Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls-Chapter 161: You have to go see your grandmother.

Kael stood for a moment, trying to recompose his posture, but his mind was still partly occupied with the latest discoveries about his newly acquired power. He felt a slight tension in the room, an almost electric sensation coming from Lyra, her presence now even more tangible with the way she dominated the space around her.

He finally took a deep breath and walked over to the table where Lyra was sitting. His steps were steady, but something in his chest seemed to be pounding harder than usual. It wasn't just Lyra's presence, but the very change he was feeling inside.

Lyra watched him carefully, an enigmatic smile on her lips, but her eyes sparkled with a slight hint of amusement, as if she knew exactly the effect she was having. Kael felt a slight discomfort, but kept his posture. She always had this ability to affect him more than she should, but this was no time to get lost in distractions.

"So, what did you find out about the guy?" Kael asked, keeping a serious tone but with a slight tension in his voice.

Lyra didn't answer immediately. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, her eyes focused on Kael in a way that seemed to explore his every detail. The silence between them seemed dense, charged with a mixture of curiosity and something else, something Kael couldn't immediately identify.

"You seem different" Her voice sounded soft, almost a whisper, but with a hint of provocation that he immediately recognized. "I'm feeling a lot of power... you've gotten a lot stronger."

He glanced at her, a little surprised by her perception. He hadn't expected Lyra to be so quick to notice. She wasn't wrong, of course. He felt that change, the status points, although it didn't make that much difference to him, to those around him, it was perceptive, something much sharper, more present. But, for some reason, he didn't want to discuss it with her now. There was still something incomplete.

"We're not here to talk about it." Kael said firmly, pulling up a chair and sitting down at the table. He didn't want to get lost in his own thoughts or carried away by the tension that Lyra always created around them. He needed to focus.

Even though it was difficult with her dressed like that.

Lyra simply smiled, a smile that conveyed confidence and a hint of mystery. She picked up a folder of documents and placed it on the table, slowly sliding it towards Kael.

"This is the information on the man you captured," she began, her voice calm and controlled, but there was a glint of satisfaction in her eyes. "He's not just a drug dealer. He's connected to a much larger network, an organization that operates in several regions. There's something much bigger going on, Kael. And this guy... he knows more than he's willing to admit."

Kael looked at the documents, but his thoughts were still a little scattered. He felt as if the room had become a little more claustrophobic. Everything in his life seemed to be starting to intertwine, the pieces of the puzzle coming together, but he wasn't sure he was ready to see the full picture just yet.

"So, what exactly do you suggest?" He asked, turning to Lyra, his eyes now more focused on her.

Lyra leaned forward a little, her eyes shining with a peculiar intensity. "We don't have a plan formed in mind, but we will contact the rulers about this. Initially we put it aside just to maintain the appearance of a Safer Academy." She paused, smiling slightly. "But as you can see, it seems that people of great strength really are interfering in something like this. A drug dealer capable of creating a dimension within Azalith was the trigger. We're going to ask for help from the Supreme Rulers of this world to make sure..."

Kael felt a shiver run down his spine. She was right. There was something bigger, something he couldn't see clearly yet, but felt growing with each day, with each choice, with each step closer to the truth. This help from the rulers was necessary.

"I see, so the Sword will probably be taken off this case, right?" He said, his voice firmer now. "But... well, I'm still annoyed. If possible, I'd like to stay on the case."

Lyra smiled, as if she had already known he would say that. "Don't worry, Kael. We didn't even think about it really. We want you... to go and tell your grandmother, the Witch Queen, about what happened."

Kael hesitated for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he processed what Lyra had just said. Notify his grandmother... The Witch Queen. The mere mention of her brought an uncomfortable feeling, something he couldn't ignore.

"I... should I?" The doubt in Kael's voice was clear, but there was more to it than simple reluctance. He knew what it meant. He knew that by talking to his grandmother, he would not only be dealing with the figure who ruled the witches, but also with a woman who was immensely possessive and... overly affectionate in a rather suffocating way.

Lyra watched him, her expression softer, almost as if she were amused by Kael's obvious discomfort. "You have no choice, Kael. Your grandmother may be difficult to deal with, but she's one of the most powerful figures in this world. Her help could be crucial... and besides, she already knows what happened. One way or another, she's already aware."

Kael frowned, swallowing. He didn't need Lyra's confirmation. He knew that his grandmother probably had sources who kept her informed about everything. But the simple fact of going up to her, looking into her eyes... he wasn't ready to deal with what would come next.

