The next morning.Automated golems arrived in front of each tent to deliver an announcement.[All examinations are hereby concluded. All students are to return to Base Camp under the guidance of the golems.]Before long, the dispatched assistants and professors across the field began leading the students back to the Base Camp.The camp was soon filled with murmuring voices as professors and students gathered together.A headcount showed that, thankfully, no one was missing.Assistant Pellin finished counting and reported to the Chairman and Dean Grania.“There are zero deaths and seventeen injured. Most injuries are minor, and no student’s life is in danger.”“Fortune was on our side, it seems.”Hearing that there were no serious injuries, the Chairman let out a hearty laugh and nodded.“Didn’t I tell you? I said everyone would make it back safely, didn’t I? Our students truly are excellent.”“……”I was glad no one had been hurt, but for some reason, the Chairman’s smugness was hard to stomach.Grania glared at him for a moment, then turned to the assistant.“How is Professor Verdandi?”“We’ve just received word from the temple that she’s regained consciousness. She suffered serious injuries, but all treatable areas have been healed with Holy Magic. With several months of proper rest, she should be able to return to her previous state.”It was fortunate news that full recovery was possible. At this, the Chairman stroked his mustache and said,“Huhu, if Lady Elena was the one who treated her, then we can trust the results.”As the person closest to becoming a Saintess, Elena was renowned for her divine healing—far superior to any other cleric or doctor.It seemed even Professor Verdandi, who had fallen into critical condition, had been safely treated.“Perhaps it’s because of my good karma, but I seem to have so many outstanding students during my term. Kekeke.”“Tch.”Clicking his tongue, Grania ignored the Chairman’s self-praise and asked another professor,“Has the dismantling and analysis of the barrier been completed?”At his question, the professors sighed.“To be honest, we couldn’t do much. Or rather, before we could even attempt anything, the barrier dissolved on its own.”“Hmm. So there were no particular findings.”“Yes. We couldn’t analyze the barrier or the magic circle, nor could we locate the medium. Everything disappeared as if it were an illusion.”The barrier had vanished without leaving any trace of evidence.Highly suspicious.Another professor spoke up.“Some of the students said that monsters far stronger than expected appeared. And due to the barrier, they wandered in circles, unable to see an inch ahead through the dense fog.”“……”“I can’t fathom the purpose. Who on earth would do something like this, and why?”At Professor Martelgia’s question, Dean Grania replied calmly,“The identity will be revealed soon. Professor Verdandi, who fought the assailant directly, has regained consciousness. However, as for their objective, we’ll need a detailed analysis. We must trace the flow of mana to uncover their intent.”Grania spoke calmly, outlining the next steps.“Ah, my apologies for interrupting… but Professor Verdandi apparently doesn’t remember much about the assailant.”“What?”“According to Elena’s assessment, it appears to be partial memory loss…”***Freya slowly opened her eyes.A white ceiling. A window letting in bright sunlight. A white blanket covering her body.Blinking vacantly, she suddenly sat up, instinctively reaching for her waist.Her hand searched, but neither her belt nor her sword sheath were there.'What’s going on?'She had clearly been facing a powerful enemy in the forest.The being of immeasurable strength had withdrawn, but the powerful demon it left behind had remained.Loen had been struck by the creature, bleeding and collapsing, and she herself had been attacked.She remembered being thrown far away by its blow vividly.But now, she wasn’t in the forested test grounds of the Howling Mountain Range—she was inside the infirmary.Judging by the situation, she’d apparently been rescued safely, but curiosity stirred about what had happened afterward.'My sister… and Loen…?'Freya was about to throw off her blanket and get out of bed when—“I’m glad you’re awake.”“!”Shaaak—Pulling back the curtain around her bed, Freya saw a figure seated by the window.Rare black hair. Deep eyes that somehow looked weary.…Her former fiancé.Loen de Valis.She wasn’t sure, but it seemed he had been watching over her while she was unconscious.Tap—He closed the book he’d been reading and spoke.“According to the cleric and physician, there’s nothing wrong with your body. The same goes for Verdandi. They say she’ll recover soon, so there’s no need to worry.”Loen’s sudden update left Freya momentarily dazed, quite unlike her usual composed self.“Ah…”After gathering her thoughts, she spoke again.“Thank you. May I ask… what happened during that battle?”The demon that the assailant had pulled from the coffin.Loen had been injured by it, and she had lost consciousness while fighting it.At her question, Loen answered as if it were nothing special.“The golems nearby arrived just in time and eliminated it. We were lucky.”“…Golems, huh.”It sounded a bit doubtful, but there was no way to confirm it.“Then, what about the one who caused all this—the being who called himself a Magus, Gilean? How was the aftermath handled?”At her question, Loen’s eyes hardened as he got to the point.“Good question. In fact, there’s something important about that.”***The Howling Mountain Range.Rustle—When Gilean reached out his hand, a pitch-black stone on the ground floated up and was sucked beyond space.“That’s the last one.”All the Dark Magic Stones scattered throughout the range had been retrieved.Just as he finished his assigned task—Sabaak—Tormen, one of Gilean’s subordinates, pushed through the bushes and reported.“Lord Gilean, everything you ordered has been taken care of. The professor has been subdued, the barrier dispelled, and the cleanup completed.”