Team villains except me

Chapter 550 Merry Christmas

The moon is bright at night.

Nolvia had finished her conversation with Becky, but she still couldn't sort out her chaotic thoughts.

She rubbed her eyes, and the back of her hand was covered with scarlet bloodstains.

A faint smile played on Nolvia's lips.

She was very close to the truth.

"Becky said you talked to her. What conclusion did you come to..."

Kabra pushed the door open and walked in. She was talking to herself until she saw the bloodstains on the back of Nolvia's hand, then she stopped in shock.

"what are you doing?"

Nolvia used water magic to wash away the blood, saying it was just some unimportant side effects.

Kabra had no interest in delving into the matter. What she wanted most was how to cleanse the stain on the Abyssal Clan.

"Is theory important? Dean Kabra, I thought you had read Caroline's private diary."

"Of course I've seen it. I know what you mean. Caroline made a deal with Michelle, but the Abyss Clan is indeed innocent. Becky's theories can prove this. However, to prove this, some previously established facts would have to be overturned. The military wouldn't agree, and neither would the people."

"Then this question has nothing to do with theory. Dean Kabra, there are many ways to separate the Abyssal Clan from the Exotic Beasts. Studying Abyssal Studies to draw conclusions is the most time-consuming and least convincing method.

You have got the truth.

My conversations with Becky have only confirmed that what Becky said is reasonable, and I am certain that most of the conclusions Becky stated are true."

"You're useless. I thought you could come up with something interesting with Becky. But you should hear something interesting from Dooku soon."

Nolvia's fingertips paused slightly, and she looked up and straight at Kabra.

"Did you say anything to Dooku?"

"Of course, we can't just sit there and talk about nothing during our meeting. Nolvia Laili, I admire your patience with Dooku, but he's clearly hiding a lot. For a friend like him, you don't ask anything. I don't know if this is doting or indulgence... Either way, I don't think you're as smart as you appear.

Only when you know each other well can you trust each other. If you don’t understand this principle, I think you shouldn’t be the assistant dean.

Of course, if you want to teach at Yuto College, that's another matter. I welcome you to terminate your agreement with Abersig and come to Yuto College. The conditions I can offer will definitely be better than those of Abersig.

Don't look at me like that. Julia and I have a better relationship than you think. How do you think Dooku got into Abesgar?

Nolvia gasped.

She'd been feeling tense ever since returning from Lanier. It seemed like the world had become a bit colder and more impatient once again, ever since Teacher Mattia's death.

She seemed to have become the magician in her previous life who was called "the trickster". She could satisfy tourists, handle relationships with colleagues well, and as long as she wanted, she could make Kabra happy.

But she didn't want to.

"Dean Kabra, if you want the Abyssal Tribe to no longer be discriminated against by the northern continent, you can do it now. You can get the army to compromise. Becky said she will inform you of any new progress.

But you didn't do that. You established diplomatic relations with the Abersgard and sought cooperation with the southern continent... Some places in the southern continent also have scholars studying Abyssal Studies. So I assume that your concern for Dooku, and the efforts you made to protect him, weren't just about solving the mysteries of the Abyss.

I guess you want to control the Abyss, you want the Abyssal Clan to replace the military and become the rulers of the northern continent. That's why you agreed to let me talk to Becky. You think I might know why Dooku can come and go freely in the Abyss, but obviously, I don't know, and you didn't get any useful information from your meeting with Dooku, so you are acting so aggressively.

Norvia's voice was cold. She didn't smile gently, nor did she threaten. She simply exposed Kabra's scheme in a calm, ordinary tone.

At one moment, Nolvia was sure she saw the murderous intent in Kabra's eyes. But soon, Kabra sighed, looking helpless.

"You're the one who's being aggressive now. Becky just told me that you don't have a temper at all. I wondered why Julia would choose such a soft-spoken student as her assistant. It would be so much better if you weren't Julia's assistant."

"If I weren't the assistant dean, you would have strangled me by now."

Kabra didn't answer, but changed the subject.

