Mora's eyes were red, almost on the verge of tears. How could Evelyn be so stubborn! Why, why! Why did Evelyn insist on bringing this kid called Ryan back to Glacial Arcana Academy!

  "Dad...mom..."

  Lyra saw that furious, almost instantaneous presence of the crazy old woman barreling toward them. She stumbled and scrambled in the snow toward Ryan and Evelyn, her short legs leaving a trail of panicked footprints.

  Hearing this soft, plaintive call, Mora's bloodshot eyes snapped around toward the sound. There, a little girl was desperately running toward the two embracing figures.

  "Already has a child?"

  Mora's steps froze. Her chest felt suddenly heavy, as if struck by an invisible hammer, and her breathing grew labored.

  She thought she heard a crisp snap and instantly felt a crack forming in her magical core.

  Mora could no longer care about anything else. She hastily forced herself to stop moving, sitting down in the snow, closing her eyes and circulating her magic to calm herself.

  If she didn't suppress the rage surging in her heart, she feared her magical core would be severely damaged.

  If that happened, an Elder Mage like her suffering a major injury for no reason over something like this would become the laughingstock of the entire magical world. Every mage would laugh at her.

  The blow this incident dealt was enormous. She and the other two senior Elders had watched over Evelyn for countless years, and had never seen her show any closeness with any male.

  But now, not only did she witness Evelyn being kissed by Ryan, it even seemed moments ago that Evelyn did not resist at all. That single kiss nearly shattered Mora's magical core from the shock.

  This was nothing short of an invisible mental attack!

  Meanwhile, Ryan and Evelyn were completely unaffected by the chaotic atmosphere. One of them was immersed in intimacy, feeling so comfortable he could almost float; the other, startled by this sudden and persistent closeness, was panicking, barely able to break free.

  Ryan felt no one was coming to separate them, so he completely relaxed and indulged even more in the warmth of the moment.

  After some indeterminate amount of time, Ryan finally slowly pulled his lips away from Evelyn's, leaving a moist red mark.

  Evelyn, about to scold Ryan, barely opened her mouth when her lips were immediately blocked again. He was at it again!

  Evelyn's eyes widened in shock and embarrassment as she stared at Ryan so close to her.

  "Hey! Let go!"

  Her lips were tightly blocked, and all she could do was mutter angry protests. But the response she got was not release, it was an even tighter embrace and an even more heated kiss from Ryan.

  Ryan's embrace grew tighter, his warm breath enveloping her. Evelyn instantly felt as if her body were melting under the heat, every muscle going limp and weak.

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  She wanted to summon her magic to push Ryan away, but her chaotic thoughts made it impossible to focus. In the confusion, even the most basic defensive spells were difficult to form.

  Evelyn struggled feebly a couple of times, her eyes trembling slightly, but against Ryan, struggling or not made no difference.

  Watching him casually take control of everything, she simply closed her eyes, thinking ignorance might bring some relief.

  She was truly helpless. As Ryan's Mentor, it was humiliating that her magical power was inferior to his.

  That was the most shameful thing she had ever experienced. She could have used the Frozen Crown Staff to strike him, but that risked hurting him.

  Summoning all her willpower, Evelyn concentrated on constructing only the most basic magical defense, trying to shield herself from this unnerving intimacy.

  "Dad..." Suddenly, Lyra's voice came from beneath them, carrying a hint of fear.

  Earlier, Lyra had run all the way to Ryan's feet. When she saw the furious, wild-looking woman stop and sit down, she hadn't dared to speak. Seeing Dad and Mom holding each other, unsure what they were doing, she whispered"Dad" in her mind.

  Ryan had told her to stay quiet and wait patiently, and Lyra obediently stood aside, fidgeting with her small hands without approaching.

  But they lingered like that for so long, Dad and Mom glued together endlessly, that Lyra finally couldn't hold back and called out softly.

  Hearing Lyra, Ryan finally released his hold. Evelyn instantly felt fresh air fill her lungs, greedily inhaled a few breaths, and hurriedly opened her eyes, meeting Ryan's smiling gaze.

  Then Ryan lifted his right hand, gently pinching her chin with his fingertips, carefully wiping away the lingering moisture from the corners of her lips.

  Evelyn, still weak and soft in his arms, retained a hint of embarrassment and anger. She tried to snap at Ryan's fingers to vent her frustration, but he had anticipated this and quickly withdrew his hand, leaving her empty-handed.

  "Let go of me," Evelyn wriggled in his embrace, clearly unwilling to maintain this closeness.

  "Are you sure you can even stand?" Ryan asked with a soft laugh, looking at her seriously. He could feel her body still trembling, too weak to fully support herself.

  "Don't move, be good," Ryan murmured gently, tightening his arms around Evelyn as if coaxing a sulking girlfriend.

  Hearing this tender tone, Evelyn felt even more embarrassed, her cheeks flushing bright red. She struggled harder in his arms, determined to make him let go.

  Seeing her refusal, Ryan sighed helplessly and hugged her a little tighter, rendering her completely immobile.

  To deal with a stubborn woman, a firmer hand was necessary. He certainly did not want her to fall in the snow because she couldn't stand on her own.

  "Lyra, go back into the totem first." Ryan looked down at the little girl clinging anxiously to his leg and said.

  Lyra immediately reacted. Her small body flickered into a sliver of light, precisely diving into the totem at Ryan's chest. The totem emitted a faint glow, then returned to calm.

  Once he confirmed Lyra had returned, a sudden question arose in Ryan's mind: where had that furious, shouting old woman gone?

  He held Evelyn, still limp and weak in his arms, and scanned the surrounding white snowfield. Aside from their footprints, there was nothing but the howling wind.

  Ryan slowly rotated with Evelyn in his arms, searching carefully. Finally, not far away in the snow, he spotted an elderly figure.

  It was Mora. Her eyes were tightly closed, a faint aura of magical energy swirling around her, seemingly meditating and calming herself.

  "What's wrong with her?" Ryan frowned, stopping in his tracks, wary of approaching recklessly.

  He knew that kissing Evelyn in front of this old woman had undoubtedly trampled over her bottom line.

  Would this enraged elder suddenly erupt and unleash a destructive spell that reduced him to ash?

  The scene was like a young man, unapproved by the woman's family, kissing their daughter right in front of the family elders.

  It was a deadly blow, a strike straight to Mora's heart.

  While Ryan remained on guard, a trace of Elder Mage magical energy suddenly leaked from Mora.

  Though faint, this energy carried the terrifying pressure unique to an Elder Mage. Like an invisible tidal wave, it instantly swept Ryan and Evelyn off their feet.

  "Headmistress!" Mora's figure flickered.

  With a teleport-like movement, she appeared in front of Evelyn, catching her steadily in her arms just as she was about to fall.