On the narrow road, two carriages brushed past each other. Both sides instantly recognized each other’s identities but did nothing.

“Old drunkard—what’s he doing here?”

Lorin leaned against the window, his eyes wide with surprise as he stared intently at the speeding carriage. His low voice carried disbelief.

After all, in his view, this guy never did anything but drink. This was abnormal—extremely abnormal.

“What’s wrong, Lorin? That was Brave Sir’s carriage just now. We rarely get to see him; he’s the Empire’s great hero,” Kurt Stoudenmire said admiringly, unaware of their unusual connection.

“Is that so, Headmaster? A great hero, yes, yes. He’s just a great hero, that’s all,” Lorin replied dismissively. He slowly turned his gaze away, a bitter smile on his handsome face.

“Hahaha!”

Kurt sensed the awkwardness and quickly laughed to change the subject. Then he spoke earnestly to Lorin.

“This student was personally chosen by Guardian Kevin. Lorin, you’re someone I trust. I’m reassured to leave this troublesome task to you.”

“Not at all, Headmaster. I’m very interested in this student,” Lorin said with a faint smile. He felt an inexplicable bond between them, though he hadn’t expected his teacher to have ties to her.

“Really? I’m glad you’re satisfied. But this student is from the Kaslana family—their first to enroll. Her name is Kallen Kaslana,” Kurt emphasized carefully, fearing complications.

“Huh?”

Lorin felt a trace of confusion. Wasn’t that young lady’s name Kevin? Or had she been using a fake name to fool him? That wasn’t hard to understand—a lone woman traveling alone would naturally be cautious.

“So her name is Kallen Kaslana? A nice name.”

“Well, you two should get to know each other. After all, you’ll be teacher and student for three years. You need to understand each other properly.”

“I understand, Headmaster. I actually have something to confirm,” Lorin said, gently placing a hand on his chest, trying to decipher that strange feeling inside.

With a soft scraping sound, the carriage stopped outside the villa. After many detours, they’d arrived late at night. Lorin, dressed in a clean suit, stepped out leisurely. His light blue eyes scanned the surroundings.

“The environment here is quite nice,” he murmured.

“This is Count Carlos’s home—of course it’s grand,” Kurt chimed in.

Without a word, Lorin strode forward and knocked heavily on the iron gate, hoping to attract attention. High-level mages were always sensitive to disturbances at their homes.

“Huh? Who visits at this hour?”

Kevin lay motionless on the soft bed, utterly burnt out. He used magic to sense the visitors outside, then murmured in surprise.

“Kurt Stoudenmire and Lorin? What a strange pair.”

Why would Kurt know Lorin? He saw no connection. How to handle this was now a problem.

“Carlos! Go greet the guests.” She decided to see their purpose and magically summoned the sleeping Carlos, who quickly responded.

“Understood, Lord Kevin.”

She sighed silently, rising slowly in a thin black nightgown. Under the lamplight, her fair skin glowed faintly. Her delicate white feet slipped into slippers as she prepared to go downstairs like this.

After all, she’d just finished removing her makeup with the maid’s help and washed up for bed. Redoing it late at night was worse than death.

“Ugh, so annoying. Can’t I have one peaceful day?” She glanced at her reflection in the dressing table mirror, her tone impatient. Days lazing on Divine Spirit Mountain were better—no worries, just time to study Forbidden Magic. Sadly, she couldn’t return.

The sound of slippers tapping echoed in the dim corridor. Patches of silvery moonlight fell on her exquisite face, her silver hair fluttering in the evening breeze.

“Miss, you’re dressed like this? Be careful not to catch a chill!” A maid, finishing her work, glanced over and saw Miss Kallen in such light attire, concern in her voice.

Though new, the maids knew this place offered the best wages, food, and housing. The family never snapped at servants—they’d planned to stay long-term.

“It’s nothing—just greeting guests. You continue your work,” Kevin replied gently. This was likely for her; better to prepare early.

As she moved to leave, the maid blocked her path.

“What is it?”

“Miss, you can’t go down like this!” The maid spoke up boldly. No noble lady greeted guests in revealing clothes—it’d ruin Miss’s reputation if word spread.

“Why not?” Kevin’s tone held slight confusion.

“Wait here, young lady! I’ll fetch clothes for you,” the maid said urgently, dropping her work and rushing off. Kevin could only nod helplessly, leaning against the wall to wait.

Outside, the biting wind slashed at their faces like blades. With a metallic scrape, Count Carlos’s authoritative voice rang out.

“What brings you two to this humble villa so late?”

“Count Carlos, I am Kurt Stoudenmire, headmaster of the Imperial Academy. An honor to meet you.” Kurt gestured proudly to Lorin beside him.

“This is Lorin, a top-tier teacher at the Imperial Academy. We come on Guardian Kevin’s behalf to inform Miss Kallen Kaslana of her enrollment time.”

“Hahaha! I see. Please, come in,” Carlos said warmly. Having received Lord Kevin’s orders, he welcomed them with a smile.