Chapter Ninety-Nine: Carlos’s Teacher
“But…”
“There’s nothing to but.” Grandmother Bertha frowned tightly and said impatiently. After that, she ignored me and turned her gaze to Carlos. “Melville, you can handle the rest.”
On the other side, Melville smiled bitterly and stroked his beard.
“Headmistress Bertha, I’m here.”
“Oh.” Grandmother Bertha looked in the direction of the voice and nodded. “Take her to the Ceylon Lakeside Dormitory.”
After saying this, she leaned on the edge of the desk and stood up shakily, walking towards the door as if she was preparing to leave. However, just as she took two steps, she suddenly focused her gaze on Carlos with a puzzled look in her narrowed eyes.
“Who are you?”
“This gentleman is…” Melville was about to introduce him again when Carlos interrupted.
“Mrs. Bertha, you finally noticed me.” He shrugged his shoulders and bowed deeply to Grandmother Bertha, “It’s been a long time, I’m Carlos.”
I was surprised at once.
I felt like it had been a long time since I saw such a proper Carlos. The last time I saw him bow so respectfully was back in the small village, right after I woke up from killing the endless abyss. Later, even when facing the Pope Angel, Carlos was very casual.
I also noticed that he did not call Grandmother Bertha ‘Headmistress’ but ‘Madam’… Does he know her husband?
Why does this guy seem to have acquaintances everywhere he goes?
“Carlos…?” Grandmother Bertha frowned for a moment, then her face lit up with realization. “Oh, you’re Master’s disciple, right? I remember you. How have you been over the years?”
…Master? Disciple?
Hmm, so Carlos has a teacher?
And judging by the current situation, it seems Grandmother Bertha is his… stepmother?!
At this moment, I suddenly realized that after knowing him for so long, I seemed to know nothing about him…
“I am well, thanks for your concern, young man.” Facing Grandmother Bertha, Carlos no longer showed his usual carefree attitude; instead, he adopted a somewhat reserved demeanor of a junior. “How is my teacher? Is he still healthy?”
“He is quite robust, though he remains the same old man who loves wandering around, and we hardly see each other throughout the year,” Grandmother Bertha sighed, speaking as if she were talking about a mischievous child. Carlos laughed at this.
“My teacher still cares deeply for the people.”
“Come on. He’s an old man now, almost half-buried in the ground, yet he doesn’t stop and rest… Recently, he sent a letter saying he went to East Continent again,” Grandmother Bertha shook her head.
“East Continent?”
“Yes. In recent years, the situation there has become increasingly chaotic, and things don’t look good… Let’s not talk about this. You came with Miss Perollos, right? Go and take care of your business first.”
“Alright.” Carlos responded, “Mrs. Bertha, I will visit you another time later.”
Grandmother Bertha nodded slightly.
“Very well.” Then she looked at me again, “Ah, speaking of which, are you Scargil’s child?”
Does she know my father too?
“Yes, Grandma.”
After obediently saying this, Grandmother Bertha scrutinized me from head to toe with her hazy eyes and smiled.
She extended her bony hand and gently patted my shoulder.
“Hmm, quite good. You resemble your father when he was young… Go ahead.”
She turned and left the principal’s office.
…Something strange about this grandmother.
Milk.
After leaving the tower, Teacher Melville led me and Carlos towards the dormitory. Along the way, I couldn’t resist my curiosity and asked him my questions.
“Carlos, do you have a teacher?”
Carlos, walking on my right side, glanced at me sideways.
“Otherwise, do you think I was born knowing how to use a sword?”
I tilted my head.
“Who is it…”
“Do you want to know?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“But I don’t want to tell you.” Carlos said nonchalantly.
Then he immediately dodged my swift kick with agility.
“The two of you get along really well,” Teacher Melville, who was walking ahead, turned back and teased us.
At his words, I pouted unhappily.
“Who gets along with him…”
But I heard Teacher Melville say, “Principal Bertha and Knight Saint Leon have been married for decades. Didn’t Miss Peylo know that?”
“I didn’t know…”
I was stunned, and it took me a while to process that name in my mind.
…Knight Saint Leon.
On the bookshelf in my bedroom at Schantel Castle, there were the most stories about him. In the books, the knight held a gemstone sword, slicing through mountains and rivers with one strike, making any demon as fragile as paper before him. He was the person I admired most before I disappeared.
So, could it be that Carlos’s teacher is actually the most powerful Grandmaster Knight and Saint of the Sword, Leon?!
After the shock, I glared at him fiercely. “Your teacher is the Saint of the Sword?!”
“Yes.”
“I haven’t heard you mention it!”
Carlos spread his hands. “You never asked me either.”
“I just asked!”
“But I don’t want to tell you.”
“…You b*stard.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Two human heroes, the Grandmaster Knights, were acting immaturely on the path of the academy. Fortunately, the students were still testing outside the gates, so there wasn’t much activity inside.
The three of them finally stopped in front of another tower.
“This is Lake Ceylan Pavilion. Miss Peylo, you will live here from now on.”
I raised my head and looked up at this massive tower, several dozen meters high, built with green bricks.
Standing at its base, I couldn’t even see the tip of the tower. All I could see were the huge wooden doors and windows covering the tower’s body. The sign above the door read ‘Lake Ceylan Pavilion’.
“Here. Is this the, girls’ dormitory?”
“Gir—girls’ dormitory?” Teacher Melville was taken aback, then quickly understood what I meant. He shook his head. “No, no, no. The dormitories in the academy are not divided by gender.”
“…What?!”
I widened my eyes instantly.
What kind of joke is this?
Does the Royal Academy mix boys and girls together?!
This is too much… How can this be acceptable… There’s no way I’m staying here! What if someone sees me n*ked!
“Miss Peylo, you might have misunderstood me,” Teacher Melville laughed seeing my expression. “It’s actually an apartment. There are four such towers in the Royal Academy, named after famous battles in the history of the royal city: Mount Ahama, Lake Ceylan, Amy Plain, and Trieste Canyon. Each tower has nineteen floors, with iron grilles dividing the rooms between men and women. At night, the administrators lock the grilles. Please rest assured, miss.”
…Why didn’t you say so earlier? You scared me.
Then I stepped forward into the tower.
“Why are they named after places?”
“The names of the towers? They are all named after the most famous battles in the history of the royal city, to commemorate those heroes who shed their bl**d for honor.”
