Chapter 173: A Lecture from the Dean of Students

Chapter 173: Chapter 173: A Lecture from the Dean of Students

Chapter 173: A Lecture from the Dean of Students

Inside the nurse’s office, Cyrus Calder stared at Vera Sable with an expression that made his opinion perfectly clear.

He understood that Vera was not the kind of person who handed out benefits for nothing.

He did not even mind trading something minor if the price was reasonable.

The problem was what she wanted this time.

Half-price Frostborn suppressants in exchange for Cyrus changing into his younger form, inside St. Alder Academy, so Vera could taste his blood and satisfy her curiosity.

Even putting aside the obvious danger of transforming at school, there was another problem.

Vera said she only wanted a taste.

Cyrus had already learned how flexible her definition of a taste could become.

The first time she fed directly from him, she had promised something equally harmless and ended up drinking until he lost consciousness.

There was no guarantee she would behave better simply because his body looked younger.

If anything, the request itself proved that Vera was becoming increasingly unreasonable.

If they were somewhere private and secure, Cyrus might have considered the deal.

Here, absolutely not.

Vera watched him think without interrupting.

She seemed perfectly content to wait.

Eventually, Cyrus shook his head.

"I’m not doing that at school."

Vera showed almost no disappointment.

Instead, she sighed with exaggerated regret.

"That’s unfortunate. I was really hoping you’d be interested."

Cyrus said nothing.

Vera leaned back in her chair.

Then, in a tone full of fake inconvenience, she added, "There’s another problem too. The medication you wanted happens to be out of stock right now."

Cyrus looked at her.

Vera’s eyes curved pleasantly.

"You might have to come back in a few days."

So that was how she wanted to play it.

If Cyrus refused to satisfy her curiosity, the suppressants suddenly became unavailable.

He should have expected something like this.

Fortunately, a month ago this tactic would have been much more effective.

Now he had money.

"Then I’ll get them somewhere else."

Vera’s smile did not change.

Cyrus turned and left the nurse’s office without wasting time arguing.

Worst case, he could go to Grayhaven General after school and pay full price.

It would cost more, but that was no longer a crisis.

Having savings really did solve an impressive number of problems.

Vera watched the door close behind him.

She did not call him back.

If anything, the amusement in her eyes became more obvious.

The hallways outside were as noisy as they had been earlier.

Students moved between classrooms, talked in small groups, and filled the short break with whatever conversations they could fit in.

As Cyrus approached senior advisory three, he happened to see Iris Wexley returning from the opposite end of the hallway.

Their eyes met briefly.

Neither of them said anything.

Iris entered through one door.

Cyrus entered through the other.

The next several classes passed normally.

The only mildly unusual thing was how often Audra Sloane seemed to glance toward the back of the room.

Never long enough to make it obvious.

Just often enough that Cyrus noticed.

He did not think much of it.

During class, he paid attention.

During breaks, he read the comic Faye had lent him.

Nobody bothered him much during the short pauses between lessons.

In a strange way, school had started resembling The Full Moon Lounge.

At both places, people noticed him more than before.

At both places, Cyrus had learned that if he stayed calm and acted uninterested, most people eventually left him alone.

That arrangement suited him perfectly.

The third class of the morning ended.

Cyrus had barely opened his comic again when a serious-looking middle-aged man entered the room.

The conversations around the class faded.

The man looked across the desks.

"Which student is Cyrus Calder?"

Nobody answered aloud.

Nearly every pair of eyes turned toward the back corner instead.

Cyrus slowly looked up from the comic.

He recognized the man.

St. Alder’s dean of students.

Cyrus had heard enough about him to know that he was strict about grades, discipline, uniforms, conduct, and almost every other rule the academy could reasonably enforce.

Seeing him personally appear in senior advisory three did not feel promising.

The dean followed the class’s attention and found Cyrus immediately.

"You’re Cyrus Calder?"

"Yes, sir."

"Come with me."

Cyrus closed the comic and stood.

He followed the dean into the hallway without asking questions.

The dean’s office was also on the first floor.

Unfortunately, the route there passed directly by the nurse’s office.

As they approached, Vera happened to step into the hallway.

Her eyes immediately found Cyrus walking beside the stern administrator.

A smile appeared.

"Dean, I think this is the first time I’ve seen you personally fetch a student from class."

She looked between them.

"What happened?"

The dean stopped.

"This student violated school rules."

Vera lifted one hand toward her mouth in theatrical surprise.

"That sounds serious."

Her voice conveyed concern.

Her eyes did not.

Cyrus noticed that immediately.

