Chapter 14: Misunderstandings
"Your theory sounds baseless."
"Is that so?"
Professor Lorrain's lips curved into a sly smile.
It made Isaac tense, and he was prepared to run at a moment's notice.
'If I try to escape from a Guardian, what will happen?'
'Professor Lorrain is a Guardian. She must have connections with the government.'
'She could turn me into a criminal with a single word.'
As Isaac's mind raced, Professor Lorrain suddenly broke into laughter.
It caught him off guard.
"You're thinking about running away, aren't you? It's written all over you."
"...What?"
"You are really fun to tease," she chuckled. "I know I have a hand in fueling the misunderstanding, but you really do think I am some kind of villain who had kept Emily locked away."
Isaac stood frozen.
The situation was too confusing for him to make head or tail of it
Professor Lorrain's expression softened as she continued.
"I kept Emily in the room to protect her. She only recently gained sentience. Before that, she was vulnerable.
"If she had wandered freely, someone could have taken advantage of her 'Beast Bond.' I was simply waiting for her to become aware enough to protect herself."
Isaac blinked, struggling to keep up.
"You don't believe me, do you? Have you even asked Emily about me? Or were you too caught up in your assumptions of me being a villain?"
"I..."
Isaac hesitated.
He hadn't asked Emily about Professor Lorrain for a reason.
If the professor had mistreated her, bringing it up might have touched her trauma.
Besides, the clues had seemed clear to him.
He thought he had figured everything out.
'Was it all a misunderstanding? Is Professor Lorrain not an enemy after all?'
"If you think I'm lying, call Emily. She can confirm what I've said."
"Then why didn't you let her go after she gained sentience?" Isaac asked, avoiding her suggestion. "She was already sentient when I met her. You could have released her."
"Where would she go, Isaac? She knew nothing about the world. I was planning to teach her about society, and then get her admitted to a university.
"Unfortunately, I got busy with the Awakening Ceremony tasks. That's why I couldn't feed her myself three time a day and had to find tenants."
She massaged her temples, recalling the past.
The previous tenant, a young girl, had fled as soon as Emily tried to feed on her.
It had sparked rumors about the apartment being haunted.
If Professor Lorrain hadn't tricked Isaac into becoming a tenant, it would have caused her serious trouble.
"Monsters can go to universities?" Isaac asked in disbelief.
He wasn't sure what shocked him more. Her explanation or the idea of Emily attending a university.
"Sentient monsters can. But only those from allied tribes or nations. It's not something the public needs to know about, of course. Can you imagine the chaos?"
Isaac nodded with a thoughtful expression.
'It seems a lot of information is hidden from the public. Only Awakeners have access to it.'
"Well, it's fine if you don't believe me. You can ask Emily later.
"Remember to communicate with her from the next time, or you might fall into pits of misunderstandings again," Professor Lorrain said, standing up.
"Wait," Isaac called out. "If everything you said is true, why are you taking care of Emily, a monster? And why did you trick me into thinking you were an enemy?"
"Emily is important to me. As for your second question, you looked cute trying to protect her. I couldn't resist having a little fun."
Her eyes gave way to a coy smile.
Before Isaac could respond, she added,
"Oh, and one more thing. If I were you, I'd keep your relationship with Emily quiet.
"She comes from a rather complicated background. Her vassals might think you bonded with her before she gained sentience.
"That would be very, very bad for you. Oh, and Emily is going to join the Sanctum of Master University."
"Vassals? What do you mean? Professor Lorrain, answer me! Hey, don't go!"
But she was already gone, and the door closed softly behind her.
Isaac sighed and collapsed onto the bed.
He grabbed the pendent.
'Emily, can you come out?'
"I'm here!" she chirped, appearing on top of him with a bright smile.
"Why did you call me?"
"Professor Lorrain... who is she?"
"Professor Lorrain?"
"The owner of the place where you were before."
"Oh, that's Auntie!"
"What? Are you related by blood?"
"What's 'blood-related'?" she asked, tilting her head. "When I woke up, she told me to call her Auntie. We've been together ever since!"
Isaac stared at her.
'It was all a misunderstanding on my part.'
He wanted to slap his last's night's overthinking self.
Maybe meeting a ghost, getting a system, then kissing the ghost had short circuited his judgement skills back then.
"Emily, do you have vassals? They are people who follow your orders like servants or followers."
"Auntie said I have someone like that, but I haven't met them yet. She said they're really nice, and I'll meet them when I go to study!"
Isaac covered his face upon hearing her answer.
'It seems Emily lost her memories after becoming a ghost. She might be a princess or something originally.'
'I'm fucked, aren't I?'
"Isaac."
Emily leaned closer.
Her face was inches from his. Her innocent eyes sparkled with concern. Before he could respond, she closed the gap and kissed him.
"I didn't have breakfast or lunch. Can we... can I get some food?"
"This way? If you are too hungry, you can take the energy normally. It should be faster."
"But I like it better this way," she said, giggling. "Your energy tastes sweeter when we kiss!"
Her cute smile melted his worries.
He had already crossed the line, and her vassals would likely come after him regardless.
'No point stopping now.'
Isaac leaned towards her, and indulged in her.
Emily's skills improved visibly after last night. Maybe it was why Isaac couldn't stop even after multiple rounds, or maybe it was due to how she asked for kisses in a needy voice.
They only stopped after an hour.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Professor Lorrain's voice came from the other side.
"If you two are done, get dressed. The scouts from the University have been waiting for half-an-hour.
"A word of advice. Wear defensive equipments if you have any, Isaac.
"The scout that came from [Master of Sanctum] is one of Emily's vassal, and she wants to know which hand you used to touch her."