Noah quickly finished her warm-up, her movements precise and fluid. Mevis, who had been resting with her eyes closed, finally opened them. She stood and began walking toward Noah with a quiet, purposeful grace.
Hidden at the back of the training hall, Leon and Aurora instinctively ducked lower behind the seats, trying to meld into the shadows.
"Dad, sneaking around like this doesn't seem like you're just here to watch Big Sis train," Aurora whispered, her voice laced with amused skepticism.
"You don't get it," Leon replied, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial murmur. "I'm just trying to be careful not to disturb your sister's concentration. A master at work needs no distractions."
Leon's response sounded logical on the surface, but even he realized how flimsy it was. Aurora was far too sharp to fall for such a weak excuse—then again, had she ever truly believed him in the first place? Ever since she found him on the rooftop, it seemed she was just playing along to amuse herself and see what kind of trouble she could uncover.
That's probably exactly what she's doing, Leon thought with a mental sigh. And if that's the case, I might as well stick to this random excuse. As long as she doesn't cause any major trouble, it's fine.
"Alright, Dad. If you say so," Aurora replied with a knowing smile that said she was humoring him. She didn't press further and continued crouching alongside her father, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
After more than half an hour of silent observation, Noah's training proceeded smoothly and without incident. Mevis's instruction was professional, her corrections to Noah's form were concise and helpful. She exhibited no suspicious behavior whatsoever. Aurora grew bored, letting out a wide yawn, tears of fatigue forming at the corners of her eyes.
"Dad, how much longer are we staying here? My legs are going completely 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 Aurora home for dinner, something subtle shifted in the air.
At the edge of the training hall, Mevis, while demonstrating a defensive stance to Noah, turned her gaze slightly in their direction. While she didn't seem to know exactly where they were hiding, the slight tilt of her head and the focused stillness in her posture made it clear she was aware of being watched.
Leon quickly placed a hand on Aurora's shoulder, a silent signal for her to stay completely still and low. They watched as Mevis's eyes casually scanned the upper bleachers. Finally, her sharp, perceptive gaze locked directly onto their hiding spot.
"Miss Aurora, it's still class time for most students. What are you doing here at the training hall?" Mevis called out, her voice cool and level, carrying easily across the spacious hall.
Caught red-handed, Aurora had no choice but to stand up, an awkward but charming smile plastered on her face. "Um... we had a weekly test, Miss Mevis. I finished my paper early, so I thought I'd come here and... observe."
Mevis crossed her arms, raising one elegant eyebrow. Her gaze, however, shifted to the empty space beside Aurora, and a faint, knowing smirk touched her lips. "And who, may I ask, is that with you?"
Though phrased as a question, her tone was flat and assured, suggesting she already knew the answer.
With a sigh of defeat, Leon slowly stood up, his smile matching Aurora's in its sheer awkwardness and embarrassment.
Noah, noticing the commotion, stopped her training and looked over, her expression shifting to one of surprise. "Dad? What are you doing here? Did Mom come too?"
"Your mom's busy with clan paperwork," Leon replied, scratching the back of his head nervously. "It's just me. As for why I'm here..."
His mind raced, scrambling for a believable excuse that wouldn't raise Noah's suspicions or alert Mevis. Convincing his acutely observant eldest daughter and her preternaturally sharp teacher was a much taller order than simply amusing Aurora.
Before he could cobble together a plausible story, Aurora interjected brightly, "Mom kicked Dad out after they had a little argument. So now he's just wandering around with nowhere to go, right, Dad?"
Leon: "..."
The excuse, while oddly and tragically credible, painted him as a pitiful figure who couldn't stand up to his wife. He felt his dignity take a direct hit. "Uh... yeah, that's right. Exactly," he said, the words tasting like ash.
Noah sighed, her expression a mixture of pity and mild disapproval. "So, 'kicked out' means you've got nowhere else to go but to hide in my training hall?"
Leon: "..." He was beginning to regret every life choice that led him to this moment.
Mevis, utterly unfazed by the domestic drama, said calmly, "As the Silver Dragon Prince, you needn't sulk around behind chairs. You are always welcome to observe. Please, come sit properly."
