Chapter 156: Anya Chernovskaya, The Iron Maiden
(Note: Illustration of Anya is in the character description page, as well as the discord...Check them out!)
Charlotte's pulse quickened as soon as the boy with glasses uttered that cursed name. Her stomach twisted in knots, and a faint tremor ran down her hand.
Of all her sisters, Anya was the last person she wanted to face.
This was because Charlotte had always been the youngest; even they were all born in the same year, always the one treated as a child, the one constantly reminded she was "little."
Her older sisters lorded over her, teasing and scolding with a superiority she could never shake off.
But Anya?...Anya was different.
She wasn't just overbearing, she was unreadable, uncontrollable. Where the others were eccentric or erratic—Anya was merciless, bound only to her own impossible standards.
Talking to her was like talking to stone; no amount of pleading or protest could move her. And because of this, Charlotte wanted to bolt. She wanted to drag Mika out with her and vanish before her sister arrived.
But to her shock, Mika was already thinking the same. Without a word, he grabbed Maria's hand and started moving toward the crowd, his eyes sharp with urgency.
"Mika, what are you doing? Where are you going?!" Charlotte cried, grabbing his arm desperately.
"Of course, I'm escaping from Anya!" Mika shrugged her off without hesitation. "You don't know what she'll do if she finds me here. You deal with it." He squeezed Maria's hand tighter and pulled her along.
But Maria, half-stumbling at his pace, protested with calm defiance. "I don't mind being here, Mika. Meeting the head of the disciplinary council doesn't bother me."
"Be quiet, Maria." Mika barked, his voice sharper than usual. "You don't know her. You don't want to get tangled with her...Trust me, you really don't." Then, turning back briefly toward Charlotte, he added. "We'll be going now. Handle the situation yourself. You'll be fine...Good luck."
Charlotte's eyes widened in disbelief. "Take me with you! I don't want to face Anya alone!"
But Mika was already swallowed by the crowd with Maria in tow. His words...You'll be fine, rang hollow in her ears, leaving her rooted in place, betrayed and horrified. She wanted to follow, to run, but fate denied her even that small escape as—
—the door of the laboratory suddenly slid open.
And immediately, silence fell around the lab. Murmurs died, whispers choked, and every head turned toward the entrance.
Charlotte too froze, dread locking her feet to the floor as...a figure emerged, and every eye widened in awe.
Her hair was the first thing one noticed, long, wavy strands cascading all the way to her waist, shimmering with shifting colors, not one or two but a spectrum. A silver rainbow that gleamed under the lab lights, crowned with a neat waistband that only heightened her presence.
Her eyes were bold and cutting, a clear, piercing blue magnified slightly by the black-rimmed glasses perched on her nose.
But it was her lips that struck deepest into the hearts of those watching. Painted in a vivid, almost glowing red, they carried the sort of vibrance that demanded attention, and yet it was not merely the color, but the smile.
That smile, wide and dazzling, curved with an energy so warm and so alluring that it felt eternal. It wasn't the kind of smile that flickered briefly and disappeared; no, it was the kind that seemed etched into her very being, as if it had always been there and always would be.
A smile that stayed with you long after you closed your eyes, one that lingered in memory like the echo of a favorite song.
She was also tall, statuesque, her long legs carrying her with unshakable grace. Her chest, firm and full, peeked through a line of exposed cleavage that demanded attention, while the rest of her posture radiated command.
Every student's breath seemed to catch. Admiration hung thick in the air. They didn't just see a student; they saw an idol, a law, a force wrapped in human skin.
Charlotte, on the other hand, felt her heart plummet. Her face drained of color. Her body screamed to run, but her legs wouldn't move.
There was no mistaking her.
...Anya Chernovskaya.
...Head of the Disciplinary Council.
...Daughter of the Plague Maiden.
...And the last sister Charlotte wanted to face.
And the moment her presence was recognized, the atmosphere in the lab flipped on its head. The mob that had just minutes ago been restless and tense suddenly erupted into cheers, voices overlapping in excitement as students scrambled to get a better view of her.
"Anya! It's really her!" One girl squealed, bouncing on her toes.
"Oh my god, she's even prettier in person!" Another shouted, clutching her friend's arm with both hands.
Someone else cried. "No way, she actually came here, this is the luckiest day of my life!"
A boy whistled loudly and called out, "Head of the Disciplinary Council, please punish me too!" earning a mix of laughter and blushes from those around him.
And from the back, a timid voice added. "Anya, please, just say my name once! That's all I ask!"
Their chants overlapped into a wave of adoration: "Anya! Anya! Anya!"
But Anya herself didn't falter for even a second. She strode gracefully into the room with that trademark smile on her face, the smile that never seemed to waver no matter the situation.
Her wavy, rainbow-silver hair shimmered as the light caught it, her black-rimmed glasses reflecting the glow of the panels overhead. She looked every bit the part of a public idol, confident and radiant, even though she was feared as the strictest enforcer in the academy.
Her voice, mature yet melodic, then carried clearly as she greeted them.
"Good afternoon, everyone. I'm very happy to see such a warm welcome...Honestly, with how strict I've been about the rules lately, I thought I would be far less popular among the students."
Her lips curved upward, her tone smooth and measured, like a politician easing into a crowd.
"But it seems I was wrong, and that makes me truly happy."
