The Return Of The Exiled Villain-Chapter 164: The End Of The Semester (XVII)

The world twisted in a flash of red light, and the group was pulled out of the dungeon and spat back into the academy’s open battlegrounds.

Warm sunlight washed over them, a jarring contrast to the blood-soaked cold they’d just walked through.

There, on a reclining chair set dead-center like he owned the entire field, sat Professor Otto.

Strangely... he was wearing sunglasses, along with a loose shirt... not to mention that he was drinking some kind of cocktail with a tiny umbrella on it.

He also had his leg crossed as he basked in sunlight like an overworked vacationer.

He turned his head lazily when the group materialized.

"Oh? You guys are already done?" he asked, eyebrows rising. For a moment, it looked like he was genuinely impressed...

...but the moment his gaze slid across the full group, his expression shifted back to something more neutral, almost bored.

Then his eyes landed on Gray.

And Otto froze.

’...What is this pressure...?’

Behind his tinted lenses, the professor’s pupils shrank.

He straightened his back slowly, the relaxed posture dropping away as a prickling sensation crawled up his skin.

Something deep in his instincts recoiled... some primal part of him whispering that the boy walking toward him was not normal.

He... was dangerous.

But what kind of changes could Gray go through in a simple dungeon?!

That mysterious thought gnawed at him.

"...Tch." Otto clicked his tongue softly, adjusting his sunglasses as if that would get rid of the pressure.

"What about the other students?" he asked, voice returning to its usual calm, even if it was a little too controlled.

He sat up on the lounge chair properly now, both feet on the ground.

"Didn’t see a single soul," Gray replied instantly.

Behind him, Maelis shook her head gently in agreement from within his arms.

"None." Selene crossed her arms.

"No signs." Selina mirrored the same.

"Not a trace." Claire sighed.

Lyra gave an awkward thumbs-down while Adrian and Leon both shook their heads grimly.

A full party confirming absolute absence.

Otto inhaled... then exhaled even slower.

"I see..." His tone grew heavier.

"I’ll take a look for them myself."

He stood up fully now, brushing imaginary dust from his clothes. When he spoke again, the casual nature from before was gone entirely.

"And for those two groups... you’ll all receive an A+."

All of them blinked at how easily they had received the highest grade.

But before they could celebrate, Otto’s voice dropped into a quieter and colder tone.

"And..."

He paused and then smiled.

But there was nothing warm in it. It was a clinical smile, one that held the weight of expectation and danger.

"Congratulations on surviving the first semester."

The professor’s cold smile lingered for a moment too long, and as soon as he turned away, the tension broke.

"Why does he always make it sound like we barely escaped death?" Selene scoffed.

"Honestly. He could’ve at least said it in a normal tone... not like some horror theater narrator." Selina rolled her eyes.

Lyra crossed her arms.

"He wants to scare us. It’s so obvious." She puffed her cheeks slightly.

"Ugh, teachers."

Even Claire muttered softly:

"He really didn’t have to say it like that..."

Gray just sighed, shifting his grip on the girl in his arms.

"Alright, enough complaining." He lowered Maelis slowly, letting her feet touch the ground again.

The moment her boots clicked against the floor...

"Hmnph!"

Maelis pouted, her eyes instantly narrowed in betrayal.

"Big brother... you’re so cruel..." Her lips trembled dramatically. "I could’ve fallen... I was still tired..."

"You’re not tired," Gray replied flatly.

Her pout deepened.

The others tried not to laugh, but mostly failed.

Adrian instantly stepped forward, sweeping his hair back with that forced pretty-boy charm he always tried to show off.

"Maelis~ If you’re tired, why not lean on me instead?" he said with a smile he clearly thought was dazzling.

"I can—"

She walked right past him without even glancing at him.

Didn’t acknowledge he existed.

Adrian was left standing there, his hand awkwardly hanging in the air.

"...She ignored me again," he whispered, clenching his fists tightly.

Leon walked by and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"It’s no use, she’s always like that..." he said from experience.

Although he still liked her, his feelings were slowly... fading away.

Then he continued on without waiting for a reply, heading off somewhere else with a long, exhausted sigh.

"I’m taking a break... far away from you people."

Meanwhile, Lyra wasted absolutely no time.

The second Maelis was out of Gray’s arms, Lyra wrapped herself around Gray’s arm possessively.

Her fingers laced tightly around his sleeve as she leaned her head against him with a triumphant grin.

