Old Empty Classroom.
With Edin’s gentle soothing voice, Seres’s violently heaving shoulders gradually calmed down.
Her body, previously as tense as a drawn bowstring, softened little by little.
Her profile pressed against Edin’s chest, separated only by a layer of clothing, she could clearly feel his warm body temperature and the steady, strong beating of his heart.
That rhythm seemed to carry a strange kind of magic, dispelling the unease in her heart and bringing an indescribable sense of peace.
“Feeling better now?”
Edin slightly lowered his head, his chin nearly touching Seres’s fragrant hair.
His gaze fell on her tear-streaked face, and his voice held a tentative tenderness.
“Mm…”
Seres’s voice still carried a heavy nasal tone as she nodded slightly.
Seeing that Seres’s emotions seemed to have stabilized a bit, Edin relaxed his arms around her just a little, intending to create some distance and see how she was doing.
But just as he was about to pull back, he felt Seres not retreating as expected.
Instead, as if afraid of being abandoned, she pressed closer, even voluntarily burying her body deeper into his embrace.
“Please… let me stay like this a little longer…”
Seres’s voice was so faint it was almost a dreamlike murmur, carrying a hint of plea.
Her cheeks quickly flushed a rosy red all the way to her earlobes.
But she did not lift her head; instead, she buried her burning face deeper, as if hiding from all troubles this way.
At this moment, the girl shrank into Edin’s arms like a small beast that had finally found a safe shelter.
Every inch of her relaxed, as if immersed in a gentle haven.
The noise and pressure of the outside world seemed to be completely cut off, and this feeling intoxicated her, making it impossible to pull away.
Edin had no choice but to place his hands back around her, maintaining the embrace and gently holding Seres close.
Just then, Ruby fluttered lightly before Edin, sprinkling tiny specks of crystal dust with her delicate wings.
She deliberately drew near and playfully winked at Edin, the meaning clear without words.
Edin met Ruby’s gaze and could only respond with a wry smile.
Right now, the most important thing was to soothe Seres’s emotions, so he would have to try to fulfill her wishes as much as possible.
In the reassuring warmth of the embrace, Seres’s emotions finally settled down, returning to the usual icy beauty she normally was.
Somewhat embarrassed, she slowly moved out of Edin’s arms, raised her hand to gently wipe the tear tracks still damp at the corner of her eyes, a faint lingering blush remaining on her fair face.
“Thank you…”
The girl lowered her head slightly, her gaze flickering as she found it hard to look Edin in the eyes.
“You’re welcome.”
Edin shook his head, his tone very gentle.
Seeing Seres’s still somewhat pale complexion, he hesitated a moment before asking with concern.
“So, what exactly happened?”
“I… I saw a Magical Video, and in the video, I… there was a strange Black Mist and… and Black Lightning Magic swirling around me… The book said… this is a sign that a mage is about to go dark…”
Seres’s voice trembled slightly, as if it took great courage to say those words.
She carefully recounted what had happened to Edin, and after finishing, her face grew even paler.
“I’m so scared… really scared that I’ll lose control and eventually become a witch who has lost her reason…”
However, Edin frowned, keenly sensing that something was off.
What exactly was this “strange Black Mist and Black Lightning Magic,” and why hadn’t he seen anything abnormal while he was there?
“Edin…?”
Seres called out timidly when Edin remained silent for a long time, only deep in thought.
His reaction caused a sudden pang in her heart, a strong wave of unease rising as she feared Edin might also distance himself because of this frightening omen.
“Wait a moment, Seres, that Magical Video you mentioned… is it possible that it’s fake?”
Hearing Seres’s call, Edin snapped out of his thoughts.
His gaze refocused on her worried face, and a possibility came to mind.
“Fake? In theory… it is possible. After all, videos are made through the Magical Recording Technique, and if certain Illusion Magic or Interference Magic is used… in theory, the recording could be tampered with.”
Seres was stunned by this sudden question.
She tilted her head slightly to think before giving a hesitant answer.
“Edin, why do you ask this all of a sudden?”
“Don’t forget, I was there too, but what I saw with my own eyes was completely different from what you described in the video.”
In his previous life, video editing and fakery were common.
In this magical world, achieving similar or even more realistic effects should be even easier, right?
“What… different?”
Seres blinked in surprise and instinctively asked.
“I saw no ‘strange Black Mist,’ nor any ‘Black Lightning Magic’ appearing around you.”
Edin looked directly into Seres’s eyes, without any hesitation.
“Edin… you’re not lying to me, are you? Maybe… you just said that to comfort me?”
Seres found it hard to believe, her hands clenching unconsciously.
She took a deep breath, as if summoning courage to accept the worst outcome.
“Why would I lie to you? What I saw was just you looking a little tired from exhausting your magic.”
