Chapter 38
I Hope to Be the Tyrant’s Secret Sponsor
Meanwhile, not long after Clemence Jacqueline left the lecture hall, the other professors who had been chatting also vacated the room.
Melin cheered excitedly.
“As expected of my sister! Ahem! You all saw that, right?”
In contrast, one side of the room was in chaos, as if a storm was approaching.
It was Louis Bentley and his group.
“Hey… Louis, what now? I think even the headmaster’s got his eye on you.”
One of Louis’ lackeys, Caleb, spoke nervously.
“Shut the hell up! I already know!”
Louis Bentley shouted.
“Hey! I said that ’cause I’m worried about you! That’s kinda harsh, don’t you think?”
“Be honest—were you really worried? Or are you secretly enjoying this?”
“This guy’s a real twisted piece of work, huh?”
Caleb gave a baffled laugh. In truth, Louis wasn’t wrong.
Louis always flaunted that his father was Count Bentley. So yes, Caleb was low-key enjoying his downfall—but he wasn’t about to admit that.
With that, Louis and Caleb’s argument marked the beginning of cracks forming within their group. And just then, Melin approached with a triumphant smile.
“So, when are you going to keep your promise?”
“Wh-What promise?”
Louis looked at Melin like she was speaking nonsense.
Despite his surly tone, Melin beamed brightly.
“You didn’t forget the bet you made with Ren, did you?”
“……”
Louis fell silent, and Melin’s face grew serious.
She leaned in until she was right in front of his face. The sudden closeness made Louis flush, but his face quickly turned rigid.
There was a glint of rage in her eyes. The kind that felt like an invisible hand was tightening around his throat.
“After insulting my sister, you think you can just run away like this?”
It felt as if a massive, overpowering presence was bearing down on him.
Louis, unaware that it was the spirits resonating with Melin’s emotions, gulped dryly under the pressure.
“N-No…”
“Hehe, so you will go through with it?”
Melin’s smile turned innocent again.
The sudden shift in mood made Louis nod reflexively—only to regret it the next second.
‘Shit. What did I just do?!’
Satisfied with his unintentional agreement, Melin laughed cheerfully and waved goodbye.
“I’ll be waiting at the plaza tomorrow! Don’t forget, you have to strip down to your underwear!”
“Hey…!”
Louis could only stare blankly, dumbfounded. Then, remembering his dire situation, he glanced around the classroom and bolted.
There was only one path left for him now.
To run as fast and far as possible.
‘What the heck is with that guy…’
Mion, who had stayed behind in the lecture hall to see Melin, tried hard to pretend not to notice the eyes fixed on him.
‘Lennox, was it?’
He had only met Lennox once before, at Clemence’s graduation, and that was enough to remember him. He’d lived a pretty unusual life, even in Mion’s 45 years of experience.
‘But why does he keep staring at me?’
Just then, Lennox tilted his head and walked up, looking puzzled.
“It’s weird. He was this size back then, too.”
‘W-Wait…!’
Before Mion could escape, Lennox’s quick hands snatched him by the scruff of the neck.
In that instant, Mion read his memories—and every hair on his body stood up.
‘Who the hell dares mess with my Mel?!’
His blue eyes flared with fury.
‘These bastards! I’ll tear them to pieces myself!’
But then, another memory surfaced—and Mion flinched, looking up at Lennox.
‘Wait… He helped Mel?’
Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have any ill intentions toward her. In fact, he seemed to be her one and only friend.
Mion’s sharp gaze softened just a bit.
‘Fine, I’ll forgive you for grabbing my neck.’
Relief was short-lived.
Another memory emerged—and Mion froze again.
‘Hold on. He’s the one who’s been sending letters to the witch?’
Startled by this new info, Mion’s eyes darted nervously. Then, by chance, he met Lennox’s gaze—and completely froze.
It was the first time they’d locked eyes directly.
It felt like staring into the eyes of a giant predator.
