Chapter 143: Not A Farewell

"Oh, Seth... I’m going to miss you so much!" Mom murmured, her dark eyes glistening slightly. "Remember to eat properly! And if anyone at that academy gives you trouble, whether it’s students, teachers, or even the Dean, you call me immediately! I will personally come down there and flatten them."

I let out a soft laugh, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. "I’ll miss you too, Mom. But you don’t need to worry so much. We have great technology, and I’ll call you every single day."

Dad let out a low, dry chuckle from the side, shaking his head. "Do not treat your mother’s words as mere exaggeration, Seth. Your mother is by far the most terrifying entity in this household when she is truly angered. Even your grandfather Alistair steps very carefully whenever she loses her temper."

I grinned, looking at Mom’s affectionate, smiling face as she smoothed down my shirt collar. "Come on, Dad. Look at her. Mom looks cute even when she’s annoyed. How scary could she possibly be?"

Mom beamed happily, slapping my shoulder playfully. "See?! My son understands me!"

Dad simply rolled his eyes, a dry smirk touching his lips. "Just wait until the day you actually witness it, my boy."

While I was finishing up with my parents, Yerin walked over to Sarah and Dylan, giving them tight hugs and wishing them goodbye before stepping up to offer Mom and Dad a sweet farewell hug of her own.

I walked over to little Dylan, dropping down onto one knee in front of him. I reached out, ruffling his dark hair while giving him a warm grin. "Alright, buddy. You heard what my mom just said, right? If you ever get into any trouble at school or anywhere else, you call your Big Brother Seth. I’ll come right over and solve everything for you."

Dylan’s face lit up with a wide, toothy smile. He nodded vigorously, holding up his hand for a high-five. "Okay, Big Brother Seth! Have fun at the magic school."

I slapped his hand, laughing as I stood back up.

Then I turned my attention to Sarah.

Without hesitation, I stepped right up in front of her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and pulled her into a warm, lingering hug. Before stepping back, I leaned in and pressed a firm kiss directly onto her flushed cheek right in front of everyone.

[WOAH! WOAH! That escalated quickly! SOMEONE GET THE CAMERA READY ]

Sarah froze, her wide dark eyes blinking in stunned surprise as her face instantly flared into a bright crimson blush. She hadn’t expected me to be so bold out in the open.

I pulled back slightly, shooting a quick glance over my shoulder. Dad had his hands behind his back, a rare, amused smirk resting on his face, while Mom was smiling brightly, her sharp eyes sparkling with complete understanding of what had happened between us upstairs.

I gave Sarah a subtle wink before turning around to join my three girlfriends at the base of the boarding ramp.

"Let me know when you get back home safely," I called out, giving a final wave.

"We will!" Sarah called back, her voice soft as she held Dylan’s hand and waved to us.

The four of us walked up the metal boarding ramp, stepping into the interior of the military jet while waving one last time to Mom, Dad, Sarah, and Dylan standing on the broad green lawn below.

HYDRAULIC HISS.

The heavy metal ramp swung upward, sealing smoothly into the side of the hull with a heavy click.

The moment the doors closed, I took a look around the interior. The jet was incredible. Instead of the cramped metal seating of a standard aircraft, the interior was built like a mobile luxury penthouse. The main entrance opened directly into a massive, hall-sized lounge furnished with plush leather sofas, polished wooden tables, and a fully stocked refreshment bar.

Walking past the lounge, I pushed through a set of sliding glass doors and entered the primary cockpit.

My eyes widened slightly. The cockpit was huge, easily larger than a standard living room. Sleek holographic tactical displays floated in the air, glowing with blue and silver mana runes and projecting real-time spatial maps of the surrounding airspace.

There were no automated pilots or hired flight crews onboard.

Without needing a single word of instruction, Val walked over to the left pilot station while Yoona calmly stepped up to the main command console on the right. Both of them sat down in the high-backed leather pilot chairs, their fingers moving swiftly across the floating holographic arrays.

I walked up behind them, resting my hands against the back of Yoona’s chair as I looked out through the massive, reinforced glass nose cone.

"I expected Val to know how to fly something like this," I chuckled, looking over at my stoic bodyguard. "But do you actually know how to pilot a military-grade jet, Yoona?"

Yoona glanced back over her shoulder, a graceful, teasing smirk touching her lips as her manicured fingers effortlessly reconfigured a complex spatial guidance rune on her display.

"Piloting high-tier aircraft, maneuvering combat vessels, and mastering spatial navigation are basic, mandatory requirements for the future Head of the Rothschild family, Seth," Yoona explained calmly. "I obtained my international flight license when I was sixteen."

"Of course you did," I said with a smirk, shaking my head at her endless list of talents.

HUMMMMMM.

A low, deep vibration pulsed through the floorboards as the jet’s runic engines came to life.

With smooth, calculated precision, Yoona and Val engaged the main thrusters. The massive aircraft lifted off vertically from the Fernando lawn, hovering gracefully into the evening air before tilting its nose toward the northern horizon.

SWOOSH.

The jet accelerated forward, blasting into the upper atmosphere at astonishing speed.

Yet, sitting inside the cockpit, I didn’t feel a single bump, dip, or gravitational pull. The advanced isolation wards embedded within the hull completely isolated the interior from the physical forces outside.

I stood by the window, watching the lights of the Capital slowly shrink into a glowing grid of stars beneath us as we soared through the clouds, heading straight toward Avalon Academy.