"So, will you let me in?" Headmistress Valentina asked, smiling at Van.
Hearing Headmistress Valentina's question that sounded more like a demand, Van just let out a weary sigh and said, "Come in, but don't make a mess in my house."
"Alright," Headmistress Valentina replied as she stepped into the villa.
As Headmistress Valentina entered, her face was filled with shock upon seeing a hundred Arthurs doing housework.
"Why are there a hundred Arthurs?" Headmistress Valentina asked, looking at Arthur in confusion.
"Tch, that damned Master used [101 Shadows] and summoned a hundred of my clones as servants here," Arthur said bitterly.
Headmistress Valentina looked as if she had been struck by lightning after hearing Arthur's explanation. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her expression stiffened. She stared at Van with a look of disbelief and irritation.
She pointed at Van with a trembling finger and said with an annoyed tone, "Y-You! How dare you use [Shadows] as servants?!"
Hearing Headmistress Valentina's words, Van felt slightly displeased inside.
Van gazed at Headmistress Valentina calmly and said, "So what? This skill belongs to me."
"Y-You!" Headmistress Valentina exclaimed before finally letting out a heavy sigh.
Seeing Headmistress Valentina's reaction, which looked like that of a mental patient, Van chuckled inwardly.
'As expected from the number one skill maniac in the Academy. She's really devastated seeing the legendary [101 Shadows] skill used like this,' Van thought.
"Please, have a seat, Headmistress Valentina," Van said, sitting down on the nearest sofa.
Headmistress Valentina only nodded weakly and sat on the sofa opposite Van.
One of Arthur's [Doppelgangers] came with a tray holding two cups of tea. The [Doppelganger] placed the cups on the table.
"Please, Headmistress Valentina. This tea happens to be picked directly from the [Forest of Life]," Van said calmly, as if the tea before him wasn't a rare item at all.
However, what hurt Headmistress Valentina even more was seeing Arthur's [Doppelgangers], or more precisely [Shadows] from [101 Shadows], being used as Van's servants.
Arthur, standing behind Van's sofa, also had a sullen look on his face seeing "himself" acting like a servant.
"Thank you, student Van," Headmistress Valentina said, sipping the tea that was served.
After sipping the tea, Headmistress Valentina felt a bit calmer, and her expression became more relaxed.
"So, what brings you here, Headmistress Valentina?" Van asked, getting straight to the point.
"You don't waste time with small talk, huh," Headmistress Valentina muttered.
In an instant, her tired and weary expression disappeared, replaced by a serious look.
"I want to invite you to become a member of the [Academy Committee]. What do you think?" Headmistress Valentina asked, her voice firm, showing her seriousness.
Hearing the invitation, Van was inwardly stunned, unable to say a word. Even Arthur behind him widened his eyes, his mouth agape in surprise.
'Does this crazy woman not know what just happened in the garden earlier?' Van and Arthur thought, both confused about how to respond.
Before Van could speak, Headmistress Valentina cut him off and said, "I've already heard about what happened earlier in the garden, but I still want to invite you."
The room fell silent in an instant; even the sound of their breathing was clearly audible.
Van didn't know what to say to refuse. His mind was blank, unable to think of a suitable reason to decline.
After a while, Van took a deep breath and pointed at Arthur standing behind him.
"I'm not interested in the [Academy Committee]. Why don't you ask Arthur instead?" Van said calmly.
Hearing Van's response, Arthur stared at Van in disbelief.
'This damned Master is dumping all his problems on me?!' Arthur thought angrily, cursing him inwardly.
Hearing Van's refusal, Headmistress Valentina looked a little regretful, but after hearing Van's suggestion, her eyes lit up again.
She looked at Arthur hopefully and asked, "What about you, Arthur? Are you interested?"
Seeing the hopeful look on Headmistress Valentina's face, Arthur's eye twitched slightly.
'Damn women, they're all truly like little bitches. The only thing that's truly right in this world is the sword,' Arthur thought.
"I'm sorry, Headmistress Valentina, but I'm not interested in the [Academy Committee] or anything like that," Arthur answered firmly.
Hearing Arthur's answer, Headmistress Valentina lowered her head slightly, clearly looking a bit disappointed.
After a moment, Van asked Headmistress Valentina, "Is there anything else?"
Headmistress Valentina lifted her head, and in her eyes there was joy, curiosity, and a hint of madness.
"Can you tell me about the [101 Shadows] skill? How many shadows are there? Can you explain the powers of each [Shadow]? Is there an upper limit to the [101 Shadows] skill? What makes the [101 Shadows] skill unique compared to other skills? Why did the [101 Shadows] skill suddenly appear in you, but not in the previous generations? What's going on with your eyes? Do your eyes have a unique power like your mother's? Is it because of the [Aurelius] bloodline?....."
Van and Arthur were dumbfounded hearing Headmistress Valentina's endless questions; she kept asking without stopping, not even to catch her breath.
'Sh*t! So this woman came just to find out about my skills! That damned skill maniac! Inviting me to the [Academy Committee] was just a side goal! Wait... What if she invited me to the [Academy Committee] so she could keep observing my skills?' Van thought, shocked.
The more Van thought about it, the more theories filled his mind. In the end, he realized just how terrifying and cunning the woman before him was.
'Sh*t! Why are there no normal women in this world? I really regret designing so many crazy women when I wrote this novel,' Van thought, crying inside.
Van then looked at Arthur, who was still stunned.
Noticing Van's gaze, Arthur snapped out of it and pretended to cough.
At this moment, Headmistress Valentina's expression was completely different from usual. Usually, she looked calm, elegant, and radiated noble aura. But now, she looked like a patient with stage 7 acute schizophrenia.
"What if your eyes were combined with the [101 Shadows] skill, wou—"
*EKHEM
As if realizing her behavior, Headmistress Valentina finally came to her senses and regained her composure.
"I'm sorry, student Van and Arthur. I got a little carried away," Headmistress Valentina said.
"It's alright, Headmistress Valentina," Van said calmly, though inwardly he was already cursing her like crazy.
'That damned skill maniac. Does she have something wrong with her brain? How did she become such a skill maniac? What's the reason?'