High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2249: Chapter 470: Special Guest (Part 2)

If the looks cast towards Zheng Qing in the hall earlier were merely ’examining’ and somewhat ’sharp’, then at the moment his portrait kissed the fingertips of Su Shijun’s portrait, the scrutiny mixed with many nameless curses, and those ’sharp’ glances seemed to transform into lethal arrows, as if swearing to pierce someone’s heart with a thousand arrows.

Zheng Qing was very grateful that he chose the set with the strongest magic defense when selecting his attire.

Even so, a few of the tiny golden runes that were originally happily moving on his robe visibly dimmed, and their movements slowly became sluggish.

This scene scared him pale, making him want to quickly escape from this battlefield.

”What are you looking at?”

Dylan emerged from some corner again, holding three glasses, and asked in a haunting tone.

”Looking at the mural.”

The young scholarship student dryly answered, reaching for the cup with a lemon-inserted Green Bee, secretly praising the ’gentleman’s’ eye, because he was feeling a bit parched at the moment.

The next second, Mister Vampire raised his hand, turned around, and with elegant dance moves, first delivered the drink Zheng Qing had his eyes on to a passing stranger witch, leaving two others, one for himself, and the other was rudely stuffed into Linda Barnes’ hand, completely ignoring the journalist lady’s claim that she doesn’t drink.

Then, he looked back at Zheng Qing.

”I meant, what are ’you’ looking at?” Dylan extended his finger, pointing upward as if trying to pierce through the ceiling dome, putting extra emphasis on the word ’you’.

Zheng Qing finally understood that he was asking what the two figures in the painting facing away from the crowd were looking at, and he realized why his drink was gone.

”Probably the starry sky?”

The young man’s voice was filled with bitterness and a bit of uncertainty, but he still perked up and spread his hands earnestly: ”You know, the people in the painting are the people in the painting, shadows are shadows, and I am myself... I can’t control what the people in the painting want to do.”

Dylan raised his cup of blood-red drink, viciously, and drank it in one gulp.

”This way.”

Mister Vampire maintained his last bit of rationality and gentlemanliness, yet he was well aware that allowing Zheng Qing to remain in this hall was unwise, so he decisively ended the warlock’s tour and led him toward the back of the hall.

”Right, right,” the young scholarship student jogged alongside his companion’s stride, smiling broadly: ”...You haven’t said who the guest I ’absolutely can’t imagine’ is.”

Dylan kept a stern face, silent, but his pace slightly slowed.

”Absolutely can’t imagine?”

A familiar exclamation came to Zheng Qing’s ears, and he turned back, staring woodenly at Miss Linda Barnes, who clung like a ghost beside him, holding an empty wine glass. Her luxurious dance gown maintained an ever-consistent elegance, showing no signs of disarray from following the two male warlocks in their stride.

Definitely using magic to cheat.

Zheng Qing thought to himself, somewhat rudely sizing her up: ”...Didn’t you say you don’t drink?”

”Oh, a little is fine.” The blonde witch feigned shyness before deftly placing the empty glass into the hands of a passing little sprite, her face promptly regaining sharpness: ”Who is the ’unimaginable’ guest you just mentioned? Gongsun Yuan? Louise Cody? Or Violet Jessop?”

Except for the last name, which Zheng Qing knew referred to the purple-haired witch in the assistant team, the other two names he vaguely remembered as ’senior officers’ of the student council, whom he had no regular interaction with.

”The list you provided surely was unimaginable.”

After sincerely making a complaint, Zheng Qing couldn’t resist some gossip himself: ”Violet the assistant... you’re referring to that purple-haired assistant lady, right? Why would she come to attend... such a ball?”

”Half of it is due to school assignment, coming with a mission, like me.”

The journalist girl gave him a surprising answer: ”We’re responsible for part of the security at the ball... and the other half of the reason, well, this part is my guess, she’s getting older, can’t keep putting it off, and with Victor the assistant being a taciturn introvert, she might simply want to remind someone by showing up.”

Zheng Qing originally thought she came tonight just to snag a wealthy husband, and due to Xin Fat Man, he naturally had some aversion, but only now realized his mistake.

”Where is Dylan taking us?” The warlock’s tone and attitude underwent a significant change, rendering the blonde witch somewhat perplexed.

”This hall serves as a rest area for the ball, the formal dancing venue is further back.”

As part of the ball’s security, Linda Barnes was well-acquainted with the surroundings: ”But note that there’s a safety barrier set between the front hall and the back area... users of magic disguises, transformation, or love potions will all be identified by the array... especially the latter kind, every year, some careless young warlocks or witches attempt to toy with the rules by using magic to find love, then...”

”Ah!”

A shriek sounded nearby, and the two young wizards turned to see a female figure, shrouded in a cocoon of magic power, shooting outwards, disappearing into the night in an instant.

”And then, like that.”

The blonde witch lifted a folding fan to her mouth, summarizing: ”There are only so many magic or potions capable of creating love, all played with by school predecessors for hundreds of years, of course, those attempting to break through aren’t necessarily reckless, they might also be very confident kids, thinking their talent can challenge the rules of the moonlight ball... though rare, if indeed such outstandingly talented kids pass through the magical screening, then they deserve it.”

”Is it that strict?”

”This ball is an integral part of clan diplomacy, potentially affecting the power layout of the Clans of the Moon for decades or even centuries, and shouldn’t be taken lightly... yet again, those attending the ball are just juniors, and taking it too seriously doesn’t align with magic either... so, using terms like ’strict’ or ’lenient’ extremes to describe it is quite hard.”

As they spoke, the trio arrived at another corridor entrance, and Zheng Qing once again felt a gentle, like silk brushing, obstruction. He suddenly realized this must be the ’magic barrier’ Linda had mentioned, with its distinct touch serving both as a reminder and a warning.

At the same time, he also realized why earlier when he just nodded, a bit of his shadow was captured by the dome, the reason likely lies in this omnipresent magic barrier.

Woosh!

Beyond the barrier, the night was clear, and a valley breeze blew lightly. What first caught Zheng Qing’s attention was a massive Christmas tree, towering beside the ball venue like a small mountain, with dozens of little wizards sitting along its branches singing Christmas carols, their bright and cheerful melody inspiring joy within everyone’s hearts.

Zheng Qing finally realized who Dylan was referring to.