Chapter 196: Conflicting Feelings

"Nice to see you again after such a long time, Instructor Elva."

Hearing his words, Elva came out of her zoned state, her eyes blinking once as if waking up from a long train of thoughts that had pulled her inward.

But before she could say anything, and before Melissia, who was looking at him with a burning gaze filled with emotions that words couldn’t quite capture, could open her mouth, Nichole, the Principal of Starlight Academy, spoke from behind with a calm but firm voice that made everyone pause.

"Everyone, as you might already know, Student Elysia was injured due to the unfortunate incident that took place a few months back. Though the injury was fatal and her chances of survival were close to none, in the end... she prevailed against all odds and is now standing in front of you."

The moment his words landed, everyone straightened up. The relaxed, curious atmosphere that had hung around them just moments ago had vanished, replaced by the palpable pressure his presence now exerted.

Until now, the principal had kept his aura in check, allowing the reunion to unfold without interference. But now... he was no longer holding back.

... On second thought, he actually was... if he were to exert his full presence, then everyone present here would be forced to kneel without resistance, their bodies would tremble under the sheer pressure of his existence, completely helpless and overwhelmed. Everyone, that is, with the exception of Ash and Elva.

Ash, due to his Primordial Core, would not feel anything, his body completely immune to such external pressure, and Elva could protect herself, being a mythical human with her own means of resistance.

"As for Ash," Nichole continued, his tone steady and unwavering, "you may have heard that he went to stay with his relative during that time, but that was false. The truth is, he went to search for a cure for Elysia. Of course, no one believed he would succeed, no one expected him to return with anything useful... but then again, he did."

"You might be wondering why I am telling you all of this. You might be thinking, why am I standing here and revealing what Ash did?"

Wait, why is he telling that to them? He never said anything about that...

While they were coming here, the Principal had insisted that he must come with him. He had said that it was one of those rare chances to motivate the students, something they could remember and be inspired by.

At that time, Ash did not fully understand what his intentions were, nor the deeper meaning behind his words... but now, things were slowly starting to make sense.

What a headache.. Ash sighed internally and resigned to his fate, knowing that it was not like he could stop him from saying anything.

"What I want to tell you all," Nichole said, his voice rising slightly, just enough to stir the hearts of everyone present, "is that no matter how bad your life may seem, no matter how suffocating the circumstances, or how hopeless your surroundings become... there is always a way. No matter how deep the darkness or endless the path, there is always a way out."

Golden embers danced within Nichole’s eyes, glowing faintly but unmistakably. His expression turned even more serious now, and the aura around him made even the most unfocused students lock eyes with him, unknowingly standing straighter.

Even Ash became serious for a second there.

"What you need to do in such never-ending despair... is to never give up. The moment your will breaks, the moment you accept defeat... that’s when everything truly ends. But as long as you have the will to survive, and the patience to hold on until even the smallest window of opportunity opens... then you can accomplish the impossible."

"Just like Ash."

He added the last part, slapping Ash’s back with a force that made him almost stumble forward.

Damn it, old man... is he taking revenge or something? But I never did anything...

...while it might be true that Ash had never done anything to him directly, the same couldn’t be said for the Whisperer.

The other seven Saints had also suffered the headache of trying to track him down, and in the end, when they failed, they were forced to sit through one of Whisperer’s infamous lectures.

"That’s all. These two can begin attending classes from today onwards. Though the semester is almost over, it does not matter," Nichole said to Elva, a strange smile appearing on his face as his overwhelming presence slowly began to withdraw.

"After all, both of them did the impossible, did they not? Learning everything in a month and passing the exams should be no big deal... assuming they don’t want to get expelled. Right?"

As if relishing the moment, Nichole glanced at Ash once again with that same ambiguous smile. One that walked the line between teasing and ominous.

Ash looked at that expression... and shuddered.

Curses... he’s enjoying this, isn’t he? That sadistic bastard... he’s actually having fun burdening his students.

Ash grumbled inwardly. Not that he was overly worried about the exams. With his perfect memory... and now even access to the Soul Library, studying was hardly a problem.

Well, it’ll be fun... when I see the look on his face after I get full marks in everything. Hmm... maybe 100 is too much. Let’s say 99. Yeah...

And with that same ambiguous expression mirrored on his face, Ash raised his fist high, his tone exaggeratedly polite as he spoke, "Of course. Just as Principal said... we can do the impossible, as long as we have the will."

They smiled at each other, two men with cryptic smiles, clearly thinking about the days ahead.

"Cough... I see."

Elva finally broke the moment, her voice calm and collected. Both of them turned to look at her, and with a polite nod, she spoke to the principal.