And she made sure Selene and Selina saw it.

The glare-off was immediate.

Selene’s eye twitched, while Selina’s smile sharpened, as both began to emit a weak killing intent directed solely at Lyra.

"Hehe," Lyra only tightened her grip more, looking so smug she practically glowed.

Claire watched from behind the group.

Her hands curled into her sleeves as she looked at the three beautiful girls practically circling Gray like wolves guarding prey.

She wasn’t blind, so she understood instantly.

They all liked him.

Every single one of them.

And she... she felt small because of that.

Her stomach sank, and she lowered her gaze, thinking silently:

’I can’t compete with them... They’re all so beautiful...’

As for Gray... he was a little annoyed.

Unlike the other Gray, he preferred to be in a quieter space without many people bothering him.

But well... it was just for today, as the semester had just ended, and the Seven Stars Ball was practically on the verge of happening.

It was just two days, and of course, Gray would spend those two days training or meeting up with Cassandra, asking about her progress on reviving her dead family.

"Grayyyy~"

Lyra suddenly tugged on his arm, her voice sweet enough to rot teeth. She tilted her head up at him and gave him a pleading pout.

"I’m starving... really starving... Won’t you take me to eat something? I want you to feed me until I pass out..." She let her voice drip with coyness on purpose.

Gray resisted the urge to roll his eyes so hard they’d fall out of his head.

Instead, he forced a gentle smile, the fake kind that looked exactly like one the other Gray would easily muster.

"Fine. Where do you want to eat?"

Lyra brightened immediately, clinging tighter.

"Mmm... the cafeteria is fine~ As long as you’re with me."

Selene froze mid-step.

Selina narrowed her eyes dangerously.

Maelis’ smile dropped two degrees.

And Claire... flinched.

The three girls reacted in perfect synch, rushing forward before Lyra could drag Gray away like some triumphant winner.

"I’ll come too," Selene declared, linking her arm with Gray’s other arm with zero hesitation.

"Same," Selina added, stepping closer with an elegant smile that hid murder.

"Of course I’m coming. Why wouldn’t I?" Maelis casually walked in front of Lyra.

Lyra’s smile cracked.

"W-Wait, I asked him first—!"

"Did you?" Selene said sweetly.

Selina raised an eyebrow.

"I heard him invite all of us."

"I didn’t," Gray replied.

Three death glares instantly snapped to him.

"...I mean, I guess I’m inviting all of you now."

The glares softened into warm smiles so quickly that Gray wondered if he had hallucinated it.

Lyra, however, was dying inside.

"But I..."

Too late.

The group was already walking toward the cafeteria.

Gray in the middle.

Selene was clinging to his left, Lyra and Selina were battling for his right arm.

Maelis was moving directly ahead like his self-appointed bodyguard, and finally, Claire was following at a distance, watching with a wistful expression.

"Let go, you golden-eyed gremlin," Selene cursed at Lyra.

"Make me, you venomous snake." Lyra hissed back, glaring daggers at her.

"Please fight after lunch. I’d prefer not to step over your corpses today." Selina smiled politely at both of them.

They stabbed each other with words, their glares sharp enough to cut through diamonds!

Gray walked through all of it as if strolling through a quiet garden, completely ignoring the chaos swirling around him.

He didn’t even flinch when Lyra muttered curses under her breath or when Selene tried to push her away with her shoulder.

"Haah..."

Sighing, he stepped into the cafeteria and went to grab a tray.

However, even the simple act of going to grab a tray of food seemed to cause signals of war behind him.

Lyra had followed instantly, shoving herself to his right; however, Selene slid in on his left, pretending she "coincidentally" reached the same tray stack.

They instantly glared at each other, not to mention... they were trying to stick so close to Gray that they moved through the food line together.

Gray simply selected a bowl of stew and a piece of bread, his expression calm, detached, and utterly uninterested in the brewing slaughter.

Once everyone had their trays, they made their way to an empty table near the windows.

The moment Gray sat, the girls took their seats like predators claiming territory.

For a single, fragile second, the table was quiet.

Tap... tap...

A soft, measured series of steps approached from behind them.

Gray lifted his eyes.

The entire atmosphere changed when Cecilia White, Student Council President, the number one-ranked prodigy, and one of the most feared students in the academy, stopped at their table.

Her long black hair fell neatly down her back, her uniform spotless, her golden badge gleaming under the cafeteria lights.

She looked straight at Gray.

"Student Gray, we need to talk."