Immediately, more voices answered:
"No, not at all! You're the best, Anya!"
"You're strict, but it's only because you care!"
"We love you!"
"Please give me your autograph!" A girl cried, already holding out a notebook and pen.
Anya chuckled softly, and with that practiced grace, she took the pen and signed the page. The girl nearly fainted with joy.
That only triggered a rush, half a dozen more students surged forward with notebooks, scraps of paper, even the sleeves of their uniforms, begging her to sign.
And she did. Patiently, smoothly, always with that warm smile as though this was the most natural thing in the world. While signing, she even spoke small bits of casual conversation with them, "How are your classes going?" or "You've accessorized your uniform nicely, I'll allow it", her tone flawless, reassuring, perfect.
And to Adam, watching this unfold, it was like watching a politician campaign, only with sincerity instead of hollow promises. She seemed untouchable, yet approachable and the mob, which had just minutes ago looked feral and unruly, now seemed utterly tamed by her presence alone.
"Today really is the best day ever." Adam admitted, his face glowing with admiration. "I almost didn't even come, I thought about calling in sick, but thank god I didn't. First, I saw Charlotte, the Blade Maiden's daughter, and now...now I get to see Anya Chernovskaya herself."
"...This is just mind-blowing, I can't believe my luck!" His eyes sparkled, almost like a child meeting his idol for the first time.
Thomas smirked faintly at Adam's innocent enthusiasm. He didn't say anything at first, just watched Adam with that knowing smile of his.
But then Adam's expression shifted. He turned, his gaze falling on Charlotte, who looked pale and unsettled at the thought of facing her sister.
Concern overtook his excitement.
"…But now I feel bad for Charlotte." Adam murmured. "She doesn't stand a chance. With her sister here, there's no way she's escaping this. No way Anya is letting this slide."
Thomas raised a brow at that, intrigued.
"Why do you say that?" He asked, leaning slightly closer. "Charlotte might be reckless, sure, but Anya's still her sister. Do you really think she'll take action against her own blood?"
"Come on, even the battle angels themselves wouldn't punish their daughters harshly for something like this...So, why would Anya of all people go against her own family?"
Adam shook his head firmly.
"That's where you're wrong." He said, his tone filled with quiet certainty. "If a battle angel herself was here, maybe you'd be right. They'd probably brush it all off, excuse Charlotte completely. But Anya? No. She's...different."
He looked across the room where Anya still mingled, greeting students with that perfect smile, and a shiver ran down his spine.
"She doesn't care about family. Not her sisters, not her mother, when it comes to the rules—everyone is the same to her."
"I didn't believe it at first either, but I found out the truth when I heard what she did to her own sister, the Student Council President. The Celestial Maiden's daughter."
Thomas's eyes narrowed, but Adam pressed on.
"Anya punished her. Her own sister! Sent her away to a training facility for days because she overworked her batch during military regiments...Can you believe that?"
"The Celestial Maiden's daughter hospitalized the students she was training by making them run up and down a mountain multiple times while having gravitational tiles on their back, and Anya showed her no mercy."
"What I'm saying is that she went against the Student Council President, her own sister and the head of the academy itself!...So, if she can punish someone like that, her older sister, what chance does Charlotte, her little sister have now?"
Adam's voice was filled with awe, but there was genuine worry in his expression as well.
"But that's also why I admire her. Some might call it cruel, but I call it brave. She doesn't bend to politics. She doesn't bend to family...She enforces the rules equally for all, no matter what."
Hearing this, Thomas smirked, nodding in approval.
"You're not wrong. Anya has punished her sisters before, even the president herself. And I've even heard from confirmed rumours, that she's stood against the battle angels too, when it came to the rules...She takes her position that seriously."
He paused then, his smirk widening into something almost mischievous.
"But tell me, Adam. Do you really think she'll punish Charlotte today? Do you really believe she'll enforce the same iron rule against them right now?"
Adam frowned, confused.
"Of course! She'll punish them...Maybe not as severely as the mob wanted, because she's reasonable, she'll see that it was the crowd who instigated first."
"But Charlotte and Mika retaliated brutally. Knees were broken. There's no way she'll let that slide...They'll definitely get punished."
But Thomas shook his head slowly, almost pitying him. "That's what you think. That's what most people would think. But you're overlooking something. There's an external factor here, one you don't seem to grasp yet."
Adam tilted his head, confused. "External factor? What do you mean?"
Thomas leaned closer, lowering his voice with a smirk. "Anya will punish anyone. Sister, president, noble, even the king himself...But there's one person, just one, she won't touch. Not ever."
"He could kill someone right in front of her, and she still wouldn't raise her hand against him."
"That's impossible!" Adam scoffed, heat rising to his face. "Don't talk down on her like that. There's no way! Anya defies even the battle angels when it comes to rules. So, who could possibly be more important than them!?"
Thomas smirked, that infuriatingly calm smirk of his, and stepped back. "Sure. Let's see then. Watch closely, Adam. Tomorrow, you'll remember this moment, and you'll see how wrong you were."
Hearing this, Adam swallowed hard, his eyes flicking nervously between Anya and Charlotte. A chill went down his spine, and yet...he couldn't stop watching.
Would Anya really break her iron rule for someone?
And if so, who in the world could it be?