"Thank you for personally coming here and even escorting these two. I’ll take over from here onwards."

After that, the principal and vice principal shared a brief exchange at the sidelines. It wasn’t anything loud or long—just a short conversation between the higher-ups—before the principal finally went away.

But even as he left, the attention in the room had not shifted. Everyone’s eyes were still locked on Ash and Elysia.

Though the principal’s words were delivered with the intent to inspire.....they contradicted with the emotions of too many people... hurting fragile hearts that were already hanging by threads. In such a delicate atmosphere, it was difficult to predict what was going to happen next.

But for now... silence held them all.

A few background students had their thoughts racing—

Oh my... this is going to get really interesting...

Ash left the academy to help Elysia? Does that mean he’s in love with her...?

Ray and Ash... both like Elysia. Then who will she choose? The one who risked everything to save her... or the one destined to become powerful...?

They weren’t the only ones thinking that. Similar thoughts echoed in several minds at once, swirling with curiosity, confusion, and jealousy, while at the same time... some hearts were slowly breaking.

He left the academy... just to help Elysia...

Melissia stood there, watching with eyes that no longer held the warmth they once did. A part of her felt like someone was once again intruding into her life, cutting into the path she had barely begun to walk. Or maybe... was she the one interfering?

But this time, with a heart made of steel, it did not break her. A heartbreak happens only once... after that, only blood flows.

Her gaze became colder, devoid of that subtle shine it once held. She looked at Ash... and then at Elysia. Her mind was running furiously, trying to piece together what this meant, and what she should do from now on.

While Melissia’s thoughts churned quietly, Ray stood not too far away, lost in his own rising tide of emotions. A storm was beginning to form inside his mind.

{What a headache, she should have died.}

The voice of Aetheris echoed in his head, dripping with annoyance and complete lack of empathy. It was as if he found this whole situation troublesome, not for what had happened, but because of what it might become.

DON’T spout nonsense.

Ray responded immediately. His mind rejected that cruel idea without hesitation. But Aetheris, being who he was, didn’t care.

{What nonsense? I’m just being honest. I can feel it in my bones, boy... things are going to get messy from here on out. Especially since this mess has that girl at the center.}

{Girls are trouble, no matter the world, no matter the era.}

Ray didn’t reply this time. There was a quiet storm in his chest, but he remained calm, or at least appeared so on the surface.

What Ray didn’t notice, however... was that Aetheris had been watching closely, far more than him. The exchange of glances between Ash and Elysia, the subtle tension in Ash’s posture, the calm yet unsettling air around him... the God Slayer saw all of it. He noticed the things that were unspoken, the things that ran deeper than words.

{Sigh... so things won’t go the way the boy had hoped, huh. But maybe that’s a good thing. A little heartbreak will toughen him up. He’ll learn something real... that girls are distractions. And if he doesn’t learn that now, he’ll regret it later.}

And maybe Aetheris wasn’t entirely wrong. He had lived through many eras, seen empires rise and fall, kings lose their thrones, heroes abandon their purpose... and time and time again, the reason had been the same.

A woman.

Beauty is not called the synonym of destruction just for the sake of poetry. It is because, time after time... it proves to be true.

Just then, Elva came back. Noticing the strange atmosphere hanging over the class, she said, "The class is almost over. You should head to your next one now."

"Dismiss."

Then she looked at Ash and said in a calm but firm voice, "You....come with me."

Without waiting for a response, she turned around and began walking away..

Ash silently followed behind her, and together, they left in front of all the fifty students.

{So, what will you do now, boy? You went through all those quests, endured sleepless nights and pushed yourself beyond limits, all just to save that girl... but, now that she’s perfectly fine, it turns out someone else was able to save her before you.}

Ray remained silent, his expression unreadable.

{What if that girl ends up liking Ash? From the way things looked, it seemed like the two of them shared something. Maybe it’s time you stopped chasing after this foolish idea of love, and focused entirely on getting stronger instead.}

Shut up.

{Even if I do shut up, it’s not going to change anything. You can ignore the truth all you want, but that will only make it hurt more when it finally catches up to you. It’s better to face it now, face it head-on, and deal with it while you still have the strength to stand.}

Ray didn’t respond to his words. He simply stood there in silence, his eyes fixed on Elysia as she walked away with Grace and the others. The group gradually dispersed, but three people remained behind, still caught up in their thoughts. They were Melissia, Ray, and Ethan.

Ray slowly closed his eyes, drawing in a quiet breath, as if steadying the storm building inside him. And when he opened them again... his gaze had shifted—still composed, but now laced with a subtle seriousness, as if he had decided to do something.

Then, without another word, he began walking forward... heading straight toward Elysia.