Chapter 185
Heps‘ beast form was a ferret. A tiny, slender creature, completely white–like an adorable little mouse.
Nyx was so overwhelmed by how cute Heps was that she could barely breathe.
As the situation took a turn for the worse, Zayne reacted quickly, grabbing the ferret off the ground to stop Nyx from reaching for it.
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Although the ferret was young, it was already twelve years old—old enough to understand things and to be considered a potential rival for Nyx’s attention.
Zayne placed the ferret on the sofa, away from Nyx, and patted its head. “No need to be nervous.”
Despite his wariness, Zayne bore no malice toward the ferret. Instead, he even felt a certain kinship due to their similar backgrounds.
The ferret’s beady black eyes were fixed on Zayne, filled with gratitude and admiration.
Over the past few days on Central Planet, Heps had learned a lot about Nyx and, by extension, about her mates. Each of them was an awe–inspiring presence, but the one he admired most was undoubtedly Zayne.
They were both from Desolate Planet and both interested in alchemy, but Heps believed that Zayne was on a whole different level–far superior in every way.
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“Lord Zayne, may I take you as my master?” Heps hesitated for a long time before finally voicing his request. “I want to learn alchemy from you.”
Heps was so nervous that his ferret body tensed, his voice barely above a whisper.
He felt shameless for asking. Just being saved by Nyx was already an incredible stroke of luck, yet here he was, daring to ask for more.
But opportunities like this didn’t come often. Having grown up on Desolate Planet, he knew better than anyone how to fight for what he wanted.
Zayne was caught off guard. After spending so much time with Nyx, he had softened considerably. Faced with those round, pleading eyes from Heps, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He nodded. “Alright.
“Focus on your studies. Come find me on weekends during your breaks, and I’ll teach you some things about alchemy.”
“Yes, Master.” The little ferret wiggled excitedly.
Nyx looked on with interest.
But the ferret was way too thin. Even with its fluffy fur, Nyx could tell it was all skin and bones. Its coat looked dull, too.
Nyx invited Heps to stay for dinner. The little ferret was clearly tempted but hesitated, feeling too embarrassed to accept.
“It’s okay; just don’t be shy,” Nyx reassured him. “Now that you’ve taken Zayne as your master, consider us your family. This is your home now.”
Heps froze. To him, “family” was a foreign concept. He never thought he would have a home in this lifetime.
Tears welled up and streamed down his fur. He couldn’t help but throw himself at Nyx, crying.
Before he could land in her arms, Zayne unceremoniously grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
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Chipter 183
Nye was speechless. She thought. Is he seriously jealous of a kid?
In her eyes, twelve year–old Heps was just a junior in need of care. Sure, he was cute, but her fondness was purely one meant fur small animals there was nothing more to it.
Heps felt the same way. He only had the utmost respect for Nyx. But when he took his first bite of dinner, that respect ebared to an entirely new level
“Do you want another plate?” Nyx asked, staring in shock as the scrawny male devoured an entire plate of food in two minutes. She thought. Is he going to overeat and get sick?
Heps clearly had been malnourished for a long time. Nyx had been through that before–when she’d been starving for too long, her stomach couldn’t handle much food at once. She had to ease into it gradually. So she knew that feeling.
Still, Heps was eating so fast and so much.
“Let him eat,” Zayne said, refilling Heps‘ plate and giving Nyx a reassuring nod. “It’s fine.”
Zayne knew that male bodies were sturdier and more resilient. Heps wouldn’t suffer from overeating–if anything, it would only help him recover faster.
And just as Zayne predicted, in just one month, Heps‘ body filled out like an inflating balloon. He went from a skinny twig to a well–proportioned build and even grew taller.
At lunch break, a sudden commotion broke out in the classroom.
“Something smells amazing. What is that?”
“Whose lunch smells this good?”
“Heps, is that you?”
A tall, burly boy strode over, reaching out without hesitation. “Where’d you get this fancy food? Hand it over. I want it.”
He was the class bully. Because he was big and strong, he acted tyrannically, frequently picking on other students.
His father held a high–ranking position in the education department, so teachers often turned a blind eye to his behavior, letting him get away with his antics.
For someone like Heps–a refugee from Desolate Planet with no status or background–he was the perfect target for bullying.
“No.” Heps decisively stored the lunchbox into his Space Button, rejecting the request without hesitation.
If it were anything else, he might have given it up–less trouble, less hassle. After living on Desolate Planet for so many years, he was used to avoiding conflict. But this was the lunch that Nyx brought him. He decided that there was no way he would hand it over.
The chubby boy threw a punch at Heps. “What did you just say?”
His fist hit nothing but air, and with a loud thud, he crashed into the table. His fury grew even stronger as he lunged forward to snatch Heps‘ Space Button.
In his mind, Heps was just like a skinny little monkey–someone who would topple over with a single push. But once they actually started fighting, he realized that he couldn’t win. In just a few exchanges, his confidence shattered.
What was even worse–his class rep actually joined in, helping Heps.
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Chapter 185
Two against one. The fight quickly became one–sided.
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Half an hour later. The chubby boy’s father rushed in. “What happened here?”
His eyes carried a threatening glint.
The teacher hadn’t expected him to come and stood there, flustered.
The teacher talked to the other students to find out what had happened after he broke up the fight. When he learned that the chubby boy had been the one causing trouble by bullying his classmate, he knew what he had to do.
But considering that the boy’s parents were difficult to deal with, he decided not to escalate the issue to them. Instead, he simply called Heps and the class rep to his office for some words of comfort.
Heps was well–behaved. He even shared a piece of his food with the teacher and the class rep.
But just as they started eating, an uninvited guest barged into the office. The teacher nearly choked on the food.
He quickly spat it out, forced a smile onto his face, and tried to calm the chubby boy’s father down.
But the man refused to let it go. “My son is hurt. You must call the other kid’s parents so we can have a proper talk.”
The teacher hesitated. He thought, ‘Where would Heps even find parents? He’s an orphan–from Desolate Planet, of all places.‘
The teacher didn’t even dare look at Heps‘ expression. Lowering his voice, he explained the situation to the chubby boy’s father.
“An orphan? No parents?” The man sneered, sizing up Heps. “Then just expel him. Fighting is surely a bad behavior–he doesn’t deserve the Empire’s sponsorship.”
“Why should he be expelled? I was part of the fight too. You can call my parents.” The class rep stepped forward angrily, shielding Heps.
Amid the chaos, Heps quietly spoke, “Well, I can call my guardian.”
