Let's go back a little—to during the time of the Wilderness Training Course.
From the very first day Alex had gone back to the academy, Alicia felt it. A constant, gnawing absence that refused to fade. Her precious disciple's presence had been woven so deeply into her daily rhythm that removing it left something raw behind—exposed and irritated.
She smiled less.
She snapped more.
And worst of all… she was bored.
Furthermore, now that Alex had gone to the Wilderness—where communication networks were weak and unreliable—she couldn't even speak to him properly, let alone hear his voice whenever she wished.
The irritation built slowly, then sharply, until it coiled into something violent. Alicia found herself wanting to kill—just to vent the pressure crushing her chest.
So she made a decision.
A newly discovered labyrinth had been reported. Alicia didn't bother with the details and signed up alone.
The labyrinth swallowed her whole.
Inside, Alicia unleashed everything.
She carved through monsters without restraint, her sword moving on instinct—more lethal and unrelenting than usual. Entire floors were cleared in hours. Elite monsters fell screaming, their cores shattered before they could even comprehend what they faced.
The labyrinth trembled under her passage.
Little by little, the violence helped.
She told herself it was fine. By the time she emerged, the Wilderness Course would be over. Alex would be back. She would pamper him—maybe even visit him properly this time.
A month.
That was the plan.
But labyrinths never cared for plans.
Spatial distortions. Collapsing routes. A core layer far deeper than expected. One complication stacked onto another until Alicia realized—too late—that time inside no longer matched time outside.
By the time she finally emerged, bloodied but victorious, more than twice the expected duration had passed.
Sunlight greeted her.
So did silence.
Alicia stretched lightly, rolling her shoulders as if she hadn't just returned from a place most people never came back from. A small, satisfied smile curved her lips as she pulled out her mobile phone.
'I should have many messages from my disciple by now.' she thought lazily. 'My disciple should be thinking about his master now, right?'
And indeed—there were dozens.
Missed calls. Texts. Messages stacked one after another.
Her smile softened.
"Such a diligent disciple." she murmured fondly, already imagining his expression when she finally replied.
She skimmed through them at first, barely paying attention.
Everything was normal.
Training updates. Small complaints. Reassurances that he was fine.
Then she opened Priscilia's message.
Her gaze slowed.
'Elena found out about Alex's magic.' Alicia blinked.
"…Well," she said lightly, tilting her head. "That was inevitable."
Hiding something like that from Elena had always been unrealistic anyway. Alicia had expected it. She continued reading without much concern.
'Elena is going to train him personally.'
The words sank in.
The smile on Alicia's face… cracked at the edges.
Something twisted sharply in her chest—cold and unpleasant. Her fingers tightened around the phone until the casing creaked faintly.
Train him? Personally?
Alicia reread the message. Once. Twice.
Her expression shifted—slowly, subtly—into something far less gentle.
"Oh," she whispered.
Her disciple.
'My disciple.'
Being taught by someone else.
The thought burrowed deep, igniting something dark and possessive. The calm smile vanished, replaced by a simmering, dangerous emotion she hadn't felt in a long time.
Elena. That woman.
Alicia's smile returned—but it was no longer warm.
It was thin. Sharp.
Almost delighted.
"So that's how it is," she said softly, eyes gleaming. "You really don't know your place, do you?"
Her grip loosened.
Her thoughts did not.
Alex hadn't been taken yet.
But someone had dared to reach for what was hers.
And Alicia Valtoria did not share what belonged to her.
Not ever.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
Now—back to the present.
Alicia was marching toward the academy at full speed. While on the move, she called Priscilia.
The moment the call connected, Alicia spoke.
"How," she asked softly, "did you let this happen?"
Priscilia blinked. "Hmm?"
"How," Alicia repeated, her voice still gentle, "did you allow Elena to involve herself with my disciple?"
'Ah. That.' Priscilia sighed, scratching her cheek. "I was wondering when that would come up."
She tilted her head, tone light. "Honestly? Don't you think Elena's kind of perfect to teach him magic, hmm?"
Silence.
Alicia's smile twitched.
"…Perfect?" she echoed.
Her fingers curled slowly at her side.
"You're insane," Alicia said calmly. "You want her to steal my precious disciple from me."
Priscilia's brows rose. "Steal is a strong word—"
"That old hag," Alicia continued, ignoring her, voice sinking into a soft, venomous murmur, "will steal my disciple."
"I should just kill her." Alicia muttered.
