Chapter 554: Carrying A Ticking Time Bomb Professor Rowan didn’t know if he should laugh or cry the moment Alex and his friends entered his office. At first, he had been a bit surprised when one of the most troublesome students of his academy had asked for permission to discuss something important. Naturally, he had agreed to have an audience with him. However, he didn’t expect that Alex would saunter into his office while carrying Diona, who was tied on a pole like a pig that was about to be roasted whole. The Paragon of Space was a very knowledgeable person, so he instantly recognized the young lady that seemed to have suffered under the hands of Alex and his group. "Can you please tell me what happened?" Professor Rowan asked the old knight, who also entered the room alongside the teenagers. He wanted an unbiased account of the events that happened so he could better understand the situation. Lex explained the whole story without sugarcoating anything. He understood the "political" implications of handling a member of the Void-Touched because they were a very tight-knit group. They were also the type to rush into war in order to avenge one of their own. This was why even the Demon Worshipers didn’t want to mess with these crazy individuals. Messing with one of them was like poking a hornet’s nest. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 A long and deep sigh escaped Professor Rowan’s lips after Lex finished his explanation. "It seems that you have a lot of explaining to do, Miss Diona," Professor Rowan said calmly. "What are you doing in my territory and stirring up trouble, hoping to hurt my students?" "I came here for one thing and one thing only," Diona replied while still tied up on the pole that Alex was holding. "I wanted to see the face of our newest members and test his abilities." Professor Rowan already had a theory on why Diona had come to the Mistral Weave Forest. Hearing her reply confirmed his suspicion. "Well then, Alex, how do you plan to handle this situation?" Professor Rowan continued. "You do know that you’re carrying a ticking time bomb, right?" "I do, but I don’t care," Alex replied with confidence. "If she messes with me, I’ll mess with her too. Let’s see who surrenders first." Diona wanted to curse the shameless young man for his arrogance. But she didn’t dare to do it. The little bun that was perched on top of Alex’s head was still holding its little toy hammer and was smiling sweetly at Diona. Although that smile looked very sweet and innocent, the young lady understood that the little bun was no angel. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a devil. All it would take was a single mistake, and Dim Dim would smack her with its toy hammer before poking her nose to oblivion. "Okay, let’s all calm down first," Professor Rowan said. "I’m sure that Charles has a lot of questions for Miss Diona. Why don’t you let them talk for a bit? After that, we can think of what to do with her next." Alex nodded. "We’ll do it your way, Professor." The young man carefully placed down the tied-up Diona on the floor, making the latter sigh in relief. He also understood that letting a member of the Void-Touched explain how their powers worked would benefit Charles and allow him to better understand the organization he would belong to. There was no escaping this fate. Frankly, Alex believed that Charles would be safer the moment he officially joined their ranks. "I’ll let the two of them talk in private first." Professor Rowan snapped his fingers and both Charles and Diona disappeared from his office. "Don’t worry, she won’t be able to hurt him inside my domain." Nessia still looked a little worried, but after hearing the Headmaster’s assurance, her anxiety lessened a bit. "Let’s go back to the clubroom," Alex proposed. "Thank you, Professor, for hearing us out." "You’re welcome, but I do hope that you will no longer look for trouble, Mr. Stratos," Professor Rowan replied. "Keep a low profile for now and study hard." "Yes, Professor." Alex bowed respectfully. "I will do as you say." The old knight snorted before muttering something under his breath. "I doubt it," Lex said in a volume that only Lumi, Lavinia, and Evangeline were able to pick up due to their heightened senses. He wasn’t being pessimistic. Lex simply believed that Alex was fated to always face challenges most people couldn’t even think of. This was what destiny laid out for him. There was also the issue of him being part of the Aetherion Royal Family, which meant that he could inherit the throne as his birthright. While Lex would support the young man if Alex wished to become a crown prince candidate, he had a feeling that his Prince had no intention of being an Emperor. ’Well, whatever comes will come.’ Lex crossed his arms over his chest while leaning on the wall of the office. ’Frankly, I hope that the empire will continue to stay oblivious of his existence.’ The old knight didn’t want to open a can filled with worms, so he decided to just go with the flow, at least for now. After leaving the Headmaster’s Office, Dim Dim told Alex that it would go to Fran’s farm to check if she had finished baking the fruits they had picked up into fruit pies. Also, the little bun warned Alex of Fran’s twin brother, Finn. It seemed that the dwarf would often mutter Alex’s name while chopping up wood, which wasn’t a good sign. Alex sighed internally because he understood how much Finn cared for his sister. In fact, if Finn refused to give his blessing to Alex and his sister, there would be no happy ending to Fran’s route. With the little bun away and the other members of the Endless Horizon Club returning to the dormitory, Alex found himself seated beside Latifa, Lavinia, and Evangeline at the round table. Lotte and Lumi were serving them with tea and snacks, allowing the four to talk about random topics, creating a lively atmosphere. "So, when do you plan to introduce Fran as an honorary member of our club?" Latifa asked after sipping her tea. "Have you talked to her about it?" "I have." Alex nodded. "She said that she would think about it first. I told her that there was no rush for her to give me an answer. I even said that she can give me her reply after our visit in the Shadow Forest." Latifa nodded. "Alright." The young lady shared the memories of all of her Alters, so she knew just how important the Shadow Forest was for Alex and Fran. Alex then glanced at Lavinia before reaching out to hold her hand. "Have you sent a letter to your grandfather that we will be visiting him this weekend?" "I have," Lavinia replied as she gave Alex’s hand a light squeeze. "He already sent his reply. He says that he is looking forward to our visit. I just hope that he won’t throw a party, dragging the entire village to welcome the two of us." Alex suddenly felt anxious because the possibility of that happening was quite high. He planned to tell Lavinia’s family about their relationship and hoped to get their blessing. However, he was also prepared for a tongue-lashing once he explained that there were a few other ladies whom he also wished to marry in the future. —------