"How could she treat me like this?!"
Frey scrambled up from the ground, his golden locks disheveled from the impact, falling over his forehead in a messy cascade. He looked utterly disheveled, but strangely, beyond anger, there was also a deep sense of sorrow simmering within him.
It was because Belial bore an uncanny resemblance to his mother. That face alone triggered an instinctual desire to be close to her. Even though their first encounter had ended with him being punched straight into the school infirmary, he simply couldn't bring himself to resent her. In fact, he didnt even need an apologyhe had already decided to let it go.
Yet, his goodwill was met with nothing but cold rejection.
"Perhaps she thought you were here to cause trouble?" His older brother, Castor, speculated.
"So, are we going to keep waiting?" His younger twin, Pollux, asked.
Frey wanted to stay, but Castor reminded him, "Class starts in twenty minutes. The Rune Magic lecture is on the top floor, and our textbooks are still in the dormitory."
Belial wasnt going to disappear from the school, but if they were late to class, they would certainly face punishment.
Not wanting to burden the twins, Frey finally relented. "Lets head to class first."
As he walked away from Belial office door, his shoulders slumped, his entire demeanor exuding dejection.
"Come on, don't be like that." The twins flanked him, each throwing an arm around his shoulders in an attempt to cheer him up.
"You dont understand," Frey muttered. "She feels... different. Even if Iluri treated me like this, it wouldnt have hurt this much."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than they turned the corner and came face to face with the very subject of his remarkIluri.
She was a human girl with cascading black hair and a strikingly beautiful face. Her posture was poised and elegant, the kind of noble bearing that could only be cultivated through years of etiquette training.
Frey and Iluri had a rather tumultuous pastthey had started off on the wrong foot. Iluri had looked down on Frey for lacking aristocratic refinement, while Frey had found her to be nothing more than a lifeless doll trapped within a picture frame. Yet, somehow, they had ended up together. At present, she was officially his first love.
Given their relationship, Iluri had naturally visited Frey in the infirmary after his injuries and had heard about his suspicions regarding Belial identity. She had rushed over now, hoping to see if she could be of any help.
After all, Belial was a girl, and so was sheperhaps she could communicate with her in a way Frey couldn't.
But she had never expected to overhear those words
"Even if Iluri treated me like this, it wouldnt have hurt this much."
What was that supposed to mean?
Did she mean that little to him?
Frey, oblivious to his blunder, instinctively took a few quick steps toward Iluri, seeking the comfort of his girlfriends presence. But before he could get too close, Iluri raised a gloved hand and pressed the tip of her fingers against his left shoulder, halting his advance.
Freys arms, which had been reaching out for her, froze midair, his expression confused. "Whats wrong?"
Iluri's response was slow and deliberateshe withdrew her hand, removed her glove with practiced grace, and thenslapped him across the face.
The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the corridor.
Frey stood there, utterly dumbfounded. The twins, meanwhile, silently took a step back, wisely reducing their presence in the unfolding drama.
Iluri lowered her hand, now reddened from the impact, her voice laced with restrained fury. "I hope that, from now on, Lord Frey will no longer waste his time seeking out someone as utterly insignificant as me. I am clearly unworthy, am I not?"
With that, she turned on her heel and strode away without looking back.
"Iow!" Frey finally registered the sting on his cheek, sucking in a sharp breath. He wanted to explain, but the pain from the slap made him hesitate for a moment.
Yet, seeing Iluris figure getting further and further away, he clenched his teeth and called after her, "Thats not what I meant!"
Iluri did not stop.
Frey had no choice but to chase after her.
Behind them, the twins exchanged hushed whispers.
"How long do you think it'll take them to make up this time?"
"At least five days."
"Im betting on half a month."
Meanwhile, inside Belial office, a small girl stood at the bathroom door, watching as Belial combed her hair in front of the mirror. Her gaze was filled with expectation.
"Why me?" Belial asked as she set the comb down on the sink and stepped out, searching for her glasses.
The little girl trotted after her, her tiny legs working quickly to keep pace. "Because you're amazing, of course!"
Belial paused in front of the sofa, scanning the room for her glasses but failing to spot them. Not remembering where she had discarded them the previous night, she simply muttered a summoning spell. With a faint ripple of magic, the well-worn spectacles emerged from between the sofa cushions.
"Im only a substitute teacher. Ill be leaving in a few days. I can't teach you much." Belial cleaned her glasses before putting them on, just in time to notice a magical fluctuation from her desk. A note had appeared where there was none before.
Unfolding it, she found a line of neatly written textfaculty members were allowed to have breakfast in their offices, and she was asked what she would like. The signature at the bottom belonged to the schools head chef.
"Even just for a few days, please!" the little girl pleaded.
Belial ignored the request and instead asked, "Have you had breakfast yet?"
The girl blinked, momentarily thrown off, then shook her head. "Not yet."
Satisfied with the answer, Belial produced a pen from seemingly nowhere, scribbled down an order for two servings, and placed the note back on the desk. Within moments, the note vanished, and in its place appeared two freshly prepared meals.
"Eat," Belial said, taking a seat.
The little girl wasted no time, hopping onto the chair opposite Belial and swinging her legs as she resumed her pleading. "Please, Teacher, wont you reconsider?"
Belial, who had no qualms about talking during meals, casually spread jam over her toast and countered, "Is it really because you think Im amazing? Or is it because you suspect Ive discovered your demonic heritage?"
The little girl froze, her expression stiffening. After a beat, she forced out a nervous chuckle. "W-what? Teacher, you must be joking!"
Belial, disinterested in playing along, simply focused on her breakfast.
The silence unnerved the little girl. She hurriedly picked up her cup of hot milk, gulping down half in one go before wiping her milk-stained lips and, with a sigh of resignation, admitted, "So you knew all along."
She had always been anxious about her lineage. Though other races also wielded lightning magiclike Thunder Dragons or exceptionally gifted humanswhen she had unconsciously revealed her high affinity for the element in class, panic had seized her.
If Belial had exposed her, the consequences would have been dire.
"Will you tell the others?" she asked hesitantly.
Belial wiped her mouth and replied with indifference, "Only if you keep pestering me."
The girl immediately raised her hand in an oath. "I swear I wont bother you again!"
With breakfast finished, the girl hesitated before asking, "How did you figure it out?"
Belial smirked and deflected, "No dark creature can hide in Asgard for long. Wheres your demonic trait?"
The girl confessed, "I have small bat wings on my back. Theyre easy to conceal under my clothes."
"I see." Belial murmured.
The girl looked expectantly at her, waiting for an answer in return.
Belial smirked. "Who said this was a fair trade? You answered voluntarilyI never agreed to anything."
And with a flick of her hand, a gust of wind swept the stunned girl right out of her office.