Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

"I said, if you can't drink alcohol, you should have said so earlier," Aaron sighed helplessly.

But Joan of Arc gave him a cold look, turned her face away, and ignored Aaron, continuing to drink, clearly angry with him.

How did I manage to be disliked by both sides?

Aaron had been tormented for half an hour because of the two beautiful young women beside him, so no one dared to approach them except for the waiters.

Chapter 24 After the Ball

Aaron felt like a king caught in the middle. Although the king occupied the most sumptuous table in the banquet hall, his queen and concubines were arguing, so Aaron could only stay there and drink alone with them.

Whether it's good news or bad news, after sulking for an hour, both girls got drunk.

Especially Carol, although she tried her best to act like she wasn't drunk, her eyes were glazed, her pretty face was flushed, and the smell of alcohol on her body was overwhelming Aaron's nostrils. All the evidence indicated that she would pass out after two more drinks.

Joan of Arc was in a better position than Carol, but seeing Joan's slightly tipsy and dazed eyes, Aaron also didn't want her to continue drinking.

*

Ten minutes later.

"Everyone says I'm not drunk!"

Carol exclaimed, "I can still drink! I don't want to go back! I can still play the piano and dance!"

Aaron: "..."

Seeing Carol acting drunk and about to cause a scene at the ball, Aaron helplessly helped her up and handed her over to her personal maid.

Even for the sake of Carol's reputation, Aaron now wants the maid to take her back.

Just as Aaron was about to hand Carol over to his personal maid, Carol grabbed Aaron's scarf, her flushed body leaning close, her breath reeking of alcohol onto Aaron's face.

“Take me back…” Carol said softly. She looked up at Aaron, her eyes still filled with dissatisfaction and jealousy, but they had become more alluring in her slightly tipsy state. So Carol opened her alluring, even somewhat delicate eyes and looked at him, speaking to him as if she were pleading.

The fact that the future duchess was staring at him with such soft eyes made Aaron's heart flutter slightly, but he still said, "Miss Carol, you are drunk."

“I’m not drunk…” Carol pouted angrily.

“That’s what drunk people say.” Aaron patted her head and handed Carol to her personal maid. “Take her home to rest. Be careful tonight.”

The maid, who had been in a difficult position, breathed a sigh of relief and carried Carol in her arms, expressing her gratitude for Aaron's gentlemanly gesture.

Carol's frail body clung to the maid's neck, her resentful eyes fixed on Aaron until the maid carried her away from the banquet hall, at which point those resentful eyes disappeared.

Aaron ignored Carol and began to think about Joan of Arc. Although the school should be safe and Joan of Arc lived in the girls' dormitory, Aaron still planned to take Joan of Arc back himself.

Joan of Arc looked really drunk; she slumped limply on the table, her mouth slightly open, seemingly fast asleep.

"Do you need any help?" A kind person in the banquet hall noticed him and asked him.

Aaron shook his head, not waking Joan, but carefully carrying her on his back. But as soon as he picked her up, Joan's head tilted to his chest.

"Are you awake?" Aaron gently patted Joan's shoulder.

Joan of Arc nodded, put her arms around Aaron's neck, and leaned her slender body on Aaron's back.

*

At night, Aaron carried Joan of Arc through the campus, and Joan of Arc rested her head on his back and fell fast asleep.

I still remember when we were in Domrémy village, Aaron also carried Joan of Arc on his back.

That was after Aaron had wounded 141 villagers. Aaron was covered in warm, bloody blood, but when he took Joan of Arc down from the stake, Joan of Arc was not afraid; she just cried in his arms.

Joan of Arc cried terribly, but Aaron knew that Joan of Arc was not sad. She was just having a huge emotional upheaval and was crying so hard that she could hardly breathe. But Aaron didn't know why Joan of Arc was not afraid of him, or even of his blood. She even went so far as to get her blood on him.

Aaron didn't know what kind of feelings Joan of Arc was experiencing at the time, but blood could still serve as a connection between them.

Three years have passed, and Joan of Arc has grown from a girl who cried so bitterly into a graceful young woman. She wears light makeup, a beautiful evening gown, and invites him to dance a wonderful dance.

Aaron felt this was great, even more so than seeing Joan of Arc get first place in the whole school, because he hoped that Joan of Arc would no longer be the little girl who would cry on his back three years ago.

