Chapter 188 - 56 - Preparations (part 5)

The sun had already set a while ago and Zoemi was walking through the dark courtyard, returning to the dormitory, when he unexpectedly spotted someone.

"...?"

The black-haired boy was already running late and he didn't particularly have time to stop and chit-chat, but still – taking into consideration who it was, he decided that it would be rude of him not to at least say hello...

...after all that very person was actively trying to win over Zoemi's father and the young attendant was one hundred percent supporting the idea...

"You can do it... stay calm... he told you that he will answer... it's just like a battle – a Perserios doesn't run from a battle! Alright! Future husband!"

"...!"

Although Zoemi was already raising his hand and taking a breath for a greeting – he instantly stopped and stepped back into the shadows – the normal ones, not one of his spells – and waited curiously after the person of interest had a whole pep talk to themselves before putting something to her ear and loudly calling out.

Teacher Rokiana Grea Perserios – because that was the person Zoemi spotted, of course - was walking circles by the fountain between the two main buildings of the Academy and was holding a glowing crystal waiting for something while biting her lips nervously.

"Ah! Hello senior! I just finished my work for today and thought that it would be nice to talk with you to unwind. Can I? Or are you perhaps busy...?"

She flinch when the person on the other side of the magical connection answered, and asked coquettishly while coiling a strand of her blue hair around her finger and swaying from side to side.

"Me? No, no, I'm not tired at all, it's just some talking nothing like the actual battle – oh, and the kids are well behaved and so smart too, it's nothing like the battlefield, why would I be tired? Eh...? Ah...!"

Rokiana laughed but then she flinched and her face became flushed with a rosy blush – which Zoemi could tell because of his he already could see clearly in the darkness in the first place – although the light emitted by the communication crystal itself di help a bit too.

"I-is that so...? Thank you very much... of course, I will rest properly... yes, yes..."

The blue-haired woman fidgeted bashfully lowering her head even though Mizoe – since it literally couldn't be anyone else on the other side of the spell - couldn't possibly see her at the moment.

"Ah!? Y-you want to hear about my day? Really!?"

|Dear heavens...! Dad is actually being proactive?!|

Rokiana suddenly straightened her back and exclaimed in a high-pitched voice – which also caused Zoemi to raise his brows and he barely managed to stop himself from gasping.

His father was dense when it comes to love but that also meant that he sometimes unintentionally asked just the right questions at the right time and this was certainly what has happened.

Teacher Rokiana was clearly shocked but also extremely delighted that Mizoe showed an interest in her.

"Oh, you see... I woke up early went for a morning run, then I did the standard knight's training regime, oh? You want to know what exactly is it? Ah! That's right! It might have changed since you completed it, you're right! But should I really tell you~?"

She teased him and giggled like a schoolgirl.

|I hope that it works well for them, teacher Rokiana seems like a really good person, but I need to go...|

Zoemi thought to himself and stopped smiling, doing his best as if he just arrived at the spot, and walked toward the dormitory, passing the blue-haired teacher from behind.

"Good evening teacher!"

When he was so close that she must have heard him approaching already, Zoemi bowed his head and greeted Rokiana in a cheerful voice since he thought it would be rude to just ghost her without saying anything.

"AH...!"

But unfortunately, Rokiana had her full and complete attention on the call so when she heard someone calling at her from behind she panicked and flinched - the years on the battlefield showed up as the blue-haired woman activated the physical enchantments and reached for her sword without hesitation...

*CRACK*

But it just so happened that she reached for it with the hand that she was holding the crystal in, and the said crystal slipped from her grip and smashed against the ground...

"NOOOOO...!"

Rokiana realized that it was just Zoemi and not an actual enemy so she relaxed her shoulders but then she saw her communication crystal and she fell to her knees without any strength.

The crystals were usually very sturdy so they didn't shatter completely - but due to the strength augmenting enchantment added to the power of the swing, a large crack appeared across the green surface and the bright light disappeared, leaving the magical device looking very dim.

"No! No, no, no!"

Rokiana picked up the communication crystal and put it up to her ear.

"Se-senior...? Senior, can you hear me...? Senior...?"

The woman asked but since the magic light was no more it was obvious that the connection was cut off as the crystal broke.

"Oh, no! I-I'm so sorry teacher! I didn't mean to surprise you!"

Zoemi felt terrible! Because of him, Rokiana broke a very expensive magic device! And what was even worse she was in the middle of a conversation with the boy's father!

"What will I do...? What will I do...?! Senior will think that I stopped the spell! What if he thinks I hate him!? If he will try to call me and he will be unable to reach me, he will think that I blocked the connection and don't want to talk to him and we will not be able to talk and he will hate me and we will not get married and I will die alone like mom always said...!"

Rokiana wasn't even listening to Zoemi and she stared at her broken communication crystal with eyes full of tears and started muttering to herself in actual panic.

"Teacher, I am so terribly sorry...!"

"...Eh? O-oh, Z-Zoemi... No... No... It's my fault..."

This time Rokiana reacted to Zoemi and looked at him with heartbroken eyes and tried to smile reassuringly but her chin was shaking so much that

"But teacher..."

"No, i-it's fine..."

The black-haired boy tried to apologize but the blue-haired teacher stopped him.

"I just have to buy another one, i-it's okay. Don't worry, just tell your father that I didn't disconnect out of malice, okay? Please...!"

She sounded desperate with that last one...

"O-of course!"

Zoemi gulped down his saliva and nodded vigorously.

"Thank you..."

Rokinana sniffled and turned away from the students' dormitory.

"It's already late, you should go back to your room..."

"Y-yes, of course, teacher."

She sounded so miserable that Zoemi didn't know what to do so he quickly agreed to her words.

"Uuuu... Sniffle... Dad will scold me for sure if I ask him for more money... I haven't even begun paying him back the first loan..."

Zoemi was definitely not meant to hear that, but he did, and he felt ten times as awful.

"..."

He stopped in place and looked at the back of the crestfallen – clearly crying – teacher, and then turned to the dormitory and...

"Teacher...! Let's go to my master – she can connect you and my dad with the spell and you will be able to clear everything up all at once!"

"...!"

Zoemi just couldn't leave her miserable like that – he knew for a fact that his father was interested and he also already got his hopes up about actually having a mother – so the black-haired attendant approached the blue-haired woman and grabbed onto her sleeve making her flinch and looked at him with reddened eyes.

"...will that be okay...?"

Rokiana asked timidly, wiping her eyes with her other hand.

"Of course – don't worry – my master is a great person, she will definitely help you out!"

Zoemi declared smiling at her reassuringly while deciding that the meeting with the heroine can wait just a little bit more...

...but while he was thinking that, somebody else had no intentions of letting the blond girl wait - not after she ended up annoyingly breaking out of his hypnosis spell time and time again - an annoying piece that didn't want to move according to his will had to be removed form the board...

...permanently....