Chapter 144: The History Lesson
"Y-yes, I was just thinking about something else," she muttered, forcing a smile onto her face. If he weren’t her friend, he would already be lying across her lap, getting spanked by the same ancient hands that had shaped the Four Heroes.
Vlad, completely unaware of the fury burning inside her over his disrespectful words, stretched his arms and said, "Well then, let’s call it a night."
As he rose to his feet, Lily immediately followed, her eyebrows furrowing. Even though he had been disrespectful toward Lirien, the principal, he was still a newly made friend of Lily, the caretaker. The reluctance to let him go was clear on her face.
"We’ll meet again tomorrow," Vlad reminded her, reading the reluctance on her face.
"Alright, take care."
"You too. And don’t propose to anyone recklessly after getting caught, you peeping perv," Vlad teased before pivoting on his heel.
Her cheeks instantly flushed at his words.
"Y-you..." she muttered, but he had already taken a few steps away from her. "I wouldn’t have done it if it was someone else!" she said in a louder tone, making Vlad wonder whether she was referring to the proposal or the peeking.
He decided he’d ask the next time they met. After taking a few more steps, he stopped.
"Lily," he called, turning back.
"What?" Lily asked, still annoyed by his remarks.
"Could you open the barrier for a bit?" he asked with an awkward grin.
"Hmph, cheeky devil," she scoffed, waving a hand. A small opening formed in the barrier.
"Thank you, Lily," Vlad said, waving his hand. "Until next time."
He jumped off the edge.
"B-bye..." Lily said, her voice low, too late for him to hear.
---
The Next Morning...
"Who are you, Barbarian?" Chloe asked, her head raised as she stared at Vlad with her pale lavender eyes.
She had just arrived at the crossroads in the open green campus, where the paths from the male and female dormitories converged into one leading to the main building of the academy. Vlad had texted her that he was waiting for her there.
Just two weeks ago, Chloe had been only a few inches shorter than Vlad, but now her head barely reached his shoulder, not to mention his striking features and long hair tied into a ponytail, with a few strands framing his face.
The moment her voice reached his ears, he instantly pivoted and pulled her into a hug, her head resting against his chest.
"Asking for a beating the moment you arrive..." Chloe’s words trailed off as Vlad’s hand rested protectively on her head.
"I missed you, Chloe," Vlad said in a low tone. Although it had only been a few days for Chloe, he hadn’t seen her in five whole years.
Chloe slowly raised her arms, wrapping them around his waist, understanding that he was clearly in need of a hug. She decided to interrogate him later.
Once they parted, Vlad gave her the same explanation for his sudden growth that he had given Lily. Naturally, he hated lying to her, but it would have been too complicated to explain all the Dungeon business to her.
But one day, once he knew exactly what the Legacy System wanted from him, he would reveal everything. That was what he reminded himself each time he had to lie to her about his progress or training.
"So you’ve already learned how to wield Sword Aura," Chloe concluded with a nod as they walked side by side along the stone path.
She rose onto her toes, her hand barely reaching the top of his head as she patted him and said, "You’ve worked hard. I’m proud of you."
"Thank you, my beautiful lady," Vlad chuckled, a warm smile spreading across his face.
Now that the surprise of Vlad’s sudden growth had settled, she noticed the sharp, enchanting man he had become. Slowly, her cheeks turned red from his warm smile, and she withdrew her hand.
She snapped her eyes away from his face and quickened her steps.
"I’ll treat you to a meal," she declared, never looking back at him.
"It will be my honor," Vlad chuckled, following her.
Once they finished breakfast, Vlad decided to attend the lecture. He would have skipped it to focus on the remaining tasks needed to earn eligibility for S-Ranked quests, but this lecture was too important to miss, or more accurately, the topic about to be discussed was.
As he entered the lecture hall alongside Chloe, all the students immediately fell silent and rose from their desks.
"Good morning, Professor," they said in unison.
Vlad looked behind him toward the entrance. There was no professor there. It was only then that he realized the students were referring to him as the professor.
"The fuck?" he snapped toward the classroom full of students. "Do I look that old to be a professor?"
The students had only seen him from the side when he entered, mistaking him for a professor because of his tall figure and long hair. Now that they saw him from the front, he clearly seemed too young to be a professor.
"Wa-wait! Those red eyes," a girl from the class gasped. "Is that Vlad?"
After her revelation, ripples of gasps filled the classroom, every eye fixed on Vlad.
Max, who was sitting at the front desk, jumped over the bench to reach him.
"Bro, is that really you?" he asked, taking a closer look.
"Who else would wear this coat?" Vlad said, pointing at the long crimson coat he wore.
"Damn, what kind of medicine did you take?" Max asked, clearly exasperated.
After giving him the same repetitive explanation about his growth, the trio settled at the front desk.
A moment later, an elderly man entered the classroom, prompting the students to rise once again. This time, it was indeed the professor. A long white beard flowed from his chin, while a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles rested on his wrinkled face beneath his bald head. Despite his advanced age, his posture was impeccable, his back perfectly straight, and his lean, fit physique neatly clad in formal attire.
He gestured for the students to sit before making his way to the board. With his black marker, he first wrote the date and day in the corner, followed by the topic they would discuss, written at the center.
Vlad’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he read the topic:
War of Dragons and the Five Heroes.