Before they knew it, they arrived at the girls' dormitory. The girls' dormitory was very quiet tonight, with the moon hanging high overhead. Aaron stood at the dormitory door and gently shook Jeanne on his back: "We've arrived at the girls' dormitory. Don't fall asleep."

Joan nodded to Aaron on his back and nimbly got off him. It seemed that the cold wind outside had made Joan a little more awake.

But as soon as he released Joan of Arc's body, a gust of wind blew by, and Joan of Arc's body swayed. Aaron thought she was going to fall, so he went to support her, but Joan of Arc turned around and suddenly hugged him.

Aaron was stunned and seemed a little at a loss for what to do, because Joan of Arc stretched out her arms, hugged Aaron's waist, and buried her face in his chest.

"It feels like I haven't absorbed any of the teacher's energy in a long time," Joan of Arc said sullenly, burying her head in his heart.

"Teacher energy" was their code word. This term was invented by Joan of Arc herself. In Joan of Arc's context, teacher energy was a very "mysterious" word. Aaron also knew that although Joan of Arc always appeared strong on the surface, she actually relied on him a lot in her heart.

The stronger she appeared, the more Aaron could sense it, to the point that her dependence on her reached a level that worried him, such as the "teacher's energy."

It is said that if Joan of Arc did not see herself for a long time, she would lack this energy, and her whole body would become weak and listless, just like a plant that has lost water and sunlight, so she must absorb it, otherwise she would become as cold as a withered flower.

Aaron didn't want Joan to cool down; he wanted her to be as radiant as she was when she danced that day.

"Did the teacher dance with her because of that incident?" Joan asked softly.

Aaron was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Joan of Arc still remembered this matter. It seemed that this matter had always been buried in Joan of Arc's heart and could not be forgotten.

Joan of Arc certainly remembered that incident. Her teacher had offended a duke for her sake, and it was another duke who stepped in to settle the matter, all for her sake. Three years had passed, and her teacher was still paying off his debts.

Although Aaron tried to point out that Joan's ideas were problematic, the girl stubbornly believed that it was because of her that the teacher had to do those things.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling uneasy again?" Aaron asked.

Joan of Arc neither nodded nor shook her head, but pressed her face more intimately against Aaron's chest and said in a muffled voice, "Teacher, mess up my hair."

Aaron was stunned, not knowing the purpose of his actions, but he still reached out and stroked Joan's hair. Joan had a difficult childhood and had always been a very well-behaved child, so Aaron would always fulfill her requests, only being strict when studying and training. Joan knew this, so she would occasionally make requests to Aaron in a coquettish manner.

Joan of Arc's hair was golden and felt wonderful to the touch, even somewhat addictive. Aaron's actions were not gentle; in fact, they could be described as rough. Soon, Aaron had ruined Joan of Arc's carefully braided hair, even breaking the hair tie. Joan of Arc's hair fell loose, with some strands hanging down and obscuring her eyes, but Joan of Arc was quite satisfied, her face slightly flushed.

"Are you feeling any better now?" Aaron asked, patting Joan on the shoulder after messing up her hair as much as possible.

"Yes, teacher, you've finished absorbing the energy." Joan of Arc, her hair disheveled, looked up and smiled at Aaron.

Aaron nodded and took something out of his pocket and handed it to Joan of Arc.

"What is this?" Joan of Arc hadn't expected Aaron to give her a gift at this time.

Aaron gave her something that resembled a necklace, but instead of gold or gemstones, it was a pair of sapphire blue square objects.

"I don't know if you remember this thing. It's called the Stone of Omniscience. The priest was holding this when we were in the village."

Joan of Arc quickly recalled that when they were in Domrémy, the priest was talking to Aaron while holding a square, glowing stone. The duke, who was standing behind the priest at the time, was talking to his teacher "inside the stone".

"This is the Stone of Omniscience. The person who possesses the Stone of Omniscience can contact another person across great distances and even see what happened. This is something only His Majesty the King of Lucerne could create. Each Stone of Omniscience is extremely precious, and smuggling or selling the Stone of Omniscience is a serious crime in the kingdom," Aaron said.

"With this Omniscient Stone, you can receive my messages even when I'm not around. Come, try infusing it with spiritual energy."

Following Aaron's instructions, Joan of Arc infused the Stone of Omniscience with spiritual power. Then, another square gem in Aaron's hand glowed, and Aaron whispered something to the stone. Joan of Arc's face showed a flicker of surprise; she had actually received Aaron's message.

Joan of Arc also spoke softly to the Stone of Omniscience. Aaron put the stone to his ear, and it emitted a faint blue light. He also received Joan of Arc's message.

