After reading Byrne's note, I channeled [Minor Aerokinesis] and launched into the sky, over the outer wall, and down the cliff. Part of me refused to believe Vanira was dead, but that didn't seem like something he would lie about. When I reached the chambers of the Nature Circle at the Library, Byrne was having a heated discussion with a group of healers.

As soon as I appeared, Byrne opened the door behind him and signaled for me to enter. The naked walls greeted me with stark indifference, and the pungent smell of disinfectant punched my nose. Vanira was laid on a stone table, covered by a thin blanket. A separate cloth mostly covered her face, but I got a glimpse of her completely white lips. Her features vaguely reminded me of Firana. I got nauseous, and for a moment, I felt bile rising in my throat.

"Focus, Robert. We have little time," Byrne said with urgency. "This might be a girl's body, but it's also a dangerous magical artifact. The Nature Circle wants to dispose of it as soon as possible, and they will when the Grand Archivist of the Academic Circle finds out."

He walked to the table and pulled Vanira's arm from under the blanket. Corruption covered her skin like black ink, the tendrils almost reaching her knuckles.

"W-what happened to her? The best healers of the country are supposed to be here."

"There are limits to the magic the System can harness. Not even the creator of the System knew every rune," Byrne replied. "Look."

Red crystalline formations protruded from Vanira's forearm.

"What do you think?" Byrne said.

[Foresight] drowned my feelings and forced my rational mind to take control. I focused on the crystals and used [Identify], but the System returned a small box with three question marks.

"[Identify] doesn't return Vanira's name. That's not part of her. They aren't mana cores either. I defeated a Greater Slime once, and the System recognized them," I said.

"It's worse than you think. The Fractalis Identification Subroutine uses the knowledge of every person who has ever accepted the System, dead or alive. This means nobody has seen something like this. Ever. I don't like 'new', Robert. New means types of magic the System hasn't seen before," he said, summoning a mana scalpel to try to dislodge the crystal. The crystal didn't yield, nor did Vanira's Corrupted skin. "Try to take a sample. You have more mana than I do."

Vanira's cold skin almost made me puke.

"I'm not cutting a girl's body," I said.

"The dead don't care about the affairs of the mortals," Byrne grunted. "If Vanira's powers are a glitch in the System, I will find out. I'm not going to leave loose ends."

Byrne closed his eyes, and his manapool gleamed with a metallic hue. Runes shimmered for a millisecond. He channeled his mana, and dozens of small mirrors appeared around his head like a golden halo. Did he just inscribe a new skill into his mana pool? I had no time to answer my question because mana rushed through Byrne's body. The mirrors focused the energy and refracted it inward, in precise, scorching beams aimed at the crystals. The air hummed, and an invisible force tugged me towards the beams. But it wasn't my body being attracted, but every particle of mana inside my system—even the environmental mana convected in the mirrors.

Suddenly, the crystals cracked and the spell fizzled, leaving behind a sweaty Byrne.

Vanira's skin was unaffected by the skill.

"Hurry, help me collect the fragments! My back isn't what it used to be," Byrne said.

The red crystals contrasted like blood against the plain gray floor.

"Nobody will convince me this isn't a System Shrine Shard of some sort," he said.

I sharpened my mana sense. The red crystals pulsated with an inner light, but unlike System Shrines, they had no runes engraved. Kneeling down, I touched one of the crystals and tried to transfer my mana into it, but the shard remained inert, and unlike Corrupted Crystals, they didn't simply wither away.

"We are out of time," Byrne said, hiding the red fragments he'd grabbed in his robe.

A moment later, the door burst open and an old man dressed in an ornate red robe entered the room, followed by a retinue of librarians and System Zealots. He was thin and tall like a pencil, with long arms that almost reached his knees and a very pointy nose that held a set of heavy silver-framed glasses. He looked like an old, gnarled tree.

I didn't want to risk grabbing a crystal while he was watching me.

"Grand Archivist Eldrin," Byrne greeted him with a slight bow.

Considering his attire, I guessed he was the leader of the Academic Circle.

"Out of the room! Now!" the old man bellowed with a seemingly impossible strength.

Byrne bowed again and scurried past the group of librarians.

I trailed him close behind until we were back in the elevator.

"What will happen to Vanira?" I asked.

"The same as everyone. She will get incinerated to prevent the body from turning into an undead or a spirit monster from possessing her," Byrne said, reaching for my arm and putting one of the crystals against the palm of my hand. Suddenly, he seemed tired, like he had aged ten years in the last half an hour. "Let's hope this is a coincidence, but let me know if you figure out anything about the crystals. I will send you more study material. The faster we finish the portal, the more incidents we will be able to prevent."

Without saying more, we reached the ground floor and parted ways.

