Chapter 3

In contrast to Aria's delight, Kalix was visibly irritated. He hadn't expected he could take something away from me so easily this time. He looked kind of displeased, but he plastered a forced smile on his face.

After the selection ceremony ended, only Kalix and I remained in the great hall, along with our respective disciples.

Kalix looked at Aria with a slight frown and a hint of disdain.

He said in an unimpressed tone, "You only have mediocre talent. Under normal circumstances, you never would have gotten a chance to be my disciple. Consider yourself lucky that Caelus took an interest in you. If you prove yourself useless, I'll send you away."

His words were cold and dismissive.

The phrases "send you away" and "mediocre talent" dealt a blow to Aria's ego. She looked taken aback, and her expression froze.

In her previous life when Kalix had come to her, he had showered her with sweet words and flattery. He had put her on a pedestal, saying how fortunate he would be to have a disciple like her.

Watching the scene unfold, I found it deeply amusing.

In reality, Aria was indeed not very talented. Everything she had accomplished later in her life had been built up little by little with the blood, sweat, and effort I had poured into her.

I watched her clench her fists.

After becoming the Demon Empress in her previous life, she had developed a strong sense of confidence. Perhaps she thought that with a little effort, she could reclaim the position she had once held.

But this time around, nothing was set in stone.

I turned around and left with Rhea. Their retribution would be upon them in due time.

For a long time afterward, I didn't see either of them again. I focused on teaching Rhea. I watched her grow bit by bit, making full use of the extraordinary talent she had possessed from the beginning.

The next time I saw Aria, she was surrounded by a group of celestial attendants.

"Hey, who do you think you are? What makes you think you can cut in line and get special treatment? We got here first."

One of the attendants planted her hands on her hips and pointed at Aria unhappily.

Aria fired back, her face flushed with anger. "How dare you lowly maids block my path? I'm Lord Kalix's disciple! How bold of you to cross me! Watch yourselves, or you'll pay for it with your pathetic lives!"

She had grown accustomed to throwing her weight around during her time as the Demon Empress. There was no way she could tolerate some attendants ordering her around now.

The lead attendant couldn't take the insults anymore. She stepped forward, raising her hand to slap Aria.

"Disciple? As if! For starters, Lord Kalix has enough disciples to fill this entire mountain several times over. With talent like yours, you couldn't even get past his front door on most days! Don't act all high and mighty. You aren't much better off than us!"

Unsurprisingly, her words struck a nerve.

Ever since Aria had become Kalix's disciple, she had barely seen him. She had tried several times to visit him at his residence, but he had turned her away every time.

Aria spat, "How dare a lowly maid like you mock me? Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson so you'd know your place!"

The two were just about to throw hands when one of the attendants spotted me from the corner of her eye.

She curtsied respectfully in my direction. "Greetings, Lord Caelus."

The two women who were just about to fight stopped what they were doing. The attendant who had been arguing with Aria dropped to her knees. Although Aria was insignificant, she was still Kalix's disciple. The attendant was terrified that I would punish her.

Aria, on the other hand, looked unbearably haughty. She even shot the attendant a smug look.

In her mind, I was still the mentor who doted on her the most in her previous life. I couldn't stand to see her suffer even the slightest injustice. So, she expected me to stand up for her today, just like I used to.

But to her surprise, I didn't even spare her a glance. I just nodded and turned to leave.

The attendants scurried away instantly. Unlike Aria, they knew that although I usually appeared approachable, I was extremely strict when it mattered. They hurried away as fast as they could, eager to disappear before I had a reason to reprimand them.

Aria, on the other hand, rushed over and spread her arms to block my path. She looked indignant and upset.

She asked in a demanding tone, "Lord Caelus, why didn't you help me?"

I unleashed a powerful wave of energy. It struck Aria head-on and sent her flying several feet backward.

My voice was filled with disgust as I sneered, "Who do you think you are to block my way?"

Aria took the full force of the blow. A thin line of blood trickled from one corner of her mouth. Only then did she realize that I was no longer her mentor.

She crawled toward me and grabbed the hem of my robe with a calculating glint flashing through her eyes.

"Lord Caelus, I need to speak with you. Please, you have to help me!"