---

Chapter 49: The First Day of Winter Break

This year’s holiday, without the company of the girls, would probably be pretty boring.

Even though first-year students staying at the academy would have some projects with their mentors, it generally wouldn’t be too busy.

After all, their mentors need a break too, right?

Winter break is just a long vacation; who does serious work during a holiday?

To keep himself from getting too bored, Roy intentionally spent the whole morning planning a packed schedule.

Then he early had a meal, took a nap, and read some light novels, spending a wonderfully lazy day.

Huh? You said do serious work?

Come on, isn’t it common sense to slack off on the first day of vacation? Vacations won’t run away; there’s no rush!

However, the next day, when the silver wolf, Xiaobai, came knocking at the door with a letter in its mouth, the wheels of fate began to turn—

According to Xue Nuo’s request, Roy reported to her room bright and early.

If there was one girl’s room he could barge into without any feelings of bullying, it would most likely be Xue Nuo’s.

Xue Nuo’s room was simply decorated, neatly arranged with books and materials, even the teacup was the plainest wooden one. The lighting was dim and gloomy, giving it the look of an unused archive.

The only thing showing any signs of life was the plush carpet in the corner meant just for Xiaobai.

With such simplicity, minimalism, and an icy demeanor focused only on work and efficiency, it wasn’t hard to guess what demands a teacher like her might have.

“Roy, since you are my personal apprentice, I need to trouble you for some small tasks this holiday.”

“Don’t worry, teacher, leave it to me.”

It’s only natural for apprentices to help out their mentors.

Besides, since he had nothing else to do anyway, helping out Xue Nuo was no big deal.

Most importantly, how busy could a mentor in a magical academy really be?

To be blunt, compared to his past life, the studies in Veszyra were practically beginner level!

Roy knew very well that the mentors at the magical academy were all just a bunch of slackers.

His mentor had previously made it clear that he wanted to take Roy on a paid vacation, indulging in food and fun.

However, there’s always an exception.

On the first day of work, they were busy organizing experiment reports from morning to night, giving Roy quite the lesson.

And that was just the beginning.

From conducting experiments to organizing reports, preparing the curriculum for next semester, and handling research and practical assignments from the Mage Association.

Xue Nuo was nearly running 24/7, fully leveraging the energy advantage of an Extraordinary Being, to the extreme!

After a week, Roy either found himself drowning in endless paperwork, questioning his life, or accompanying Xue Nuo to hunt ferocious beasts in the wilderness, leaving home early and returning at dusk, completely worn out.

This… this shouldn’t be happening?!

Am I not on winter break? Why am I busier than usual every single day?!

Each time he passed by classmates who were either slouching about or having the time of their lives at the academy, Roy felt a deep resentment!

One night, Roy, overwhelmed, finally couldn’t help but protest, “Xue Nuo!”

“Is there something wrong?”

The silver-haired girl, deep in writing, looked up, her icy blue eyes gazing over with indifference.

Before he could even formally speak, Roy’s momentum dwindled.

Xue Nuo had a naturally imposing aura, capable of putting pressure on anyone. The teacher-student buff just made Roy feel even more intimidated.

But for the sake of his wonderful holiday life, Roy mustered up his courage, “Xue Nuo, while I don’t mind helping you, um…”

“I am, after all, your apprentice, not a work partner.”

To his surprise, Xue Nuo didn’t get angry or brush him off; after some contemplation, she nodded slightly, “I understand. I see now; I’ve overlooked it.”

“Sorry, I’m new to mentoring, and I didn’t think things through. Starting tomorrow, I’ll reduce your workload appropriately.”

Roy was overjoyed, not expecting her to be so reasonable.

If it were in his past life, a mentor wouldn’t stop until they had squeezed every ounce of energy out of him!

Also, Xue Nuo was just a little stiff in her dealings with people. Her intentions weren’t malicious; she was definitely better than those mentors who treated students like tools for their own gain!

But the next day, Roy had yet another rigorous lesson.

A lesson in their own ways.

“It’s true that your education should take priority over my own work.”

Xue Nuo brought a nearly half-meter high, heavy stack of textbooks to the table, looking bright as she said, “Since that’s the case, let’s preview next semester’s courses.”

“Uh, I don’t think it’s necessary to rush into learning what’s in the textbooks…”

“Don’t worry, my teaching won’t be limited to textbooks. You won’t miss out on practical training or real-world experiences.”

I must say, Xue Nuo’s educational approach had its merits.

During practical training, she would personally step in, showing no mercy.

As a rank 5 of the golden bloodline, Xue Nuo’s strength was beyond doubt, even stronger than the Diabolus from before.

It was far more beneficial for Roy than just sparring.

Roy suspected that with his current abilities, using the title of False King wouldn’t even guarantee he was a match for her.

The strongest female character in the original story, her combat prowess was no joke.

She also frequently took him to attend Mage Association lectures and soirées hosted by nobles, expanding his network.

Having more sources of intelligence would be beneficial for searching for the Certificate of Kingship.

Objectively speaking, Xue Nuo was undoubtedly a good teacher.

However, this meant that Roy’s holiday life was completely ruined.

Every day was filled with studying, training, or attending tedious noble gatherings, running non-stop like a well-oiled machine.

The most challenging part was that Roy felt he couldn’t scold Xue Nuo for being unreasonable.

By her standards, she wasn’t actually targeting him specifically; she genuinely believed she was educating him.

Moreover, for Xue Nuo, the busy and boring life was just routine, hardly worth mentioning.

Roy never expected that, even with their relationship getting closer compared to the original work, he was still getting worked to the bone in another sense.

She was tough on herself, so naturally, she would be tough on her cherished apprentice too!

Let’s say it was a kind of tough love.

By the way, in the original story, Alice was moved by Xue Nuo’s cold heart after getting bullied by “bad boy Roy,” revealing her vulnerable side, which caught Xue Nuo’s attention and led to her protection.

Now, Roy wished someone would bully him so he’d have an excuse to lie at home and take it easy.

Still, being pushed by Xue Nuo was better than getting stabbed in the back by a cult insider, so Roy gritted his teeth and endured it.

And endure he did, for an entire month.

“Today I’ll be attending a faculty gathering at the Mage’s Mansion; you should head home first.”

After a month, Roy returned home for the first time before sunset and was nearly moved to tears.

 

---