Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 509: An Affair

Asher stayed silent for a moment before he spoke, deliberately skipping needless chatter like greetings and pleasantries as he went straight to the point, preferring efficiency over etiquette, "I would like to meet the Principal," he stated flatly with an expressionless face, his tone devoid of hesitation or embellishment, as though he were merely stating a mundane fact rather than making a request that most would consider out of bound.

Instructor Jane arched an eyebrow as Asher had finally drawn a visible reaction out of her, a subtle yet noticeable shift in her otherwise composed demeanor, "What for? The Principal isn’t someone you can just meet casually," she asked as she remained seated, her words indeed true, as Cindralis wasn’t someone anyone could simply meet just because they wished to, nor was her time something that could be requested so lightly.

Even amongst Crownstar Life Rank beings, there were still different levels of power and influence, after all, they couldn’t possibly all be equal in strength or authority. And someone like Cindralis, who had transcended the one-thousand-year age limit lifespan that bound most others, was definitely one of the most powerful beings within the Empire, a figure whose existence alone commanded reverence and fear in equal measure.

If she wasn’t that powerful, she wouldn’t have had other Crownstar Life Rank beings under her, acting as Instructors to a bunch of snotty brats who barely understood the true scale of the world they lived in, much less the terrifying hierarchy that governed it from the shadows.

Hearing Instructor Jane’s words, Asher immediately replied without faltering, "The missions at the Logistics and Missions Operation Hall are simply too weak and low for me to embark on, I need permission to access higher missions, and I heard only the Principal can grant my request," Asher stated plainly and simply, his voice steady and straightforward, since he had no reason to hide the purpose behind wanting to meet Cindralis, nor did he see any benefit in disguising the truth.

Instructor Jane stayed expressionless for a moment, though behind her calm exterior, she recognized the truth behind Asher’s words. From his feats alone, she too understood Asher’s current predicament and how the available missions were indeed beneath his capabilities, offering him neither challenge nor meaningful growth.

"Who gave you the information?" she asked, her pink eyes still fixed on Asher with quiet scrutiny.

"It doesn’t matter," Asher stated calmly, after all, he didn’t know whether what the Facilitator had done was against the rules or not, and he couldn’t exactly throw the man under the bus for his own growth.

Instructor Jane stayed silent for a brief second, then nodded as though she couldn’t be bothered pressing further, "No problem then, but I can only get you to Vice Principal Berion, although I can speak directly with the Principal, there is a chain of command to be followed here," she replied with a flat tone and expression, her words neither warm nor hostile, as though her entire being screamed quiet apathy.

"Don’t worry, you won’t need to explain the situation again to the Vice Principal, I will explain it to him," Instructor Jane added in finality, clearly uninterested in dragging the matter out longer than necessary.

"Thank you for your help, Instructor Jane," Asher stated, his voice respectful and sincere as he thanked her.

Instructor Jane nodded, then spoke, "I will be back in a few minutes, wait for me," she stated, but before Asher could even respond or ask anything further, she vanished from where she sat at a movement speed Asher could neither perceive nor sense, as though she had never existed in that spot to begin with.

Asher sighed, his eyes shifting toward the table belonging to Instructor Jane, but there wasn’t anything particularly important on it. ’I wonder why she has only one chair within her office, does she hate visitors that much,’ Asher thought to himself.

Normally in an office, people always had two or three seats reserved for guests, small gestures of courtesy meant to make others comfortable, but Instructor Jane had none of that, only her own seat, as though she wanted no one to sit within her office at all, like she expected everyone to leave the moment she was done with whatever business they came for.

Asher sighed again, he didn’t know how long Instructor Jane would take, although he had the stamina and strength to stand for hours without fatigue, it didn’t mean he would enjoy doing so, and with that thought he laid flat in the air as he floated on his back, suspending himself in space as he stared at the ceiling in silence while waiting, the quiet room amplifying the faint sound of his own breathing.

About thirty minutes passed, slow and uneventful, then the next moment Instructor Jane returned like she had never left, her body fitting perfectly into her chair as she appeared already seated, as though reality itself had simply accepted her presence without question. Noticing her return, Asher stopped floating and landed on his feet smoothly.

’I wonder what took her so long,’ Asher thought to himself as he stared at Instructor Jane, but he didn’t ask, it wasn’t exactly his business to know what kept her away that long. For all he cared, it could be something important, or it could be nothing at all.

But Asher’s wild imagination couldn’t help but produce strange and unnecessary thoughts of Instructor Jane and Vice Principal Berion having an affair. The moment the thought slithered into his mind, Asher immediately discarded it with mild disgust.

’Don’t tell me I’m having some teenage hormone rage,’ he mused to himself, after all, throughout the memories he received from the original Asher the moment he transmigrated into Crymora, the original Asher had been a virgin, which was unlike most nobles, since those people often spent their time sleeping with whoever they could without restraint or shame.

’My thoughts are drifting again,’ he muttered internally as he snapped himself back into absolute focus.

"What did Vice Principal Berion say?" he asked, his voice breaking the silence within the office, steady and composed.

"He said he would meet you and take you to the Principal," Instructor Jane stated without missing a beat, and before Asher could even respond, she waved a hand and a portal tore open, ripping space apart with a soft distortion, "This portal leads to the Vice Principal, cross and you will meet him," she stated, her pink gaze shifting from the portal to Asher as though urging him to move already.

"Thank you, Instructor Jane," he stated as he thanked her once more.

"It’s nothing," she spoke, her eyes shifting away from Asher and toward the portal again.

Getting the subtle signal, Asher walked forward and stepped through the portal without glancing back at Instructor Jane, his figure disappearing into the distortion of space.

As the portal sealed shut, Instructor Jane sighed as though she had endured an entire day’s worth of exhaustion just by dealing with only a single student. Another knock echoed through her office, sharp and deliberate, yet she wasn’t surprised in the slightest, as she had already sensed the approaching presence long before the sound arrived.

"Come in," she stated flatly.