Vol. 5 Ch. 83

Noa quickly finished her warm-up. Mevis, who had been resting with her eyes closed, finally opened her eyes, stood, and began walking toward Noa.

Leon and Moon, hidden at the back of the training hall, instinctively ducked lower to avoid being noticed by Mevis.

“Dad, sneaking around like this doesn’t seem like you’re just here to watch Big Sis train,” Moon whispered.

“You don’t get it,” Leon replied, lowering his voice. “I’m just trying to be careful not to disturb your sister’s training.”

Leon’s response sounded logical, but even he realized it wasn’t convincing. Moon was too sharp to fall for such an excuse—then again, had she ever believed him in the first place? On the rooftop earlier, it seemed like she was just going along to amuse herself and see if she could find some entertainment.

That’s probably exactly what she’s doing, Leon thought. And if that’s the case, I might as well make up a random excuse to keep her quiet as long as she doesn’t cause trouble.

“Alright, Dad. If you say so,” Moon replied with a knowing smile. She didn’t press further and continued crouching alongside her father.

After more than half an hour of observation, Noa’s training proceeded smoothly, and Mevis didn’t exhibit any suspicious behavior. Moon grew bored and yawned, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

“Dad, how much longer are we staying here? My legs are going numb.”

Leon was beginning to feel that staying longer wouldn’t yield any meaningful results. Stakeouts like this could take days, and without any clear signs of abnormal behavior, it was hard to justify the effort. Just as he was about to call it quits and take Moon home, something caught his attention.

At the edge of the training hall, Mevis turned her gaze in their direction. While she didn’t seem to know exactly where they were hiding, it was clear she was aware of someone watching her.

Leon quickly gestured for Moon to stay low as they watched Mevis scan the area. Finally, her sharp eyes locked onto their hiding spot.

“Miss Aurora, it’s class time. What are you doing here at the training hall?” Mevis called out coldly.

Caught, Moon had no choice but to stand up, an awkward smile on her face. “Um… we had a weekly test, Miss Mevis. I finished my paper early, so I came here.”

Mevis crossed her arms and raised an elegant eyebrow. Her gaze shifted to the empty seat beside Moon, and she smirked. “And who’s that with you?”

Though phrased as a question, her tone suggested she already knew the answer.

Leon slowly stood up, his smile matching Moon’s in awkwardness and embarrassment.

Noa, noticing the commotion, stopped her training and looked over at her father and sister. “Dad? What are you doing here? Did Mom come too?”

“Your mom’s busy,” Leon replied, scratching his head. “It’s just me. As for why I’m here…”

His mind raced for a believable excuse. Convincing Noa and Mevis was much harder than dealing with Moon. Noa had a keen eye for detail, and Mevis’s sharpness could complicate his investigation if she suspected anything.

Before he could come up with a plausible story, Moon interjected, “Mom kicked Dad out after they argued. So now he’s just wandering around, right, Dad?”

Leon: "..."

That excuse, while oddly credible, painted him as someone who couldn’t stand up to his wife. “Uh… yeah, that’s right. Exactly,” he said reluctantly.

Noa sighed, her expression serious. “So, ‘kicked out’ means you’ve got nowhere else to go but here?”

Leon: "..."

Mevis, unfazed, said calmly, “As the Silver Dragon Prince, you needn’t skulk around behind chairs. Come sit properly.”

Since they had already been caught, Leon decided to go along with it. He carried Moon over to the front row of seats and sat down. “We’ll just watch from here. We won’t disturb your class.”

Mevis nodded. “Alright.” She turned back to Noa. “Continue with your training.”

“Yes, teacher,” Noa replied and resumed her exercises.

Moon, now sitting on her father’s lap, glanced between her sister and Mevis. Finally, she looked up at Leon and asked, “So, Dad, after all this sneaking around, have you found anything unusual?”

Leon scratched his nose and shook his head. “Nothing.”

He wasn’t surprised, nor did he hesitate in admitting it. Mevis seemed perfectly normal—so normal, in fact, that even Leon began to doubt his suspicions. Perhaps his unease around her was just his imagination, or worse, his own paranoia.

Still, the subtle sense of familiarity he felt when looking at her couldn’t be ignored.

Later that evening, after Noa’s training ended, she finally had time to chat with her teacher and siblings. With a towel draped over her shoulders, she jogged toward Leon and Moon. Behind her, Mevis bent down to pick up a jacket left on the training ground. She folded it neatly and walked over as well.

“Big Sis, here’s some water!” Moon said cheerfully, handing Noa a bottle of lightly salted water.

“Thanks, Moon,” Noa replied, taking the bottle with both hands. She opened it and took a sip.

“Rehydrating with salt water after exercise helps maintain normal metabolism,” Noa explained matter-of-factly.

“Here’s your jacket,” Mevis said, handing the folded garment to Noa.

“Ah, thank you, teacher. I forgot about it,” Noa said gratefully.

“It’s nothing.” Mevis rested a hand on Noa’s shoulder before turning to Leon. “Silver Dragon Prince, how would you rate my teaching?”

Leon scratched the back of his head and chuckled. “Very good. Excellent, in fact.”

“You’ve given Noa a solid foundation. You must be an exceptional father,” Mevis said with a faint smile.

“Thank you for the compliment,” Leon replied, though his eyes were subtly observing Mevis. This time, he noticed something unusual—a small bear-shaped patch on her jacket.

“That patch… why does it feel so familiar?” Leon thought, his suspicions reignited.

Mevis, seemingly unfazed, crossed her arms and returned his gaze with calm indifference. After a moment, she said, “By the way, next week’s teaching schedule includes a collaborative outdoor test. Noa will need a family member and a friend to participate, along with me, to form a team of four. Do you have time, Silver Dragon Prince?”

This was the perfect opportunity to observe Mevis more closely. Leon didn’t hesitate. “I’ll join.”

“Good. I’ll pick you up from the Silver Dragon Sanctuary next Monday at 9 a.m.,” Mevis said before patting Noa on the head. “You can go home for the weekend tomorrow.”

“Yay! I get to spend the weekend with Big Sis!” Moon cheered, hopping off her father’s lap to hug Noa.

“Thank you, teacher. I’ll be ready,” Noa said with a smile.

As Mevis turned and left, Leon’s gaze lingered on the patch on her jacket. “I’ll find out who you really are, Mevis,” he muttered under his breath.