Strongest Warlock - Wizard World Irregular

Chapter 718: Don’t Go Back On Your Word

"It feels good to be back here in the academy," George said as he looked at Dud Manor with a smile. "I never thought that I'd miss this place—after all, Henry is no longer around."

Ethan nodded his head in understanding.

Although their dependable Head Prefect had already graduated, he couldn't help but miss Dud Manor, which had played a major role in his life.

The Entrance Ceremony would take place tomorrow, but Ethan and the others decided to return to the academy a day early so that they could organize their belongings in their rooms.

The moment George and Ethan entered the Manor, they were immediately greeted by the sight of familiar faces who were also glad to see them.

"Did you enjoy your vacation, Ethan?" the handsome silver-haired boy, Noah, asked with a smile.

Noah was now a Third Year student in the academy, and Ethan couldn't help but feel like his friend seemed to have matured a bit since he had last seen him.

His voice was now deeper, and his eyes looked more confident, making Ethan smile faintly.

"Yes. I enjoyed it very much," Ethan replied. "I got sent back to the past again, fought against the avatar of a Progenitor, stayed there for half a year, then returned to the present to get married."

While the people in the common room looked at Ethan with amusement, George and Noah looked at the young man with their mouths hanging wide open.

"T-That's a joke, right?" George asked. "You're just pranking us—right, Ethan?"

"But this is Ethan we are talking about," Noah commented. "He must be telling us the truth."

Although the silver-haired boy also felt like what Ethan told them was rather unbelievable, he knew that his friend was someone who rarely told a lie.

"It's the truth," Ethan replied. "Well, then. I'll just drop off my stuff in my room. I'll be back after I'm done."

The young man didn't even wait for his friends' reply before walking up the stairs to head to his room.

As soon as he opened the door to his room, he immediately saw a chubby cat sleeping on his bed.

Lilith immediately jumped out of Ethan's shadow and confronted the Chesmire Cat, demanding that it move its chubby body off of her Master's bed.

"Do you mind shutting up, woman?" Chessy grumbled before opening its eyes lazily. "I was here first."

"What are you talking about?" Lilith scoffed. "This is Master's room."

"Lilith, it's fine," Ethan said before arranging his belongings inside the room. "Chessy is a friend, so don't be too hard on him."

"As you wish, Master." Lilith nodded before shifting her attention back to the chubby cat, who was stretching its body.

After he was done arranging his things, Ethan sat on the bed and patted the chubby cat's body.

"Oh? You sure have grown a backbone since the day you started here in the academy," Chessy said in an amused tone as he allowed the young man to pat him. "Back then, you screamed like a little girl when you first saw me."

"Did I?" Ethan smirked. "I can't remember."

"Heh."

"Heh."

The two smirked at each other as if they were long-time friends who hadn't seen each other for many years.

"So, what have you been up to, Chessy?" Ethan asked.

"Nothing much," Chessy replied. "Just visiting Firbolg Villages here and there, informing them that the Fomorians are coming and that they should either hide or run for the hills if they don't want to be hunted down.

"Ah, I've also been gathering a few artifacts for a certain Fox Lady, who is busy bolstering the defenses of the Great Eagle Forest. Aside from that, everything has been peachy."

Ethan nodded. "You've been busy."

"Tell me about it," Chessy grumbled. "I'll be staying in the academy to rest for a month or two so that I can get to know the new First Years. I do it every year, you know? You were one of the First Years who had caught my eye, so I made sure to introduce myself to you."

"Do you think we'll have some interesting First Years this year?" Ethan inquired.

"My whiskers are telling me that we will," Chessy replied. "Well, I just hope that they're not as troublesome as you."

After chatting with the chubby cat for a while, the Chesmire Cat disappeared to make its rounds in the academy, leaving Ethan alone with Lilith.

"This is an interesting feeling," Ethan said as he patted the black cat, who had curled up into his lap. "Last year, I was standing at the podium and being addressed as one of the Pillars of the First Years. This year, it's my turn to look at them."

"It's quite unfortunate that I wasn't here when that happened," Lilith replied. "I'm sure that seeing an anxious and naive Young Master would have been an interesting sight."

Ethan chuckled before shaking his head.

"I was panicking back then," Ethan stated. "I was afraid that if they discovered that I was not a Wizard, they would treat me as a guinea pig for their spells. Fortunately, I was saved by a stranger I met back then."

Ethan's Other Half had told him that when he was still a powerless individual, the black bracelet given by that Auntie, which was still on his wrist, allowed him to pass as a Dud in the academy.

Knowing that, he kept the bracelet as a memento to mark the turning point in his life, which allowed him to bask in the happiness that he was feeling at the present.

While he was thinking about nostalgic times, he heard a knock on his door, which snapped him back to reality.

"Come in," Ethan replied. "It's not locked."

A second later, the door opened, and someone whom he didn't expect appeared in front of him.

"Cedric?" Ethan frowned because he didn't expect that Lilian's brother would visit him in the academy—and in his room, no less. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came here to inform you that I will be enrolling here in Brynhildr Academy this year," Cedric said. "Also, don't worry. I'm not here to pursue Luna, so you can rest easy. I'm not going to steal your lover from you."

Ethan was very tempted to say that he wouldn't be able to steal Luna away from him even if he tried. But since he didn't want to make things awkward for the two of them, he decided to just nod his head and offer Lilian's brother a chair to sit on.

"So, what are you here for?" Ethan inquired.

"I came here for three things," Cedric replied. "The first one is to help defend this place just in case the Fomorian decide to march here. I won't be able to sit still in Nightfall Academy, knowing that my sister might be in danger."

Ethan nodded because Cedric's concern was valid.

"The second reason is that I believe that I will grow faster as an individual if I enroll here in Brynhildr Academy," Cedric added. "The last reason has something to do with my personal life, so I can't tell you about it."

Cedric then glanced at the young man who had forced him to train harder so that he would be able to reach the same level as him.

Seeing his intense gaze, Ethan couldn't help but smile because he could sense Cedric's competitive spirit.

He was the same back then when he was still trying to run after Nicole and Lily, who were considered the two strongest First Years in the academy back then.

"I will not stay long, but before I go, I just want to tell you this," Cedric reached out his hand for a handshake. "Look after my sister—I swear that if you harm her in any way, I will go all out and out of my way to make you pay."

"Understood," Ethan shook Cedric's hand. "If that were to really happen, I would not resist even if you beat me up."

"Don't go back on your word."

"I won't."

The two teenage boys, who had become love rivals for a short period of time, decided to start anew and foster a closer relationship with each other.

Cedric had recognized Ethan's strength and supported his sister's decision to pursue him after they had a heart-to-heart talk with each other.

In short, Cedric would never hand his sister to someone whom he didn't recognize. Since Ethan was someone he recognized, he would respect his sister's decision and make sure that no other men would get in the way of her love.

Although they started on the wrong foot, the two teenagers had matured enough to let bygones be bygones.

Because of this, Ethan's impression of Cedric changed a bit, and he decided to have closer ties with his future brother-in-law, who supported his relationship with Lilian.