Chapter 83: Paycheck
Eren woke up with a throbbing headache, giving out an exhausted groan as the morning sunlight hit his eyes.
He blinked against the light, slowly taking in his surroundings: a sun-lit, remarkably well-organized faculty quarters room. He rubbed his temples, his brain slowly coming back online to process the fact that he was entirely naked.
Glancing to his side, he felt a wave of radiating heat and found his brown-haired, petite professor sleeping soundly beside him, completely unbothered by the world.
Memories from the previous night flooded back like a video player. Right... after they sneaked out from the Vice Principal’s laboratory before the watchman’s lantern caught them, they had retreated directly to her quarters. And then... Norelia had proceeded to drain every last drop of his seeds, making up for an entire week of affection deficit in a single marathon.
He felt the pain of hickeys scattered across his neck and chest. Need to cover up his professor’s territorial markings.
He looked around the room once more as confusion washed over him. ’Wait a minute... why on earth is her room so organized? Where are the towering piles of clothes, half-eaten snacks, and stray books?"
"Good morning..." a lazy voice mumbled beside him.
Norelia let out a cute, cat-like yawn as she stretched her body. As she raised her hand to rub her eyes, the morning light caught the delicate ring adorning her finger—the bound ring he had gifted her.
She smiled happily and held up her hand, showing off the ring with absolute, quiet pride. "Thank you for the gift... you perverted bastard."
Eren couldn’t help but smile, reaching out to pull her small, bare body against his chest. They sat together in a cozy cuddle, basking in the soothing warmth of simple skin-to-skin contact.
"So, my brilliant professor," Eren murmured into her hair, "are you completely satisfied now?"
Norelia rested her cheek against his chest, humming softly. "Except for the fact that my entire body is aching from your merciless, barbarian-level endurance... yes."
Eren quieted down for a second, a thought that had been quietly bugging him for the past two days finally surfacing. "Norelia... I’ve been meaning to ask you something."
"Hm? What is it?" she asked, tilting her head up.
"Can you... sense any mana inside me right now? Try checking my mana pathways again."
Norelia pulled back slightly, giving him a deadpan look through her messy bangs. "Did that aggressive workout last night melt your mind, Eren? You know as well as I do that your mana channels are completely dormant. I can’t sense a single drop of magical energy inside you."
Before he could process that, she leaned back against his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso in a protective cuddle. "Honestly... don’t go overthinking it. You’re already absurdly strong physically, and you’re far too smart for your own good. Who cares if you can’t cast standard magic? Me, Mira, and Emma couldn’t care less if you’re a mana-less idiot."
But Eren’s problem is entirely different, his brain scrambling like scrambled eggs for breakfast
’If my mana pathways are completely dormant and invisible even to Norelia... then what in the absolute hell did I use the fire punch in the Student Council office two days ago?!’
****
Meanwhile, inside the cozy academy cafeteria, that old night watchman was trailing closely behind a senior administrative staff member, waving his arms in total panic.
"I am telling you, sir! You must believe me!" the old guard pleaded, his voice trembling. "Malevolent spirits are lurking on campus! I heard them with my own two ears inside the Vice Principal’s research laboratory last night! Terrible, echoing screams of a tortured woman wailing in agony! The academy is haunted!"
The administrative officer pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Stop being absurd. You’ve been working night shifts for three weeks straight. The exhaustion is making you hallucinate. Take three days of mandatory paid leave and get some sleep."
At a nearby table, Aria Reedings took a sip of her morning tea, her lips curling into a dry, highly amused smirk as the guard’s hysterical protests faded down the hall.
"My, my...ghosts in the research wing? How thrilling."
Sitting directly across from her was her noble fiancé, currently slumped over the wooden table like a battle-worn soldier who had single-handedly waged war against an entire demon realm and barely crawled back alive.
His eyes were heavy, his physical stats completely depleted, and his high collar pulled up to an unnatural height.
"And what about you, darling?" Aria asked, leaning her chin on her hand, looking at him with mischievous amusement. "Why are you slumping over like you personally crossed paths with those terrifying spirits last night?"
Eren sighed, slowly forcing his exhausted body back into an upright posture. "I didn’t encounter ghosts, Miss Aria. I was working on my promises."
He pushed an elegantly wrapped box across the table toward her.
Aria’s eyes lit up with a brief flicker of surprise. "Oh? Did my idiotic fiancé actually prepare a gift for me?"
"Don’t let your imagination run wild," Eren deadpanned dryly. "Those are the units we discussed yesterday. The manual and instructions are written inside."
Aria’s momentary excitement instantly fell into a shallow grave. "Right. How romantic," she grumbled playfully, though her fingers carefully drew the box toward her.
"Regardless, I am deeply grateful for your help for my friend," Aria added, her tone turning smooth and professional. She reached into her pouch and slid a crisp, banking check across the table.
Eren picked up the paper, his eyes widening in immediate, genuine shock as he counted the staggering line of zeroes written on it.
"What on earth is this?" Eren asked, looking up.
"Your monthly allowance as my official fiancé, of course," Aria replied casually, taking another delicate sip of her tea.
Eren looked back and forth between the astronomical fortune on the draft and the breathtaking, blue-haired villainess sitting across from him.
"You know, Miss Aria..." Eren remarked, his lips twitching into a classic smirk. "Right now, you look like an ultra-wealthy, prideful noble lady who takes immense personal satisfaction in lavishly pampering her lazy, unemployed boyfriend."
Aria froze mid-sip, her cheeks flushing a lovely pink as she hovered precisely on the knife’s edge between laughing out loud and kicking his as. "You truly possess an unmatched talent for ruining dignified moments, Eren."
"I aim to please," Eren chuckled, pocketing the draft with zero shame as he stood up from the table. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, my sweet fiancée... I have a lecture to attend."
He offered her a crisp, lazy bow before turning toward the exit, it’s time to head to class and figure out how to stop a certain purple-haired, tragic boss from completely self-destructing.
____
P.S.
Decided to start writing my planned novel which is basically about an amnesiac Assassin.
First I thought it would be better to upload in my main account, but...
See you guys with a new book next month, and enjoy this with three daily Chapters❤️