Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

Chapter 295 Runes

Chapter 295  Runes

"How is this even possible?"

Yennefer's awe-filled voice echoed in my ears.

I sat on a chair, my upper body half-naked and fully exposed to her.

Yennefer stood behind me, mumbling things to herself while I tried my best to hide my boner.

'Fuck this stupid body.' I swear, I am not the kind of guy who gets thrilled by exposing himself.

[<Or you might never know—>]

'Don't make me doubt myself, you dumb goddess.' I groaned, adjusting myself so I could hide my stupid thing.

Why is it so big anyway?

Sighing, I glanced back at her.

She was scribbling something in a notebook, her brows knitted together.

Her pink-tinted white hair kept falling into her face as she worked, and the way her brows furrowed in concentration was—

'Fuck my body.' "How are you still alive?" she asked, slamming her notebook on the table.

"...I don't know," I replied, shrugging off her question.

She sighed, rubbed her eyes, and then ordered, "Bend over."

"What?" I asked, placing my hand on my chest. "What do you mean?"

"Just bend over," she repeated tiredly before walking closer.

"I respect you, Professor Yennefer, but I am not that kind of man—"

My words abruptly halted as she pushed my head down while touching my back along my spine.

'....'

Stop touching me like that, woman.

[<How shameless.>]

'I know righ—' [<I am talking about you.>]

'.....'

I cleared my throat, adjusting my boner.

It's all that bloodsucker's fault!

[<You talk like your sin isn't lust—>]

'Are you with me or against me?' [<With you, of course.>]

'Then shut it.' "Alright, I think I get the gist of it."

Yennefer's voice echoed as I ignored Inna's grumbling.

She patted my head—a gesture I wasn't sure how to feel about—before walking away slowly.

Her gaze was on the notebook as she kept writing something.

I sighed, leaning on the chair, waiting for her to finish.

After a few moments, she put the notebook aside.

Taking a chair, she placed it right in front of me before sitting down.

Something flashed past her eyes—anger, perhaps?

Her lips parted as she asked, "Who did this to you?"

I hesitated, then smiled awkwardly. "I did it to myself."

"Himmel, why?" she immediately whimpered, shifting uncomfortably on her chair. "How could you destroy your own body?"

"It's not that bad—"

"It could have been!" she snapped, cutting me off. "Do you have any idea how many things could've gone wrong?"

"I think I do—"

"No, you don't!" she interrupted again, glaring at me.

"With the level of bone density increase I'm seeing, it's a miracle you haven't developed marble bones! Do you even realize how fragile that would've made you?"

I tilted my head. "Is that... good or bad?"

"It's bad, you idiot!" she huffed, tying her hair into a messy bun out of frustration. "Higher-density bones are more brittle. Even walking should've been difficult for you!"

She grumbled something in anger before she grabbed her notebook. "Anyway, why did you engrave runes on your body?"

"It's complicated—"

"It's because you couldn't use mana, isn't it?" she interrupted, her eyes softening a lot.

"How do you know?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"It wasn't hard to figure out," she said, avoiding my gaze.

I nodded my head in response.

As expected, she is smart.

"The problem is now I can use mana normally," I explained further, looking at her. "But because of the runes, I can't—"

Yennefer frowned. "How did you lift the curse in the first place?"

"How do you know I was cursed?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Why else would you not be able to use mana?" she scoffed. "That's the only possible reason I can think of."

I quietly nodded my head.

Valid point.

But I still couldn't let go of the feeling that she was hiding something.

"So," I began, "any idea how I can fix my problem?"

Yennefer leaned back in her chair, pondering for a moment before finally speaking.

"I'm sorry, Himmel. I'll need more time to figure this out."

I sighed, nodding. "I see."

Well, I guess I was being too hopeful.

"Removing the runes is one option," she continued,

"but that's incredibly risky. Alternatively, we could find a way to redirect the mana they're absorbing. Either way, it's going to be difficult."

"Do you have any leads?" I asked.

"Ritual," she replied, standing up. "I can try something."

She pushed aside all the things on her table as she opened up a blank sheet of paper.

"It would be better if I could use the runes for something else," I said, walking beside her. "It was hard to engrave them."

Her movements stilled, and her hands trembled slightly.

Without looking up, she whispered, "It must've been painful."

"Hm?"

"Engraving those runes," she mumbled.

"Nah, you are thinking too much," I replied, smiling. "It wasn't that hard."

She sighed, leaning on the desk for support, her now-limp body.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.

Her amber eyes locked onto mine, burning with anger. "Was it really necessary to put yourself through that?"

"I was desperate," I said simply.

Yennefer pursed her lips, but in the end, she said nothing.

Her expression turned into one of guilt as she bowed her head.

Why is she feeling guilty?

She shook her head, muttering under her breath as she returned to her work.

"I want to hug you, but..." she said with a light chuckle. "Something tells me your intentions aren't entirely pure right now."

"...!"

I sank back into my seat, away from her.

Fuck my stupid body.

