Chapter 40: Protecting Our Herl

Throughout the rest of the day, Hell could clearly feel Luna’s gaze lingering on him from time to time.

That gaze was light, so light it was almost imperceptible—had he not been intentionally staying alert, and had he not been waiting for this reaction, he might have missed it entirely.

Every time he slightly turned his head, or glanced in that direction from the corner of his eye, he could see the panicked way Luna quickly pulled her gaze away.

She would pretend to look at the blackboard, pretend to take notes, or pretend to speak to the student in front of her—but Hell knew she had been watching him all along.

This was to be expected.

Because that Goddess Angel, kind to the point of being foolish, had already decided to protect him—the “classmate targeted by Adjudicator V.”

Hell leaned back in his chair, looking at the leaves shining in the sunlight outside the window, the corners of his mouth lifting in a nearly invisible arc.

‘I am targeting myself.’

Threatening himself, kidnapping himself, putting himself in “danger,” and then letting the Goddess Angel protect him—no one else could pull off a stunt like this.

However…

As long as the goal is achieved, it does not matter if the process is absurd.

The morning theory course passed smoothly amidst Luna’s drifting glances.

Hell spent most of the time staring out the window, occasionally bowing his head to flip through a textbook, appearing indifferent to everything around him.

The afternoon was time for the practical training course.

As a special academy for training Goddess Armament Adaptors, the Eden High Academy’s curriculum was naturally quite different from an ordinary school.

The morning was for theoretical knowledge—magic theory, Crystal Husk ecology, the principles of Goddess Armament, and so on; the afternoon was for hands-on operation, which meant combat training using the actual Goddess Armaments.

The training ground was located on the east side of the academy, an open outdoor area surrounded by towering Energy Barriers to prevent stray shots or leaking energy during training from causing accidents.

The field was divided into different zones—a target practice area, a melee training area, a tactical coordination area, and so on.

At this moment, it was time for the practical training course.

The sun shone unreservedly onto the training ground, illuminating the entire space with bright heat.

The air was filled with a faint sense of energy fluctuations and the scent of sweat, occasionally punctuated by the metallic clashing of weapons and the booming sound of energy beams striking targets.

The students were scattered in groups of two or three throughout the field, holding their respective Goddess Armaments and engaged in their own training projects.

In the target practice area, several boys were holding sleek energy rifles, firing precisely at moving targets in the distance.

Every time a trigger was pulled, a ghostly blue beam of light would shoot out, exploding into a halo of light upon hitting the bullseye.

Others were nearby recording scores, occasionally punctuated by cheers or sighs of regret.

In the long-range training area, several girls were holding various staffs, practicing the release of elemental magic.

Fireballs, ice shards, wind blades—energy of various colors erupted from the tips of their staffs, hitting the practice dummies in front of them with different bursts of sound.

One girl with twin tails successfully released a massive fireball, drawing gasps of wonder from those around her.

The metallic sound of blades clashing echoed continuously in the melee training area, where students paired off for actual combat practice.

Some held energy swords, some brandished enchanted long blades; figures crossed paths as sweat flew.

Occasionally, someone would be hit, causing their protective suit to glow with light, only for their partner to pull them up with a laugh and continue.

The entire training ground was filled with the vitality of youth and the passion for combat.

However.

On the edge of this bustling scene, there was a forgotten corner.

Hell sat alone under a large tree at the edge of the training ground, his back against the thick trunk, legs stretched casually across the grass.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on his pale face.

He just sat there quietly, watching the heated training scenes on the field, his expression indifferent, face devoid of emotion.

It was as if all of this had nothing to do with him.

In fact…

It truly had nothing to do with him.

Because no one was willing to team up with him.

Those rumors about him, those warnings of “scumbag,” “trash,” and “don’t get too close to him,” had long since spread throughout the student body.

In training sessions that required pairs or teams, he was always the one who was isolated and forgotten.

Every time the teacher announced, “Pair up and start practicing,” the surrounding students would quickly find partners and then tacitly move a little further away from him, as if he carried some infectious disease.

Occasionally, a new student who didn’t know the situation would be assigned to his group, only to be quickly pulled aside by other students and given a whispered warning.

By the next day, that new student would find various excuses to decline and never team up with him again.

Hell had long since grown accustomed to this.

Or rather, he simply did not care.