I couldn't help but feel sick. I had barely known Vanira, but I felt responsible for her death. Maybe it was a teacher's burden to feel responsible for every kid. Perhaps it was more than a teacher's thing. I replayed our brief interactions, looking for signs I might have missed. A hesitation in her voice? A shadow in her gaze?.

"Are you there? I really need an answer," I asked aloud, but the System Avatar didn't respond.

Despite my Prestige Class and my Runeweaver skills, I felt powerless. I wished Elincia were there. She might not have the answers for everything, but she was wise. The destiny of many rested in my hands, and I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure if I wanted to walk the path outlined by the System Avatar. I wasn't sure if I should follow Byrne either. Was there even another option? Something I haven't yet seen?

I needed to dig deeper.

* * *

Life carried on as if nothing had happened. The instructors were issued a memorandum signed by Astur, recommending that we inform our classes about dangerous potions circulating on the market. There was no mention of the Corruption incident in the Library or Vanira's passing.

The red crystal remained indifferent to my attempts to understand it.

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For the next week, I found myself pushing mana into my [Foresight] to listen to the cadets chattering in the dining hall and the corridors. I didn't catch any mention of Energy Boost Potions or nightly rallies. I had a good guess as to why: Astur had gotten rid of every cadet who might have needed a boost to their performance during the first selection exam. Besides, there weren't as many commoners in the Academy as in the Library.

Even the Energy Boost potion I kept in my room revealed nothing meaningful. It was just a cheap potion with a high level of toxicity. I thought of hunting down the survivors of the Red Hawk Trading Company, but I had too little time at my disposal.

"Come on, people! More energy," I shouted as the cadets practiced their sword drills.

I was totally turning into that P.E. teacher who didn't move from his seat.

We were back at the real Cabbage Classroom, no longer needing Cabbage House, and along with Talindra, we had decided to cap the kids' levels at five. They had a little more mana to work with but were forced to use it wisely. Outside, a group of cadets spied on our training session through the windows. After the first selection exam, Cabbage Class had gained a quasi-legendary status. There had been perfect passing rates in the past, but none since Astur had become the Grandmaster.

And now, we had done it.

The rumors spread fast: some said that we hit the lottery with hidden prodigies, that we were given special treatment due to my connection to Prince Adrien, that we were breaking the rules. Maybe some of that was even true, in a twisted way. But mostly, it was sweat, stubbornness, and a little bit of otherworldly madness.

I had gotten a small slice of revenge against Astur.

After the exam, he appeared in the teacher's dormitories and demanded that I tell him the secrets of our success. He looked agitated. Still, I felt no hint of compassion for him. He had used my kids as leverage against me, arguably the only thing I wouldn't sacrifice. I just smiled and told him I was training a disciple so the kids at the Cabbage Class could continue to have a top-notch education even after my contract ended.

Most of the instructors were appalled by how I spoke to Astur—though Holst was enjoying the show in his usual reading spot under the window. I didn't expect someone of his pedigree to enjoy the establishment crashing down in flames, although there was always something morbidly fascinating in seeing the proud and powerful brought to their knees.

That little win was nothing compared to my other problems.

"What am I gonna do?" I whispered.

A gust of wind struck my face, and the chair tilted back, teetering in a precarious balance. I opened my eyes to see Firana perched on the chair's back, smiling. We rocked back and forth without falling. Her sense of balance was something else.

"I'm your cute sidekick. Big or small, you can tell me if you have a problem."

Firana leaned forward until our eyes were aligned, although she was upside down. Her long chestnut hair fell like a wavy cascade over my lap. She smelled like lavender. Was she using perfume?

"You should focus on your theoretical exam," I said.

"Don't worry about that. I'll pass with flying colors, you'll see," Firana said, touching her forehead to mine. "Speak to me, Robert. What's the matter?"

Firana rhythmically headbutted me as I formulated a response.

"Get off the chair, and we might talk. You are setting a terrible example for the new cadets."

Firana flashed a grin and backflipped to the ground. Her landing was flawless. Even in a world with magic, it was impressive enough to earn a round of applause.

There was nothing a teacher could do against a good show.

"I'm going for a walk with Firana. You are in charge, Talindra!" I said, making up my mind. Whether I liked it or not, Firana wasn't the kid I met in Farcrest anymore. She survived the Weasel's plot and fought the Lich by my side. She was as involved as one could be with my world-saving quest.

Talindra gave me the thumbs-up from across the classroom.

"Gonna make them regret being born," she said with a wink.

I led the way out, but as soon as I crossed the door, Firana pounced on me, wrapping her arms around my neck. She laughed, and I dragged her down the hallway like she was my cloak. The Wolfpack had only arrived back at the Academy a couple of days ago from their trip into the Blacksmoke Mountain. Firana had summarized their three-week mission in a single eight-hour debrief—a grueling experience for Ilya, but an enjoyable one for me.

