Chapter 78: A Curious Expression

"You little pervert!"

A cry of astonishment instantly silenced everyone. Harold, momentarily stunned at the podium, turned his gaze toward the boy whose eyes betrayed a hint of longing. A faint smile curled at Harold’s lips once more, curiosity glinting in his eyes.

"Wang Luo, please introduce yourself."

Retracting his gaze, Harold cleared his throat softly. Everyone immediately snapped to attention, their glances flitting slyly between Wang Luo and Xilili, faces full of gossip.

"Wang Luo, Level Two Mage."

His introduction was brief, but it didn’t feel abrupt to anyone. On the contrary, it piqued their interest, as such self-introductions were customary before a duel and were, in fact, Harold’s prescribed format.

"Since we have a new classmate today, let’s welcome him by switching our morning theory lesson to a practical session. Whoever arrives last will clean the dueling grounds. Move out!"

With Harold’s command, the classroom exploded into motion as students surged toward the door. Wang Luo quickly sidestepped; he was a mage now, after all, and couldn’t risk being jostled.

"Lysa, grab that little pervert! I want to duel him!"

Amidst the chaos, Wang Luo clearly heard the familiar voice. Suddenly, a soft, fair hand seized him and swept him into the current, carrying him along with the crowd.

"Little pervert, you’ll see once we reach the dueling grounds!"

Hearing the red-clad girl, who was also being dragged along but still managed to threaten him, Wang Luo could only sigh inwardly. As he recalled, he hadn’t done much—just tugged her arm, and had even called her "big sister" in return.

"Big sister, I really didn’t do anything to you—just tugged your arm. If that makes me a pervert, then what about when Lysa clung to my arm and bawled her eyes out?"

At Wang Luo’s words, Xilili’s face flushed crimson. Remembering her earlier embarrassment only fueled her anger. When she heard Wang Luo teasing Lysa, she stopped abruptly and, without another word, began chanting a spell.

"O omnipresent fire element, heed my call. Become a shower of sparks, burn away the wickedness of time... Scorching Burst!"

Scorching Burst—a basic fire spell and Xilili’s fastest incantation. In an instant, tiny flames sprang into existence, crackling sharply as they shot toward Wang Luo.

"Hey now, picking on the new kid? If the teacher finds out, you can forget about this race—the person cleaning the dueling grounds will certainly be you. I think I’d better take Wang Luo with me!"

A slender, flame-red sword appeared suddenly, shattering the sparks. With it came a young girl, her figure mature beyond her years. She spoke as she grabbed Wang Luo’s other arm, preparing to dash ahead.

Seeing Fimi trying to take Wang Luo away, Lysa frowned but didn’t let go. Fimi stopped, surprised by Lysa’s resistance, then glanced at Wang Luo, who was now stretched out between them.

"It hurts!"

Rolling his eyes, Wang Luo cried out as any proper mage should. Instantly, his left arm was released, but his right was yanked forward by the taller girl, pulling him along at a run.

"Wang Luo, right? What’s going on between you, Lysa, and Xilili? School has been in session for almost two months, and I’ve never seen them care this much about any boy—especially Lysa!"

"Big sister, your chest is really big. Can I touch it?"

With a mischievous grin, Wang Luo spoke with mock innocence, his mood instantly lifted, shaking off the gloom from the northern district.

"Get lost!"

Fimi came to a dead stop, staring at Wang Luo in disbelief. Then, realizing what he’d said, she swung at his face, shouting furiously.

"How can you girls be so violent? You should be gentle!"

Catching her hand in mid-air, Wang Luo gave a light tug, causing the fiery-haired girl to fall into his arms. He lifted her chin with a playful smirk, laughter dancing in his eyes.

"You two—!"

Just as he heard a shout behind him, Wang Luo felt a sudden, sharp pain below the belt and let out a strangled cry, looking incredulously at the girl in his arms—only to be met with a red sword ablaze with fire.

"Hmph!"

"Little pervert!"

A blue sword flashed, blocking the red one. Fimi shot a cold glare at Wang Luo before turning on her heel and leaving. Lysa glanced at Wang Luo, then, without another word, grabbed the still-protesting Xilili and dashed off. Xilili, however, couldn’t resist shouting "little pervert" over her shoulder.

Wang Luo rubbed his nose and shrugged. Glancing at the crowd just catching up behind him, he sauntered forward, his gaze—seemingly by accident—drifting to a white-clad figure in the trees.

"Discovered? An unusual boy indeed."

A murmured voice, tinged with surprise, carried from the white-robed observer. The smile at her lips deepened, curiosity sparkling even brighter in her eyes as she followed. The truth is, falling for someone often begins with curiosity...

——— Dividing Line ———

"Anveil, is there really no other way to rid myself of the Celestial Fox’s Enchanting Body?"

Basking in the sunlight on a comfortable lounge chair, Anveil munched on fruit. Hearing the question repeated yet again, she opened her eyes in exasperation.

"Chelsea, you’ve asked at least a hundred times in the last few days. I’ve told you already—there are only two outcomes for the Celestial Fox’s Enchanting Body: either the fox is drained dry, or the host is. If you want to blame someone, blame Wang Luo for being such a freak—sixth-level peak at such a young age, and all that vitality clearly isn’t from overdosing on elixirs. It’s no wonder the fox is smitten!"

Rolling her eyes, Anveil repeated her explanation in one breath and popped another fruit into her mouth. As Chelsea opened her mouth again, Anveil quickly swallowed and continued.

"Chelsea, you’d better focus on your cultivation. Once you reach the seventh level, your influence in the family will grow, and you’ll be able to mobilize some of the family’s power to capture the Celestial Fox and resolve this matter!"

"Mm, but what if I assign Wang Luo to that madman? Would he make things difficult for Wang Luo on purpose? I’d love to see his face when he finds out Wang Luo is a sixth-level peak mage!"

"There are plenty at the sixth-level peak. Breaking through to the seventh level is a true transformation. That maniac probably won’t take long to reach seventh level himself—when that happens, he might just snatch your precious Wang Luo away. What will you do then?"

Anveil shot a sidelong glance at Chelsea, who wore an expression of bliss as she gazed into the sky. Anveil could only shake her head and mutter, unable to understand why Chelsea had turned into such a lovesick fool over that brat Wang Luo…

Blue Dragon of Another World, Chapter 78 – A Curious Gaze (End of update)