Chapter 32: Confession Is A Sin?
Chapter 32: Confession Is A Sin?
Loki sheathed the Wolf Fang blade, slung his greataxe over his shoulder, and looked down at the battered, unconscious woman at his feet.
"Well, I can’t exactly leave you here," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Someone you crossed will probably try to finish you off. Guess I’m finding you a healer. Sigh."
He had already forced an elixir down her throat, but it only restored about half her health. The magical triage had prioritized her failing internal organs and shattered bones, leaving her surface muscles torn and her skin a bruised, bloody mess.
Loki scooped the Amazon teacher into a princess-carry. Her long limbs dangled limply over his arms. Being conscious and being able to move are two completely different things, he noted, adjusting her weight. He would later learn that the Amazon race possessed the unique biological ability to slow their heart rate and breathing to a crawl, drastically reducing blood loss to survive otherwise fatal trauma. Right now, she was stable, but heavy.
"I’m considered tall at five-foot-ten," Loki grumbled to himself, starting toward the exit. "But carrying a woman six inches taller than me just feels bizarre. Wait, why am I even overthinking this? Sigh."
He stepped toward the heavy arena doors. With a swift kick, he shattered the central tag of his talisman array. The magic broke, reducing the remaining tags to a scattered pile of gray ash. He then brought his boot down hard against the wooden barricade, kicking the locking bar clean off the doors.
Bang!
The doors swung wide, and Loki froze. Ah, fuck. I forgot about the crowd.
The scene waiting outside was nothing short of scandalous. Loki stood in the doorway, his pants shredded and his mouth smeared with blood. In his arms, he held the limp, battered body of the 7th Circle Amazon instructor. To the onlookers, it looked less like a hard-fought victory and more like Loki had just violently ravished and kissed the woman into unconsciousness.
A sea of shocked faces stared back at him. Former Vice Principal Lisa, Vali, Lana, Queen Breeze, a new Valkyrie guard, and his brother Thorin were all locked in stunned silence, surrounded by dozens of whispering students.
Feeling the pressure, Loki’s filter completely failed him. He let out a nervous chuckle and cracked a terrible joke to break the ice.
"So... where do I dispose of the body? Or should I just toss her in a trash can?"
Ayala, drifting in a semi-conscious haze, nearly choked on her own breath. If she had the strength, she would have slapped him to death right then and there for talking about her like a piece of garbage.
Fortunately, the 8th and 9th Circle Mages in the crowd could perceive her faint breathing. They stared at Loki, unsure if the young Summoner was genuinely stupid, desperately trying to lighten the mood, or a dangerous mix of both.
"Brother..." Thorin called out, his jaw dropping. "Did you actually kill her?!"
Loki ignored his brother and looked directly at the Queen. "Can your Valkyrie guard heal her? She’s in terrible shape."
Queen Breeze narrowed her eyes, her expression turning uncharacteristically grim. "Are you entirely certain you want to save her, Count Sky? She wanted you dead. If you spare her life, things might become vastly more complicated for you."
Loki felt his nerves tighten, and his grip on Ayala involuntarily hardened. He nodded anyway. "I couldn't finish her off. It’s... complicated. She had a reason to fight me, but I don’t have a valid reason to kill her."
Before the Queen could respond, a bewildered Knight student stumbled out from the ruined arena behind them. "It's completely destroyed! What the hell exploded in there?!"
The Queen sighed, gesturing to her guard. "Skogul, cast Full Healing on her. Let us put an end to this spectacle."
Full Healing was a high-tier spell that cured all afflictions, purged curses, and mended every wound short of missing limbs. While it fully restored physical stamina and strength, it did absolutely nothing to replenish depleted aura or mana reserves.
As the imposing Valkyrie stepped forward, Loki panicked. He hurriedly laid Ayala down and scrambled backward.
"Wait! Let me give her back her gear first," Loki stammered, frantically placing her magical items beside her. "And then, please give me a head start to flee. I mean, to go change my pants. Oh, and make sure to charge the new pants to Teacher Ayala! She’s the one who ripped them!"
Thorin’s lips twitched into a smirk as Loki bolted toward the front gates like a man running for his life. But the moment the Valkyrie's magic washed over the Amazon, Thorin's smile instantly froze. He realized exactly why his brother had run.