Firana let my neck go and walked by my side just as an aide turned the corner.

"This is your last year here. You might as well make the most of it instead of worrying about me."

Firana was humming a song I didn't recognize, but she stopped and rolled her eyes.

"I have had enough of this," she said, signaling to the surroundings, more tired than angry. "I'm tired of the false dichotomy between nobility and peasantry. Within these walls, nobility exists by virtue of inherited legitimacy in a self-perpetuating bubble, while commoners are defined by their utility rather than their individuality. That leads into an ontological conundrum in which one group is rightfully more disposable than the other due to the subsisting hegemonic asymmetry."

I let [Foresight] play the words on repeat until a glimpse of meaning shone through the verbal fog. I didn't expect Firana to know half of the words she had just used. Even less to deliver a coherent monologue.

"That's why the Wolfpack is a thing," she added.

"Because of nobility's self-perpetuating legitimacy?"

"Exactly! I knew you'd get it. Because of it, a Lv.10 commoner Fencer isn't treated the same as a Lv.10 noble Fencer despite the similarity in growth and skills. You know what I'm saying? I'm tired of it, although I might be complicit in this charade by merely accepting the title of Imperial Knight. But that's an entirely different can of worms."

I rubbed my eyes, wondering if [Invigoration] and the four hours of sleep I was getting every night were starting to pass the bill to my nervous system.

"Have you been visiting the Imperial Library by any chance?"

Firana shrugged.

"Ilya is turning into a better combatant by the day. I have to be careful not to fall behind," she said. "What I'm trying to say is that I value helping you more than anything the Imperial Academy can offer me. It's not a burden, I swear. Besides, you owe me. I know you bought Ilya a party dress."

Touché.

I couldn't help but feel proud that Firana had pushed me into a rhetorical corner.

"If you don't see the value of remaining in the Academy, why are you still here?" I asked in a last attempt to flip the script.

Firana looked away and muttered something very low. However, [Foresight] allowed me to catch the words. I'm here so I can catch up to you.

I couldn't say no to Firana. She was just too cute. And she already knew what was at stake.

"Grand Archivist Evelisse tasked me to find the source of the Energy Boost Potions. I think they are connected to an underground anti-nobility movement," I said.

Firana's eyes shone.

"Shall we join the resistance? No. Wait. The Energy Boost Potions aren't a good thing," she said, deep in thought. "Can't say I've heard much about underground anti-nobility movements, but cadets using potions to improve their performance is normal. You are looking in the wrong place if you haven't heard anything."

A part of me was already regretting pulling Firana away from her studies.

"I'm guessing you have a plan," I said.

"Yes, and it will involve disguises," she replied.

I didn't expect otherwise. I looked at Firana, trying to decipher her expression, but she gave me a cryptic smile. It was the kind of smile that promised trouble.

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

"Since I'm not asking you to do the dishes, yes."

Firana rolled her eyes once again and motioned for me to follow.

Half an hour later, we were walking down the boulevard by the side of the Imperial Library. The sun was high in the sky, almost above the Library's central spire. Firana guided me into one of the worn-down taverns at the farthest end of the street. The place looked like those shabby taverns Risha used to haunt, although slightly cleaner. The main saloon was practically empty. A few members of the Magicians Circle were drinking at the counter, but they didn't even turn to see us. Without hesitation, Firana greeted the tavern keeper and walked past the early drinkers.

A small group of librarians of the Academic Circle was sitting in the corner of the room, drinking from oversized tankards. If I had to guess, that was a double pint. I was getting heavy dropout vibes, not because I was judgmental, but because that was my type of crowd back in college.

"Hey! Firana! You coming for a drink?" The leader of the red hems asked.

The boy was tall and good-looking enough to make the unkempt haircut and scruffy beard look effortlessly stylish. A little voice inside me told me to obliterate the kid before he could swoon Firana.

"I don't drink, Lip," Firana replied. "I need a favor."

Lip gave me a sober look only a heavy drinker could provide while gripping a tankard that big. Then, her eyes jumped back to Firana. He didn't seem to be in a rush to know what kind of favor Firana needed.

"You don't even come to see us anymore. Let's chat for a moment. Who's the uncle? Did you land a Silverspoonsor, Firi Firi? Eh? Do you get it?"

Firana blushed.

"This is Robert Clarke, the caretaker at the orphanage where I used to hang."

Lip and the other red hems jumped to their feet.

"The Man! It's truly an honor to meet you. I'm a big fan of your work," Lip said, shooting a glance at Firana. "Whatever you need, just name it."

Firana put her hands on her hips and smiled.

"I'm going to need your robes and your glasses."

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