A black shadow squeezed out from the cracks in the wall, spreading onto the floor like a splash of ink. It began to rise slowly, soon covering the entire room.
Henny was startled and took a few steps back. She couldn't make out what kind of creature was within the darkness.
She hurriedly pulled out a box of matches from her pocket and tried to light one.
Just as the small flame flickered to life, before she could even lift her gaze, the fire was instantly snuffed out by the surrounding darkness.
"Why… is it here again…"
"A few times of mockery… isn't that enough?"
Henny's voice trembled, her emotions were on the verge of collapse.
The pitch-black shadow fell silent. It simply stared at her.
Yes, it was just staring at her.
It seemed to see right through Henny's thoughts. Then, the inky black mouth split open wide. It spoke, its voice drilling into Henny's ears like a demonic whisper.
"I know what you need, little girl."
"Wait for me here."
The voice abruptly stopped, and as it did, the darkness in the room vanished all at once.
The entire office became utterly silent again.
Henny lifted her head. She was kneeling weakly on the floor, her face showing neither joy nor sorrow.
…
Soon, the shadow returned.
The suffocating ink-black presence filled the entire room once more.
It drifted in like a gust of wind, slipping freely into the Mage Tower.
When Henny looked up and saw the shadow, she froze.
Only then did she realize, this was the Mage Tower.
Only those with authorized access could freely come and go.
So why… could this shadow appear here?
Before she could think too much, the dark mass in front of her began to take on a vague shape.
She couldn't clearly tell what it was, but faintly, she could see the creature opening its huge mouth, shoving its arm deep into its own throat and stirring it around.
After a few disgusting gurgling sounds, the black shadow pulled out a massive hand.
From its own stomach, it drew out three glowing orbs, like faint lights of hope within Henny's despair.
"Little girl," the shadow spoke, followed by a strange noise, "Mm… urgh… smack… smack…"
"You need power, don't you?"
"I…"
Henny's body trembled slightly. She didn't even know what was happening anymore, and completely ignored how grotesque the thing before her was.
"Come now, this… is the power you need."
"Touch it, and it will be yours."
Henny felt that something was terribly wrong. Yet every word that came from the shadow carried a powerful, irresistible temptation.
As if guided by unseen hands, she reached out and touched one of the light orbs.
The shadow's smile widened even further.
…
Early the next morning, Viktor stepped down from the carriage and stood at the gates of the academy.
He was back.
After a long absence, he had returned to this academy.
In truth, if Leah hadn't angrily shouted at him and kicked him out of the house that morning, Viktor had planned to stay home for the rest of the morning.
'Should I just send her back to the territory?' Viktor thought for a moment, then immediately gave up on the idea.
Even if he sent her away, Leah would still be traveling back and forth between the capital and their territory for business matters anyway.
Either way, it would only lead to more arguments.
Viktor entered the academy, feeling a presence sweeping over him.
That was the headmaster's spell, Natural Sparrow.
When Viktor was a third-tier mage, he couldn't sense this natural energy.
But now that he had advanced to the fourth tier, he could clearly detect the irregular flow of magic in the air.
He looked up at the sky. Countless "Natural Sparrows" flitted through the academy, carrying the headmaster's gaze across every inch of the campus.
That gaze soon passed over him, it must have confirmed his identity.
The royal family had already issued a formal statement, declaring Duke Levi and Viktor innocent.
Of course, very few nobles actually knew the full details of the incident, from the near-eruption of the volcano to everything that followed.
So Viktor's return didn't cause any great stir among the academy.
Viktor walked naturally through the grounds, ignoring the looks from those around him, his mind entirely occupied with how to resume his classes.
The students passing by him had been cheerful, excited for a new day, until they caught sight of Viktor's deathly expression.
They froze in place, speechless.
Viktor didn't even realize how much his presence alone had shaken the students' understanding of reality.
"Who is that? What a terrifying sense of pressure…"
"Yeah… when he walked past me, I almost thought he was going to drain me of all my magic…"
One student hurriedly pulled the others aside, whispering frantically, "Are you crazy!? That's Viktor Clavenna! Don't you dare let him hear you talking bad about him!"
"He… he's that infamous bastard mage!?"
"So scary…"
Viktor continued walking calmly through the campus, his expression like stone, breathing in the crisp, clean air.
Soon, something unpleasant caught his attention.
A commotion ahead drew his eyes toward the student dormitory area.
A crowd had gathered around the entrance. Three students, faces pitch-black and unconscious, were being carried out.
"Something's not right."
Vega spoke in Viktor's ear.
"These unconscious students… have lost their magic."
Hearing Vega's words, Viktor needed more information. He spotted someone nearby wearing a white coat, it was the school doctor.
The students nearby suddenly felt a chill as a tall figure approached.
"What happened?"
Viktor's voice rang out. The school doctor turned, saw him, and jumped in fright, his glasses falling off.
Viktor bent down, picked them up, and handed them back.
