After getting bitten by the Beheaded Man, Maruti whined and cried like a kid who fell off a swing. She was so embarrassed and angry that she started beating the poor monster.
She punched him, kicked him, stomped on him—over and over—for half an hour straight.
By the time she was done, the Beheaded Man wasn't even recognizable anymore. He was just a pile of mud mixed with rotten flesh. It was a very sad ending for the monster.
But even after all that, Maruti still couldn't bring herself to look Esdeath in the eyes.
Her face was bright red from shame. She kept stealing quick glances at Esdeath, but every time their eyes almost met, Maruti would quickly look away like a guilty cat.
Esdeath didn't say anything. She just had a small smirk on her lips the whole time.
After that, they focused on their real work—looting!
They collected everything they could from Madam Eight Legs' body—her shiny spider eyes, strong silk threads, and tough exoskeleton pieces. They also gathered whatever other monster parts they could find nearby.
Sadly, it wasn't as much as they had hoped. A lot of the good parts were already taken by soldiers.
Still, it was way better than getting nothing at all.
Time passed quickly, and soon the soft light of morning spread across the sky.
All the surviving students and teachers started moving back inside the academy's main building.
At first, there had been over a thousand students in the academy.
But after that hellish night... only around 120 students were left.
And just eleven teachers survived—including professors.
Even though they had been awake all night, nobody dared to fall asleep. Fear still clung to them like a heavy blanket.
What if the monsters came back?
No one wanted to take that risk.
However, there was a small bit of relief too.
The Royal Army had arrived, and even more importantly, Lortell Mariette was here—the only remaining S-rank inside Anastasia.
Her presence alone made the students and teachers feel much safer, like a small candle in a room full of darkness.
Work was happening everywhere.
Soldiers were collecting dead bodies, calling out names of survivors, and contacting families of both the living and the dead.
It was a sad and heavy time. Tears, cries, and whispers filled the air.
Lilith had also woken up.
Even though she was still very weak, she forced herself to get up and help with the important tasks. Her face was pale, and she walked slowly, but her spirit was strong.
In all this chaos, surprisingly, no one asked about Selene.
No one questioned who she was, or why a little girl was wandering around the academy.
Maybe everyone was just too tired, too scared, or too busy to care.
By the time evening came, almost all of the students had left the academy.
Out of more than a hundred, only a few dozen remained.
The rest packed their bags and rushed back to their hometowns, wanting to be with their families as soon as possible.
Lilith didn't stop them.
Instead, she ordered the staff to give emergency travel funds to the students who wanted to leave immediately.
But there was a catch—the money would be counted as a debt, and they would have to repay it someday.
Because of this, the ones who stayed behind were mostly poor commoner students.
They simply didn't have the money or the choice to leave.
----------------
And just like that, the first day after the disaster went by.
The sun slowly disappeared behind the mountains, and night arrived, bringing a cool breeze with it.
Esdeath and Maruti were among the few people who decided to stay at the academy.
Maruti was lying on her bed in her cozy room, feeling completely relaxed.
She had a big, satisfied smile on her face, like a child after a fun day.
"What a great day," Maruti said to herself, stretching her arms happily. "No boring lectures, no fighting, no hiding from that scary Kailith... just eating and resting!"
She closed her eyes and let out a deep, content sigh.
For some reason, she hadn't seen Kailith or Alice anywhere all day.
And honestly, it was a blessing!
Not seeing them made her day even more perfect.
But her peaceful moment didn't last long.
Suddenly—Bam!—something jumped onto her stomach!
"Oof!" Maruti gasped, opening her eyes in shock.
It was none other than the little troublemaker, Selene!
Selene sat proudly on Maruti's belly, smiling brightly.
"Aunt, why are you talking to yourself?" Selene asked, tilting her head cutely.
"Huh?!" Maruti blinked a few times, then frowned. "What are you doing here? And knock before you enter, you little brat! It's bad manners!"
But Selene just smirked cheekily.
"Mother said she has some important work to do," Selene answered proudly. "So, tonight, I'm going to sleep with Aunt Maruti!"
Maruti stared at the little girl's bright, innocent face for a few seconds.
Then she sighed heavily, like a tired mother dealing with a stubborn child.
"I know exactly what this 'important work' is..." she mumbled under her breath, shaking her head.
Still, she opened her arms and smiled gently.
"Come here, let's sleep," she said warmly, pulling Selene into a hug.
Selene happily snuggled close to Maruti, wrapping her little arms and legs around her, just like she always did with Esdeath.
She pushed her small head into Maruti's chest, trying to get comfy.
But something unexpected happened—
Maruti's huge soft breasts fell right onto Selene's head, covering it completely like two giant pillows.
Selene's tiny face was trapped, and she couldn't breathe properly!
