Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 292 EP: The Unknown Future
"I have to say, your performance far exceeded my expectations."

It was another quiet afternoon in the principal's office, and Nero once again sat across from Principal Ange. The old man, with his white hair and beard, dressed in black and red roses, slowly stirred the dark liquid in a white porcelain cup with a teaspoon and let out a long sigh.

"I hope you're not frightened. A heart like that can't take it at your age."

The girl's teasing elicited a smile from Ange. The old man chuckled, placing the cup on the table and replying, "Don't worry too much about that. It's true that older people have more fragile hearts, but on the other hand, they've experienced more hardships and aren't easily frightened. This is the 'growth of one thing while the other declines'. Everything in the world is generally balanced through dynamics."

"Principal, you seem to use Chinese better than I do. Can you recommend some reference books?"

"Haha, of course. I'll make a list later - I'm sure the books on it will be snapped up in the library soon."

After another joke, Principal Ange interlaced his fingers, propped up his chin, and his expression grew more serious. "Defeating two Dragon Kings head-on alone—even though they weren't in their full strength—is still an unprecedented feat. The youth are truly formidable. But the more this happens, the more I wonder: Why, with the prophesied doomsday approaching, are so many more dragon-slaying geniuses emerging among us?"

"Is that so? I think it wouldn't be difficult for you, the principal, to defeat these two dragon kings yourself."

"Indeed. But how much longer can I hold on? I can kill one Dragon King, two Dragon Kings... but what about three, four?" Principal Ange said calmly, "Humans do have their limits. There will always come a time when you'll find yourself in a situation where you can't resist aging."

"Do you have any other concerns?" Nero asked directly.

"I wouldn't call it worry, just some thoughts. I'm already one hundred and forty years old, and the future must always be handed over to the young. The future of humanity, and the future of hybrids. I once found Lu Mingfei, thinking he was our future... but now, you've appeared."

At that moment, Ange truly seemed like an ordinary old man on his deathbed, calmly yet earnestly offering his advice: "I remember you said your dream was to protect the world. Do you think you can shoulder the responsibility of this future?"

"I personally don't think the future can be determined by just one person. Of course, this is just my personal opinion," Nero replied seriously. "But if necessary, I will take on my share."

"Whether it's the future of humanity or the future of the world."

After finishing his cup of tea, Nero walked out of Principal Angers's somewhat remote office building. The afternoon sun was a bit glaring, and students hurried to and fro, clutching books of varying thicknesses.

The Dragon King was dead, and the messenger from the small garden was probably checking on Nidhogg's resurgence. Once she received notice from the director who had instigated her into the academy, she could return to the small garden with the "Raging Magic Stone."

Before this, she was a freshman at Kassel Academy, going to and from get out of class with others every day, learning some mysterious knowledge that had nothing to do with human society.

"Ah, Nero." Lu Mingfei, who was texting on his phone, saw her and stopped to say hello: "Are you going to the Magic Mechanics class later?"

"Go ahead. Professor Mans calls the roll every day," she replied calmly. Lu Mingfei was texting more and more these days, and he'd occasionally complain to Nero about how quickly his conversations were taking time. Nero knew he was just chatting with his girlfriend remotely... Once they really fell in love, Lu Mingfei was even more clingy than gum.

But it's a good thing after all. He still doesn't have a spiritual power, but he doesn't seem to be anxious about it anymore. So maybe he just needs a girlfriend to enlighten him.

"Lu Mingfei." A cold voice rang out from behind Lu Mingfei, sending a shiver down his spine. Chu Zihang, his golden eyes sharp as an eagle's, appeared from the corner and issued a notice that made Lu Mingfei wilt like a frost-bitten eggplant: "Prepare for physical training after dinner tonight. Remember to be on time."

After saying this, Chu Zihang turned around and left without waiting for Lu Mingfei's reply. Lu Mingfei, listless, did not reply either, staggering towards the classroom with his textbook in hand.

This was what Lu Mingfei complained about most to Nero, and what worried him the most. Ever since joining the Lionheart Society, Chu Zihang had been training him earnestly as his successor, with extremely strict requirements in every aspect. His grades were slightly better, and Lu Mingfei had been planning to work hard on them. But the thought of combat training made Lu Mingfei want to escape.

But in front of the powerful Chu Zihang, he couldn't escape.

Facing the weeping Lu Mingfei, Nero curled his lips and shrugged, indicating that he could do nothing to help. A moment later, Professor Mance began to take the roll, and Nero's last class of the day began.

After dinner, Nero showered and sat down at his computer. The news section of Kassel College's internal website remained as unremarkable as ever, filled with gossip about professors, from hair comparisons to first love revelations. Beyond that, it was mostly just the trivialities of the high-class students—Nero, Lu Mingfei, and the two presidents. For example, Nero's invitation to afternoon tea by the principal was one such item.

As expected, once someone becomes famous, everything they do becomes news. A few days ago, this section was basically dominated by Nero alone, but now it's pretty quiet.

After scrolling through the pages a bit, Nero came across a surprising message: "Assistant Specialist of the Executive Department, veteran underwater operations team members Ye Sheng and Jude Aki have been revealed to be in a secret relationship. Professor Schneider is investigating." She clicked on it and took a quick look. It seemed both parties had admitted to harboring feelings for each other that went beyond teammate status. They had been removed from the underwater operations team, and their next move seemed to be to transfer to a branch office as garrison specialists.

I don't know if this is a good thing for them, but at least it shouldn't be a bad thing. Everything seems to be moving in a good direction.

Later news included two Dragon King skeletons sealed in an ice cellar, and the Equipment Department applying to use the skeletons for new equipment development... But Nero wasn't particularly interested in any of this. She closed the webpage, glanced at the StarCraft chat group where Lu Mingfei appeared less and less frequently, and chose to shut down.

Many things have changed, and many things haven't. But those things can only be left to someone in the future to worry about. People should complete what they start, so Nero will probably return to this academy, but as for when that will be—

Today, no one knows.

(End of this chapter)