Edin couldn’t help but chuckle lightly, a trace of helplessness in his smile as he shrugged.
“So… then what’s really going on?”
Confusion thickened on Seres’s face as her brows furrowed, softly murmuring while recalling the scene.
“Quentina’s expression didn’t look fake…”
“Could it be possible… she was being used too? Maybe even what she saw was a tampered version created by someone else?”
Edin pondered for a moment and proposed the possibility.
“Huh?”
Seres suddenly lifted her head, letting out a short, sharp gasp.
“Are you saying someone deliberately gave the altered video to Senior Quentina, who is unusually sensitive to witch-related matters and even harbors hatred towards them?”
Edin calmly analyzed the situation.
“W-Why would someone go to such lengths… just because I rejected his confession?”
Seres’s face lit up with sudden understanding, her eyes wide with shock.
She thought it was definitely possible—it must have been that person.
A chill crept down her spine; the complexity and malice of human nature truly frightened her.
For a moment, she couldn’t comprehend the logic—could someone really stoop to such extremes just for a confession?
“Who knows? Some people would do anything to protect their pitiful and ridiculous image, or to achieve certain goals, so nothing would surprise me.”
Edin shrugged dismissively; he’d seen too many such people in his previous life.
“I… I will never forgive him.”
Hearing this, Seres clenched her fists tightly, her shoulders trembling slightly with anger and grievance, but her voice carried unprecedented determination.
Just as Edin was about to say something, he sharply caught the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from the corridor outside, followed by voices.
“Did you find them?”
“No. I clearly saw them run into the school building.”
“This classroom is the last one we haven’t searched.”
Not long after, the door to the Old Empty Classroom was pushed open forcefully from outside.
Quentina and her two companions stood at the doorway, their eyes scanning the room anxiously.
The desks and chairs were haphazardly piled in the corner, windows tightly shut, empty with no sign of anyone.
“Damn it, where did that witch run off to?!”
Quentina stomped her foot angrily, glancing around the classroom one more time before turning abruptly, slamming the door hard behind her as she stormed off in fury.
Meanwhile, inside the classroom’s storage locker.
Edin and Seres pressed tightly face to face, barely any space between them.
In the cramped space, their breaths seemed to merge together—warm and damp, each inhale revealing the subtle rise and fall of the other’s body.
The locker was stuffy, the air heavy with the smell of old wood and dust.
This overly intimate contact made the atmosphere unusually tense.
Seres’s cheek was forced against Edin’s chest; she could clearly hear his strong heartbeat.
Just by slightly lifting her head, she could see Edin’s jawline.
She couldn’t help sneaking a glance, her heart suddenly pounding, then hurriedly buried her burning face lower, as if to hide her flustered state.
Edin’s situation wasn’t much better.
Seres’s soft body pressed tightly against him, especially the contact at his chest, inevitably stirring his mind and quickening his breathing.
But he soon forced himself to clear his thoughts and lowered his voice, whispering in her ear.
“Hold on a little longer.”
Seres nodded faintly, barely audible
“Mm.”
Her entire body leaned against Edin, and beneath the original tension and shyness, a strange feeling quietly seeped in.
This close dependence, as if they were the only two people in the world… it actually felt pretty nice.
At that moment, a bold thought flashed through Seres’s mind: what if they could stay like this forever?
At the thought, her cheeks burned fiercely.
She hurriedly shook her head hard, chastising herself for such shameless thoughts.
After a while, Ruby’s petite figure disregarded the cramped space and slipped inside, informing Edin that Quentina and the others had left.
Hearing this, Edin finally exhaled in relief.
He reached out, braced against the locker door, and pushed hard to open it.
However, after maintaining such a tense and stiff posture for so long, both their legs and feet were numb.
The moment the locker door swung open, they lost balance and fell together.
Edin instinctively tried to protect Seres, but the momentum caused her to fall as well, resulting in him pinning her beneath him.
His hands quickly braced on the ground by Seres’s ears, steadying his falling body.
Their cheeks were now extremely close—nose tips almost touching—with barely a finger’s width between them.
Their eyes suddenly locked, each clearly reflecting the other’s panic-stricken expression.
It had to be admitted that Seres was outrageously beautiful.
Her usual cold aura was now tinged with a shy blush, revealing a charm like ice melting to reveal allure.
For a moment, Edin was so distracted he forgot to get up from the ground.
Seres felt Edin’s warm breath gently brush across her cheek, carrying that distinctly masculine scent.
She stared blankly at the black-haired youth above her, his refined face so near that her mind went utterly blank, not knowing how to react.
Her heart pounded fiercely in her chest, as if it might leap out any second.
This boy always seemed to effortlessly stir the calm within her heart.
What on earth was wrong with her?