Chapter 317 I'm snow walking with Ravenna?
Winter Break Arc.
(POV: Lumiere)
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We stepped out of the room.
The cold draft from the hallway made several passerbys shiver.
I turned to Ravenna, she was still tightly gripping me.
"So, are you gonna let go off me so I can lock the door, or..."
With some show of amusement, she apologized, "Alright, sorry, do what you have to do," and let go, her fingers sliding off my wrist.
Pulling the keys from my coat pocket, I inserted one into the lock, its metallic click echoing through the chillness of the corridor.
Locking the door behind us, we began walking down the hallway, the sound of our footsteps resonating against the wooden floor. Suddenly, Ravenna's slender figure pressed against mine, her arms encircling mine in a firm embrace.
And this left me, a little confused... "Was that really necessary?" I inquired.
It wasn't the first time, but now that she was out of the labyrinth you'd think she'd leave or go back to her "normal" life. However, she chose to stay with me and well, here we were.
Ravenna giggled playfully. "Of course, my knight in shinning armor," she replied. "We're about to get married for goodness sake, so why shouldn't I hold you like this?"
Wasn't she supposed to be joking about that?
"Jeez," I chuckled, slightly flustered. "Just be careful not to squeeze me too tight."
As we continued walking, a familiar figure emerged from around the corner. It was Gunther, the bald professor, his usually composed demeanor shattered in the face of our unexpected interaction. He froze in his tracks, his face turning beet red.
To be honest, Gunther was chill, just not around young bloods for some reason.
"This is scandalous!" Gunther exclaimed, unable to contain his outrage. "How dare you engage with more than one woman a month without even having the decency to marry them first?"
Confusion took hold of me. "Engage? What're you talking about, Mr. Gunther?"
Then it hit me... This guy heard when Serena and I were going at it.
Gunther's anger intensified, the cold winter air unable to cool his burning rage. "I demand that you show some decency! Marry these women before engaging in such intimate acts with them!"
It's barely even handholding!!
My gaze shifted to Ravenna, who still clung to me without hesitation.
I couldn't help but wear a quizzical expression. "Intimate?" I repeated.
Gunther's frustration reached its peak as steam appeared to rise from his seething head. He roared, "O... Of course it is! Can't you see the impropriety of your actions?"
If only he knew he was yelling at two Curse Kings.
Actually, Ravenna has a more terrifying record than I do. She killed over nine hundred thousand people in the space of one year.
"Don't worry sir, you have nothing to worry about now," Ravenna told him with a smile.
"Eh?" I turned to her, a puzzled expression on my face. "What'd you mean?"
Ravenna chuckled softly. "We're actually getting married today," she revealed. "So, there's no need for him to be concerned."
Just then, Gunther moved back a bit, his infuriated demeanor was instantly replaced by sheer astonishment. He froze, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of Ravenna and me.
"I... It... It makes sense now..."
Maybe to him, he thought us being this close was some sort of couples thing.
"Eh?" Gunther stammered. "You're getting married today? But... but why didn't anyone tell me?"
I smiled warmly at him, "understanding" his confusion. "It was a last-minute decision."
A really last-minute one that came out of nowhere. But she had to be joking, it was just a matter of waiting to see how long the joke would last.
"I see," Gunther nodded slowly.
"I apologize for not informing you earlier, but at least now you know it's not something scandalous, right?"
"..."
"Right?"
Gunther's face flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly regained his composure. "Well, congratulations," he managed to say.
"Thank you, good sir," Ravenna replied cheerfully. "We appreciate your well wishes."
We were about to take our leave, but Gunther didn't seem to be done yet.
"Not yet!" he stomped the ground. "If you're going to marry this woman, then I suggest you marry the other women that you're always so dirty with, and it best be a last-minute decision like this one!!"
"Eh..." n(-0velbIn
"No buts! I'll follow you and you'll go propose to them right new you scandalous little professor!!"
"Hm?"
Then, I noticed Ravenna?s grip around my shoulder tightening.
Was she angry?
Either way, I looked at Gunther and told him, "We, uh, honestly have to go.."
Slowly, we started taking our leave.
"You sexual animals! Of course you'd take your leave! The bedroom isn't enough for you scandalously aroused hotblooded creatures to fulfill your sexual fantasies! You have to go all the way to somewhere more obscene to get..."
Gunther dramatically shook his waist and then added,
"Jiggy with it!"
I... I honestly can't deal with this guy sometimes.
In the end, we bid Gunther farewell and left the staff hostel, a breathtaking sight greeted our eyes. The campus was blanketed in a thick layer of snow, the pristine white contrasting beautifully against the surrounding buildings. Despite it not being a snowstorm, the snow on the ground was deep.
It felt peaceful...
"Woah!" Ravenna exclaimed, her eyes widening in awe. She extended her hands, allowing a snowflake to delicately land on her palm. "So this is how snowflakes look!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with wonder.
"Haven't you seen snowflakes before?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
She looked at me with her oddly calm eyes. "Yeah, but it's been so long that I've forgotten,"as she admitted this, then came a slightly attractive sheepish smile.
I chuckled, finding her response endearing. "I guess you're right. Sometimes it's hard to believe you were actually stuck sitting down for ninety-nine years," I replied.
Still, a God tier shut-in would love that sort of situation.
Not having to eat, sleep or interact with people, just exist.
Suddenly, Ravenna dropped to her knees and scooped up a handful of snow. With careful hands, she began molding it into a shape. I watched her with what could only be called a curious smile.
"Should you really be playing with snow?" I asked.
She was several centuries old, and yet she was still fascinated by the snow.
However, I guess a good number of ancient beings are childish in one manner or the other.
Like Eunaria, and definitely Laura too, I don't care how elegant she claims to be.
"Hm, why not?" Ravenna retorted, a sweet grin forming on her face. "It's not like I get to enjoy this often. Plus, playing with snow is cool."
I let out a genuine laugh, her enthusiasm infectious. "Nice pun," I said.
Ravenna lifted an eyebrow, she completely missed the point. "Hm?" she questioned, waiting for an explanation.
I fumbled over my words, realizing that her joke didn't quite make sense to her. "Uh, nevermind," I muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Jeez, these guys don't know what a good pun is, I thought.
I looked away, stuffing my hands into my pockets. When I turned my attention back to Ravenna, I noticed she had already begun packing the snow tightly to form a large ball. She then started patting and shaping it meticulously.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I asked, "What're you doing?"
Ravenna flashed me an excited smile. "I'm making a snowman!" she declared proudly.
"Wow, that's totally... great," I commented. It was a sarcastic remark, yes, but could you really blame me? People would hear of Curse Kings and think evil warlords of chaos that could destroy villages with a single word from their lips.
And yet here was Ravenna, sweet as ever.
Awwwnnn~~
"Focus!" I slapped my cheeks.
"Hm?" she said.
I chuckled sheepishly. "Eh, nevermind, I didn't say anything..."
Ravenna grinned. "You should come join me," she suggested.
I shook my head, gesturing towards the campus. "I'm okay. But shouldn't we get going? It'd be better if we left and went somewhere in Argentia or the Efistes Viscounty as a whole," I reasoned.
I wasn't necessarily eager to explore new places, I just didn't want my students to see me. Especially Anastasia...
Ravenna's smile faltered slightly, but she nodded understandingly.
"I know, I know. I'll just finish building my snowman and then we'll go.."
"Sure..."
And just then, I heard someone call my name.
"Professor Lumiere?"