Since the jig was unequivocally up, Leon decided to embrace the situation with whatever grace he had left. He scooped a giggling Aurora into his arms, carried her down the steps, and sat in the front row. "We'll just watch quietly from here. We won't disturb your class," he assured them.
Mevis gave a single, curt nod. "Alright." She turned her attention back to Noah. "Let's continue. I want you to run through the lightning-infusion sequence again."
"Yes, teacher," Noah replied, immediately refocusing and resuming her exercises.
Aurora, now comfortably situated on her father's lap, glanced between her focused sister and the composed teacher. Finally, she tilted her head back to look up at Leon and asked in a whisper, "So, Dad, after all this dedicated sneaking around, have you found anything unusual at all?"
Leon scratched the side of his nose and shook his head with a resigned sigh. "Nothing. Not a single thing."
He wasn't surprised, nor did he hesitate in admitting it. Mevis's behavior had been perfectly normal—so impeccably normal, in fact, that Leon began to seriously doubt his own suspicions. Perhaps his unease around her was just his overprotective imagination, or worse, his own paranoia getting the better of him after the constant threats from Shadow.
Still, that subtle, nagging sense of familiarity he felt when looking at her couldn't be so easily dismissed.
Later that evening, after Noah's training session had officially ended, she finally had time to relax and chat. With a towel draped over her shoulders, she jogged toward Leon and Aurora. Behind her, Mevis bent down to pick up a light jacket Noah had left on the training ground. She folded it with neat, efficient motions and walked over to join them.
"Big Sis, here's some water!" Aurora said cheerfully, handing Noah a bottle of lightly salted water.
"Thanks, Aurora," Noah replied, taking the bottle with both hands. She opened it and took a long, grateful sip.
"Rehydrating with a saline solution after intense exercise helps maintain electrolyte balance and supports normal cellular metabolism," Noah explained to her little sister matter-of-factly.
"Here's your jacket," Mevis said, handing the neatly folded garment to Noah.
"Ah, thank you, teacher. I completely forgot about it," Noah said, her gratitude evident.
"It's nothing." Mevis rested a hand briefly on Noah's shoulder in a gesture that was both casual and proprietary. She then turned her calm gaze to Leon. "Silver Dragon Prince, now that you've seen a full session, how would you rate my teaching?"
Leon scratched the back of his head and offered a charming, slightly abashed chuckle. "Very good. Excellent, in fact. Noah's form has improved noticeably."
"The foundation was already there. You've clearly been an involved and exceptional father," Mevis said, a faint, unreadable smile gracing her features.
"Thank you for the compliment," Leon replied, though his eyes were subtly, intently observing every micro-expression on Mevis's face. It was then that his gaze dropped, and he noticed something small but unusual—a small, slightly faded bear-shaped patch sewn discreetly onto the cuff of her jacket.
"That patch... why does it feel so familiar?" Leon thought, his mental alarms ringing softly once more, his suspicions reigniting with a fresh spark.
Mevis, seemingly completely unfazed by his scrutiny, simply crossed her arms, the patch now hidden from view, and returned his gaze with calm indifference. After a moment of silence, she said, "By the way, next week's advanced curriculum includes a collaborative outdoor survival test. Noah will need one family member and one friend to participate, along with me, to form a team of four. It would be beneficial for her. Do you have time, Silver Dragon Prince?"
This was it—the perfect opportunity to observe Mevis more closely outside the controlled environment of the training hall. Leon didn't hesitate for a second. "I'll join. I'll make the time."
"Good. The logistics are my responsibility. I'll pick you up from the Silver Dragon Sanctuary next Monday at 9 a.m. sharp," Mevis stated, her tone leaving no room for argument. She gave Noah's head a gentle, almost affectionate pat. "You can go home for the weekend tomorrow. Get some rest."
"Yay! I get to spend the whole weekend with Big Sis!" Aurora cheered, hopping off her father's lap to wrap Noah in a tight hug.
"Thank you, teacher. I'll be ready," Noah said with a small, confident smile.
As Mevis turned and walked away, her footsteps echoing softly in the large hall, Leon's gaze lingered on the spot where the bear patch had been. The mystery deepened, but his resolve solidified.