and more personal. Large glass panels stretched across one side of the room, allowing warm afternoon sunlight to pour inside while offering a clear view of the academy grounds below. White shelves lined the walls neatly, filled with books regarding mana theory, resonance studies, anatomy, and countless other academic subjects, while several potted plants added subtle traces of green throughout the otherwise white-and-gold interior.
Meanwhile—
Elowen sat behind her desk as usual.
Several documents rested before her alongside a cup of tea that had long since gone cold, suggesting she had been working even before classes had ended.
The moment Damon entered—
She smiled softly.
"Please, take a seat."
Damon nodded before calmly walking toward the chair positioned opposite her desk and sitting down without hesitation.
For a brief moment afterward, neither spoke.
The silence wasn’t uncomfortable.
Merely patient.
Meanwhile, Elowen closed the document she had been reading before folding her hands together atop the desk.
"So," she began gently, "how was your trip home?"
Damon had expected that question.
"The manor is still standing."
A small laugh escaped Elowen.
"I’ll take that as a positive report."
Damon merely shrugged.
"The territory was peaceful."
"And your family?"
The question caused Damon to pause briefly.
Only briefly.
"My little sister is doing well."
The answer slipped out almost automatically.
Elowen’s smile deepened slightly.
"And the others?"
Damon immediately realized his mistake.
He had answered about Cecelia first.
Meanwhile, Elowen clearly noticed as well.
"The Duke remains occupied."
His answer remained neutral.
"Brother continues swinging swords at things."
This time Elowen genuinely laughed.
The soft sound briefly filled the office.
"I see." freewebnøvel.coɱ
Damon remained silent afterward.
Meanwhile, Elowen quietly observed him for several moments.
The young man before her had undoubtedly changed since entering the academy.
The changes were subtle.
Difficult for most people to notice.
Yet they existed.
Particularly whenever he spoke about certain people.
Eventually, Elowen let the subject go.
Instead, she opened a notebook resting beside her desk.
"Now then."
The atmosphere gradually became more serious.
"Let’s discuss your mana circulation progress."
Damon’s expression immediately became more reserved.
Meanwhile, Elowen calmly continued.
"Your answer in class was considerably shorter than usual."
A small smile appeared.
"Which means one of two things."
Damon already knew where this was going.
"Either you’ve made remarkable progress and don’t wish to share it."
Her smile remained.
"Or something went wrong."
Silence settled briefly.
Meanwhile, Damon considered the situation carefully.
He could lie.
It would be easy.
Yet after sitting through the entire class and hearing dozens of students describe their experiences—
He had already realized he needed answers.
Eventually—
He exhaled quietly.
Then decided to tell the truth.
"When I attempted the exercise..."
Elowen’s expression immediately became attentive.
Damon continued.
"I was travelling back to the Valecrest territory."
"The carriage was stable."
"I followed your instructions exactly as explained."
His brows gradually furrowed as he recalled the experience.
"I sensed the mana."
Elowen nodded.
"Good."
"Then I began guiding it."
The office remained silent.
For the first time, Damon noticed Elowen wasn’t interrupting him.
Not even once.
She simply listened.
"I managed it."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"At least I think I did."
A pause followed.
"Then everything became painful."
Elowen’s fingers slowly stopped moving.
Damon noticed.
But continued.
"It wasn’t discomfort."
"It wasn’t strain."
His voice became colder.
"It felt like my body was rejecting something."
The atmosphere inside the office subtly changed.
Meanwhile, Elowen’s expression remained calm.
Yet her eyes had sharpened considerably.
Damon continued.
"The pressure increased almost instantly."
"The mana became difficult to control."
"And before I could stop..."
His gaze lowered slightly.
"...I coughed blood."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even the sounds of students moving outside the office seemed distant now.
Meanwhile—
For the first time since entering the room—
Elowen’s smile disappeared.
Not dramatically.
Not suddenly.
Simply...
Gone.
Several long moments passed.
Then finally—
She slowly leaned back in her chair.
And spoke.
"Damon."
Her voice remained calm.
Yet somehow—
It sounded considerably more serious than before.
"...That is not supposed to happen."
For a brief moment, silence settled throughout the office after Elowen’s words.
Damon’s brows immediately furrowed.
The answer itself was obvious.
Of course it wasn’t supposed to happen.
The real question was—
Why?
His golden eyes remained fixed upon Elowen as he calmly asked,
"What do you mean by that?"
Meanwhile, Elowen herself appeared unusually thoughtful.
Her fingers lightly tapped against the desk once before stopping completely as though she were organizing her thoughts, yet when she finally spoke, she still didn’t provide a direct answer.
"Normally, the process of guiding mana into the nadis can be uncomfortable for beginners."
Her gaze remained steady.
"It can cause mental exhaustion, headaches, dizziness, and in some cases temporary fatigue if too much concentration is used."
A slight pause followed.
"But it should not cause physical damage." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Damon’s eyes narrowed.
"Should not?"
This time, Elowen’s brows furrowed slightly.
Not in irritation.
In concern.
The expression lasted only briefly before disappearing again.
Then instead of answering his question directly, she slowly closed the notebook resting before her.
"Would you mind doing it again?"
The request caused Damon to pause.
"Now?"
Elowen nodded.
"Here."
The office fell quiet once more.
Meanwhile, Damon carefully observed the woman sitting across from him.
Her expression remained calm.
Professional.
Yet there was something beneath it now.
Something she was not saying.
Something she was trying to confirm before reaching a conclusion.
And that alone told him enough.
Whatever had happened inside the carriage—
It wasn’t something Elowen had expected.
Nor was it something she could immediately explain.
After several moments of consideration, Damon finally gave a small nod.
"Fine."
Without saying anything further, he adjusted himself within the chair before slowly closing his eyes.
The office gradually fell silent.
The sounds from outside the glass windows seemed to fade into the distance while Elowen quietly observed from across the desk, her attention entirely focused upon him.
Then—
Damon took a slow breath.
And once again began reaching toward the mana surrounding him.