"I will protect Dooku. He is a member of the Abyss after all. But you need to be more careful. Since you can get him to take off his mask, you should be able to break through his mental defenses, right? I just told him some common sense today, and he looked so painful that he wanted to shrink back—"

Kabra looked at the ice cone in front of her that was emitting cold air, and turned her head to look at the expressionless mermaid.

"Your threat to me is invalid, but I still have many things I can threaten you with. Dooku is important to you, right? Dooku is also important to me, but whether he is as important as you think is up to you.

We're on the same page, so there's no need to be so hostile towards me. Are your impressions of the military similar?

It was a pleasure working with you, Nolvaya Lely.”

Kabra turned and left.

The ice cone in the air was frozen and took a long time to dissipate.

Nolvia calmly calculated the pros and cons of Kabra's death. Kabra was too uncontrollable, and she had no leverage to offer. But Kabra could control Dooku. Kabra's goal was too grand, and to achieve it, Kabra would inevitably make some sacrifices. But in the end, Nolvia realized she truly couldn't do anything about Kabra.

Nolvia took a deep breath. The communicator began to vibrate.

It was already dinner time, and she was the only member who hadn't left for Garcia's house.

Nolvia put on her coat and gloves, and without hesitation, she called her teammates. She recounted her experiences of the evening, and only after she finished did she feel much better.

"I see, Nolvia, come back for dinner. Garcia is still cooking dinner, and you'll be here just in time. Leave the matter of Cabra to us, okay?"

Fiana's voice was steady.

Nolvia looked up at the night sky, the communicator transmitting warmth in her ears that could dispel the cold.

She no longer has only herself.

She is no longer the magician who had nothing in her previous life.

She could rely on her family. She had a home to return to. She had multiple warm, welcoming homes where she felt like she belonged. Most importantly, her family would be waiting for her by the hearth.

There is no Christmas in this world. But in other worlds, today is a day when she makes a wish on the Christmas tree.

Nolvia suddenly recalled a memory from her previous life.

She was twelve years old at the time, caught between innocence and maturity, defending her shaky self-esteem in an orphanage in a foreign country with the happy but vague memories of her childhood. She stubbornly pointed at the snow-covered pine tree and said it was a Christmas tree. She closed her eyes and made a wish as if no one was around: she wanted a perfect, strong, happy family.

She opened her eyes, and snowflakes landed right in them. They were so cold they hurt. The child beside her reminded her with a smile.

"Actually, today isn't Christmas."

Norvia no longer remembered the embarrassment she felt at that time. She just felt the pain in her eyes, just like now.

Nolvia touched her warm eyelids with her cool fingertips. She had already wiped away all the blood.

……

When Nolvia walked down the magic circle, Hugh and Irene were waiting for her.

Irene's hair was disheveled, and some of the snow melted into water at the ends of her gray hair, and then froze into ice. Hugh set the fire, and the fire circled around Irene, melting the snow under her feet.

Irene stepped into the water and looked up at Huet silently. Huet pursed his lips and said that the fire would dry up if it ran for a while longer.

When Nolvia walked down from the magic circle, Irene rushed over with her wet hair held up.

"Nolvaya, why are you back so late? Hught and I have been waiting for you for a long time~"

Nolvia touched Irene's face, which was as warm as a piece of Christmas pudding doused in brandy and set on fire. She looked up at Hugh, who spoke silently.

Welcome Home

Norvia smiled.

She went to the Hall of Fame before leaving Abersig.

The Hall of Fame was sealed off, and she had no authority to go in. She saw Morga and Gillan drinking mulled wine through the window.

She didn't say anything, just leaned against the wall for a while.

This was Morgha and Gillan's last night in Abersgar. Tomorrow they would return to Titeg. Matea's remains would be laid to rest in the "Hanging Sea." This was Julia's decision, and she vowed to give Matea a proper and grand funeral.

Mulga and Gilan said nothing. Apart from objecting that morning to Musa impersonating Matija, they had remained silent.

Now they spoke. They drank mulled wine, sat next to Mattia, and recounted interesting stories from Mattia's childhood.

"...Zizi was so small back then."

"Yes. It's only about the size of a palm, crawling around everywhere."

"I've grown up in the blink of an eye."

"Grown up. Our cub has become smaller again."