Her face quickly turned red like a ripe tomato.
She struggled and wiggled around before finally pulling herself free, gasping for air.
"Huff... Huff..." Selene breathed heavily, her eyes wide in shock.
She wanted to scold Maruti badly, but when she looked up, she saw—
Maruti was already fast asleep, her mouth slightly open, and a small snore escaping her lips.
Selene stared at her for a moment and then pouted.
"Aunt really is a fast sleeper!" she muttered with a mix of frustration and amusement.
Not wanting to get trapped again, Selene carefully scooted a little distance away from Maruti.
She curled up under the blanket and fell asleep too, being extra careful this time to avoid getting smothered again.
The night inside the academy was quiet but peaceful, as if trying to heal the heavy wounds left behind from yesterday.
--------------------------
Three days quickly went by, and many things had changed since that terrifying night.
The academy had been repaired little by little, with workers fixing the broken walls and cleaning the bloodstains.
But some things could not be fixed so easily.
The dead bodies of the students were buried in the academy's graveyard.
However, the number of deaths was simply too much — the graveyard didn't have enough space.
So, only students from noble families or those with high status were buried there.
The others — the commoners — were either sent to different graveyards or given back to their families for funerals.
It was a painful sight, and the heavy sadness still hung in the air even after three days.
---
Today, however, was supposed to be a special day.
Families of the surviving students were arriving one by one to meet their children.
And that included Esdeath too.
Her father couldn't make it because of his busy work, but her mother was coming to meet her.
Esdeath was both excited and nervous.
The news of the monster attack had already spread across the whole Anastasia Kingdom, so her family knew what happened.
Her mother had left two days ago by horse carriage, and today she was finally arriving.
But her mother's arrival wasn't the only thing making today important.
Today was also the reward ceremony.
The academy had decided to honor the students and teachers who showed courage — those who fought monsters, saved others, and survived that nightmare.
There would also be big announcements after the ceremony.
---
In the middle of all this excitement, Esdeath was sitting quietly on a wooden bench near the outskirts of the academy.
She rested her chin on her hand and kept her eyes on the academy's front gate, waiting patiently.
Suddenly,
"Boo!"
Maruti jumped out from behind and tried to scare Esdeath.
But Esdeath didn't even blink.
She stayed completely calm, like she didn't even notice.
Maruti puffed her cheeks, feeling a little annoyed.
"Let's go eat something!" Maruti said eagerly, already chewing a big piece of meat in her mouth.
Her words were a little hard to understand because she was still chewing, but her meaning was clear — she wanted more food.
"Nope," Esdeath shook her head firmly.
"My mother is coming today. She should be here any minute now."
Maruti raised an eyebrow, curious.
"Mother? Your mother?" she asked with a teasing smile.
"I thought I was the only one with a rough family background," she added, chuckling softly.
"So, which one is coming?" she asked again.
In this world, it was common for people to have more than one wife, so Maruti naturally wondered.
She herself had many mothers.
Esdeath narrowed her eyes at her.
"Unlike you, I only have one—" Esdeath started to scold her, but then she heard the sound of hooves.
She turned to see a fancy carriage stopping in front of the gate.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She immediately knew — it was her mother's carriage.
"She's here! Let's go!" Esdeath turned to Maruti to call her
But the moment she looked, Maruti had already disappeared.
"Huh? Where did she go?" Esdeath blinked, confused.
---
Meanwhile, at the academy gate, the carriage door opened slowly.
Esdeath's mother, Charlotte, stepped out gracefully.
She was a beautiful woman with flowing crimson hair and warm brown eyes.
Her dress was simple but elegant, and her every movement showed a quiet strength.
She took a deep breath of the fresh air
But then suddenly, a giant shadow loomed over her.
Confused, Charlotte slowly looked up
Only to see a huge muscular woman standing right in front of her.
It was Maruti.
Charlotte was shorter and much smaller compared to her, and a drop of sweat rolled down her forehead nervously.
Maruti grinned and placed a hand under Charlotte's chin, lifting it slightly.
"Oh hellooow, my peri peri aunty," Maruti said in a weirdly sadistic but playful tone.
Then she suddenly smiled brightly like nothing happened.
"I'm Maruti! Your daughter's friend!" she announced cheerfully.
Before Charlotte could even react, Maruti bent down and extended her hand toward Charlotte's feet — as if trying to touch them.
Charlotte stepped back quickly, shocked.
"What are you doing?" she asked, wide-eyed.
Maruti froze for a second, holding her own hand like it had betrayed her.
"Huh? What was I about to do?" she said, confused.
"It felt like... some muscle memory. I just did it without thinking!"
She stood up straight immediately, scratching her head awkwardly.
Charlotte blinked a few times, unsure whether to laugh or be worried.