Ayala bolted upright. Her body was fully mended, but her face was completely flushed beneath the smeared blood. Her voice boomed, laced with an aura that rattled the courtyard.
"Damn you, Loki! You will regret not killing me!"
Principal Leandra stepped through the crowd, her eyebrows arched as she surveyed the furious, blood-spattered Amazon. "What on earth happened in there? How did you lose? And why are you so enraged... did he do something unspeakable to you?"
Leandra’s eyes lingered on the suspicious blood smeared around Ayala's lips and the distinct, bloody handprint stamped across her armored chest.
Queen Breeze was also staring intently at the Amazon's exposed midriff and bikini armor.
Ayala stiffened under their scrutiny. It wasn't what Loki had done that made her blood boil—it was what he had said at the very beginning of the match.
That absolute lunatic!
Her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. He had confessed his love for her. It was infuriating, yet a deeply hidden, treacherous part of her felt a thrill of excitement. More than anything, being pitied and spared had denied her a glorious warrior's death. Sparing her life had saddled her with a deeply shameful life debt.
Ayala was a wild horse that pridefully refused to be tamed. To be utterly defeated, left with absolutely no power to resist, had shattered her ego. Yet, it also lit a dangerous spark. Amazons respected power above all else. You win or you lose; it was always that simple. Loki had conquered her in brutal combat.
Thorin, well-aware of how vicious his brother's tongue could be, stepped forward. "What kind of taunt did he use to throw you off your game, Teacher?"
Ayala froze. She was profoundly grateful for the blood masking the intense blush creeping across her cheeks. "I... I cannot speak of the duel. I gave my word."
She threw her magical gear over her shoulders and turned to leave, but Leandra blocked her path. "As a faculty member of this Royal Academy, you and I need to have a proper discussion. My office. After you use the shower."
The Queen turned to the lingering crowd, her voice carrying absolute authority. "As for the rest of you, get to class."
As the crowd dispersed, Vali leaned in close to Lisa, his voice a venomous whisper. "Go find out exactly how Loki managed to overpower Ayala."
Lisa bit her inner lip, a wave of cold dread washing over her. She utterly loathed being a puppet for this pompous, arrogant brat. If only Vali's family didn't hold severe blackmail over her noble house in the north. The only redeeming quality about the scoundrel was that he wasn't driven by lust; he had never dared cross certain physical lines with her, mostly because the Royal Guards kept a constant eye on him.
If her father hadn't foolishly conspired with a faction of corrupt nobles to assassinate her husband a century ago for political gain, she wouldn't be trapped in these political games today. The Sky family was still hunting for the truth behind that suspicious death.
"Fine," Lisa replied, keeping her voice tight. "I'll see what the Principal finds out. I’ll leave a report in the drop-box tonight if I learn anything."
Satisfied, Vali turned away with a smug grin, clapping Thorin and Lana on the shoulders. "Alright, everyone, we're late for class!"
Lisa watched him walk away, sighing deeply at his two-faced nature. With a heavy heart, she turned and followed the Queen and the Amazon toward the administrative building.
Half an hour later, the mood inside the Principal’s office was thick with tension.
Ayala sat rigidly on a velvet couch, using her fire aura to rapidly dry her hair after scrubbing the blood from her skin. Lisa sat in an adjacent armchair, quietly pouring hot tea for the three of them. Behind the heavy oak desk sat Leandra—the voluptuous elf principal whom Thorin so deeply admired. She was wearing a knowing smile that Ayala was doing her best to ignore.
Ayala downed the scalding tea in a single, reckless gulp, her high-tier cultivation rendering her completely immune to minor burns. She set the cup down with a sharp clack.
"I cannot disclose the specific mechanics of my defeat," Ayala stated bluntly. "Only that it was absolute. Loki Sky is far more formidable than any of us anticipated. I now see him the same way you see Owen."
The Queen chuckled, entirely heartless regarding her own husband. "So, you see him as a lustful, adorable little pervert whom you desperately want to cuddle?"
Ayala choked, freezing mid-motion. She vehemently denied the accusation, her fierce Amazon pride flaring. "He is not a pervert! And I do not harbor those types of ridiculous feelings for him. He is simply strong. And Amazons respect strength."
Lisa rested her chin in her hand, staring into her teacup with a pout. "Ayala, can you give me something? I need to throw a bone to the Vali kid, otherwise his demands are going to get completely out of hand."