"Morga, do you regret it?"

"Don't you regret it?"

"regret."

……

Norvia went to see Teacher Valerio again. The person who was in charge of watching over Teacher Valerio at night was Dade, the necromancer with blond hair and golden eyes but unusually dark grayness.

When Dade saw her, he took a moment to react, then stood up and greeted her.

"Hello. I remember you, Nolvia Leary."

Dade was a quiet man who looked tired, but he managed to cheer Norvia up.

"Little Valais isn't dead yet. If he were, I could see his soul."

Nolvia gave a forced smile.

This is probably good news.

Norvia and Dade sat in silence. After a while, Dade began to talk about the recent developments in their "new world".

"...We are all teachers in Abersgar now."

Norvia knew.

"Alita said it. It's just..."

Julia did not want members of the "New World" to serve in Abersgard.

"Alita is now the subject development officer of the Theology Department, Suha is an assistant teacher at the Berserker Academy, and I'm currently teaching first-year students in the Necromancer Department..."

Dade paused.

"Aunt Julia asked us to discuss this. We are not part of Abersig's system. We signed a separate agreement with Aunt Julia. If anything happens to Abersig, we have no responsibility or obligation to protect Abersig."

Nolvia was stunned for a moment, but soon she nodded slightly.

"so."

"It's not what you think. Aunt Julia doesn't think we're qualified. She's just afraid we're too radical, and she doesn't have anyone else she can trust at the moment. But as long as we can stay in Abersgard, we're willing to do anything."

Dade's expression was serious.

Norvia was no stranger to this expression. She had seen it on the faces of many of her team members.

Will the present of the "new world" become the future where they "send you home"?

Nolvia didn't dare to think any further.

After seeing Teacher Valerio, Norvia left Abersg. As soon as she left the house, she saw a shop with soft lights. She thought, even though there was no Christmas in this world, she still wanted to buy some gifts.

By the time she bought the gifts and sat on the magic circle, it was already much late.

Nolvia handed the gift bag to Hught, then used water magic to dry the ends of Irene's hair, and they returned to Teacher Garcia's house together.

As they walked into the garden, Nolvia subconsciously raised her eyes and suddenly became speechless.

In the center of the garden stood a fir tree, a fir tree designed to look like one of those cone-shaped Christmas trees she had seen in expensive picture books.

The fir tree shimmered with layers of star-like light, occasionally pulsing and dancing. Tied to the ends of the branches, rustling with colorful candy wrappers, a heart-shaped gift box sat at the very top of the tree, resembling a distorted crescent moon against the backdrop of the bright light.

Seeing Nolvia staring at the fir tree, Hugh explained to her in a low voice.

Garcia bought a lot of apple tree seeds from a merchant, but he was cheated. None of the seeds grew into apple trees. Zhue chose the best quality seed and placed it in the garden to help it grow. This is the fir tree.

The star-shaped lamp was bought by Shanna. Shanna came once in the afternoon and bought a lot of special-shaped lamps for Yalinxiu.

The star lights hanging on the tree were originally on the window. Yalinxiu said that the tree outside was very close to the window, and it felt that the color of the tree was dark and looked scary. So Fiana wrapped the star lights around the tree.

I found those candy wrappers in Elliott's room. I went to Elliott's room to review and found scattered candy wrappers in his desk. Garcia was an accomplice; he often bought candy and shared it with Elliott.

"That's right!"

Irene heard what Hugh said and turned back to add.

"As punishment, I made them tie all the candy wrappers to a tree. That way we can see how many candies Elliott secretly ate here!"

Hugh nodded, somewhat helplessly.

"The result is what you see now. As for the gift box on the tree, it was bought by Dooku. When he came back, he said he wanted to play a simple version of the 'hide and seek game'. That gift box is the prize."

What an amazing coincidence.

But this coincidence was brought to her by her most important family, and it was her luck.

Nolvia curled her lips.

She took the presents she had bought from Hugh and laid them out under the gleaming fir tree.

Today was supposed to be Christmas. A belated Christmas for her.

...Merry Christmas, twelve-year-old Norvia.

Your wish has come true.