“Well done.”Tormen gave a short nod, then asked,“But, Lord Gilean… was there really any need for us to handle such a ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ low-level task ourselves?”Dark Magic Stones did contain powerful magi, yes—but that was merely the common world’s evaluation.For those active in the core of Magus society, they weren’t that impressive.It didn’t seem like a matter requiring a Twelve Venerable-class individual to personally move, nor worth breaking a long seal and invading the Union to carry out so openly.Tormen frowned.“And since we were here anyway, wouldn’t it have been better to just kill that brat and the professors? They’ll all become our enemies sooner or later.”Professor Verdandi, the assistants from Ishtal, the daughter of the Gunhild family, and the youngest son of the de Valis house.They were all potential future enemies. It would be wiser to eliminate them now.If they didn’t kill them today, the Union’s defenses would only grow tighter later, and such an opportunity wouldn’t come again easily.But instead, they had merely incapacitated them and released a lower demon. It was hard to understand.At Tormen’s question, Gilean nodded.“Your doubt is natural—and logical. However…”He lifted his gaze toward the sky.“Human fate is determined by the heavens. All things happen at the proper time in the proper way. At least today, it is not their time to die. Their ties will one day make fine offerings for the succession ritual. Do not be impatient, Tormen. What must come will come.”“……”Tormen didn’t completely understand what Gilean meant—only that the timing wasn’t right.Still, he could tell that their lives would be useful later, so they had been spared for a reason.Swoosh—Gilean knelt on one knee and brushed his hand over the forest soil.Tzzzzz—At his touch, traces of magi that had faded into dust rose into the air.From that energy, Gilean read the memory of the space—the battle between the demon and the boy that had taken place here.He slowly examined the replayed images and murmured,“As expected… there was a reason the Master ordered me to observe.”Tormen tilted his head.“With respect, his power didn’t seem that impressive.”Absorbing the power of darkness, slaying a demon in a single strike—Loen’s display had been considerable, but compared to the true masters of this continent, it was like a candle before the sun.Hardly enough to meet his expectations.At Tormen’s remark, Gilean replied calmly,“Power isn’t what matters—qualification is.”“Qualification?”“Indeed. And he possesses it.”With that, Gilean ended the conversation and rose to his feet.Then, gazing at Loen within the memory of space, he smiled quietly.…The boy who would one day stand by their side.Perhaps even become their new king.***The aftermath of the incident was handled smoothly.Verdandi took responsibility under the pretext of “negligence in supervision” and was given a three-month suspension.In truth, it was less punishment and more a chance to rest and recover.Though the culprit hadn’t been identified, the scale of the incident was so large it was considered nearly a natural disaster.Even if it had been another professor, they likely couldn’t have stopped it either.As for the grading of this practical exam, it was postponed until countermeasures could be discussed.A little disappointing, since we’d gathered so many Magic Stones—but we’d gained something far greater.'Because through this, I confirmed the extent of Loen’s power and potential.'Of course, this ability was undoubtedly powerful, but it wasn’t something I could use freely whenever I wanted.Since it was a power based on magi, it couldn’t be exposed to others.This time, I’d been lucky—no witnesses—but that wouldn’t always be the case.Moreover, it seemed related to the [Resonance Rate], the system of the Half-Human, Half-Demon trait.'If it reaches 0 or 100, an event occurs.'I narrowed my eyes, checking my Status Window.Looking through the log, the Resonance Rate had gradually decreased since I possessed Loen’s body.However, when I accepted the magi and gained power, it had spiked sharply to 100.'I don’t know the exact parameters yet, but it’s clearly correlated with contact with magi.'Judging by that, I could probably use this power whenever magi was accessible.But since I didn’t know how much magi it took to reach 100, or the precise rules for the increase, I couldn’t rely on it entirely.And since it couldn’t be used under others’ eyes, it was practically useless.Therefore, it had to remain a hidden trump card—a last resort—and my personal strength had to continue developing.I closed the Status Window and nodded slowly.'I’ll just continue training as before.'Enhancing artifacts and items through [Alchemy].Continuous physical training from the Martial Artist class bonus.Incubating and nurturing the darkness spirit.And lastly, using Bell’s mana orb infused with Extreme Flame to activate normal spellcasting.This last one was especially important. The recent battle had proven that neutralizing the Gu-eum Jeolmaek trait with Bell’s Extreme Flame might truly work.'I could freely use magic back then.'When I’d become a demon, all my innate physical traits had been altered—the moment the Gu-eum Jeolmaek trait vanished through demonic transformation, all magical restrictions were lifted.Meaning, if Bell’s Extreme Flame could neutralize the Gu-eum Jeolmaek trait, it might yield a similar effect.That was good news for me.Of course… there was bad news too.'Gilean.'The Twelve Venerables, including him, had begun to move.According to the storyline I knew, it wasn’t yet time for them to act.But since my conversation with Director Lee Yeon-hee had already changed certain developments, my prior knowledge might no longer be reliable.To prevent sudden chaos, Freya and I agreed to keep this matter quiet for now.Even a mere mention of Gilean could cause a massive uproar.Still, it was too serious an issue to simply bury, so I decided to inform one highly trusted and capable authority figure—someone who could handle it discreetly.***“Kehkehkeh, so the most trustworthy person you chose to tell, Loen…”“Yes. It’s you, Chairman.”

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