Chapter 27: Cold Mind

"Were you serious?" The young woman in the academy uniform smoothed her hair while looking bored at the screen in front of her eyes. She pursed her lips, "I don't think there's anyone competent among the first years; the only class that might be worth something is the one with our younger peers..." She sighed and shook her head, "We don't have time to waste like this!"

"Come on, don't be so upset," Elizabeth smiled indifferently, waving her hand as if to say everything was fine. "Besides, isn't it fun to watch them struggle for nothing? Hehehe," she laughed sinisterly as her eyes gleamed.

"There you go again! You can't pretend to be a third-rate villain! You're the president and the crown princess! Behave yourself in the name of the goddess!" The young woman clenched her small fist in frustration. "We have paperwork to review! Oh, holy gods, I don't think I'll sleep well tonight..." She grabbed her head in desperation.

"Ahem..." Elizabeth scratched her head in embarrassment, "It's not that bad. It's Morgana... don't be so dramatic!" Elizabeth pouted as beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

"Dramatic? How dare you! The work you're supposed to be doing, you're leaving it all to me! And I'm not exaggerating—I don't remember the last time I slept more than an hour!" Morgana bared her white teeth as if she were about to commit murder, her pink eyes shone with resentment. "We have so much to do, including finding suitable members for the council, but that doesn't matter right now! What we need to focus on is the festival! At the same time, we have to deal with many investors, hunters, alchemists, accountants, and a ton of other things! So much paperwork to sign, new regulations to create, and finding suitable places for the development of the first years! We haven't done any of that!" Morgana gasped for breath, her expression darkening as if she had aged fifty years...

Elizabeth closed her mouth because everything Morgana said was true, very true. "But it's only the third day of classes! We have to see those two young pillars of the empire, along with the saint's daughter and her friends. You know they're important, and some of them might be useful to us on the council. I'm very interested in Daniela; she'll be the strategist for the class, and I want to see how much she's grown..."

Morgana shook her head, "I think I'll just resign," she said, putting on her witch hat and preparing to leave the room.

"You can't leave me!!! I can't do anything without you! I hate being stuck in an office flooded with papers!" Elizabeth wailed and miserably clung to Morgana's legs.

"No!! We also need to find the goddess's chosen one, but... she's not responding to the saint's prayers... you know how important that day will be for the entire empire and for you personally..." Morgana gave Elizabeth a strange look.

"Ugh...!" Elizabeth clutched her chest as if suffering from a terrible pain in her heart. "I don't want to marry someone I don't even know!" She shook her head vehemently and began to throw a tantrum... "You can't leave me, Morgana... you're my best friend." Elizabeth widened her eyes and looked at Morgana like an abandoned puppy...

"Ugh." When Morgana saw her friend's eyes, she felt a sharp pain in her heart; she was terribly adorable when she acted like that... Looking into her clear, water-like eyes... "Alright! But only this once!" Morgana's cheeks turned red, and she sat down properly...

"So easy!" Elizabeth chuckled to herself and sat next to her, hugging her tightly...

The princess's eyes became extremely serious as she looked at the screen: "The goddess's chosen one could be among the first-year students..." And at the same time, she frowned...

"What is the Sword Goddess doing?" Morgana's eyes also widened, and her cheeks turned red...

Elizabeth's mouth also dropped open... "Who the hell is that boy?"

*******

"Oh no...." Damn it. Sweat was running cold over my entire body as I stared wide-eyed at Leslie approaching me with chains nearly five centimeters thick and an adorable smile: "We must stay together for seven days. If I tie these chains around our bodies..." Leslie's pale cheeks turned pink: "This way, we'll never be apart, we'll feel each other's breaths, we'll eat at the same time... the warmth of our bodies... we'll sleep together! It's perfect! There's nothing more perfect than this!" She gasped, with crystal-clear drool dripping from her mouth, her eyes becoming vacant as her chest rose and fell!

[Warning! Warning!!!]

[The Fourth Seraph's mental state is abnormal!!]

[It is recommended that the host do whatever the Seraph desires!!!]

[Initiating sealing!!!] [1%....5%.....86%]

[Warning!!! Critical state!!!!]

"ALRIGHT!!!!" I shouted with all my heart... Cold sweat ran down my entire body... seeing the blood-red windows and the warnings, I had no time to think of anything other than to accept...

Watching Leslie's mental state return to normal, she smiled with infinite joy, wiping the drool from the corners of her mouth. She widened her eyes: "I thought you'd refuse! But after all..." She squeezed her legs together tightly: "You want to feel me close too, hehehe."

Swallowing dryly... I closed my eyes tightly... feeling the cold chains wrapping around my body: "It's an investment... yes, of course, it is, I'll do whatever it takes to survive..." After a few moments... I felt a strong breath on my chest...

Sniff... Sniff... "You smell so nice..."

The chains around us were tightly secured... they didn't hinder my mobility. After all, Leslie is a head shorter than me... and she doesn't weigh much either—I can easily lift her...

Opening my eyes, I saw Leslie closing hers as if she were falling asleep, while she hugged me tightly....

"System, what is Leslie's mental state right now?"

[Leslie Violet Rose] [Emotional State: Extremely Happy!]

[Congratulations! You've successfully overcome an extremely dangerous situation!]

[New ability unlocked]

[Cold Mind]

[Description: The host is capable of shutting off emotions from their mind]