She looked far too entertained for someone supposedly hearing this for the first time.

Almost as if she had expected it.

The three remained standing in the hallway.

The dean seemed to straighten slightly under Vera’s attention.

For some reason, he abandoned the original plan of taking Cyrus into his office.

Instead, he turned directly toward him.

"Do you know why I called you out of class?"

Cyrus kept his expression calm.

"I don’t know."

The dean frowned.

Apparently, he had been hoping Cyrus would confess voluntarily.

"Then I’ll tell you. You’ve been working outside school without permission, and you’ve repeatedly been entering an establishment that students your age should not be spending time in."

His voice became firmer.

"Those facts are correct, aren’t they?"

Cyrus already knew what this was about.

"I’m only helping a relative with their business."

The explanation was the same one he had given Vera before.

The dean was not impressed.

"Whether the owner is a relative is beside the point."

He spoke in the tone of someone delivering a conclusion that should have been obvious.

"You are a student. Your main responsibility right now is your education."

Cyrus said nothing.

The dean took his silence as an opportunity to continue.

"I know your grades have improved noticeably recently."

For the first time, his tone softened slightly.

"That is exactly why this matters."

He gestured toward Cyrus.

"If you weren’t spending so much time and energy on things outside school, wouldn’t your grades improve even more?"

Cyrus lowered his eyes.

The dean continued.

"If you maintain your current academic progress and put your attention where it belongs, you have every opportunity to enter an excellent university."

His expression became almost earnest.

"That gives you something far more important than whatever temporary excitement or pocket money you’re getting from this job."

Cyrus quietly listened.

The dean clearly believed what he was saying.

That was almost what made it annoying.

From his perspective, Cyrus was a student with improving grades who had become distracted by nightlife and a part-time job.

He had no idea that Cyrus’s income paid for food, medication, transportation, and the ordinary freedom Cyrus had spent years wanting.

He certainly did not know that depending entirely on another person was one of the last things Cyrus wanted to do.

The dean continued.

"If there’s pressure from your family, or if someone at home expects you to work, I can speak with them."

Cyrus’s expression remained unchanged.

"We can handle that together."

The offer would have sounded generous to an ordinary student.

Unfortunately, the person Cyrus would supposedly need to discuss this with was the exact person he had escaped.

Cyrus almost wanted to see the dean attempt that conversation.

Almost.

The man continued in a more conciliatory tone.

"If you focus on your studies from now on, I’m willing to treat this as a first violation and not pursue it further."

Cyrus finally spoke.

"So you’re saying I should quit working and only focus on school?"

The dean seemed pleased that Cyrus had understood.

"That’s the idea."

The warning bell for the next class rang through the building.

None of the three moved immediately.

Cyrus now knew the dean had somehow learned about The Full Moon Lounge.

That alone was irritating.

More importantly, Cyrus had a strong suspicion about where the information came from.

He did not look toward Vera.

Not yet.

If she really had arranged this because he refused her deal earlier, then showing irritation would only entertain her.

Cyrus kept his face controlled.

The dean apparently mistook his silence for reluctant reflection.

He reached out and patted Cyrus lightly on the shoulder.

"You seem like a good kid."

Cyrus resisted the urge to move away.

The dean continued in a gentler voice.

"Don’t let something that feels exciting right now interfere with a future you’ve worked hard to build."

He stepped back.

"The rule exists for a reason. Think carefully about what I said."

With that final piece of advice, the dean turned and walked away.

His posture became oddly confident as he disappeared down the hall.

He had delivered the lecture well.

The new school nurse had even been standing there to witness it.

Perhaps he had looked suitably responsible and authoritative.

Cyrus, naturally, had no idea that the man was entertaining such thoughts.

He was looking at Vera.

Vera waited until the dean disappeared around the corner.

Then she spoke lightly.

"You seem to have run into a little trouble."

Cyrus remained silent.

Vera tilted her head.

"If you need help, I could probably do something about it."

Her smile widened.

"You can consider that an extra service."

Cyrus looked directly at her.

There was no confusion in his expression now.

Only a coldness that had not been there when he entered the nurse’s office earlier.

Until today, there had been an unspoken balance between them.

Vera teased him.

She pressured him for blood.

Cyrus avoided her when necessary and cooperated when the price of refusal was more annoying than the request.

Neither side pushed hard enough to destroy that arrangement.

But if Vera had really brought the dean of students into this simply because Cyrus refused to transform for her, then she had crossed into something different.

Cyrus’s eyes remained fixed on her smiling face.

The school nurse had finally disturbed the balance between them.