Free Web Novel“...”
Sensing something off, Loren instantly activated Void-walking and slipped away. He grabbed Reflection Naclis by the scruff of her neck, while Reflection Naclis wore an innocent expression:
“What’s wrong?”
Her reaction was flawless, as if she had genuinely bumped into him by accident in the dark.
“...”
Reflection Naclis’s performance left Loren without any excuse to punish her. Moreover, after Loren left, the sleeping Naclis suddenly showed an uneasy expression. With no other choice, Loren had to set down Reflection Naclis, lie back on the bed, and put his arm back into Naclis’s embrace.
Only after touching Loren again did Naclis calm down.
At that moment, Reflection Naclis hugged Loren again, but this time she stayed obedient.
The night passed without incident—at least, Loren didn’t notice anything amiss. The next morning, he checked his condition and confirmed nothing had been done to him.
Probably...
“Good morning, Master Mentor.”
When Loren opened his eyes, he was greeted by Naclis’s golden irises. She had been watching him the entire time he slept.
“Good morning...”
Loren sat up, stretched lazily, and casually ruffled Naclis’s hair:
“Where’s Reflection?”
“I don’t know. When I woke up, she was sneaking off like a guilty thief.”
Hearing Naclis’s description, Loren had a bad feeling about this.
...
“Daddy’s moral bottom line is way too high. So many approaches just won’t work...”
Reflection Naclis was in the study with the others, but while everyone else was reviewing, she was jotting down her plans in a small notebook.
And while everyone else was sitting, she was kneeling on the chair because her bottom still hurt.
Lost in thought, she continued scribbling in her notebook:
“So the most important thing now is to lower his moral standards. Push the boundaries step by step, gradually corrupt him, drag him into depravity...”
As she wrote, Reflection Naclis let out a strange chuckle.
“What are you writing?”
At that moment, Loren appeared behind Reflection Naclis like a ghost. She quickly stashed away her notebook, awkward to the extreme.
“Uh... what a coincidence. How come you’re here too? And how did you come in without a sound?”
“I phased in via Void-walking. Got a problem?”
Loren didn’t probe further into what was written in her notebook. It was probably related to him anyway.
On one hand, Loren didn’t want to pry into the children’s privacy; on the other, he feared that if he saw the contents, he might not be able to resist hitting her.
“Alright then.”
Reflection Naclis stuffed the notebook into her clothes, relieved that Loren hadn’t pressed the issue.
If Loren had actually seen what was inside, her plan would likely have been ruined.
“Don’t bother Paqina and the others. You don’t have exams to take.”
With that, Loren grabbed Reflection Naclis by the scruff of her neck and carried her out of the study.
Only after Loren left did Paqina speak up:
“How did Naclis become like this?”
Reflection Naclis’s behavior just now was nothing like the Naclis she remembered. Paqina had been confused for a while, but since no one else reacted, she had kept quiet.
After seeing Loren grab Reflection Naclis by the scruff of her neck, Paqina could no longer hold back. She couldn’t imagine how that cold and aloof goddess could have changed so much.
“Well...”
Luna suddenly realized something. Although Paqina had spent a long time with them, there were many secrets she didn’t know. This was where Luna had the advantage over her.
Paqina didn’t even know they were Witches yet, and Loren hadn’t told her. That alone proved Loren didn’t fully trust her.
So Luna won twice.
Because she won twice and Paqina hadn’t won once, Luna won three times.
Having won three times in one go, Luna was now very happy. She won again.
“Actually, Naclis has always been like this deep down. Once you get to know her, you’ll understand...”
In the end, Luna made up a random excuse, though it did somewhat slander Naclis.
But there was no helping it. At worst, once Loren eventually came clean with Paqina, the truth could be revealed then.
...
Carried by Loren, Reflection Naclis stayed quiet and still. The moment he let go, she slipped into his shadow.
Loren whistled, and Starnight flew onto his finger. He lay down on the balcony lounge chair, once again enjoying his retired lifestyle.
Tomorrow was the academy’s final exams, and this time the students were studying harder than ever. They thought that if they performed well in the finals, they might catch Loren’s eye and be taken as his disciples.
Loren only occasionally taught them a lesson, but what they learned from him was more powerful than everything they had learned from all other teachers combined. This semester, the entire class had made remarkable progress.
Just leading a few lessons produced such results. If they could truly become Loren’s disciples, becoming a Ninth-tier mage might not be impossible.
Luna was a perfect example. Back at Gedlan Royal Magic Academy, Luna’s achievements were only around average, but now at Bountiful Magic Academy, her performance outshone everyone else’s.
In the students’ minds, Gedlan Royal Magic Academy was equivalent to a vocational school, and Loren was like someone who taught vocational students into getting into top-tier universities.
Moreover, they always believed Luna had no real talent. Yet even she had made such rapid progress. If they, who were naturally gifted, became Loren’s disciples, reaching Ninth-tier mage was within sight.
Paqina studied all the way until evening, only emerging at dinnertime.
“Paqina, how many High-Ranking Magics have you mastered by now?”
“I’ve mastered all the ones you gave me. Right now, I’m trying to thoroughly integrate them and see if I can create new magic. I’ve been working on it this whole time. I actually already created a new spell, but it’s not very stable...”
“!”
Hearing this, Luna was absolutely stunned. She had also learned quite a few High-Ranking Magics, but she had never once thought about creating her own. That wasn’t something she could do.
And just days ago, she had been sitting next to Paqina reviewing. She was learning new High-Ranking Magics and even felt a little proud, thinking her progress was definitely faster than Paqina’s. Now she had become the clown.
Luna didn’t think Paqina was lying. She wasn’t that kind of person, and no one would dare lie in front of Loren anyway.
“Make sure to hold back in tomorrow’s exam. It’s not good to show too much brilliance. Just demonstrate a Sixth-Tier spell.”
Loren said this casually. Paqina’s progress didn’t surprise him at all.
Paqina was only eighteen years old. Becoming a Mid-tier mage could be attributed to her natural talent and Loren’s teaching ability, but being a High-Ranking Mage would be over the top.
An eighteen-year-old High-Ranking Mage would drive the entire world crazy. At that point, the line of people wanting to become Loren’s disciples would probably stretch from the Nofica Theocracy all the way to the Holy Flame Empire.
