It took a few minutes for the paralysis to wear off, and the moment it did, he stood up and shot a glance at Clea's mother.
"It's... it's a pleasure to meet you," Raelis said with a cracking smile.
"Likewise," Clea's mother replied. "You can call me Azure, and I apologize for earlier. Every time someone comes to this place, they usually don't have the best intentions."
Clea rolled her eyes. "You're acting like we have visitors every day, mother."
"Well... you should know better than to bring anyone around without informing me first," Azure scolded. "Had he been a little slower, his head would be rolling on the floor now."
Aside from their appearance... I don't see how these two could be related, Raelis thought. Though, her mother's extremely strong, and her assassination techniques are unique as well.
The techniques in question being the sound paralysis technique she had used a moment ago.
Nevertheless...
"What is this place?" Raelis asked. "I've seen underground bunkers and houses before, but I've never seen anything like this."
Azure shrugged. "I built it before Clea was born."
Raelis's eyes widened. "By yourself?"
"Of course. I found whatever Magitek scraps were around and used them to construct this wonderful home," Azure replied confidently. "No magic can detect it, and the only people who can enter it are those who know of its existence, or are being guided by someone who already knows."
She glanced at Clea. "Because she knew about this place, she was able to lead you here. Now you'd be able to lead someone else as well, but I forbid you from doing so."
Azure paused and pointed at Clea, then at the house. "Go get whatever you came here for. I told you that you should stay in the dorms for a week."
"But—"
"No buts," Azure cut her off. "You haven't gone outside in over a year. All you do is sit around here practicing your techniques, and then you come crying to me saying you don't have any friends."
She narrowed her eyes. "Look, if you still want to be a shut-in even after a week inside the dorms, then you can come back. It's all the same to me since it just means I'll get to spend more time with my precious daughter."
Hearing her mother spout all that embarrassing nonsense, Clea transformed into her butterfly form and slowly flew toward her home.
As for Raelis, he silently waited until, eventually, Azure spoke up.
"What do you think about my daughter?"
"...?" Raelis tilted his head. "She's... unique? I can't really find the right words for it. Her personality went through a couple stages while we were going through the exams together. So I guess I find that part interesting about her."
She was almost like a lotus, with every petal showing a different side of her, and in the last hour, even more petals were revealed.
"I see... I thought she might not meet another student trained in stealth techniques since most seek the perfect foundation," Azure chuckled. "Alas, they end up wasting their golden years away."
Despite her soothing words, he could tell there was a trace of suspicion in her tone, and he soon realized why.
"Your breathing form reminds me of someone I used to know in the past. He was a comrade, and someone whose true identity I have yet to figure out after all this time," Azure commented with a slight smile. "So could you tell me—"
"There are only two people who practice the same stealth technique as me," Raelis cut her off. "Sadly, one of them has long since been killed."
Those words alone were enough of a confirmation for Azure, who looked down to the ground and let out a trembling sigh.
"He's dead, huh? I guess... given his recklessness, that was to be expected."
Raelis nodded slowly and fell into thought.
This woman used to know my father in the past... and from his notes, I remember him only mentioning having two comrades. Could she really be one of them?
"Anyway, thank you for telling me, and also, thank you for hanging out with my daughter," Azure said softly. "Would you like to come over for dinner?"
She suddenly halted. "Never mind... if I give her my home cooking, she'll get homesick again. Sorry about that, but if you want some food, feel free to grab something from the bakery on your way out. It'll be my treat."
He wasn't expecting her to be so nice since her first impression was pretty damn scary.
Still, it was nice to see Clea have a loving mother, even if she showed it through a bit of tough love.
Like that, the two stayed in silence until, eventually, Clea returned wearing the white variant of their academy uniform.
It fit snugly, with silver trim running down the front and across the shoulders. The jacket had a high collar, reinforced seams, and a crimson volcano emblem at the chest.
Unlike the black variant, which was built for movement and combat, the white one was meant for formal gatherings since it didn't offer the same flexibility.
She also brought a small black handbag that she threw over her shoulder and nodded at both him and her mother.
"Good. I forbid you from coming home for a week," Azure stated, causing Clea's poker face to slightly crumble.
Before she could protest, a thick killing intent enveloped the two of them.
He tried to resist, but she easily guided him and Clea toward the exit.
They entered the hallway, and as for Azure, she stood in the doorframe with a faint smile on her face.
"Bye now. Nice to meet you, Raelis... Oh? You never did tell me your name, did you?"
With those words, she slammed the door shut. Immediately, it seemed to blend in with the surroundings as it cast the illusion of a never-ending hallway once again.
At the same time, the killing intent from a moment ago vanished, allowing him to finally take a breath.
"Sorry again," Clea said. "That was why I was a bit hesitant about visiting my mother... but she was surprisingly kind to you."
"Well, the good thing is, you won't have to visit her for the next week at least since she forbade you from coming," Raelis snickered and turned toward the other end of the hallway where a staircase led back up to the bakery.
"What do you say we head back to the academy?"