The Queen sighed softly, looking at Lisa with a hint of genuine pity. "I am sorry, Lisa. You have been forced to play along with that insufferable brat because of my political positioning."
Lisa rolled her blue eyes. "It’s Vali’s mother who is the real nightmare, Principal. She’s pressuring you, and my father truly ruined our family's standing in the past. The Sky family is still furious about my husband's murder."
Leandra offered a playful, teasing smile. "Oh, my... well, you were getting tired of managing the Academy as Vice Principal anyway, right? In a strange way, Loki actually made your life less stressful by getting you removed."
Lisa’s face flushed red. "I get terrified every single time I have to interact with Loki! He’s a walking disaster area! I was ordered to display Vali’s displeasure at Duchess Sky’s wedding, and Loki publicly accused me of wife-napping! Then Vali ordered me to humiliate him during the student assessment, and I somehow ended up infuriating the King! How does that even happen?! And don't even get me started on the absolute chaos I witnessed at his estate... I went there to apologize, saw that, and screamed my lungs out. I made a total scene. Sigh. I need a bottle of wine."
Ayala looked at both women, her green eyes turning deadly serious. "Listen to me carefully. I will not betray Loki’s combat secrets. But I will tell you this: he is not someone you ever want to cross. For all his loud, annoying, and chaotic behavior... his heart is pure. He refused to kill me, even after I grievously insulted his honor."
Leandra tapped her chin, a sharp glint in her eyes. "Perhaps he has fallen for you? Your physique? Or perhaps he simply has a weakness for exceptionally tall women in bikini armor? My husband Owen has a history with (Earth) idiots, and Loki exhibits that exact same eccentric, woman-loving behavior."
Lisa gasped, looking scandalized. "Is Loki a closet pervert like the King?!"
Leandra merely offered a mysterious, knowing smile.
Lisa turned back to the Amazon, her anxiety spiking. "I don't want to provoke Loki ever again. But what do I do if Vali orders me to sabotage him? I can't afford to offend Vali's family, but I absolutely refuse to anger Loki."
"Tell Vali that even I am terrified to provoke Loki now," Ayala advised coldly. "That should deter him from direct confrontation. Just give him a piece of information Loki wouldn't mind him knowing. Tell him that Loki's Dark Elf summons can manifest 8th Circle strength, making them just as powerful as you are, Lisa."
Lisa tilted her blonde head, her curiosity piqued. "But... even I might not be able to beat you in a straight fight?" She quickly shook her head, dismissing her own train of thought. "Are you going to actively avoid Loki from now on?"
A sinister, feral smile crept across Ayala's face, her green eyes flashing with intense hunger. "Avoid him? Never. You saw how I ambushed him at the front gates this morning. Now that he has thoroughly bested me, I no longer fear him. I know exactly what lies inside his heart. I am entirely fearless."
Leandra and Lisa exchanged a worried glance, suddenly feeling a profound wave of pity for Loki.
Down at the Royal Academy stables, the afternoon sun cast long shadows across the straw-covered floor.
Loki sat on a wooden crate next to Sleipnir’s stall, nursing a stone jug of Applejack. He looked up at his massive, Demonic Beast mount, thoroughly miserable.
"I think my fatal mistake was telling that terrifying woman that I loved her," Loki groaned, taking a deep swig from the jug. "I clearly don't. She just has an incredibly hot body. Buddy, let this be a lesson to you: confession is a absolute sin!"
Shiver!
The moment the words left his mouth, a violent, icy chill raced straight up Loki’s spine. Every survival instinct he possessed screamed in terror. It felt as though a massive, apex predator had just locked its hungry eyes onto his back.
He spun around, but the courtyard was empty. Sleipnir didn't react at all, completely unbothered.
"My gut is telling me to call out sick tomorrow," Loki muttered, rubbing his arms to dispel the goosebumps. "Even though my stats mean I literally can't get sick anymore. What do you think, boy? Should we just stay home tomorrow?"
Sleipnir turned his massive head, looking past Loki toward a nearby stall where a beautiful mare named Brown Sugar was resting. The stallion let out a soft whinny and shook his head 'no.'
Loki stared at his mount in utter betrayal. "Dammit, Sleipnir... you're selling me out to the predator just for a piece of ass. Sigh."
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