Judge had sohow reverted to his four-year-old self— tiny, adorable, and far too smug for soone with chubby cheeks. At the mont, he was perched on lissa's back like an overripe sack of potatoes.
Why? Because Eleyn, his ever-watchful mother, had delivered her latest decree: "Don't even think about stepping outside until after Amber's entrance ceremony!" The event was scheduled for the second of January, which was practically tomorrow in December ti, and Eleyn was determined to keep everything on track.
The ceremony itself wasn't on the first of January for a very practical reason. You see, the first was an international day of collective hangovers and questionable life choices. After all, most students— Judge's peers included— would party their tiny hearts out on New Year's Eve, pass out sowhere around dawn, and wake up looking like undead goblins.
Yeah, not the best ti to hold a formal event. So, the organizers wisely pushed the formalities to the second. It was either that or deal with a crowd of students accidentally napping in their chairs. Or oversleeping, which was a given, and completely missing the ceremony.
Trailing close behind lissa and her piggybacked passenger was Seraphis, who, as usual, seed to be multitasking. On one hand, she kept a hawk-eyed watch on Judge, as though he were a cute little teddy bear she wanted to squish and keep on a shelf forever. Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire
On the other hand, she was pretending that Judge's mildly psychopathic tendencies didn't exist— like, for instance, that ti he went on a church rampage or ticulously planned the downfall of his sister's would have been assassin. Nothing to see here! Just a normal, sweet kid.
At one point, Seraphis tried to politely wrestle the boy off lissa's back. She argued that she should carry him instead. lissa, of course, refused because her spine hadn't given up on her yet. But Seraphis was nothing if not persistent. After several rounds of "Are you sure?" and "You look tired," and possibly so guilt-tripping about "Not letting the youngsters handle things and spoiling them," lissa finally caved.
Judge, now riding on Seraphis's shoulders, declared himself the emperor of the world (silently, but with the smuggest grin imaginable). But his surprise was unimaginable when he understood Seraphis liked children... way too much.
During this royal shoulder tour, lissa casually ntioned that Judge's brother, Liam, had co back from a fight with a demon. Apparently, he was mostly okay, barring so injuries in places nobody keeps track of. Instead of worrying like any normal kid, Judge's ego inflated faster than a poorly-tied balloon.
He thought to himself: Hah! I fought a demon, too! And guess what, dear brother? I won. Take that! The ntal victory dance was both unearned and spectacular.
Finally, they arrived at Judge's room— a place that could best be described as "chaotic neutral." It was the kind of space that looked abandoned but sohow ticulously maintained, like an office cleaned only when important guests are expected.
Everything was in its place, even the furniture and Judge's artifact box— which was suspicious because Judge and cleanliness were mortal enemies. He forgets to clean his room so much so that Seraphis has to always kindly remind him to keep his room clean, and he surprisingly agrees after a few kind instructions. Such a great child.
lissa quickly confird the obvious: the state of his room was entirely thanks to his maid.
"Wow, your maid is incredible," Seraphis said, gently setting Judge down. She then eyed him with exaggerated disapproval. "No wonder you're a walking disaster when it cos to cleaning up after yourself."
"Pfft, please, master." Judge sauntered over to his study with all the dramatic flair of soone who had just been insulted. "Do you really think boys care about cleanliness? And while we're on the topic, let's talk about you. What about that ti you ate like a caveman, oil dripping everywhere? How's that for your 'cleanliness' image?"
Seraphis pinched the bridge of her nose, visibly pained. "I hate explaining things, but you leave no choice." She sank into the sofa, ready to deliver a lecture. "Alright, Judge. Answer this: was anyone else there besides us during the incident?"
"No."
"Was there any cutlery available?"
"No."
"Did we have water nearby?"
"Yes."
"Were we in a hurry?"
"Uh… maybe? I forgot."
Seraphis sighed. "It was a bad situation for neat eating, okay? I wouldn't have even tried if there wasn't water nearby. So maybe don't go around 'judging' without thinking things through. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Judge waved her off with all the respect of a cat ignoring its owner. He plopped down at his study and began fiddling with the artifacts scattered across the table. "So, about that Nihility Principle I gave you last ti— how's that going?"
Seraphis leaned back, clearly reluctant to indulge him but doing it anyway. "It's… complicated. It's going to take months to understand and add modifications, I do understand a bit, and it seems like the diary had misinformations in it. I still don't know clearly, but let tell you this: the principle isn't just about creating a void where sothing should be. It could theoretically erase anything."
Judge perked up, montarily impressed. "Huh. Sounds dangerous. It is like one of those circus clowns, funny in real life but the number one when it cos to psychotic killing in a novel or a play."
"I am being serious here Judge, and when I said it could potentially erase anything, I ant anything— doesn't matter if it is living or non-living, or even if it is not physical and just conceptual."
"Now that sounds very... very dangerous."
"That's because it is dangerous," Seraphis said matter-of-factly. She rose from her seat, brushing imaginary dust off her dress. "Get so rest tonight. Tomorrow, we're leaving on a cloud strider. You want to see your sister, right?"
Judge scoffed. "Who needs her?"
"Don't lie to yourself," Seraphis quipped, smirking as she walked toward the door. "Oh, and don't forget to visit your brother, either."
"Fine," Judge grumbled, turning back to the table. But inside, he was already planning how to rub his demon-slaying victory in Liam's face.
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