There was no way Alec could reject the Headmaster's invitation. Neither was there a reason for him to.
"Lead the way, please." Alec followed the butler-like person to the highest floor of the building, which was still a little short of the library building.
The butler knocked on a sturdy door before pushing it open and stepping aside to let Alec enter.
Alec was nervous. It was like he could feel an invisible pressure coming from the Headmaster's office.
'Is it because the Aether isn't moving?'
He wasn't sure, but it felt like it had something to do with the fact that the Aether in the Headmaster's office didn't act like the Aether in the wild.
'He's strong.' Alec didn't need to be a genius to figure out that the pale, white-haired man sitting behind the desk with his hands laced together on the dark wood was powerful. His equally pale eyes looked straight at Alec.
Alec gulped and entered. The butler closed the door behind him and remained outside, guarding it.
Alec held his hands together in front of his body and bowed slightly.
"I greet the Headmaster."
"Dispense the formalities and raise your head. Let me look at you," The Headmaster said in a gentle voice.
Alec couldn't tell if it was just how the Headmaster spoke or if he was trying to soothe Alec's nerves. Still, Alec raised his head and met the Headmaster's gaze again.
"Yes, sir. You called for me?"
A spell formation appeared between them. Alec blinked at it, stunned. It was far more complex than anything he had seen so far, even compared to the spells he had managed to find on the second floor of the library.
"Who are you?"
***
"I heard the Headmaster called for you. What happened?" Taryeon asked when Alec finally showed up for the next lesson, a deep dive into how the Core, Regulator, and Frame parts of a spell formation affect each other by Wilcox Undder.
"Nothing, really. We just had a quick chat, probably because of my trip into the forest."
"Oh. Was he scary?"
"It wasn't that bad."
"What happened with Benjamin, by the way?"
"Zip it, you two. You are sitting in the front row. If you want to talk during my lesson, at least have the decency to do it in the back where you don't disturb me or the rest of the class."
"'Yes, Teacher!'" Alec and Taryeon said in sync.
Wilcox glared at them for another two seconds before turning back to the blackboard.
Alec leaned in and whispered,
"Wilcox is scarier."
When the lesson ended, Alec tracked down Reina and asked her to join him in Moira's greenhouse. She had stuff to do, lessons to prepare, and tests to grade, but she could tell that there was something.
Alec didn't just need backup against Basra and Moira's playful harassment or Basra's harsh training. He carried a weight in his chest that he needed to offload. As a teacher, it was her responsibility to listen to her future research assistant.
She hoped it would be something easy to deal with.
Since classes were done for the day, they headed over, and Reina tried asking Alec about his trip into the forest. However, that was related to what he wanted to talk to the three of them about.
Reina sighed.
That meant it probably wouldn't be easy to deal with.
"Alright, setting that aside for now…What did the Headmaster want to talk to you about, Alec?" Reina asked, changing the subject, since there was still a minute before they arrived.
"Nothing special. We just had a little chat."
Reina's eyes narrowed. The Headmaster wasn't the type to bother talking to others just for a little chat. But if Alec didn't want to tell her, she wouldn't pry any deeper, at least not right now.
And after a little while, the four of them sat around the table in the center of Moira's greenhouse.
Basra, Moira, and Reina all looked at Alec expectantly, curious and slightly worried about why he had gathered them like this.
"Before I tell you what this is all about, I first want to say that I'm telling the three of you because I trust you and need your help. That said, though, if any of you feel that you would prefer not to get involved in something dangerous and morally dubious, feel free to say so right now. This is something I'll need you to keep quiet about, and I only want to tell you if you're prepared to help me."
'I know I'm expecting a lot from people I haven't even known for more than a month or so, but…'
"When you put it like that…" Reina started saying.
"Are you in trouble, Forestseeker?" Moira asked. Alec answered with a quick nod.
"You aren't giving us much of a choice, then," Basra said with her arms crossed.
"Of course, we're helping you," She continued.
"I'm in!" Moira said cheerfully.
"Since you're going to be my research assistant, I can't let you face whatever it is alone."
Alec's heart warmed at their decision. He wasn't alone. He had people who believed in him and wanted to help him.
To repay that trust and good-heartedness, he hid nothing except the existence of the System and the Skills.
"Yeah, is it too late to back out?"
"Sorry, bundle of trouble, I just remembered that I have plants to…comb."
"Moira makes a good point. I'm busy enough as it is. I'm just not sure how to help you with this. But good luck!"
"..."
Alec stared at the three teachers with a deadpan expression.
"Seriously…?" He eventually asked without a single change to his expression. It was like his face was encased in ice.
The three delayed their answer.
"Fine." Alec stood up.
"I'll figure it out on my own, I guess."
"How?" Reina asked.
"I'll figure something out. I don't know what, but I know I'll be too busy to study formless magic with you, Miss Wolz."
Reina sighed.
"Just so you know, this is far above our pay grades. Basra and I are commoners teaching the commoner division. We are only qualified to teach up to the fourth grade because we've graduated from it."
"So? I thought you told me that no one knows the answer to monsterification."
"That is…true. But our resources, experiences, and knowledge are limited compared to what a noble might have."
"Probably. But a noble might kill me to prevent future trouble instead of helping me."
"That's…"
"What do you expect us to do?" Basra asked, getting to the point on Reina's behalf.
Reina was one thing since she was a monster specialist, even if not the Academy's foremost expert on the subject.
But Basra was a warrior, and while Moira was also a mage, she was an expert on plants. This was well outside their comfort zone.
"Something. Anything.
"I need your help." Alec didn't hide the desperation in his voice.