"She's... going to want to spoil me, isn't she?" Kael murmured, almost as if speaking to himself, a tone of resignation in his voice.

Lyra laughed softly, but it was more ironic than genuinely amused. "Well... yes, and you know she's going to do it her way. It won't be discreet at all." She paused, her expression slightly mischievous. "But maybe this is something you need, Kael. It'll be good for you. You need a little vacation."

Kael didn't answer right away. He found himself standing in the middle of the room, the weight of the decision becoming more and more evident. The idea of having to face his grandmother, with her excessive affectionate gestures, her need to "take care" of him as if he were still a child, made him uncomfortable. Not out of fear or dislike, but out of a sense of invasion, as if every time she treated him excessively, he lost a piece of his own independence.

He knew what would happen. She would pull him into her arms, and that embrace would be tight, strong. He also knew that she wouldn't be able to resist stroking his hair, leaning against him a little too intimately. And, if he was honest with himself, the idea bothered him much more than it should have. But not out of dislike - it was the simple fact that, even with all the strength he was gaining, she was still someone who could mess with him in ways he couldn't control.

"You call this a vacation? And that this is going to be easy for me, Lyra?" Kael asked, his voice a little lower, more introspective. He stared at the floor for a moment before turning back to face Lyra, his eyes filled with a mixture of frustration and resignation. "I know she'll suffocate me. She'll want to... drown me in affection. And I..."

"You'll survive," Lyra interrupted, with an almost motherly smile, as if trying to ease the tension. "And you know deep down that you can't help it. Your grandmother will do what she wants, and you'll let her."

Kael sighed, his hand clenching the edge of the table in front of him, as if trying to anchor himself in the reality around him. "I... I'm not a child anymore."

Lyra watched him for a moment, her eyes softening with a touch of understanding, but said nothing more. She knew that, deep down, Kael had an internal struggle. His grandmother treated him like a baby, but it was much more than that. She was one of Kael's greatest sources of power, but also one of the reasons he felt an emotional burden. He didn't want to be seen as weak, as dependent on affection and excessive attention. He didn't want the Witch Queen to see him as just someone to be pampered. But he knew he couldn't escape this dynamic.

"I know," Lyra said softly, finally rising from her chair. "But you have to go. There's no other way now. Besides... you're only eleven, despite having the body of a fifteen-year-old, you're only eleven. Stop the drama."

'Ah... it's true... hardly anyone knows that I'm a reincarnate...' Kael thought.

Kael snorted softly, almost in defeat, running his hand through his messy hair. Lyra, as always, hit the nail on the head - and made it sound like he was being overdramatic. Maybe he was. But it was hard to keep your composure when you knew what was waiting for you. freeweɓnøvel.com

"Yeah, yeah..." he grumbled, getting up from his chair with a certain feigned irritation. "I'll go. It's better to sort it out soon than keep putting it off."

Lyra smiled, satisfied. She knew he wouldn't refuse. Kael could never shirk his responsibilities - even the ones that came with kisses on the forehead, crushing hugs and the inevitable shame of being treated like a baby in front of the entire witches' court.

Kael stretched out and picked up the cloak that was lying on a nearby armchair. He threw it over his shoulders with a dry motion, fastening the golden clasp around his neck. As he adjusted the collar, he cast a quick glance at Lyra.

"If I'm not back in a few hours... send reinforcements," he said half-jokingly, half-seriously.

Lyra laughed, that crystalline, slightly sarcastic laugh that both irritated and comforted Kael. "Don't be silly. She'll shower you with cuddles, smother you in her breasts and probably force you to drink tea while caressing your cheeks. At most, you'll come back more fragrant."

Kael groaned audibly, like one condemned to a terrible fate.

"The problem is that I know her chest. It's huge. I literally get stuck not being able to breathe if she overdoes it."

He made a wide gesture in the air, as if drawing two large invisible spheres, drawing another amused laugh from Lyra.

"Consider it... part of endurance training," she teased, winking at him.

Kael gave her a deadly stare, but couldn't contain a slight smile at the corner of his lips. After all, it was comforting to have someone like Lyra by his side - someone who knew his weaknesses and yet didn't use them against him... at least, not seriously.

Taking a deep breath, Kael opened the door to the room, the wind from the corridor whipping against his face.

He stared down the long corridor that would take him to the Academy's teleportation area.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered to himself, more to convince himself than anything else.