Mion trembled in instinctive fear.
Dominic from the Duke of Penelope’s estate had a powerful aura, but nothing like this.
‘What is this insane energy?’
It was even more overwhelming than the day they first met, during Melin’s entrance ceremony.
Then Mion remembered something he had forgotten.
The Euclid family had always possessed destructive-type supernatural abilities.
Having read even Lennox’s lost memories, Mion realized that the moment those memories returned, his power would awaken as well.
His round blue eyes spun frantically.
‘I should probably tell the witch about this…’
The student who had approached the witch under the anonymous name Aquila was clearly dangerous.
As Lennox’s stare intensified, Mion—though it wounded his pride—let out a soft, submissive cry.
“Meow…”
Even so, Lennox’s sharp gaze didn’t waver.
“Oh, Mion!”
A welcome voice reached Mion’s ears.
‘Melin! My beloved Mel!’
He had never been so glad to hear her voice.
It was like being saved from the jaws of a predator.
Melin scooped him up right away.
“Gotcha! What’s my cute Mion doing here?”
‘I came to see you, obviously!’
Every time moments like this happened, Mion lamented that he couldn’t speak.
While she affectionately petted him, Melin turned to Lennox.
“Louis said he’d go through with it tomorrow!”
“Yeah.”
His lackluster response made Melin pout.
“Why so indifferent? Be honest, you don’t really care, do you?”
“……”
Lennox said nothing, which was its own answer.
As she guessed, he no longer cared about Louis Bentley.
Now, he had a different concern.
‘Is Clemence going back to the count’s estate now?’
Now that the cheating scandal was resolved, she’d have no reason to stay at the academy.
He’d enjoyed writing letters, but seeing her in person stirred more curiosity.
I’d like to meet Aquila someday.
He hadn’t even told her that he was Aquila. He hadn’t asked why she helped him either.
Lennox’s eyes turned back to Mion.
His gaze darkened.
“She’s cute, right?”
Melin misread his look and proudly held Mion forward.
Now even closer to Lennox, Mion silently begged Melin to stop—but his cries didn’t reach her.
Lennox stared quietly before speaking.
“Melin, when did you adopt this cat?”
“Um, maybe… Th—Oops! It’s a secret!”
She recalled her sister telling her to keep Mion a secret and shut her mouth quickly.
But Lennox had already figured it out.
‘So it was the same cat I saw at the entrance ceremony.’
Under Lennox’s suspicious stare, Mion burrowed deeper into Melin’s arms.
“Mion’s just really shy!”
Melin giggled at Mion’s flustered act.
To Lennox, it looked more like avoidance than embarrassment.
‘Everything is suspicious.’
Not just Clemence—who was secretly acting as her own sponsor under the name Rose—but even this cat seemed to hold secrets.
And then there was Melin…
Lennox’s eyes naturally shifted to her.
‘She definitely used some strange power.’
The power that saved him when they first met wasn’t human.
Still watching her, Lennox spoke slowly.
“Don’t you want to see her before she leaves?”
“Huh?”
“She’ll probably be gone soon.”
Even though he hadn’t said who, Melin instantly understood.
“Oh…!”
Startled, she dropped Mion.
He landed safely, but felt irrationally betrayed—like Clemence had just replaced him in Melin’s heart.
“I’ll watch the cat, so go talk to her.”
“Hmm… Okay, thanks!”
She surprisingly accepted without hesitation.
Her generosity felt out of character, but Melin didn’t question it and handed Mion over.
‘No! Don’t leave me, Melin!’
As she ran off, Mion silently screamed.
And now, Lennox’s eyes were focused solely on Mion.
His gaze narrowed.
He had to figure it out.
Why did it feel like this creature could see right through him?
“…Let’s see who you really are.”
Lennox whispered under his breath and began walking with Mion in his arms.
Flailing helplessly, Mion screamed internally.
‘Save me, Witch! No—Housekeeper!’