The school doctor, of course, knew who Viktor was. Even aside from his notorious reputation, that recent, highly influential incident circulating among the nobles of the capital was also tied to him.
And yet, the man everyone believed guilty had been declared innocent by the royal family.
Many mages who didn't know the full truth found that hard to accept.
Still, for the sake of their own lives, they had to treat Viktor respectfully on the surface.
"Professor Viktor… what brings you here?"
"Answer my question."
Viktor's face was expressionless. His tone made the doctor shiver again.
The doctor quickly stammered, "These students, physically, there's nothing wrong with them. They're just… unconscious, as if trapped in some kind of deep sleep."
"These three were roommates. No one knows what happened. When the students from the neighboring room found them, they were already like this."
"We're preparing to take them to the infirmary for a magic scan to see what's going on."
Viktor nodded and stepped aside. The doctor, visibly relieved, hurried away.
'Clearly, they don't know what really happened,' Viktor murmured quietly to Vega.
"Draining someone else's magic… such a filthy method immediately makes me think of that kind of corruption."
"It seems they're spreading faster than expected," Vega said, referring, of course, to the demons.
Viktor sighed helplessly. He had barely returned to the academy, and already trouble was waiting for him.
Still, "If demons are showing up, might as well deal with them while we're at it."
Besides being disgusting, demons were… at least good for experience points.
Viktor stopped paying attention to the matter and returned to his office with Vega.
[Identity verification successful. Professor Viktor, welcome back to the Mage Tower.]
After completing the verification at the entrance, the teleportation array lit up, and Viktor stepped into his office.
It looked almost exactly as he'd left it, except the flowerpot on the windowsill was gone.
That was the flower Henny had given him. In truth, she loved it dearly and often used watering it as an excuse to come and go from the Mage Tower.
'Did she take it back to her dorm?'
Viktor hadn't been around lately, so naturally Henny had no reason to visit.
Frequent trips to the Mage Tower were tiring, so taking the flower back was only reasonable.
He sat down in his chair. A few books were missing from his desk.
Those too, he figured, were probably Henny's, books she'd read over and over in her spare time.
Viktor didn't mind. Just like with the flower, he found a simple explanation for their absence, she must have taken them to read elsewhere.
He pulled out the magic book he'd been reading yesterday and continued studying to pass the time.
He read until noon.
The only sound was the soft swish swish of turning pages.
Vega, dozing on the desk, suddenly jolted awake when its head bumped the tabletop.
"What? Oh… she's not here yet, huh…"
Noon was when Henny most often came to the Mage Tower.
She usually brought a thick book with her and cheerfully told Viktor what lessons she'd been writing that day, always waking the sleeping Vega in the process.
So by now, Vega had grown used to waking up around this time.
But today, Henny didn't come.
Vega glanced at Viktor. He hadn't lifted his head, still absorbed in his reading, lost in his own world.
Then it remembered, Henny probably didn't know that Viktor had returned to the academy yet.
Vega didn't really care. Sleepiness soon washed over it again, and it dozed off once more.
Time always passed strangely quickly when it slept.
By afternoon, sunlight slanted through the window, stretching the shadows long.
"Vega, time to go."
"Huh? Where to?"
The drowsy crow blinked and saw Viktor closing his book.
"It's time for class."
"Oh, oh."
Vega fluttered its wings and perched on Viktor's shoulder.
To be honest, it was a little excited for the afternoon.
'When that timid little girl saw Viktor again, what would her reaction be?'
'Would she bolt like a startled deer?'
'Or shyly avoid his gaze?'
'Or maybe she'd be overjoyed, jumping with excitement and saying, "Professor Viktor! You're finally back!"'
Whatever it was, Vega thought it would be entertaining.
The teleportation array shimmered beneath them.
Man and bird vanished from the Mage Tower.
When they reappeared, they were in the corridor of the teaching building.
It was quiet, with only distant sounds of other classes echoing through the hall.
Viktor's footsteps were crisp and clear.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
"So, based on this magic circle, we can..."
Suddenly, Viktor stopped walking.
His eyes darkened as he looked ahead.
That was the classroom for Class One. The professor's voice could be heard clearly inside.
Vega didn't even blink, its single eye fixed straight ahead. Its tone was flat and emotionless.
'Well, this isn't good at all...'
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The footsteps resumed, heavier this time.
Finally, Viktor reached the classroom door.
The voice inside grew clearer.
He pushed the door open.
Instantly, the room fell silent.
"Who dares enter during class without knocking..."
The voice cut off abruptly, shrill and awkward, like a duck with its neck wrung.
Viktor turned toward the source of the sound.
His gaze locked onto the man standing at the lectern.
"Looks just like a pig…" Vega muttered beside his ear.
Viktor didn't respond, perhaps because he agreed.
His face was calm, his tone indifferent, but his voice carried a quiet, suffocating fury.
"Let me think… your name is… Devon…"
"Devon Lesser, right?"
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