Reborn as a Succubus: Time To Live My Best Life!-Chapter 126: Junior Sorceress Melisa Blackflame, Part Twelve

{Armia}

Armia wiped the sweat from her brow, panting slightly as she lowered her hand. She and Isabella had been practicing their spell parries for the better part of an hour, and while she was grateful for the chance to hone her skills, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of frustration.

To her own surprise, it wasn’t Isabella making this training unbearable. No, as much as she would absolutely NEVER admit this aloud, Isabella’s "quirks" were starting to grow on the darian.

No, what bothered Armia the most right now was the constant interruptions, the way other students seemed to gravitate towards them like moths to a flame.

Case in point: the tall, raven-haired girl from another classroom currently sauntering across the arena floor, a smug smile on her face and a glint of challenge in her eye. With everything going on in Armia’s life, everything she’d had to train and study for, she hadn’t made any effort to research the other classes.

This moment only validated that decision.

[Wonderful. Another one coming to gawk at the freak show.]

"Well, well, if it isn’t the dynamic duo, the fox and her pet," the girl drawled, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Practicing hard, are we? I suppose non-humans do need to make up for their lack of talent somehow."

Armia just rolled her eyes.

For all her ignorance of the other courses, she knew of this girl. One of the top students in another class.

[What was her name again? Se... Sera...]

Before she could even think of saying anything, Isabella stepped forward, her fluffy tail sticking up behind her, as if to appear bigger.

"Aww, Serena, you wound me," the kitsune purred, placing a hand over her heart in mock offense. "But, I don’t know, I can’t help but feel that your words are a little empty given how you’ve ranked beneath me consistently in the student rankings for the last several months..."

Armia raised a brow.

[What? She’s just got that info memorized? Huh?]

Armia couldn’t care less about anyone else’s position but her own.

Serena’s smile turned sharp, her eyes narrowing.

"I’ve been busy," she quickly formed an excuse, "but, that ends soon. So, enjoy your lead while it lasts."

Armia nearly groaned right then and there.

She couldn’t stand it. This kind of petty bickering and posturing made her scales itch. With a huff of annoyance, she stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"While you two settle your little dominance display, I’m going to practice," she muttered, turning away.

It was like neither of the girls had even heard her.

Isabella wasn’t done. With a mischievous grin, she cocked her hip, looking Serena up and down like a cat eyeing a particularly juicy mouse.

"Tell you what," she said, her voice low and silky. "Let’s make this interesting. If you get a higher grade than me on the upcoming presentation, I’ll lick your shoes. In front of the your entire class and my own."

Serena’s eyes widened, a flush creeping up her neck. But she recovered quickly, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"And if you win?" she asked, arching a brow.

Isabella’s grin turned positively wicked.

"If I win... You’ll be the one bending over. Not for the same reason, of course," Isabella winked.

Armia, who’d raised the wand she’d been gifted and had been about to get back to work, nearly choked on her own tongue, her eyes bulging out of her head.

[Is she serious? She can’t be serious.]

But Serena just laughed, a low, throaty sound that made Armia’s stomach twist in knots.

"Deal," the human said, sticking out her hand. "Prepare to get on your knees, fox."

Isabella clasped Serena’s hand, her tail lashing behind her in anticipation.

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"Oh, honey. It’s not my knees you should be worried about."

With a final, confident smirk, Serena turned on her heel and sauntered away, leaving Armia gaping in her wake.

"What the hell was that?" Armia blinked. "What just happened?"

Isabella just shrugged, a lazy smile on her face.

"What? It’s just a little friendly wager. And, when I win, I’ll be getting my dick wet. Ah, can’t wait."

Armia shook her head, exasperated.

She scanned Isabella’s face and, indeed, she looked like this was just a daily thing she did.

"I have to say, the way you two were going at each other. All that posturing and insulting... it’s exhausting. I could never put myself up to that."

Isabella cocked her head, studying Armia with a curious expression.

"Better get used to it, scales. Especially if you’re serious about making it to the top of society. Bickering and one-upping each other is half the fun. It’s how you establish the pecking order, you know?"

Armia frowned, a sinking feeling in her gut.

Was that really true? Was that what it meant to be a noblewoman? Constantly jockeying for position, tearing others down to build yourself up?

[Maybe I don’t know as much about this lifestyle as I thought...]

She shook her head, pushing the thought aside.

"Let’s just get back to practicing," she said, turning back to the arena floor. "We’ve got a lot of work to do if we’re going to ace this presentation."

---

{Raven}

The knock on Javir’s door echoed in the quiet hallway, and Raven took a deep breath before entering.

To be honest, the summons had come as a welcome distraction from the endless hours of staring at the ceiling in her empty dorm room.

She could only run laps around the academy so much before that too had become boring.

She pushed the thought aside, focusing on the task at hand. If Javir was calling her in, it could only mean one thing: the Shadow Mages were up to something.

"Come in," Javir’s voice called from within, and Raven stepped inside, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

The professor’s office was cozy, with bookshelves lining the walls and a crackling fireplace casting a warm glow over the room. Javir sat behind her desk, her expression grave as she gestured for Raven to take a seat.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Javir said, her fingers steepled beneath her chin. "I’m afraid we have a situation on our hands."

Raven nodded, her face expressionless.

"I assumed as much. What’s going on?"

Javir sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"There’s been an outbreak of sorts. A mysterious illness targeting the nim population. It’s already claimed several lives, and the healers are at a loss."

Raven’s brow furrowed, her mind racing. An illness targeting nims specifically? That reeked of foul play.

"You think the Shadow Mages are behind it," she said. It wasn’t a question.

Javir inclined her head.

"It’s the most likely explanation, as far as I can tell."

Raven considered this, her thoughts turning to her former colleagues.

"It’s possible," she said slowly. "Demoralizing tactics are a common tool in their arsenal. Make the enemy feel like the world itself is against them and you’ve already won half the battle, they used to say."

Javir’s eyes narrowed, her gaze sharp and assessing.

"Do you have any specific knowledge of this plot? Any information that might help us track down the perpetrator?"

Raven shook her head, a twinge of frustration in her gut.

"No. If this is their doing, it’s not something I knew about... But I can tell you that they’re not above using curses and dark magic to spread fear and chaos. It could be as simple as that - a way to sow discord and unrest among the nim population."

Javir nodded, her expression thoughtful.

"Regardless of their motives, we need to put a stop to this." She fixed Raven with a piercing stare, her lips curving into a small, knowing smile. "Which is where you come in, my dear. Your unique set of skills could prove invaluable to me in this investigation."

Raven raised a brow.

"Why me?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral. "Surely you have other resources at your disposal. Other agents who could handle this just as well, if not better."

Javir’s smile widened, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Oh, I have my reasons," she purred, leaning forward conspiratorially. "Let’s just say I enjoy working with you, Raven."

Raven blinked, caught off guard by the professor’s playful tone.

She cleared her throat, looking away.

"Alright," she said, straightening in her seat. "Where do we start?"

Javir’s expression turned serious once more, and she slid a folder across the desk.

"These are the reports we have so far. Victim profiles, locations, any clues the healers have managed to gather. I want you to go through them with a fine-toothed comb, see if anything jumps out at you."

Raven took the folder, flipping through the pages with a practiced eye.

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"Got it. And if I find something?"

Javir’s smile was razor-sharp.

"Then we do what we usually do."

Raven nodded.

"Understood. I’ll get to work right away."