Priscilia froze. "Whoa, hey—"
"Then everything will be fine." Alicia went on, her tone disturbingly serene. "If I kill her, she won't take him. She won't touch him. She won't look at him."
Priscilia stared at her. "Alicia. You're spiraling."
"I should do that." Alicia whispered, resuming her march. "Yes. That would solve everything."
She said it again.
And again.
Low. Fast. Like a broken record caught in a loop.
"I should kill her… I should kill her… I should kill her…"
Priscilia sighed deeply, then forced calm into her voice. "You're not actually going to do that." she said firmly. "You know Elena. You know she's not trying to steal anyone. First of all, both of us know you can't beat her outright. And secondly, Alex isn't something that can just be taken."
Alicia's eyes flickered.
For a moment—just a moment—the madness receded.
"He's mine. My disciple." Alicia said quietly, the emphasis subtle but unmistakable.
Priscilia smiled wryly. "Yeah. And he'll still be your disciple when you get there."
Alicia looked past her, toward the distant outline of the academy.
Her smile returned.
But the intensity beneath it hadn't faded in the slightest.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
Elena sat behind her desk, fingers loosely interlaced, posture relaxed yet attentive.
She had been waiting.
The heavy doors slammed open with a resounding bang, mana rippling outward like a pressure wave. Papers fluttered into the air. The temperature dipped, the room instinctively reacting to the intruder's presence.
Alicia stepped inside.
Her expression was calm. Smiling, even.
But the air around her was wrong—tight, coiled, like a blade drawn halfway from its sheath.
Elena exhaled through her nose and gestured casually to the chair across from her desk. "Sit," she said. "You look like you traveled in a hurry."
The doors shut behind Alicia on their own.
Alicia's gaze lingered on Elena for a long second—measuring, assessing, restraining something sharp and volatile beneath the surface. Then, with controlled grace, she walked forward and sat. Crossed her legs. Smoothed her sleeve.
The image of composure itself.
"I heard," Alicia said lightly, "that you've been spending quite a lot of time with my disciple."
Elena met her eyes without hesitation. "I expected this conversation," she replied evenly. "Which is why I cleared my schedule."
Alicia's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Oh? Then you already knew I was coming."
Elena nodded. "When an unaffiliated S-Rank from another country barrels toward Lunar City and forces her way through teleportation transfers, there are only so many conclusions one can draw. Especially when her destination is my academy."
Alicia tilted her head. "You make it sound so dramatic."
"It was dramatic," Elena said calmly. "You nearly triggered the city's emergency response."
"Pity," Alicia murmured. "That might have been fun."
The temperature in the room dropped another degree.
Elena leaned back in her chair. "You're angry."
Alicia laughed softly. "Angry? No. I'm merely… displeased."
Her finger tapped once against the armrest.
"You took liberties," Alicia continued, her voice still gentle—yet honed to a blade's edge. "Stealing my disciple. Training him. Acting as though he were yours to claim."
The smile finally cracked.
Just a little.
"You really are an old hag," Alicia muttered, the words slipping out cold and venomous. "A meddling bitch who doesn't know her place."
Her aura surged.
The air warped.
Mana pressure flooded the office like a tidal wave, crushing down with suffocating weight. The floor groaned. The walls creaked as protective formations flared to life on instinct, runes blazing as they struggled to stabilize the room.
Elena's desk rattled.
For the first time, Elena's expression hardened.
She remained seated—but the temperature spiked as her own mana rose to meet Alicia's. Authority collided with raw, suffocating aggression.
"Careful," Elena said quietly. "This is still my academy."
Alicia leaned back in her chair, eyes glowing faintly.
"Then perhaps you should have thought of that," Alicia replied sweetly, "before touching what's mine."
The pressure intensified.
Across the academy—
Alex froze mid-cast.
The ice forming between his palms shattered instantly as a familiar, terrifying presence slammed into his senses. His breath caught, heart skipping violently as his instincts screamed a single name.
Alicia.
His vision darkened at the edges—not from fear, but urgency and instinct.
"That aura—!"
He didn't think.
Didn't ask.
Didn't hesitate.
By the time he reached the office door, the mana density was suffocating.
Alex didn't knock.
He threw the door open—
And stepped straight into the eye of the storm, standing between his master and his teacher as two overwhelming forces collided.
"Master," he called out sharply. "...Alicia! Stop!"
The room went deathly silent.
Two sets of eyes locked onto him.
And for the first time since she arrived—
Alicia's aura wavered.