Nieqi stood beside Lyr and looked forward.
She did not avoid the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, looking as if she were already well-adjusted to such things.
Throughout her survey, she maintained a smile, as if responding to the people in front of her.
This left a good impression, or at least it did on the boys.
Some of the bolder ones had already begun to subtly point toward the empty seats beside them.
Lyr noticed this, but he only turned his head slightly without saying a word.
He had encountered such scenes before, though back then, he had no interest in such things.
After watching for a while, Nieqi finally fixed her gaze on a spot not far ahead. Her smile remained unchanged, but a flash of cunning inadvertently flickered in her eyes before quickly receding.
“Teacher, may I sit there?”
Nieqi asked Lyr.
At first, Lyr didn’t care. After all, these seats were chosen based on their own preferences. However, when he noticed the person sitting next to that spot, he paused.
The seat was right next to Yilu.
Lyr hesitated and did not answer immediately.
If it were anyone else, they would probably warn Nieqi about Yilu’s temperament.
But in Lyr’s view, Yilu was merely maintaining her guard against others. If one could actually talk to her, she wasn’t such a bad person.
Yet even if one could speak with her, it wouldn’t change her habit of having a sharp tongue.
“Sure, you decide.”
In the end, Lyr didn’t say anything more.
Although Yilu hadn’t said anything herself, she was ultimately too much of a loner.
The main reason for this was the natural mindset of the nobles within the Kingdom.
Even now, Lyr did not believe Berspin had committed treason. But even he could not produce any evidence, and his words were useless.
Perhaps these nobles from other countries could facilitate some interaction between Yilu and others.
“Okay.”
Nieqi bowed to Lyr once more.
Under everyone’s astonished gazes, she walked over and sat down beside Yilu.
“Hello, I’m Nieqi, and I’m from the Kingdom of Zea. I hope you won’t mind me sitting next to you.”
She greeted Yilu with familiarity while extending her hand.
Only after a short delay did Yilu finally seem to react, looking at her with a late realization.
From Nieqi’s position, she could clearly see that Yilu’s eyes looked as though she hadn’t slept enough. Faint dark circles were visible, and even the bloodshot veins in her pupils flickered in and out of sight.
She stared blankly at Nieqi for a long time.
“Leave me alone,” she said in a slightly hoarse voice.
The people sitting behind Yilu looked at each other and gave wry smiles, as if they had expected this.
This was exactly why they didn’t dare approach Yilu; she maintained hostility toward everyone.
If she had a sword by her side, almost no one would doubt that her warning would be accompanied by a drawn blade.
Every student there was pampered at home. Some could even be flattered by other noble scions at the Academy, so there was no need to seek trouble with someone so unapproachable.
Nieqi didn’t seem bothered by Yilu’s words. She shrugged nonchalantly.
“It seems you don’t object to me sitting here, so I’ll be in your care.”
Her words were gentle, as if she wouldn’t be swayed by anything in the outside world.
At that moment, Yilu was in no mood to deal with this.
No matter when or what the subject was, she had never been absent or slacked off.
She never considered herself a “good student,” but she had never been negligent in her studies at the Academy.
However, ever since she returned from Lyr’s house, she felt her condition was very wrong.
She didn’t know how to describe the feeling, as if her consciousness was in a state of chaos.
Indescribable afterimages would inexplicably appear in her field of vision, overlapping with what she actually wanted to see.
It was like being at the intersection of two worlds.
At first, she thought they were just hallucinations, but even so, they kept her nerves constantly strained.
She couldn’t even sleep well at night, waking up in a fright several times.
Especially today, those afterimages had been appearing continuously since the morning, even flickering in and out while she was in the hallway.
Subconsciously, she pressed her hand against her forehead, closing her eyes to try and stabilize her exhaustion.
‘What exactly is going on?’
Yilu really couldn’t understand what was happening to her.
“If you’re tired, you should listen to your body. Forcing yourself isn’t a good thing.”
Hearing the seemingly caring words, Yilu reflexively turned her head toward Nieqi.
Fatigue and mental instability made Yilu’s gaze even more fierce than usual, as if she wanted to devour someone.
Facing such an expression, Nieqi only responded with a smile.
Up at the front, Lyr continued his lecture step by step. Over the past few days, he had started to get the hang of it.
His experiences at the Frontier made the so-called Magic theory seem not very profound to him.
Because of Nieqi’s sudden arrival, he glanced towards Yilu and Nieqi’s direction and quickly noticed Yilu’s condition.
When the class ended, Lyr wanted to go over and ask Yilu about her state.
Before he could get close, several students approached him.
“Teacher Lyr, you mentioned last time that you know the testing methods of the Knights. Could you give us a hint during the Swordsmanship Course this afternoon?”
“Well…”
Because of the rain last time, that class hadn’t been held, which made some people quite expectant.
They wondered if Lyr was just talking big or if he was truly as skilled as he claimed.
Especially after learning Lyr’s identity, some people had specifically looked into him during this time.
It was just as Teacher Luoduan said: Lyr had spent some time in the Knights, but ended up going to the Frontier.
Surrounded by the students, Lyr was unable to get away for a moment.
“Teacher Lyr really seems like a great teacher.”
Nieqi sat in her seat, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at Lyr.
Her words didn’t sound like she was talking to herself; they sounded more like they were directed at Yilu next to her.
The eerie phantom reappeared, disturbing Yilu’s consciousness.
When she looked up, the Nieqi before her transformed into a grotesque creature stitched together from countless bloody limbs and remains.
“I think he’s the type of teacher who treats everyone equally without any favoritism, don’t you think so? Miss Yilu.”
For the last sentence, Nieqi truly turned to face Yilu.
In Yilu’s vision, flesh wriggled, and Nieqi’s voice began to sound terrifying.
Even the people crowded around Lyr took on the same hideous appearance.
Disgust, fear, irritation… all sorts of negative emotions surged from Yilu’s heart.
Yilu gritted her teeth, her strained rationality temporarily pushing it all down.
She hurriedly stood up and walked out without looking back.