Avoid The Lead! [[COMPLETED]]

22. Final Year

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A few things happen when an average student suddenly starts dominating in all academic fields...

At first, everyone would be shocked.

Followed by everyone's curiosity.

Followed by doubt.

And finally, these spread into admiration, or praise, or encouragement.

... Or suspicion, or jealousy!

When Carla Winters first started becoming excellent at her studies, it was a process which took months, so people were a little more understanding.

But Celia's rise to prominence happened in a week!

Which led to accusations that she was cheating with some kind of spell...

But when the school board summoned and tested her, no such thing was found, and they were more in awe of her!

"That was a complex set of spells! Even the Palace Grand Mage's direct students would find it difficult!"

"She's a genius!"

"A rare, one-in-a-thousand genius!"

After two weeks of the teachers singing Celia's praise, the top students began studying furiously, determined to safeguard their positions, but it was almost too easy for Celia to take them out one by one.

~"Shameless! You're using knowledge from past lives!" Taze teased, but she simply smirked.

~"Whose fault is it? I have so little time to match a certain person's excellence!"~

Taze flushed and remained silent after that.

In Celia's free time, she read book after book on strange curses and poisons, and more often than not, Taze would approach behind her and give an endearing hug, which nearly made her forget what she had been reading.

"Celia, I don't understand! You insist on studying instead of spending time with me!" He usually complained.

Sometimes, Celia caved and followed him out. Sometimes she pointedly ignored him and continued studying.

One day, she turned to scowl at him.

"Tch! Will you still deny being ill? Selfish! Are you planning to die and leave me behind?!"

"Ehehe." He nervously scratched his head. He had forgotten how evasive he had been about it.

He had also forgotten that Celia was a Healing Mage, and in the original life, she jumped into action if he so much as sneezed!

But this was something too dangerous.

"It's not like that..." He explained. "I know what is wrong with me, but there's no way to stop it for now."

"But we can-!" She began, but he touched a finger to her lips.

"No one even knows I school at Elfsworth, as I'm supposedly wasting away in the East Wing. Anything we try to do now, will only alert the enemy." He gently took her hands. "Trust me. I won't lie down and die easily."

Celia lifted a hand and caressed his face. "I'll listen to you... But don't expect me to be reasonable, past a point!"

He knew what she meant.

Since Vitav rewrote their fates, Taze always died somewhere in the Fall of his seventeenth year, and they were halfway through the sixteenth year.

That left roughly a year.

He squeezed her hand. "I understand." He simply replied, then kissed her knuckles.

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