Chapter 331 - 125: My Fierce and Beautiful Mentor

Chapter 331: Chapter 125: My Fierce and Beautiful Mentor

...

"Let’s go~"

Annabella patted the girl’s shoulder and took the lead, heading down the winding mountain path beside the Griffin Station toward the town.

The girl saw this and quickly followed, sticking close behind.

Along the way, Annabella appeared to be casually surveying her surroundings, but flickers of surprise and approval would occasionally flash through her lake-blue eyes.

Placing her prized student in Lakefront Town had been a joint decision between her and her senior, Raymond, so she was naturally aware of the situation here.

She had believed that with Lynch’s resourcefulness and strength, plus some discreet help from her and Raymond, stabilizing the situation in Lakefront Town would not be an issue.

But she never expected that in just over a year, the place would have transformed so completely.

In fact, the reality was even better than the reports she had received through various channels.

Everything here was busy yet orderly. What pleased her most was that the townspeople bustling about all wore genuine smiles, clearly satisfied with their lives.

The whole place was brimming with life and vitality.

Following behind her, Charlotte was also observing Lakefront Town. Unlike Annabella, however, she wore all her surprise and curiosity on her face. Her large, bright eyes darted left and right, and her mouth would occasionally fall slightly open in amazement.

"Mentor, Mentor, look over there! Are those Kobolds? This is the first time I’ve ever seen a live Kobold! They’re... they’re actually helping carry wood?" she pointed to a distant residential area under construction, whispering excitedly.

A group of Kobolds was passing through the construction site, shouldering timber.

"Huh! Is that... is that a centaur? Don’t centaurs rarely leave their plains? Why is one here?" she exclaimed, her eyes widening as she looked toward the edge of town.

There, a centaur Warrior with a huge pack on his back stood at the town entrance, conversing with a human officer.

"Wow~ A squad of Skeleton Soldiers is coming over there, and the one in the lead is even a Tier One Soul Fire unit! Senior Lynch is so amazing. To this day, I only have one extra Soul Fire elite goblin, and I only managed to convert that one through sheer luck..."

When a patrolling squad of Skeleton Soldiers passed by nearby, Charlotte’s eyes shone with envy.

’Compared to my own pathetic Undead Army, he’s using precious Skeleton Soldiers as patrolmen! What a flex~’

Unconsciously, the idealized image she had formed from various rumors was now grounded in reality, transforming into genuine admiration and reverence.

The two continued to walk and watch. Before they had gone much farther, a figure rounded the street corner ahead of them. It was Lynch, who had rushed over after receiving word of their arrival.

Just then, a patrolling squad of militia musketeers happened to pass by.

Upon seeing the two unfamiliar faces, they were about to step forward for a routine inquiry when they suddenly spotted Lynch.

The militia captain hurriedly gave Lynch a solemn salute. "Sir!"

Lynch waved his hand and said gently, "Good work. These two are my honored guests. I’ll take care of them personally. You can continue your patrol."

"Yes, Sir!"

The militia captain saluted again, then led his squad away with crisp, disciplined movements.

After dismissing the patrol, Lynch strode forward and bowed to Annabella. "Mentor, what brings you here so suddenly? If you had given me some advance notice, I could have arranged a proper welcome instead of receiving you so poorly."

Annabella waved her hand dismissively, her tone tinged with a characteristic languor. "Enough with the formalities. I was invited by the North Wind Legion’s headquarters to help construct a large-scale Negative Energy conversion and containment Array and to process some stockpiled Undead materials. Since I was passing through, I figured it’s been a while since I’ve seen my most troublesome student, so I decided to drop in."

She stepped aside, ushering forward Charlotte, whose face was slightly flushed and nervous at meeting Senior Lynch in the flesh for the first time. "Plus, I brought your little junior sister along to open her eyes a bit."

"H-Hello, Senior Lynch." Charlotte’s hands were pressed tightly against her thighs as she gave Lynch a deep, awkward bow. "I-I’m Charlotte Aiselle."

"It’s nice to meet you too, Junior Sister." Lynch greeted her with a warm smile. "Mentor mentions you every time she writes, praising your talent and hard work. I’ve finally gotten to meet you in person, and you’re even prettier than I imagined."

"R-Really, Senior?" Charlotte blushed profusely, a hint of delight in her eyes.

"Of course," Lynch said, smiling as he ruffled her hair affectionately. "Welcome to Lakefront Town."

In truth, while the academy taught in large classes—making it seem as if everyone was Mentor Annabella’s student—very few were actually considered her personal disciples. For now, Senior Amadis could be counted as half a disciple at best, while he, Lynch, was much more of one.

This junior sister, Charlotte, was the only true personal disciple whom Mentor Annabella had taken on and taught from scratch.

In other words, even though this was their first time meeting, he and his junior sister Charlotte were direct fellow disciples under the same master, making their connection exceptionally close.

As for Lynch calling Raymond "Senior," that was merely a polite gesture meant to show a sense of camaraderie.

"Let’s not stand here talking in the street," Lynch said with a smile, leading the way. "Mentor, Junior Sister, you’ve had a long journey. Let’s head home and talk there."