I Refused To Be Reincarnated-Chapter 678: The Rooster and the Swan (or is she a Wolf?)

After Noah had left, James straightened, tensed his muscles, and puffed his chest as he guided them.

Misha chuckled. Each time she smiled at him, his face turned a bright red, and he stuttered on his stories of the temple rooms. To her, he looked like a barely mature rooster trying to charm a swan.

But where she found his behavior amusing, even cute, a deep furrow creased Adam’s brow. What was this fool doing?

Unable to hold back after the third time, he pointed at the curious students that followed them and hissed through his clenched jaws. "James, isn’t it? Thank you for guiding us so far, but I think it’s time for you to rest a little."

"O-Oh..." James glanced at Misha, stuttering. "Is there anything I did wrong?"

’Yeah, bastard. You keep ogling my partner.’ Adam almost snorted aloud.

Attraction was beyond a man’s control, and Misha’s perfect skin, delicate features, and bright golden eyes were indeed unresistible. He’d be a hypocrite to blame the teenager for something natural. But so what? No one liked to see another man scrutinise or court the person he loved, and he was no exception.

He shook his head, keeping a polite facade. "No, no. You’re an amazing guide—very knowledgeable and thorough! Your red face, though, suggests you’re pushing yourself." He patted the man’s shoulder. "Take a deep breath, drink some fresh water and feel better soon. Alright?"

James raised a confused brow. But as he was about to dismiss the kind worries, Adam’s eyes narrowed, dense mana wisps emanating from the treating slits.

He shuddered under the gaze, feeling smaller as if his boots had become too big for him. That was no gentleness. It was a predator’s warning—this was conquered territory, and he was playing with its ruler.

He staggered backward, sweat dripping, panic seizing him as he shoved through the crowd.

Once hidden behind his fellow students, the death pressure he felt from the gaze, which had merely lasted for a second, finally receded. He sighed in relief, remembering Noah’s words: do not provoke these two.

Meanwhile, Adam gazed at the girls with a warm smile. "Any girl wants to take his place?"

Dozens of hands shot up, accompanied by a chorus of "Me!".

Confused by their dedication, he picked a girl with an elegant air—glasses, a neat braid, and a hefty grimoire hugged to her chest.

"Jealous?" Misha sneered, her smile reaching her eyes.

"Don’t be ridiculous," Adam grumbled, gesturing for the girl to take over James’ role before Misha could tease more.

However, as soon as they stepped inside a classroom painted with cheerful skies and forests, the same problem resurfaced. He didn’t even have time to appreciate the contrasting flasks and silver utensils lining sterile research stations before the girl began to stutter.

"T-This was originally the order’s nursery. A-As you can see on the ceiling, Pablo painted clouds and smiling suns to make the children at ease..." Her voice lowered to a murmur. "Now it’s our health research classroom, where we create antidotes and counter agents..."

Adam sighed. Again?

Before he could think of the reason, Misha’s grip tightened on his arm.

Growling like a wolf, she glared at the shy girl with the intensity of a bird of prey, her voice as dry as sandpaper. "Who do you think you’re glaring at, you alley cat?"

The girl shivered, tears pooling in her eyes as a knot of dread gripped her neck, suffocating her. Unable to bear the pressure, she dropped to her knees, almost blurting out the unthinkable before tears choked her voice. "I-I’m sorry... hick... He’s..."

The girls in the crowd nodded, sharp glints flashing in their eyes and hoping to be picked next. After all, Adam was tall, handsome, and powerful enough to force James back. What was a glare when they could stand with him—perhaps even snatch him?

Baffled by those teenagers’ reactions and concerned by Misha’s outburst, Adam moved in front of the girl. He frowned before playfulness took over in the form of a smirk. "Jealous?"

"You wish!" Misha shifted to gaze at the girl, waving her hand dismissively. "Shoo. Back to your friends, kitten."

As the girl scrambled, Adam and Misha locked gazes. Their lips curved in a mix of amusement and resignation.

"What now? Do we pick someone blind?" Adam raised his palms and shook his head.

"Might fix the problem once and for all. But how about I just let them glare?" She paused, raising her fist toward the crowd. "My fist will find anyone who approaches too much."

Then, she pointed at a boy and a girl, her voice commanding. "You and you. Guide the way. You’re out if you stutter, understood?"

The two chosen students rushed to them, raising their fists. With James and the girl’s failure, they spoke clearly and avoided stealing glances during explanations.

Adam nodded as they showed him antique alchemical labs repurposed for education. He frowned at the chalkboards covered in venom structures and warnings scribbled beside them.

The boy told him they began to learn from seven years old as per tradition but seldom used spells outside the testing ground, which was their next destination.

Jagged rocks abused by centuries of splashing venoms and spells met his eyes a moment later. The place was somber and cold, but not enough to deter students from channelling mana in purple waves that crashed against lifelike dummies.

"The afflicted parts turn into different tones of green. Darker shades mean stronger toxins, ranging from paralysis to necrosis. James once returned one black, meaning the subject had no prospect of survival without the antidote." The girl pointed out, her hands on her hips and head raised in pride. "Do you want to try?"

The others laughed. Adam hadn’t followed their curriculum, so what was the point? A mild green would already be impressive if he even had a poison affinity.

Adam rolled his eyes, yet his mana rumbled in his circuits. With a snap of his finger, diamond-shaped mana formed an impervious barrier around one of the dummies. The thickness and gem-like sparks instantly silenced the laughter.

A multicolored sphere appeared inside, the instantaneous effect on the dummy making them swallow in horror.

In the blink of an eye, darkness devoured its limbs until not a single spot of beige remained. Even James shuddered, relieved he had moved back earlier instead of confronting this monster. That poison was more potent than Noah’s!

"Don’t traumatise kids." Misha shook her head. "Look. They’re so shocked they can gobble flies without even noticing it." ƒrēenovelkiss.com

"She asked me to try," Adam smirked, stretching a hand to the petrified girl. "Would you like to rate my performance?"

She coughed, her eagerness to guide him turning into dread for a second. But this handsome smile...

She ran her fingers in her hair despite her burning cheeks, a bright smile curving her lips. "Twenty out of ten, without a doubt."

"You can return with the others!" Misha interrupted, narrowing her eyes on the least attractive girl. "You replace her!"

Adam watched the girl’s shoulders slump as she dragged her feet back. "You traumatise them more than I do. A true terror to females."

"Humph." Misha moved to the exit, ignoring the jab.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr(e)𝒆novelkiss