Jung's daring declaration and actions were unheard of. Who else would dare to do the same—leave the line, not listen to orders, and disobey Snowshade?
Yes, the woman was angry, but she was even more astonished. Barely a teen, the boy appeared younger than his peers, yet he had no fear and seemed confident.
As much as she wanted to punish him to make an example out of him, Snowshade was interested. So she nodded her delicate head and said, "Show me your magic trick."
Her words caused another uproar. No one expected that the goddess of the academy would consent to some crude kid who didn't know his place.
On the other hand, Jung had a wicked grin on his face.
[Don't tell me,] Vex said, guessing his objectives. [You are risking too much.]
Nero stayed in the dark. She was lost. "Care to elaborate?" she asked in confusion. "Jung, what are you planning?"
'Stay still and enjoy,' he muttered in his mind, locking eyes with Snowshade.
He didn't break the eye contact, making the woman even more curious. Not delaying any longer, Jung announced, his voice still loud and clear. "I believe it might be best for you to see it first."
Snowshade scrutinized the boy again. Considering carefully, she nodded, waiting for further instructions.
"Great," Jung exclaimed, with no doubt in his body language. "I need to whisper something in your ear."
The woman figured that Jung was just a child with an average amount of persona in his body. He posed no threat to her, so she agreed without thinking too much about it. "You have my permission," she said, shocking the students once more.
"I am honoured by your trust," Jung thundered in a louder voice, ensuring everyone heard him.
After that, he got closer to the woman, bringing his immature face closer to her ears. He felt her strong aura and sweet fragrance.
No distracting thought surfaced in his mind, his spirit intact, he whispered in a hushed tone, only for Snowshade to hear.
"R-U-L-E-R," Jung said each letter individually to better convey his meaning.
It worked, and the woman peered at him on top of a newfound emotion. She did a pretty good job masking it, and only Jung managed to notice, yet the deed was done, and her biggest enigma was out of the box.
Thankfully, the boy said it in a low voice. No one heard her secret, yet it didn't make her situation any better.
Jung was grinning the whole time. He waited for a response, knowing that his taunt worked.
"I see," Nero said telepathically. She was quick to catch up on his plans.
As for the woman, there was a huge turmoil in her being. She had hidden her archetype her entire lifetime, and not one person suspected her ambitions. Snowshade went to great lengths to disguise her true self, but somehow a variable appeared.
Killing him on the spot was an idea that surfaced in her mind. But it would be a foolish, possibly destructive move. She had no clue how the boy found out about her archetype, and outright killing him would destroy any chance of getting to the bottom of it.
Jung might have people behind him, meaning that others might have learnt about her secret.
All in all, she needed more information about the boy, as she didn't even know his intent.
Through careful consideration, Snowshade announced. "You pass, but you have to follow me."
Her words and the implication they carried silenced the crowd. However, there was no chance they would stay quiet after hearing what she said.
"What is happening?" roared a short, brown-haired boy. "Am I dreaming?"
"What did that brat say for her to act like this?" a chubby, green-eyed girl protested.
"My goddess!" Some students roared in unison. They were disappointed to lose the only chance to meet their hero.
Jealousy was present as well. Mixed among the dissatisfaction, teens roared in turmoil, but Snowshade's one word was enough to render them speechless.
"Silence!" she shouted, holding Jung's hand as she left the hall.
Jung was expecting such an outcome. He was still calm and collected, his manners never left his control.
Snowshade brought him to another doorway. Then they reached the stairs, their hands intertwining.
Whistling, Jung drew attention to himself. Going upstairs with no complaints, he said. "You are hurting me."
His words didn't cause the woman to release her grip. In contrast, her grasp got firmer, as if to make sure that Jung couldn't escape her clutches.
"I won't run away or disclose your secret," he reassured and added, "You don't have to worry. I am never doing the same magic trick twice."
Yet Snowshade said nothing. She was careful and swift, afraid of someone hearing their conversation.
She remained reserved.
Jung wanted to look around the building, but they moved in such a hurry that he barely paid any attention to the surrounding environment.
All he could notice was how exquisite and expensive everything seemed. The walls were covered in various artworks, and while most of them were in graffiti style, they appeared mysterious with runic symbols.
After roaming four floors, the woman stopped near the door. Peeking around, observing the surrounding area, she opened the door and invited Jung inside.
Only then did she release his hand.
Jung massaged his fingers, saying in disapproval, "You almost snapped my fingers. This is not how you should treat your students."
"Shut your mouth before I snap your neck," the woman said, expressing her dislike for the boy.
"Easy there, beautiful," Jung said, shaking his head, he added in a friendly voice, "One might think you are having a bad day. I expect you to smile more."
Snowshade ignored his remarks. Jung's actions, the way he carried himself and spoke, made it difficult to view him as a child. "How do you know?" she asked; her demeanour was scarier than ever.
"Wrong question," Jung stated, looking around the room. "You have a nice office."
Everything in the room was in order. It was so clean and organized that the floor and shelves almost shone. She had a small library, covering all sorts of topics and books of various genres, that caught Jung's attention.
However, they came for the business, and there was no time for exploring. Locating the couch, he got comfortable, crossed his legs, and said.
"Your first question shouldn't be how I know," Jung stated. "You should ask me how I'm going to use that knowledge."
His trademark smile that said he was up to no good was back. 'It's time to milk the beloved hero.'