"Alright," she said, gesturing toward my shirt. "You should go now. It's getting late."

"Yeah," I mumbled, grabbing my shirt, slipping it on as I headed for the door. "See you tomorrow."

"Take care of yourself," she said, focusing on her work. "And make sure to drink more milk."

I froze mid-step. "What?"

She turned, blinking innocently. "Don't you like milk?"

"I do?"

"Just go," she replied.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "Bye, Yenna."

"By—hey! Who are you calling Yenna!"

I quickly closed the door behind me, walking outside.

"...."

But just as I did, I was immediately greeted by a few familiar faces.

"...What exactly were you doing with my mother?" Zenith asked, glaring at me.

I smirked, running a hand through my long hair. "Kids shouldn't concern themselves with what adults are up to—"

"You're the youngest one here, fucker," Aimar cut in, his glare matching Zenith's. "And button your damn shirt."

"Age is just a number," I shot back, lazily fastening my shirt. "In my heart, I'm—"

The door behind me clicked open, interrupting my excuse.

I flinched as Yennefer stuck her head out.

"Come back tomorrow. I'm not finished with you," she said curtly before slamming the door shut.

"...."

An awkward silence lingered between us.

Even though I know she didn't mean it that way, I still couldn't help but grin.

Zenith glared at me as if planning my murder.

Aimar had the same look as Zenith.

Only one girl remained impassive, her crimson eyes staring at me.

I looked back at Siersha standing in the corner.

'She isn't jealous?'

Well, doesn't seem like she is.

"I hope you die," Aimar snarled, glaring at me.

"My poor mom," Zenith groaned, turning to Siersha. "Can I borrow your brother's car?"

"Why?" Siersha asked.

"I need to make a murder look like an accident," she replied, glaring at me.

"A car accident won't kill me, but feel free to try," I replied, shrugging. "Anyway, why are you guys here?"

"I need a job," Aimar replied, turning around. "Elijah asked me to call you so we can go together."

"Why a job?" I asked, stepping closer.

"Unlike you, I am no prince," he replied, glancing at me. "I need money to keep myself sustainable."

"Why are you here, then?" I asked, glancing at Siersha and Zenith.

"I wanted to talk to you," Siersha replied, her voice calm but curt. "Though it seems you've been busy spending quality time with the professor."

"Can you not phrase it like that?" Zenith groaned, her face twisted with disgust. "She's my mother."

"....I am sorry," Siersha replied with an awkward smile.

"It's fine," Zenith mumbled before glaring at me. "Just lend me your brother's car later on."

"Can I have a moment?" Siersha asked, looking at me.

I tilted my head in confusion, but she refused to explain.

"Sure," I replied before looking at Aimar. "I will meet you in a few minutes."

"Don't take too long," Aimar called over his shoulder as he walked off.

"Wait, I'm coming with you," Zenith exclaimed before walking with Aimar.

I followed Siersha as she led me down the hall to an empty classroom.

"Your hand," she said as soon as the door clicked shut.

"Why?" I asked, though my hand was already extended toward her.

She grabbed my hand tightly before she brought it close to her mouth.

I flinched slightly as she pricked my finger with her canines.

A cooling feeling rushed all over my body as I closed my eyes.

Slowly, I felt some of my life energy replenish, giving me a sense of utopia.

But just as quickly as it began, it was over.

Siersha stepped back, wiping a stray drop of blood from her lips gracefully.

"Already done?" I asked, disappointment creeping into my voice.

"Don't get greedy," she said, her tone sharp and unkind. "I can only do this twice a day without harming myself."

"…Fair enough," I muttered, falling into step beside her as we left the classroom.

"Won't it affect your life energy?" I asked, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye.

"Vampires regenerate faster than humans," she replied coolly. "You don't need to worry about me."

"..."

I quietly nodded.

"Is your grandfather preparing for something?" I asked, matching my pace with hers. "Like any kind of war—"

"Aren't we enemies?" she cut into my words, staring into my eyes. "What makes you think I would leak that information?"

"...."

Why is this girl so touchy?

"By the way," she added, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly, "are you actually interested in Zenith's mother?"

"That's none of your business," I replied curtly. "And aren't we supposed to be enemies?"

She glared at me, and I just shrugged off her hostility.

After a few seconds, she mumbled under her breath, "…Just don't hurt Zenith."

"Hm?" I tilted my head.

"She's only recently started acting like herself again," Siersha explained, her voice softening. "After what happened to her friend."

"Her friend?" I asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Her close friend died."

My brows knitted together as I asked, "Who died?"

"You don't know her," Siersha replied. "She wasn't from Akasha."

"Wait, who are you talking about?" I asked, knitting my brows.

Siersha slowed down before glancing at me. "Her name was Christina. She died six months ago."

I froze in my place, my blood turning cold.

Siersha also stopped, looking at me.

"What?" I asked, unable to comprehend her words.

"She was killed," Siersha continued, her crimson eyes boring into mine, "by her fiancé."