"This kind of Omniscient Stone is not the best in the kingdom. It consumes a lot of energy, and the time for contact is limited each day. It also needs to absorb spiritual energy regularly, so it's best to contact me every evening so I can receive your message."

After saying this, Aaron took the Stone of Omniscience from Joan of Arc's hand and put it around her neck. Because Joan's hair had been messed up by him, Aaron didn't have to be very careful and put it on smoothly.

After he put it on you, he said, "The Stone of Omniscience is a very precious thing. Although what I'm giving you may not be illegal, you should still try not to let anyone find out. If you encounter a spy, they might even want your life for this Stone of Omniscience, so you must keep it safe."

"Teacher, is the Stone of Omniscience only for communication? I always feel it has other uses as well," Joan of Arc asked.

"The Stone of Omniscience is a simplified version of the Book of Omniscience, so it only has a few abilities. Theoretically, as long as it can transmit information, it can also transmit energy."

Aaron shook his head and said, "But that requires very precise control of spiritual power. Given the material of the Omniscience Stone I gave you, too much spiritual power will damage it. So you don't need to worry about that for now. I will teach you how to use it later."

"In short, remember this: if you encounter danger, crush the Stone of Omniscience. That way, I can sense it no matter where I am and rush back to your side."

"Okay, teacher."

"Well, it's getting late, let's go back."

"See you tomorrow, teacher," Joan of Arc and Aaron said.

*

Under the bright moonlight, Joan of Arc walked along the road, holding the Stone of All Knowledge necklace given to her by her teacher, her eyes appearing very clear.

As she passed by the dormitory building, she saw that the dormitory terrace was lit up. There was a chair on the terrace, and Carol was sitting on the chair, drinking ginger tea to help her sober up. When Joan of Arc passed by downstairs, Carol's eyes met Joan of Arc's.

If Aaron were here, he would be very surprised to learn that not only Joan of Arc, but Carol wasn't actually that drunk either. Aaron had a stereotype that it was normal for girls to get drunk, but in reality, neither Carol nor Joan of Arc had such a low alcohol tolerance.

When Carol saw Joan of Arc passing by downstairs, she was taken aback at first, but then she couldn't help but chuckle when she saw Joan of Arc's messy hair.

Joan of Arc looked up at Carol upstairs, unconcerned, and smiled slightly in return.

This made Carol frown slightly. Even though Carol was the one who was mocking, seeing Joan of Arc's smile made her feel like she had lost.

Carol pretended not to care and snorted coldly. Joan of Arc didn't pursue the matter any further, and the two brushed past each other in the light and shadow.

*

When Aaron woke up the next day, he found Joan of Arc making breakfast in the kitchen.

Joan of Arc was completely unaffected by the incident, as if nothing had happened yesterday. When Aaron got up, breakfast had already been placed on the table, and Joan of Arc told him to wait a while.

A golden invitation was placed on the table, with a note next to it from the postman.

Aaron had gotten used to this, because Joan of Arc frequently visited his residence, and even the postman knew her.

Come to think of it, he never gave Joan of Arc the key, so how did she get in? Aaron occasionally had this question, but he never thought much of it.

Aaron opened the invitation and found it was from Carol.

On the invitation, Carol first expressed that she had a great time dancing with Aaron the night before and hoped to continue inviting him to dances in the future, thus expressing her gratitude in a ladylike manner.

Aaron recalled what happened last night and felt it was best not to let it happen again.

In addition, summer vacation is approaching, and Carol will go with a group of nobles to her cousin's territory, the famous summer resort Lister, to escape the heat. She also invites Aaron to come along. They will return to Asgard after the summer vacation.

He also knew that nobles generally had a tradition of escaping the summer heat. For example, Carol usually only stayed in Esgard for a few months a year, and spent the rest of the time living in places with more suitable seasons.

Lister, even Aaron knew it was a well-known summer resort in Lucerne, but he never expected it to be the territory of that chubby baron.

Chapter 25 Aaron's Judgment

I vaguely remember that during the banquet, Dylan neither danced nor spoke with anyone. As the baron's son, he followed Carol diligently behind her, as respectful as her servant.

Aaron initially thought Dylan was Carol's suitor, but later Aaron realized he was wrong. Although Dylan was very attentive to Carol, almost like a servant to her, Aaron recalled their conversation at the dinner party, during which Dylan kept introducing his territory, the summer resort of Lister.