Chapter 122

Sure enough.

As Eren drove his Aston Martin into the school parking lot, he spotted Principal Shermo chatting with a security guard at the gate.

The moment Eren noticed Shermo, the principal also caught sight of Eren stepping out of the sleek Aston Martin.

Upon seeing this, Shermo's eyelid twitched involuntarily.

Goodness.

An Aston Martin DB7 Vantage!

As a car enthusiast, Shermo immediately recognized the luxury sports car—a vehicle that had captured the hearts of many the moment it debuted.

Shermo had once fantasized about driving this car down the street, roaring past and drawing admiring screams. But the exorbitant price tag of the Aston Martin DB7 Vantage had always kept it beyond his reach.

He hadn't expected to see a car he could never afford being driven by one of his students.

Hmph!

For the sake of this car, Shermo decided to give this rule-breaking student a good scolding later.

He needed to teach Eren how serious it was to skip school.

However...

When Shermo saw Eren quickly approaching him with a smile on his face, his irritation mysteriously dissipated.

In the blink of an eye...

Shermo found himself unable to get angry. Especially when Eren greeted him with that warm smile—it felt strangely endearing.

In an instant, Shermo's mind was filled with a peculiar thought:

Maybe Eren skipping school today wasn't such a big deal after all.

If Eren could offer a reasonable explanation, Shermo decided he would let it slide this time.

As Shermo's thoughts shifted, Eren arrived in front of him and apologized sincerely.

"Sorry, Principal Shermo. I happened to be at Tony Stark's mansion last night. Something happened there, which delayed me. Plus, the travel time didn't help... Anyway, I'm sorry for being late today."

Looking at Eren, who was apologizing earnestly, Shermo's expression softened further.

So he really was at Stark's mansion last night? That means he was involved in that major event.

That made sense. A good student like Eren wouldn't skip school for no reason.

After finding a plausible explanation in his own mind, Shermo sighed and said, "Fine, as long as you're okay. Go back to class for now. This afternoon, make sure to visit the administration office and fill out a leave slip."

Patting Eren on the shoulder, Shermo stepped aside to let him into the school.

"Thank you, Principal Shermo!"

Eren thanked him and quickly entered the campus.

Standing nearby, the security guard, who had been expecting Shermo to lay into Eren, widened his eyes in disbelief.

Since when did Shermo become so lenient?

Wasn't he just saying he'd give that kid a good scolding?

How did he change his mind so quickly?

On the other side...

As Eren entered the school, he subtly retracted the mental energy that had been focused in his eyes.

Moments ago, he had subtly hypnotized Shermo, enhancing the principal's favorable impression of him and subtly altering his thoughts.

For dealing with ordinary people with weak mental resistance, hypnosis truly is an incredibly useful tool!

It's practically unstoppable when they don't even realize it.

Smirking slightly, Eren quickened his pace toward his classroom.

By the time Eren arrived at school, it was almost noon.

The morning classes were already in their final session.

Fortunately, his class had a self-study period for the last session.

With no teacher in the room, Eren smoothly returned to his seat.

Before he could sit down, Doug, the chubby boy sitting nearest to him, leaned over and asked, "Eren, why are you so late? I thought you weren't coming today either."

"I wanted to skip, but Principal Shermo even called my house. Could I not come?"

Hearing Shermo's name, Doug's head shrank slightly. He gave Eren a sympathetic look, as if to say:

Man, getting on that old guy's radar? You're doomed.

Ignoring Doug's gaze, Eren casually tidied up his desk, took out a textbook from his drawer, and laid it open on the table.

At that moment, Doug seemed to remember something. He fished a few folded charms from his pocket and handed one to Eren.

Looking at the oddly drawn but seemingly ordinary charm, Eren turned to Doug and asked, "A peace charm? What's this for?"

Doug leaned closer and whispered, "Something weird's been happening over on 13th Street lately. A bunch of people have died. My mom got worried and went to some master for these peace charms. Here, take one—it's supposed to keep you safe."

"I don't really believe in that stuff, but hey, it's a peace charm. It might help a little... especially since it cost money."

Playing with the charm in his hand, Eren frowned slightly.

13th Street was part of Chinatown, located in the lower district—not too far from his home.

How come I haven't heard about anything happening there?

"Doug, do you know what exactly happened on 13th Street?"

Doug shook his head. "Not much. I just heard people have been dying there every day for the past few days—over a dozen so far. And the way they die is really creepy, like they're being suffocated alive."

"Apparently, to calm the residents, the community invited a master to perform some rituals yesterday. But it didn't work. This morning, someone else died. When I left home, my mom specifically warned me to stay away from that area. Since you live alone, I figured you might not know, so I'm telling you—and giving you a charm."

(End of Chapter)

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