When the plot-skips players into the game world

Until Aiwass began to lecture, Isabel had not appeared in her seat.

She had previously said she would come to observe Aiwass's lecture, and even paint a portrait of him.

Thus, not seeing her in the classroom made Aiwass feel somewhat disappointed.

But Aiwass gathered his emotions and began to seriously assist Professor Bard in lecturing. The process of lecturing was also a process of deepening his own understanding.

The content of the lesson still pertained to the Star Antimony Kingdom, discussing the many influences Valentine I had on Star Antimony. In it, Aiwass interjected some personal experiences of Valentine I to spice up the narrative.

This was not some secret intelligence from a past life game—Valentine I had no secrets to speak of. As a monarch who came from the common folk, the various stories circulating among the public would only be more numerous than true history, never less.

This was the content Aiwass self-studied this week. He used the biography of Valentine I as reading material to review the Star Antimony language. Although Aiwass's grasp of the Star Antimony language was sufficient to support his reading of the "Alchemy Cipher," his reading speed was inevitably a bit slower. Language needed constant review, or it was easy to forget.

Luckily, Aiwass's learning speed was fast enough.

He had finished the entire "Ordinary Ritual Studies," and "Valentine I" was almost complete as well.

He planned to borrow "Comprehensive Interpretations of the Six Paths" and "Treatise on Necromancy" this week and finish them.

Both books were works of the Empire era, respectively belonging to the Path of Adaptation and the Path of Dusk's mystic studies. The Star Antimony language was essentially the Imperial language. Aside from some differences in connective words, they were virtually interchangeable.

The former provided overviews of the main skills of the Path of Adaptation such as traps, assassination, poison, medicine, lies, and divination, while the latter was an entry-level book for Necromancers.

Although these books were not Codex Books, they still contained mystic knowledge.

The best way to hide one's true Path inclination was to borrow books from all Paths. After all, as long as one read quickly enough, it was definitely not a waste of time.

But when Aiwass's lecture reached halfway, he suddenly realized that the direction of some students' gazes wasn't quite right... they seemed to be constantly looking toward the door?

He turned his head back twice and saw nothing. But he became suspicious and during a water break, he sneaked a look back and finally saw Isabel's little head stealthily peeking out halfway from the front door of the classroom.

——From this angle, Professor Bard could clearly see her, but he pretended not to notice all along. It was only after Aiwass caught sight of Isabel that the old man couldn't help but laugh out loud.

During the break, Aiwass had Lily wheel him out.

"Why not come in? Isn't it tiring to stand outside and paint?"

As he spoke, Aiwass turned to look at Isabel's canvas, curious about how her painting was coming along.

"Wait, wait! Don't look yet!"

Isabel hurriedly stretched out her hand to cover the canvas. But her hands were too small to hide it completely. With the paint still wet, it was inconvenient to pull down the cover.

So she simply extended her hand and covered Aiwass's eyes.

She whispered, "Wait until I've finished painting... Demonic Paintings are very ugly when they're only halfway done."

"That's fine."

Aiwass quickly agreed.

He wasn't that intensely curious—since Isabel mentioned she didn't want him to see in advance, then he simply wouldn't look.

Only after confirming several times that Aiwass wasn't going to peek did Isabel finally slowly withdraw her hand.

As Aiwass opened his eyes, he saw her cheeks were a bit red.

Perhaps she wasn't used to such close contact with others or maybe it was from the cold.

"Aren't you coming in, with it being so cold outside?"

Aiwass asked softly for the second time, "Didn't you say you wanted to attend my lecture? You can hardly hear anything from outside the classroom."

"... The canvas is too big, and I've also brought paint and Magic Potion."

Isabel looked troubled: "If I sit in the classroom, I'd take up several people's space. The paint might also stain other people's clothes… it would cause trouble for others.

"And I'm also concerned that someone in the front row might bump my desk and cause me to accidentally misstroke my painting. I thought about it and decided to paint outside—fortunately the sunlight is quite nice."

"Then you should stay beside the lectern," Aiwass suggested, "In any case, it's a bit too cold outside. It wouldn't be good to catch a cold."

It had rained the entire previous day, and today it was still somewhat damp outside. It was now late November, and staying outside, both damp and cold, had caused Isabel's fingers to turn slightly red.

I could catch a cold and you could treat me anyway—

Isabel subconsciously wanted to say that. Find more to read at empire

Now that she knew "Mr. Fox" was Aiwass, she had exceptional trust in Aiwass's Illumination Art—before Aiwass even enrolled, his Illumination Art was practiced to the level where he could use it consecutively with his right hand, reaching a Priest-level of healing. A minor ailment like a cold could easily be dismissed.

...But that could only be said in her heart.

Because Isabel was worried that saying such a thing would make her seem too capricious, too reliant on others, like a little girl who hadn't yet grown up.

She of course knew that if she said or did such a thing, she would definitely receive others' indulgence and affection.

But someday she would grow up and might not be as cute as when she was a child. If she still harbored a childlike mindset by then, she would become a burden and disliked. As a member of the royal family, and possibly even heir to the throne, she might attract not just one or two people's hatred, but the resentment of the citizens.