The teacher knew about this as well.

At first, the teacher would try to mediate, trying to convince other students to accept Hell. But after a while, he realized it was impossible—you couldn’t force dozens of other students just for one person, could you?

Furthermore, Hell’s practical training scores were always stuck near the passing line, neither high nor low.

He didn’t hold the class back, and he didn’t give the teacher any trouble.

He didn’t cause trouble, he didn’t make a scene, he didn’t disrupt; he simply stayed in the corner like a transparent person.

Gradually, even the teacher gave up on him.

He was released into the wild.

Let him stay by himself; at least he didn’t affect others and wouldn’t cause any problems.

Thus, every time a practical training class occurred, Hell would sit alone under the shade of the tree just like now, watching other students sweat, like a bystander unrelated to the events.

Hell found this solitude quite enjoyable.

Sitting alone in the shade, there was no need to handle those hypocritical social interactions, no need to look at those eyes full of disdain or coldness, no need to feel out of place in a crowd—it was quite nice.

The sunlight was just right, and occasionally a breeze would blow, bringing a hint of coolness and moving the bangs on his forehead.

Hell sat quietly, like a person who did not contest the world, watching the sweating figures on the training field.

Of course, his gaze fell on that pink figure most of the time.

Luna.

At this moment, she was standing in the center of the remote training area, holding a slender training staff, focused on practicing the precise release of elemental magic.

Her pink ponytail drew graceful arcs in the air as she moved, every spellcasting motion standard and fluid; the tip of her staff would light up in sequence with red, blue, and cyan light, and various spells would fly precisely toward the moving targets in the distance.

Hell knew that the girl’s true strength was far beyond this.

As the “Annihilation Angel” Artemis, her power was strong enough to wipe out a Crystal Husk Legion in an instant; she didn’t need to participate in this kind of “child’s play” training.

To her, these training items were like a college student doing elementary school arithmetic—they posed no difficulty at all.

Yet, she still diligently and meticulously completed every training project.

To maintain her surface persona as “ordinary student Luna.”

To ensure no one suspected her true identity.

Hell watched as she would even walk over to other students during training breaks, patiently guiding them in their spellcasting techniques, always wearing that warm smile on her face.

Those students surrounded her, their faces filled with admiration and gratitude—in the practical training course, Luna was undoubtedly the most popular person.

And Hell noticed—

In Luna’s perspective, she was also keeping an eye on him at all times.

Although she appeared to be focused on training, guiding classmates, and chatting and laughing with others, her gaze would always drift toward his direction from time to time, as if inadvertently.

That gaze was light, so light that had he not been intentionally paying attention, he wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

But whenever he looked up, he could see those pale golden eyes quickly and somewhat panic-strickenly shift away the moment they looked his way.

Exactly the same as during the theory course.

Hell smiled slightly in his heart.

‘This silly girl really is worried about me.’

Just now, when she saw him sitting alone under the shade, Hell could feel her gaze lingering for a long time.

She seemed to be hesitating about something—perhaps she wanted to come over and help him? Perhaps she wanted to train with him? After all, he was the only “problem student” in the class who was being isolated, and she was the “angel” who treated everyone equally.

But the surrounding students were too enthusiastic.

Those seeking her guidance came one after another, and those who wanted to coordinate training with her lined up.

Luna was surrounded in the middle of the crowd, unable to get away, and could only busy herself with the matter at hand.

However, Hell noticed that even while she was talking to others, her peripheral vision was always drifting toward him.

How cute.

Hell withdrew his gaze, leaned against the tree trunk, and closed his eyes slightly to pretend he was sleeping.

However, just as Luna finished a training project, temporarily freed herself from the enthusiastic students, and was wiping the sweat from her forehead with a towel, she subconsciously looked toward the tree shade again—

She froze.

Those pale golden eyes suddenly widened, pupils slightly constricting.

Because in that direction, under that large tree, there was no one.

Only mottled sunlight shone through the leaves, landing on the empty grass, as if no one had ever sat there.

Luna’s heart contracted violently.

‘Not good.’

She thought to herself, a sense of foreboding rising as the words V said last night flashed through her mind—”Since you won’t cooperate, it seems only I can take him away myself.”

Could it be…

That guy had already laid hands on Hell?

Right while she was training, right under her very nose?