Chapter 237 The Immortal Demon King, Dendrossa, has arrived?!
(POV: Lumiere)
Anastasia's joyful expression faded, and she bowed her head respectfully, greeting Lucretia with a timid "Good morning, Miss Lucretia."
Quietly, Simone, who was standing behind Lucretia, offered me a slight nod— a silent form of greeting.
I acknowledged her greeting with a small nod.
"What're you doing here?"
Lucretia shot a sharp question at Anastasia.
The look on her face was the same as the time she found out who I was.
Not a good look...
In the face of Lucretia's questioning gaze, Anastasia composed herself and explained with utmost respect, "I'm assisting Professor Lumiere in getting a head start on the day."
Lucretia's gaze turned sharp as she turned her attention to Anastasia, disapproval weighing heavily on her words. "Couldn't he do that by himself?" she questioned.
I had the urge to interject, to defend Anastasia's role, but before I could get a word out, Lucretia silenced me with a sharp wave of her hand. Frustrated, I sighed inwardly, knowing it was futile to argue with her in this moment.
Honestly, what's wrong with her?
She wasn't like this several years ago, but now, it was a drastic change of personality.
Thing is, do people just change like that? So drastically...?
Anastasia, her voice steady but respectful, faced Lucretia head-on.
"I apologize, but as Professor Lumiere's personal assistant, it is within my role to assist him outside of school hours," she stated firmly.
Lucretia's expression shifted from disapproval to incredulity.
"Not anymore," she replied coldly. "A student-teacher relationship should not extend to such levels."
Anastasia didn't cower under Lucretia's gaze.
Instead, she maintained her composure and replied, "With all due respect, Professor Lumiere and I have a mutual understanding. What I do with him outside of school is none of your business."
Wow, go Anastasia.
Surprised by Anastasia's boldness, Lucretia sneered and challenged her, "What?d you say?" n0VelUsb.C0m
Anastasia held her ground, her voice resolute.
"I believe everyone has the right to live their life as they please, as long as it doesn't harm anyone. You're not my mother, nor my father, so you have no right to dictate what I can or cannot do."
Lucretia, taken aback by Anastasia's unwavering response, froze momentarily, her eyes darting between us. I raised my hands in a gesture of innocence, silently conveying that I bore no responsibility for this confrontation.
I mean like... It's all you Efistes.
With a huff, Lucretia swiftly turned on her heels and, accompanied by Simone, made her exit in a flurry of indignation.
Simone paused before me, her voice soft as she asked, "Can we talk this evening?"
I nodded.
The best option to understand why Lucretia was being such a pain was Simone.
From my observation, she was more than Lucretia?s assistant.
A friend.
"Sure," I replied.
Lucretia's impatience echoed in her voice as she called out to Simone, "Let's go, Simone!"
Simone bowed her head respectfully to me before hurrying to catch up with Lucretia.
I let out a relieved sigh.
Let's be honest, I'm not built for this sort of tension.
Why can't every woman just be like Serena? Or Fasit?
Well besides their motherly quirks, Fasit and her milkmakers definitely have some experience they'd like to build in that area.
As I slipped my hands back into my pockets, I muttered to myself, "Why does she have to be such a pain in the ass?"
Anastasia glanced at me, her gaze filled with curiosity.
"Do you and Miss Lucretia have something special going on?" she asked.
I chuckled dryly and shook my head. "Not really," I replied, a small sigh following after. "If we did, she wouldn't be treating me like garbage."
Any other time, and I'd have said we did.
But the way she acts just makes me think otherwise.
Anastasia's expression softened, and she sighed sympathetically. "That's sad," she murmured.
A yawn escaped my lips as fatigue washed over me. "Yeah," I mumbled. "But let's not dwell on it. We have an early morning ahead of us."
I took a step forward, but Anastasia remained rooted in place.
"Come on, let's go.." I told her.
With a sharp nod, she rushed to me and immediately wrapped her arms around my right arm. Gently snuggling next to it— if she was any closer then she'd basically be wearing me.
Jeez, hard to believe she's my age and I'd like to see her as a child.
I guess it's just like that, Anastasia?s a pretty bold and idiotic girl.
She knows what she wants and isn't afraid to express it, and I already knew what she wanted from me...
...she has some sort of plan to sabotage me.
At this point it's difficult to trust girls, unless it's Serena.
Haaa~ Serena?s an angel.
I turned my gaze to her, raising an eyebrow in question.
"What's the matter?"
I asked, my question directed at how she was clinging to me so closely.
Anastasia blushed slightly before speaking up.
"It's just... a little skin touch, right?" she said tentatively. "And it's not like my breasts are anything big."
I couldn't help but chuckle at her candid remark. "Your breasts are perfectly fine," I assured her with a playful grin.
Anastasia shot me a sideways glance, her eyes sparkling sweetly. "Should you really be telling your students that?" she teased, partly amused.
I shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, like you said, it's not school hours yet, so I guess we're safe," I replied, smiling back at her.
Anastasia beamed at me, her face glowing with warmth. With a quick motion, she wrapped her arms even tighter. Now her breasts were really making contact with my arm, but soon I relaxed, enjoying the closeness. Together, we continued down the grassy slope, the early morning sun just beginning to rise.
As we strolled along the peaceful grassy slope, something kept nagging on my senses.
It was like my [Magic Detect] was functioning, and at the same time it wasn't.
Suddenly, an overwhelming surge of mana engulfed my senses, causing me to tense up and instinctively grab Anastasia by the waist, pulling her closer. Her cheeks flushed crimson, and I could feel the softness of her soft ass under my touch.
In that split second, my mind registered the danger looming overhead.
Without thinking, I leaped to the side, narrowly escaping the imminent calamity hurtling towards us. The ground quaked beneath us as if struck by a meteor, casting dust that obscured our surroundings.
The haze slowly settled, a woman emerged from the chaos, her short white hair hanging above her shoulders and her eyes burning with a fiery red intensity. Clad in black armor adorned with intricate designs, she exuded an aura of power and dominance. A colossal sword rested casually on her shoulder.
"FINALLY, I'VE FOUND YOU LUMIERE!!"
"Eh?" I raised an eyebrow.
"I AM DENDROSSA, THE IMMORTAL DEMON KING OF THE 7TH LAYER OF HELL!!"
Oh wow, just my luck...